Friday, September 18
POV: Zach
As everyone was leaving Professor Port's room, Zach walked over to Ruby. "Can I talk to you for a bit? Preferably in private."
"Um, sure." Ruby responded, looking more than a little confused. "Will the Dragonhouse work?"
"Yes." Zach responded, before proceeding to head in the direction of the Dragonhouse. The two of them were silent on the way over there, but Zach could tell even without listening to Ruby's thoughts, that she was confused about why he wanted to speak with her. Thankfully, they got there without incident. When they arrived, the only dragon present was Nalia.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Ruby asked.
"Give me a second, I want to make sure that no one can eavesdrop on us." Zach said as he proceeded to make a series of strange glowing purple symbols on the ground in rapid succession with swift movements of the Demon Blade. Once he finished, a wall of similar purple symbols formed around the two of them. "There we go. Now then, I wanted to talk to you about two things. First, I'm going to tell you something that I don't particularly like talking about, my own experience with being kidnapped." That got Ruby's full and undivided attention, as well as an audible gasp as Ruby's right hand subconsciously moved up to her mouth.
"Are you serious?" She asked.
"Deadly so." He replied. "It was December 13, 2016. Me, Nick, David, Percy, and two other half-bloods by the names of Thalia Grace, a daughter of Zeus, and Annabeth Chase, a daughter of Athena, were at a school in Maine, one of the fifty states in the USA, responding to a call for assistance from a satyr by the name of Grover Underwood. You see, satyrs help half-bloods out in a number of ways, but the main one is by going undercover in schools to find them and do what they can to help them get to camp, which is a safe haven for them. And Grover had found two who were particularly powerful. The problem he had was the vice principal, who was a monster. Specifically, a manticore, which was disguised as a human being and had taken on the fake name of 'Dr. Thorn.' Grover couldn't even get near the half-bloods because always Thorn got in the way. That's where we came in. I had Nick and David get on the roof of the school and told them to not let any monsters get the jump on us while the rest of us went inside to link up with Grover."
"The school had a dance going on that night, and Thorn had his eyes on us. So we took our eyes off of the half-bloods to make it seem like they weren't why we were there. Next thing we knew, Thorn had taken them and almost disappeared with them. Percy went after them and wound up getting his ass kicked by Thorn, but we managed to catch up to them before Thorn could really disappear with them. However, Thorn was good. He completely prevented us from getting a hit in on him. Then, when he was about ready to kill Percy and Thalia, the goddess Artemis appeared with her hunters and managed to get Thorn to change tactics. There was no way he would beat a goddess, so he decided to retreat. Before he could though, Annabeth had jumped onto Thorn's back and stuck her knife in it. As he made to retreat, I ran at him with my fist on fire to at least try to get Annabeth off his back, but his tail flicked out and bashed into my head, knocking me out."
"What?!" Ruby asked quietly, shocked that something had effectively beaten the person who was able to casually beat Pyrrha without breaking a sweat.
"When I came to, I was chained to the remains of large stone wall, my weapons were taken away, and I had a strange stone collar around my neck. Turned out, that collar was meant to keep me from using any of my powers. After about a minute though, I noticed something beyond where I was being held. Practically in the middle of the courtyard remains, was Annabeth. She was on one knee, and was seemingly struggling to hold up something. I quickly put two and two together and realized that whoever was in charge there had managed to essentially force Annabeth to bear the burden that the Titan Atlas had been given as an eternal punishment, the weight of the sky." Zach continued, proceeding to twirl the streak of gray in his black hair with his right pointer finger subconsciously. "I immediately looked around, and almost instantly, I spotted someone whom the sight of them made my blood boil. Luke Castellan. Before I could do anything in response to seeing him, Annabeth let out a grunt of pain. My eyes darted back over to her, and I noticed that her arms seemed to have lowered. My eyes widened in shock, which quickly turned into rage. Annabeth was my friend, and those assholes had her stuck holding up the weight of the sky. I was pissed, no, way beyond pissed. I had always had ridiculous strength compared to most people, and despite being thirteen at the time, I was able to lift easily over three times my own body weight. I instantly acted, tearing the chains out of the wall, and sprinted over to Annabeth in mere seconds. I knew that someone had to hold up the sky, or else everyone would be flattened. So, instead of pulling Annabeth out, I got onto one knee right beside her, and helped her hold up the sky until help could arrive and get us the hell out of there. We were prisoners there until December 21 and me, Percy, and Annabeth all, at some point in time during that timeframe, at least helped to hold up the sky. Because of that, each of us has a streak of gray in our hair." Zach said. "What I'm trying to get at is, don't be afraid to talk to someone. Get some help. I know that I had to after that, and there weren't exactly any psychiatrists that I could talk to about my problems." That got Ruby to laugh a bit. "Now then. The other thing you saw in your nightmare that night. Can you describe it?"
Ruby stiffened slightly, then relaxed. "After the part that made sense, I found myself in a room with a bunch of strange soldiers in green armor and one guy in a white uniform was with them. They were in a hallway of some kind of silver metal with blue lights on the walls. The guy in white told one of the others to get the door open, and the guy responded with something like, 'I'll try, but it looks like the Covenant worked pretty hard to lock it down."
"Did you say 'Covenant'?!" Zach asked, shocked.
"Yeah, they had mentioned that. What is it?"
"Was. It's gone now. Basically, they were a bunch of different species of aliens that wanted humanity extinct because of the three lying assholes who were in charge." Ruby's eyes went wide. "Did you get any names?"
"Only two. Mendoza and Jenkins." It was Zach's turn to have his eyes go wide. In an instant he was wearing his armor instead of his uniform and was scrolling through his Tacpad. After a few moments, a holographic screen pops up, showing the exact scene that Ruby had described from the perspective of one Private Wallace A. Jenkins.
"Is this the scene?" Zach asked.
"Yes, how did you know?"
"Fuck. Did you see those tan things get Jenkins?"
"Yes, why?"
"In a minute. After that, then what did you see?"
"Everything faded to black, then I heard a voice say, 'what our kin failed to do to Earth, we will do to Remnant.' Then I turned around and saw a lot of those mutated people. Humans, faunus, all three dragons, and at the front of them all, was me, in the same condition as them. And that's where it ended." Ruby concluded. "What does it mean?"
"Di Immortales." Zach cursed. He then went back to scrolling through the Tacpad until he found the clip he wanted. "Did it sound like this." He asked before pressing something on the Tacpad. It then played an audio clip of the Gravemind saying, "These ones are machine and nerve, and have their minds concluded." in it's deep, gravelly, and slightly echoing voice.
"Yes." Ruby responded, slightly terrified.
"Oh, Styx!" Zach cursed again, thunder rumbling in the distance this time. "It sounds like that wasn't a nightmare, but rather a Demigod dream."
"What?"
"Demigods rarely if ever have normal dreams, rather, when we do dream, our dreams always relate to current events in some way, shape, or form. Sometimes we'll see a part of the past that is relevant to the present, which is what the first part of that was, and the second part seemed like another thing that can happen with Demigod dreams, seeing the worst potential outcome of current events."
"But, I'm not a Demigod. I know who both of my parents are. Well, you know."
"Yeah, I know that. Which confuses me, unless. I think I know what it is."
"What?!"
"I've read up on Silver Eyed Warriors, and from what I've read, and, supposedly, nothing could lay a finger on them unless they allowed it to. I think I've figured out what enabled that kind of skill. I think that people with silver eyes can both have mock Demigod dreams, enabling them to know more about their opponents, and see into the future. It would enable them to see attacks coming from a mile away and react to them in real time."
"That would explain how I saw what I saw in the warehouse that day before I even got there." Ruby muttered.
"So you've also gotten flashes of the future." Zach said.
"Yeah." Ruby confirmed. "You?"
"Same here. It started out being a rare thing, but nowadays, they happen at least once a week. I think I'm starting to get control of it, but don't quote me on that."
"So, if you're correct, then the two of us could be some of the most powerful combatants ever?" She asked.
"Powerful, up for debate. Capable, yes." Zach corrected. "I think we should keep somewhat quiet about this though, because one, I might be wrong, two, advantages are best kept secret, and three, who outside of our teams and maybe team JNPR would believe us."
"Agreed." Ruby replied. "Although, what are you going to do about the thing that my dream predicted?"
"At the moment, just be ready for it. That's all I can do right now."
"One last thing, what was it?" Ruby asked.
"The Flood. An antient parasite that feeds off of sentient lifeforms and grows stronger and smarter the more it consumes. Word of advice, Aura doesn't help against it very much, so avoid close quarters combat with it, and stay the fuck away from any kind of tan gas cloud."
"I'll…keep that in mind." Ruby said as Zach took down the enchantment. Ruby walked over to the new workbench that she put in the Dragonhouse on Thursday the week after the incident, and Zach went off to perform some maintenance on the Olympus' Mark 2457/35cm HRG "Mini-MAC".
Saturday, September 19
POV: Aaron
Aaron lay on a new couch recently brought into the Dragonhouse. He was intently reading a biology textbook. The other members of his team thought he was crazy for reading a textbook in his free time, but he wasn't exactly doing it for fun. Alagaësia didn't know how exactly the human body worked. Already, Aaron had found out that several deadly diseases back home were eradicated on Remnant, or a nuisance more than deadly. Others, he thought he could treat or cure with magic while technology couldn't do more than slow progress.
If only we had this much information back home, he thought to Nalia. So many more people would still be alive.
Books like this would have helped, the dragon agreed. So much knowledge in one book that students here must know. If magic was prevalent here, there would be even less suffering.
Aaron nodded his head, then looked up. Well, for the most part anyway. He looked across the Dragonhouse at Ruby. She stood at her workbench doing something with her metal arm. Several of her own biology books lay across the table. If the last week was any indication, she probably had even more information on her scroll and her fake eye, however that last one worked.
Ever since Ruby obtained various tools and supplies two days after being rescued, the young Rider spent almost all her time either in the Dragonhouse or another workshop trying to improve her arm. Much to the initial surprise of her teammates, Ruby didn't try to install a gun in her arm. When she explained she was focusing on getting feeling back in her arm, they understood. So far, Ruby said she had made little progress. As far as Aaron understood, no one had ever been able to successfully incorporate a nervous system into a bionic arm before. There were several attempts, but all failed. Still, the field was relatively new, and Ruby had hopes that she could come up with something.
Still, Aaron was worried. She was pushing herself too hard. Ruby got up early in the morning to research and test, and went to bed late each night. During class and their magic training sessions, she was tired, and her head was always somewhere else. If there was any bright side, she rarely thought about her imprisonment. Well, she didn't break down anyway.
Nalia, we have to get Ruby out of here, Aaron said, Where's the rest of the team?
They're in their room, Nalia replied. If I had to guess, I'd say they're doing homework, or in Yang's case, putting it off.
Aaron closed his book and set it on the end table by his head. He stood up and started walking out of the Dragonhouse. Before he left though, he turned to look at where the last egg was now buried. It had been two weeks since the members of team JNPR were brought before the egg. It never even made a sound.
The Rider sighed and left the building. If Ruby noticed him leave, she didn't let on. Aaron took out his scroll and entered Yang's number. I rang twice before she answered. "Hey Aaron, what's up?" she asked.
"Not much," Aaron said. "Still trying to get through that biology book."
"I get why you're reading it, but I don't understand how you can bear it."
"Simple necessity. I might be able to save a life with what's in there." Yang made a noise that Aaron now associated with 'whatever.' He turned his head back toward the Dragonhouse. "Also, I'm worried about Ruby."
Yang sighed over the scroll. "She still working on her arm nonstop?"
"Yeah, I don't even think she noticed me leave the building." Aaron sighed this time. "You know her best, what's the best way to snap her out of this?"
"Hmmm." The creak of a chair floated through the scroll. "We have a board game in here that she likes that we haven't played in a while. That could do the trick."
"As long as she's out of the Dragonhouse and workshops. The library's a good bet."
"Probably a good idea. You going to be there as well?"
"Yeah, figured I should brush up on Remnant's history a little more."
"More spare time reading, or for class?"
"A little bit of both."
"Alright, see you in a few." Yang disconnected and Aaron put his scroll back in his pocket. A shadow covered him, and Aaron looked up at the obstruction. Several Atlas ships had arrived in Vale over the last day. All those currently in the kingdom were smaller than the Vytal, but all could still probably take on several dragons at once if needed. Aaron hadn't been in Vale long, but he knew shows of force like this always preceded something.
Aaron entered the library and immediately headed for the history section. Once there, he picked up a few books on the Human-Faunus war. Doctor Oobleck assigned a reading in only one of them, but Aaron wanted to know more about Remnant's history. He learned the hard way that the elves didn't take ignorance very well, and he did his best since then to not make a fool of himself.
As Aaron searched for a place to sit, he came across team JNPR already sitting at a table. Nora was sleeping on top of the book Ren was reading, Jaune and Pyrrha were each reading their own books. An X-Ray and Vav comic lay on the table as well. "Mind if I join you?" Aaron asked.
The three that were awake looked up. "Oh, Aaron," Jaune said, sounding surprised. "Not at all, take a seat." Aaron sat in the chair directly across from Pyrrha.
"The Faunus War," Pyrrha commented. "More extracurricular reading or is this for class?"
"A bit of both," Aaron opened a book to the assigned section. "If I'm going to live here, I might as well know some of the history."
"If Doctor Oobleck ever asks what advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune, it's night vision," Jaune commented. Aaron wondered what would cause Jaune to say that. He shook his head and turned his attention to the book.
After a few minutes, Aaron heard a few familiar voices. He looked up and saw the rest of his team walking roughly in his direction. Yang held a box in one of her arms. Ruby of course wore her gloves, covering up her metal hand. She was smiling and talking with the rest of her team, and Aaron swore he saw a scheme brewing in the young Rider's good eye.
Aaron returned his attention to his book and continued reading. The girls of his team sat down and played their game. Ruby and Yang were being overly loud and dramatic about it, while Weiss sounded overly confused and Blake sounded like she didn't care. At one point, Aaron swore he heard that Weiss attacked her own navy. Jaune snickered a little.
A few minutes later, Aaron decided to listen in on what exactly was going on at the other table. Ruby was making a few noises of concentration, then she said dramatically, "Yang Xiao Long, prepare your kingdom for battle!"
"Bring it on!" Yang said, acting as dramatic as her sister.
"I deploy, the Atlesian Air Fleet!" Yang gasped. "Looks like I get to fly right over your Ursai and attack your walls directly." Ruby started making some battle sounds.
"You fiend!"
"And since Atlas is a part of Mantle, my repair time only lasts, one turn."
Yang laughed evilly and Ruby gasped this time. "Pretty sneaky sis, but you've just activated my trap card!" Ruby made a noise that sounded like 'What?!' "Giant Nevermore! If I roll a seven or higher, Fatal Feathers will slice your fleet in two."
"But, if you roll a six or lower, the Nevermore will turn on your own forces."
"That's just a chance I'm willing to take." Aaron looked over at the two sisters. They were only inches from each other's faces, both had evil grins on their faces. They pulled back and Yang rolled a multisided die. "Hah!"
"NOOOOOO! My fearless sold-" Ruby slammed both her hands into her head, and Aaron could hear the sound of impact from where he sat. Yang's grin disappeared off her face in an instant. "Ow…that hurt."
"You okay?" Yang asked, suddenly sounding like a big sister again.
Ruby growled and looked back up at Yang, "Why do you care? You just killed my soldiers!"
Yang's smirk returned and crossed her arms. "Most of them were probably androids anyway."
"Goodbye my friends, you will be avenged"
"Not until I draw my rewards, which are doubled this round thanks to the Mistral trade route!"
"Bah!"
"Oh, and what's this? The Smugglers of Wind Path?"
"Bah, Bah I say!"
"Looks like I'm taking two cards from your hand!"
"Have you no heart?" Ruby lay her head down on the table and extended her metal hand with her cards out toward Yang. She brought her natural hand up to the spot where the metal one hit her head. Aaron saw the red Rider's lips move and heard some very quiet words in the Ancient Language come out. After a few seconds, her face released its tension.
"Well Weiss, it's your turn." Yang turned and smiled at the heiress. Aaron meanwhile smiled and shook his head. It was good seeing them having a good time, especially Ruby. She'd been so focused on her own work, she barely had time for Cerise. Now, she was acting along with the game. Even though she looked like she was extremely depressed at the moment, there was a spark of happiness in her good eye.
Suddenly Weiss stood up and started giving a speech that Aaron thought would come from pirates. Yang stuck out a hand and said, "Trap card." Weiss stopped speaking and the blonde rearranged the pieces on the board so fast dust filled the air directly above it. "Your armies have been destroyed."
Weiss sat back down. "I hate this game of emotions we play…"
Ruby practically jumped into her partner's lap. "Stay strong Weiss, we'll make it through this together."
Weiss hugged the girl in her lap. "Shut up, don't touch me!" Aaron couldn't help but chuckle at the irony. He turned his attention back to the books in front of him. Jaune got up from his spot at the table and walked over to the rest of team RWB(A)Y. It sounded like he wanted to join the game but couldn't. Aaron tried to focus on his reading, but the action at the other table caught his curiosity a little too much. Suddenly Pyrrha shot up and ran to cover Jaune's mouth.
Soon after two more people showed up at the other table. It was the monkey Faunus Sun and the guy with blue hair that was with him on the day of Aaron's initiation. The blue haired guy said something, to which Ren enthusiastically replied, "Thank you!"
Nora snorted once and her head shot up. "Pancakes!" she blurted out. Aaron glanced at Nora for a second. Again he chuckled and tried to return to his reading. Their conversation continued on for a little longer, and Blake left the table alone. Soon after, Jaune took Blake's place at the table, much to Pyrrha's displeasure. Sun and the other guy chose people to root for, and the game was on again.
Once again, Yang sounded like she was in the lead, then out of nowhere, the table erupted in cheers. The blonde leaped out of her chair, knocking it over. "How did you manage to do that?" she demanded.
"You were too spread out with as little forces as you had. Even a small Blitzkrieg with half as many forces as one of your main fronts would have been able to cut off your supply lines, resulting in your troops being surrounded and your capital being open for attack due to having little to no defenses left." Sakura said, making everyone turn to look at her. Aaron hadn't even seen her enter. "Never send your forces out without leaving some behind to defend their flank and supply lines."
"She's right," Jaune said smugly. "You were too spread out, attacking Atlas and Vacuo at the same time. It was a simple matter of cutting your supply lines and attacking where you were weakest, your own kingdom."
Yang didn't say anything for a few seconds. "How did you figure that out?"
"You're talking to the three-time Arc family champion right now." Yang's shoulders slumped and she righted her chair. She sat back down and crossed her arms, fuming. Jaune turned to the other team leader. "Ruby, I believe it's your turn now."
Ruby chuckled. "I don't care who wins now. Yang lost, that's all that matters."
Yang shot her sister a glare. "I'm right here you know." Ruby just smiled, then looked at her cards. By that point, Aaron figured he wasn't going to get any more reading done. He closed the book and got the stack of three back together.
Well, this worked out wonderfully, Aaron thought to Nalia.
The dragon hummed her agreement over their mental link. Ruby needed this, if not all of them.
Well, all of them except Blake. Why did she leave?
She has been distant the past few days, even for her. It would probably be wise to figure out what's bothering her sooner rather than later. Aaron mentally nodded as he put the books back on their spots on the self. As he returned to the table the game was being played at, Ruby was packing up the game.
"Who won?" Aaron asked as he approached the table.
"That would be me," Jaune said confidently. "Minimal casualties after I took command. Vale now rules Remnant."
"To be fair," Yang butted in, "I did knock out pretty much everything Weiss and Ruby had before Jaune stabbed me in the back."
"Keep telling yourself that," Ruby mocked. She tilted her head slightly, then chuckled quietly. It must have been something Cerise said.
"Well, we got to get going," Sun said grabbing blue haired guy's shoulder.
"I'll see you later, Snow Angel," the latter said before Sun dragged him off. Weiss blushed a little bit and Jaune sent a slight glare at the blue haired guy.
Aaron just scratched his head. "Did I miss something somewhere?" he asked.
"Nothing," Jaune said exasperated. "You missed nothing."
"We should probably go find Blake," Weiss said, a little concern in her voice. "I know she's not exactly a social person, but she doesn't just leave while we're doing something."
Ruby shrugged. "She probably just went back to the room. Weren't you guys doing homework when Yang called?"
"We all needed a mental break," Yang stated.
"Says the one who was watching videos on her scroll," Weiss scoffed.
"Well, we should go find Blake," Ruby said before Yang and Weiss could get into an argument.
"Probably for the best," Aaron agreed.
"Well, I'll catch you guys later," Jaune said. Team RWBAY started making their way outside, and Aaron could have sworn he heard Ren sigh in relief.
POV: Ozpin
Ozpin started out of his tower at the three Atlas frigates docked at Beacon. Unlike the Vytal, he saw no reason for this small fleet to be in the Kingdom. Vale wasn't Atlas. There, these warships were an everyday spectacle. Not here. Vale's navy rarely had more than one ship in the area, and certainly never its own aerial corvettes. Yes, Atlas would help defend Vale, but they could very well bring the attack in the first place.
"Ironwood certainly loves bringing his work wherever he travels," Glynda commented beside Ozpin.
"Well, running an academy and a military makes him a very busy man," Ozpin justified. "But yes, those are a bit of an eyesore." A notification of his desk beeped for his attention. Ozpin turned to it, then the elevator. It appeared James was right on time, as usual. "Come in."
The elevator doors opened revealing General James Ironwood. "Ozpin." He spread his arms out to his side.
Ozpin stepped around his desk. "Hello General."
James waved a hand in front of himself. "Please, drop the formalities." The two approached and shook hands. "It's been too long." They separated and James faced the deputy Headmistress. "And Glynda! It has certainly been too long since we last met."
Glynda gave him a half-hearted wave. "Oh, James..." She cast an annoyed glance at Ozpin. "I'll be outside." Glynda left the two headmasters and walked to the elevator.
"Well she hasn't changed a bit," James commented.
Ozpin ignored that last statement. "So, what in the world has brought you all the way down from Atlas?" Ozpin returned to his desk and filled a second mug with coffee. "Headmasters typically don't travel with their students for the Vytal Festival." He offered the mug to James.
The other headmaster took it. "Well, you know how much I love Vale this time of year. Besides, with you hosting, I thought this might be a good opportunity for us to, catch up."
"I can certainly appreciate quality time between friends." Ozpin sat in his chair and refiled his cup. "However, the small fleet outside my window has me somewhat concerned."
James' smile stayed in place. "I am not the only one with a small fleet anymore. Or soldiers, for that matter."
"Aaron Benson and Nalia are refugees. I have no doubt that if I gave an order they didn't like, they would not follow it. Neither Cerise nor Halcyon are able to fight anything larger than an Ursa consistently. And team Gray are capable fighters, but they certainly do not act like soldiers in most situations."
"Oz," James' smile finally disappeared, "you and I both know why I brought those men."
"We are in a time of peace. Shows of power like this," Ozpin gestured to the frigates outside, "are just going to give off the wrong impression."
James scowled. "But if what Qrow said is true-"
"If what Qrow said is true," Ozpin interrupted, "then we will handle it tactfully. It's the Vytal Festival; a time to celebrate unity and peace. So, I suggest you not scare people by transporting hundreds of soldiers halfway across the continent."
"I'm just being cautious."
"As am I, which is why we will continue to train the best Huntsmen and Huntresses we can."
James brought a hand to his chest. "Believe me, I am." He paused. "I have also seen what two teams of yours can do."
Ozpin wondered when this would come up. "You have those reports?"
"I received them this morning." James placed his mug back on Ozpin's desk and took his Scroll out of a pocket. "It is quite impressive what they did." He pressed a few buttons.
"Teams RWBAY and Gray found what numerous Huntsmen and Huntresses couldn't." Ozpin nodded. "However, I believe everyone involved would have preferred how the base was found to have gone differently." Another notification appeared on his desk. Ozpin opened the file and inspected the first few paragraphs. "Did any of your medics or technicians question why they must build bionic limbs for a fifteen-year-old?"
James shook his head. "If they did, they kept it to themselves. They know better than to question a direct order from me."
Ozpin nodded then looked farther down the report. He stopped on a brain scan. On just a quick glance, he knew what it was. Even when it was still in development, he recognized the same patterns from many Huntsmen, policemen, and soldiers alike. Ruby would need counseling, but she would need to come by that decision on her own. "Have her injuries hampered her abilities?"
"I do not have an answer for that. Her Aura readings were well above average during and after her surgeries, but we have nothing to compare it to." James paused. "Does she know what she is?"
"No, and she will not until she turns eighteen, or until she figures it out for herself." Ozpin sighed. "We haven't had a warrior of her strength and skill since her mother. I have to wonder if she will lose any of her spirit because of this event."
"If Ruby Rose is anything like Summer Rose, she will not let this experience keep her down."
"You are forgetting how Summer acted after her first kill." Ozpin switched files. "And your assessment of Aaron Benson and Nalia?"
"Those two had every opportunity to kill anyone at that base, but refrained from doing so. If Tenga is to be believed, these two are the young pair that are seeking refuge." James paused. "And according to the Chief Medical Officer on the Vytal, Aaron saved the lives of two of my men. That cannot go unsaid."
Ozpin looked through the file on Aaron and Nalia. "But it appears Aaron has trust issues. He believes I had a larger plan for him before we even met."
James blinked. "He's right, isn't he?"
"His and Miss Xiao Long's telepathic abilities helped them find Miss Rose. They could be a valuable asset to find those wishing to harm Ruby...And any who would work against us in the city."
James sighed. "You wish to bring him in?"
"Not entirely." Ozpin closed the file and locked eyes with James. "We believe there is already an agent working against us in the city. This person could be a threat to both the city of Vale, and Atlas forces."
"What are you insinuating?" James raised an eyebrow.
"I believe I read the estimated reward for finding those children and the Nevermore base 'would have been the largest in years had Atlas not found it.' Also, I believe the commanding officer of the military involved would like to speak with the ones that helped save their men."
James crossed his arms and sighed. "I don't like this, Oz. If Aaron has trust issues, he may suspect why I am asking him for this after thanking him."
"Neither do I." Ozpin rose from his chair. "But we must take every advantage we can get. I do hope these moves are unnecessary, but if worse comes to worst, I believe we will be glad we did.
POV: Ruby
Almost as soon as the group stepped out of the library, a couple of dragon roars were heard overhead. Ruby looked up and saw Cerise and Halcyon flying toward them. The dragons landed, and each ran over to their Riders. Cerise didn't tackle her Rider as much anymore. She didn't know whether or not the force would injure Ruby further, and she was getting big enough that a tackle would drain too much of Ruby's aura.
Halcyon and Yang, on the other hand, developed their own version. A few days ago, Halcyon tried to tackle Yang, but the blonde caught the charge and it turned into an impromptu wrestling match. Ever since, the two of them wrestled whenever they met up. So far, Yang had won each match, but Halcyon put up a fair fight.
This time was no different. Ruby watched as the dragon charged his Rider. Yang dropped into a defensive stance, ready to take the charge. The two impacted and Yang was forced back several feet. They stood like that for several seconds, trying to get leverage on the other. Halcyon tried something new and stood up on his hind legs. Yang was hoisted into the air due to her grip. The golden dragon stood on the tips of his toes, then leaned forward. If Yang saw what was coming it was too late for her to do anything. Halcyon slammed his Rider into the ground, pinning her.
Cerise huffed her approval while Ruby and Aaron laughed. Halcyon roared in victory, then nuzzled his pinned Rider. Yang playfully forced her dragon's head away. "I just can't win today," she said. The golden dragon backed off Yang and the blonde stood up. She brushed herself off, then smirked at Halcyon. "I guess I finally have some competition."
Halcyon snorted then shook his head. His face didn't change, but Yang's sure did. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth hung open. "Yang, you alright?" Ruby asked slightly concerned.
"Did you just…" Yang whispered, ignoring her sister. Halcyon blinked, and a wide smile grew on Yang's face. She knelt down to look her dragon in the eye and placed a hand on the side of his face. "Say that again." Halcyon huffed in his Rider's face. Yang laughed. "I think we're going to get along just fine." She closed her eyes and placed her forehead against her dragon's snout.
Ruby smiled and locked eyes with Cerise. I think Halcyon just spoke for the first time.
The red dragon hummed her agreement. I think you're right. I still wish our time could have been more like this.
You and me both. Ruby rubbed Cerise' snout. Yang stood up, yet kept a hand on Halcyon's head.
"I take it he said something?" Weiss asked.
"Yep!" Yang said with a beaming smile on her face. "He's already picked up my sense of humor."
Weiss sighed and covered her face with a hand. "Not another one." She didn't seem to believe what she said though. Ruby saw her partner trying to hold back a smile behind the hand. She looked around the area some more, and saw that her group was attracting a little too much attention for her liking.
"I hate to break this up," Ruby started, "but people are staring." She subconsciously placed her good arm on her metal one, like somehow that would prevent people from seeing the metal.
"A good idea as any," Aaron agreed, also looking around. Ruby lead the way back to the dorm room with Cerise by her side. Yang and Halcyon lagged behind. Luckily, most students had gotten used to seeing the dragons around campus. Only visitors and a few random students gawked at the dragons as they walked by. The less people to stare at Ruby, the less likely someone would find out about her bionic body parts. While Coco did a nice job making the limbs more full to be like natural ones under clothes, Ruby didn't want to take chances.
She looked at Cerise' front right leg, and immediately felt guilty about hiding her injuries. It had been almost a month since Cerise was attacked by Beowolves, and the scales on her leg hadn't grown back at all. Then there were all the scales that were destroyed after she was shot down. Cerise was now missing nearly half the scales on her belly, and they showed no signs of growing back either. She didn't even care that much. Still, her Rider was worried.
"Aaron, were there dragons in Alagaësia that couldn't grow scales back?" she asked. Cerise turned her attention to the most experienced Rider as well.
Aaron took a few seconds to answer. "There were, but they were few and far in between. They were called 'scaleless.' Applying what I know here, I think it might be genetic problem. Wild scaleless dragons had a much shorter life span due to the fact that their primary defense had so many gaps. A Rider who was bonded to a scaleless just regrew the scales with magic so going into battle wasn't a problem, though they were forbidden from taking mates."
Cerise stopped in place and growled. Who came up with that idea?
Aaron turned to the now angry dragon. "It's a centuries old rule, one that I never agreed with." He paused. "I don't think that applies anymore. There are so few dragons left, not even the strictest of elders would restrict you now." Aaron looked at the ground, then kept walking.
The red dragon huffed. Good. No one can tell me who I can and can't mate with. Ruby blushed at her dragon's thoughts, then she felt her dragon come across a realization. Cerise turned her head back to the Dragonhouse and drooped her wings. Oh, he's the only one, and he hasn't hatched yet…The red dragon suddenly gave off the feeling of loneliness, a first for the young dragon.
Ruby placed a hand on her dragon's shoulder. There has to be more eggs back in Alagaësia, or more friendly Riders that survived. Another thought struck Ruby. You're just over a month old and you're already thinking about this? I'm fifteen, and I'm not even looking.
Cerise shrugged. It's instinct. The two started walking again. Yang and Halcyon had since passed. The blonde turned back to look at Ruby. She raised her eyebrows to ask what was going on. Ruby just shook her head. The older sister shrugged and faced back forward again.
The group arrived at the residence hall. Cerise and Halcyon settled down underneath team RWBAY's window while the rest entered the building. Weiss turned back to Yang as they walked through the halls. "Are you two going to end up like Ruby and Cerise?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" Yang cocked her head to the side.
"You going to be in and out of our room and the Dragonhouse?"
Yang shrugged. "I guess so. Looks like you and Blake are going to have the room to yourselves a lot more."
Weiss opened the door to their room. "Just don't disappear completely." She entered the room first. Ruby was next and saw Blake sitting on her bed.
"Don't get your hopes up, we'll still be around."
"You at least have a reason to sleep in here," Aaron commented. "I've slept in my room maybe once. Still, it's nice to have in case me and Nalia get in an argument."
"Is that even possible for you two?" Ruby asked in disbelief. She'd never even seen them glare at each other.
"It happens more than you'd think." Aaron said sitting down in a chair. Blake walked past Ruby's vision and toward the door.
"Stop!" Weiss ordered the Faunus. Blake's hand was only inches from the doorknob. "Lately you've been quiet, anti-social, and moody."
"Uh, have you met Blake?" Yang asked jokingly.
"Which I get is kind of your thing," Weiss continued as if she didn't hear Yang, "but you've been doing it more than usual, which quite frankly, is unacceptable. You made a promise to me, to all of us, that you would let us know if something was wrong." A shine appeared in Weiss' eyes. "So, Blake Belladonna! What, is, wrong?" Weiss did a flip in the air and landed on a chair, with a finger pointed at Blake. She then played if off like she just asked the question, putting the chair back in its original place.
Aaron put a hand behind his neck. "You girls worry me sometimes," he mumbled.
Blake closed her eyes, then started speaking. "I just…I don't understand how everyone can be so calm."
Ruby grabbed her metal arm. "The Nevermores aren't a problem anymore. Or not as big of one as they used to be."
"It's not just them, but Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it! Something big is happening and no one's doing anything about it!"
"I have to agree with Blake on this one," Aaron said, suddenly serious. "The White Fang have people watching me every time I go into the city." Everyone else in the room looked at the only guy.
"You not telling us something?" Yang asked.
Aaron shifted in his chair. "I ever tell you what I was really doing in my first two weeks here?"
"You were researching Remnant to try and find a way to fit in," Ruby said, hoping that's all he did.
"I was looking into the White Fang in case they found Cerise' egg. Thankfully, they didn't, but a week in one group reported that they found strange animal tracks in the forest that I now realize are dragon feet." Ruby glanced at the window. The White Fang were in the area Cerise was?
"Every time I found a place the White Fang claimed, I sabotaged it in some way, and somewhere along the line they found me out. One time I read something that lead me to that apartment building where we officially met. There weren't even any Faunus in the building. Turns out it was just a bomb to kill me, and several other humans in the process."
"Whoa," Yang breathed. "I can see why they wouldn't like you."
Ruby looked at those in the room. She knew what the rest would want to do, but she wasn't sure she could. Weiss started speaking. "Okay, between blowing up night clubs, stopping thieves, and fighting for freedom, I'm sure the four of you think you're already to go out and apprehend these ne'er-do-wells. But let me once again be the voice of reason. We're students. We're not ready to handle this sort of situation."
"Are you forgetting what we did a week and a half ago?" Blake demanded.
"The Nevermores didn't know we were coming and we had military grade support. The White Fang, however, are hunting a member of our team, and they will obviously kill anyone who gets in their way."
"So we just hang back and let them get stronger? We may never be ready to take them on. Our enemies aren't just gonna sit around and wait for graduation day! They're out there planning their next move, and none of us know what it is, but it's coming! Whether we're ready or not!"
Ruby hadn't noticed she was slowly taking steps back until she backed into the wall. "I have to partly agree with Weiss on this one," she said. The rest of her team turned to her. "Last time, I got hurt. Trained professionals got killed." She looked up at her team. "Terrorists are a few levels above a criminal organization. Would going in now be suicide?"
Yang's earlier nonchalance was quickly replaced by worry. "Ruby, where is this coming from?"
"You know where," Ruby said as she shrugged her right shoulder.
Blake suddenly looked a little guilty. "If the White Fang had a place that defended in Vale, we would have found out by now, and the police would have shut them down quickly. We won't be dealing with a fortress here."
Ruby nodded and bit her lip. They were going to face the White Fang at some point just because Aaron appeared to be on their hit list. Might as well engage on her terms. "Alright, all those in favor of taking on the White Fang, say Aye." There was very little enthusiasm in her voice.
One by one, every member of team RWBAY said 'Aye.' Even Nalia and Cerise contributed. Ruby was about to go on when an unfamiliar mind pressed against her own. Aye, the very masculine voice said.
Everyone in the dorm room apparently heard the voice. Blake looked around, most likely not understanding what she just heard. Yang just smiled. "Well team, that's what Halcyon sounds like," she said.
Weiss looked at her teammate, shocked. "He's two weeks old and he already sounds like an adult?"
"Dragons typically keep the same mental voice throughout life," Aaron stated. "There have been centuries old dragons sounding like children, and it's hard to keep a straight face while talking to them."
Ruby chuckled a little. "I bet." Suddenly Cerise turned very excited and it transferred over Ruby's and her mental link. The Rider turned in the direction of her dragon. "There something going on out there?"
Cerise sent boatloads of excitement to Ruby. There's someone out here that wants to meet with you and Yang.
Ruby turned to Yang, who was also staring at the window, more than slightly confused. "Well who is it?" the blonde asked.
Get out here and see for yourselves! Cerise closed the connection between her and Ruby.
"You getting anything out of Halcyon?" Ruby asked Yang.
"Nope. I don't know what Cerise taught or told him, but he's not letting me in."
Ruby sighed. "I guess we better get down there and see who it is." She took a few steps toward the door before stopping. "Oh, I forgot my game in the library."
Weiss sighed behind her. "We're doomed."
"I'll go get the game," Aaron said, "you can just worry about meeting, whoever it is you are." Ruby nodded and the three Riders left the room. Just as Aaron left he bumped into someone else in the hall. "My bad," he apologized.
"Not a problem," the green haired girl said. She did a slight double take then kept on walking, if a little faster than before. Two people followed close behind her.
"Haven't seen them around here before," Ruby commented. "Must be here for the tournament."
"I've seen one of them before," Aaron said as he put a hand in a pocket. He pulled out his wallet and scroll. "Green back there is a pickpocket."
"What?" Ruby turned back and put a hand in her own pocket. She felt her Scroll and small wallet inside.
"Then again, so was I. I'm not one to judge people for that." Aaron put his stuff back in his pocket. "Still, keep an eye on your wallet."
"Do I want to know how you know?" Yang asked, sounding on guard.
"If I'm remembering right, she was the first one I pickpocketed in the city."
The three left the dorm building. Ruby and Yang made their way toward their dragons while Aaron split off and walked in the direction of the library. The dragons came into sight, and Ruby instantly realized why Cerise was so excited. A tall man with blonde hair stood a few feet away from the dragons. He wore a tan shirt and similarly colored cargo pants. A tattoo of two black dragons sat about midway up his right arm. Ruby realized that it just took on a whole new meaning.
"Dad!" Ruby yelled, then started to run. Unfortunately, that was the first time she used her Semblance since getting the new leg. She didn't know if the leg moved too fast or too slow, but it tripped her up. Ruby stumbled at speed and swore she flipped upside down before her dad somehow caught her beneath her shoulders. "Hi," she said playing off her tumble, then she threw her arms around her dad.
Taiyang Xiao Long returned the hug. It was somewhere between comforting and suffocating. "I'm so glad you're okay!" he said.
"Still…need…to…breathe…" Her dad let go and Ruby took a few exaggerated breaths. "I'm fine, you caught me."
Taiyang smiled sadly and put a hand on Ruby's right shoulder. "You know that's not what I meant."
Ruby reluctantly smiled and placed her natural hand on her metal arm. "It could have been much worse."
Yang finally caught up with Ruby. She threw her own arms around Taiyang. "It's good to see you here dad," she said.
"Sorry I couldn't get here sooner." Taiyang said as Yang and he exchanged crushing hugs. "You'd be surprised how hard it is to find an affordable transport to Vale these days."
Halcyon bounded over to the two blondes. He jumped around the two energetically. Taiyang looked at the dragon cautiously while Yang just smiled. "I think he wants to wrestle."
"Wrestle? This little guy? I've taken creeps bigger than him." Halcyon shook his head and snorted. He jumped at Taiyang, who wasn't expecting it, and tackled him to the ground. The two sisters laughed, as did Cerise. "Okay, I take it back," Taiyang said from beneath the dragon.
"You're losing your touch if you were taken down so easily," Ruby said once she could talk again. Halcyon shot the red Rider a glare. "Hey, you can't even take down a Beowolf yet." He growled, but made no move toward Ruby. Halcyon was even more careful around the injured Rider than Cerise.
"Okay Halcyon," Yang stared, "you made your point. Get off my dad." Halcyon complied and took his spot by Yang's side. Yang reached down and scratched at the base of her dragon's head, his favorite spot.
"So dad, what brings you here?" Ruby asked as Cerise settled down by her side.
Taiyang hesitated. "There are some things that can't be said over scrolls or video chat, and I had to see you for myself after all that's happened. Oh, I also brought those tools you asked for." He gestured to a small red box that a few feet away.
Ruby nodded, then looked around. "Can we go somewhere else to talk about this? I don't exactly want people knowing about this yet."
Her dad nodded knowingly. "Lead the way." He picked the box up of the ground. Ruby turned around and started walking back to her dorm room. She hoped Weiss and Blake wouldn't mind. They hadn't met her dad before, and Ruby had no idea how they'd react. Hopefully, they all got along at least somewhat well.
Ruby opened the door to her room. Weiss and Blake were sitting on Blake's bed. The heiress looked up at the team leader. "Ruby, I think we've found something," she said.
"Ooh, what is it?" Ruby asked as she walked into the room, her dad right behind her.
Weiss looked at Taiyang surprised. After a few seconds, she shook out of it and answered Ruby. "A Faunus soldier's perspective during the Battle of Fort Castle. It should help with our project."
"Great! One source down and five more to go…" Ruby's enthusiasm dropped all the way through that sentence. There was no project that dealt with that, so she just assumed that Weiss and Blake found something relating to their next mission.
"You didn't tell us you were bringing your guest up here," Blake said, eyeing Taiyang warily.
"We didn't know." Yang closed the door behind her. "Weiss, Blake, meet Ruby's and my dad."
"The name's Taiyang." He offered a hand to the two sitting teammates. Both of them shook it in turn. "I've heard great things about the two of you."
"Hopefully only good things," Blake said jokingly before shooting a glance at Ruby. The team leader gently shook her head, and that seemed to satisfy the secretive Faunus.
Taiyang turned around and looked at Ruby's hanging bed. He scratched his head as he looked at the suspended piece of furniture. "How is that even stable?"
Ruby smirked as she sat down on Weiss' bed. "How do you pack so much into tight spaces?"
Her dad shrugged. "Touché." He sat down to the right of Ruby and put an arm around her shoulders.
"Though it has gotten worse in the past week and a half, extra weight and all that." Ruby shrugged her right shoulder.
Taiyang nodded sadly. "Can I see them?"
Ruby hesitated, then pulled the glove off her metal hand. She also rolled up her sleeve to her shoulder, revealing the entirety of her bionic arm. Next she rolled up the right leg of her tights, but only to the knee. "They aren't much to look at, but they're better than nothing." She winced, suddenly regretting her choice of words. "Literally."
Her dad placed a hand on her metal forearm. "You can't feel this." It wasn't a question.
"Nope." Ruby shook her head. Her dad grabbed her chin and tilted her head up and to the side.
Taiyang looked intently at Ruby's right eye. His shoulders slumped. "You can notice the difference with your eye too."
"That's gotten better," Yang said. "I've looked into this too. Eyes need time to adjust to their host. In a few months, we shouldn't be able to tell unless we're right in her face."
"I am working on getting feeling back in my arm and leg too," Ruby added. "That's coming before I put a gun in either, by the way." Ruby saw two of her teammates across from her adjust how they were sitting.
Yang put a hand on her sister's leg. "If anyone can figure it out, it's you. Just, slow down a little alright."
Ruby looked at Yang's concerned face. At the same time, Cerise sent her own thoughts. My Gem, listen to your sister. You haven't been sleeping well, and you've been neglecting your studies, not to mention your friends.
The red Rider turned in the direction of her dragon. 'Gem?' Isn't that that what mom…
Cerise hummed over their mental link. I believe it is.
Ruby externally sighed. "You're both right."
"Both?" her dad asked, confused.
"Probably Cerise," Yang stated.
"You get the hang of it after spending a few weeks around her," Weiss told Taiyang. "I swear, Ruby and Cerise have about as many silent conversations as ones the rest of us are involved in."
You aren't far off, Cerise said, most likely including all those in the room.
There was a knock at the door, "You guys in there?" Aaron asked from the other side. "I got the game."
"Door's open," Yang called.
The doorknob turned and Aaron stepped in, the game's box carried in his right arm. "Sorry, I took so long. There was someone…" He stopped as he saw Taiyang. "I don't believe we've met."
"I'm Ruby's and Yang's father." Taiyang stood up and took a few steps toward the newest person in the room. "I'm guessing you're Aaron, one of those who helped to save my little girl."
"Daaaad," Ruby moaned. Yang playfully shoved her sister's shoulder. As Ruby shoved Yang back, she caught a glimpse of Weiss and Blake's faces. They weren't trying to hold back laughs like expected, but jealous.
Aaron scratched the back of his head after her shook Taiyang's hand. "I did what I could. Just wish I could have done more."
"Don't worry about it," Ruby said. "I'm fine, and now I can finally beat Yang in arm wrestling."
"Cheater," Yang mumbled.
"Anyway," Aaron said as he set the game down on a bookshelf, "sorry I'm late. There was someone outside the Dragonhouse wanting to talk with a Rider. General Ironwood, I believe it was."
"The general?" Weiss asked confused. "What's he doing here? Headmasters don't travel with their schools to the Vytal Festival."
Aaron shrugged. "I didn't ask. He just wanted to say that he was very impressed about how Nalia handled herself while taking on the Nevermores. Several thugs dropped their guns and ran when they saw her, and those who didn't were taken out quickly. Apparently she has a fear factor that Grimm and those metal-men can't match, and not a single casualty by her claws."
"Not one?" Blake asked for everyone in the room.
"Like I said before we went in, let them rot in jail. He also said something about reward money."
Yang perked up and looked up at Aaron. "I like the sound of that."
"Apparently we got the largest reward in four years," the green Rider continued. "Five-hundred-thousand Lien for the whole team, leaving us one-hundred-thousand each." Ruby saw Yang's jaw practically hit the floor, and the team leader felt butterflies in her stomach.
"One…hundred…thousand?" Blake asked in total disbelief.
"I've never even seen that much Lien," Weiss stated.
"Well that's the upgrades for Bumblebee paid off, and then some," Yang said with a smile on her face. She turned to Ruby. "What do you have to say about this? I figured you'd be bouncing off the walls by now."
Ruby stayed silent while she thought over what Aaron just said. One-hundred-thousand? Before she found Cerise, she would have run around the room cheering, maybe even up until she flew her dragon for the first time. Now, she wasn't so sure. She'd seen what she hoped was the worst of humanity. The things they did to those Faunus…Ruby clenched a fist. She didn't need the money. She didn't deserve it. "I don't want to see one Lien out of this."
The room sat silent for a few seconds. "Why?" Weiss finally asked. "This is how Huntsmen and Huntresses get paid."
"Not for this." Ruby fervently shook her head. "For defense against Grimm and petty criminals yes, not saving people from a place like that." She lay her natural hand on her metal arm. "I'm lucky enough to get these bionics, but those Faunus can't replace what they lost. They need that money, not me. It may not replace what they lost, but it's something."
Again, silence reigned in the room. After a few seconds, Yang pulled Ruby into a tight sideways hug. "That's my little sister," she said.
Taiyang again sat down at Ruby's side. "Your mother once said the same thing. She'd be proud of the Huntress you're becoming."
Ruby smiled, then put her metal arm around her dad, pulling him into the hug. Yang and Taiyang started squeezing, creating the infamous Ruby-Xiao Long sandwich. Normally it would have suffocated her, but this time if felt good, and she could breathe normally. Best support group ever, Ruby thought. Then, something else hit her. "Wait, what about team Gray? They were there too."
The three then separated, and Aaron said, "Apparently, they declined the reward money and asked for something else instead. I believe Ironwood said they asked for-" He was cut off by someone in the doorway.
"Unrestricted flight access." Everyone turned to see Zach standing there. "Meaning that, so long as we get clearance for takeoff from air traffic control, and we aren't attempting to enter restricted airspace without a good reason, I.E. hospital airspace, then we can fly our G79H-TC/MA Pelican Gunship pretty much anywhere."
"Who might you be?" Taiyang asked.
"Zach Deeg, leader of team Gray."
"So, you're one of the other ones who helped to save Ruby."
"Yes, sir. In fact, I was the one to take the life of the asshole who had her kidnapped."
"You killed someone?" He asked, slightly shocked.
"Yes, sir. The training I received before coming here taught me how and, more importantly, especially to you at the moment, when to kill." Zach answered.
"...Alright." Taiyang said somewhat hesitantly, then focused back on team RWBAY, "Well, I also planned on taking your team out for lunch, if you don't have anything else planned for the day." Then, looking back at Zach, said, "You and your team can come too, though I'm not sure that I would be able to afford to pay for both teams and transport back to Patch."
"We can pay for ourselves." He responded.
Ruby quickly scanned her teammates' faces. All of them wore their own versions of approval. She turned back to her dad. "Shake n Steak?"
"You know it."
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Ruby quickly rolled her sleeve and pant leg back down and put her glove back on. Those sitting down stood up and made for the door. As Ruby passed Aaron, she noted the smile of approval still plastered on his face. She figured it was because she was starting to emulate the Riders back in Alagaësia. There was something else there though that made her want to blush.
"My team'll drive." Zach said.
"NO!" Team RWB(A)Y exclaimed simultaneously.
"Why not?" Zach asked.
"We saw the footage of your team driving during initiation." Yang responded.
"That was an active combat zone!" Zach retorted. "If we weren't in an active combat zone at the time, we wouldn't have been driving like maniacs."
"Wait, you're team drove during initiation?!" Taiyang said, shocked.
"I teleported four M12B Warthogs, each armed with one M343A2 chain gun, into the forest after we rendezvoused with each other. We then proceeded to drive around the area, looking for the objective and mowing down everything that opposed us. Now that was fun." Zach recalled fondly.
"I still think that we have different definitions of that word." Aaron responded.
And there's the chapter. So, a couple things have been revealed. Zach has revealed a bit about his past to Ruby. Ruby told Zach what she saw in her dreams that night. And the power I've given the Silver Eyed Warriors has been revealed in full.
Or has it?! I'm just kidding, it has.