Archive of Our Own ^beta

NOTE: This story had originated from Fanfiction.net. Though, I decided to publish it here to get more people to read it as I realised there won't be a lot reading on that website. Now then onto the story.

Dark Souls and RWBY. Now, that is a common crossover story that I usually see when reading Fanfiction. After playing Dark Souls III four times, I decided to write my own iteration of a Dark Souls and RWBY story.

What I mean by that is that, although it goes along with the RWBY plot, it takes place in between the ending of Volume 5 and right at the start to Volume Six. I haven't watched volume 6 up to the current (former) volume 9, I decided to watch it when I have the time. Still going to follow the standard RWBY storyline, but in a unique way.

And to much of some's dismay, this will take place after the 'End of Fire' Ending to Dark Souls III. Yeah, yeah, the Dark should have consumed everyone, including the Ashen One. Yet, I cannot help the feeling that they is always more in stock for this individual.

One more thing. This story is influenced by two fanfiction stories that I had read online. The first is called 'Blade Seeketh Blood' by Strongraider101. And the second is a Bloodborne/Kuroinu story called 'The Night Unfurls' by StaffSergeant. Both of which are seen in the layout of the story and the characteristic traits seen in the Ashen One. Speaking of which, his name will be inspired by Mundatorem's 'Fate: Souls and Singularities'.

I always wanted to see the Ashen One to be this wise and experienced yet jaded, distrustful, bitter, and cynical main character of a story. Look, it is my interpretation of how it psychologically affected the Ashen One throughout the events of Dark Souls III. Do you have a problem with it?

One more thing, I am going to be using the lore rather than the gameplay as it's rather interesting to do. That and also a certain fanfiction reviewer would be happy on.

Now, let's get on with the first and only chapter which will be really, REALLY short. For now, at least until I feel like uploading another story.

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Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant

Prologue

Awaken, Ashen One

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'The Lords will abandon their thrones, and the Unkindled will rise. Nameless, accursed undead, unfit even to be cinder.'

The sound of metals clicking together were heard as the Ashen One sat down in the ash field within the Kiln of the First Flame. The mix sensation of both bitterness and relief were the only feelings that the Unkindled felt as he watched the Firekeeper holding the remains of the First Flame after she picked it up. Her soft and gentle words was the only presence he heard aside from the embers emitting out of the First Bonfire and the Darkness that was about to come.

"The First Flame quickly fades. Darkness will shortly settle." She went quiet as she sensed the Ashen One sitting down on the ashened ground before she resumed talking. "But one day, tiny flames will dance across the darkness. Like embers, linked by Lords past."

The Ashen One knew that he, and the Firekeeper, may not be alive when the next Age of Fire will happen. But at least there will be time for peace for all of those who had suffered through the artificial prolonging of the First Age of Fire. They may be the first ones in a while who won't suffer with the Darksign within him and many others. Knowing that his job is done, the Unkindled closed his eyes and was about to begin his slumber.

His thoughts then shifted to the people he met like Andre, Siegfried, Anri, Sirris, Hawkwood, Corynx, Irina, Karla, Orbeck, Greirat, and even Patches. All of which his times with them flashed in his head as everything before him blackens.

Right before it envelops him, he heard the Firekeeper's voice for one last time.

"Ashen One, hearest thou my voice, still?"

…

…

…

"Awaken, Ashen One."

The Unkindled heard a strange feminine voice calling out to him…Wait?

Wasn't he already consumed by the Darkness?

If that was so, then why did he hear a voice.

That voice was telling him to be awaken.

By why?

His duty has already been fulfilled.

But at the same time, being an Unkindled, he still had a duty to call.

And the Ashen One is not going to ignore this calling.

The Ashen One got up from the ground while soil and dirt came off of his Knight Set. Getting up from the ground, the Unkindled opened his eyes and immediately scanned the surroundings he was in. From where he could see, a sense of peace and harmony hit the Ashen One differently. He was aware that he was in a hill that was filled with life, which was something he was bitterly reminded of the crusade he had through the land of Lothric, and the Ringed City.

"Where...where exactly am I?" The Ashen One spoke with a very confused tone to himself.

He had a lot of questions. First and foremost, who was the exact voice that was able to summon him here? Second, where was the Firekeeper? She was with him when the First Flame had fade away. And finally, where exactly was he? The Unkindled One knew that this land was definitely not Lothric, which he was already aware of as he saw a towering City that was surrounded by mountains that had a waterfall. All of which had the feeling of being alive.

Wherever the Ashen One was, he already found his answers. "Guess I should start searching there. Better not draw out my true strength if I don't want to be immediately discovered." That was something he was about to do…

Right after getting into a different set of Attire.

Opening his bottomless box, the Ashen One looked to see that there was an entire set of the one that resembled the Soul of Cinder, as well as the weapon, he decided to leave it in there. Digging through his countless treasures, the Ashen One found what he could wear in this new environment.

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-Scene Change-

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Changing into the Fallen Knight Set from his standard Knight attire, the Ashen One trekked through the path that led him towards the city. He changed his weaponry from his fully upgraded Long Sword to a Dark Sword that was used by the Dark Wraiths which was sheathed on his left hip. His also switched his trusty Kite Shield to his Knight Shield that was placed in his back. He would have chosen a better option for his weaponry of choice, but the Ashen One felt like it was appropriate for now as long as he doesn't find himself in some sort of trouble.

Walking through the streets within the city that he found himself in, the Ashen One saw a lot of people in an unusual attire walking by. While he was strolling, he also heard something he never heard in a long time; children happily playing around the street. He also noticed some having some animalistic traits present of some that he passed by. "When did people have animalistic traits?" He had wondered to himself. The only time he had seen something like that is when he had encountered beings such as the Corvians and the White-faced Locusts. The latter of which sent a shiver down the Ashen One's core. He didn't notice a few glances made by these people, yet he ignored it as he couldn't be bothered by being looked at.

The Ashen One didn't realised that some time had already passed. He saw less people within this busy street. He found himself in the middle of an empty street where no people were present. A quiet sighed was released through his lips behind his helmet. It seemed like it was getting dark, and he needed to find a place to stay and gather as much intel he can in regards to the place that he is currently in. Right the Ashen One was about to…

"Oof!"

The Ashen One heard a young girl's voice and felt something that bumped into his left. Turning to that direction to see a young girl with short black hair with red rips. Her outfit consisted of a white high-neck décolletage blouse with brown studded wristbands on the arms, black skirt with red tulle underneath with an overbust corset with red strip holding it in place, a black belt bordered in red that could hold some sort of arrows or bolts, a black thigh-high stockings reaching to a few inches below the hem of her skirt, decorated by an image of a long-stemmed rose, and red-soled black boots contain four straps and buckles apiece. What was most eye-catching to the Ashen One is how this girl had a tattered red cloak with a singular clip on the right shoulder in the shape of a rose.

The last description made the Ashen One remind of the Slave Knight Gael. Someone who he had to put down due to going mad by consuming the dried up Dark Souls of the Ringed City's Pygmy Lords.

The Ashen One just silently looked at the girl that had bumped into him. The girl did the same. She went quiet for a few seconds as she stared at the armored hooded individual towering before her before she eventually spoke. "Um…sorry, I didn't see you there."

"…" The Ashen One didn't respond as he kept looking at the girl's silver eyes.

The young girl couldn't find the perfect words to say to this individual. He didn't say a word at all. She saw this individual looking at the surroundings and knew that he was missing. "Uh…are you lost?"

The Ashen One looked back at the young girl as she answered that question. He silently nodded his head in response. The young girl saw this and spoke, "Oh, I see. Well, if you want to find a place, maybe I could show you where the nearest hotel is. But it doesn't seem like you don't have any Lien with you."

'Lien? Is that the currency that this place use?' The Ashen One needed to have more questions answered more than ever. He wasn't going to be naïve here, and he felt skeptical of this young girl's aid.

The Young girl looked at the Ashen One as she thought of something else. "Or you can come with me and perhaps be introduced to the others."

The Ashen One tilted his head in curiosity. Why was this girl offering as much help to him? To the Unkindled, she was a stranger that he was doubtful of trusting. He had his own question to ask. "Can they be trusted?"

The young girl slightly winced at this Individual's words. His filter was a mix of being cold and apathetic. Despite this, she smiled at him. "They can. C'mon, you can come with me. I don't want them worrying that I took long roaming around Mistral."

Mistral. So this is what this place is called. The Ashen One now had the slightest idea of where he was at but there were a few more subjects that needed to be explained. He nodded his head to the young to lead on, and she eventually began to walk of the opposite side to where they were at. As they were doing so, he saw the young Girl stopped in her tracks as she faced him. "Something wrong?"

The young girl pouted at his attitude. "There's no need for that. I just forgot to introduce myself. The name's Ruby. Ruby Rose."

Ruby Rose. Well, the Ashen One could tell it already fit her by looking at the color schemes of her outfit, as well as the Rose emblem that he can see. Now he had to introduce himself to her. He doesn't have a name, but perhaps with the common elements within the numerous titles he was called, he already came up with one. "Name's Ash."

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PHEW! It took me at least nearly two days to write this entire prologue of this Dark Souls III/RWBY story. It may not live to the expectation of other stories, but I am satisfied with how it had went so far.

So, about his appearance through the first volume, as you can tell it takes place before the start of Volume 6, yeah I chose the Fallen Knight set as it would fit the Ashen One/Ash fitting of him hiding his presence as he had awakened in Remnant. Don't worry, I got a perfect set for volume 7-8, and for Volume 9, there is going to be a change to his outfit as well.

Now, it is going to be a while when I upload the next chapter because I have t focus on my life and also need to write on how Wendy's Adventure's through Yharnam is going through a Fairy Tail/Bloodborne story ironically called 'Fairyborne'.

If you think the Ashen One will be alone? No, he won't be. I am planning to have two more additional Dark Souls III characters to this story. Just not now. I assume all you already know who they are?

This story will be interesting when you consider the characteristics the Ashen One has that I mentioned before. I wonder how this will go?

With that done, I will see you went the story gets updated.

Never thought that I decided to write a second chapter for this Fanfiction story. That is all I have to say. So, let's begin the OFFICIAL first chapter of Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant! Oh, and in case this story gets copyrighted, I do not own Any Dark Souls or RWBY related content on the story. Now, INSERT DARK SOULS III MAIN MENU THEME AS ITS OPENING to this Fanfiction.

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Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant

One

New Yet Uncertain Allies

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'So, What Do You Say? Why Not Help One Another On This Lonely Journey?'

Ash had followed behind Ruby Rose throughout the streets of a city called Mistral. He had kept quite a distance away from the girl as he didn't want to repeat his answer her questions with regards to the Dark Sword that he was carrying. All he had said to her is that he got that Sword off from a merchant.

The girl wasn't buying into his words as she still persisted that he must've got it from somewhere. It might look like just an ordinary thick pitch-black longsword, but to her, it had a unique design on the sword. As he didn't want to be bothered by her constant pleading, Ash decided to let her hold the Dark Sword.

"Oh wow!" Ruby said with delight, inspecting the sword closely at every angle. "This sword is nothing that I've seen before!"

"You look too excited about it?" Ash said with a lace of dryness in his voice, not bothering with the girl's attitude.

Despite his remark, Ruby looked at him with a smile. "Oh, you have no idea how excited I am with weapons."

"And I assume you have one?" Was the next question Ash asked.

Ruby nodded her head while smiling. "Yep. But you'll have to wait when we arrive at our destination." She handed the Dark Sword back to the Ashen One and continued on with their journey. It took quite them quite a while until they had arrived at their location. "And we're here."

Ash looked ahead to see Ruby stop in front of their destination. It was a large house, and its design was nothing that he had seen before. Right now, they were right in front of the house's entrance door. Before they could even enter, Ruby looked over to Ash. "You might want to stay out here for just a couple of moments."

Ash looked at her. He already knew why he needed to stay out here. Silently nodding his head to the young girl to enter the house. Meanwhile, Ruby entered the house, and was greeted by her friends. "Hey, you're back, Ruby!" That was the voice of her half-sister, Yang Xiao-Long.

"Took you long enough." Weiss Schnee, former Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company or SDC for short, spoke next.

Ruby giggled at their words and rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, I just had a run in the market, that's all."

Now her words caught everyone's attention. Jaune Arc was the first to speak. "You ran into someone in the market?

"Yep." Ruby responded while popping the last letter.

"So, what does he look like?" Nora Valkyrie eagerly asked.

Lie Ren placed a hand on her shoulder that would calm her down. "Relax, Nora. Ruby will tell us."

Speaking of the girl, she had something to say. "About that…" Everyone looked at her with a confused look on their faces. Right before anyone could say a word, Ruby looked over at the entrance to the door, and made a gesture for something or someone to enter. The main entrance opened to reveal an individual dressed up in an attire that was a combination between a rusted Knight Armor and a robe. If anyone have to say one thing about the individual standing before them, he looked to be unique.

Too unique for the likes of Qrow Branwen who sat back up from the couch he was lying at. He was eying at the individual before him and felt something off. "This power…it's not like what I have felt before. How did Ruby find someone like him?"

Ash saw that everyone's attention was towards him. He remained silent from this. Jaune couldn't help but nervously gulp at the person he was seeing. "Um…Ruby. Is this the person you ran into the market?"

"Sure is, Jaune." Ruby replied to him. She went over to Ash and introduced him to the group. "Everyone! I want you to meet Ash! He's not much of a talker."

Now that he had been presented to the group, it was the group's turn to be introduced. Nora went to each of her friends as she introduced them to him. "Oh! Since you already know Ruby, this is Wiess, Blake, Yang, Jaune, Ren, the guy sitting on the couch is Qrow…" She suddenly spread her arms out while somehow, she threw confetti out from her hands. "And I'm Nora!"

Ash just silently stared at the red-haired girl. He didn't say anything as he was too dumbstruck about where the confetti even came from. "Is that…some sort of spell that I never seen before?"

Every Occupants looked at Ash as she stood there silently. Too Silently for them to say the least. Yang cleared her throat and spoke. "So, Ash…" The Unkindled looked in her direction. "How did you exactly encounter my sis?"

Ash looked at the blonde then Ruby, and then back at her. He didn't see any relationship of how these two are related. "Perhaps they may be half-related?" He shook that thought off his head and locked eyes on her. "I was wandering the streets before I encounter Lady Rose."

Ruby looked at Ash with an eyebrow raised up. "You seemed to be lost when I bumped into you. I am sorry about that. But where did you exactly come from?"

Ash silently stared at her and didn't say anything. Not a single word escaped his mouth. Rather, he blankly looked at the area before him. He didn't want to blatantly say that he was from another plane from a dying age before he ended up here. This thought made him lightly motion his left hand as it was about to form into a fist. This didn't go unnoticed by Blake as she felt the air intensify. "Is there something bothering you?" She asked.

The strange man looks at the Faunus, which made him stop curling his left hand and saw that her cat ears were flattered. He knew that she was concerned. "I'm fine." He dismissed her in his cold tone. Some wince at his remark as he looked over to Ruby. "To answer your question, Lady Rose, that would be for another time."

Ruby seemed to buy into it. She knew that Ash wasn't exactly telling the truth. She didn't blame him for that response as they had only recently met. "Oookay then…"

"Ah, I see that we have a visitor," Everyone then shifted their attention to a young boy, who walked towards where they sat. Ash curiously looked at him and he could have heard a voice that belonged to a man. Said individual looked up at him with a smile shown on his face. "Welcome, Mister Ash. I am Ozpin."

Ash once again looked at him as he stood there silently. Nora scratched the back of her chin as she forgot to introduce this person to him. "Oh riiiiiight…Ash, that's Ozpin. Just don't be fooled by his childlike appearance." She chuckled awkwardly. Everyone looked at her due to her statement.

Now that was an interest for the Unkindled to hear. He could feel a powerful soul emitting from the boy…as well as that golden object thaT Qa strapped around his belt. Speaking of feeling, Ozpin felt something off about the robbed armored individual that was standing in the room. "(Is something wrong?)" Oscar asked Ozpin.

"It's nothing. Must have been my imagination." The spiritual spirit of the Former Headmaster of Beacon told him. Yet, he couldn't feel but sense the same power that Qrow felt. The same power he hasn't felt for a very long time.

Now that everyone has been introduced, Ash saw that there were bags all over the place. It looks like they are packing to head somewhere. "What's with all the bags?"

That was a question that everyone was uncertain of. None of them wanted to tell this strange individual they needed to deliver that lamp to a safe place. Lucky, Ruby had managed to come up with something. "Oh. Well, we need to go to Atlas to deliver something important." Well, that wasn't a complete lie. To her, at least.

However, Ash had a speculation to be aware that there is something more to her statement. Yet he decided to stay quiet. "I see." Well, that was thrown out of the bag to gather information. He wanted to learn more about this place. Where he was and what this Atlas is. Too bad these people were not helpful to answer his many questions.

Ruby could tell that Ash was lost. In a way where he had nowhere to go. A thought came to mind as it may be helpful towards Ash. Within a quick second, she turned to face him. "How about you come with us?"

Her question caused everyone to have the exact same reaction. Qrow voiced what was in everyone's mind. "Woah, Ruby!"

Ruby turned to face her uncle. "What is it, Uncle Qrow?"

"You can't just invite a complete stranger because…" Qrow knew what he was about to say and didn't want Ash to know about the Relic that was currently present in the room. He turned to face the Unkindled. "Ash, was it? Is it alright for you to be outside for a moment? We need to have a talk among ourselves."

Ash didn't need to be told twice. He turned and walked outside of the room. Now that he was out of the picture, it was now time for their own conversation. Qrow decided to start it off. "Ruby, why did you offer him to come with us? We barely even know him."

Ruby saw that her uncle was making a valid point here. Still, she was still insisting on bringing the stranger along. "I know. But he seems lost and doesn't to know where to go."

"And let him know about the relic?" Ren added. "We simply don't know anything about him other than you randomly bumping into him on the Mistral Market."

"Who knows what his intentions are." Blake pointed out the obvious fact. "He might be working for Salem."

Unknown to all of them, Ash heard their entire conversation as he was leaning against the wall. Truth be told, he was utterly confused by what they were saying. "Relics? Salem? What are they even talking about?" Those were new topics that interest him, which only added a new set of questions he wants answers. But for now, he decided to keep that to himself and continued to listen to their conversation.

"What," Jaune said in surprise. "What makes you say that?"

"Bumping into strangers in a marketplace does raise a lot of red flags." Yang commented, adding more to the group's curiosity in regards to Ash.

"Yang's right, who knows what Ash would bring if we were to bring him along." Weiss had to agree with the blonde's remark.

The group had their own valid points on their decision to not bring Ash along with them. Seeing their conflicted decision, Qrow looked over to where Oscar, or rather Ozpin in Oscar's body, was. "What do you think of this, Oz?"

Ozpin closed his eyes for a few seconds before looking at everyone. "I think Miss Rose is right. Ash may bring some obstacle to our plan, but I see no harm in bringing him. He may not know what we are about to do. But will some time with him and building some trust, we may tell him of the events that are transpiring."

Everyone was surprised to hear this statement coming out from him. Qrow raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about this."

"I'm sure." Ozpin said, not having a single doubt in his mind.

That was all Ruby needed to hear. She smiled at the former Headmaster. "Thank you, Oz! I'll be telling him that he can come along with us!" She got up from her seat and headed outside.

Opening the door, she looked to see Ash leaning on the wall. "Hey, Ash! You can come along with us. We decided to let you tag along."

That was something that Ash had expected. He nodded his head to her. "Thanks." Ash was about to head inside where he stopped in his tracks. He didn't know why but he felt something off within his surroundings.

Ruby saw this and asked him a concerning question. "Is there something wrong?"

Ash turned to face the girl. He shook his head. "It's nothing." He answered before heading back inside. He had a feeling that someone was watching over them from a distance and had a guess that whoever this was may have some bad blood with someone in this group.

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-Scene Change-

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In a far away land riddled with darkness, the creatures known as the Grimm roamed freely, a pale woman was overlooking the area on the balcony of her tower. She oversaw more Grimm emerging from the pile of black goo that was seen in partial areas.

Salem watched as she oversaw everything. She was deep down in her thoughts as she was thinking of her upcoming plans. Plans that would undo everything that her rival, Ozpin, had worked for many years. From the work he did to the establishments of Huntsman Academy, it seems like everything was going to plan.

That was until recently.

Not too long ago, Salem had sensed something that hadn't been felt for a very long time through the land of Remnant. A power far greater than what she was able to feel locked away by a strange individual who doesn't belong here.

Like a strange anomaly that had been resurfaced.

That had caught her interest. Whatever this thing was, she knew that it would be of significant benefit to her masterplan. Perhaps a weapon that she can use when she has the things that she wants.

Her ears heard the doors opening. She turned around to see her most devoted follower entering. "Ah, Tyrian. I'm glad you had just arrived."

"Is there something bothering you, my Queen?" The crazed Faunus asked his leader.

Salem faced back to the window as she answered his question. "I feel an unknown power with great immensity. It has been bothering me for a while and I simply cannot place it where."

"Perhaps it could do with the Little Red and her group." Tyrian speculated as he fiddled with his fingers.

That may be the case. Salem considered her follower's theory and knew what to do. "Perhaps we must wait until the time is right. For now..." A Seer Grim had appeared out of nowhere and was near Salem. "We'll just be observing whoever this strange individual is."

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First OFFICIAL chapter done! Apology if I haven't written a very long chapter. I tend to write one whenever it is necessary for. Which is why I am going to be writing the next chapter. Now then, Ash SERIOUSLY is getting attention for him, even though it is unwanted. And Ozpin and Salem felt something off about him. I do wonder what they are implying by that.

Now, onto the reviews…

Dasgun: …really. I have no idea what you are trying to say there.

Guest: Well, here you go. The next chapter may be long.

LtButterfly287: Don't worry, I won't be changing his armor and weapons every chapter. But that does not mean that I am going to be changing his attire in every single arc. C'mon, if the RWBY cast could change their attire, so than Ash. I do hope you understand what I am trying to say. Which reminds me, I may only focus on one singular weapon that a certain Wolf Knight used to wield for his main weapon of choice.

Yeah. The last response is true. Truth be told, I will only be switching the weapons if it's necessary and not the armor. Like the Fallen Knight set is a reflection on masking one's presence in an unknown area.

On the topic of that, I need to watch Volume Six way up to Volume Nine. The recent volume that I have huge plans for.

SPEAKING on RWBY, God! I know that the RWBY Fandom is mad at penguinz0 for simply stating his own out-of-context opinion to the show. But like, come on? It's just a personal opinion that is just short-sighted but valid depending on who you ask. It's really becoming toxic and I am just glad that I am not a part of it...though that sounds hypocritical as I posted some post on its subreddit page on Reddit.

With that, I will be seeing you in the next chapter…whenever it will be.

Alright, alright. So, the last two chapters lacked a bit of action. I must confess that it is not my field of work. I have been playing some more Dark Souls III for the last few days to gain some experience of how this story would go like. Speaking of which, I must confirm this. There are going to be a handful of characters from the Dark Souls Trilogy that will be in this story. It'll be slow, but you will have to wait. Now onto the third chapter…or second chapter to put it that way.

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Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant

Two

All Aboard

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'What's wrong? Get a bit of a scare out there? No problem. Have a seat and get comfortable.'

If Ash had to be honest to himself, the current situation he is in would be anything that was helpful to his many questions.

He was in a room that Ruby had offered. He was glad that he was given a room where he could dwell upon the information that was provided by the books that were offered by the Faunus girl, Blake. Something that he was glad that didn't phase out of existence.

What he has read so far did bring some interest. First, the place he is currently in is called Mistral, which is one of the Four Kingdoms of Remnant. That word, Remnant, he couldn't help but chuckle at that word, Remnant, since it gave him a feeling that it was playing with the word of remaining. An odd choice of words to say the least.

Next, he looked at the natives of this world. Turns out, there are two types of species. Humans were the obvious known, and the others were those with the animalistic traits called Faunus. The latter had an interesting history due to them being discriminated against by the humans. It was so bad that they created a movement called the White Fang.

At first, that movement were protesting for their rights. Then, as they got ignored, they instead turned into violence and crime. All of that just to have their words heard. Ash mentally shook his head in disappointment. It wasn't anything different from what he saw in the Land of Lothric. He knew that these White Fang wanted to have equal rights like humans. But violence was never going to be an answer as it would cause fear instead of respect.

Flicking a page to another interesting topic, Ash finally read the topic on Huntsmen, huntress, and the four Academies located in Beacon, Mistral, Atlas, and Vacuo. From what he read; they are a type of people that goes to a special combat school to train to fight against these creatures known as the Grim. Again, he had a feeling that they were some sort of spawn from the Abyss. Seeing the information once again reminded him of a specialized unit within the Undead Legion of Farron, The Abyss Watchers.

Having been corrupted by the Abyss, the Ashen One gave them one last fight before slaying them and ending their suffering. They may have been gone from the physical world, but he managed to gain their Soul and their Cinder. The former of which he transported into a weapon.

This made him unclip his Bottomless Box from his belt. Ash placed it on the desk before he searched through it to find that exact weapon. Grabbing the hilt of that weapon, he pulled it out to reveal the Great Sword of the Wolf Knight. The First Abyss Walker and one of the Four Knights of Gwyn.

Holding the sword up and pointing it at the ceiling, this weapon had helped him through his quest to receive the remaining Lords of Cinder and his quest. It was his personal favorite aside from his Long Sword, the Onyx Blade, the Frayed Blade, and the Lothric Knight Sword.

"Perhaps I'll be using this instead." He muttered to himself while looking at the Great Sword of the First Abyss Walker as he stored the Dark Sword and shield back to his bottomless box before clipping it back to his belt. Remnant may still be unknown to him, but perhaps with the help of this sword, he can go through all of whatever would be thrown to him.

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-Scene Change-

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The next day had come. Ash, along with Teams RWBY, JNR, Oscar, and Qrow, were sitting on the benches in a building that was called a Train Station. Currently, he was sitting down near the rest and was leaning over the hilt of the Wolf Knight's Great Sword.

At first, none took interest in the way his sword looked like. Well, that was until Ruby saw the sword after bickering with her sister, Yang, Nora, and two Huntsmen of the Argus Limited. Stars were seen in her eyes as she looked at the Great Sword. "Oh my God! You got an awesome looking sword there!"

Weiss and the others turned to Ash's position. Now that Ruby mentioned it, the design seemed to be unique. "That's quite a sword you got there. Mind telling us where you got it from?"

"I found it in my journey." Ash blankly stated. That wasn't technically a lie.

The rest narrowed their eyes in suspicion at his statement. All knew that a sword like what he is leaning on cannot be simply founded from within a ruin or something. Still, Nora couldn't help but comment on his words. "Really? Because that sword you have kinda looks like Jaune's. But bigger and rougher."

Obviously, Jaune was offended by his teammate's words. "Hey!"

"…" Ash didn't say anything as he looked at the people who were looking at the Wolf Knight's Great Sword. He let out a silent sigh since he never wanted the attention that his weapon was currently giving out. Looking at what was seen in Ruby's back. He could guess what it was. "I guess that thing is your weapon, right?"

The red-haired girl nodded her head and presented it to Ash. "Yep! This is my pride and joy, Crescent Rose!"

Before Ruby could even do a thing. Weiss just let out a small groan. "Myrtenaster. And Blake's Gambol Shroud."

Ash looked over to Yang, who could clearly see that she was a bit off when Weiss mentioned that name. Perhaps he'll just leave it out for now. Speaking of the blonde, she showed her bracelet to him. "My weapon is called Ember Celia."

Nora happily showed her weapon. "Magnild is my weapon's name, and it'll literally pack a punch. I can use this to break peoples' legs."

Ren sighed at his childhood friend's words. He was next to introduce his weaponry. "StormFlower." That was all to say, and the first word made Ash recall having a weapon that had the 'storm' for its name.

Lastly, it was Jaune's turn. "Crocea Mors. Though, this isn't mine as it has been part of my Family's heirloom for a while. Although it looks like a simple sword and shield, it's reliable and it helped me ever since I got them." Ash couldn't help but chuckle silently at his words. It reminded him of how he had started out in the Cemetery of Ash.

"…they look nice, and I see that you have used them ever since you got them?" Ash didn't need an answer to that. Looking at his sword, Ash may consider that the sword of the First Abyss Walker is really his armament of choice. "So, when do we get to this Argus place?"

Yang crossed her arms against her chest. She was about to answer his question when the girl came up. "Right about now."

Qrow sighed at the sight before him as he fished down a flask from his pocket and drank the substance. "Well. We got onto the train right about now. You better follow behind us if you don't want to get lost."

Everyone began to pick up their belongings before heading to the train. They were surprised that Ash didn't have anything on aside from his weapon and what seemed to be a small box strapped within his belt. Then again, he is still a stranger to the group. Perhaps, the more time he spends with them, they may learn a thing or two about him. Speaking of that individual, he was walking with them when he turned to the side again. This caught Blake's attention. "Ash. What are you looking at?"

Ash turned to face Blake. "…I was just daydreaming." Well, he wasn't completely lying. He had an odd feeling that someone was watching them from within the shadows and sensed a spiteful soul.

He needs to keep an eye on whoever this person is. For now, all he needed to do was to get on board the Argus Limited and go to Argus.

---

-Scene Change-

---

Argus Limited was moving towards its destination. As everyone was in their designated rooms, Ash, meanwhile, just silently stood in the hallway. He was taking account of how travelling had improved last time. It seems like they didn't rely on the work of those Imp Demons.

Seeing that he was blocking the way of an old woman walking by, he went to one side of the hallway to let her though. There was something off about her as he could see that she had some sort of metallic eyeglasses or something like that.

Leaning over the wall near where team RWBY were, he looked out of the window and looked to the view he was seeing. It may have been too quick for him, but he couldn't help but appreciate it. The weather reminded him of both the Painted World of Ariandel, and Irithyll of the Boreal Valley. The only difference being that it wasn't decayed or rotten.

As he was about to head to where the others were, he suddenly overheard a conversation between two members of team RWBY. "Here, let me help you with that." That was the voice of Blake.

"Blake, you don't have to that." And he heard Yang's voice next.

The cat girl's voice was calm but the Unkindled could hear some sadness within the way she spoke. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm fine," Ash had a feeling that Yang was lying about her feeling. He doesn't know what caused her to act like that, but he knew that it may be a personal thing between the two. "We're gonna be fine. It's just gonna be a bit before things are back to normal. But... I am glad we're all back together."

"Yeah, okay."

"How touching." Ash and everyone within the room turned to see Qrow standing in the doorway. He was holding a cocktail in his hand.

Ruby was glad to see her uncle. "Oh hey, Uncle Qrow! You wanna play too?" She suddenly noticed Ash leaning over at the wall. "Hey, Ash. I didn't know you were there You wanna come play with us as well?"

"…" Ash didn't say anything. In all honesty, he wasn't fond of having some time off. He was an Unkindled, the lowest of the low, who was only bound by duty. Yet as he was about to reply, the train suddenly shook.

This caught everyone's attention. "What was that?" The Faunus Girl said out loud.

"Exactly what it sounds like." Weiss had said the obvious answers.

"Just my luck." The other girl sarcastically replied.

Whatever was happening, Qrow was looking out of the window. "It's not ours... grab your weapons!" Everyone did that. Unknown that Ash had already gone outside.

Ash climbed out of the window. He had to be careful of his footings if he didn't want to get flown off. Noticing a group of a Grimm that he had never seen before, he saw those two huntsmen again. Knowing that one of them was about to make a foolish move, Ash rushed towards them while grabbing his great sword from his back. He was there in the nick of time as he managed to slay one of them right before one of the creatures could grab the remaining huntsmen. He wasn't fortunate to save the other that was grabbed by one of those flying creatures and absorbed the soul. "There goes witnessing the first ever death in this new place."

The remaining huntsman was surprised to see that strange individual killing a Grimm with a single blow. As he was about to speak, both heard Grimm screaming. That was a sign for Ash to stand his ground. "Go!" He told him.

Not needing to be told twice, the huntsman proceeded to head to his designated destination. Ash brought up his sword to block a Grimm's attack before stabbing the creature through its neck before beheading it. Right before another could attack him from behind, Qrow then appeared to kill one. He wasn't alone though as the rest of Team RWBY were behind him. "Did you really think you can fight this alone?"

"…" Ash didn't say a word as he and the others readied to fight off a horde of Grimm. In truth, he couldn't beat a horde on his own if he had learned how to use sorcery. But he only preferred direct combat using strength and dexterity with a mix of Pyromancy to it.

"What's the plan, Ruby?" He heard Blake asking her leader.

"Don't let anyone else die!" The leader of Team RWBY declared, which everyone readied their weapons.

Ash decided to stay in his position as he was going to analyze each of their fighting styles. First, he saw all get to work on cutting down each of those Grimm with fast efficiency. He was instantly reminded on how his fight with Sister Friede where he died multiple times before beating her…and Father Ariandel. This was something he needed to work on in case he'd ever fight someone like them.

Suddenly, he saw the train activating some sort of reinforced plating covering most of the train while metal bars that were crisscross were mount on the windows. After that, a series of turrets rise above the train and begin targeting the midair Grimm. He saw a group being shot down while they were flying. "Impressive." He quietly muttered underneath his breath.

Looking to where Qrow was, he was engaging another type of Grimm. Using the scythe form of his weapon, Harbinger, to attack. The Grimm tried to crush Qrow with its paw, but he manages to transform into his avian form before changing back to land an attack from above. That certainly caught the Unkindled's attention. "Did he…quickly turn into some sort of bird?"

Ash heard multiple explosions and turned to see those Grimm spitting out fireballs to destroy those machines. Seeing that only made the Unkindled groan as he killed one of the Grimm. "Oh, for the…"

"Why is it always something?!" His ears caught the attention of Nora as she and the rest of her team, and Oscar, climbed to the top of the train to assist them.

Oscar ran towards Qrow and asked, "How can I help?"

"Tell that idiot to turn off the turret." Qrow answered back while he staggered a Grimm. "They're just drawing the Grimm toward the passengers!"

Oscar did exactly what he was instructed. Ash then proceeded to help by swinging the Wolf Knight's Great sword to great effect as it managed to kill these creatures with ease. "Good thing I decided to use this weapon instead. Are these creatures related to the Abyss?"

Ash continued to kill of a wave of Grimm. This lasted for a while until he and the others saw them flying away. As he wanted to celebrate, he knew something was off. "They didn't retreat without a reason. I wonder—"

"TUNNEL!" All heard Osar shout. They turned around and saw what was about to come.

Ash let out a 'tch' as he retreated down towards a small open area where team RWBY had retreated. Out of nowhere, he heard a bone being snapped. He didn't react to the sound and was about to regroup with the others. That was then he turned to face the back and had that same feeling when he was back at the train station. "There it is again. Seriously, who is this person? I can feel that same presence from within the shadows." He didn't want to dwell upon that thought for long as he needed to regroup with the others.

Turning to face back, he started to walk to where the others were at. As he entered, he saw Team RWBY and the others witnessing Qrow arguing with the two huntsmen. "I said, turn those damn things off!" He proceeded to barge one of them towards the wall.

The other person groaned in pain due to his recent injury. "Those things are keeping us alive!"

"Us, sure, but they're putting the passengers in danger!" The Drunk Huntsman countered back.

Obviously, the huntsman wasn't happy with the other man's words. "I'm the one they hired for this job, okay?! I'm in charge here!"

Just before the argument could escalate, both saw Ash walking towards them. "That's enough!" Despite his tone being cold and apathetic, both huntsmen knew that this individual was serious about the current situation. "I do not know what your argument is. But May I remind you that both of your actions would cost the lives of everyone on this train?! Put aside whatever animosity you both have and just do whatever your job is. Got it!?"

Everyone was surprised and shocked to see this side of Ash. True, he did have an uncared tone within his voice. Yet at the same time, it was also laced with sternness. Qrow then begrudgingly let go of the Huntsman, who proceeded to use that same device to turn off the turrets. Seeing the injury on the arm of that Huntsman, Ash walked up to him and unclipped his Estus Flask. "Here. Take a sip. It'll heal your injury."

The Huntsman was skeptical of this person's words. Looking to see that Ash wasn't going away soon, he took the flask off and took a sip. Despite the dull taste, it was warm, and it was felt throughout his body. He looked at his arm and didn't see that injury anymore. "Woah. It healed my injury. Thanks a lot, man."

"Thank me and the others later." Ash told him, getting his Estus Flask back and then clipping it back onto his pouch. "I need to find a bonfire before it completely runs out. If there is any." Turning back, he saw Team RWBY, JNR, and Oscar looking at him with wide eyes. "Something wrong?"

"Well…" Nora spoke, still being in a state of shock after seeing Ash's magical flask healing that huntsman's injured arm. "We were discussing of how Ren could use his Semblance to mask everyone on this train."

"Wait, he can?" Ash asked with a bit of surprise in his tone.

"Yes, I can." The boy answered his question. "But in truth, I never attempted to affect this many people."

Well, that was true. But Ruby then remembered something. "Well, you've never had Jaune's help before."

Weiss knew where her leader was implying towards. "He could amplify your Aura!"

"Yeah, that's an alright plan." Qrow said while smiling. Impressed by what he was currently hearing.

"That's…a thing?" Ash mentally asked. He wasn't too familiar with these Semblances that he saw in the book. He as he heard more of them, the more it reminded of how the magic had helped back in his old world.

"I'm afraid there's one complication..." Everyone heard Ozpin's voice. All turned to where he, or rather where Oscar was walking towards their position. "The Grimm are also attracted to this." He then gestured to the lamp that was seen on his hip.

Now Ash was closer to the lamp, he sensed that same powerful souls again. He had an obvious reason why. "No wonder those creatures are attracted to that thing?"

Yang was not impressed by what she and the others were hearing. "Why wouldn't you tell us that?!"

Before Ozpin would about to answer, Ruby proceeded to interrupt. "It doesn't matter right now." She turned to face everyone. "Ash is right. Every second we're on board this train, we're putting everyone else in danger. Get the passengers to the front cars, you'll still mask the emotions and kill the turrets..." She turned to loom at JNR. "we just can't come with you." A plan was already thought up in her mind. "If we cut the back cars with us and the Relic on them, we can deal with the Grimm. You just make sure the rest of the train makes it safely to Argus."

Jaune smiled at this. He was impressed by his friend's proposal of saving everyone. "Alright. Only if you'll promise you'll meet us there."

Ruby smiled back at him. "Promise."

With that, Team JNR begins evacuating all the passengers to the front half of the train. The rest, as well as Ash, proceeded to head outside to fight off the Grimm horde. As they did so, Ash saw the train decoupling. Yet, despite it going away, he could have seen a black hooded figure going out of sight. He had a vague guess to know who it may be. "It's that same spiteful soul again. Could it be…?" He heard Blake jumping towards his position. Looking at her face, he could see something clearly wrong with her but decided not to ask. "Should we go back with the others?"

The Faunus girl nodded and the two went to where everyone was. As they did, the two saw Ruby using Crescent Rose to fend off against a small group of Grimm. She was about to get tackled when Ash suddenly came to her position. She smiled at his sudden arrival. "That sword is really useful, huh?"

"Focus on the fighting." He told her before he stabbed another Manticore before slicing both the jaw and the rest of the head off with his Wolf Knight Great Sword.

At the same timer as this was happening, Yang and Blake were doing their own thing with another small group of Grimm. The Yang took out a Manticore before launching off it and runs towards the Sphinx, ducking under it. Blake spins her weapon, with the brawler punching it back and forth. The ribbon wrapping around the Sphinx's torso. Yang punches Gambol Shroud one more time, embedding the blade to the train's roof, and she and Blake pull the ribbon together, keeping the Sphinx down. Weiss uses her Glyphs to freeze the Sphinx's wings, with Qrow and Ruby shooting at them, shattering it.

Ash silently whistled at this sight as he sheathed his sword onto his back. He wondered why they'd make a great team despite not knowing them fully. His eyes suddenly noticed the train coming off the rail. "Great." He knew where this was heading towards. Right before he could fall off, some symbol appeared where he stood. He felt like being held down and right before his eyes, everything went white.

…

…

…

Coughs could be heard as Team RWBY, Oscar, and Qrow got up from the snow. All were lucky that their Aura had protected them from the impact. "Is everyone okay?" Qrow asked the group.

"I'm fine." Weiss spoke, getting up from the snowy ground.

"Yeah." Blake also spoke as if she no longer felt dizzy.

Out of nowhere, all heard an unfamiliar voice that came from one of the derailed trains. "Still alive!" Everyone turned to where she saw and looked at her, who turned out to be an elderly lady. She did the same thing. "That sure was a close one, huh?"

Right as one of them was about to answer, Oscar realized something was missing. "Wait, where's the Relic?!"

Ruby also looked at her surroundings and noticed that someone wasn't with them. She looked around the surroundings. "Where did Ash go!?"

---

Alright, this took me a while to write. I hope you enjoyed it. Now, what did Ash had that feeling that someone was watching them within the shadows and who is that spiteful soul that he sensed?

Now, as you can clearly see, Ash's weapon of Choice is the Wolf Knight Great Sword that once belonged to Knight Artorias, the Abyss Walker. It's quite fitting as Grimm reminds me of the enemies from the Abyss from Dark Souls 1 and 3. I do hope you do not mind this. For now at least.

I do apologize if I got the lore wrong with him, the Abyss Watchers, and others that are seen in this chapter. That and how the fighting went. I used the Wikipedia for help since I suck at writing fight scenes. I may improve in the future.

One more piece of information, Ash is only going to change outfits when team RWBY and the other cast members do. Hey, he cannot wear the same outfit over and over.

Onto the reviews then…

eternal nothingness: To answer that. Ash is extremely powerful considering he has the First Flame within him. He doesn't know it yet and he doesn't want to catch others' attention. Which I think is already happening when looking at that Estsus Flask part.

With that, I will see you all in the next chapter. Whenever the next one is published.

Alright, alright. I have to confirm this. The Ashen One, Ash, is NOT going to have his aura unlock. I feel like it's going to be completely unnecessary for him considering the events he has been through in Dark Souls III. But that is just my personal opinion. Now that is over, let's get onto the chapter, shall we?

---

Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant

Three

Truths and Secrets

---

'Every secret must be unearthed. Such is the conceit of the self-proclaimed seeker of truth. But in the end, you lack the stomach.'

"Ash!"

"Ash!"

"Ash!"

"Ash! Where are you!?"

All team RWBY were calling the new person out with no response. It has been a while since they had last seen him. All Yang could do was to complain. "Great! This is just great! We're stranded, we lost a third of our party, and we've gained a defenseless old lady! NOT to mention that Ash is still missing!" With one final heave, she manages to extricate Bumblebee. this caused her to fall over to the ground, with her motorcycle following suit as she is now partially covered in snow.

"My name is Maria Calavera, and I am not defenseless!" The elderly woman announced her name, finding Yang's attitude to be rude. "I'm just a little hard of hearing. And blind without my eyes, that are in desperate need of repair." She proceeded to tap the aforementioned prosthetics, which then opens and closes before it narrowly opens again. "Okay, I'm starting to see your point."

"Yang, knock it off, will ya?" Qrow grunted at his niece. "If we lose our cool now, we'll just be inviting even more Grimm."

"Does that even matter?" Blake suddenly spoke up. "Apparently, we've been attracting Grimm ever since we left Haven."

"Oh, and how could I forget about that?" Yang sarcastically remembered before she turned to where Oscar was. "What happened to no more lies and half truths?"

For once, the farm boy had to agree with the blonde as he was helping Maria. "Yeah, I think it's time we got an explanation..."

Oscar's eyes glowed as he was then shifted to Ozpin. "I did not lie to you..."

"Well you certainly didn't tell us everything about the Relic." Weiss reminded the former headmaster.

"Please, now is not the time." Ozpin tried to not to answer the former heiress's concerning question.

"No, we're past that!" Yang shot down his pleading. "I wanna know why you're still not telling us everything!"

Ozpin went quiet for a while as he was facing away from the others. It was silent for a few more seconds right before he answered. "It is true that the Grimm are attracted to the Relics. It's faint, but undeniable. I believe it has to do with their origin, but I'm not entirely sure. Regardless, I feared that making you all aware would only add anxiety and negativity. It seemed like the safer option."

"You know, I'm getting really tired of people choosing what's best for me." Weiss admitted with distain. She was speaking from personal experience.

Ozpin's response seemed to caused Yang to narrow her eyes at him. "Is that why you chose to lie to everyone about Lionheart too?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I believed the Kingdom of Mistral deserved better than the truth." He admitted without any hesitation. "And I believed Leonardo deserved to be remembered for his lifetime of service, and not for the unfortunate missteps he made in his final years."

"Missteps?!" Yang shouted, getting sick of all of this lie.

"What Professor Lionheart did was reprehensible. I am not here to argue differently, but does one lapse in judgment truly negate all of his good? Do we not all have regrets?" Ozpin started questioning everyone, to which they look at each other before turning their attention towards him. "You may have met Professor Lionheart, but you never met the man he was before Salem found him."

"Look, we're supposed to be in this together. You can trust us!" Yang stated as she pleaded for him to answer everyone's question. "We're not gonna turn our backs on you."

"Do you really think Leo was the first?!" Ozpin raised his voice, making everyone stop in their tracks. Neither of them had seen this side of him before and were wondering why. "That he didn't say those exact same words to me? I'm sorry, but you have to understand that my behaviors are backed by experience. I'm not saying that I have reason to think you will betray me. I'm saying that I have reasons for the things that I do, the secrets I keep, the reason I..." He was about to grab something from his waist, only to see that it was missing. "Where's the Relic?"

"Right here." Ruby answered as the mentioned object was in her hands. "It got scattered in the crash. But there is still no sign of—"

Her words were interrupted when a hand was suddenly shot up within the ground. Everyone then saw a familiar set of armor coming out from the snow. "Ash!" Everyone spoke, seeing him very well and…was unfazed by the impact.

"I'm alright." Ash informed them while sitting down in the snow, thanking the Sun Princess Ring that was slowly healing his injuries. That wasn't a complete lie but remembered what happened prior to him emerging from the snow. "To think that was my first ever death in this new place. I need to be careful around these strangers to not reveal my undead nature for now on until I can trust them."

Qrow, meanwhile, eyed at this individual with uncertainty. From what he felt emitting from Ash, there was no sign of him unlocking his aura. That crash could have killed him. yet, he managed to even survive. "That's odd. A person who hasn't unlocked their aura like him couldn't survive something like that. What is he really?"

"Ah, Mr. Ash." Ash turned to Ozpin who was facing him. "I'm glad to see you safe. I was wondering that—"

"Shouldn't you directly answer your companions' questions first?" Ash reminded him, standing to his feet and wiped off any snow that was still in his armor. His voice was still uncaring, but it wasn't in a rude tone. He heard everything while he was buried underneath a pile of snow.

Ozpin let out a sigh as he knew that Ash wasn't going to be by his side. "I know what you mean by that, Mister Ash. But if I tell you and everyone else, it is a feel as though it is my burden to bear." He informed everyone while pointing the relic on Ruby's hand.

"Does it really matter who carries that thing?" Ash asked, still having that same exact tone.

"In matter of that, it does." Ozpin answered the Unkindled's question. "But I need all of you to listen to me—"

All of a suddenly, all saw Ozpin reaches his hand out but was stuck in this position. This brought worry for everyone. Qrow instantly asked in concern. "Oz?"

"Hurry... he's... trying to stop you!" Now that was Oscar's voice as he was trying to fight back Ozpin's presence on his body.

"Stop her from what?" Yang asked, confused as was everyone else.

Oscar tried his best to mutter out while fighting back for control. "He's afraid... you'll find out what he's... hiding!"

Ash narrowed his eyes despite his helmet covering his entire head. "Hiding what?" Despite it being a day of meeting them, he knew that this was something that was that of their interest. Not his but he has to, unfortunately, hear it.

Oscar then collapsed to the snowy ground. Yang, Weiss, and Blake glare at the boy with intense looks while Ruby was holding the Relic of Knowledge defensively. "Her name is Jinn. Say her name to summon her."

"Her name?" Ruby uttered, which only caused the wind to pick up much more gradually, blowing the snow even harder. The Relic then started to glow in Ruby's hands. Seeing this only made the girl say the name. "Jinn?"

As she said that, the surrounding area stood still. Ash and the others saw this and were confused as to how this happened. "What?" He heard the Drunkard Huntsman muttered in confusion.

Ruby saw the Relic levitate, and soon let it go. It then proceeded to traverse a short distance away, cyan smoke emanates from it. Suddenly, the lamp is enveloped in the smoke, and from it, a giant, semi-nude feminine figure emerges. Her skin and hair is colored blue and decorated with gold jewellery and ornaments. The figure stretches and moans as she has been awakened once again.

Qrow looked away from this figure in embarrassment while Ash was rather annoyed at the unnecessary sound this spirit made. Still, he felt that same powerful soul from within that lamp. "So that is why I felt that powerful soul from before. Could it be…? No, It might just be my imagination."

"Aw, Wonderful." The being of the Relic, Jinn, spoke. This left everyone at awe as they stared at this spiritual being. "Tell me, what knowledge do you seek?"

No one knew what to say. It took about a quick second for Ruby to ask who this individual is. "Uh…who are you?"

"I am Jinn, a being created by the God of Light to aid Humanity in its pursuit of knowledge." The spiritual woman answered the young leader's question. "I've been graced with the ability to answer three questions every one hundred years. You're in luck, as I am still able to answer—" Her attention then shifted into someone of interest. That someone was Ash. She leaned closer to the Unkindled while a small smile was on her face. "Oh my. I never expected to encounter one of your kind from an era long ago. Tell me, why are you among these beings?"

Everyone looked confused by this statement. Yang looked at Ash with skepticism. "Your kind from an era long ago? What the hell is she even saying?!"

"…" Ash stood there, silently. He knew what exactly Jinn was talking about and had a feeling that it could have been related to something that was akin if not powerful than the First Flame. But he had only met them and was aware that he simply cannot blurt it out. He was clutching his fists as he finally thought of an answer. "I will tell all of you in another time."

Now everyone wanted to know what Ash meant by his statement. But judging from his uncaring voice, they knew that he was starting to get annoyed by their questions. Still, one person had to ask. "What do you mean—" Weiss was about to say.

"I said I will tell all of you in ANOTHER time. Do I have to repeat myself, Lady Schnee?" Ash cut her off as he raised his voice before calming down, though it wasn't in a rude manner. Rather, it was out of annoyance, and his patience was already thinning from the looks he had gotten from the others. This caused the former Heiress and the others to wince at his words. But she had to respect his comment. He looked over at Jinn. "I believe you have something to say to him, not to me."

Jinn narrowed her eyes at Ash. She was all to curious to want to know why he was among them like a black sheep. Still, she had to respect his words. "Well now. As I was saying. I am still able to answer two questions this era."

This caused everyone apart from Ash to look at Ozpin in disbelief and shock. They all heard Jinn chuckling. "It's a pleasure to see you again, old man."

"Ruby, please…don't." Ozpin began to beg.

Qrow glances to Ozpin, and he began to step forward. Right before he could say anything, Suddenly, Yang, Weiss, and Blake get into their defensive position while Ash witness all of this. It caused Ruby stared in disbelief at her uncle, who then proceeded put his hands up in the air. "Do whatever you think is right, kiddo."

Ruby pondered at the question she was about to ask. "Jinn?" She turns around to face Jinn, who has a curious look on her face, while Ozpin grits his teeth in anger while in Oscar's body. "What is Ozpin hiding from us?"

"NOOOOOO!" Ozpin shouted and lunges at Ruby. Right before doing to, the surroundings then turns to a white blank space.

Ash knew what was about to happen. All he could do was to groan annoyingly as he awaited what was about to unfold. "To think that I am about to pry a stranger's secret without their consent." He had been through this before during his time in Lothric, and he had to pay the ultimate price for it. "Can't believe they have the nerve to even ask that being on Ozpin's secret." Well, it's too late for that. Now, he has to hear what Jinn was about to say.

He suddenly found himself in an area that manifested itself into an old kingdom from long ago. He found himself standing on a path that led to a castle in the distance. "Once upon a time, there stood a lonely tower..."

The scene then changed where Ash sees a beautiful woman brushing her hair in front of a mirror. "...that sheltered a lonely girl. Named... Salem."

---

That was an interesting chapter and didn't expect to upload a chapter very soon?

Well, I am totally skipping The Lost Fable as it is completely unnecessary for this Fanfiction story. Now, Ash's undead (or rather Unkindled) nature has started to cause Team RWBY to be weary of him and the secrets that he is holding.

The reason why I didn't say it right away is because of his character. I am not simply going to let him blurt out. He doesn't trust anyone from Ruby's group yet. I think it would be wise if he would build trust before telling them. That's my personal opinion at least.

Now, onto the reviews…

triscythe59: As I said above, I am not. Rather, I am going to make him completely auraless and there is a reason why.

eternal nothingness: Well, they are about to uncover it. For now, trust needs to be built before telling them. Which is why, for spoilers will be in my own version of Volume 9 because of a scene that I had planned with someone on Reddit.

Dasgun: Uh-huh…

Again, this was a short chapter, but I have my own reason. I never expect this to instantly blow up within two weeks.

With that, I will see you all in the next chapter. Whenever the next one is published.

Man, what an awesome easy to end the current Volume. It was a rollercoaster. But at the end, it was worth it. The two-year hiatus was executed perfectly…unlike this story. Now then, onto the chapter then, shall we? Apology if this chapter is going to be really short, I want to make a build-up to that moment in Volume 6.

---

Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant

Four

Continuing On No Matter What

---

'There is no path. Beyond the scope of light, beyond the reach of Dark… what could possibly await us?'

Everyone silently stood in the snowy terrain while staring at the Ozpin, or rather his real name, Ozma in the body of Oscar. None had even said anything as they were recollecting to what they had witness. Ash had come to his own thoughts. "To think that a woman that had previous relations with him would become enemies due to the immortality that was bestowed upon them by these Gods. And how she cannot be killed while this Ozpin can move his spirit to someone else's body? Something doesn't seem right. It's…rather familiar. I can't piece it together to show any relations to what I have."

"Salem can't be killed... you all heard her too, right?" Yang asked the rest of her team before looking back at Ozpin. All angrily glare at Ozpin, whose head is still down. Ash was at least a distance away as he saw this unfolded. Despite this, he can see Ozpin looking up at them with tears streaming down his face.

"I—" Ozpin muttered tearfully.

"There was so much you hadn't told us!" Yang said, enraged by his secret. "How could you think that was okay?!"

The Blonde's response caused Ozpin to look away, hanging his head down. "Professor…" He heard Ruby spoke. He looked up at her. "What is your plan to defeat Salem?"

Ozpin went silent for a few seconds before answering her question. "I... don't have one..."

Everyone were shocked to hear this from him. The person that they trusted, the person that has been hiding this terrible secret, didn't have an exact plan on how to defeat Salem. Out of nowhere, Qrow suddenly punches Ozpin which sent him flying towards a tree trunk. He looks away from him in disgust and disappointment. "No one wanted me... I was cursed... I gave my life to you because you gave me a place in this world... I thought I was finally doing some good..." He coldly told him.

"But, you are!" Ozpin pleaded tearfully.

"Meeting you... was the worst luck of my life..." Qrow finished with an apathetic tone.

Ozpin looks down in disbelief upon hearing this from one of his most trusted allies. "Maybe you're right..." Ozpin's eyes glow as control is transferred back to Oscar Pine. He holds his cheek in pain from the effects of Qrow's punch.

Now everyone were confused and angry at this. Ruby was the one to ask. "What happened?"

"He's…gone." Oscar answered while he was still rubbing his cheek from the punch.

"That bastard!" Yang angrily shouted as she glared at the boy. "Tell him we're not done yet!"

"No, this is different. He's gone." Oscar pointed out to the group, which made all confused by what had just happened. "It- It's like he's locked himself deep inside my head. Our head?" He grunted in pain while holding his head. "I hate this! I want it to stop!"

"He just left us?" Weiss spoke in complete disbelief.

"What are we gonna do now?" Blake asked with a panicked voice.

"Alright, stop!" All turned to look at Ash and had the look of mistrust on their faces. "I don't know what the big deal is. But you pried into his secret despite building a lot of trust, which I understand your motive. But that is how all of you respond?"

"Look, buddy." Yang spoke, walking towards his position while gritting her teeth. "You may not have been with us for you, but Ozpin is not the only one to hide secrets."

Ash looked at her with indifference, his face was covered in the Fallen Knight Helmet. He knew where this was going and was tired to repeat what he said to them two times. "And you think all of you have the right to pry into mine?" He said with complete carelessness. "Go on ahead. Ask that lamp to show you what secrets I hold. No one is stopping you. Yet, you're only going to waste it for some petty reason."

This caused her to have her eyes glow red and instantly curled her robotic arm into a fist. She threw a punch and to everyone's surprise, Ash caught it around the wrist and let out a sigh of disappointment. He then spoke in his careless voice while he pulled close to his face. "Honestly, this is unnecessary for you to do this. I am aware that you're all surprise that this is humanity's second time around. Even I am surprised at this. Yet, since all of you are drawing negativity, it could lead all of us to be killed. Get. A. Grip will you? And let's only focus on our journey from now on. We're only just wasting time."

He let go of Yang's robotic arm, which caused her to tumble a few steps away from him. He turned around and began to walk as he was following pathway that was clearly seen. "We better get a move on. It'll be dark before we know it."

"Hey!" Yang shouted as she and everyone saw him leave. "Get back here! I'm not done with you—" Her words seems to fall on death ears as Ash was far away from them. She gritted her teeth once again. "Can't believe he just did that. The bastard! Hiding his own secret and avoiding our answers!"

"Maybe he's not too comfortable yet." Qrow bitterly told her.

The blonde was shaking her remaining arm from Ash's action. If she had to honest to herself. She was angry and shock. The former was because he was overdefensive with his secret and how he just left them. The latter was how he had managed to easily catch her punch with ease. Right before she could say anything, Maria then interrupted. "He has a point. We're only just wasting time. I'll be damned if I've lived this long just to die out here in the cold!"

Everyone looked at her before realising that both she and Ash made a valid point. They then proceeded to get their belongings and gather what supplies they can carry before they followed the footpaths that Ash had left.

---

-Scene Change-

---

Hours had passed. Everyone were tired as snow was building up and how long they had been following's Ash's trail. They were not showing it right now, but all they knew is that Ash is not the person that he seems to be. "I wonder what Ash is hiding from us." Ruby suddenly spoke.

"Probably something that Ozpin is hiding." Qrow muttered, taking a sip from the flask.

"Well, whatever he is hiding, I don't think he'll be telling us anytime soon." Blake tiredly groaned. "All I want to do is to get this stupid relic to Atlas."

"Let's hope we don't have to walk all the way there." Weiss spoke. "Unless you're someone like Ash."

"Well, he is a very unusual individual." Maria pointed out to them. "He doesn't seem very talkative and his blunt in his words."

As this was happening, Ruby stopped in her tracks. "Everyone, quiet. Do you hear that?"

Everyone stops in their tracks. A metallic squeaking can be heard. A large farm can be seen, with one of the front gates swinging back and forth with the wind. A large sign above the entrance that read "BRUNSWICK FARMS". Everyone had clearly saw that Ash's footprints had led to the inside of the house.

"Well, at least one good thing happened today." Blake spoke.

"It looks abandoned." Weiss pointed out.

"It's still better than this." Ruby told her partner, looking at the surroundings.

"Come on, I think we could all use some rest." Qrow ordered them without any emotion.

Everyone proceeds through the farm's gates, with Qrow being the last to enter. The snow starts to pick up even more as the gate is heard closing with a metallic clang. They followed the footsteps to the house and enter. As they did, they saw Ash sitting down near the fireplace that has been recently lit. Ash turn around to see them arriving. "Good. All of you arrive."

"Says someone who walked ahead first." Qrow sarcastically commented.

Ash didn't say anything as he stared at the fire. He went quiet for a while until he informed them of something. "By the way, there are dead bodies in the house. I hope you don't mind it."

"What?" Weiss had asked shakily, hearing how casual his voice was. Ash immeidately responded by standing up from where he sat and headed to one of the upstairs rooms. Everyone followed in suit and once they entered the room, the former Heiress immediately screamed and fell to the ground.

The bed laid two decaying corpses. It seems like to Ash that they had somehow Hollowed. He could do was to look at them before glancing back at everyone. "I found them like that. Don't know what caused it. We should probably leave the room."

Moments had passed and Ash sat back down in his spot. Weiss was next to him. She was still shaken from what she saw earlier. Blake wraps a blanket around Weiss before sitting on the couch Yang is on. She looked over to Ash and saw he was completely still. "Uh, Ash?"

Ash turns to look at the Former Heiress. He can see that look from earlier on. "Something bothering you, Lady Schnee?"

"You can just call me Weiss." She said while cracking a small smile before looking back at the Fireplace. "It's about what you said earlier. You didn't seem to be even phase by it."

She heard a small chuckle coming from him. "I've seen enough death. Someone told me this during my travels 'You'll face death, and it won't be pretty. Enough death to leave you broken, time after time.'"

"That's dark." Weiss said, looking over to Ash.

"It's what helps me be this person that I am." Ash informed him, withholding the information of being undead. Weiss looked at him once again and narrowed her eyes. From the look of things, she can already tell that he had experienced many horrible things. Things that made him not even at all.

All heard the door open to see Qrow wiping a few snows away from his clothes. "It's the same in every house."

"You mean what we saw in that room?" Yang meekly asked.

"Yeah, something like that." Her uncle replied back to her. "It's the same in every bed in every home. It's like the whole estate just went to sleep and never woke up." Ash didn't react to that as hew kept staring at the Fire.

"Then we're not staying here, right?" Weiss faced over to Qrow.

"We don't have a choice." He answered while walking over to the fireplace. "Storm outside's only getting worse. We'd freeze to death before we made it anywhere."

"Well, might as well get comfortable." Maria said, walking over to a bookshelf.

Yang looked over to Maria with an eyebrow raised. "Yeah, fat chance."

Ruby then thought of the same. "Okay, then, let's do something. If this place wasn't abandoned, it might still have supplies we could use."

"Hey, yeah. Maybe even a car." Oscar had hoped this abandoned place even has one.

"I'll do another sweep of the grounds." Qrow told them, heading out once again. "No one else goes anywhere alone."

Blake had an idea that could help them in their travels. "Yang and I can search the other buildings for vehicles."

Yang looked annoyed at her partner mentioning her name. "Fine, whatever gets me out of this house."

Yang and Blake leave the room, with Ruby moving the drawer to let them exit. Afterwards, Ruby looks over to see Weiss at the doorway to the living room with a melancholic look on her face. She thought of something that might cheer her up. "Food always makes me feel better. Just saying." She chuckled nervously.

"Right..." Weiss spoke before going with her partner to find some food.

Seeing that everyone was gone, Ash had his own idea. "I'm going to Take some time alone." He stood up and headed outside to let the cold air clear his mind.

---

-Scene Change-

---

Blake and Yang walk through the snowstorm toward a nearby shed while bracing the heavy snowstorm. They soon enter and find rows of shelves full of supplies on it and a tractor.

"Something tells me that's not street legal." Blake spoke while looking at the tractor.

The two of them continue walking through the shed. Yang looked around and wondered what exactly happened in here. "What do you think happened here?"

"There's that well in the square." The Faunus girl speculated. "Maybe water contamination?"

"Yeah, maybe." Yang agreed with her partner's words before rubbing her forehead.

"Hey, are you okay?" Blake asked.

"Yeah... I mean, no. But I don't know. I'm just tired." The blonde answered. "And I am also thinking of Ash."

"Yeah." Blake said as she too remembered what Jinn had said to him.

Yang then walks forward and eventually found something that may be useful. "Hey, I found something." She sees a flatbed trailer next to the window. Taking a quick glance, Yang sees a familiar black and red figure unsheathing its sword. This causes her to gasp and reels back in fear. Blake sees this and runs up to comfort her.

"What is it?" Blake asked her partner in concern.

"I..." The blonde spoke, looking back to the tree where that figure was, only to see nothing. "I was just seeing things. I'm sorry. I still get flashes from that night." Her flesh hand begins to shake uncontrollably before recomposing herself. Do you think Adam's still out there?"

Blake looked down as she was in the thoughts at the mention of her old partner. "I don't know. If he went back to the White Fang, there would have been serious consequences. But he never really liked people telling him what to do. Adam's strong, but his real power comes from control. He used to get in my head, make me feel small. But now I see he just wanted to pull me down to his size." She and Yang looks at her robotic arm and thought about what Ash did. "Ash reminds me of him, yet he's different."

"I know." Yang acknowledged, seeing some similarities between the two. She saw Blake grasping her prosthetic arm with a smile.

"Hey, I'm not leaving. And if we ever see him again, I promise I'll be there." This made the two-partner smile at each other. "And I'll protect you." This took a sour turn. Yang's eyes widened and had a frown on her face.

"What?" The Blonde Brawler questionably said.

"What?" Blake obvious asked.

There was an awkward silent between the two. Yang suddenly pulls her arm away. "Forget it. Let's just head back."

Blake was worried about her partner's wellbeing. "But what about—"

"We're fine. We can hook that flatbed up to Bumblebee in the morning. Should carry everyone. Mission accomplished." Yang bluntly answered as she walks away, causing the Faunus girl to look down in sadness.

In the other side of the door, Ash had heard everything between them. He knew that it is not his place to peek at other peoples' personal problem, but he would have some information in regard to that spiteful presence from before. "This Adam? He reminds me of Sulyvahn and Freide for some odd reason. He seems to be the source of those two's…rocky relationship." He didn't get the head-clearing space that he wants despite the snowstorm that was happening.

Having his mind cleared from Ozpin's hidden, all that was left was to regroup with everyone and perhaps get some rest. While doing so, Ash began to think on that individual and felt sympathetic towards him and how his life has been since then.

It was not different to the one that Ash has been through. "To think that he only gets reincarnated into another body until he finishes his job? That's...not that different of Hollowing. Except he doesn't Hollow at all."

---

-Scene Change-

---

As Team RWBY were still busy, Ash went back to the exact same place. He was deep down in his thoughts. Today has been very interesting yet poetic at the same time. First, his secret of being an undead wasn't exposed. But thanks to Jinn, it may have already planted the seeds of everyone about his true nature.

Second was how this woman named Salem can't be killed. He had his theory of her being braded with a darksign, but it was too farfetched. Eventually, Team RWBY returned as they carried the things that they had found. Qrow was sitting on a chair while facing the window, Maria was in the couch while reading a book, and Oscar was pace back and forth.

Seeing that everyone was calm from what had happened after leaning about Ozpin's story, Ash felt that it was enough for today. Still, he had to keep an eye out for that presence that has been following them ever since they left Haven. He still needed to find the Firekeeper if she was even here and also finding out who summoned him in the first place.

"Undead like myself doesn't require any sleep. Yet…" He suddenly felt tired which soon overcame him. He eventually closed his eyes and hung his head down. Perhaps a good sleep would help him ease up.

---

Alright, chapter has ended. Said I said prior to this chapter. It is short. I incorporated two episodes into one story. Now then, with the mention of Adam, is Ash having a guess that the presence that has been following them through the shadows could possibly be him?

This chapter wouldn't be possible thanks to me using the script of the episode used for this chapter. I am kinda lazy but I might make an effort or actually writing a full chapter. For now, it's just be using the script to help me write this story.

Ashen One/Ash vs Adam Taurus? That may be an interesting fight to write. I wonder how it would go like considering that this is endgame Ashen One…?

Now onto the review…

Fatswordsman: Well, at least it is building up to that reveal. For now, it's just not the right moment. Ash needs to build trust first before he can tell them.

Again, this was a short chapter, but I have my own reason. I need to watch Volume Six. But that fight that has got mixed opinions. I may change it.

With that, I will see you all in the next chapter. Whenever the next one is published.

Damn, this story is getting more popular when I write more chapters. Unfortunately, due to following the 'USUAL RWBY PLOTLINE' story, I don't have the chance of altering the way I like it to be. But it's definitely going to changer in the next few chapters. Now, onto the story!

---

Dark Souls Embers of Remnant

Five

Apathy

---

'Don't you dare go Hollow.'

Walking up of a flight of stairs that led up to the Kiln of the First Flame, the Ashen One had two emotions happening right. The first he was tired. Tired of even relinking the first Flame over and over after seeing how decayed the world had become. The second was resentment to whoever idea it was to even keep the First Flame going in the first place.

It doesn't matter right know. He may have the duty to relink the First Flame. But he wasn't going to.

Instead, he is going to extinguish it.

Reaching the top of the stairs, the Ashen One saw a field that were surrounded with flowers and weapons of those that once belonged to warriors who managed to make their way to this place and were either slain by the guardian or were used as kindling.

In the middle of the field was the guardian that sat down on the Bonfire of the First Flame. Its armor consist of all those who have linked the Flame by simply how it had been mended together. All of that for one single entity.

The Ashen One let out a sigh to cool himself. Knowing that his fight with the toughest individuals such as the Abyss Watchers, Friede, Lorian, Midir, Gael, and the Nameless King made him the person that he currently is, he knew this fight wasn't not going to be exactly in his favour.

Looking at his weapon, the longsword that has been fully upgraded and infused with a sharp gem, brought memories for the Ashen One. It was a poetic thing for him since this was the first ever weapon, he wielded since his awakening in the Cemetery of Ash and how he is going to be using it to end this madness once and for all. That could have been the same for his shield. Yet, for the final fight that would determine the fate of the entire world, he decided to use the Kite Shield since it was reliable to use.

"Better not stand here then?" He muttered to himself without any emotion shown.

He was aware how tired he was. Carrying the burden of the entire world and those he grew closes to. The Firekeeper seemed to be concerned of his wellbeing, yet he seemed to dismiss it.

None of that matters anymore.

The Ashen One is going to do what he believes is right for the entire world…

Even if the Age of Dark would consume him and anyone else that was still sane.

---

-?-

---

Ash opened his eyes to see that the fire had died down within the Fireplace. He was still in that resting position. Looking around, he saw that everyone was fast asleep. Even was Qrow was asleep as he had multiple Bottles next to him. He looked down and thought about that dream. "Why was I thinking of that fight on the Kiln? Is it telling me something or am I traumatized of what happened in Lothric? As well as Ariandel and the Ringed City?" That was something he needed to sort out when he could possibly find the Firekeeper if she was in the land in the first place.

Having a little sense of nostalgia when thinking of her, he decided to pull out his bottomless box to get something. It was his Longsword when he woken up in that Ashen Cemetery. He slowly wiped his hand through the blade. It was heavily damaged during that final fight that snapped the blade into three. He would have discarded it, but it brought some good memories and wouldn't even dare to do such a thing. Instead, he decide to place all of them in the box. Silently letting out air due to the sense of reminiscing of the old memories, he put the sword back in his bottomless box before clipping it back to his belt.

A bottle was dropped, which immediately woke up Ruby. She let out a gasp. She looks around before rubbing her eyes and getting on her feet. She walks over to the window and opens the curtains much to the dismay of a certain individual. "Close the window!" Weiss muttered while she was sleeping.

Ash got on his feet and grab the Wolf Knight Sword that was leaning near the Fireplace. As he didn't want to awaken the others, he headed out of the house to wait for them. While doing so, he thought of what he learnt yesterday. Somehow, he had the feeling that the two Gods weren't really what Jinn had told them. Who knows, she was being vague.

A few minutes went by, and he saw the rest heading towards the outside. There, he saw Weiss using Myrtenaster to weld a metal ball to a makeshift trailer hitch attached to Bumblebee. Looking closely at Weiss, Blake, Yang, Qrow and Oscar, their pupils appear to be dilated, while Ruby's are their usual size.

"Strange." He muttered to himself. Whatever caused this to happen, it must've been the reason why he had that strange dream. Why wasn't he feeling the same way as them and are they showing early signs of Hollowing?

Seeing Blake and Oscar sitting down near his position, he overheard the awakened group talk. "Can we just go back to bed?" the kid tiredly asked.

"If we're all so tired, maybe we should make breakfast?" The Faunus groggily suggested while burying her arms on her knees.

"You wanna make it?" Oscar asked kindly.

"Not really." She answered while shaking her head.

There definitely showing signs of hollowing from what Ash saw. He heard the sound of something being pushed and he saw Ruby and Qrow push the flatbed trailer behind Yang's motorcycle, Bumblebee. Once it's in position, Ruby walks up to Yang.

"You guys got the bike ready?" Ruby looked at her sister, which she gestured to her bike.

"Well, it's done now." Qrow said, as he put his foot in the tire. "So, let's hook this thing up and—" Just a few seconds later, the tire on the opposite side goes flat. He lets out a frustrated groan before he checked on it.

At least there was something that wasn't in a bad mood. "You people are just beacons for bad luck, aren't you?"

Frustrated with all of this nonsense, Qrow just walks over to a nearby fence post and sits on the snowy ground. Yang also sits on the ground next to the well. "I'm starting to think the universe just doesn't want us getting to Atlas."

Ruby just let out a sigh when she heard her sister's comment. "It's just a flat tire, I'm sure there's a spare."

"It's not just that, it's everything." Her sister admitted while still having that tiresome expression. "Storms, crashes, monsters..." As expected by Ash, she let out a tiresome sigh. "I'm so tired..."

"Me too." Blake agreed with the blonde brawler. "It feels like we're always having to fight to get by."

"Yeah. But that's what we signed up for." Ruby countered her teammate's words.

Oscar saw a point. At the same time, he saw a flaw to it. "We signed up to try and save the world, not just... delay the inevitable."

"Last night, I..." Weiss muttered while placing a hand on her arm. "I couldn't stop thinking - why are we even going to Atlas?"

Everyone shares troubled looks. What happened yesterday certainly took a toll on all of them. But still, Ruby was determined as always. "Weiss, we have to."

"Why?" Yang asked her sister as she stood up and had that same tiresome expression as everyone else. "Ozpin hid the Relics behind giant doors under enormous schools, but... how long would it take Salem to find a Lamp in the middle of nowhere?"

This caused Ruby to blink at her older sister's words. "What? The Grimm might—"

"They'd find it eventually, sure, but bury it or just throw it down the well, it would take years." Yang added up prove her point. "It might not even happen in our lifetime. But we could be done with it now."

Ruby took some time to consider the words that Yang had made. Without a second, she proceeded to detach the Relic of Knowledge from her belt, glancing at it before looking up at her teammates, who appear to all have dazed looks as if they were in a trance. She continues to stare at the object one more time before walking over to the well. despite not hearing her mutter while her pupils were dimmed, this caused Ash to shake his head in disbelief. "Oh, you idiot! don't—"

All of a sudden, Ruby was snapped out of her hollowed-like state and accidently drops the Relic into the well. She helplessly watches it fall into the darkness below. "No! No! No!" She began to panic. "I didn't mean to!"

Her teammates continue to stare at her with those same dazed looks. Weiss comforted her leader. "Ruby, it's okay."

"No! No, there's something down there! I saw it, it was looking at me!" Ruby said, pointing at the inside of the well to only see what she saw gone.

Without any doubt, Ash got up and walked towards the well. Peering down, he took a couple of seconds to think what he was going to do. Seeing that he had the Silvercat Ring on, as well as having that Regenerative Ring, he saw no harm in dropping down into it. He thought of what to obviously do. "I'll go grab it instead."

Ruby looked in awe at Ash's remark. "Wait, don't—" It was already too late as she saw him leaping down the well.

"Hey, it's okay." Yang reassured her sister while placing a hand on her shoulder. "You just said you're tired. It's probably nothing. Now let's go."

Her words caused Ruby to swat her arm off her shoulder. "What's wrong with you?! We can't just leave; we have to go down there! We have to get the Lamp back and not abandon Ash!" She facepalmed due to her previous action. "Oh, what was I thinking?!"

"All we have to do is fix this trailer." Qrow answered in his apathetic tone, ignore the presence of the lamp as well as Ash. "Hey, farm boy, check the shed for a spare."

"I'm not leaving without the Lamp and abandoning Ash there!" Ruby shouted, causing her teammates to dazedly stare at her.

Blake tiredly groan as she saw how stubborn Ruby was when mentioning the two. "I'll go down with you..."

"We'll go down together." Weiss added as she didn't want anything bad happen to Ruby or Ash when they retrieve the lamp back.

This caused Qrow to irritably let out a groan. "Fine." He got up from the snow. "Get the stupid Lamp as well as Ash. Oscar, fix the stupid tire."

---

-Scene Change-

---

Ash landed on the ground. He might have felt some pain while doing so, but the Silvercat Ring had nullified the impact, That and how the Sun Princess Ring would help heal any injuries he got. He scanned his surroundings to find out where the Lamp went. "Now, time to find that lamp."

The dark had clouded his eyes to see where the object of interest was located. Yet, that wasn't for long as a blue hue caught his attention from the distance away. He let out a breath of relief. "There you are. What are you doing there?"

He went to where the Lamp was and knelt to grab the object. Yet as he clipped it into his belt, his ears heard multiple groans. This made him turn to see something that made him grab the hilt of the Wolf Knight's Great Sword.

Meanwhile, Team RWBY were in the well together, into a vast underground waterway system. Ruby and Yang had taken out their Scrolls and turn on their flashlights to shine if there was anything that blocked their away. "Maybe the current carried it away." Yang had guessed as they didn't see it right where it was dropped.

All members of Team RWBY proceed forward cautiously. Weiss notices more tunnel openings along the path. They continued sloshing through the waterway of the basement. "Oh, come on, where is it?" Ruby had asked.

"Turn off your lights and just look for the glow?" Blake suggested on how to easily find the missing object.

"Okay…" Ruby nervously replied before turning the light on her Scroll off. Yang did the same thing when all of a sudden, they heard something being cut from where they were. This caused her to pull out Crescent Rose. Before she and the others could do anything, all saw Ash running towards them. There was obviously something wrong. "Um…, hi there Ash—"

"Run!" He told them and saw that none of them move. He didn't blame them as he saw all having horrified expression on their faces as they saw multiple humanoid-looking Grimm of different sizes bunched together facing towards them. "What did I just say?! RUN!" His voice snapped Team RWBY out of that state, and they followed behind him.

While doing so, Ruby had the idea of shooting the Grimm with her rifle…which didn't do anything to them. Ash quickly glanced and knew it had only made them angrier. "Weapon doesn't seem to be effective. I think they're a special type of those creatures." That that wasn't a complete lie though. The Wolf Knight Great Sword was effective to kill them. But NOT as an entire horde that could drain life energy.

"You can say that!" All saw Maria waiting for them. She then joined to get out of the basement. They see daylight coming from the well, but more of the Grimm appear and block their path. Another ear-piercing scream is heard, which greatly affected the five women except for Ash. He just shook his head in irritation.

"Knock it off" He snarled at them, feeling that he was having his energy being drained.

Ruby notices this and had a feeling that Ash was hiding something. That didn't matter due to the situation they are in. She saw another tunnel entrance next to where everyone was. "This way!"

Team RWBY, Maria, and Ash run into the tunnel. They continue to run through the complex underground passages while avoiding more of these unique type of Grimm along the way. They then make their way to an underground room. However, Team RWBY and Maria notice a much larger group of the Grimm at one end of the room. They make a run toward the other way, but one of those Grimm lets out another scream, causing Team RWBY and Maria to collapse on all fours. Ash almost did the same but stood his ground. Again, he shook his head put of irritation.

"I can't... do this... I can't..." Yang spoke, feeling like her energy has been drained.

Maria gets back up, using her cane to support herself before collapsing again. On her fall, she feels a set of stairs in front of her. "An exit. An exit!" She pointed out to them.

Ruby looks up and notices the stairs leading up to the cellar door. She crawls forward to Weiss to support her. "Come on!" She then hears a weapon drop behind her and notices Blake collapse to the ground, while the Grimm continue to inch toward her. "Blake... get... up!"

"It's fine..." She told her leader while lying down on the floor and having her pupils diluted. Out from the opposite side, more of those humanoid Grimm emerge from the entrance they came from. Ruby only looks on in horror and in her desperation, she crawls and attempts to reach out towards Blake, who continues to lie down motionless. The Grimm reach their hands down to the cat Faunus which caused Ash to intervene when he heard Ruby shouting.

"BLAKE!" Upon yelling out her friend's name, Ruby's eyes start to glow brightly, causing the Grimm to back away in pain. Ash backed away as well and felt some odd power emitting from her. This made Blake gasps and was snapped out of her trance. Her eyes back to normal and saw Ruby helping her. While doing so, Weiss, Yang and Maria also get back up. "I've got her!"

"What just happened?" The Elderly lady asked out of surprise.

"I do not know." Ash answered her question. Narrowing his eyes at Ruby behind his helmet, he felt that exact same power. Looking at the eyes, he can tell that it was the source of where that light came from. "So, it's the eyes. I have a feeling that it may have been why those Grimm have been in pain. I do not know why I am also affected in a minor scale?"

Seeing that more of those Grimm arriving, he saw Weiss and Yang trying their best to bust the door open and saw Maria crawling over towards Ruby for some odd reason. Having a feeling that it had become dire Ash groaned to what he was going to do. "Hopefully, they'll be attracted to this." Ignoring his surroundings, heopened the Bottomless Box on his belt and grabbed a skull that was letting out smoke while hueing a light blue color before quickly closing it, which didn't attract anyone as they were too distracted. He threw the object to the furthest corner of the room in order to attract all the Grimm to buy Ruby and Maria some time. turned to where it was alluring them towards and began to follow it.

"Perfect," He quietly spoke to himself. They were too distracted to see what was about to occur. It happened again when a silver light appeared in the room again, which forced Ash to cover his eyes. The distracted Grimm look where it came from and soon, they were disintegrated.

Maria and Ruby looked in awe of what had ensued while Weiss, Blake and Yang recover. The blonde crawls up the stairs and punches the doors open with her prosthetic arm while firing from its gun. They run out and find themselves in the basement that Ruby and Weiss discovered the day before.

"We're back in the house?" Blake spoke while looking at the surrounding before her.

Everyone then turned to the side to see Qrow leaning on the counter. It was obvious that he was passed out. Ruby walked towards her uncle and began to shake him. "Uncle Qrow, get up!"

"Hey! Get off me! What are you doing here?" The Huntsman had woken up.

"We're leaving, you idiot! Come on!" Maria shouted at him before she, Blake, and Yang ran out of the room towards the outside.

While doing so, Weiss was looking back towards the basement entrance and saw the wine bottles that were laying there. An idea popped out to her head. "Not yet…"

"You better go." Ash told her, which caused her to look back at him with disbelief.

"What—" She was about to say.

"Don't worry. I can handle this, Lady Schnee." He interrupted with confidence. "You and Lady Rose take Qrow out. I can deal with this." Weiss narrowed her eyes at Ash before knowing that he was serious with his words. She went over to where her partner was and proceeded to help her carry the drunken Huntsman out of the room.

"Stop it! Stop! What's wrong with you?! What's..." He spoke before seeing Ash facing off a horde of humanoid Grimm. This caused him to look back at the two girls. "You both are going to leave him there!?

"He can handle himself." The former Heiress told him. "Don't worry. He's going to go out soon..." She wasn't too sure about that. None of them had an idea of what Ash was about to enact.

Now that the coast was clear, Ash could now finally test out that Pyromancy Spell he wanted to try for a while now. He may not be an expert, but at least he knows the basic. "Better do this quick." With flames appearing on both of his hands, he puts them to the ground and flames spurred out of the ground. It engulfed the humanoid Grimm as well as the Room. As much as he wanted to cast more to make sure that none survived, he knew that he was delaying everyone who were waiting outside.

Glancing back once more, Ash proceeded to head out of the room to where everyone was waiting and casted off his Pyromancy. He walked out of the open door and sees everyone looking back at him. He quickly turns around to see that the entire house was on flames. Maria could only look in shock to what happened. "What did you do?"

"Does it really matter?" He avoided her question as he didn't want to reveal his Pyromancy spell to them. He hoped onto the edge of the flatbed trailer and sat down, which singled Yang to start up Bumblebee. She then proceeded to drive out of the burning house with everyone on board.

---

-Scene Change-

---

Yang continued driving through the snowy road while everyone sat down on the flatbed trailer. Maria was telling them the Grimm they encountered on the house from a book that she picked up on. "The Apathy. They're not strong or ferocious. They drain your will to go on. Bartleby's estate was hemorrhaging money towards the end. He wanted to cut costs on Huntsman protection, but in order to do that, he needed everyone calm... always."

Oscar was near where the elderly lady sat. He then started to read from the book. "Managed to get two away from their pack. Hike back was miserable but got the bastards in the cellar. Wife thinks I was out sealing the waterway entrance. I'll do it tomorrow and tell her the truth once these things take the edge off of everyone. I'm tired."

Ash let out a silent sigh by hearing this. Turns out things haven't changed at all. "All of that because of the greed of man."

"The next page proves that he did, but not before the rest of the pack followed their missing pair all the way home. My guess is they made their way beneath the estate through the water tunnels that Bartleby sealed up the next morning. Bartleby's plan worked." Maria had concluded as she took the book off of Oscar. "No one was angry or sad or scared. No one was anything. And then... no one was left." She took one mor look at the final page of the book before tossing it out into the snow. It was seeing the object being tossed that Ash saw a shadowy figure trailing them before hiding behind a large tree. At this point, he knew that someone was stalking them and was annoyed by this.

"How long until that nuisance would reveal themselves?" He thought as he could tolerate the presence following them.

"I'm... sorry for what I said... about giving up." Weiss apologized to everyone.

This caused Yang to stop on her track. "Me too. We can't quit until the lamp is safe."

"It's not your fault." Blake told the two as she and those who were there recollected to what happened earlier. "It was those... things."

"I should have known. The signs were all there, but I'd never seen an entire settlement withered away like that." Maria bitterly mumbled before groaning as it had already happened. "I suppose my mind just isn't what it used to be."

Hearing her words caused Ruby to look at her. "Miss Calavera? How do you know so much about the Grimm? And in the tunnels, you knew exactly what to say to make me... to make my eyes do that. How?"

Maria smiled at the younger girl. "Well, isn't it obvious, girl? I had Silver Eyes. "There's that thing again.

Silver Eyes.

Ash was now interested about this topic. He decided to turn around slight as he and everyone else began to hear how she knows those types of subjects and who she really is.

---

That Was certainly a wham scene at the end. Not really since I butchered a couple of moments, as well as the bad grammar seen in this chapter. But I guess that what occurs when you are making alternatives for a Fanfiction story. That and how many chapters have been published at the time the story's creation, which led to the cost of Grammar and Sentence Structures.

But let's get onto the positive side, shall we?

Ash can now cast Pyromancy spells? That is surprising. To be exact, it was the Chaos Storm that he used in this chapter. I had planned on that but didn't expect to write it out on this chapter. I also planned that he is suffering from PTSD from the Events from Dark Souls III, which the main contributor is due to a certain City that he had unintentionally destroyed by simply touching an object. Yet, he stopped caring at all. Now, if you have been paying attention, he is getting fed up with that shadowy presence following their every move. Soon, that fight is about to happen, and I have big plans for it.

Now onto the reviews…

Fatswordsman: Oh, don't worry, I have plans for that fight. The Ashen One won't show his true strength and WON'T die. Because I have that secret of his being revealing in a couple of chapters, which includes the Atlas Arc.

Fennal: Ozpin revealed himself to Ash because he felt a powerful energy within him. Hinting that the First Flame may not have been completely gone.

Arawb: Don't worry, he will help Ozma and Oscar. It will soon begin in the next chapter.

benjadu22: Yeah…I hope I get to write original scenes in Fanfiction stories.

That was a lot than last time. I didn't expect that many to ben excited with this Dark Souls III/RWBY story.

Now,  with that over and completed, I will see you all in the next chapter. Whenever the next one is published

Apology if this took long to write this chapter. Truth be told, this is where I am about to introduce another Dark Souls character into the story. I guess you already know  WHO  I am talking about. Right?

Another reason why this took so long to write is because of who my Grammar and sentence structuring are bad. I thought of using Grammarly for once, then realised that it won't turn out the way that I like it to how it is going to play out. This story is my own creativity despite the "usual following the RWBY storyline" has been played. I get that I am no perfect writer but feels like I have to meet your expectations.

It is no wonder why Authors like me cannot catch a break and have enough time to reflect on how to improve on their work. Yeah, I sound like a jerkass here. But what do you expect from a story like this to have more chapters. I'm sorry to say that but I have been too focusing on quantity over quality for too long now that I blatantly reveal things that should have been revealed more later. I simply cannot meet your expectations.

Expect this chapter to be refined into a quality that is good and readable.

I need to stop posting chapters at a fast rate. It needs some time to make the story more interesting and have more time planning this chapter out.

Now my message have been made clear, it is time for the chapter to start.

---

Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant

Six

Expected and Unexpected Reunions

---

'Sorry friend. Be more careful! By the gods, curiosity is going to kill you kittens.'

The sun had started to set onto Yang and the others as they were still trailing that snowy pathway. All had heard Maria's backstory and she had finally reached to the conclusion. "But I wasn't... I went into hiding soon after."

Qrow blinked a few times when hearing this. In an instant, he knew who this elderly woman was. "I can't believe it. You... You're the Grimm Reaper, you were a legend! And then you disappeared..."

Oscar and the others blinked to what the Huntsman had stated. All were too curious to know how things like that could simply disappear. "How exactly does a legend just disappear?" Ash was all too familiar of how legends fade away and will be only remembered by a handful of people as time goes by.

"You never used your name, never showed your face." Qrow explained to them while Ash was listening to every word that was spoken through his mouth. "Lots of us thought you were just layin' low. Eventually, we just came to accept that you were probably dead. But the stories about you, I based my weapon off of yours. I wanted to be as good as the Grimm Reaper." Hearing the last part made Ash chuckle silently. He was all too familiar with that concept. It was seen how the Farron's Great Sword had been based off the sword that he is leaning on right now.

"Well, I'm nothing but a disappointment, so you're well on your way." He overheard Maria bitterly remark at them.

Blake looked at the Elderly woman while raising an eyebrow. "How can you say that?"

"Child, a Huntress is supposed to protect others to the bitter end. But after I lost my eyes, I only ever looked after myself." Maria explained to the Faunus and the others, still retaining that resentment after telling them how she had lost her eyes. "Even after my surgery, I was too afraid to fight. Afraid someone would find me again, finish what the others started. You shouldn't aspire to be like me, especially when some of you are clearly stronger already." That last part caused Yang to look down sadly and was deep in her own thoughts.

Ash thought the same way as the blonde did while ignoring the Elderly Woman's words. He looked down at his hands. "She has a valid point. You cannot always play the hero. I thought by using the four Lord of Cinders' Ember would allow my vessel to link the First Flame to grant death. That was until I had seen what the world had become thanks to me unwittingly destroying that damn city."

His trail of thoughts were broken were he heard something ringing. Looking to where the source was being heard, he saw Ruby pulling out a small object from her pocket before gasping in excitement.

"It's Jaune!" She told everyone. This made Yang stopped her bike and look back at her sister in surprise.

"Huh?" Mostly everyone apart from Ash said in shock, wondering how Jaune was able to contact them out here in the snowy woods.

"How?" Weiss uttered as she still had the reaction from earlier.

Ruby tap some button on her Scroll to answer the call. "Uh, hello?"

"Ruby! Oh, thank you!" Ash and everyone had heard Jaune's voice on the device. He can tell that he was relieved by hearing Ruby's voice again. "I've been checking my Scroll for your signal since we made it to the city!"

"The city?" She muttered before she understood her friend's words. "Wait?" She looks at her scroll to see that the signal has gotten better. Everyone looked where Yang was facing where the snow trail ends. This caused the Blonde to proceed to drive forward. Going on top of the hill, all see a walled city that was a distance near the ocean while the sun was being set to night.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived in Argus." Yang told them while a smile was formed on her face.

Ash took a glance once again and mentally shuddered before recomposing himself. It made him remember that city he had unintentionally destroyed. "That city...? Its architecture resembles that of Irrithyll. Except that it's not like that city." That was a good thing. Unlike the City at the end of the World where it was abandoned and filled with the Abyss, this one seemed to be the complete opposite.

---

-Scene Change-

---

Ash and everyone else scanned their surroundings. They were at the entrance of the city as Yang inputs a code to lock her vehicle and the trailer in the trailer in the garage and if they have to be honest with themselves, they admired the surroundings they're in. The Unkindled suddenly shifted to a crowed as he had a feeling that someone had arrived. "I think we have company."

"Cute! Boy! OZ!" The group all heard a bubbly girl shouting at them. Oscar looks over to where it came from in confusion. Immediately, he gets tackle hugged by Nora who appearing from within the crowds. "Oh, come here!"

While the two were hugging, Ren and Jaune also arrives to greet all of them. "Are you okay?" Ren asked while he wrapped his arms around Yang to hug her.

Jaune felt the same way while he was side hugging Blake. "We were so worried!"

"It's been kind of a crazy trip!" Yang answered their questions while she patted Ren's back.

"That's an understatement." Weiss told them while walking over to her friends.

Nora had let go of Oscar and they sat up from the ground. It was at this time she noticed an unfamiliar person with them. "Wait, who's the old lady?"

As they were conversing, Ash was the only person left out as he continued to watch. He didn't care as he shifts his attention over to Jaune and Ruby having this own conversation. Seeing all of this made him reminisce of the companionship he made with the Firekeeper, Andre, and his fellow Unkindled Anri, and Siegward. These thoughts made him space out for a bit when someone had broken him out of his thoughts. "Aren't you coming?" He heard Ruby speaking to him as she and the others were about to head off.

"…" Ash nodded in response as he walked towards them before they headed off to their destination.

Time had passed and Ash looked at the kind of transport they were about to board. If he didn't have that helmet on right now, his face would be showing that tried yet blank expression on his face despite being amazed by all of this.

Getting onto the vehicle that was known as a trolley, the group was seeing their surroundings while they were being carried. All were in awe since the city was very lively. Yang let out a whistle before she commented on what was in everyone's mind. "It's a lot bigger than I thought it'd be."

"It's actually one of the largest non-capital cities in all of Remnant." Ren had casually informed them as the transport was moving.

Ruby gasp at that information. "No way!" In an instant, she thought of how a large city like Argus could be built as it wasn't near the main city. "But wait, wouldn't it be harder to settle something this big away from the main Kingdom?"

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

"The two nations worked together to create a hybrid city." Ren added the other information his leader provided to the rest of the group. "While it falls under Mistral domain, Atlas keeps a military presence here to help keep the people safe and keep trade between the two nations steady."

"Well, until recently…" Nora pointed out the obvious details she and everyone knew. Ash looked at her. He then remembered overhearing them back in the house in Mistral on how they could enter Kingdom of Atlas since it had just closed off its borders.

The transport immediately stopped, and everyone got off board while Ash did the same. Since they were now in the city, Blake thought of the suggestion they should next right after they rested. "We should probably start looking for a ship."

Oscar looks over to Jaune, wondering how he and the rest of the team had managed to stay in this city for a day. "So, where have you guys been staying?"

Jaune chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his head. "Uh…"

"There you are!" A woman's voice called out to them. To be more specific, she was calling out to Jaune. Everyone turns to where it came from. There, on the other side of the sidewalk was a blonde-haired woman that was holding a baby in her arm waving her other arm to Jaune.

Yang and the others had a feeling to who exactly this woman was. "Is that…?"

Jaune awkwardly waves back at the woman. "Hey, Saph."

Ruby then zooms in, all starry-eyed. She looks back and forth between Jaune and this woman. She gasps upon realizing who the woman is. Ash looks at the two before he too had a feeling that these were related. "Oh, I see some similarities now. They look to come from the same family."

---

-Scene Change-

---

The group were in living room of the house that Jaune's older sister, Saphron, lived in. Yang and Weiss were busy entertaining the baby named Adrian while the rest were conversing with her. Ruby was still apprehending of what was currently happening. "I can't believe I'm meeting your sister! I have so many questions."

"Oh, I can give you the rundown later!" Nora told the leader of team RWBY.

Jaune was finding annoying that his friends were asking so many questions inn regards to his siter. "Will you guys knock it off?"

"What? I love telling stories about my baby brother." Saphron teasingly said before she squeezed Jaune's check.

Her action caused her younger brother to fail his arms at her. "I'm not a baby!" He then pointed towards Adrian. "That is a baby."

Jaune's action caused the baby to huff back at him. It caused Yang and Weiss to get all wide-eyed as they fuss over Adrian. Both of them began to make baby talk at him. "Aww, you're so cute! Yes, you are! Oh, look at your little face!" Yang spoke.

"Aww, coochie-coochie! Aw, baby! Oh my!" The former Heiress gently spoke to the baby.

Back to the main part of the conversation, Blake asked Jaune's sister a question. "So Saphron, you're the only Arc living here?" She looked over a framed photo of her and Jaune when they were little along with several of their sisters.

"Yep! Moved the second I could. Jaune and I are the only two living away from home." Saphron answered the Faunus's question. Before she went further to tease her brother, she decided to ask her own question. "By the way, who's that guy? He seems rather strange to be accompanying all of you." She was referring to Ash who was leaning over the wall while crossing his legs and had his arms crossed around the chest.

"Oh, him? That's Ash." Nora explained as she went over to where the Unkindled was. "He's… not really talkative as you can clearly see. But that doesn't mean that he isn't hostile."

"I see," Jaune's Older Sister spoke before she smiled at him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ash."

Ash didn't say a word as he looked over to Saphron. It was true that he wasn't hostile to them. But that doesn't mean he didn't place his trust with them. It was at that time he saw Adrian looking at the Wolf Knight Sword and knew what was on the baby's mind. "It isn't a plaything."

Everyone heard a door being opened. All turns to see a dark-haired woman with glasses walking in with multiple bags of groceries. Seeing this person made Saphron introduce her to her brother and the others. "Everyone, this is my wife, Terra Cotta."

"Hello! /Hi there! / Nice to meet you." Everyone greeted Saphron's wife. Well, almost everyone.

The only person that didn't greet her was Ash. He was trying to process that information Saphron had casually said to the other woman. "That's… her wife?" As long as he can remember during the time of the Age of Fire, he hasn't heard marriage of the same sex. At least from what he was aware of. This land definitely shows that it's entirely different to the one he was in.

"Why, hello there! Wow, quite a party, you weren't kidding." Terra greeted them back as she walks over to the kitchen. "Hun, can I get some help please?" Saphron quickly runs over to help Terra in the kitchen. After seeing the groceries, they were then seated on one of the couches while Jaune, Ren, and Nora were preparing some food for everyone.

"And you're sure it's alright if we stay with you?" Weiss had asked as she finds it rude that they allowed themselves in uninvitedly.

Saphron smiled at the former Heiress. "Of course, we're happy to house Huntsmen and Huntresses."

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

The Huntsman wasn't paying any attention. He had only answered as he felt his arm get bumped by his niece. "Uh, of course. Think of it as an extended training mission. Trust me, I was a professor. Even went to the same academy as them. Let me tell ya, these kids are way better than we were at their age." His words caused Maria to shake her head in disappointment.

"And that goes the same as that strange individual?" Terra asked as she took a glance at Ash before shifted back to Qrow. As this was going on, Ruby happily gasp as she saw Jaune, Ren, and Nora bringing a plate of food into the room.

"Well, I can tell that he is not better than me specifically," Qrow admitted. "but a lot of students—"

"Shut up, there's food!" Ruby interrupted as she grabbed two sandwiches and offered her Uncle one.

Everyone began to eat the sandwiches in the room. It was during this time as Ash just watched them. Food wasn't necessary for him. He had no time for such things like that. Yet, the only source of food he preferred was the Estus substance on the flask. "Hey Ash!" he looked over to Ruby who offered a sandwich to him. "Try some. They're really tasty!"

"…" Ash looked at the food before looking back at Ruby. Knowing that the girl and her friends would constantly ask him to join, he had no choice but to accept out of annoyance. Ruby went back to where shew sat and Ash sat on the floor next to Weiss.

Looking at the sandwich in his hand that he got off from Ruby, he was hesitant on removing his helmet. He didn't mind taking it off, but at the same time, he didn't want them to see a bitter expression that could ruin the mood.

Perhaps it was only this time he could try some delicacy.

Already thinking of a solution, he slightly lifted his helmet that stopped on the upper lip, revealing a bit of his pale skin with stubbles. He took a bite and he had quietly two words upon gulping it. "It's good." He continued to eat the sandwich before it was finish. He wiped his mouth with the gauntlet before fixing the helmet back on. It was here where he saw everyone looking at him. He tilted his head in response. "Problem?"

Weiss looks over at him as she had spoke her thoughts. "You know you can remove your helmet, right? There's no problem with that."

"…" He didn't reply as he couldn't think of anything to respond back.

"Well, you could if you want. But…" Nora remembered that he is still a stranger to them. It must be why he didn't want to remove it. "It's entirely your choice. No one is forcing you."

Ash was glad to hear that. At least he wasn't barrage with questions yet. He noticed that Terra wasn't with them. He overheard Blake asking if everything is okay, which Saphron replied. "Oh, yeah, it will be. Terra's a technician for the town's relay tower. Unfortunately, the military's radar system is also housed there." She looks over to Adrian before she makes baby talk to him. "Guess what's been on the fritz lately and who's getting falsely blamed."

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

"So, what's your plan for tomorrow?" Jaune's sister asked the group as they were still eating their sandwiches.

"Well… Ruby answered her question while her mouth was stuffed with the sandwiches. She took a gulp to make her talking clearer. "We're trying to make our way to Atlas. We'll probably start with the military base."

Ren and Nora shared looks of concern. That didn't go unnoticed by Ash. "I guess you tried attempting to do it?"

Jaune nervously replied back with rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, So, we kind of already tried that, Ash. And... it didn't go... super great." Ash looked at him as if he expected this kind of thing to occur.

Yang and the others weren't so sure with this. "Come on, it couldn't be that bad..."

---

-Scene Change-

---

"You HAD to jinx it, didn't you?" Ash thoughtfully said to Yang's comment from earlier.

The next day had arrived. He and everyone just went up to the military base of Argus. As they were near the gate, it shut on them. Yang put her hands on the bars of the gate to speak to the two guards who had recently arrived. "Come on! You didn't even hear us out!"

"Our orders are clear: The Mistral-Atlas border is closed!" The first of the two weird-looking guards reminded her in a militaristic yet bombastic manner.

"Please!" The second guard told the group.

"Having a good way!" The first guard finished.

"But—" Yang began to speak.

"HAVE A GOOD DAY!" Both guards repeated in the same manner.

"Hey, if you don't wanna believe that I'm friends with Ironwood—" Qrow had informed the guards.

"General Ironwood!" both guards corrected the huntsmen.

"Yeah, General ironwood, then fine." Qrow corrected himself, feeling irritated at their attitude while Ash felt the same way. "But look, we have Weiss Schnee with us and we're trying to get her home safely."

Weiss looks down with reluctance upon hearing Qrow say that. The two guards look at each other before turning their attention back to the group. "Approach—"

"Look," Ash interrupted, NOW getting irritated at their unberable mannerism. Though, he still retained his stoic tone. "We have Lady Weiss Schnee with us. Cut it out with those attitudes and GET your leader out right now. You are starting to become very annoying to all of us and we just want to talk. Do I make myself clear?!"

Both guards were taken back by the Unkindled's blunt words. Ruby and the others looked at him as this was the second time he displayed this type of attitude towards other people. Nora, Ren, and Jaune were shocked to see Ash's other side but Rend didn't blame him for this sudden occurrence. He, too, found them to be unbearable.

"R-right…" The first guard meekly spoke.

"We-we'll get our leader—" The second guard didn't continue as he and the other one felt very nervous at Ash blankly looking at them despite the helmet covering his facial expression. Seeing this made them turn their back around and head towards the base to get their Commander.

The Unkindled let out a silent groan. He knew what he did was childlike and regretted even raising his voice. "You know…" Ash looks over to Maria, who was smiling for an obvious reason. "It's the first time I've seen them get scared like that. You got some nerves speaking to people with those types of behavior. Especially if they came from Atlas."

Ash knew what Maria was talking about. As far as he knows from what he overheard from people, natives from that Kingdom tends to be arrogant and be self-entitled to whatever their positions are. Which tends to them basically being hated by everyone else. He knew that wasn't true. There were some truths to the claim. But still, he knew he shouldn't have done that. "I'm sorry I acted like that. That wasn't really necessary for me to do. It's just…"

He felt a hand placed on his right hand. He looked down to see Ruby giving him a comforting look. "We can take care of this. Don't worry."

"I think it would be better if you have some time alone. Until you have calmed down." Ren suggested before seeing that Ash had calmed down a little.

The Unkindled did a double take on the others before he spoke on what was on his mind. "Alright. I'll just be walking around the city. I'll be back once I have calmed down." With that, he had departed from the group and away from the military base before he started to randomly wonder around the city. He was glad that he had some time alone. He happily sighed at this. "Finally. Some alone time."

Time had passed and Ash was still strolling around the city where people were still busy. He hasn't calm down ever since Jinn knew that he wasn't like the others. He was deep down in these thoughts and wondered one particular question.

How would they react if they would find out that he is an Undead?

Will they distance themselves away from him?

Or something worse?

Either way, Ash knew he cannot keep his undead nature a secret forever. He has to tell them when the time is right.

Letting out a breathe of air, Ash continued to walk around the city. Ignoring the glares that he got from the people who looked at him due to his outfit of choice, it seems like he had calmed down. He then stopped when he had spotted something shining in a very dark alleyway. Having a feeling that it may be a trap set up by someone he might had known, he decided to let himself be fooled by whatever is about to happen. "It better not be…?"

Carefully walking towards that shiny light, Ash knelt to the floor and was about to grab it. In an instant, he felt someone kicking him to the ground and put a foot onto his back. He felt a sharp, pointy object on his nape. Despite the situation he had found himself in, he knew the exact person who would set this kind of trap. The smug chuckle was already a dead giveaway.

"Hello Patches." He casually said, not too bothered by this sudden surprise attack.

"Well, hello there, old friend. I didn't expect to see a familiar face roaming around the streets." Patches greeted him with the attitude that Ash could tolerate. "Still can't keep your greedy hands on my things, huh?"

"More like purposely falling for a trap to see who that person is." Ash countered the trickster merchant's words before he felt Patches's foot getting off his back. He got back to his feet and rubbed where that sharp object was pointing towards.

Patches never truly change the last time he saw him in terms of appearance. The only difference he can clearly see is that his spear and great shield has been upgraded with metallic parts that he clearly saw, and how there was a strange black gem that has been integrated into the shield. "It's strange to see you again. It has been a while."

"It has." Ash nodded his head. "I'm surprised that you haven't even Hollowed yet."

He heard the bald man chuckle at his words. "Well, as I told you before, my friend, I'm Patches the Unbreakable. UNBREAKABLE." Ash didn't say anything as he blankly stare behind the Fallen Knight helmet. He knew that the man was bluffing but didn't want to comment. "Anyway, if you're wondering how I am even here, I kinda killed some to pluck their Humanity here and there in order to survive. Still, that kept my sanity in check. While I had to sell off the values they had on make some sort of income. They don't use souls." He chuckled of how he had survived up today. "I'm surprised that I am still here since Humanity had been wiped out twice."

Patches's last statement caused Ash to look back. "Humanity…had been wiped out twice?" If he had to been honest with himself, he was shocked that Human being wiped out on two separate occasions. One of which he had mainly contributed to along with the Firekeeper.

Patches may have been lying. But Ash had looked at the eyes of the bald trickster, he knew that he wasn't even laying.

"Yep. You heard that right." Patches told him with the same attitude before he turned away from him. "It's better if we have this conversation in the outskirts where I set up my shop. And I can tell you what I have witnessed in this land. You'd be surprised to see some similarities between here and the old lands of the Gods."

---

Hope you have enjoyed reading this chapter. I did some editing, and it may or may not be to your likings. But I have to say this.

I won't be posting a while as I need to focus on my personal life. That and I need rewrite certain bits of my story to A) Make it more interesting, B) Find any spelling and Grammar Errors seen, and C) Make the sentences top notch. I will not be using Grammarly since, as I had stated above, will restrict my creative ways of writing and the way I like to think. Perhaps I need a co-writer as it was a success in my most popular story, Halo Galactic Wars.

On the positive side. Patches has finally revealed himself. And the bombshell of how Patches made the connection between the land of the Old Gods (Lordran) and the Land of Dust (Remnant). At least in this story. I will try my best to make connections between the two series. After all, the recent Volume was one of the contributors why Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant was created in the first place.

I want to point out one thing as I want to make this information clear before I get cancelled. Ash IS NOT HOMOPHIBIC. He is just surprised that there is a couple that has the same sex marriage. Looking at how I have managed to write it, he is so surprised considering that he had only been awake for what, the past three days?

Speaking of Ash, his PSTD may be really getting the better of him. Well, I guess it has to do with the events of Dark Souls III, the Painted World of Ariandel, and the Ringed City. All of which was the reason why he deiced to end the Age of Fire. He is getting tired at this point. Hopefully there will be people who can understand and sympathize with the many burdens he carries on his shoulder before he lashes out.

Now, that is over, onto the reviews…

Doppel: I made my explanation clear above okay. I hope you have your answers said that would leave you satisfied.

dougwell666: Dude, I fuck up, okay? You're right, I DON'T even think what I am even writing. Happy with my statement?

These types of reviews are the reasons why I wants to take a break from writing Fanfiction for a short period of time. Sure, they prove a point, but… I dunno. I need to make this more appropriate to not have that kind of response. Still cannot believe that despite three years on this site, I am still bad at writing fanfiction stories.

Now that is over. I will see you in the next chapter. Whenever it will get published after the chapters have been rewritten into peoples' likings.

Damn, already?! One Hundred Followers now!? I kinda expect this to occur very soon. I guess that happens when you publish a lot of chapters at a fast pace.

Well, this chapter is leaning to the original side. I have planned this in my head for a while. I am going to be truthful; the previous chapters were thanks to me using the RWBY script via Wiki to get to where the chapter is currently. Hey, I was lazy and didn't want to write something pure original.

This is filler. Now, try to expect a three-chapter long fight as you may know where this is going towards. I am kinda running out of quotes to use from the Dark Souls series. I may have to use quotes from Bloodborne, and Elden Ring at certain points.

Now then, with that out of the way, let' get onto the chapter.

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Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant

Seven

The Real History

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'Where the transitory lands of the Lords of Cinder converge.'

Ash followed Patches as they were walking out from the city of Argus. The sun had already begun to set, and he knew that Ruby and the others would be worried that he hadn't returned from his walk. "How long till we reach your destination?" He had asked his sketchy friend.

"It's not that long. Why are you asking?" Patches replied back to the Unkindled's question.

"…I…need to meet some people before the next day," Ash dryly replied, not wanting to reveal the Relics to him. That is IF he already knows by the look on that face.

Both were now walking through a snowy wooded area not far from Argus. They continued to trek until they felt a familiar flame nearby. The two approached what appeared to be a recently made den in the deeper parts of the forest. A small-winged vehicle had been docked nearby. Ash spotted something he hadn't seen in the middle of the shelter in quite a while.

"Well, here we are. Try to make yourself comfortable." Patches told Ash as he walked towards the Bonfire and sat near it before going to his squat position.

Ash looked at the Bonfire and brought both pleasant and unpleasant memories. He stood there, contemplating his own thoughts. "How long it has been since I've seen an accursed Bonfire?" He felt hesitant at first. He only went there as he remembered that he had an Estus Flask that needed to be refilled. He sat down and watched the fire flicker within the flame.

The only sound made was the flame that sparkled within the Bonfire as Ash and Patches did their own thing. The smug Merchant watched Ash pull the Wolf Knight's Great Sword from his back. Ash put the weapon near his face to see if there were any scratches seen on both sides.

Seeing that there were only a few caught, he let out a breath of air. Positioning the sword where he could lean over on the hilt while the blade was near his feet.

A few minutes went by, and Ash noticed that Patches needed to redirect his eye contact towards him. "Anything you want?" He questioned in his usual tone without any emotion.

"Was looking at that sword." Patches simply replied back. "Can't believe you managed to get that sword that once belonged to one of Gwyn's Four Knights."

Ash looked at him for a few seconds before he looked back at the Bonfire. "Is that so?" There was no emotion in his voice.

Patches started seeing how uncaring Ash was as he looked back at him. "That's how you would respond? What happened to you? It seems like your personality has turned the opposite." Now he was concerned about him despite his attitude towards him.

He heard Ash silently sighing before looking directly at the eyes. "I do not want to explain it." The Unkindled knew that Patches must've known what he had done.

The Merchant looked at Ash for a few seconds. By the way, his body language displayed, he could tell that Ash was not in the perfect mood to talk on that subject. This is why he didn't press on, which could have provoked his swindling fury.

"Alright. I won't press on." Patches told him through his conceited tone.

Ash went silent for a while. Thinking about what to ask, he focused his gaze on him. "You said there are 'some similarities between here and the old lands of the Gods'. What do you exactly mean by that?"

His answer caused Patches to look at him. Though he still displayed that attitude, he could already tell that Patches had an intense look on his face. "About that, why do you think this entire land is called Remnant in the first place?"

Ash then responded back as he looked back at him. "Because that's what the natives call it. And how it was some sort of experiment ground by the beings known as the Brothers." Then, he realised that his statement made Patches shake his head in disbelief. He knew that something was already wrong. "Patches?"

"Did one of their creations tell you?" Patches stated the obvious rather than a question.

His statement made Ash look at him. Though the Fallen Knight Helmet covered most of his face, if it was off, he would have the look of disbelief shown. "How do you even know that?"

"Oh, I basically know what happened here. Except for some." Patches answered back, a smile forming on his face. "Those two beings end up in the land of Lordran—"

"Hold on." Ash interrupted, unsure what he heard was correct. "Lordran?"

"Yeah, didn't you hear?" Patches reminded him, narrowing his eyes towards the Unkindled. "Once the Age of Fire had ended, the entire land of what was once Lordran was covered by nothing but Dark. It was difficult, yet I managed to survive. I do not know if others survived." Hearing that made the Ashen One go numb. But it didn't bother him too much. "The Age of Dark went by until, before you interrupted me, those two ended up in this land." Hearing this caught Ash's interest. As he thought about that, it made sense why Jinn knew about him and his kind without even meeting one, at least from what she had stated. "They then proceeded to create a new life with the power of their own part of their soul before they did it again after they wiped them out. Though one of them got contaminated by the Abyss in their time in Lordran,"

"They bred new life without the source of any flame?" Ash stated, and Patches nodded in confirmation. He was surprised to hear that the Dark corrupted one of the Brothers. Then again, Ash knew that it could not be toyed with. Already, he felt that one of the brothers had been tainted with the Abyss. "And let me guess, one of the brothers infected with the Abyss was the God of Dark?"

"Sort of, but not completely. Kinda funny that Remnant is just a remnant of the old land of Lordran." Patches nodded while popping the last letter. "Though, there were fragments of what was left in the Age of Fire and thought they can overpower it. Which they did in only two aspects. The latter of which they did to two people that they branded."

"And that was the control of another Flame and…" Ash muttered as he had guessed that the brothers may have tampered with the New Flame for their own liking. The second answer he cannot think of. Before he could think of it, he had to ask Patches one question. "What does it have to with Ozma and Salem?"

"Ozma and Salem…?" Patches pondered for a few moments. It clicked on him as if he knew who those two were. "Oh yeah. Heard about them. They were the reason why this world was in a mess in the first place. It's no reason why both had been given unique Darksigns by those "Gods". One cannot be killed through magic and normal means. And the other, the spirit, just hijacks body to body. Luckily, the brother Gods removed the negative effects before they left. One of which is preventing them from going Hollow."

There was no need for Ash to go even further as he knew Patches knew what would happen next. From what he heard in the trickster's tone, there hadn't been a single lace of lie present. Which made him deep into his thoughts. His speculation of Salem having a Darksign was true. But Ozma was surprised about this. He looks back at the Merchant to ask him an obvious question. "Do you know about the Four Relics?"

Patches looked back at him with a giant smile shown on his face. "Yeah. To be honest, I thought there were just rumours at first. Until I overheard some people knowing that the Relics are real. It makes sense considering how Atlas has been a floating island for a long time."

Ash looked at him when he mentioned his Ruby's group's destination. He went silent as he was processing what Patches had stated. "…Atlas is a floating island?"

A nod was made by the trickster merchant. "Yeah. I've visited that kingdom a couple of times since its creation." Patches explained, remembering making multiple trips there. "It's a sight to see. At least on thier island. They have amazing architecture, though the people could sometimes be quite snobbish and short-sighted. Kinda makes you think of the City of the Gods, Anor Londo."

Hearing that made Ash remember that city. Anor Londo, a once proud city of the Gods, has been reduced to nothing more than a cold, wintery ghost town, and the only source of light is the moon. Still, he needs to tell Patches about something. "Do you know some people referred to as the Schnees?"

Patches was surprised to hear this from him. "Wait, did you say—"

"I'm currently travelling with one of them, Lady Weiss Schnee, to Atlas." Ash interrupted with a stoic and cold attitude.

"Weiss Schnee…" That was what Patches uttered. He eventually chuckled at the name in realization. "Hm. I've heard of her. a Former Heiress of this Company called the Schnee Dust Company run by her greedy, power-hungry father, Jacques Schnee. They're pretty messed up by how they look at the photos in the newspaper. It's no wonder why there was speculation that Jacques disinherited her after that outburst after that "charity" event for Beacon."

"…" Ash didn't say anything as he remembered reading what happened in Beacon. From what he can think of, some schools were targeted by the White Fang and other people. They were successful in Beacon, but everything came to an end in Haven. An event which occurred two weeks before he had awakened.

It was at that moment that Patches then remembered he had forgotten something. "And I managed to trick a Schnee down a cave. I'm surprised that despite one of their kind being in the military, they are always tricked by their greed."

"Of course, you would do such a thing." Ash mentally said to him. His thoughts then shifted to Weiss's father, Jacques Schnee. From what he had observed in the way Patches had described, he could tell he didn't like him. Jacques is a scum. Obviously. But not a scum that shouldn't deserve death for the actions that he has done. "From what I heard from you, this Jacques Schnee is a sort of a pest. Now I had my own thoughts about him. And not the kind of pest that would not go away."

Ash's statement made Patches chuckle. "You can say that. Jacques Schnee believes that he is untouchable. Using cheap slavery to mine their dust-up to make big profits. It's no wonder people all over Remnant hate him despite his claim that he is "benevolent and caring" towards his workers." The two words he put in quotations are a mocking of the actual thoughts of the CEO of the SDC.

That was a piece of helpful information that Ash heard. If he ever encounters Jacques Schnee in person, he'll just confront him about it. Without getting angry, of course, as Ash knew Jacques's greed and lust for power would eventually lead to his downfall. Looking up to the sky to see that the night had come, he needed to return to the others. Right before doing so, he needed a question to ask Patches since he had been in this land for a long time. "Do you know anyone called…Adam?"

Again, Patches murmured that name. It clicked onto him in realization. "Oh, you mean the bull Faunus that cannot keep his mind intact?" This caused Ash to go silent again, looking at him without a response. It continued for a little while until he realizes he wasn't directly answering his question. "Yeah, I obviously know who Adam is. Who doesn't after the White Fang's attack on Beacon and Haven?"

"Can you provide me anything useful about him?" That was the next question Ash asked, wanting to get anything in case he ever encountered him.

Patches rubbed his chin as he thought about it. He began to list off. "Hm. From what I can remember from hearing what people had to say, Adam was a member of the White Fang until he pulled that stunt in Haven, which I can imagine being an utter embarrassment for him. He's fast and a formidable fight." He then realizes one more necessary detail. "Oh, and he has a powerful semblance that makes everything go red after absorbing enough energy before slashing his sword."

Ash processed this kind of information for a few moments. This Adam is sure to be a formidable opponent. One that will undoubtedly get him killed unless he isn't careful enough. "I see…"

Patches immediately recognised that Ash had been asking too many questions despite enjoying his curiosity. "Why are you asking these questions? Weren't you awake—"

"For the past three days?" Ash immediately answered before Patches could finish his question. "All of this is new to me. I need to know the necessary information in case I would run into some unavoidable problems. I feel that Adam has been stalking someone during that time. I was hoping you could answer my questions?"

He heard Patches laughing at his statement. Although he was annoyed by it, he wasn't too bothered about it. Patches rested his arms above his knees and gazed directly his eyes at him. "Alright, I can tell you what I know since I still owe you. It's going to be a while. After that, I am going to make my move."

"Very well, let me hear it then," Ash said, now listening to what Patches had to say.

---

-Scene Change-

---

Ash walked through the sidewalk within Argus as he was reaching his destination. He was in his own thoughts after hearing what Patches had told him before departing on a transport called a ship, which he was certainly surprised that the trickster could pilot one. Then again, it's Patches, and he can sometimes be quite unpredictable. "Now, time to get back to the others."

The walk towards the Arc House was a pleasant one for Ash. Upon seeing the house not far from where he was, he approached it. Walking up a small flight of stairs, Ash knocked on the door. It opened to see Ruby looking at him before smiling. "Ash! You're back!"

"…" Ash didn't say anything as he entered the house after Ruby allowed him to enter and saw everyone looking at him in relief. Even Qrow was relieved to see him despite his drunken state. As well as Oscar, who seemed to have an upgrade in his clothes.

Speaking of which… "So, it took you long enough just to calm down?" The Farm boy asked.

"…" Ash stared back at him without making a sound.

It was at this time that Jaune decided to ask a question. "Ash…" Said the person looked over at Jaune, who had a look of uncertainty shown on his face. It took a couple of seconds to ask his question. "Ruby and the others told me and my team that you're hiding a secret from us—"

"I will tell all of you when the time is right. I just recently met you all, and it wouldn't be wise to say it just yet." Ash immediately responded back. He felt that Ruby and her team would tell them at one point. He wasn't mad about it but knew it wasn't the right moment to say to them.

Speaking of the time is right, Ruby immediately remembered some. "Say, Ash, do you remember our plan to visit Atlas?" He nodded in remembrance, and she scratched the back of her head. "Well, it didn't go well, but we managed to hatch a plan?"

"You mean the one where we stole an Atlas Airship since they only give clearance to them to go in and out of Atlas?" Oscar raised an eyebrow.

"Yep," Ruby answered while popping the word's last letter. "We're going to initiate it by tomorrow. But to successfully do that, we need someone to disconnect the comms from the two to not raise suspicion. Which is why Blake will be the one to do it."

That sounds like a perfect plan. But Ash wasn't sure if that plan would go well as he still felt that same spiteful soul observing their every move. He went up to the Faunus and presented her with a piece of folded paper. "What's this?" Blake asked as she unfolded it to see some scribble drawn, hueing a light-yellow light from within.

"In case things goes wrong, use your hand over it, and you'll find out," Ash answered cryptically, hoping what he handed her would work. Blake didn't know what he meant by that, but it might be helpful to her.

Now that was out of the way. All that was needed was to rest for tomorrow. "We better get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be quite eventful."

Everyone then proceeded to head to a room where they could rest. Qrow stayed in the lounge, where he saw Maria sleeping and Ash looking at a blank space. The huntsman could feel a powerful presence within Ash for the past three days. He couldn't piece together what it was. But if he had one thought, that power could rival the Maiden. Soon, sleep began to overtake him as he closed his eyes. "Just exactly what you're hiding from us?"

---

This is a filler chapter, and I am not so good in writing long chapters. Thanks to the gods that there are only three chapters left before the start of the Atlas Arc. I have plans for him to wear a certain set of armor from Dark Souls 2 because, Atlas is a cold kingdom, and he needs something that could provide him with the warmth he needs despite being Unkindled?

I know that I am confused with the Undead and Unkindled since one can go hollow, and the other can't unless there are outside interference. And I fucked up the lore of RWBY now and I have to think of any alternates I can think of. Would you expect me to only include the RWBY lore? It's not really good to say the least. In my opinion at least.

Next chapter, expect a mech fight to happen and Ash could probably humble the Commander due to her jingoistic and arrogant traits. I wonder how it will play out if he pulls a certain sword that can take down a giant?

Speaking of fight, it seems like the Ash and Adam Taurus fight is certainly going to happen soon.

Now then, onto the reviews…

Dasgun (Both reviews): Uh-huh…

Spenge: Well, I hope you are going to like the next few chapters.

Argorok: I certainly will.

Crimson Soldat: Yeah, this is more of a notice Review that I put because you may expect it to come soon. Who knows what will happen next?

Guest: Yeah, I had to use translate just to understand what you said. I hope you enjoy it.

EXCUBITORE: Oh, don't you worry, I will try. But it may alter the plans I have settled for the Atlas Arc.

That is now over. I will see you in the next chapter. Whenever it will get published after the chapters have been rewritten into peoples' likings.

Looking at a certain reviewer, I decided to alter the last four chapters. A twelve-chapter story arc for the first volume of Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant? That's not that bad.

Seeing how much damage Ruby and her group did in the canon, I decide to not let that happen. Why? Because of the Ashen One/Ash's alternate solution.

Apology if I haven't been updating this story for a while. I was busy with my personal life and writing my other Fanfiction story that deserves recognition, Fairyborne. It was rough, updating that story. But here I am, ready to write the ninth chapter of the overall story and part one of three arc. That's right folks, it's time for the one and only Showdown in Argus arc.

Now let's get on with the story, shall we?

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Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant

Eight

Showdown in Argus

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'Don't fear failure. Not failure, but low aim is the crime. In great attempts, it is glorious even to fail.'

Everyone was asleep within the Arc Household. All resting for the next day to what they were about to initiate.

All except one.

Ash was still staring into the blank space within the living room. Since he is undead, he requires no rest and he had already rested. Currently sitting on the couch and looking at a small crack within the wall, he was thinking about what Ruby told him. They were going to steal an Atlas Airship in order to go to that Kingdom. Thinking about their plan only made Ash questioned if it was the right thing to do.

True, he has only been with them for the past three days. But he knew it was just a stupid plan that could put this whole city at risk. He understood why they were so desperate why they needed to deliver the lamp to Atlas. But to him, it didn't justify the consequence of how it will backfire horribly for them.

He let out a silent sigh after he thought of everything Ruby and the others had planned. "They're not going to like what I am about to say. But I have an alternative that will have minimal damage." He stood up and walked towards the mirror. He looked at the mirror for a few seconds before taking his Fallen Knight Helmet off and looked back at the reflection.

There, he saw a face that consisted of an unkempt dark hair that was greying, dull-orange eyes that bore right into his uncaring soul, and a tired, stoic facial expression that was seen in his face along with stubbles. This is how he looked like. After everything he had been through in the ruined land of Lothric, The Rotting World of Ariandel, and that Damned Ringed City, he thought he can rest?

Nope. As fate would have it, he was awakened once again to fulfil a duty by the request of that unknown voice. He still doesn't know what his role is, but it is the assumption that may be related to all of this.

Salem. The Four Relics and the Four Maidens. Her everlasting war with her former love interest who's souls cannot be killed, Ozma.

This was too much information for him to handle. Slipping the Fallen Knight helmet back on his head, Ash went back to the couch and waited until the others had woken up.

There was a reason to do so.

---

-Scene Change-

---

Ruby and her group didn't expect a meeting to happen right before they could instigate her plans. Everyone, even Terra and Saphron, were in the living and were staring at Ash, who sat there and stared back in response. This continued on until Yang broke the silence. "Alright, Ash. You called everyone in this meeting, and I want to know what this is about."

Ash went silent for a few seconds, thinking exactly how he should word it out. He looked at everyone and knew what to say to them. "It's about the plan. I don't think it is going to work."

This statement caught everyone off guard. Ruby decided to ask the question that was in everyone's mind. "What do you mean by that?"

Ash already knew he had to explain it. "The plan that you set up isn't going to work. And I don't believe it will be executed."

"Wait." Yang spoke, suddenly putting her hand up in the air. "So, you're telling us that what we had planned won't exactly work?"

"Yes." Ash plainly answered and thought on the flaws of Ruby's plan. "Ruby may have a quicker solution to deliver that Lamp to Atlas. But aren't you all aware that the Atlas's Commander base is too stubborn?"

"Just get to the point, Ash." the Blond Brawler spoke, getting a bit irked by what Ash is saying.

"Look," Ash said eying at everyone else, "What we are about to pull off is going to put the whole city of Argus at risk because that Commander is going to fight us mainly due to how we stole one of their airships. Which, in turn, is going to attract a lot of Grimm and we could inadvertently destroy this city. Do we want this city to be at risk while we are also indirectly taking peoples' lives away?" He let out a breath of air. he was glad he had a chance to point out the flaw. "Exactly! So PLEASE! Take my words into consideration if you are going to execute it."

Hearing his words caused everyone to reflect on his words. It took a bit of time to process everything they heard, and they realized that Ash pointed out the consequence of what they were about to do. True, it was the quickest solution, but at the cost of attracting Grimm into the city? Ren was one of the few people who thought on Ash's words. "Now that I think about it, you made a valid point there."

His friends looked at him as they couldn't believe what he said. "What, Ren!" Nora gazed at her friend, disbelief that he agreed with Ash's statement.

"I mean, he did point out the flaws to the plan we created." Next, it was Oscar who came to the same thought as Ren.

Seeing how the two came into an agreement with Ash, everyone had their own thoughts and did see a point that the two made. It was then they looked at him. "Do you have any alternatives?" Ruby had asked, seeing that her original plans were not in her favour.

Ash went quiet for a little while before answering. "I do, but I have to say this…" He looked over to Blake. "I am still agreeing on that Tower thing— "

"You mean the CCT Relay Tower?" Weiss said, correcting his words.

"Yes, that." Ash said, nodding his head in accepting that misword. "In case there might be someone that may destroy it, Blake will be the one to have a quick look before regrouping with the rest of us."

The Faunus girl heard what he said and looked at him. "Why me?"

"Because out of all of us, you're probably the only one that can sneak around the best out of all of us without being detected. But to be sure of that, Yang will be the one to drop and pick you up." Ash answered her question. He had a feeling that may go wrong as he felt a familiar darkness lingering nearby. That and how that spiteful soul would cause a problem with his plan. "I should probably withhold the information about this…enigmatic yet familiar darkness nearby."

That was a good plan though. Yet they don't know what he was planning. "And what does this plan of yours have to do with the rest of us?" Ruby questioned him.

If he didn't have his helmet on, they would see Ash having a small smile on his face. "I will tell you right about now…"

As he was explaining his plans to them, another event is happening right at the same time. Far from within the deep sea, a giant red eye snapped open. The Grimm had been awakened as it felt a familiar presence not far from where it was slumbering.

What was worse is that it didn't have to do with the Relic.

---

-Scene Change-

---

Most of Ruby's group, as well as Terra, Saphron, and Ash were making their way towards the Atlesian Base. The only people who weren't there was Blake and Yang as they were dealing with the tower communication. All were confident that they shouldn't have to worry with the communication tower, but Ash was still insisting that they should check in case there could be anyone that could sabotage it. All saw that he had a green shield with gold highlights with a unique design attached to his back.

As they got nearer, the Unkindled saw how uncomfortable Weiss is. He didn't blame this type of reaction as he too had a feeling of how it would go like. What he said earlier was still ringing in his head. "We are going to escort Weiss towards the Argus Base and give her to the Commander to Atlas. I am aware you may see this as a very bland and straightforward story, but I want this plan to have no fights that would attract the Grimm."

"To think that his suggestion is for me to go to Atlas along with the Relic to give it to General Ironwood." The ex-Heiress thought as she pondered at his plan. From what she imagined; it seemed very logical considering that Ash's logical plan was to minimalize drawing in any Grimm due to the fight that may occur.

Reaching the main entrance base, all of them didn't expect seeing three familiar faces waiting for them. They saw that the little old woman was glaring daggers at a certain armored-robed individual with them. Speaking of the individual… "So, is this the one that insulted the both of you?" She looked at the two guards who stood in each side.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Both of them answered at the same time. If Ash would want to show how he was feeling, he would just pinch the bridge of his noise right now. Luckily, he prevented himself from doing so.

"Look. Sorry if I scared your guards, Ma'am." Ash told the elderly woman, who shifted her daggering gaze at him due to the way he spoke to her.

"Sorry won't do anything as you insulted the pride of Atlas!" Cordovin accused him.

Ash was honestly confused by the elderly woman's statement. "What?"

"Do I have to repeat myself, lowly?" She repeated, which didn't make him react in anyway. "You insulted two of my guards, now you are challenging me?! I am the Commander of this base! Upsetting my guards will result in you getting a criminal offense!"

"What does that have to do with me insulting your guards?" Ash questioned the midget Commander, finding this very ridiculous despite his uncaring and bitter tone being clearly heard.

"You better watch your tone, boy!" She snarled back at him. "That's not how you talk towards an Atlesian!"

As Cordovin and Ash continued to argue, Ruby and the others watched on. They were honestly shocked that Ash kept his stoic tone despite his growing irritation towards the Atlesian. "You know, I can watch this all day!" Maria informed then as she liked the scene before her.

"Same here." Nora nodded her head in agreement. Somehow, she had a bucket of popcorn with her and threw a handful in her mouth.

Ruby, meanwhile, was seriously wondering if this was part of the plan that Ash told them. "Um, is this…part of the plan or…?"

"Don't worry about it, Ruby." Weiss assured her partner, placing a hand on her shoulder. "He can deal with this situation."

"Really?" Qrow had sarcastically asked after taking a sip from his flask. "Because from what I am seeing, it may go haywire."

"Yeah, you can say something like that." Jaune spoke while watching the argument between the two.

Oscar, meanwhile, can obviously see that despite Ash's bittered attitude, he was composed while arguing with Cordovin. "Is anyone seeing that he remained…calm?"

"Perhaps he might have dealt with people like her before." Ren speculated. "Although. I can still hear the bitterness in his tone."

Back to where the two were arguing, Ash had finally had enough of tolerating Cordovin's "gloating" about Atlas and how they are the strongest nation in all of Remnant. He knew that he were to snap, it would not go in his favour. "Look." He told her with a mix of stoicism and irritation. "I've already apologized for what I said to two of your guards. Right now, you are making a fool of yourself, and you are arguing with me for something that has happened just yesterday. I wasn't looking for any of that."

This cause the elderly woman to be taken back by this statement. She saw him looking at her and felt quite uncomfortable by his stare. "All I want for you is to take back Lady Weiss Schnee back to—"

Before Ash could finally say what, he wanted, the alarm Siren was heard throughout the Base. This caught everyone by surprise as none expected this to occur. Certainly, for Cordovin as she looked back to see a guard running towards her. "Why are the sirens ringing?"

"There's… there's something you need to look at, Ma'am." The guard responded to her.

The Commander could see that the guard was serious with what he said. At least this is something that could be dealt with, aside from that annoying armored-robed person. She quickly turned back to look at Ash. "This isn't the end!" She then followed the guard back to base.

As she went away, Ash exhaled at the current scene before him. He'd hoped what he planned to do was going to happen. But it seems like the opposite had occurred. "So, what now?" He heard Qrow asking him.

He turned to face everyone, who had the look of uncertainty with what's happening right no. All thought he didn't have a backup plan. But that didn't stop him from looking at Weiss and Maria. "You two! if the guards come back, try to convince them if you can board an airship for assistance."

The two didn't see problem with that. Still, they were confused as to why Ash had specifically asked them. "Ash—" Weiss was about to say.

"No time!" He immediately interrupted her before walking on the opposite side to go somewhere. Already he had a feeling that it might have to do with that darkness that he sensed not so long ago.

Seeing Ash like this caused everyone to get a bit worried. "Uh. What's with that reaction?" Nora has asked the group who had the same questions on their heads.

"I don't know. But I think we should follow him to see what concerned him." Ruby stated. All decided that it would be best action to follow him to find out where he went. All proceeded to follow Ash from a few distance away while Maria and Weiss stayed behind.

---

-Scene Change-

---

Ruby and the others, with the except to Weiss and Maria, had arrived in the cliffside of the forest. There, all saw Ash staring into the view of the ocean. "Ash!" Ruby cried out his name as she and everyone else were on the side of Ash. "Why did you come here?!"

"That." He pointed to where exactly he is looking at.

All turned to face the ocean to where he is pointing towards. Their eyes went wide as they saw what Ash was looking at. It was a Grimm. A large Grimm that looked like it came out of the water. By the look of the bipedal, aquatic creature, it seemed to have four humanoid limbs and a long tail. It has four gills on each side of its neck and a collection of dorsal plates protruding from its back, with red webbing between each plate. It has a dolphin-like head with a mouth filled with sharp teeth and three yellow eyes on each side of the head. Like many other Grimm it has external ribs. What made the situation bad enough is how it is exactly coming towards their location.

"Ash…" The Unkindled heard his name being called out. He turned to face Qrow who was too distracted by looking at the large Grimm, "Was this part of your plan?"

Ash shook his head in response. "No, it wasn't. I think my plan had already gone haywire."

Speaking of going haywire, within the top tower of Argus's CCT Tower, Blake quickly retreated behind the poll and was hyperventilating. As it was supposed to be had turned into a living nightmare. Turning to her left to see a body of a lifeless Atlesian guard before taking a peak from her cover. Her pupils only shrink in fear as she never thought of seeing him again. She saw him sheathing his sword back and called out to her. "Hello, my darling!"

---

Oh crap! It seems the Leviathan had made its appearance earlier than it should be. I wonder if it has to do with Ash or something. Surprisingly, or rather unsurprisingly to some, Adam had finally made his physical appearance in the story. Place your bets people, the Ashen One/Ash and Adam fight is sure to happen very soon. Don't worry, I have already made plans for Ash to use the Wolf Knight's Greatsword and the Golden Wing Crest Shield. it'll be a while before that fight occurs. I wonder, should I do a "The Reason you Suck Speech" for Ash if he ever encounters Adam anytime soon? I need to take some time off this area as I need to think of the Soul Decription for those two enemies. If you can think if one, I'll be glad to use it and going to give you credit.

Oh yeah, I've been reading StaffSergeant's "The Night Unfurls" while I was planning write the fifth chapter of Fairyborne. It's a good story I'll tell ya.

Now onto the review…

triscythe59: It sure will be.

Spenge: Uh, did you say that last time?

Teo Char: There you go. Ash had managed to alternate their plan. Unfortunately, the Leviathan had somehow been attracted by something within him, which would be explained in the future chapter.

Dasgun: I have nothing to say.

EXCUBITORE: Don't worry. That won't happen.

Saltmancer: Yes, English is my first language. I get laxy by doing editing. But hey, this is a fanfiction after all, not a piece of actual work.

Varederr: It sure is, buddy.

Well, that's over and done. Time to write the fifth chapter of Fairyborne.

I will see you all next time…whenever the next chapter will come.

FINALLY, AN ACTUAL CHAPTER! LETS ONE WITH IT! BUT FIRST, I NEED TO SAY A FEW THINGS.

Last chapter wasn't the best, I'll tell you. Fret not, I am done to make this story more enthusiastic and more enjoyable for you as I realize that I need to take this story a little bit serious. With that out of the way, let's move on to the second part of the four chapters arc finale to the First Arc of Embers of Remnant!

One more thing, if you think I am going to pull off what happened in Fate: Souls and Singularities…well, put it like that but you do not have to worry. I already made plans and you may or may not like it.

Another thing I want to get down. I get it that Dark Souls and RWBY usually follows the usual formula, which I admit is my own shortcomings. But at least I can try to put a twist to it. Which reminds me, I may get this story to have a commissioned fanart when I have the right funds. Speaking of which, if you have any ideas for upcoming chapters, please let me know and I will take you notes. Which is why I am making written notes for the next chapter. You'll see why.

With that all said and done, let's move on to the chapter.

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Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant

Nine

Leviathan Phase One

---

'An Ancient from long ago. Having slept for a long time, it was suddenly awakened when it sensed a familiar sign of energy. Perhaps...' -Part of of the Description of the Soul of the Leviathan

"Ash…Was this part of your plan?"

"No, it wasn't. I think my plan had already gone haywire."

Ruby and the others heard what Ash said and looked back at the Leviathan. From the look of things, the gigantic Grimm was heading towards their position. Whatever attracted its attention, it is not a good sign. Speaking of which, the Young Leader then remembered something with Blake and her older half-sister. "Wait, wasn't Blake and Yang supposed to meet us?"

Everyone else looked at their surroundings and saw those, as mentioned earlier, due to not being with them. Still, there was another thing that was of concern. "We can think of that later. Let's focus on what's in front of us." Ash pointed out.

Ruby and the others looked at the Gigantic Grimm and wondered how it got here in the first place. "Why is the Grimm here? There wasn't any battle that occurred here?" Ren had asked that question.

"I don't know." Again, Ash answered. He had a feeling that this wasn't any ordinary Grimm…

There's something awfully a very familiar sense of its soul being tainted, just like the Dragon of the Ringed City, Darkeater Midir, whose soul has been corrupted by the Abyss and was put down by him at the request of one of Fillianore's Knights, Shira.

"We need to fend off against that Grimm." He immediately told them.

Qrow had to do a double-take of what he heard. "Excuse me, you said what?!"

"We need to fend off that Grimm until actual help arrives." He repeated, adding a few more details to make some corrections.

Everyone understood what he meant. All then readied their weapons to attempt to fight off the Leviathan until the Atlesian Military could arrive. That and how Maria and Weiss would come in to assist. Somehow.

The only one who still needed to ready their weapon was Ash. Since his weapon, the Wolf Knight's Greatsword, would definitely not have any effects with colossus enemies like the Grimm in front of him, he had two options to choose from within his bottomless box. One was the Dragonslayer Great bow, where he can fire powerful bows at the creature. Yet, at the same time, he spotted flaws in this one. One is how long it takes to prepare another arrow after one that has been fired off. The other is its lack of mobility which could get him killed by the Leviathan, probably because the bow is more giant than he is, and he lacks the proper strength to carry it.

That only led him to the only weapon that came up right away. The Stormruler. In case he went mad, it was a weapon of two against the Lord of Cinder and the Lord of the Profaned City, Yhorm, the Giant. The one he brought out was once held to a fellow Unkindled and considered a friend of his, Siegward of Catarina.

He wanted to bring it out from his Bottomless Box. Yet, simultaneously, he had to be cautious if he just brought it out in plain sight. He was still sceptical around them, especially in front of the people around him. "Just need the right time to get that weapon out from the box." That's all he can think of.

"Listen up, everyone!" Ruby spoke to everyone present. "We cannot kill this Grimm. But we can distract it long enough for the military to arrive. So, what do you say!?" She saw everyone had a determined look on their faces. That was the only answer she needed. "Alright then, let's do this!"

INSERT Dark Souls III OST; Darkeater Midir [TOMITO ver PHASE ONE]

The Leviathan let out a mighty roar and lunged towards the group. Luckily for them, all managed to dodge the attack just in time as its jaws met the rocky ground. Ruby used this chance to deliver some blows. She swung Crescent Rose, in its scythe mode upwards, onto its left side of the face. It didn't do the trick since it only made a shallow cut. This caused the Grimm to look directly at the girl and almost caused it to grab her. It could have happened, wasn't it, for Nora firing multiple Grenade Dust rounds on its face. "Stay away from her!" The hyperactive girl shouted furiously at the Grimm.

Ruby saw this as a chance to get away from the large Grimm. Using her Semblance, she quickly went to safety. She looked over where Nora was. "Thanks, Nora!"

The girl smiled at the young leader. "You're welcome!" She turned her attention to the downed Grimm. "Now then…" She transformed Magnhild into its hammer form. She took a few steps back before dashing forward and jumping into the air. As she got closer to the Grimm's face, she swung her weapon, and once the two met, the Leviathan was sent flying off the ground to where they were and into the water ground. She landed near the Young Leader. "That's what you get for touching my man!"

The Leviathan shook its head. Afterwards, it let out a fierce roar and looked at Ash as if it was searching for him. Right before it could try to grab him, the Grimm was distracted by the gunfire made by Ruby, Nora, and Ren. The Young Leader soon realized that the Giant Grimm was interested in Ash. She looked where it was and saw that he was no longer there. This caused her to be temporarily distracted. "Where's Ash?!"

The rest scanned their surroundings. They also realized that the Unkindled wasn't with them. Yet they were other things to worry about. "Focus on the Grimm! That's what's only important right now!" Ren told her before he jumped out of his spot to avoid being crushed by the Grimm's giant hand.

The Young Leader did what she was told and concentrated on the more significant threat right before her. Using her Semblance to dodge another attack from the Grimm and landed near Jaune. "This Grimm seems to be really relentless with its moves! It doesn't seem more ordinary than the ones we have encountered before!"

"Yeah, I can already see that," Qrow sardonically remarked, holding his shield in a position that protects himself. "You got any plans in mind, Ruby?"

She pondered at his words for a few moments. Truth be told, she doesn't have one that could efficiently deal with a Grimm that size. "Just distract it long enough for help to arrive."

Her uncle needed to figure out his niece's plan as he transformed his weapon into its Scythe Form. "I don't think that'll work out, Ruby."

"Then we have to keep trying!" She spoke confidently, firing a few shots at the Leviathan without effects. "Our weapons may not be effective, but at least it's enough to grab the Grimm's full atten—"

Just before she could finish her words, a powerful gust of wind hit the Large Grimm on the head. This caused it to stumble backwards before falling back to the sea. Ruby and the others were surprised at this sudden burst of wind. They turned to where it came from. Upon doing so, all saw Ash wielding another strange-looking sword with the blade whirling in the wind. "Ash!" Ruby shouted in relief that he had returned after disappearing for quite a while.

"Sorry I took long," He apologized in his emotionless tone, seeing how minimum damage they had done with their weapons. "To think the Storm ruler would be that effective for a creature that size…." He looked over at the sword he was holding in his right hand. "Hopefully, it will be enough of a distraction needed for proper arrival."

"Another sword, huh?" Qrow narrowed his eyes at the object of interest.

"I just found it lying around," Ash answered his sarcastic question. That was a partial lie since he was digging through his Bottomless Box. None had even noticed that the shield clipped on his back had changed. It seemed to be a medium shield coated in black with an enlarged symbol from a long-forgotten kingdom. A few scratches can be seen. "Was I gone for long?"

Ruby answered his question. "Well, kinda. But not for that long, Ash."

Good. That means there is still a chance to distract the beast even longer. Seeing the Grimm rising from the waters once again while his red eyes glowed in rage, the Ashen One positioned himself to charge the blade's power. He knows that he may not provide much assistance as they would have wanted, but he can offer a significant blow to the Grimm. He then decided to hatch a quick plan. "Everyone, listen to me!" All turned towards him. "Give everything you've got!"

Obviously, this caught everyone by surprise with this sudden command. Jaune, of course, was not having any of this. "Are your serious right now?! We had difficulties dealing with the Grimm right after you left! Do you think we can do enough!?"

Ash understood the Blonde boy's feelings and didn't blame him for having such a reaction. Still, he had to point something out. "I didn't say I wasn't going to partake, you know?" Now that made sense to everyone. "Now, can we all just focus on what's right in front of us?"

The silence was the only answer they gave to him. He didn't need any more as everyone heard the Grimm growl. "Head up! The Grimm's here, and it looks like it's getting angrier!" Jaune quickly pointed out to them.

The Leviathan shifted its entire interest to As. Before it could do anything, it felt multiple explosions on its left arm. The Grimm turned its gaze to Jaune, Ren, and Nora, where they were running towards vast boulders of rocks. Speaking of the trio… "Now, wouldn't you say this is a beach scene?!"

The two didn't say anything, not wanting to distract themselves. The trio rolled towards safety as the Grimm did something unexpected. It fired a breath of fire in their direction that would have burnt them to a crisp if they didn't find cover. Jaune peeked from hiding and pressed the communicator on his left ear. "And how can we deal with the Grimm that breathes fire?!"

The Leviathan's scream was heard in the background and caused their comms chatter to be temporarily turned off. Immediately when it was turned back on, Ruby responded with an answer she came up with. "Try to attack it in the mouth. I played some video games where it can inflict a lot of damage to the boss!" She only heard silence for a few seconds before she added one extra detail. "Trust me, it works!"

The young leader brought up a valid point, but there was only one problem. "How? We don't have the proper weapons to deal with this Grimm!" Ren pointed out.

It soon dawned on Jaune as he remembered Ash hitting that giant with that wind attack on his sword. He turned on his communicator to call him. "Ash, can you hear me!?"

The Unkindled, with Ruby, Qrow, and Oscar, was obviously surprised by hearing his voice as he wasn't next to them. "Who's calling me?!"

"It's Jaune, Ash!" Ruby told him, seeing how utterly confused he was.

It eventually came to everyone's mind that Ash needed to be used to technology like them. Only a few seconds had passed, and they all decided not to use it when talking directly to him. The young leader chose to say what her plan was. "Ash, you can use that sword properly, right?" He nodded in response to her question. That was what she expected. "Good! I'm going to distract the Grimm until he breathes fire again. While I distract it, use your sword to strike it in the mouth."

Ash already knew where this was going. "That's a good plan. But what will you do when the fire manages to reach you despite the Semblance you have?"

All he received was a smile of confidence. "Trust me. I can handle this." With that, the young leader used her Semblance to be right before the Grimm. She continued to use her Semblance to avoid its claws swings before being forced to land back onto the ground. She breathed heavily due to the amount of energy she used. "Just need a bit more…"

The Leviathan saw Ruby in a vulnerable state; it widened its mouth to be ready to breathe out fire. Right as it was preparing to do so, a crow flew into view and made some noises. This made it confused for only a little bit. The "crow" soon came closer to its face and transformed into Qrow, who still had Harbinger in its scythe form. He diagonally swung the weapon into the left eye before landing on the shoulder. This action caused the Grimm to scream in pain and attempt to crush the Huntsman on its shoulder. However, before the hand was close to where he stood, Qrow simply jumped off and transformed into a bird, flying to his niece.

Looking upon its hand to see that the person that slashed its left eye had not been crushed, it let out an ear-piercing scream out of anger. Everyone covered their ears because of this. As Ruby uncovered hers, she saw her uncle standing right by her. "Are you okay, Ruby?"

She quickly nodded her head. "I'm fine, Uncle Qrow!" She and the others then heard that same scream once again. Looking at where the Grimm was, it seemed to be preparing to rerelease a breath of fire.

This grabbed everyone's attention. Oscar knew the immediate dangers that Qrow and Ruby were in. "Get out of there, you two! It's going to—"

Rather than aiming it towards the duo as mentioned earlier, the Leviathan looked down before it let out fire from its rather. Naturally, everyone was confused was left confused by this. Well, all except Ash. He cautiously watched while the thought of Midir came into his mind. It looks to be preparing to…

His thoughts soon became a reality when he saw a stream of laser emitting from the mouth. He turned to Ruby and Qrow. "Both of you, MOVE! NOW!" The Unkindled then ran into safety and avoided any laser beams on the way.

Both Ruby and Qrow needed clarification about what he said. Though they got their answers, a stream of lasers crossed their path. The young girl grabbed her uncle by the wrist and used her Semblance to go into safety. At the same time, she managed to pick up Oscar before going where the rest were. Jaune, meanwhile, looked at their faces and saw the loom of relief. "Uh, guys. What's…"

He, Ren, and Nora saw Ash rushing towards their position before he leaned on the boulder. Before Jaune could ask what was happening, a laser beam had barely passed where they stood. "Woah!" The blonde boy uttered in shock.

Behind them, a bunch of trees and forestry were blown up due to the Leviathan's laser. Some had even caught on fire. Nora was ecstatic about this. Yet, at the same time, she knew what had occurred. "Did that Grimm…just spit out laser?! From its mouth!?"

"Where else did it come from?" Ash told her with an obvious hint that Ren understood his rhetorical question. Seeing the Storm Ruler fully charged up, he looked at them as if he would say to them his following action. "I'm going."

Obviously, none of them didn't like what he was implying. "Ash, you simply cannot—" Ren tried to warn him before the person, as mentioned earlier, went out from where they hid for cover.

Seeing him heading towards where the Leviathan was, a few were concerned about what he was about to do. "Is he that crazy!?" Oscar asked.

Qrow looked at where Ash was heading and thought otherwise. "By the looks of things, yeah."

Ash had rushed near the edge of the cliffside and faced the Grimm. When the creature looked back at him, it was about to crush him with the palm of its hands as it raised its arms up in the air. Fortunately, he took this quick chance to strike the enemy with his Storm Rule. Bringing it up to the air, he instantly swung it down. A powerful gush of wind met the Leviathan's head. It stumbled backwards upon the impact back, making the ground shake slightly. To Ash's disappointment, the Grimm didn't fall to the ground. Instead, it only shook its head and glared at where he stood.

Great. Now that Ash was vulnerable to being crushed by the creature right before him. He had nowhere else to run. Right before the Grimm's hand could meet him, a wall made of rock had formed around to prevent him from being crushed. Naturally, he was left confused by this. "What the…?"

He wasn't the only one who was surprised by this. Ruby and others wondered how this had happened. They got their answers by hearing someone grunting as if they were concentrating and turned to see Weiss stabbing Myrtenaster onto the ground near where Ash stood. Ruby was, of course, both surprised and happy to see her partner. "Weiss!"

As much as the ex-heiress wanted to speak to her, she knew now wasn't the right time. "Tell Ash to get out of there! I can't hold this for much longer!"

Ash didn't need to be told that. Using the small window presented to him, he quickly ran back to where the others were taking cover. It was there that the Unkindled noticed the former heiress was here. He was surprised because she was with the old lady in the Argus Base "Lady Weiss, what are you doing here? I thought you were with Lady Maria!"

End OST

Weiss pulled her weapon from the ground and was about to speak when someone answered his question. "Well, what does it look like?!" The Unkindled turned to look at Maria, who somehow caught up to them despite her old age. "Miss Schnee, here, was worried when we heard a powerful gush of wind back at the Argus Base..."

---

-Flashback Starts-

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Weiss and Maria were still at the entrance of the military base, waiting for a guard to notice their attention. So far, they have not bothered to come to tell them if they can enter. They saw multiple airships lifting off as if preparing for a large-scale offensive. "Well, it seems they are well-armed for this type of thing."

The Former Heiress would agree to her words. Still, she was wondering why it involved every military asset in the first place. "What do you think they are about to deal with?"

Maria shrugged her shoulders in response. "By the looks of things, a huge Grimm may have suddenly appeared." Weiss had the same feeling as well. A few moments passed before they heard a powerful gush of wind not far from where they stood. This caused her to get startled by this. "What in the heck was that!?"

The former Heiress had the same thought as well. "I think it came far from where we are." It soon dawned on her that Ruby and her other friends may have been caught in a fight with the Grimm they had encountered. She turned away from the base and decided she couldn't stand there and let her friends perish from whatever they were dealing with. "You know what, I'm going."

The veteran Huntress was not liking where this was going. "Wait, does that mean…?"

"Yes. I'm going to where Ruby and the others are." She instantly answered her question.

Maria thought it was foolish for this youngster to go to where the rest were due to their situation. "Now hold your horses, young lady. Do you know what you are about to be involved in?"

Weiss understood it clearly. But that didn't change her mind. "Yes. But I cannot stand here and let my friends die!"

The elderly Huntress understood why she insisted on going to where her friends were. She let out a sigh of breath after giving her own thoughts. "Well, there is no point in arguing with you. We should probably go there now." That was something the former Heiress wanted to hear. Before they made their move. There was one problem. "And how exactly are we going to get there?"

Weiss smiled at her question. She used her glyph and summoned what seemed to be a giant wasp in the colours of light blue and white. "Simple. We'll be riding on this one to get there on time."

Maria was caught off guard by looking at the Lancer the younger girl had summoned. Well, she wasn't surprised since Weiss was a Schnee, and they are known for their powerful Glyphs and Summons. "I see. Shall we get going then?"

The ex-heiress nodded and climbed on the back of the insect Grimm she had summoned. Maria did the same thing and was behind Weiss. "Hold on tight; it will be a bumpy ride." Her words seemed to be confirmed as the Lancer began to lift off and head to where the others were at a relatively fast pace.

Avoiding any military presence to not draw any attention, both Maria and Weiss flew over the wintry forest. As they were near their destination, both could see Ruby and her group hiding behind a boulder near the cliffside where the giant Grimm was firing lasers in every direction it was heading towards. Maria was caught off guard by this sight. "Did that Grimm spit out laser?"

"It did, in fact," Weiss answered the elderly woman's question. When that was done, a powerful gust of wind hit the Leviathan's head directly. Again, she was surprised by the sight she and Maria were witnessing. As they wanted to ask themselves who would have caused this, they immediately fell upon a confident person. "Is…that Ash?"

Maria had to do a double take; sure enough, it was indeed their strange companion. "Yeah, that's your friend, alright. But I think he is in the distance where the Grimm can strike him with its hands." That was worrisome for Weiss. He may not have been with them for long, but he provided them great value.

Already she knew what to do. Weiss looked at her back. "Hold tight. We're going to approach them right now."

---

-Flashback ends-

---

"…After seeing that ragged friend of yours using that wind sword of his at the Grimm while on the Lancer she summoned, the young lady knew he was in the Grimm's range. We landed near where you were, and that's how we are here in the first place." The elderly woman finished explaining why they decided to help the others.

"But you are in no condition to fight," Ash reminded her.

The old lady scoffed at his words. "Oh, you don't have to worry about me. I was the former Grim Reaper, after all." She looked at the Grimm. "And how exactly are you going to deal with the Grimm?"

The Unkindled was about to answer when someone else beat him to it again. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that." Everyone heard that familiar voice. Peeking out from their cover spot, they saw a rather giant robot coming into view. It had a stocky build, with a rectangular cockpit and long, armoured legs. Its left arm has a joint and a hand with two fingers and a thumb. The right arm is a cannon with rotary slots, and a large blade is fitted to the back. All but one of the rotary slots in its right arm may have contained a form of Dust which can be utilized to fire either beam of Dust or large explosive blasts. The rotary slot that didn't have Dust is a retractable missile pod, which can fire multiple warheads simultaneously once exposed.

Unsurprisingly, everyone knew that Cordovin was the one piloting the old mech. Speaking of the person, she turned the machine to face them. "Did you think that your weaponry could lay a scratch on that Grimm?" There was no response from them, which she obviously expected. "Well, then, all of you lack the proper education! Please, allow me to show you what weapons of the almighty Atlas can do!"

"There's that arrogant mindset of yours," Ash said in his head, not even bothering to say it out loud.

The Leviathan roared at the Colossus as it was coming by. Right after, it stared back at its opponent and lunged towards it. However, before it could lay a finger, it met a metal fist from its jaws before being punched. The Leviathan shook its head and tried to get up, only for a foot to pin it down. Within the cockpit, Cordovin narrowed her eyes at the Grimm with contempt. "Oh, I'm not done with you yet!" She pointed the mech's right arm at the downed Grimm, and missiles came out, hitting its target before exploding upon hitting it.

As this happened, Maria and everyone else saw what the Atlesian Commander was doing. The elderly woman then thought about the question she had asked earlier and had a feeling why they were distracting the Grimm. "So, were you all doing that just to bring enough time for the military to deal with the Grimm?"

Qrow and the others only nodded in response to this. "In all honesty, all of this was Ash's idea. He actually came up with all of this in the first place. Isn't that right, Ash?" He didn't get an immediate response from said person. Instead, he looked at Ash to see that he was silently staring at what Cordovin was doing.

The Unkindled had the dreaded feeling of sensing the same darkness from within the Abyss. From the aggressiveness, the Leviathan had inflicted onto them to the spitting of laser coming out of its out…

He had a bad feeling Cordovin had only made it worse.

"We better get a move on." He immediately told the group as he faced back at them.

His comment has caught everyone by surprise. "What?" Maria spoke out loud.

"' Better get a move one?" The veteran Huntsman repeated what the Unkindled had commented. "Ash, what are you even saying?"

Back to where the Colossus was inflicting every arsenal on the Leviathan, the Argus Commander saw the Grimm unable to move. This caused her to let out a smoke since she always knew that Atlesian weapons were superior to handle a Grimm like that, unlike those pesky people who tried to enter earlier. "See. This is what happens when you pick on the wrong person!" She aimed the arm cannon directly at the head of the Leviathan. It started to get powered up. Again, she let out a slight smirk. "Good—"

In an unexpected twist of events, the Leviathan jumped off from the wet ground and tackled the Colossus down. This caught the Argus Commander off guard, and she struggled to aim the arm cannon. "Get off of me you—"

She was suddenly interrupted when the Levithan had channelled something from within its body. Purple lights seem to circle around the creature before emitting a burst of explosion with dark purple smoke. It roared in rage while its remaining eye glowed red as it was eying the mech.

Cordovin felt the eruption from within the cockpit. As she tried to get it back to his feet, she saw the Leviathan lunging towards her and used his claws to claw the machine. It managed to cause some damage to it. Seeing the arm cannon pointing towards its direction, it instinctively bit on it before tearing it off from the mechanical body. The Athlesian's eyes shrunk in complete shock. She never expected this to occur. A weapon from her kingdom, destroyed by this Grimm that had been powered up by whatever was happening! Unfortunately, she was too distracted by the Leviathan. Ensnarling the Colossus before throwing it down towards the wet ground.

Looking at its downed opponent to see it struggling to get back up, the Leviathan turned to face the people that fought it earlier. It was about to resume its fight when something caught its attention. The panic soon caught its full attention. The Leviathan shifted its body before heading to where the City of Argus was.

Ruby and her friends, all the while, were left completely speechless at what the Leviathan did to the Colossus. They thought that their distraction and Cordovin's piloting of the aforementioned mech would manage to kill the Grimm had only turned against their favour. "The Grimm…had overpowered that?" She was too curious to

Weiss shared the same feeling as her partner. "That piece of machinery is old but can still handle well against a Grimm like that. But to think…just what exactly is going on?!"

Oscar thought the same. "What kind of magic does that Grimm Possess?"

Qrow was silently staring at the Leviathan, now covered in purple smoke as it was heading towards Argus. Never in his career as a Huntsman would have seen something that would cause dread in the air. "This power... I've never felt this kind before!?"

However, to Ash, this was all too familiar. He never expected it to come here. But here it is. "The Abyss is here! I never expected it to be here. No wonder it was more aggressive than the others I previously ran into?" He thought of telling the rest of what had happened but withdrew from it as it would only cause more panic and despair.

Maria, meanwhile, looked at the unkindled before something had hit her mind. "That smoke…Where did I see that before?"

His throat seemed to get tighter as he and everyone watched the Leviathan heading towards the city of Argus. He then noticed the rest of Ruby's party only looking in shock and couldn't blame their reaction since they have no knowledge of the Abyss. Before he could utter a word, he suddenly felt something circling him. Looking at his feet, light yellow was spinning around him. In the next second, a bright light shone brightly, and he was no longer there.

Ruby and her friends could only watch in horror; the only thing that defended Argus was in critical condition and struggled to get back up. They never knew that a Grimm powered up by an unknown energy source could easily defeat such machinery. Even Weiss had the same reaction as them.

"Um, so what's the plan, Ash?" The young leader asked, hearing no reply. She and everyone else looked to see where he was. She then saw that he was no longer there with them. Naturally, she was surprised and shocked that, once again, he managed to slip away without alerting them. "Ash?"

---

-Scene Change-

---

Moments prior…

Somewhere, in a place not far from where Ruby and the others were, Blake and Yang were dealing with their own fight. Within an area near a waterfall, both were facing an adversary. One that had haunted them physically and mentally. Speaking of which, delivering a series of quick slashes and Semblance arcs that knock Yang back a short distance. Eventually, Yang starts to strike back, landing some hits on him that he couldn't block.

The blonde knocks her opponent, Adam Taurus, back a few distance from her position before firing at him. He blocks and absorbs the shots with his sword. He runs in circles around Yang before letting out another Semblance attack that causes Yang to slide back a short distance.

Without wasting any time, the Faunus girl warned her close friend. "His Semblance is like yours! He absorbs energy through his sword, stores it, and then sends it back when he's ready."

That gave Yang a small moment to comprehend her opponent's prominent ability. "He gets to dish out damage without having to feel it?" She let out a breath of realization. "That's just cheap…" She and Adam proceeded to trade blows. Yang lands a series of punches and kicks on Adam, but he manages to send her back when she punches his sword. Yang gets knocked back next to Blake, and the two glance at each other. That, however, didn't go unnoticed by Adam, and he let out an angry growl. He readied his Semblance for this exact reason.

Blake notices this and warningly shouts at the blonde brawler. "YANG!"

With a loud yell, Adam lets out a devastating attack with his Semblance. Seeing the smoke covering the area where Yang once stood, Blake couldn't even survive a Semblance that was more powerful than her former lover's. During this time, she noticed a piece of paper flying in the air. One that had the inscription with a familiar glowing light-yellow set. "If things go wrong, use your hand over it, and you'll find out."

She heard those words again coming from Ash the day before this. She had a feeling that he was cryptic with his swords. Looking at her broken weapon and seeing that it wouldn't help, Blake immediately turned towards the piece of paper that flew right by her and grabbed it. She placed her hand on top of the scribbles. It suddenly dropped to the ground with a heavy thud as she did. By looking at things, it seemed like someone was coming out of it!

The smoke cleared where Yang was. It revealed her survival on Adam's Semblance as she was still standing, albeit with her prosthetic right arm with minor scratches and her foot barely hanging off the edge of the cliffside. She put her robotic arm down and glared at Adam. "Leave. Us. Alone. This is your last chance."

Adam stares back at the two as he grips the hilt of his sword yet again; he then notices that Yang's left arm is slightly trembling. This caused him to slightly chuckle at this. "Heh, do you really believe that? Or are you just trying to scare me away, so you won't have to die trying to protect her?" Unknown to the two, Blake needed help comprehending who exactly came out of the inscription within the paper.

"I think you already know the answer?" An unfamiliar voice of a man called out to him. This caught the Former High Leader of the White Fang's attention. He, as well as Yang, turned to where it came from and saw an individual wearing a drab, tattered cloth concealing the rigid, black metal of armour with golden engravings on the surface of the armour pieces. He held an unfamiliar shield in his left arm while a large sword was on his back.

Yang couldn't believe who she was seeing. She thought he was with the others dealing with the sounds she had heard earlier. She didn't expect him to be here all of a sudden. Ashe uttered the man's name. "Ash?!"

Upon hearing the name, Adam narrowed his eyes in interest at this person's sudden arrival. "Oh, and who do we here?"

---

Now, now, NOW! IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING! THE ASHEN ONE/ASH VS ADAM TAURUS IS FINALLY HAPPENING! PLACE YOUR BETS FOLKS, THIS ONE IS BOUND TO GET EXCITING! OH, RIGHT, THE ABYSS HAD FINALLY MADE ITS APPERANCE, ALBEIT THAT A GRIMM, WHICH IS A LEVIATHAN, HSD SOMEHOW BEEN AFFECTED BY IT! *Clearing throat* Sorry about I was too excited by the wham moments in this chapter.

Yeah, some of you expected this to happen. In all honest, I wanted Ash to have a major battle that will have a major outcome differentiating compared to the cannon timeline. Afterall, it cannot all be copy and paste. Oh, and I am sorry if you didn't get to see more scene with Weiss's fighting. I'll promise you that in a couple of chapters time, she'll get more screen time in this story.

Now then, onto Ash's weapons and rings of choice:

Sword: Wolf Knight's Greatsword +5

Shield: Shield of Want +5

Ring 1: Hornet Ring

Ring 2: Sun Princess Ring

Ring 3: Chloranthy Ring +2

Ring Four: Ring of Steel Protection +3

If you're wondering, no. I AM NOT GOING TO FOLLOW GAMEPLAY RULES! The Shield of Want can't be used as a Parry shield in Dark Souls 3. But, in here, it can be used as a parrying shield.

Anyway, have you seen the recent RTX reveal if RWBY? Damn, I'm going to have to take in several notes in the future. It's going to be a good one.

One more thing before finishing off, I am sorry if this chapter felt rushed. I wanted to write this chapter before publishing it before the first Arc ends for Embers of Remnant. There may be a lot of mistakes seen here, but at least I managed to update this story before taking a break from this story. Do not worry, I'll try to correct the mistakes I made. For now, I can finally get a breather.

Now then, onto the review…

Dasgun: Look, if you want to leave a reply, just please write an actual review. That's some random typing you mostly do.

matteodile2001: Thank you. Now, be ready for the Ashen One/Ash vs Adam fight

Guest: I hope you are enjoying this?

Guest: I'm not going to be dropping it. What makes you think I'll be dropping it?

Guest: Oh, I have plans for you. But don't you worry, I'll make sure that it will be in what everyone would want it to be.

Guest: Well, here it is. The next one may come soon.

Guest: Alright, you want it?! It's yours!

Dasgun: Do I have to repeat myself once again? You know what, I won't.

: I will. thank you for advice. As I said before, I will be ignoring him. I am really thankful that you're enjoying Embers of Remnant so far.

darthkratos24: Look, I messed up, okay? I just feel like what's right for a story in my head. Besides, I've got a reason why Ozpin revealed himself to him in the first place. If you are still complaining about it, then I am reluctantly happy to do a rewrite of that chapter once again or the entire first volume. And if you're saying that it's hard to read, I'll be using Grammarly from now on to correct my mistakes. That, and I will be now planning on writing my ideas on a notebook. If you still have problems with this, then beat it. I'll try to correct my mistakes. Perhaps having a co-writer would be helpful as I am some lazy bastard.

Yeah, if you all think my story is bad due to many errors seen. Then you're right. I always plan it in my head! But that doesn't stop me in writing what I like. Tell you what if you want the Ashen One/Ash and Adam fight to be interesting, put your suggestions so that I can make notes. It can be either attack used to even small lines exchanged between the two.

Now, seeing how the reviews are lacking compared to the favs and follower's ratio, I do hope that this story would get more in the future. Seriously, this is really a problem for most of my stories (except for my old one, Night Raid plays Halo). Speaking of which, I am so happy to continue my other story, Fairyborne right after finishing the first volume of Embers of Remnant. Though the current status of Halo Galactic Wars is on hold due to my cowriters being busy. I hope I could get to resume it one day if there is one that can help me write that Halo and Star Wars story once again. Seriously, I am desperate in completing that story.

I am considering in doing a commission in the near future for my stories. That way, they'll gain more attention.

Well, since I am going to be busy for a while, I guess I have to end it here.

With that said, I will see you all next time…whenever the next chapter will come.

Alright, I was in despair earlier due to criticism I received in this story. But after looking at a certain reviewer, I decided to stick into this version of Dark Souls and RWBY crossover story despite the flaws presented in this story. The reason why I am sticking is because I like this version and how I would like it to play out. Sure, a potential rewrite would sound good, but it would also ruin my original intention. There are O.C.C moments, but it is through my own interpretation. Oh, and if you're still complaining about any O.C.C moments, lazy writing, and really, REALLY bad grammar, then beat it. YOU don't dictate what is bad about the story. I get easily into misery, but I will write what I like writing. It is my own story after all.

Onto the positive side of things, here we are folks. The long-awaited fight between the Ashen One/Ash and Adam Taurus fight. Are you all excited? I know I am. Now, onto the fight! If you want to hear the epicness, then I suggest listening to it while reading so you will get the feels.

BWY, this is the second to last chapter of the First Volume. I hope you are all anticipating for the final one.

Oh, and no, Ash is not going to be cooperating with Blake and Yang. Instead, he'll do it solo. Like he always do. Most of the time.

---

Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant

Ten

The Soul of Adam Taurus

---

'A once prominent member of the former infamous group, the White Fang, he's now reduced to a former husk of himself. With nothing left to lose, Adam only seeks to get revenge on the one that 'ruined' his life, which eventually leads to his untimely end.' – Description of the Soul of Adam Taurus

Yang and Blake were too stunned to speak due to Ash's unexpected presence in their fight. The blonde didn't know how he arrived here in the first place. But the Faunus girl obviously knew. "The paper he gave me was meant to summon him here. How is this possible? There must be something he's hiding from us." That one was added to the list of the many questions she had in mind. She knew he came at the right moment in her and Yang's fight with her former love interest and former head of the White Fang, Adam Taurus.

Speaking of the devil himself, he decided to sarcastically repeat his question. "Oh, and who is this, my darling?"

"…" Ash didn't say a word. He grabbed the hilt of the Wolf Knight's Greatsword before pulling it out from his back and held the sword's handle in his right hand.

Seeing the response, the Unkindled did cause Adam to slightly chuckle. He only tightened his grip around the hilt of Wilt. "Heh, are you threatening me, are you? Against my cowardly darling and her friend?"

"Says the one who stalked them throughout their journey," Ash retorted without a hint of any emotion heard.

His words get a reaction from his opponent. Adam seemed to loosen his grip around his weapon slightly and had an angry scowl. "Oh. So, you knew I was there the entire time? You have no idea how hard it was for me to go undetected by you until now."

Blake and Yang were obviously confused by Adam's statement. Yet to Ash, he knew what he was implying. He silently stood still as he awaited Adam to continue talking. "All my life, I have been through rough times. Rough times that resulted from me in this." He pointed at the 'SDC' scar around his left eye. "Humans did this, and I wanted to make them pay. It was then I joined the White Fang. There, I had everything I wished for and ensured all humans would pay for what they were doing. I was so close to forcing the humans to serve us. Unfortunately…." He shifted his gaze towards Blake. "My cowardly darling came into my life and ruined everything! First, she abandoned me after all those years we've spent together. Then, she humiliated me back at Haven Academy in front of everyone. What was worse is that the White Fang needed me, and I was kicked out."

His expression was spiteful, and he shifted his attention back to the newcomer. "Everything I've built, everything I've done for the White Fang is gone! GONE! Don't you know what it feels like to be discarded, forgotten, for everything you've done go to waste?"

The Unkindled had carefully listened to what he said and thoughtfully considered how it currently affected the situation he found himself in. He let out a small breath of air. "In fact, I do. I know what it feels like to be discarded and forgotten. But that doesn't make cloud my judgment. You, however,..." He directly focuses on the Faunus's eyes. "I've heard about you. How you spitefully lash out at everyone, human or Faunus, because of your methods and get angry when things are not getting in your way. Do you think I'm scared of you?" He let out a small chuckle, making Adam growl at his words. "I've seen your type. Time and time again. I am not talking about the Faunus but about others, regardless of race. What you do to achieve your 'revenge' is nothing more than futile cause. Your action is ridiculous. You lack the capability of the blunders you made. You're no Human or Faunus. You're a worthless Hollow with a childlike mindset who wants revenge for someone who ruined your life. When in reality, you were the one who ruined your own." the Former High Leader of the White Fang only got angrier as he only gripped the handle of his weapon tighter.

"Worthless? Childlike?" Adam muttered, feeling insulted by Ash's emotionless words. "WORTHLESS AND CHILDLIKE?! DO YOU THINK I NEED YOUR PUNY LECTURES COMING FROM A MERE HUMAN LIKE YOU!? I AM NO CHILD DESPITE EVERYTHING I'VE DONE FOR THE WHITE FANG! YOU ARE GOING TO REGRET WHAT YOU SAID!"

The Unkindled didn't say anything to him. In fact, he didn't want to respond due to his current attitude. Seeing Adam unsheathing Wilt from Blush, he prepared himself for what was to come. He hoped that Patches' words would come in handy.

---

-Flashback Starts-

---

Ash sat near the makeshift Bonfire Patches set up. Said person was busy packing everything onto his mini aircraft, and he seemed to fill something very minimally by the looks of things. Ash knew that was a perk for owning a bottomless box. Once the merchant was finished, he walked over to the bonfire and sat down in his usual squat posture.

"Now, let's get onto the discussion regarding Adam Taurus." Patches started the conversation, narrowing his eyes at his old friend. "Do you honestly think you can beat him without dying and revealing your nature as an undead?"

Ash exhaled upon hearing this question. In all honesty, he doesn't know how to avoid that scenario. This is why Ash needed as much information as the Unkindled could possibly get. And although Patches doesn't seem to be a trustworthy person, at least he seems to know a handful. "Look. You've been on Remnant way longer than I was. I was hoping to get useful information from you."

That's a fair point for Patches to hear. He also remembered tricking him earlier, but it seemed like the Unkindled was expecting his trap. "Alright, alright. You got a point. Don't have to be moody. But don't expect me to be exactly on point with my words."

"Hm..." Ash just murmured, already knowing that Patches tends to exaggerate his statement. "As long as I have any information. Then I'll be fine."

Well. That sorts out that problem. Patches then begin to ponder on that subject. "How do I put it?" Only a few seconds passed before he came up with one. "Oh, yeah. Adam tends to be a speedster. So you'll have difficulties blocking his attacks with a shield."

Interesting. Ash took that as a precaution. There was one thing he remembered the other man telling him one thing earlier. "You mentioned before that his Semblance was to absorb one's attack before releasing it back to his opponent. Can you possibly tell me more about it?"

This caused Patches to release a slight chuckle through his lips. Ash still had that naïve side of him no matter how much time had passed. "You answered your own question, and you still want more? Oh, how naïve you." This only caused the Unkindled to be slightly annoyed, but he didn't display it. "Like I said, if you were to use your most powerful attack, he could absorb it into his sword before launching it back to you. Though, I can imagine him being too erratic with his attacks after what happened in Heaven." Again, Patches snorted at his words.

"I see now," Ash spoke, slowly getting off the ground as he stood up. That was informative for the Trickster Merchant to tell him, and he really needed to get back to Ruby and the others.

Though right before doing so, there was one thing that Patches requested. "Say, may I ask you something?"

The other man let out a sigh that escaped his lips. "Sure. Just make it quick."

---

-Flashback Ends-

---

"You're words are better worth what you claim to be, Patches." He thoughtfully commented while readying himself for the upcoming battle.

Yang and Blake, meanwhile, thought that Ash was crazy enough to fight Adam off alone. The latter knew how dangerous her former was and felt that the individual she barely knew could not stand his ground. "Ash, you—"

"It's alright," Ash reassured the Faunus girl. He didn't show it through his tone of voice. But he was confident that he could handle Adam.

If he had to be honest with himself. He was getting the feels of nostalgia. The recollective thoughts of fighting such formidable enemies with quick speed, such as the Abyss Watchers, Sister Friede, The Dragonslayer Amour, The Nameless King, and the Soul of Cinder, brought painful memories for the Ashen One. But this only made him more determined to fight against his opponent.

If Adam wants a fight, he must give him one. He had another thought come into his mind. "I better be careful with my moves. It'll be fatal if I am not careful." He made the Legion Etiquette gesture towards Adam, with the shield over his chest and the Wolf Knight's Sword pointing directly at the Former High Leader of the White Fang.

Seeing this caused the Faunus to let out a devilish smirk. "Oh? You want to fight me?" He held the handle of Wilt tightly. "If that's what you wish..."

Insert Dark Souls II OST: Sir Alonne

Adam unsheathes Wilt from Blush before he quickly goes to Ash's position. The Unkindled instinctively raised the Shield of Want and blocked his attack. He lowers his shields and promptly rolls to safety when Adam tries to aim for his head.

Analytical thinking of his situation, Ash knew he was at a disadvantage. Adam was very fast, and he could easily cut him. Though he already had a plan. "I need to make him off guard."

"What's the matter? Are you afraid?" His Faunus opponent mockingly asked, his voice filled with spite.

This, however, didn't affect the Unkindled at all. Ash rolls towards his opponent's position and attempts to hit him with his Wolf Knight's Greatsword. As the blade was about to meet Adam, the Faunus jumped behind him and tried to cut him. Again, Ash instinctively raised his shield, intercepting the attack. This made Adam frown a bit as his slash had been countered. He quickly went to safety as Ash swung his sword yet again.

This action, it caused Adam to grit his teeth. "Stop using your shield and act like a true man!"

"Yeah, I would. If only I had an aura." Ash thoughtfully commented though he didn't feel like he needed one. He wonders why numerous people leaned on that so much.

He didn't dwell on that thought for long as he saw Adam rushing towards him in an attempt to slash him. And despite that, he managed to roll to avoid the attack; he didn't expect Adam to be behind his back instantly. Unfortunately, the Faunus managed to land a blow on him.

Ash yelped in pain as he hit the ground but only temporarily. In the next second, he rolled back to his feet. This certainly caught his opponent's attention. Yang and Blake, especially as they noticed one detail. "He doesn't have any aura?"

The blonde had her own thoughts. "Did he just shrug it off like it was a scratch?"

"How intriguing," Adam spoke, seeing him getting back up after making his move. "You seem to have no Aura within you. Yet, you still managed to get up."

"..." Ash didn't say anything. In fact, he faced worse injuries that can usually kill any average human. To reply in action rather than in words, he rushed towards Adam and swung the Wolf Knight's Greatsword. His opponent dodged the attack, but he wasn't finished. He swung the sword vertically using his body weight, resulting in a low somersault before landing a strike on Adam.

The Faunus slid scarcely and felt the blow done by Ash. Coursing his hand on the left side of his cheek, he looked at it before curling it into a fist. From what Ash knew, he only knew things were starting to get serious from here. He held on tight to the handle of the Greatsword and raised his shield.

As anticipated, Adam used Wilt to make yet another attempt at Ash, which was avoided when he rolled to the left. Ash used his sword to make a blow towards his opponent but was blocked by using his weapon. He did this several times. By the looks of things, it seems the Former High Leader of the White Fang is sponging each blow Ash tried to deal with by Adam.

On the sideline, Blake and Yang spectated the entire fight between the two. Ash seemed to hold himself well. Though they had a bad feeling that it wouldn't last long. "What are we standing here for?" Yang wondered as she was sightly shaking her left arm. "We need to-"

"Yang, don't." Her partner warned her.

The blonde brawler turned to look directly at the Faunus girl's face. "Why? Ash can hold himself, but if Adam unleashes that attack of his..."

Blake clearly understood what Yang was indicating. Still, she doubted that getting both involved wouldn't even make a difference. "I know. We'll only go if it gets dire." The blonde had to agree with what she expressed.

Back into the fight, Ash was having difficulties in dealing a blow to his opponent. He tried to block Adam's aggression and fast-paced swigs with a bit of success, but some had landed on him. This was barely a scratch and didn't hinder his movement.

Adam was getting aggravated at this moment. Every gash he landed seems to scarcely affect him. If that doesn't work out, then the next thing the Faunus is sure that Ash can't undoubtedly survive this. Dodging his opponent's swing from the Wolf Knight's Greatsword, he jumped behind while his body glowed red.

Blake and Yang's eyes widened as they knew what Adam would pull. They shouted at their mysterious companion as a warning. "ASH!" said individual manages to turn behind just in time to see Adam deliver a red slash.

End Dark Souls II OST

The world became red and black once he unleashed his attack. Adam smiled as he finally defeated that pesky human. It was time to resume his fight against his darling and her friend. Speaking of two, they saw smoke surrounding where Ash stood. Both felt a mixture of terror and sadness. Yang had her bangs covering her eyes while gritting her teeth. "Ash..."

Blake felt the same as her friend. "It can't be..." Now she regretted touching the paper that summoned him in the first place. He may have helped her just a bit, but she couldn't digest the feeling that it was all in vain.

Or so they had thought.

Suddenly, their ears perked up when the sound of a sword dropping to the ground was heard. Before it is followed up by a blast of emitting. Their eyes turned to Adam, who immediately flew away and landed on his back, not far from where Ash stood. The Faunus returned to his feet and was dumbfounded at what had occurred. "What was that?!" If that wasn't surprising enough, he saw the smoke clear. As it became more apparent, he couldn't even believe what he was witnessing in his eyes. "How...?!"

Yang and Blake shared the same reaction as the Bull Faunus. Ash still standing on his own two feet. He was holding some talisman in his right hand, which clarifies why the Wolf Knight's Greatsword lay on the ground. Speaking of the Unkindled, he slung the object into his left waist before picking up his weapon and staring at his dumbfounded opponent. "You're wondering how I survived that Semblance of yours, right?" He looked at his shield to see it had gotten a few new scratches, but it didn't bother him as he faced back towards Adam. "This shield was designed to withstand any attack. Including that move of yours." Well, that wasn't a complete lie. In reality, this shield once belonged to an influential ancient king from a once-forgotten kingdom, whose lust was so tremendous that it still resides within his shield even after his death. No wonder it can give the user respectable elemental absorption in all categories except Lightning.

Now Adam had a clear sense of how Ash had survived that attack of his. He seems to not have been tired after their tiny fight. "You were expecting me to use that, weren't you?" He let out a dry chuckle. The Faunus would give him one that wrecked him if the stranger could still fight. He draws Wilt from Blush while Ash raises his shield in a defensive stance.

Seeing how Adam had a wicked smirk shown on his face, the Unkindled knew he had to be serious. Although he was slightly damaged from his wounds, he could still fight. "It looks like I have to unshackle some of my strength if I want to prevent my undead nature to be revealed."

Insert Star Wars OST: Darth Revan Theme (Samuel Kim Music Ver)

Like before, Ash raised his shield but didn't expect his opponent to aim his blade with his sheathe before shooting the weapon. Blush's hilt managed to stun him, and he felt a foot pushing him back. Predictably, he jerked back to avoid a swing before rolling to the left. He reacted by swinging his blade, which was met by Adam, barring the blow with his sword.

It was a hasty loss, but Ash only delved into it briefly as he blocked another attack from his opponent. Despite the safety the Shield of Want provided him, he can still feel the aftereffects from his adversary.

"If he keeps this up, my undead nature will be exposed." That was what Ash could think of, and he knew he had to end this quick.

Proceeding to the right side and thwarting another attack, Ash was forced to duck to dodge a swing. He tried to hit again, but Adam blocked it and retaliated. This time, it manages to slash him across the chest. Ash again grunted in distress, but it wasn't enough to knock him down. Despite this impressive feat, Adam knew he could not withstand his aggression for long. "You know, without any aura, you're very vulnerable. How about you turn around so I can end this quick?" He tauntingly questioned Ash.

"..." Ash didn't reply to his words. He already knew too well the risk of fighting a challenging and swift enemy like the one he was currently fighting. Yet, it didn't discourage him from wanting to give up right away. He pointed the Wolf Knight's Greatsword at his foe to give him a clear signal.

Noticing what his opponent had sent to him caused a smirk to form on Adam's face. "Not giving up, aren't you. Oh well..." Without wasting any time, he dashed to the front and attempted to stab him. As the tip of Wilt was about to penetrate him, it was instead met with the surface of his shield. Very soon, Ash proceeded to elbow Adam on the chin before making yet another attempt to strike him. He missed his opportunity when the Faunus used his Scabbard to shoot at his head, which was met by the shield's surface instead. Seeing his attacks permanently blocked caused the former High Leader of the White Fang to get infuriated. "Why aren't you stopping using your shield?! Are you a coward!?"

"Says the one who blocks mine with his sword." Ash thoughtfully said, differing from his opponent's insult. He didn't think of that personally, as he constantly intended to fight his opponent along with a shield. Even though there were a few times when it proved to be useless.

Rolling towards his opponent to dodge another slash just in time, the Ash One replied back by swinging downwards with the Wolf Knight's Greatsword. Though that was for nothing, as it was absorbed into the Faunus's weapon, Ash managed to catch Adam off guard by bashing him on the abdomen with his shield before kneeing his chin. Adam gritted in anger and held on tight to Wilt to cut his head clean off. But like before, that never happened as the shield prevented the blade from going through Ash's neck.

Ash skidded to the side, far from where Adam was. He used this little time to study his opponent. "He's at a point where he yearns to kill me. If I fool him enough, maybe I can break his aura." Already, he quickly begins to formulate a plan on his head.

Adam looked at Ash and saw that he was hesitating to move by the looks of his body language. "What's wrong? Afraid of what I am going to do next?" He didn't get a response as he absorbed another attack from the Ashen One. This time, he didn't aim to do it once. Instead, he swung his sword upwards, which was blocked but narrowly broke Adam's guard. By the looks of Ash's new attack patterns, this seems somewhat sporadic though it gave more energy to Adam's blade. The Faunus had something to tell him. "You could have included Blake and Yang to fight me as well? That way, you're going to make this easier for me!"

"..." Ash didn't help as he swung the Wolf Knight's Greatsword towards Adam.

At the last swing, Adam felt a power building from within him. He knew it was the right time to eliminate these annoying vermin. He quickly dodged his attack and was already at his back. "But you didn't. Instead, you made this hard for yourself!" Ash turned around just in time to see that Adam was about to draw out that attack again. He didn't show it underneath the Fallen Knight helmet, but he had a mentally thought smile, as this is what he expected.

"You're nothing more than a coward than those two!" Adam shouted as he unsheathed Blush from Wilt to re-emit the energy back to him. At that moment, a powerful yet unsteady wave of Red energy was close to Ash. The world around him became red and black again, and Adam finally felt it was enough to deal with him. Yet immediately after, he sensed something very wrong. Instead of the soft tissue made up of the human anatomy, the blade was met with a very tough surface. It indeed wasn't rock. Comparatively, it was the metallic surface of the Shield of Want that the edge of Wilt found itself in. Adam was shocked to his core. He assured himself that his Semblance could undoubtedly cleave the shield in half. But to see that not happening…

Regrettably, this moment of distraction caused him to be momentarily get distracted by Ash as he used his shield to strike Adam's right side of his head before dropping it into the ground, grabbing him around the throat, and gripping tightly around it. Using all the force he could muster, he struck Adam in the chest, knocking him to the ground as he repeated it. Once his opponent was down, Ash lifted the Wolf Knight's Greatsword up in the air with both hands tightly holding onto the hilt after dropping the shield. In an instant, he slammed the sword against his opponent's chest. Despite being unable to pierce through the flesh, it was enough to shatter his aura as he saw a flash of red disappear.

End Star Wars OST

Ash took a few steps back to dodge the attack Adam tried to inflict on him, and he picked up his shield and placed it on his back. As he was a few meters away, he saw Adam getting back up while one of his hands was on his chest. He looked back at him with pure hatred while snarling, whereas Ash looked indifferent. "This battle has already been decided. You've already lost! Don't even think of trying to attack now that you ran out of aura!"

Of course, this fell on deaf ears as Adam ran towards him. Ash let out an aggravated sigh as he predicted this would be futile. As Adam got closer, Ash readied himself for what was to come. The Faunus aimed for his neck and swung his weapon, which was easily dodged by Ash. The next thing that Yang and Blake saw was Ash using one hand that held the Wolf Knight's Greatsword, and it pierced into Adam's chest. They were startled by what he had done, but the Faunus girl knew that Ash did what he had to defend himself. Speaking of the person himself, Ash saw Adam's eyes shrinking in shock and shakily looked down to see his opponent running his weapon through his chest. It only seemed to deepen as the Unkindled forced it to be deeper and directly looked back at the Faunus's eyes to see that the lights were dimming. He knew what he did. He took another person's life away, but it was only to fulfil his duty. Before Adam disappeared from the physical world, Ash had to say one more thing to him. "You have proved to be a very formidable opponent; I give you that. I do not know why you wanted your revenge in the first place, but look what happened? At any time soon, you'll be gone. Forgotten by those who idolized you to only be reduced as an afterthought. What's the difference between us? I try to discover what I want with my life and how it will affect people. I knew its consequences and was sure I would evolve from it."

He saw Adam looking back at him and had an angry look on his face. That was good. Ash needed his full attention. "On the other hand, you never cared about the significance you have brought, even to the point that you lash out for not being mature enough to recognize how it will affect your life. And look, what transpired to you? You are at the last moments with no one by your side. Dying as your revenge was fruitless, and it had guided you to nothing. You'll Hollow. This is my farewell partings to you. I hope you're going to remember that." Seeing how there was no life left in Adam's eyes, Ash put a foot on his stomach and proceeded to remove the Wolf Knight's Greatsword from his chest.

When that was done, he saw Adam's lifeless body dropping dead to the ground, and blood began to spill out from the wound he created. He then whispered to himself, "Duty fulfilled."

Ash suddenly felt that he had absorbed something within him upon seeing his opponent perish. He lifted his left hand up in the air and saw a crimson fire within the palm. It took only a few seconds to realize that this was.

The Soul of Adam Taurus

It was Adam's soul. It felt furious as his soul was whirling around his cleared-out palm. Ash had no thought what to do with it. But he might do something around it before long. He would hold on to it until it was accommodating. "Ash!" He heard a voice behind him and immediately put his cleared-out palm down to put the soul's presence absent. He turned to see Yang approaching his position, with Blake taking after her. By the looks on her confront, he seemed to tell that she was not upbeat about what he had done. "Why did you do that?! You simply might have gotten yourself slaughtered there!"

"Yang… please!" Blake attempted to call out to her companion.

Ash didn't say a word, as she had each right to criticize him for what he did. "We might have helped, you know!? What you did had us concerned! We couldn't allow someone that's a complete stranger to battle someone that's very challenging!" Aura-less or not, he may have uncovered his undead nature to them at that very point. But what is done is done. There's nothing he can do to alter it. He kept on listening to her. "Also, why didn't you offer him to leave!?"

"You have offered him that before, did you not?" Ash stoically countered the Brawler's words, causing her to be speechless.

"Yes, but that didn't mean he..." Yang was about to say when she felt a pair of hands wrapped around her left hand.

"Yang, please! Listen to me." The Faunus girl said, looking directly in the eyes. When she had her friend's full attention, she began to talk to her. "I know you're upset about what Ash had done to Adam. But what is done is done. Ash did what he had to, and we can't do anything to change what happened."

The blonde had taken in what her Faunus friend expressed. Hearing the tone of her voice, seem like she was on the verge of breaking down. "Please understand why he did that. It would still be the same outcome even if we were also involved. And..." She started stuttering while trembling. At that moment, tears began to pour out of her eyes and ran down her face. The Brawler could feel Blake struggling to stand on two feet, so she used her body to support her. "I... I promise that this won't happen again...And...and... won't break my promise, I swear. It won't, ever again."

For a couple of moments, there doesn't seem to be a response from her brawler friend. In the next few seconds, Yang suddenly embraced her before both were on their knees. She silently whispered to her Faunus Friend's ear. "I know you won't." Hearing this caused Blake to hug Yang tight as they shared this moment.

Ash saw this and was somewhat unconcerned by this tender scenery. Feeling that he should leave them for now, he decided to do the obvious thing. The Unkindled approached where Adam's corpse and plucked Blush from his left hip before picking up Wilt. When Blake and Yang weren't looking, so he stored the newly acquired weapon in his bottomless box before shaking his head. "I still can't believe I agreed with this."

---

-Flashback starts-

---

After hearing what Patches had requested, it made Ash was dumbfounded. Naturally, he decided to ask the obvious question. "You want to have his weapon?"

This caused the Merchant to grin in response. "Yep. Just want a piece of evidence if you manage to kill him. Besides, you can make a bit of profit when you trade with me."

That was reasonable for his favourite customer to make this request. But there was one problem that he was concerned with. "That's…a good point. Yet how will I ever confront Adam if he manages to ambush Lady Blake first?"

He brought up an indeed good question. Already, Patches came up with a straightforward query. "Do you still have that Soapstone, right?"

Ash nodded his head in response. Patches then presented him with a crumpled-up paper. At first, he was confused by what Patches had handed to him. But it only took a few seconds to realize the indication of where this was going. "I see. So you're telling me that I must write my summoning sign so that Lady Blake could call upon me when the situation is dire?"

"That's right." The Merchant smugly answered his question. It didn't surprise him that Ash snatched the paper off his hand and brought out his Soapstone before writing his summoning sign onto the paper. When that was done, he presented it to Patches, who immediately held his hand up in the air. "No need to show me that. Looks like you got this. Which reminds me..." Patches proceeded to open the hatch to his personally "owned" small Mantra before hopping to the pilot seat. He tinkered with a few buttons before the aircraft began to hoover. "I need to get going to my other locations." Ash was undoubtedly surprised that Patches had owned such an innovative piece of transport. Then again, this is Patches, and he has his own ways of obtaining such devices. It also came to mind that Patches could pilot that kind of ship. But then again, he may have had experience before.

Right before he flew away, he had one more piece of information to give Ash. "Oh, there's one more thing you need to know. Once you reach the Kingdom of Atlas, you may be caught off guard by the differences between the two cities." Of course, Ash had taken that note before he could say farewell; the Mantra began to hoover into the air and head towards his following location. Wherever it might be.

Seeing Patches leave, Ash decided to do the same thing and head back to the house where everyone was supposedly waiting for him to return. As he left the bonfire, he stopped and looked up at the tree branches. With a keen eye, he managed to spot a unique-looking corvid bird that looked back at him. Its red eyes were gazing at the visor of his Fallen Knight Helmet, and the two continued to stare at one another. By the looks of that bird, it seemed awfully similar to Qrow's appearance in his bird form, except that it didn't have any feathers behind its head. There was one question that came to mind. If that wasn't Qrow, then who could it be?

Some time had passed before the bird let out a few 'caws' before flapping its wings before jumping off the branch and soaring away. Ash had to momentarily question himself about the strange encounter with the bird before resuming his walk. It was along the way that he managed to have a thought. "That was strange. That bird might be related to Qrow somehow, though I doubt they might be related."

---

-Flashback ends-

---

Well, now that is over, all he had to do was to deal with the Grimm that he had to deal with earlier and…oh no! It instantly dawned upon him that Ruby and the others were fighting with a Grimm infected with the Abyss.

He doesn't know how that came to be. But all he knew was that they wouldn't last long.

As much as he would hate to break the moment Blake and Yang are sharing together, he is clearly aware that they are only wasting time. "I hate to break it to you, but we better get a move on."

The duo immediately broke the hug and stared at him with bewilderment. "What?" Yang had suddenly asked.

"No time to explain." He immediately countered the Blonde question before he faced the forestry. Without wasting a single second, he began to trek through the woods.

Ash's action caused Blake and Yang to look at each other before following behind Ash. Before leaving to catch up to their strange companion, the Faunus girl looked back at the corpse of her dead ex-lover before proceeding to follow her close friend. Before they entered the woods and tracked down Ash, Blake had one last parting word to say about her former love interest. "Goodbye…Adam."

---

So, Adam is finally dead. And, it looks like Ash had gotten a hold of Wilt and Blush, as well as his Soul. That's really interesting. I do hope the doesn't sell it to Patches as he promised to him. Now, it is time to work on the finale of the first Story Arc of Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant.

Anyway, I want to address the obvious flaw this story arc has. I know it is rushed, but I want this first volume to be over and done with before moving onto the Atlas Arc. Word of warning, the final chapter will take long as I need to make it more entertaining and not what the previous three chapters that is literal my version of the 'second half of Dark Souls' scenario. I do hope you have enjoyed the OSTs I had used.

One more thing, what Patches said to Ash is true. BUT it is not entirely accurate. If you want to know what I am talking about, stay tune in the incoming chapters. As for Ozpin revealing himself straight away to Ash…I am going to be writing a chapter in regards to that in Dark Souls: Tales of the Other Embers to respond to why he did.

Now then, onto the reviews.

khenriquesdn: Yeah, I'll take some note next time.

Vigriff: Yeah. Sorry if I didn't include them as I wanted a solo fight between Ash and Adam.

fatswordsman: I hope you may have enjoyed it despite the fact that I suck ass at writing fight scenes.

Shooter312: Well, Ash can use all magic. He is just an expert of Pyromancy Spells.

Sebastiean: Ash already did.

Guest: Uh…yeah, I have seen it. And I sure have big plans for it.

Guest: Fuck you. I am not going to reboot the story. Instead, I am going to be focusing on this version.

Guest: No, I am not going to reboot Embers of Remnant. I like this version and I am going to make improvements as the story goes on.

Your-Typical-WhiskeyTango: Funny. Because you're the reason why I decided to stick into this version of this story. Yeah yeah, I can easily get into disappear when I get criticized. But it takes me a few days to reevaluate it and consider improving on it. Sometimes, my writings are considered to be 'BLAND' to some. Thank you for your words.

benjadu22: Well, I am going to stick to this version. End of.

darthkratos24: Yeah, thanks a lot for your encouraging words. I am going to be taking this a bit serious next time. Writing fanfiction is just a hobby for me, but if I want to make an impact, I need to start to get serious with it.

Yeah, there wasn't as lot of reviews I can talk upon. But it is thanks you that I decide to stick to this version despite how bad it. from now on, I will try my best to write the best chapters for this story.

Goodbye. I will see you all in the next chapter…whenever that will be.

I won't go too soft on myself anymore. At this point, I am going to self-criticise myself to make better improvements. Sorry for taking so long to write this chapter as I was busy Platinum Dark Souls 3 but here is the last chapter of Volume One.

The dialogue throughout the story so far is awkward and cheesy. I get it, there are bits and pieces from the RWBY Wiki that I plainly just copied and pasted. But I am just lazy and want to get things straightaway.

The second and final point I want to self-criticise is how poorly the approach had become. Yeah, I was my bad decision making. Yet it was my own interpretation of how things should have gone like.

Let's but a spotlight to one good thing. This is the second to the final chapter for Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant's First Volume before I start planning the layout of the second volume to prevent making the same mistakes that this volume has done. To do that, I am going to be taking a break after writing the next chapter.

What I mean by that is that I am going to be focusing on Fairyborne for a little while as I want to make a bit of progression to the story before making the second volume of Embers of Remnant. That and how I may take interest in playing NieR: Automata and Red Dead Redemption 2 anytime soon.

With that all said and done, let's move on to the chapter.

---

Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant

Eleven

Finishing What We Caused

---

"Um, so what's the plan, Ash?" Ruby asked the enigmatic individual, to which there wasn't any reply. She looked to where he was supposed to be and saw he was no longer there. This caused her to get confused as she swore Ash was with them in the first place. "Ash?"

Everyone shared the same reaction as their leader. None of them expected him to disappear once again under their nose. Nora couldn't help but voice her frustration. "Really!? He just vanished without us noticing once again?!"

Maria can vouch for the girl's inquiry. "Well, that person is extraordinary, to say the least. What else would you expect from someone like him to depart suddenly?" She doesn't know why, but the veteran Huntress had an odd feeling this was all too familiar to her. His suddenly vanishing right before their eyes was something she had experienced in her days as the Grim Reaper.

As much as they would want to look for Ash, all knew that a more significant problem needed to be resolved. "We can search for him later. But right now, we need to deal with that Grimm." Qrow had told them.

"Wait, what now?!" Jaune couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Weiss felt the same way as the blonde boy. "That Grimm you all faced can shoot fire AS well as laser! How can we be sure we can deal with it!?"

The veteran Huntsman had the look of uncertainty. If he had to be honest, he wasn't sure how to deal with a highly aggressive Grimm. "I'm not so sure…"

There wasn't any option that they had. Well, almost to none, as something had sparked within the young leader's mind. "We can't just sit here and do nothing." She turned to where the Grimm had gone to. "C'mon! We better see if the Military has managed to deal with it." That was something that most would have to agree on as they knew the Atlesian Military could handle any dangers that threatened them, even if it was utterly unknown to them.

Before they could move, loud explosions were heard despite the extended distance from where they stood. Already, Oscar had straightforward speculation as to what had occurred. "I think we already know the answer."

---

-Scene change-

---

If the farm boy wasn't wrong, then he and the others would have seen the chaos unfold within the airspace of Argus. Atlesian Mantas have been scrambled as they engaged in a dogfight between the Manticores and Sphinxs. Though they could shoot the Grimm down, the same can't be said for the Leviathan, as it took every hit from their weaponry. That and how the aircraft was easily picked off one by one.

"All units, be advised: Leviathan-class Grimm has submerged but is still on approach. Preparing hard-light shields, over!" The air control spoke through their channel COMs.

"We're getting slammed by hostiles out here! Where is Cordovan?!" a Mantra, codename Manta Two-Two questioned where the Commander Officer was located.

The mentioned individual was still in the Colossus, struggling to get up. It couldn't do so as it was still recovering from the brutal beatdown it received from the Leviathan. The elderly woman was still processing how the Grimm became so powerful after it emitted dark purple smoke from its body. Still, there was one thing that she managed to utter…

And that was towards Ruby and her friends. "This is your fault! Do you hear me?!"

Her words had taken Weiss by surprise. As far as the former Heiress knew, she knew that her leader and her friends had only provided the distraction needed for the Argus Commander to swoop in and kill the giant Grimm. "How is this our fault?"

The veteran Huntress had already speculated why the Atlesian was accusing all of them. "I guess she's blaming us for allowing that Grimm to let out that surprising blast."

The young leader looked around the area and couldn't grasp how this had led to a Grimm invasion of the Port City of Argus. She looked into the sky and couldn't help to wonder about where her strange yet mysterious friend was. "Just where are you, Ash?"

"Ruby!" Her sister's voice called out to her, which startled her. She and the others turned to the forest to see Yang and Blake coming out and regrouping with them. They were glad to see them alright, even if the Faunus girl had lost her white coat, but that didn't surprise them. One more person was with the duo, and most were surprised by this sudden appearance.

"Ash!" Ruby, Jaune, and Nora shouted in relief that he returned to them. All of them noticed that he had a slash mark across the chest plate of his Fallen Knight Set and one on his backside with a bit of bloodstain present.

"What happened to you?!" Weiss had asked and couldn't fathom the state the Unkindled was in.

"It's a long story." Ash plainly replied back, not wanting to bring up the fact that he had recently killed someone.

Blake was about to open her when she noticed the Mech struggling to reach its feet. "What happened?"

Ruby was about to open her mouth when an aggressive roar rang. It managed to grab everyone's attention, and they could only imagine that the situation had worsened. "Was that a giant Grimm?" Yang asked the group.

"Yes..." The Heiress answered her friend's question. "And that Grimm had ruined the only thing capable of stopping it..."

Hearing this caused the two newly arrived to look at her with astonished expressions. As far as they knew, Atlas had the technology to defeat any Grimm, regardless of size. But, to hear that the opposite occurred... Blake couldn't help but ask that question. "And how did a Grimm defeat a machinery from Atlas?"

It was then that Ash immediately responded. "It emitted a dark purple blast from its body, which drove it to become more assertive."

They were surprised by his words. If one by the likes of Maria could tell, he was familiar with this sort of thing. They would want to ask him how he understood what occurred earlier; they knew it wasn't the right time. Oscar currently wants to comprehend how to handle this situation. "So, how do we handle this?"

The Ashen One was glad to hear this from him. Seeing how desperate it had become, there was only one thing to do. And he needs their help. "Can one of you put that elderly woman on those devices? I need it to talk to her."

At the same time, Cordovin continued to ramble within the cockpit of the downed Colossus, still blaming the group that engaged the Grimm. Unexpectedly, she then heard a familiar voice coming through her COM. "Can you hear me over there?"

Almost immediately, she responded to Ash's words. "YOU! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

"In fact, I do." He responded. His words were truthful, and it seemed like he was getting tired of her attitude. "But you need to put that blame aside. We need your permission if you want that Grimm to be dealt with."

"Permission…" Cordovin's voice was a mix of doubt and spitefulness. "Why are you asking me for PERMISSION?! You and the others are why this Mech created by the mighty Atlas was destroyed in the first place! There's no reason for me to grant such by the likes of you lowly outsiders!"

If she was currently facing him, then she would have seen him curling his right hand into a fist. Still, she sensed the air in the cockpit tightening when she heard him give a low growl. "You are testing my patience, ma'am. We will fix the problem we started, but we need a ship to get closer to Grimm. Swallow your pride and grant us permission to use one of your ships. Otherwise, you're shoulder the responsibility of the possible destruction of the city you were meant to keep safe under your watch."

Silence seemed present as the two waited to hear if either would remark back. It took the Argus Commander a bit of time as she was taken aback by his words. She was infuriated when he mentioned that. Yet, it had flipped a switch within her. She pondered for quite a bit before replying back to him. "Fine. I'll let you use one of your Mantas. If only you promise me, you or the others won't flee."

"You won't need to worry about that." He replied back to her before cutting the communication off. Ash had to take a few seconds to de-stress from conversing with that nuisance of an Atlesian Commander. He felt that the others listened to the entire conversation and turned around to see them looking at him with mixed expressions. Something about it instantly made him speak. "We're going to get an airship, but as long as we're going to aid in destroying that Grimm."

All knew he was going to say that. Yet, few were sceptical about this. "Are you about this?" Maria had asked him.

"I am." He responded.

He was clear that he intended to keep his promise. But Maria couldn't think but point out another alternate plan. "You really are keen on helping them. Once we have an airship, I suggest we run towards Atlas since delivering that lamp is our top priority." Instead of fighting, she gestured to the lamp on Rub's hip.

Ash raised his eyebrow underneath his helmet at her. "Are you suggesting that we should flee?" He was referring to her words just a few days ago.

The Veteran Huntress was about to open her mouth but didn't, remembering what she said to them. "You can't be serious with your promise to her, right?"

The Unkindled was about to open his mouth when someone else responded instead. "But didn't you say that Huntsmen and Huntresses should fight till the bitter end?" That voice belonged to Blake.

Maria looked at the Faunus girl and studied her body gesture very quickly. By the looks of it, she seemed eager to finish up their mess. Her and the others who had the same looks on their faces...

All except Ash, who still had a helmet over his head.

"Alright, you've proven a point there," Maria exclaimed while waling her left arm. "But don't expect things to go as you want them to."

Just at that exact moment, a squadron of Manta was seen flying towards their position. One of them lowered towards their place, and soon the hatch opened. Without a word spoken, all proceeded to climb aboard the aircraft.

If Ash had one word to say, it was fascinating to see such an invention. Then again, he knew that man had been advancing his creativity since he entered his deep slumber. "Hey, buddy." His attention then shifted to Maria, who was in the cockpit and conversing with the pilot. "I know this is your ship and all. But would you mind getting off?"

Obviously, this caused the pilot to react. "Wait, what?!"

The Veteran Huntress was about to speak again, but Ash beat her to it. "We'll do something reckless that'll cost you your life. You should get off the ship, or we'll be responsible for your death. We don't want that." The pilot quickly considered his words and immediately stood up from his seat before exiting. When he was off, Maria climbed into the pilot's seat, with Qrow climbing onto the co-pilot chair.

Everyone felt the ship ascending towards the sky before it took off towards the air. All the while, the pilot watched as his Manta flew towards the warzone. He couldn't help but moan at what his commander had informed him. "I better hope they don't damage it?"

---

-Scene change-

---

Within the interior of the Manta, Ruby and the others surround Blake and Yang as the two sit down. "I'm so sorry..." Blake remorsefully apologised to them, feeling accountable for what was currently unfolding.

Yang placed a hand on her partner's left hand. "Don't be. This isn't on you." Her words spoke with assurance.

The Faunus looked back at her. "But-"

She suddenly felt a pair of hands on her shoulder. She looked up to see her leader smiling. "You're safe now. That's all that matters."

This made the Faunus girl smile back at her leader. All the while, Ash, who took a sip from his Estus Flask, could clearly see how close the two friends were. Then again, he had a gut feeling that they would be more than friends. Almost immediately, he refocuses his mind on the current mission. "How far until we are near the Grimm?"

Maria looked at the viewpoint and saw many Grimms and Mantas engaging in aerial combat. Something about it tells her it won't be easy to fly through. "Not far. There's a slight chance we'll get close to the Leviathan." Ash expected to hear this response. Looking at Jaune and Ren, he quickly nods at them to signal to use their Semblance. The latter knew precisely what he would do, while the former responded although it was a little slow.

---

-Scene Change-

---

Thanks to the two's semblances, the Manta, who were all boarded, flew quickly as the Grimm could not detect them during their aerial skirmishes with the Atlesian Military. The aircraft got closer and saw the Grimm that caused this problem. "There's the Leviathan!" As mentioned earlier, Maria pointed at the creature that seemed to emerge out of the sea while emitting the same purple smoke from before.

Yang and Blake saw the Leviathan and noticed what radiated from its body. The Blonde couldn't help but ask, "Is it giving off purple smoke?"

"It looks like it," Blake answered her friend's question.

Everyone shifted their eyes to the Leviathan when it unleashed an energy beam attack from its mouth. It moves the beam to one of the poles, powering the hard-light Dust barrier and immediately destroying the device. Seeing this caused them to only watch in horror. "It tore straight through...!" Oscar couldn't help but comment on what just happened.

"All squadrons, fall back to evacuation procedures. Disengage Leviathan! I repeat, disengage! Over!" The Atlesian Air Control ordered any remaining Manta that survived the onslaught.

Ash overheard the radio chatter and knew the situation hadn't gone wrong. "That's not good."

"No! Wait!" Ruby's voice caused him to turn towards her, who proceeded to dash up to the radio. Her uncle shouted her name out, but it was simply ignored. She got closer and started to converse with them. "We can stop it!"

The people behind Air Control were obviously taken aback by hearing her voice. "Who is this? Identify yourself!"

The Young Leader immediately replied back to them. "I'm a Huntress. My team and I are heading to the Leviathan and can weaken it for you to attack!"

All looked at their leader in shock upon hearing what she stated. Especially Ash, who, even though he didn't display his surprise, caused him to be doubtful of her words. "Did you really have to say that, Lady Ruby?"

"We can?" Jaune couldn't help but to speak his confusion into words.

The Younger Girl looked back at him. "I can."

That moment caused Maria to remember something that she said to Ruby back at that farm. "Ruby, when I said "trial by fire-"

"I did it at Beacon and at the farm." The Younger Girl cut her off. She wasn't rude, but it didn't help make Ash dubious with her words.

Weiss also felt the same way as the Unkindled. "You really think you can do it now?"

Ruby was confident with her words. " I don't have a choice."

There was a bit of silence at the other end of the chatter. No response were heard. At least for a little while until Ait Control managed to reply. " Manta 5-1, your ship is currently flagged as hostile. You will receive no support, over."

The younger leader seemed indifferent despite the absence of help they would not get. She picked up the radio and gave them her parting words. "Fine, we'll do it alone if we have to." With that, she proceeded to cut communications off from them. Unknowingly, Cordovin managed to hear their conversation, which caused her to think of something.

"Hey, kid." Ruby and the others turned towards Ash, who had Stormruler in his hands once again. "How about if I provide some aid for you instead?"

---

Yeah, yeah. This chapter felt rushed. But that is only because some dumbass of a Guest reviewer had the audacity to spam nonstop until I update this story. That and I really want to publish a chapter before August ends before finishing the first volume by next month.

I won't go to the reviews. But there is one thing I admit. This is a rushed masterpiece, something that I knew it would eventually lead up to cause I have a handful of knowledge with RWBY and a lot more with the Dark Souls series. Don't worry, I will try to make the next chapter more fun.

Goodbye. I will see you all in the next chapter…whenever that will be…

Oh one more thing.

Expect a trailer to drop in the next chapter and I will be posting a poll like right now.

Alright. Chapter thirteen is on the way, and I have been playing Red Dead Redemption 2 so far as I am planning to write a single chapter on a crossover that is based on the game, I have been playing non-stop. But, to give you what I am planning to write, how about a little preview on some parts of the next volume. Let's have a look, shall we?

---

Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant

Preview #1

---

Ash, along with Ruby and her group have managed arrived at their designated destination…

"The Kingdom of Atlas. Said to be the youngest and prosperous Kingdom in all of Remnant." The Unkindled quietly muttered to himself before looking at what was at the bottom of said Kingdom. This surely reminded him of both the Boreal Valley and Anor Londo. "Doesn't look prosperous to me."

They meet new and old faces…

"SALUTATIONS!"

Ruby gaped as she couldn't believe who she was seeing with her own eyes. "Penny?!"

Ash was about to ask who she was right before seeing the girl instantly flying towards Ruby and tackled her to the ground. He didn't say anything as he was too curious to know who this person is.

…

The Unkindled One managed to hide by using the Chameleon spell and watched the group having their weapons and the Relic taken away by a group of people consisting of three men and two women. His saw them looking around as if there were looking for him. He quietly let out a sigh as he had left the area to search for him. He saw a police craft landing near them and immediately thought of an idea.

…

Ironwood raised his eyebrow at the new person that was in Ruby's group. "And who you might be?"

Ash looked back at the General while his body was tense. "Just call me Ash."

Hearing this name made the robotic girl tilt her head. "Ash?" It was at that moment that ticked something within her mind. She had a cheery look on her face. "Oh, you mean the Ashen One, right?"

Hearing what Penny had just spoken caused him to tense his body and directly look her dead in the eye. It was reasonable since he told no one about that title. "How do you know that?" His voice was stoic, yet there was also a heavy hint of hostility.

Everyone clearly saw the shift in his tone. They never heard him being so hostile, yet there were no signs of doing anything malicious. Qrow narrowed his eyebrows at him. "Ashen One?"

Winter and the General looked at one another. By analysing their facial expressions, the two seemed to expect this kind of reaction from him. "We may have found the person we're looking for."

Naturally, this caused Ash to turn to look at them in disbelief. Everyone else shared his reaction. "Can you plain explain right now what is going on?"

The older Schnee noticed that his voice sounded more hostile as they mentioned something. She looked at her Commanding Officer, who nodded at her before she answered his question. "We encountered this woman not so long ago back in Mistral. We thought she was some stranger. But she expected us."

"Expected?" Weiss spoke, finding it hard to believe that a woman had suddenly expected them.

This didn't sit well with Ash. Although he was still a bit tense, he let a question out of his mouth. "And who exactly is this woman that expected you?"

Winter had the look of uncertainty on her face. "We…"

"Ashen One?" A soothing, calm voice of a woman called out to him. His eyes widened behind his helmet as he exactly knew who that belonged to.

Ruby and the others, on the other hand, wondered who it was. They turned around and saw a woman standing at the entrance to the General's Office. One would say that she was beautiful. She had long platinum-blonde hair tied up to a braid that reached her spine and wore a formal black and brown attire consisting of a Robe, Manchettes and Skirt. A well-designed metallic blindfold resting on the top half of her head was eye-catching to them, hinting that she was blind. None of them knew who this woman was. Yet, to Ash, he knew who it was.

Tensions have only gotten worse…

"Ashen One, art thou wise to keep such secret hidden from the General?" His dear friend asked him with concern.

Ash didn't say anything as he was busy getting a set of armor from his bottomless box along with a shield. "It is Lady Ruby's choice and not mine. I will not guide them all the time. Sometimes, they need to deal with the consequences on their own. Besides, Ironwood doesn't trust me and you, and I don't trust him as well with what he is doing."

But that doesn't mean they got their upgrades…

Team RWBY, along with JNR, Qrow, and the Ace Ops arrived at their destination. But it didn't seem like they got here first. All saw Ash dealing with a Geist with sheer efficiency. it was probably because of the effects of the Wolf Knight's Greatsword along with a steel colored Great shield with a Wolf Insignia all over it. His armor seemed to be fitting. Consisting of a Steel armor with blue fabric, white furred shoulder cape, and a full silver steel Helmet with a 'T' shaped visor. "Man, I thought we were going to be here first."

The leader of the ACE ops only full-heartedly laughed at the newest member's words. "It seems we have ourselves a bit of a competition."

There will be new enemies

Jacques Schnee turned his gaze at Ash, who walked up to him. His face was filled with contempt as he looked at him. "And who you might be?"

"It is of no concern." Ash stoically told him with a cold remark. "Looks like no matter what the public portrays you as, you are nothing more than a lecherous pest."

Which comes with some consequences

"That bastard is costing me more money with this embargo!" Jacques angrily informed Arthur Watts. "I'd lay off every employee on Mantle if I didn't have their damn votes for this council seat."

The disgraced scientist can tell there is something else bothering the SDC President. "You've got a lot of anger there. Is something bothering you?"

"That's because an armored individual accompanying my daughter had the audacity to call me a lecherous pest." He pointed to himself. "A pest?! I am no pest because I provided everything to the company! How DARE he insult me!"

"Interesting." The doctor spoke before sitting down on the couch. "What if I say you can use a stone and kill two birds with it?"

Secret will be uncovered

Ash followed Patches to the deepest parts of Mantle's mines. They arrived at their destination and saw a large hole that was filled with nothing but pitch black. "What am I looking at here?"

Patches just shrugged his shoulders. "I think you already know what that is?"

"…The Abyss…"

…

…

…

The Kingdom of Atlas is at an inevitable fall…

Greed, Abuse and Corruption runs rampant in the young Kingdom…

And it only fuels the Abyss…

How will Ash prevent that from happening?

…

Is it possible to let that happen?

…

How will the events lead up with the consequences he kept from hiding the secret of the Abyss threat from everyone?

…

and more importantly...

...

How will this affect their plans once Salem gets involved?

FIND OUT MORE ON

Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant Volume Two

---

This is the premise of some parts of the next volume. I believe none of this will make sense unless you watched volume seven of RWBY.

Surprise to see Ash getting a set of new armor. I know what it is, and I will not give you the name because some will already know what it is. That and how he uses a Great Shield in the next volume.

Bye, and I will see you in the next chapter.

Well, it's finally time to finish this disaster of the first volume of Embers of Remnant before planning the layout of Volume 2. I know was rushed and didn't make sense for some of you, which is why I am going to do a brief explanation at the end of the chapter. With that saying, let's get onto the story.

Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant

Twelve

Leviathan Phase Two

---

'Ancient creature from long ago. Having slept for a long time, it was suddenly awakened when it sensed a familiar sign of energy. Perhaps it implies to be infected with something related to the Abyss.' -Full description for the Soul of the Abyssal Leviathan

---

Ruby and her friends saw Ash holding the Stormruler with both hands. None dared to question where he stored it, but some were unsure about using it. "Um… Ash? Do you think it suits what we're about to do?"

The Unkindled could clearly see why this weapon wasn't suitable. They were in an aircraft, and unleashing a wind attack would cause it to shake the ship, throwing the people off their feet and possibly causing them to fall off. "I know it isn't the best weapon suitable for what's to come, but this is the only thing sufficient to that monstrosity."

He wasn't bluffing when he said that. Still, Oscar was determining if it was the right weapon of choice. "I doubt this aircraft would handle such force from your sword."

Ash expected that response. "I knew you were going to say that. Which is why..." Ash put Stormruler away into his back, stored the bottomless box, and grabbed something else. He then pulled out an oversized bow that was three times his size. "I'm going to be using this." He brought out the Onislayer Greatbow he found back in the Profaned Capital.

Everyone gaped at the size of the bow he was leaning on. But knew it was not the right time to ask. Weiss had something to point out, though. "Okay...but how will you hit the target if it's far from the aircraft?"

He already knew that problem. "You could summon, right? If you can summon one, then there's a possibility that you can do two."

Weiss was about to open her mouth before immediately closing it. She thought about Ash's statement for quite a bit before responding. "I... haven't thought about it. In honesty, I could only do one at a time, not a lot."

"Then perhaps you can do this for the first time," The Ex-heiress gaped at the statement he made. The others had the same reaction as well.

"W-what?" Weiss spoke.

Ash released a breath of air before he explained. "There's a creature that could destroy the city at any minute. Ruby can use that power of hers to turn it into stone. While your weapons can only distract it, I only have the weapons capable of doing actual harm." His tone didn't have a hint of arrogance, only hearing that of confidence and uncertainty as he spoke to her. "I know it may not fit with your ability, but I am sure Jaune can provide you with the necessary boost needed."

Again, the former Schnee Heiress evaluated what was said and already made her mind up. "Alright. I'll give it a try."

With the tasks sorted out, it was Ruby and Ash's time to do their ring. But right before doing so, the Unkindled spotted the Relic hooked onto Ruby's belt. "If you don't mind, may you hand over that Relic?"

Ruby looked at him in response. "Why?"

Ash pointed out the clear logic. "I need its attention towards me, so you'll have time to build up that power before releasing it."

The young leader thought about it, and she considered his words. She had to build up a lot of power to turn the Leviathan into stone. Unhooking the Relic, she handed it over to Ash. "Here, take it. But promise me you'll give it back once this is over."

The Unkindled seemed to acknowledge this. He took the Relic off from her and hooked it onto his belt. "There. It's safe. Now we can do it. I hope all of you are ready?" He saw everyone slightly nodding their heads before shifting his attention to Maria. "Get ready."

The veteran Huntress looked at him with a smile. "I hear ya. I hope you know what you're doing."

Insert Chroma Music: Crusaders Gone Wild

The hatch opens, revealing Nora and Yang aiming their weapons at the Leviathan. "Hey, ugly!" The orange-haired girl shouted. The Grimm turned towards them. "Eyes up!" The two proceeded to open fire at the Leviathan.

At the exact same time, the other hatch opened. Ruby and Ash took a peak and saw a Nevermore and a Lancer coloured in light blue and white. As they would want to ask how she was feeling about surpassing the limited summons, they knew they were only wasting precious time. Ruby jumped onto the bug-like Grimm while Ash hopped onto the bird. He adjusted himself to ensure he wouldn't fall off using the Greatbow. Once he felt secure, he nodded towards the young leader to go on ahead. Looking to see that she was about to the front of the Grimm, Ash patted the summoned bird to follow suit.

Back in the airship, the two girls kept firing at the Leviathan. Despite running out of dust ammunition, it managed to distract the Grimm to see their leader and the Unkindled mounted on Weiss's summons. "Did it work?" Blake asked the two.

Maria could see from the Cockpit the Leviathan was onto them now. "Yes, unfortunately. Just hang on!"

The Mantra flew upwards, narrowly avoiding the Giant Grimm's grasp. It would have gotten them; wasn't it being hit by a large arrow. The Grimm shifted its attention towards Ash, who was preparing to draw another hand. "This takes a bit of time to load another. I need to make every arrow count while waiting for the right time to strike."

The Leviathan snarled in anger. It extended its right arm into the air to where Ash flew by in an attempt to grab him. The Grimm felt bullets bouncing off its frontal armor plating as it was about to catch Ash, who was still riding on the summoned Nevermore. "Oh no, you don't!" Nora's voice called out to it before firing a grenade towards its head.

Shaking its head after feeling the explosion, it shifted to the trace where the voice came from. Its eyes then moved to the Mantra, which was circling around it. The orange-haired girl continued pulling the trigger until the clicking sound was heard. She looked at her weapon in hand and knew that she had to reload. "I'm almost dried up now on dust ammunition. I really hope Ruby and Ash know what they're doing!"

Despite the aircraft moving around, the Leviathan locked its sights on them. Opening its mouth, it began to build up energy from within.

The Blonde Brawler peaked out and saw the Leviathan facing them with white energy forming within its mouth. Her expression then morphed into horror as she knew they were on its radar. "Uh...guys? We may need to go to a higher altitude!"

Her tone already told Maria what was going on. "I hear ya!" She pulled the control stick towards her to let the aircraft go upwards.

Unfortunately for them, the Leviathan could quickly shoot them down. Building up enough power, it began to release the energy towards them. Before anyone could look back, an arrow had seemingly been able to directly hit in the left eye, causing the Leviathan to become distracted from what it was about to do and roar loudly in pain.

OST Ends

All occupants within the Manta heard the creature growling. Blake had to cover her cat ears because it was loud for her standards before revealing them when the noise wasn't listened to anymore. "What was that!?"

Ren had an excellent guess as to what occurred. "I think it might have been Ash's doing."

"Ash…saved us?" Jaune spoke, surprised that he'd done it despite his distrustfulness of him.

Oscar was glad as well. "That's good. As long as we assist Ash in distracting the Grimm, that'll mean Ruby can use that power of hers."

Weiss grunted as she felt her aura quickly draining despite the blonde boy amplifying it. "They better be quick. I don't think I can last long."

With the Leviathan now reeling in pain, the Unkindled lowered his weapon as he loaded another Great arrow. Seeing its state gave him a clear signal of what was about to unfold. "Alright, kid, do what you have to do."

Ruby saw what had occurred and knew what she had to do. "Everyone is counting on me now. I solemnly swear I won't take long." To unleash her power, she would have to concentrate without being preoccupied. Ruby grabbed her earpiece before chucking it into the sea. She closed her eyes and remembered what Maria had told her before.

---

-Flashback Begins-

---

In the backyard porch of the Cotta-Arc household, the young leader sat down with Maria as they discussed a particular matter. Ruby cleared her throat before asking her question. "So, how do I laser beam monsters with my eyeballs?"

That got her hit in the head in response to Maria's cane. Ruby held the top of her head with both hands while the elderly lady glared at her. "First, you stop thinking like that! I want you to think of all the times you've triggered your powers. What did those moments have in common?"

The young leader pondered at her words for quite a while. This caused her to rub her head as she answered the question. "I... was scared and stressed. Is it emotional? Like unlocking a Semblance?"

It seemed like she was getting there. But Maria needed to know more. "It's emotional but more focused than that. Think, what is it you wanted?"

Ruby looked down at her hands as she clenched them. "I wanted to protect my friends."

Now, the veteran Huntress seems to like where this was going. "Precisely! It is the desire to preserve life which fuels the light inside you. And to make no mistake, it is light. Preservation is an extension of creation or, at the very least, an enemy of destruction. The God of Darkness made the Creatures of Grimm, but your light comes from his brother."

The young leader seems surprised when Maria mentions the brothers. "How do you know that?"

"I always knew how to use the light, but never why it only worked on the Grimm." The former Grim Reaper answered. "Then, Jinn showed us her vision. Were you paying attention?"

Ruby closed her eyes as she was replaying that memory in her head. She then thinks back to when the God of Light destroyed all the Grimm in the Land of Darkness and was in his dragon form, revealing his own pair of Silver Eyes. "The God of Light... His eyes!" She stood up and looked directly into the elderly woman's mechanical eyes. "Okay, where do we start?"

"Well, not here. The light will only work in the presence of Grimm. The only practice you'll get will be a trial by fire." Maria answered and pointed out the obvious problem with the other girl's statement. "But what you can do is focus on creating a state of mind that you can tap into when you need it. Don't think about your light as a means of destroying evil, but as a way to protect the people of Remnant."

"But that can't be right." Ruby immediately spoke.

The elderly lady hummed in response. "Hm?"

"You said the light only reacts to Grimm," Ruby explained before her mind shifted to recent memory. "but... I used it during our battle at Haven. It reacted to Cinder."

"Interesting..." She spoke, getting some interest in what she said. "Perhaps there was something that you just weren't seeing?"

---

-Flashback Ends-

---

That conversation rang into the young girl's mind. Whatever Maria said to her would be helpful in this dire moment. With her eyes shut, she tried her best to think of memories. Happy memories.

Like the ones she had with her father and Yang at a young age.

Her family's pet, Zwei, had been delivered to team RWBY's Dorm at Beacon.

When she, along with her team, had a food fight with Team JNPR in the cafeteria.

Their first victory food back in the Vytal Festival.

And her first meeting with Jaune and his tea, Pyrrha, and Penny…

The young leader's thoughts on the latter two caused her to frown as bad memories started to flow into her mind. A remembrance flashed within her as she watched Jaune train along with a recording of Pyrrha in the forest within Mistral.

How her friends and strangers were wounded as the survivors of Beacon were being evacuated.

Yang sank into depression over the loss of her arm.

The deaths of Pyrrha and Penny had only caused Ruby to whimper in sorrow.

"Hey, Kid!" She was immediately distracted when she heard Ash shouting towards her. She opened her eyes to see the nevermore he rode on, slightly losing its form and saw that it was also happening to the lancer she hung on. He loaded another arrow into the large bow before aiming towards the Leviathan. "You better hurry! I don't think we have long left."

"What are you..." Ruby had asked yet was immediately interrupted.

"Don't worry about it. I'll keep it distracted to buy you some time. Just concentrate on what you are doing!"

Ruby nodded, grateful that Ash had given this opportunity to her. With that in mind, she faced the Leviathan and again closed her eyes to focus on good memories.

She thinks back to when Team RWBY decorated their dorm room.

When Weiss gave her coffee after their argument.

When Blake cheered for Weiss in their professor's class.

When Yang was training her before leaving for Beacon Academy.

When Team RWBY celebrated their victory after saving Vale.

A smile formed on her face when she thought back to the Beacon Dance and Team JNPR again,

When Qrow arrives at Beacon during the Festival.

Her encouraging talk with Oscar, and then to Maria, and to Penny again...

The last memory was that of a woman who had the same-colored hair as her, overlooking a cliff while watching the sun setting. She wore a white cloak that was blowing. The woman turned towards her and offered a warm, gentle smile. Ruby knew who this was. It was her mother, and her silver eyes reflected back to her's...

At the same time, Ash launched an arrow towards the Leviathan's armored forehead that bounced off it. Despite his weapon not being right, he felt that something was about to happen. This eventually came true as a massive white light caused him to shield his eyes from this. It ultimately died down soon after, causing him to lower his hand, and he was in shock that it had been completely turned to stone. That was a sigh of relief to see since its claw had nearly grabbed onto him. He could hear the people cheering that the Grimm had finally been eliminated, even though they were far from where he was. "You did good, Kid. You managed to save the city as well as me at the same time. I should be thanking you now."

The light beamed back into her eyes, and she looked at the city of Argus behind her. A slight grin formed on her face as she finally used her power to operate. But that didn't last long, as she heard cracks from the petrified Grimm and turned to see its head still moving around. But it wasn't directly to her. Instinctively, she shouted his name out. "ASH!"

Ash heard his name calling and saw the Leviathan's head moving towards him. It opened its mouth as it was about to release another blast of energy towards him. Ash knew he would not make out in time...

"I'll take it from here!" Cordovin's voice was heard, and all saw the Colossus coming out, with its cannon arm now detached. Hearing the tone of her voice, Ash had guessed that she had finally swallowed her pride. "After all, I was sworn to protect the people!"

The Colossus' left hand then transforms into a giant drill. Cordovin uses the tool to eradicate the Leviathan, causing it to dissipate before it turned into ashes. When that was done, it walked over to Ruby and Ash, who managed to fly towards her position. Its cockpit opens up, revealing the elderly commander standing in a stern military manner. Seeing caused the young leader to awkwardly giggle while scratching her left cheek. "Thank you. And... I'm sorry we caused this to happen."

Cordovin seems to be okay with this. "The Atlas military can handle the stragglers."

Ruby was dumbstruck by her words. "What, uh... What are you saying?"

Hearing her confused statement caused the elderly woman to smile. "I don't think anyone would notice if one more ship went missing in my lengthy report." She then turned towards Ash, who was seemingly surprised that she wasn't angry. "As for you, you seemed wise with your words despite being reckless simultaneously."

Ash didn't express any emotion to this. "I was trying to keep the people safe. That's all I intended to." He managed to take a small peak of the soul that he recently absorbed before he pocketed it onto his bottomless Box.

Soul of the Abyssal Leviathan

"And yet, you did." Cordovin complimented before turning towards her, where her soldiers were to fight off any stragglers. The Manta had come towards their position, and without wasting any more time, the duo hopped onto the aircraft as the summons disappeared before flying to their destination.

---

-Scene Change-

---

Night had dawned on the sky as everyone was relaxing from the events that had transpired earlier. It was incredibly relieving for Jaune and Weiss as their faces showed they were exhausted. Both were looked on by Ash as if he had something to say. "I am deeply sorry if I pressured you and Jaune to overload on your supposed limit."

Weiss gave him a tiresome smile. "It's alright, Ash. If I had to be honest, none of my family had ever done something like that. Apart from my sister, who could summon a baby flock of Nevermore."

Jaune felt the same way. "Yeah. That's something I may not want to partake in ever again."

"It may happen again. You just don't know when." He explained, having a feeling that I might occur again soon. Now that was over and done with, he shifted his attention to Maria. "How long until we reach Atlas?"

"Not for long. We're lucky that gave us an aircraft with enough fuel to reach there." Maria answered his question before seeing him walking to the back of the Manta.

"Hy, Ruby. You did great out there today, Ash. Thank you for helping my niece out there. She would not have done it without you." Qrow complimented Ash's contribution. "Just don't go giving me heart attacks like that again." He was about to drink from his flask before deciding not to.

Still, his words caused Ruby to giggle at his words before hugging him. "I love you, too."

Qrow smiles at his niece as she walks away to join her friends. Once she did, her eyes immediately shifted to Ash, leaning on the Hilt of the Wolf Knight's Greatsword while the Greatbow leaned on the wall near him. She was about to speak to him when she heard her team talking to one another. "I'm sorry you went through that nightmare. But I'm glad Yang was there for you in time."

Blake and Yang smile before the latter takes the cat Faunus' hand and gently squeezes it. "We were there for each other." Ash just rolled his eyes underneath his helmet. If he wasn't there, the two would have no choice but to kill him. He was glad he did it instead.

He didn't seem to pay attention, but everyone looked at Ruby. This caused the young leader to get embarrassed by the attention she was receiving. "Hey, stop it!"

"You manage to petrify the Grimm," Ren commented on her previous actions and was impressed by it.

She laughed fumblingly at this. "Don't act like you all haven't done crazy stuff before! Ash manages to hit the Grimm with his weapons of choice, and he seemingly gets out of nowhere."

Ash's ears had parked at this. He lifted his head to face them. "It's not a big deal. I was trying my best to help. Which reminds me, this belongs to you, kid." He unhooked the Relic of Knowledge before tossing it to Ruby, who had managed to catch it in time before hooking it back onto her belt.

The young girl smiled at him. "Still. You managed to provide something helpful."

Nora heard the two talk and immediately wanted to ask her own. "So, Ash? How come you seemingly disappeared and somehow ended up with Blake and Yang?"

The two were about to open their mouths when Ash beat them to it. "Remember what paper I gave to Lady Blake? I was summoned upon." Now, everyone was curious to know how that paper caused him to vanish from their sight. "That's another time we can have a talk on that."

There was something else Oscar wanted to ask. "That Grimm we just faced. It didn't seem to be a normal one. By the looks of things, it might have been…"

"Corrupted?" He guessed. "I haven't encountered something like that in a while. But do not worry, I'll add more details to what I said when I find the appropriate words." That wasn't a complete lie. Sooner or later, he'd have to tell them about the Abyss. As of now, that wasn't important.

He was lucky to dodge those questions but wasn't strictly out. Maria saw this chance to ask a question that she wanted to ask him about. "That sword of yours really seems to be effective against the Grimm. Where did you exactly get it?"

Like before with the others, Ash gave her his answer. "I found it through my travels. Why are you asking?"

"Honestly, I haven't seen a sword like that in a while." The veteran huntress responded with a smirk on her face. "It reminds me of someone I had faced back when I still had my eyes. It was tough, and how it fought reminded me of a wolf."

The unkindled raised an eyebrow as that grabbed his attention. "Something that fought like a wolf?"

He was about to say what was on his mind when the Huntsman turned to face everyone. "Hey, if you've never seen Atlas in person before, you don't wanna miss this." Ruby and the others got out where they sat and walked towards the cockpit window. Ash followed them as he wanted to see, despite knowing it was a floating island.

"Is it weird that I'm sorta nervous?" Ruby spoke loudly.

Her sister looked at her. "No, I'll believe we've made it to Atlas when I see it."

The ex-heiress just rolled her eyes while having a small smile on her lips. "Well... believe it."

As they exited from the clouds, Ruby and her friends gaped at the sight they saw. Right in front of their viewpoint, they saw an island that was floating. Nora was beyond amazed at what she saw. "Wow!"

"You know, you make the trip up to Atlas over and over, but you never get used to that view," Maria said to them, still amused at their first reaction. She would have spoken more if she didn't get annoyed as her prosthetic eyes started to act up again. "Oh, come on!"

Ash took a few notes to see that what he was seeing was indeed the Kingdom Atlas. "It looks like Patches wasn't wrong. They have impressive architecture, though it isn't as similar to Anor Londo or the Ringed City."

While this was going on, Weiss leaned in closer and had a worried look on her face. Her partner looked at her and noticed that expression. "Weiss, what is it?"

She didn't respond as she continued to stare out in the open. Everyone looks up and notices many Atlas Airships above the island. This ranges from small ships to bigger ones. "The Atlas air fleet..." The former Schnee Heiress finally spoke, grabbing all their attention. "I knew all of our ships were called back, but..."

"They're set up like they're expecting an attack..." Qrow had finished off her words. If the atmosphere wasn't bad enough, the radio suddenly turned on and heard a welcoming voice.

"Manta 5-1, welcome home..."

---

-Scene Change-

---

In a secluded room within Atlas Academy, a woman wearing strange attires was looking at the view of the city of Atlas. Well, it didn't seem like she could see as she had an ornamental blindfold that covered half her head, which showed that she was blind. Yet that doesn't mean she can still sense the presence of people.

She heard the door in the room open, followed by a pair of high-heeled footsteps. It eventually stopped when the person came near her. "You seemed quieter than usual, Ma'am." The tone was obviously female, yet her voice was militaristic and neutral.

"Ah, Specialist Schnee. 'Tis pleasant to see thy presence." The woman greeted her with a gentle and soothing voice. "Forgive for my quietness. I hath been deep to my own thought."

Winter Schnee raised an eyebrow at the blind woman with suspicion. "You always say that, Ma'am. It seemed to be different this time."

The other woman still smiled as she turned to look back at the view. "T'was just reminiscing on old memories. That's all."

Winter strongly doubted that. By noticing the sudden shift in the other woman's tone, she was expecting someone to come here. She was about to open her mouth when she heard her commander's voice through the earpiece. "Schnee?"

In an instant, the individual, as mentioned earlier, responded back. "Yes, Sir?"

"Has the woman given any information that is vital?" Ironwood asked, demanding if there had been any updates from before.

Winter looked down before looking back at the fair Lady. "Not as of yet. She keeps mentioning remembering old memories, but updates on this 'Ashen One' have yet to be made."

"It would seem." He spoke, his tone becoming a bit demanding. "If she doesn't give us enough detail, use a hands-on approach on her if you have to."

Winter wasn't so sure if it was the right thing to do. She thought about it before giving her confirmation to him. "Understood."

"Good," He said, relieved she would still follow his orders. "Come meet me at the usual place. There's something I want to discuss with you about your assignment." With that said, he cut off communications.

The Schnee took time to progress what she was told before looking back at the other woman. "I need to get going."

"I see. 'Tis pleasant to have company with thee." The blind Lady spoke before Winter proceeded to step out of the room. As she was alone, she placed a hand on her chest. A sensation of familiarity flowed through her as she felt coming towards where she was. "This feeling I have, only one has it. Is it truly thee, Ashen One?"

---

After Six months within this volume, it's finally done! Embers of Remnant's first volume is finally over. Now, I can lay out the second volume as I want to include original chapters rather than the characters following said main characters all the time be bland. And you probably guess who that woman was at the end, right? Well, now that's over, I will see you in the next volume. But first, I want to say something.

What Patches said to Ash is true, but someone may be suitable. It is cheap, and I will say this: what he said is not entirely true. It's more of a 50/50 that is either true or false. Which reminds me…

---

Somewhere in the tundra of Solitas, a mini-Manta had landed where a makeshift shop had already been set up. The cockpit soon opened to reveal Patches exiting out of it. Once he did, he walked towards the bonfire and felt refreshed. He was about to do his usual thing when he realizes someone had been waiting for him.

"You know you can show yourself, right?" The mischievous Trickster had spoken out. On the opposite side, a figure was covered in a green/brown cloak and a hood covering her face except for the bottom half of the head, which showed a bit of chestnut hair. "I didn't expect you to be here."

"Nor did I." The figure spoke with a soothing tone. The tone was clearly female, and it was clear she knew Patches very well. "I didn't expect you to arrive such a later time."

"Well, I was just visiting an old friend of mine before making my way here." He told her while shrugging his shoulder.

"I can see that, Patches." The unknown individual spoke in a friendly tone. "It seems he is acquainted with that girl with silver eyes and her friends. They have likely to have made it to Atlas by now."

"Yeah, that's not a surprise, considering that they may want to speak to that unstable General who is also a headmaster of an academy." Patches sardonically murmured.

The unknown figure didn't say anything. Instead, the individual had opted for what would happen next. "If that were to happen, they would probably be assisting in the Global Amity Project."

"That ain't really shocking to say the least," he said, having passed the construction site. "And who would build such a thing in the middle of nowhere? Someone is bound to know it despite the secrecy the General is keeping from the others."

"It would eventually be revealed soon." She said, still having that neutral tone before shifting to that of concern. "Unfortunately, the Darkness that has been shadowing Atlas since its founding would envelop the city and its people."

Patches couldn't help but chortle sadistically at that statement. "They brought it upon themselves, so I won't be feeling bad for any of them." At that moment, he realizes that Ash and his acquaintances would also be devoured. A sigh escaped his lips as he would have guessed the individual had a request for him. "You want me to go to that city and speak to my friend about it, huh? Like how you told me to bring that woman to Atlas by tricking that Special Operative Schnee through my own way?"

She nodded her hooded head in response, though she didn't answer the latter question since she already got her answers. "That would be appropriate at this very time. Once Salem appears in Atlas, which would eventually happen, the Darkness would envelop the city and its people." She went quiet for a while before finally deciding to part ways with him. "I must take my leave."

"If you say so," Patches told her before she vanished within a blink of an eye. The sound of fire cracking within the makeshift bonfire was heard as Patches processed what he just listened to. A groan escaped his mouth as he thought of his following action while massaging his temples. "Well, there's no need to complain about it. The so-called Greatest Kingdom of Remnant would eventually fall due to their hubris. So it would probably be best to help him while I still can."

Here it is guys! The second Volume of Embers of Remnant! I apologise if this took long to write as I have been quite busy with personal things. With that stated, let's move on to the chapter! And one more thing, 300 followers! Damn, that's really impressive!

Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant Volume II

Thirteen

The 'MIGHTIEST' Kingdom

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'Atlas is Remnant's youngest and arguably, most successful Kingdom. But it's a bit of a special case.'

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"Manta 5-1. Welcome home." The broadcast had greeted the ship's callsign. "Please continue your approach to Atlas docking bay Omega-12. A security team will meet you there. Over."

Ruby and her group of companions were dumbstruck by what they saw. They had arrived at Atlas, yet they knew something was wrong as they watched the rather sizeable military air fleet surrounding the Kingdom. "I don't understand," Ruby commented on what she looked at. "What's happening here?"

"I don't know." Qrow had told his niece, having the same feeling as everyone.

"But we are here." Jaune had firmly pointed out. "We got the lamp to Atlas, so I guess we land and get some answers."

The blonde may have brought up a valid point, but that didn't suit well with Ash. "We may have borrowed this ship with permission from that elderly lady without stealing it, but I doubt they'll answer to a bunch of strangers. Look how prepared they are?"

For this many times, Weiss had to agree with the Unkindled's insight. "I have to agree with him. Even if we land a borrowed ship, there's no way the security team will let us anywhere near Ironwood. They might even take me back to my father." This caused her to look at the ground and thought how that would go.

Hearing this made the Faunus girl look at her sadly while Yang and Ruby looked at one another. All were uncertain of what to do. "So…" Blake had spoken up when the former Heiress suddenly had an idea.

"Winter!" She spoke her sister's name before pulling out her scroll. Without a second to think of what to do next, she looks to Maria. "Put some distance between us and the fleet."

"You don't have to tell me twice." The elderly lady said sardonically before steering the ship to the lower section of Atlas.

"The Kingdom of Atlas. Said to be the youngest and prosperous Kingdom in all of Remnant." The Unkindled quietly muttered to himself before looking at what was at the other city underneath the floating Island. The atmosphere surrounding the town reminded him of the desolate world he used to live in. "Doesn't look prosperous to me."

---

-Scene Change-

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He didn't realise his surroundings changed as they were in the inner parts of the city. "...cannot express our appreciation enough." He turned to see a man who seemed tired by the looks of the bags underneath his eyes, with messy black hair and a full-on beard wearing some sort of military getup. "Many describe these as uncertain times, and while that may be the case for the rest of the world, I can tell you what is certain. The Kingdom of Atlas will remain strong, and it will remain safe. That is my promise."

"That doesn't sound…encouraging when you're assuring your people." He commented, clearly knowing the hint of desperation on the broadcast. He can already tell that this person was no other than this General Ironwood the others had mentioned before. Shifting to his left, he saw the two-sister looked saddened upon hearing this.

"General Ironwood. He looks…" Yang spoke.

"Tired." Her sister finished her sentence.

Qrow looks to the side, saddened to know his friend's current state. "James, what have you been doing?"

Weiss was on the call with her sister. But it doesn't seem like she is picking up. She looked out of the window and saw there was obviously something wrong. "This isn't right. None of this is right."

"Manta 5-1, we've noticed a detour in your route." All heard the air traffic control calling them through the radio, suddenly realising where they were heading. "You are to make your way to docking bay Omega 12 immediately. Do you copy? Over."

"We're running out of time, kids." Maria told them.

"We need to ditch the ship." Yang had said, knowing that that would only be their best action.

"Agreed." Qrow had approved his niece's words. "Get lost in Mantle and buy ourselves some time.

That was a good plan. Although Ash had doubted that. "In a place like this? I wouldn't say so. Also, I have a feeling they might send someone after us." Now that he thought about it, it was really a good time to think of a contingency plan if he were to get captured and have his weapons confiscated.

The Former Heiress still insisted on her plan. "I'm telling you, my sister can take us to Ironwood."

Again, there was doubt in the Unkindled's mind when hearing this. His eyes soon trailed off to the side, and spotted someone that had the same features as her. "About that, you may want to check this."

Weiss saw where the Unkindled looked and went over to his side. She looks out of the window. Her eyes widened as she saw her sister on the big screen. "Huh?"

"A reminder." Winter's recorded voice seemed stern and militaristic. By the sound of it, she appeared to be blinded yet aware of the words she had spoken out. "Failure to cooperate with Atlas military personnel is a punishable offence. If your sector is under lockdown…"

"Winter…" The Former Heiress was shocked by this sudden announcement.

"No offense, Weiss. I'm not sure that's a good idea anymore." Qrow spoke up, causing her to tense her shoulder and curl both hands into fists.

"There's obviously something very wrong." She suddenly spoke, upset about what he just stated. "If we can just talk to her, then we—"

"He may have a point." Ash had spoken still in his usual tone, disrupting her from finishing her statement. "We are in an airship that we borrowed. Just directly going there to speak to this Ironwood isn't exactly a good idea. I say we abandon this somewhere in Mantle until we know what we're exactly dealing with."

That was a valid point he brought up. "But—" The former Heiress was about to say.

"Everyone, calm down," Maria shouted before releasing a sigh from her lips. "I know someone who can help with both."

"Manta 5-1," The Air Traffic Controller got angry that the ship had ignored their order. "you are to make your—"

The radio suddenly cuts as Maria switches the radio off out of annoyance. "Geez, lady, take a hint!" That earned a silent snort from the Unkindled, who could envision the operator being shunned by this response. With that done, the ship lowered to find somewhere safe to land.

---

-Scene Change-

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Lucky for them, there was an alleyway where the ship could safely without being detected by the military. After it landed, Maria slowly moved through the alley along with her cane. Seeing that the coast is clear, she picks up her cane and walks normally, and everyone else exits the alley with her. Well, almost everyone. Ash manages to catch up with them in time as he was busy putting the Onislayer Greatbow back into his bottomless Box.

"It landed over there, let's go!" He heard a soldier's voice. Turning to see where they exited, he saw a couple of soldiers dressed in rather impractical armor running to where the ship has landed.

Tagging with the other group, they found themselves in the Kingdom of Atlas's other city, Mantle. By how it looked, Ash can already tell that due to the heavy military presence, he saw people either getting annoyed or fearful of it. He was also unaware by these headlines shown through the holographic board:

"Missing Journalist Found Slain"

"Election Imminent Mantle Hometown Hero vs Atlesian Tycoon"

"Embargo: The Right Call? Pressure and Criticism Continues to Mount on Council"

"Outer Wall Damaged Resources Stalled"

His eyes suddenly shifted to a quote written on the wall that says, "Show Your Teeth".That caught his interest as he wondered if there were a group of individuals that the city highly praises. "Come on now, hurry! It shouldn't be much of a walk." He heard Maria's voice telling them.

Jaune looked at the amount of soldiers seen. He couldn't help but to ask the Atlesian Native a question. "Is this many soldiers normal?"

Weiss could easily answer it. "No. At least, I didn't think so."

Ash continued to looked around, seeing the state it was in. He couldn't help but to pity them as the conditions was absolutely appalling. Patches statement about Atlas having amazing architecture, but here? It seemed like the opposite. "Everything here doesn't seem to be really vibrant at all. Looks like Patches was right. As usual." If he were to encounter that merchant again, then he could imagine him having that smug look on his face and demanding to pay in souls as payment. At least, there is something useful after all with the two souls he recently collected.

Unknown to him, the group had stopped in the sidewalk. It wasn't because of Yang destroying a drone. It was mainly due to the poor condition Mantle was in. Blake couldn't help but comment of what she was seeing. "This whole city, it just seems awful."

"Yeah?" The group turned to the porch as they heard a man, who was clearly drunk by the way he spoke, stumbling down to their level. "You don't like it here? There's plenty of space out in the tundra."

The Faunus girl sighed, seeing the slip up she unintentionally made. "Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"Atlas is the greatest Kingdom in the world, alright?!" The drunken man rudely interrupted her.

Her leader stepped forward to confront him. "Hey!"

Seeing that the younger girl was about to get involved, Blake proceeded to step forward and leaned to her leader to whisper a warning. "We can't cause a scene."

Unfortunately, it seems like they were already causing one. "The embargo..." His drinking buddy said, walking to face the two. "The embargo's got us in a rough patch. But it'll blow over, you'll see."

"We try and help the other Kingdoms, and this is what happens?" The first drunken man said loudly, not having any care at all. "I say let 'em rot!"

Blake was trying to be disingenuous to deescalate the situation she had started. "I apologize. I didn't mean to insult you."

She gotten a response from him as he spat onto the ground and glared at her. "Stupid Faunus like you wouldn't unders—"

"Hey!" Both drunkards turned around to see Ash standing there, which stopped one of them from opening the lid to his flask. His body language showed that he was really calm. But, if he didn't have his helmet on, he would be glaring sharp dagger towards them.

"And what do you want? Here to defend that stupid Faunus!?" He spoke to the Unkindled.

"You better watch what you're saying." Ash warned him, his tone cold and firm.

Hearing this caused both to snort at his words. "And what if I—" The first drunkard was about to say when Ash gripped the hilt of the Wolf Knight's Greatsword and stabbed it onto the ground and an instant. The two stumbled back at the response he given them. Without saying a single word, he simply walked by them.

The two looked at what happened. Before either could think, all of them decide to leave the scene without raising any suspicion. As they did, his buddy recognised the white-haired girl and started running. "Hey, wait! You're—" Right before doing, he tripped and eventually collapsed to the ground.

---

-Scene Change-

---

After feeling from the scene they created, the group continued towards Maria's destination. Weiss looked at Ash with an intense look on her face. "You know you created a scene, right?"

The Unkindled shrugged at her words as he put back the Wolf Knight's Greatsword onto the strap on his back. "You were about to do something to him that would have grabbed more attention. I simply gave a warning."

The former Heiress opened her mouth before closing. She admitted that she would cause a lot of attention, resulting in her huffing at his remark. "Fine. You have a point, Ash. But that doesn't mean you get to destroy things."

"It's a minor thing. There's nothing to worry." He told her.

The group approaches a building with a glowing green plus symbol above its front door. When it opened, a Faunus with a prosthetic arm exited, waving cheerfully to the man who spoke to her from inside. Ash wondered if this was precisely the location. "And no more heavy lifting, yah hear?"

The nod that Maria made confirms his wonder. Everyone followed the elderly woman. He noticed how messy it was as they did, probably because of the paper scattered through the room. She let out a smile by seeing a familiar face. "Ah, it's good to see you again, old friend."

Behind the desk, a colored elderly man shuffled many things around his drawer. Maria clears her throat, which startles him. He lifts his head to look at her, shutting the drawer upon seeing her presence. "Ah, yes, yes." He pushed a stack of paper to get a better view of her. "Have we met?" Hearing this, he wanted the Unkindled to speak aloud. But he knew that this wasn't his place to correct him.

"Well, this is off to a fantastic start," Ren commented as he entered the building along with the rest. Ash had the same thought but decided to not comment once again.

"Cybernetic optical implants." She spoke, ignoring the others while pointing at her optical eyes. "You adjust them. Every ten years or so?"

This made the elderly man stare at her momentarily before he threw his arms up in the air, happy to see her again. "Maria!" The Chair he was on had mechanical legs that allowed him to walk to the other elderly without getting off the seat. "Yes, with the cybernetic optical implants! I adjust them every ten years or so." He offers his hand to her and leads her to an examination table. He couldn't help but laugh at the remark he heard. "Oh wow, has it been that long already?"

"Ah, I know. I age like a fine wine." She complimented herself. "Would've been here sooner if I hadn't encountered these jokers. At the time, I thought they might need my guidance while fighting a little old Sphinx."

"Oh," He said, looking at the other visitors. With interest, "Did they?"

"No, no. They had much more complicated issues." She responded back to him.

As this continued, Qrow cleared his throat, which grabbed their attention. "And this is?"

"So impatient," Maria muttered in a satirical manner. "I didn't think I'd need to introduce one of Atlas' finest minds."

"Working in a place like this?" Yang asked, seeing how poor the conditions were.

"He likes to keep a low profile." She informed them, now making sense to all as to why someone significant would want to work in a place like this. Something that Ash would not mind at all. "Something I've realised none of you know anything about."

"That's not surprising at all." The unkindled thoughtfully commented.

The elderly man knew that it was time to introduce himself to them. "You can call me Pietro."

"Finest heart, too," Maria added to his comment. "This pharmacy is just where he volunteers when he's not building the future of Atlas alongside Ironwood, up in the clouds."

"Oh, it's stuffy up there. Down here, I help the locals and have a little fun." Hearing this caused the Unkindled to develop some sort of respect towards him. At least there were like him and the Schnee girl who would help others no matter what background they were from. He presented a pair of metallic boots to them. "I'm currently working on shoes that make you dance. Wanna try 'em on?"

In an instant, Nora, of all people, instantly replied to his question. "YES!"

Unfortunately, she couldn't try it on as the Blonde Brawler soon stepped in front of her, wanting to ask a question to the Atlesian Scientist. "Before we get to that, we wondered if you could help us. We came to Atlas hoping to talk to General Ironwood, but um…"

"What exactly has been happening here?" The Faunus girl asked, finishing her partner's question.

Pietro coughed a few times, displaying some sort of sickness, as he thought of what they said. The cough eventually stopped as he answered their question. "Well, the Fall of Beacon took a toll on all of us. James was no different. I couldn't tell you exactly what he saw there, but it changed him. He's…"

"Scared." Qrow finished his sentence.

The doctor had a better word to describe it as he resumed his statement. "Paranoid would be the more appropriate term. You have to understand it wasn't just the Grimm. Someone completely dismantled Atlas's security code, made it their plaything, and made us look like traitors to some and buffoons to everyone else. Whoever did that is either a genius or one of our own. I fear the answer may be both, and so does the general." Ash had taken every word he heard onto his mind. By the looks of things, the Fall of Beacon had a more severe consequence for the Kingdom than the ones he had looked at in those news articles.

Ren looked down, also having the same thought as the Unkindled. "Maybe Atlas isn't as safe as we thought."

Now, Oscar wondered what they were going to do next. "After we came all this way, we can't just leave, can we?"

Weiss stepped forward, asking her own questions. "How does the council feel about all of this? Or Winter Schnee? Do you know anything about her?"

That was a lot of questions they were asking him. He could give them one even though it won't be enough. "Well, the councils so scared they'll agree to whatever he wants. Though, some representatives from Mantle… "He took a good glimpse at her before he grasped the person he was talking to. "Wait, you're… You're Weiss Schnee!"

The former Heiress gasped and stepped back, causing her and her friends to have a nervous look on their faces. The blonde proceeded to step forward with her mechanical arm outstretched. "Wait, what was it that you were trying to say about Mantle?"

The doctor looked at the arm in shock. "You painted it."

The blonde stepped back and lowered her arm, showing her confusion at his words. "What?"

Her sister couldn't help but to say on what was on their minds, even Ash was confused by this man's words. "Is everything okay?"

Pietro looked at the colorful girls with interest. It was then he come to know who he was looking at. "You're… Team RWBY!"

The four girls looked at each other in mild in confusion. Their leader, yet again, was the first to speak. "You know us?!"

The elderly man chuckled at the younger girl. "Oh, my girl, I do. I most certainly do. And I feel like such a dunce for not recognizing you sooner. My daughter's told me so much about you."

She tilted her head. "Your… daughter?" That caught the Unkindled's attention. This man was too old to have a daughter, then that begs the question. Is this daughter of his adopted or was she an adult?

He was about ask that when all heard the sound of an alarm and people screaming. Jaune immediately knew what was going on. "Ah, trouble."

Upon hearing that, most of the group proceeded to head outside. Pietro tried to reach for them but to no avail while following them. All that was left was Ash as he took some time to think of what they about to do. All he could do was to exhale tiredly before proceeding to head out. "How troublesome. They're really going to put them into deep danger?"

---

-Scene Change-

---

Following the group back out to the city, all heard soldiers and droids firing back at the Grimm that had entered the inner walls. Everyone readied their weapons, except for Blake, as it was still broken from earlier and had to resort to using its gun form. "I guess the city defences aren't doing much." He heard Oscar commenting on the current situation.

Nora looked over to her partner with a sarcastic expression on her face. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me."

Down the road, an Atlesian droid is thrown against a lamppost. Another was tossed with three more back up into view, shooting at Sabyrs, which tackled and destroyed them one by one with ease. Ruby had Cresent Rose ready and looked at the others. "Well, we didn't come this far to fail now!" She changes her weapon into its scythe form and aims the sniper barrel toward the Sabyrs, which finish destroying the Atlesian Knight-200s and charge toward her and her friends. Everyone readies their weapons. Yang recoiled from her gauntlet, followed by Ren, launching himself forward.

Seeing the group rushing towards the Grimm, Ash only silently stared at them. "Try to think of a tactic rather than rushing towards your enemies." There's nothing he can do for now. All that's left is to fend off the Grimm until help arrives.

Grabbing the sword's Hilt on his back before pulling it out, the Unkindled ran towards a Sabyr that rushed towards him. He got closer and immediately ducked when the Grimm attempted to grab him. In an instant, he stabbed the creature in the chest, and it was instantly killed. As that was done, Ash swung his sword towards another as it leapt towards his left and decapitated another Grimm before it could lay a single claw on him.

More came towards his position. Like the others, the Unkindled easily disposed of them with a single slash and decapitated them. This didn't go unnoticed by Pietro, who was bemused by his sword's efficiency despite being in a rough condition.

During a little moment when there were no Grimm, Ash felt that something or someone was watching him from afar. This caused him to be wary of his surroundings. "It seems we're being watched. I have to be careful about what I do." Already, he thought of something to avoid them, but unfortunately, he could not save Ruby and the others at the same time if that were to happen.

The others had killed their share of Grimm. As the last one was shot by Blake, another Sabyr leapt into the air behind the Faunus, who let out a gasp and turned to face it. The Unkindled was about to spring into action to save her when, unexpectedly, a green laser fires from the sky, cutting the Grimm in half. More lasers shoot from above, striking down the remaining Grimm. The alarms throughout the city stop, and the streetlamps change their color. Everyone watches as a figure with long hair flies into view, with green jets coming from her feet. She twirls in the air and slowly descends.

Everyone was confused at this individual sudden arrival. But, to the young Leader, she couldn't believe what she saw. It was a face she had not seen for a while, and it caused her to shout the girl's name. "Penny!"

To everyone's complete ignorance, they didn't hear Pietro speaking to her. "Darling, why don't you say hello to your friends?"

The new girl, Penny Polendina, turns to look in the direction her father's voice came from. Upon seeing the young Leader, she gasps, and her eyes shine joyfully. The other girl smiles and puts her weapon away. Penny leans forward a little. "Sal…"

Naturally, this caused Ruby to need clarification about what the girl was about to do. "Huh?"

Penny lowers to one knee as a high-pitched charging noise is heard. "U…"

Ruby was now nervous about what was unfolding. "Uh…?"

The new girl begins gleefully sprinting toward Ruby at high speed. Faster than any living human or Faunus. "TATIONS!"

Penny leaps and activates her jets, rocketing forward and tackling Ruby, who flails her hands around in front of her and screams, eyes widened in shock and surprise. Upon crashing to the ground, Ruby groans in pain to the force she has felt. Everyone else puts their weapons away and approaches the pair. The unusual girl jumps back onto her feet while Ruby slowly rises with her hand on her head. "It is such a pleasure to see you all again!"

The younger girl only tearfully muttered at seeing the girl once again. "Penny, I… I-I thought you…"

"Died?" Pietro said, using his chair to walk over to Penny's side. "I guess, in a manner of speaking, she did. But we could recover her core from Amity Arena once it had returned to Atlas. It took me some time, but…"

"I'm as good as new! Better, even! And now I'm the official protector of the city!" The girl officially declared. The way she spoke seemed very childlike, which showed the lack of maturity of any girl her age.

"That's my girl. We won't let a little ripping to shreds stop us, are we?" Her father laughed before coughing a few times.

"No, sir!" She replied to him as she knocked on her head with a clanking sound somewhat heard.

On the other hand, the others had something to say about this. Weiss was the one to speak up. "This is…"

"Strangely wholesome," Blake added to the Former Heiress's words, finding the better words to suit how the newly rebuilt Penny had talked about.

"Sounds like Penny to me." Yang had commented.

The robotic girl was too excited. She tightly grabbed Ruby's shoulders. "We have so many things to catch up about. I cannot wait!" She was about to say more when the city's alarm hit. This didn't deter Penny's optimistic attitude. "It seems we will have to wait." That said, she bounces back and salutes them before charging her jets and rockets into the sky. She continued babbling to Ruby even as she was taking off. "Let's talk more later! I can't wait to hear about all of your adventures and tell you how I have been, and I am just very excited about the whole experience!"

As Penny left, Nora was immediately the first to speak as she was confused. "I can't tell if I completely understand what's happening or have a million questions."

Pietro turned away from them as he was heading back to his pharmacy. "And thankfully, I have about a thousand answers. But let's get out of this weather first."

Maria, who was following from behind, couldn't help but comment. "I have absolutely no idea who that child was. Is she important somehow?"

As the two elderlies walked, the others still contemplated what had just occurred. Jaune was the first to speak. "That was unexpected."

His teammate could comment on his Leader's words. "Never a dull moment."

"But I wouldn't say unwelcome. I was honestly expecting things to go a lot rougher." Qrow had spoken before his eyes told him a particular person was missing from the group. Someone who tends to disappear without giving a word. "Has anyone seen Ash?"

Everyone looked around, and they indeed saw Ash missing. However, they weren't surprised since everyone knew he was doing something without telling them. "He's probably just clearing out any Grimm stragglers. But Penny can deal with that." Ruby had told them. "Don't worry, he'll sure come back to us."

Knowing that he would come back, Ruby and her group proceeded to catch up with Maria and Pietro. However, as they walked, Ren sensed that something was behind them. Before anyone can respond, several bolases wrap around Nora, Oscar, Jaune and Ren. The spheres at the ends of the ropes were locked into place with Gravity Dust. Blake looks back at the commotion, just in time for all of Team RWBY to be caught. As Ruby lands, the Relic of Knowledge comes unhooked from her belt and clatters. Qrow draws his sword and looks for their unseen enemy before being captured. Five uniform-clad people come out of hiding and surround the group.

"Good work, Team." The Leader of the squad congratulates his teammates.

Oscar was confused by the situation he and the others had landed in. He tried to snake to unshackle himself but to no success. "Hey! What's going on?!"

Qrow tried to reason with the new five arrivals. "Hey, pal! I'm a licensed Huntsman! Just helped save everyone?"

It seems he didn't get a response as the other man looks down at him while twirling a horseshoe on his finger. He puts the horseshoe away and picks up Harbinger. The other uniformed operatives gather everyone else's weapons while Atlesian Knight-200s approach, and the operatives hand the confiscated weapons to the robots. Clover then approaches Ruby, picks up the Relic, and looks at it for confirmation. "Hm. Let's get them loaded into the next transport."

"Please! We were just trying to help!" Ruby pleaded with them but without any response from him or the others.

"What is the meaning of this?" Pietro suddenly asked the five-man squad before letting a cough out of his throat. "What are the Ace-Ops even doing down here in Mantle?"

"Ace Ops?" The Younger Girl managed to mutter upon hearing that.

"Doctor, good to see you." The Leader spoke to the elderly man, ignoring what Ruby had just said. "Well, we heard a report of an unauthorized ship making an unauthorized landing, followed by an unauthorized use of weapons by unlicensed Huntsmen."

This statement made Maria turn away from them before walking away. Pietro wanted to reason with them. "If we could just talk this out—"

"They'll be able to talk this out once they get to Atlas." He disrupted the doctor while tossing the Relic from one hand to another before gesturing to his teammates. "Let's move out!"

The Ace-Ops split up and left the area, which left Ruby and her friends bound up. All the while, Ash had managed to avoid this by simply using a Young White Branch to disguise himself as a nearby litter on the street. Luckily for him, he was left undiscovered as he didn't make a lot of sound. He had so many questions about what he had witnessed. "Just who exactly are they. This Penny and the Ace Operatives?" The Latter name sounded ridiculous to him, but he shouldn't judge by how they had executed it with sheer efficiency.

Seeing the doctor leaving the area when a flying patrol van landed near them, he suddenly had an idea. If he had to be honest with himself, he didn't like what he was about to do. But there wasn't exactly any option left. "Guess I have no other choice."

---

Well, well, well! This story is finally in the second volume, which is basically just Volume Seven of RWBY! Apology if most of it were practically just copied and pasted, but it was easier to write the chapter.

Next chapter, I will try to make it lean on the original side of thins while also copying and pasting some snippets of the next one.

Now then, onto the reviews:

Guest: Uh, SPOILERS!

triscythe59: Well, here you go! I hope you like it!

EXCUBITORE: I have to agree with you there. Atlas is obviously expecting an attack as seen with Beacon. But I have to tell you this, what Ironwood is doing is exactly what Gwyn has done in the name of preservation of their Kingdom's safety, even if they have to go to extreme measures.

Mark: You're exactly spot on mate!

Guest: Oh just you wait!

Some asshole 4145: Yeah, apology if this isn't too your liking with no struggles as all. But, I am planning to do something with this problem.

Goodbye. I will see you all in the next chapter…whenever that will be…

Just to let you know that this chapter is an obvious reference to a certain  game  that you may or may not have heard of before. Now then, let's get onto the chapter!

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Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant Volume II

Fourteen

Familiar Faces, New Goals

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Ruby gazes out the window of the police airship as it flies over Mantle, then turns and looks at her friends. Nora chewed at the attempt to remove the bolas that restrained her wrists. At the same time, everyone else sat in the police transport silently, the only sounds being Nora's growling and the muffled chattering of the guards piloting the ship. It was at that point she decided to ask her question. "Where do you think they're taking us?"

Her uncle had already gotten an answer. "I'm gonna go with jail."

Jaune still felt bittered by what had transpired earlier. "I still can't believe that fishing pole guy took us out like it was nothing. Right before Ash can even find us."

The Former Heiress sighed as she knew who exactly they had encountered. "Welcome to Atlas. Those were Ironwood's Ace Operatives."

A man with his hands tightly bound looked at them before speaking up. "Hmm? Do you guys have a run-in with the Ace-Ops? Ironwood must really have a bone to pick with you."

Weiss rolled her eyes at him. "They're not that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a deal!?" He spoke up, taking her comment quite seriously. "The Ace-Ops are the elite-of-elite military Huntsmen and Ironwood's personal attack dogs."

"So they got you too, huh?" Nora asked, wondering if he had gotten the exact reason why he got arrested like them.

"Pfft!" He muttered defensively with a tone of arrogance. "I wouldn't let myself get caught by them. I'm here because I've been speaking out against Atlas's exploitation of Mantle, and General Ironwood is trying to silence me."

"You threw a brick at her ship!" The pilot pointed out.

The man got defensive about this claim and jumped out of his head as he spoke to the two pilots." It's worth it if it gets people talking about our cause!" Hearing this caused one of them to get annoyed at him before he sighed.

Blake looked at him with a curious look on her face. "'Our Cause'?"

"Yes, the fight for better conditions in Mantle! Lead by the charismatic, talented, lovely Robyn Hill and her Happy Huntresses!" He immediately answered her question. Because of his constant blabbering, the primary pilot proceeded to press a button, causing the window between the cab and the back of the ship to begin slowly closing. He immediately notices this, stands up and starts frantically shouting to the window so the guards can hear him. "They were all top Atlas Academy graduates, who could've signed up for the military, but Robyn and the Huntresses chose to stay in Mantle. She's gunning for a seat on the Kingdom's council, and when she gets it, she's gonna put an end to Ironwood's tyranny!"

Oscar, like the others, was interested in what he had said. "Happy… Huntresses?"

Yang had the same thought as the young boy. "Is that their real name?"

Weiss had different thoughts about what he had mentioned. "Don't you think "tyranny's" a little dramatic?"

The man turns to face her to respond. Yet, as he was about to, he looked surprised to see who was speaking to him. This made him speak in a very disdainful manner. "Easy to say for a Schnee heiress, living comfortably in Atlas."

Weiss let out a sad sigh as she knew that no longer applied to her. "Not anymore."

All passengers felt the ship going upwards, knowing that this would lead them to the floating city of Atlas. Still, this didn't stop the young leader from looking out the window and was in awe of what she saw. "Whoa, it's gorgeous up here!"

This causes Jaune and Nora to leave their seats and look out the window with the young leader. The former Schnee Heiress looked at their enthusiasm and couldn't help but to sardonically comment. "Don't let that fool you."

The man hummed at her before leaving his seat. He, too, also took a peek out of the window and noticed the building they were heading into. "This isn't the police station."

By a gut feeling, Qrow knew where the airship was landing. "It's… Atlas Academy."

Indeed, all of them were heading towards Atlas Academy, the destination they were initially heading to. It had five enormous towers, one large central tower and four side towers of varying heights surrounding the building. Each side tower had a pair of Hard-Light Dust rings surrounding them and a glass viewing platform at the top. Due to this, it had a blue tint to a seemingly dark building.

The ship docks on a landing pad in front of Atlas Academy and is met by a pair of guards, who open the ship's rear double doors to let Team RWBY, Team JNR, Oscar and Qrow exit while the man stayed behind in the police airship. Ruby gazes up at the towering academy while more guards lining up along the path leading to the building. "I guess we will be seeing the General. For better or worse." They proceeded to walk while a pair of Atlesian Guards escorted to them. Despite their professionalism, none of the soldiers had ever noticed an invisible entity trailing behind the group.

---

-Scene Change-

---

The group were on the elevator to supposedly meet General Ironwood. Silence was present as they were thinking of what to say if there was a scenario where the meeting could go wrong. Although all of them were still restrained. "So, what do we do?" Ren asked.

"I don't know yet. But we should be careful with what we say." Ruby answered and got a glance from one of the soldiers, unaware that the same invisible entity was with them.

She heard Blake leaning over to her ear before quietly saying, "We'll follow your lead, Ruby." That made the young leader smile, but then she looked worried again.

The elevator beeped as it arrived at its destination. The guards escort them into a hallway and down a flight of stairs. They enter a room just as a familiar individual speaks to someone else. "I swear if I have to sit through one more council meeting like that…" The voice basically confirms it to be General Ironwood, who was accompanied by Winter and Penny.

Speaking of the latter, she turns around and notices them. This caused her to let out a gasp before smiling at the group. "Yay, you're here!"

The eccentric girl's celebratory greeting catches Ironwood and Winter's attention, causing them to stop and look. Weiss steps out from behind Ruby and approaches them. "Winter." She calls out her sister's name.

Said individual gasped lightly in surprise upon seeing this. It would have been a heartfelt reunion for the two sisters if Nora hadn't interrupted as she was leaning in and holding up her bound wrists, grinning and waving her fingers. "Anyone wanna give us a hand with these?

Winter takes a moment to collect herself before returning to her usual stern demeanour and addressed the two guards. "You have ten seconds to take those off before I start hurting you."

The duos looked at one another as they were confused. "Huh?" Finally understanding the situation, they frantically begin removing the bolases from everyone's arms while Ironwood watches with a smile.

"Sorry!" The first guard said to them.

"Please, let us help you!" The second guard added.

"Forgive us!" The first guard pleaded to them.

"There's no need to say sorry or ask for forgiveness." A new voice interjected to the duo. "This is perhaps all a miscommunication."

Now, everyone stopped what they were doing. The Atlesians didn't know who that voice belonged to. But, to Ruby and the others, they knew precisely who had that exact voice. All turned to their back and noticed Ash standing there. With his sword slung onto his back. He just stood there and looked at the others as he was glad, he didn't have to resort to holding one of the soldiers' hostages. But before he can say anything….

"ASH!" Ruby shouted his name, walking towards where he was and hugging him, much to his discomfort. "You're here! How did you manage to come here without getting noticed!?"

"I have my own way." He said without a hint of emotion that Ruby and the others were getting used to it. He didn't want to say that he followed them using his invisibility spell, which would effectively expose him to his usage of magic. He then signalled Ruby to let go as he felt uncomfortable since she was close to him.

Qrow couldn't help but chuckle at the person he thought he wouldn't see anytime soon. "I would say you're lucky. You're the only one that isn't handcuffed. Unlike us."

Nora could say the same thing. "Yeah, and you still have that sword of yours. I don't know if I should feel jealous that you were the only who didn't get yours taken away." At that statement, all of their handcuffs dropped to the ground, and they rubbed their wrists.

The Unkindled looked at them before shifting his gaze towards three unfamiliar faces. He sighed as he knew he had interrupted what one of them was about to say. "Apologise. I should introduce myself after you have your talk with them."

The General narrowed his eyes at this individual. It was reasonable, considering that he popped up all of a sudden. Yet, he knew that there were more important things that needed to be addressed before the stranger could introduce himself. "Right." He then looked at everyone else as the two soldiers walked away. "Please, come in." The group followed Ironwood, Winter, and Penny to his officer. None of them heard another elevator ding after they had left the hallway that led to the General's Office.

---

-Scene Change-

---

Ash's first impression of the General's Office? He saw lively things, unlike Firelink Shrine. It was a circular room featuring dark blue metallic walls and windows which could fade to become opaque. The office floors were shown to depict constellations as golden stars. It reflected the General's love for astronomy. Speaking of the General... "It is so good to see all of you."

Yang was massaging her remaining wrist as she was speaking to Ironwood. "Our reception didn't really convey that."

The General sighed as he knew the mess-up that occurred. "I sincerely regret how you were treated by my team."

Qrow rolls his eyes with a slight huff, whereas Ash remains unemotional, as usual. Ironwood walked behind his desk to sit down, and Penny and Winter stood at either side of the desk. "When a rogue airship entered our airspace, it raised some… red flags. We assumed the ship was stolen."

"Stolen?" Ruby spoke before awkwardly laughing. It would have lasted a bit longer if she hadn't turned to the side, where the Unkindled gave her a deadpan look despite the helmet that covered his head. She then proceeded to speak in an apologetic tone. "Okay, yeah, it was 'stolen'." She put the last words in an inverted comma, which everyone knew wasn't true.

Ironwood's eyes widen in surprise. He then smiles, and his shoulders move slightly with a silent chuckle. His second-in-command, Winter, meanwhile, finds no humour in the situation and begins scolding them. More specifically, to her sister, Weiss. "You stole an Atlas airship?" Her sister looked at her with a frown as she approached the former Heiress. "What were you thinking!? You might've been shot down! How unbelievably irresponsible—"

The Specialist was caught by surprise when her young sister hugged her. "I'm sorry I worried you. But we did what we had to do."

"I…" Winter spoke to her, breaking her stern demeanour again before sighing and hugging back. Which eventually calmed her down. "I suppose I understand." This heartwarming interaction between the two sisters only lasted for a couple of seconds before she turned her head and shot a glare at Qrow. "But I cannot believe that you allowed this to happen, Qrow."

"You try stopping these kids when they have their mind set on something." Qrow defensively told her. "Besides, we didn't steal the airship at all. We borrowed it with Cordivin's permission. You can say thanks to our strange new friend over there." He pointed towards Ash, who was now on his left. "He's the one that opted us for that option. If it weren't for him, we would have been shot down."

Now that he mentioned it, the three individuals, as mentioned earlier, shifted their attention towards the Unkindled. If they had to be honest, none had ever seen the likes of him before. This is mainly due to how old and rugged his armor was, in addition to the damages and blood stains seen. Well, that's aside from what he pulled earlier. Ironwood raised his eyebrow at him. "And who you might be?"

Ash looked back at the General while his body was tense. "Just call me Ash, as you may have heard it when the kid hugged me." He gestured towards Ruby.

Hearing this name made the robotic girl tilt her head. "Ash?" It was at that moment that something was within her mind. She had a cheery look on her face. "Oh, you mean the Ashen One, right?"

Hearing what Penny had just spoken caused him to tense again and directly look her dead in the eye. It was reasonable since he told no one about that title. "What did you say?" His voice was stoic, yet there was a heavy hint of hostility as well.

Everyone clearly saw the shift in his tone. They never heard him being so hostile, yet there were no signs of doing anything malicious. Qrow narrowed his eyebrows at him. "Ashen One?"

Winter and the General looked at one another. By analysing their facial expressions, the two seemed to expect this kind of reaction from him. "We may have found the person we're looking for." The former had told the latter. Her voice was that of confirmation.

Naturally, this caused Ash to turn to look at them in disbelief. Everyone else shared his reaction. "Can you explain what's going on?"

The older Schnee, still beside her sister, noticed his voice sounding more hostile as he overheard what they said. She looked at her Commanding Officer, who nodded at her before she answered his question. "We encountered this woman not too long ago in Mistral before shutting our borders. We thought she was some stranger and potentially an enemy. But she had been expected us. Well, me, to say the least"

"Expected?" Weiss spoke, finding it hard to believe that a woman had suddenly expected someone like her sister or Ironwood.

This could have been better with Ash. Although he was still a bit tense, he let a question out of his mouth. "And who exactly is this woman that expected you, Ma'am?"

Winter had the look of uncertainty on her face. "You see…"

"Ashen One?" A soothing, gentle voice of a woman called out to him. His eyes widened behind his helmet as he knew exactly who that belonged to.

Ruby and the others, on the other hand, wondered who it was. They turned around and saw a woman standing at the entrance to the General's Office. She was beautiful. She had long platinum-blonde hair tied up to a braid that reached her spine and wore a formal black and brown attire consisting of a Robe, Manchettes and Skirt. A well-designed metallic blindfold rested on the top half of her head was eye-catching to them, hinting that she was blind. None of them knew who this woman was… except for Ash.

Qrow couldn't help whistling at this fair lady's appearance. This didn't go unnoticed by Ash, and he let out a quick glare. The woman began to approach them and headed towards Ash's direction. Everyone, apart from Winter, Ironwood, and Penny, were caught off guard because she came to him despite having that blindfold on. She was approximately an inch away and looked at him. A few moments passed before a small smile formed on her lips, and she cupped his right cheek gently through the Fallen Knight Helmet with her burnt-scarred left hand. "Ashen One, 'tis genuinely is you. To senseth thy presence is certainly pleasing."

Ash couldn't help but sigh as he felt the tension easing. He was so happy to see her again but didn't show it. He gently gripped the woman's left hand before setting it down. "It… certainly is Firekeeper. I... was worried I wouldn't get to see you again."

Ruby and her friends couldn't help but have their hearts melt at this sight. By the looks of things, this woman seems very close to Ash, like a mother to her child. It was the first time that he had displayed some sort of compassion for anyone. Yang cleared her throat to grab their attention. "So, Ash? Mind telling us who's this woman of yours?"

The Unkindled was about to open his mouth yet decided not to. Knowing that she would do it instead. "Greetings, acquaintances of the Ashen One. I am a Firekeeper. I thank all of thee to accompany him here, to Atlas."

"Firekeeper?" Ruby muttered. She can't help but find that as an odd name. Or was it a title? The same could be said for the others.

"Firekeeper…" Ash spoke to her as he looked at his closest friend. "You are here? How?"

"A story I believe we should speak in private, Ashen One." Firekeeper cryptically answered as she looked back at him, earning confused and interested looks from the others. She then turns her head towards Winter. "However, if thou wishes to know how I have arrived in the Kingdom of Atlas, I believe Specialist Schnee can explain herself."

Everyone turned to the said Specialist, who was curious about what the blind woman was saying. If one could tell, Ash seemed to be the most curious if his Fallen Knight helmet was not hiding his face. "You found and brought Firekeeper here?"

"Indeed, I have." Winter said with a professional tone.

"How did you find her? And why did you bring her here?" The Unkindled continued to question the Specialist.

Despite her professional appearance, she was inwardly unsettled by the armoured man's questionings and insistence. She turns to General Ironwood for assistance, who notices and is thinking about it for the moment before giving a silent nod of approval towards her. She silently sighed before turning towards the Ashen One. "I found her through… unintentional means."

The newcomers were all confused at what the Specialist said while Ash raised a brow underneath his helmet. "Explain." He continued to insist, making Winter's eyes twitch as she was growing annoyed by him.

The elder Schnee took a deep breath to calm herself and reluctantly explained. "This… is how it went. It happened in Mistral before I returned to Atlas before its borders shut, where I was assigned to find a potential threat. There was a soldier who went out of base without any authorization and was waiting, and I was ordered to go there and grab him. When I went there, he told me he was securing something valuable and told me to look over a cliff."

She let out a breath of air as she had to say what occurred next. "Once I looked to where the soldier was pointing, I saw something shiny. I didn't expect that same soldier to kick me down without any warning. I landed deep into the cave with my aura shattered and Scroll destroyed. I got back up to see that the exact soldier was an unknown man who was bold and informed that he punished me for, as he puts it, 'no matter what pathway the Schnees chooses, greed always runs within the family. Don't you say? That's why it's my job to teach them a lesson' before leaving me stranded there, aura-less and without communication."

She let out a breath to calm down as she felt in that situation before continuing. "There were colored stones in a pathway, and I followed it. It took a while to follow it as it was deep in the caves, and I eventually entered an area where there were a lot of candles lying throughout. Then I saw her." She gestured over to the Firekeeper. "She was tending them with her bare hands, and I was shocked that she was doing it with her bare hands. I wanted to stop her from burning herself and was about to walk towards her. That was when she turned around and greeted me with my last name. I was shocked. I didn't know who that person was before she introduced herself as a 'Firekeeper' and had been expecting my arrival." She looked over to the person who was looking at her. "Would you like to explain them yourself?"

"Art, thou wish." The blind Fairy Lady nodded before looking towards the others. "As Specialist Schnee mentioned herself, I was expecting her arrival. The reason is that she was trapped and wanted to find a way out. I told her a way to get back to the surface. Yet, she was suspicious about my presence. I told her I was seeking someone special in Atlas. Specialist Schnee was hesitant to bring me to her Kingdom. Though, I convinced her I would go with her as long as I hath provided the necessary information needed until thy arrival, Ashen One."

"And… that's how I found Firekeeper." Winter finished explaining, gaining silence from the newcomers and even Ash, who was still staring at her. "She was placed in a safe building within the Academy and given the necessary information. Until now." She was glad she didn't have to resort to using force towards the Fair Lady. Otherwise, the possibility of Ash doing anything that would potentially kill her by the way he had looked at her.

When that was over, the Unkindled was annoyed at learning who was responsible for Firekeeper's discovery but was upset about how it went. It was a good thing his mask covered his reaction as he remembered what he said to him back at that campsite in Argus. "And I managed to trick a Schnee down a cave. I'm surprised that despite one of their kind being in the military, they are always tricked by their greed."

"Patches…" Ash inwardly groaned, annoyed that the trickster merchant did another favour for him, but it was through his entertainment. Firekeeper noticed his reaction but decided to not speak.

The silence was broken when Qrow laughed profusely while holding his sides. "Hahaha! I… I can't believe that happened to you of all people! I take back what I said about coming here. I was not expecting that at all!"

"W-Winter…" Weiss muttered, not knowing how to react at hearing her beloved sister was so deceived in the most humiliating way.

Ruby was conflicted. So she stayed entirely. Not wanting to hurt her partner's feelings. Oscar was the same.

Blake was trying not to laugh but just quietly chuckled.

Yang and Nora couldn't help but laugh at the elder Schnee's misfortune.

Jaune chuckled nervously, and Ren stays quiet with a straight face, no doubt using his Semblance to hold himself.

Winter couldn't help but have a hint of red on her face in embarrassment, feeling humiliated and angry what had occurred on that day. She swore that she'd get revenge on that man who had tricked her one day. That and how rumours had spreading through the ranks about her being tricked in the funniest way possible.

It was eventually broken when Ash cleared his throat, ultimately grabbing everyone's attention. He didn't want them to delve deep into Winter's situation any longer. "Moving on, I think they want to tell you something."

That was when Qrow stopped laughing and continued where the Unkindled left off. "Yeah, about that. We have some important information for you that's… confidential." Ash just rolled his eyes at hearing the last bit.

The tone of the room shifted in a militaristic way. "Oh, is it about the Relics?" Penny asked as he moved to the General's side.

Winter had seemingly switched back to her professional tone as she stood by at the General's other side. "Or perhaps the Winter Maiden?"

The Huntsman was surprised to hear this and had an obvious guess as to who. He looked over to Ironwood. "You told them?"

Said the individual just hummed at the Drunkard's words. He stands from his desk and retrieves the Relic of Knowledge from his drawer, which makes it grow to its standard size as he holds it up. "Did you really think you were the only one who got to work on a new plan after Beacon? With Ozpin gone, I needed a team of people I could trust. So yes, I told them. The Ace-Ops too." He looks over to the Firekeeper, who is gleaming over the object in his hand. "Not the Firekeeper. But she somehow knows about them." He then goes back on topic. "I'm so glad you're here… with this." He gestures to the Relic of Knowledge. "Until now, I believed it was impossible to truly turn the tide against Salem. Oz has pushed her back, has kept victory out of her claws, but she will keep returning stronger and stronger… unless we destroy her."

He places the Relic atop his desk, and the Firekeeper immediately remarks about it. "Ah, the Relic of Knowledge. 'Tis a real thing. It holds a rather…" She immediately stopped as she realised that everyone, apart from Ash for an apparent reason, was looking at her in bewilderment. "Forgive for my intrusion. T'was drifting into my own thoughts." The General was not too bothered with her words. Although, he was sceptical of what she had said and would like to know how she knew them.

Ruby was deep in her thoughts when she decided to ask her question. "But… what about the Atlas Relic?"

Ironwood knew what she was talking about. "You mean the Staff of Creation?"

"It's safe inside the Vault!" Penny enthusiastically told them.

"And the Winter Maiden?" Qrow had asked them.

That was when Winter decided to answer that. "She is secure and in stable condition."

Yang was obviously confused by her words. "Stable condition? What does that—"

"She's, uh, not exactly a spring chicken." Her uncle informed her right away.

"I know how this all looks," Ironwood told them while looking at them in the eyes. "Recalling my military? The embargo? I probably don't seem the most trustworthy right now."

"Then why continue it?" Blake asked.

Nora continued where the Faunus girl left off. "The people of Mantle are hurting!"

Ironwood seemed to understand what the two were trying to say and was confident in his decision. "I needed to ensure Salem couldn't infiltrate Atlas. And I wanted my military here, protecting my people."

"But it's not protecting them! It's making everyone hate you." Yang had pointed out.

Still, Ironwood had already decided on his choice. "It's a price I'm willing to pay." He reaches over to a glowing panel of buttons on his desk and taps a button on the controller that resembles a table emitting light from its surface. "Just as you all have been entrusted with the knowledge of Salem's existence, I need you all to trust me. I have a plan."

Shutters come down outside the windows, darkening the room. A circle in the center of the floor that bared Atlas' emblem begins to rise up, which makes Ruby and Oscar step off of it. Ironwood starts to talk and makes his way over to it, as the circle increases and transforms into a table. "Ozpin believed the best way to fight Salem was to do so in secret. Whether that was the right choice or not isn't for me to say. But we find ourselves in a position of needing, well, a new approach."

"And what do you suggest?" Qrow asked.

The General responded by bringing out a tiny remote from his jacket and pressing a button, which activates a hologram display of Amity Colosseum that hovers above the table. Jaune and the others instantly knew what was presented to them. "That's… Amity Colosseum."

"Where the Vytal Festival is held?" Oscar spoke, remembering as he watched the event on television.

"Indeed." Ironwood has answered the two questions. "When Beacon fell, and everyone on Remnant lost contact with one another, I knew our current system was outdated. Amity was built to bring the nations together, and it will serve that purpose once again."

He presses the button again, and the hologram Amity Colosseum gains an antenna atop it. Ruby and her friends stare at the hologram and look at each other. Not Ash, as he was still processing what had been said. "Isn't it great? We're not going to just replace Beacon Tower. Building a new tower on top of Amity Colosseum will re-establish global communications!" Penny enthusiastically informed them.

The Specialist decided to add on where the robotic girl left off. "By launching the tower high into the atmosphere, our scientists believe we can create a sort of… satellite out of reach of the Grimm and capable of maintaining global communications even if we were to lose another tower."

That idea seemed the most practical for almost everyone. Ruby had uttered what was on everyone's mind. "That is great."

Her uncles could agree with her. Yet there was one thing he disagreed with the General. "James... you don't need the entire military for this."

Ironwood looks back at the Huntsman with a plain look on his face. "I will for the next part, where I finally tell the people about Salem."

That seemed to Qrow. Though, he remained doubtful. "Huh, so that's why you withdrew your troops, to handle the panic that would break out in Atlas."

Ironwood had acknowledged his ally's statement. "Yes, panic is inevitable, and panic brings Grimm. But I believe we are ready. Once Atlas has come to grips with the fight ahead, I'll use Amity Tower to spread the message to all of Remnant."

The former SDC Heiress pointed out a flaw within the General's plan. "But everything will fall apart. Grimm will be everywhere!"

Her sister just assured everybody of her Commander's plan. "You're right, but Atlas is willing and prepared to assist."

"Trying to hide the truth from the world will eventually kill us all." Ironwood continued off where his second-in-command left off.

It was at this point Ash decided to bring up one realistic problem. "That is true, General. But do you honestly think Atlas can be the only one who can assist everyone after revealing the truth of Salem?"

Now the General looked at him with and eyebrow raised towards the Unkindled. "And what are you trying to say?"

Ash immediately answered his question. "Just because Atlas is the most powerful kingdom in the world, that doesn't mean your military can assist everyone. From what I learnt, Remnant is full of Humans and Faunus people with different backgrounds. I simply cannot see how the entire Atlesian Military can assist everyone. That's going to waste a lot of resources."

Ironwood looked at the Unkindled with a hint of irritation. "That does not affect what I have already planned."

Ash wanted to say something, but he knew he would only get irritated and would only react with negativity. He let out a sigh and looked back at the General. "I was only speaking out of my concern, Sir."

Ironwood nodded as he pressed a button on his remote, and the hologram disappeared. The table transforms and recedes into the floor, and the shutters pull away from the windows. "Oz spent his whole life, many lives, keeping this secret." Qrow had spoken up to him.

The General seemed to accept his friend's words as he returned to his desk. "I know. But since Beacon, things have changed. Without him here to guide us, all I can do is use my best judgment." As he was talking, Oscar shifted uncomfortably. As if he had sensed something, Ironwood stops and looks back. "What is it?"

The Farmboy was in his thoughts before he spoke. "Actually, Oz isn't completely gone."

Qrow had to point the obvious out. "Uh, Oscar here is… is the next Ozpin."

There was a tiny spark of hope when the General heard what they said. "Oz?" With a smile, he quickly and eagerly approaches Oscar, who looks nervous. "I'm so glad you're here. I didn't think you—"

Oscar puts his hands up and interrupts Ironwood as the latter crouches to Oscar's level. "Not quite. He's kind of, um, gone... at the moment."

Ironwood's smile fades, and he lowers his head. "That's not normal." He lifts his head up to look back at the boy. "How did he—"

"We don't know," Ironwood, Qrow and Oscar look at Ruby, who was looking directly at Ironwood. "We were in a train crash, and ever since, well… suddenly, Oz wasn't there anymore."

"That's the worst news yet," Ironwood spoke as he got to his feet. "Did you learn anything from him about the Relics before…?"

Ruby slightly looks away while answering his question. "He told us the lamp can answer three questions. But all the questions were used up already." Hearing the lie Ruby had told the General caused Yang and Blake to look at one another. Yet they weren't the only ones.

Ash just slightly shook his head in disappointment when he heard about this. "Ruby. Why…" The only person who noticed this was the Firekeeper.

"Right, right." Ironwood before walking back behind his desk and staring out the window. "Ozpin told us that too, once upon a time." He turns to face them. "At least we have you, Oscar. You're safe here in Atlas. Maybe together, we can figure out how to bring Ozpin back."

Oscar was grinning while speaking to the General. "Thank you, sir." He stands up straight while having an awkward smile on his face. "I mean, uh, general. Uh, Ironwood?"

Ironwood picks up the Relic of Knowledge, walks over to Ruby and offers it to her. She was surprised by this. "You're giving it back to me?"

Ironwood nodded at her. "After what happened with the Ace-Ops, I don't want you to think I'm keeping anything from you, especially something as important as this. For now, I think it's safest with the people who brought it here."

As he handed the Relic to her, the young leader couldn't help but thank him. "Um, thank you." The object seemed to shrink, and she hooked it onto her belt before exchanging a look with Oscar.

"We must work together if we're to fight Salem and win," Ironwood told them. "Now, if you're all on board…"

The young leader thinks it over for a few seconds. It took a while to give her an answer before she looked directly at Ironwood. "Tell us how we can help."

Ironwood was glad to hear her and the others willing to help him with his plans. "Good, because getting the Amity Tower ready to launch won't be easy." He proceeds to walk back to his desk once again. "But first, I think we need to get those weapons of yours up to our standards."

A hologram screen shows Blake drawing her broken katana before their fight against the Sabyrs in Mantle. Seeing the footage caused Blake to react with embarrassment.

"Remember, this is Atlas." Winter informed the group, "While assisting the military, we will provide you with the best equipment our scientists can devise."

Hearing what has been said causes everyone to have various reactions. Nora seemed to be excited about this. "Ooh!"

Ren was surprised about it as well. "Really?"

Like the orange-haired girl, Yang put her first up in the air for excitement. "Yeah!"

Ash was the only one who didn't react like them. But a sudden thought came to mind as he glanced at his Wolf Knight's Greatsword. Pulling the weapon from his back and giving a few looks. Speaking of that, everyone saw the condition it was in. Penny couldn't help but comment at his sword. "That sword seemed to have better days. Are you thinking of upgrading it?"

The Unkindled was too focused on his sword until he answered the robotic girl's question. "This sword holds many memories. I do not want to ruin the way it is." He looked over to Ironwood and Winter. "I want to restore this sword."

Both were, of course, taken back by what he stated. But none didn't display such a reaction. Winter remained as professional as ever. "Is there a reason for not wanting your sword to be in Atlas's standards?"

Again, the Unkindled was about to open when he felt the Firekeeper speaking up. "'Tis a sword that has brought a lot of memories to him. He does not wish to not have it ruined. Art, thou grant him his request?"

The two Atlesians looked at one another, uncertain if they could do such a thing. It took a bit of time for the Elder Schnee to look back at him. "Alright. If that what he wants, then out scientists can try to restore it."

Ash felt relieved to hear about it. "Thank you." Without thinking, he gave the Wolf Knight's Greatsword to Penny, who wrapped her arms around it. "Please don't get it ruined. That sword means a lot to me."

The robotic girl let out a smile, "It will back get once it's done, Ashen—"

"You can just call me Ash." He told her.

The girl was caught off guard by what he said. "Why can't I call you—"

"That's a mouthful, and calling me Ash is simple." He responded bluntly. Ash turned to see Ruby and her group looking at him worryingly. He just sighed at what he did. "Damnit! I did it again!"

"Ashen One..." He heard the Firekeeper speaking to him.

"I know." He immediately replied to her. "I just need somewhere to go to relax myself."

His close friend understood why he decided to say that. "I have a room within this academy. Shall I take thee?"

The unkindled didn't say a word, and he nodded at her to lead the way. Before leaving, he looked at them once more. "I'll see you all in the first assessment." He continued to follow his close friend to relieve himself from what he had just possessed.

As Ash and the Firekeeper exited the General's Office, Weiss felt much better. "To think he'd have such malice..."

For once, Jaune had to agree with the former Heiress. "Yeah. To think he can emit while being extremely calm."

Ren can see what they were implying. "I can assume what both of you are about Ash. But don't you all think it's all just a facade?"

As the calm huntsman-in-training mentioned, Ruby and the others had their own thoughts, which makes sense. "Now that I think about it, Ash seems unbothered by it. Like he doesn't care at all."

"What do you mean?" Blake asked.

"There must have been something we don't know about," he explained. "He went through something we do not know that made him stop caring. Whatever he experienced, it made him what he is today."

"What do you reckon?" Nora asked her close friend.

---

-Scene Change-

---

Ash and the Firekeeper reached the room, and, as dull as it looked, they didn't seem to bother about it. The Unkindled looked around. "Seems like they were careful when they were looking after you?"

"Indeed," she spoke. "Though they remained sceptical about me."

The Firekeeper sat on the bed, whereas the Unkindled proceeded to grab his bottomless box to grab for something. Yet, he began to speak to where of what he had learned. The Ashen One had explained to her the truths of the Relics, the Maidens, and the secretive war between Ozma and Salem that had been going on for thousands of years that Ruby had not informed about Ironwood. He had also told her how he killed a deranged individual called Adam and took his soul and weapon.

When he had finished his explanation, the Firekeeper pondered for a few moments. She was taken back to what he spoke, yet she remained stoic as ever. "I see. 'Tis a lot to take in."

"I know..." Ash replied, still busy with his bottomless box.

"Ashen One, art thou sure 'tis wise to keep such a secret hidden from the General?" His dear friend asked him with concern.

Ash didn't say anything as he was busy getting a particular armour set from his bottomless box and a shield. "It is Lady Ruby's choice and not mine. I will not guide them all the time. Sometimes, they need to deal with the consequences on their own. Besides, Ironwood doesn't trust me and you, and I don't trust him as well with what he is doing."

The Firekeeper seemed to accept his words. Something came to her mind when the subject of secrets was brought up. "And will you tell them, about your past and the First Flame, Ashen One?"

"And explained to them how I was brought back from the dead as an Unkindled all because of that pathetic First Flame?" The Ashen One spoke with confidence. "It is not the right moment. I do not want them to have the knowledge of our accursed..." He stopped talking as realisation had hit him that he was raising his voice out of anger and stopped what he was doing. "I'm sorry, Firekeeper, for snapping at you. I... let my emotions get the better of me."

His close friend didn't utter a word. Instead, she stood from the bed and came to the Unkindled's side. She then held his right hand with a gentle grip. "'Tis alright. Thou no need to apologise. You hath bottled up too many emotions after your experiences."

Ash didn't reply as he gently squeezed her hand to share this tender moment.

For now, the two close friends can have this moment to relax until the Ashen One joins with the others on their first assignment.

INSERT: Escalate by Aimer as the Second Opening to the Second Volume

---

Finally, onto the second chapter of the second volume! And the Firekeeper is here, hooray! It looks like Ash is about to get  that  set seen in the preview. I wonder how they'll react.

Anyway, I just realised that the first volume was that the Ashen One/Ash has been following the cast and only having a few moments on his own. That and I gotten a PM that says this Fanfic is 'lean on Team RWBY'. I need to get that sorted out.

One more information. As you know, Ash is seen being wise and and experienced yet he is also jaded, distrustful, bitter, and cynical. He is also untrusting, cautious, prudent, stoic, adaptable, perceptive, unyielding, resolute, pensive, mysterious, merciful, isolated, venerable to people he is deeply close with ( as seen with Firekeeper and to some extent Patches), and somewhat Bloodthirsty. I wonder how that would play out?

I need to thank triscythe59 for aiding me in this chapter. I wouldn't have made this without his help. Give him big thanks.

Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed the chapter so far and I will see you all in the next update.

Also, give some constructive criticism if I were to make improvements

A/N: To those wondering if Ash is going to tell Ironwood, then question is complex. Sure, the Unkindled could just say it behind team RWBY's back. But, at this moment, Ironwood doesn't trust Ash yet. Yeah, yeah, it's blatant plot convenience. It also adds a depth of realism as well. To me, at least. Don't worry, trust is going to be built between the two when a certain chapter is met. Then he'll tell Ironwood behind Ruby and the others' back. Remember what I said that Ash won't follow Team RWBY around? He's going to have his focus on original chapters with a total of five of this volume. Now, let's get onto the story!? One more news, this story is finally on Archive of Our Own. Go and check it out!

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Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant Volume II

Fifteen

First Impressions

---

The Ashen One was trekking alongside Penny in the early hours as they headed towards Pietro's officer. Reason? Ash's Wolf Knight's Greatsword has been wholly restored sooner than expected. The robotic girl couldn't help but constantly babble about it. "Our scientists have been able to restore that sword of yours thanks to your firekeeper's advice!"

"She always has a way to help," Ash stoically commented.

While he didn't pay any attention to what had been spoken, the Unkindled couldn't help but notice Penny quickly glancing at him. It was probably because of the conditions the Fallen Knight set. No matter, the Unkindled had plans to counter that problem.

The two had walked for a bit of time until they reached a sealed door where Pietro was awaiting the pair. "Ah, I've been waiting for you, darling."

Her daughter smiled at him. "I just did what you asked, Dad." She looked to her left to the Unkindled. "Aren't you excited to get your weapon back?!"

Ash nodded slightly. "Yes."

Penny pouted at him with a smile. "It's in that room! Let's see how it is!" The Unkindled said nothing before they followed the Doctor inside, and their eyes were immediately directed to the Wolf Knight's Greatsword that was gently placed on a table.

The sword has been mended to its former glory by looking at it. Ash saw no missing piece in the rear guard, and the blade had been equally sharpened. The colours of the weapon have been restored to what they once were from what he remembered from 'The Legend of Artorias'. Ash walked towards his sword and grabbed the hilt. He pointed the blade up to the ceiling and looked at its restoration. "I have to say. You really did a good job restoring that sword."

Pietro laughed at the Unkindled's compliment. "Ah ha! It was easy making the request you made. A little here and a little there, that blade is in its perfect shape. Although, I am just curious of where you got such a thing."

"It's a family heirloom passed down from generation to generation," Ash informed the Doctor despite being a fabricating one.

"Oh," Pietro mumbled in inquisitiveness, "That's interesting." Seeing the unkindled putting the blade in his place made him remember that one thing needed to be given to the other man. "By the way, there's a crate with a new outfit made by our scientists."

Ash took note of that but felt as though it didn't interest him. "I appreciate that, Sir. But I have already had one in mind." Pietro was taken by his straightforward response and could only watch him heading towards the next before the stranger looked at him again. "If you see the others, tell them I will meet them at the mission's location."

Pietro and Penny looked at one another as both saw Ash leaving the laboratory with his weapon on his back. The latter needed clarification on his wording. "Do you have any idea what he means, Dad?"

"I don't know, darling. But I assume he goes straight to the mission rather than waiting for the others." Pietro answered before he stroked his bearded chin to ponder at the thought. "He's quite the enigma, huh?"

---

-Scene Change-

---

Not far from the Kingdom of Atlas, four certain colourful girls landed outside what appeared to be an abandoned mineshaft. All dawned new outfits. All had managed to kill off the Grimm that occupied the entrance, and now they rested their fingers on their communicator while listening to their mission leader, Clover. "You've all got fancy new Scrolls, so don't forget to use 'em. Keep your eyes and ears open. I want an update if you encounter the target. Alpha out."

While he is speaking, Blake brings out her new Scroll, which displays the hologram screen from the small device. She taps on an icon with a mugshot of Yang, which brings up a screen showing her teammates' Aura levels. Weiss has 96% Aura, Yang has 97%, and Ruby has 98%. She taps the hologram again, making it recede into the device, which she turns horizontally in her hand. The built-in screen displays four small meters - one on top and three on bottom. The maximum meter is labelled B, while the other three are labelled R, W and Y. The B meter is completely full. Once Clover finishes speaking, Blake's left cat ear twitches and she looks ahead of her.

"Huh?" The Faunus girl saw Yang staring at her, who was looking side to side. Realizing that she is the one Blake is looking at, the blonde brawler poses awkwardly and waves.

"Uh, sorry, just not used to the new hair yet." Yang spoke to her, making her Faunus friend blush and self-consciously brush her new hairstyle.

"Is it… bad?" She asked.

Yang immediately shook her head. "No! No. It's good. Great, even!"

Not far from where the awkward moment happened, two Atlesian Operatives watched it unfold. "Man, I did not sign up to be a babysitter."

"Yeah, well, the rest of us babysit you constantly," Harriet responded with a hint of wittiness.

The Faunus Operative pouted at his teammate before they walked away to resume focusing on their mission.

In the same vicinity, Weiss wipes the snow off a piece of metal, revealing the Schnee Dust Company logo. She looks down at it with a frown and lets out a small, sad groan. Harriet and Marrow head into the mine entrance, with Team RWBY following.

At the same time, Ruby stops, shivering with her arms crossed across her chest. "Oh, it's freezing out here!"

The former Heiress stopped, as did Blake and Yang. "Without heating or projected Aura, the cold of Solitas can kill you in a matter of hours." Weiss informed her leader.

Blake thought about someone that wasn't part of the mission. "I suddenly don't feel as bad about leaving Oscar behind."

Yang let out a sigh as she had a different thought. "Can we talk about that again?"

Ruby glances over at Harriet and Marrow, who have gone ahead to the opening of the mine. Ruby decided to talk to her sister using this little moment they had. "What about it?"

Her older sister frowned at what she was about to ask. "We're really not gonna tell Ironwood about what happened to Oz? What we learned about Jinn? About Salem? About the secrets Ash and his Firekeeper are withholding from all of us?"

"We are." Ruby spoke before letting a small sigh escape her lips. "We will. But you saw how things looked when we flew into Atlas.

"The General's heart seems to be in the right place, but that doesn't mean we should trust him yet." Blake pointed out why Ruby had come to that decision.

"We need to play along for a while before we make any major decisions," Weiss said as she felt her leader made the right decision.

The blonde seemed to be accepting that. Still, the blonde brawler had doubts. "Okay. How did Oscar feel about that?" Hearing this made Ruby raise an eyebrow at her. She lowers her eyes and thinks back to her conversation with Oscar.

At this time, Yang remembered they were supposed to meet with a peculiar individual. "Aren't we supposed to meet Ash here?"

As the blonde brought that question up, the rest of RWB looked around and felt that he may already be inside. "Probably headed in before us."

Weiss had to groan lightly at what Blake had said. "Him and his lone wolf tendencies. Doesn't he know that we're supposed to be working together?"

"He probably wants to get it sooner than later," Ruby answered, breaking her thought trails from the previous topic.

Assuming he may have gone inside the mine, Yang couldn't help but slightly chuckle at her sister's remark. "Well, we should do the same. He can't possibly kill all the Grimm there, right?"

---

-Scene Change-

---

Deep into the mines, a Sabre had been quickly decimated by an unknown individual wielding a powerful Greatsword and a Metallic Black Greatshield with the insignia of a wolf. Its armour shows a sturdy Steel armour with blue fabric, a white-furred shoulder cape, and a full silver steel Helmet with a 'T' shaped visor that covers its entire face.

The Grimm surrounded and growled at the individual, yet it wasn't intimidated. A sabre rushed towards it but was met by its face being bashed by the shield before getting stabbed in the throat. Another attempted to attack from behind, yet the person quickly pulled its blade out and cleaved it into two. The ground shook, and three Centinels came out. But like the others, they were quickly dealt with.

Effectively dealing with the remaining stragglers, the individual flicked the Wolf Knight's Greatsword after killing the Grimm and placed the blade and shield into its back. Seeing the multiple Grimms disappearing after being killed, it sighed in annoyance. "Persistent little pest, aren't you?" That was all it commented on, revealing it to be Ash wearing the Faraam Armour set.

Ash stood there, deep in the mine, thinking about the mission. He knew it was meant to be a team task, alongside Ruby's group and the "famous" Ace Operatives highly praised in Atlas's Military. He had no problem working with others, that is for sure, but he would instead get the task done on his own accord.

As he continued walking on the pathway towards the destination, Ash used this to look around the mines. He clearly knew this used to belong to the Schnee Dust Company by seeing the words 'SDC' and its logo on multiple crates and minecarts. He also saw the layout of the mine; poorly constructed and designed to kill people working on it. More specifically the Faunus. Already, he had a sickening feeling that the infamous Dust Mining Company had been doing things such as branding them as seen with Adam Taurus. Speaking of the individual, he had the former White Fang's Leader's soul on his left palm and stared at it while walking and Patches's voice echoed in his mind in regard to the Schnee Dust Company and its CEO, Jacques Schnee. "You can say that. Jacques Schnee believes that he is untouchable. Using cheap slavery to mine their dust-up to make big profits. It's no wonder people all over Remnant hate him despite his claim that he is "benevolent and caring" towards his workers."

He was dissatisfied as a thought came to mind that Atlas's society was intended to have the Faunus in the bottom tier. While people like the Schnee Family, unlike Weiss and perhaps her sister, get to live their lavish lifestyle, people in Mantle live in poorer and unsafe conditions. No wonder he heard rumours of a woman, Robyn Hill, running for Councillor to allow the ignored city to get the people to live in better conditions. But he wasn't going to think of that right now. He had a mission to complete, and he wouldn't let a thought hinder his mission.

Putting Adam's soul back in his bottomless box, the Unkindled made his way. Unsurprisingly, he encountered no Grimm present. However, that doesn't mean he felt an uneasy presence within the vicinity. Something he, along with Ruby and her group, had encountered not long ago with their fight on the Leviathan.

Ash proceeded to walk without a thought that the others were about five minutes away from where he was. His eventual walk ended with him finding himself in a giant mine chamber filled with multiple Dust veins and huge Dust crystals. Raised minecart rails, walkways and stone arches span across and around the edges of the area. Looking around, he came to the thought that he had finally reached his destination. "So this is what we're supposed to secure?"

A sudden sound caused him to look up at the ceiling. He saw a Grimm clinging to a chunk of ice on the top. It turned to look down at him, showing multiple purple dust crystals embedded in its body. It jumps from the ceiling, crashing through a stone arch on its way to the ground before him. Out of instinct, Ash pulled his Wolf Knight's Greatsword and Great shield from his back before taking a defensive stance. The structure of the Grimm reminded him this wouldn't be easy. That and how its eyes gave the exact look that the Leviathan did. "Guess there is no other choice?"

Not far from where the Unkindled was, Ruby and her group, along with the rest of the Ace Operatives, had made their arrival and watched him engage with the Geist. Seeing the looks on most of their faces, none had expected Ash to beat them here before them. "I guess my money was wrong?" Yang couldn't help but chuckle at the words she said earlier.

Marrow couldn't help but curiously lean over to Weiss. "Man, I thought we were going to be here first."

The former Heiress just slightly nodded her head. "Ash tends to go things in his ways, as much as I hate to put it that way. He either does it alone and gets things done or…Actually, I don't think he hasn't messed anything up."

Harriet was interested in this individual. "Huh. So, we got a lone wolf here? Doesn't he know he's supposed to work in a group?"

Vine agreed with his teammate's words but also saw an advantage of Ash's peculiar tendency. "Being alone does get things much faster."

"But doing it within the mine," Blake observed the area's surroundings. "Doesn't he know the dangers he could put us all in?"

"I think he knows about it." Elm had speculated.

Nora wanted to join in to assist Ash. Yet, he doesn't need it. "Man, I so want to join in as well!"

"Not know, Nora." Ren had spoken to her."

Clover had the most interest in this individual. He had seen the surveillance of the fighting style he displayed in Mantle. It was erratic yet very effective at the same. By the way, he shows that stance highlights that he has a lot of experience. More so than him and his teammates. "I say we just watch him fight."

Qrow couldn't believe what he had heard. "You can't be serious about that?"

The leader of the Ace Operative looked back at him with a smile. "If he can avoid getting captured, that could go the same way as him fighting against a Grimm." The other huntsman was about to open his mouth before seeing the point he made.

"If you say so, Qrow sarcastically replied before looking back to where Ash stood face to face against the Grimm.

Back in the middle of the area, the Geist threw a punch to where the Unkindled was, but it was immediately blocked by his Wolf Knight's Greatshield. Ash felt little impact due to the shield's blessing upon using it and instinctively retaliated by slashing across its left palm. The Grimm was taken back by the crack seen on its hands, which made an opening for him to strike once again. He rushed over to its left leg before slashing across the back of its kneecaps. It would have been effective…if only Ash had known that what the Geist possessed wasn't part of its body.

The Geist immediately grabbed Ash by the waist underneath the Grimm before violently throwing him down onto the ground. Seeing the smoke covering where the Unkindled landed caused the Young Leader to call out her new friend. "ASH!"

"Damn, he's really getting tossed on!" Marrow couldn't help but mutter of what he had seen, earning him an elbow from his teammate.

Elm also witnessed what had transpired and couldn't help but ask a simple question. Does that mean that we should get involved by now?"

"Perhaps," Harriet answered her buff teammate before preparing Fast Knuckle.

Her leader heard their conversation through his communication. Though he wanted to send them in, he was reluctant as he had a strange feeling that the person was not done yet. That soon eventually became true as all heard a noise coming from the smoke, and once it got clear, they saw Ash standing back to his two feet, where a small crater was seen. No one expected him to drop his Greatsword and Great shield. Nora couldn't help herself to make a remark. "Well, what do you know? He got back up like it has not affected him.

"Interesting. His aura should be lower by now?" Clover thoughtfully commented. He swore Ash had no aura when he was violently dropped. If that was the case, then he would have to file a report to General Ironwood.

Ash just stared at the Grimm behind his Faraam helmet while it did the same. The Geist's eyes emitted a dark red hue before it let out an animalistic snarl and was down on all four. Seeing this made the Faunus Operative groan in annoyance. "Tech. Great... It's one of those weird Grimms again. I never expected to see one during this mission."

Weiss looked over at Marrow when she heard that. "Weird Grimm?"

Vine had overheard his teammate speaking and decided to bluntly clarify to the ex-heiress. "More like Aberrations."

At that moment, Clover decided to explain his teammate's annoyed reaction. "We've had sightings of these Grimms near Mantle over the last few weeks. Thank goodness none of them had breached the walls."

"Nothing we can't deal with," Harriet commented.

"Didn't one catch you by surprise?" Elm reminded the speedster.

And that damaged her ego. "Shut it!"

The Grimm stared at Ash while it prepared itself to leap towards him. The Unkindled had never expected to encounter another Grimm corrupted by that Darkness. By feeling its presence, it was better than the one the Leviathan emitted. Still, Ash had to be careful. "This place is very vulnerable to my magic. If I use either one of them, then it will cause a chain reaction." An idea came into mind, and Ash reached down his pocket to pull something out. "That does not mean I have a sword to control its elements." Everyone wondered why he had a hand in his pocket, but they eventually got an answer when he had a long pitch-black sword with diamond-shaped cutouts moving up that created a blade that made it visible for someone to see. With a quick swing, the weapon was eventually ignited in Black Flames. "It may be a risk using this. But I have to be careful where I am swinging." He put both hands on the Onyx Blade and readied himself by going on a defensive-aggressive stance to prepare to fend off the Geist. "I'll make this quick." Unknown to him, Ruby had sparkles in her eyes upon seeing his new weapon.

Insert: Aimer- escalate (TV Size)

The Geist immediately sprung towards Ash's position in the blink of an eye, attempting to hit the Unkindled with its. Yet, as it got closer, Ash eventually countered the attack by using the Blade to block it. The Grimm cried as the black flames met its mask, which made it bounce back. Ash quickly saw a deep burnt mark on top of its covered face, and it dawned on him that he had picked the right weapon for this type of Grimm. "This weapon's effective against the Grimm. The only question is how. This Blade has some of the Abyss from within; could this mean…" He shook his head to refocus on the fight. "Never mind. I just need to focus on the enemy for now." He shifted his stance into a more aggressive one.

With the Geist becoming feral, it rushed towards the Unkindled without a strategy. It was speedy yet predictable at the same time. Unlike before, Ash rolled towards the Creature before using the ignited Blade to amputate its right leg. The sword went through smoothly like butter, and he jumped back to avoid a swing from its left arm. Ash saw an opening and immediately slashed it clean off from its shoulders. At that exact moment, Ash saw that the Black Flame was beginning to die down, and as much as he wanted to reignite it, he knew it was precisely the appropriate moment to do such a thing.

That doesn't mean that luck was on his side. The Geist threw an ice fist at the Unkindled, who retaliated by throwing his left fist. As both came into contact, the Geist's fist had numerous cracks before its entire arm was shattered. Everyone who saw this was awestruck at the Unkindled's immense strength, though what he did next was even more impressive. Ash used the Geist's severed arm as a jumping platform to leap towards its masked face and had the Onyx Blade in the air. As he got closer, the flame intensified. As Ash was face to face with the Grimm, Ash swung his Blade down, which immediately cleaved the body in half, including the Geist possessing it. After delivering the final blow, he landed on the ground in all three, and the Blade no longer had black flames emitting from it while debris fell around him.

OST Ends

The Unkindled stood up and looked to the ceiling to see a light-yellow vine holding the remains of the Geist. He saw both rose pedals and an electrical zap passing by him, and both held onto the purple crystal. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as his reckless yet decisive strategy had been worth his time. He put the Onyx Blade onto his back before he did the same with the Wolf Knight's Greatsword, and Greatshield Ash got from where he dropped it. "That was… AWESOME!" He immediately turned to the back to see the others and the three Ace Operatives walking towards him. Nora was most amazed by the feat she had witnessed. "You were like *swish* and *swosh* and punching that arm that shattered like it was nothing! And—"

"We all get it, Nora," Ren said as he touched her shoulder and used his semblance to calm her down.

Weiss had the same feeling, though it was mixed. "I must say, it was reckless of you to do that. But otherwise, what you displayed was really impressive."

Jaune nodded in agreement. "Yeah. You really are a showoff, ain't you."

Marrow had to lean over to the other Faunus. "Is he really like that?"

Blake nodded at him. "He is. But he doesn't boast about it."

Elm had her own words about the punch Ash had done to the Geist. "And you shattered that Grimm's arm like it was nothing! You must be powerful to do that!"

Yang couldn't help but chuckle as she crossed her arms underneath her breasts before a smirk formed on her face. "I say, Ash. You really make us envy you."

"..." Ash did not say a word. In all honesty, he did that out of instinct. It managed to pay off, but that doesn't mean his strength was due to being undead. "I have to be careful next time. I do not want them to expose my true nature as an undead, whether it is my impulsive nature."

He heard footsteps behind him and could already tell she was looking at the hilt of the Onyx Blade and squealing in delight. "Oh my gosh! Look at that beauty! I've never seen such a fine blade in my life!"

Qrow couldn't help but chuckle at his niece's reaction to Ash's new weapon. "Just don't get excited yet, Pipsqueak. Silent Knight had just been through that immense battle, and I doubt he wants to show it to you."

A swoosh was heard, and everyone looked to see Ash showing his Onyx Blade once again, with the Black Flame having been reignited. Ruby can't help herself but have sparkles in her eyes childishly. "Cooooooooooooool!"

"Alright, you can stop showing off, Ash," The Unkindled shook his weapon to remove the flame and saw Clover approaching him. "I have to say. That was the most impressive fight I have seen with someone who doesn't even have a huntsman licence. More so than you avoided getting captured. However, there are several areas you could improve on to make your fighting style more effective."

"Like how you need to stop being so reckless when fighting power opponents like that." He heard Vine telling him as he landed on the ground.

"Noted." He spoke expressionlessly.

Clover nodded, and he turned to look at the others. "And that goes to the rest of you. Still, I thank all of you for participating in this mission." Hearing this caused Nora and Ruby to celebrate while the latter held onto Elm's shoulder. Everyone else felt the same way… except for Ash, who just stood there as he felt different with the whole thing. With the mines now cleared from Grimm's presence, Clover had his finger on his ear communicator to contact the operator. "Atlas Control, this is Clover. Mission accomplished."

---

A/N: Apology if this chapter felt rush. I just wanted it to feel…original in a way that felt organic to me. Anyway, that was an awesome fight, and it looks like Ash needs to improve in several areas according to Clover and the other Ace Operatives. I wonder what areas are they?

So, to those who said that Ash will wear the Faraam Armour, you're correct. It fits perfectly in Atlas's cold settings, and it provides Ash comfort, though not in terms of combat. Oh, and here are his current settings for the Atlas Arc:

Set: Faraam Armour Set

Weapon One: Wolf Knight's Greatsword +5

Weapon Two: Onyx Blade +4

Shield One: Wolf Knight's Greatshield +5

Ring One: Chloranthy Ring +3

Ring Two: Wolf Ring +3

Ring Three: Ring of Favour +3

Ring Four: Silvercat Ring

With the chapter now complete, I am going to be planning what will occur next chapter. If you seen what happens in the next episode in RWBY Volume 7, then you'll know what I am talking about. Ah yeah, did you guys manage to catch some references from the previous chapter, as well as in this chapter as seen with the OST that I had used. If you don't get it, then you are uncultered, or just ignorant with the whole internet thing.

I have to also thank triscythe59 for aiding me in certain part of the chapter. His recommendation are really good, and it fits well.

Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed the chapter so far and please GIVE me constructive criticism so I can improve on next time. Other than that, I will see you all in the next update.

Alright. After a couple of chapters, I decided to do something that I haven't done for a while. That is writing an original chapter. Ash cannot follow the main cast everywhere. He needs to have his own space and I thought why not do it now. Let's see how it goes like and THIS WILL BE the final chapter of 2023 for Embers of Remnant.

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Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant Volume II

Seventeen

Hanging out with an Old Friend

---

Two weeks have passed since Ash arrived in Atlas alongside Teams RWBY and JNR. Since then, they have been assisting the military by whatever means while doing huntsmen and huntress missions. Well, only the teams were doing it. The Unkindled thought differently.

Rather than assisting in protecting the Global Communication Project, he resorted to using his time by doing jobs around Mantle. Despite the others' protests that he should do the same to protect the site, he bluntly told them there were enough people to do that job. Still, that does not mean he gets to do missions around the old city of Atlas due to the decisions put on him by Clover and Ironwood.

Right now, he is with Weiss and Ruby near the location of the mine that they liberated. The Unkindled swung his Wolf Knight Sword upwards of a Sabyr Grimm that was immediately killed in an instant before using the Wolf Knight's Greatshield to block an attack from a Cenitaur that spat green acid at him. Luckily, the shield proved effective, but that doesn't mean it didn't sustain minor damage. Quickly stabbing the Grimm in the gut, he turned to see a Manticore quickly dashing towards him. Pulling the sword out, he was about to face it; a giant white Greatsword slammed into its back, which was quickly killed.

Ash was caught off guard by this but quickly knew who did it as he saw an apparition of a giant armoured individual, which immediately made him reminisce of his two encounters with the Dragonslayer Armour. He heard two footsteps and saw the two members of RWBY walking towards him. Weiss had a disappointed look on her face. "Really, Ash? We're supposed to work in a team, yet you killed most of them by yourself?"

He seemed different when he heard that. "You and Lady Ruby had your fair share of eliminating Grimm, right?"

This causes the former Heiress to pout at his words. "Do you really have to be that blunt?"

The young leader had a different thought. "Ah well, at least we managed to secure the site?"

"Indeed," Ash nodded as he put his sword and shield in his back and turned away from the two. "I'll be going back to Atlas. Your sister wants me to train with her, Lady Weiss."

Hearing that tone raised a question in Ruby's mind. "Does that mean you get to—"

"Unfortunately, no. I have other priorities." He interrupted, although it wasn't through a rude tone. But instead, it was Ash's unemotional one, which they and everyone else were trying to get used to. "I'll see you two there." With that, he walked away from the two teenagers.

Weiss let out an irritated sigh as she facepalmed to what she heard. "He always says that to us whenever we can ask. We don't see him until the next day or two. Even for a whole week! Doesn't he rest!?"

Her leader curiosity tilted her head at that. "I don't know, Weiss. Whenever we see him, he starts another mission in Mantle or begins training with your sister or the other Ace Operatives."

The former Heiress lifted her head when her sister was mentioned. "About that…"

---

-Scene Change-

---

The sound of swords clashing at one another in the training room in Atlas Academy as Ash held the Wolf Knight's Greatsword in both hands while Winter had individual blades in each arm. The Unkindled did not expect her to utilize such weaponry as he only dealt with a handful of enemies who dual-wielded such weapons. Seeing an opening, the Unkindled pushed Winter back and swung the sword from the right. However, as her blade got closer, the elder Schnee jumped, which prevented her from getting hit by Ash's weapon. As she descended, she swung her short sword back into the longer one. Seeing that it was in a position he could exploit, the Unkindled lowered his blade and flicked his left wrist, which somehow managed to parry her attack.

Winter tumbled backwards, though she remained standing as she used her weapon to prevent her from falling. A minute later, she sheathed her blade into her side and looked at him. "You did well like the other times. However, the way you stand and use your blade to block your attacks can be exploited by your opponents. Try to use the footing I showed you, and you'll see the difference."

"Understood." He nodded before taking the stance that the Schnee Specialist did. He held the handle of his weapon with both hands, and sure enough, he felt a significant difference.

Ash was becoming a better swordsman quicker than she thought. Still, she was impressed by how he managed to adapt to fight against her in their first training session. However, she couldn't help but comment on his swings, which had sometimes caught her off guard. "He hits harder than most Grimms, I thought. Even harder than Elm. I suppose it has to do with his aura." She straightened herself and placed her hands on her back as she began to speak to him. "Training's over. You are dismissed."

"…" He didn't reply as he put his sword onto his back and walked past her to exit the room. On the way, he passed by Weiss, who didn't seem to care about her presence.

Witnessing the Unkindled leaving the training ground, the former Heiress looked back at her beloved sister. "How did your training go with Ash?"

Winter smiled back at her young sister. "Better. Although, he's adapting to every move I've given him. Even my summons, which I didn't expect him to just eliminate in one hit. Are you ready for training?"

"I am, the younger Schnee nodded to her, and she eventually pulled out Myrtenaster to begin training.

---

-Scene Change-

---

Ash trekked through the hallways as he had enough time to see his close friend. As he was outside the room, the door immediately opened to reveal the Firekeeper, who seemed to have been waiting for him. "Ah. 'Tis been a week, Ashen One."

"Apology, my friend," Ash spoke to her with a bit of remorse. "I got too caught up with my work."

"A week without any rest is not a healthy routine." She reminded her close friend. "Though, I understand why." She moved away from the doorway to allow the Unkindled inside the room.

When he stepped in, the door was immediately shut. He sat on a chair while the Firekeeper sat on the bed before beginning to speak. "Thou must have little time for such interactions."

He let out a sigh while putting his hands together. "I know. I just want Lady Ruby and the others to do their own thing without me. But lately, it seemed they want me to join them."

The Firekeeper could see why. "Thou art friends with them, correct?"

He nodded at her question. "Yes. Although, it isn't out of trust yet."

"I see." She said before another topic came to mind. "And how goes thy training?"

It was something that the Unkindled had a mixed opinion on. "Specialist Schnee and the Ace Operatives are formidable fighters. They caught me off guard in the first few training sessions, though with the Ace Ops, it's mainly due to their leader' good luck' semblance. Granted, their moves were predictable when I trained with them more."

"And what do you think of their Semblances?" She asked.

Ash was in his thoughts when he thought about it. "Aside from their leaders, there the Faunus who can make a person slow by pointing his finger and saying 'stay'. The smallest of the bunch has super-speed while generating electricity. The buff one can produce roots with her feet by using her aura. The quiet one can grow vines from both arms and legs, which is ironic since the user's name is Vine." He can't help but chuckle at that remark. "I must say they're unique, although I cannot help but wonder why they rely too much on their semblances.

"Perhaps 'tis like thee, relying on getting killed over and over until thou art victorious?" The Firekeeper suggested, putting two and two together.

The Unkindled bitterly chuckled at her remark since he had only died once since his awakening. "Perhaps you're right. It's just my opinion. They are the best in all of Atlas. Although, I can't help but wonder if they are truly the best or if it's just a boast."

"Then you should not delve into it too much, Ashen One." She told him. "You are what you are. A humble, experienced, and wise warrior who inspires others. Look at Team RWBY and their friend. Though you have not interacted much with them, they are training even more. Thou hath notice?"

Again, Ash was in his thoughts and knew Ruby and the others were training to become better. To be on his level. "I'm aware. I want them to be the best on their own terms, not mine." Not wanting to get deep into the conversation, he got up and walked towards the doorway to get something for the Firekeeper to eat. "You must be hungry. Do you want anything from the canteen?"

It was at this moment that the Firekeeper decided to ask something. "Actually, there is something that I want to ask thee?"

He shifted his body to face his close friend. "What is it?"

The Firekeeper curled up her lips at the thought of her answer. "Wouldst thou take me around the city of Mantle?"

That immediately grabbed his attention, which momentarily caught him by surprise. "And is there any reason?"

"Spending time with thee could be a moment of relaxation. Atlas would be alright, though Mantle seemed a perfect option to spend, and they do not have rude and self-entitled individuals." The Firekeeper answered. "Wouldst thou…grant my request?"

The Unkindled rubbed his nape when thinking about that. He hasn't spent much time with her since their reunion over a week ago. Truth be told, he felt ungrateful for how he abandoned her to do the task he did. Without a second of thought, he gave his answer to her. "I will."

The Firekeeper was grateful to hear this. "Thank you for granting my request." She held her hand up to allow her dear Ashen One to pull her to her feet before the two walked out of the room to explore the city together.

---

-Scene Change-

---

A pair of feet touched the cold surface as the Firekeeper and Ash walked through Mantle. She saw him giving her a few glances. "Something bothering thee?"

"People are looking at us," Ash told her with the tone of the reason why.

"Perhaps 'tis out of confusion and curiosity." She assumed.

"Point taken." He spoke so calmly that it even made her laugh softly despite the blunt remark he made.

The two continued to trek within the city. As they did so, the Unkindled couldn't help but sense a familiar misery from the people compared to those on the floating island. It was a look he hadn't seen since his time in the Kingdom of Lothric. As much as he wanted to think about it, he knew it would only put off his time with the Firekeeper. He was brought to his senses when he felt his Faraam's left Cuff being pulled on and immediately shifted to his friend. "What is it?"

She pointed to a building, the words' Mantle's Dining' being seen at the top of the entryway. "There's a smell that caught my attention. May we try such a thing?"

Ash silently chuckled, remembering how she had always told him she wanted to try trivial things back in Firelink Shrine. Without a single thought, he gave his answer. "Sure, why not. If you want it, then I won't argue."

The two entered the dining. As the bell rang and the two stepped foot in, a girl in a waitress uniform came up to them, though she was caught off by their unusual attire. "Hello. Welcome to Mantle's Dining. How many of you."

"It's just the both of us." Ash simply told her.

The Waitress smiled at the two. "Aw. Aren't you on a date or something?" Hearing that made the Unkindled stare at her. Despite having the helmet on, she couldn't help but feel nervous around him. "R-right. Come with me before I take your order."

They followed the girl to a table with few people around them. Ash sat on one end of the table, whereas the Firekeeper sat opposite. The woman handed the menus to them. "Here are our menus. Take your time off which one would suit you."

That is good, but Ash thought of something other than the food and drink choices. "Actually, how about you surprise the both of us?" He collected the menus and gave them back to the Waitress.

She was taken aback by his words. Eventually, she smiled at them. "Sure. It'll be with the two of you in a couple of minutes." She turned around but stopped to look at them. "You know, you two make such a beautiful couple."

With the Waitress not gone, Ash couldn't help but facepalm what the woman had said while shaking his head. "Why does she think we're dating?"

"Perhaps she is trying to tease us." The Firekeeper had an assumption as to why. "Ashen One, why you didn't pick an option?"

The Unkindled looked at her. "It's our first time in such a place. Due to our…unique background, I considered doing little interaction before curiosity got the better of her."

The Firekeeper seemed to understand why he had done such action. Still, she didn't want to see him being totally isolated from society. "Ashen One, 'tis alright if they become too curious."

He released a breath upon hearing that. "I know."

Both didn't utter a word to one another. If there was a common thought they had, both could not think of a topic to discuss as they had their little talk from earlier. That and how they wanted to be extremely careful not to spill any information deemed too personal to share in a public area. Both failed to notice the Waitress coming back with a circular serving tray and immediately placing it between them. "There you go! Hope you two enjoy the food!"

Ash was about to ask what this was when the server left. He stared at the food before him and couldn't help but think about it. The Unkindled failed to notice the Firekeeper grabbing a part of the spherical food and pulling it, showing the web-like yellow substance on top of it before nibbling on the triangular tip. He was at a loss for words when he saw that. "…Firekeeper?"

She looked at him while taking a small bite of her food. "Art thou try this?"

He kept eying on the object. "What is it called?"

The Firekeeper noticed his little curiosity in his tone. "I think 'tis called pizza. Specialist Polendina hath offered me this kind of food during my stay."

Ash hummed in interest at that. "Is that so?"

A nod was all the Firekeeper did. "Yes." Halfway through the first slice, she saw Ash not partaking in such delicacy. "Wouldst thou try?"

She had gotten answers when Ash decided to take a piece of pizza and slowly lifted his helmet where his lips got exposed. Ash reluctantly took a tiny bite, and after a few seconds of munching, he had one thing to utter. "It's unique…" He continued to take little bites with melted cheese being pulled. As he finished the crust, he fixed his helmet and looked back at his friend, who seemingly stared back at him while including herself in her third slice. "Is there something you have in mind?"

A nod was all the Firekeeper did. "Yes." Halfway through the first slice, she saw Ash not partaking in such delicacy. "Wouldst thou try?"

She had gotten answers when Ash decided to take a piece of pizza and slowly lifted his helmet where his lips got exposed. Ash reluctantly took a tiny bite, and after a few seconds of munching, he had one thing to utter. "It's unique…" He continued to take little bites with melted cheese being pulled. As he finished the crust, he fixed his helmet and looked back at his friend, who seemingly stared back at him while including herself in her third slice. "Is there something you have in mind?"

The Firekeeper stopped eating and tilted her head. "Art thou try more, Ashen One?"

Ash looked back at her. "I'm alright with one, thanks." He was about to remind her of calling him that title in public but stopped himself. He wanted her to have free time and experience, not him ruining all of this.

Once the pizza had been cleaned, the same Waitress walked towards their left side. "Ah. You both enjoyed it. Is there anything I can get for you?"

"How about something to finish off after having a hot meal." The Unkindled suggested.

A smile quickly came onto the other lady's lips. "I see. How about a parfait?" That earned a curious stare from the two. She can't help but chuckle inwardly at their reactions. "Trust me, you both are going to enjoy it."

---

-Scene Change-

---

The two had finished their shared dessert, and Ash managed to pay for the food with his liens, including a tip for the waitress. The sun has already begun to set over the city. The Unkindled had a feeling that they should end their hangout by now. "Should we get going? It's becoming dark, and I don't want to be here when the Grimm makes their presence."

The Firekeeper can see the reason, though that does not mean one more place won't hurt. "Spending a little bit at another place won't be bothersome, Ashen One."

Ash lowered his head. "I guess you have a point."

The two old friends began their walk to another place where they could enjoy their moment together. Almost half an hour passed, and they found themselves in a park. Since it was becoming nighttime, there were few people seen. Both then sat down on a bench that overlooked the entire area. Ash lowered his head in relaxation as he found this environment relaxing. "This is something I have yearned for a while."

The Firekeeper nodded back to him. "You seemed to be relaxed, Ashen One."

"It's places like this that help me ease myself and not be in endless combat," He told her while seeing birds passing through the sky. "Makes me think of Firelink Shrine."

His friend shared the same nostalgia as him. "This place is so beautiful. 'Tis times like this that I wish everyone could share the same feeling." She frowned at what she said next. "Unfortunately, not everyone can share the same peace. Despite the differences, there is always conflict and animosity to one another. Whether they are human or Faunus."

Ash sighed, understanding how some things never change. He glanced at her and saw that look on her face, which told him something was bothering her. "Anything bothering you, Firekeeper?"

She looked at him as if she was going to tell him something important. "I senseth a darkness within the city. A darkness that may have been the catalyst for the hatred between the peoples of Mantle and Atlas."

Ash hummed in interest while having both hands together on his chin. "You believe the Abyss could be responsible?"

She was uncertain. "'Tis but a speculation, Ashen One."

Hearing this answer brought a sense of relief to the Unkindled. "Then that is good. Although, I can't help but think about the possible presence of the Darkness." Not wanting to delve further into that topic, he switched to another. "Tell me, Firekeeper, what became of you before our… separation?"

His question made his close friend think for a bit before answering. "'It was like a long dream; I have slept for what could have been aeons, only to wake in a cave where Specialist Schnee discovered me."

That made Ash ask another. " Did Patches discover you?"

"Indeed," she answered, still in her shooting voice. " I was surprised by his presence. Though, he didn't intend to harm me. Without him, I would not be here to see thee."

Thinking about his encounter with that trickster merchant, Ash questions his final one. " I see. What about Andre and the others?"

The Firekeeper looked down upon him, mentioning their old companions. "I do not know for certain. Perhaps they might have been absorbed by the Darkness." And Ash was saddened upon hearing her say that. It turns out that ending the Fire had many more consequences than he initially thought.

The Firekeeper sense the sadness emitting from him. Without a word, she leaned her head on his left shoulder, comfortably wrapping both her arms around his neck. This caught him by surprise as she proceeded to tighten her hug. "Do not blame yourself for their deaths, Ashen One. There is nothing you could have done. 'Twas a private affair between us after all."

"I know..." He bitterly lamented. "I guess...I wasn't thinking clearly at that time. How I wanted to end the endless linkings...and now-" He stopped himself as he was aware that he was losing his composure. "I'm...I'm sorry for displaying such weakness in front of you." He remained stoic, though Ash's voice had cracks of remorse and guilt.

"Don't be," she said to him with a smile, "You dare show this to vent out your frustration. I am a Firekeeper, and I tend to keep thine emotions in check."

Her words caused Ash to hug her while leaning his head over hers. "...Thank you. For your unquestioning support, my friend."

Seeing him display his vulnerable state gave his close friend a reassuring smile. "Art thou most welcome."

They stayed like this for a while, not caring as the area darkened. That was until it was all ruined when Ash's scroll vibrated. The two let go of one another, and Ash checked for a text sent by Ruby. "It looks like Lady Ruby and the others are wandering where we are." He was bitter that they had ruined the heartfelt moment. Although it was unintentional for them to do so. He got up and offered a hand to her. "Come on. Let's not keep them waiting."

"Of course," The Firekeeper said with a smile as her hand reached Ash's. As she stood, one more thing needed to be said. "Ashen One?"

The individual tilted his head. "Yes?"

Her smile remained on her lips to what she was going to say. "Thou can call me by my real name."

Ash was taken back by this momentarily before recomposing. He nodded at her with a smile of his own behind the Faraam Helmet. "Let's not keep the others waiting, Olivia."

---

-Scene Change-

---

The journey back to the academy was only filled with silence, which both Ash and Olivia needed. As they walked up the stairs to the academy, they immediately saw Team RWBY waiting along with JNR. The Young Leader immediately ran towards them while the others followed. "There you are! What took the two of you so long?!"

Ash and Olivia looked at one another before the latter answered her question. "We were catching up for old times, Lady Rose."

Yang narrowed her eyes at that. "It doesn't seem like you two were catching up." Weiss and Blake rolled their eyes at that.

"Is that why you contacted me through the scroll?" Ash asked.

"We wanted to know if the two of you could come with us," Ren answered.

"Come where?" Olivia questioned out of curiosity.

Nora let out a big smile. "To the bathhouse, duh! We're considering inviting you and the Firekeeper to socialise with us. Winter and the Ace Ops are coming too! Winter and Qrow included!"

Jaune rubbed his nape at his teammate's words. "What she meant to say is that we're inviting the both of you to come and socialise with us."

Ash lowered his head at the thought of that. Truthfully, he was not in a good mood to indulge in such a thing. He looked at Olivia before walking past the group and into the academy. Naturally, everyone was surprised by his silent response. "Where do you think you're going, Ash?"

"Going back to my quarters," He plainly replied.

"Why?" Blake can't help but curiously ask.

He glanced over at his close friend before looking back at the others. "The Firekeeper recommended I get some shut eyes for a while. After all, I have been restless for over a week." The group were doubtful of his words but decided to let it pass.

"Alright, Ash," Ruby said, disappointed that Ash wouldn't socialise with them. "We'll just bring the Firekeeper with us and ensure she enjoys herself."

"Noted." He nonchalantly nodded before turning around and headed inside into the academy.

Ruby groaned at the Unkindled's lack of interest in hanging with them. "Ugh. Every time we invite him, he seems to dodge us whenever we get the chance to see him!"

Her sister agreed with her. "I know, right!"

"He doesn't seem to be very sociable," Ren commented.

The former heiress took note of that. We may get to speak to him on a mission together.

Oscar had to remind them when he was with them. "Does he usually kill off most of the Grimm before you can get some?"

The Faunus nodded in acknowledgement. "Yes, and that habit is really getting out of hand."

The orange-haired girl groaned at their complaints about Ash's lack of socialisation, though she shared the same feeling. "Who cares about that! Right now, I want to go to the bathhouse and have a water battle to the death!"

"Please don't do that, Nora." Her close friend warned her.

Olivia smiled. Ash had allowed her to go with Ruby and her friends on this occasion even though he didn't speak it out loud. "Lady Schnee. What is a bathhouse?"

The ex-heiress looked at her. "It's a place where people commute in a public area to communicate with one another. I guess it's your first time, right?"

"Indeed." The Blind Fairy Lady responded.

Ruby and Nora grabbed Olivia's arms as they proceeded to walk towards their destination. "You are going to love it there, Miss Firekeeper!" Ruby said with confidence.

---

Interesting. Seems like there is going to be a bath moment with most of the cast in the Atlas Arc. The Firekeeper, also known as Olivia, will surely have a fun first experience. It's going to have a bit of a fanservice moment, which I can see everyone being disappointed as it contrasts with the dark themes of Dark Souls and RWBY.

Now fun fact, The Firekeeper's Voice Actress is Olivia Mace and thought that in StaffSergeant's  The Night Unfurls , the Doll's name, Evetta, is based off from her voice Actress, Evetta Muradasilova, I decided to pay homage to that reference.

Seems like Ash is going to have some sleep. I wonder… what can he dream of considering that Bloodborne has been mentioned…

I have to also thank triscythe59 for aiding me in certain parts of the chapter. At this point, I might consider him to be my co-writer at this point.

Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed the chapter so far and please GIVE me constructive criticism so I can improve on next time. Other than that, I will see you all in the next update somewhere in early 2024!

So, I need to make things clear. One, that Bloodborne crossover is not just on its own. Hell, I assume you already know what it was crossover with from looking at a  certain  story. Two, the wolves are related to Sif and were inspired by  Dark Souls: The War of the Ancient Dragons  by Qizeaqfile. End of my notes. Now, let's get onto the story.

---

Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant Volume II

Nineteen

Investigating Unknown Territory

---

Ash was rolling his head while he heard the sound of bone cracking while walking to the briefing room. He was still thinking of the dream he had. As he was about a minute away, he heard a familiar voice in the library. "What are they doing in this time of day?" he was wondering why they weren't in the briefing room. He was going to find out.

Walking into the library, the Unkindled headed to where the noise came while passing my many bookshelves. He eventually stopped as he saw Team RWBY and JNR sitting around a roundtable and all were having the same book with small notebooks and pencils on the side. Ash was surprised that even Winter and Penny were present with them, which was very unusual for them. He got near their table without making a sound before he greeted them. "Something going on here?"

Nearly everyone got jumped when they heard his voice and turned to where he was at. Penny looked at him. "Salutations Ash! We are currently doing research!"

Ash was serious wondering why they are doing it when they are meant to be in training. "What research?"

Nora can answer his question. "We're looking at someone who is called the Ashen Knight!"

This caused him to tilt his head at that. "Ashen...knight...?"

Ruby beamingly smiled at him when he said that. Uh-huh! The Story of the Ashen Knight is really popular throughout Remnant despite being one if not the oldest tale! I remember my mother reading it to me and Yang." Her sister can't help but to feel nostalgic when hearing that.

"I never knew that." He said before he asked that question. "Tell me, what exactly do you know about the Ashen Knight?"

Each individual began to explain that character to him and the deeds that he had done. As he continued to listen, he can't help but to think to what they had said. "This Ashen Knight… matches TOO well with what I've been through in the past. How?" He was ever so curious to know how but decided to have that questioned another time.

Now that was over, Winter had to something to say. "Which leads the question. Why are you called the Ashen One?"

"I do not want to talk about it," He responded firmly, not wanting to touch on that subject.

Everyone was taken back by his words. "But that title is somehow closely linked to the Ashen Knight."

Weiss noticed the shift in Ash's tone. "Ash, you're making a big deal about this."

Yang did not like this attitude he was displaying. "Alright, what is your problem, Ash!? That story isn't utter nonsense. Many people, both from the past and now, had inspired many people."

That immediately pop something on Jaune's mind when the blonde brawler mentioned that. "Oh, yeah! My family's sword and shield was inspired by the design of the Ashen Knight. Look at this! " He proceeded to show a rough sketch to Ash of the Ashen Knight.

This causes the Unkindled to silently gape as he saw the character waring the old Knight Set with his Longsword and Kite Shield. Though he regained his composure and remained aloof as ever. "… that so?"

The former Heriess also had to back up how this individual had inspired her family. "Even my grandfather in his Hunstman days based his armour of the Ashen Knight." She shows a photo of her grandfather on her scroll to him, making him widened his eyes at it was eerily similar to the Faraam Armour.

"Yeah! Next to the Rusted Knight, he's basically my favourite hero!" Nora exclaimed too excitedly.

"Why do you see the Ashen Knight's story as utter nonsense?" Ren asked.

"…I see it as so because the story does not tell full truth of the Knight's tale." This caused everyone to look at with a confused look. Ash notices this and immediately cleared his throat. "Apologies. It seems I must have been imagining things." Wanting to move on to another topic, he thought of something to discuss with the group. "Say. I have been reading this story 'The Girl who Fell through the World' and there's just two characters that interest me."

Being an avid fan of that story, Blake had a guess to what he was implying. ""Is it the Porcelain Masked Woman and her Wolf Companion?"

Ash was surprised to what the Faunus had said. "Yes… what made you ask that?"

She was glad he asked that, and she began to explain. "Well. When Alyx encountered them, they were guarding a sword. A sword that's similar to the one on your back. Unlike the Rusted Knight, they refused to join as they didn't want to leave the only thing that reminded them of a friend."

"Don't forget to mention that the wolf was big. Bigger like a Goliath." Ren interjected.

Ash was interested and curious of who these two are. He had an idea of their identities but can't fully confirm it. But he knew that the wolf was definitely Sif, the Great Grey Wolf Companion of Knight Artorias. Wanting to find answers to the identity of the other individual, he asked them his question. "What do you know about this masked woman?"

"For one, she seems to be stoic." Weiss began to list off the traits of the Porcelain masked woman seen in that story.

"And's she's super quick!" Ruby chimed in.

Stoic and quick. The only individual that matches well with that description could possibly be the Lord's Blade Ciaran. Ash doesn't know what her attire was but only just…

Right as he was about to speak, all of their scrolls vibrate. All, apart from Ash and Penny, pulled out their scroll and saw a text coming from Ironwood.

'I need you all to come to my office. This is urgent.'

After reading the next, Yang can't help but to make a comment. "What do you know? General Ironwood had summoned us."

Winter look at the text and she knew it was serious. "This seems like an emergency."

Weiss looked at her sister. "How important is this?"

---

-Scene Change-

---

After they had tidied up, all rushed to go to the General's Office. As all of them found themselves in said room, they saw Ironwood looking at the view behind his desk. The Ace Operatives were also present. Winter cleared her throat to grab her commander's attention. "Sir."

Ironwood turned around them and saw the Specialist, along with Penny, Team RWBY and JNR, and Ash. "Ah, our new huntsmen and huntresses. "I'm glad you came almost immediately."

"You said this was urgent." Ash told him.

"Indeed it is." The General commented before he pressed a button on his desk to reveal photos of an Atlesian convoy that had been recently ambushed to the scratch marks on the destroyed trucks that its supplies had be ransacked, with soldiers and Atlesian Knights lying on the ground causing some to be shocked at how they died. "A convoy has been ambushed on its way to the site of the Global Communication Tower to drop off supplies. But this isn't the first time it had occurred."

"What do you mean by that, General?" Ruby can't help but ask.

Ironwood glanced over to Clover, who then nodded back at him before he took over. "Ever since the Fall of Beacon, there has been a lot of convoy ambushes that happened. This is the thirty-fifth time it happened."

Nearly gaped at the numbers heard. Thirty-five attacks on convoys. That sounds very concerning. "THIRTY-FIVE!" Ash remained composed as ever. But even he was taken back by the numbers.

"How come it had happened thirty-five times!?" Jaune asked bewilderedly.

Vine can answer that. "We do not know how."

"You think these "aberration" Grimms could be the source of these attacks?" Weiss guessed.

The Operative shook his head. "No, in fact…" The picture then changed to a pile of Grimm, who were easily dispatched with scratch and bite marks seen everywhere. "Grimms were also victims of such attack. Whatever is causing these attacks needs to be solved if the builders don't have enough resources to complete the project."

This was a problem that needed to be dealt with. And fast. Everyone looked at one another before the younger leader had to ask the next core of action. "What do you want all of us to do?"

The general looked at her and is about to explain that. "After the Arrowfell Incident, I feel like this will be your second mission as Huntsmen and Huntresses. I want you to go with the Ace Operatives to see if you can lure out the ones responsible for these attacks. This will take at least a day, so I want you pack whatever supplies you can give." He looked over to Winter and Penny. "Schnee, Penny. I want the both of you to come with them. We do not know what we are dealing with here."

"Yes Sir!/Affirmative!" The collective voices of the group said with the tone of confirmation as they left the office in order to prepare for their new assignment. Ash can't help having a feeling that a certain type of animal causing all this trouble.

---

-Scene Change-

---

Three Atlesian Mantras had dropped the group off in the far west region of Atlas. It was there where the attacks had occurred the most and was only just two hours away from the Global Communication site. Since it was in the coldest part, Ruby couldn't help but shiver as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, it's so freezing in these parts!"

Weiss had a deadpan look on her face upon hearing that. "I'm glad you remembered what I said!" She focused on Ash, who seemed unbothered by the cold weather. "I see why you chose that armour in the first place that can withstand the cold."

"Yep." He simply answered. It wasn't the first time he experienced this kind of weather. It reminded him so much of the painted world of Ariandel.

Blake and Yang looked at one another, wondering if they should tell the others of Ash's lack of aura. Right now, it was not yet time. Everyone regrouped in the location to where the site of the ambush was. "Alright, people, let's keep this mission summary brief," Clover explained. "We are here to investigate the source of these attacks. Find out anything that can provide anything to what we are dealing with."

They walked to where the convoy was located, and it was immediately spotted a few metres away. Ruby can't help but feel both excited and concerned at the same time. Ash glanced over in her direction. "You, okay?"

The younger leader looked back at him. "Yeah. This is me and the other's second mission." She tilted her head in his direction. "Isn't this your first?"

"You can put it that way," He nonchalantly answered before going with the others to investigate.

Little time had passed, and Ash opened the backdoor to the armoured truck. As he did so, he saw the exact same thing. Blood smeared all over with scratch marks. In the centre lies a bloodied Atlesian soldier who seemed to have been in the last stand against multiple enemies that seemed to overwhelm him. Just looking at the way the soldier died reminds him of Ash's first few deaths in the painted world of Ariandel when he got mauled….

"Ash!" Ruby's voice called out to him, making the Unkindled.

Hearing her voice, Ash glanced back at the fallen soldier before heading to where the young girl was. As he did so, he saw everyone regrouping at the front of the first destroyed truck. All had the look of uncertainty on their faces. "What with that look?"

The group looked at him, seeing him entering at the right moment. "Oh, Ash. We were having a talk about what we have discovered."

"Have you made any?" The Unkindled questioned.

It was then that Winter answered his question. "Only a mess of blood, along with scratch mark seen from the photos General Ironwood showed us before. Anything else, there's nothing else."

"That is very unusual." Ash muttered. "There's always evidence of what could have attacked this convoy."

For once. Marrow had to agree with the Unkindled. "Yeah. That is very strange."

The Faunus girl glanced up to the sky to see that it was becoming dark. "Um, guys. I think we may be sleeping here tonight."

Some of them already didn't like what Blake had commented. Although, people like Ash, Winter, and Clover could see the reason why. The leader of the Ace Operatives spoke. "Well, we're all lucky that we managed to pack up some tents. Let's find a spot to camp for tonight. Then we can continue without search tomorrow morning."

This caused some people thrilled upon hearing this. Ruby had voiced everyone's excitement. "Yeah! Let's do some camping!"

Everyone began to follow the Ace Ops and Specialist to find a perfect camping spot to rest for tonight. Unknown to all of them that in a faraway distance, a large pack of four-legged grey and white animals were watching the group from afar before retreating back.

---

-Scene Change-

---

Night has hit and the group were able to find a perfect camping spot to rest in. All gathered around the campfire that had been set up by Ash, without the usage of a matchstick. When they asked him how, Ash just said he used a friction-based method to start it, not wanting to say he used a little bit of pyromancy to the others. Ruby was munching on a S'more she had made for herself and the others. "Ah. Nothing is relaxing than to have S'mores right before bedtime."

Her sister chuckled at that statement as she took a bite of her S'more. "I have to give it to you, sis. You really made good S'mores."

Weiss had a different opinion. "You know those aren't good options before sleeping, right?"

Nora, who had finished her third S'more, glared at the Former Heiress. "There's nothing wrong with that. C'mon, try some."

The ex-Heiress huffed in response. "I refuse to have such unhealthy savoury."

Jaune felt as though she should at least try. "Weiss, you should really try."

Speaking of savoury, Ash took his Estus Flask out and took a little sip. Feeling the warmth coursing through his body, he was about to put the canteen away… "What are you drinking, Ash?"

Penny's voice made the Unkindled look at everyone, who were eying at his green Flask. He let out a sigh upon realising this. "It is a special drink back where I came from."

Jaune could clearly remember what that can do to a person. "Uh, isn't that like some sort of healing potion?"

"You can say it like that," Ash replied.

That got everyone interested at that fact. Marrow can't help but to ask the Unlinked another question. "Does it taste good?" The other man didn't reply, much to their disappointment.

"Could we at least try?" Ruby chirped in.

"I'm afraid I can't." He answered honestly without filtering his tone. "This is the last batch I have." Truth be told, it could always be refilled whenever he rests at a bonfire. If only Patches was kind enough to set another one up.

"Ash…" Said person looked over to Weiss, who was looking back at him. "What with the look?"

The Unkindled tilted his head at her. Blake saw this and also chimed in. "You've been silent as of late. Is there something bothering you?"

"…Something like that…" He responded back.

That pipped Yang's interest. She can't help to also ask. "Like what?"

Ash was about to respond when all of a sudden, a faint sound of a howl was heard from far away. Yet, it was loud enough for Blake to cover her Blake ears. Everyone else heard this and looked over. "What was that?" Jaune asked.

"Was that a Grimm's howl?" Nora asked.

"I don't really think that was a Grimm's," Marrow spoke.

All of a sudden, angry snarls surrounded the camp. All got up and drew their weapons. Looking at where it came from, there was surprised to see the ones that made those noise. "W-wolves…" Ruby meekly muttered while clutching Cresent Rose tightly.

Indeed they were surrounded by wolves. Fifty of them, in grey, black, and white coatings. But they seemed to be bigger than average ones. They stood at three and a half feet in tall and nine feet in length, Weiss was unsurprised by this. "What a surprise. Wolves."

The Faunuses were nervous at seeing them due to their animal instinct. "Um…guys…there's a lot of wolves." Blake spoke out.

"Yeah, we can already see." Her partner sarcastically commented.

All the while, Ash was having flashbacks of these animals back in the Painted World of Ariandel. He remembered all these times where he got mauled to death multiple times. "Don't underestimate them." He told them while readying up with his Wolf Knight's Greatsword.

Harriet glanced at the Unkindled. "Why should we? They're just wild animals."

Another howl was heard, and a loud thud landed behind the large pack of wolves. Everyone had their eyes widened in shock as a goliath-sized white wolf appeared out of nowhere and was staring at them. To be more specific, at Ash. Its blue eyes were looking at his visor as if it was expecting his presence. "That's a really big wolf!" Nora loudly shouted in both excitement and fear.

The Unkindled had pieced together of the convoys that had been attack within the wilderness. It was not a surprise to whom orchestrated such thing. "So these were the perpetrators this whole time? I haven't seen a greatwolf for a long time."

---

Yeah, Ash is going to fight another greatwolf. This time, it's a wild one. It seems like there is some lore building up with regards to the tale of the  Ashen Knight  and how his past might be connected to such character. I wonder how it'll go. Oh yeah, I want to give triscythe59 some credit for helping me write out some lines.

I sincerely apologize if this chapter felt rushed. I am getting busy with life but don't want to abandon this really good story. I really do wish that I have enough funds for a commission from Qizeaqfile. But it may be soon or later.

Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed the chapter so far and please GIVE me constructive criticism so I can improve on next time. Other than that, I will see you all in the next update…

Here is the chapter. Sorry if I took so long to write it. And to Qwertyiop, Ash is not yet comfortable in telling them what is his situation. But it will be in future volumes. Just not right now. And this chapter will be shorter and rushed than usual because it is a continuation of the previous chapter. I have to apologize for that. It was the decision that I was only comfortably in. With that said, let's get onto the chapter then, shall we?

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Dark Souls Embers of Remnant Volume II

Twenty

Greatwolf of Solitas

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'The soul of a greatwolf, one of many who roam around the wilderness of Solitas and would attack those who dared enter its territory.' -Description of a Greatwolf of Solitas

The white greatwolf stared at the group while being surrounded by smaller wolves, who were growling and barking at them. Ash had an urged to immediately attack but knew it was going to be stupid. He has secrets he wants to keep away from them, and he would dare not to be reckless. "With these many wolves, I think we can all take care of the little ones. But the Greatwolf is something I can personally deal with." Remembering how he fought with the Champion's Greatwolf, along with the Champion's Grave tender, back within the Painted World of Ariandel, he hoped that experience would be helpful to what's to come.

"Um, so," Marrow spoke with a hint of nervousness while holding Fetch tightly. "How are we going to deal with these wolves?"

His teammates looked back at him and saw that look on his face. "What's wrong? Afraid of wolves?" Harriet asked slyly.

He glared at her for that. "You know wolves are hostiles against anything that they stumble upon. Even dogs!" Some of his teammates can help but chuckle at his remark.

Clover just chuckled at their banter as he readied his weapon. "Remember your training, folks. And make sure the big one stays alive so our scientist can study why it's so big."

Penny was enthusiastic as usual and readied her weapons. "Affirmative!"

The greatwolf heard that and eyed at its small companions. Naturally, this got everyone confused. "Why are is it looking at the smaller ones?" Ruby asked.

"Probably to command them." Weiss pointed out the obvious as she readied her glyphs just in case things went wrong.

Before they can even make a single, the small wolves opened their mouths and breathed out frost. Everyone covered themselves and the next thing they knew, all of them were frozen solid. Well, almost everyone.

Ash let his arms down and saw he was the only one to be unfrozen. It only took a few seconds to realised that everyone was frozen solid, yet they were pretty much alive. Naturally, he got confused. "What in the…"

He heard a low growl coming from the large wolf. He looked up to see that it wanted to challenge him for some reason. "You want to challenge me and not them?" He glanced at his frozen squamates. Something about it makes him think that they're alright….despite being frozen. Even Penny was a victim to the wolves' attack, although she could be free at any given moment. Right now, the Unkindled needed to do what the greatwolf's request. "Alright, I will challenge you. Though, I wish to do it not near my frozen comrades."

The wolf heeded his request and walked a few metres away. Ash followed behind and found himself in an open snow area with tress and small wolves surrounding him and the Greatwolf. The Unkindled held his Wolf Knight's Greatsword with both hands and got into a stance where he was ready to fight against the Greatwolf. "Show me what you got?"

The greatwolf stared at him for a few seconds before it let out a battle cry howl. The smaller wolves howled as well as they spectacled its big counterpart fight off against him. The howls eventually stopped and the greatwolf growled as it was ready to battle.

Insert Dark Souls III OST: Champion's Gravetender (Phase One Only)

The greatwolf growled at him before it lunged forward in an attempt to bite. When it got to its biting range, Ash immediately rolled to the left side towards safety. He used his Greatsword to block another attack before aiming on the greatwolf's left leg to attempt to cut it. He wasn't quick enough as the greatwolf jumped to the other side. He looked to where his opponent was before it swiftly rushes towards him with its head to the ground before lifting it to where he was. Unfortunately Ash was not quick enough to dodge this attack and was sent flying.

Ash managed to land, albeit sustaining minor injuries. He was the greatwolf rushing towards him once again. Though this time, he managed to dodge the attack by jumping to the side and cut the right side of the giant wolf's torso. However, he was left at a vulnerable spot where he could be blasted by frost. Shielding himself from the immediate attack, the unkindled felt cold from what had occurred. "So…cold…." It wasn't the first time Ash had experienced that coldness for quite a while.

He was frozen in place, which left him susceptible to the greatwolf's attack. Ash tried his best to get free. Seeing his opponent drawing closer, the Unkindled got an idea. "Wait, I have pyromancy. Why don't I use that?"

Seeing its prey motionless, the greatwolf had its mouth wide open to attempt to bite him. However, right as it was near, Ash broke free and blasted fire towards its face. The greatwolf jumped back. The Unkindled rolled his shoulders for a bit before seeing the greatwolf's right side of the face being a bit scorched. It snarled at him for this action before jumping to safety to avoid an attack but was immediately stabbed on its front right leg.

Ash immediately pulled his Wolf Knight's Greatsword out before he was clawed in the front from the greatwolf's retaliation. He slightly yelped in pain as he was knocked off his feet before quickly standing. "That was close. I shouldn't have been reckless there."

Upon glancing the greatwolf's current state, the Unkindled knew that it was showing signs of tiredness. Yet, it seems like it was expecting this kind of attack. "Just what is that greatwolf thinking!?"

Despite being confused to what has happened so far, Ash knew he had to end this before anything bad could happen. Readying up with his Wolf Knight's Greatsword, the two waited for either one to attack. Both of them stared at one another for a while with the smaller wolves waiting in anticipation.

Time had quickly passed, none of them made a move. Seeing as though the Unkindled and the greatwolf were hesitant, both slightly lowered themselves while readying themselves for their attack. Without a second to ask. Both lunged towards each other in an attempt to unleash their strike. As they were about a feet away to land a blow, the greatwolf swung its right paw towards Ash with its sharp claws. Though, in much of its disappointment, he successfully avoids the attack by rolling towards its head. Rather than using his weapon, he curled his right hand into a first before uppercutting to its lower jaw.

Due to his immense strength, it manages to throw the greatwolf into the air before rolling backwards and eventually stopped. Smoke covered the giant animal for a bit before it eventually cleared. Ash saw the greatwolf struggling to get up before eventually falling to the snowy ground.

Dark Souls III OST Ends

Ash was breathing heavily after delivering that punch. He got his Estus Flask before sipping little of its contents. The wounds sustained from the greatwolf's attack quickly healed. Still, that didn't restore the growing pitifulness that was forming within his stomach. He looked back at the large creature. "I didn't have to go that far with those attacks." Honestly, what he did was out of reflexes. But he had a bad feeling to what was going to happen next.

Surprisingly, he looked back at the smaller wolves who seemed to be staring at him. None of them threatened him. How strange. Usually, if one of their members die, all would become murderous and attack in retaliation. Yet, they seemed to be calm…and that confused Ash. "Just what is going on? I just beaten the greatwolf and they're just staring at me. Shouldn't they be doing it soon?"

He was immediately alarmed when he heard growls coming behind him. He quickly turned around and was shocked to see more Greatwolves that were surrounding its injured member. "Tch, great. Just what I needed…" He cursed to himself, seeing how he had found himself in another situation. Without a thought, Ash readied his Wolf Knight Greatsword and waiting patiently for one to attack.

Like before, none of the Greatwolves had even tried to even make a move towards him. All of them saw their injured pack member weakly getting up and stare at him with its still beautiful blue eyes. Ash stared at him before he uttered. "What is going on? Aren't you supposed to be attack me right now?"

The greatwolf he fought continued to stare at him. It went on like this before it lift its head up before letting out a respectful howl. The other greatwolves followed suite and so did the smaller wolves. This continued on like that until a pathway has been formed in front of Ash. Naturally, he was caught off by this sudden sight of a trail. "What in the…"

He looked back at the white greatwolf to see it looking back at him. "What is this? Are you showing me why you are attacking Atlesian Convoys?"

The white greatwolf didn't make a sound. Instead, it continued to stare at him. That confirmed his answer. "I see." It seems like he is meant to be going right now. There was one more problem he needed clarification. "And what will be of my frozen teammates? Will they still be alive?" He asked as he glanced over to his frozen solid comrades.

Again, silence was all that he had got. The Unkindled immediately come to realised that he hasn't absorbed their souls when they were frozen. "Okay." Without any single word, Ash proceeded to walk along the trail. He had only hoped it would lead him to their constant attacks on Atlesian Convoys.

---

-Scene Change-

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It must have felt hours had passed. Ash wasn't tired as he finally reached the end of the trail. The area he found himself seemed to in a heavily wooded area surrounded by tall trees unaffected by the harsh climate of Solitas. He was certainly surprised by the environment he found himself in. "Odd. This area seemed to be naturally green. I wonder why?"

For this reason, he continued to walk straight. He wanted to get some answers and why there were a lot of wolves in that area. As he got deeper, he noticed many things. For one, there seemed to be a lot of swords stabbed onto the ground, as if it was to commemorate whoever has fallen.

As for the second one, Ash recognises it to be Atlesian Military Equipment, but it seems like it has been toyed with. Ranging from its armour to armoured trucks, to its Robotic Knights, and even the remains of the soldiers they consumed. "So, this is what happened to the soldiers who had an unfortunate encounter with them?"

Ash walked for a little while until he eventually stopped upon entering a new area. His eyes scanned around the place and saw it was a very large open area with trees and bushes around its surroundings. Yet, the sky was still visible. Though, there was one thing that he was interested in. And it was in front of him.

He can't believe what he was seeing. He had heard this from books he had read during his off time on his journey to retrieve the Four Lords of Cinder. It was difficult to believe, but his eyes weren't deceiving him. "So…this is why the greatwolves were protecting this area." Ash spoke to the individual in interest through his calm tone. "It's…finally to meet one in person, great Greywolf…"

Insert Dark Souls OST: Great Grey Wolf Sif (Guitar Version by Isac Saleh)

Yes. The person of interest that Ash was looking at was indeed a Great Greywolf, which was bigger than the Greatwolf he saw previous. It sat down on the ground and stared at him intently. Though it was as if it had been awaiting for him. There was no cup in sight and Ash was wondering why the greatwolves had formed a pathway to its den. He doesn't know why. But he would eventually get his answers.

As this was happening, a small wolf pup in a unique coating sat down on top of a boulder near the Great Greywolf and stared at Ash with interest….

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HOLY SHIT! What a way to end the chapter and finally revealing why the wolves were defending the area that the Atlesian Convoys were heading into. And it seems like a pup has taken an immediate interest in Ash. I apologize if I butchered some lore.

This chapter has been inspired by Chapter Twelve of the Fan comic  Dark Souls: The War of The Ancient Dragons  by Qizeaqfile.

Now I am going to be busy in the next few days to write the final part of the original trilogy. It's nearly done. But this three-chapter story arc is called 'Greatwolves of Solitas'. I know it ain't catchy, it sounds appropriate.

I appreciate the feedback I got last time and appreciate at it more if I were given constructive criticism and feedback to improve this story. Other than that, I will see you all in the next chapter...