Awakening the Dragon

Chapter 5 – A Strange Threat


Yang walked over to a desk off to the side that was made of a blood-red colored wood that had a number of scientific instruments on it, along with some jars filled with pale green liquid, and papers neatly stacked off to the left side of the desk. This whole place was so broody and dark. She had pushed it out of her mind throughout the last few years. Why would anyone want to live here? Though on second thought, the dude probably didn't have a choice.

She fiddled with some of the equipment—flicking a jar here, prodding a microscope there—until she decided to stop messing around. She picked up the stack of papers. Grimm Adaptability in Response to Huntsmen and Huntresses, she read through it as best she could. The whole thing was written in arcane terminology and was filled to the brim with facts and figures, none of which she remotely cared about, though she could guess what the paper was about. She threw the paper behind her, only to find that the report continued. She threw this one behind her again, and then the next page, and the next, until she threw back around ten papers in total.

The next page read, Dust Formation, both Organic and Inorganic Modeling. Another scientific paper, though oddly this one was written normally. She skimmed through it and noticed that it had been written with a more personal style. Was it something Watts was privately interested in? She read from the top quietly, "We've known for a while where dust could be found and how to mine it. We know little about how it forms, except that it seems to follow similar geological and chemical processes like those found in other natural minerals. Most of us haven't even considered the possibility of organic processes. Could dust be formed by living beings?"

"Watts was a pretty boring dude," Mercury said from off in the distance of the room.

"Tell me about it," Ruby responded. Something shattered. Probably something made of glass from the sound of it. "Whoops."

She kept reading to herself. "I've asked around, but no one seems to care. Most of the arguments I've come across center around the fact that there is currently no theory on how dust would even form organically, thus it isn't considered a lucrative line of research. Not that anyone would dare admit that. There's got to be someone interested in funding such research. Science doesn't progress without taking risks and asking questions people aren't willing to answer!" This was certainly written by Arthur, that much was obvious. She wondered about him, and their encounters with him. Not just then, but even before that.

She skimmed through the page, and then turned it over, continuing to read, then threw the paper back. She looked back on the desk and noticed a red journal placed underneath some clutter. She placed the rest of the papers back down, picked up the journal, and opened it. She read through it. It talked about his career in Atlas, about how he ended up pursuing work in Cybernetics, which was very popular in Atlas, as he couldn't keep his job as a scientist otherwise. This led him to work under Ironwood, who was a Colonel at the time. She had to read between the lines, but apparently this was around the time Ironwood had just been told by Ozpin about Salem's existence as Ironwood was acting paranoid at the time, as Watts described it. Ironwood ordered the massive expansion of the military's robotics research, something that Watts noted pissed off a lot of the council members of Atlas.

It was then that Watts took advantage of his view that Ironwood was paranoid by suggesting to him to consider research into the creation of dust and its applications, such as dust armor, or perhaps dust-enhanced soldiers, utilizing it in ways that not even someone injecting dust could rival. Ironwood rejected the ideas, saying that ethics was involved. Watts had been ignored and he continued ranting about how it went on for years before h—and there it was. Alexis' name had finally been mentioned. He mentioned meeting Alexis in private at one point. Alexis—who was a Major—told him that he found Watts to be a "cut above the rest" as Watts described it and that he found his ideas fascinating and worth pursuing.

She had read several pages in. "I think I'm getting somewhere over here. I'll need to keep reading, but Watts is describing his first meeting and relationship with Alexis."

"Really?" Cinder said. "Go on then. I'm almost finished over here."

She continued reading. Over the months, Alexis had formed a secret research group within the Atlesian Military which included Watts who he had made his second-in-command, even giving him the rank of Chief Researcher. They researched dust, its natural processes and made quite a few discoveries, and eventually found a plausible mechanism for how dust could form through organic means. Watts had published this research paper at Alexis' behest, though Alexis didn't put his signature on the paper due to him leading the secret group which technically wasn't legal.

This paper led to Ironwood reconsidering the research proposals from Watts as he gave him the funding to further pursue his research. Ironwood even suggested he look into Aura with some of his personal researchers if he had the time, though Watts declined—having been more interested in researching dust. She kept reading, page after page describing his research in great detail. Both him and Alexis apparently grew close. Watts wrote down that—over time, he and his team hit a wall and were unable to replicate research on dust formation through organic means.

In desperation, Watts used his doctor's expertise to find a few faunus to use as guinea pigs under Alexis' orders. They were apparently criminals who had been given a death sentence. However, they were caught eventually, and when taken to court, Alexis used the fact that he had not legally signed off on such research to argue that he had no knowledge of such activities, practically throwing Watts under the bus. He argued—quite effectively according to Watts—that he had been obsessed with researching such means of dust formation for years, and that he tried to turn him away from such research. The other scientists in his team took Alexis' side, and Watts ended up in prison, disgraced, and stripped of all his titles.

"Yang, did you find anything related to dust?" Cinder asked.

"I did actually," She said. "Watts wanted to figure out if dust could be produced by living beings and stuff." She turned over to Cinder and closed the journal, showing it to her. "I even found his diary."

"Really?" Cinder said, curious. "Do tell."

"He worked closely with Alexis who was apparently the only one willing to fund his interests. They experimented on people and got caught, then Alexis had him take the fall. At least, according to Watts."

Cinder put her fingers on her chin. "Would certainly explain why he ended up with Salem. She was fond of finding people with a grudge against the academies and since the Atlesian military and Atlas Academy are one…"

"Did you find anything?" Yang asked to Cinder.

"Only references to Alexis being interested in making compact dust engines which could possibly be implanted into people," Cinder said, with a serious look on her face.

She recalled the words of the scientists she had spied on with Ren. Dust-tuned? "Did any of those papers mention the phrase "dust-tuned?"" She asked.

"No. Most of the papers meant nothing, but some of them were related to Watts' spying of Atlas, specifically Alexis. The man definitely bore a grudge, and based on what you've found, I'd say Alexis has been using Watts' research.

"Not only that, but apparently Alexis refrained from mentioning any of this to Ironwood, especially since Watts was convinced Alexis knew he was working for Salem," said Mercury who walked up to them, eyes locked to a piece of paper in his right hand.

"How so?" Cinder asked.

"While he was spying on Alexis, he noted that him and Ironwood had fundamental disagreements. Ironwood funded the Penny project in the hopes that they could use her to store maiden powers. "An Eternal Maiden" as he put it. Meanwhile, according to this, Alexis wanted to find out how Ozpin's power worked, in the hopes of recreating it. He disagreed with the existence of the maidens, apparently. Watts quotes him as saying "the existence of the maidens is a threat. No key should be capable of moving around like that, nor should it be in the hands of people who could be turned against us."" Mercury said.

"That…doesn't exactly tell us how Alexis knew Watts was working with Salem and why he kept it secret," Ruby said.

"Right." He flipped the paper and read from the back. "When the attack on Beacon happened, Watts manage to spy on Alexis, having recorded him saying that he knew that "one of his former associates" would capitalize on the centralized intelligence of the robots Atlas had brought to the Vytal festival."

"And Alexis didn't tell anyone before the attack happened, I take it?" Yang asked.

"You guessed it! The guy practically let it happen." Mercury chuckled a bit. "Had this guy actually mentioned this to Ironwood, our assault on Beacon would've failed!"

Cinder looked down and to the side, as if pondering. "You don't say…" She looked up to him. "I think we found some dirt. It's possible he didn't say anything given the nature of his relationship with Watts. Had he revealed to Ironwood what Watts was doing, it's possible it might have reopened the investigation on Watts experiments all in the name of security."

"But wouldn't he have been able to lie or something?" Ruby asked. "If he knew about all of that, what did he hope to gain by not revealing it?"

"Maybe he wanted Salem to win. Look what happened following the attack. Ironwood became even more ironfisted in his approach and him and Alexis didn't see eye to eye, right? Maybe he saw it as a political opportunity to take down the general," Mercury said.

"We could contact Winter about it. Ask her if she remembers anything strange about Alexis' behavior back then. Or maybe she'll remember something with the information we have," Ruby said.

"Good idea, contact Winter before we leave," Cinder said.

"What about Owain? Anything on him?" Yang asked.

"Nope," Mercury said.

"Nothing on my end either. And from what we got so far, Alexis is definitely shady. Whatever he's up to is serious," Ruby said.

"It's been seven years since they had been able to attempt to siphon maiden powers. Winter was definitely right to be concerned about tha—wait, wasn't Watts the one who gave Salem the means to steal maiden powers in the first place, thanks to his work with Alexis?" Yang asked.

"I'm not sure. Salem never told me how she obtained the means to steal the power," Cinder said. "Considering her power, she could've done that herself, or perhaps was inspired by Atlas' research."

"Maybe he figured it out from spying on the guy? Alexis was a Colonel, right?" Mercury asked.

Yang noticed Ruby looking at Cinder rather seriously.

"Cinder? You're worried that Alexis is going to try and steal the Fall Maiden's powers from you and give it to your stepsister, aren't you?" asked Ruby.

She looked over to her, surprised. "How did you figure that out?"

"It was Morgan who figured it out actually. She suspected it just a moment ago, to be honest," Ruby said.

Cinder's brow furrowed. She clenched her teeth. "The last thing I'm going to let happen is for that bitch to get my powers." She looked over to Yang. "We need more dirt on Alexis. We don't want to be caught off guard. If Alexis is after my powers, then he'll be after us."

"Still wanna go to one of those parties?" Mercury asked.

"Well, it's definitely risky from what we've figured out so far," Ruby said.

"Yes, we should. Though we definitely need to be careful, now more than ever," Cinder said.

Yang crossed her arms and gave Cinder a look. Suddenly invested, aren't you? She thought.

She turned to her. "What?" She said, angrily.

"Nothing, nothing," Yang said.

"Oh, don't give me that!" Cinder said. "You think I'm selfish!"

Yang scoffed. "Why would I think that?"

Cinder gave her a glare.

"Alright, alright, let's not fight! We're all on the same side, right now! Save the anger for the enemy," Ruby said.

Yang sighed. "Sorry about that," she said.

Cinder's expression lightened up. "It's fine," She said, turning around. "Have we searched everything?"

"Pretty much. At least on my end," Mercury said.

"I'm all finished up," Ruby said.

"I have a few more papers to read, but I think I covered most of the good stuff," Yang said.

"Alright, then. Let's head back to Mistral then. We'll search around for any party happening around. Alexis is playing politics, he must have one prepped. He should be gathering the major players in the kingdom and inviting them over to sweet talk them, given his current position. Owain's violence is probably not doing him any favors," Cinder said.

"Let me call Winter, then," Ruby said. She took out her scroll and called her. A moment passed, then another, then another. Nothing. "Huh, no answer."

"Try again along the way back to Mistral," Cinder said.


They arrived back in Mistral. They went straight to the Upper City in the middle of the afternoon and stopped by a large plaza surrounded by blocks and blocks of shops all laid out like a labyrinth, many of them reaching several stories high, all of them made of rich-looking white wood, ornamented with gold. The rooftops were of a red color.

Ruby wasn't able to get a hold of Winter during the trip. She hoped nothing had happened. She looked over at her little sister, noticing the worried expression on her face. "So, where do we start?" Yang asked.

"You let me handle that," Mercury said. "Although I think it should be just Yang and me," He said.

"Why?" Yang asked.

"We don't want word to spread that someone who looks like Anastasia's stepsister is asking around about a party involving the governor or Alexis," He said. "Cinder is still pretty infamous, remember?"

"Good thinking," Cinder said. "In that case, we'll just take a different approach. Right Ruby?" She asked, giving her a grin.

Ruby shrugged. "Uh, sure. But what would that be?"

"Don't worry about it," she said.

"Come on, let's go talk to some snobs," He said to Yang, walking away from the group.

Yang followed. "Probably shouldn't say that out loud."

"Nah, we're fine," He said.

They walked around the Upper City, passing several blocks; she looked from side to side, checking out all of the really pricy stores that seemed to be things that served no other purpose than to be bought by rich people. There was a furniture store that was like ten times more expensive than the usual furniture store she was familiar with but didn't really seem that much different. It looked different sure, but she was skeptical that it was actually worth it.

Mercury stopped by a group of people that were well dressed that stood in front of a fountain near a restaurant where a band playing classical music was propped up in front of the fountain. "Hey there, fellas! You wouldn't happen to know of any ball or something happening soon, would you? I'm looking for one where we could meet some of our representatives from the government. You see," he turned his head around and pointed at Yang. "My friend here is interested in getting acquainted with the New Regime, being a famous huntress and all."

At first the people were outright looking down at Mercury, each one of them with a scrunched-up face with one eyebrow raised, but when he pointed at her and mentioned that she was famous, they seemed to catch on. "Wait, is that…it is!" one of them said. "You're Yang Xiao Long! In the flesh! Might I get your autograph?" He pulled out his wallet and took out his business card. He handed her a pen.

"Uh, sure!" Yang said, as she grabbed the pen. "Where would you like it? On the back?"

"That would be lovely, thanks!" He said as he flipped the card around.

She signed her name.

"I think there is a ball happening soon. Next week, right? On the weekend?" Another man said.

"You're thinking of next week. There's a ball happening this week, on Saturday. Cousin of mine says Alexis plans to attend along with half the major business leaders in Upper Mistral!" A woman said.

"Great!" Yang said. "Where is it?"

"Oh, it's happening within the governor's mansion. Starts eight pm," the woman said.

"Thanks!" She said.

"Might I say, Ms. Xiao Long—I'm not sure if they'll allow guests. No doubt they'll allow you given who you are, but your friend here," She looked Mercury up and down as if disgusted.

"Oh, don't you worry about me your majesty," Mercury said, giving her a grin.

"Excuse me?" The lady said as she jerked her hand to her chest.

Yang pulled on his collar and dragged him off. "Don't mind him! Thanks for the information!"

"H-hey!" He said.

As soon as they got out of earshot, she let him go.

He brushed himself off. "See? Snobby. Like, they make no effort to avoid the stereotypes."

"Still. We got what we came for. Two days from now, we crash ourselves a ball!" She said.

"We "crash"?" He said.

"You know what I mean," She said. "This was way too quick. Do you think Cinder and Ruby did anything yet?"

"No idea. Could call them and see," Mercury said.

She took out her scroll and called Ruby. "Hey Rube, you guys do anything yet?"

"No, we just left you guys," She said.

"Well, where are you? We already got what we came for. Saturday, eight pm, at the governor's mansion," Yang said.

"Do they allow guests?" Ruby asked.

"Wasn't able to find out. I'm sure we can insist if need be," Yang said.

"Alright, I'll tell Cinder. We're over at this store called, uhh, hold on." A moment passed. "Tanner's Boutique."

"Alright, we'll be right over," Yang said. She hung up. "There at a place called Tanner's Boutique."

Mercury took out his scroll and messed with it for a few seconds. "Got it. Down south from where we are. Big building, clothing shop."

They both walked in that direction. Upon arriving, she looked up and noticed a large ornate wooden sign with fancy writing labeled Tanner's Boutique that was exactly what Mercury said it was. Through the windows, she could see lines and lines of fancy clothing, all of the same white or black color, though some of them were vanilla, blue, and red. "I'm not wearing a dress." She said. Not that she didn't mind, but rather that she wasn't in the mood for it.

"And I am not wearing a suit," He said.

Though considering why they were attending, she'd probably have to. They both walked in. She looked around and noticed Ruby off in the corner fidgeting. They walked over to her. "What's up? Where's Cinder?" Yang asked.

"In here," a muffled voice said. Cinder was in the Changing Room. She walked out, wearing a sparkling red dress that dropped to the floor, shrouding her feet. She wore long black sparkling gloves that went all the way passed her elbows. "Well?"

"Looks fine, I guess," Ruby said. Cinder simply gave her a look and a frown.

"Noooot really one to tell," Mercury said.

"How expensive is that?" Yang said. This was a place for rich people, no way that outfit wasn't a wallet buster.

"Ugh," Cinder said. She turned around and walked back into the Changing Room. "You guys are no fun." It sounded like she was shuffling around in there. "We need to make a good presentation. The more we impress the more people are willing to talk to us."

"I thought we were going to use mine and Ruby's reputation." Yang said.

"Which will get us through the door, both literally and figuratively, but it'll take more than just your reputations to make people talk gossip. They need to know you're one of them, and a big part of that is dressing the part."

"Guess that means I'm wearing a suit," Mercury said.

"Do I have to wear lady stilts?" Ruby asked.

"Yes," Cinder said flatly.

Yang sighed. "Guess I'll go pick up a dress." She turned around and walked deeper into the store. It had several floors and was alit with a golden light. The wood was a hardwood, golden brown color, and the walls were white and were accentuated with burgundy-colored wooden shelves of clothing. She walked passed a few dresses—all hanged over folded clothes beneath them. All of them were colored white, which bored her. She continued walking until she came by a section of two-piece clothing, one part of it filled with different colors of tops and different colors of bottoms.

She honestly didn't know what to pick, nor where to even begin. All of them were beautiful. Some of them more than others. The variety was stunning and so were the price tags. She really hoped the ball yielded some great info. She took out her wallet and frowned. Apparently, fame didn't always make one rich. Either way, she could afford it.


Yang walked up to the doorman—Ruby, Cinder, and Mercury following her.

"May I help you madam? This place is for invited guests only, no exceptions," The doorman said.

"Not even for Yang Xiao Long?" She said, arms crossed, fat smile on her face.

He gasped. "It's you!" He looked to the side and looked at Ruby. "And you!" He coughed. "It just so happens that I've been given the command to allow…well…notable figures in, if they don't have an invitation."

"Notable?" She asked.

"Yes, Alexis has given us assurance that the governor is perfectly fine with such an exception," He said. "Please, please, come in! Your guests are welcome too!"

She turned around and gave them a thumbs up. They all smiled as they followed her into the governor's mansion.

The place was enormous inside. Lit with a bright orange-yellow light from a giant chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the floor was made entirely of an orangish-colored tile reminiscent of a wood-like texture. All sides except the entrance had large, wide staircases with dark-red carpeting trailing up the stairs through the center.

"Yang?" A familiar voice said.

She looked over to her right and noticed Weiss walking up to her. She was accompanied by Whitley and some other light-blond haired, light-blue eyed person wearing a similar white-blue suit that Whitley wore.

"Hey! Winter told us you might have come to something like this!" She said.

"Hey Weiss!" Ruby yelled, perhaps a little too loud.

"Shh," Weiss said, smiling. "It's good to see you too Ruby." She looked over to Cinder and Mercury and gave a courteous smile. "Cinder, Mercury." She looked back to Yang. "What are you doing here? Beautiful dress, by the way."

"Thanks! Figured we should come to one of these ourselves, you know," Yang said. She looked over to the unknown man. "Who's this?"

Weiss turned her head back to the man. "Oh! This is Perc—" She cleared her throat. "Percival Crescent. I've mentioned him before."

"Right! You did!" Yang extended her hand and he returned the gesture as they shook hands. "No offense, but I don't think she needs a bodyguard."

Weiss crossed her arms, closed her eyes, and smiled as if about to make a point. "Percival."

Percival cleared his throat, covering his mouth with the bottom of his fist as he then started counting his fingers. "Food poisoning, super-quiet assassins in the night, taking her family hostage, blowing up the building while she's asleep, anthrax in her letters, aura-breaking weapons, terrorists, tampered dust, sabotaged transports, exploding cars, etcetera, etcetera." He moved his hands behind his back, clasping them.

Weiss placed a hand on her hips, keeping that grin on her face.

"Super-quiet assassins?" Mercury said.

"Super-quiet assassins," Percival responded, flat expression on his face.

"It may seem a bit overkill, but Percival is probably the best bodyguard our family has ever had. He's wonderful company as well, as I'm sure my big sister can attest to," Whitley said.

"Whitley!"

"Oh come now, he makes a wonderful omelet. Never had any better. Almost as good as yours, Weiss!" Whitley said.

She crossed her arms again. "Almost. Mine are still the best. He's right though. The family loves him. Klein gets along really well with him as well."

"Which reminds me. I have another Chess match scheduled with him tonight upon our return," Percival said.

"What about the SDC?" Ruby asked.

"Father's taking care of it while she's away. Mother's helping him," Whitley said.

"By the way, you didn't see Blake on your way, did you?" Weiss said.

"No. She's coming?" Yang asked.

"I think so. I took a look at the guest list earlier and her name was on it," Weiss said.

"Guess that means the whole team is here," Ruby said. "Hey! When Blake gets here, why don't we go take down the governor!" Ruby whispered loudly.

"Ruby, no." Weiss said in a deadpan tone.

"I know, I know, just joking," Ruby said.

"Speak of the devil." Cinder said.

They all turned around as Blake—along with Sun, Ilia, and Adam—walked beside and behind her through the entrance.

"Hey Blake! Glad you could make it," Weiss said.

"Weiss! Yang! Ruby! I'm surprised you're all here!" Blake said. "What are you two doing here?" She asked to Yang and Ruby.

"We wanted to check one of these things out. See what Alexis and the governor are up to," Yang said.

"Will both of them be here?" Adam asked. He wore a suit that looked a lot like his old suit from several years ago, but without his mask.

"Alexis we can be certain of, but as for the governor, I'm not sure to be honest," Weiss said.

"Oh, sorry, I don't think we've met," Blake said, moving closer to Percival.

"Charmed, Ms. Belladonna. The name is Percival Crescent. I do believe Ms. Schnee has mentioned me during your phone call from a while ago," He said as he shook Blake's hand, with the other hand held behind his back.

"We did. Good to finally meet you in person!" Blake said.

"Likewise," He bowed.

They all walked toward a vacant corner in the shadow of the right staircase, around where no one could overhear them unless they got close.

"So what are we doing?" Yang asked.

"I'm assuming you guys have been up to something," Weiss said.

"We were!" Yang said. "Found a few things out about Alexis, though nothing on Owain yet."

"Like what?" Blake asked.

"Mostly stuff about his relationship with Watts," Mercury said.

"Apparently, Alexis and Watts were experimenting on faunus to test the development of miniature dust engines which were to be implanted into soldiers," Cinder said.

Adam's brow furrowed. "I'm assuming these were the dust engines mentioned in the recording. If that's the case, then Alexis hasn't stopped since then."

"Agreed," Blake said. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Based on what my sister told me, the governor is planning to invade Vacuo. If what you're saying is true, then I can only assume he is assisting the governor's plans by equipping the New Dawn soldiers with these engines," Weiss said.

"And in so doing, giving them an edge over run-of-the-mill Atlas soldiers and knights," Percival said, arms clasped behind his back.

"Which means we probably don't have much time before they launch an invasion," Yang said.

"If he's experimented on faunus in the past, then he's probably doing it again. He still needs guinea pigs, right?" Adam said.

"You thinking we hit a base? Can we do that?" Ilia said.

"If we pinned the blame on the Black Claw, why not?" Sun said.

"No, we can't unfortunately," Blake said. "I already condemned violence in that speech. I…think our hands are tied in that respect."

"But not if they attack first, right?" Adam turned around and faced Blake.

She nodded. "If they launch an invasion, then we are to assist the rebellion, Atlas, or whoever else is on the side of stopping the New Dawn."

"Ms. Schnee, if I may," Percival asked.

"Go on, Percival," Weiss said.

"I don't think we'll be able to stop the invasion. However, we can weaken them. Although the White Fang might not be able to assault anything belonging to the New Dawn, I do believe that a few huntsmen and huntresses not of team RWBY could crash one of their bases," he said.

"What about Qrow, Raven, and the others?" Weiss said.

Yang crossed her arms and clenched her fist, hiding it within her arm. She looked over at Blake as she seemed to notice her shift in mood.

Blake looked to the group. "Before we decide on anything, why don't we enjoy the night and see how things play out? Play things by ear. Never know what we might find out tonight."

The group had split up to enjoy the night's event. Blake's group went off toward the southeast part of the mansion, quite a few feet away from the left staircase where they were intercepted by a group of what seemed to be Mistral businessfolk. Weiss, Percival, and Whitley went toward the northern staircase toward two businessmen with patches on their right arms that bore a crest that looked like a golden ship wheel, while Cinder and Mercury went toward the left staircase away from anyone else.

Yang walked up to the east wall, slightly south of the right staircase—with Ruby beside her—as she noticed the large painting hung up on the wall. She smiled. It was a painting of Beacon, and the four of them in their uniforms when they attended the academy all those years ago, before their journey even began. Several painters wanted to capture their images in a work of art, and the four of them spent quite a bit of time arguing over what the image should be, so they had decided to leave it up to the painters, having only told them the details of their past and journey.

"It's a good painting," Ruby said, smiling. "They got the details just right, and it looks like us."

Yang looked at the four of them standing directly in front of the statue of the two warriors, atop the boulder which shadowed over the beowolf. "You know." She said, still smiling. "I'm still getting used to this whole fame thing."

"Tell me about it," Ruby said.

"I never really asked you about it," Yang said.

"Asked me about what?" Ruby said.

"You've always wanted to be the hero, just like in the fairy tales, remember? Do you think—does it feel like you've accomplished that?" Yang asked. She almost felt like it was a stupid question to ask, but the world was still the world, and there was always good work to be done.

There was a pause as Ruby just kept scanning the painting. "You know…I think I did. It's apparently not over, but yeah I do!" She said, looking over at her, widening her smile.

Yang turned back to the painting, gazing at the past version of team RWBY, all of them smiling, all of them ignorant, yet all of them happy. She just stood there, absorbing the work of art—the setting sun's light scattered across the landscape by Beacon Tower evoked a sense of nostalgia in her. The painters really did capture the no care in the world tone. "Come on, let's go mingle!" She said, turning away from the painting, giving it one last look.

"Ugh, do we have to?" Ruby said, fiddling with the red scarf around her neck.

"Oh come on are you still socially awkward?" Yang teased.

"Pffft, no, I just don't have anything to talk about with the kind of people who come to these things willingly," Ruby said, who turned to look at all the attendees.

"Yeah, I know. Still though." Yang said. She walked up to where Weiss was.

"Miss Xiao Long!" One of the businessmen said. He was a tall brown haired, brown-eyed man. "Come! Join us!"

"Hey, Yang. What's going on?" Weiss said. A waiter came around with a plate of several filled glasses of white wine. She picked one up and took a sip.

"Oh, nothing, just bored." Yang said. She glanced over at Percival who was fiddling with his scroll. "So how'd you two meet?" She asked Weiss.

"Yes! I've wondered about that as well!" The short, stocky businessman said.

"What does a huntress with your reputation need with such high-quality security?" The tall man said.

Percival looked away from his scroll and put it away, looking over to Weiss.

Weiss looked over to Percival and then back at Yang, and the two men. "It was a year ago now, right?" She said, turning her head over to Percival.

"Yes, Ms. Schnee. It would have been a year and two months in exactly a week," He said. "We met during one of her father's business meetings. Apparently, her mother was afraid that Weiss' new-found fame would attract old enemies of the Schnee family rather than deter them."

"Yeah, mom didn't think that I could defend myself to be honest. "Just because you're a legendary huntress doesn't mean you're invincible!" She said. So, they spent time looking for a bodyguard they could trust."

"How many prospects did they burn through?" The short man asked.

"I personally can't say, though I can say I wasn't the first, but during a mission from Atlas Academy, I met Weiss and we ended up talking about a few things. As it turned out, we had a lot in common and so we ended up having a friendly dinner together in which the topic about her family looking for a bodyguard came up and…the rest is history," Percival said.

"That's pretty much it," Weiss said. "He's been living in the Schnee Mansion ever since," Weiss said.

The waiter came around—and without looking—Yang snatched a wine glass from the plate and took a sip. "So has there been any attempts on Weiss' life?" She asked.

"Wondering the same thing myself," The tall man said.

"Not many to be honest," Percival said.

"Well, there was that one incident in the skies," Whitley said.

"Incident?" Yang said.

"A while ago—about three months—Weiss and I were traveling to Mantle, where she was to meet a number of representatives of its government on trade policy related to dust," Percival said.

"Oh! That was during the International Trade Reforms Summit brought about by the council of Mantle, right?" The short man asked.

"Indeed, it was. On the way, our transport was attacked by a strangely-designed airship which ended up attaching itself to our ship. Skilled armored fighters came aboard, and we fended them off," Percival said.

"And he's quite the skilled fighter. I didn't even have to lift a finger!" Weiss said.

"You said it was strangely-designed. The airship I mean," The tall man said. "What did you mean by that?"

"It wasn't of a design I'm familiar with. I've…researched most airship designs, and this wasn't in any of them. A new model bearing an aesthetic completely uncommon in any of the others. It's…hard to describe," Percival said.

"Oh it's fine," Yang said.

"Might I inquire about the design? Sorry to digress, but maybe I could help identify it?" The tall man said.

"It was dark gray, and blue in color, completely unmarked, and…hold on," Percival said. He took out his scroll and fiddled with it a bit. "Here, a picture of it."

The tall man took the scroll. "Huh. You're right. Never seen that before. A new, unmarked model? Is there someone making black market airships?" He said, handing back the scroll.

"Wouldn't know, though I've been looking into it," Percival said.

"Was that the only attack?" Yang asked.

"That I've personally encountered? Yes. Percival has stopped a number of other threats, supposedly from disgruntled White Fang members who opposed Blake's leadership," Weiss said.

"Sounds like the type of people that might have joined the Black Claw by now," Yang remarked, taking another sip of the wine.

Percival chuckled slightly. "Possibly."

"You know, I miss going out with you guys. The next time you two go out on a mission or something, mind having me along?" Weiss asked.

Percival coughed. "I don't think that's wise, Ms. Schnee."

"Oh hush! You could come along you know?" She retorted.

"Perhaps so, but the SDC is still technically in your name now, and you are its president. It'll look bad on your reputation if you forego your duties," He said.

Weiss sighed. "I suppose you're right."

"Couldn't you use your reputation as one of us to get some leeway or something?" Yang said.

"Unfortunately, no. Although they love the idea of a legendary huntress leading the SDC, unfortunately they prefer that even someone like me behaves reliably. And in the world of business, that means playing the role of a businesswoman. If I went on missions every now and then, especially during work, they'll see me as an unreliable president," She said.

Yang crossed her arms. "Yeah, that sounds boring. Don't know how you do it. Staying cooped up in an office all day, every day? No thanks!"

"Well, that's because you are still the hothead we know and love!" Weiss said.

"Damn right I am! Never gonna change either!" Yang said, throwing Weiss a cocky smirk. She turned around and noticed Ruby over at a table by herself. "Hey, I'll catch you later!" She said.

"Alright, we'll be here!" Weiss said.

Yang walked over to Ruby. The table was covered in a silky, white cloth, filled with platters of different snacks—cheeses, meats, vegetables, and fruit—with wine casks placed on the far left of the table. "Not gonna mingle?" She asked.

"Nope," Ruby said.

Yang smiled. "Well, I won't force it. Hey, did you ever get a hold of Winter?" She tossed a grape into her mouth.

Ruby sighed. "No." She picked up a wine glass that was on the table—one of the ones available for attendees—and poured wine from one of the casks. "No answer." She took a sip.

"Not sure what we're supposed to do now." Yang sighed and leaned against the table. "You know what? I'm gonna call Qrow, see if Jaune and the others found anything." She took out her scroll from the left pocket of her yellow and black knee-length dress and dialed her uncle's number. It rang, rang, and rang, until the call went to voicemail. No answer. "Strange, Qrow's not picking up either."

Ruby's brow furrowed. She took out her scroll from the pocket of her white knee-length dress. "I'm gonna call Jaune." She dialed his number. A moment passed, then another, then another but no answer. "He's not picking up either."

"Something's up. Either they're in a spot where they can't talk, or…" Yang said as she pocketed her scroll. She walked away from the table, trying to find one of the others. Yang looked over at Blake who had been conversing with a woman wearing a black dress—Adam and Sun stood to the side, both of them near the wall—she waved to them as she walked over to Blake. "Hey, did Qrow talk to you recently, by chance?" Ilia was standing beside Blake as she turned to acknowledge Yang's approach.

"No, not since we talked last time," Blake said, as she lowered the glass of wine in her hand. "Why?"

"Something's up. Winter's not answering her scroll, neither is Qrow or Jaune's team," Yang said. She looked at the woman who seemed to be interested. "I'll talk to you in a bit."

"O-okay," Blake said.

Yang walked over to Cinder in a rush who was with Mercury out near the left staircase. "Has Emerald messaged either of you recently?" She asked.

"No, why?" Cinder said.

"Winter's not answering, Qrow's not answering, and neither is Jaune," She said.

Cinder's brow furrowed. "Mercury."

He took out his scroll and dialed Emerald's number. Around ten seconds passed. Then fifteen. "Nope. Nothing."

Cinder took out her own scroll from the black handbag she had carried with her, dialing Emerald's number. Twenty seconds passed with two call attempts, neither of them answered. "This isn't good. We need to check up on them."

"Winter's back in Atlas, though right?" Mercury said.

"I'll tell Weiss about Winter, meanwhile see if we can find out where Jaune and the others were last," Yang said.

The both of them nodded as Yang quickly walked over to Weiss, heels clattering over the tiled floor. She received some looks from people who seemed to notice her expression. She turned to look at them as she walked, forced a smile, and slowed her pace. It's fine, everything's fine. They're fine. She thought. She reached Weiss, Percival, and Whitley again.

They noticed her arrival. "Yang? Something wrong?" Weiss asked.

"Sorry, gentlemen, but can I borrow her for a second?" Yang asked.

"Sure thing!" The tall man said, the other nodded.

She pulled Weiss aside away from the others, including Percival and Whitley.

"Yang, what's wrong?" Weiss asked calmly.

"We can't get a hold of Winter. Thought I should let you know. She was supposed to report back to Atlas, and Ruby's been trying to contact her to inform her of what we've found on Watts, but she hasn't answered nor returned any of her calls for the last two days."

Weiss' face scrunched up, but slightly. "Oh…That's…hold on!" She took out her scroll, clearly dialing her sister's number. She called three times, no answer. Her mouth widened a bit. She rushed back over to where Percival and Whitley was. "Excuse me gentlemen, but may I speak to my bodyguard and brother in private?"

"Uhm, certainly, Miss Schnee! Is something the matter?" The short man said.

"Yes, but not to worry! I've got it under control," Weiss said, smiling. The two gentlemen walked off, concerned expressions on their faces.

"Ms. Schnee, what happened?" Percival said.

"Something's happened to Winter. She hasn't been picking up her scroll for two days apparently, and I can't get a hold of her either. It's not like her. Especially not now with what's going on," Weiss said.

"That is unlike her," Whitley said, concerned.

Cinder, Ruby, and Mercury walked up to them. "Anything?" Yang asked.

"Not a thing," Mercury said.

"Yang?" Weiss asked.

"Qrow, Jaune, Ren, Nora, and Emerald are also not answering their scrolls," Ruby said.

Weiss looked shocked. Her expression shifted to one stern and in control. "Percy."

"Yes, Ms. Schnee?" Percival said.

"Your security background…" She said, not even turning to look at him.

"Say no more. I'll make a few calls, though I can't promise anything. I'll focus on Winter, but I'll contact any of you should I happen to come across anything," He said.

"I'll give you all the information you need," Weiss said.

"Of course, Ms. Schnee," He said.

"I'll contact Oscar to see if he knows anything about them and where they went," Ruby said. She dialed Oscar's number, and thankfully, he responded rather quickly. "Hey Oscar, has Qrow, Jaune, or the others with them talked to you at all recently?" There was a pause. "No? I thought so. Do you know where they were last headed? Uh huh. Got it. I'll tell you everything later, bye!" She hung up. "They were last headed down south, far south from Mistral. Oscar said they contacted him a few days back about a lead in that direction. They haven't contacted him since."

"How far?" Cinder asked.

"Near the coast," Ruby said.

"There we have it. We should leave immediately," Cinder said.

"I'll go say goodbye to the others really quick, I'll stop by the apartment and meet you there before we head off," Yang said. "Ruby, let's go!" She rushed over to Blake. "Hey, something's come up. We're leaving to head down south to go after Qrow and the others. Keep me posted!"

"Oh okay. Be careful!" Blake said.

"Of course," Yang smiled. She walked toward the exit, Ruby following closely behind.


Yang tossed the dress on top of the disheveled bed. She kneeled down to tighten the laces on her boots, secured her gauntlets tighter, and cracked her neck from side to side. "Here's hoping we get some action."

"I hope they're all alright," Ruby said. She wore a worried expression.

"They're fine," She said. "If they're in trouble, then we rescue them. Come on, let's go."

Ruby nodded, and the both of them walked from out of the hotel room, being greeted by Mercury and Cinder. Mercury had his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall directly on the other side of the door, with Cinder right next to him, fist on her hip.

"You two ready? We don't have time to make a long trip, so I hope Ghira is willing to give us a quick ride down south," Cinder said.

"Yup. I'm sure it's fine. No way he'll let us down considering why we're going south," Yang said as she stretched her arms and legs.

"Well then, let's get going," Mercury said as he propped himself off the wall.

They walked out of the apartment, took a quick ride over to the academy and at the quick request from Yang and Ruby, managed to secure an airship to fly them over to the southern coast of Anima, directly south of Mistral. As the ship flew them to that area, Yang noticed a storm cloud in the distance. The pilot noted that the area just so happened to have an unmarked fortification of some sort and for the sake of safety, had to land them quite a ways away. The pilot landed the ship, and they got out. "I'll be here waiting for your return, take your time!" She shouted, both hands cupped to the sides of her mouth.

"No worries! We'll try to be quick!" Yang yelled as they were already quite a few feet away. They walked into a jungle, most of it covering the southern area aside from the coast itself based on the view she had while in the airship. As they walked through the brushes, branches, trees, and vines of the jungle, she swatted herself several times, scratched herself here and there, and fought off branches and large elephant-ear like leaves from hitting her face as they sloshed through muck and humid foliage.

All of them picked up their pace; they jumped over large branches, ducked under even larger branches. They stormed through an open area of the jungle, that was shadowed by the jungle canopy. She could see the unmarked fort off in the distance through an opening in the trees far in the front of her. It was enormous. It had three large spires protruding from the ground that seemed to be set in a triangle—one to the far left of the fort, another to the far right, and one to the far back of the fort, all symmetrically placed. The fort itself from where they were didn't seem to be of similar design or color palette like the base she had infiltrated with Jaune and the others, though she couldn't make out any details.

They stopped at the jungle edge, out over a cliff covered by trees and vines, obscuring them from anyone who might have happen to look in their direction from afar. The base was still quite a ways away and she noticed that there was only one feasible way into the base and that was through the front. Yang looked up at the storm clouds which permeated across the sky above the fort. "So, what's the plan?" She said as she crouched down.

"We charge right inside," Cinder said.

Yang nodded. "No way around that to be honest." Her heart rate jumped. She started trembling with excitement. She tried to hold back a smile, not feeling that it was appropriate for the moment. Time to cut loose, she thought. "Come on," She said, turning around and bolting toward the path to her left which sloped downward and curved around down to another opening that had been lit by the moonlight. The others close behind, she picked up her pace and rushed from out of the jungle and charged directly toward the base which seemed to be well over a mile away.

As she rushed toward it, two figures in the distance became increasingly visible. She stopped in her tracks, the others stopped as well. Both of the figures were armored in dark gray and blue armor which covered their torsos and feet, up to their knees. She could tell based on the hips that at least one of them was a woman. Neither of them armed. The two figures stopped in front of them. "And who are you two?" Yang said.

Silence. One of them—the one with the feminine figure—took a slow step forward, a step dripping with intent. That intent became clear as she blazed forward with a trail of flame left in her wake. The four of them jumped out of the way; upon landing, the woman's feet released a shockwave of flame that swirled outward and upward into the air. Yang put up her guard. What was that? She thought quickly as she launched herself forward with two blasts from her gauntlets; she swirled into a spinning kick at the woman's head—she ducked as she threw a lightning-infused punch at Yang's chest.

Yang swerved to the side and jumped backward as Cinder flew in—a funnel of flame trailing behind her—as she clashed with the woman, dual crystalline longswords in her hands. Yang looked to her left and noticed that both Ruby and Mercury had engaged the second one. She looked back forward and watched Cinder clash with the woman, and the moment Yang saw an opening she unleashed five blasts at the woman and charged at her. The woman dodged each blast but took a hit from Cinder and flew backward. Yang capitalized on the hit and slid roughly in a curve around to the woman's backside, spun around—and using the built-up momentum—landed a crushing kick onto the woman's back.

She heard a crunch and a brutal cry from the woman upon impact—an explosion of fire and lightning blew outward from her body like a punctured can of shaken soda as she was launched in the opposite direction. She spun and recovered midair, landing on her feet and quickly regained her bearings.

A familiar voice grunted loudly. "Mercury!" Ruby yelled. Yang looked over to them, to find Mercury having been launched backward—aura depleted—by the other fighter. She looked back to the feminine fighter as Cinder flew at her again. The fighter ducked and swung her right arm in a wide, diagonal sweeping motion, releasing a wave of flame, which coalesced and hardened into a thick wall of red-orange crystal as Cinder landed on the other side. Yang readied herself for a charge, throwing both her arms back as the crystals started to glow. Cinder jumped backward as the crystalline wall exploded—the explosion engulfing Cinder despite her speed. She came out the other side, landing on her feet as her aura flickered.

Yang fired off both gauntlets and flew right through the smoke of the explosion, covering her frontside with her arms in a cross, guarding herself from any possible attack. As she landed on the other side of the smoke, the woman was standing guarded in front of her, not attacking, seemingly waiting for Yang to make her move. Yang strafed slowly to the side, arms up and fists clenched. She smiled. They're tough. Just what we needed, she thought.

Yang lunged at the woman with a flying roundhouse kick as the woman ducked out of the way. Yang then corrected her movement with a blast from her gauntlets and threw a punch downward at the woman's head and as she did, corrected her movement again to her left in anticipation of the woman's dodge. Crunch, a loud cracking sound burst outward as Yang landed a hit with a sudden kick to the side of the armored woman's head who—just as she thought she would—dodged her punch. Red and yellow liquid spewed out from the helmet and ceased almost the instant it did.

Even more red and yellow liquid poured down from the cracks in the helmet. What is that? She thought. "Hey Cinder! Help Ruby get that other one!" She yelled as she turned her head toward Cinder. "I've got this one!"

Cinder nodded and flew off toward the second one. Yang looked back at the woman and returned to her fighting stance. She smiled again. "Come on, you've got to be better than that! Give me your best shot!" The woman answered Yang's taunt with a white-gray swirl of mist trailing out from her feet as she flew at her at a blistering speed. The wind was knocked out of her thanks to the flaming gut punch. She flipped backward and landed on her feet and simply grinned. Now having taken a hit, she intended to return the favor. "Quite the powerful punch you've got there!" She got back into a fighting stance. "Now let me throw it right back at cha!" Nothing.

Well this isn't good, she thought. She tried to force it out again but nothing. It was just like back at the warehouse with the faunus wielding the bow. Her semblance wasn't kicking in. The woman stood there waiting. Was she wondering what Yang was going to do? Big mistake if she was. Now if only my semblance would kick in, she thought anxiously. She maintained her grin though it was now a fake one as she could hear the clashes from the others fighting. She stared the woman down who just stood there—clearly ready to attempt to take on anything she threw at her.

Guess we do this the hard way, then! She thought as she bolted forward—again attempting to predict the woman's movements—as she threw a punch that accompanied her charge's form. The woman ducked out of the way—and as she did—Yang threw a spinning kick in the direction of her dodge, though the woman ducked this time, yet Yang had expected that as well as she brought up her fist and slammed it into the ground as she fired off a blast from her gauntlet the instant it impacted, unleashing a massive explosion which knocked the woman backward.

The instant she did, Yang was literally above her—having charged forward—as she brought down her other fist into the woman's gut, firing off another blast the moment it impacted, launching the woman into the ground forming a crater. Red, yellow, and now a white liquid was spewing out from under her like blood. She wasn't moving. Yang walked over her and looked down at the woman, who didn't seem to respond to her looming presence. "Are you done?" She asked, receiving no response—either verbally or physically—from the woman. The liquid began to solidify into crystal as the woman's form began to…shrivel? The armor and clothing sank as more liquid spewed out and turned into crystal. Yang's jaw gaped, and her eyes widened.

An explosion came from the distance which followed a yell which sounded like Cinder. Yang leaped from out of the crater in the direction from where the yell came as she noticed the fighter heavily battered—evident from the dripping green and blue liquid pouring from almost every major crevasse—with Cinder carried under their arm like a log as they leaped forward and glided away, leaving behind only a trail of white-gray mist.

Yang rushed up to Ruby. "What happened?"

Ruby looked at her, over at the crater, and then back to Yang. "Cinder was open, and they took the chance to knock her out. Whoeve—whatever that was, was clearly focusing on Cinder. They did something which weakened her! I think they may have come looking for her!"

Mercury got up from the ground having regained consciousness. "You think Jaune and the others encountered these two?" Yang said as she kept her gaze on Mercury while walking toward him.

"Don't think so. Unless they split up. No way they would have been captured by those two if they were together," Ruby said.

Mercury shook his head and grunted. "What happened?" He regained his bearings, finally standing on his feet.

"One of them is apparently dead, but the other got the jump on Cinder and escaped in the direction of the fortress. I wanted to go after her, but not alone. There's no telling if there's more of them in that direction," Ruby said as she put away Full Rose.

"What?" Mercury yelled. "We have to go after them! We can't leave Cinder behind!"

"Calm down, Merc. We'll go after her. Though I think we might need a plan before we go rushing in, as much as I hate saying that," Yang said.

"Screw the plan!" Mercury yelled. "Those things were using dust, Yang, in ways I've never seen before. Like it was a part of them! What does that sound like?"

Yang face palmed. She felt like an idiot.

"Whatever those things were, chances are they were after Cinder for her powers, just like she said! If we don't hurry, Alexis will have the Fall Maiden on their side!" Mercury yelled. He turned around and faced the direction of the fortress and walked—limped a bit toward the fortress.

"Alright. Then we rush in," Yang said, smiling. She punched her fist into her palm. "Ready for a challenge, Ruby!" This isn't gonna be easy, she thought. The adrenaline in her body was still pumping throughout the entirety of it and was only increasing.

Ruby nodded, expression serious. The both of them rushed after Mercury, who's limp got better until it returned to a normal walk, and then turned into a run, and then a sprint as the three of them charged down the slope of the roadway toward the large, looming, triple-spired fortress. The waves of the ocean crashing into the rocks below, the storm clouds discharging lightning, and after a split second, the sound of crashing thunder rang through their ears.

Yang and Ruby ran beside Mercury who was running rather slow due to his still regenerating Aura. "How's your aura, Merc?" Yang asked.

"It's fine. It should be back to full by the time we reach the base, don't worry about me!" He said, frustration in his voice.

"We'll save her. Emerald too, don't worry. We bust in there, take down anyone standing in our way, and get out!" Yang said, giving him a cocksure grin.

He turned to look at her as they kept running. The stress in his face dissipated and changed back into that characteristic smirk of his. "Thought you weren't supposed to be reckless." He said as he looked forward.

"Yeah well, that wasn't working. I work better this way," She said.

His pace quickened—gradually—but it slowly started picking up until they ran for around thirty minutes. As they kept running, she could tell his aura had completely regenerated. They went into a full-charged sprint now. The looming fortress getting closer, much closer as its size became abundantly clear. It was enormous. The walls looked like they could reach the clouds, though she could tell even from where she was that it had simply been an optical illusion.

They began to see the large double-doored blackened metal gates. They continued to sprint, taking advantage of the downward slope of the land to quicken their pace. They jumped over logs, veered passed rocks, and leaped over small hills on their way toward the fortress. After what seemed to be five minutes of non-stop running, they finally reached their destination. Surprisingly, it wasn't remotely defended from the outside. No cannons, no guards, nothing. The only thing that stood before them were the large double gates barring their path—it's large fiery-orange on black colors and spikes being the only thing between them and their friends.

Yang walked up to the gates and pushed, the other two helped out, giving it their all to try and force open the gate. After about a minute of pushing, they managed to make it budge, slowly forcing it open, just wide enough for them to slip through. They rushed inside and rushed behind some cover, behind the overhang of the gates themselves just slightly passed them as she scanned the inside of the fortress. There were tanks off to her left that didn't seem to be of Atlesian design. To her right were modified paladins, though they had a much different color scheme—being gray and blue—just like the armored fighters from earlier. Directly in front of them, was a clear path, a walkway made of metal that led to another set of gates though they were much smaller. She didn't see anyone.

"What is this place?" Ruby said, standing beside Yang. "There's no one here, no guards, or anything."

"Where do you think the others are?" Mercury asked.

"No clue, but those doors over there are practically inviting us in," Yang said. "Ready?" She asked.

Both Ruby and Mercury nodded, their expressions serious. Yang took a deep breath. "On you Ruby."

Ruby rushed passed the overhang directly toward the doors and flew into it as a swirling red bullet, bursting right through it, as both Yang and Mercury followed closely behind. Once they reached passed the second set of gates, they stopped again, ready to fight whatever came their way, but just like before, no one was around. The place they were in now was an open room with three doorways, each marked as having led to a different part of the fortress. Yang noted the one on the left having been marked by a sign that read Lower Laboratory with an arrow pointing to the right, and below that it read Upper Laboratory with an arrow point to the left.

"So which way?" Mercury asked. "Wanna check the Patient Grounds?" He asked.

Yang looked over at Mercury and at the sign to the right of where they were. The sign read Patient Grounds with an arrow to the left, and Storage Facility with an arrow to the right. She looked at the other doorway and sign and noted that it didn't reference anything that might have something to do with prisoners. "Yeah, sounds like a good way to go. Ruby?"

"Can't think of anywhere else they'd might be if not there," Ruby said.

The three of them walked through the door into a corridor which had only two paths as the sign implied. They bolted down the corridor, quickly reaching the end of it only to find a door to their left which was marked with a sign signifying that they had arrived at the right place. They walked inside. Within, was a large room that was a wide-open, glorified waiting room like something straight out of a hospital. It had clean white tiling, and a beige colored wall. It was completely different in feel than the rest of the base, though she could immediately tell why. She assumed the others could as well.

Strewn throughout the walls, on the counters, and even on the television—which had been on—all displayed different messages. Some posters on the wall mentioned how a company called Medidust Industries could cure their ailments. They offered treatments and cures on cancer, chronic pain, depression, and a whole host of other things.

"Well, I wonder what they could be doing here," Mercury said. "Only one reason why you'd have a hospital here with all this garbage laying around."

"You watch too many movies," Ruby said. "Though I agree with you."

Yang walked up to the receptionist's desk and picked up a pamphlet and clenched her fist. It talked about how this same company could cure people of dismembered limbs. No surgeries, no pain, no lingering effects, no prosthetics—they gleefully promised to restore a person's original lost body parts!

"Hey—Yang, Ruby—over here," Mercury said.

Yang turned around and dropped the pamphlet. Ruby joined her as they walked up beside Mercury who was gazing at a large map on the other side of the room. He pointed to where they were and then moved his finger over further right to what seemed like the right spire. "See that?" He said. "It goes deep underground. Map says at least twelve floors deep. According to this, the only way down there is through the spire and the only way to the spire is from here. You thinkin what I'm thinkin?"

"Good place to start," Yang said. "Let's hurry!" She rushed out the other side of the door and arrived in another corridor which led all the way to a single door on the other end. She ran down the hallway with Ruby and Mercury running behind her. A few short seconds of sprinting had them arriving at the door in short order and they spared no time busting through the door where they arrived on a large, long, wide-open bridge with plenty of room to maneuver and where—

Foots steps clanged on the metal grating of the bridge. Yang stopped in her tracks and so did the others. Her brow furrowed, her teeth clenched, and her fists balled up tightly, as tightly as she could force them.

"Crap!" Mercury said as he slowly backed up. The steps kept inching closer, though they were still rather far away. She could hear Ruby withdrawing Full Rose and from the corner of her eye, she could tell she immediately transformed it into the Grimm Reaper.

"I was wondering who had broken into the base, and my curiosity has been well rewarded," Said the familiar voice filtered through the visage of the reversed-horned helmet.

Yang let out a stuttered breath. "Owain." She forcefully withdrew her gauntlets. "What are you doing here?" She yelled. "Where's Qrow, Jaune, Cinder?" She yelled again.

"I have no clue. I arrived recently," Owain sighed. "I was curious as to what this little fortress was and came to sate my curiosity and found it filled to the brim with personnel, though for some reason they all fled upon my arrival." He took a deep breath. "Or is fled even the right word?" He said lazily as he looked up to the sky and to the side as he stopped in his tracks. "Seems like this place is full of weak-willed cowards," He said in a low growl. A barely visible, red aura seeped out from beneath his feet.

She could feel her feet slowly inching backward against her will. Her arms were shaking, sweat poured down the right side of her face. What's happening? She thought. She didn't think she'd feel this way upon seeing him again. Weren't you going to get some payback? She thought. But this feeling…it wasn't natural, and it wasn't there before! What was that?

"Regardless!" Owain said as he returned his gaze to the three of them, causing them to quiver backward.

"You feel that?" Mercury said.

"Yeah," Ruby replied.

"I'm curious. Have you grown stronger since our last meeting?" Owain said.

Yang didn't answer.

"Your name is…Yang, correct? What is the rest of it? If you don't mind me asking," He said.

She paused. Another moment passed as she tried to grip her fists tighter. Calm down, she thought. "It's Xiao Long. Yang Xiao Long."

"Yang Xiao Long? Beautiful name! May I call you Dragon?" He said as he began to walk again.

For an instant, she felt the sensation disappear. "Oh, don't you dare give me a pet name!" She charged forward at him.

"Yang wait!" Ruby said.

She threw a punch at his chest; he caught it with his right hand. "Your rage is quiet," He said in a low lazy tone. She tried to force her fist in further, trying to overpower him, but he was like a wall, an impenetrable wall. He wasn't even struggling. He leaned in, as if to whisper something. "You're afraid, aren't you? Why don't I raise the stakes then? Drown you in despair—no, wrath!" He said in a growl.

She tried harder, pushed harder, she tried to muster all of her strength, but now she was in his grip as he closed his hand around her fist, preventing her from pulling it out. Come on! She thought, trying even harder to pull out her fist. She raised her other fist, ready to throw another punch.

He pulled his head back. "Still so weak. A challenge, then! Consider it a gift from yours truly. I want to see how you manage," He said.

"What?" She said, straining. Her vision suddenly blurred, her ears ringed, and she became winded—unable to breath. His other fist had impacted her gut. She fell to her knees, aura depleted. She collapsed onto the ground.

And just like that, suddenly, as if a second just passed she yanked herself upward to a sitting position. She was on a bed? She looked around. Bars, bars that were covered with white curtains which surrounded the cell from the inside. She was alone. She felt sick, groggy, and couldn't think straight.

There was a muffled sound coming from the next cell over. It sounded like sobbing. "Hello?" She said.

The sobbing stopped. She heard sniffling. "Hello? Who's there?" She said again.

There was another sniffle. "You got caught too?" A familiar voice said.

"Cinder?" She jumped off the bed and rushed over to the cell bars and opened the curtains. "Cinder, what happened?" She looked inside the other cell. Cinder's cell had its curtains open and she saw Cinder sitting on the bed, huddled up in the corner with her knees held up to her chest—her arms hugging her legs as she kept her head buried within them. Her clothes were torn in places, and she had a few scars on her right arm.

She assumed the worst. She grabbed the bars. "They…they took your powers, didn't they?" Cinder buried her head tighter into her knees; she didn't respond. Yang sighed. They took them that quickly? She was shocked. She never thought she'd feel that way, but…She simply stared at Cinder, unsure of what to say or do. I've never seen her like this before. Did her powers really mean that much to her? She paused for another moment before she let go of the bars and scanned her cell. What was she supposed to do now? Her gauntlets were missing, her scroll was missing. Sooner or later, her mom would realize something was wrong and would come looking for her, or Qrow for that matter. Considering Owain and how powerful he was…She shook her head. She had to find a way out! She had to know what happened to Ruby! And the others!

Owain…She tried to force him out of her thoughts. He didn't matter, not right now. She felt a twinge of guilt again. Her pride had been hurt once more. She didn't stand a chance. One thing at a time, she thought. You haven't exactly gotten stronger, of course you lost! First things first, I need to get out of here and find Ruby…