Chapter 18: Contact

"Cinder Fall?" a familiar voice said on the other end.

"Oh my…" Cinder whispered. "Hazel? Tyrian? Is that you?"

"No, it's the damn gods of Light and Darkness!" another all-too-familiar voice said. Cinder instantly recognized its crazed tone. Roman and Mercury hurried over, and Emerald slowly comforted Salem before jogging over.

"Oh my gods!" Emerald squealed. "It is so good to hear from you guys!"

"Likewise, Miss Sustrai," the charismatic, deep voice of Hazel Rainart replied.

"How are you guys doing this?" Roman asked. "I thought communications were restricted to one-way messages. They can't track this call, can they?"

"Oh, yeah, totally," the sarcastic and rude, but still energetic voice of Tyrian Callows said back. "They're tracking it and they'll be there any minute. Of course it's secure! Do you think we'd call you if it wasn't?"

Roman was just about to shout at Tyrian when Hazel interrupted. "Knock it off, Tyrian," he said in his baritone voice. He cleared his throat. "Yes, this is secure. We've gotten some help, and we're using a signal not part of the CCT. It's an independent system, not under Lord Ozpin's surveillance."

"Who's helping you?" Mercury asked.

"We'll tell you in a bit," Hazel replied. "First, we want to know how things are going over there."

Cinder sighed. "Terrible. The hideout is gone."

"What?" Tyrian practically shouted.

"Oh dear," Hazel said. "What happened?"

"They're getting more and more desperate to finish us off," Cinder said. "They've engineered a robot that can disguise itself as a person. We were stupid enough to let it in, and it firebombed the whole place. We barely made it out. We've been scavenging for the last week."

"Not to mention they've sent Huntsmen and Huntresses after us, as well as Schnee." Roman added.

"How awful," Hazel said. "Is anyone hurt?"

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then Cinder cleared her throat. "Neo is dead."

There was an uncomfortable silence as the two allies on the other end processed the information.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Hazel said slowly. "How did it happen?" he asked.

"The Reaper." Cinder said solemnly.

"That monster's there?" Tyrian said, clearly through gritted teeth.

Cinder shrugged, but nodded slightly. "She was. We haven't seen her in a few weeks. Ever since we sent out that message to you."

"Well," Hazel said, a sound of sadness in his voice, "I'll admit that was the kind of news I didn't want to hear. May she rest in peace." Cinder decided not to tell him about what Beacon had done to her body.

"How's Salem?" Hazel asked.

"Not good," Emerald said. "She's slipping more and more every day. She doesn't even know who we are most of the time. I'm afraid she won't be with us for much longer."

"Well, it sounds like you're all thoroughly fucked over there, aren't you?" Tyrian said.

Cinder sighed again. "I guess that's a good way to put it." Then she noticed Adam walking over slowly.

"Before we continue," Cinder said, "we've gotten some new help as well. Adam Taurus is with us now."

"The leader of the White Fang?" Tyrian questioned.

"Formerly," Adam said, approaching the Scroll. "Greetings. I believe we had some communications before."

"Yes," Hazel said. "That was some time ago. We worried the worst."

"The new High Leader, Blake Belladonna, found me out." Adam replied. "I had to flee."

"How brave," Tyrian snapped.

"Anyway," Cinder interrupted, trying to shift the subject. "You said you had help. Who is it?"

Both Hazel and Tyrian were silent for a moment, then Hazel replied. "We'll introduce you to him, but you all need to know this now: no one outside of this select group can know. We need to make sure that his involvement with us is kept an absolute secret."

"Why?" Mercury asked.

There was another pause. "He's in Lord Ozpin's council."

It was Cinder's group's turn to go silent.

"Wait a fucking second," Roman said, shutting his eyes tightly. "We have someone from Lord Ozpin's council on our side? Did he betray him? Do we know he can be trusted?"

"Yes," Hazel said. "He is as sick of Lord Ozpin's tyranny as we are, and he's helped Tyrian and I ever since we arrived here in Mistral."

"Hold on," Cinder said. "You're clear out in Mistral? I thought you were still in Vale. Last I heard you were surveying Patch."

"We did," Tyrian said. "Nasty place. Nasty people. But if it weren't for our friend in high places, we wouldn't have even gotten there… or out of there."

"So who is this ally?" Roman asked.

"He's here with us now," Hazel said. "We'll bring him over, as long as you promise two things."

Cinder glanced to her teammates, who all either shrugged or nodded. She glanced back to the Scroll.

"Okay," she said. "What do we need to promise?"

"First off, you need to promise that his identity will remain secret. If Lord Ozpin knew of his betrayal, both him and we would be in a lot of trouble."

"I think we can promise that," Cinder said.

"Second, you need to promise that you'll take it easy on him when you learn who he is. No doubt you've heard about him, and some of the things he's had to do in Lord Ozpin's service. Remember that he never wanted to do those things, and he's doing his best to try and help us out. Don't scare him off."

Cinder took another look around at her allies before responding. "Okay. I guess we can promise that too."

"Very well then," Hazel said. "Tyrian, can you wave him over?"

Cinder heard Tyrian grumble, but step away from the microphone. There was moment of uneasy silence, then a new voice joined the call.

"Uh… h-hello?" a shaky voice asked.


The large wooden door creaked open. Lord Ozpin peered up at the tall, grey figure entering his chambers. He strode slowly over towards the desk, stumbling slightly. The room was cloaked in shadow, the only light coming in being the pale moonlight seeping through the pouring rain and tinted window behind Lord Ozpin's back.

"Much appreciation for your... hasty arrival," Lord Ozpin said. The figure's disposition angered him, but he had bigger problems now.

The figure shrugged and pulled a flask off of his belt. Without even looking at Lord Ozpin, he pressed the flask between his lips and drank greedily. He gasped for air as he pulled away and answered.

"I was in the neighborhood," the figure said in a slurred, gravelly voice. "Finally found sis and payed her a little... visit."

"I see," Lord Ozpin replied. "And how did this... visit... with the deserter go?"

The figure slumped into the seat across from Lord Ozpin and pulled his collapsing scythe off of his back. The blade extended, revealing that it was stained with recently spilled blood.

"Fortunate," Lord Ozpin said. "Another loose end I no longer need concern myself about."

"Well," the figure slurred, putting away his scythe, "if you've called me in, you must have more loose ends to sever."

"Indeed I do," Lord Ozpin said, his gaze growing darker. "The... what was it called again... Resistance... has become an ever-growing burden for me and my empire. Additionally, certain developments and new information have made their annihilation evolve from a side task for the Huntsmen and Huntress... into a priority." As he spoke, the figure could see his eyes growing darker as a sudden cold chill blew through the room.

The figure lifted his head. "Judging by your reaction, I'm just going to take a wild guess here as ask it: 'she's' still alive?"

Lord Ozpin remained motionless, but the cold wind picked up and a lightning bolt flashed outside. A clap of thunder followed.

"I see," the figure replied. "Let me also guess: you want me to hunt down this... Resistance... and cut them all down to size?"

Lord Ozpin nodded slowly.

"And as for 'her'..." the figure said, standing up clumsily, "dead or alive?"

"Dead," Lord Ozpin spat. "And with proof. Bring me her head, with everything we put there still inside."

"One last question," the figure said, scratching his head. "You want me to work with your Huntsmen, Huntresses, and Schnee, or by myself?"

"Whatever allows this task to be over with faster," Lord Ozpin commanded. "Every second she is alive is an insult. Just get it done, Branwen."

Qrow Branwen took another drink from his flask. "No worries, my Lord," he said as he turned to leave. "I'll get it done."

Lord Ozpin reclined back into his chair. The Resistance know had Huntsmen, Huntresses, Schnee, P.E.N.N.Y., and the deadliest assassin in Remnant after them. There was no place they could hide. Salem would die this time.


Yang breathed in the cold, wet air. The rain pouring down on her was a sensation she had not felt in a long time. When she first felt the raindrops fall, she had recoiled because she thought she was getting hit again. However, after a few hours walking in the rain, she was beginning to shiver from the cold. The rain had washed away some of the dirt and blood from her body, and she did not know how to interpret being clean.

Ruby yanked the chain, pulling Yang forward. Her eyes were locked on the ground. She was unusually quiet, raging internally.

It had been weeks since Ruby's last kill. After having being forced to retreat at the tower, she had wandered the waste for days, and only found a pair of people: a musclar, tan woman in a basement that she had decapitated, and a sheep Faunus in a tent that she had strangled to death and then fed part of to Yang. Weeks went by after that, with no victims to be found. Even then, Ruby had noticed that she was not satisfied with those two kills; they felt empty for some reason.

"What's happening to me?" Ruby asked herself. Yang was unable to hear her over the clicking of the chain and the pouring of the rain. "I'm supposed to surpass the gods. I'm supposed to be Remnant's bane. Killing is what I love the most. So why does it seem so... unfulfilling now?" She gazed up ahead. There was nothing but abandoned streets and vacant buildings. "I'm losing my touch. I need something else... but what?"

As Ruby talked to herself, she noticed an abnormality in the rainwater pooling on the sidewalk where she stood. There was a dark cloud in it, running along. Ruby instantly recognized it as blood. It was not fresh, but it was recent enough to not have dried up completely. Ruby's gaze followed the stream, which was coming from an alleyway nearby. She quickened her pace to follow it, choking Yang as she pulled her forward. Ruby rounded the corner and saw a corpse in front of her. At least, pieces of one. It looked like it had been cut up in a manner not unlike how she liked to kill her victims. It was an older woman, with black hair and pale skin. Her head had been cut off and in half below the nose, though Ruby could not see the lower half. Her abdomen, which was draped with ripped red and black clothing and a pearl necklace, was cut at the stomach, and her legs were on two separate ends of the alley, covered in black pants and ending in black boots. A single eyeball with a red iris lay next to the body.

Ruby inhaled deeply, smelling the blood and picking up the smell of alcohol. As excited and aroused as she was upon finding this gruesome sight, she was still upset; upset that it had not been her to be the one to kill this woman. If she wanted to kill people, she had to get to them before anyone else did. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed a new outlet to live out her deadly fantasies. Somewhere where there was a constant supply of victims being fed to her.

Ruby knew of some sort of bounty hunting operation being run on the northern side of the city, by some scumbag crime lord known as the "Golden Monkey", but she did not know if that was the right place for her. Ruby huffed as she clenched her fist. What she really wanted was to kill those other survivors that she had missed at the tower. She had already killed one of them; it would be so satisfying to finish off the rest. But if she wanted to surpass all others, she had to begin aiming higher... target someone with real power.

Suddenly, Ruby got an idea. She stared down at the mutilated corpse on the ground as the wicked thoughts ran through her mind. Maybe there was a way to not only kill those assholes, but also set someone of power up right where she wanted them. She would have to compromise on her morals (or lack thereof) to earn that person's trust, but once she did... she would then be ready to challenge the gods themselves.

"Yes..." Ruby mused, her face contorting into a warped, toothy smile. Lightning flashed and thunder clapped, then Ruby began laughing. She had a plan now. And she was feeling like herself again. Her laugh grew louder and louder until she threw her head back, eyes staring into the flashing lightning, and screeched with maniacal laughter. Yang cowered.