Chapter 32 – The Memories of Sand
Ruby
Where do you even begin?
The only light on them was the Lunar Glow of the shattered moon, a sight that gave them shivers knowing how it got that way… all thanks to Haytham Arc.
After what she had just seen, that was all she could ask herself. Ruby took a few steps back and fell to her knees, eyes wide. She rested her hands down on her thighs, and Pyrrha stood there and pressed her hands against her head. "Gods…" Pyrrha gasped, and Penny crouched down beside Ruby, gently caressing her back. Cinder sat down on the bench and she let her arms rest on her legs, contemplating on the same information that everyone else had on their minds.
"The Relic of Destruction… that's how we kill her… but…" Cinder muttered.
"She already has it." Ruby replied. "And if she gets all the Relics, she's gonna use it to kill the Brothers."
Penny cushioned Ruby's hand as they sat together, and Penny just looked up at Pyrrha, who stared at the Crocea Mortem. "Pyrrha? Are you okay?"
"Jaune… he never knew… he never knew that the man he always worshipped, always aspired to be like… was a monster." Pyrrha could barely even formulate the words that she wanted to say. All of it was still processing in her mind. She gripped the blade tight, then she turned and sighed. "We need to keep moving. Salem was there. We can't risk staying here any longer. She will be sending Praetorian Knights here soon."
They all got up, knowing Pyrrha was correct, and they headed out, still headed in the direction that they knew Arcadia was located. Ruby held the Lamp in her hands, closing her Silver Eyes with grief over the heartbreaking story they just witnessed. She stood tall and they all quickly left the area.
Not long after, black and red portals erupted open, and all the Praetorian Knights arrived – all eleven remaining Knights.
They watched from a safe distance as the beings patrolled the area, far too many for them to defeat. Then Cinder's eye widened with realisation as she counted them and thought back. They kept on walking, staying ahead of the Knights and trying to make their job of tracking them a lot harder. "You know Salem knows we're headed for Arcadia, right? She was there… she saw everything we just saw." Cinder explained.
"Yeah… that thought has crossed my mind." Ruby admitted.
"She's probably setting up some kind of trap for us… should we turn back?" Cinder asked. "Come up with a new plan?"
"No, we can't." Ruby explained. "You heard what Jinn said at the end. If Salem gets the Relic of Creation, she'll use it to start a new Eclipse. And now she knows for certain that the Relic is there, it's not safe anymore."
"Is that even something we need to worry about? Are we even due an eclipse?" Cinder asked.
"It doesn't matter. With the Relic of Creation, she could force it to happen. Anything is possible with the Relics and with the power she wields? I doubt forcing an Eclipse with a Relic and Magic combined is too crazy to imagine." Ruby explained as they walked through the woods together, they were no longer sticking to the main roads. It was too dangerous, with Salem's forces most likely headed for Arcadia as well.
Penny looked back at Cinder, noticing she was thinking about something. "What's on your mind, Cinder?"
"Just realised something… after we saw what we saw… I think I know what the Praetorian Knights are now." Cinder revealed. They all slowed and looked at her as she pressed one hand against the tree, steadying herself subtly. "There were Thirteen of them, two of them are dead now. The one you all killed at Beacon, and the one we killed at the Summit's Claim. How many Knights did Thaddeus have?"
All of their eyes widened.
"Thirteen." All of them said in unison.
"By the Gods… she stole their souls when she killed them… and turned them into Geists." Ruby realised.
"Is that why the Abductors have been kidnapping people? To make more Geists?" Pyrrha realised, thinking back to the town they found that was completely taken by the Grimm. It was a terrifying thought, one that lingered in all their minds for a while as they kept walking.
"She's trying to make more… or worse… she's turning people into powerful Grimm." Ruby said as they walked.
"That's… horrible…" Penny mumbled.
"Just one more reason to kill the bitch once and for all." Cinder coughed, wheezing slightly, and Pyrrha looked back at her as she quickly wiped the blood away from her mouth, hiding the signs of Noctus Putrida. She stayed quiet, and they continued to walk through the woods together.
Every little sound put them on edge, expecting to be ambushed by one of those Praetorian Knights, or even one of the Children of Salem.
But they chose not to focus on that. They just followed their map that Ruby had on her scroll, and they were getting closer and closer to Arcadia.
"Salem and Ozpin… or Ozma… I never even knew about that." Cinder stated as she walked with them, and Ruby nodded her head in agreement.
"I really thought I knew Ozpin…"
"Well, there's your first mistake. One of the main things that Salem always told us was that you should never trust Ozpin. That he would always turn on his word… I guess I understand what she meant now. But I saw her face. She didn't know that it was all Thaddeus. That Ozma actually tried to stop him from killing her kids." Cinder explained.
"Gods, Thaddeus… I still can't wrap my head around it. The things that he did…" Pyrrha stammered. "And Beacon Academy had a damn statue of the monster? All the History Books revered him like a hero? I don't understand… Ozpin knew what he was… why would he feed the world that lie?"
"There's no point asking these questions when he's not here, and besides, I doubt the man would give us a straight answer." Cinder stated.
"I know… but…" she sighed, closing her eyes as she looked at the sword in her hand. "Jaune never knew… he gave his life to honour what he believed that man was. He never knew that he was related to that man and never knew that the man he always aspired to be like was a goddamn monster."
As they walked, then Pyrrha wondered. "Wait… Ozpin… he knew Jaune failed his application into Beacon and forged his documents." Pyrrha stopped, then everyone else looked back at her. "And he let you in despite the fact you were too young…"
"What are you thinking?" Ruby asked her.
"I'm not sure yet… but… maybe Ozpin wanted Jaune at Beacon… because he knew he was an Arc? But why? It doesn't make sense…" Pyrrha paced back and forth, trying to make sense of it all.
"And he made him team leader. I know he was always a great strategist… but… back then he didn't really have many other leadership qualities." Ruby sadly said, crossing her arms, and Penny gently held her forearm.
"Probably to keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't end up like Thaddeus did." Cinder suggested, shrugging her shoulders.
"He would've never ended up like that." Pyrrha defended.
"Yeah… and I'm sure Ozymandias said the same thing about Thaddeus." Cinder stated. She walked ahead of them whilst Pyrrha pondered on these thoughts. Pyrrha followed them, but she slowed down again, and Penny looked back, seeing she was clenching her hand into a fist. She turned to her side, seeing the Brothers Grimm watching her every move.
"Pyrrha?" Penny asked.
"You guys… go on ahead… I need to take a moment." Pyrrha said.
"We can't split up." Ruby told her.
"We're not… I just… I need to have a word with… them." She clarified. The team looked at each other and sighed.
"We'll be by the creek. Try to keep it brief. We need to stay ahead of the Praetorian Knights." Ruby requested, and they walked away.
Pyrrha waited until she was all alone, and closed her eyes. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, and then the Brother of Darkness circled her, clapping his hands together. "And now you know the truth… is it as grand as you were hoping it would be?" He curiously asked her, standing closer to her, chuckling sinisterly.
She backed away from him as he stood before her, hands behind his back and hunched forward, body softly glowing. "Get the hell away from me… you damn monsters." She snarled.
"You stand against a being who would bring about the end of existence, as you know it, for her own petty vengeance, and yet you call us the monster?" The Brother of Darkness questioned.
"I do not expect a mortal being to understand the complexities of our duty to the Universe, but the balance of life and death is not something that should be trifled with." The Brother of Light explained, but Pyrrha gritted her teeth and closed her eyes.
"If I hear you mention… that goddamn balance… one more time… I swear upon you both that I will just let Salem kill you." She warned, fury in her eyes.
She stepped towards them, fists clenched. "All of this? It's because of you… the love of my life is dead, because of you. Everyone that has died… is because of you."
"Is it?" The Brother of Darkness asked.
She scowled back at their faceless expressions. "We were not the ones who created the Inhumane Necessity. That was of your kind's own doing. We did not cut down your beloved. He killed himself to slow Salem down. And we are not the cause of Salem's actions, that is all down to her own rotten nature."
"You just can't take responsibility, can you? Can't ever stand there and accept that the state our world is in, the world you cursed Ozma to constantly reincarnate into, is because of your actions. Because you couldn't bring back one person." Pyrrha growled.
"You cannot even imagine an existence where the bounds of life and death are shifted, child. It is a balance that is easily disturbed… and it is our duty to ensure that it does not tip over the edge." The Brother of Light explained.
Somehow Pyrrha was angrier at Light than she was at Darkness, because of his hypocrisy.
At least Darkness was straight with you, at least you knew he would stab you in the chest. The Brother of Light, on the other hand, would offer kind words, and then the moment you turn your back, he would ram a dagger in your spine.
Pyrrha knew never to trust them.
Either of them.
"Then why didn't you just kill her, then? Instead of tormenting her the way you did? You could have just killed her and be done with it. But instead you turned her into the monster that we have to live with, and fight against today." Pyrrha questioned.
"The child had to learn her lesson." The Brother of Darkness replied.
"Oh… she definitely learned the lesson. It just wasn't the one you tried to teach her."
The two brothers glanced at each other, and then the Brother of Darkness approached her. "You wish to know what will happen if Salem kills us both?" He asked her.
Pyrrha scowled but nodded.
"When the moon is made whole, it will call us back from this plain, to Remnant… Where she will kill us. Without darkness and light, death will fault, life will quiver… and Salem? What can she do, but sit atop her throne of writhing bodies… unsure if they are dead, or alive."
In truth, his words made her hairs stand on end and she felt sick to her stomach picturing such a sight. But even so, she simply could not condone the way they acted. And the fact they refused to accept that the fault of their struggles lies with them.
So she turned and kept on walking, shaking her head.
As she defiantly stomped away, she felt the desperate anger of Darkness grow, and he stormed after her.
"Know this, Pyrrha Nikos, killer of my children, Invincible girl, champion of the trivial, of the superficial… I do not resurrect you out of newfound kindness to your plight! I see those who lost pace through the gates, upwards to eternal light, or down to Grimm darkness. But you? Your life, your story. It instils in me what my brother saw in Ozma. Hope. A single ray, murky at best. But hope. That… is your destiny…"
"Hope?" she questioned. "Oh, I am so damn grateful that I make you feel hopeful… I couldn't give a damn. We will kill Salem, but we're not doing it for you. Hell… you should just leave Remnant to its business and let us decide our own fate. I'm done walking in the Shadow of Destiny."
The two Brothers fell behind as she walked away, then they disappeared. It felt strange for Pyrrha. She could feel their desperation.
The closer and closer they got to the Relic, she could feel their fear of Salem forcing them back down to Remnant.
They were terrified, but refused to admit it.
As Pyrrha walked, her eyes widened, and she listened, and stopped.
Silence filled the air, but for a few moments, she heard another pair of footsteps not far behind her, snapping twigs and crushing rotten leaves beneath their boots.
She spun around and drew her blades, teeth gritted and eyes fierce…
… but nothing.
She was alone, other than the rest of her team down that creek. Her chilly breath drifted from her lips as she glared down the forest where she heard the footsteps.
Someone's following me… I swear I heard those footsteps…
But she still could see nothing, so she kept on walking, turning away.
But she knew what she heard and continued to listen.
Unaware of the fact… that Jaune Arc – the Salem Knight – was behind a large rock in the forest, just out of her view. His eyes glowed bright purple, and he watched them from afar.
The Praetorian Knights were not all that went through that portal.
So did Jaune…
… and he was right behind them…
… waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Oscar
Oscar found himself back in his internal domain, with the many incarnations of Ozma around him, and he stood tall.
First thing he saw was that storm, now understanding that it represented his darkness, but also the Cryostorms he created in Atlas. It made his hand shake into a fist and he bowed his head, shaking it. Then he felt Ozpin's hand gently warm his shoulder, getting him to turn around to see him, Ozma and Ozymandias.
"How are you feeling?" Ozpin asked him.
"Sick…" He groaned. "Why haven't I woken up yet?"
"Your soul was essentially torn from your physical body to witness Jinn's vision. It is the big risk with using her power. Because of our connection to the information she shared with Team C.P.P.R, it drew our souls in to witness it as well." Ozma explained.
Oscar sat down on the plain, looking at the broken and lost soul of Thaddeus on his own in the storm. He could always see him, although his fate was unknown. "What did Salem do to him?"
"I don't know… but… it seems he still exists… in some form. I imagine that the punishment Salem came up with for him was hardly… gentle." Ozymandias stated, his hands in his pockets.
Oscar stood up and turned to Ozpin specifically. "You knew… you knew what he did… why the hell did you let the world believe he was a hero? Why falsify all the history books and build a statue of him in Beacon? The man was a monster… why celebrate that?" He didn't sound angry, he just sounded confused.
Ozpin walked slowly past Oscar, staring at what remained of him. "Our civilisation was on the brink after Salem took him. When Haytham destroyed the moon, it caused cataclysms that killed many. The tides were thrown off with the moon damaged and the meteors destroyed a lot of land."
Oscar followed him as he strolled across the field of their existence, and now Oscar realised this field was identical to the plains that once surrounded the castle where Ozma and Salem lived.
Most likely made to look this way to make Ozma's time more delightful, somewhere he loved being… instead of what it became.
"The people needed a hero to believe in… I had hoped I could… twist things so that Haytham could be that hero. Though sadly, the world knew more of Thaddeus than they did of his efforts. Haytham gave his life to destroy the moon and stop the Eclipse but nobody knew he did it. But… Thaddeus left to the island… and no body was found. People drew their own conclusions." Ozpin sounded ashamed.
"You couldn't tell the world it was Haytham? And… what… did they just forgive everything that he did?" Oscar questioned.
"Yes… and no. I tried telling the world about Haytham, but many spread the belief that Thaddeus… did what he had to do… to save our people. And gave his life to save us all. Many, however, especially the Arc Family, were against this. And there were so few people left I had no choice… but to use the Relic of Choice." Ozpin explained.
Oscar's eyes widened.
"The Relic has many abilities. It can control people, alter memories against their will, make people sense whatever you want them to sense. But in altering memories, it is an arduous process. Making slight changes to a population is easier, whereas massive changes can cause massive risks. If I attempted to make the entire world believe it was Haytham, which very few did, mass confusion would spread. And that confusion would lead to people searching for answers… and eventually they would find them. All I do is change the memories they have, but I cannot remove the evidence of the contrary." Ozpin explained.
Ozpin rested his hands upon his cane. "And as much as I wished I could just… erase Thaddeus from history… his fame prove too difficult to remove. But Haytham? Nobody knew of him… he was just a quiet man who lived with his family. So… despite me wishing I could… I had to make people believe Thaddeus was a hero." Ozpin bowed his head in shame.
It was confusing for Oscar to comprehend, and that alone proved how hard of a choice it was to decide that for everyone.
"But because of those actions, the few who knew the contrary from the beginning, like the Arc Family, did indeed find the answers. But nobody would listen to their words, and the peace remained. But even now… they all knew the truth of what Thaddeus was like. And that was why Jaune's parents wished against him becoming a Huntsman… they never wanted another Arc to wield a sword. But Jaune… he wanted to be a hero like the King… a King he never knew he shared blood with." Ozpin concluded.
"Is that why you let him into the school?" Oscar asked.
"Yes – I wanted him to prove he was better than his forefather… that and… I also wanted to keep an eye on him. We refused to fail another Arc, even if we were not bound to the child." Ozpin explained.
Oscar looked down at his hands and sighed.
"I know you do not agree with what I did… all I ask is that you try to understand. I was young… and did not see any way of preventing another war. And a war… after what we survived? Would have killed us all."
Oscar turned, hearing something in the clouds.
"Oscar!" the voice of Yang called out. She sounded distant at first. Then he looked back at the many incarnations of Ozma.
"It's time you woke up, Oscar Pine." Ozpin said, bowing his head.
Suddenly, the entire domain he was in shone bright white, and he collapsed to the floor, staring up at the sun as it grew brighter and brighter. And then… he saw Blake and Yang over him, Blake gently shaking him to wake him up. "Oscar?" Blake called out, and they all gasped.
"Oscar! Thank the gods, you're okay…" Weiss sighed, immediately giving him a warm hug.
"Ugh… don't thank them."
"Huh?" Weiss asked.
Oscar looked around and found that they had found an area of shade. An outcropping of sandstone was above them and the sun was starting to set, although they had a few hours before it did. It had just passed midday. "How… long was I out?" Oscar asked.
"A few hours, you just passed out on the back of my bike." Weiss sounded so worried about him.
"We managed to get you back on the bike and get you to this bit of shade so you didn't get heatstroke out here." Ilia explained. He smiled.
"Thanks…"
"What happened? Are you sick?" Nora immediately checked his temperature.
"No… no…" He sighed. "Ruby used the Relic… and… it sucked me and Oz in as well… alongside Salem."
"Salem?" Yang gasped, wide eyed.
"What… did you see?" Ren asked.
"Well…"
It took him a while to explain it all to them, so long that the sun had set even further when he had concluded summarising absolutely everything that Jinn showed him. And at the end, they were all left completely speechless.
Ilia most of all.
"Gods… I should've expected world shattering revelations helping you guys." Ilia chuckled, shaking her head.
"Salem and Ozpin? The Gods… Jaune's Great Grandfather…" Yang could barely wrap her head around it all.
"Yeah… it's… pretty crazy… still trying to make sense of it all." Oscar admitted.
"So the Relic of Destruction can kill her, but it will also kill the Brothers Grimm too?" Ren asked.
"Yes… and if she gets her hands on all Relics, she's gonna do it. And if that happens, it's not gonna end well." Oscar answered. Silenced filled the group once more, and Nora rested her axe on her lap.
"Hmm…" Ilia stood tall and walked over to the Hover Bike.
"Ilia?" Blake spoke.
"This… this could be just what we need to convince Sienna…" Ilia realised, eyes wide and a smile growing on her face.
"Wait, what?" Yang asked, standing up.
"Think about it? Sienna lost her way and abandoned the idea of fighting against Salem because she thought it was hopeless. And until now, we all thought it was hopeless that Salem couldn't be killed. But now we know for a fact that that isn't even true. If we can get as many people, Human and Faunus, around the world on our side and know that we can kill Salem with the Relic of Destruction and be free from her wrath? With Sienna helping us deliver that message… we can get even more reinforcements than we originally bargained for. Salem has ruled Remnant mainly through fear, and by taking away people's hope." Ilia explained.
"This can give people the hope they need for victory…" Blake realised as well. "She's right."
"And all this information falls on our lap just before we get close to where Sienna is? I don't buy it…" Ren admitted.
"It is… worryingly well timed…" Nora agreed.
"You think the Gods could be influencing this somehow?" Oscar asked them.
"They're gods… who's to say they not trying to use us to cover their own asses?" Nora replied. Yang rolled her neck and approached her bike.
"Gods' Interference or no… this is the best opportunity we've ever had. We can't waste it." Yang stated. Ilia mounted up and Blake jumped onto the back of Yang's bike, arms around her. Weiss and Oscar both got onto their bike and Weiss glanced back to him.
"Try not to pass out again." Weiss requested.
"Heh, let's hope not. That wasn't fun."
The sun continued to set, and they felt the heat fade away into an icy chill, but they continued to cross the barren desert of Menagerie. Passing by the dangerous critters that lurked beneath the sand, none of which were Grimm. Oscar looked at the creatures with surprise. It was a rare thing to see Non-Grimm Organisms out here in the wilds. Concavenators – reptiles which buried and dug through the sand, pounced out onto their prey, ripping into their bodies. Or the giant mantises which lurked on the dunes, slashing their long claws at the Grimm as they tried to attack them, killing them with ease thanks to their lethal natural weapons.
But luckily – unlike Grimm – they were not bothered about the bikers. They were not commanded by the Dark Queen. They were just hunting to survive on these dunes. They even found the old ruins of early settlement attempts by the Faunus out here in the desert, now abandoned.
"Did the Grimm do this?" Yang asked Blake as they rode through one of these old towns, mostly claimed by the desert now.
"No, these towns used to be built near an oasis, but it ran dry. The people left when they realised the water source was no longer reliable… it's why we stick to the beaches, it's too dangerous out here in the deserts. Either the wildlife, Grimm or the climate kills you out here." Blake explained.
"And Sienna is surviving out here?" Ren questioned.
"A lone survivor can last out here, if they're smart and efficient. Sienna is both and knows these deserts well. So long as you know how to find water and food out here, and how to read the weather and dodge the sun? You can survive out here until you grow old." Ilia explained.
"Hey Ilia? Remember that old story about the old lady who lived out here?" Blake asked her.
"Oh yeah, Ebony Brackham?" Ilia asked. "Said to be an old warrior who survived the Faunus War, lethal and unstoppable. When the War ended and we were given Menagerie to placate us, she lived out on her own. She never could live with people, but she could always fight. And when Menagerie was in its infancy, a lone shadowy figure would appear and kill all the Grimm that would try to attack the Faunus when they were trying to build our home. She became myth and legend, and some believe she still walks these deserts now, as the Faunus Protector." Ilia explained.
"Wow, that's incredible." Nora gasped, in awe at imagining such a woman.
"An old story which helped show a lot of who felt like they were worthless that they were never alone, and that she is the reason our home exists today." Ilia explained.
"It definitely got embellished over the years though." Blake chuckled.
"How so?" Yang asked.
"Well, some started claiming she had three dragons." Blake laughed, making them all laugh as well.
"Now that would be a sight to see." Yang chuckled.
Ilia looked ahead, then suddenly raised her hand, stopping them all. The Hover Bikes all came to a stop at the base of a large dune. "This is it…" Ilia explained, getting off her bike and drawing Lightning Lash. They all dismounted their vehicles and followed her up the dune. They all stayed low and just reached the peak, just getting their eyes over.
Ilia stared at the small mountains at the end of the dunes, and she pointed.
"She's somewhere around there…" Ilia stated.
"That's… a big mountain. If she is up there, she'll shoot us before we even get close… we need to figure out where she is." Oscar stated.
"She probably already knows we're here… we need to see the glint of her scope. But she's smart. It won't be easy to spot. But if we do… I have a plan on how to reach her." Ilia explained.
She reached into her bag, pulling out some ear defenders for Blake, alongside special earplugs for her Cat Ears. "You're gonna want these, the rest of us will be fine." Ilia assured, and Blake held them close. Then Ilia revealed why Blake was going to need those, revealing a Sonic Device.
"Wow… you really thought of everything." Nora sounded impressed.
"I've been meaning to reach her for a long time. With all your help, we have a better chance. When we get within range, I'll activate it, it will disorient her long enough for us to reach the mountain. Once we're there, we rush and disarm her. Remember, we don't want to hurt her, we need her help after all." Ilia explained, and they nodded their heads.
"So… how do we get her attention so we can locate her?" Oscar asked.
"Um…" Ilia finally sounded stumped.
A smirk formed on Yang's face.
"Oh… I know how…"
They all gulped…
… this was a Yang Plan.
They all stood at the base moments later, deadpanning up at Yang, who was just brazingly posing at the top of the dune. "Why did I expect anything else?" Blake groaned, shaking her head.
"Glad to see some things don't change." Weiss chuckled.
Yang waved her cybernetic hand at the mountain. "Helloooooooo?"
Then…
… she saw a glint.
Her pupils shrunk and eyes widened.
"Uh oh…"
BANG!
The shot rang out with a metallic impact, hitting Yang's Cybernetic Hand directly, and the impact knocked her down the dunes, sliding down to the bottom. Blake rushed to her side, heart pounding with worry. "Yang? Are you okay?"
"Ha! Found her!"
"Gods… how have you guys survived this long with strategies like that?" Ilia groaned.
Eryka
On the other side of the world…
The Sidewinder soared across the dunes with ease, dodging the rocks that protruded up through the sand, and Joanna laughed joyfully as she sent the vehicle roaring across the deserts. Blind Worms could be seen digging through the sand around them but they were moving way too fast for the subterranean creatures to keep up with them. But they were still a valid threat to fear, a threat that they were all aware of even now.
Well, except for Adrien.
The little kid was laughing with jaw, arms up in the air, with his mother in the safest seat, just enjoying the beautiful desert around them. Eryka held onto the side of the vehicle, bow in hand, just in case. "How far is it?" Eryka called out.
"Not far! Just a few more miles. I sure hope that your mother's in there and is in a helping mood, Eryka." Joanna called out to her.
"Hey, I'm thinking the same damn thing." Eryka chuckled. The Sidewinder launched itself off the edge of a cliff and it gracefully slid and rocketed itself down the dunes, using a combination of wind drag and Gravity Dust to propel itself across the perilous terrain.
"Whoa…" Saphron gasped, eyes wide as they sailed further through the dunes, and saw the towering abandoned buildings of the Old City of Vacuo. Adrien's eyes widened in awe as he looked up at the buildings. Then they saw Nevermores erupt from the buildings above, though they did not seem to be interested in them, or were just waiting for their moment. They could see the ground in areas was moving, and stingers burst from the sand.
"Deathstalkers! Hang on!" Joanna called out, then Eryka drew Constantine Damascus, being held in place thanks to the cables and the Gravity Dust glueing her to the platform. Robyn and Winter both readied their weapons. The Deathstalkers shrieked as they swung their claws and stingers towards them. Eryka smirked, firing an explosive arrow into the weak supports of a building, blowing it up. The huge chunks of debris came crashing down onto the Deathstalker, killing it instantly.
Robyn shot her own explosive arrow, nailing another Deathstalker in the tail, sending the glowing gold barb into the roof of its skull, killing it instantly. Winter turned, and she groaned. "I knew it…"
The Nevermores weren't ignoring them after all and were pursuing them. They flew between the towering buildings, missing falls of sands that constantly spilled through the broken windows like waterfalls. Winter flicked her sword around, casting multiplying glyphs, which froze the wings of the largest Nevermore solid. The huge Corvid Grimm shrieked in rage as it came crashing down, one wing shattering apart as it clipped a building and then slammed into the ground.
Winter then blasted multiple icicles up into the two other smaller Nevermores that were right behind them, one of them firing Fatal Feathers at the Sidewinder. Terra held on and fired her gun back at the creatures, but her small calibre gun had minor effects on the large Grimm.
Then Winter gritted her teeth and formed two glyphs inside of two rooms in opposing buildings around the Nevermores, and using Wind Dust, she created a gust that launched old furniture out and into the creatures. The Grimm shrieked as desks and chairs smacked into their bodies, dropping their descent. That was when Dulcis flew forward and slashed his talons across the wing of one of the Nevermores, badly damaging it, and he landed on Eryka's shoulder.
Robyn fired another Crossbow Bolt up at the Nevermore, nailing it in the eye. It roared in anger and pain before the bolt detonated and blew its skull apart. The Nevermore roared as it came crashing down into one of the buildings and out the other side.
Joanna hung a left, and the Nevermore desperately tried to adjust to the sudden turn but smashed into the side of a building. The old crumbling brick cracked and sent part of the building crashing down onto the grounded Nevermore, crushing it. Winter smirked, then turned to Eryka, who just winked back at her, making Winter blush.
"Oh… crap…" Joanna groaned.
"What is it, Joanna?" Robyn asked, turning around, then her eyes widened as well. "Oh, shit… that's not good."
"What isn't?" Eryka asked.
"Magmastorm… big one… and it's right over the mountain your Mother marked." Joanna warned.
They all looked at Eryka, and she was suspecting the same thing they were. "She's the Winter Maiden… she could've summoned that storm to keep people from getting in there. Ultimate defence."
"I'll give it to your mother. She's a clever old bird." May chuckled.
"You all better hang on tight… I can get us through there, but it's gonna be intense." She warned.
"Let's do this…" Eryka said, only to suddenly hear Dulcis suddenly screech at their left, and before Eryka could question what he sensed, she felt it.
"BLIND WORM! GO!" she yelled, and right on cue, the massive tunnelling Grimm burst through the sand behind them, shrieking as it dove towards them, only narrowly missing the Sidewinder. It descended back into the ground, but now and then they could see the spines cut through the sand behind them. The worms were fast in the sand, much faster than their size let on, which made them all the more terrifying.
Joanna was going as fast as she could, but the Blind Worm was keeping up with them. What's worse, whenever it jumped out from the sand like a Dolphin, it shot acidic blood towards them from its mouth. Winter cast Glyph Barriers to block the creature's acid, but there was nothing they could do if this thing got to them if they crashed in the dunes.
They'd all be dead.
The Blind Worm easily manoeuvred around the rocks and old chunks of ruin in the sand. If not, it smashed straight through. The Blind Worm was getting closer and closer to them. "Our best bet now is the Magmastorm!"
"Now there's a sentence you'd never expect to hear." Fiona shuddered, shooting her Crossbow Staff at the Blind Worm, though nothing she fired at the creature had any affect. These things were by far the most dangerous threat in the dunes. They could consume literally anything. They were truly the apex predator and, without a doubt, one of the most dangerous Grimm in the entire world.
Plus, the shrieking roar the thing made was nothing short of terrifying.
Joanna kept going though, not looking back, and she felt the drag from the storm's wind getting worse and worse, making them move faster. The sky darkened around them as they entered the storm, feeling the heat skyrocket, making them sweat already, but the Blind Worm refused to give up on them.
The massive Blind Worm burst from the sand behind them, in a jump that would have nailed them and dragged them under the sand to slowly consume them.
Until a blinding flash of red lightning crashed down, hitting the Creature directly, and the impact threw the sand up into the air, forming a spike of black glass, impaling the Blind Worm. It shrieked in immense pain before it finally died and crumbled into ashes. Adrien stared with wide eyes at the immense beast as it died. Then they all just had to hang on.
There were no Grimm in here, the storm killed anything inside that was too slow, and so long as Joanna was smart, she could navigate them through the storm without the lightning catching them.
All around them were spires of Black Glass, formed from the lightning, melting the sand instantly, then the air, causing it to snap freeze into glass. It was truly an incredible sight, one to remember – but for now, they wanted to survive this crazy memory. Joanna drifted across the dunes, dodging incoming lightning flurries and battling against the winds. And it was not just lightning she had to worry about.
"Dust Devils!" Robyn called out.
"Crap!" Joanna held on as tight as she could, but the storm was forming Sand Tornadoes, and in these Magma Storms? They were not just sand, it also had molten sand shards too, throwing them everywhere, shredding anything that got too close. Saphron covered Adrien's ears and hugged him close as he cried in terror from the storm, but Joanna gritted her teeth, fighting the wind as she tried to keep a straight shot, but the storm kept throwing more and more at them.
Lightning bolt after lightning bolt, leaving behind those creepy jagged towers of black glass in their wake. The Sidewinder drifted across the side of a dune, just as a Dust Devil came crashing down behind them, but Joanna managed to get them ahead, using the thrusters to blast them away from the pull of those small tornadoes.
"We're almost there!" Joanna roared over the powerful storm.
They launched off the dune, gaining significant air time before they slammed back down onto the ground. There were so many Dust Devils in this hellish landscape, they were having to cover their eyes from the hot sand being blown everywhere, and Joanna was the only one using goggles and a rag face mask.
Lightning shattered the rock formations, and the Dust Devils shredded the Glass ones too, launching more and more broken glass everywhere. But Joanna kept pressing onwards.
"Look out!" Terra called out, and a Dust Devil came crashing down, howling as it spiralled, and launching shards of glass into the Sidewinder. The sail became badly damaged, slashed up, but Joanna ignored it and kept going. They were so close to the eye of the storm now.
"Hold on!" Joanna roared, firing all the thrusters.
The Sidewinder lost control with its damaged sail, but the winds weakened and she drifted them inside the Eye of the Storm, causing the Sidewinder to capsize, sliding across the sand.
It threw them all from their seats, and Saphron took the heavy hit by landing on her back, cradling her baby close. She groaned, rubbing her back, but Terra immediately ran to her, caressing her cheek and giving her a loving kiss. "Are you okay?" Terra stammered.
"Y-Yeah… Adrien, honey? Are you okay?" She asked him.
He sniffled and wiped a tear away, nodding his head. "That was… scary…"
"Yeah… it was. But you were brave, honey… so brave." She smiled, booping his nose.
Eryka groaned, looking ahead and seeing Constantine Damascus on the floor ahead of her. Dulcis gently nudged her to get up. That his aura was definitely broken like the rest of them from that storm, but he was okay.
Eryka crawled across the sand and reached out to her bow, only to see a pair of boots descend, and one pressed down on it.
Her eyes widened…
… she knew those boots.
And she knew the voice couple with that soft laugh.
Eryka looked up to see her…
… Lavinia Vasillias, eyes burning blue.
"We've really gotta work on how we meet, huh?" Lavinia joked.
Pyrrha
Team C.P.P.R walked up the hill, feeling a chill in the air caused by an incoming storm. Night had fallen here as well, and they kept walking up the rocky hill. Cinder fought the dizziness that plagued her, but she didn't care.
She made it this far…
… and she was not dead yet.
And finally, as lightning flickered in the sky and thunder clapped, they saw the huge abandoned castle standing before them, overlooking the ocean. Pyrrha gasped, seeing the old Arc Castle with wide eyes, knowing this was where Thaddeus Rex Arc lived… where Jaune's heritage was at its strength.
Ruby, Penny and Cinder stood with her, ready to go in there and find the Relic of Knowledge.
Unaware of the Salem Knight watching them from afar, sword in hand, and eyes glowing purple.
Waiting for the right moment…
Author Note - It's coming... soon they're gonna see what Jaune has become
This chapter had some great moments, one of my favourites being Pyrrha yelling at the Brothers' Grimm for what they have done. Because those two really are responsible for all of this. Plus I love those lines from Darkness, especially about what will happen if Salem kills him and Light, the image of writhing bodies trapped between life and death forever is just horrifying to imagine.
Blake's team are soooo close to Sienna now, and now they just have to reach her! They're probably having the easiest time.
Robyn and Eryka's team on the other hand... wow what a close call that was. Loved the Magmastorm, and I always love writing Vacuo's desert, it's so fun since it is the epitome of a No Man's Land. But they've found Lavinia! Making a theatrical entrance as always... time to get some answers from her.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!
Stay tuned for the next chapter - Arcadia
- Matt