AN: Sorry for the wait, went on vacation and didn't feel like writing for a bit after I got back


It's been some time since we left that previously settlement infested with apathy and somewhere along the way Maria has revealed herself to be the Grimm Reaper which is someone Qrow looks up to.

'We're almost there Kratos.'

'Alright. Again, thank you for doing this.'

'It's fine, don't worry about it.'

"-it's comforting seeing that your generation seems up to the task of inheriting this world… I'm just sorry I didn't do more to leave it in better shape." She says looking away from Ruby.

"Then do something now, teach me how to properly use my eyes like you did. Who knows, maybe I'll even surpass you when you were still in your prime." Ruby says ending with a smirk.

Suddenly Ruby's scroll starts vibrating and playing a song, she takes out her scroll and I can see Jaune's face so it must be him calling. Ruby answers and after a few moments her eyes widen and points her scroll to the direction we're heading with a relieved smile on her face.

"We're almost there." She says.

A few minutes later we stop on top of a large hill as Argus' walls are finally visible in the distance.

"Only a little bit more to go now." Ruby says before Ker starts going again.

Once we're decently close to the walls, Ker goes back into my shadow as everyone gets off while Maria gets carried by Qrow again before we start walking towards the gate. After we got past security we get to see what it's like behind the walls, and safe to say, the view was amazing.

Ruby gets on a call with Jaune again and she tells us to follow her. Minutes later after going through the crowded streets, we finally found team JNPR. RWB_ quickly did their reunions with them before Jaune leads us to where they were staying when we were gone.

"So, where'd you end up staying?" Ruby asks.

"*Nervous chuckle* Well, you're going to have to see for yourself." He says as he rubs the back of his neck.

Ruby gives him a look before leaving the topic alone and just follows Jaune as she engages in conversations with the other members of team RWB_ and JNPR. After riding what they called a monorail for a few stations we get off and meet a blond woman with a baby in her hands waving at our group.

"*Gasp* Is that who I think it is?" Ruby asks Jaune.

"*Nervous laugh* Ruby, meet my sister, Saphron." Jaune says as we're walking towards her.

"It's so nice finally meeting one of Jaune's sisters! He's talked about all of you a lot y'know?" Ruby says.

"*Giggle* Has he really now? I'm glad my baby brother hasn't forgotten about his sisters." She says with a smile as she pinches Jaune's cheek.

We started walking to where JNPR has been staying while Jaune and his sister are arguing good naturedly.

(Timeskip)

We all arrived at Jaune's sister's house which is where we'll be staying a few minutes ago and everyone has gotten comfortable on the couches as they talk with each other. I've missed this kind of mood, one where I can just relax for the most part and enjoy the moment.

And that makes me remember that I have to call Glynda since I haven't yet. So I walk outside to the back are which happens to be a beautiful small garden. I sit on one of the benches and take out my scroll and call her.

Me: Hey Glynda, sorry for taking so long to call you. With everything that's been happening there really wasn't a chance.

Glynda: It's alright Kratos that's perfectly reasonable. I know how busy we can get when we're doing our job as huntsman and huntresses. So how are you? Are you heading back yet?

Me: I'm doing fine but I miss you. And I'm not heading back yet unfortunately, because as much as I want to, I can't.

Glynda: What's stopping you from getting back?

Me: … it's Salem.

Glynda: What does she have to do with this?

Me: Ozpin said that she's begun collecting the relics, or trying to at least. And he said that she plans to bring the brother gods back to destroy humanity.

Glynda: WHAT!? That's it! I'm coming there with you!

Me: No! Glynda, please just stay at Vale. You're one of the few people I have truly ever loved. So let me handle it, I know you're plenty capable with your abilities but just stay where you are. Please.

Glynda: … fine BUT, you better come back alive and fully intact!

Me: I promise Glynda. And I'm a man of my word, so you can bet your amazing ass I'll be back in one piece.

Glynda: You better be. I have to go now, my little break period is over.

Me: Alright, don't overwork yourself.

Glynda: You already know that I know that. You don't get yourself killed or I won't ever forgive you for breaking that promise.

Me: Now you already know that I know that, but don't worry. I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

After saying goodbye to Glynda I hang up and just as I was getting up, Raven enters the garden as well.

"So," she asks, "When can we start looking for elder grimm so I can possibly have a pact with them?"

"Are you really that impatient?"

"*Sigh* Just answer me, when can we start looking?"

"I suppose right now would be fine, unless those lot of emotionally confused teens, one drunk adult, and two used-to-be criminals have any plans on getting to Atlas yet."

She chuckles at my description of the group, "Well lets go and see for ourselves then."

We both head back in and Raven being the first one to speak asks, "So have any of you brats got a plan to try and get to Atlas?"

"*Grumble* We're not brats! We're huntsmen and huntresses in training! And for your information, yes we have!" Weiss shouts in annoyance for being called a brat.

"Whatever you say brat" Raven says with a grin on her face, "You do that plan of yours while me and Dominus go look for some help in the form of grimm."

"You're trying to get help from grimm too?" Ruby asks shocked.

"Uhh Ruby, what do you mean by 'too'? Who else is getting help from grimm?" Jaune asks curiously.

"That would be me." I say getting team JNPR and the married to look at me in shock.

"You!?" Jaune asks shocked.

"Yes, me. If you want to see why don't we head to the garden out the back, that has enough space for his full size." I say and JNPR all look at each other with different expressions.

Nora has an excited look, while Ren looks neutral with a little amount of fear, and Jaune and Pyrrha look openly worried. After a few moments they all nodded with Nora nodding the most energetically.

I look over to the married couple with their baby in Terra's hands, "If you plan to bring the boy, then don't let him see unless you want him traumatized from a young age that is." I say.

They quickly put him down and give him some toys before we head out to the garden. As everyone settles, I can see that Raven has a scowl on her face, likely from being delayed to start looking for elder grimm. After some more waiting, Ker slowly rises out of my shadow besides me with his smoke screen ability active to make him look all the more intimidating.

Team RWB_ and everyone else that's seen it before only has slight reactions. But team JNPR on the other hand had various reactions. Jaune looked scared, Pyrrha and Ren are on edge, and Nora… well she looks ecstatic with a big smile on her face.

The married couple were gripping onto each other as if their life depended on it.

"Nora… no." Ren says trying to calm Nora down."

"NORA YES!" She shouts as she runs at Ker with the happy expression never leaving her face.

Before she could get far however, team JNPR and RWB_ stopped her.

"Come on Renny! Let me ride it! Pretty pleeeeease?" She asks in a sweet tone and the cutest begging face she could muster up.

But it seems that Ren is used to her antics and simply sighs as he shakes his head before saying "no." firmly.

"You're no fun." She says after being held beck for some more seconds with a fake hurt tone and an equally fake hurt face.

Ren sighs again before whispering something into Nora's ear and she instantly brightens up again. After that whole thing happened Ker went back in my shadow before I ask, "So what's the plan you were planning on doing?"

"We're going to go to the Atlas military base and see if we can convince them to take us to Atlas. Or more specifically, to general Ironwood." Ruby says.

"With my experience, that plan is going to go to shit faster than Ruby can inhale cookies." Raven says as she has seen Ruby eat cookies a few times before.

"Hey! I don't eat THAT fast!" Ruby shouts with a blush on her face.

"Whatever you say brat, I'm going now." She says before we make our way out the door and into the forest outside of Argus' walls.

Once we're far away enough from the walls Ker comes out of my shadow.

'Shall we start?'

'We shall'

As he says that he looks like he's focusing before I feel something build up inside of him before a large shockwave of translucent black exploded outwards in front of us in a semi-circle while not even effecting the environment around it one bit.

'What did you do?'

'I sent out a pulse of my aura. And since I've already experimented with this before, I know it will only react with other elder grimm. So just give it some time to travel and I might have a direction we can go to.'

'Well that's handy, you have to use that more often when we're exploring places'

'Will do Kratos, will do.'

"What did he just do?"

"He sent out a pulse of his aura which will let us know if there are any elder grimm around."

"I thought grimm weren't supposed to have aura? That's why they have their bone armor to compensate. Or I thought that's what I thought until now anyway"

'Ker?'

'It is true that grimm do not have aura, but since I'm an elder I've developed a soul and thus I have aura which you see as my smoke most of the time. And as far as I know, every elder's aura gives them a unique ability.'

"He says he developed a soul because he's an elder grimm."

"Interesting, that is some really useful information that I know people would have killed for."

'Kratos, I found a potential one.'

'Well don't let me stop you.'

"He says he found an elder."

"Then let's get to it." Raven says with eagerness audible in her voice.

Ker starts walking and we follow behind closely.

(Timeskip)

Half an hour later Ker says that we're quite near to the elder after one of his pulses every five or so minutes.

"We're almost there. Get ready, your own for this."

"I guessed as much. Wouldn't really prove anything if we double teamed on it."

We continue to walk for a few minutes before we appear in a very large clearing with nothing but a few rocks -both big and small-, some hills, and one particularly tall one with the elder grimm that Ker had detected staring down menacingly at us.

The grimm was furry with red markings running down from its body to its legs and its head donned the usual bone mask with red markings on the top half of it. From where we are it looks almost as big as Ker in his normal size. It also has rather long and pointy ears, and strangely enough, it also has nine tails. It has regular hind legs with sharp claws protruding out of it while it's front appendages more resemble hands with claws, similar to a beowolf.

'What is that grimm Ker?'

'There is not official name for this type since they're quite rare so not many have encountered it.'

"Who are you to dare approach me?" It asks us with a booming voice.

'And it's also even more territorial than most grimm.'

"I'm the one who's going to make a pact with you!" Raven shouts since it's quite a ways away from us.

"Hah! Don't make me laugh, you, make a pact with me? Ridiculous." It says.

"Then I'll prove it!" Raven shouts as she unsheathes her sword.

"*Sigh* Foolish, simply foolish." It says before grabbing a rock with one of its tails and throws it at Raven's feet which gets embedded into the ground a few steps in front of her.

"If you walk past that, then there is no turning back from there." It says.

Ker and I take a step back while Raven walks past the rock.

"Very well, if that is your choice, then you have chosen.. DEATH!" It shouts before running at Raven on all fours.