Salem stood, staring at the steel sliding door. Hand raised to knock. She gnawed her lip, shifting from one foot to the other. What would she say? What should she say? Ruby had made it very clear that she wanted nothing to do with Salem. Ruby's words played over and over in Salem's head. Weiss is dead.
Salem shook her head. She was Weiss Schnee and Salem. She had no time for these doubts.
Two raps on the door, done in quick succession. The sound echoed.
Salem hardly needed to wait. The door slid open. Silver eyes staring into her own. Wide, hopeful. They were somewhat red, Ruby's cheeks puffy, likely from tears.
Salem saw those silver eyes narrow.
"What do you want?" Ruby demanded. Her voice stern, a hint of anger mixed in.
"I wanted to talk." Salem said lamely.
"Poor timing." Ruby said turning away.
Salem pushed forward before ruby could close the door.
"Ruby! Please." Salem said, walking into the room when Ruby didn't try to close the door anyway. "I may be one of the only people who understand what you are going through."
"How?" Ruby asked, a laugh escaping.
"I lost you, I lost Yang, I lost Blake!" Salem exclaimed.
Ruby flinched.
"How do you think it felt? I hoped you were alive, I prayed you were. But for years I. Didn't. Know!"
Salem drew up to her full height. In heels, she towered over ruby.
"But I hoped you were. It was all that kept me going."
Ruby stayed silent, her hands reaching for her red cloak, rubbing it between her fingers as she grasped it. Ruby's eyes flinched away, avoiding Salem's own.
"It is hard, and it is scary to not know." Salem said, walking over to the bed.
Much like other rooms Ruby's bedroom in the ship was sterile, whites and deep blues dominated. The bed was a steel frame with blue sheets and covers. The walls white. A locker in one corner.
The bed seemed hardly used, the sheets wrinkled, but still tucked under the bed.
Slowly, as if worried ruby would bolt like a shy animal at quick movements, Salem sat on the bed, leaving enough space for Ruby to sit beside her if she wished.
Ruby didn't move.
"It will be hard, and you may never find out the truth. But you can hope, and you have friends to lean on."
"Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren andNora are all here. So are Blake and I."
Salem forced a smile, she hoped it looked comforting.
"We won't abandon you ruby. You are part of our family."
Ruby nodded, her eyes turning to Salem.
"What happened Weiss?"
Salem cocked her head. Why the change of subject?
"What do you mean?"
"When you came to Remnant, why did you..." She shook her head, rocking back and forth on her heels.
"Why'd you decide to hurt all those people?"
Salem pursued her lips.
Ruby's door slid open.
Salem's head snapped to the doorway.
"Blake?" She asked staring at the cat Faunus gasping for breath.
"Ruby, your sister..."
Ruby stared expectantly, hands balled into fists.
Salem strode over, and placed a hand on ruby's shoulder."
"What happened?" She asked.
"She's alive!" Blake said, a smile bursting forth.
The sight of the two sisters hugging brought a small smile to Salem's lips. Her throat tightened, frustrated at how the heart-to-heart had been interrupted, but she buried the feeling as deeply as she could. Yang alive? A delay in her and Ruby's discussion was a price she was happy to pay.
And if what Qrow and Yang had said was true, then there would be plenty of time.
A patter of footsteps above her caught her attention, hairs on the back of her neck prickling. She glanced up, to see the other Yang, remnant's yang, as well as he team looking down at the sight too,
Her eyes turned to her own... copy? Doppelgänger? No matter. Remnant's Weiss looked at the sight with a smile oh so similar to Salem's own.
I wonder what the difference between us is? She found herself wondering.
Remnant's Weiss hadn't been lost in a foreign world. Hadn't been thought dead, hadn't become queen of the Grimm. How had her unique experiences shaped her differently?
Weiss whispered something to Ruby, who nodded quickly.
One thing that was different was that Remnant's Weiss and Ruby were still very close.
Both Weiss and Ruby must've noticed her staring, for they both turned to look at her. Eyes hardening as they met her gaze.
Salem smiled and chuckled, earning a quizzical look from Weiss. She turned, and turned back to her friends, who were still hugging.
Sisters...
Something else burned in Salem's chest at the thought.
"It's good that we were able to bring back Yin." Ironwood said, almost making Salem jump.
When did he arrive? She wondered.
"Yes. I agree."
"And now the war is almost over." Ironwood said, unable to hide the cheer in his voice.
"Do you think Ozpin will come in peacefully?"
Ironwood turned his head towards her.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
Salem shrugged.
"He's been abandoned, his forces mutinied and if the gods are still having aura problems he is nearly defenseless." Ironwood continued, "If he is anything like the Ozpin I knew, he is well aware he's beaten."
"Perhaps, but he still had Odin's spear."
"True, but if it was powerful enough to change the results he would have used it wouldn't he?"
"If that was his goal, then yes."
"Wasn't his goal safety for the gods?"
"Yes." Salem said.
Ironwood rubbed his forehead.
"Well, that can wait for tomorrow when we actually go to arrest him. According to Qrow, he's hiding in the jungle. Most of it is physically impassible and covered in Grimm, so he likely hasn't gone too far yet."
"Sending teams in?"
Ironwood nodded.
"Remnant's team RWBY and JNPR will form part of the perimeter."
"It will keep them safe at least."
"I was hoping you and team RWBY would be one of the search teams. We still don't know what to expect from him, you do."
Salem nodded tightly.
"Vytal's Qrow will lead another search team. He'll be starting on the opposite end of the island and head inwards. I'll be having air support on standby In case either team needs it. If he surrenders, excellent, if not we can call in enough air strikes to annihilate the entire jungle if need be."
"What of Fenrir?"
"He'll stay on board. Best not antagonize Ozpin with the presence of the being that he sent everyone to hunt."
Salem nodded. Made sense, better to have him surrender than potentially be contrived as a martyr in the future. She took a breath.
"And after we end Ozpin?"
Ironwood shrugged "It'll take some political wrangling, but the Gods will all be housed as refugees in Vale or Atlas. The specifics will be up to the councils though."
"Better than many expected."
"Get some rest. You'll need it tomorrow." ironwood said before leaving. The doors to the hanger whizzed shut behind him,
Salem sighed. It seemed to be time to break up the sisterly reunion. Tomorrow they would end this.
Daybreak seemed to come early. The sun was just rising above the seas. A deep orange glow reflecting off the water. A gentle breeze blew in off the water, kicking up sand and causing his makeshift shelter, and array of trees and branches bound together by some twine, to shudder and sprinkle water on him.
He blinked as some of the droplets pattered near his eyes, his glasses long since discarded. They had become scratched by the sand and the illusion they had helped maintain was no longer necessary.
Ozpin sat, one knee held near his chest, spear resting against his left shoulder. He stared out at the water, or more precisely, lat the vast fleet hovering over it.
Ironwood had apparently made his fleet descend overnight. Bullheads flew back and forth, landing on the island, depositing troops, and then returning to the Atlesian fleet.
The lack of resistance from Port was all he needed to know that the old god had surrendered.
The war was over. He had failed.. He had tried, exerted all his effort to avert just this kind of scenario. Ozpin sighed, apparently it hadn't been enough.
He stood, dusting of his jacket. Gripping his spear he pulsed his aura, it flickered, a faint gold color that vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.
It was waning, as it had with the other gods. He glanced down at his spear, it had taken on the appearance of old withered wood. Rot had set in, bits flaking off even as it hummed with power. What would happen when that power could no longer be contained?
He shook his head. the spear likely had some time in it left. A few days perhaps? They'd probably give it to the wolf, as another part of Yggdrasil perhaps he would know what to do with this piece.
It would not be his concern. Now he only had a part to play. He grinned at the thought, it would be amusing to act again, play a role. It would be different from the one he was used to, but he doubted they would notice much.
He spun his spear as he headed towards the Gods' encampment. Certainly that is where the bullheads were landing. Fitting spot for a final battle.
"What the hell?" Ruby said staring out the window.
Yin glanced out herself. Her eyes still hurt from the light. Salem had roused them from their sleep early, reminding them that they had to chase down ozpin and arrest him.
She'd expected a hunt through the jungle, Days of sleeping in trees, insects and ratty hair.
She'd could almost laugh.
"Looks like there won't be much of a hunt." Blake said, eyes narrowing.
The gods had spread out, surrounding the rogue god of trickery in a circle. Tow bodies, blood staining the sand beneath them lay motionless in the circle. Apparently, Ozpin had made it clear he would not go peacefully.
The barely touched down before their headsets crackled to life.
"What is going on down there?" Ironwood voice crackled through the headset.
"Ozpin;s shown himself." Yin said
"What?"
"It appears he wants a fight." Salem added.
"Does he have a hostage?"
"No." Salem said, "he's just standing there."
Yin ignored the rest of the conversation, only picking up the final order as she stepped out of the bullhead.
"Arrest him if you can, but lethal force is approved."
Well that settled that.
"Oi! Into the bullheads!" She shouted at some of the gods. Many turned staring at her.
"DO I need to say it again? In the bullhead!" She ordered.
Slowly the goods began to shuffle in as more bullheads landed, Atlesian soldiers stepping out to guide gods in.
Yin turned to stare at Ozpin. He hadn't moved a step. Hadn't said a word.
More god shuffled in. She saw port step onto one of the bullheads. He didn't try to make a speech. None of them said a word, but she could see it on their faces. Eyes practically glazed over, eyes staring at the ground, shoulders slumped. Not one, not a single one tried to resist.
She spotted Coco a little further down the line. She walked over.
Coco acted like the others, none of her confidence or sass. She sagged, bags under her eyes as she shuffled forward. Yang tapped her on the shoulder. Coco dragged her head up to look at Yin, a flash of recognition, and then her face morphed back to the sullen expression.
"We've got plenty of bullheads left, you can bring out the next round of refugees"
"Next round?" Coco asked, brows wrinkled.
"Yeah, where are the others?"
Coco laughed. It was like broken glass.
She gave Yin a sad smile.
"Yang, there aren't any more. This is it."
"What?"
"What's left of Vytal, its already gotten on bullheads."
Yang froze, Coco left with a muffled goodbye as she dragged herself up onto the bullhead.
Coco gave Yin a quiet wave as the bullhead lifted off. Yin could only stare back.
that was it? That was all that was left? There couldn't be more than a thousand people total!
No wonder they looked so beaten, the guardians, the defenders of Vytal, had virtually nothing left to defend.
the sound of clapping snapped her back to reality.
"Congratulations on your Reunion team RWBY" Ozpin said,
He barely moved as Salem, Ruby, Yin and Blake spread out to encircle him. With the bullheads now leaving, it was them, Ozpin and a battalion of Atlas Soldiers.
"Ozpin, You are under arrest." Ruby said, her scythe out behind her, knees bent.
"So it seems." He said. The spear in his hand spun. Yin nearly leapt back, grounding her feet as she saw he wasn't going to strike.
Was it the same spear? It looked rotten. The gilding that once adorned the weapon was worn away, the shaft seemed to be flaking. Even the spearhead had lost its shine.
"Fascinating that everything led to this place." Ozpin said, "do you know they call this island Vytal?"
He laughed, "why, it's practically destiny that this is where everything ends."
"You can't talk your way out of this." Salem said, drawing her rapier; the tip, black as obsidian pointed at Ozpin.
Ozpin nodded. The spear stopped spinning. He turned to face her. One hand gripping the center of the shaft.
"Quite right... Weiss Schnee."
Ozpin twisted, spear over his shoulder.
It was as if lightning hit Yin. Everyone burst into action at once. Blake threw gambol shroud, the kusurigama heading straight for ozpin.
Ruby fired off a sniper round, the bark of her rifle echoing as the round struck Ozpin in the chest. He grunt as he was knocked off his feat, gold aura flickering and fading as he crashed into the sand. The spear was no longer in his hand.
Yin watched as it flew straight up into the air. Ozpin had thrown it, so the magic wouldn't take effect would it?
Pulled by gravity the spear fell back towards the earths the shaft spraying sand as it struck the ground.
Only to shoot of like a rocket a second latter towards Salem.
Yin surged towards her friend, praying that Salem could get a glyph up fast enough.
The spear struck the black snowflake glyph with a crack. The shaft seeming to bend as it tried to pierce Salem's semblance.
The glyph shattered.
Yin slammed into Salem tackling her to the ground. The two goddesses sprawled out on the sand as Odin's spear flew past them.
"It'll come back!" Someone yelled, Yin to dazed to discern the voice.
"No it won't" Ruby said as she loaded another round into crimson rose's chamber."
Yin turned to see the spear make a lazy arc in the air and come soaring right back towards them.
"Rose! No!"
The sound of machine gun fire,
Yin turned toward the sounds.
Ozpin lay face down, one hand sprawled out as the sand below turned red around him.
"Is he dead?" Yin found herself asking.
"Give me a sec sis the spears coming around."
Yin turned. She couldn't see the spear it was too far out, too small and she was too tired.
Yin heard the crack of crimson rose. A flash in the distance.
Everything went white.