Chapter 4: Transmutation

"Please let me know if I have this straight," Weiss said, crossing her arms. "You were fighting Hazel and those Branwen bandits and some... girl... just dropped in and stole the relic?"

"That's about it. She had a thick coat and a rusty metal pipe, but I didn't see much more than that," Ruby said, sitting back on the couch. A lot had happened over the past few hours. The White Fang members who planned to blow up Haven Academy were arrested along with Mercury and Emerald, Headmaster Lionheart had been found dead in his office, and Mistral's police force brought everyone in for questions. Lots of questions. After spending more time in a police station than Ruby would have liked, the group finally found their way back to the house where they had been staying and gathered in the common room to discuss... well, everything. "I tried to go after her, but she kinda... collapsed the bridge cause she hit it so hard. By the time we got back to the elevator, she was long gone."

"And she's not just 'some girl', either. I saw her at Beacon Tower. She's the one who killed Cinder Fall," Qrow added. He turned to Oscar. "Hey, kid. Is Ozpin there? I think he's got some explaining to do."

"He's there, but I think he needs a minute," Oscar said. He looked down at his cane, then back up at Qrow. "He's... thinking about things. I'm not sure what"

"So this super-strong girl just swooped down, grabbed the relic, pulverized that Hazel guy, and said see-ya?" Nora asked. "How'd she even get in there? Wasn't the elevator the only way down there?"

"She came from above, so maybe there was another entrance somewhere higher. Or maybe somewhere lower, where she jumped down," Yang said, idly fiddling at her mechanical arm. "And she didn't really say 'see-ya'. Actually she didn't say anything at all, even when Ruby questioned her."

"So she's mute, then?" Blake asked. "Like that girl from the train, with the umbrella? The one who was with - "

"No, not like her. She felt... different, somehow," Yang said. She paused for a moment. "I'm not sure how to describe it. Like she didn't even hear us."

"And that would not be the only oddity about her," Oscar said. No, not Oscar - Ozpin. Ruby was pretty sure of that. "I've been sifting through my memories, and while I have as many questions left unanswered as you may have, there are some things that I know about that girl. To start, she is likely much older than anyone in this room - besides myself, of course."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Jaune asked. "Even Qrow? He looks pretty - "

"Geez, I'm not that old," Qrow interrupted. "But yeah, if what Oz said back there is true, then that girl might just be older than me."

"Indeed. It was nearly a hundred years ago," Ozpin said, looking over the group. "Tell me, do any of you know what happened to the King of Vale after the Great War?"

"He established the Huntsman Academies to train warriors to protect people across Remnant. Huntsmen and Huntresses are the legacy that he left behind," Ren said. "Was that you?"

"Indeed," Ozpin said. "But after that?"

"He stepped down from the throne and abolished the monarchy, allowing the citizens of Vale to elect their own leaders. There is little documentation of his life afterwards, but it's said that he retired to the countryside to live out the rest of his days in peace and quiet," Weiss said, as if reciting from a textbook. "Would I be correct in assuming that's not the full story?"

"Another excellent guess. It seems Beacon has honed your intuition," Ozpin said. He sighed. "Unfortunately, I did not live to see that retirement to the countryside. It would have been a welcome respite after my long years as king."

"You said... that girl killed you in a past life," Ruby said. "So the Warrior King of Vale..."

"Was felled by a girl with a rusty pipe. Unfortunately, that is correct," Ozpin said. "In fact, it happened in that very vault we were in earlier today..."

"Sierra, take your time. As long as the flow of magic is not cut off, the seal shall form eventually."

"O - okay, your Highness. I'll do my best."

Osborne, King of Vale, watched quietly as the young girl concentrated on the large doorway in front of her, pushing her magic into the frame. A seal of bright orange began to creep out from the edges of the frame, slowly coming between the dark cavern they were in and the bright desert landscape just beyond.

This matter was paramount. The most important purpose for the great academy he had built just above this cavern, as well as three other ones like it across Remnant. Beyond that doorway was the Relic of Knowledge, one of the four that needed to be safeguarded at all cost. Once sealed off by the Spring Maiden, the chances of it falling into the wrong hands would fall astronomically.

And yet, that chance wouldn't be completely gone. Nothing was absolute. Osborne knew this.

"This is... kinda tiring..." Sierra muttered, pausing to take a breath. Tendrils of blue-white energy extended from her open palms into the doorframe as the seal continued to form, further blocking out the bright light from the other side. "How long... do I need to..."

"Not long. You will know when it is over," Osborne said, scanning his eyes over the doorway. "Concentrate. There's nothing here but us and the doorway. Focus your energy on shutting it closed."

"I... I can try," Sierra muttered. Though Osborne couldn't see her face, he could tell that she was putting more effort into her task by the change in her breathing and her stance. Like she was trying to push against the door, to physically force it closed. Of course, the task in front of her was one that relied on her control over her magic. Despite being tiring, it didn't require any physical work. That didn't mean such things didn't help, though. Changes in mentality were more powerful than most people realized.

And a change in mentality was something that Osborne needed right now. For the majority of the past few years, he had been known as the Warrior King of Vale, the one who would lead the armies of Vale into bloody battle and leave his enemies broken and beaten. It was a necessary role, but one that had changed him. Even though he had lived for countless eras, it was rare that he would play such a bloody role. The mentality he needed to adopt not just for combat itself, but also to defend and support his people through bloody conflict while also trying to achieve the most peaceful solution for the world as a whole, had shaped his psyche over the course of the Great War. Even in the following peacetime, he had been vigilant, almost to the point of paranoia. Would war start again? Or worse, would someone steal the relics as he attempted to seal them away?

Now, with the final relic being sealed right in front of him, Osborne offered himself a rare moment to relax. He sighed and let his shoulders fall. Closed his eyes. Let himself have a moment of peace with his thoughts.

CLANG!

Something smashed into the back of Osborne's head. He was out before he even hit the ground.

...

"Who are you? W - what did you do to His Highness?"

...

"S - stay back! I... I'm warning you, please!"

...

"Your Highness, help - "

CLANG!

...

...

Osborne knew death. He had felt it so many times. He knew when it was imminent.

...

He could feel it now. Blood pooling in his fractured skull, drowning the brain enclosed inside. He was dying. Close to the end.

...

He slowly forced open his eyes. Everything was blurry. He was on the ground. On the bridge.

...

Further down the bridge. A figure. A girl with a thick coat and a rusty pipe. The end of the pipe was stained red.

...

At her feet, Sierra's body. A pool of blood by her head.

...

And behind her, the doorway. Fully sealed. The girl slammed her pipe against the door over and over, but it didn't yield. Osborne would have smiled, had he the strength to do so.

The relic was safe.

...

The girl with the rusty pipe turned. Walked over to Osborne. Looked down at him. Her expression was... blank.

The pipe came down towards him.

CLANG!

"She just hit you over the head and you died?" Nora asked. "Seriously? I thought the great Warrior King of Vale would be tougher than that."

"Even the strongest of us are vulnerable when we let our guard down. I suspect that the first blow was enough to shatter much of my skull and induce major brain hemorrhaging," Ozpin explained. "As strong as I was, I was still human, and the human body cannot survive something like that."

"So the King of Vale was bashed over the head by a girl with a rusty pipe and died on that bridge," Blake muttered. "It looks like you've rewritten a lot of history books since then."

"That was not my doing. I suppose the new government of Vale stepped in for that; after all, having the greatest hero in the kingdom's history be found dead like that would not be good for public morale," Ozpin said. "At the time, I thought that girl was merely an agent of Salem, sent to kill me and retrieve the relic. Fortunately, it seems that the Spring Maiden's power did not transfer to her, as the relic was still safely locked away when I next checked it. However, I did not expect her to appear again, nearly a century later."

"And I doubt she's working for Salem either, considering she just obliterated someone who was retrieving the relic in her name," Qrow pointed out. "Any idea on what she wants? Who she might be allied with?"

"Unfortunately, I do not. The memory I just shared with you is the extent of my knowledge on her," Ozpin said with a sigh. "The most important thing, however, is that the relic is gone. In the hands of a complete unknown."

"Well, that girl has the relic, but that doesn't mean it's gone, right?" Jaune asked. "We just need to get it back."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Weiss asked, crossing her arms. "She's probably long gone by now, so unless you have a way of tracking her down, then - "

"We don't need to track her down," Ren interrupted. All eyes turned to him. "If she's gone after one relic, chances are good that she might be going after the others. We know the remaining relics are at the other Huntsman Academies, so we might be able to intercept her."

"Great idea!" Nora exclaimed, pulling out Magnhild and swinging it around. "All we need to do is beat her there, wait for her to come, then... bam!"

"But even if that's true, we don't know which one she's going to," Yang said. "There's three other academies, and three more relics. How do we know which one she's going to?"

"Ozpin, you know more about the relics and the academies than anyone else here. Is there anything you know that might help us figure out where she's going?" Ruby asked, turning to Ozpin. "Anything at all?"

"I've given it some thought. Though I cannot be completely sure, I believe Vacuo is her most likely destination, as Shade Academy's relic was sealed away by Fall Maiden of the time. Only the Fall Maiden can open it, and that girl is the current Fall Maiden," Ozpin said as he stood up. "The Winter Maiden and Atlas's relic are both safely guarded not just by Atlas Academy, but the entire Atlas Military, making that relic much more difficult for her to retrieve."

"What about Beacon?" Jaune asked.

"She was at Beacon during the fall. If she was able to get to the relic, she probably would have retrieved it then," Qrow said. He yawned. "So Vacuo it is, then. I'll see if we can arrange ourselves a little boat ride down there. But for now, everyone should get some rest. It's been a long day, and I don't want to see anyone grumpy in the morning when we leave."

"Thanks, Qrow," Ruby said, standing up and turning towards everyone. "Alright, it's, uh... wow, eleven thirty already. Let's go and get to sleep, like he said!"

Everyone nodded and, with yawns and tired murmurs, went their separate ways to get ready for bed. Ruby was tired. Today's success was... mixed. Sure, they had successfully stopped the assault on Haven Academy and prevented Salem from getting the relic, but... the relic had still gotten away. And with a complete stranger, at that. What did that girl want? Who was she working for? Was she working for anyone?

Well, Ruby wouldn't get answers just standing there and thinking about it. With a yawn, she followed everyone and started getting ready for bed. After all, they had a long trip to Vacuo ahead of them.

Clink. Clink. Clink.

The girl with the rusty pipe sat in the cargo hold of the airship, tapping her pipe against one of the metal crates beside her. On her back was a large backpack, the price tag still hanging from its side. There was only one thing in there. A bright blue lamp. Much of the backpack was just empty space. But that was just fine.

Clink. Clink. Clink.

Psssshew...

The landing jets of the airship activated as the cargo hold vibrated slightly. The vibrations continued for half a minute until the airship finally touched down. Clink. Clunk! The landing gear hit the concrete landing pad. The ship landed securely.

The girl with the rusty pipe stopped tapping. She stood up.

"Alright, line stops here. This is where you get off," a gruff voice said from the pilot's cabin up front. "Next time you've got some Lien to spare and you need a ride somewhere between here and Mistral, you know who to call."

The girl nodded. As the cargo bay doors opened, she moved to step out of the airship.

"Oh, and one more thing?"

The girl stopped. She looked back at the pilot's cabin.

"Don't let all the soldiers scare ya off. Ol' Mr. Ironwood's been cranking up the security recently, but this place is safer than it's ever been. Ain't gotta worry about Grimm up here."

The girl with the rusty pipe nodded again as she stepped out of the airship, onto the landing bay constructed on the side of the giant, floating island. She looked up at the skyline dominated by the great city resting in the center of the island, her eyes scanning over each and every building. Her pipe pulled her forward. Towards the city.

And so, she started walking.

A/N: And that's chapter 4! This one was a bit rough, as I'm not used to writing so many characters from canon at once. I'm more used to writing groups of one or two characters.

Thanks to everyone who's left a review! I'm glad y'all are enjoying things. I can't guarantee I'll keep up this pace, especially with the Thanksgiving weekend coming up, but I'll do what I can.

Anyways, thanks as well to everyone who read, followed and favorited. Stay tuned for the next chapter, and have a nice day!