A/N: Hello folks, another chapter for you!

Thank you for your reviews and criticisms, I thrive off that kind of stuff. I can't get better without input one way or another after all.


Malenia watched the newly arrived young men and women blink, until the younger girl with the scythe answered the demigoddess.

"Uh… yes?" She stated unconvincingly. "I mean, we were training to become licensed Huntsmen and Huntresses until Beacon fell. But we helped defend Beacon as long as we could, and we did manage to help save Vale!"

Upon looking into the girl's eyes, Malenia felt something strange within her. A revulsion, perhaps, at the silver eyes she now gazed into. An earned disdain, though not from the girl herself, but from the power contained within those eyes. And upon deeper inspection… Malenia decided that it was not her feelings towards the girl, but that of what she was a vessel for. Interesting.

With a sigh, the Blade of Miquella debated on how to respond until a wet cough came from behind her. She didn't need to look to see Huntsman Giles to know who had coughed. She was inadvertently responsible for further injury to the man when the large Grimm she had been fighting for most of the night bolted into the village proper.

It had been a miscalculation on her part; the shadow had charged her and slammed her to the side shortly before dawn arrived, blowing through her defenses and allowing it to proceed into the village virtually unopposed. Giles' defensive line against the Grimm crumbled instantly as he was smashed aside, though there weren't many of the shadows passing through Finlay's defensive line by that point.

In any case, the man likely didn't have long to live without healing of some form. This is what caused Malenia to turn towards the man, her left hand reaching into a pouch beneath her clothing, and withdrawing a Warming Stone. Without hesitation, she tossed it at the Huntsman's feet and nodded in satisfaction as the ancient tool of healing activated. An inward chuckle narrowly escaped her as she watched the man flinch until he was enveloped in the stone's healing aura.

"Fret naught, Huntsman Giles. The soothing light of the Warming Stone heals thy wounds. A remnant from an age long past, though the rays of the Erdtree still yet have their power."

The man swallowed as his hand came up to scratch at his healing flesh, though the reproachful cocking of Malenia's head stopped him just short. After taking a breath, the man gathered his thoughts and put them to voice.

"That's… an interesting tool you carry. What are its limitations?"

"The blessed rays of the Erdtree can heal injuries that would take weeks or months to heal, in but a few minutes. Remain within its rays, and you shall find yourself better perhaps than when you had originally sustained such damage."

The man bowed slightly.

"It's much appreciated. You would waste such a valuable tool on someone you don't know? Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

Malenia cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"These stones were fairly common, once. I have a rather large collection of them, it is no bother to lose one among many. My brother likes to give me things he finds interesting, and such stones were very commonly given to me upon greetings."

Turning back to face the children, Malenia's eyes settled upon the fool who leapt at her foe.

"And you. What didst thou seek to accomplish, charging into that shadow as thou have done? A fool's errand, fighting with no stratagem up thy sleeve."

The boy in question turned his head away sourly as various emotions struggled to tear him in different directions. Malenia could see that her reproach was heeded by his small bow, but the anger and shame that crossed his face kept him from speaking. Instead it was the girl with the hammer that spoke.

"He… we knew that Grimm that you killed. It destroyed Ren's village when we were young, and Renny saved me from it when he unlocked his Semblance at the same time. He needed revenge for his parents."

Nodding despite the unfamiliar term, the towering woman glanced back at the boy and strode over to him. He still refused to look at her, but that changed nothing when Malenia stopped in front of him and kneeled, placing her left hand upon his shoulder gently.

"Protecting one's family, and avenging their loss, can be sources of strength and determination. But losing thyself within the emotions drawn from your goal is a sure way to defeat upon the battlefield. Heed my words, Ren." She glanced at the others, who were listening closely as well. With a small nod to herself, she continued.

"I have pledged my life to become my brother's Blade, to defend him as he cannot defend himself. For he was born with a curse, one which keeps him from growing beyond the form of a child. When his life was threatened, I defended, and succeeded, against all who sought him harm. I was known as Malenia the Undefeated for my prowess and devotion.

"But I did not remain so. I eventually met a foe that I could not best using my skill alone. It took my unleashing something within myself that I had no wish to do, to defeat him. Of my father's lineage, he was considered the strongest of us. But I digress; he is long gone now, and I yet remain. Though I am still deciding if this is for the better."

"That sounds like a fairy tale I read once!" The reaper girl exploded, catching Malenia by surprise with her eagerness. "Maybe not one of my favorites, but I liked it enough because the sister still protected her brother! And maybe because my mother told it to me before I could read…"

Giles cleared his throat, drawing their attention.

"It seems to me that introductions would be nice. I am Huntsman Giles, and er… Malenia, the Blade of Miquella, is the woman that saved what's left of Shion. Who are you, and what is your team name?"

Malenia remained still as the others spoke, though her thoughts were centered on the girl's mentioning of a tale she had heard. It was the blonde boy who began introductions on their end.

"Oh, right. I'm Jaune Arc. You know Lie Ren already, Nora Valkyrie is the girl standing next to him with the hammer. And this is Ruby Rose, who usually leads her own team. We're… uh, the team name is still up for debate, but we're thinking RNJR, or Ranger."

So, Ruby was the reaper. Malenia cleared her throat.

"Tell me Ruby. What story dost thou speak of? I'm afraid I am not familiar with many tales." At least not in this era.

The towering woman also made a note to better learn this land's speech patterns. She could fairly easily change which words she used; she would start now, and use what was said to decide on the proper words to use in this age.

She could distinctly recall the older demigods, and her mother, using dialects strange to her. It would do no good to use a strange dialect of this language here, no more than she had already.

With a nervous chuckle and a hand rubbing the back of her head, Ruby continued from where she left off.

"The story's called The Cursed Twins. The twins are never named, but one of them possesses a similar curse to what Malenia described her brother having. It… gets pretty dark though. The established world order at the time was breaking down, and her brother wanted to make a new and improved version based off of the previous world order that was devoted to something called The Great Tree and The Crucible. His sister supported his plans, and marched to war to make it happen. At the end of the war though, she ended up releasing her curse upon a foe that was too strong for her as a last resort. My mom's old story book doesn't say anything about what her curse was or what ended up happening though."

Ah. So it was indeed a tale of Remembrance based upon herself and Miquella. And this child claimed it was from her mother's book?

"This book. Would your mother be willing to lend it to me? I wish to read it."

Ruby blinked, then blushed, before finally turning her gaze elsewhere.

"Umm… she's gone. But I do have the book on me. For some reason, I couldn't stop thinking about it before we left Patch, so I brought it along. It's not like it's a big book, but it's old. I'll lend it to you if you promise to be careful with it? And come with us to Mistral and Haven Academy?"

That was… easier than expected, Malenia decided. But there was one more thing here that was bothering her.

"That depends on why a man disguised as a crow using Nox spellcraft is following you, Ruby."

The girl gave her a confused look even as Malenia rose from her place and extended her sword towards the top of a nearby building. As everyone else followed her sword, they caught sight of the bird.

It cocked its head to the side once, then twice, before letting out a caw. Then, much to their surprise, it flew down from its perch and landed. For a brief moment, everyone watching felt a very strong urge to look elsewhere. When they looked back, they were shocked to find a man standing where the bird had landed, several meters away from where Malenia stood.

Team RNJR, if Malenia recalled their name right, seemed to know the man, but apparently not of what he was capable of.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby shouted, dashing and tackling the disheveled man into a hug. "What are you doing here? How did you get here? How were you a bird? Can I be a bird?"

The demigoddess waited as the man gently extracted the girl from his side and moved her away enough to draw his sword.

"Later, Pipsqueak. It seems I need to work on my infiltration skills."

Malenia merely shrugged, her prosthetic going with the motion effortlessly.

"I have been around such magics before. Identifying them as a guardian is a must, to prevent the wrong sort from attempting to assassinate my charge. Why were you following them?"

"To keep my niece safe. What is your interest in her mother's book?"

So the man knew that there must have been something special about it. No matter.

"I simply wish to read it. It shall be returned, it is not mine to keep. If I and my loyal Knight Finlay must go to aid in whatever their objective is, then so be it."


Qrow found himself in a conundrum. On one hand, he had seen firsthand her handiwork with the Nucklavee, which was itself an old Grimm that had gained notoriety in these parts. Her talent was something that could certainly be used against Salem, especially now.

But he also knew that caution was warranted. He had never heard of her before, and someone with the sheer talent he could practically taste coming from her would make waves in the world no matter where she went, much like the late Nikos girl. The only reasonable place she could have come from would be the Badlands in the southeast of Mistral and Anima, which in itself was almost entirely uninhabitable due to both the land and the Grimm that swarmed it.

And, he'd be the first to admit, he felt like giving Malenia Summer's familial book of fairy tales would change things. He couldn't say how, but it was a feeling in his gut, one he had long ago learned to not take for granted. And her name struck a chord in his memory, though he wasn't sure if it was good or bad.

What he did know is that he had to make a decision sooner rather than later. She had already outed his shapeshifting to Ruby. Who knew what else she knew?

"I feel like there's something you're not telling everyone," Qrow stated finally, tightening his grip on Harbinger. "Something that would be important for us to know."

While he couldn't see the woman's face, he was certain she frowned beneath that helmet. How did she see out of it, anyhow?

"There is much I haven't told anyone that isn't one of my Knights. While I shall not utter a word of it to one who isn't one of their Order, you could most certainly try to get it out of Knight Finlay."

He could hear the smirk she had donned at the end, but he kept his irritation down.

"Then why should anyone here trust you?"

Before Malenia could respond, the Huntsman behind her spoke up. Qrow had forgotten that he was there.

"I can't speak for you, Qrow, but I know that I, and what remains of Shion, owe her our lives. Without her and her… Knight, we would have been overrun in the first hour. Damned bandits caught us off guard with that lightning Semblance. Oh, er… you might want to tread carefully, Qrow. I think they were the Branwen tribe. I certainly recognized their leader."

At that, Qrow winced internally. And then externally when he heard Ruby question what she had heard.

"Branwen tribe? Do you know them, Uncle Qrow?"

"Later, Ruby. One problem at a time. And thank you Giles, for outing my former family." The previously injured Huntsman shrugged his shoulders.

"Sorry, but that's really not my problem Qrow." Giles glanced to Malenia and reached down for the stone that had stopped glowing, then held it out to the enigma among them. "Thank you again, Malenia. I need to help the survivors get things squared away. Burials to be done, buildings to rebuild. Grieving to be handled. I'm sure you know how it goes."

Malenia nodded, but instead of taking the stone, curled the man's fingers around it gently.

"It was a gift. Mine to give to whom I wish. It is naught but a stone now, but perhaps it may present some sentimental value to yourself in the future. Keep it."

The legendary Huntsman watched Giles simply nod and tuck it away with a quietly muttered thanks, then begin to step away until Ruby seemed to remember something.

"Oh! Mister Giles! Does Shion have a working airship that can take us to Mistral?"

The man blinked for a moment in thought, then he nodded.

"I believe it's still in working condition. The bandits tried to destroy it, but the Grimm came too quickly and they weren't able to finish the job. If you can find a mechanic to give it a few touch-ups and calibrations, I'm sure it would be usable. Though… You might need to find a pilot. One of the first people I saw killed by the Grimm was Shion's local pilot, and I don't know who else might be able to do so."

Qrow sighed, drawing their attention.

"If nobody else can do it, I can. But that might not be a good idea. It would be better for everyone involved if I were to maintain my distance and fly myself to Mistral. I'm what most people would call a bad luck charm."

Giles simply nodded. Qrow had worked with the man before a few years ago, and it seemed that he remembered Qrow's penchant for going alone or being separated from others. Then he resumed his departure, leaving the Huntsman to deal with the dilemma of Malenia.

He was surprised when Malenia's blade retracted from her hand on her prosthesis, allowing her to remove it and place it on her hip. He sucked in his lip for a moment before likewise stowing Harbinger away, but he crossed his arms as he continued to glare at her.

And again, in a startlingly trusting gesture, she reached up to remove her helmet.

And he felt like he was staring at the visage of Pyrrha Nikos, with the exception of her brightly glowing golden eyes. While he was startled by that revelation, it was the Arc kid's reaction that drew the most attention.

"P-Pyrrha?" Jaune asked almost hopefully. Like Qrow though, the closer he observed her features, the more he realized that Malenia was not Pyrrha. Her eyes, with their unnaturally golden glow, were the biggest thing. But more things became apparent as well.

While still youthful, her face was clearly more mature than Pyrrha's had ever been. No blemishes were able to be seen with the exception of what may have been very faint freckles. Her hair was like that of an untamed lion's mane, looking strangely soft despite the obvious dirt and grime of travel and battle caking it. Despite having just fought for the entirety of the night, no sweat, dried or otherwise, was seen on her face. Besides that, Malenia's cheekbones were slightly higher, her face a little more gaunt in appearance that Qrow knew from experience, came from living a life that was light on food. Maybe not unhealthy in her case, since she seemed to be in peak fitness, but one that could use a little more sustenance if she wanted to fill out those cheeks more.

In other words, she was quite beautiful, though she didn't seem to care about her appearance much. And, truthfully, she could have been Pyrrha's mother if Qrow didn't already know that she wasn't. Like himself, her mother was fairly well known as a Huntress.

"I do not know anyone named Pyrrha, Jaune Arc." Malenia answered the boy, drawing Qrow's attention back to the situation at hand. "Nor do I know many people in this land as a whole. I came from the east, and passed few people along the way. I will admit to avoiding entering villages when I saw them, however."

The east? So further into Mistral and Anima, then. Unless…

Nah. That seemed too unlikely. Oobleck was always going on about new discoveries, and Qrow would be the first person to begin to tune the eccentric Doctor out. But he was aware of an island making contact with the eastern edge of the continent. To hell with it; there was no reason not to ask.

"Malenia, did you happen to come from the island that smashed into the eastern edge of this continent?" Simple and blunt enough, Qrow decided. It's not like she came from there anyways.

"Depending on when it happened, I did, along with my loyal Knight Finlay."

Oh. Well that puts a spin on things. Now he needed to dig around in his memory to recall what Oobleck said. And a drink. A drink would be nice right about now. He had one last thing to ask her though to confirm his suspicions.

"How long ago did it happen?"

And then she shrugged. Dammit.

Qrow sighed and rubbed at his left temple.

"Right. Well, about a year or so ago an island free floating in the oceans for who knows how long made impact on Anima's eastern shore. There was a big fuss about it, but since it didn't come close to any villages, nobody ultimately cared except for historians and archeologists."

"Why archeologists?" Jaune asked, his interest piqued.

"There's ruins on the island. Ancient ones, with mostly intact architecture matching that of the oldest ruins we've found on the mainland. And a giant petrified tree that the ruins are built around."

"And humanoid Grimm." Malenia added.

Yes, a drink sounded fantastic.


Malenia kept her face impassive as she added her own observation. She had already admitted she was from there; it made no sense to her to hide that fact. But their conversation had deviated far from the original topic. She cocked her head towards Ruby.

"What is your mission in Mistral and this Haven Academy, Ruby Rose? What aid can myself and my loyal Knight provide?"

Even as she spoke, she could see Finlay striding through the village, taking care to stay out of people's way with her superior stature and heavy armor. Her sword was sheathed at her side, though it was carefully positioned to be drawn at a moment's notice and still avoid the white wings that had grown from her legs due to her infection. Her scythe, however, was being used as a support for her hunched form as she strode along.

For her part, Ruby gained a confident look to her eyes as she started to answer Malenia's question.

"The people responsible for the Fall of Beacon came from Haven Academy, which is situated inside of Mistral. My friends and I are heading there to confront the Headmaster to see how these people were able to sneak through his system."

The demigoddess donned a look of contemplation.

"I see. And why has such a task fallen upon you? Should this not be handled by a Knight? Or, I suppose your equal to a Knight would be a Huntsman or Huntress."

"Well… maybe, but-"

"Those who are still training are not ready for such an important task. I cannot fathom why your leaders would send you instead of one who has proven themselves capable of their task. Qrow's presence here was entirely unknown by you and yours, which raises even more questions."

"It's not like-"

"And finally, even with your distinguished service in one battle, how do they know that you can be trusted? If one set of people can bypass one system, who is to say that they haven't gone through another?"

With a strangled gasp and after a couple of attempts to speak, Ruby was saved from responding by Qrow.

"Leave my niece alone, Malenia. They chose to make this trip on their own; they weren't sent by anyone. I'm following along because Ruby is my family. She may not need someone to watch over her, but I'll damn well do it before anyone else. Besides, I have business with Lionheart myself. There's more going on here than any of you know."

At that, Malenia couldn't hold in her chortle of disbelief.

"There's always something going on, Qrow. Be it assassins, struggles for power, manipulations of the highest degree, or even the Gods struggling amongst themselves for power and influence within our own world. I am no stranger to individuals playing behind everyone else."

At her mention of gods, she noticed Qrow tense. The man seemed to begin debating something within himself, until he finally nodded.

"Right. Go get your airship ready, kids. I'll find us a pilot. But we need to have a talk once we're flying."


In the end, it didn't take them as long to find the airship as Jaune had feared. Nor did it take long to patch up, between Ruby's mechanical expertise and that of the local engineer who had been spared the same fate as the pilot.

Finding a new pilot had taken a bit longer, almost the rest of the day, until a young man finally stepped away from several covered corpses. He didn't say much beyond that he could get them to Mistral and Haven, though Jaune didn't think he needed to. Based on the fact that there was nobody else grieving the people he had left, he likely had nobody else left here. After a short conversation and introduction, Jaune felt confident in Yarrow's abilities. Assuming he spoke true.

After promises of letting the Mistralian authorities know that Shion needed assistance to Giles, RNJR and their accomplices were boarding the airship before Jaune remembered Malenia and Finlay's height.

"Oh, it might be a little cramped in the airship for you two. I should have thought about that, I'm sorry."

The women merely ducked as they entered and took their seats beside one another. Jaune shrugged and took his own seat on the other side of Finlay.

It wasn't until the airship took to the air that he noticed the stench. He wasn't sure why he hadn't before, but he was reasonably sure that it seemed to be exuding from the Knight.

"The stench of decomposition and recomposition." Malenia stated, breaking the silence and causing Jaune to blink. The others glanced at her, apparently not sure what she was talking about until she continued.

"Knight Finlay's scent. She carries within her an infection known as Scarlet Rot. It is incommunicable at present, fret naught, but it has ravaged the flesh of all of my Cleanrot Knights. It is eventually fatal, but it comes with many boons until that time. However, I must insist that if you see her blood upon the ground that you do not touch it, and instead burn it. Their armor contains the worst of the stench, thankfully."

Sighing, Jaune nodded. Truthfully, as… unique as Finlay's scent was, he wasn't terribly affected. He supposed he should thank her armor for that.

"Is that why she has fungal sprouts?" Nora asked, causing the remaining members of RNJR to look away in embarrassment of Nora's blunt question. Surprisingly, Malenia simply chuckled. It was a nice chuckle.

"No. That has to do with a religion from our home, though I cannot say I wholly approve of the practice. Members would carefully cultivate various types of fungus on and within themselves as a form of worship. Like Finlay, all of my Knights followed this practice as a form of reverence towards… well, towards me. Enough questions."


Tyrion frowned as he watched the airship carrying his prey leave Shion. He had been following the silver eyed girl for nearly a week, waiting for the opportunity to strike… but it had never came. On the road, she had managed to keep ahead of him. In any of the villages and small settlements, there had always been a Huntsman. Even here, he couldn't do much due to the injured Huntsman and the abnormally tall women.

But it wouldn't do to displease his Goddess. Salem demanded the girl's eyes, and he would take them. It may just take a little more time and planning than he would have liked. He-

He paused his wrangling of his hands, before turning to find a Seer floating just behind him.

"Oh, Mistress! You- you came here? Have you further orders for your most loyal servant?" The insane scorpion asked.

The voice that answered was the most beautiful chorus that he had ever heard. Of course, it was always better in person, but hearing Her voice through any means was always a burst of ecstasy for him.

"I do. I've had the tall woman watched as best I can, and have decided that she poses too much of a threat. She must be eliminated along with the silver eyed girl. Rejoin Hazel in Mistral. I'm sending something special to aid you in your task. Do not fail me."

"My life is yours, Mistress!"