Chapter 20 – Unforeseen Surprises

Eryka

The wind was slowly building, a slight howl could be heard in the distance, where furious black storm clouds began to brew.

Eryka looked back at the storm which was headed their way. "Got about fifteen minutes until that storm gets here."

"Well let's hope this isn't some kind of false lead. Let's be real here, that does sound like a stunt your mother would pull to keep people off her trail." Winter stated, and Eryka nodded her head in agreement.

"Oh trust me, that has been on my mind a fair bit." Eryka admitted. "But it's all we've got… we have to take the risk."

Winter kept her hand on the pommel of her sword, something she learned from her years of training in the Atlesian Military, but also from plenty of experience. Areas like this are ripe for ambushes, especially for the Black Gallows. The area is secure, and isolated. Nobody else to witness their atrocities… anything could happen here.

And of course, it is perfect for Criminals to leave stashes here, or set up meetings to sell their counterfeit or other illegal goods. From drugs to false Lien, people out here would sell just about anything to the right buyer. Especially when it came down to the Black Market.

Even if the Vasillias Cartel were to fall… the Black Market would survive. It is the one Illegal Practice that will never fall. It will live on forever, filling the pockets of less than respectable people. And judging by all the old tracks to and from this place, this was definitely used by the Vasillias Cartel multiple times.

Eryka approached the creaky old shack, and she leant against the door. She looked at Winter who just nodded at her, drawing her sword just in case there was any trouble waiting for them inside. Eryka drew Constantine Damascus and nocked the arrow. She stepped back and kicked the door open, immediately entering with Winter, weapons raised, and Bow drawn. Only for Eryka to suddenly be punched in the face, and pinned to the wall, and Winter felt a staff hook under her chin and choke her.

Eryka swung her head back and broke free, going to fire an arrow. "Wait!" The voice of Robyn Hill called out. Eryka looked around and looked surprised because they could not see anyone there.

Until May Marigold deactivated her semblance, uncloaking her friends. Joanna released Winter, only now noticing that it was them. "Eryka? Winter? The hell are you two doing here? How did you find this place?"

"I… uh… my old home, Lakeview Manor. We're trying to find my mom, get the Vasillias Cartel on our side." Eryka answered.

"The Vasillias Cartel? I thought they were wiped out?" Fiona asked with disbelief.

"Eh well… not exactly." Eryka shrugged, rubbing her cheek. "Could've checked first before you threw that right hook at me."

"Yeah… sorry about that. It's been a rough three months; we've been hiding here ever since what went down at Higanbana." Robyn explained.

"Wait… Dutch is the one who told us to come here. Maybe we've been looking for the wrong things, if the Vasillias Cartel are what brought them here? We should look again." Terra spoke up, Eryka and Winter turned with surprise to see her, Saphron and Adrien tucked away in here as well.

"What the hell? Why are they here?" Winter questioned.

"Terra wanted to help us… and Salem showed up at her house. Didn't directly threaten her, but the fact she was there it meant she knew of her involvement. Her presence was a warning." Robyn explained. "And besides… we have found some stuff here."

Saphron gently kissed the top of Adrien's head. "Mom… I wanna go home." He sniffled.

"I know, sweetie… me too. But we have to do this, it's not safe at home anymore. Queen Salem is dangerous, and she wants to hurt us. We have to be careful, okay?" Saphron softly spoke.

Robyn walked through the old shack. "We were hidden here for a few weeks before we realised what this place was. Check this out, Saphron found it." Robyn explained, approaching an old bookshelf. All the books… they're all fake. "Oldest trick in the book."

Robyn grabbed one of the fake books and pulled it back, revealing it to be a secret lever to a secret underground stairway. The floor in the corner of the room opened, and some stone steps were revealed beneath. "So the shack is just a front… clever." Winter chuckled.

They followed Robyn inside. "This place is huge, it's how we managed to stay hidden from the Black Gallows these past three months. Bastards were on our tail… hell they could still be out there." Robyn explained.

"You said Dutch directed you here?" Winter asked her.

"That's right… but the fact you two show up here? Searching for Lavinia here? I'm starting to wonder if maybe Dutch was hoping we'd find her as well." Robyn explained.

"Wait, how long has it been since you've heard from Dutch?" Eryka inquired whilst Terra, Saphron and Adrien got themselves comfortable down there.

"Ever since Higanbana. It's been radio silence here, kinda had to be. With the Black Gallows constantly searching this region for us. Especially after what we learned… we're priority one for them." Robyn explained as she sat down on a table.

That got their attention.

"What did you find?" Eryka asked, Robyn looked afraid to answer.

"Are you sure you want to know? Because… if I tell you… then you'll be on their shit list too." Robyn warned.

"We're already on their shitlist." Eryka stated.

Robyn blew out a breath. "Alright… in Higanbana we met a woman, called Tortuga. She was Ex-Black Gallows and was very high up the chain. Saw some scary and messed up shit… but the big one? She had a hand in making it happen and was part of the reason why she fled." Robyn began. "The U.G.R commanded the Black Gallows to build Cataclysm-Class Anti-Matter Bombs, and plant them in lethal locations in all four Kingdoms. All of them could be set off at any moment, and would wipe them out, leaving nothing but a crater behind."

Eryka and Winter's faces were of pure shock.

"Oh gods…" Winter gasped as she sat down.

"Yeah… and Killian has the switch, which means Salem has it. We even try and do anything big against Salem? Turn the people against her? She could easily just order Killian to hit the switch and completely restart our civilisation. We've been… trying to figure out what to do next. We can't risk the innocent, and once we realised this whole bunker was down here with all this stuff? We hoped we could find something." Robyn explained.

"And did you?" Eryka asked.

"Nothing I can see. Mostly just old reports and sales for the Vasillias Cartel. Some base locations, stuff like that." Robyn explained, Eryka stood up.

"Locations? Then this is what we were looking for, it is what we all need." Eryka revealed. "We went to the Cartel, but it was destroyed, but the only bodies were Black Gallows. Not a single Cartel Corpse. Same deal at my home. We figured out why." Eryka began and she pressed her hands against the table. "My mother? Lavinia Vasillias? Is a Fully Realised Winter Maiden."

Robyn's eyes widened. "Whoa… what?"

"I know I'm still coming to grips with this as well, but a lot makes sense now. It's definitely how she has held onto her power for so long. Nobody would dare cross the leader of a Cartel if she was a Maiden. Now we're not sure where we went, but her trail lead us here. I think she came here and hid something… within a few days ago."

"She couldn't have, we've been here the whole time." Robyn explained.

"There could be secret entrances. And besides, my mother has always had some pretty impressive Military Tech. She could have been using some kind of stealth cloak to keep herself hidden from you all. She's been leaving clues… there has to be one here. One you haven't seen, because it is so recent."

Robyn stood up and paced around. "We need her forces… her resources. We need to take Salem down… hell… now more than ever. We can't risk her or Killian detonating those bombs to stop us." Winter stated.

"She's a Cartel Boss… she has contacts everywhere… she could help us in other ways too. Like in getting this information out there. She could inform the Media through her contacts, get the story out there. But like you said, we need to wait. We need to know that this information will not lead to more deaths. Too many have died already."

"We'll come up with something." Eryka promised, but before they could discuss this any further, they heard someone rushing to the stairs.

"Guys! We've got a huge problem!" Fiona called out.

"What is it?" Robyn immediately hardened herself and stood up.

"The Ace Ops… they've found us…"

Blake

The sun on the Southern Face of Anima had finally risen, and the view was beautiful.

Finally they found the Anima Savannah.

It stretched out for as far as the eye could see, golden fields and the occasional tree. Beautiful herbivores grazed these natural fields that they walked through. Weiss kept her eyes on her Compass to make sure they were still headed the right way to get to the port that could help them make their journey to Menagerie. The journey was a long one, and this place was a beautiful place to walk through.

"This place… it's so beautiful." Oscar said with awe in his eyes. "I remember watching documentaries about the wildlife here as a kid… but to actually be here? The screen really didn't do it justice… just how… huge it is."

"I know, right? It just keeps on going!" Nora squeaked.

Blake stayed quiet; she may be able to see people through their aura now… but she would never see the beauties of the world again. Yet despite that… she could still experience it in other ways. "The smells… it's weird to explain… it just feels so alive here." Blake commented.

In Oscar's head, he could hear Ozpin speak. "I believe this is one of the places the Landmark Restoration Society protected. It pleases me to see this location is still untouched."

Oscar smiled. "Me too." He telepathically replied.

But as they walked, something caught Yang's eye. "Whoa… what's this?" Yang asked, and Oscar stopped as he looked at it. There were old structures here. Very old structures. Older than they had ever seen, and Oscar glanced to the side.

"May I?" He asked.

"Sure." Oscar answered, then Ozpin took control.

"That, Miss Xiao Long, is an old remnant of a city which once stood where these fields grow." He began. "A very, very old city. Long before our Kingdoms had been formed… from my time, to be exact."

Everyone listened as they continued to make their trek through the Savannah. Most of the buildings were gone, but a few remains could be seen, like old bones. "What was it called?" Ren inquired.

"Sklavedon." Ozpin answered.

"Wow, that's a mouthful and a half." Yang commented, which made Ozpin chuckle.

"Indeed. My people were… complicated… in naming their cities. And their Kingdoms. It was a time where our power was unmatched by anyone. Such as Evernight." Ozpin explained as he walked with them. They continued to listen to him, passing by resting Mistraalian Wildebeest which rested beneath the trees in the shade. "But in the end, we were cut down."

"How?" Nora inquired; Ozpin fell silent there.

"If… you can forgive my privacy… but this is quite a difficult subject for me to cover. I guess you could say it is personal. I hope you understand." Ozpin answered.

"I'm sorry, we didn't mean to bring up any bad memories for you." Blake said.

"It's alright. But this place, Sklavedon… it was a beautiful city. Towers that pierced the skies, men and women who lived their lives in joy. Humanity and Faunus lived together as equals… it was harmony. Before it all changed." Ozpin explained as he continued to walk, then he gave control back to Oscar.

Robyn

Robyn walked outside first, and aimed her Crossbow at them, but her eyes widened as she saw Clover with something gripped in his hand. It was a Hologram Drone, and he released it. "Someone would like to have a talk with you." Clover said as it floated towards them. Eryka kept Constantine Damascus drawn, and Winter did the same with her swords. The drone approached and slowed before them, and it flickered a bright blue, emanating light into a live holographic feed.

It formed the body of a man, clad in black, rasply breathing through the respirator attached to his sternum, and a tumbler of whiskey in his hand. He took a sip and lowered it, staring at them. "Well, well… isn't this a surprise? Every single time I go to scrape off dirt off my boot, I always find the two of you responsible. Eryka Vasillias… Winter Schnee."

"Glad you recognise us… can't say the same for you… you look like shit." Eryka scoffed. He was pale and was no longer trying to hide his Grave Dust arm. He also had bags under his eyes, looked like he hadn't slept in days, in fact.

He chuckled at her words. "Yeah… a shell of the man I knew." Robyn added.

Killian's onyx eyes met hers. "Robyn… you haven't aged a day."

"Can't say the same for you." Robyn replied.

"Good to see that vigour of yours still flies high. I've always admired that about you, your ability to find the joy in things no matter how terrible it may seem." Killian explained. "Sometimes it is hard for me to find such optimism, especially in such trying times. Maintaining peace is not as easy as some try to make it appear."

"Yeah. We all know how you intend on maintaining this peace you and your Queen so desperately claim to have. Like by burying Anti-Matter bombs underneath the Four Kingdoms of Remnant?" Robyn questioned as she paced back and forth.

"A significant step, but one that had to be made. One that was made before Salem ever seized the reigns of leadership over our great civilisation." Killian said.

"How the hell does holding the people of Remnant at gunpoint without them knowing the gun is there any form of peace?" Winter questioned.

"The Great War – that is how. If we continued to fight amongst ourselves, it would have continued to escalate. We would have ended up wiping each other out, leaving nothing left afterwards. No civilisation, no recovery – only our extinction would follow. But the Bombs act as a deterrent. If the Kingdoms begin to act out, risking a second Great War? We threaten to detonate them, the fear would usually extinguish the fires of hate. But if it doesn't? We detonate them, leaving the cities that have survived outside of the Kingdoms alone. They would not dare challenge us, and would bow to their rightful Queen, and through them we will build a new civilisation. One recovered from the ashes of the fools who came before." Killian explained.

"One made out of blood. No end can possibly justify those means." Robyn called out.

"Salem has lived longer than any of us can possibly comprehend, and she knows more about ruling than any Politician ever could. Only through her can the People of Remnant be safe." Killian explained, and Eryka scoffed as she walked towards the Hologram of him.

"Wow. You actually believe the bullshit you spout, don't you?" Eryka barked. "I guess it must be comforting for you, since nobody else does."

Winter approached as well. "We should have killed you when we had the chance, back at Beacon. If I had known what you have become, I wouldn't have hesitated."

"You can go back to Salem and cry to her, beg for mercy. Spend as much time as you like with her because it won't last. Because soon we're gonna find a way and we'll put Salem in the ground for good." Eryka promised.

"Your vision is pathetically limited. Salem cannot be destroyed, and only through her will Remnant find true peace." Killian assured.

"No, only when she falls will Remnant be safe. And she will, and when that happens the world will know about everything you've done." Robyn promised.

"I can't let you do that." Killian stated, the hologram turned and walked back towards Clover. "Clover. Ensure the Happy Huntresses, Robyn Hill, Eryka Vasillias and Winter Schnee are eradicated and any evidence they have is destroyed. Leave no evidence and bring me my sister and her family alive." Killian ordered, and Clover opened his hand, catching the drone as the Hologram ended.

"Understood, Commander." Clover answered. He swiftly drew his Fishing Rod and his Pistol in the other hand.

Vine raised his fists, and his long Golden Aura arms extended from his forearms, also with their fists clenched. Harriet did the same, her Exo-Suit activating, and electricity coursed through her muscles. Marrow reluctantly raised his rifle and Elm spun her huge hammer through her fingers.

"You assholes can fucking try." Robyn snarled.

Eryka immediately fired first, and Dulcis descended and grabbed onto the arrowhead with his talons. His wings erupted with flames, forming into a giant Burning Phoenix. The grass set alight beneath the smouldering feathers, and Vine's eyes widened. He then held out his hands and the long arms stretched out and wrapped around the Ace Ops, sheltering them in the aura against the fire from Dulcis.

The Altum Eagle ascended and escaped danger, Vine opened his arms once more, and just as Clover lifted his head, Winter launched Eryka forward with her Glyph. Eryka smashed her fist directly into the side of his head. The two of them tumbled across the grass past the Ace Ops. Eryka stuck the landing with ease and swiftly launched an Ice Arrow towards him. It impacted his leg and froze him in place. Clover roared with rage and stared straight at his enemy as she rushed forward.

Eryka ducked under the gun's bullet path as he fired, and she then grabbed the hand that held the Gun and twisted it around, forcing him to release it. She twisted around and roundhouse kicked him across the jaw, and as she landed, she threw punch after punch into his chest. He broke free thanks to Harriet who shot past him, smashing the ice apart. He quickly drew his Horseshoe and smacked it across Eryka's cheek, stumbling her. He then swung his Fishing Rod at her, and the line wrapped around her arm. But she smirked at him and jumped, spinning through the air. The action yanked Clover towards her, and just as she landed, she held out her other arm and close lined him.

The impact knocked him clean off his feet, but he rolled aside just in time as Eryka stabbed at his face with Slice 'N Dice, only narrowly missing. He quickly got back up and grabbed his gun, firing it repeatedly at her, but she had become far more skilled thanks to the ten years of training with her girlfriend. She slashed the bullets apart with impressive speed, then charged forward, but he threw the horseshoe into her head, and she staggered backwards. Clover jumped over her head and the fishing line wrapped around her torso. As he landed, he roared and pulled downwards, reeling her in at the same time.

Eryka was thrown over him and came crashing down into the soil before him. Her blue aura flickered – but it was not broken yet. Her aura was getting stronger everyday thanks to her many years of teaching from Winter. Clover stomped down at her head, but she flipped backwards onto her feet and kicked Constantine Damascus up into her hand, transforming it into Shotgun Form. She fired and the shells blew him backwards, then she switched to Bow Form, firing arrow after arrow at him. He dodged them and touched his Lucky Pin, then he caught the explosive arrow and broke it in two. It exploded but had little effect against his aura.

"You bitch! Those are hard as hell to make!" Eryka yelled.

Clover just shrugged as a response, then he charged towards her once more.

Winter yelled with rage as she blasted towards Elm with Joanna beside her, but Elm's feet anchored into the soil and she swung her huge hammer up into Winter's gut. The swing blasted her up into the air then she went to bring the hammer down onto Joanna's head. But Joanna caught the hammer with both hands, staring right into Elm's eyes with gritted teeth.

Joanna stepped aside and let the hammer smash into the ground, then she uppercutted the Muscular Ace Ops Huntress. Her powerful fist created a small shockwave off Elm's jaw, and she was thrown up into the air. Joanna grabbed her by the leg and smashed her back down into the ground. "That's for last time!" Joanna yelled.

Elm growled with rage and rolled aside, and as soon as she got back up, she threw her fist right back into Joanna's. The Happy Huntress tumbled backwards but dragged her hand into the dirt. Elm turned when she heard the sound of… wings?

Winter was flying directly towards her upon a Summoned Manticore, and it blasted an icy fireball at her. The energy projectile exploded against Elm's shoulder and then she caught the Summoned Beast by its horns, still staying in place as she twisted it around and smashed it down into the ground with all her might. Winter was thrown off but immediately went for Elm. She slashed her sword across Elm's body, then formed a Glyph that blocked her fist, and spun on the spot, firing multiple fireballs from another Glyph she conjured behind her.

The explosion final broke her free. She tumbled across the soil but grabbed onto her Hammer. She dragged it across the ground and smacked Joanna in the chest with it, then transforming it into Rocket Launcher Form. She aimed it at Winter and fired, but she drove her sword into the ground, forming a protective dome of thick ice around her. It shattered but took the brunt of the explosion.

Winter shot forward towards Elm and stabbed her in the chest multiple times, but her strong aura was easily able to tank the hits. Elm could move fast when she needed to, swinging that huge hammer around like it didn't weigh a tonne. Winter dodged as quickly as she could, sliding out of the way, and rolling backwards. She then shot up into the air with her Glyph and hovered above Elm. She then blasted back down towards her, but Elm swung at her once more, knocking her out of the air in one hit. Winter crashed into the ground, driving her sword into the ground.

Elm roared, jumping high in the air and pummelling her hammer into the ground, the impact caused the ground to shake and fragment. Huge chunks of dirt burst around them, and Winter jumped upwards. She then ran and hopped across the chunks of soil, before leaping towards Elm and grabbing her by her short ponytail and slamming her head down into the rocks. The soil came crashing back down, as Winter aimed her sword at Elm and disconnected her second sword, letting it drop into her other hand.

Joanna turned and saw Robyn, May and Fiona were still up against Marrow, Vine and Harriet.

The three of them continued to battle against each other.

Robyn rolled aside as Harriet came blasting forward, only narrowly missing her. But as Robyn stood back up, Harriet came shooting back and forth, throwing punches back and forth. Robyn grunted from every hit, but then she held out her arm with gritted teeth, knocking her on her arse. Robyn aimed her crossbow and fired it at Harriet, and the explosion threw Harriet across the dirt. "Damn it." She grumbled as her suit began to crackle and spark in places.

She rolled her shoulder and stared at her as she ran towards her, launching another crossbow bolt towards her. Harriet rolled aside, and then darted forward. She kicked Robyn in the chest with both feet, then threw punch after punch at her. Robyn's fan blades opened, and she blocked the incoming fists, backing up and countering with a punch from time to time. Harriet slid aside but Robyn fired three bolts at once at her. As Harriet zoomed towards her, the bolt knocked her out of her speedy path, and right into Robyn's hand. She grabbed her by the throat and pummelled her down into the dirt.

Harriet grunted in anger, before she wrapped her legs around Robyn's head and twisted, throwing Robyn from her. Robyn bounced across the soil, and held up her fan blades, stopping Harriet's fist.

Fiona fired bolt after bolt from her Staff at Marrow, who rolled aside and cut them down as they flew his way. He spun his Boomerang Blade through his fingers and transformed it into its Assault Rifle form. He fired multiple automatic shots at her, but she spirally her staff through her fingers. She then pressed her hand against a boulder, absorbing it into her pocket dimension. Once fully absorbed, she proceeded to jump and flip through the air, and she forged it back into existence, throwing the huge boulder with ease at him.

His eyes widened but he cut the boulder clean in half with his weapon. The chunks of rock crashed into the ground behind him, then rushed towards her. He slashed the blade repeatedly at her, but she blocked them and held him back. She looked at his eyes, seeing the pain in them. "You don't have to do this! You know this is wrong!" Fiona attempted.

"Stop! I'm not a good man! I can't be like you!" Marrow yelled as he kicked her back and threw his Boomerang Blade towards her. But she smacked it aside, allowing it to return to her.

"You can! I can tell! I am good at reading people, and I know you are not a bad person. You… you were just like me once." Fiona said as her ear twitched. "Both Young Faunus trapped in a Kingdom of Humans who hated us… but that doesn't have to define you. It doesn't define me. It doesn't define any of us… and I know you want to do the right thing!" Fiona called out to him, he stood there and shook his head, pressing his hands against his head.

He couldn't find the words. "When all this happened? I was the newest addition to this team; I was only seventeen when all of this started. You can still do the right thing." Fiona assured; his eyes danced around as his mind tried to contemplate her words.

He looked around as he saw everyone fighting his team. May continued to battle against Vine, who grabbed her and threw her into one of the trees. But she lifted her head and smirked, vanishing into thin air. His eyes widened and he looked around for her, then she suddenly slashed across his aura and he grunted, swinging his long-extended arms around. But May struck over and over.

She then leapt forward and yelled with rage, driving the blades of her Crossbow Staff right into Vine's chest.

His aura broke and the blades dug in, and Marrow's eyes widened.

So did May's.

There… there was no blood. The blades stabbed deep into his stomach… but it wasn't blood… only electrical sparks came out. Vine suddenly grabbed and launched her threw one of the trees. It shattered apart and Vine groaned from the synthesised pain, holding his gut where sparks leaked from internally damaged wiring. His blue eyes glowed slightly as the optics adjusted, searching for May.

"What the hell?" Marrow gasped as he stared at Vine, who was becoming more mysterious by the second.

Marrow turned his gaze when he heard both Elm and Clover yelling in pain. He saw Winter slashing straight through her aura, and driving her sword right into her shoulder, pinning her to the ground. And Eryka ducked underneath his fist, and she caught onto the fishing line and wrapped it around his throat. She then jumped and looped the cable around one of the trees and proceeded to hang him.

Clover desperately gasped for air, kicking his legs back and forth as he writhed. "How does it feel, huh? To be on the receiving end of the Gallows?" Eryka roared with fury in her blue eyes, showing a dark side of her that rarely showed itself. She mercilessly began to choke him, and Marrow looked at Fiona and winced.

"I'm sorry."

Marrow launched his Boomerang Blade towards Eryka, knocking her on her back, and the beaten Clover crashed to the ground, struggling to breathe. He also fired at Winter to get her off Elm and pressed his finger to his ear. "W-07! We need immediate pickup! Medical Attention needed!" Marrow called out, calling in a retreat.

Harriet turned her gaze with wide eyes at hearing him making the call, giving Robyn the chance to punch Harriet in the cheek. She crashed into the ground and aimed her Crossbow down at her.

Vine kept his fists raised but looked at Marrow and chose to stand with him. He stretched out his aura formed arms and dragged Elm over to them. Eryka crawled back and drew her bow as the Wasp banked around and fired its machine guns at them to force them to back off. It lowered and opened the rear door, allowing the Ace Ops to retreat.

As Marrow got aboard, his eyes met Fiona's as she watched him go.

You did the right thing.

Those were the words she mouthed, and he looked away as the Airship rose up into the sky and blasted off into the clouds. Winter stood beside Eryka, helping her up to her feet. "I've never seen Ace Ops retreat like that." Winter said, and Fiona gently held her arm.

"Marrow… I think he did it for us. To stop the fighting. He doesn't want any part of this." Fiona explained, Robyn looked at her and then at the Wasp as it flew away.

"Then I hope nothing bad happens to him.

Emerald

The thief gazed out across the sapphire blue oceans of Vale's coast.

She let out a sigh, closing her red eyes and she knelt down in the sand, pressing her hands into it. She felt the cool water swash back over to her, the cool sensation of the water was so relaxing to feel. She kept her eyes closed as she knelt there, but then she heard the sound of Mercury approaching. "Hey, you alright?" He inquired.

"Yeah… I just needed a minute." She answered, and he crouched down beside her. She smiled softly at him as he looked at her, he then caressed her cheek and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. They pressed their heads together.

"Don't worry… we'll find a way out of this. I promise." He assured.

"It's not that… you saw what Salem did to Jaune. How many others has she…" Emerald paused and shuddered. "I hope the real Jaune isn't in there, the guy was an idiot but… nobody deserves that."

"I know… I remember seeing that Knight around for a few weeks. I thought it was a new Praetorian Knight or something, to replace the one that was destroyed back at Beacon. But then Adam started spouting off and then…" He was just as lost for words as she was. Emerald looked at him with nervous eyes.

"What if she plans to do that to us? Turn us into monsters that know nothing except their duty to serve?" Emerald stammered.

"We'll be long gone before she tries anything." Mercury promised, Emerald just sighed.

"You don't know that. We tried to run once, remember? Look how that turned out… the Abductors will always find us. And there is nothing we can do… we just have to… survive. And hope she doesn't choose to kill us to send a message." Emerald explained as she got back up.

She stopped, and her blood ran cold.

Tyrian was right behind them. Seeing the maniac staring right at them truly sent a chill down their spines and seeing his new scar in the gut after being badly injured by Eryka beneath the Summit's Claim. There was a look in his eye… one that they could never figure out. Was he gonna kill them? Or was he just messing with them?

Then he started giggling maniacally as he approached. "Oh… poor children. I can see the trepidation in your eyes… why do you continue to be so afraid?" He asked as he stood between them as they both rose up.

"We're not… I'm sorry, we'll get back to helping you laying the traps. I just needed a second." Emerald lied, only for his mechanical tail to stop her from walking past him.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk… when will you understand? Nobody can lie to me…" He whispered as he stared right into her eyes, grinning.

"Dude, back off." Mercury threatened, he stared at him now. He would do anything for Emerald, but Tyrian's glares were enough to scare anyone into submission.

"Our Queen has saved us all from damnation… given us a higher purpose to attain. You wouldn't be having second thoughts against our Grace, would you? Because… well… we all know what happens to those who disobey Salem." He said, chuckling constantly.

"Adam was an idiot; he was given warning after warning. I'm not an idiot." Emerald assured; Tyrian chuckled sinisterly again.

"Indeed… and that… is what concerns me." He said as he held his thumb under her chin, lifting her head. But she held her ground, and just stared right back at him. He could tell she was afraid, yet she didn't look away. Tyrian admired that, even making him smirk at her.

"Tyrian." Watts spoke up as Icarus helped secure the area, flying through the air as he kept even the skies secured. "That's enough." Watts commanded, Tyrian immediately backed down and he walked away from the two of them, returning to his duties as Hazel easily lifted some heavy crates of equipment around. Watts touched his earpiece as he approached them.

"The Gyrfalcon should be there any minute." Killian informed.

"Good, we'll need it for this plan to work." Watts stated, and then he turned his head to the sky as the droning roar of the Gyrfalcon erupted nearby, and it came banking across the sky, descending down towards them. Its four powerful thrusters rotated and slowed it down, before landing down upon the ground nearby, blowing the sand from the beach all over the place. Mercury shielded his eyes as he stood beside his girlfriend.

"Are you sure this is gonna work? I mean how do we even know Team Copper are even gonna show up here?" Emerald asked.

"That's where the two of you come in. I know you are skilled at flying Airships; the Gyrfalcon's controls are easy to figure out. The rest of us will remain here, waiting for the moment to strike. You and Icarus must attack them as soon as they leave their harbour, and make sure that you guide them towards us. Once they are close…" Watts explained, raising his hand clad with the Golden Rings. "… we'll handle the rest."

Watts walked away from the two of them, and he approached one of the crates that Hazel set down, and he pulled out a cannister for the Doctor. Watts opened it, and he held out his hands, and they shone blue. Inside was a tonne of Grave Dust, and it all came rising up into the air, swirling like a shoal of fish. He then scattered the fragments, and they all fell upon the sand. The sand was dotted with black grains in random places, waiting for activation.

Watts stood there, and he smirked, looking ahead at the ocean as he rolled his shoulders.

"Very soon… that Lamp will belong to us." Watts assured.

Marrow

Aboard the Shadow of Broken Promises…

He cleaned his rifle on his lap, his heart was hammering. He knew that was not his call to make and he was already receiving some pretty nasty looks from Harriet. Yet… he kept on thinking about her… Fiona Thyme.

Is she right? Can I be like her?

I don't want to be a monster, I wanted to help people. It's why I wanted to be a Huntsman… not serve the monsters I wanted to slay.

I want to be like her…

… but I don't know if I can be.

He sighed and put the cleaning oils away and holstered his weapon, and walked to his quarters, but he stopped, and saw Vine. He was sat on his bed and was soldering the stab wound he suffered. He approached slowly, still wide eyed. "Yes, Marrow?" Vine asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He stammered.

"Don't be, I can assume you have some questions?" Vine presumed.

"Uh… kinda?" Marrow nervously answered, Vine extended his aura and opened the door for him and pulled out the chair in the corner. Marrow sat down in front of him and crossed his hands together. Vine was always the best to Marrow, he treated him like an equal and was always kind to him.

"Go on… ask me." Vine began.

"O-Okay… what are you?" He asked him as he looked at the robotics inside the wound.

"You remember Penny Polendina? She was the first ever Synthetic created who could generate an Aura." Vine began, and he looked at his hand. "Well… I am the second."

The revelation was a shock, yet it made a lot of sense. Vine was always so calm, never seemed to be afraid. Perhaps having a mechanical body meant he was not as afraid of injury and death as everyone else. His spiritual side however made this even more surprising. "That… wow…"

"Indeed. Penny however could never be loyal to Atlas; she fell in love with Ruby Rose and was unshackled. So I was designed not long after Penny was destroyed, but one who would be loyal to Atlas, but also Remnant itself." He explained.

"What does that mean? Unshackled?" Marrow inquired.

"It means she had every single emotion that you have. I… on the other hand… do not. I was given an aura; however my intelligence does not allow for such advanced feelings. So I cannot experience fear or love, nor sadness or rage. I am not driven by emotion – I am driven by my goal."

"Your goal?" Marrow asked.

"To ensure the survival of Remnant and it's people. At any cost." Vine answered, clasping his hands together.

"Then… why do you…"

"Why do I follow Salem? And the Black Gallows?"

Marrow's blood ran cold, if anyone caught a scent of doubt in someone, they would be shoved in a Black Cell. Yet Vine was calm, like always, and smiled. "Because for now? Her rule is keeping people alive. But who knows… perhaps change is in the wind? And if that change benefits the world more than her… then things will get interesting." Vine assured with a smile.

Marrow turned when he heard the soldiers walking down the hall. "Ah, sounds like you should take this opportunity to enjoy your break, Marrow." Vine said with a smile, and Marrow smiled back.

"Okay… thanks, Vine."

"No. Thank you, Marrow. It's… nice to have some to talk to about this." Vine said with a genuine smile. Marrow smiled happily and he walked out of Vine's quarters and approached his, but he froze in place like a deer in headlights.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Clover snarled, stood right in front of Marrow's Quarters.

"C-Clover… I… I…" Marrow stammered.

"Y-Y-You what?" Clover growled. "You called in that Airship to get us out of there when it was not necessary. You failed the mission… you failed my mission." Clover snarled as he walked towards Marrow.

Marrow shrunk into his shoulders, ready to be hurt. "What the hell made you think you had any authority to make a decision like that?" Clover questioned, and the more Clover spoke Marrow started to look away in fear. "For fuck's sake, Marrow, look at me!"

Marrow continued to look away.

"MARROW!" Clover erupted. "Look. At. Me."

Marrow trembled and finally looked at his Commanding Officer. "O-Okay, I-I'm sorry." Marrow stammered.

"Let's get one thing straight. The only reason you're here, you disgusting half breed, is because Dutch wanted you here. Because you were a kid, and he didn't want you to suffer the same fate we did. But guess what? I don't give a damn about what Dutch wants, the Ace Ops are my team, and you will do whatever I say. And if you don't?" Clover questioned, and he suddenly grabbed him by the throat and slammed him down against the ground.

"If you dare… overstep your bounds… again? I will fucking kill you." Clover promised, slowly choking him out.

Until suddenly Vine's golden aura hand shot forward and grabbed Clover by the collar and yanked him away from Marrow. The youngest Ace Ops member gasped, finally able to breathe again. Vine then pinned Clover against the wall, staring straight into his eyes.

"Get the hell off me Vine!" Clover yelled.

Vine never said a word, he just stared straight into Clover's eyes.

Clover gritted his teeth as he tried to get free, but Vine was far stronger, not even budging. "The hell is going on?" The voice of Dutch called out, Clover and Marrow turned to see Killian's Second in Command stood there. They never knew it, but his ability to act like he was not a traitor to the Black Gallows was truly impressive.

Vine swiftly released Clover, the speed of which made Clover drop to one knee, also having to catch his breath. "My apologies, sir." Vine replied, saluting his superior.

"Killian wants the Ace Ops at the Bridge. He has a mission for you. Get your asses in gear." Dutch commanded, Vine immediately headed there whilst Clover caught up. Marrow still looked shaken, Dutch approached him and gently held his shoulder. "Hey. You okay?" Dutch softly asked him.

"Yeah." Marrow lied.

"That's a lie and a half. Lemme guess, that racist piece of shit assaulted you again, right?" Dutch guessed, and Marrow nodded his head. "We'll sort him out, don't worry."

He walked with Marrow to the Bridge, and the rest of the Ace Ops were waiting. Killian was stood at the bridge with his arms behind his back, fists clenched. "I believe I commanded you to eliminate my enemies, correct?" Killian questioned. He turned and stared directly at Clover.

"What the hell happened?" Killian questioned.

Clover looked at Marrow and he sighed. "Marrow diso-"

Killian's Grave Dust arm suddenly extended and grabbed Clover by the throat, lifting him off the floor with ease. He choked in pain as Killian held him there. "Oh no, Clover. As leader it is your mission to complete, and you failed. And I have seen the ways in which you lead the Ace Ops. Especially in how you treat Marrow, in fact I don't blame him for making the call. Why the hell should he be loyal to someone like you?" Killian scowled at him, choking him out, but then he released him.

Clover lifted his head and gasped, staring down the barrel of Killian's pistol. "Sir! Please! I beg of you!" Clover whimpered as Killian glared at him.

Dutch watched him with shock – he never did this before.

"Killian? What's the next mission?" Dutch asked, hoping to stop Killian from needlessly killing someone. Clover was a scumbag, no denying it, but killing him now would simply be a callous murder. Killian stared at Clover as he whimpered, but Killian just smirked.

"No. No I'm good." Killian already made his point by showing Clover's true colours. "Your mission still stands. But you will no longer be leading. I am now entrusting this mission… to you – Dutch."

Dutch's eyes widened.

Oh shit…

"Find the Happy Huntresses. Find Eryka. Find Winter. Find Robyn. Kill them all and burn any evidence, then bring me my sister, sister-in-law and nephew alive." Killian commanded.

Shit… how am I gonna handle this now?

This is bad… my cover is gonna get blown…

But he stuck to it, this was gonna be a problem Dutch was gonna have to solve later. For now, he needed Killian to think he was still on his side.

He stood to attention and saluted him.

"It will be done." Dutch promised, turning and walking away with the Ace Ops. Clover scurried after them as they left.

Killian watched them go and he held his arms behind his back, looking out across Remnant from the Shadow of Broken Promises.

Things just got a lot more complicated.

Author Note - Killian really is losing it, this chapter showed that pretty well. He has gone full-on bad guy now, and he isn't even trying to hide who he really is anymore.

Had some fun with the Ace Ops here, Marrow really is in over his head and needs to listen to Fiona, because she is right. The two of them are very similar and need to work together. And of course, Vine. I loved the twist with him being the second version of Penny, but one that was designed to be loyal to both Atlas and the people of Remnant. Gonna have some fun with Vine in this story.

And Clover? God he is such a scary yet pathetic bastard in this story. I love taking characters and completely flipping them on their heads. And I liked Clover in the show XD Apart from his manipulative side at the end of course, but I always like twisting canon characters. Always great fun.

Now Eryka and Winter are working with the Happy Huntresses, let's hope they can find something in that Bunker that can lead them to Lavinia.

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

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

- Matt