Ozpin had stared out about the world when he was young, and he believed once he had seen eternity. From that eternity, with a woman he had loved and lost, he had seen the eternity twisted and dragged away. He had used all of his efforts to preserve that fragile sense of peace he was shown, and against a woman he thought his equal. He had done so for tens of thousands of years.
It wasn't until a mere ten years ago he realized how fruitless it all was.
And it wasn't until the last year he'd found peace with it.
Peace, the odd feeling he often parodied and masquerade, finally being worn with a solemn smile as he sat amongst a number of alabaster chairs. Cane holding him up as he sat amongst the rows and rows of similar chairs, stretching out behind him, and covering the streets, stadium, and roofs around him. They had been set up the day before, by hundreds of volunteers, and it had still only finished a few scant minutes before he'd sat down.
Before this, he had been standing at attention, staring at the monument all the chairs were carefully positioned to face. It, and the podium and stand freshly set up before it. He'd insisted on sitting here, at the front of the rows and closest to the mighty structure. Graying eyes watched it, as if preparing for it to move.
Carefully as Ozpin stared at the structure, he was far from alone. The filtering of people spreading out about him, the hum of activity of those setting up around the podium keeping silence away. Others taking seats and starting short conversations, while some still looked at the monument the same as he did. Nothing more than a dozen upon dozen people here. It wouldn't be long before that changed.
"You got here early. Thought I'd finally beat you this time." He turned, back giving a small tinge of pain, as he saw a familiar woman approaching him. "Got up at the crack of dawn to make sure I got the best seats, too."
"I appreciate the competitiveness, Ms. Xiao Long, but you'll have to first learn that I have always been an early riser. What's a few minutes for me is easier than a few hours for you?" The woman snorted on laughter, pushing out her blonde hair with a wave. Embers flittered off of it.
"Makes sense, buuuut I still thought I had the advantage. I had to get here to help setup." She pointed down the long lane separating the thousands on thousands of chairs.
His eyes followed the flowery path she had made. More than just a few scattered petals or carefully grown tulips, instead were branches and railways of gnarled roots and bark. Budding from them were emerald and alabaster petals that looked more line wall lining than random buds, glowing almost singing softly in the gentle breeze that blew through the area. Ozpin smiled down the line, watching the flowers and roots turn and split off, making railways and lanes down into the city.
"My compliments to you as well. You did an excellent job with so little time."
"Spend little over half your life using these powers, you learn the finesse of it. Gives you time to focus on other things."
"Other things." Ozpin parroted. "Yes, I suppose there is always more to consider, isn't there?"
"Don't start sounding all wise and sagely with me." The young woman spoke with a huff. She fell next to him with all the grace she had since her childhood. Truly all of it. "I spend a few years regrowing Menagerie with the coots over there, and I get enough wisdom to burn." She snapped her fingers for show.
A plume of fire shot out in front of her, swimming in the air for a flash of a moment. A few of the workers jumped at the sight, only to see the golden-haired woman waving back. Ozpin heard curses, new ones at least.
"My apologies then. Though if I may inquire, those efforts have been going well, haven't they?"
"Like you don't know."
"I don't." Ozpin honestly replied. "If you have been attempting to keep me in the proverbial loop, I can happily say I have been forcing my way out of it."
"You aren't kidding, are you?"
"After lifetime upon lifetimes of jesting and hiding, I feel spending my last few years doing the same would be… a waste." He leaned his head back at the thought. "I wouldn't wish to spend the final twilight of my life with the ideas of other conflicts."
Yang was silent next to him. Perhaps she was staring at him, or following his blind gaze, he didn't mind. She was well enough sitting where she was, and he wasn't about to force a new conversation.
Instead, he listened to the talk of the workers ahead of him, preparing final checks for the speaker system. The true system having being setup and aligned the day before, having watched them do it. Now it was making sure the event to come went off without a hitch. Ozpin had confidence in them. Six times before this, he was sure they would no fail on lucky number seven.
"You doing alright? Really alright, I mean?" He looked at Yang. Lavender eyes were focused on him, and only then did he really see her.
Just scratching at the wall of thirty years old and wearing a huntress outfit more open than her teenage years. Legs crossed showed off the toned nature of her legs, hardly hidden by a pair of hot pants and shin-climbing boots. There weren't a pair of weapons on her, not that she needed them. Instead, fingerless gloves, tanned like the rest of her attire, ran into the thin veneer of gold, flowing with her mane. She was, as a well-lived man could say, beautiful.
It made the solemn look upon her face, focused on him, all the more heartfelt.
"There are some days I worry, but those are very far and few between. Days like this are when I feel my best. Days like this are when I remember what we have done." He turned back toward the monument. "There is a reason I come to this every year."
"Don't give me that. There's not a reason. Those kids have a reason, and it's to get the free ice-cream and cookies." He laughed with her. "You've got more reason to be here than most. I was just asking to make sure the reasons were still good."
"They are, Ms. Xiao Long. They are."
"Glad they are. Also glad to remind you I'm Yang." She patted her prodigious, and rather open, chest. "You only got away with miss when I was a kid, and you were being nice. That doesn't apply anymore."
"I'm no longer allowed to be nice?" He grinned at her, earning an ire-filled smile from the woman.
"You're not allowed to remind her of her age." The voice would have scared any other man or woman. To Ozpin, it made him smile a bit brighter and turn. He saw Blake Belladonna sitting next to him, legs crossed, and hands folded in her lap, watching the podium and not the old Headmaster or her partner. "She can take a lot, but it's the truth that hurts."
"Hey, didn't you hear me? I know I'm not a kid anymore."
"Your outfit is far louder than your words." A blue hand wagged over the blonde. "And believe me, I saw more than a few teenagers and men howling for joy at the sight." She wore the shortest smile as she spoke, even as it got Yang to chuckle. "It is a wonder why you continue to travel alone."
"I'm about as alone on the road as we're about to be in an hour or two."
"An hour and twenty-three minutes, and I will hardly believe you are that well accompanied."
"Shows how much you pay attention now!" The blonde made to slap him, but she settled for putting her hand on the back of his chair. It still wobbled, with one of the back supports cracking. "Oops, hold on a sec." Her fingers worked around the back of his chair, and he felt branches and bark grow over place of the broken struts. "Good as new!"
"You'd think you'd learn a bit about restraint, especially if you've been surrounded by others for so long." Glowing eyes focused on the blonde, a hand through her flaming hair. A smile tugged at Blake's blue lips. "Though I suppose it is good that it is one more thing about you that hasn't changed."
"Name something that has!"
"I wouldn't dare. Not here at least." Ozpin chuckled softly at the exchange. "You should be happy that I can't name a difference after near a decade."
"Honestly wish I could say it was different for you. Seriously no way to fix you up?"
"I've come to terms with this. In a sense." He let his graying eyes watching Blake, the Maiden of Darkness, wash over her twilight burned skin. "From a curse I didn't deserve, to a reminder of what I was, to finally a beacon to those in the same boots as me."
"How awfully wise of you, Ms. Belladonna."
"Blake, the same as Yang," she curtly corrected. "And I should hope I have gained more with the years then a bit of power and self-control. I'd hardly consider myself a woman if I was as smart now as I was back then."
"There's one quick way to ensure you're a woman." Yang leaned over Ozpin to jeer. "And you're talking about the fans looking at me? Woman, whenever you speak out from that Magic Cape, you got the attention of every man in the room."
"A good thing then I tend to wait until there is something more important than me being discussed." Her glowing eyes looked back towards the podium, watching an instructor of sorts point about the grand monument. "We don't have to sit here."
"Are you asking us to leave?"
"I mean here. We were invited by the remainders of the Vale Council to have seats on the podium." Blake's hand swept up towards the higher seats. "The ceremony won't start for a few more hours, and we-"
"Are plenty comfortable here," Yang interrupted. "Seriously, I am. Get flowers thrown at me walking anywhere else, I'm not about to sit in front of every camera in New Vale for three hours and dress myself up for it. Sides, it ain't about us."
"She is correct, and I've personally had enough focus on me for my many lives. To be able to watch those who will follow acknowledging what has been and promising to grow from it... that is all I need." He stared up towards the grand spectacle again. In all of its detail and glory. "The names on there... I wouldn't want mine added to it."
"Too proud?"
"No. Inappropriate. I've benefited more than I've lost on that day. It would make me a fool to think I deserve to have my name amongst those who fought. Especially for those who perished."
The pair of women, the pair of Maidens, watched him. He knew they did, but he gave them no more attention. He stared instead up at the monument, giving it as much of a detailed look over as he had every year, he had made this journey. No matter the number of times, the splendor was never lost.
There was nothing to be lost in admiring the walls that encircled the tall statutes. There was nothing missing from gazing up at figure of his future past, immortalized in silver and bronze. There was nothing wrong with feeling the shade that came from the monumental structures, and even less with appreciating the care that was used in smelting it.
"Knowing how Link thought, he'd probably want you up there. Dad would."
"Your dad was a kind man, as was Link." The eyes of the Hero stared down at him. As well as opaque silver could. "Though having named him, I can only wonder where your other parent is."
"Nowhere I care about."
"Nowhere?" Ozpin asked, only to have Blake tap his shoulder. He followed her finger towards a myriad of buildings, and the chairs that lined their roofs. On the edge of one, sitting with legs kicking almost childishly off of the edges, sat the Maiden of Spring... the original at least. "Why has she decided to stay so far away?"
"Probably the same reason as the first couple of decades she spent away from us." Yang's hand beat fire. "I'm not going to stop her if she shows up, but I'm not gonna trek the world for her again."
"I wouldn't think you'd have to," Ozpin spoke.
She did not answer, and Ozpin was no longer strong enough to believe it time to prod the woman. Not when she had a fist curled and magic thrumming from it. There was a near equal beside him, but starting a skirmish, anyone, let alone a childish one, before the monument, would be a blasphemous choice of action.
"I don't suppose we may talk about other issues before the ceremony begins? Something less important than the familial ties and more important than the weather."
"I don't know Oz, it's nice weather."
"I agree. It has been sometime since Vale has had such clear skies. I can tell you that I still have a healthy fear of dark clouds." The thought pulled his head down. He wasn't alone.
"Don't think there's a soul on Remnant who doesn't have that fear, Blake. Probably more common than spiders now."
"Or public speaking." He cut in. "I suppose that is why we should be thankful Ms. Schnee is the prioriter of this ceremony." Both of his former students looked ahead, staring for the red clad leader of the Atlesian Military. He took the time to look up and to the roof again.
He stared into the red eyes of Raven, so far away, and yet clear to even his graying eyes. He only wished he could tell if she was waving, giving him a rude gesture, or merely debating with herself again. It didn't matter which. Not to him at least.
"She has lost as much as anyone else, but at least she's working through it, literally," Yang waved her hand at the stage, though the eldest of the Schnee's was not visible. "How long was Ironwood in charge of the Military again? Being general I mean?"
"Twelve years before you met him, and he was in the service for ten before that."
"Guess Winter's only got three more years before she has him beat. Pretty sure she wasn't in the military for ten years before that though."
"It depends on how you qualify it. Ironwood was the one who started the tradition of Hunters becoming Specialists, of which Winter was the first." Blake intoned, playing with her pale blue nails. "If you consider the Huntsman training, she may have him tied at the very least."
"With consideration to how she has run the Capital and Military, I will be willing to give her the benefit." Ozpin intoned. "She has been following on James's wishes, to create a more unified world. A pity that it is only happening after the greatest threat has been swept away."
"The lack of a grand threat does not mean a world free of them. I've seen enough shifty people and watched enough plans being set to know there is a lot of danger still around Remnant."
"Not that we have to worry about it," Yang leaned over Ozpin to give her former partner a cheeky grin. "Not unless we're talking about splitting up the bounty."
"I collect the information, gather names, find rendezvous, players, exchange of Lien, and their targets and you... what Yang?" The Twili flashed her teeth. "Smile for the people?"
"Hey, you were the one talking up how many eyes follow me earlier. Can't help it if the people want a show." The pair of young women laughed with one another, and their elder teacher between them. He gave them no ill words or mind. He only leaned back in his chair, fitted with Yang's Maiden powers, and took in the weather.
Grimm still lurked beyond the new walls of Vale. There was still a thrum of discontent about the monument. There was still a sense of worry to those who looked to history. But to him, he only felt what was before him.
A monument to his sins, celebrating the end of a legacy of darkness and pain. The end of cycles, and the start of something new. As two of the most powerful women on Remnant pleasantly bickered with one another, the old man and older king took in the air and breeze.
His journey was nearly done. All he had now was to watch others enjoy theirs.
Of course, that had to remind him of one more name missing from among him.
"Yang, Blake… I don't suppose either of you have heard from Ruby?" The pair of Maidens looked at him, eyes on fire and air cold. "A no then? Pity, I hoped I would have seen her here at least."
"Oz, don't talk crap. You know she won't come to this. Hasn't the past nine years and won't this one." Yang shifted her crossed legs. "Haven't heard from her for months either way."
"Months? Not talking to you?"
"Considering the past few years, it's about average. If you're thinking I'm handling this well, then you didn't see the new salt lake outside of Vacou." Yang swirled a blue flame in her hand. "And here I thought feeling blue was supposed to mean cold."
"No one was injured, I was there." Blake's glowing eyes spoke to Ozpin's curious orbs. "And she's right Ruby has…" her tongue circled her lips searching for the right word. "I think the best way to say it is she took the loss of lives the hardest. She feels responsible, no matter how many times we tell her she is not."
"It doesn't help to remind her she was the one who ended it?"
"I guess that's why Fi thought she was a hero at the end. She blames herself." Yang kicked out her feet again. "And when she finally realizes how wrong she is, I'll just have to sweep her up and remind her I'm still here."
"Not like you won't when you see her again."
"You know me so well."
"I know every inch of you, inside and out." Blake's voice drawled. Ozpin had to admit, it was humorous to her Blake force a mewl from Yang.
If only he wasn't between them. If only Ruby was here.
He owed the last Hero of Time a thankful goodbye.
It was T-2.23 until the Vale Monument Ceremony would begin. 93% of activities were proceeding on schedule and the remaining 7% statistically ahead. This included the final setup of the auditory and microphone systems, synching and latency correction with the speakers, platform correction, procession of gifts, and, most importantly, the presentation of the military personal.
One of said members looked over the crowd, using her ocular sensor to gauge the crowd ahead of her, in number, likely mood, and signs of threats. Threats was priority one, and she returned at highest only a 7.3% chance. She forwarded it through the CCTV for secondary observation. In a total of seating of 4,665 personal observable to her, it accounted for less than 0.12% of those watching the CCTV networks. Thus, camera placement was important. Her calculations, confirmed through other works, showed they were optimally placed. Guards were also accounted for.
Penny did not believe they were necessary. She had no record or measurable variable that would be threatening to the New Vale Monument or the resident population at this moment. This was 44.5% on account of the presence of the Atlesian Military.
50% was accountable for Yang Xiao-Long and Blake Belladonna, registered Maidens sitting at the front of the seating arrangement, and Raven Branwen, sitting atop a nearby building. With them present, she could device no scenario accounting for loss of life.
It was a productive day, for Penny Polendina. Enough to make her hum as she dutifully sat behind the podium.
Her tune was a popular jingle that was being broadcasted through the CCTV networks over the previous 21.43 days. It was in relation to unknown Hunters who strayed away from civilizations to prevent any threats from entering cities. No Hunters or Huntresses were named. Penny could name seven of them. None were present in the song. Still, it was mathematically a good tune.
"Relax Blue, you're going to make me lose my patience."
"Don't you have to find that first? How can you lose something you don't even have?"
"Good question. I got a better one? How'd you fit into a Military Jacket without shaking right out of it?"
"Buttons help."
"I bet." The android finally turned to look at the pair of men beside her, both of them sitting with postures only 33% presentable for the given scenario. Cameras were on, and they were not acting in accordance with preceding guidelines.
"Specialist Russel Thrush, Specialist Neptune Vasilias, please maintain a decibel range beneath 60 dB while we are presenting."
"Yes, Captain Penny," the pair intoned back quickly. She smiled at them, nodding in approval.
"Stupendous," her voice quipped. "I am pleased to assist you with reconciling your disagreement following the procession and General Winter's speech. Please remain silent until such time."
"Yes, Captain Penny," they both intoned without missing a beat. She nodded once and returned to gazing at the crowd.
T-0.12 seconds until the procession began. With her upgrades from Papa Zepp last year, that gave her enough time to assess the current state of her friends and comrades. A few thousand times over, but she didn't want to risk an overclocking of her systems early. Red faces were not meant to be on display, as General Winter had told her.
She had already confirmed the locations of Friend Yang Xiao-Long and Blake Belladonna. The same was true for Retired Headmaster Ozpin and Expunged Thief Raven Branwen. The same was also true for Friend Neptune Vasilias and Russel Thrush. She would not misplace her comrades. Ever.
It was why she was aware from CCTV contact through Scroll devices that she was able to triangulate the assumed location of Ally Pyrrha Nikos, within 0.2km accuracy. Approximately 223 miles south of New Vale, in a recently posted settlement. Allies Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren were with her. There was a 99.99% likelihood of this. It was confirmed based off of observations of anxiety when not in close contact with one another. Research 5.33 years ago confirmed it was due to diagnosed paranoia of the loss of Jaune Arc.
Penny disagreed with the assessment. They were all good friends. Evidence for her claim was Friend Russel Thrush, who despite growing up had joined the military to stay in close contact with her. No qualms were offered or documented despite his appearance being that of a 27-year-old man, but hers still a faint 18-year-old.
General Winter was not hard to confirm the location of. Penny could see her now.
The eldest member of the Schnee family, wearing laced armor of red, helm still affixed to her, and standing at attention as she approached the podium. She lacked the chitinous wings and prehensile tail common to her battle attire, instead emphasizing the gold of her red armor to shine. It was under direction of several consultants to do so.
Her red eyes still bore anyone who looked at them. Penny had to reduce her sensitivity to ensure her systems did not direct focus on them. It was rude if she did so. Despite the increased intensity of her gaze, by a factor of 12.3x from Penny's last measurement, General Ironwood was also the Atlesian Representative to give talks at the monument.
No one else was more qualified and willing. Penny found an error in her routine, correcting it.
There was one more qualified, but Friend Ruby Rose did not wish to be associated with others at the moment. Her last contact had made that clear. Penny only wished she had a better means to know for where Friend Ruby Rose was.
Four years without physically present speaking was not an enjoyable experience. Updates and logs given to Ally Pyrrha Nikos, described by her as impassive notes, was not suitable for maintaining contact. Penny had no way to ensure Friend Ruby was alright.
But it didn't matter now. It was T-0.0001 until the Ceremony began. She logged her thoughts and ended her routine, ensuring to continue later. For now, she had to listen.
"Citizens of New Vale, and to all others watching across Remnant, I thank you all for your time." General Ironwood began to speak. "It is my continued honor to see so many hold this sacred. Too often I have had fear that the tragedies that befell this land, in this very spot, would be forgotten by the younger generation, or the more distant of Hunters."
"But this is not the case, and each year I am pleased to see my fears defeated. Fears that were born ten years ago, and those same fears that so many of us carry. Nightmares that were born from darkness, watching the sky fall by the command of a vile woman, and being told through impersonable means of the lives lost, the city destroyed, and the history rewritten."
The crowd was operating at a far lower decibel then average. Penny did not dedicate much memory to in curiosity. She was sure of the reason why.
"But we gather here today not in remembrance of the fear we had, but in honor of those who helped conquer it. We are here to remember those who fought, those who fell, and those who still continue to fight for us." Penny's proximity sensors detected Russel was sitting straighter. Penny locked her servos to prevent motion as well. "Across all of Remnant, they continue to beat back the beasts of the Grimm, and it is on this day we remember the turning point in that war."
"We all bore witness and held the news of the foe that came to us. A woman who was leading the Grimm, a leader that was able to turn the waning fires of the beasts into a torrent so great, we all were sure our end would come. But as we stand here now, that was not to be. As impossible as witnessing the dark woman was, it was another impossibility that saved us."
The General turned with her red hand, pointing up at the statue of Link. The Hylian, not Faunus as Penny had amended her records years ago, standing with the blade of evil's bane, and face impassive. She could only recall one moment when he had adopted a mimicking posture, but it was not while he was facing Salem. Papa Zepp had told her that it wasn't the point. She accepted it.
"A man who came from a land we still cannot find and carrying tools that we still are grasping at the strength of. He came to us with gifts to defeat this woman, and he gave his everything for it. His powers, his knowledge, his tools, his friends, and even his life."
The decibel range was far lower now. Penny resisted the maintenance check by affirming this occurred the previous seven ceremonies as well.
"We can never truly pay back Link for what he gave to us, just as we cannot forget those who rose fearlessly to fight beside him. When the vile woman created a storm of darkness, the brave soldiers and Hunters written across these walls came together to create an inferno, a flame of hope, that could not be extinguished."
"On that day, those brave men and women killed not just another beast. They burned away a blight that was drowning us and keeping us from our future. Their lives were the kindling, and the land we have now, their gift to us."
General Winter took a long breath. Penny had her temperature gauges on, allowing her to see the Genera was letting out a sigh rated at 330F. It was a good thing Papa Zepp had reinforced the microphone, or else it would have been suffering from soldered internal wires. The insulation was her idea.
"But each year we gather here, every day we come together and remember, I find that the flame that was birthed on that day continued to light our way to the future. I find that we refuse to let it be extinguished. All here know well the sacrifices that were made, and none here are willing to let them be for vain." The crowd was getting louder.
"So people of New Vale, Citizens of Remnant, hold this day sacred and keep your head high. If you do not, you will not be able to see the fire roaring along the horizon. You will not understand what those who came before you threw themselves at. And if nothing else, we all owe our greatest efforts to those who gave theirs." The General nodded her head. Penny turned down the sensitivity gains on her auditory sensors just in time.
The crowd erupted. Even Teammates Russel and Neptune had to lower their heads at the volume. She smiled kindly at them, sympathetic that they did not have adjustable sensors.
"Keep grinnin', you know I'd take a set of fake ears if I could."
"My ears may not possess the cochlear bones you do, but they are capable of auditory detection."
"Synthetic then, you know what I mean." She smiled.
"I do, it is similar to how you address me when in bed. Specifically-"
"Stop stop stop stop stop!" The look of panic on her teammates face was, as Cardin Winchester had once said, perfect. "Dammit! You really had to go there?"
"I do, and you do often as well." Teammate Neptune was not responding. His hand was asserting an impressive amount of force on his jaw, likely to keep himself from producing audible laughter. He was failing, though the cheering of the crowd drowned it out.
"Thank you, thank you again, General." The voice died down as a new individual took the microphone. Penny's attention returned to the podium, seeing a well-dressed man take the stand. Councilor Augustine Amber. Popular, having been one of the first to propose the monument of Link at the city's new center. "And I thank you all as well, with sentiment I'm sorry to say I don't have the words to match." The laughter that came from the crowd was testament to his charisma.
"What's he doing again?"
"Status update." Russel nodded at her answer.
"We have all come far and done a great deal to rebuild this city over this decade. A decade, can you think of that number. In ten years a lot can change, but it seems so small when you say it out loud. A hundred years is a lifetime, a thousand years is world-changing, but just ten? It doesn't seem like much. And yet, we are here to see the efforts of ten years. Infrastructure having grown out along the city lines, buildings once again towering over the bay, and population boom over the past five years, and increased trade with the other kingdoms of Remnant."
"Seem more like show-boating."
"The two aren't mutually exclusive."
"Some people call that human drive, others initiative? You know what I call it? A miracle. A miracle of our own making. Just like General Winter said, we witnessed a miracle ten years ago, and we all knew how possible they were." He paused to look at the seating General Winter. She did not move much, aside from her alabaster hair drifting in the light breeze. "It took a miracle for us to rebuild, and we dove for it headlong. Now we're coming off of ten years of regaining our footing, and we're getting ready to start sprinting."
"We're not going to just make Vale better. We're not going to be satisfied with just making it a bit stronger. We saw an impossible foe try and devour us, and we witnessed a miracle man, his legacy standing behind me, beat her back. None of us want to go back to what we were before. We all want to become something more. And with that in mind, I am more than pleased, I am honored, to be able to announce a new development here in New Vale."
He stepped away for a moment, and Penny was able to track over 93 different scenarios of what was about to be announced. Having prior information, Penny knew none were correct.
"With permission and approval from General Winter, we have invited several leading researchers, scientists, and medical professionals to being a major research and development institution here in New Vale." There was chatter of approval, but Penny could tell they were not all satisfied. "And heading this department is one of the men who helped our magnanimous benefactor defeat Salem. Please, citizens of New Vale and Remnant as a whole. Help me welcome Dr. Zeppeto."
Penny was more than happy to applaud Papa Zepp walking up to the podium. So were many others. Stupendous!
"Wait? He was supposed to come here? He was coming here?"
"Of course! Papa Zepp has been looking to relocate to New Vale for the past three years."
"And we didn't know because…"
"You never asked." It was the obvious reason.
What he spoke of next was information Penny was already aware of. New developing projects, updates towards Dust Refinement, replication of Link's tools, new training methodology, sciences for limb replacement. Many areas he had expressed curiosity about in the past, and now was going to continue.
The citizens were not as enthusiastic, as their decibel range increased. That was understandable. Papa Zepp didn't like talking to them either.
"Thank you again, Dr. Zeppeto," Councilor Augustine responded back. "And thank you all as well. This day has only just begun, and it will be one of many more in the future. Let us celebrate this day together, in honor of those we have lost, and enjoy our time with one another. Thank you all for being here and thank you all for carrying on."
Penny ran a comparison routine with past speeches. Rating software included through CCTV. Councilor Augustine's speech rated a 5.64/10. It could have improved, but it was suitable. It was, however, also notice that they could not stand and leave the stage. Team members Russel and Neptune sounded pleased they were able to move again.
"Hate sitting for that long. Always do."
"No you don't. You fall asleep every night."
"Who say's I stay still when I sleep?"
"The size of your bed. I don't hear you falling out of it every night." Russel quipped back. "I bet you love holding still, right Penny?" She tilted her head.
"Was that a robot joke? I ask because as far as others go, that was a rather weak comparison. Usually you make comments about how I am warmer than cold steel, or I'm worth every pound of iron I'm made of. You also said last night that-"
"Stop stop stop stop! Seriously!" Penny grinned at her friend's red face. "Was once not enough!?"
"Not so long as you allow me to." He leaned his head back with the comment, all but stomping his boots. "I am pleased you were able to stay quieter this year, Russel. Last year you would not stop commenting about the description of Salem and the true identity of Link."
"I'm bein' quiet for you. Don't need the General spitting fire at us again." He was not speaking hyperbolically. "Still hate that we can't tell the truth."
"Studies showed a severe lack of belief regarding the identity of Salem when information still recorded her as an immortal. In relation to waning beliefs in supernatural and greater mortal attributes suggests that indicating divine status of Link, amended as Fierce Deity, and Zelda, amended as Salem, would create accusations of cover up."
"But it's the truth."
"True, but humans are not like me. They cannot verify a truth through prior knowledge." Russel made a face at her expression. He made it often, thus, she was not offended. "All previous indications of disinformation in regard to large-scale events from Remnant's history indicates it would create unrest in population, local and international. If unsatisfied with further truths, including Yang and Blake, the possibility for violent insurrection increases."
"There's no way we'd be good for that. Forget just fighting our people, every kingdom was scattered after this thing went down." Teammate Neptune Vasilis was correct.
"So we're covering up they were gods because if we told them the truth, they'd think it was a cover up. I ever tell you how messed up that is?"
"Thirty-six times over the past ten years, with the first two years having a disproportionate amount of twenty-three times!" Penny beamed at the quick assessment. Russel kept his expression.
"Right, of course you'd know that." He sighed. "Do you wanna go see your dad then? Catch up on things?"
"I speak to my father each night with ease. I will do so tonight as well. I believe it would be a better use of our time to speak to others we do not see often." Her ocular sensors scanned the crowd, easily finding the blonde hair of Maiden Yang-Xiao Long. Maiden Blake Belladonna was not seen, but the records of her Magic Cape made that less of a worry. "It is important to spend as much time with those close to us as we can."
"Every time, you know that? Every time?" Russel followed next to her, and she grinned up at him. He smiled back. "Guess it's a good reason as any to follow you though. Especially if you have all the right ideas."
"The more accurate statement would I have well-thought-out plans." She tapped her head. "I can't make ideas."
"Maybe not, but you can sure make me have a good time."
"Good Lord in heaven, would it be against the CoC to tell you to go jump in the closet?" Friend Neptune's words were unappreciated, but Penny's humor comparison found it aptly spoken and iterated.
That was why she laughed as she took their hands, jumping off the stage to say hello to old friends.
It was a pity Friend Ruby Rose was not present. She desired to see her again. A memory playback of the blame she had lain on her friend a decade ago played, emphasizing the recursive need to apologize properly to her. The last six times did not create a suitable line of communication with her friend.
That would have to occur when Friend Ruby Rose appeared. For now, she laughed as she embraced Friends Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao-Long.
"We didn't make it."
"We had no intention to."
"It would have been fun."
"It would have been painful."
"There would have been a lot of good food."
"We'd have had no time to eat."
The pair spoke back and forth with the ease learned only lifetime partners could afford. The young girl, orange hair waving as she balanced her head from one hand to the other, exchanging with each comment made, and the young man beside her, looking over his pair of pistols with care. The woman pouted as she watched him.
"It's not bad to go there. We really should, often. Everyone else does."
"We do go often. We only go when we have no villages to rescue or ongoing requests to answer." He took the whetstone from the edge of his weapon, staring down its length with a narrowed eye. A purple monocle in his gaze flickered as he did so. "There is too much to do to dedicate time towards a ceremony like that."
"It's a good ceremony Ren!"
"I did not say it was a bad one. Only that the lives that we save are more important."
The woman blew out a strand of long orange hair, letting it flop back over her face. He did not pay her much mind, even as she screwed her lips at him, legs kicking behind her.
"We're not saving a lot of people right now, Renny."
"No, we are, only by following Pyrrha's orders." His whetstone rolled up the edge of his blade, muffling the groan his partner made as she flopped over.
"But all she does is try and go off by herself and tell us to stay back!"
"And she's always goes off into the center of the Grimm Pools once we find them and we are always supposed to attack the stragglers as they come through. And then we all always go back to the village we first spoke to." Storm flower sang as he pulled the blade off of the distal tip. "You've said this before Nora."
"Yeah, but I was right before, too."
"Being right here doesn't mean it is wrong for us to do it. Not if it works." He looked at her with a long smile. "And from our recent efforts, I'm rather sure it works."
The conversation was ended when a Grimm appeared between them. A monstrous beast that easily towered over the pair of them and with arms to match their waists in girth. Four hoofed legs kicked at the ground while its arms pushed back the trees like swinging doors. A rumbling growl came from it as it sauntered into their presence. Ren recognized it immediately.
A Lynel, akin to the one that was hunted all those years ago. A dark black skin, rather than the pale blue from before, but dangerous, nonetheless.
"Nora," he spoke with an utter calm. The girl he was interacting with replied in kind.
Spinning up from her prone posture, lifting up her giant hammer with the same motion, and stepping forth towards the beast with an increasing speed. The dark Lynel had enough time to notice her and let out a roar, perhaps even swing its arm down at her.
The Megaton hammer blew through it and then its foremost leg. Gore and darkness blew out with blow, and leaving the beast howling as it collapsed. Nora nimbly jumped over it, carrying the weight of bullheads with her.
"Always go for the knees~." She sang, just before delivering another crushing blow to the Grimm's opposite leg. The boom of impact shook the trees and made the monster howl. Front and back, the beast only had a pair of limbs and not nearly enough to stand on. "You're turn Ren!"
He wasted no time, guns already eye-level with the monster and staring at it through the lavender tint of his glass. Tusks fell as if in preparation to gore him in a desperate measure.
BANG-BANG! The small dip was enough for him to angle the bullets into the red of the beast's eyes. They were torn away and played merrily inside of its skull. It didn't make another groan before its weight collapsed to the ground in a broken heap. Its body already turning to mist. Ren stepped back, admiring the work.
"Dead as doornails, tombstones, and free time," Nora noted. "Think we'll be able to find some of that when Pyrrha is done?"
"Not likely. She'll want to return to the village post-haste." The long sigh from his partner was clear admission. "It's alright. We'll have time to rest when we get there."
"I know~. But I want to have to have fun." The girl kicked out her legs as she fell to the ground. Like she was still a teenager. A longer head of hair, wider hips, and calmer demeanor said otherwise. "All this work is important, but what's the point if we don't have time to enjoy it?"
"We give others the time to." Ren didn't answer. He turned to see the speaker stepping out from the trees.
Her long ponytailed hair swaying freely, framing her golden and alabaster tinted armor. She was in the middle of hooking the Great Fairy Sword to her back, snapping into place behind the smooth surface of the Mirror Shield. She gave them both a once over as she adjusted the silver Gauntlets, ruby red jewels losing their shine as she flexed her fingers.
"I'm assuming this was the last?" Ren indicated towards the already vanishing corpse.
"One of three, and honestly one of the more dangerous ones. It knew it was outclassed first and started to run first."
"A sure sign that it was on its way to being an Ancient Grimm then. Troubling, but that only means it has been here for some time. Perhaps it's odd then that the village hasn't requested help before."
"My thoughts as well. I'm sure the Grimm were hiding, or perhaps being careful about avoiding the nearby town. The alternative is another wellspring." Her silver laced hand ran through her hair, pulling beads of sweat from it. Her neck cracked as she adjusted herself. "I've marked a few locations we'll have to survey tomorrow, to make sure there isn't a fountain nearby."
"Understood. Any concerns about them."
"Only that one may be inside an abandoned mine. That will be tricky."
"Tricky? Those are the most fun!" Nora spun with her hammer. "Sure, the Grimm are usually a bit smarter in there, but it's also a lot of fun bury them alive! They're usually not strong enough to get out."
"They usually don't have a hammer capable of leveling mountains."
"I know! Doesn't that make it fun?" She smiled at them, and Ren returned it.
"Only when we're sure there's no one in there, Nora." Pyrrha answered with a short nod. "We can't afford another mistake."
"I know that!" The orange-haired girl stomped her foot, but she let out a long sigh. "Sorry. Just didn't get a chance to fight yet, and the hammer is ringing."
"Was that enough to satisfy you?" Pyrrha's hand bent as she indicated what little remained of the Lynel. Nora's hand lifted and bent to and fro, earning a pleasant smirk from Ren. "Then we'll come back later. We need to return to town for now." That earned the young man's attention.
"You found something. What is it?" The warrior woman reached into her belt and pulled out a gemstone, tossing it like a plain rock. He caught it carefully, before rolling it between his fingers. Eyes widened as he recognized it, but Nora was the one who yelled it out.
"The Goron Ruby! It's the Goron Ruby!" She was staring at the fiery crystal. "I thought this was on Darmani! It WAS on Darmani!"
"Which means Darmani was here." Pyrrha grinned back at them. "He's not now, at least it's not obvious, but he was here at one point. Can't say for sure though if it was a few days ago or years before."
"We'll gamble on days. I find it hard to believe that he would have lost this years ago and not gone looking for it." Ren carefully pocketed the Ruby… before Nora reached in and grabbed it out of his jacket. He didn't offer his partner even a look of surprise. "Though, to confirm, you said there were likely Grimm Pools, as in plural."
"Yes."
"Then I'll have to amend and say he likely left it months ago. There are a few scenarios as to the how and why, but nothing to go into yet."
"I agree it's something to do back at the village," Pyrrha was already walking. "But it's good we at least got something more than just a few more Grimm to kill. Also suspicious." Ren quirked a brow.
"Sus… oh, you saw something else."
"I did." Pyrrha's emerald eyes flashed. "It's impossible to miss the tell-tail sign of those gates of hers opening." The venom was clear in her voice. As were the looks of cautious optimism in the young man and woman.
"You saw Cia then?"
"The stretch mark of the Gate of Souls, yes." Pyrrha pushed through the forest, Ren and Nora following her. "I suspect she was looking to entrap Darmani as well, or at least trying something else like it. Maybe coaxing him like the coward she is."
"She can't promise him much with Salem gone. She's stuck trying to find the few people who were allied with her."
"She already has one. It figures they were moving from mind to muscle."
"You didn't see Neo then?" Nora's voice echoed, calmly, as she followed back. "And you don't think it was because Ren wasn't there?"
"If Cia wasn't there, neither would Neo. They depend on each other too much." Ren corrected her. "But I also would have seen some other sign. Her illusions are a bit easier than Emerald's were, seeing as they had to shatter to dispel."
"And all I broke were the bones of a few Lynel's legs." The woman smiled at her comrade. "You were right, how much easier it is to handle them once the legs give out."
"Always the legs~." Nora sun back. Ren pointedly ignored the exchange and moved to another.
"In case you forgot it wasn't the village head who requested us, but the Saloon manager. He has more power over the chief."
"Saloooon~. Hee hee, sorry, just fun to say." Ren smiled patiently at his friend, who spun on her heel behind them. "Gotta have fun when we can, seeing as we're not at the ceremony."
"Would you rather be there now?" Nora put a finger to her chin in though, letting the question mull over for a time, before flashing a bright white grin.
"Nope!" She nearly skipped like she was eighteen again, and not a woman pushing to her thirties.
"Glad to hear it. We are back though." Pyrrha pushed through a last bit of brush, opening out to a dirt road, making clear the overarching sign of the village settlement. "So close, it has to be a recent development." Her emerald eyes flashed to Ren. "I talk, you listen? Same as Kimoyashi?"
"Agreed. Nora, lean on your hammer." The girl lifted the several tons of steel over her shoulder, saluting as if it were made of Styrofoam. "Then let's go."
It took little time to enter the timber village, stone only used to ling the few building supports and road edges. Their boots scoffed at the dirt that laid between the buildings, beaten down by the carts and cattle that had driven past. The town was small, new according to Ren, so it made sense the building up of the infrastructure would be lacking.
It was the few people on those roads, in the middle of the day, that was more concerning. None of the three paid any mind to it. They had a destination already. It took little time and few turns to find it, the two storied wooden building, wider than most others and with a large set of swinging doors, nestled on the corner of two eclectic streets.
"In or out?"
"Out, it's a nice day. Wanna see the birds if I can~." Nora sang as she skipped up the stairs, spinning as she pulled out a chair before falling into it, all with the child like grin and brandished hammer. The rest of her team took seats next to her, with Pyrrha knocking on the wall of the building.
Her Silver Gauntlets shook the building like a light breeze, forcing a man to come stumbling out of the door. Porterly, but with a boyish face, is panic look thickened as he saw the three of them.
"O-Oh! Arc Knights!" The man let out after a quick jumble. Pyrrha watched him, seeing the man flicker between getting to a knee or jumping to grasp her hand. He did neither. "You're back already!? Have… did you find the Grimm?"
"Yup!" Nora let off with a pop of her 'p'. "Took them all out and we're letting them dry in the sun now." The words only made the man's face flicker, earning a long sigh from her red-haired leader.
"Sorry for Nora. She's just… happy we defeated them. They were stronger than we thought they would be, given their location and general small number."
"They were strong then, but you all-" the man caught his lips. Swallowing on nothing and returning again with a brimming smile. "Thank you for taking care of them. Thank you. I-I'll be sure to pass the message onto the others as well! I'm sure the children and others will be more than happy they can leave their homes easily now!"
"Yes, I'm sure they will be as well." Her emerald eyes flickered towards the lumber stacked homes, watching a few windows creek. An eye or two could be seen from inside. "Though the fear here may bring in more, so we'll be sure to do another round before we depart, to make sure they are taken care of."
The relief on the man's face was almost thick enough to taste. She kept her expression neutral.
"You have more than my thanks then, Arc Knights." He bowed fully this time, a feat with his round belly. "The Village Chief will be happy to hear it as well. But I… I must thank you now! I apologize I had nothing prepared for you. D-Do you need anything prepared? The kitchen may be cleaned, but I can make something quickly! Promise!"
She didn't answer him, not immediately at least. Instead she looked to Ren, who twisted his head to match her gaze. He nodded, a soft smile on his lips.
"Please," she replied. "Any food would be appreciated." The man bowed with her words.
"Of course! O-Of course! Please, wait here. I'll bring something out immediately. Delilah! The Knights are back! Bring out the best cuts!" The doors swung as he entered, leaving the trio outside at the plain table. Nora licked her lips, but Pyrrha brought her attention to Ren.
"Well?"
"He is distracting us. Trying to keep us here. Impossible to say for how long, but I'm sure he'll make excuses for the time to cook the meat." The young man looked down at his tea, swirling it. "At least he didn't lace the food or drinks. It leaves me to assume he was coerced like the others."
"Better than having them actively try and kill us, I suppose." Pyrrha rattled her fingers on the table. "Any chance of him knowing where they went?"
"Honestly hard to say, but I'll have to lean towards no." His adjusted the lavender monocle. "Remembering how the others acted, I'd wager he was threatened and then they departed. He'll only know their direction at best, and knowing the pair of them, it won't give us much, will it?" Pyrrha sighed at the truth of the words.
"Why? Are they gonna run off the road again?" Nora questioned.
"Or earn the trust of a pair of merchants on the road, disguise themselves in the forest, or even use the portals Cia has to run away." Pyrrha leaned back in her chair, silver gauntlets folding beneath her chest. "They escaped us again."
"For now, but it is certainly better than them gaining ground between us." Ren noted back. He took a slow sip of his tea. Nora contrasted him by lifting the pitcher of water and swallowing its contents in great gulps. "You've gotten good about controlling yourself about these matters."
"I have to. It wouldn't… be right if I acted out."
"Pwha! You mean again?" Nora grinned. "It was fun last time you acted out! I never got to use the hammer so much!" She lifted the Megaton Hammer over her head. Ren watched a mother push her pair of children behind her back, earning a deep sigh from him. Pyrrha put her hand up and grasped the end of the longer handle, forcing it down.
"Yes, but I don't believe Winter was pleased with having to pay back a town's population for the destruction."
"It came out of the bank, didn't it?"
"Funds, Nora, and yes. But those are for travel, food, and information. Not usually destruction on our part." Pyrrha looked back at her gauntlets, the red of the gems slowly dimming. "Least destruction we cause out of anger, not necessity."
"If we fight Neo and Cia in a village, are we gonna be happy while we do it?" Nora titled her head as the innocent question came out. "Cause I'm gonna be mad when I see them again. Really mad."
"You'll be among company when we do." Ren squeezed her shoulder, earning her immediate attention and affection. "Course, that still leaves Darmani as well. We can't tell where he is until we see him." Controlled, wild, or hiding. Pyrrha knew what he meant.
From what Pyrrha could recall of the Goron, he was not a shy individual. And the years spent looking for him, when he hadn't come to Salem's aid, spoke of his loyalties. But to be hiding… it raised questions. Secondary, however, to Pyrrha.
"We promised General Schnee we would detain him if he was a threat, but we were promised engagement with Neo and Cia if we see them." She listed. "We're getting closer now. So all we have to do is stay on their trail."
"So what do we do right now? As in now now."
"Now?" Pyrrha repeated. She hummed. "I think we eat, sleep, and look for any Grimm Pools. If Cia was here, there's a good chance she might have made some to distract us. If we can take care of them now, we'll protect the village in the future. We'll update General Schnee as well."
"You think she'll send out Yang and Blake?"
"Do you think Yang and Blake will listen?"
"Do you think they want to kill Cia?" Nora's grin was sharp. "Cause I think so."
"And I think you're right. But it doesn't matter. She'll send them, Penny, or someone else. It's just enough to keep them close. That's all." Pyrrha let out a long breath of air. "For now… we just have to wait."
Wait, smell the flowers, enjoy the air, and remember that they were alive. All the things that her love from so long ago had taught her, and what she was promising herself she'd live by. For him, for Jaune, she'd live like he did. Seeking adventure, fearless of her shortcomings, and always improving. And, most importantly, keeping her friends close.
That reminded her.
"Have either of you heard from Ruby?"
The pair of teammates stared at her, both blinking in surprise.
"I… no, nothing in the past few months."
"Same here. Wasn't she supposed to contact you? Was it supposed to be a secret if she did?"
"No, it wasn't." She sighed again, leaning back. "Just wondering. I haven't heard from her in a while… or seen her in years." The air stilled about the table, but Pyrrha wasn't worried. Ruby Rose had pedigree greater than her, and a destiny larger than she could imagine.
"Do we have to apologize to her still? We were kind of unfair, right?"
"It was a decade ago, Nora. And we have all apologized," Ren spoke, tracing his monocle. "We did so quicky at that, comparative to the others."
"I know, but we were kind of mean."
"We were emotional, and we are all sorry," Pyrrha cut in. "Ruby is… she's not taking personally, I don't think. She's just working on her own time."
"Like us?" The pair grinned at the orange-haired woman.
"Yes, like us." Pyrrha traced the hilt of the Great Fairy's Sword, looking out over the canopy of trees. She wasn't worried for Ruby, not really.
Wherever she was, Pyrrha knew she was okay.
The Beowolf sniffed the ground, pushing up dead leaves and forest foliage. The darkness of the high canopy hid it like a blanket, leaving only beady red eyes to search the woods. A low grumble echoed between the forest giants, its claws brushing away the natural flooring. Drool spilled from its maw, tongue running over the roof of its mouth.
It was hungry for fear, but it smelled none. It had been months since its birth, but it had seen no trace of yearning, fear, or even hatred about it. Nothing at all, and it left it prodding the floor for even a morsel of the delicacy. It growled again, searching for the light of the weak, so that it could feast on their fear.
Alone it prodded, searching for any life it could take a bit of joy from. Its prodding was eventually rewarded.
A young woman was finally in its gaze, walking easily between the heavy giants, feet prodding the ground almost silently, long red cloak billowing behind her, hood pulled over her head. The Beowolf felt noting from her, but that was because she had yet to see it. Once the woman did, it knew it would be able to feast on the fear and loathing. Women showed the most, and it would be able to gorge itself.
It put itself in the woman's path, rising up and growling. It towered feet above the woman, with claws that were longer than her hands. Red eyes stared down, ready to see the trembling of her own.
Instead, when the woman looked up, he saw only a calm silver gazing back at it.
Then with a flash of matching color, its existence was taken from the world.
"Another loner. Not smart enough to stay alone." The woman spoke softly, walking on without a care for what she had seen. "Not even worth Crescent Rose." Even as she spoke, the palm of her hand rubbed her silver eyes. The forest was quiet still to her words. That was alright with her, as Ruby Rose wasn't looking for a response. The silence was a comfort she didn't want to take from herself.
She breathed against her palms, warming them. This far north, stretching near the border of Atlas, it made sense. It would have been easier to stay here with warmer clothing, but she didn't have the time to look for appropriate gear. There was work to be done.
Ruby continued her lonesome trek through the woods, hearing the leaves crumble beneath her feet. Not even the wind tickled her, letting her coat drag behind her. The edges of the red were likely stained with the brush of the woods, but it wasn't for her to mind or care. What was more was the weight on her back, stable and solid. Even now, her hand gently rose to stroke it, reminding herself it was still there.
The Master Sword was heavy, but she didn't dare to leave it behind. Even when it jostled against her hood, catching it, and pulling it back. It was better to have it there then leave it alone for others to find.
She didn't dare risk losing it.
"Here I am." Her voice spoke, reminding her she had reached her destination.
A large tree, large as some of the buildings in New Vale, and hollowed out by its core. From the foot of its roots, gnarled and pulling at the earth, to stories high. Her silver eyes traced it, but the time of day and canopy above kept the light from showing her what lurked within. She didn't need it. She could feel it. Through her boots, through the small wisps in the air. It was there, and she passively stared into it.
"Come out." The command was clear.
Red eyes opened within. Four sets, each as large as her head.
The eyes crawled down the inside of the hollowed tree, swirling. They blinked out of unison, coming out at the base of the forest giant and still high above Ruby. They were connected to a bulbous body, and with legs that trampled out like bombs going off. Eight of them, stabbing the earth with dark hairy limbs, protected by inches of thick white bone.
Ruby stared up at the giant Lolith, and Ancient Grimm by any consideration. Its jaw clittered as it looked back down at her, clearly trying to feast on fear from her. It made the young woman smile.
"I have for you to take. But I'm going to need something from you." Her hand reached to her back. The Lolith howled in recognition.
A pair of giant limbs stabbed at the girl but hit only earth. It made the dead leaves jump, then swirl as a flash of red shot through them. The woman appeared on the opposite side of the monster, Crescent Rose out and swimming in silverly white. A moment later, one of the beast's legs came off in a mist of black, earning a howl from the Grimm. It echoed through the woods.
It wasn't done. Webbing shot out from its back, ready to entrap the woman. But she was faster, and she felt it coming. Her body was rose petals again, drifting through the thicky material, and appearing beside the first pair of legs that tried to impale her. Her trek had pulled out another leg from the beast, leaving it to fall back with an angry howl.
All six remaining legs began to thrash as the beast rested on its abdomen, or whatever a Lolith equivalent for that was. It would have made any other Huntress back off. But they weren't Ruby Rose.
Quick as the light she held, she jumped from one curled leg to the other, jumping onto the beasts back. Thick white bony material protected it, but that wasn't what she was aiming for. Jumping to its head, Crescent Rose swing down, curling into one of its red eyes. The beast truly thrashed now, hopping off the ground, and trying to throw Ruby off.
It succeeded, only in that it forced her to jump into the same hollow tree the beast had emerged from. She jumped out with Crescent Rose all but glimmering behind her. Her body spun back into the monster. Legs were lopped off as she swept through it, ripping through the limbs and even a few of the forest giants beyond. Her feet skidded to a stop, the leaves behind her blowing into smithereens.
It was nothing compared to the Lolith, now rolled onto its back, and the few legs it had left curling with spasms back towards its body. Ruby watched its head, the seven red eyes slowly fading away. With groans emanating from its limbs, the beast slowly began to mist. Ruby watched it, silver eyes impassive, as the once ancient Grimm returned to the nethers it had crawled from. It was truly appropriate.
Crescent Rose lost its sheen as she held it out, collapsing back into a singular pole arm, folding into a sheet of metal, and being pocketed along her back belt, tucked under her cape. Her red cloak had not even a sliver of damage to it, laying on the ground as the leaves continued to fall around her. Ruby stared at the remains of the Ancient Grimm and the tree trunk it had crawled out of. A thought occurred to her then.
"The ceremony was today, wasn't it?" She looked up at the curtain of leaves high above her. No response came to her. "Yeah, it was. I'll have to try and make it next year." Her piece said, and peace restored, she turned and continued on her way.
No more Grimm crawled out of any woodwork to approach her, and no red eyes followed her between the brush of the forest giants. The woman in red walked alone down the strewn path, almost floating over the broken leaves. Her hand rose up and traced the edges of the sword at her back. It was the same cool feeling as it ever was. No warmth of light or coldness of death about it. Just metal, like any sheet of it she worked on in the forges before.
Just metal, vapid and lifeless.
"I will have to make the ceremony next time. I'm sure Yang's there now." Her voice was a whisper thinking on the monument to her Grandfather that was at the center of new Vale. Vale, once ruled by a school of Hunters, now led by them. "Ozpin is definitely there. He was last time, too, but that was years ago."
She could image the man finally wearing his age after the last decade. He was unable to run last time she had seen him, so now… he was probably still unable to run. But he was smiling. He had to be. He had gained the most out of what happened.
"Blake will be with Yang, and Penny… Penny will be with the Atlesian army still. She wouldn't leave." She hadn't seen the android in the longest time, but she could still imagine the energetic robot calling her name. She wouldn't have changed at all. "That must mean Russel and Neptune are there, too. And so is Winter…" Her foot almost tripped.
She could see the woman once described as cold as her name, now wearing an armor of red. The General of the Atlesian Army, tearing through the Grimm Lands in the name of the battle from before… yeah, that hadn't changed. When she and Ruby had spoken last, she had mentioned nothing but getting vengeance for Weiss.
Ruby gripped the Master Sword, remembering the name.
She had no need to wonder where her old partner was.
"They're not fighting alone. Pyrrha, Ren, Nora… I'll talk to them soon." Her free hand fished out her Scroll, looking down at the translucent screen. It lit up like a fire in the dark forest, and the silver-eyed woman was fearless as she stared at it. "I'm sure they're okay. They've got each other. The always have."
Her finger ran through their names. Group Contact, Arc Knights. Her thumb traced the first word, remembering just who it belonged to. A naïve boy who was trying to be a hero and died in the process of being one. Her grip on the Master Sword was heavier, until it shook in the lavender sheath.
Her boots stopped, eyes shutting as she slowly pocketed the Scroll.
"It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. It won't repeat again. It won't." Literal Gods had sword it never would. And her real Grandpa… he had died to make it happen. There was a monument standing in New Vale honoring part of his name.
Remembering it made Ruby slowly pull the sword from its sheath. She fell to her butt, staring at it again with crossed legs. The woods were quiet around her as she stared and the smoot steel, etched with the Triforce that she had wished upon. Nothing stained the blade, not even tears. It didn't hum in her grasp or glow. It was just a sword, no different than anything else.
But her fingers never stopped stroking it, just as the memories of it never stopped in her mind. A man cursed with hatred gifting it to her, stories of her mother carrying it but never being able to use it, watching her grandfather swing it with a grace and fortitude that had monsters running, and the spirit that was once housed in it coming forth to tell of her true history, and that of Remnant to Hyrule.
Her mouth was parched as she stared at it. Loving and loathing that she was capable of holding it all.
More than her mother, less than her grandfather, but feeling nothing like either of them at all.
Her breathing was louder than anything else in the woods, heavy and deep. Silver eyes traced the edges of the blade carefully, beginning and ending on opposite sides of its lavender hilt, tracing the curved "W" of its design. Smooth, flawless, but lifeless.
"There's no way for it to start again. I only have to keep moving. There's more to do, and I can't stop." She rose to her feet, sliding the Master Sword away. "I can't stop." She truly couldn't.
Because there was no one else left who could do what she could.
Her trek through the forest continued, from the dusk into night, and leaving only the palest of moon beams to shine through the canopy above. Her silver eyes never faltered, and no Grimm dared to cross her. She sensed no danger and had no reason to be cautious. The woods were her home now.
As they were for her Grandpa, and they were for her true Grandpa. Lovely, dark, and deep. They offered miles for her to go, and she had no need to sleep. No reason at all. There was no reason to rest if you were alone.
And walking with an empty blade and cold silver eyes, there was no one for her at all.
"Hello?"
The ringing question made Ruby spin.
Her silver eyes traced the woods, even as her quick twist forced the leaves to fly into the air. About her she searched, for anyone that could be following her. She saw no one, and could sense nothing. Just an empty forest, filled with tall giants, and the soft drift of leaves as they fell from Autumn's cool embrace.
"Oh! Sorry… did I startle you?"
The voice rang again, and this time, Ruby looked up.
She expected someone to be sitting on a tree branch staring down at her, or Neo to be mocking her with some new illusion. Maybe even Cia finally losing her last bit of nerve and trying to attack her in vengeance for killing Salem. She saw none of that. Instead, her silver eyes bore what she thought she never would again.
The humming light, bright and blue, of a four-winged fairy.
"I didn't mean to. You were deep in thought. I didn't think it would be appropriate if I simply flew in front of you. It's been so long since someone has been able to see me, I didn't think you would be able to." The voice rang, like only a pair of voices Ruby had heard over a decade ago. The ball bounced in slow circles in the air, her eyes following unblinking. "Is something wrong? Are you lost? Would I be able to help?" Ruby swallowed.
"Who… who are you?" The fairy, the fairy… drifted in the air for a moment, not answering her.
"Who am I?" She repeated. "That's a normal question to ask, but it isn't. I know fairies don't exist in this time, but you asked who I am, not what I am. How do you know what I am?" The fairy drifted closer.
For the first time in years, possibly half her life, Ruby took a step back. The fairy rang at the sight.
"Or maybe you don't. You may just be nice. That could be why you see me. That would make sense then, and why I was asked to find someone like you." There was more to think about in those short sentences than Ruby dared to put her mind to. She settled to answer the immediate.
"I've seen fairies before. Two of them… brother and sister." The blue fairy drifted with the words. Ruby's eyes were starting to ache.
"You do? Where are they now?"
"They died, a decade ago."
"I see… I am not surprised, but I am sad." The fairy's hum dropped in tone, her wings with it. Ruby bit her lip at the sight.
"… I was too. I lost… a lot of friends back then."
"When the Gods collided?" She knew? "I'm sure that's it. It makes sense at least. It's just in the right moment of Time. It would also explain why you can carry that blade." Ruby's hand darted for the hilt again. "I knew who had it before you."
Impossible thoughts began to form in Ruby's mind. She did her utmost to not immediately banish them. Not after so long.
"Who… who was it?" Ruby asked carefully.
"You probably wouldn't know him. He was a young boy from an ancient land, carrying a grand destiny." The fairy's voice rang, almost like a contemplative hum, as she drifted in the air. "I was tasked to watch over him by the guardian of the forest, and see him go from boy to man." Ruby did not believe it. "He was forced to free the kingdom from the reign of an evil man, and with his reward at the end being to return to where he began. Only this time…"
"-You left him." Ruby finished. The interruption made the fairy jump in surprise.
"I-I did… yes. How did you… know?"
"Because I knew him." The fairy's blue sheen flashed for a moment. "I know him because… he was here. He came here and helped me, us. He came to us, taught us, joined us… a-and loved us." Her voice shook. "And in the end… his rewards were t-to…" Her head shook. "He can't begin again."
The fairy slowly rose and fell in front of her. Ruby almost couldn't see her past the sheen of mist in her eyes.
"He was my grandpa. Link… I'm his granddaughter."
The fairy rattled in place.
"G-Grand… then he… he lived on?" The ring in her voice was almost painful to listen to. The hope a harsh thing. But Ruby smiled into it.
"He did. He lived and… and he did so much. And he did it… b-because he was looking for you."
The fairy didn't even deny it. Her pale blue light only rattled, slowly deepening in color until it was the same hue as the edge of an ocean's wave. Ruby took a slow step forward now, the floating fairy within arm's reach. A fairy that she had never met before, and thought long ago she never would be graced with the sight of.
"He looked everywhere for you, Navi. He missed you."
"I-I miss him… I… missed him." Her body almost fell.
Ruby cupped her hands and caught the spirit between them. She was weightless, like a rose petal ripped from its stem. But she was warmer than light, even as the spirit shook like the wind. The granddaughter of a god stared down at her, lifting her up until she was all but visible. The light of her body giving way to a faint silhouette.
The figure of a small fairy curled into a ball, arms wrapped about pale legs, and wings all but falling off the edge of Ruby's trembling grip. Ruby held the small fragile life in her hands, knowing for all her existence what it meant.
"Can you… tell me about him?" Navi looked up at Ruby's words. "He talked to me, but I know… it's been years since I've even heard him. I don't know… what I've forgotten, or what I can't remember."
"I know almost everything. Almost… I don't know what happened after I left. Time called me back, my job was done. So if he… anything more…"
"Please, anything you can tell me." Ruby whispered the words. "I have so many places left to go, and I want to hear about him. I need to." The fairy shivered in her hands, opaque eyes looking back up at her.
"I-I can… I can try. I will." The fairy responded. "But can you do the same? Can you tell me, what happened to Link?"
For the first time in years. Ruby smiled.
"I will. I'd love to."
Through the brink of time, a woman smiled.
Staring into the rivers that flowed around her, she watched the faces sweep by. Lives changed and altered, paths driven down new roads, and forging ahead into the perilous future. She watched them with the care of a gardener, knowing she could never grow, but only help others. Her hand ran through the waters, feeling the warmth of love come from them.
Her sigh was high and light, matching the glow of her silken cloak. Her body floated across the ground as she walked, staring to a horizon blinking with lights and stars. A cacophony of ringing above and about her, a chorus of bells and chimes that rippled like the rivers around her. Her feet strode through the grasses effortlessly.
She walked, but with nowhere to go.
No souls to watch drip from one river to another. No set paths or legends to dictate a future event. No fates to set or destinies to assure. The wish of a child, made out of selfless need, had rid her of work and effort, leaving her only with time.
Time to watch her own time work, and witness the efforts of all her machinations.
As the child had asked, Time would not cycle, it would not repeat.
She could only wait, and pray that what came next would be worth it all.
Author's Note:
Ding-Dong, the story's dead, the wicked CO of the time is gone. It took me years to do this, and with a lot of effort, melancholy, and a bit of self-hatred mix in, but I got it done alright. And you wouldn't believe the rewrites and story changes I had in here. I at one point thought about having it be like Hyrule was just some new land, and then that Link was actually only just as strong as Ruby, then even thought about Ganondorf actually killing everyone, but finally reached this point just because I wanted it to be unique.
Think I got the unique part down, but I can look through the reviews to see how much else I missed out on. Oh well, every little bit helps, and little by little one travels far.
I do want to thank you all for sticking with me through all of this. Pain and all, helping me to make this a story that has far more length to it than any other normal story has to deal with. It is still one that I have some pride in, in that I have enough characters in it to make it seem fleshed out, but hope that no one thought it was too wordy. A few did… few dozen, but what can you do?
I can thank you all again! It was fun, all my complaints considered, but now it's time to move on. I have a few other story ideas, but who knows when or if they'll happen. Time to join that Goddess and march on with Time.
Thank you all, and take care in this new world!