Chapter 47
"All this time dealing with Loki, and he gets snuffed out by my Mom," Svetlana called out, unable to believe it herself.
"You know we'll have to go after her eventually," Saber declared. "Criminal or not, Natalia just committed murder and denied someone their right to trial."
"I know," the Crimson Crusader said with a sigh. "But we'll have to deal with her later. Right now, we've got other problems."
"Right: there's still Adam and Torchwick that we have to deal with," Raven said with a nod.
"And Barmak," Yang remarked. "Let's not forget he's on the island as well."
Svetlana nodded, but before she joined in the conversation, she noticed her husband was missing. She spotted him standing outside of the motel, leaning against the wall. "Mikhail? Are you okay?" She asked as she went over to him.
Mikhail just sighed. "I know that what your mother did was wrong, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't think I'll sleep better knowing he's gone."
"I know what you mean." Svetlana agreed before giving a soft chuckle.
Mikhail's eyebrow quirked. "What?"
"Well, now that he is gone… we don't have to worry about him trying to hurt either of us." She explained, resting her arms on his shoulders as she looked deep into his eyes. "That means… well, I mean, I've just been thinking… maybe we can finally think about starting a family."
Mikhail's eyes widened. "Really? I thought you were worried that we didn't have enough-"
"The harvest was an excuse." Svetlana interrupted. "I was just too scared he'd find his way back to us. But now, we're free. We can still continue our war against crime in New Rushland, but maybe… maybe now, it won't be so lonely."
Mikhail blushed. "Well, how many children do you want?"
"Three." Svetlana smiled. "At least."
"Speaking of futures, though, we need to have a talk," Blake declared as she and Yang pulled Ilia aside.
"So, how long have you been crushing on my wife?" Yang couldn't help but ask, before immediately wincing. "Sorry, that was…"
"No, it's okay." Ilia declared, sighing as she pointedly looked away from Yang and Blake. "Since we were kids, I suppose. My chameleon traits meant that I could pass as human if I wanted to, but that kind of thing was always a double-edged sword, as it meant that I never quite fit in anywhere...except when I was with one Blake Belladonna. She was the first person to make me feel...normal, I guess. The fact that she had a really cute butt didn't hurt either."
"Hard to resist the Bellabooty," Yang agreed with a smirk.
"Ignoring that, I'm sure others would have treated you the same." Blake said with fervor even as she worked to suppress a blush.
"No, they wouldn't have," Ilia denied, "Which is why it was so easy to fall for you. I'll admit when you got together with Polu Shark and then Adam, I was a tad bit upset, but I figured I could be happy for you as long as they treated you right."
"For the record, the break up with Polu Shark was a mutual thing." Blake remarked. "And we both know now that Adam was a mistake."
"I don't blame you for that last one," Ilia reassured her childhood friend. "He always did have a way with words. Anyways, I keep thinking back to that night where you left the White Fang and I keep asking myself, 'Why didn't I follow you?' but the truth is, I just didn't want you to remind you of him."
"You couldn't have done that if you tried." Blake declared, knowing that her friend was referring to Adam.
"I know that now," Ilia said with a bittersweet grin, "but you know what they say: 'hindsight is 20-20.'" She looked to Yang with a sigh. "In the end, the better girl won."
"...it's not a contest you know." Yang said with a light smile. "Looking at how you and Blake interact, there's little doubt in my mind of how close you two are. And, for what it's worth, I think that if you had told Blake how you felt before she had met me, I wouldn't have even stood a chance."
Ilia blinked in shock upon hearing this, giving a light blush as Blake nodded in agreement. "As I said, hindsight is 20-20. Guess I'll just have to find someone else to try that kind of courage with." She then gave Yang a serious expression. "Take care of her, you hear me?"
"Always," the blonde brawler declared with a nod, "And if you'd like, my offer for a threesome is still on the table."
Ilia couldn't help but share a blush with Blake. "I...I'll think about it."
"That's all I ask." Yang said with a grin.
"Sorry to bother you, but our scanners have picked up on a couple intruders just outside the camp." Saber piped up.
"Oh, great." Yang muttered to herself.. "Torchwick and his gods damned cockblockers."
"Can the attitude, Xiao Long. This is serious." Winter ordered. "We'll split into three groups. You and your sister take Octavia to check the caves. Lie, Valkyrie, and I will take Team SWCD to the forest. The rest of us will stay here and continue our research on the mysterious temple Deadeyes told us about."
"Road trip! WHEEEEE!" Hayley cheered as she reloaded her weapon. "C'mon, boys! Quit playin' with yerselves and let's get a move on!"
"Ugh, keep it down, Hayls…" Snapper groaned. "My ears are still ringin' after that last bang."
Deadeyes snorted. "What is that, Chopper? Vacuan for 'hangover?'" The one-eyed snake Faunus chuckled as his friend flipped him off.
"Polu Shark is a shark." Palu commented as he revealed a gatling gun from his back.
"Whoa!" Coco tilted her sunglasses down. "Where was he hiding that?!"
"Pretty sure the answer is 'Polu Shark is a shark.'" Velvet commented.
With that, the two teams split up to search for the intruders. Yang couldn't help but glance over at the shark Faunus before heading into the nearest cave. "So what if he can haul around a gun as big as he is." She said to herself. "Blake and I are married."
"Uh-oh, is someone jealous?" Octavia smiled, teasingly.
"No!" Yang denied. "I'm not jealous! You're jealous!"
"Oooh! You're hostile! Ha-ha-ha! I would love to psychoanalyze you." Octavia bit her lip, seductively. "That's how I met Polu in the first place!"
"Oh…" Yang smiled, slightly. "So he's spoken for."
"I wouldn't say that." The doctor shrugged, coyly. "What Polu and I have is a casual relationship. Unless we run into each other in the field, the only time I get to visit him is during conjugal visits."
Ruby rubbed her chin. "Okay, two questions. One; Polu seems like such a sweetheart. What'd he do to get in jail? Two; what's a… conjugal visit?"
"Well, from what I understand, he was involved in the White Fang at an early age. And a conjugal visit is-"
Yang quickly slapped her hand over the doctor's mouth to shut her up. "It's one of those things from Blake's naughty fan-fics!" She replied, vaguely, before realizing something. "Hey, wait… that is something from one of her fan-fics. 'The Cat Who Liked Water!'"
"Oh! You've read that, too?!" Octavia's smile widened.
Yang gave another glance towards Ruby before whispering in Octavia's ear. "So… is it true that even shark Faunus have two-?"
"Yaaaaaang!" An eerie voice echoed throughout the cave, sending a chill down the group's spines.
"Huh?!" Who's there?!" Yang activated Dragon Fang as she looked behind her.
"Yaaaaaaang!" The voice came again.
"Who's there?!" Yang repeated, trying to guard her sister. "I'm warning you! I'm armed and dangerous!"
"Yang!" Jean squealed with glee as she ran up to the group.
"AH!" Yang yelled out in surprise, before blinking as she took in the visage of their companion. "Wait, Jean?!"
"Oh, my gods! You finally found me!" The medical student sobbed, happily. "Oh, it was horrible! After Jaune hit me with that teleporter cube, I was sucked into some kind of alternate dimension where I was forced to constantly relive my worst nightmares until I lost my mind! And then I found it! And then I lost it again! But it was the thought of my best friends, tirelessly searching for a way to bring me back that kept me going! And look! Look at how my good faith has been rewarded! Oooh! I love you guys!"
"... wait, you were gone?" Yang's eyebrow arched.
"Wha… yes!"
"Since when?"
"Since when?! Since the beach! You don't remember?!"
"Hang on…" Yang took out her scroll and dialed up their Rushland friend. "Hey, Svets? Do you remember sending Jean to another dimension?"
Back at the lab, Svetlana could only blink at the question. "Jean? She's been here with us, hasn't she? Hey, Pyrrha! Jaune! Haven't you been keeping an eye on Jean?!"
"Who?" Pyrrha asked.
"Jean." Svetlana repeated. "You know, the purple girl? The medic?"
"Jean… Jean…" Jaune scratched his head in thought. "Mmm, nope. I got nothing."
"Yeah, I guess she's just got one of those faces, y'know?" Pyrrha shrugged.
At that, Yang hung up her scroll and turned back to the flabbergasted medic. "Huh. I guess with everything else that's been happening, nobody noticed you were gone. Crazy, huh?"
Jean's eye twitched as she felt something deep within herself snap. She began to chuckle. "'Crazy?' Ha ha ha ha… 'crazy?!' Ha ha ha ha ha! HA HA HA HA! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Oh, shit! Is Loki back?!" Yang asked, scanning the area.
"Arrogant fools!" Jean bellowed, sounding like a familiar rage-based Maiden fragment. "I've suffered from your incompetence for the last time! Now! PREPARE! TO FACE! OBLIVION!"
"Huh?!" Yang's eyes went wide as Jean tackled the blonde brawler and began mercilessly pounding her face in.
"Take this! And that! And some of this! And one of these!"
Ruby, recognizing what was happening, gained a stern expression. "Paulette, STOP!"
Jean suddenly froze in place before giving an arrogant chuckle. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the little silver-eyed prodigy." She then blinked in confusion. "Why did I say that?"
"Yeah, why did she say that?" Yang groaned out. "Also, why did she just attack me?"
"Paulette possessed her longer than anyone else, myself included," Ruby declared. "I'm thinking that Jean might have tapped into some of her leftover influence to try and stay sane...but it clearly didn't aid in her intelligence."
Jean simply snarled in reply. "You abandon me, forget me, and now you insult me!? How much more…?"
"Do you still have your scroll on you?"
Jean blinked at this question. "Excuse me?"
"Do you still have your scroll on you?" Ruby repeated. "At any point in time, did the thought of trying to contact us so that we would have an easier time finding you ever pop up in your mind?"
Here, Jean couldn't help but pale, grasping at her pockets to reveal that, sure enough, she still had her scroll on her and that she never even bothered to use it to contact them. "Okay, fair point," she admitted with a blush. "But that still doesn't excuse you guys forgetting me after everything I've…"
"...and what have you done?" Ruby growled out, sounding a bit like Paulette herself. "Besides sitting around waiting for one of us to die, that is? I mean, I get it: you're not a big fan of a violence, but there's a big difference between not wanting to fight and not helping your friends defend themselves."
"I helped you against Cinder." Jean growled out.
"Ah, yes, the defibrillator freezing Cinder Fall in place," the hooded huntress nodded. "But tell me: if Pyrrha hadn't prompted you to do so, would you have done the same thing? At least Octavia has shown some skills aside from sitting off to the sides while everyone else is getting killed!"
Jean just gasped. "You've already replaced me!?"
"Not yet," Ruby growled out. "But if you don't suck it up and start acting like an actual member of this team, we might reconsider...and before you argue how that isn't fair, name one thing you yourself have done for us."
Jean scoffed. "Oh, that's easy. I've…" She then blinked. "No, wait, that was Pyrrha's contribution, wasn't it? How about...no, wait, that was mostly Penny, Velvet, and Ciel. Wait, give me a minute."
"That's what I thought." Ruby said with a scoff. "Face it: you've got no one to blame but yourself for us forgetting about you in the face of having Adam and Torchwick trying to kill us while you were away."
"Wait, that's what you were dealing with while I was gone?!" Jean yelled out. "...I'd probably forget about me too."
Ruby's expression softened. "Hey, it's alright. Let's just head back to the lab, and bring you up to speed, and then - OCTAVIA! NOW!"
Octavia struck the crazed medic with her own medikit. "Ouch! The back of my head!" Paulette cried out before slipping into unconsciousness.
"Interesting." Octavia smiled. "And you say she's a medic?"
"Yeah. And a pacifier." Ruby nodded.
"Pacifist." Yang corrected.
"Whatever. Anyway, it's not her fault she's like this. Not entirely." Ruby explained. "She's still recovering from having a malicious entity in her head for a while, so she's a bit unstable at the moment."
"Well, you certainly handled her pretty well. How'd you do that, anyways?" Yang couldn't help but ask.
Ruby just tapped at the side of her head. "Jean isn't the only one who was marked by Paulette: figured I'd give the shadow of the angry Maiden fragment a taste of her own medicine."
Meanwhile, Ren, Nora, Winter and Team SWCD trekked through the forest with their weapons armed. The crocodile Faunus tucked one of his boomerangs into his belt as he reached for a flask. Winter shook her head. "Were you and Gray separated at birth or something?"
"Ah, blow it out yer arse, Ice Queen. I haven't had a real drink since I was locked up." Snapper retorted, taking a swig.
"Why were you in prison?" Nora asked. "What'd you do?"
"Drinkin' and drivin'."
Hayley snorted. "And the first thing you do is drink alcohol?"
"What? I ain't reformed."
"Still, you could kill someone with that nasty habit." The rabbit Faunus reasoned.
"Who're you? My parole officer? It was only one time… okay, and I may have robbed one or fifteen banks. What'd you do to get in prison, fluff-butt?"
Hayley shrugged. "Manslaughter."
"If ya don't mind me askin', why're you helpin' Menagerie, mate?" Snapper asked the JNPR couple as he took another swig from his flask. "Ya ain't even Faunus."
"It doesn't matter." Nora replied. "We know that Faunus are people, too. Some of our best friends are Faunus!"
"Yeah!" Ren added. "They help bring diversity to our lives."
"Diversity?" Hayley smirked.
"Yeah, just imagine how horrible life would be if everyone you knew was exactly the same." Ren gave a sideways glance towards Nora before he let his mind wander.
"Hey, has anyone seen my hammer?!" Nora #1 asked.
"Hey! Those are my pancakes!" Nora #2 shouted.
Nora #3 spat the mushed breakfast food back onto the plate and scooted it forward. "Sorry! Here you go!"
"Ew! That's gross!"
"Oh, what's the big deal? We all have the same mouth germs!"
"Hey!" Nora #4 burst into the room. "Who wants to look at my scrapbook of sexy Ren pictures?!"
"I do!" All four Noras shouted in unison. "Jinx! Double jinx! Magnihild! Arkos! Potato farm…! MY MILKSHAKE BRINGS ALL THE BOYS TO THE YARD! AND THEY'RE LIKE-!"
"OH, DEAR GODS, NO!" Ren gripped the sides of his head in horror.
"Ren, what's wrong with you?" Nora placed a hand on her friend's shoulder for comfort.
"Huh?" Ren blinked, suddenly remembering the difference between wild imagination and reality. "Oh, uh, sorry. Just witnessing a waking nightmare. I'm fine now, singular Nora."
"Uh… okay?" Nora shrugged before turning back to Team SWCD. "Anyway, we stand by our friends! Faunus or not!"
"Right." Winter nodded in agreement. "Now, where is this temple you mentioned, Deadeyes?"
"I don't have the foggiest idea." The sharpshooter shrugged. "I've never actually seen the place. All I know is that it's supposed to be somewhere in the forests at the heart of Menagerie."
"That could be anywhere!" Nora groaned. "Why can't ancient civilizations be more specific?"
Just then, Svetlana's voice came over Nora's scroll. "Guys, Yang, Ruby, and Octavia just brought Jean back to us. I've pinpointed the location of the second intruder and I'm on my way, now. Sending you the coordinates."
A few minutes later, the Crimson Crusader met her allies. "So, this is where we're supposed to find our intruder?" Svetlana couldn't help but ask, with good reason, as the area looked more like a crash site than a hiding spot.
"I mean, it is, but I'm not sure that we'll be finding anyone out here." Qrow remarked, before blinking as a figure started moving towards them through the leftover smoke from the crash. "...but I've been wrong before."
Winter nodded as she readied her sword. "Be ready for anything."
"Stand down, soldier."
The former Guardsman couldn't help but gasp in shock, having recognized that voice despite how long it'd been since she last heard it. "James?!" Winter called out in disbelief.
A mortally wounded General Ironwood could only give his former subordinate a bittersweet smile even as he limped towards the group through the smoke. "Evening, Agent White. Agent Grey."
"How are you here?!" Qrow called out. "You're supposed to be back in Atlas!"
"Which is precisely what our mutual foes want you to think." James declared. "I don't know who exactly they got to fill the role, but right now there's an imposter sitting in my chair back in Atlas Academy."
Winter and Qrow caught the injured general just as he collapsed from exhaustion. "Then where have you been?" Qrow asked.
"Torchwick… Taurus… they were holding me hostage." James explained as his former soldiers carried him into the motel. "There's… there's an airship circling the island that uses some sort of cloaking device. They've been holding me… holding me hostage up there for months. They were torturing me for information on Atlas' military secrets. I held out for as long as I could but… I had to stop them, somehow. So during a transfer to another cell, I killed the guards and hijacked one of their escape pods."
"Crazy son of a bitch." Qrow shook his head. "Octavia! Hurry up and get in here!"
Half an hour later, the group waited outside the room for Octavia to do her work. The doctor returned with bloodstains all the way up to her elbows. "I'm… I'm sorry, but most of his internal organs have been replaced with cybernetics. It's beyond my capabilities."
Winter bit her lip to fight back the tears. "How much longer does he have?"
"Not long. A few minutes… maybe an hour. If you have anything to say to him, now is the time."
With a nod, Winter, Qrow, and Svetlana entered the room.
Qrow just sighed. "I know I could be a bit of an ass at times…"
"That's an understatement," Winter declared with a scoff.
"...but despite everything, I've always had respect for you Jimmy," Agent Gray said with a roll of his eyes, pointedly ignoring how he'd been interrupted. "I guess what I'm trying to say here is that it's not going to be the same without you James." Qrow just shook his head before giving a salute. "I hope you find peace wherever it is you end up, General Ironwood."
Winter blinked in shock. "You've never saluted him before."
"Figured he earned it this time around." Ruby's uncle said with a shrug.
"I appreciate it," the General declared with a grin before turning to Winter. "...you were right to disappear that night." James admitted. "If you had stayed, I'm not sure what Jacques would've done to you. What he would've forced me to do to you."
"You would've never let him hurt me." Winter reassured him.
"I wish I could believe that, but my desire to protect Atlas has left me compromised on more than one occasion." the general admitted. "It's how Jacques was able to lead me around by the nose. I should've realized long ago that he was abusing what little trust I gave him and that he'd never actually attack Atlas, as that would've hurt him as much as it would anyone else."
"Don't blame yourself: if there's one thing that Adam and Jacques seem to have in common, it's that they're both master manipulators," Svetlana replied. "They've got all the angles covered."
"Not every angle." the general declared as he reached into his pocket and handed a flash drive to Winter. "Here… it's everything you need to know about their plans." Ironwood coughed, weakly. "It'll also lead you to the temple they're so interested in."
"... thank you, sir." Winter nodded, respectfully, before leaving the room.
"Svetlana… a word?" The dying general requested. As the Rushland woman knelt down before him, he reached into his pocket for another drive. "This… this is my entire financial savings… it should be more than enough to help you rebuild Rushland."
Svetlana was shocked as she accepted the drive. "But… but why?"
Ironwood chuckled, sadly. "In my line of work, you tend to witness a lot of bad things. So much pain. So much misery. At some point, it all seems to blend together. But I'll never forget taking a witness statement from a fourteen-year-old girl who had just watched her entire home get destroyed in one night."
Svetlana smiled, softly. "You were kind, James. I don't know where I'd be if you hadn't… thank you."
Another cough escaped from the general's mouth. "Do you remember how you used to leave my office behind my back? Even though I never dismissed you?"
Svetlana chuckled, lightly. "You always told me everything I needed at the time. And for such a stern general, you never seemed to notice when I left until I was gone."
"Yeah, well… looks like this time… I get to pull a… a disappearing act on you for… for once…" With that, General James Ironwood closed his eyes and released his final breath.
"James?" Svetlana gently shook the cyborg's arm, tears welling up in her eyes. "James?"
Qrow, understanding what had happened better than most, just brought the young girl into a comforting hug even as she broke down sobbing, silently promising the late General to look after the kids for him.
Svetlana looked back down at the drive her old friend had gifted her with, where she read the label. "'Krasnaya…'" She whispered to herself. As she said it, she felt a sense of inspiration growing.
"What's that mean?" Qrow asked out of curiosity.
Svetlana wiped her eyes as she pocketed the drive and rose to her feet. "It's Rushland… for red."
With the other flash drive, Winter and Octavia were able to pinpoint the location of the mysterious temple and within the hour, the group made their way towards it. Ruby couldn't help but tap Blake's shoulder. "Y'know, at some point we're gonna have to tell your parents that General Lionheart isn't the bad guy they think he is."
"It won't be that easy, Ruby." Blake sighed. "Adam was telling the truth about one thing; this war started long before he and Torchwick showed up."
"There's gotta be something we can do." Yang insisted. "If we can just get the two of them to sit down and talk-" Suddenly, the warthogs came to a sudden stop.
"Uh, guys, it looks like Roman and Adam made it to the temple first." Ciel nervously declared.
"Wait, what?!"
Sure enough, Adam, Roman, Neo, and several of their men were gathered around the temple they had been searching for.
"What do we do now?" Fox couldn't help but ask.
Winter just sighed as she took out some binoculars she had brought with her. "Not much we can do except observe and hope they don't grab whatever's inside."
Here Ilia gulped in reply. "And if they do grab it?"
"Plant our feet and show them that it's not the weapon that makes the warrior, but the one holding the weapon," Blake reassured her old friend, patting her on the shoulder as she does.
"Good attitude, kid," Winter said with a smile before she began observing Roman and company through her binoculars.
Meanwhile, Adam and Roman were discussing the temple in question with one of their scientists. "Run that past me one more time." Roman requested.
The scientist just shrugged in reply. "Basically, the inscription says that anyone can enter the temple, but only a true warrior of pure heart and mental clarity can successfully unlock the treasure that lays inside."
Roman shared a look with Neo and Adam before turning back to the scientist. "Okay… and what if the person who enters doesn't fit that description?"
Adam roughly shoved one of the mercenaries into the temple, causing him to vanish in a flash of light. Roman and Neo stared in shock at their partner. Adam shrugged. "Guess we'll find out."
Winter peered through her binoculars. "That man just… disappeared."
"Really? Let me see." Yang made a grab for the binoculars, but Winter just swatted her hand away.
Five minutes later, the mercenary exited the temple, falling onto his hands and knees. "Oh, gods! I'm back! I'm back!"
Adam just looked at the panicking mercenary for a while before turning towards one of the onsite scientists. "Huh. Guess I owe you fifty lien."
"What happened, kid?" Roman couldn't help but ask, helping the mercenary back on his feet.
The mercenary just continued to whimper. "Oh, gods I... I saw... things... horrible things. People I've killed."
Adam simply groaned. "Crap. If we're gonna have to talk to every person we've wronged or some bullshit, this is gonna take forever."
Torchwick glared at his ally. "Kid, for once in your life, shut up."
One of the gathered scientists simply hummed to herself as she examined the mercenary in question. "Well, his vitals all read normal, aside from the heightened heartbeat, which is normal for when someone is frightened."
Torchwick puffed at his cigar before giving a nod. "Alright, then. I'm going in."
"What?" Adam asked in surprise, Neo likewise asking the same in sign language.
"We've wasted enough time as it is." Torchwick explained. "Salem wants results, and I can get what we came for."
Adam scoffed. "Bullshit! You think a criminal is a true warrior? How do you know it's not me?"
Torchwick simply smirked in reply. "Because you're you."
"And you suck." Neo signed with a smirk.
Adam growled in response before giving a sigh. "Okay... if you're so confident, why don't the three of us go in together? Let the temple decide?"
"Fine." Roman declared, Neo likewise giving a shrug, before all three of them walked inside.
The first thing that Torchwick upon entering was that he was alone in a large empty chamber that was at a temperature that chilled him to the bone. "What the... Neo? Taurus? Where the hell are you?"
"Who... are... you...?"
Torchwick blinked in response to the voice that echoed through the chamber. "... uh, I'm Roman Torchwick." he declared before noticing that his surroundings were beginning to change, now looking like a small district in Atlas. "Wait a minute... is this... my home?"
"Roman? Roman?"
Torchwick gasped, turning around to see a young boy with red hair. "No... it can't be."
A younger version of Roman couldn't help but smile as he ran towards the house. "Coming, mama! Coming!"
Roman's mother, Juliet, likewise smiled in return. "Come along! Your father will be home any minute now."
Torchwick blinked in shock. "I can't believe this…"
It was here that the younger Roman looked over and saw Torchwick. "Mama? Who's that?"
Juliet simply gasped in reply. "Roman, go inside, and hide!" she declared, pushing him inside and closing the door before she took out a weapon. "Who are you?!"
Torchwick raised his hands in a calming manner. "N-no, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I just-"
Roman's mother growled. "What? Speak English! Who are you?! We already paid for protection this month!"
Torchwick blinked in response. "What? You... you can't understand me? Mom, I-"
His mother simply held his younger self behind her. "Stay back! My husband will be home soon! He's a Huntsman in training!"
Here, Torchwick felt a chill run down his spine. "No! Please, listen! I just-"
"Juliet? Who is this?" Roman's father, Romeo, couldn't help but ask as he returned home.
Torchwick wouldn't have been able to contain the gasp that escaped his lips even if he tried. "Dad?"
Romeo could only glare as he aimed his gun cane at Torchwick. "If you're with Klien's men, we paid the protection!"
"Shoot him, Romeo!" Juliet called out.
Torchwick held up his own cane in an attempt to defend himself. "No! No, please! Stop!"
Roman's Father, however, refused to listen, his finger already reaching for his weapon's trigger. "Last warning! Get lost! Or I'll-!"
"NO!" Roman yelled out, firing his weapon on instinct, only to gasp as his father dropped his own weapon and fell to the ground, dead. "No... no, I... I didn't mean it, I-"
The younger version of Roman simply gave him a tear-filled glare. "How...how could you?! Y-you... you hurt my Papa!"
Torchwick shook his head in horror. "No! I... I'm sorry, I-"
Roman's Mother simply teared up giving him a death glare. "DIE, YOU SCUM!" was the last thing the Gentleman Thief heard before she fired upon him.
"Ah…" Torchwick yelled out in grief and pain as he suddenly found himself back outside the temple before Neo suddenly ran up and gave him a teary-eyed hug. "Neo? You're back?"
"'Bout time." Adam called out from a different section of the courtyard.
"What did you see?" Roman couldn't help but ask.
Adam looked away from the group before giving his response. "... nothing. Turns out, I'm a true warrior."
"Bullshit."
Adam just sighed in reply. "Yeah, yeah, fine. It was the stuff of nightmares. Looks like Salem's gonna have to wait after all."
Torchwick could only watch as Adam walked off, before looking down to see that Neo was still hugging him. "What'd you see?" he asked as he gently patted her on the head.
"You... being killed by Red." the mute girl signed out.
Torchwick merely nodded even as he looked towards the retreating bull Faunus with a look of curiosity and suspicion, before shrugging. "We're not going to be making any more progress at any rate: let's just try again tomorrow."
"Looks like they're leaving for the time being," Raven declared as Adam, Roman, Neo, and the others headed back to their camp, setting down her own binoculars as she did. "Let's get moving."
"Wait, you mean go inside the temple that managed to scare the pants off a bunch of hardened criminals?!" Sun couldn't help but ask.
"We don't have a choice." Blake remarked. "I know Adam, and it's only a matter of time before he starts grabbing civilians to try and get whatever's inside for him...but if we have it, then he'll be forced to order more of his forces to start coming after us."
Here Mata couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow. "And that's a good thing because…?"
"Because unlike some of the folks on the island, we can actually defend ourselves," Ruby replied, "And besides, this time we'll have the aid of whatever the Doppelgangers hid here."
"Wait, what?"
"So you noticed it too, eh Rubes?" Yang said with a smile. "This 'ancient civilization' that built this place? I recognize some of the designs from when we were briefly bunking with Jasmine and Alex back at Beacon."
"What're Doppelgangers?" Sun asked.
"They're this evolved species of Grimm who can look like people." Yang explained. "We ran into a few of them when we were still students. Apparently, they thought I was part of some prophecy to save their lives or something, but it all turned out to be a sham so Barmak could get me pregnant and give birth to the real savior of their race."
The lieutenants, Team SWCD, and Winter all stared blankly at the blonde brawler's statement. At last, Winter broke the silence. "You've… given birth to a Grimm?"
"Fuck yeah! Holly's awesome!" Yang eagerly took out her scroll. "Look! Here she is with her women's boxing league!"
Sure enough, Winter saw a picture of what looked like a carbon-copy of Yang, albeit with pale skin, inky veins, pitch-black eyes, and cat ears on top of her head. The young adult was surrounded by a group of other girls who looked slightly frightened by their fellow boxer. Winter cleared her throat. "Well… that is the last thing I was expecting to see, today… or ever."
Yang sighed, wistfully, as she hugged the scroll to her heart. "Ah, they grow up so fast."
"Polu Shark is a shark."
"She does have my ears." Blake blushed. "Thank you for noticing."
"So this temple was built by sentient Grimm?" Yatsuhashi pondered. "It's some pretty impressive architecture."
"Does make you wonder why they abandoned it, though," Coco remarked.
"I CAN SEE THE FUTURE!" was yelled out over the distance.
"...yeah, that would do it." Coco admitted, before turning towards the temple doors. "So, who wants to go first?"
"That's actually a good question," Ilia called out. "It's said that only a true warrior would be able to retrieve what's inside the temple, so we'll need to figure out what they mean by 'true warrior.'"
"I'll go," Winter immediately called out. "I was second only to Summer Rose herself among the Guardsmen, so this should be easy."
"...and you jinxed it," Penelope deadpanned.
Here, Winter rolled her eyes. "Well, if you're that worried, you can go ahead and tag along."
Penelope nodded. "Okay: barring any unexpected surprises, I'll be right there beside you."
"Much appreciated," Agent White declared before she found herself walking into a large chamber that seemed to have been bigger on the inside than it had been on the outside.
"Penny, are you seeing this?" Winter couldn't help but ask, only to blink when she didn't get a reply. "Penny?"
"Who...are...you...?"
Winter, having heard the voice and understanding this is a test, got her sword ready with a determined look on her face. "I'm your true warrior."
"Really, then what does that make me?"
Winter couldn't help but gasp as she saw who was rounding the corner. "Summer?"
"...and she's not alone," Maria Calavera - aka Agent Silver, aka the Grimm Reaper - called out as she walked up to stand beside Summer Rose, aka Agent Rose, giving Winter a sad smile as she does. "Been a long time, Snow Angel."
Winter couldn't help but tear up a little as she lowered her sword. "Bones? You...you're supposed to be dead…"
"She is...no thanks to you," Cinder Fall - Agent Crimson - declared as she too appeared, wearing the same outfit she'd been wearing when she first became the Meta and giving Winter a look that almost resembled respect. "Stabbing your lover in the back to gain power. I have to admit, I never thought you'd have the guts to pull that off: we might have more in common then I thought…"
Winter growled in response. "Shut up, that's... I'm not like you! I'll never be like you!"
Qrow Branwen, Agent Grey, could only give a sad nod as he too appeared. "That's what I said...and we all know how that turned out."
Here, Winter took a few cleansing breaths. "Okay, I get it now: you're not real. None of you are real. If this was simply the ghosts of my past, Qrow wouldn't show up, as he's still outside the chamber."
Trifa/Agent Blue simply gave a light scoff as she made her own appearance. "Yes, because it's absolutely impossible for someone to be in two places at once, or for someone to look like someone else. By the way, did you ever find out where Dr. Merlot buried my body after stealing my armor?"
Winter could only shake her head in frustration even as Tock/Agent Yellow and Glynda Goodwich/Agent Purple made their own appearances. "This...this isn't possible: you...you can't be alive!"
Tukson/Agent Burgundy, having appeared alongside Tyrian Callows, aka Agent Black, aka The Mad Scorpion - with various other members of Project Huntsmen appearing in the background as all this was happening - could only give a bitter chuckle in reply. "Oh, Winter: who said we were?"
Winter was only able to watch in horror as every member of Project Huntsman turned to ash before her eyes. "NO!" she yelled out, before shaking her head as she tried to calm down. "Stop it, Winter: it isn't real."
Weiss scoffed as she appeared before her. "Even now, you try to deny your crimes." she declared with a hollow chuckle even as Winter looked upon her in shock. "First Maria, then Summer...I wonder how long I have to wait before I'm at the wrong end of your blade?"
Winter could only give a teary-eyed shake of her head in response. "That's not...I'd never…"
"Get involved with anything that doesn't concern you? Sounds about right," Blake said with a scoff as she stood beside her teammate. "How many of my people had to suffer because you ran away from your family? ...and yes, Yang, I am very much aware of the hypocrisy of that statement."
Yang simply shrugged as she made her appearance, Ciel, Jean, and Team JNPR at her side. "Hey, I don't hold it against you: despite what Adam might think, you were never a coward. When you ran, it was always because you feared for someone else's life." She then turned and gave Winter a sad glare. "Wonder if Frosty here can say the same…"
"Of course she can't," Ruby said with a glare, Team CFVY at her side. "What possible reason could she have had for trying to kill my mom?!"
Winter, feeling as if her heart had stopped for a brief moment, merely shook her head in response even as Svetlana and Mikhail joined the group. "I...I'm sorry: I didn't think…"
Penelope - currently with her own body that looked similar to what Penny had used during the Vytal Festival - could only shake her head in response as she too made an appearance. "That's right: you didn't think...at all. You just did what you've always done: struck down anyone who got in your way. Jacques would be proud." she declared, adding a bitter chuckle to the end as she does.
Despite her growing fear, Winter couldn't help but let out a growl of defiance. "Don't you ever bring him up!"
Weiss shrugged. "Why not? From where I stand, he's the only real family you have, and this is what happens to everyone else!"
Winter could only watch in horror as everyone burns alive. "No, STOP!" she yelled out as she grabbed at her sister's ashes as she tears up, not even noticing when she's ejected from the chamber. "...please...not again…"
Penelope - the real Penelope - could only blink in response. "Winter?" The Maiden fragment almost let a flinch as Winter looked up at her with an absolutely broken expression, feeling a slight chill as she watches Winter just barely calming down as she takes in the view of everyone else, even reaching out and touching a couple of them to make sure that they were real.
Ruby, having noticed as well, quickly walks over and gives Winter an embrace. "Hey, it's okay…"
Weiss quickly joined in the hug alongside Yang, the spectral Penelope, and eventually Blake, raising an eyebrow in concern as she did. "Wha...what happened in there?"
"I...I saw the members of Project Guardsman..." Winter admitted with a sniffle.
Penelope simply nodded in response. "Was there a fight? All I got was static, so I can't be sure…"
Winter just shook her head even as she tightened the embrace. "I don't want to talk about it right now…"
"Okay… anyone else want to try?" Ren asked no one in particular.
"Just sit back and watch." Yang boasted as she readied Ember Celica and Dragon Fang. "Because I am a true… motherfucking warrior! Ha HAAA!" Yang jumped into the gateway, only to be immediately sent back out. "WHAAAAAAAAA!"
"Yang!" Ruby rushed to help her sister back onto her feet. "What happened?"
Winter chuckled. "I guess you are not a true warrior."
Hours went by as everyone tried, one-by-one, to enter the temple. But they were all met with the same results; seeing their greatest fears laid bare in front of them. "This is ridiculous!" Winter called out. "How have none of us gotten in yet?!"
Penelope couldn't help but sigh. "It would help if the requirements weren't so cryptic. 'True warrior, pure of heart, mental clarity?' What does that even mean?"
"Probably the opposite of a false warrior. Duh."
Here, Weiss couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Ruby, not now."
"I'm just saying we can eliminate that as an option. The false warrior." Ruby said with a shrug.
"RUBY!"
The hooded huntress couldn't help but flinch as everyone yelled out in frustration. "Fine! Geez! I'm gonna look for the bathroom."
Weiss could only groan in reply. "Ugh! What do I even see in that empty headed dolt?!"
Penelope blinked upon hearing that statement. "Wait... empty headed."
Everyone looked at each other as the idea sank in. Soon enough, Ruby found herself being shoved into the temple. "Hey! This isn't the bathroom!" she called out.
"Who...are...you...?"
Ruby blinked as the voice reverberated through the area. "Uh... I'm Ruby Rose."
"Hmmm... you are not like the others." the voice called out. "Your heart... lacks greed. Devoid of all selfish desires."
"I guess," Ruby said with a shrug. "I just want to help my friends."
"Your mind... is without doubt." the source of the voice continued. "And your strength... I have decreased the temperature by tenfold since you arrived. Yet you seem unaffected."
"What's a tenfold?"
The voice gasped in shock. "You... haven't noticed?"
Ruby blinked in response. "What? What a 'tenfold' is? I dunno, you brought it up."
A spector quickly appeared before her, giving a light chuckle as she did. "Then it seems that you are indeed a true warrior."
"Neat." the hooded huntress remarked. "But if you don't mind my asking, who are you?"
"I am the prize which this temple has been safeguarding for all this time." the entity declared. "I am the Winter Maiden."
To Be Continued
