AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here. Thank you for all the support this series has gotten here and on Tv Tropes. This one is a relatively slow chapter, mainly to show where most of the cast is ended up here. For that, I am posting it now and will do the roadmap chapter on the normally scheduled time. Since this is the final for the season, I have something big to reveal. So, stay tuned for the ending, as it will set up for some crazy moments in the future. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.
Chapter 40 – Bad Habit
Sienna.
While going through multiple files, Sienna examined a map, "We should be meeting with the next brotherhood in a couple of days." She said before looking over to Caenis sitting in the distance, "Once they are close enough, we will personally guild them back to our base for their safety." The White Fang Champion nodded before the two saw Atalante enter the tent, "Have you gathered more information on that military group?"
"Yes," Atalante said before handing a recently faxed document to Sienna, "However, current events have come to light."
"Ghira again?" Caenis inferred, "What does he have to say now?" She said as Sienna gasped, "Khan?"
"…Menagerie was attacked." Sienna said as Caenis gasped, "It was by a flock of some kind of firebird Grimm and a monstrous berserker with a golden ax, the latter being one with nearly unstoppable power and destructive potential."
Caenis grit her teeth before slamming her right fist on the table, "How many of our kind did that monster kill?"
Atalante was the one to answer, "Zero."
"Eh?" Caenis looked in confusion, "The island officers repelled then that well?"
Atalante shook her head, "No, the same group that killed Columbus fought these enemies." The faunus alter responded, "They gave every civilian the chance to move back to safety, then destroyed the creatures once and for all."
Sienna continued as she read the report, "All damage has been compensated by the group." She said before clenching the paper, "However, they had noted that the General's wife died in the conflict."
Atalante nodded, "From Blake's memories, Ghira never once lied about matters involving life and death." She said with Sienna not saying a word, "He also mentioned how this was not the first casualty the group had suffered."
"They…They have been putting their lives on the line for this alliance." Caenis noted before turning to Sienna, "Khan, what is your stance on the meeting now?"
"…" Sienna put the document down before sighing, "I'll contact Ghira with our location to give to this group." She said before turning to Caenis, "However, you will need to be at your best in a worst-case scenario."
"Beat them in case they betray us, got it." Caenis responded before looking to Atalante, noticing her fists clenched, "Hey, you okay?"
Sienna noticed it as well, "Is there more information you gathered?"
"…Yes," Atalante responded, "Through some survivors from the Columbus Incident, it is rumored that Adam is the members of this group."
"Adam?" Sienna asked. "I thought he was in jail?"
"I found out that his cell has been empty for a while," Atalante informed, "But it wasn't not an escape, someone let him out."
"Well, why hasn't Ghira let us know yet?" Caenis asked.
"He doesn't know, because this group didn't want Ghira to know Adam was let out," Sienna said while looking to Atalante, both knowing the reasons why. The Leader of the White Fang sighed, "If they were intending this to be a surprise, a freed ally of ours, they picked the worst one."
"Sienna, if I see Adam's face." Atalante spoke her eyes sharping at the very thought, "…I fear I may ruin this meeting for all parties involved."
Sienna sighed, "I wish you had more faith in your self-control, but I understand." She then slid a document to the Faunus alter, "In that case, head to the brotherhood that is on route to this location." The Leader of the White Fang order, "You will be keeping them safe while the meeting with this group is underway."
"Understood and thank you." Atalante said before turning around, "I'll head out now."
"With your speed, you should make it to them in no time," Caenis commented.
"One more thing," Sienna asked the white fang informant, "Should the situation become desperate at either base, I must know this from your perspective." She said with a focused glare, "Can Achilles be trusted to help us?"
A silence fell between the three until Atalante spoke up, "Yes, he can. Regardless of us keeping him as a prisoner, he will still be a hero in a time of need." She said before walking away, "It was that trait of his that has Atalanta view him as great leader… and what Blake fell in love with." She said before exiting the tent. Sienna remained silent as Caenis was as well.
Kiritsugu.
Inside one of the dock warehouses, Kiritsugu and Roman watched as a car pulled up. Exiting the driver's seat was Sisigou, "I came as fast as I could." The necromancer spoke, then made eye contact with the orange-haired criminal, "Who are you?"
"Well, I'm-" Roman was about to say until interrupted by Kiritsugu.
"Not important." Kiritsugu said, "He's just a tour guide."
"Hey!" Roman responded in resentment, "What's got you all extra on edge?"
"…Chloe," Kiritsugu responded, "She's in danger, possibly dead."
"That little girl that left last year," Sisigou responded, "I'm sorry to hear."
"Great, we find one missing person, but another gets lost." Roman sarcastically spoke before sighing, "What does she look like? I can see if my channels have spotted someone like her?"
"She is a young girl in her early teens. dark skin with whiteish blond hair and yellow eyes. She wears a red mantle attire that-" in the middle of Kiritsugu descriptions, the right backseat door opened. Kiritsugu quickly drew his Contender, Sisigou his shotgun, and Roman with his cane ready to fire.
However, all three of the men gasped at the passenger, "Don't shoot!" Chloe said as she raised her hands. They lowered their weapons, seeing the red mantle girl's body dripping with sweat, her skin slightly sickly, "I'm-" She said before her aura pulsated like a heatwave, popping the tires of the car and scorching the metal frame. The Fall Maiden's eyes glowed with an orangish aura before closing, her body going limp. Before her head could hit the ground, Kiritsugu ran to catch her.
"…Uh, that her?" Roman asked as Kiritsugu placed one hand on Chloe's forehead, "If so, that was way faster than the last one."
"It's Chloe, but she is running a fever." Kiritsugu said before adjusting her hold on the red mantle girl, "I need to take her to a hospital."
"Then go, I'll start getting things set up for the other mission," Sisigou said with Kiritsugu nodding. The magus specialist then ran to his, securing Chloe in the back, then driving off. "When did she hitch a ride?"
"Couldn't have been more than a few days ago." Roman pointed out, "She didn't look like she had a lot of food or water." He said with Sisigou looking back to his car, seeing the wrappers of the missing snacks of his trip. Suddenly, Roman patted him on the back, "By the way, I'm Roman Torchwick."
Sisigou then turned to the orange-haired criminal, "Hang on, I've seen you before." He said with his mind remembering the bounty board he saw with the blond brawler, "You're a wanted criminal."
"Guilty, but that didn't stop me." Roman responded with a smirk, "Glad to hear my name is somewhat known in your neck of the woods as a classic villain."
Sisigou then remembered the full image of the bounty poster, seeing a beat-up mug shot with orange-haired criminals name and a single bronze star, "Sure…classic." The necromancer said before looking around, "When's Ozpin's head?"
Roman pointed with him to the refrigerator in hooked up to a portal power souse. Sisigou turned back with a look of discontent. "What?" Roman responded, "I thought you needed to keep this stuff cold." Sisigou sighed before walking over to the refrigerator. Roman then looked back to the car, seeing the melted rubber, "Heat like that reminded me of Cinder's flames." He thought before shrugging, then followed Sisigou.
Weiss.
"Uh, Nobu?" Weiss asked Nobu, who was laying in an infirmary bed, "Are you okay?"
"Heeeeeeeeeey," In the infirmary of the airship, Weiss watched as Nobu spoke with a slurred voice. The Grimm Archer's head bobbed as she had her eyes half-open, "I feel great." Nobu spoke before looking down at her legs in casts that were held by swings, "My legs look so big!"
"What did they give her?" Weiss asked before looking over to Reines on a nearby bed.
"Morphine, a lot of morphine." Reines responded with a sigh, "The femur bone breaking is the worst pain a person can endure."
"No, it isn't. You know what hurts more than one getting broken?" Nobu said while giggling, "Having both broken! Hahahaha!"
"Is she going to be okay?" Yang asked Musashi, who just shrugged.
Sigurd looked at an X-ray of Nobu legs, "Multiple fractures in both limbs. Estimated recovery, six-months."
"What? That's BS!" Nobu called out, pointing to the swordswoman, "She had her arms broken and healed in less than a week. What gives?"
"I have a high metabolism." Musashi answered, then smirked to Adam, "I knew to eat all those bowls of noodles would pay off." She said with a smirk, but he looked on with no comment.
Reines sighed, "I'll just to cut to the point," She said before closing her eyes, "…The late Brynhildr was the Summer Maiden, and when she died," The Princess of El-Melloi said before opening her eyes with a yellow aura, "Her last thought was of me."
"…Come again?" Weiss asked, looking to Sigurd, "The Seasonal Maidens are real, and your wife was one of them?" She said with him nodding, then the white heiress gritted her teeth, "Why did you never tell us?"
Suddenly, Yang put her right hand on Weiss's left shoulder, "Because it's dangerous for more people to know that information." She said with Weiss turning to her teammate in confusion, but was shocked at her sorrowful eyes, "Trust me, I get why they couldn't say anything."
"Yang?" Weiss asked her friend, "What are you saying?"
"You've come in contact with these powers before?" Adam asked.
"It's…complicated," Yang sighed, remembering her mother, but focused on the other party, "Long story short, I have seen people who went after these powers. They have stopped at nothing to gain them and are not above attacking the current holders." She said as the memory of the destroyed home of Spring Maiden. She then shook the image out of her mind to look at Reines, "My guess, they were the same group that attacked you on the airship."
"Hm, and what Maidens have you come in contact with?" Reines asked.
"Well, I talked with Spring." Yang responded, "Fall was a false lead, but the attacker was not taking no for an option with the assumed Maiden." The blond brawler said as her mother's snapping back echoing in her mind, "As for Spring…I still am not one-hundred percent sure what happened to her, but she was attacked by this group a while ago."
"I would assume that one you fought had the Spring Maiden power. After all, she did not seem to have any traits for the other seasons." Reines said as she looked to Adam and Sigurd, then back down to herself, "The other was determined to get the Summer Maiden power at all cost." She said before crossing her arms, "I don't assume either woman will be taking this defeat lightly. They will come back for this power."
"We repealed them once, we will do it again," Sigurd answered.
"Yes, but I fear they will be much stronger than last time." Adam answered, reminded of his struggle against the Spring Maiden, "If they were to have more than one fighter with the Seasonal Maiden powers, it could mean a bloodier outcome."
"I have considered that, but it does mean we have time." Reines responded, "Since they only have one season, and they know they cannot take Summer from us."
"They are going to go after Winter or Fall next." Musashi spoke up, "But, we don't know who has those powers?"
"Exactly, and from your story, our enemies don't seem to know either." Reines said while glancing at Yang, "The two remaining maidens will have to defend themselves for the time being. They at least have the power for such a task."
"That's a bit selfish," Yang pointed out.
"Yang, like Reines said, we don't know who the other maidens are," Weiss countered, causing Yang to grit her teeth.
The room went quiet before Reines spoke back up, "Right now, we need to secure the alliance with the White Fang before focusing on these Maiden Huntresses." She said while looking to the group with a focused gaze, "We have just gotten word that Sienna Khan has revealed her location to us and will listen to our proposal. If we do not take advantage of this opportunity, it could be lost forever."
"Do you intend to tell Sienna about this situation as well?" Adam asked, but a silence fell over group.
Reines then focused on the blond brawler, "Yang, was it?" Reines asked with the blond brawler turning, "I need to speak with you about this mission you have elected to join."
"Sure, what about it?" Yang responded.
"You are Weiss's teammate, so it makes sense you would join her as my subordinates like she and Nobu are," Reines asked.
"Fine, I don't see a problem with that." Yang said before crossing her arms, "Anything else."
"Yes, just one more question." Reines said as she had a serious gaze, "On your journey learning about the Seasonal Maidens. Did a person referred to as, The Woman in Black, ever come up in conversations?"
"Actually, yeah, it did." Yang said, remembering her Raven and Quetzalcoatl speaking the name, "I don't know who she is, but she seems to a pretty scary lady."
"I see," Reines said, "One of the White Fang Killers mentioned that name as well. She was the one that made the monster you saw at the docks. The same monster that attacked in conjunction with the Maiden Huntresses." Reines said with Yang gasping,
"If The Woman in Black in connected two both parties," Adam pointed out, with Musashi finishing.
"Then it is the same enemy were fighting." Musashi said, "Both working for the same leader."
"If both serve the same enemy, we now have one more reason to join forces" Reines said while crossing her arms. "We don't have to hide this power from the White Fang leader, she should know this if where are engaging in a battle against as deadlier force." She responded, a smile forming. "We help Sienna Kahn take down the White Fang Killers, she can help us eliminate the Maiden Huntresses. Both of us work together to reach -" Suddenly, Reines was holding her head, the yellow aura pulsating from her eyes.
"You okay?" Weiss asked in worry.
"I'm fine," Reines responded, slightly out of breath. She then sighed as the aura faded, "I have only had these powers for a few hours and already see why they are despised by the holders."
"Yes," Sigurd responded, "The massive spike in aura will take some time to get used to. The doctors have advised you rest until we arrive at the White Fang Base. Estimated time, two days baring good weather conditions."
"Good," Reines responded, "That ends this meeting, but are there any questions?"
Nobu raised her hand, "Yeah, what where we are talking about? I zoned out partway through."
"…" Weiss looked on with eyes half-open, then turned back to Reines, "I'll fill her in when she comes off her high?"
"I mean, I know I good doctor we could send Nobu too." Yang offered, "It could help her recovery."
"It would not be wise to send members of our team away with our enemies still on the lose." Reines responded before looking to Sigurd, "Besides, I had heard that Nightingale was in the Kingdom not too far from the White Fang base's location. She will either be able to heal her legs…or will just want to chop them off."
"Oh, that's bad." Nobu said before leaning back, "I'm just sleeping on that, nighty nighty." She said before passing out. The others remained silent as they had no words for her reaction.
However, Weiss looked off to a window, her eyes filled with slight anger at the dark clouds, "The Woman in Black," She thought, "Who is she?"
The Woman in Black
A few hours later, in the middle of Clockwork Academy, Archer talked with Kiritsugu. "You found Chloe!?" the red mantle hero said over the scroll, "And she's alive."
Kiritsugu talked while looking through a window to the emergency room, seeing Nightingale examining an unconscious Chloe, "Yes, just barely." The magus specialist spoke before speaking in hushed tones, "She is radiating a type of uncontrollable aura. A type of heatwave, almost like the one-"
"Cinder had." Archer finished the thought, "A-are you saying that Chloe is now the Fa-"
"Oh, hello." From behind Archer, a seductive woman's voice spoke. He turned to see it was a woman in black. Rather, she wore a nun's habit with a slit up the left thigh, exposing her pure white heels and stockings. Her vail was accessorized with a golden necklace. Her face, an innocent smile with yellow eyes towards the red mantled hero, "Well, go ahead." She spoke while tilting her head to the side, "Don't mind me."
"Who are you?" Archer said as he lowered the scroll as he hung up.
"Me? I'm the Head of the Church at this Academy," the nun said with a slight bow, "Sessyoin Kiara." She said before returning her gaze to Archer, giggling, "It's funny, we have been here for a few weeks. Yet, this is the first time we have bumped into each other."
"I usually stay away from the Church," Archer responded.
"Oh, pity. It is a place where you can purge your sins and release your soul." Kiara spoke while extending her arms, "You have nothing to fear. I will not judge you, only listening." The nun then took a step closer to Archer, placing her right hand on his left, "When we are alone, you can do whatever you want to me." Kiara spoke with coiling her fingers around Archer's.
Suddenly, Archer pulled back his hand, "You may need a refresher on the values of the church."
However, Kiara giggled, "Oh, a shy boy, get it." the nun said before taking a step back, closing her eyes while bowing, "When you are ready, we can take it slow and gentle." She said before opening her eyes, a cold yellow glare with a smile of a beast, "Or maybe something rough." She said as Archer gasped, seeing multiple ghostly white hands radiate around the nun's body, "Heh." Kiara laughed as the arms instantly vanished, "As I said, either way works for me." She said before turning around, walking down the hall.
"What was that?" Archer said before seeing Kiritsugu calling back. Before answering, the red mantled hero looked back down the hall. While Kiara was nowhere to be seen, Archer walked the other direction down to be safe.
"What happened?" Kiritsugu asked.
"Nothing, it's fine." Archer responded. However, a line of sweat ran down his face as he thought one of the ghostly white hands was touching his left shoulder. In blinking, the image vanished before he looked back to his scroll. "I just met the Head of the Church here."
AN: There you go, The Woman in Black is Sessyoin Kiara. When considering who would be the biggest bad for this series, she was the one I was most intrigued with. Considering her origins and personality, she makes perfect sense as a third faction in Remnant's struggle. The other choice I considered was Morgan Le Fei, but she has another role in this storyline already. More will be revealed when the story comes back. The next season may be a while, but it is because I want to make sure I do a good job with it. I also plan to return to Re: Neo and Duel Academy's New Students in the meantime. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.
