Qrow watched the ship fly off, another round of injured to be treated at the Achilles ship that was off the coast. Dr. Ignis (head of Achilles) had kindly offered to use the most state-of-the-art equipment to ensure a full recovery. However, even Qrow knew that there were some wounds that didn't heal, even with the greatest medical expertise available.

He walked back, past the groups of soldiers and volunteer Faunus that were now attempting to catch their breath and calm their nerves. Many were obviously shaken by the bombardment Cinder had thrown upon them, and he couldn't blame them for their apprehension.

He now went near the group of student Huntsmen, who right now were sitting down to their dinner around a makeshift fire. Every single one held a dejected look upon their faces as they ate. No one was speaking to each other; simply because they didn't know what to say.

Qrow cleared his throat, catching their attention, though a few remained downcast. "Shen has flown Zeren's body to the Achilles ship. Once they've cleaned it up properly, they are going to bury him in Mistral. He told me it will be an honorary one."

"Oh." Jaune replied. "Yeah, that'll be good."

Yang nodded but remained silent as she gulped down another glass of water. Blake attempted to take another bite, but stopped halfway, as if pondering something. Teams SSSN and ABRN also remained quiet. Although Sun had attempted to say something, he gave up halfway.

It was finally Weiss who broke the silence on the topic they had tried to avoid. "He never hesitated. Even though he knew he was going to die, he didn't care. As long as Ruby lived."

Everyone looked at her, staring for a few moments before Yang nodded. "Yeah. He saved Ruby many times, in ways I couldn't possibly do. I… I just wish I could have thanked him, for everything."

"He was a true Huntsman, till the end." Ren nodded.

"Well, he was a pretty strong." Bolin Hiori said. "He'd probably cap any academy teacher out there."

"Not only that, but his heart was stronger." Reese added. "He was unwavering, determined, fierce even. But he was also kind and compassionate. Remnant has lost a good man."

"Yeah. We all did." Qrow nodded as he took out his flask and raised it. "To Zeren."

Everyone now raised their own drinks. "To Zeren."

They all drank in honour of the Mithril Knight, saluting his bravery and will. Once they were done, Blake stood up, turning to Qrow. "What's the news now?"

"Well, just as bad as you might imagine." Qrow shrugged as he sat down. "Shen is now very apprehensive about continuing this fight. Loads of his guys were injured and he only has a few ships left to spare. The Faunus are quite shaken, and many of them were also injured by that bombardment. As for the Blood Hunt Order, they took some casualties, but for now they remain ambivalent. I suspect Vanessa is waiting for the moment where the course becomes clear to her. She might stay to see this through, but that's a bit of a long-shot considering the uncertainty right now."

"I see." Blake nodded. She had spoken with some of the Faunus volunteered, and she could see it in their eyes. They were scared as well, and she couldn't blame them. Now they were wrapped up in something far greater than they could have imagined. Convincing them to go on wasn't going to be easy.

Once Qrow finished tending to the fire, he turned upward to Jaune. "How is Ruby?"

"I did what I could." Jaune said. "The wound was deep, but not too serious. I managed to get her patched up. Physically she is okay but, I think it's more than that."

Qrow nodded. "Where is she now?"

"Same place she's been for the last hour." Nora said, pointing to a rock some hundred meters away. Everyone turned to see a faint shade of red nestled upon it. "Zeren's death really hit her hard."

"It's just as bad as the time we lost Pyrrha and Penny." Jaune replied. "Maybe worse. I don't know how soon she'll recover."

"Alright. Keep an eye on her for a little longer okay?" Qrow said as he stood up. "I've got adult crap to get back to, so watch yourselves and get plenty of rest. As for the mission, well I'll let you know."

Ruby stared back at the blade. She had managed to fold it back within the handle, allowing her to grip it and study it even closer. She still couldn't believe Zeren was dead, his final act of sacrifice allowing her to survive a deadly encounter with Cinder. She knew he was sworn to guard her with his life. She didn't think the true nature of it could fill her with so much sorrow and pain.

Ruby closed her eyes again as she tried to hold back the tears, tightly gripping his blade as she curled up on the rock she sat on. They had only known each other for a week, but Zeren had become someone she could lean on and turn to. She didn't just see him as a guardian; he was also a friend. He was someone who she trusted with everything, and in turn he trusted in her.

Ruby now reached for her pocket and grabbed the book Zeren had given her. She opened it and flipped through the scrawled pages, studying each description of the Arget Citadel. While Zeren had taught her enough for her to understand most of what the book mentioned, there were still a few pages that required translation now that he was gone. She now stopped to the page that he had shown her on their first lesson, one that was adorned with a six-sided star that encapsulated an eye. It was then that he told her that her blood was the most precious in Remnant, more so than any other.

Not more than yours… Ruby lamented. She still couldn't help but feel that she was responsible for Zeren's death. That he had given everything for her made her feel a remorse more powerful than any time before. Ruby now closed the book, remembering his final words. She closed her eyes, pondering upon them, and what it meant now that he was gone.

The answer became clear immediately. As of now, there was only one thing to do. Ruby nodded as she put the book back into her pocket and rose to her feet, wiping away what remained of her crying. She slowly walked back to the camp, making her way straight to the central command tent. Her sister and friends soon spotted her, closely following behind, though she paid it no mind for now.

Ruby now headed toward the central tent, seeing Cameron and Xade hovering by the entrance. She nodded toward them, but said nothing as she entered the tent and into the debate that was taking place between Qrow, Shen and Oobleck. For her part, Vanessa remained silent in the corner, eyeing the discussion with disdain.

"So we're just supposed to call it off?" Qrow asked. "Shen, that guy sacrificed himself so that we could get a chance! We can't just throw it all away!"

"I too mourn the loss of Zeren Corvain." Shen replied. "However, I have sustained many casualties in the previous engagement, and the Mistral council cannot afford to send more owing to the needs of the kingdom! Should the Grimm attack again I fear we won't have any way of fighting them off. We should not persist with an endeavour that we have no advantage in!"

"Um…" Ruby muttered from the entrance. Though it was rather soft in volume, it somehow managed to carry over the previous conversation.

"Oh, Ms. Rose." General Shen nodded. "I'm sorry, but this is a private discussion. I would like to ask you to please leave."

Ruby looked toward the General, staring straight into his eyes. "I overheard. You were planning to leave, right?"

General Shen sighed as Qrow's eyes narrowed. "Yes, that was the current discussion…" The General answered. "As of now, we have no confidence in our ability to support this cause. With Zeren gone, we have no way of completing this. Not only that, our forces are diminished. We should simply leave this place before more Grimm show. Please understand Ms. Rose, I cannot risk anymore lives on something we do not even know will be worth it."

Ruby didn't answer. Instead, she held up Zeren's weapon in her hands. She breathed, carefully thinking about the words she needed to say. "True. I know it is difficult. There already have been many casualties. I don't disagree with your decisions."

"Well, I'm glad you see the truth of our situation." General Shen nodded.

"But even so…" Ruby looked up again, her eyes sharp and focused. "Whatever is in that citadel, Zeren believed it important enough to give his life for it, for me… for us. He didn't just die to make sure I could live, he died to give us a chance."

"Ruby…" Blake whispered, but immediately Ruby waved her down.

"Zeren believed that this could make a difference to the world; he believed that we could succeed here. That's why, no matter what…" Ruby breathed again, tightening her grip on the folded blade. "I can't stop here. I'm going to the Arget Citadel. I must finish what he began."

"Ms. Rose, I understand your sympathies." General Shen nodded. "But this is unwise, suicidal even!"

"Even so, I have to go. And I'll do it by myself if I have to. That's all I have to say." With that, she tucked Zeren's weapon away and walked out of the tent.

She barely took a few steps before a voice called out. "Stop."

Ruby sighed, turning to look at Weiss. "What do you think you are doing going on by yourself?" The white haired girl asked.

"Weiss." Ruby moved to answer. "I don't blame anyone if they want to leave. But I can't just stop here. I…"

"Ah-bap-bap!" Weiss silenced Ruby with a wave of her hand. "Do you really think I would let you? Did you remember what I promised you all that time ago in Beacon?"

"Weiss?" Ruby frowned.

"I promised I'd be the best teammate you'd have. Do you really think I'm going to let you do this on your own? What sort of teammate would I be if I did that?" Weiss frowned.

"You're…" Ruby's frown went deeper. "Coming?"

"Of course you dunce!" Weiss smiled. "I understand how important this is to you. There are times when someone has to do something, even if they are unsure of it. Recently I've learned that some things are too important not to pursue. And besides, someone has to make sure you don't get yourself into more trouble than you can handle."

"I'm coming too." Blake said. "I told you, I'm not going anywhere. I feel that if I did, I'd stain Zeren's honour. I'm sure that he believed not just in you Ruby, but in all of us. So I'm also seeing this to the end. It's the only real way I can uphold his name."

"And don't think you can shake me." Yang grinned. "I left you alone before; I'm not doing it again. I owe Zeren a debt I can never repay. And if someone like him believed this much on something like this, I might as well do too."

"Mind if we tagged in?" Jaune asked, gesturing to the rest of his team. "It's going to take more than just a single team of teenagers to get this done."

"And we can't let team RWBY get all the fun!" Nora grinned. Ren for his part merely nodded.

"We're in this too." Sun replied, nodding to teams SSSN and ABRN. "It ain't cool just leaving friends behind."

"Then count us in." Wesley grinned as he looked to his own team. "If we just went and let you youngsters do all the work, we'd look pretty pathetic. Besides, adults like us are supposed to help you out."

Ruby looked all around as everyone offered their support. Qrow, Oobleck, Vanessa and General Shen had also emerged from the tent, eyeing the people who had volunteered to press forward with Ruby. Ruby herself now wondered if in some way, they had been inspired by the faith and determination of the Mithril Knight.

"Well, I guess I don't have much of a choice." Qrow nodded with a wry smile. "I signed on for this babysitting business so I guess I have to go where the kids go."

"Smooth Qrow." Yang chuckled as did everyone else.

"And I will as well." Oobleck nodded. "Historical findings aside, I have a duty to this cause as a Huntsman. And similarly, I would be ashamed to call myself a teacher if I let my students go while I did not."

Ruby smiled at both her uncle and teacher. Then, she looked to Vanessa, frowning as she walked to her. "And what of the Order? Will they stay?"

Vanessa eyed the entire group assembled before her, frowning as she contemplated the current situation. In truth, Ruby wasn't being hopeful that she would stay. With the conflict among the alliance they now had, the chance of the order actually staying was miniscule. However, another part of her also knew that is was unlikely of Vanessa to stop halfway through what she had resolved to do, especially if it involved killing Grimm.

"If I will it." Vanessa replied. "And as of now, I see no reason to leave. Let the cowards run if they wish, but my goals, and my wrath, are yet to be sated."

Ruby nodded, affirming Vanessa's continued support. Behind her, the rest of those who decided to stay breathed relieved sighs, knowing that the Order's fighting strength could still be counted on. Now, she turned to General Shen, obviously waiting for his reply.

The General now wore an exasperated look on his face. Every ounce of his instinct told him that to continue this was folly. Yet, after seeing the persistence of those gathered before him, he surrendered. "Very well…" He sighed. "I too shall remain in this endeavour. I simply pray that the rewards shall be worth it."

"It will be." Ruby smiled. "I guarantee it."

"Still, we cannot bring all our forces to the citadel." General Shen said. "We will need to effect repairs, and ensure that the island is not threatened."

"Then we leave our fleets here, while we travel on alone." Vanessa offered. "A small force of our best troops should be sufficient. Once we confirm the citadel's location, we will signal them to gather."

"A fair assessment." Shen nodded. "I will inform my forces."

Ruby watched as both the General and the Maester left to organize their troops. For now, she had to plan the next step.

"Well, don't mean to bring the mood down." Ilia said. "But how will we find our way to the citadel?"

In response, Ruby reached in and took out the worn book Zeren had left her. "We already have what we need." She said, opening the book and showing them the contents written in the ancient words. "Team RWBY has the translations Zeren left us, so I'll let everyone copy them later. For now, I need to work on deciphering some of these codes and clues."

"Even in death, he guides us." Bolin Hiori nodded.

"Yeah." Ruby nodded as she took out her Scroll, sending the translation image to Jaune's. "Everyone take out your Scrolls. Once Vanessa and the General are done, we head for the mountain."

"Right!" Everyone nodded, immediately taking out their devices so that team RWBY could hand them the translations Zeren had left behind.

"I'll help you work on this, okay?" Weiss said.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Ruby nodded as she opened the book, and slowly worked to decipher the words within.

Within an hour, the forces were settled. The fleets would stay behind and keep watch over the island. For now, only General Shen, Vanessa and Xade would follow. With Weiss's help, Ruby had effectively deciphered the necessary messages. Still, many of the clues left her scratching her head. As they headed to the mountain, Ruby rarely kept her eyes off the book, studying everything she could on it.

"I'd never thought I'd see the day Ruby would be interested in a book other than fairy tales." Blake remarked.

"She's growing every day." Yang chuckled. "Makes me proud."

"Quiet you two!" Ruby snapped. "I'm still trying to figure this thing out!"

The small band trekked through the forest, approaching the mountain. The first clue toward finding the citadel was already baffling.

"Upon the great divide, the central path you must go. When darkness descends, only then will it show." She had recited as they began walking. It had effectively confused everybody when they heard that. Weiss had thus surmised that the 'great divide' was found to be the large mountain range that divided the island in two, and that there was only one path through the massive cave network that Zeren had spoken of leading to the citadel itself. However, she couldn't determine the meaning of the second half.

"When darkness descends, only then will it show." Weiss frowned. "So, I guess we need it to be dark?"

"Well, we can't exactly wait for night." Qrow said. "It'll be a nightmare to find the citadel by then."

"So how exactly do we make it dark?" Jaune asked.

"Beats me." Qrow shrugged. "For now, let's just find these caves, and think about it when we do."

Within a few minutes, they had reached the base of the mountain. After a little more time spent searching, they finally found the cave entrance that accessed the larger underground maze network within.

"Alright, so how will we do this without getting separated?" Ren asked.

"I got us covered." Arslan said, unfurling a roll of bandages. "I can use these to mark our way so that we can backtrack."

"I'll work on a map." Nadir nodded. "We can track our progress that way."

"Alright." Weiss nodded as she charged Myrtenaster with flame Dust, causing it to glow and function like a torch. "Ruby, any luck?"

"No." Ruby said. "I keep looking at the pages after, and nothing really says anything else."

"When darkness falls…" Weiss muttered again. "I wonder what that means?"

"Likely, it means we need to wait for night." Ren agreed. "But that is not an option now."

"Well, unless we can somehow control daylight, we aren't going to get that anytime soon." Reigel replied. "Best for now is to chart our course and eliminate by trial and error."

"Well Reigel, a bit of a problem with that." Wesley said as soon as his wolf phantoms returned. "The place is practically a honeycomb of these caves. It'll take us ages to get through that night will fall either way."

"Perhaps we can have a better idea other than one depending on chance?" Vanessa scowled. "I'd prefer if we did not waste time with pointless actions."

"Darkness descends…" Ruby muttered to herself more and more. "Darkness… Night…" She constantly looked at the book, reading the line over and over in her head. "Ugh, why didn't they make this easy…"

"Come on Ruby." Weiss said as she put the sword down, casting shadows across the cave itself. "You wanted to get this done, so you've got to chin up."

"Yeah well, I'm not the brightest mind in the world." Ruby complained. "Thinking about all of these riddles hurts my head almost as bad as the first time my eyes flashed."

Weiss rolled her eyes at Ruby's sarcasm. Then suddenly, a chord struck in her head. She had already seen the display of power that lay within Ruby's eyes, a silver flash of light that had blinded them momentarily back at Haven, not to mention the time at Beacon. Weiss though long and hard about this, linking it back to the riddle from the journal.

"When darkness descends…" Weiss frowned. "We normally refer to nightfall, but rather it means light is gone… Light… disappearing… Silver Eyes…"

"Weiss? What are you talking about?" Nicole asked.

"I think I may have figured it out." Weiss said as she extinguished the glow from her blade. "Look, this is going to sound crazy, but we need to blockade the entrance of the cave."

"What? Why?" Scarlet yelped.

"I'm with Scarlet on this one." Sun remarked. "Getting trapped underground is high on the list of things I'd like to avoid."

"Trust me." Weiss nodded. "This will work. Besides, we don't have a better idea, do we?"

Everyone stared at each other, worry crossing their faces at a plan Weiss had very likely wouldn't have thought up. However, she had made a valid point that there were no options available.

"Alright then." Qrow said. "Seal us in, but carefully. We don't want to bury ourselves in the process."

"I'll handle that." Weiss nodded. With a rotating of Myrtenaster's chamber, Weiss stabbed the blade into the ground, creating an icy wall that covered the mouth of the cave. She laid out layer after layer till the most minimal amount of light was left, forcing everyone to strain their eyes.

"Okay." Weiss said as she now shifted to flame Dust again. "Might want to watch your eyes." She cautioned before lighting up her blade once more, using as much of the flame Dust as she could. Once the glow reached its most intense, she deactivated it, drowning the cave in darkness again. For a moment, nothing appeared to have changed. Then…

"Look!" Reese exclaimed. Everyone else now gaped in awe as all around them, stones in the caves began to light up in a pale blue light. The lights slowly formed a path, winding through the narrow spaces in the shadows.

"This is some kind of bio-luminescent moss." Bolin remarked as he examined it. "They must be able to soak up light and then emit it in darkness."

"Light is emitted from their eyes whenever they use their powers." Qrow said. "They must have used this to determine their path to the citadel, something only they could do naturally. They'd brighten the caves, then wait for the darkness, by which they would be able to see the path clearly. Not bad Schnee."

"What's is more impressive is how they used their gifts for more than just fighting." Weiss smiled. "They really were an incredible people."

Ruby smiled at her partner's compliment. "Alright then Weiss. Lead on."

It took about twenty minutes at a best estimate, but soon the group emerged from the caves into the other half of the island. What greeted them was a dense jungle, with an undergrowth overgrown with grass, weeds and nettles.

"Okay, what next?" Blake asked as she surveyed the landscape.

"Um…" Ruby said as she flipped through the journal. "Aimless shall you journey, all paths thrown aside. Thus find the Sentinel, and let him guide. That's all it says, but there is a picture here." Ruby now showed everyone the page, upon which was drawn what appeared to be a man dressed in a full suit of armour. His left hand held a sword while his right hand was outstretched, his finger pointing in a certain direction.

"Huh. A natural signpost." Yang remarked. "Convenient."

"We need to find it first though." Diana remarked.

"Alright then." Wesley smiled. "I'll get the pack out."

"No Wesley." Qrow said. "I think it's best if you saved your stamina. Everyone spread out in groups of three or more! Signal us once you've found it!"

"Roger!" The students replied as they separated into their respective teams, all on the lookout for the 'Sentinel'. Vanessa and Xade went alone, while Qrow was accompanied by Shen and Oobleck. The vast undergrowth hampered their progress at every turn; fallen trees and bogs made area inaccessible, forcing them to find ways around. After what appeared to be an hour of searching, their Scroll's flashed.

"Hey!" Came Nadir's voice. "I think we found it. Just one problem though…"

"We'll head there immediately!" Ruby responded, moving as fast as she could toward the location sent to her. As everyone convened, they finally saw the problem. The statue was destroyed. While the legs of the Sentinel were still standing, everything from the knees to its head was shattered to pieces. Ruby saw the moss covered broken face laying some meters away, while what she could determine as its torso lay by its feet. The hand with the finger was still outstretched, though it was now useless as a signpost considering no one could tell how the statue looked, especially since the other pieces of debris was unrecognisable.

"Weather erosion maybe." Oobleck said. "But also likely when the Grimm came to invade."

"No…" Jaune gritted his teeth. "We are so close!"

"Unless we can assemble the statue again, we won't be able to tell where to go." Wesley said. "Guess I'll just use my Semblance to find the citadel."

"There is no need." Vanessa said, gathering everyone's attention. "We have what we require to assemble the citadel. Ruby, may we please see the journal again?"

Ruby frowned, but complied either way since Vanessa appeared to have a solution. She watched now as Xade came forward, tapping his glove. At once, his drones flew off, one stopping to scan the page of the journal while the others went about scanning the broken pieces of the statue.

"Perhaps it is broken." Vanessa explained. "But there are many ways to which the past can be viewed, provided we have the information required. While employed in the most foolish ways, Atlas technology truly serves its purpose well." She watched as Xade nodded and his drones gathered together. The spherical robots flew to the broken statue, and slowly pieced together a holographic structure of what the Sentinel looked like.

Everyone watched slowly as the red virtual image flickered into view. While there were segments that were incomplete, the Sentinel itself was recognisable, along with the direction it was pointing in.

"Due north." Shen remarked as he observed the direction in which the Sentinel directed.

"Then that's where we are headed." Qrow nodded. "Alright, let's move."

Once again the small group moved, following the direction of the Sentinel. Shen used his compass to ensure they stayed on track, with breaks taken as necessary. Through it all, Ruby kept her eyes upon the journal whenever she could, leaving it the minute she began to walk again.

Over what appeared to be thirty minutes, Blake's eyes suddenly caught sight of something breaking the canopy of the trees. "Hey, is that it?" She pointed toward the sky. Everyone now looked to see a large spire extending into the sky. Ruby immediately pulled out the journal, looking toward the sketch Zeren had shown her, seeing that it was identical to the picture.

"Yeah…" Ruby nodded. "Yeah it is!" Ruby now ran forward as fast as she could, leaving behind rose petals.

"Ruby! Slow down!" Yang cried as she gave chase, with Weiss and Blake following suit. However Ruby did not slow down. She was too overwhelmed by the desire to see the citadel, excitement shooting through her entire body. Soon enough, she found herself walking on a cobblestone path, likely whatever remained of the central path used to reach the citadel. Despite her exhaustion, she kept running, the trees eventually separating as she beheld the Arget citadel at last.

It was similar to what Zeren had shown in the journal, with the central structure rising up as a huge staircase to a central spire, though the four pillars were missing. Large statues of four warriors flanked the staircase; two on each side, although the left-most statue had been crumbled and the others displayed signs of weather erosion. Damaged stone walls marked the perimeter around the courtyard and entrances, adorned with large flame cauldrons, though obviously some had been toppled over. Littered around the area were also the remains of collapsed pillars and what appeared to be medieval weapons. However, the centre of the courtyard featured something Ruby did not expect, a large moss-covered circular dais resembling a table of some sort. Other than that and the vines and moss that had grown all over, there were no other differences with the sketch.

"Wow…" Ruby remarked as she beheld the place. Similar reactions could be seen with the rest of the group as they came in, marvelling at the architecture of the citadel.

"To think they actually built all this…" Weiss gasped. "It is astounding…"

"Definitely ranks high on the amazement scale." Reese whistled.

"Just too bad a lot of the statues have been eroded." Ren said. "But based on it all, it seems whoever made these were not of Mistral origin. Then again, if the legends hold true, these existed before the kingdoms."

"It truly is a remarkable find!" Oobleck said, quickly zipping around and taking photos of the place, occasionally stopping to converse with a few shocked students. "Just imagine, the ancient wonders and historical relics this place may contain! Thousands upon thousands of messages left behind for us, those in the present! Everything is a prime example of history lost, of records undiscovered! We must record every one of them into detailed records, and everything must be preserved as pristine as possible! Thus, we must be careful and NOT manhandle anything!" At this, a snapping sound was heard. Oobleck turned and his look of excitement was turned to one of dismay as he saw Vanessa pry a rusted sword from the wall. She turned to him, her eyes narrowing as she beheld his expression before tossing the decayed weapon away.

"Uh, Professor…" Sun began.

"Doctor!" Oobleck harshly reminded.

"Uh, Doctor then." Sun continued. "Don't mean to be a buzzkill, but do you see anything else here? Because while the entire place looks amazing and all, it also appears very… what is the word?"

"Lackluster." Ilia remarked. "There doesn't seem to be anything of importance around this place. Also, I heard that the ruin extends underground. And unless I missed something, I don't see any way for us to go underground here."

Everyone nodded at Ilia's words. True, while the place appeared incredible, there did not seem to be anything resembling an entrance or door of some kind. Everyone looked around closely, though taking great care so as to not impede Oobleck's observations. Ruby herself was drawn to the dais as everyone looked around the rest of the ruin for a secret doorway.

She now placed her hands upon the dais, frowning at how much moss had grown. As she attempted to brush some of it away, her hands struck something odd. There was a depression on the surface of the dais, sinking into a small bowl within. Ruby carefully peeled away the moss (attempting to avoid Oobleck's attention and subsequent ranting), revealing the depression. However, that wasn't the only thing she saw.

Etched into the stone was the same six-sided star pattern than encapsulated an eye, similar to the same one in the journal. Ruby then noticed some words etched around the depression. Using the translations in her Scroll, she slowly pieced the message together.

Give that which is most precious, and then you may pass. Ruby read the words to herself over and over. This, she reasoned, was the way in. It appeared to be some sort of lock, but what was the key? "What is most precious…" Ruby whispered. "What could that be? What is the most precious in the world?" As she said this, the answer clicked. She slowly remembered Zeren's lessons, and what he had said when he showed the page adorned with this same symbol.

Your blood is the most precious in this world Lady Ruby. Never forget that. When she had first heard those words, she thought it was merely some Mithril Knight adoration. However, with this now, she wondered if it was something more.

You're gone. But still you guide me. Ruby thought as her eyes began to water again. Wiping the tears away, Ruby realised what was necessary. She reached for her pockets, pulling out Zeren's folding blade. With the click of a button, she extended half of the blade. Then, she held out her hand over the depression. Slowly, she breathed, removing the protection of her Aura. She was suddenly struck by nerves, but took a few deep breaths to calm herself as she laid the blade against her open palm.

"Ruby!?" She heard Weiss yell. "Ruby what are you doing!?"

Ruby didn't answer as she took another deep breath. A second later, she ran the blade over her palm, gritting her teeth and wincing as the pain flared into her hand. She immediately dropped the folding blade, reaching over now to grab her freshly cut hand.

"Are you crazy!?" Weiss screamed as she approached. "Come on, let me see that!"

"Weiss wait!" Ruby hissed, holding out her palm as Weiss neared. Everyone was now running toward her, seeing the blood as they neared.

Ruby now held out her wounded hand, watching as crimson droplets spilled into the bowl and obscured the engraving within. For a moment, silence permeated the atmosphere while shock and concern flashed on everyone's faces.

Then, a loud sound of rocks smashing into each other broke the silence. After that, a grinding noise echoed through the air as the dais sank into the ground. Suddenly, the ground beneath Ruby's feet began to turn, slightly shaking her off balance. Ruby quickly stepped off to behold the floor moving. Moments later, the floor finally opened up to reveal a massive staircase that spiraled down into darkness underneath.

Everyone stared in silent amazement at what had just been unveiled. Ruby herself was awed by what she had just witnessed. She now looked to her hand, where the bleeding was starting to slow. "Give that which is most precious, and then you may pass." She said. "And my blood is supposed to be the most precious in the world. The blood of a Silver-Eyed warrior. Wow…" Ruby gasped in amazement. Weiss stared at her incredulously for a split second, before deciding to chop her on the head.

"What was that for!?" Ruby pouted, rubbing her head as Blake bandaged her hand. "At least I found a way in, so you're welcome!"

"You could have at least said something!" Weiss snapped.

"You didn't have to hit my head!" Ruby argued back.

"To be honest sis, you kinda deserve it." Yang said. "Running off on your own I can handle. Deliberate self-harm? That is crossing a line here."

"Oh whatever!" Ruby said, calming herself down. "At any rate, it seems those eye drawings signify locks that my blood can open. If we find anymore…"

"Oh no." Yang said sternly. "I am not going to watch you bleed. We'll find another way around until we have no other options."

"Agreed." Blake nodded as she cut the bandage, finishing the dressing for the wound. "It's still bleeding a little, so I'll need to change the bandages after a while. You really cut yourself deeply, so it'll be a while before your Aura heals it all."

"Not exactly an expert." Ruby said.

"Trust me, you don't need to become an expert there." Weiss sighed. She watched as another Mistral ship came down, unloading what appeared to be high-powered lamps among the rest of the cargo required to establish a small camp. "It seems Doctor Oobleck is working to get some light down there."

"Well, this place has been abandoned for centuries." Blake stated. "I doubt we'll be able to see anything down there without help."

Qrow soon enough gathered everyone around, grouping them into teams before handing each one a lamp. "Aright everyone listen up. From this point on, we are in unfamiliar territory. Team RWBY has already reported the existence of traps down there. However, we have no idea of what is waiting for us. Stick close together and watch yourselves."

With everyone in acknowledgement of the message, Qrow began leading the group into the depths of the citadel. The stairway was narrow, making the journey down difficult. Qrow couldn't tell how far he went, but by his estimate it was about five minutes or more before the walls disappeared, now opening up into a large chamber beneath.

Slowly, everyone reached the floor of the chamber, looking around at the structure of the place. Large stone columns extended toward the ceiling, though some were also broken, the capitals holding up the ceiling all that remained of their presence. Rotten torches adorned the walls, devoid of any light while strewn across the floors were blocks of stone, deteriorated weapons and splintered tables and chairs. Rusted armour was also found among the wreckage, along with small shields which Arslan identified as targes.

"This resembles a security checkpoint." Nadir said. "I guess they had to be very careful of whoever was coming into the place."

"Fascinating! Most fascinating!" Oobleck remarked as he made his way around. "These weapons are unlike anything I have seen before! The shape of the armour also speaks volumes of their skills as warriors! This MUST be documented! Everyone, be VERY careful on how to handle them!" As he said this, he now noticed as Vanessa picked up a spiked mace from the ground, tossing it aside as soon as she was done.

"Well, we won't get much done here." Qrow said. "We should keep going deeper in. Perhaps there is more to this place than we think."

"And I believe that is the way." Shen gestured to an archway that was likely a door. However, rubble blockaded the entrance, leaving no way in.

"We'll have to be careful." Wesley said. "While this place looks stable, getting too violent could topple the ceiling down on us."

"Precisely!" Oobleck nodded. "We should only move ahead when we know that no harm will befall us!"

Ruby paid little mind to the discussion, concentrating more on the intact statues. They were all depicted as warriors, each of them holding a different weapon and adorned in different armour designs. She wondered why it was that so many distinct figures were made, surmising it to be simply architectural quirks. As she climbed over a broken pillar, her bandaged hand leaned on the wall for support.

Unbeknownst to her, it brushed over a section engraved with the same star marking as before, smearing a small bit of blood upon its surface.

She frowned as a 'clunk' reverberated throughout the chamber, as did everyone else.

Neptune, who was touching a pillar at the time, yelped and raised his hands. "I didn't do it!" He yelped. Everyone sighed at his response. Just as Ruby walked forward, the wall she had leaned on split open, causing her to lose her balance and fall through.

"RUBY!" Yang cried as she rushed toward her sister. The last thing she saw was her sister scrambling to her feet before the walls closed shut.

Author's Note:

Well, here is the next chapter. I hope you like it. I intend to finish this story in three chapters time, so please be patient with me. Balancing job hunting and this along with other things takes a lot out of you.

Jdbl00d