Here we are at Chapter 126. First off, I know that I may not be the most creative, so for those that don't like my stories; that's fine. If you don't like it, don't read it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I take suggestions from peoples sometimes into my stories, but at the end of the day, I write my story how I want. That's why I love Fanfiction. If you don't like my story, then don't read it. It's your choice. Anyway, let's see how the gang handles Ironwood's ultimatum. I do not own RWBY or Tales of Berseria. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 126. Enjoy.

Chapter 126: More than a Machine

"...If anyone does anything other than what I've ordered... Mantle is gone. You have one hour to respond. I hope you will live up to the title that I gave you..." Ironwood's message ends.

Since Ironwood broadcasted his message across all of Atlas and Mantle, everyone heard his warning. Those in Atlas are shocked by how far Ironwood has fallen, and those in Mantle are crying and in despair at the thought that they are all about to die because of a tyrant like him. Back at Schnee Manor, most of the group is in the dining hall, except for Team JNR, Klein, and Willow. Though they've discussed a little bit about their current situation, no one has a definitive idea on how to fix it.

Velvet leans against the wall with her arms crossed, "I never thought that Ironwood would go this far... I honestly hoped he wouldn't... But, to think that he would turn out just like my old brother-in-law, Artorius. Someone who thought he alone knew what was right, and someone who would sacrifice anyone for his cause, because of his so-called 'reason'. Ironwood hass completely lost it. Imagine all the negativity the people in both cities are exuding with this declaration of is,"

"But, then how do we stop him?" Yang asks.

Lailah folds her hands, "Qrow and Robyn are still in Ironwood's custody, and May managed to send us a message saying that the military has drones watching the crater. Ironwood has a gun aimed at them as well,"

Weiss sighs, "We sent the SDC ships to help those people, but Ironwood shot them down. To think he would go that far. Clearly, he's no longer thinking clearly,"

"I think he hasn't been thinking clearly since the Fall of Beacon. He's practically given up and is consumed by his fear at this point," Blake notes at the table.

"That's not our only concern. Salem is out of the way, but that won't be the case for long. Once she regains herself, she'll make her move for the relic. With the military crippled and still dealing with the remaining Grimm in the city, she won't face much opposition," Oscar reminds them.

"So then, it's impossible," Ruby moans as she rests her head on the table.

Velvet walks over to put a hand on her shoulder, "Ruby..." she mutters.

"Listen, I know that we're all in a tough spot right now, but we can't give up," Oscar turns to them from the window. "We got Lailah helping us out now. And... Ozpin is back," he tells them, though pretty much the whole group isn't happy about that particular piece of information.

"How much in the crap do we have to be for him to finally show his face again? He couldn't have done that weeks ago?" Velvet voices her frustration.

Oscar sighs, "I know you're angry. I won't argue; I wasn't exactly glad about it either, but... all of this doubt, and worry, and distrust; it's not going to solve anything-,"

"Then nothing has changed!" Ruby slams her hands on the table. "We're in the exact same place we were yesterday! Arguing over what to do while the kingdom waits to die!" Ruby's so mad she practically bolts out of her seat.

Yang walks up behind her to offer her some support, but Ruby brushes her off and runs out of the room.

"You guys wait here. I'll go talk to her," Velvet says and runs after Ruby.

…

Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Emerald and Watts are on top of one rooftop overlooking the city and the remains of the Monstra.

"Well, that certainly was unexpected. Still, even that won't take Salem down. She'll be back. In the meantime, we need to come up with a plan to get the Staff of Creation," Watts notes.

"What about Velvet Crowe?" Emerald says, pulling out the Grimm beetle that Salem gave her.

"Obviously, we may have to put that on hold right now. Our primary objective here is to claim the staff, you imbecile. No wonder you were Cinder's underling. Thinking without using your head, focusing on your own selfish interests instead of focusing on the main task, the end game. No wonder Cinder lost so spectacularly at Haven," Watts mocks her.

Emerald growls and grabs him by his collar, pushing him against the edge of the rooftop, "Insult Cinder one more time, and I'll send you straight to her,"

However, Watts only laughs, "Hahahahaha... Oh, please. You know, it's both sweet and pathetic that you show such loyalty to someone who is, one: dead, and two: never cared about you in the first place! You blindly followed Cinder after she said a few sweet words to you, and then when she dies because SHE made a stupid, selfish mistake, instead of doing her job, and pays the price; you now go on a stupid quest for revenge. You stormed into Fria's room, thinking you could defeat both Ironwood's top fighter and war machine, but you couldn't, and that machine gained the Winter Maiden's power. And the only reason why Salem didn't kill you on the spot was because you had the Relic of Knowledge with you, but I highly doubt you got it through your own merits. You let yourself become a test subject for Innominat, someone we can't even fully trust, just for a shot at revenge. If only you had listened to someone who knew what truly mattered here. But, who would fit such a role... Oh, wait, that's me! But, you went rogue, and you screwed up when all you had to do was your job!" his words begin to piss Emerald off. "All this over someone who didn't think clearly, and thought too small. All this over someone who thought she deserved everything even when she did nothing to deserve it. You can't just be strong; you have to be smart! You can't just be deserving; you have to be worthy! But all you have ever been... is a BLOODY IDIOT!"

Emerald screams, but just before she's about to throw Watts off the edge, she suddenly pulls him in and tosses him back onto the rooftop. Watts looks up and sees a few tears falling down Emerald's face; herself taking deep breaths to calm herself down. She walks away, holding herself as she comes to grip with the truth of Watr's words, while said scientist is just glad that he didn't die and breathes a sigh of relief.

"Well, this certainly seems like quite the little party you have here," they hear and look up to see Innominat slowly drifting down to stand behind them. "Mind if I join you?"

…

Meanwhile, in Weiss' room, Ren and Nora have just finished an important conversation with each other. However, a moment later, they hear a knock at the door. After that, they see Lailah walking into the room. Nora is surprised to see her considering the last time they saw each other was back in Argus.

"You... You're that girl who helped us out back in Argus," Nora remembers her.

Lailah smiles as she walks around the bed, "I'm glad to see that you remember me from that time," she takes note of Nora's scars. "Oh, Nora, you've been through so much. I'm sorry,"

"What? Why would you apologize for this? It wasn't your fault. More importantly, who are you again. I don't remember telling you my name," Nora gets nervous.

"Well, my name now is Lailah, but you once knew me as someone else," Lailah replies, and then she uses her power to show her previous form, shocking Nora while Ren simply smiles.

Nora doesn't know what to say. She looks at Ren, who simply nods as his affirmation that Lailah speaks the truth. That Lailah was once their teammate and friend, Pyrrha Nikos.

"Pyrrha... But... How?" Nora can't find the words.

"It's a bit of a story. How about-," Lailah stops when Nora suddenly hugs her body, crying tears filled with so many emotions coursing through her. Lailah smiles and hugs her back. "I missed you too, Nora. I'm glad you're okay. Don't think that you being you is a mistake. When you smile, others smile around you. Whatever choice you make, you put your all into it. You have no idea how empowering that makes everyone else feel. While you may grow and learn, which is natural, there is nothing wrong with Nora being Nora. You will still face many challenges ahead of you, both of you, and you may continue to doubt yourself from time to time. But, I know in my heart that as long as you look ahead instead of back, stand back up instead of sitting down, and as long as you have each other, I know you will succeed. That's what makes Lie Ren; that's what makes Nora Valkyrie... two of the greatest people I have ever had the honor of calling a friend," she says as Nora continues to cry.

…

In the main room, Velvet finds Ruby sitting on the steps, holding the right railing and hiding her face from her.

Velvet sits down next to her, "You're still thinking about it, aren't you? The Hound," she knows her girlfriend well enough by now to know what she's thinking.

It takes Ruby a moment to regain a little composure, "Did... Did Mom ever tell you... how she died?"

Velvet stares ahead, "No... She never did. At first, I didn't think about it too much, but recent events have changed my mind on that topic. Ruby..."

"You know what that means though," Ruby replies.

"I don't think you should-," Velvet begins.

"That's how Mom died," Ruby stops her. Velvet thinks about placing a hand on her shoulder, but she hesitates before Ruby speaks again. "When I saw its eyes, I knew right then and there how. Salem used to kill people with Silver Eyes, like Maria, but she's always tried to take me alive. That's why she sent Tyrian after me back in Anima. But, why after killing them for so long, would she suddenly change her tactics? Why now? Because she met Mom. When she met her... she learned she could do something new," she lets go of the railing.

Velvet moves to kneel in front of Ruby, "Ruby-,"

"I thought I knew what was best, but I was wrong. I wasted our time getting Amity tower up, and then it fell, and no one came to help us. I was naïve in thinking that help would come to help us," Ruby reprimands herself.

Velvet takes Ruby's hand in her own, "That's not true. Sure, things haven't been going the way we wanted to, but it wasn't all for nothing. It was NEVER for nothing. We got a waring out to everyone else, just like Nora said. We weren't prepared at Beacon, but at least they can be. There are no such things as sure things. We've been through plenty of situations where things didn't go according to plan, and yet we still managed to succeed. It's called taking risks. I did the same thing back in my old world, and sometimes my plans didn't work, but I kept going. Because I wasn't alone, because I had friends there to remind me of what matters. And eventually, I stopped Artorius with my friends and freed my world from his control, which would've ended up destroying all of humanity. That's what we're doing now; that's what we need to do. We can't give up. Or else everything we've lost will have been for nothing," she gently cups Ruby's chin to get her to look Velvet in the eyes. "Ruby, when I died, I thought that was it. But then I was brought back to life. It wasn't because of Summer Rose though... It was because of you. You made the impossible possible. You brought back someone who should've been dead; who was a monster on the outside and pretty much the inside, and you gave that monster a chance to be human again. You gave me a home, a new purpose to fight and to live for. You found it in your heart to love someone who didn't deserve it. Every action you take, every choice you make, has never been a waste. I know this because I know you, Ruby Rose. You are the girl that keeps moving forward, the one who inspires others even in the darkest of times. And you are the girl I love... Summer Rose took a chance when she left your home, and I'm sure it didn't work out the way she planned it, but I will always be grateful to her. Because thanks to her... I got to be with you. You are my heart, Ruby Rose, and that will NEVER change,"

Ruby starts to tear up a bit, and Velvet gently cups her face, pulling her in so their foreheads touch. Ruby cries a little, her shoulders shaking, but she eventually calms down and is able to show Velvet a small smile.

"As long as we stick together, and we don't stop, there's a way, Ruby. Never forget-," Velvet stops when they hear a loud crashing sound and look around.

They then see Jaune running down the stairs frantically, "Outside, now, now!" Jaune says as he runs right past them.

Confused by his behavior, his urgency doesn't give them time to ask and they quickly follow him outside through the front doors of the manor.

Outside, Willow, Whitley, and Klein watch from a balcony as Penny appears on the ground, her eyes red once again from the virus.

Penny stands back up robotically, "I must open the vault and self-terminate. Delays will no longer be accepted," her emotionless voice comes out and she walks ahead.

When they see Penny try to leave, Ruby uses her semblance to fly and move right in front of her, "Please, what's wrong-!"

Penny's body fidgets as she fights for control, "I-I must... Open the vault," she holds her head like she's in pain. "I... I do not... I can't fight it much longer," she continues as the others come out. "Ruby... Help me!" Ruby wraps her arms around her, but then Penny's eyes turn red again. "I must open the vault... And self-terminate," Penny then takes flight with Ruby still holding on.

However, Blake throws her chain-scythe, wrapping around Penny's right arm, while Ren fires his pistol blades to wrap around her left and they hold her down. The others help them and they begin to pull her back down. When she reaches the ground, Weiss uses her semblance to create a black glyph under their feet while Velvet grabs her with her right arm and activates her demon claw, grabbing the ground and sinking her claws into the dirt.

"Penny, whatever is fighting you, you can't let it win. You have to break through it. Please!" Velvet pleads.

"Guys, what are we supposed to do here?!" Nora looks at the others.

Just then, Penny's Maiden powers flare up, releasing a torrent of wind that breaks through Weiss' glyph and pushes her back. Penny starts to move up again, but Velvet uses her Maiden powers to create a gust of wind from her demon claw to push against Penny's momentum and force her closer to the ground.

"Argh, I must... open the vault... and self-terminate!" Penny struggles between the virus, her own control, and everyone else holding her down.

Velvet yells and shoots a shot of ice at the ground, making enough to reach them and freeze their legs in ice to keep Penny from moving any further.

Velvet turns to Jaune, "Jaune, boost Weiss' aura. Bring Penny down, now!"

Jaune moves to amplify Weiss' aura, allowing her to create another black glyph beneath the ice. Velvet creates a fire arte within the ice to melt it and free them before the black glyph pulls them back down to the ground.

"Penny, please! Tell us how we can help you!" Ruby holds her friend close, begging her to give them an idea to help.

"...Kill me," Penny says, which is not what they had in mind. "Kill me... please. If you can do that, then I can make sure that the power goes to you," she looks at Ruby, but that only frightens her more.

"Penny, you can't possibly ask us to do something like that. We almost lost you back in Vale, and we are not going to lose you here," Velvet shoots down the idea.

"Please, please do it. I... I cannot fight it," Penny struggles more against the virus.

"Yes, you can! That thing is only one part of you, remember. If you were just a simple machine, then you would've given in to that virus a long time ago. You never would've been able to fight against it like you are now,"

Nora's words remind Ruby of something important, "She's right... She's right. Jaune, boost her aura!"

Jaune runs over and amplifies Penny's aura. After a few tense moments, Jaune's aid allows Penny's aura, which was originally part of her father's, to fight off the virus' effects, and her pain subsides. Penny calms down and nods, much to everyone's relief. Ruby and Velvet hug Penny while everyone else kneels or sits around them. After Ruby and Velvet hug her, Penny hugs Nora while Ruby hugs her sister.

"Are... Are you gonna be alright now, Penny?" Jaune asks.

Penny stares at her hands and eventually frowns, "No... I'm not. I can still feel the virus within me,"

Ruby holds her hand, "You've got an aura Penny. A soul. That's who you are: our friend. Not a machine," she and the girls hug together.

Lailah stands in front of them, "Now do you see. There will always be trying times, for any of us. This is more than just one simple battle, so there will be times when you fall, when you feel strife. But, you still go on, because you know you cannot give up. And always remember, you are not alone in this. You have so many friends here around you, ready to help you in any way they can. And not just here in Atlas, but all over Remnant. They may not be here now, but when the time comes, they will be here to aid you in your darkest hour. The hour is not here yet. But, when they come, you will never fail. Isn't that right, Oscar," she looks back at the farm boy.

"Yeah, you're right, Lailah," Oscar walks up to the group. "If you all wouldn't mind, I really think Ozpin would like to talk to you all,"

Though most of the group are still a little upset after he left and only just came back now, they all decide to give Ruby the final say. Ruby thinks it over and then nods to Oscar.

Oscar gives control to Ozpin, "I was recently... reminded... of an old fairy tale. A young girl flees the consequences of a choice. To a magical place. But, having never learned from her initial failure, she only succeeds in spreading it... I've failed ALL of you. I should've trusted you with the truth, and I shouldn't have fled the moment you all learned it,"

"It was... tough, but-," Yang begins.

"Seeing what has happened recently, I think we have a better idea about it now. About the true value of trust. Trust is..." Velvet adds.

"Trust is... a risk," Weiss finishes.

"Blindly trusting someone is not always the best option, but not trusting anyone is just as bad. There has to be ground in between, to know when to use that trust, and how much of it. We understand that now," Blake says.

The group look between one another, smiling at learning this new lesson.

"And I hope you will give me a chance to earn that trust back," Ozpin asks.

Ruby eventually nods, prompting the others to nod with her.

Ozpin smiles and then turns to Lailah, "Pyrrha... No, Lailah. I must also apologize to you. Back at Beacon, I gave you a choice, but the truth is... the situation never truly gave you one. I never gave you one. And because of the position I put you in... you lost everything because of me. Had I done something different, had I not been so secretive with everyone else, maybe you would still be who you once were. I know that nothing I do will EVER make amends for the wrongs I committed against you, so all I can do is ask... can you forgive me, Lailah?"

Lailah just smiles, "That is in the past now, Professor Ozpin. I made my choice, and I had friends to show me the way. I never blamed you. I chose to help. L et's not worry about that stuff anymore. Let's just work together from now on. No more secrets within this group, within this family anymore, okay?"

Ozpin smiles and nods, "Okay,"

However, Penny suddenly holds her chest and groans in pain, "It's fighting me again,"

"I can't just keep boosting her aura forever," Jaune notes.

"And Ironwood's not going to wait forever," Ren reminds them.

Nora holds Penny's shoulder, "Guys, she has to go to the vault,"

While everyone else frowns, Ruby get an idea, "That's actually a risk... we hadn't considered."

Velvet follows her train of thought, "If we can't see a good solution in front of us... then let's just create a new one ourselves," she smirks.

And that's the chapter. Velvet and Ruby have another moment, while Penny manages to fight off the virus for the time being, and now they may finally have a new plan. However, they're not the only ones coming up with a new plan. What does Ruby have in mind? Will it save Penny and Atlas and Mantle? Until then, please Read and Review.