Still haven't decided on whether I should reuse Osiris or try Felwinter. If you have any opinion on this, I'm open to your thoughts. Will probably make the decision next chapter.

Onwards.

Ilia is quick through the not-quite-packed streets of Kuo Kuana. It's still very early in the morning and most people aren't up yet to start their day, which makes her travel quite easy. Some construction workers are on and about, doing what they have to do. Morning paperboys are busy doing their routes. Some wave at her as she passes by.

She, on the other hand is on her way to fix a mess that those Atlas goons must have stirred up.

The swaying of her Lightning Lash on her hip reminds her of its presence as she hurriedly makes her way to the west side cave of the village. It's a reassuring weight, although slightly annoying since she has to readjust her utility belt every so often. The weapon has saved her countless times, and she doesn't doubt that it would do it again.

Ilia thinks about what kind of trouble Saint-14 got himself into right now. If it involved the Atlas military, then it surely can't be good. She overheard Ghira talking to some small girl with arm braces about the mine inside the cave but couldn't get an idea of what was discussed. She doesn't know what even goes on inside that damned place. Supposedly, the mine inside was operational during The Great War but was closed off after Menagerie was given as a gift for the Faunus. She hasn't heard much of the former owners, but what she does know isn't good at all. Some historians speculated that it was a forced labor camp for prisoners of war, rife with mistreatment and unsafe practices.

Ilia personally believes that it was just another shitty mine for Faunus to slave away in, and eventually die of Dust inhalation, or some shit like that. Like her parents, and like others still trapped in that system. Right now, the cave leading into the mine has a reputation of being haunted by enraged souls of the past, or home to some unknown all-powerful Grimm that hasn't decimated the world yet for some reason. Either way, there have been enough incidences of men, women and even children that have gone in and not come back. Even a squadron of police that went in for search and rescue was never heard from again.

At least that's what everyone in the village tells her. She hasn't met a person affected by this cave yet. Probably some scary story to tell people so that they don't go wandering in old Dust mines looking for adventure. There's sure as hell enough of that in Menagerie, all you need to do is walk five feet away from Kuo Kuana and that'll be enough of a story to tell for your own children.

Exaggeration, but the continent is a very rough place outside of the main settlements.

Now Ilia can see the cave from far away, behind yellow tape and make-shift barricades strewn about messily to form a perimeter. There's an armored personnel carrier parked next to the entrance, lights on top flashing blue and red. A holographic sign is above, reading:

DO NOT TRESPASS MARKED PERIMETER, THOSE WHO DO WILL BE BROUGHT TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND PROSECUTED.

She can also recognize Saint-14 leaning against the brick shaped truck with his arms crossed. He seems to be talking to some floating dot. Can't really make it out from here.

There are already crowds forming.

Where are the police? Ilia thinks. They should've been here minutes ago!

Saint pushes off the truck and begins to address the villagers that are forming a worried and potentially agitated crowd. He speaks with a loudness and commanding authority that even makes Ilia menaced.

"Everyone, everyone! We must all calm down! I don't know much about what's going on but making a fuss about it isn't going to help!" He says, his voice echoing out very, very far.

Ilia accelerates her pace. She weaves through dense packings of people effortlessly before making her way to the front. She hops over a waist-high barricade to join her new partner.

"Ilia, good to see you!" Saint exclaims, turning to her. "The crowds are getting worried, are the police coming?" He puts his hands on his hips and swings his head back to the people.

The perimeter setup by the Atlas military isn't very large, only fitting the APC, a forklift sitting opposite from it, and a few meters of empty space.

"They should be. Picture you sent me was gnarly," Ilia says, putting one hand to the side of her waist. "These Atlas goons probably got themselves in a ton of trouble."

"I would suppose. I ventured inside a bit. Already there were dead bodies and malfunctioning Vex machines," Saint says, a hint of anger rising in his voice. "These soldiers are going to get themselves killed, if they haven't already." He sounds quite grim.

"Vex?" Ilia asks. She hasn't heard the term before, at least in this sort of context.

"…Deadly, deadly machines. Programmed to kill anything that isn't them. I theorize that these Atlas men you talk about are going in this cave to find something of theirs."

"Sounds shitty. We should go, see we can fish some of them out." Ilia flashes a small smile. His body language shifts positively and he already has his shotgun in his hands.

"Hah! My thoughts exactly," Saint says. He gives one last glance at the crowds. Police are finally on site dealing with it. "We can go."

And so, the two head inside a dark cave, headfirst into danger and without much care for what could happen to them.

Ilia wants to pretend that she has some noble intentions, but she can't lie to herself.

The cave rapidly darkens after a turn. Ilia takes out a right-angled flashlight and fixes it to a strap on her right breast. She pushed on the bottom and it clicks to life, spitting out light bright enough to illuminate a few feet ahead of her.

Saint, on the other hand has a torch that floats over his shoulder. Ilia doesn't ask about it since it's not really the moment, but the curiosity is there.

Everything feels damp and humid. It's unusually warm in here, and it makes her scared. Her nostrils are already burning, which is odd. Maybe some fire Dust particles in the air?

A bead of sweat rolls down the side of her head. Already her gut instinct is telling her to back off.

"If you don't feel comfortable with going any further, then you are free to retreat. There is no shame," Saint mumbles, his voice neutral. "I will go ahead and tell you all about what happened."

"Tough shit, I'm seeing it live," Ilia snaps back, somewhat annoyed at his tease there.

"You're as stubborn as me, haha!" His hearty laugh calms her nerves somewhat. The feeling that something is very, very wrong persists, which probably won't leave at all.

Maybe it's the stories that are coming back to haunt her brain. Whatever, she has someone with her, and no one is dying today.

Except for those that already did.

The two stop at a fenced gate with a giant yellow sign atop. Saint shines his flashlight on it.

In bold, blocky text, it reads:

CAUTION! CONCENTRATION OF DUST IN THE AIR IS EXTREMELY HIGH BEYOND THIS POINT!

INHALATION OF DUST IS A KNOWN CAUSE OF CANCER AND AT HIGH ENOUGH CONCENTRATIONS CAN KILL WITHIN MINUTES!

WEAR A CLASS-4 CERTIFIED RESPIRATOR. IF ONE ISN'T PROVIDED TO YOU, THEN CONTACT THE NEAREST SUPERVISOR.

REMEMBER, WORK SAFELY, WORK GREATLY!

"Yeah right," Ilia mutters to herself.

"This is where I found the first body. He has a mask. I think you should wear one, just in case," Saint says. He turns to his right, and his light reveals the body of the Atlas soldier that he sent in the picture. "This poor man was so close to making it out."

Ilia looks at the corpse. In the darkness no one can see the small smirk on her face. She kneels in front of it, and feels around its head, her fingers looking for some type of latch or gap to get her nails in between. She manages to trace a strap going around the side of the soldier's head, before holding onto a harness that keeps the respirator in place by the scalp. She lifts their head up and pats around for some clasps, eventually finding one to unlock. The entire assembly pops out, and in her hands is an Atlas military-grade full-face respirator. The visor is made out of a hard plastic-glass combination that makes a deep tock-tock when she taps her knuckle on it. Rather not thinking about what kind of bodilyfluids are in it, she immediately slaps it on her face and tightens the straps around her head as quickly as she can.

"I don't like this…" Saint mumbles, shaking his head and sighing.

The visor is apparently digital since there's already a bit of small text scrolling down the left side of her peripheral talks about adjusting itself on her jaw and she can feel the silicone material slowly conforming to her own facial structure. Once it's entirely snug, the text flashes green before disappearing. She gives it a final test wiggle before leaving it alone.

"I think I'm good to go," she says, voice muffled when it passes through the respirator. She nods to Saint and takes out her Lightning Lash in one hand, holding it in its non-primed state.

"Good, then we move forward," Saint says, turning away from her and towards deeper into the cave.

The first thing Ilia notices in this contraption strapped on her face is that the air is way too clean, removing any trace of…anything. She feels unnatural but doesn't let the feeling bother her too much. Complaining won't do anything, so better to just keep shut.

The entrance to the mine is just one long slightly inclined tunnel that gets darker the more they progress through. Eventually a railway track starts on the floor. A few empty carts are piled at the barricade that indicate the end of the way. Her flashlight reflects a piece of shiny metal, and she winces as it goes straight into her eyes. Her brain doesn't properly register what her eyes are seeing for a moment.

"Another body," she says, swiveling her head to Saint. He turns to her. She cocks her head to the corpse slumped against a cart and he approaches.

This one's bleeding intensely from the leg, an entire hole pierced through his calf and through the bone. The blood on the floor looks burnt into the dirt.

"Nasty," is the first word that come's to Ilia's mind.

"He must have died a painful dea-"

The ground rumbles just very slightly.

"You felt that?" Ilia says, taking out her Lightning Lash.

"Subtle, but I did."

In the distance, there are gunshots.

"Sounds like our cue to move."

. . .

Deeper into the mine, they come across a multi-leveled transport area. There is a defunct elevator in the center with a pile-up of carts that are filled with dirt. Ilia can't see any other pathways through the shroud of darkness, but she assumes that there's a bunch surrounding them.

"Shit, they could be anywhere," Ilia says, the desire to just turn back and leave increasing. Another story for the cursed cave. Her ears barely pick up some sort of whirring from one of the entrances on the ground level. She steps towards it, slowly and gently. The grip around her weapon tightens as she readies herself for something to come out of the pitch-black hallway, her flashlight barely able to reveal anything inside.

She definitely heard something coming from here. The whirring gets louder. Now it's accompanied by rapidly approaching footsteps.

"Saint, there's something here!" She calls out and in a second the massive Huntsman is by her side. His fists are crackling with some sort of blue energy as he holds his silver shotgun ready.

The footsteps turn into some light stomping. Rhythmic, organized down to the precise second. Ilia could probably figure out the beat at whatever this thing is walking at.

Suddenly, a red light appears in the darkness of the passageway that gets larger and brighter in no time at all. A bipedal robot twice Ilia's size comes out from the darkness. It's red eye locks onto the Faunus and starts to rush her. She backs up, not wanting to feel what kind of machinery those giant shoulders are packing. A narrow dodge from a swing intended for her head.

Ilia fires off a shot from her own weapon in its more solid form, before transforming it into an electrifying whip.

Saint doesn't even give her the opportunity to fight back as he immediately tackles it to the side by its glowing-white-core containing mid-section. It screeches and attempts to retaliate by whacking at him with enough force to crack a skull. He isn't concerned and keeps it pinned before backing up, letting it stand. He allows the robot a hot second to keep itself up before sending it straight back into the wall with a seismic punch. The surroundings shake from the impact. The machine loses balance and its legs slide forward. The moment of vulnerability allows him to grab it by the chest-like section and use his own head to pierce what looks like the weak spot in its mid-section. There's a resounding impact as metal collides with metal. Saint pulls his head back. Then a shatter and a dying screech as he successfully accomplishes his goal.

A glowing white, electric fluid spews in every direction as Saint reels from his headbutt. The machine sparks and jitters before falling backwards into the wall. The absolute titan of a Huntsman wipes the liquid from his helmet, before grumbling at the now-immobile contraption.

Ilia isn't too sure of what to even say when presented with that seconds-long brutality of machinery. She almost feels bad for the thing, even though it did just try to kill her.

"Minotaur," he says. "Come, if it came from this direction then there are certainly more."

"U-uh…yeah," Ilia says. "Better be careful, though, there might still be active Dust crystals and we might be caved in if they're set off."

"Thank you for telling me, I'll be sure to dispatch these machines with my own fists then!"

"Doesn't sound like you have any problem doing that."

The two move further in. The mine gets eerily quiet for a moment. Neither of them make any remarks.

Just Ilia, Saint and deadly silence.

Her breathing becomes labored, heavy. The filtered air isn't entering her lungs properly. Her heartbeat feels like a jackhammer in her chest, accelerating and getting harder to ignore. Her eyes are darting in every which direction, mind constantly on alert for any threats. The lack of anything to attack is foreboding. Her gut is churning, and she doesn't know how to stop it.

Pull yourself together, Ilia! She thinks to herself, trying to get a deep breath in but unable to. The air feels noticeably more scarce, even through the filter, and she can feel pressure building up in her ears.

"Reports of an explosion in a…have resulted in the deaths of…"

Where was that coming from?

Just your mind, Ilia. Just your mind…

"Dead…nothing you could do…nothing you can do-"

"…How far do we have to go in?" Ilia manages to squeak out. Although Saint's presence is like a boulder to lean on for stability, she just can't help but feel like she's stepping into some sort of trap.

"As far as we need to," Saint replies, seemingly unfazed. "Are you nervous?"

"No."

"A little bird is telling me otherwise."

"Well it's lying."

How does he see through her so easily?

"If you need words of reassurance or want to head back, all you need to do is ask."

Ilia stays silent.

"Wait, stop, look at the panel on your left-" Another voice says from around Saint's shoulder. Ilia snaps her weapon in that direction. "O-oh, sorry. I didn't introduce myself." She manages to pinpoint the source as his floating flashlight.

"It talks?" She blurts out, lowering her lash and just staring at the prism that's emanating a very bright flashlight from its one eye at the center. "Could've told me that earlier…"

"Yes, I do. My name is Geppetto, and I believe you're Ilia. Good to meet you," the drone introduces itself, turning to her and nodding its entire body, before its attention is returned to Saint. "Anyways, if you can let me try and work that panel, I might be able to get some lights on here."

"Do your magic, Ghost," Saint says. "A miracle worker, he is." He chuckles and crosses his arms while he watches his drone work on some electrical panel by blasting beams of blue light at it.

A second later, electricity buzzes and suddenly the lightbulbs hanging over them turn on. They swing gently as the entire mine shakes once more. Dirt particles fall from the roof.

The light reveals a trail of metal pieces on the floor, starting at just about where they're standing. There is a pile up of machines on the left wall, and Ilia can almost make out something else inside there. She tries to get a better angle inside by leaning back and forth, looking to find another viewing angle. Nothing.

The naked human leg that pops out from underneath the pile gives her a hint as to what's in there. It's a miracle she even spotted it, since it was so small compared to the mechanical pieces piled up all around.

"These frames must have been killed recently. I can smell the Radiolaria…" Saint mutters.

What the hell is he talking about?

"…Right," Ilia says. "So we better get a move on, cause there might still be people fighting, ri-"

Another explosion rocks them.

"We go!" Saint exclaims before heading full sprint deeper into the mine.

For some reason, Ilia's mind is soothed by the resurgence in action.

. . .

Their brief sprint takes them to a quarry-like section of the mine. A giant, cone-shaped pit illuminated by massive light bars hanging from up top filled with abandoned carts, mining equipment and piles of inactive Dust (which have a far duller color compared to their chemically active counterparts).

The sounds of a war are all around them, as a pocket of Atlas soldiers are fighting off this giant floating machined mix of a hydra and a…centipede. Its upper section extends into two small 'heads', where guns are firing off while it has a spine-like tail trailing underneath. The tail has a set of arms like a centipede, but they seem to be inactive considering that they are curled into themselves. A massive, three-segmented rotating barrier, translucent and milky white in color, rotates around it, with some gaps.

It has reinforcements in the form of disc-headed machines walking on metal frames and more of that taller, chunkier one smashed up by Saint earlier. They're all rushing slowly rushing the soldiers' positions, battering them with the cannons situated on their arms.

"Hydra, Ilia, get to them and I will deal with it myself!"

She sets off to the small cell of resistance without a reply.

A red beam nearly takes her head off, but only manages to graze her arm, leaving a black mark. She snaps her head in the direction the shot came from and manages to pick out an orange-glowing frame standing on a higher position.

Ilia cloaks herself, blending in with the dirt before getting a move on to find a better spot to get a shot off on it.

It doesn't seem to matter as the sniper takes another incredibly accurate shot at her, nearly hitting her in the chest but she dodges it just in time. She slides into a makeshift foxhole, barely deep enough to provide her any cover from her current target.

Another attempt at her life with its laser rifle. This one lands on the dirt just above her shoulder.

"Looks like I'm not getting any closer to this shithead…" She mumbles to herself. She pops the cylinder out to the side of her lash in its gun form to check the number of rounds loaded in. Satisfied by what she saw, she pops it back in and peeks her head out to get an idea to where this glowing fucker was camping out on.

"EVERYONE TAKE COVER!" Ilia hears Saint bellow from the absolute other side of the quarry. She spots him running towards the giant floating machine that was currently pummeling everything else in the room.

His presence alone seems to be enough to attract its attention, as it slowly turns towards him to focus all its fire. The other bots also do the same, so it's just him tanking and dodging an entire pack's worth of purple plasma fire.

"What the fuck is he doing!?" Ilia screams to herself as he isn't dissuaded at all. It doesn't even look like he's even affected by the massive amounts of heat directed his way!

Then he proceeds to jump into the air, making himself an even bigger target, before propelling himself with self-generated energy towards the giant machine like a missile.

Then, a glorious explosion of blue energy as he collides head-first with it, releasing a flash of light so blinding that Ilia opts to take cover instead of shielding her eyes. It's possible her skin might have been sun-burned.

The entire mine tremors underneath her feet and boulders come falling from the roof.

Didn't she tell him that there might be active Dust in the area?

/

Atlas.

Lisbon is escorted through clean white hallways by his new handler. At least for now. He wonders how long it would take before she would be unable to handle him anymore.

Maybe he'll give her an easier time.

He is stopped in front of a massive pair of sliding doors with a giant sign labeled 'ARMORY' on top.

"You are permitted three minutes inside the armory. There are a dozen armed guards supervising the area at all, so don't try anything you will regret," Winter says with such authority and commanding power that it rivals Zavala. Lisbon's almost tempted to not disregard her statement.

"What, you have that much faith in your guards that you'll leave me alone with them?"

"Don't make me have to come in there with you."

"Whatever." Lisbon throws his hands up and rolls his eyes. The sliding doors open for him and he steps inside.

Inside is what can be considered an emporium of weaponry, machinery and armor that would make any gunsmith drool. Lisbon uses his optics to zoom in on a row of bullpup rifles.

"Wait…that's a…"

How the hell did they get a Redrix's Claymore in here, let alone a dozen of them!?

"What the heck is going on here? These weapons…they're all Tower-made!" Piri gawks.

"Something's very off…" Lisbon thinks to himself. He shakes his head, and puts away the thought, refocusing on the task of reacquiring his personal gear first. He can worry about upgrades later.

"Sa-lu-tations!" A girl's voice says from behind. It's a most unexpected addressing and he tenses in response. It takes a moment for him to unwind, his mind not registering that the person behind him is most likely friendly. He gives himself a bit of time before turning around. "Sir, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Lisbon eeks out, spinning his heels to meet the newcomer.

"Wow, you really are like me!" The girl, who certainly does not look at all like him, says. The presence of actual hair, skin and a generally human appearance would throw away that argument in a heartbeat.

"Uh, no?" Lisbon says, leaning back from the girl who's gotten a bit closer to him. Her sense of personal space doesn't seem to be up to par.

"Really? My scans indicate that you are of similar design, an Exo-type, like me!" An adorable smile plasters her face and her curly, orange hair sways as she tilts her head somewhat too quickly and too smoothly to be considered natural.

He has to admit, she doesn't seem to be the worst person to interact with.

"Uh-alright…you mind, uh, backing up a bit?" Lisbon asks, gesturing with his hands to simulate pushing her away.

"Oh, apologies!" The girl says, backing up one step. She stands stock still in front of him with her arms locked behind her back. All she does is stand there with an innocent smile, like she's waiting for him to talk.

"So, you gonna just…stand there?" Lisbon asks, crossing his arms.

"Yes, actually! I was told to wait for you to change. Your equipment should be on the table further ahead. Changing rooms are located on the left," she says, completely immobile. "Oh, how rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Penny Polendina, and I will be your new partner during your time in Atlas-slash-Mantle!"

"Man, these guys really do love not telling me anything," Lisbon mumbles to himself.

"Feedback noted, I will deliver it to the general when I have the time," Penny affirms.

"Whoa-whoa, calm down there. Don't do that."

"Duly noted!"

"Alright…you wait here, okay?" Lisbon turns away and moves towards his gear supposedly sitting on a table.

"Man this girl…she's weird," he thinks.

"She's also an Exo apparently," Piri remarks.

"I don't buy that one bit. That's a person."

"I'm serious, she is an Exo. I did a scan."

"You're bullshitting."

"Nope, whatever that Pietro guy said, he must have meant it."

"That's…somewhat disconcerting. That there's another person that understands Exos like Clovis did."

"He did mention having journals, maybe if we snuck around we could get our hands on that?"

"Good idea."

Lisbon spots the table in question. His equipment is laid out in a neat row, armor on one side and weapons on the other.

His armor is in decent condition. He scoops all the pieces and kicks open a change room and throws everything down on the included bench popping out of the wall. The door shuts behind him, giving privacy.

He starts with his helmet, that's somewhat dinged up and was subject to some Vex transformation. It used to look a lot better, with a nice paint job and smooth metal, but now it bears the same material as a Vex unit's frame. The metal itself is already somewhat corroded and burnt in multiple spots. The protruding visor is still intact, with two red lights that were probably salvaged from something. On the sided there are multiple deep scratches. He's not sure how those got there. Those look like blade inflicted cuts, nothing that a Vex would use.

However, the helmet still works, and that's all that matters. He'll find a replacement when it breaks.

The chest piece was found in his short time in the Deep Stone Crypt. It looks like it was meant to be part of an Exo frame, as indicated by the metal vents towards the mid-section, but it seems to have been repurposed as armor. The hologram on the right pectoral is still functional but is flickering like an old VHS tape. The back side is completely smooth and snaps together with the front using snaps on the sides of the collarbones. Wearing it feels like strapping an Exo's corpse on his chest. Makes him uneasy sometimes, but he can't complain when it does its job.

Arms next. This one also seems to be the remains of a more industrial design Exo, as apparent with the tubes running down each arm, connecting somewhere with the chest piece. Possibly cooling, Lisbon's not sure. There's a holographic interface on his left forearm, but he hasn't been able to do anything with it. Doesn't respond to his inputs. The armor fits snugly on his arms, and he isn't one to complain.

The legs are nothing special, similar in design to the rest of his armor save for the helmet.

Finally, the cloak. Lisbon's kept this one for quite some time. He isn't sure why he hasn't gotten rid of the thing yet, but it holds a special enough place in his heart that prevents him from trashing it. It has holes in the fabric and it 'sharpens' towards the end, making a point going down. There is a piece of oxidized brass-like metal at the trapezius, adorned with glowing blue holograms. On his head is another piece of metal, also decorated with those same holograms that are formed like feathers pointed backwards. The cloth is dirty, ripped at places and may have overstayed its lifespan.

With his armor all equipped, and out of that nasty clean prison uniform, Lisbon now feels less like an exposed target and more like a Hunter.

He exits and grabs his two familiar weapons on the way back to Penny. The rest of them are transmatted away in some sort of digital storage, so it's only Ancient Gospel and the chainsaw sword for now. He slides the hand cannon into a holster hooked to his waist while the sword magnetically locks to his back underneath his cloak.

"You're back!" Penny exclaims upon seeing him. She's already jumping with joy and way too happy to see someone who she just met. "Come on, we are on a tight schedule!"

"Of course, we are…" Lisbon mutters. "What's the big deal?"

"Your match is in a few minutes, so we can't delay!" She says, still in that cheery, almost sing-song voice of hers. It's like someone programmed a happiness setting and her voice is conveying the exact same amount of emotion every time. "The general wants to assess your combat capabilities in a variety of environments, and what better place to do that than the Atlas Academy battlegrounds!"

"…Right," Lisbon says, trying to hide his confusion. "That sounds…great! Come on, let's go." He forces a smile, which Penny seems to buy. She proceeds to skip her way forward, appearing faster than Winter but keeping in pace entirely.

. . .

Surprisingly this academy is in the same building complex as the prison, which is very odd, at least to Lisbon. The place is brimming with armed soldiers and also armed students alike. Neither seem to be bothered by the other, but everyone does straighten themselves and go deadly quiet when Winter passes by. She must be some important figure in the place.

The hallways are somewhat crowded. Students hang around in sparse groups, soldiers patrol back and forth, obviously pretending to look busy.

Winter stops in front of an open entrance with a floating holographic sign held up by a tiny drone that says 'ARENA RESERVED.' She turns around to Lisbon.

"The academy has volunteered to lend a student over for you to test your abilities against. This is a purely diagnostic exercise. Standard scrimmage rules apply," she says, as if Lisbon knew what she was talking about. "Which means, the use of lethal force is disallowed, and the duel will immediately cease when either side's Aura meter is critical."

Sounds like she's annoyed that she even has to explain this.

"…Right, so don't go too hard, I guess?" Lisbon snorts to himself. She isn't amused.

"Good luck, I will be watching from the spectator section!" Penny says as she zips off somewhere.

"Let's not keep them waiting," Winter says, lightly cocking her head as she heads into the reserved arena.

She takes him through a straight corridor and then disappears midway through, leaving him alone. Stepping out, he's presented with a completely open room with a light blue grid pattern on the floor. The walls of this place seem to be made of lights and mirrors, one exception being the long wall on his right, which sports a glowing symbol of a spear going through a cog.

"This it?" Lisbon mumbles to himself, looking around. There's a group of four people on the opposite end, talking amongst themselves.

Suddenly, the grown terraforms itself and adds lots of cubes to simulate terrain. Someone tapping a microphone plays through a speaker system.

"Neon, thank you for taking the time out of your day in order to assist us," Ironwood says, his voice echoing through the room. "Compensation in the form of extra credit will be given of course. Now, I hope you two are warmed up?"

"I just got here," Lisbon says, making sure to put on his loud voice.

"Yeah, same here! Give me five and I should be good!"

"I believe a brief ten-minute warmup is in order. Introduce yourselves if you'd like. I do expect a good fight, though."

"He's on the second-floor window on the other side of the room, if that's what you were wondering."

"Not really, but thanks for letting me know."

Lisbon makes his way towards the center of the arena, familiarizing himself with the layout of what looks like a procedurally generated battleground.

The entire arena is littered with cover, some spots way more than others. The blocks that are out as cover are a mix of tall and thin pieces, kind of like trees with wide blocks like small cabins. There is also an assortment of low barriers, about waist high.

Nothing too hard to handle, navigating seems like an easy enough task.

"Hey! You just gonna stand there and not introduce yourself?" A woman calls out, and suddenly a burst of rainbow flashes in front of Lisbon's face. Someone skates by in front of him on roller blades. He's already getting slightly dizzy.

"You're my opponent?" Lisbon asks, wiping his face of dust that may have kicked up there.

"Whoa, you're a…bot!" The girl calls out.

"Does it matter what I am? I'd kick your ass either way."

"Whoa, he talks smack!" She sounds surprised at his clap back.

"Lots of smack in this frame, you better get ready for the whooping of your life, girl!" He says.

"I'm impressed! Nice to meet ya, I'm Neon!"

She probably isn't.

"Lisbon. Nice to meet you, Neon."

"I didn't go through thirteen resets to let myself get shit talked by some VanNet chat board personification."

Hope you enjoyed, leave a review, idk. This chapter was a little easier to write, which is nice.

Ilia wearing gas mask is something I want to see drawn, hope you enjoy this whole mine section, which will lead into our second taste of the presence of Destiny inside this RWBY universe.

To the one reviewer commenting on the Lisbon-13 storyline. Right now, I can definitely see how you feel that way at this point of the plot, and I definitely had a lot of issues with it in the original story. To keep things short, he won't just be a Hunter representative just to round out the three classes, but a pathway to things more…Dark. A little sideline to the main plot and my attempt at originality in all of this.

I also personally believe that Saint-14 does a Thundercrash head-first instead of the Superman pose that's shown in game.

And yes, I know the sword in-game goes over the Hunter cloak but I realize that it just floats there, so underneath it goes.

Final note, Lisbon is wearing the Garden of Salvation armor for his helmet and cloak, and the DSC armor for his chest piece, legs and arms.