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RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, Salt and Sanctuary belongs to SKA studios.

Chapter 38: The Truth

Blake sighed as she looked out over the water. She had never been a big fan of sea travel, but Menagerie had no airfields. It was a problem that they would need to fix soon… assuming they survived to fix it. Blake was no stranger to pessimistic thoughts. Admittedly, though, with Azredak's ascension and total annihilation of Vale, death wasn't the worst that could happen.

She looked out over the water. Menagerie wouldn't come into view until the morning. The cat faunus moved back below decks. She was anxious. Something didn't feel right about this journey. There had been no sight of Grimm, but she wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. She slid into bed and fell asleep.

She awoke sometime later. She could faintly hear people talking to each. Their voices were laced with worry and fear. One voice mentioned something above deck. With a growing sense of worry, Blake left her cabin. The sun had risen but the sky was still dark. Clouds blanketed the sky, but no ill effects of the weather could be felt. The sea was still as calm as ever. She noted a crowd of people gathered around one of the ship's bars. Making her way over, she saw that they were intently watching the broadcast on the tv.

The camera was pointed at one of the mountains outside Atlas. A large mass of black beings were moving down the hillside at an almost leisurely pace. The reporter looked panicked. Blake had a feeling they were Darkborn. Atlesian defenses were firing on the mountains.

"More reports are coming in. Vacuo and Mistral are facing the same threats." The reporter said. "It appears that the same forces that destroyed Vale are moving to destroy the rest of the kingdoms. Every able-bodied fighter has been ordered to the defense of the kingdoms. We are going to hold out as long as we can."

The camera zoomed in. The black creatures were indeed Darkborn. Blake recognized the forms of Kraekan Cyclopes, Third Lambs, and even Trees of Men. They were marching en masse towards Atlas.

"Oh… god. Help us…" The reporter barely whispered.

The camera feed switched. A massive force of Kraekan Wyrms were flying over the mountains towards the kingdom. Atlas's defenses were unable to protect the kingdom from the Wyrms. Their numbers were too great. The broadcast was cutoff, and the screens went dark.

Blake turned and walked away from the crowd. Azredak was systematically destroying Remnant. She turned and walked to the railing at the bow of the ship. She looked out to the sea and her eyes picked up a worrying sight. Menagerie. Not as she had grown up knowing it, but as something else.

Rising from the center of the town was a tower. Beacon tower to be precise. Something that really shouldn't have been there. Blake gulped as the ship drew ever closer. Other landmarks had been leveled and replaced. A mock CCT tower could be seen in the direction of her family home. The town was little more than ruin. Blake gulped.

A loud, shrill whistle resounded throughout the city. It was immediately followed by an angry roar and a swell of water. The sudden wave threw Blake off balance. Her hold on the railing was the only thing that kept her from falling into the water. Blake pulled herself to see what was happening. A loud thud could be heard. Blake didn't even have to see what it was when she heard the voice.

"Welcome to my new island." The voice of Azredak greeted. "Take them."

The sound of screams could be heard. Blake cautiously peered over the railing. Faunus and humans with Grimm like black skin were pulling passengers and crew towards the towering, armored form of Azredak.

The once nameless god barely flinched as they were marched past him and down to the island. Carsejaw the Cruel slowly walked up next to the god. The tall Darkborn bowed to Azredak before speaking.

"The Darkened have seized all the people on board the ship." Carsejaw intoned.

"Excellent." Azredak responded. "Take them to the Still Palace and scuttle this ship."

"As you command, Lord Azredak." Carsejaw replied, before walking off.

"Glorious, isn't it?" Azredak said, turning to where Blake was hanging.

Blake's eyes widened. She gulped and let go of the railing. She could faintly hear Azredak's cruel laugh as she fell to the water below.

…/…

Ruby led Spectre and Weiss to the manor she had found. Spectre barely paid any mind to the building's ruined facade. Weiss split off to explore. Ruby led him back to the sealed room she had found the journals in.

Spectre noted that the room was startlingly spartan for a supposed laboratory. Other than a few occupied tables, there was very little actually contained in the room.

"Is this everything?" Spectre asked.

"Minus the two books I gave you." Ruby replied.

"This is nowhere near big enough to create Hades." Spectre stated.

"I know, but the other wing was completely level… you think it might have been created there?" Ruby asked.

"Possibly." Spectre muttered.

"Ruby, Spectre. I think I found something!" They heard Weiss call.

The two exited the sealed room and returned to the heiress. To their surprise, much of the rubble had been moved away from the entrance to the north wing. In its place was a stairwell that went down. Spectre could see the remains of the walls that had covered the stairwell. The same three clawed gashes from the front door and courtyard could be seen on the stairs.

"I think we found our lab." Ruby stated.

Spectre said nothing. He lit a torch and began walking down the stairs. Weiss and Ruby followed closely behind, helping illuminate the darkness with their scrolls. The stairs descended below the earth a short distance. When they leveled out, the girls shone their lights around the room. Claw marks that presumably signified Hades' escape littered the floor and walls. Piles of rubble littered the hallway they found themselves in.

"This doesn't seem big enough to hold that giant Grimm." Ruby said.

"One of those did say 'Reconstitution: Success'." Spectre replied.

"Reconstitution?" Ruby queried.

"It means reconstruction." Weiss said.

"Why didn't they just say that?" Ruby asked.

"Probably because it refers to a different ability." Spectre replied. "A different note said 'Regeneration: Success'. That thing was man made. The question I want to know is which man made it."

The Saltborn paused as he lifted his hand and brushed away a layer of dirt and cobwebs from a wall. Weiss noted the golden frame around the area Spectre was brushing. The dust settled to reveal the ancient remains of a painting. Hades' talon marks had slashed away at the faces, and parts of the portrait had long since decayed. The only thing they could really tell about the subjects of the painting was that they wore long robes.

"I have a feeling I'm not going to like what I find." Spectre stated.

"I want to know how they knew of Azredak." Weiss said.

They walked deeper into the underground complex. They eventually reached the end of the hall. There were three doors… well, two doors and a hole in one of the walls. The talon marks signified the escape route of Hades. The three entered the hole first. Beyond it was a single room. A broken cage on the back wall with many small cages along the sides. In the smaller cages were the bodies of dead Grimm.

"How did they stop the Grimm from disintegrating?" Weiss asked. "We could learn so much from this."

"No clue. But at least we know where they kept Hades." Ruby said.

"He's grown a lot since his captivity." Weiss said.

"But how did he destroy the whole city? I doubt he could have destroyed it when he still fit in here." Ruby replied.

Spectre said nothing and left the room. He entered the room on the right. It was mostly empty. There were a few tables of supplies, some rotted wooden crates in the back, and even a couple buckets, but little of interest. Spectre exited the room and turned to the third room. Inside were the answers they were looking for.

The walls were covered in papers and blueprints. Notes, books, and various writing utensils littered the floor and tables. Spectre walked in. The most prominent blueprint had a diagram of Hades itself. The title on top of the blueprint read Operatio: Purgato Flamma. A second blueprint was entirely of the module on Hades' head. It was simply titled Hades.

"That explains some things." Spectre muttered as he moved towards the notes.

There was a large notebook on top of a pile of papers. Spectre picked it up and began reading through. His eyes widened at what he read. Things were starting to make a little sense about what happened to this city. He flipped through the notebook, hoping for some indication as to the author. There was none.

He began leafing through the rest of the notes in the pile. There was little in there. One document did catch his attention. It was specifically focused on the module on Hades' head. It detailed the development of it and what it was.

"But there's no way it could have grown big enough to destroy the city in a single day." Weiss exclaimed as she and Ruby entered the room.

"It had no need to." Spectre interjected as he flipped through more documents. "Hades was built to kill."

"Yes. We've figured that much." Ruby said. "We've come to believe that he was built to protect Aurum from the Grimm."

"I wish it was that way." Spectre said. "Hades wasn't built to kill Grimm. It was created to kill humans."

"What?" Ruby exclaimed.

"Why?" Weiss asked.

"According to these notes. The Grimm weren't the problem Aurum had to deal with. Nomadic bandits and the newly established kingdoms were the main threat they had. This city was called Aurum for a reason." Spectre said.

"And you know the reason?" Weiss asked.

"Yes. Aurum was once the gold capital of Remnant. Hence the name. They painted a target on their back with that one. But that's not the point. The scientists of the city had found a way to keep Grimm from decaying and decided to build their own Grimm to defend the city." Spectre said.

"But they lost control." Ruby said.

"I don't think so. According to these notes, they never lost control." Spectre said.

"Do you think… they turned on the city?" Weiss asked.

"Or it was sabotage." Spectre said.

"Sabotage?" Weiss asked.

"According to these notes, there was no reason for them to not have control of Hades." Spectre said.

He flipped to another page. The handwriting was familiar. Too familiar. The page appeared to be more of a journal entry than anything else. He scowled at what he read.

It has been too long. Even now, I still have the fear that Azredak will find me. I couldn't hide on Salis. I can't find Spectre. Devara said he'd be in this world. She isn't known to lie. The project is coming along. I fear for what this means in the future though… perhaps it can help with Azredak?

If the kingdoms are foolish enough to attack, then our monster will show them the folly of their actions. I pray that this helps.

The words cleared up who had written it. He pulled out and opened the Book of the Damned. The handwriting matched. Things made much more sense. It was how Aurum had known about Azredak. Jaret had written the Book of the Damned. Jaret had lived in Aurum.

Spectre scowled at the notes. Jaret had known. He had known for a long time. He closed the book with a thump and continued leafing through the notes.

"Did you find something?" Ruby tentatively asked.

"Yes. Jaret was here. He wrote the Book of the Damned." Spectre growled.

"And he couldn't have told us that?" Weiss exclaimed.

"He said, and I quote 'Find the city of Aurum. You might find a book on how to beat Azredak'." Spectre quoted in a passable imitation of the man.

Ruby giggled. Weiss rolled her eyes. The two of them continued looking through the blueprints. Ruby pulled out a particular blueprint. Spectre sighed and continued reading. There was little else of use in the notes. He sighed and exited the building.

The Saltborn walked through the streets of the destroyed city. He passed by the dead body of Hades. Soon enough, he found himself looking out to sea. He sat down on the rubble of the city's wall and opened Jaret's book. He read through the section on Azredak. The book's only solution wasn't good.

"Of course, the only person who'd actually know how to destroy Azredak is Azredak." Spectre muttered as he read the last line of the section again.

All the knowledge in the world won't help against Azredak. The only thing that can be done is imprisonment. Like the Saltborn, death will never find Azredak. All that can be said for sure is that his helm is the focal point of his power. I fear its destruction would only serve to remove the restraints on Azredak. His helm is as much a prison as it is a focus. Yet… if he is not dealt with, we could see the end of Salis… or Remnant should the way between open again.

"Damned if I do, damned if I don't." Spectre muttered, a plan beginning to form.

"Lien for your thoughts?"

Spectre looked up. Weiss sat next to him.

"Playing therapist now?" Spectre joked.

"Seems to be a full-time job with you." Weiss retorted.

"Heh, no one said you had to." Spectre replied.

"We're a team though, aren't we?" Weiss replied.

"Yeah. Just thinking of what to do with Azredak." Spectre replied.

"You got a plan?" Weiss queried.

"Possibly. Not a good one. According to Jaret, there really isn't a way to destroy him." Spectre replied.

"Does he say why?" Weiss asked, gesturing to the book.

"Yeah. Azredak, like me, has been unshackled from the bonds of death. Forever to live, never to die." Spectre said.

"But you do die, far too often." Weiss countered.

"True. But I don't stay dead. If this is to be believed, Azredak can't die, period." Spectre closed the book with a thump.

"So, what do we do?" Weiss asked, turning to watch the waves.

"We can destroy his body." Spectre answered. "Beyond that… I don't know."

They sat in silence. Spectre sighed and turned to the heiress.

"I know it's unlikely, but have you received any word from the kingdoms?" Spectre asked.

Weiss opened her scroll and checked. No new notifications.

"No." She supplied. "Been out of contact from civilization for too long. Why?"

"Knowing Azredak, I'd wager he's marching on the other kingdoms by now. I was wondering how true that'd be." Spectre responded.

"You don't think…" Weiss trailed off.

"Hopefully not, but the possibility is there." Spectre answered.

"It's not a pleasant thought." Weiss stated.

"Nope." Spectre said.

"Do you have an idea where Azredak would be, assuming the kingdoms are under attack?" Weiss asked, trying to ignore her worry.

"If I had to hazard a guess, Azredak would be on an island. Molding it into a twisted reflection of this world. He did it on Salis, I wouldn't be surprised if he did it here." Spectre answered.

"Why would he need an island?" Weiss asked.

"I don't know. Ego. Pride. Boredom?" Spectre answered with a shrug. "According to Jaret, Azredak has always lusted for what he couldn't have. Originally, it was godhood."

"Something he has now." Weiss muttered.

"Yep. Now, I have no clue." Spectre said. "The last question Jaret asked me on the island is one of the many questions I have no clue how to answer."

"What did he ask?" Weiss inquired.

"What does a god envy?" Spectre quoted.

"A god envies… they want… I don't know." Weiss admitted. "What do they envy?"

Spectre chuckled. "I wish I knew. Might tell us what Azredak wants."

"Perhaps he just wants you dead." Weiss suggested.

"If only it were that simple." Spectre stated. "No, Azredak wants something else. Something on Remnant. I can think of no reason why he would destroy Vale, or any other kingdoms. Unless there was something Remnant has that he wants."

"Maybe he just wants to watch the world burn." Weiss responded.

"I don't think so. Azredak isn't one to destroy just for the sake of destruction." Spectre countered.

"I don't know what else to suggest." Weiss said.

"It doesn't really matter. In the end, we have to stop him. But we'd need to find him first." Spectre said.

"You said he'd probably be on an island?" Weiss asked, after a minute of thought.

"Yeah, why?" Spectre asked.

"He might be on Menagerie. It's an island that humans wanted to… isolate the faunus on. It's decently large." Weiss answered. "It's also where Blake said her home was."

"That's a good thought. One we'd definitely have to follow up on." Spectre said. "I've gotten all we need from Aurum, but how would we get to Menagerie. Remnant is rather lacking in safe travel right now."

"I think Ruby has a plan." Weiss stated.

"And do you know what her plan is?" Spectre asked.

"Yes." Weiss said.

"What is it?" Spectre prodded.

Weiss wasn't given the opportunity to answer. A loud crash stole their attention. The taloned foot of Hades slammed into the ground right next to them. Spectre and Weiss immediately drew their weapons to fight. Spectre looked up at the monster's head. Its mechanical eye was glowing blue. Spectre could see Ruby on top of the Beast. She was smiling like a maniac.

She jumped off and slid down Hades' extended arm. Her smile never left her face.

"Ruby?" Spectre questioned.

"I made a new friend!" The reaper exclaimed, gesturing towards Hades. "The blueprints were mostly diagrams and laid everything out pretty easily."

Spectre glanced to his left at the sound of Weiss facepalming. The Saltborn looked back at Hades. He just started laughing.

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Data Log BoS 038

Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated. Feel free to leave ideas and recommendations for the future.

Goodbye viewer; Fare thee well.

End Log S.T.K.