Chapter 18 – Team C.P.P.R

The Three Months…

To heal wounds it takes time…

And if they were going to truly go after Salem, they needed to heal every last one. From Blake and Yang's bond slowly beginning to repair to Pyrrha training in her Ancestral Home, they all needed to take every single chance they could to improve. Pyrrha rushed towards her mother and she threw the training sword towards her, but Juno deflected it with perfect speed, using her Spartan Shield, and then Pyrrha jumped towards her, slamming her sword down at her.

Juno stopped her strike and smirked, kicking Pyrrha away. In the background, Ruby and Penny watched her spar, and they turned with bright smiles as Anaximander approached with a plate of freshly baked cookies. No matter how dark things got, Ruby Rose would always love cookies. Her huge silver eyes sparkled with delight and she squealed as she grabbed them.

Penny couldn't eat them, but just seeing Ruby like that made her laugh. Cinder on the other hand was stood against one of the pillars with her arms crossed, watching Pyrrha fight. Pyrrha stared back at her mother and she called her swords back into her hands, and she attacked once more, sliding across the sand and just dodging the spear that Juno drove down into the ground. She jumped up and kicked Juno in the back, but when she went to strike, Juno still knocked her down with a single roundhouse kick.

Pyrrha landed and groaned with frustration.

Whereas in the Summit's Claim, Blake and Yang spent more time together. She pointed Gambol Shroud forward and fired it at the target, still missing every single time. Anger continued to fall over her mind with every time she heard the bullets hitting the stone behind the straw target. Blake's hands clenched around the gun's grip and Yang could see her frustration. The two of them sat together and talked, about random things at first. Doing exactly what Li suggested.

It was… awkward… at first.

Just spending so much time around someone all the time? It even started to get tiring, especially whenever the subject of the Atlesian Wildlands came up, but Yang never gave up on her. And Blake couldn't give up either.

She wanted to see again, in some form or shape… she wanted to see the people she cared for.

She wanted to see what Yang looked like after these six years.

Li watched as the two of them sat together and talked, spending time with the Altum Eagles, and he smiled.

As the days turned to weeks, Pyrrha continued to train, harder and harder. Either against Juno, or against the rest of her new team. She rushed towards Ruby who launched Black Thorn at the Spartan. The polarity shoved them aside as they flew forward, then Pyrrha slashed her swords down towards her.

She now had her new weapons, forged by her father.

Ira Red and Crocea Mortem.

Combining the remnants of who was lost – Crocea Mors – with her old training sword she used before she created Milo and Akoúo. Her old weapons were lost and destroyed, so learning to fight with dual swords was completely new to her, but this was Pyrrha Nikos. The Huntress of Legend, the one who nobody could beat.

And with every day that passed… that girl was coming back.

Pyrrha slashed the two Falchions towards Ruby, kicking her in the chest, but Ruby flew around her in a flurry of red rose petals. She landed behind her and fired Black Thorn in their revolver forms at her. Pyrrha deflected the bullets with the swords, but still took a few hits. She growled with frustration, then took her two swords and combined them together, the weapons transformed into a Rifle – just like Milo – and she fired shot after shot at Ruby.

The Red Rose rolled aside and slashed the bullets out of the air, before she blasted forward and corkscrewed through the air. Her sickles cut across Pyrrha's aura protected body which stumbled her backwards. Ruby then jumped and wrapped her legs around Pyrrha's head and brought her body downwards, smashing Pyrrha against the ground. Pyrrha tumbled across the sand and drove her swords into the floor, staring back at her.

She turned to her mother who watched her fight, arms crossed.

"Again."

Blake and Yang continued, every single day just like Li told them. Blake sat with Yang at a peaceful spot beside a beautiful blossom tree, looking out at the world. Yang smiled as she glanced at her friend, then Blake started to battle against Yang as well in training sessions. Dodging Yang's blows and slashing Gambol Shroud every chance she could. Her shadows caused Yang to stumble through her, then Blake appeared beside her and kicked Yang in the jaw. She staggered and chuckled, cracking her neck.

The two continued to spar, but Blake kept making the same mistakes, trying to focus solely on sound, which meant Yang could easily get the upper hand from time to time. And when they weren't sparring? She tried against at the Targeting Range, firing shot after shot, still missing every time.

She sighed and turned to Yang, about to say it wasn't working.

Until… from the darkness of her blind eyes… she saw a faint golden shimmer where Yang was standing.

It was…

… she just had to keep failing… until she didn't.

Weeks continued to pass by…

Pyrrha was now clad in her new armour, her red hair braided into a long tail and wearing her old circlet that her family had stored away after all these years. The only part of her they could find from the ruins that was still intact. Her armour, still Spartan Styled but complemented with the colours of Jaune's armour and bearing red sashes and cloth around her body. She rushed towards her mother who spun her Spear through her fingers and Pyrrha slashed both Ira Red and Crocea Mortem down with all her might, firing the guns in the blades at her mother. She jumped and flipped backwards, then Juno threw her spear towards Pyrrha.

Polarity wrapped around the huge weapon and she slingshot it right back at her. It narrowly missed Juno and buried itself into the nice wall, Juno narrowed her eyes at her daughter. Pyrrha giggled and smiled, which made Juno smile right back.

It's been too long since I've seen that smile.

Pyrrha charged back towards her mother who pulled the spear from the Adobe Bricks and she also charged towards her daughter. They both jumped forward and collided their weapons together. Pyrrha slammed Ira Red up the spear to break Juno's defence and proceeded to twirl around and throw Crocea Mortem towards her mother. Juno swiftly raised her shield and the sword scraped across the bronze plating, before Pyrrha called it back to her palm.

Pyrrha sprinted and jumped, slashing crossways at her mother who ducked and slid backwards, thrusting forward with her Spear, but Pyrrha continuously dodged and used her Polarity to subtly push the spear aside just like she always did. She then jumped and rolled over her mother's shoulders, hooking her two swords underneath her mother's chin and throwing her across the courtyard.

Juno landed on both feet and looked at her daughter with a proud smile.

Pyrrha was not the only one who was improving.

As Blake and Yang sparred at the Summit's Claim, the Blind Faunus moved faster than ever, dodging Yang's attacks easier than ever, moving just as she used to. Like water flowing through a canyon, nothing could get in her way. She swung around and kicked Yang across the snowy surface.

When they didn't spar, she was easily stacking and balancing the stones as Amber watched with a bright and happy smile. And finally, she raised her gun and fired it at the Target.

The first two missed… but the next five hit the target…

… and the final shot…

… directly hit the bullseye.

Yang smiled with pride at Blake's massive improvement over the years, then Blake turned to look at her. Her ears perked up and she gasped…

"What is it?" Yang asked.

Her hair… her eyes…

She looks exactly as I remember…

From Blake's perspective, her surroundings still looked dark, but she could see Yang stood before her. Not in the same way that others would see someone though, she could see her body and features and clothes, but surrounding her body was a bright golden glow. Just as Li said, she could see Yang's aura. She turned to look at Weiss and the same was there for her now, she could see Weiss Schnee in all her beauty, surrounded by a shining blue light around her.

She then looked down at her own hands… and she could see them… surrounded by a beautiful purple glow. Tears began to stream from her blinded eyes as she fell to her knees and began to cry… with tears of joy. Yang and Weiss quickly rushed to her side to support her, but she immediately wrapped her arms around Yang and Weiss.

Finally… after six years… she could see them.

Back at the Nikos' Estate, Pyrrha charged towards Ruby, Penny and Cinder. She slid underneath Floating Array as it spun towards her and jumped up in the air, slicing her dual swords across both Ruby and Penny's chests, knocking them backwards. Cinder roared as she flew towards her and slammed her Obsidian Axe down onto her swords which Pyrrha immediately crossed together. Pyrrha forced her backwards and rolled away, and Ruby launched towards the Spartan.

Pyrrha blocked and parried all of Ruby's blows, and swiped her off her feet, and her emerald eyes widened when she saw Penny charging up her laser. Pyrrha rolled aside as the green laser fired at where she was last stood, then Pyrrha threw her sword towards the Android. Penny ceased and flew out of the way, whilst Cinder launched her Obsidian Axe towards her. Pyrrha shattered it with Crocea Mortem, and she held out her hand, calling Ira Red right back into her hand.

Cinder smirked and her eye glowed a fiery amber as her hands conjured two burning hot swords. The two ran at each other, and Pyrrha hacked away at her swords, kicking Cinder in the chest repeatedly and rolling backwards away as Cinder went to blast a pillar of fire towards her. She combined the two swords together into its Rifle Form and fired it back at her. Cinder formed an Obsidian Shield to block her incoming bullet fire, but as Cinder lowered the shield, she gasped as Cinder launched one of the metal Weight Bars towards her. The impact shattered the shield into a thousand pieces of black glass all over the floor.

Ruby went to slash at Pyrrha, but she stopped the two sickles with Ira Red, then kicked her in the chest. Pyrrha jumped and flipped forward with both swords coming down onto Ruby. The Rose stumbled backwards, then Pyrrha pulled her forward by her weapons with her Polarity, proceeding to close line her with her arm. Penny flew towards the Invincible Girl but Pyrrha crossed her swords together to stop Penny's advance. She then jumped and flipped backwards with perfect elegance. As Penny flipped through the air, Pyrrha then hooked both blades under her neck and they both came crashing towards the ground, Pyrrha landing on top of her.

Cinder fired multiple icicles at her, before blasting a powerful beam of fire towards her, but Pyrrha smashed each icicle before they could hit her. Then held the fire back with her swords, before she charged forward, and pinned Cinder to the wall with her swords. Pyrrha then threw Cinder into the centre of the Courtyard, and she charged right back at her.

Cinder formed the same Bow that was gonna be used to kill her ten years ago and she drew the bowstring back and fired. But as the arrow flew towards her, this time Pyrrha dropped to her knees and leant all the way back, narrowly dodging it, before she shot forward, hacking and slashing at Cinder repeatedly.

Finally, she swiped the Fall Maiden off her feet, then she grabbed her by the throat and pummelled her down into the ground with all her might.

And with that…

… she concluded the final Sparring Session.

Pyrrha panted, sweat beaded from her skin as she stood over Cinder. The rest of her new team groaned from exhaustion after the walloping they just endured. Then Pyrrha heard it.

Clap

Clap

Clap

Pyrrha turned her gaze to see her Mother emerging from the house with such a proud smile on her face. Anaximander stood beside her with a very similar look on his face as they beheld their beautiful daughter. "Welcome back… Pyrrha Nikos." Juno greeted. A tear trickled from her eye as she looked at Pyrrha.

She sheathed Ira Red and Crocea Mortem crossways on her back, whilst Cinder got back up. "Ow." Cinder groaned with a slight cough, massaging her throat. She then rolled her shoulder.

"You're ready… well… except for one of you." Anaximander said as he looked at Cinder.

"Eh?" Cinder asked.

"Come." He said, Cinder followed him to the room where he would make weapons and armour. On the table was something brand new, something that made the Fall Maiden's eye widen. "Out there you are gonna need every edge you can get, and you cannot always rely on your Maiden Powers. Here you have only used very small amounts of it, but as you said… you cannot risk using too much without Salem sensing it and finding you. Ruby told me you used to use Dust in your clothing… I hope you haven't forgotten."

The new outfit was beautiful, a dress with crimson, black and gold, and of course her feather on her hip like she always had. Cinder held it up and smiled. "Yeah… I'm sure it'll come back to me. Thank you."

Anaximander looked at her, the hate was no longer there, but she could tell he wanted to say something. "You have changed… you could have busted free from those ropes a hell of a lot sooner three months ago. But you didn't. I ask you… keep her safe. We have already lost her once… we cannot lose her again."

"You know I can't promise that… not with how things are." Cinder stated.

"I guess not… then how about this. Promise me that you will stand by her side, and not go back to Salem." Anaximander stated as he stared right at her. She stared back at him.

"I'm not going back to her. I'm seeing this through to the end… but you need to remember. I'm doing this for my daughter. She's all that matters to me in this world. So as long as your daughter doesn't do anything that jeopardises her safety… we'll get along just fine." Cinder assured.

The Fall Maiden was never one to bow and say yes in scenarios like that… yet Anaximander couldn't help but respect her reason.

"As I would for mine." He said as he glanced at Pyrrha talking to her mother. "Good luck out there, Cinder Fall. When you need reinforcements against Salem… we will be there." He assured.

"We're gonna need you." Cinder assured. "And as many other Spartans that are still out there."

Cinder got changed in the other room and came outside in the new dress Anaximander made her, and she stood with her team. Anaximander and Juno lovingly hugged their daughter goodbye.

"Come back to us… safe and sound this time." Juno begged.

Pyrrha smiled. "I don't intend on dying a second time." She assured.

"Alright… Team Copper. Let's get moving." Cinder commanded.

"Right… off to Vale… somehow. First stop Pietro so we can cure Penny… then we find Arcadia. And hopefully the Relic of Creation."

Team C.P.P.R walked away from the Nikos Estate together, headed for Mistral by the looks of it. Juno held Anaximander's hand and gently pressed her smaller frame close to his as they watched their daughter leave once more.

"They're a complicated team…" Anaximander softly said.

Cinder Fall, her would-be murderer, Ruby Rose, the one who caused their team to crumble, Penny Polendina, the one she killed…

It's gonna be hard.

"But they're a team. I can feel it… they're gonna change things." Juno assured with a smile.

Hopefully…

… for the better.

Eryka

Whilst they trained and improved…

Winter and Eryka followed the trail and over the course of those three months, they searched for the Vasillias Cartel. But when they arrived at the main base that they went to six years ago… what they found was shocking. The entire location was decimated and left to be consumed by the overgrowth of nature, snow claiming the land. Winter looked defeated already, but not Eryka.

She walked through the snow, and she crouched down at the floor as Dulcis descended beside her. "They're gone, Eryka. I'm sorry."

"No… something isn't right." She softly answered, touching the boxes that were covered in snow and roots. Winter stood beside her.

"What is it?" Winter asked her.

"These crates… look at them." Eryka said as she wiped the snow off the dates left behind. These were the dates of their arrival, and that shocked Winter all the more… because it really didn't make any sense.

"These are only a few days old?" She gasped, that's when she also noticed the rust. "How can there be so much overgrowth here… yet all the metal hasn't got a single bit of rust on it? No weathering whatsoever…"

Eryka stood tall as she looked around, this was getting more interesting by the second. She walked onto the old airstrip, where there were small trees already growing where they once were. Dulcis shuddered and chirped in her ear. "Is he okay? He doesn't do that often."

"Yeah… but… I can feel it too. There's something weird in the air here. What the hell happened here?" Eryka muttered to herself. She focused her senses, examining the landscape. A skill she learned as a Huntress.

Landscape is like a history book, if you know how to find the clues you can read exactly what happened here.

She turned her gaze and saw something interesting, the roots had something trapped inside. She approached it and pushed the leaves aside, she gasped from shock. "Oh gods…"

"What?" Winter asked.

"There's a body… a Black Gallows soldier." Eryka coughed at the stench of rot. "Nasty way to go… roots went inside his body, crushed him inside out."

Winter stared at the buildings, covered in ice and massive icicles stretched out all in the same direction. "This… this is just like the Atlesian Wildlands. But… if there was a Cryostorm here, Li would have known about it. The things are huge." Winter explained, she approached one of the massive spikes of ice impaled into the ground, gently touching it, it seared her finger and she gasped. "It's still freezing, retaining it's coldness somehow… this isn't natural, Eryka." Winter explained.

"No… it isn't." She agreed. Eryka continued to look around, finding scorch marks on the ground, she reached down and picked up spent bullet shell casings. "There was definitely a battle here… a damn big one."

"How did Li not know anything about this?" Winter asked.

"Or more importantly… how come this only happened recently? I thought the Cartel went dark years ago, when Salem hammered down on the Criminal Cartels and Syndicates." Eryka explained, Winter nodded her head in agreement.

"Do you think Lavinia could have been working for Salem for a while?" Winter asked.

"Maybe, hell the Cartel meant everything to her. She'd do whatever to took to keep it from being destroyed… but I also know she loved me and… Neptune. Maybe… maybe a deal went sour, or she was trying to use their arrangement to find out if he was dead or alive." Eryka pondered.

"I dunno which answer to that would have lead to a peaceful outcome, to be honest." Winter said, which made Eryka scoff.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Eryka agreed. Winter stopped and she saw the large building that Lavinia used as her headquarters, just like everything else it was covered in massive roots and vines. Some of them did not even look like they belonged in this environment.

"Hey, maybe there's something in her H.Q?" Winter suggested.

"Good idea." The two of them walked across the brisk runway, passing by multiple dead frozen bodies, all of which were Black Gallows.

"Whatever it was that hit them… it smashed the Black Gallows forces to smithereens." Winter explained.

"Did Atlas ever have weaponry capable of this?" Eryka asked.

"If it was just the ice then… maybe… it's the vegetation that's confusing me the most if I'm being totally honest. It doesn't match with everything else. To have this much overgrowth it would have been at the very least a decade or two… but this looks like it only happened a few days ago." Winter explained.

They passed by a couple destroyed Black Gallows Wasps, it looked like massive roots grabbed onto them and smashed them down into the ground until they exploded. But there was little sign of fire, meaning the cold must have extinguished them before they could have grown any larger.

The two of them approached the doors, jammed by roots and ice. "Stand back." Winter said to her girlfriend, she closed her eyes and formed a burning Glyph upon the roots, burning them to ash and melting the ice. Once the blockage was gone, Winter swiftly forced them open, checking both sides. Eryka moved inside when Winter stepped aside, holding Constantine Damascus in its Shotgun Form in one hand, and Slice n' Dice in the other. Dulcis flew inside and he screeched as he landed upon the handrail of the stairs.

"Anything here, Dulcis?" She asked him, he just squeaked back at her. "Well… he thinks it's clear."

"How can you understand him?" Winter inquired. "Never understood how."

"If he squeaks its clear, if he screams at you, it isn't." Eryka answered. Winter just shrugged.

"Fair enough."

Eryka walked up the steps, and she saw more and more dead Black Gallows soldiers, some had scorch marks and holes in their chests. It even looked like they were… running. "Gods… the last time we ever saw Black Gallows run from someone was… well… Valravn."

"I wonder what he would have thought of all this?" Winter wondered.

"I doubt he'd have cared, all he wanted was to kill Silver Eyed Warriors." Eryka stated. "I hope Ruby will be okay… she's still haunted by what happened at Vytal. By Valravn."

"Still?" Winter asked.

"Yeah, poor girl. I'm happy she has Penny with her though, the team she's in can't be easy. Penny might be the one person there who is all good with her." Eryka softly said as they kept following the steps. Eventually they found themselves at Lavinia's office… and they were shocked.

"This… it looks like there was some kind of explosion in here." Winter stated, seeing the huge scorch and ice marks that seemed to spread from the epicentre… right where Lavinia's desk was situated. The room was destroyed, nothing left untouched, just destruction everywhere. But as Winter looked around, she saw Black Gallows soldiers all pinned to the wall by icicles, still freezing cold.

"Eryka…"

Winter approached one of the dead bodies, noticing how unlike all the others… his helmet was still working. If only partially, but that was better than everyone else. She held the helmet and pulled it from his skull, she gasped and gagged at how his whole head was molten inside, still steaming hot from what also looked like fire. The combination of ice and fire damage was equally disturbing.

She cleaned out the helmet and fiddled with it. "His helmet was recording… I think I can rewind the footage to find out what happened here."

Winter and Eryka stood over the helmet as the Schnee Huntress connected her Scroll to it, extracting the recording. She played it from the beginning to find out what happened.

Recording Start:

"All Troops, you have your assignment. Salem has commanded that we capture Lavinia Vasillias and eliminate the entire Cartel. Leave no survivors, understood?" The Obsidian Glaive commanded. Obsidian Glaives were similar to what the Ace Ops had become, Huntsmen and Huntresses turned into Stockholm Troopers. They were very rare these days, since most were killed, but they were still some who surrendered and were turned into these monsters.

All the Raven Talons in the Wasp spoke at the same time. "Yes Sir!"

The Wasps approached with the rest of their battalion; it was only here did they really see how large the Black Gallows contingent really was… it was a full-scale invasion force.

"By the gods… how the hell did a force that large get completely wiped out like that?" Eryka muttered as she watched the footage.

The Airships flew up the mountains, and as soon as the Cartel was in sight, they opened fire, launching missiles down at the base, creating huge explosions everywhere, and strafing gunfire repeatedly. Their Airship descended and landed, releasing the Black Gallows soldiers. They charged out into the battlefield, but they noticed something was off.

"The hell? Where are all the Mercenaries? The Cartel Forces?" The Ebony Sabre questioned.

They looked up at the base, and they saw Lavinia stood at her office with her hands behind her back, watching them. They rushed towards the base. "Capture Priority Target: Lavinia Vasillias!" The Obsidian Glaive roared, they rushed towards the doors which automatically opened for them. They all rushed up the stairs, and prepared to breach, and they barged into her office, keeping their guns on her.

Eryka watched the footage intensely. "Lavinia Vasillias, on your knees! Your Queen demands your presence." The Obsidian Glaive commanded.

Lavinia chuckled softly at them as she watched the Black Gallows invade her base. "Does she now?" She asked. "You come here… and invade my property… and have the nerve to call her my Queen."

There was that viciousness… Eryka and Neptune rarely heard it directed at them… but people who got on her bad side knew it was a sound to fear. She turned to the soldiers with a smirk.

"That bitch… is no Queen. She took my boy from me and forced my girl to hide. So go tell that pale faced slut to come and face me herself. In fact… I'll tell her myself."

Sapphire Blue flames ignited around Lavinia's eyes, and she suddenly created the blast that destroyed her office, blasting freezing cold spikes and burning hot flames into the soldiers. They howled in agony as the ice pinned them to the walls and the flames melted their flesh under the armour. The footage from the dead soldier showed Lavinia turning to the shattered windows and she dropped down from the building and stood in the middle of the Airstrip and icy cold winds began to howl.

Only terrified screams could be heard, alongside the sound of massive roots erupting from the ground, crushing the soldiers off screen and bringing down the airships with ease. The footage glitched when there was a massive white flash of ice that erupted from the middle, and when the footage returned to normal… everyone was dead, and they saw Roots and Vegetation quickly growing as she floated in the air.

And then she flew off… leaving behind the remnants of the Vasillias Cartel.

Recording Ends.

Eryka's eyes were huge from shock, as were Winter's. The Vasillias Daughter stepped back and pushed her hands through her blue hair. "She's… she's the Winter Maiden… this whole time…"

"That's how Lavinia has held onto her power for so long. Nobody would dare challenge someone as powerful as the Winter Maiden." Winter explained. "And when the Black Gallows were all dead, she made the place look overgrown… to fool people into thinking it all happened years ago."

"How did nobody ever seem to talk about it?" Eryka stammered.

"Lavinia isn't a fool… she would have only used it to scare the leaders of other Crime Syndicates and Gangs into submission. Just like Pyrrha, she doesn't broadcast her full power." Winter explained, she turned and saw Eryka just stood where her mother was stood, hands still pressed to her head.

Winter stood up and gently wrapped her arms around her from behind, resting her chin on her shoulder and gently squeezing her. "You alright?" She asked.

"I… how long has she kept that secret…"

"She would have done it to protect you, Eryka. Hell… it looks like even the Black Gallows didn't know what they were walking into. I imagine Salem knew… but I doubt she expected her to… well… do this."

"I've never seen Maiden Powers that strong before."

"I… I think she may be a fully realised one. She must have attained those powers a very long time ago."

Eryka gently pressed her head closer to Winter's. "We… we need to find her. Having the Winter Maiden on our side could really help us."

"That's not the only reason. Is it?"

"No… I lost Neptune… I don't wanna lose my Mom and Dad too."

Eryka turned to look at Winter, the white-haired beauty smiled and gently caressed her cheek and wiped the tear from her eye. "We will." She promised, she then held her and pulled her close for a warm and loving kiss. They pressed their foreheads together and gazed into each other's eyes.

"I'm lucky I have you." Eryka softly said.

"Damn right you are." Winter chuckled. The two of them stepped back and looked at the destroyed Cartel, seeing the aftermath of her magical power. "The big question now… is where do we go next? Hard to track someone who can fly."

Eryka had a possible idea… though it wasn't one she was overly thrilled about. She reached into her pocket and held an old photograph she always kept with her… one of her with little Neptune when they were kids.

A flashing memory burst into her eyes… when they were little… and that man broke in to try and hurt them… and Lavinia killed him right in front of the two of them.

"I know a place… though… it holds some memories." Eryka began.

"Where?" Winter asked.

"Lakeview Manor… where Neptune and I were raised. Our home, tucked away in the outskirts of Mistral… away from the Cartel and its business." Eryka explained. "It's been a while since I've been there… ten years… actually. I went there to talk to mom when Glynda called me about the Attack on Beacon. I know that place like the back of my hand… if Lavinia could have any clues, it would be there."

"Alright… let's go." Winter said, Eryka stood and took one last look at what remained of the Vasillias Cartel.

Still letting it all sink in.

"Yeah… let's go."

Ruby

Getting back to Mistral was just as simple as getting south of it, due to the Grimm being more militarised they became a lot easier to avoid, as were the Black Gallows.

That wasn't the nerve-wracking part, it was actually being in the huge city that was scary. Plus stealing a car made the process a hell of a lot faster too. "Hopefully, it gets returned to its owner, don't really like stealing someone else's property." Pyrrha admitted, which just made Cinder groan and roll her amber eye.

"Gods… how are any of you goodie-two-shoes gonna survive out here?" She mumbled to herself.

"How am I still a goodie-two-shoes?" Ruby questioned with disbelief.

"Because you said thank you to Anaximander about eighteen times in five seconds for being given cookies." Cinder answered.

"I… well… uh… okay, yeah." Ruby grumbled as they walked towards the walls, following Cinder's way in.

"Come on, you innocent morons, through here. Never take the front door approach, that's an easy way to get captured by the Stockholm Troopers." Cinder stated.

"There's no need to be rude." Penny sweetly said.

They climbed through the crack in the wall, ending up inside of the walls hollow centre, and they followed her through the darkness. She lit a flame in her hand as they walked, and eventually approached one of the service doors. "C'mon, before a guard stumbles upon us." Cinder said as she opened the door. "Hoods up."

"Alright mom." Ruby groaned, rolling her silver eyes. They all exited the wall and pulled up their hoods, hiding their bodies in their cloaks.

"Honestly… how the hell have you two survived this long? Pyrrha I can understand, she already got her ass killed. But you two?" Cinder groaned.

"A bit harsh." Pyrrha commented.

"Hey, I can be stealthy." Ruby defended. "I just don't like being bossed around."

"No wonder you were made team leader." Cinder chuckled. "Look at the end of the day this sort of business is my forte. Infiltration and staying out of sight, so just follow my lead and we can get the things we need from the markets without being spotted."

"Any ideas on how to actually cross the sea between Anima and Sanus? I mean… we could stowaway on a boat. Sun-Style." Ruby suggested.

"Too risky these days. Security is through the roof these days. You sneeze and a Black Gallows soldier will appear with a handkerchief and a gun." Cinder stated.

"In that order?" Penny asked, making Cinder groan once again.

"It's a joke… gods I feel like Torchwick." She sighed.

"I can tell that hurt for you to say." Ruby chuckled.

"Shut up." Cinder sighed again.

They approached the Market District, where there were talented performers dancing around on a stage with joyful music playing alongside them. Despite how dark things became, it always made Ruby happy to see people making the best of this new world. But as she watched, the joyful scene was sucked away when she saw a Nevermore perched on one of the buildings, watching the streets.

"Careful, Nevermore." She whispered.

"Yeah, I see it." Pyrrha agreed.

"We can't stay up here for too long, either that Nevermore will spot us or someone else will. Come on, we should head down into the lower levels, the Black Markets will have what we need and more." Cinder assured, they walked down the steps as Black Gallows military continued to patrol with black Paladins marching past.

"It's still strange… seeing them in such a massive force in every city. Is it like this everywhere? Even up in Atlas or over at Vacuo?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yep. The Black Gallows are the only Military now, all the others just got absorbed into them. Some tried to fight… but… well… they met the same fate all the other revolutionaries did." Ruby answered as she looked around ever so subtly.

"Yet another reason to get out of here fast. Travelling on the road and the wilds will be safer than here." Cinder stated.

They kept walking through the streets, still seeing all the joyful performers dancing around the street with colourful clothing. Cinder passed by someone who coughed in immense pain, blood spluttering from their lips. "Is he okay?" Pyrrha asked as she turned to help but Ruby kept her walking.

"No… but there's nothing we can do for him." Ruby stated.

"W-Why?" Pyrrha asked.

"He has Noctis Putrida. It's a really serious disease, one that's appeared in recent years. It kills you slowly but there is no cure for it." Cinder explained.

"Gods… how recent?" Pyrrha asked.

"Not long after the Inhumane Necessity. Nobody knows when it started but… well… it's killed hundreds maybe thousands. But it isn't contagious." Cinder assured.

"Then how did it spread?" Pyrrha asked.

"It didn't spread. It's a cancer, so to speak. Caused by specific circumstances, I'm not overly sure on the details. The big link seems to be excessive inhalation of Dust, like in the Dust Mines." Cinder explained.

"Gods… looks like a horrible way to die." Pyrrha sighed.

"It is… but we can't help him. He's too far gone." Ruby stated sadly. "Look at him, he can't even stand up."

"Come on, we need to keep moving." Cinder said as they continued to walk through the streets. They turned round the corner and saw more markets, however it looked far safer here. The Nevermore could not see them over here and there were no Black Gallows. They walked down the steps and she heard both Ruby and Pyrrha groan.

"Argh…"

"Hungry…"

Penny looked at them both and she just rubbed their backs. "Does this help?" Penny asked.

"No… but thanks for trying." Ruby answered.

"Well maybe you shouldn't have eaten all the food that the Nikos Parents gave us on the trip here." Cinder stated.

"We were hungry!" Ruby argued.

"Well we can't buy any, we barely have enough lien to afford the ammo we need." Cinder stated. "Ahem… you need." She replied, smirking at the two gun-users.

"Well what do you want us to do? I can't just stop being hungry. And we need food, eventually." Ruby shrugged.

"Hmm… well… there is something we can do." Cinder softly said as she approached one of the fruit stands.

"What?" Pyrrha asked.

"Well… when you're on the run from the whole world and really hungry…" Cinder began.

Ruby, Pyrrha and Penny watched her with baffled looks. "Wow that's really specific." Ruby commented.

"… nobody in their right mind would risk serving you unless they are in the Black Market. And you rarely see any Black-Market dealers selling food… so… it leaves you only one option." Cinder said.

She slid past the stall and effortlessly took an apple without the Merchant even noticing, planting one hand on her hip and holding the apple up to her mouth. "You gotta steal."

The three other members of Team C.P.P.R stared at Cinder with shock on their faces. "What? We're not criminals!" Pyrrha defended.

As she said that, the holographic bounty posters of Ruby, Pyrrha and Penny popped up behind her, and Cinder was blocking the one that showed her face. "That so?" She asked with a smile, taking a chomp from her apple.

"Yeah. I've managed to survive six years out here without having to steal." Ruby stated.

"Well… I guess you'll just have to go hungry then." Cinder sung as she flicked her hair from her eye with a grin.

Ruby, Penny and Pyrrha sadly looked at each other, not wanting to do it.

But their hunger was saying otherwise.

Eventually they folded, then Pyrrha attempted to steal for the first time in her entire life. She approached the merchant stand carefully. She grabbed a pear and tried to walk away, but she froze, her hands were shaking as she stood there. Cinder raised a brow, then groaned as she saw Pyrrha immediately go back to the Merchant. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" She cried out, and Cinder just pinched her the bridge of her nose with disappointment.

Ruby attempted to swipe a cookie from a small bakery but dropped it and immediately hid it with an awkward smile, only just managing to get away with her failure. "Oh gods… where's Emerald when you need her?" Cinder grumbled as she sat down on a log, still eating the apple she stole. The waterfall which roared behind her helped drown out Pyrrha's embarrassed apologies.

But as Cinder sat there, she turned and did a double take.

Penny approached, holding at least twenty apples in her hands. "How the fu-"

"There's an apple tree over there!" Penny squeaked as she turned to it, and Cinder just sighed, pressing her tongue against the inside of her cheek. She then turned and saw Pyrrha coming back with the very apple she tried to steal.

"He let me keep it anyway!" Pyrrha squeaked happily, then Ruby approached with a cookie.

"There was a tiny Grimm Rat biting his shoe, so I took care of it for him, so he gave me a cookie as thanks!" Ruby beamed.

Cinder just sat there defeated with her finished apple and she just chucked it over her shoulder, burying her head in her hands. "I'm surrounded by innocence." She groaned.

"C'mon, Cindy-Poo, let's not waste time sitting around." Ruby teased, walking with Penny beside her, the two giggled as Cinder's eye twitched.

"Never. Call me that again." Cinder groaned.

"Okie-Dokie Cindie Willie." Ruby replied, making Penny laugh again.

"Gods… save me…" Cinder groaned.

They continued to make their way through the markets of Mistral, getting further and further down. The deeper into the Lower Levels they got, the scarier it got. The colourful look of the higher levels became shrouded in shadow and shifty individuals skulked past them. Down here… everyone was wearing hooded cloaks. If anything they were safer, but it still made them uncomfortable. Except for Cinder, who knew how to walk these paths, and she approached one of the houses and she knocked on it.

"WHAT?" A harsh voice snapped as the metal shutter opened.

"Open." She answered.

"Wrong." The voice responded and the shutter closed. Cinder glanced back at them and held her finger up, mouthing the words one sec. She knocked again. "WHAT?"

"Close."

"Come in." The voice said, unlocking it. Cinder turned to see the utterly baffled faces of her team.

"What?" Cinder asked.

"What kind of password is that?" Pyrrha questioned.

"Hey, don't judge me, I didn't make it. And besides, they switch it around randomly. Emerald introduced me to this place in the past. They sell all sorts." Cinder stated as the door opened. They walked into the Shop, the Faunus who guarded it was a big Boar Faunus, and sat at the desk was the Shop Owner, covered head to toe in tattoos and piercings all over his face.

"Ah… Cinder Fall. How're you doing darling? Y'know you still owe me a drink." He greeted.

"Not in a million years, you greaseball." Cinder replied.

"Ouch, my pride." He replied. "Y'know it's risky you coming here with that big bounty on your head."

"Good thing I know you're not stupid enough to try and turn me in." Cinder stated, which made him smirk.

"Very true." He agreed, and he took his feet off the counter and leant forward, glancing at the other girls. "You always travel with such pretty cronies? First that green haired chick then the pink and brown one… now these… also wanted… ladies?"

"What can I say, I seem to attract pretty people." She then snapped her fingers at them. "Do not let that go to your head."

He chuckled. "Well then, you've always been good for business and you're always healthy on the eyes. What do ya need?"

"Ammo, best you got. Rifle and Revolver ammo, to be specific. Alongside some… what was it… mechanical oil?" Cinder asked Penny. The Android quickly nodded her little head.

"Ah something nice and simple, I like it. I'll be right back." He assured as he walked away and went around back. The four of them stood there, Ruby awkwardly tapped with her feet, and glanced at the Guard.

"Hi." She squeaked, he just stared at her.

"Leave it, Ruby." Cinder commanded.

"You know this guy?" Pyrrha asked.

"Well… I wouldn't say I know him. He's a reliable source of off the market trade. His gear has saved our skin in more ways than one. Watts never came here though, probably too dirty for him." She chuckled.

"You'd think a snake like him would love it down here." Ruby scoffed.

"That's exactly what I told him." Cinder said, then the man came back with the boxes she asked for. Including the Mechanical Oil that Penny needed to keep her body running properly.

"That'll be one hundred and fifty lien." He charged.

That'll leave us with seventy-five lien…

We may have to rob some folk if we need more money. If only Em was with us… we'd be rolling it by now.

"So what's this for? Another job like that one ten years ago? I remember that old team you had needed some good gear for that." He said.

Ruby, Penny and Pyrrha's eyes widened, and they stared at Cinder. The Fall Maiden could feel the glares pointed at the back of her head. They were not stupid… they knew exactly what happened ten years ago. "You could say that."

"Well… good luck. Until next time." He said, they took the boxes and walked away but as Cinder walked ahead, she heard them all stop. She sighed and turned.

"Ten years ago…" Ruby scoffed. "Lemme guess… did he supply you with the rounds Mercury and Emerald used back then? Or the student outfits to sneak into the school with? Or hell… maybe even the ?"

Cinder just stared at her. "What do you want me to say?"

Ruby couldn't find the words, none of them could. Cinder saw the fearful look on Penny's face, and she even took a step away from Pyrrha, hugging close to Ruby. "The past is the past, what's done is done. I can't change that, we just gotta live with it. What do you want me to say? That I regret my actions?"

"Do you?" Pyrrha questioned.

Cinder stared at them. "I did what I did to survive. Judge me however you wish… but let's get one thing straight. I'm not a good person… the only thing that matters to me in this whole world is my daughter. And I will sacrifice whatever it takes to protect her. Now come on, we need to get the hell out of this city before we get grabbed. And find somewhere to rest tonight when it gets dark." Cinder stated as she walked ahead.

Ruby and Penny stood there and looked at each other, then they started to walk. Pyrrha could sense Penny's fear of her presence, and she sighed, closing her eyes and following.

Anaximander was right.

This team was going to have a troublesome relationship, and things were hardly going to be easy from here on out.

Blake

"Do it again." Blake softly laughed.

"Alright." Yang agreed, holding up three fingers. "How many fingers am I sticking up?"

"Three!" Blake laughed, a bright smile on her face, something they hadn't seen in a long time. "I… I still can't believe it… I can see you. It's… not like before I still can't see my surroundings, but I know how to get around that. But… I can see you… I can see everyone here."

"What's it like?" She asked.

"Y'know whenever you see thermal vision? How all the hot things glow? It's kinda like that but for people. Everything is still dark, but I can see people and I can see their aura." She explained.

"Well… if it's like Thermal Vision… then I bet I'm glowing bright as hell due to how hot I am." Yang teased, making Blake laugh again. "I'm not hearing you deny it!"

"Shut up!" Blake giggled. Yang smiled adoringly at Blake, but she wiped it aside, calming herself down. They both sat at the bench, then Blake seemed to look… a bit more serious for a moment there.

"What's up?" Yang asked.

"It's been three months… I… I wanna start looking for the White Fang like we said." Blake revealed, Yang's eyes widened.

"You sure? I mean… I don't even know where to start with that. I mean we don't know if Sienna and Ilia are still alive. The Feral Ones nearly wiped them out." Yang explained.

"I know… but I know Ilia. If anyone could survive the Feral Ones it would be her, and Sienna has her semblance. She may have died a few times already, so she could be low on lives… but she always comes back. And… Ruby is gonna need backup when they go for Salem. We have to try." Blake explained, and Yang nodded her head and sat forward.

"Alright… you have any idea on where to start?" Yang asked, immediately ready to help. Blake and Yang still had some issues; however it was clear that their friendship was starting to repair. They turned when they heard visitors.

"Hey…" Weiss greeted as she held onto her arm.

"Hey, Weiss. Wanna join us?" Yang asked with a smile, Weiss smiled back. Clearly still nervous around Yang after the Atlesian Wildlands.

Strangely… Blake and Yang rarely spoke of what happened in the Atlesian Wildlands over those three months. But sooner or later they were going to have to talk about it.

They needed to be honest with each other.

"Sure." Weiss smiled, then they saw Oscar, Nora and Ren were with her. They smiled and all sat down with them at the table.

"We're discussing a plan to find the White Fang. Blake feels strong enough to get out there, so we're ready to go. You guys don't have to go if you don't want to."

"You crazy? Of course we are." Nora chuckled.

"Can't let you do this alone." Ren agreed.

Oscar looked at all of them. "Y-Yeah what they said." He stammered, making Yang laugh.

"Weiss?" Yang asked, and she smiled.

"Yeah… about time I got off my ass. It's cold here." Weiss shrugged.

"So what's the plan?" Oscar asked.

"I'm thinking we head to Menagerie. I'm hoping my Mom and Dad are okay, and if they are they'll be there. If anyone has information on the White Fang's whereabouts, it would be them." Blake explained. "Plus… it would be good for them to know I'm… okay…" Blake explained.

As Oscar sat there, his eyes shimmered and Ozpin took control of his body. "That would require crossing the Shallow Sea." He spoke up, it was very easy to tell whenever he switched souls. The voice change was very apparent.

Yang sighed. "Did Oscar give you permission to do that?"

"Of course, I would never forcefully control him. You have my word on that."

"How do we cross the Shallow Sea? Those waters are infested with Grimm." Ren asked nervously.

"I know of a Port Town southeast of Mistral on the coast. We can easily procure a Sea Vessel there. Or we could stowaway aboard a Ship. Both are equally risky." Ozpin explained.

"I know Sun would appreciate stowing away on a ship…" Blake softly said, she smiled but sadness was very clear on her face.

"It may be safer to go aboard a ship. It may take more time and there's the risk of being spotted… but like you said… Grimm are everywhere in those waters. And they are nowhere near as dangerous to innocents as they once were now that Salem is in charge. So long as we keep our heads down… we should make it to Anima without issue." Ozpin suggested, and nobody disagreed with the idea.

Except Nora, of course.

"Aww… I wanted to be pirate." Nora grumbled, making them all laugh.

Blake smiled; it had been a long time since she felt this way.

Like she was no longer a burden due to her blindness

And now… after all these years… she felt like she could actually make a difference.

Author Note - They are all finally heading out!

Small time skip but needed, at least everyone is back to full strength and Blake is strong enough to fight again and can see people. Of course it is not perfect sight, but she can actually see people again in some way. Blake and Yang still have some issues to work out but at least they can be friends at the very least. Who knows... let's hope things can get better :D Headed to Menagerie, let's hope Ghira and Kali are okay!

That revelation with Lavinia! Had that planned for quite a while! The mission to find the Vasillias Cartel has suddenly become a lot bigger than just reinforcements, a Fully Realised Maiden on their side is a boon they desperately need. Very excited for next chapter, gonna get some good Eryka content with her going back to her old home. Gonna be fun!

And of course, Team C.P.P.R. I adore this team they are so much fun to write, not only are they really fun and having Cinder just die inside because she is surrounded by the three purest souls in the RWBYverse, but also for the tension in the team too. Considering the only pair here who genuinely have no problem with each other are Ruby and Penny. But everyone else has beef and it is gonna be fun to explore their dynamic.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!

Stay Tuned for the next chapter!

(Knights of Grimm fans, worry not! The next Act will start soon, I have already written the first chapter, just waiting on the Cover Art now!)

- Matt