Happy New Year Everyone!

Chapter 70 – Onto Old Town

Hazel

Morning…

The bodies had been buried, everyone who died that night – and the people who turned were burned in the incinerator. The situation was under control, for now at the very least. Weiss was stable but she was dangerously low on time, and so was Neptune. This was the last possible day that the Teams in Arkhonex had left to get that Aphax Violet.

Hazel was sat outside of the Hospital, and on the other side of the wall were Yang and Sun, who were having their wounds tended to. Yang had a bandage around her shoulder where Corsac stabbed her. Hazel stared at the graves he buried them at, Corsac Albain included. It helped him remember… that he could have turned out just like Corsac if he let his goal for revenge consume him. Revenge does not heal past wounds – it just cuts deeper and deeper – until you are another monster.

But that was not the thing that was haunting the massive man, his hands hurt and were shaking, dried blood covered them and his mouth… his face was pretty much red from the blood of the White Fang Rogues. He broke his fingers in the process, his aura had been healing them but that was the price for Blood Rage. He lost all sight, just saw red and felt anger… it scared him to actually be forced to use this semblance of his. He opened and closed his hands as he sat there, just listening the cicadas that sang in the morning air.

Their blood was still on the ground, dried up… and mostly cleaned up… but he could still see the area of which he massacred them all. Even the ones that tried to run away, he closed his tearful hazel eyes, until he heard the sound of someone approaching. He turned and saw Saphron with a bottle of water and a clean white cloth. "Shouldn't you be inside?" He asked her.

"I was checked out, wasn't in the Isolation Ward long enough for my strain to get any worse." Saphron answered as she poured some water into the soft cloth, and then she handed it to him with a smile.

"S-Shouldn't we save that water for the people in there?" He asked her.

"You can't see yourself… they can." Saphron said to him, and he nodded his head in agreement. He accepted the cloth and he started to rub the dried blood, slowly getting it off his face and his aching hands. Saphron looked at him but she was not afraid of him, she did not know the man as well as the rest of them did – but she knew he was not a monster. But she did know that he was once their enemy – she couldn't tell if that meant she trusted him more or not.

Because he was determined to make things right… no matter what.

"What happened in there? The Isolation Ward?" Hazel asked.

"The White Fang? Those Rogues? They released Patrick, he turned in his cell and they let him out. He started attacking people, biting them and forcing them to turn even faster. Some people started turning just from being in the End Stage, and it happened so fast. Eleven people turned, not including Patrick." Saphron explained to him. "And Weiss can only breathe with the respirator now. She hasn't got long left."

Hazel sighed, it hurt to hear how bad the situation had gotten here, but he continued to wash the blood from his face with the cloth and water bottle. "Terra? Neptune? Glynda? Are they okay?" There were others he cared of inside of the Isolation Wards of course, but they were the three that came to mind.

"They're okay, Neptune is looking after Weiss. I hope Jaune and the others come back with that Aphax Violet today. The people in there are out of time." Saphron said with sadness in her voice. Hazel nodded his head in agreement.

"They're close… I know they are." Hazel hoped as he looked up at the beautiful sky.

Saphron looked back at him, and now it was his turn to brief her on what happened. "Was… was that your semblance? That made you do… what you did to those people?" Saphron asked. Hazel sat there and he stared at his face in the reflection of a shallow puddle on the ground.

"Yes… it's called Blood Rage." He answered. He set the bottle and the cloth down between his legs… and he told her his story. "Whenever I taste blood – not my own, someone else's – it triggers this anger in me, one I cannot really control. Sure I can tell the difference between friend and foe – but what it makes me do to people? It terrifies me." Hazel explained to her.

"How many times… have you used it?" She asked.

"Once… this was the second time." He answered, her eyes widened with disbelief at that. She assumed that maybe he needed to use it to get out of a fight from time to time, hell maybe when he was with Salem? But she never would have guessed this was the second time he ever used it in his whole life. "I had hoped I would never use it again…"

"How old were you when you used it?" Saphron inquired.

"Eleven years old." He answered, looking at Saphron who looked even more surprised. Hazel was pushing fifty years old – which meant that in all those years… this was the first time he had used it since… so he could protect Sun and Yang. "I was a skinny young boy when I was at school, picked on all the time by kids that were bigger than me. One day… they cornered me in an alley, and tried to kill me. Just because they could, one of them stabbed me whilst the others beat me. The ringleader – he grabbed me round the neck… and in a moment of panic I bit his arm. So hard that it drew blood… I still remember the taste – it made me sick to my stomach." Hazel explained as he winced, Saphron listened to his words intently. "And in that moment… everything went red… and I don't remember what I did in between those moments of consciousness. When I came to? They were all dead, heads crushed, arms ripped off… beaten to death. And I was covered in their blood." Hazel explained to her.

Saphron's eyes were wide – the fact his semblance gave him the same strength he had here… rage can be a powerful weapon – and yet it terrified him. "I swore to never use it again – and when I joined Salem, after my baby girl was killed by Cinder… when Ozpin turned her into the Fall Maiden… Salem wanted that weapon inside of me." Hazel explained to her.

"How did she know?" Saphron asked.

"Watts. When you're a man who listens in the shadows, you hear a great deal. And he knew about what I did and informed her – she wanted me to use it, but I never did. Hell she actually tried to force me to do it once, but I still never did. I killed for her, hunted those with Silver Eyes – but I never wanted them to suffer. Not like the bullies… and not like them." He said as he looked at the graves of the Rogues. "I never used it again – until today."

On the other side of the wall, Yang could hear them talking and she listened to what they were saying. She held her hurting shoulder that the bandage was tightly wrapped around. Saphron gently touched Hazel's arm, getting him to look at her. "Hazel… it's not on you." She assured. "What you did for them? How you protected them, even against how you swore off that power? That's everything…" Saphron stated with a smile. "We don't know each other that well… but I know people, and I know my brother and… he told me stories about all of you. He told me that you're family to him… and to all of them."

Hazel looked at her again, and there were tears in his hazel coloured eyes. "You are…" Saphron assured with a tenderly spoken voice. "And I know that some day… Sun will see you that way too." She said as she looked at him, Hazel continued to wipe the blood from his face.

"Maybe… but no matter how hard I try… that monster in me is always there." Hazel said with a sigh.

"Hazel, what you did last night? Anyone would do that for people they care for." She said to him.

"No not that." He answered, and Saphron looked up at the sky as the birds flew over head.

"Something happened… that's not you." She said to him, she knew people and knew the difference between monsters and misunderstood people – she knew that Hazel was no monster but he was not as convinced.

"Saphron… you saw their bodies. You saw what I did to them. It's not all of it, but that's me. It's what Salem wanted from me, and it is what's kept me alive. Not just the semblance, but my ability to abandon what makes me human. It's why I am here – and the only thing that matters to me now is that you all get to have a future. That all of you can have families, and not become what I have. If Blake and Sun… can have a family, and be happy? Then that's worth it. It's all that matters to me now." Hazel explained to her, unaware that Sun was also awake, and he heard every word.

Sun closed his eyes… and for the first time… he truly felt like now he was in the wrong, for hating him even when he was trying to make things right.

Maybe now…

… he can find the strength to forgive Hazel for his past mistakes.

Neptune

He held her in his arms… she never felt so frail.

Weiss was barely even conscious, resting in his arms as he gently caressed her head of hair, his hand was aching from constantly squeezing that airbag for her – but he would never leave her. She was the love of his life, and he was not about to let her out of his sight. Victor was there as well, giving Weiss an injection, in the hope it could just give her a little more time. It wouldn't though, the Horridus Morbus Pathogen was spreading fast, it was climbing up her neck and was now reaching her cheek. Like the claws of the Brother of Darkness, long roots of discoloured veins flowed up her smooth cheek.

Victor could barely keep his eyes open, none of them could really. It was a very long night, so Neptune gently patted the old Doctor's shoulder. "It's alright, Victor. Get some rest, I'm not leaving her." Neptune assured, and Victor nodded his head with a smile. He got up and he left them, going on one of the cells and he laid down to catch a few winks so he can rest. Neptune affectionately kissed the top of Weiss' head.

"You're gonna be okay." Neptune promised her, Weiss could not speak back due to the respirator attached to her face, but he spoke to her anyway. "Gods… I can't help but remember back to the earlier days – when I was at Beacon with all of you. I was such an idiot… flirting with every cute girl I saw… thinking it was the cool thing to do. I'm sorry, I know it… pissed you off." He chuckled, and that made Weiss softly chuckle as well.

"But what I would give… just to have those days back. If I could stay the way I am? The person I have become? With you? But have the old days again… where our biggest problems were just… homework… and school…" Neptune sighed as he held her close. "But I guess we had to grow up some day, huh? I just wished that us growing up didn't mean facing an entity that could end everything in a single moment."

Weiss looked up at him and she slightly smiled at him and rested her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

She had faith… faith that they will get through this.

But before they could get the Aphax Violet.

They needed to get through Old Town first – and take down Arcturus Base.

Kassius

Arcturus Base was being surrounded and they didn't even know it, and there were three teams coming in from all sides, the very ones that Ortega mentioned when he and Penny observed the facility from a distance. Whilst Penny and Ortega were going through the destroyed Freeway, using the bridges as cover, Kassius and his team were heading through the Flooded Districts.

And by the gods… did the name live up to what they imagined.

Kassius walked up one of the flattened buildings and his eyes widened with disbelief when he saw what was before them. He looked at one of the buildings and saw a Mourning Dove flying towards Arcturus Base. In a strange way… it was kinda beautiful. "By the gods…" Kassius gasped. The whole District was indeed completely flooded, and decimated too. This place was hit the hardest, in a similar way to the Charred District that Velvet needed to navigate through. But unlike that place, this District was no burned… it was blown to pieces. It was hard to tell what was once a road or a building. Like bombs were dropped all over the place in an attempt to clear the Grimm out – probably was what happened well, unlikely to have been Grimm.

The others climbed up and Velvet gasped as well. "By the gods…" She also said, and then Cardin stood with them, wide eyed.

"By the gods…" He repeated.

"Yeah, alright – we get it." Cinder sighed as she walked up the rubble with Emerald and Coco, she looked at Coco who looked like she was about to say it as well. "Don't you dare."

"By the – ow!" Coco yelped as Cinder kicked her leg.

"What the hell happened here?" Kassius said as he looked at the many craters, it was obvious this must have been an attempt by the Lords of Arkhonex in trying to destroy the Grimm Presence in Old Town, but clearly it was not enough. Water falls had formed through the decimated buildings, and in the centre of the large district, was a deep lake… the water was crystal clear too, with a faint blue hue. It was like a tropical islands… it was beautiful.

"They must have tried to clear out the Grimm here – the bombs must have blew the Aqueducts open, and it flooded the district." Emerald explained as she examined the area, and Cardin nodded his head.

"Yeah, Grimm didn't do this. Sure they can do some hefty damage, but this was the work of a bombing run. Look at the buildings, how the most damaged ones are in a perfect line." Cardin agreed, pointing at the flattened buildings. He hit the nail on the head there, that was exactly what happened here. Ares must have used the few Bombers he had left and tried to take them all out – but clearly it did not work.

"Come on, let's go." Kassius said as he carefully walked down the broken buildings, finding his footing. Cinder and Coco were looking much better now, but they were still healing, Cinder more than Coco. Their auras had done a magnificent job healing those punctures up. As they made their way down the destroyed building, Velvet looked at Kassius as they slid down the toppled over building.

"Hey, Kas?" She asked.

"Yeah?" He replied.

"Back in the house we patched Cinder up in?" Velvet asked him.

"You mean the Knight of Fear's old home?" He asked her.

"Yeah… was I the only one who thought it was odd that his home seemed untouched? Sure there was dust everywhere… but there was nearly no damage on it whatsoever." She explained.

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing." Emerald agreed behind them.

"It was pretty strange, yeah. Especially when every other building we have seen was more or less like this." Kassius said, holding his arm out to the surrounding destruction.

"Seemed like the dude was once a family man." Coco stated as she slid down some of the old slates.

"Well… we did come across a Visionary Book on our travels – Ruby said she saw it, and so did Weiss, Blake and Yang. All at the same time." She explained, all of them stopped and they furrowed their brows.

"How is that possible?" Cardin inquired.

"It was one of Ozpin's – he knew they would find it, hell I think he wanted them to. He showed them the moments that all the Knights became what they are now. Rylen had a daughter, she loved him and he loved her, he would do anything for her. He always did his performances to help people forget the terrors of the Congregation of Dawn, making the scary monsters look silly. So Umbra turned him into a monster, one that everyone was afraid of. His daughter was terrified of him, and ran away. Ever since he lost his mind – the fact that his home is untouched and all those memories laid bare?" Cinder explained, and they all started to come to the same conclusion.

"Maybe the way to break his curse is to make him face his own fear?" Kassius suggested.

"That's our guess. We found a Bank too, one that had Fury's Treasure Trove locked away." Cinder told them.

"Yeah, I remember you telling me that when we connected." Kassius said, referencing her semblance. "You think that could also free him from his curse?"

"I hope." Cinder said. "The Knights of Grimm are not evil, I think we all know that at this point. I saw it on their faces when Winter… when Raven killed Winter." It still was a shock for them to hear, even though they all knew about this dark truth about her betrayal.

"It's one step closer, right?" Cardin asked them with the shrug of his shoulders and Kassius nodded his head, vaulting over a large chunk of rubble.

"It definitely is." He agreed.

As they finally dropped down onto solid ground, they walked around the edge of the lake that had been formed inside of what remained of this district of Old Town. These buildings were so much older than the others – but from the name they knew that this was I indeed the place where Arkhonex began. Henceforth the name – Old Town.

Somewhere in this Ancient City was the Forge – the one that created Crocea Mors, it was said that the Forge was as old as Arkhonex itself, maybe even older. And others even claim it could still be here somewhere – in the Flooded District. "Man… so Vyrryk and Constantine Arc had to get through all this so they could make Jaune's sword?" Kassius asked her.

"Yeah… I must admit I didn't think it was gonna be this hard." Cinder strained, jumping across a gap in the ground where water had rushed inside.

"Hey! Corporal!" An Acolyte of Lien called from nearby, the six of them swiftly took cover inside of a destroyed building, feeling the cold water around their feet. Kassius and Velvet watched the soldiers by the shore with their weapons at the ready. That was the way up to Arcturus Base, that was certain, but as always there was a catch – it was on the other side of the lake, meaning that they had two options.

Option One: Swim straight for the soldiers in water so clear even a blind man would spot them.

Or…

Option Two: Carefully make their way around the lake and use the shadows to their advantage.

Option one was faster but Option two was smarter.

"Captain?" The Corporal replied as he turned his back on the water.

"See anything?" The Captain inquired.

"Negative, crazy though." He said as he looked at the huge place.

"Crazy? How so?" The Captain asked as he held his rifle in one hand, smoking a cigarette.

"Just how old this place is, you know? I mean it's like over two and a half thousand years old, you'd think there'd be nothing left." The Corporal said as he shrugged his shoulders, and the Captain chuckled.

"Yeah… the Arkhoni built their stuff to last."

"Yeah they AAAAARGH!" The Corporal screamed in agony and terror as a massive Creature of Grimm suddenly erupted from the water behind him, roaring as it bit down onto his torso and dragged him into the water. The Captain gasped and he immediately aimed his rifle and started firing at the monster that pulled him into the water, and the others watched in horror as the many Creatures of Grimm lurking down there swarm around the young man. Ripping him apart, blood everywhere, turning the cleanness of the water… red.

"GODS! Corporal!" The Captain yelled, and many other soldiers arrived at the scene, aiming their firearms at the lake where the soldier just got devoured.

"The fuck just happened?" A soldier yelled.

"Grimm! Keep your eyes open!" The Captain ordered, and Kassius looked away from them.

"Did you see it?" Coco asked.

"Yeah – it was a Snapmaw." Kassius answered, not the first he had ever seen. "Never seen them come that big though."

"There were others, I saw them. I think there are Gulpers down there too." Velvet commented.

Snapmaws and Gulpers…

Gulpers were a big surprise to see here… since they only lived in the Open Ocean. They were large fish like creatures, with bony armour around their heads and razor sharp teeth, with a bottom jaw that is so large and filled with teeth that it is the biggest part of their skull. And the Snapmaws were not that much of a surprise, Crocodilian Grimm that mainly lived in Swamps. Covered in armour and had long jaws with rounded snouts – similar to the Prehistoric Crocodile called Sarcosuchus, and the Gulper was like another Prehistoric Creature called Xiphactinus.

They could hear them… the Snapmaws… their deep growls as they patrolled the waters, waiting to strike the closest targets. Soldiers started to shoot into the water at them, but they had the advantage, disappearing into the Depths, where they could not be seen. "Hold your fire! These things are massive, stay away from the water."

"Well… I think we got ourselves a way through." Kassius whispered. "It's gonna be dangerous though."

"When isn't it?" Emerald scoffed.

"Okay, Coco and Sapphire, I want you two to stay out of this. You're both recovering and I want you to save your strength for when we hit Arcturus Base." Kassius explained to the two of them, something of which they were more than happy to agree on.

"Agreed." Cinder said, nodding her head.

"What about the rest of us" Cardin asked, and Kassius peaked back through the opening in the building. He examined the destroyed buildings, there was a perfect way through them, however it did mean having a small team – two people to be precise – to swim through and get to the other side. One of the buildings was flooded through and the Snapmaws could easily get through.

"You see that destroyed building there?" Kassius asked them.

"Yeah." Cardin agreed.

"We need to get something to make a bridge across the water that flooded inside – however… that means two of us need to swim. I will be one of them, who here is the best swimmer?" Kassius asked, and Velvet raised her hand, already tying her hair behind her head.

"What about me and Emerald?" Cardin asked.

"Keep your heads down and watch the Snapmaws and the Gulpers. If they come for us, try and distract them, any way you can. I'd rather us not get eaten up by those nasty bastards." Kassius said to them and Cardin nodded to Emerald.

It was a solid plan.

"Snapmaws are pretty stupid really, all it will take to distract one is a splash – Gulpers are different. If they smell someone, not much takes their mind of it." Emerald said… then she had an idea. "Good thing we have a bunch of Acolytes of Lien waltzing around." She said, and they nodded.

"Once Velv and I get something in place so you can all get across, we keep moving. Once we get around the Flooded Area and reach that slope, it's a straight shot for Arcturus Base." Kassius told them all, and they all nodded their heads.

They trusted Kassius – and Sapphire smiled, proud to see her brother can still be a leader, even after what he went through.

Kassius and Velvet approached the edge where they could see the water, and he looked at her. She looked at him and she smiled – the confusion between them was no longer there, and they were friends. "You ready?" Kassius asked her whilst the others moved towards that building that they could not risk crossing.

"Yeah. I'm ready… you?" She asked him.

"Yeah… glad Neptune isn't with us though." Kassius joked with a smirk, which made her laugh as well. "Alright… three… two… one… go." He told her, they both dove into the water and held their breath. The water was so clear as they swam through the depths of the flood. The sound of water… it was strangely soothing to them… until they heard the chilling sounds that the Grimm made in here. They could feel the guttural growls that the Snapmaws made, and the unnerving hissing sound that the Gulpers made. They swam carefully as they held their breath, watching the Grimm that patrolled the waters.

Up above, Cardin was looking around at the waters surface, watching the Snapmaws and the Gulpers that lurked. Emerald looked at Kassius and Velvet as they both swam as quickly yet as carefully as they could. They did not want to risk alerting the Grimm either, last thing they needed was to do something that could lure all of them to their position. "This is crazy…" Cardin softly said as he watched them.

"I know, but it's a damn good plan. We don't need to fight the soldiers, they're watching the lake just like us." She stated.

"Yeah… hopefully we can get this done without any problems."

Back under the water, Kassius and Velvet both swam back underneath one of the buildings, finding a little pocket of air that they could swallow. They both rose up, and Kassius held her so she did not sink back down as she breathed. She wiped the water from her eyes as she looked at Kassius. "So far so good." She said.

"So far… we still need to get closer though." He said to her, and she nodded her head in agreement. "You ready?" He asked her.

"Yeah." She agreed, they both took a deep breath and returned back to the depths, swimming with perfect breaststrokes, keeping their eyes on the Grimm that lurked. A Snapmaw slithered through the water nearby but it still did not take notice of them.

As they swam, Velvet looked down and she saw the destroyed buildings beneath her… and when she turned she saw a Gulper coming straight for her. Her eyes widened and she screamed in the water. The Gulper opened its massive jaws, but Kassius swing his sword towards it. It took all his strength, but it cut straight through its soft skull. Black blood polluted the water but it slowly began to fade away.

Kassius gave her a thumbs up and she did the same back to him, then they continued. Back up top, Cardin and Emerald had their weapons drawn, they did not even see that Gulper that came for them. But they did see something else, there was a Snapmaw swimming straight for them. "I got an idea." He said, he picked up a piece of rubble on the ground next to him and he threw it. "What's that?" He softly said, launching it to the other side of the lake, creating a loud splash.

Under the water, Kassius and Velvet saw the Snapmaw turn swiftly, and it shot towards that sound, alongside the other Snapmaws. That was what they were attracted to, vibrations. A splash would be a stronger vibration opposed to a Huntsman and a Huntress swimming through the lake nearby. Back up top, Emerald heard the sound of a soldier patrolling up above her, so she had a similar plan. She saw that the supports that held that piece of building up were rusted and very fragile.

She picked up a piece of rubble, sturdy enough that it stayed in one piece, and it slammed into the metal with a bang. It hit so hard that the metal snapped and broke, causing the platform to collapse. The soldier screamed as he fell, and it attracted the Gulpers and the Snapmaws away from Kassius and Velvet completely. Kassius and Velvet gasped as they saw a Gulper snap up the poor soldier, swallowing him hole. The soldier was screaming but it just came out as gargled howls in the water.

The Gulper swallowed him over and over, his blood spewed from his body, as his spine snapped and his body bent backwards, so far back that the back of his head touched the back of his knees. Then it swallowed the soldier completely, blood trailing from its jaws. Kassius swam ahead of Velvet and he climbed out of the water, finally reaching the other side of the building. He reached down and grabbed Velvet, pulling her out of there as well.

Both of them, soaked through and cold from the water, they both rolled onto their backs, dripping with water. "That… was damn close…" Kassius sighed.

"I wish I hadn't seen that, to be honest." Velvet said, closing her eyes.

"Yeah… I'm not squeamish to blood… but man… that was brutal." Kassius shuddered, before he got back up and pulled Velvet to her feet. Cardin and Emerald looked at the two of them on the other side of the building.

"What now?" Emerald whispered – that was a good question after all. The plan was going swimmingly (no pun intended) but they still needed something long and strong enough to act as a bridge over that water. The four of them glanced down at the water as a Snapmaw swam underneath the buildings, softly grumbling as the armoured scales across its back caused the water to vibrate. Kassius looked around and he turned, his eyes lit up with relief.

"Over here." He whispered.

Velvet followed him and they both approached a form of support… she already knew what his plan was. "You do realise that if we take that thing out, the building there will collapse?" She asked him.

"Yup, kinda counting on it." Kassius answered. "They won't think it's an attack, these buildings are barely holding together as it is. They'll think it's just the buildings falling apart." Kassius explained as he approached the rusted clamp that held the support up. The roof would fall down and act as a ramp over that water, allowing them to take the higher level, whilst he and Velvet would continue on their path.

Unless the building behind them collapses and makes their situation much worse. Velvet turned to them. "Back up!" She softly called, quiet enough that the Acolytes of Lien did not hear her. Kassius clenched his Cybernetic fist, that would be enough to bring the roof down as he hoped.

Kassius slammed his fist into the support with all his might, it created a loud crash as the metal support snapped like glass, and the concrete buckled and crumbled under the weight. Cardin and Emerald backed up some more as the roof crashed down, perfectly forming a ramp for them. Cardin and Emerald moved up it as quickly as they could, taking cover behind some more pieces of rubble, some Acolytes of Lien stood there, aiming their rifles down their direction. "The hell is up with this place? Is it haunted or something?" The soldier stammered.

"Dude, this whole place is haunted!" The other Mercenary replied as they slowly yet carefully traversed forward. Emerald and Cardin moved round them, ready to quietly take them down. Cardin hooked his massive Mace underneath the jaw of the soldier, twisting so hard that it snapped his neck. The other spun round with wide eyes, until Emerald took Silent Judgement and slashed his throats with the sickles. His blood sprayed from his throat, then she kicked his body into the water, creating a clap as he fell, becoming food for Snapmaws and Gulpers. Cardin did the same, throwing the body over the edge, the other soldiers luckily did not notice the two bodies fall, all they saw was the blood.

"Keep your eyes peeled!" Another soldier called out desperately.

Kassius and Velvet continued to move up as some of the Mercenaries were up ahead – the Captain included. He had a Heavy Machine Gun in his hands, ready to fire it at anything he saw. A Snapmaw suddenly erupted from the water and clamped its jaws down right in front of him, nearly getting his leg. He staggered back and fired his Machine Gun into the skull of the monster. It roared viciously at him, before finally being killed by the bombardment of ammunition into its skull. It growled as it died, crumbling away into black smoke.

"Stay away from the edge of the water!" He commanded, backing up with his men. Kassius flicked his wrist upwards, the blade of Lash Equinox folded outwards and he spun it through his fingers, whilst Velvet conjured a Bow and Arrow. She did not like killing people, but she was willing to. You had to be if you were to survive in this world now.

Kassius vaulted the piece of rubble and he launched Lash Equinox towards the soldier, the blade punctured through the chest of the soldier, killing him instantly whilst Velvet launched an arrow from her bow, killing another, sending the Hardlight Arrow straight through his glowing red T-Shaped Visor. The soldier crumpled to the ground and the Captain turned, wide eyed as Kassius sprinted towards him, ripping the sword from his comrade's chest. The soldier open fired on Kassius, until suddenly Cardin jumped down towards him, and slammed his mace down onto the Machine Gun, smashing it into a hundred bite-sized pieces. Cardin spun round and he brought that same momentum all the way back up, and smashed it up the face of the Captain, shattering his helmet, killing him instantly. The soldier fell into the water, and the jaws of another Snapmaw clamped down over the upper end of his torso, dragging him back into the water.

Death rolling his corpse into chunks with the others.

Splashes of water and blood were everywhere as they all reunited together, now that the team of Acolytes of Lien scouting the Perimeter had been vanquished. "Nicely done guys." He said to them. They continued onwards, there were no more Acolytes of Lien scouting now, and the Grimm were far from their location. They followed the path through the Flooded District, flora and vegetation covered the city… but their gaze was turned to the orange glow.

Kassius and Cinder approached it… a stone building that was still standing. They went inside and their eyes widened for what they found. "The Forge…" Cinder gasped, wide eyed as she saw the ancient device. It was not magnificent, it was just a Forge… yet it still burned. An Eternal Fire… one that could forge anything… even magical weapons by the looks of it. They all stood before the Forge.

The one where Crocea Mors was forged.

Everything was just as it was left behind, by Vyrryk and Constantine Arc, droplets of cooled metal on the ground where they hurried to build the weapon and get out of there before the Grimm returned back here after they decimated Ares and the Spartans in their last stand. "The Forge…" Kassius softly said with awe.

"This is where they made Crocea Mors…" Cinder added, and Cardin walked around the forge, shaking his head.

"What is it?" Emerald asked.

"I bullied him… for so long. Made fun of him for just having a sword – here I stand, looking at the forge that made it. Two and a half thousand years ago." Cardin sighed with guilt in his voice, staring at the glimmering orange heat inside of the forge. "I've got a lot to apologise for when I see him again."

"If I know Jaune Arc? He won't hold a grudge against those who make things right." Kassius said, looking at Cinder. And even she agreed – both Jaune and Pyrrha were seeming to forgive her, or at least were trying to do their best at it.

As they stood there, they saw more Whispers of Arkhonex, and it was them. Vyrryk and Constantine's spirits arriving here, staring at the Forge… and then them both forging the weapon – and finally – holding Crocea Mors up from the heat. There were no words, just their faint apparitions of them both working together to build the ancient weapon, and inscribing the glyphs that they had written down.

"So many people died so then they could make that sword." Coco sighed as she stared at the ghosts.

"Well…" Kassius began as he turned to Arcturus Base. "… We'd better get our asses to the Embered Grove, and then find my father. The least we could do is make all this death worth something."

Then…

… a massive explosion erupted inside of Arcturus Base. All their eyes turned to the base, and the explosion created a shockwave, as a large ball of fire rose up into the sky, throwing chunks of metal almost stratospheric.

"The hell was that?" Cardin stammered.

Penny

Prior the Explosion…

She and her little team of Mercenaries traversed through the Collapsed Freeway, it was massive, long snaking roads that were connected together, ancient vehicles trapped under the rubble, bones of desperate civilians trying to escape the Oncoming Shadow. But they never made it… and from how broken the bones were, how scattered the skeletons were? They did not die quickly, the Grimm rarely killed people quickly – they fed off pain, grief, sadness and fear. They had no ordinary hunger – and that was what made them so evil.

Or perhaps… not evil at all… is a fire evil? They merely do what they were made to do.

Those were the questions that Penny would sometimes ponder, questions that Vir Nominis Umbra would most certainly enjoy debating, like he did with Oscar back in Vacuo. Penny turned to Junior as he softly bumped her arm, and she looked at him. "You okay?" He asked her. From all the stories she heard about Hei Xiong, she never expected him to be an actually nice man.

"Yeah… just all these poor people… can't help but imagine…" She softly said as she looked at their bodies, trapped under rubble as the roads started to collapse. As Wyverns burned the place to ash, and the Grimm gorged themselves on their bodies until they were dead.

"I know what you mean. I was at Vale when Beacon fell, all those years ago… but that was nothing compared to this." Junior explained as he pulled a flask of alcohol from his internal pocket, taking a sip from it. "I can't imagine how terrifying it must have been. The stories that you have told us… about what those Arkhoni Buddies of yours saw? How it was all fine at one moment… and suddenly chaos? I can't imagine just going outside to buy some snacks for the night… to fighting for my life as our world came crashing down." He said with a sad sigh.

Penny walked past a skeleton of a woman trying to save her child… but the rubble crushed them both. "The Grimm don't care who we are – they will kill us all no matter where or who we are." Penny said as she stared at the body. Junior patted her back, and she walked on ahead to catch up with her father. They both walked up the rising road, avoiding some of the holes that would cause them to hurt themselves. It wasn't that high, but it was enough to twist or break an ankle. Last thing they would need as they plan to assault a very dangerous military base.

They all walked up the road, and they were much closer to Arcturus Base now, all of them looked out at the facility, able to see the amount of forces in there. It was still hard to tell, but considering they could see Juggernauts, Tanks and many other powerful weapons and vehicles inside of there? They knew this was going to be a hard fight to win, however they still have them on the advantage, they just need to strike at the perfect moment.

"How does it look?" She asked him.

"Well… it's not great but's not terrible either. We've fought against worst odds, but… I don't know. We haven't got a position on your friends or if they are even headed here as well. I don't like acting on guesswork, but that is all we have right now." Ortega explained as he aimed down the scope of his rifle, noticing that something was going down inside there, flashes… muffled gunfire.

"What is it?" She asked him.

"Something is going down in there." He told her. "They're fighting someone, inside of the Headquarters."

"That's… surprising. Could it be your Reinforcements?" Penny asked.

"No, we would have seen them. Acolytes of Lien aren't exactly great at stealth. Defeat the enemy with Overwhelming Force, something we picked up from Vacuo during the Great War when the Organisation was formed." Ortega explained, Penny sometimes forgot that the Acolytes stemmed from Vacuo in the Great War, when a sizable portion of their forces broke off and fought for money instead of their kingdom. Maybe they could earn their honour once more in this war. "And besides, I called them in about an hour or two ago. We have at the very least one more hour. I made sure they were stationed at Northern Vale, not too far from Queen's Cove on one of the upper islands. Closest area to the continent where Arkhonex is, wouldn't take them long to cross the sea and get to our position but it will still take time." Ortega explained.

Reinforcements were close, very close.

But whatever was going down inside of Arcturus Base already? It was not them, and it couldn't have been Mazen and the White Fang because they would have seen his armies as well.

This was someone else.

"So what's the plan?" Penny inquired.

"Shock and Awe." Ortega answered.

"Uhh… could you speak normally? I don't speak Military." Penny inquired, making Ortega chuckle, so he gave her his rifle so she could look at the base.

"Look at the layout of the Base. What would you say the first thing we should take out for our Reinforcements should be?" He asked her, so she looked around, and she immediately saw the four Anti-Air Cannons.

"The Turrets?" She asked.

"Correct, however we do not need to destroy them. We could turn this whole battle around if we turn them so they only target Kelham's men and his Airships. I had my men slightly change the signature on our forces, meaning the cannons will fire on us, but we can easily have them defend our forces when they arrive. We need to do that first – and the best way to get in there? Is to hit them when they least expect it." Ortega explained.

"When?" Penny asked.

"In about thirty minutes. I don't know who is fighting in there right now, but it has not got the rest of the base alerted, whatever it is – it must be small. Maybe an escaped prisoner. But in thirty minutes they will have a thirty minute lunch break. That is when we will strike, Junior will blow open the doors with his missile launcher, and you will hit those fuel tanks, right there." Ortega explained, turning her aiming to the fuel cannisters. "The explosion will make them panic, their panic will lure the Grimm, and that is what we want. With the gates destroyed, they will flood in. We won't need too much fighting, the Grimm will handle it."

"What about our Reinforcements?" She inquired.

"Well the Grimm will keep the Acolytes of Lien distracted so then we can get inside and flip the scrip, turn the turrets on Kelham's Airships, excluding the Drift of Wandering Star." He said, pointing to it. "After we do that? We add our friendly I.D. into one of the Airships and we head straight for the Drift of Wandering Star. We take the Dreadnaught? We win, his men do not serve Kelham out of greed. I expect most of them will turn on him in an instant." Ortega explained, it amazed Penny to see his vast knowledge when it came down to strategy.

There was a reason he became an Admiral – he knew how to play the game of warfare.

"And when his forces are under our control, we take the base, and we kill the Grimm. We have enough defences there to kill them all. It won't be easy, none of this will be. This would be much easier with a bigger army than just us lot. But we have to work with what we have." Ortega explained as he took his Sniper Rifle from Penny and she walked around.

"It's a solid plan." Junior nodded his head and shrugged his shoulders.

"It is… but what if the Grimm get inside the H.Q? Ruby and my friends are still in there, without their weapons." Penny asked with concern in her voice.

"Don't worry, the Grimm won't be able to get through. Trust me I know this base like the back of my hand… kinda why I am annoyed to have to destroy it." He sighed.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because I spent a lot of resources and time here… making sure this base worked. The Grimm killed a lot of brave workers, made it difficult. But we managed to build it. Now I need to destroy it… a bit annoying." Ortega said. "But, it's the only way to save your friends, kill Kelham and Donovan and get to Merlot and the Embered Grove."

"Thank you." Penny said to him, and Ortega turned to her.

"For what?" He asked.

"For… helping me." She said with a smile, and he smiled back, gently caressing her head of orange hair.

"As I said… I may not have accepted it at first… but you're my daughter. It's the least I could do." He said to her, and she smiled back.

And then – BOOM!

The same explosion that Kassius and his team saw erupted, and it were the very same massive fuel cannisters that Penny was supposed to blow up… but something exploded them… from within the Headquarters.

"That… was not what I was expecting."

Qrow

Prior the Explosion…

The Team were preparing in what remained of the Azula Estate. Unlike the other two teams, they were the furthest away but had a straight shot of the base, so when the time came they could literally use one of the Architect's Portals and surprise them now they knew where it was. But until then, they needed to wait and prepare for the perfect moment. Assaulting a Military Base is no simple task, you can't just run up there and take it down.

Maybe Umbra would, but they can be killed by normal means.

Qrow walked with Ren as they looked around at the Battle that brought an end to both House Nikos and Azula. Yenna was behind them, and she stared down at the bones, bones that were slaughtered by… Arc Weapons. Some of the skeletons had swords that held the Arc Symbol on them. "Ezekiel… he turned on Godwin?" Qrow asked her.

"Looks like it, honestly it doesn't surprise me. My father wasn't a bright man, just a weak one. A coward, I bet Ezekiel just used him for the men that were loyal to him, and once the Battle was over, he had them massacre the rest." He explained.

"But… we've explored the entire place and haven't found your father's skeleton. I mean it would be recognisable, wouldn't it?" Qrow inquired.

"Yes, my father always wore the same black and gold jacket. So unless someone stole it from him after they killed him? It would still be on him." Yenna explained as she crossed her arms. Kragen stood with her and he gently squeezed his wife's shoulder. "I don't know what happened to him, but I want to know. I want to know that he got what he deserved for how he betrayed everything our family ever stood for." Yenna growled, walking away from the scene, unable to stare at what remained of her family's legacy.

She was all that remained of them.

They could tell it was hard on her to be here at the Azula Estate, after all these years she still got dragged back to this place. Kragen looked at Qrow and he gestured to him to follow. "Ren, make sure everyone is ready. We need to be prepared to go as soon as the opportunity arises." Qrow said.

"Understood." Ren nodded, before turning back to the others.

Qrow followed Kragen and they both went up to the highest floor of the building, and they found a balcony that looked out across the overgrown destruction of Arkhonex. And perfectly in view was Arcturus Base, it was like a Diamond, so new in comparison to the ancient destroyed buildings that surrounded them all. They both stood there and Qrow looked at Kragen. "You alright? You seem tense." Qrow inquired.

"I am." He admitted, massaging his shaking wrist. "It's… about Salem."

None of them knew that he, Ozpin, Yenna and the Architect had lied to them all about Salem's true identity, and it was clear that of all of them, Kragen was the one who was struggling with it the most. He hated lying – all of them did, even Ozpin – but it was clear that they had a valid reason to keep this a secret.

"What about her?" Qrow inquired.

Kragen wanted to… he really wanted to tell him what she had already told the others – that she was truly Cynthia Nikos.

But he still could not do it.

Why? Was it guilt? Was it fear of admitting this truth?

"I care for you daughter, you know that. I have been teaching her how to use her powers for five years, nearly six now. She is very special… and I am afraid of her being captured by Salem again." He was not lying here, sure he was not telling Qrow the truth about Salem but this was no lie either. He was truly worried for Ruby's health, all of them were. "You saw what it has done to her… I don't want her to dig her claws in any deeper. She is a master of manipulation, she learned it from the best." He said with a scoff in his voice.

None better to learn from than Vir Nominis Umbra.

"So am I – but we're gonna save her. We know where she is now, we can get her out before Salem even gets there." Qrow said, hope in his voice. It was true, things were nowhere near as grim as they were before, when Ruby was taken after she lost her eye, and being tortured by Tyrian. They had a chance to save her before Salem turned her into another monster. "I just don't want to lose her… I've lost too many already." He sadly said, squeezing his eyes shut.

Kragen looked at him and he nodded his head. "The Fallen… are not a weight on our shoulders, they are not a ball and chain… they are our wings." Kragen said, and Qrow raised a brow.

"That sounded almost religious." He said, and Kragen chuckled.

"I guess in a way it is." Kragen agreed. "It's from an old tale… one I believe in… one that I fight for… a dream."

"Which?" Qrow chuckled, there have been so much already.

"Do you remember, Qrow – the story I told you? Back at that Mountain Base that Raven used for her Tribe? When we were searching for Ruby?" Kragen asked, and Qrow thought back and he nodded his head.

"Yeah, it was our old base back then." Qrow agreed.

"Well I told you this story – the Legend of the Squires of Light." He said.

"Oh yeah, but you said it was real." Qrow commented.

"I did, I just have not seen them in the flesh as of yet. But you have." Kragen explained to Qrow, and the old Branwen raised his brow.

"I did?" He asked.

"Indeed – Summer Rose." The very name made his eyes widen and his heart tremble. "The Squires of Light, if you remember, believed to be the souls of the fallen. But not just any old souls, but specifically the good in them. It is believed that when we die our souls split, the good in us goes to Heaven, and the bad goes to Hell. Perfect Judgement." Kragen explained. "I have heard tales that one day, the Squires of Light will roll over the hills, and light the darkness of the Oncoming Shadow, and fight against Vir Nominis Umbra. Loved ones… friends… even enemies, the good in them manifested into something new? All of them fighting together, to stop our common enemy. How I dream to see them one day…" Kragen said as he closed his eyes.

"That's what you fight for? The hope of seeing the people you loved again?" Qrow asked, and Kragen smiled.

"It is." Kragen agreed. "One day the Squires of Light shall charge, and I hope that when that day comes? Vir Nominis Umbra will finally feel fear." He said with a smile on his face.

And then the explosion erupted.

Ruby

Prior the Explosion…

Jaune had recovered from his beating from Kelham and so had Ruby from Neo, all of them were sat there, and Jaune was tapping his fingers on his knees. He did not feel comfortable knowing that Crocea Mors was in here somewhere, he needed to know the truth behind that sword. To know what his Semblance is and to honour his family – Vyrryk and Constantine did not risk everything for the sword to be lost.

Ares and all those brave warriors did not sacrifice themselves in vain.

That was his promise to himself.

But as they sat there, they gasped as an arrow suddenly pinned a soldier to the wall, killing him instantly. The four of them stood up… and to their utter disbelief…

… she turned the corner.

Starla Schnee – the Knight of Loss.

She looked at them with her Bow in her hand and she broke it in half, holding the dual Tonfas at the ready. "Starla?" Ruby gasped.

"We haven't got much time… my Curse…" Starla winced, grabbing her head in pain as she felt the Curse begin to take over again. "Come on!"

"What are you doing?" Ruby asked, and Starla Schnee looked right at the Silver Eyed Girl.

"You will not die today, Ruby Rose. None of you will die today. I made Weiss a promise to help you – and I will honour that promise." Starla stated as she broke the lock and opened the door.

"Now come on!" Starla commanded, turning as the Acolytes of Lien started sprinting down the hallways. Starla did not have much time to help them, she was a ticking time bomb with that Curse slowly trying to make her kill them – but at the very least she could get them out here.

Which meant one thing.

The Assault on Arcturus Base…

… had begun.

Author Note - The Battle has begun!

Starla you beautiful BOO! She is the real MVP, let's be real here. God I love her, just want her to be happy. This was a cool chapter, was interesting to have it all surround that explosion too, making everyone wonder what the hell happened in the H.Q. Also love writing Ortega and showing his strategy, not a bad plan really.

We are now in the final two stages of Act 4, essentially two final battles :D

God I loved the bit with Kassius and the Flooded District, if you know your prehistoric creatures then you know what Sarcosuchus and Xiphactinus look like, some damn badass (whilst scary) monsters. Some of my favourites so I couldn't resist to make Grimm Versions of them. Always love writing stuff with cool Grimm I normally don't get to use.

And Hazel... I love you my boy.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry for the longer wait, wanted to wait til the Holidays were done. Please review, follow and favourite!

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

- Matt