Oh lord, who'd have thought that I'd be here again? Turns out that there's more time before Uni starts than I thought, so I decided to set up this collection of oneshots early, to pass the time. Now I should say it now, updates will be sporadic, and it may even be months between them and some may be varying in length, so keep that in mind when reading them.
This is going to be mostly AUs, but can be looking at pasts not mentioned by canon, expanding canon, and other things. Hopefully you'll enjoy them, if I do it right. This one has a simple premise, which is that the Grimm are slowly going extinct, and we'll see where canon goes from there.
In one world, foul monsters are a deadly and ever-present swarm, consuming everything in their path, forcing humanity into a small number of nations, protected only by natural barriers, technology, and sheer will. These nations are cities in name only, easily dwarfing their original namesakes, with settlements placed down as both artificial barriers and as a way to spread out the population.
Yet, this came from the Creatures of Grimm being dominant, which could have easily not been the case in another world.
"Oz, I found him!" Peter cried out, amidst the wreckage of the battlefield.
With a strength so unlike him, Ozpin dashed forward, leaping and side-stepping over the disintegrating bodies of the Grimm, with the smallest of Beowolves, to the largest of Goliaths, he focused on the single body ahead. At the sight of the man still breathing, a new energy came to the Huntsman, fuelled by the desire to have saved at least one man from all of this.
He should have done something. It was a month ago that he heard of a small group being sent into the Grimmlands to track down a humanoid Grimm, one that seemed to dominate its own kind through sheer strength, and he had assumed that the group would have had it handled by now, all of them being trained Huntsmen and Huntresses.
At the first distress call, that assumption was proved to be anything but true. Traitors in the warlords, hoping the beast would be distracted by fresh meat over them, Grimm being organised in their strikes, and an underestimation of the Ratking meant that the group had been cut down to a handful at best, tasked with the impossible.
From the fallen corpse of the monster, its face unrecognisable from the burn marks around it, Ozpin judged that the beast had been slain. From across the barren and dead lands before him, Ozpin could see the remains of a great battle, creating some colour in a land where the very essence of life had been sapped out, plants not even growing in the strange dust-like substance he walked upon, and they were unlikely to grow in the future despite the ash raining down.
Icebergs as large as any building in Vale littered the area, stretching out like any row of shops, the sight of Grimm entrapped in them proving a nightmarish sight, matched only by the new mountains of black sand and dust that strong winds from nowhere must have called upon. Ozpin didn't know much about the properties of the Grimmlands' ground this far north, yet he was sure that the flames consuming them were not common.
Slightly darker patches of black on the ground made his hair almost stand tall suggested powerful blows of lightning struck down in these areas, whilst the dampness of the area, and the sight of water pouring down from afar, made Ozpin wonder how much Water Dust had been used. All of them paled in comparison to the sight of how much the blade of the only survivor had managed to cut through the icebergs, Goliaths, and had even managed to cause mountains of the ashy substance that made up the ground to collapse somewhat.
Yes, a truly powerful battle had occurred, and the victory over the Grimm was a hard-fought one.
Only it won't matter if I let this man die for nothing! Ozpin knew that wasn't entirely true, as who knew what this Grimm shaped as a human was planning. Even after the great civil war finally ended thirty-three years ago, and the recent construction of Mountain Glenn, humanity was only now starting to beat back the Grimm after their recent incursions.
The pragmatist in Ozpin told him that this sacrifice was worth the lives he saved, but the idealist, even after everything in his life, raged that something should be done.
Peter Arc deserved better than to die in a battlefield, in such agony.
Finally reaching him, the body looked as if it was barely staving off death. Whatever Aura that might have healed him, it had either gone into fighting Ratking, or healing earlier wounds, judging from how his left arm had been all but gnawed apart, and how his chest had been ripped apart twice, the second just below the neck.
Had it just been slightly closer, it'd have torn out his throat.
"Oz, we need to get his Aura working quick." Peter spoke with a rare seriousness, as he placed pressure on the wounds and tried his best to stop the bleeding. As he did this, he kept a vigilant eye out for any Grimm bursting into the scene. "Maybe we can try and place in our Aura, to substitute what he lost."
"We need to be quick, the gradual method may be too slow, and we won't stop the bleeding in time." Ozpin muttered, as he dropped the medical box and ripped it open, trying to find the right supplies.
"Use your Semblance!" Peter roared, as the blood began to stain their clothes. "It may buy us time!"
Ozpin considered the risks. He would only have a small window of time, his panic neutralising his training in extending the time he had to apply the proper procedures on Peter Arc. If he placed in too much of his own Aura, or the body didn't recognise it as Aura somehow, Arc would enter shock and die, but if he couldn't do something, the man would die anyway.
The choice was clear, and the answer obvious.
Within a blink of an eye, everything stopped moving around Ozpin, the weight upon him growing stronger, and his lungs no longer sensing air coming into them. Thankfully, he had a fair amount of speed, even without his Semblance, and set about doing what he could to prevent the bleeding and make bandaging the wounds easier, for what Aura could not heal.
As fifteen minutes passed, five minutes after he switched to transferring his Aura in a steady manner, while his lungs and neck were now tearing themselves apart, Ozpin undid his Semblance, and allowed the flow of time to return.
Peter Port, the naming coincidence between him and the man they were trying to save somewhat annoying, took over from there. Ozpin had done the best he could, using everything the medical pack he and Peter had been given had to offer, covering the six torn scars on Arc's chest with all the bandages he had, and allowing for the man's body to have enough Aura that his blood would not flood over his body again.
Had he been a few seconds earlier, Peter Arc would have died.
Had he waited a few seconds more to cancel his Semblance, he might have died.
Had Peter not taken over supplying further Aura, the result would have been up in the air.
Yet, as Ozpin took in mouthfuls of air, tasting the very corruption in it, he could hear the man lying next to him sputter and cough, hissing in pain. Peter whispered kind words to him, assuring him that he was alive and that the Ratking was dead, and that all of them would be going home. His lungs were still crying out in pain, but that didn't matter to Ozpin.
He saved a live, in the pits of hell, and that was all that mattered.
"Don't make me use your first name." Peter Arc said, with a cheerful smile to him.
The mere threat was enough to shake Ozpin out of his inner thoughts. On a bright and sunny day like this, the very air itself filled with the sounds of children playing in the nearby parks with the scent of a freshly made cup of coffee (he'd rather die than call it Joe) reaching his nose, it was hard to not have his thoughts wonder away from him.
When given the option, Ozpin used to always choose to go inside a restaurant, even on fine summer days like the one he was having. Perhaps it was something from his past, or his upbringing rebelling against the idea of enjoying nature, but he avoided the outdoor option. Sitting in a cafe, just across the street from one of the many parks, along the many shops that sprung up with the latest expansion, Ozpin never regretted being brought out of that habit.
"Sorry, Peter. I just got caught up in everything." Ozpin said, as he took a sip.
"Of all the places you chose to retire to, you had to pick Mountain Glenn." Peter muttered, his hair having turned from murky blonde, to shining grey, to a battle against baldness. "Philip and Marie, bless their souls, act like I'm at death's door when winter comes around. If it wasn't for Susie, trust my wife to be the one to know how my health is, I'd have had to sneak out again. Just to visit a friend!"
"Family tends to be irrational about such things, Peter, especially when it concerns the more elderly of them." Ozpin's smile was perfectly good-natured, and not at all mocking.
"I hate you, Peter does too, for how bloody young you look." He replied, motioning to Ozpin's body, before groaning aloud again. "I'll be in the ground before I hear you call me 'Pete', it'd make things easier." He lamented, his eyes glistening with desire.
"Then I lose my jokes. You must allow an old man his jokes." Ozpin always loved it when both men turned their head, when their names were called. Looking to the side, he could see Vale's second city bustling, even during work hours. "Mountain Glenn felt like a good place to be. A new beginning for mankind, to be the home of a man who saw the world start again."
"You told me that retirement would make you more direct with people, you old liar."
"Respect your elders."
Friendship between the two was a result that Ozpin never expected. Honestly, he had been in awe of the great Godfrey Arc, convincing the Crowns of each Kingdom that the Faunus were going to win, and deserved their rights, and then working with the Colourful Revolution to save humanity's freedom eighty-one years ago. The man was a hero, and Ozpin had barely saved his son.
Peter Arc's own injuries, along with the shattered remains of Crocea Mors, meant that his strength was nothing like before. He was still a good Huntsman in his own right, and helped in the near-victorious battle against the Grimm, surviving to the age of eighty and fathering two more children. It was a feat to survive this long, in their careers, and to reach the ripe old age he did, even if he looked barely over sixty.
Aura can do amazing things, if you have enough, and learn at the right time. Ozpin noted, although he knew that he and Peter Port were rare in lasting as long as they did, even when they avoided dying in their active career.
Most of their friends either died in doing their duty, or passed on in old age. Even in peaceful times, where the Grimm were driven back so far, death remained a powerful risk. For Ozpin, another path had become much brighter as time went on.
Retirement. He had taken the post of Beacon Headmaster when his predecessor died saving Mountain Glenn's walls, and just over eight years ago, he had chosen to step down and enjoy some peace and quiet, with the world looking as if it no longer needed old men with dark histories defending it.
A thought came to him. "I hear Jaune's doing well in his second year." From what Ozpin heard, it was a bumpy road, yet his heart translated into strength when his partner helped him. "Amethyst in her third year as well. Your grandchildren are doing well for themselves."
"I still can't imagine little Rebecca as a mother, even now." Peter held his head in his hand and guffawed, gaining a few stares. He paid them little mind. "I look at my kids and they look older than you when we first met."
"Now, now, they aren't in their mid-fifties yet." Just saying that made him groan and take a drink from the cup to distract himself. "I am amazingly old. How Peter stays so energetic will be a mystery to me." He may look young, yet Ozpin was starting to feel his age.
"You can always ask me." Pointing to himself, Peter's joke was obvious. "One of these days, people will think you've gone senile, refusing to give me a nickname. Or is that for my deathbed?" He asked, relaxing into his chair.
"The plan is to lie at the eulogy and say I called you Petey in private. Make sure your ghost can't enjoy it." Now his smile was mocking.
"Whatever the history books say, I'll know you can be a right arse." As he wagged his finger, Peter then exhaled loudly. "Glynda's been asking whether I can get one of the family, or you, to try and give a lecture to the Beacon students. Get them to rally up and remember that it ain't the end of their world, once the world is safe and sound."
"Now, Peter, I imagine humanity will find a new enemy in time." Ozpin allowed some cynicism to flow out. "Without the threat of extinction, how do we know that the Kingdoms won't bicker amongst themselves once more, or the Faunus Rights Movement won't turn even more violent, or the warlords of the Grimmlands may unite against the loss of their power? Life is not a story, for resolution never comes by quickly."
"Then it's a good thing we've got heroes." He said that with a wink, motioning to the world around them. "Oz, we've done more than enough in our lifetimes. We've got to trust in the younger generation, assume that they can handle themselves, now that the need for old warriors has passed. Isn't that why you resigned eight years ago?"
It was the truth. From what he heard, Glynda was doing a good job was Headmistress, managing to adapt to the role with ease, and the students graduating were managing to adapt to the idea of the world entering an era of peace, however far away it was. Peter admitted that the lack of Grimm to hunt was depressing, but there was a form of dark comedy that the hunter would likely soon follow the prey into the afterlife.
The build-up of resources in the Grimmlands were also a salvation for mankind, a mere fraction of a fraction managing to fill the cup once more, when it came to Dust. All in all, humanity would thrive for another century with the death of its mortal enemy, as prices would fall.
As the Grimmlands were claimed, most humans who set up shop in the past were moving to the central plains, their abuses no longer out of sight and mind. Most Grimm were now longer in what was going to be the Menagerie or the Grimmlands, and they mostly congregated in the central and northern areas.
Humanity was going to win the war.
It's ironic, that this should happen after overthrowing those who thought that it was the main priority. Order and freedom turned out to complement one another, rather than oppose them. It was a bright enough thought that made Ozpin down nearly half of his remaining coffee, in a single go.
His Scroll began to sing, as Ozpin moved to see what it was about. "I know I always said you needed kids, but at least your calls won't be about taking it easy." He then began to shake his head, muttering with affection. "Philip lost an eye fighting thousands of Grimm, and he says I'm not careful enough. Children, master hypocrites."
"It's from Qrow. No doubt giving me the latest." Ozpin pointed out. Glynda had made information more fluid, Qrow's calls likely going to Glynda, Ozpin, James, and many others in high authority who she trusted.
Ozpin would never have been so open, but that was how Glynda chose to proceed, and he just had to accept it.
Monarch has been crowned. Identity still unknown. Crow-Eye is prime suspect, followed by Shu Tsao, and 'Grimmskull'.
That was interesting to hear, to say the least.
"Well, Peter. It appears that the crescendo to a long chapter in the history of man is about to be reached." Ozpin noted, staring right at his old friend. "Odds are that we will probably be alright, if things go well."
"Let's hope you're right."
"Day 7, no signs of bad guys, keeping on the look-out though." Ruby dictated to her imaginary walkie-talkie, surveying the open plains from her vantage point. "Super-Special-Secret Agent Ruby Rose, out."
"What are you doing?" The question probably came from someone actually standing tall, looking down on the girl lying down and holding binoculars with her left hand.
"Weiss..." Ruby tried laughing it off, only for her partner's sharp look to make the sixteen year-old back down. "Just making sure that there aren't any Grimm left in this area."
"We cleared it out five days ago. They're probably moving north with the rest of the packs nearby, after we chased off those Reclaimers." Weiss spat out those last words, with good reason. They seemed more concerned with getting money
As bad as it sounded, Ruby was slightly upset about how easy the missions involving Grimm were becoming. Third years were allowed to go on missions involving the older and tougher kind, and fourth years spent most of their time on missions and practical learning outside of Beacon, while second years like RWBY and JNPR were stuck with getting a few of the good missions near the second and third semester.
She remembered Professor Goodwitch's lecture on how this all could be lost in an instant, and that despite their eagerness, they needed to be ready for a final battle. It was just that Ruby had hoped that she'd be the kind of hero who could help people, instead of help in the clean-up, and maybe fight monsters of all kinds if the mission went wrong.
Look on the bright side, Ruby. You guys are trusted to be on your own. Ruby stood up and tried to calm Weiss with an innocent look, failing miserably. The two of them moved to go down the steps from the wall, more wide than tall at fifteen feet and miles and miles along the land, to meet with the rest of the team.
How much could happen in a year and a month?
Blake's secret Faunus identity had been revealed around the second semester, after a Tournament battle against Penny tore her ribbon apart, and none of the team cared about it, even if it felt like there was something she wasn't saying. Weiss had slowly warmed to the team, to the point where the two managed to have a great match in the quarter-finals, showing each other just what they had.
Even if it was a double-elimination, which helped Sage after he barely defeated Nora, before Penny beat him in the finals.
That match between her and Coco (beating Pyrrha in the quarter-finals) during the semis was the best that Ruby ever saw.
Other than that, they mostly focused on passing classes, having fun, and completing missions given to them. Of her whole team, Yang barely changed, being the same thrill-chasing, butt-kicking, bruiser that was her dear older sister. Lately, though, she and Blake had begun looking around for her mother again, the mysterious first love of Dad's.
It made Ruby's mother, Summer Rose, sad whenever it got brought up, only she seemed to understand it.
Ignoring boring (and sad) personal stuff, most of the missions had been simple. Help move these people here because these criminals want to hurt them, protect settlers building outposts from the White Fang, and now they were in the south of the Grimmlands, making sure that some bandits, or Reclaimers as they called themselves, were stopped.
For bad guys terrorising the people of Glimmer, there were a few good fights from some. Most were just big and muscular, easy for a Huntress to beat, while a few seemed to fight like the Aura Masters of old, and others had the coolest weapons of all time, which helped in making the battle of driving them off kind of interesting.
Their leader was a man nearly seven foot tall, who Ruby swore couldn't see. He fought with a mixture of a halberd and a sniper-rifle, a bit like Crescent Rose, when his hawk wasn't getting in their way, almost serving as his eyes in the fight. The bird would screech, and he'd turn to fire, or would swoop down and hit an open point.
Yang nearly smashed the guy's head off, when that bird swooped down, its claws almost glowing and drenched in something, and sliced at her left arm.
It bought the guy enough time to rally his goons and run off back to the central plains, where most of his kind were now, hiding from the swift and harsh beatdowns of justice. That seemed to count enough as a victory, and Team RWBY called it a day, after the townspeople started cheering and talking about how things were safe now.
Reaching the other two, Ruby could see Blake wrapping more bandages around the wound, her Aura somehow not working. "Yang's arm will be fine, as long as she doesn't stretch it out or do anything worse." She said, turning to see Ruby and Weiss. "What do you think they wanted?"
"Why, I don't doubt that they intended to bully us into paying some toll. It's been their game for decades, for those yearning for an honest life, until you fine Huntresses saved the day." The Mayor of Glimmer declared, two girl aides rushing behind him, one Faunus and the other not. He beamed at the four, or rather at one of the four. "Ms Schnee, I have the finest suite ready for you and your team. Just as befits fine paragons of excellence."
When she first saw the Mayor, Ruby wondered if he was moustache-bros with Professor Port, his being black to the teacher's white. The guy was dressed up like one of those old-timey business-people, down to the top-hat, as always, and had been 'Mayor' of the settlement for a few years. According to Blake, an elected leader was required for further help from the Kingdoms, and their old leader barely made it.
It didn't stop Ruby's teammate from glaring at the man. The Mayor had a lot of Faunus working in nearby mines, and his sucking up to Weiss since he heard her name made it obvious that the SDC owned the mines, kept safe by walls and guarded outposts.
"It's nice that you're being so generous. Still, I'm curious about your workers. Their conditions seem more like a company town, than an actual community, and there were some poor defences for keeping out the Grimm and bandits. Almost like it was more focused on keeping people in." Blake said, keeping her voice polite and curious.
"Well, you'd have to talk to our Human Relations Manager on that, I'm just the Mayor of the fine outpost of Glimmer." He replied, not before glaring at the Faunus aide, who wilted under it.
"Either way, the whole place looks like one of those run-down cowboy films. Glimmer could use a bit of glamour." Yang pointed out, holding her right hand out for high-fives.
No one returned it.
"Companies and private agents often provide security and supplies, until we can actually get this land growing again." The Mayor replied, treating Yang's joke and Blake's words with the same level of care. "You can speak to our Security Advisor, if you wish to learn more, but he's a busy man." He added, making it clear that they wouldn't.
"Mayor Rosa, surely you can at least arrange a meeting. How about when we're to have dinner? Unless we're not good enough company." Weiss innocently asked. Even Ruby could tell the threat, judging by how quickly the Mayor beamed and clapped his hands.
"I'll inform Mr Torchwick that he shall have to make an appearance. It won't be a few hours later than after your cohorts arrive from the eastern sections." He babbled, before rushing off and whispering commands to his aides.
Team RWBY were more concerned with the fact that an old enemy was going to be there.
"Torchwick? That goon who jumped me a year ago?" Yang asked, Ruby remembering how she helped Yang with the ambush, getting her ticket to Beacon. The blonde began cracking her knuckles. "He's getting dinner alright, with some punch to go with it."
"Nice try, Yang. That hawk somehow cut your arm deep, your Aura isn't healing it right. If I hadn't been there, with the training I had, we might have been in trouble." Blake said, with a strange look between the partners, Yang knowing something Ruby didn't.
At Blake's words, Ruby's sister just rolled her eyes. "Looking back, I really shouldn't have let you meet Summer, you both worry too much about me, Blake. Though dinner's going to be awkward, even with the 'Mayor' sucking up to Weiss so much."
"I can't help it if the Schnee name has a good reputation. Admittedly, for paying large sums to look the other way in shady business practices, but it's a reputation." Weiss said, going from proud to uneasy. "I'll change it when I can do something about it." She added.
At that, everyone had a nice laugh, as the sun beat down on them. Glimmer was in a nice kind of place, as green slowly beat back beige from the south, slowly moving north, and it wouldn't be long until the dead plains were replaced with life of all kinds.
What was it she says? Oh yeah. The bad guys lose in the end, because the good guys got friends beside them. Ruby smiled as she thought about her mother's advice, staying true as she and Dad were supporting her and Yang every step of the way. With her team by her side, and Crescent Rose in hand, there was nothing she couldn't do.
She did feel sad that world of Huntsmen and Huntresses fighting the Grimm were nearing the end, Vacuo being the last big Kingdom to report a Grimm a few years ago, and even the Grimmlands saw them falling back north. There were talks of a big battle planned, a final charge to take them out, and Ruby hoped she'd be a part of that.
After that, well, that was a big question.
"You guys ever think about what'll happen, once the Grimm are gone?" Ruby asked, ignoring their shocked expressions.
"Ruby, that's still a fair while. A decade at the least, even with the new construction and infrastructure aid we're sending the people here." Weiss said, before shuffling in the same spot. "I imagine peace, and further technological development."
"No, I think we all know what she means." Blake said, shrugging her shoulders. "There are a lot of options. We could join the military, take down criminal families, or maybe serve as a global peacekeeping force, like some people are saying Hunters should do. Professor Goodwitch and the others will think of something."
"I'm not stopping until I find out why my mother left, so maybe become a bounty hunter, or fighter-for-hire. Anything to keep the thrills going." Yang suggested, even if she seemed like she wanted to think of anything else.
Remember interview with Port, mission to help people in Palate in civil war.
About helping others, Ruby sticks to that.
"I guess I'll try and help people where I can, a wandering butt-kicker." Ruby decided, but not really, except for one thing. "Maybe I can borrow Zwei for that."
That got everyone laughing, as they headed back to their rooms.
"My lady, ten more have come here, seeking sanctuary." The messenger knelt as he spoke, keeping his face down. "Would you have them join us?"
"We'll need everyone we have for the campaign, let them in, but keep an eye on them." Cinder made sure that there were no illusions. "I do not want a repeat of last time. If you choose to follow me, you serve until the campaign is over."
The heads displayed by the gates were now skulls, picked clean when the crows were finished.
Most warlords tended to assume that the environment around their fortresses was ample enough deterrent for those fleeing, but Cinder took few chances, especially as Grimm numbers fell further and further around these parts. Her plans might have had more success, were it not for their decline along the rest of the world, bar this continent and the Menagerie.
Even then, only the north remained free of human presence. The central plains were slowly being pushed forth, and settlements in the south were now similar to any other, rather than tattered villages and hamlets that hugged the coast for dear life. The rise of Huntsmen and Huntresses in such areas played a good part, as did profiteers looking for the resources below.
Still, that's where my success lies. If Cinder could not bring down the world around her, she would have it at her mercy.
The messenger had fallen fled the throne room, when Emerald spoke up. "You know, we may need to move quickly. These guys came to us because we're their last hope, but if we're too slow, they could just get bribed into action like Torchwick."
His partnership with the Xiong Triads, and need to escape after some incident near a nightclub, had been an aggravation.
"A disappointment, for him to have been taken up with the rest of his crew, but not a disaster. Any who are thinking of doing so won't be able to. Ignoring the risk of death, who says they'll be accepted by society?" Cinder asked, already knowing the answer.
"Plus, they don't get to be king of the castle anymore." Mercury chipped in. "Just prison currency."
"Thank you, Mercury, always giving me pleasant things to imagine." Cinder muttered, the urge to laugh easily restrained. "We're giving them things to do, we're training them into a single army, giving them a command structure, something more than feasting on the remains of a mad dream for wealth."
"And more glory to you, oh Queen of Darkness and Light!" A certain native advisor declared, his trenchcoat flowing into the wind, his hat miraculously staying on his head. "Each day, more go to pay homage and offer what they can. Gold, weapons, ancient techniques and weapons, even a few men and women for your personal use. All for the mere purpose of winning the favour of the woman who shall control the Grimmlands!" He cried out, motioning a hand to Cinder.
"I must admit, Crow-Eye, I did not expect you to be so cooperative." She said, expecting the man (as far as she knew) to have been more of a challenge to recruit. Not that she was complaining.
"When faced with life or death, the choice is obvious." Crow-Eye replied, bowing his head for a second, before rising again. "I may as well curry some favour, with the life I have. That being said, armies of this kind need some sort of battle, unless we wish for old tensions to tear them apart."
He was one of many who feared the light. Cinder had an army of mercenaries, criminals, and former Reclaimers, who feared that the loss of darkness would reveal the actions they had done, and bring about consequences they'd rather avoid. When she emerged as a figure, mysterious yet powerful, it was natural that she would gain their support.
"Either way, we cannot move out yet. A single strike from a fraction of the armies the Four Kingdoms have, and our army would be broken." Cinder grimaced at the idea, her plan turning to ashes. "Then we'd have one path remaining, and I do not intend to take it."
A small yet elite group, Emerald and Mercury coming along well in their training, tasked with infiltrating and eliminating the seats of authority throughout the world, spreading paranoia and chaos. The number couldn't be more than ten, and mobility would be their strength, in theory.
The odds of success would be too small, this is just barely the better alternative. The occupation of the Grimmlands was useful enough, in getting what she wanted, and having a safety-pad to land on wasn't too bad. Still, having my fingers on the throat of the Kingdoms will be a fun goal.
Humanity's boom in population meant more Dust and infrastructure was needed, and only the Grimmlands had the resources needed to fuel this demand. All she needed to do was drive off opposition, and then she would be in control of the fate of everyone who lived in the Kingdoms and beyond.
With a single whim, and in a matter of years, the world would look to her to keep their peace alive. If they attempted to remove her, there was the risk of the Grimm returning and losing the resources for a long time, and she simply needed to torment them enough that the world would be engulfed in chaos.
Of course, she would need to secure her domain, and ensure that the world knew to fear her. That was necessary, to prevent any bright ideas.
A hand took her left arm, squeezing somewhat. "Beware, for I see our enemies upon the shore of your Kingdom. A knife pointed to our throats, ready to cut us down, if we let them." He said, smiling at her as if it were all a game to him.
"Allow me to make one thing clear, Crow-Eye." Her words were soft, the implications were firm enough that he let go of his grip. "I have spent years rallying these people, training myself and my partners for this plan, and readying the necessary contacts to build my army. This enemy you speak of has nothing that can stop me, if all you see if their existence."
"They glimmer like jewels, some cracked, but still intact." He added, letting go and his single uncovered eye almost looking offended. "I see what I see. Interpret it however you wish." He explained, Cinder registering those words for later.
I have an army of a few thousand men, more will be needed. There was a surplus of warriors with a lacking sense of ethics in the Kingdoms right now, and it would give a good opportunity to investigate things in Glimmer. "Emerald, Mercury. We should head for the Kingdoms, we can try an old plan again."
"Not even the Xiong Triads wanted to work with us, are you sure?" Emerald asked, likely remembering the style of their refusal.
"Emerald, by now you should have more faith in me." Cinder purred, moving to stroke her cheek, which got her ward to melt down any resistance. "Don't think, just obey. I know what I'm doing."
"I suppose you wish for myself to watch over our army?" Crow-Eye gave an elaborate bow with his question, enough to show how artificial it was.
"If you'd be so kind, none of the warlords would dare challenge your authority." Cinder replied, as Emerald and Mercury joined her side to stare down the thing before them. They're afraid of what's under the eyepatch. A human with a Grimm slowly devouring him, something no one would contend with if they had the choice.
Most of the warlords who had joined her by now were varied in many ways, some had scars both deep and light over their body, others took to wearing bones grafted to look like Grimm, and some seemed different in other ways. A blind man, who somehow trained his hawk in some form of Aura manipulation and knew his poisons, was someone she never expected.
Their Semblances were impressive enough to almost make up for their flawed organisation.
At her command, Crow-Eye left, likely to inform those in the fortress she called her base of operations. With that, Cinder was alone with her partners, Mercury being the first to speak up. "So, where should we go first?"
"Going down the stone roads leaves fewer questions, and it'll be harder to track us. We can use less public methods on the way back." Depending on the numbers, Cinder could use a submarine for the strongest, and allow the others to use the ships sending workers and migrants across. They could play the part of others searching for a new life. "Some outdated military equipment won't be missed, preferably one that can be submerged into water, to buy us some time."
"That can be the first thing we get." Emerald said, pulling out a Scroll, taking a fair while longer than most. Setting up your own network had its risks, in an area of such weak reception. "We should arrive at Glimmer in a few days, unless we take one of the vehicles."
"We'll take one half the way there, then we leave it at an outpost and walk. It'll be less suspicious, whether we infiltrate a mine and move from there, or play the refugees going south for warmth." Cinder decided, her brain calculating every scenario she could imagine.
"Always thinking of everything." Mercury teased, which got a warm chuckle from her.
"I wouldn't be me, if I didn't." She admitted, before moving forward, already knowing the ideal car to use. "Come now, the world isn't going to end itself."
The three of them, leading an army of a few thousand, would decide the fate of millions. She would arrive at Glimmer and see if there was anyone special, scouts mentioning Beacon students arriving, and then she would depart for the mainland. From there, all Cinder needed was to recruit enough people and then add them to her army, slowly growing stronger and stronger, before she could reveal herself to the world.
Had things been different, it may have just needed a push.
Now, it was going to be forced into chaos.
TLDR;
Ozpin: Man, the world sure is nice and peaceful.
Cinder: 'Sup?
Ozpin: FML