While my aunt is still not doing well, my young cousin is recovering at an amazing pace, thank you all for your well-wishes!
Chapter 70: The Board is Set
Within her chambers, Cinder prepared herself for the coming battle. She had received her orders from her master, and she would ensure their complete execution.
Cinder fastened the long, flowing red and black cape with Salem's symbol around her neck, letting it cover her body which was clothed in her new outfit. The cape was just a little something to ensure the necessary warmth due to the notoriously cold mountain tops of Atlas, and while she had the Semblance of Pyrokinesis and the powers of the Fall Maiden, she was nevertheless susceptible to the weather and so she would need everything since she was going to be fighting the Winter Maiden.
She gathered her weapons from the chamber's armory; her swords, her glass bow and its accompanying arrows, daggers and as much Dust vials that she could keep within her clothes or Dust sewn into them. As she tested the integrity of her glass bow and nudged an arrow, Cinder imagined it impaling the Winter Maiden's chest just like what she had done with Pyrrha. She had done it twice already, and if the so called 'Invincible Girl' crossed her sight once more, she would personally make sure she would finish the job once and for all, and eliminate the Arc whelp too, as well as Ruby Rose.
Cinder grimaced at the thought of the silver-eyed girl who had slashed her across the face, her hand gripped the desk hard. Salem, for whatever reason, still wanted the brat alive... but that didn't mean she couldn't punish Rose for her insolence and make her suffer.
The thought of getting revenge on Ruby Rose, gave Cinder some comfort.
Salem's forces were beginning to mobilize, getting in place for the next strike in the long war. One that would ultimately leave one Kingdom battered and another devastated. The other two Kingdoms would suffer the psychological fallout, which would make them significantly weakened for future strikes.
Once she made her final checks and adjustments, Cinder took out her scroll and contacted Sheer Kaa. The Grimm Saber Commander answered it rather quickly, "Ah, Cinder… are you ready?"
"I am, I'll be arriving shortly. Are your Grimm in place?" The fire witch questioned.
"Yes, they are posed to attack the nearby town at my command and I have a substantial number left with me for the battle up here," He reported before he noticed her outfit, "Are you sure that's all you'll be wearing? This place is one of the coldest locations on Remnant. Back during the Third Great War I had been in Atlesian prisons that were warmer than this place."
"Then it's no wonder they chose to hide the Winter Maiden up there. A remote and desolate place of such cold that no one would dare to brave those mountains. Except for us." Cinder said darkly as she exited her chambers and began walking through the silent halls of Salem's castle to meet her master.
"Yes, I'll be waiting for you at the rendezvous point. See you soon." Sheer Kaa said, bowing his head to her before the Fall Maiden abruptly ended the call.
Cinder said nothing as she took out a pair of long black gloves from her pocket and pulled them firmly over her hands. She wouldn't need the parasite with her this time, but all the same it wouldn't hurt to keep herself as warm as possible to stand a chance against the Maiden of Winter.
She soon arrived at Salem's throne room, and saw that Watts, Hazel, Anastasia, Sherizawa and West all stood along with holographic representations of Tyrian, Thorn, Mavis and Skarnage. Additional holograms of Ziz, Steppenwolffe and Norvik were projected into the room by modified Grimm Knights. The various members of Salem's inner circle had all left the previous night to prepare their respective forces and Grimm for the upcoming attacks on the various Atlas cities. The unmistakable presence standing next to Salem's throne was her 'Son', his spiked gauntlets resting atop the pommel of Chaos Edge, practically so dark and motionless that he seemed to look more like a shadow without an owner.
"Ah, Cinder. Good of you to finally join us, my child." Salem greeted the Fall Maiden as the black iron doors closed behind her.
"You sure took your sweet time, what were you doing?" Anastasia questioned.
"Getting prepared for my battle with the Winter Maiden," Cinder answered bluntly, shooting a death glare at Anastasia before focusing her amber eyes on her master, "I've contacted Sheer Kaa, he reports that his Grimm are in place and ready to attack once your word is given. And as I just said, I am ready to face the Winter Maiden."
"I am sure you are, my disciple. Now we must move on to the next phase, timing is everything." Salem's bone-white face shifted towards two of the holograms on her left, "Tyrian, Thorn… you say that your forces are all moving into place?"
"I swear it, my goddess!" Tyrian assured her, "The various gangs are moving into place all over Vacuo City. I've also received word from most of the leaders and my infiltration team is ready."
"Very good, the moment this meeting is over I want you moving out. Understood?" Salem tapped her fingers on the armrest of her purple-crystal throne.
"Understood." Tyrian and Thorn both answered at once.
"Good. Now, Captain Skarnage, and dear Mavis, how goes the progress of the pirate fleet?" The dark queen asked her seafaring followers.
"Mistress, we're making good time with the E.T.A. of thirty-five minutes before we reach the coastline of Atlas where Margarite harbor is. The frequency scramblers Watts provided our ships have allowed us to slip right past a few Atlas navy patrols without incident, and the weapons you've provided us should prove invaluable in our fight against the Atlas navy." Skarnage reported.
"My technology is never subpar." Sherizawa commented proudly, "Glad you're making good use of it."
Watts, upon hearing what Sherizawa had said, merely gave an amused scoff and shrugged his shoulders a little, "Oh dear Toma, you wouldn't have finished those scrambler devices on time without my invaluable assistance."
"And yes, with Watts's helpful technical expertise as well." The technology development specialist hurriedly added.
"That's much better." Watts chuckled lightly, "Don't go hogging all the credit to yourself, Toma."
"Excellent," Salem stated before she looked directly at Mavis's hologram and added, "Do me proud, little one."
Mavis couldn't help but flinch a little but managed a careful nod, "I'll do my best, Mistress Salem."
"I know you will," Salem said before she looked over to her other Grimm Commanders, "Ziz, Steppenwolffe, Norvik, I take it you're all in place?"
"Mistress, I'm in the caves near Aszod City, my Grimm are ready to take flight and attack at your word." Ziz stated calmly.
"And my Grimm and I are in place to attack the Camp Independence base, we're keeping ourselves hidden in the caves for the moment." Norvik growled out the words, and his hologram fizzled a little before becoming steady again.
"And my own Grimm are posed to strike at the town of North Point." Steppenwolffe reported, "Mistress, if I may have your permission to ask about something?"
"Permission granted, Steppenwolffe." Salem replied passively.
"Why do we waste time striking out at smaller towns and cities? Why don't task all three of us to directly attack the capital?" The Beowolf Grimm Commander inquired guardedly, "Not only we can cause significantly more damage there, we can tie up the Atlesian military forces to prevent them from sending further support out to the other three Kingdoms."
"You have raise fair point, Steppenwolffe… so I shall grace you with an answer. By sending the three of you out on different fronts to mount your attacks individually, firstly it will make the Atlesian people of the smaller towns and cities weaker in terms of their defenses and more fearful of us, and it will also make the rich fools of the capital of Atlas feel some sort of superiority over the underclass, thus creating further schisms between the two classes, but it will also make the rich fools grow paranoid from suffering similar attacks, all the while worrying about their own safety." Salem explained slowly, "That way, when the time finally comes to lay siege to Atlas, and that time is indeed coming, it will feel all the more satisfying."
"…I understand." Steppenwolffe replied as he bowed his head.
"Ah, a series of probing attacks." West mused softly, "Ingenious."
"Good. Again, you will all move out once this meeting is over. Now then, Hazel, Anastasia Dr. Sherizawa and my Son will aid you in striking at Atlas. Aided by his new variants of Grimm Knights and the Grimm swarms, they will strike at the various military bases and the outlying cities near them, to bleed the strength out of the armies of Atlas." Salem continued, looking around at her assembled group before focusing her chilling eyes on one of them, "Sherizawa, do you remember the target?"
"Yes, Mistress. I have memorized the details about the cannon. My Grimm Knights and I will appropriate it for you." The stoic scientist stated.
"Cannon? What cannon?" Thorn questioned.
"There's a weapons lab in the Europa military base where Sherizawa will be attacking, and apparently the scientists there are working on a new type of heavy cannon for Ironwood's airships. Its existence was disclosed to us, as was provided by Ulysses Cy when he was still useful." West answered the Maiden candidate, "It would be better suited for our purposes once we get our hands on it."
"That's correct, Dr. West. And as for you, you shall hold the fort, so to speak, while the rest of us are gone for the time being and will help coordinate our attacks." Salem informed him, and West bowed modestly in response.
"Erm, what about you Mistress?" Anastasia inquired, earning herself a dull glare from Salem.
"I have my own matters to attend to. Rest assured that I will be helping you all, as other towns and military bases will be attacked without involvement from you." Salem knotted her black-veined hands together.
"The Tyrant." West guessed.
"Exactly, and another Elder Grimm that will do enough damage to strike untold fear into the people of Atlas." Salem remarked before rising up from her throne in a smooth motion, her robes moving gently around her, "And I know for a fact Arthur here is ready to steal the information regarding the Relics' locations, while the eyes of our adversaries are focused elsewhere. So, I declare this meeting over. You may all proceed with your assigned tasks."
"All Hail Salem!" Everyone except the 'Son' present chorused, and the sound echoed throughout the enormous dark throne room. The holograms all shut off automatically, the people, or monster in Norvik's case, setting to work doing Salem's will to weaken the Kingdom of Atlas and in Tyrian and Thorn's cases, attack the Kingdom of Vacuo's capital city.
Salem looked down said, "Hazel, Sherizawa and Anastasia, gather yourselves in the main foyer with the Grimm Knights. I will send the Grimm swarms to you shortly. Cinder, Arthur…" She looked to her left at her 'Son', "…and my Son, come with me. We're going to pay a visit to the Tyrant.
The remaining followers of Salem nodded their heads silently and respectfully. The Son, as usual, simply gave a barely-perceptible nod in complete silence.
Somewhere in the mountainous regions of Atlas, Ziz sat on a rock with her head against the pole of her axe as she muttered to herself, "If I don't go through with this… I'm as good as dead. Wait, scratch that, I am already dead to the world."
She sighed and looked up at the rising sun, shining down at the snowy landscape and causing thin bands of light to be reflected from the frozen surfaces that were scattered on the sides of the ice-capped mountains. "Well, at least it's kinda close to one of their academies. That way they can defend themselves and at least put up a fight," She said with a heavy sigh as she stood up, her large dark wings spreading.
Her hate for Salem grew stronger by the day with the revelation of what happened to her fellow team members of BLTZ, and it was all she could do not to throttle the Grimm Mistress for lying to her about their fate. While she knew she had done unspeakable things in service to Salem, there would be a reckoning once she got her chance. After that... she would burn that bridge when she comes to it.
Elsewhere, Steppenwolffe glared down at the town of North Point where he was due to attack. Atlas's ultimate reckoning was still somewhere in the future, but this would do for now. He would definitely make sure that the humans of Atlas paid in blood for what Faunus had suffered throughout history. That would be both pleasure and justice for him.
At another place in Atlas, the horrific form of the Grimm Chimera possessed by Norvik climbed out of the deep caves set into a mountain overlooking Camp Independence, a moderately-sized Atlesian military base with a full complement of soldiers and security force. He growled softly and slid a long, sinuous tongue over the long fangs which crowded his deformed mouth, relishing the mindless slaughter to come as drool dripped onto the snow.
Behind him, a huge assortment of different types of Grimm awaited his command to attack and lay waste to the unsuspecting military base.
"Oh, what fun!" He rumbled to himself.
And far away back in Vacuo, Tyrian and Thorn walked out of Ante's base where the crime lord, his Enforcers, Emerald, Mercury, and Ilia all stood waiting.
"We just got word from Hui, he and the rest of the Red Fang are in place." Emerald reported.
"Anansi and his Grimm are getting in position in the underground." Mercury added.
"And most of the gangs are ready. Still haven't heard from Madame Viper's group though, but that bitch likes making me wait at times." Ante said, checking his scroll for any new messages.
"Who cares what that woman is up to? She knows that if she crosses us she's dead. You all know the plan, so do us a favor and don't mess up. Let's move out!" Tyrian hissed before they piled into two cars; one with Tyrian, Thorn, Ante, Emerald, and Ilia, heading towards the entry point of the underground tunnels while the other was filled with Mercury and the Enforcers, moving to get in position around Shade Academy.
The time was so very near.
Back at Salem's castle, the dark queen led the way into the underground levels of the castle where certain types of Grimm that couldn't to be allowed to roam free unless under her direct control were kept in massive, strongly-built cages and pens what were set into the smooth black bedrock of the castle's depths. Armored guards opened the huge metal doors, allowing Salem, Cinder, Watts and the Son to enter into the large, chasm-like area towards the bottom of the castle.
"Mistress Salem," Grimm Keeper Matilda greeted, bowing down to the Mistress of Grimm.
"Rise, Matilda. Tell me, how has the Tyrant been? Have you starved it as ordered?" Salem asked as she ignored the roars, screeches and howls of the other terrifying Grimm echoing around the massive chamber.
"It's been…furious, for the lack of a better word, partly because we have starved it." Matilda answered as she rose and walked ahead, guiding the others towards the area where the Dinosaur Elder Grimm was being securely contained, "I have worked with many a Grimm under your rule, Lady Salem, but this beast… it honestly rivals a Wyvern's ferocity."
"As I expected it would." Salem commented with a satisfied smile.
"Mistress, you're planning to release the Tyrant and let it rampage through Atlas, aren't you?" Cinder inquired cautiously.
"Of course. I've been waiting to see what this new breed of Elder Grimm is capable of." Salem answered, "And what better way of testing it than aiming this beast at Atlas' army and see what carnage it reaps?"
"A good way of thinning out Atlas's military might, undeniably." Cinder admitted.
"Yes, this magnificent creature will hopefully prove itself the threat we desire it to be." Watts stated as they arrived at the massive pen built into the thick hardened rock of the ground, which was supported with mighty reinforced and electrified steel bars. There were noticeable claw marks on the pen's ground and on the bars, in addition to dents in the walls which were also visible despite the dim lightning, all of which screamed out the message that the Tyrant did not appreciate its home. However, it wasn't the only occupant of its kind locked in a cage as there was another Grimm creature just across the other side of the cavernous chamber, one that looked rather badly scratched up and there were deep burn marks all over the steel bars, pitted walls and floor.
"You put it right across from the Wyvern?" Cinder crossed her arms as she looked at Matilda, "That seems unwise."
"It was on my orders, Cinder, and not without reason." Salem defended as she watched the darkened shape of the Tyrant stir within its cage, its blood red eyes glaring at them. She glanced at Cinder and continued, "The Wyvern and the Tyrant are both types of Elder Grimm, massive and deadly creatures with a primitive drive to hunt and dominate while all other Grimm, even the alphas of various species, will submit to them in their presence, but the Elder Grimm tend to avoid each other. Whenever two Elder Grimm meet there will be a battle for dominance, and while the Tyrant is a beast resurrected from millions of years ago, the Wyvern is much harder to control due to its dragon heritage and the fact that the dragons were originally alive before they were corrupted and turned into Grimm."
"I see. So, you plan to set these two titans against one another. To what end?" Cinder questioned, amber eyes flicking between the large cages.
"Well, you know how the Wyvern has proved so difficult to control ever since Nikos regained control of herself." Watts spoke up, as the ground beneath them began shaking due to the Tyrant rising up to its full height, "Her damned bond with the creature has proven to be quite strong, and despite our considerable efforts it has resisted every attempt made to subjugate it."
"Surprisingly, even my own efforts weren't showing any… fitting results." Salem added as the Tyrant came closer to the electrified steel bars, its rows of sharp teeth jutting menacingly out of its mouth as it snorted out at them, its glowing red eyes highlighting its face in the depths of the huge, dark cage, "But, perhaps close proximity to the Tyrant will revert it back to a feral state. We can only hope."
A loud echoing roar sounded off, and it didn't come from the Tyrant. The group turned around to see the Wyvern, now at the edge of its cage and snarling at its rival Elder Grimm. The two massive beasts got as far out as they could from their respective cages, ignoring the crackling electricity shocks from the steel bars, staring one another down as the Wyvern kept roaring in defiance.
The Tyrant was not one to ignore a challenge, and so bellowed back with a mighty, terrible roar that made some of the Grimm Keepers run and hide even though they were quite a distance away from the group, while the other remaining Grimm in the chamber lowered their heads submissively.
Salem smiled to herself, evidently happy with the results of her test. It appears that the two Elder Grimm did hate each other, as she hadn't seen this much hate in the eyes of the Wyvern since before Nikos began her training with it as Fotia Drakos. Watts, Cinder and Matilda covered their ears from the roaring match between the two Elder Grimm, but the Son's head was tilted and he slowly began to approach the Wyvern.
The Mistress of Grimm was intrigued by the Son's sudden actions and held out her hand towards the Tyrant, using her powers to calm it. It ceased its roaring and eventually lowered his head submissively, earning a smirk from Salem. If she couldn't fully control the Wyvern then at least she had this monster at her beck and call.
The Son moved closer towards the snarling Wyvern, which immediately took notice of him. It eyed him cautiously, like an abused animal would a strange new human. The Son held his gauntlet-covered hand out, laying it upon the snout of the Dragon Grimm, and despite the subtle growling sounds the Wyvern seemed somewhat calm.
"I'll be…he's actually-" Watts began before the Wyvern suddenly snarled and snapped at the Son, and its head abruptly surged forward and pushed him down onto the floor, its many teeth gnashing mere inches from his helmeted face.
The Son looked up and saw the glowing red-orange light inside of its maw about to launch out at him, he leaped out of the way and Cinder quickly stepped in front of everyone and caught the massive orb of fire as it burst out of the cage, and some of it caught by the fire-resistant bars. After briefly hit by the heat of the hugely-sized fireball in her grasp, she allowed it to gradually die down before hurling the excess heat at the ceiling which quickly dissipated into nothing.
She glanced at the Son and warned, "Watch it. This creature is not to be trifled with. Understood?"
The Son nodded slowly, and there was something in that gesture that unsettled Cinder, before he looked over to Salem and bowed apologetically to her.
"No harm done," Salem remarked as she eyed the Wyvern sternly, which backed into the dark depths of its cage like a whipped animal, "At least we're getting somewhere. Matilda, ready the Tyrant for action. I'll be back down here soon to transport it to Atlas."
"Yes, Mistress. Right away." Matilda replied obediently, bowing her head as Salem and the others left the underground chambers.
As they made their way back up to the main hall, a call came in on Watts's scroll. "Hm?" He took it out of his coat's pocket and glanced at the name of the caller, "Oh, what does he want this time?"
"Who is it, Arthur?" Salem inquired, turning to face him.
"It's Garrett Odinson, Mistress. You remember, the crime boss in Mistral doing his best to be seen as a legitimate businessman, although his efforts… leave much to be desired." Watts answered dutifully as his scroll continued to ring.
"Yes, I remember him. One of our followers who wears robes to conceal their identities during the meetings they attend in this castle. Well, I suppose we can take a call from him, perhaps he has some new information for us. Answer him." The dark queen instructed.
Watts sighed and tapped the 'answer' button, switching on its hologram function which quickly projected a hologram of a bearded, heavy-set man in his mid-sixties, "Yes, Odinson, we're rather busy today so what do you require?" He asked the hologram of Odinson.
"Watts, I… Oh! Mistress Salem, I didn't know you'd be with him," Odinson said as he bowed as much as he could in the hologram to Salem.
"Ah Garrett, you seem unusually unsettled. Dr. Watts, unfortunately, speaks the truth as we are quite busy at the moment, so speak quickly." She told him.
"Uh yes, Mistress… it's uh… I respectfully request for your advice. You see, I'm sure you're well aware of the murder of Charles Meredith some time ago… probably ordered his death too." The crime boss said nervously.
"Of course we did. He was trying to cut back on his agreed Dust shipments to us, and so we made an example out of him." Cinder focused her glare at Odinson's hologram, "What about him?"
"Oh, Cinder's here too? And yeah, I noticed that from the rumors going around Mistral, but well… uh, you see apparently Meredith didn't get rid of all the documents that linked him to us. The Atlesian Specialist assigned to the case must have found whatever files he left and figured out the link between me and him, because I was just woken up by a call from my contacts within the Mistrialian government telling me that the Specialist was coming here to question me about Meredith's death and my history with him as part of the investigation." Odinson explained hurriedly.
"Well, this would be a good time to use your widespread connections. Just make a call to put some pressure on the Mistral Council and then have them set up some more red tape for this Specialist to go through." Watts shared a brief look of disappointment with Cinder as he reprimanded the crime lord, "You're a professional Odinson, you should already know how to handle something like this on your own than to waste Mistress Salem's precious time."
"All due respect, you think I'd be calling you and not just doing that if it wasn't an option? Since Meredith worked for the S.D.C. the Atlesians automatically have jurisdiction over this case, and apparently someone in the Mistral Council approved a warrant to question me. This Specialist will be here in an hour or so, and there's nothing I can do to stop it." Odinson told them.
"Now that is an issue. Do you think they know about your relationship with Ante?" Salem queried softly.
"Probably," He kept his head lowered in her direction, all the while dreading her answer.
"Then do whatever you must to keep your link to us secret. Cinder, do you have a solution for Odinson?" Salem turned and asked her disciple.
"I think I have one already worked out," Cinder nodded before looking at Odinson's hologram, "Have all the security cameras in your building shut off and claim that there's a bug in the system when the Specialist arrive. Answer the given questions to the best of your ability without incriminating yourself and feign ignorance about Meredith's murder. You also need to erase everything that might link you in any way to us in your computer system or any other electronic device beyond recovery to fool the Specialist's technology splicers. That way if you play your cards right this ordeal will be a non-issue. But keep your top men hidden around the area and have them armed so if things do get heated or if you think this Specialist is onto you, you'll have to kill them and anyone with them quickly and silently, and that also applies to the operators of the vehicle and escorts they arrive in. With your profession you already have enough experience with murder and subsequent cover-ups, so just discreetly dispose of their bodies so when Ironwood or the Mistral government come looking around you can claim the Specialist never even arrived. Set up their vehicles some miles away from your home and make it look like some gang or bandit clan attacked them."
Odinson nodded in agreement with Cinder's plan, saying, "That's a good enough plan, Miss Fall… it reminds me of the plans I would come up with back in my prime."
"Indeed, it's quite devious Cinder. It's good to see you advancing and giving a lesson of sorts to Odinson." Salem told her, and Cinder merely nodded. The dark queen then looked to Odinson's hologram and said forebodingly, "See to it Odinson, and should your true allegiance be discovered and you fail to eliminate this Specialist… well, you know the price of failure."
He shuddered visibly before bowing low and meekly answered, "Yes, Mistress."
Watts ended the call, with Odinson's hologram vanishing just as quickly, and sighed, "Honestly, you'd think one of Mistral's reigning crime lords could have come up with that answer on his own. Still, you did come up with an admirable solution, Miss Cinder."
Cinder raised a questioning eyebrow as she gave a careful nod at Watt's unusually polite compliment, unsure about whether it was truly genuine since the smartly-dressed man tended to criticize and belittle her instead. But she also knew he wouldn't dare to be arrogant and condescending in front of Salem, so she merely nodded as Salem began walking again, "Now that the business with Odinson is complete, it's time for us to get moving once more."
A short while later, Salem stood with Watts atop the great staircase in the grand hall of the castle, and below them stood the assembled forces who were going to partake in the sudden attacks against Atlas with Cinder standing on her own closest to the stairs. Hazel, Anastasia and Dr. Sherizawa stood in a row with dozens of Grimm Knights arrayed behind them and some of the mechanical warriors were carrying long black coffin-like objects adorned with eye-aching red sigils between them which contained a dozen Geists each. They would be unleashed once passing through the portal, free to possess anything from boulders, ruined Grimm Knights to Atlesian Knights and Paladins to cause havoc among the Atlesian cities. The Son was by himself, off to the side waiting and watching with a duffel bag sitting on the floor beside his feet. They all stood to attention once Salem looked down at them, waiting readily to hear whatever she would be saying to them.
"This is it, my faithful servants; the next phase in our master plan to conquer Remnant and make it our own. Go out, show no mercy, show no weakness, and above all, do not fail me." Salem told her subjects with a firm oratory voice, her commands emphasizing not-so-subtly as she gazed at them, "You have your orders, your weapons, your skills, and most importantly your will to dominate and crush your enemies. Now go, and bring me a day of victory."
The assembled forces of Salem again roared their undying allegiance to the Mistress of Grimm. Hazel nodded his head and fastened a belt covered with pouches containing various Dust crystals before he and his group of Grimm Knights and inert Grimm Geists came forward. Salem opened up a portal, and the powerful-looking human stepped through it, and was swiftly followed by his appointed underlings.
Sherizawa went next, wearing the brand-new upgraded suit of advanced Atlas armor he had personally tested himself which covered his body, his stoic face looking up to Salem with a brief hint of thankfulness before he and his different variants of Grimm Knights went through the next generated portal.
Anastasia walked to the next portal after Sherizawa vanished through his, and before she stepped through she looked up to the Mistress of Grimm and bowed respectfully, saying, "I will do my best to make you proud, master. I will earn the right to be the next Spring Maiden and serve you well."
"I'm sure you will, my dear." Salem said before the girl with dark-blonde hair walked through the new portal with another group of Grimm Knights which then closed behind her troops.
The Son came forward, his Wyvern-shaped helmet looking up to his 'mother' as he took to a knee in front of her, while gripping Chaos Edge in his right gauntleted fist. Salem allowed a small smile to grace her lips as she instructed him, "Remember son, you are not to attack the base until the Grimm attack on the town of Borea begins and the military forces stationed in the nearby base mobilize. That is when you are to strike."
The Son of Salem nodded, still as emotionless and ghostly as always before she opened up the portal that would bring him to his destination, and he executed a bow before walking through it.
As the Son left the Salem's castle, he found himself in a peaceful, forested mountainside area somewhere in Atlas. The swirling red and black portal closed up behind him neatly as he looked around to gain his bearings, and eventually came to the conclusion that he was roughly a mile away from his target. Slinging the duffel bag over one shoulder, he began walking towards the military base through the forest of snow-covered pine trees, his thick armored boots crunching through the snow.
Back at the castle's main chambers, Cinder finally came forward and said, "I'm ready. I defeated a Maiden before and I shall do it again."
"I know you will, dear Cinder," Salem gave a small nod, "This battle won't be like your fight with Amber, it will be a fight between seasons. Between the very elements. Between fire and ice. Be prepared for anything and remember; no mercy."
Cinder nodded firmly as the last portal opened up, and she walked through without any hesitation at all, coming out of the swirling vortex into the land of white snow, grey rock and tall pine trees that was the Atlesian mountains.
Cinder pulled her cape around her more securely and breathed out a cloud of warm mist, while examining the landscape before her. This is it. She had embarked on her mission to kill the Winter Maiden, and she wouldn't fail her master again, not after her humiliating defeat at the hands of Ruby Rose and Pyrrha Nikos back in Haven. This new mission would be an excellent opportunity to test out the new skills she had been taught and mercilessly trained by her master, which she could put to the test easily enough.
"Right on time," Sheer Kaa's voice came from behind her and Cinder whirled around, her glass bow in her hands and an arrow already cocked. She lowered it slowly when she saw the Grimm Commander standing on a large frost-covered boulder with his arms crossed, surrounded by a streak of gently growling Sabers, "Shall I show you the Maiden's sanctuary?"
Cinder nodded as she created a small ball of fire in her hand to keep herself warm, "Lead the way."
Back at the castle, Salem created another portal right behind her with a idle flick of her fingers. Watts glanced at the portal, before turning his surprised look to face the Mistress of Grimm, "Surely it's not time for me to go yet?"
"No, Arthur. There's another who will take part in the coordinated attacks on Atlas. I'll go and fetch him. I won't be long." Salem told him before she departed through the portal.
The dark mistress emerged from the portal into a Mistral forest filled with snow that was slowly beginning to melt. She looked to the ground in front of her and saw that there were large hoofprints marking the snowy ground, and there were also several claw marks on the ruined bark of the surrounding trees. Massive branches were also torn down, and small puddles of frozen blood littered here and there along with the bloody boot of an unlucky wanderer, the foot severed by a powerful blow still sat within.
Oh yes, she was in the right place.
Salem wandered into the forest for a few moments, before she finally came to her destination which was a huge cave that had quite a number of medium-sized trees torn and ripped around its mouth's circumference, and splatters of blood from the recent unlucky victim who was killed by it marred the ground of brown grass and white snow.
She stared into the darkness of the cave, and two sets of glowing eyes appeared. The higher pair were blood red while the lower pair were a dark, candle-like orange. A ferocious hissing sound escaped from the Grimm creature, and two long elastic arms tipped with twin dangerously sharp claws shot out of the darkness, grabbing onto the sides of the cave to haul itself out.
The Dark Queen grinned as the lower head, that of a horse, slowly emerged from the cave, and above it was a humanoid face covered by a horned mask of bone. The head with long curved horns leaned forwards in tandem with the horse's, and it sniffed at the new scent that had just so recently brought itself to its lair. Once it has identified the scent of Salem, the horse slowly knelt on its forelegs and the human-like body bowed its head while dropping its clawed arms to either side. The Nuckelavee saw that its queen had come for it, and it would answer the cal.
"Hello old friend," Salem said as she placed a hand on the softly sniffing horse's head, "I have a task for you." Her cruel smile growing wider in anticipation of the slaughter to come.
Meanwhile, deep in the lands of the dead Raven unexpectedly felt a strange sensation travel through her entire body as though she had touched a livewire. It made her stop where she stood among the black, grey and white-colored surroundings which was little more than broken ruins and dead saplings. The Guardian of Nothingness had felt this feeling several times before whenever she needed to take a soul to the Nothingness, but it had never felt like that. She instinctively looked behind her, and could see Samantha and the other Guardians of the Dead were visibly being affected by it as well, though far worse than she had.
"No… oh Oum no… not again…" Samantha moaned in a horrified whisper.
"What's going on?" Raven demanded, but the brunette woman clad in a flowing gown the color of fresh snow was too consumed in her own thoughts to even respond. She began to kneel as though in supplication, shuddering in horror all the while, "Samantha! Answer me, what was that thing we all felt?"
"It's the omen!" A familiar raspy voice shouted loudly nearby.
Raven turned her face to look into the distance in the direction of the hoarse shout, a stern look on her features. Sure enough, several hundred meters away was Azrael clothed in his usual tattered and dirty clothes. He sat in a huge barren tree, whose branches reached up like clawed hands to the empty grey skies. Yellowed teeth were revealed by a grin that had spread so wide across his disheveled face that looked painful, and his eyes were wide and manic.
As Raven approached him, she could see that Azrael was shuddering violently as well, his entire body spasming as if he was having a seizure. But he didn't seem to be bothered by it, if anything he seemed to love the feeling wracking through his unkempt frame.
"The omen? But I've never felt it like that before, and I've never seen it affect the others like this. What's happening?" Raven asked him, slightly bothered by what she was witnessing as it looked as though the Guardian of Hell was having a severe stroke, she had felt the omen before, the feeling a Guardian of the Dead felt when they were given a soul to guide, but this time it felt very, very wrong.
"A day of disaster! Great loss of life is at hand!" Azrael ranted with a shout of madness as he allowed himself to fall from the dead tree to the ground.
"And this is letting us know in advance?" Raven prodded.
"Yes!" Azrael told her with a crazed grimace, "It's essentially the warning that lets us know we have a soul to guide, but much more powerful and overwhelming! The more souls we'll be taking to the afterlife, the longer this lasts! Oh, whatever's going to happen is gonna be big!"
As Raven sought to comfort the whimpering Samantha as she clutched at herself, she couldn't help but feel her face became one of worry as her mind began wondering what exactly was going to transpire today, and how many innocent lives would be lost in the upcoming battle.
One thing's for sure…it wasn't going to be a trivial number.
A strong, cold gale blew across the rooftop of the white steel and glass building that was the S.D.C. Headquarters in Mistral's capital, causing the flags scattered around the landing pads showing the logo of the S.D.C. to flap wildly. The early morning sky was partially obscured by white and grey clouds, and the early sun shone its warm rays down onto the city from behind the clouds.
Winter stood tall and straight in her immaculately neat Specialist uniform, her light-blue eyes scanning the horizon for the arriving reinforcements that General Ironwood had sent. The gusts caused the small lock of white hair that reaches below her left ear to move slightly, while making the ends of her coat flap a little as well. Her face had a strict and uncompromising expression, and her personal resolve was as ironclad as the ornate upper-class dueling sabre holstered at her waist.
Behind her stood a full squad of Atlesian soldiers, their rifles held diagonally downwards from right to left as they stood at attention and in near-complete silence. At either side of her stood two daunting-looking Atlesian Knight-300s, their white armor gleaming a little in the thin rays peeking through the clouds while their Y-shaped helmeted heads looked directly forward.
It was a mere formality, nothing more. Yet the elder Schnee sibling knew that with Atlas pulling back the majority of its military forces abroad back to reinforce its borders, the remaining military units in Mistral would be spread quite thin over the continent, mainly either performing reconnaissance missions or protecting the remaining Atlesian military outposts scattered across Anima. Given what information she had managed to obtain about Garrett Odinson from the Mistralian authorities and various other contacts, capturing him and his associates would not be easy without the support of a fully-armed strike force.
She looked up as she heard the familiar roaring sounds of powerful airship thrusters coming from the horizon. Through the swirling grey clouds came a distinctively sleek and armored advanced airship, a silver-grey colored Strike Corvette with certain black highlights that was silhouetted against the predominantly sea blue cloudy sky.
It was unmistakably the Retribution.
Winter's breath caught in her chest as she recognized the polished emblem of Task Force Omega on the armor plates of the Strike Corvette's pragmatic and functional core design, and she instinctively knew who was on board the airship even as it maneuvered its pivoting engine thrusters to land on the assigned landing pad. While she had expected General Ironwood to send reinforcements in the form of additional squads of Atlesian soldiers and perhaps even more Atlesian Knight-300s, she wasn't expecting that he would send an entire elite covert operations team. Especially one which was renowned among the Atlesian military forces for their commander's charismatic leadership and their stunningly-impressive mission records against a plethora of foes that included radical insurgents within Solitas, renegade Red Fang cells, and other terrifyingly violent organizations.
Thin clouds of dust were blown outwards from the corvette's thrusters as it touched down onto the surface of the main landing pad. Winter kept her eyes fixed on the lower part of the airship as her lips tightened a little, watching the main disembarkation ramp of the Retribution disengage with a hissing sound and lowered itself hydraulically to meet the warm surface of the landing platform, lambent white light spilling from the rectangular-shaped opening.
Seven Omega Troopers of varying builds clad in black and grey full-body armor plates with dark blue highlights emerged from the stealth airship and marched down the ramp, their armored boots ringing loudly on its metallic surface. Winter heard quite a few sharp intakes of breath from the Atlesian soldiers standing behind her, although she wasn't sure those reactions were made in fear of seeing the elite troopers of Task Force Omega in the flesh or in awe of how intimidating they all looked compared to the normal rank-and-file. Even from a distance she could see that each trooper had a distinctive customization to their personal armor denoting individual specializations ranging from electronic warfare to heavy weapons and explosives, and also carried different types of high-tech weapons that suited their role within the Task Force.
She had also heard that a new kind of combat android has been recently attached to Task Force Omega, one that evidently outperformed even Penny in terms of combat abilities, tactical readiness and sheer firepower. It was through the combined efforts of Doctor Polendina and the scientists from the Special Research Robotics Branch of Atlas military that such a breakthrough was possible, and despite personally seeing what Penny could do Winter was perhaps a little curious about how this new combat android looked like and what it could do when faced with real life combat situations. Scanning the Omega Troopers now walking towards her unhurriedly, their steps slow and measured, she couldn't see any of them that matched the combat android's build or walked with in a clear mechanical manner, and so the sabre-wielding Specialist made a mental note to ask the leader of Task Force Omega for answers.
At their head marched a tall armored masculine Omega Trooper with a heavily-customized assault rifle slung diagonally across his back, his face hidden behind a black armored helmet which was slightly different from those worn by other Atlesian soldiers. Despite her stern exterior Winter felt her heart skip a beat as she recognized rank markings on his armor and the disciplined way he carried himself, so magnetic and deadly with a palpable sensation of a natural born leader. There were very few people who could make her feel the current feelings she was experiencing at the moment, and her father and General Ironwood were among them.
There was no further doubt in her mind who was standing before her now.
"Specialist Schnee." The leader of Task Force Omega greeted cordially as he stopped a reasonable distance from the female Specialist.
"Commander Central." Winter returned coldly.
The rest of the Omega Troopers stood a short distance away, and so did the Atlesian soldiers accompanying Winter. She gestured with one of her black gloves, and a series of beeping and clanking sounds were heard as the Atlesian Knight-300s retreated several steps as well. Anyone watching the quiet scene in front of them could undoubtedly feel the tension between Task Force Commander and Specialist festering in the cold air, about to erupt into violence at any moment as they eyed each other silently.
That was when Winter moved, her dueling sabre drawn from its holster and slashing towards Central. She moved so quick that her movements happened within the span of mere eyeblinks, and it was a flawlessly excellent strike worthy of any dueling master. Winter betrayed no facial cues to the other Atlesian commander nor any hint of any tension within her muscles, effectively concealing the coming of the blade thrust and rendering it far too last for anyone to repel the strike. The blow had just come seemingly out of nowhere. Those who had seen Winter fight firsthand knew that very few individuals could defend against her strikes, and those who escaped her sword duels either willingly yielded or were mercilessly beaten to the point of defeat.
A loud clang of sharp blades clashing against each other was heard a split-second later, and everyone present were stunned at what happened before their eyes. They would be forgiven to have expected Commander Central either being diagonally cut in half by Winter, or dying from a precision thrust to his throat which would have severed his windpipe, but definitely not him expertly blocking Winter's strike with a long silver blade that has extended from a section on his right forearm which had slid back to reveal the hidden blade. Her blade was stopped millimeters from piercing Central's armored helmet and into his face, and Winter grunted a little as she realized her precise strength was met and appropriately matched by equal power, the Omega Trooper carefully holding back against her by properly bracing himself.
She then felt something sharp resting under her chin, and her light-blue eyes looked slowly downward to see the gleaming blade of an aristocratic claymore sword uncomfortably close to her bare throat above her collar. Its spiral-etched handle was gripped in the gauntlet of Central's left hand, and his helmet's emotionless faceplate betrayed no expression nor reaction when she unleashed her blow. If the commander so much as twitched his gauntlet a little further, he would have slit her throat open. Winter then realized that Central had countered her perfect slash and delivered his return blow in mere seconds, exploiting her opening and bringing his sword to send his lethal comeback.
The Mistrialian gale continued to howl around them, and neither the Omega Troopers or the Atlesian soldiers present spoke a single word to break the tense silence between Commander Central and Specialist Winter Schnee. They were locked in a single posture of a deadly dance, in which a single misstep would see either of them bleeding freely from a fatal world or the both of them dead. The Atlesian Knight-300s stood motionlessly, still obeying their last given command from Winter as they stared ahead blankly with mechanical electronic eyes behind their Y-shaped faceplates.
"Are you going to try to kill me every single time we meet, Specialist Schnee?" The polished faceplate of black armored helmet asked her.
"You know the answer to that, Commander Central." Winter answered sternly.
A soft grunt came from within Central's helmet, "You are still as agile and cold as I remembered."
"And you are also as strong and swift as you were back then." She retorted, the tip of her saber's blade almost touching the smooth faceplate of his helmet.
"Is that a compliment? I'm touched." Central gave a seemingly theatrical sigh, "If you meant that particular strike of yours to kill me, you would've to try harder."
"Maybe." Winter narrowed her severe eyes a faction, "But I could still impale my blade through your head."
"And I would remove yours from your neck before I died." The Claymore's blade was still rested unerringly against Winter's throat, a hair's breadth from making good Central's statement, "Would you like to test your theory?"
A few seconds passed, and Winter eventually said, "No. Maybe another time."
"Very well." Central's helmet inclined a tiny bit as he withdrew his claymore sword from Winter's throat, while the Schnee Specialist slowly removed her sabre and slowly sheathed it back into its holster, "I presume there's no reason we both can't be perfectly civil individuals?"
Winter simply glared at him and remained silent, although Central had guessed she was probably seething internally about being in a stalemate. It has always been that way even back in Atlas Academy years ago, when they sparred in blade matches which saw them fighting against each other with everything they had learned in books, combat manuals and instructor teachings. Students and teachers would watch, often take bets to see which one of them would eventually triumph, but only to be disappointed when it turned out to be another draw. They were both too evenly matched, so familiar with each other's moves and counters that every single time they fought it only ended in either a draw or both combatants withdrawing due to fatigue.
She watched impassively as the face-plate of his helmet retracted to show his real face, and the somewhat calm expression there was honestly inscrutable to say the least. Central had maintained a professional manner at the moment in front of his elite Task Force, and if anything else he was actually doing a pretty good job at showing it. Winter still remembered every last detail on the man's face even after so much time had passed since their graduation from Atlas Academy and becoming Specialists in the Atlesian military, especially his closely-cropped military regulation black hair and sapphire-blue eyes.
"It's been some time since we last saw each other." Central mentioned as they both began to walk off the landing pad and down towards the glass doors of the S.D.C. Mistral Headquarters.
"Yes," Winter answered in her eloquent voice, "I heard you have become a respected leader with quite the standing among S.W.O.R.D."
"And I heard you have gathered a fearsome reputation for yourself as well." The Task Force Commander turned his head to look at his fellow female Specialist, "And quite a few nicknames to go along with it."
The stern glare that met him told Central all he needed to know about Winter's feelings towards the nicknames given behind her back. He knew better than to disturb her by mentioning any of those, as her disdain towards those nicknames was clear to see.
"I don't have to mention to you what would happen if you speak of those, do I?" She spoke softly, although the threat was clear in her tone.
"I have no intention of agitating you, Specialist." Central waved a gauntleted hand in a dismissive gesture, "And I would very much like to avoid being cut in half."
"So, I presume you and the rest of Task Force Omega are the reinforcement sent by General Ironwood to assist me with my assignment?" Winter queried carefully, abruptly changing the subject.
"Yes, General Ironwood has ordered me to bring my team here with whatever additional troops I can gather on such a short notice." The commander of Task Force Omega gestured to his other team members behind him, "Whatever assignment you're currently pursuing in Mistral, to call upon the resources of S.W.O.R.D. branch so urgently means there must be great difficulty pertaining to this assignment."
"Yes, there is. I'll fill you in on the details later." Winter replied, and her light-blue eyes flicked across the other Omega Troopers, "Wasn't there supposed to be a combat android attached to Task Force Omega? Is it still on board the Retribution?"
"Yes and no." Central said, "For starters, the name given by Doctor Polendina to the combat android is N1CK3L. He's been attached to Task Force Omega to serve under my command, but unfortunately he wasn't able to be with us as he was temporarily reassigned to the Hyperion One to meet his 'sister'."
Winter looked sharply at the other Specialist and raised an eyebrow, "Penny has a brother?"
"From what I have heard from Doctor Polendina, that was what N1CK3L identifies himself as." Central gave a small shrug of his armored shoulders, "It's probably because he's programed that way, but his combat capabilities are definitely top-notch. I know because I've personally witnessed what N1CK3L could do, and he can definitely give his opponents a difficult time."
"Well, I would have to see for myself when the time comes." Winter remarked as they both made their way to the operations room where the Schnee Specialist had set up her temporary base of operations in Mistral, their respective troops marching dutifully behind them, "I take it you know what my assignment here is about?"
"Unfortunately, General Ironwood was a little vague on the exact details." Central replied intently as the rest of his team and other important military personnel filed into operations room, "Perhaps you can enlighten me further so that I can properly make use whatever available troops we presently have."
The corners of Winter's lips moved upward a tiny faction, "Then listen carefully, Commander Central. Because I am only going over this mission briefing once."
"Once is all I need." He gave his assent, and as Winter started the upcoming mission briefing for the members of Task Force Omega and the Atlesian soldiers under her command, Central gave her his undivided attention.
Meanwhile, Jammer leaned next to Javelin and whispered "If that's how they say hello, I'd hate to see how they fight."
Javelin snickered and quietly replied "Trust me, you don't want be around if that happens."
As the morning services of the chapel within the Solaria Crescent Orphanage came to a close, the huge brown copper doors opened to let out the children and their attendants, as well as the group of assigned temple guardians disperse back to their classrooms and guard posts respectively. It wasn't long before the sounds of children and adults could be heard echoing beyond the entrance of the chapel as they slipped smoothly into their usual personal habits and tasks for the new day.
Sister Rosea gently closed the cover of the 'Book of the Four Gods' which was placed on the surface of the lectern in front of her before turning to her assistant caretaker Carolyn Pearl and giving her a smiling nod. She bowed deferentially to the Caribou Reindeer Faunus before walking forward, her red-trimmed white robes whispering across the stone floor, and handed Sister Rosea her wooden walking staff before taking the ancient tome into her hands caringly.
"My thanks, Sister Carolyn." Rosea accepted a helping hand from her assistant who helped her walk down the stone steps from the podium, her staff tapping against every step until she reached the last one. While no one would have objected to her performing morning services while seated in a wheelchair due to her elderly age and weakening legs, Sister Rosea had firmly refused and insisted to her fellow caretakers that she would be standing throughout the entire prayer service until she was no longer capable. It was a test of her will, as she had told them, and she would not be found wanting as she needed to present a strong and enduring impression to the orphaned children who looked to her for guidance.
As they walked slowly along the rows of wooden pews, their footsteps echoing softly throughout the historic chapel, Rosea looked at the younger woman with kind grass-green eyes and said, "Pardon me for saying this, Sister Carolyn, but you seem a little more worried than usual."
"Was it that obvious, Sister?" Carolyn sighed as she tried to avert her sky-blue eyes, but she also knew it was useless as her superior was skilled at reading the expressions and emotions of others.
Rosea gave a small chuckle and replied, "You have served me for quite some time, so you should know that I've made it a personal goal of mine to see to the welfare of those who help me to run this orphanage. If you have any difficulties or concerns, I'm always willing to lend an ear."
Carolyn gave a nod of acknowledgement, and thought about her answer for a few moments before finally replying with, "I am not sure if you have noticed recent happenings outside the Grand Temple and the orphanage; but the Rangers have increased their daily patrols and their numbers at the checkpoints at all the major roads and streets leading in and out of the 'Holy City' district." She paused for a moment and shifted her grip on the thick holy tome held within her hands as though it was her firstborn child, "And I have also heard whispers from the temple guardians performing guard duty at the main gates the other night that a gunfight occurred between a Vacuo Ranger patrol and a group of hooligans near the Square of Blessings. Doesn't all of this make you feel concerned?"
As they strode into the open sunlit courtyard in front of the chapel, Rosea sighed and adjusted her hold on her walking staff. She knew that her assistant would ask this question sooner rather than later, as during her own outings while accompanied by the temple guardians into the streets outside of the orphanage to run errands on behalf of the temple she had also noticed the increased security measures put in place by the Vacuoan authorities and the ongoing crackdown on the gangs which roamed the capital's dark underbelly. While she knew that it was through Heliosia's actions that led to the arrest of many Black Vipers in raids conducted by the Rangers, it wasn't a piece of information that she could freely share with without catastrophic consequences, and so she hid her own uneasiness behind a small cough.
"Actually, I am indeed concerned for all this extra security put in place by the authorities." She spoke as calmly as she could even as she wiped her worn lips with a handkerchief, "But at least the Rangers have stuck to their patrol routes when passing through the vicinity of the Grand Temple, and so far there haven't been any major incidents occurring at the checkpoints, save for a couple of arguments which have been resolved rather quickly."
They made their way past other attendant staff taking care of young human and Faunus orphans dressed in the red clothes of the orphanage, and Sister Rosea graciously accepted the respectful bows and greetings given by them while handling out courteous platitudes and kind nods in return. While she was the head caretaker she wasn't able to run the entire orphanage all by herself, and she was only elected to her post because of her commendable actions and the fact that the senior priests and priestesses from the temple as well as the working staff of the orphanage all gave her their unwavering support.
Looking at Carolyn, Rosea continued speaking, "I'm sure that when the situation that requires heightened security dies down in the next week or so the Rangers will cut back on their patrols and dismantle the checkpoints, but for now I believe those security measures were put in place for the safety of the people. They may be inconvenient to everyday life, but they are nevertheless necessary… especially after what befell Beacon Academy and Vale at large."
She reached up with her free hand and laid it on her young assistant's robed shoulder, "And as long as we abide by the rules and warnings given by them, I am sure they will have no reason to cause the orphanage any inconvenience since we already have our own protection in the form of the temple guardians."
Carolyn's unsure expression on her face slowly vanished after she heard the elder caretaker's words, and she nodded her head in agreement, "Thank you for your kind words, Sister Rosea, I…I wish I have your wisdom and optimism when faced with such uncertainties."
The elderly Caribou Reindeer Faunus chuckled a little and replied, "When you reach a great age such as mine, you will undoubtedly possess all the qualities I have, and perhaps even some unique ones of your own as well."
They both smiled at each other, appreciating the openness and camaraderie that had been built up between them over the long years they have worked together.
"Sister Rosea." The main custodian of the orphanage turned along with Sister Carolyn at the polite voice and they saw two individuals who they both recognized, a tall thin human priest and archivist accompanied by a brawny-looking grizzly-bear Faunus guardian from the Grand Temple of Vacuo.
The former human priest was dressed in simple yet elegant white robes with red trim cut in the traditional way, with a protective outer coat that kept out the sand and dust during his trips out of the Grand Temple. He had short black hair and bright eyes of aqua which seem to glow a little in the sunlight, he had smooth, tanned skin with a cultured and enlightened voice that colored his every word. Around his waist was a simple belt festooned with a number of sigil-encrusted ornaments, keys and item pouches essential to his work as the priest and archivist within the Grand Temple's archives, while in his right hand he carried a long staff made from sanded and flame-hardened wood with metal lamp that looked like an inverted bowl at its tip which contained a small fire Dust crystal. The teachings from the Grand Temple had said that the staffs carried by their priests was seen as a symbolic source of inner illumination, but it could also be used as a defensive weapon.
The other man was a temple guardian with a heavy build, a bulky hulk of a masculine Faunus with long ragged black hair and deep brown eyes that could effortlessly scare off even the toughest of gang members which prowled the streets of the capital city. Judging from his thick-set musculature and rough padding on his big hands that were almost concealed by his gauntlets, he had the Faunus features similar to that of a grizzly bear. His close presence to Chiyen made it obvious he was assigned to protect the priest, and from what Rosea knew the Faunus guardian was apparently a combat-hardened veteran formerly of the elite Desert Guard before he joined the Guardians who protect the Grand Temple of Vacuo. Like all of the other temple guardians he carried around a Guardian Spear that was their signature weapon, the mighty weapon's huge blade easily as big as that of a halberd, and was a formidable fighter with it too even though he was also quite a rifle sharpshooter back in his Desert Guard days.
"Archivist Chiyen Braun. Guardian Bjorn Sublam." Rosea greeted them politely, and the temple archivist graced her with an approachable smile as he bowed his head towards her, while the temple guardian inclined his head and grunted a greeting as well, "It's good to see you again. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"
"We were in the neighborhood and decided to pay you a visit since it's be some time before we have to get back to our duties." Chiyen smiled kindly as he gestured with his wooden staff, "And also, Chief Librarian Vidya sent his regards along with a message for you."
The Reindeer Faunus gave a nod, instantly recognizing the hidden cue that privacy would be needed for the important message, and slowly turned to face Carolyn, "Sister Carolyn, I need to follow them and hear the message. Do you mind returning the tome back to my office and brewing some fresh tea for me as well?"
"It would be my pleasure, Sister Rosea." The assistant caretaker bowed deeply before walking down another corridor, while Rosea gestured for Chiyen and Bjorn to follow her. Reaching one of the other smaller gardens within the orphanage's vicinity filled with religious stone statues and a small granite fountain surrounded by colorful flowers, she and the temple archivist took a seat at one of the stone benches at the side of the garden underneath a large palm tree that kept the worst of the sun's heat with its shady top while Bjorn stood a respectable distance away, his dark brown eyes scanning their surroundings as though searching for threats but also listening carefully to every word spoken.
"How have you been, Sister Rosea?" Chiyen asked with concern in his compassionate voice, "Bjorn and I heard that you've been going out less than you have been before."
"It's just these… uncooperative legs of mine." Rosea sighed as she tapped her knees with her fingers, "The aches don't seem to go away despite the medicinal cream that I've been given by the temple's physician."
"You know no one would fault you or doubt you if you request for a wheelchair." The archivist pointed out, "Sister Carolyn has already put in such a request for you to the high priests and priestesses of the Grand Temple."
"Did she now? Bless her anxious heart." The elderly Faunus sighed, slowly shaking her antlers-covered head and then looked at Chiyen with a raised eyebrow, "Even though I specifically told her that I would only ask for a wheelchair when I really feel the need for it? There are others in this orphanage, especially the crippled children, who need a wheelchair far more than I."
"With respect, Sister…" The temple archivist started again only for the head caretaker to raise a hand, silencing him.
"If it would set your mind at ease, Chiyen, I would personally have Sister Carolyn inform you to get me a proper wheelchair. Until that time comes, I will still try my best to get these disobedient legs to obey my will."
"As you wish, Sister Rosea." The tall male disciple nodded his head and then posed another question, "By the way, have you taken your medicine for your cough this morning?"
"Yes, yes." Rosea sighed as she nearly coughed again, inwardly glad that someone had reminded her to take her cough medicine but not wishing to hear it every single time whenever she met someone who knew her within the Grand Temple, "I took it an hour ago, so thank you for the reminder."
"Chiyen is worried about you." Bjorn grunted from his sentinel post a short distance away, finally speaking for the first time since his arrival.
She smiled at both archivist and temple guardian in a friendly manner and said, "Thank you both for your concern about my well-being, but I did specifically recall that you have a personal message from Chief Librarian Vidya for me?"
"Ah yes. A moment please." Chiyen reached into his white robes and withdrew a small paper scroll protected by a wax seal before humbly passing it to Sister Rosea with his head bent forward, nearly meeting his chest, "It is addressed to you."
"My thanks," Rosea received the sealed paper scroll and broke the red wax seal, opening it with her fingers and silently reading the single line of words within. Her emerald green eyes widened a miniscule faction for a brief second at the content of the message, before she exhaled the breath she didn't know she had been holding for the past minute or so. Chiyen and Bjorn both turned their heads away and waited patiently, since the message's content was not for them to accidentally hear or see.
Closing the scroll, the orphanage's supervisor closed her eyes briefly for a few moments as though mentally digesting the message in her mind, before opening them again and saw Chiyen and Bjorn looking at her but remaining quiet in deference to her. She slowly took in a breath to calm herself and spoke, "Please convey my thanks to Chief Librarian Vidya for the important message and reminder."
"Of course, I will convey them to him personally." Chiyen replied with a nod.
"Would you two mind giving me some privacy? I wish to collect my thoughts before returning to my duties." Rosea politely requested.
Taking her words as an indication for them to leave, Chiyen stood up and adjusted his grip on his long staff, "Of course, Sister Rosea. Bjorn and I will attend to our own duties at the Temple. Good day to you, and may the blessings of the Four Gods be with you," He told her with a voice clearly steeped in faith.
"May the blessings of the Four Gods be with you as well, Chiyen Braun and Bjorn Sublam." She smiled and waved her hand a little as the temple archivist and accompanying guardian left through the archway leading out of the small garden.
After they had left, Rosea unrolled the scroll and looked at the message she had received from Chief Librarian Vidya. It only comprised of a single sentence, and it stood out starkly from the vellum material of the scroll in black ink.
'Should the worst happen, remember your oath to keep it safe.'
She read the message one last time, reminded of the sacred oath she had taken when Headmistress Luna entrusted her with a secret so world-shattering that would eventually become the heavy burden she would carry to the end of her days. Should the worst happen, her own life might need be forfeited to protect the secret that only a chosen few within the Kingdom of Vacuo actually knew of. All to serve the greater good in her sworn duty to the Guardians of Remnant.
Slowly pushing herself up from the stone bench, Rosea walked over to a bowl of flames atop a chest-high pillar in a nearby corridor just outside the garden. Normally used for lighting incense sticks and candles, it would be enough to destroy the secret message completely, and so she placed the paper scroll within the bowl and watch it catch fire, shriveling up in a matter of seconds into ashes.
Taking another breath to calm herself, Sister Rosea turned and walked down the vacant hallways back to her office, returning to her duties as the supervisor of the Solaria Crescent Orphanage. Deep within her heart, she prayed that she wouldn't need to make the ultimate sacrifice when such a time eventually came for her.
Amethyst gingerly walked down the grey-plated hallways of the Eternal Warriors' stealth airship Breath of the Wild Storms as it descended upon the landing pads of Shade Academy to the right of Hyperion One. The ship had just cleared the outer defensive lines of the western Kingdom moments ago after exchanging the necessary clearance codes with the Vacuoan authorities and received the highest security clearance from its Council, allowing it to take a direct and uncontested route to the academy. Stone Claw and Moon Hunter walked in front of and behind her respectively, still adhering to their appointed task of protecting her.
A subtle rumble coursed through the ship and the sounds of its powerful engines began to die down, signifying to the purple-haired girl that they had finally landed. Despite her positive outlook, Amethyst was feeling both keenness and anxiety as she wondered about her upcoming meeting in-the-flesh with Heliosia. She had taken a big gamble to come out into the open and meet her sister Maiden, and she mentally hoped that she wouldn't be scolded by her friend when they finally met after so long.
"Oh man, so good to finally be here." Amethyst stated as they left the hallway and entered into the entry bay of the airship, where Wind Runner and Storm Bringer were standing not too far away with a number of other Remnant Knights as the aircraft's ramp began to lower down amidst bursts of grey smoke and white steam from its engines and stabilizing thrusters.
"Enjoy the visit while you can, Spring Maiden. It won't be a long one." Stone Claw grunted as the outside light gradually shone upon the group as they walked down the ramp and onto the landing pad itself.
"Still peeved about my escape attempt?" She asked the brawny-looking knight.
"You could say that." He answered, his aggressive-looking helmet turning to look at her.
"Don't mind him, Stone Claw isn't really as sour as he seems. However, he does have a point. You should relish this visit to Vacuo as much as possible, Amethyst." Wind Runner told her as he looked out to see Headmistress Luna approaching, followed by her assistant Cedric, Fire Walker, Teams CFVY and SSSN, and a full squad of Vacuo Rangers.
"You're right, and I will." Amethyst agreed, glancing down at the ground meekly before she looked up again, putting on her best smile at the welcoming committee assembled to greet her. She smiled and waved to Luna, who she had met several times before and respected her both as a teacher and guardian, and her smile grew wider when the Headmistress of Shade Academy nodded her head in a polite greeting as their eyes met.
She then allowed her purple eyes to wander a little, wondering how Shade had changed since her last visit, and it was then that Amethyst took note of the two teams of Hunters-in-training. Her curiosity inevitably rose, and right away the Spring Maiden took an interest in them.
"Holy crud, did Luna hire a bunch of models to come and greet me?" She muttered as she eyed the eight rather attractive teens. The Rabbit Faunus was particularly cute in her personal opinion.
"They're from Team Beacon, so I doubt it." Wind Runner remarked as they walked forwards off the landing pad to meet with Luna and her associated group. As the Spring Maiden and her knight detachment walked within shaking hands distance he looked to the Knight Vanguard of the Relentless Crusaders and hailed, "Well met, Fire Walker. Always a pleasure to meet a fellow Vanguard of the Order."
"Well met, Wind Runner. It's good to see you again." Fire Walker greeted as he saluted the aforementioned Knight Vanguard and his accompanying force of Eternal Warriors, who promptly saluted him back.
"Amethyst Rilo, it's wonderful to see you again… though I wish it was under different circumstances." Luna greeted as she bowed her head politely to the younger woman, who bowed back respectfully in return.
"Me too. Trust me when I say that I wouldn't have been so desperate to come here if I wasn't sure the situation was serious. Not that I don't like this place…" Amethyst clarified with a grin.
"I understand completely, and no offense taken," Luna assured her, before gesturing to the two teams standing behind her, "They are Teams CFVY and SSSN, and they form half of Team Beacon. I'm sure you're well aware of them."
"I sure am. From what I've read and heard, you guys sure went through some pretty crazy stuff." Amethyst said as she walked towards them, "It's great to meet you guys personally, though I wasn't expecting you all to be so attractive in real life."
Upon hearing the Spring Maiden's playful remark, Coco and Sun snickered while Velvet and Neptune's eyes widened in a kind of flattered surprise. Yatsuhashi, Fox and Sage all exchanged amused glances while Scarlet raised an eyebrow at Amethyst's spirited behavior.
"Thanks, I may be the daughter of a famous Valean supermodel, but I suppose it comes naturally to us." Coco chuckled, brushing her bright lock of brown hair out of her face, "I'm Coco Adel, leader of Team CFVY."
"Ah, daughter of Aria Adel? I can see the resemblance." Amethyst commented cheerily, while the two Knight Vanguards and Headmistress Luna quietly discussed the current situation at hand a short distance away. Out of the corner of her violet eyes, she also noticed a small number of Eternal Warriors standing behind Wind Runner awaiting his orders, while the others have returned back into the depths of the airship.
Coco smiled, "Thanks. Anyway, this is my crew; my partner Fox Alistair," Fox nodded when his name was mentioned. She then continued, "The big guy is Yatsuhashi Daichi."
"Big's a bit of an understatement." Amethyst remarked as she eyed the towering Huntsman, the latter simply nodding his head in a polite greeting.
"And this is Velvet Scarlatina, better known as the heart of Team CFVY." Coco finished.
"Oh, Coco, please don't exaggerate." Velvet gave a small chuckle modestly.
"She isn't." Yatsuhashi stated dryly, a nod of agreement from Fox enforcing the sentiment.
Velvet smiled at her team before she noticed Amethyst walking over to her and looked the Rabbit Faunus in the eyes before energetically shaking her hand and quipping, "You have a good team here, cutie. It's nice to meet you all."
The Rabbit Faunus was left blushing as the Spring Maiden went over to meet Team SSSN, while Coco tried to stifle her giggles and Fox deadpanned with, "Well, Pyrrha did tell us she's a free spirit."
"So, I guess you'd be…" Amethyst began as she faced Sun.
"Sun Wukong, leader of Team SSSN. This bluenette here is my partner Neptune Vasilias." Sun introduced as he pulled his friend over via an arm around the shoulder.
"A pleasure, my lady." Neptune said smoothly, making Amethyst giggle in good humor.
"Oh, a gentleman huh?" She asked with a light chuckle.
"I try my best to be one." Neptune replied modestly.
"Yeah, emphasis on 'try'," Sun snarked humorously before continuing, "The Swordsman is Sage Ayana, resident sane man."
"A dangerous position in this crazy world." Amethyst remarked to the dark-skinned boy.
"Tell me about it," Sage replied with a nod and a knowing smirk.
"And this pretty boy here is Scarlet David." Sun finished, gesturing to the redhead boy, who leaned forward to shake Amethyst's gloved hand politely.
"Eh, you're all pretty boys from what I can tell." Amethyst chuckled again, "Are you sure your team isn't better named as Team Boy Band?"
"Come to think of it, that's what other students and Teams back at Haven Academy tend to call us." Neptune looked over to Sun who added, "I don't really mind it though, because it kinda fits us," Sage and Scarlet both nodded with smiles of amusement on their faces.
"Yes, now that the proper introductions are over for the time being, I suggest we get you to the tower asap. You can continue your conversations there in safety." Luna announced, getting everyone's addition, "The first period of the day began twenty minutes ago, so the main hallways will mostly be clear. I'm afraid I have my regular duties to attend to, so Teams CFVY and SSSN as well as your knight protectors will escort you to the tower, and I trust you all to get her there safely."
"Yes, Headmistress Luna." The eight Hunters-in-training answered obediently.
Sun looked to Fire Walker and said, "I guess you Knights are gonna stick to the shadows like last time huh?"
"Correct, Mr. Wukong," Fire Walker confirmed with a nod, "But that doesn't make your protection of Amethyst Rilo any less important, so stay alert. We will be watching from the shadows, and we will intervene immediately should anything… untoward occur."
"Understood, let's get moving." Coco told her team as she took the lead of the group with Amethyst in the center and Team SSSN bringing up the rear as they proceeded into Shade Academy, while Fire Walker, Wind Runner, Storm Bringer, Stone Claw, Moon Hunter and a few other Eternal Warriors moved stealthily into the shadows in the sides of the hallways to conceal themselves after bowing civilly to Luna who gestured for Cedric to follow her along with the squad of Vacuo Rangers.
Luna and Cedric made their way back to her personal office, but as her assistant followed the Headmistress he took out his scroll and surreptitiously made sure that the security systems and cameras remained offline in certain areas other than around the tower.
Some five or so minutes later the two Teams accompanying Amethyst arrived a short distance from the base of the tower the Summer Maiden was currently living in, and Amethyst whistled in awe at the sight of the huge campanile.
"Whew, Heliosia sure got herself a nice place to lay low." The Spring Maiden remarked as they walked through the devotedly-tended garden boulevard to reach the main glass doors of the tower where a pair of armed Remnant Knights from the Relentless Crusaders stood guard vigilantly.
"I take it you don't?" Velvet asked her with a tilt of her head.
"My Knight protectors and I tend to keep on the move, frequently changing locations around Anima so as to make sure the enemy doesn't find me easily. I've stayed in some nice places, but Heliosia seems to be getting the royal treatment here." Amethyst explained as she looked up at the various open windows of the tower and smiled brightly upon seeing the form of Heliosia coming down with Sharp Strike and Teams RWBY and JNPR behind the main glass doors, "Speaking of which…"
She then used her Maiden powers to push the large glass doors wide open and ran towards the main staircase even as Heliosia jogged down the steps speedily.
"Hey, Summer Sun." Amethyst greeted with an overjoyed smile.
"Hello yourself, Spring Violet." Heliosia returned before she jumped down the last few steps and landed next to her fellow Maiden, who she captured in a powerful, emotional hug.
The Spring Maiden laughed happily as she returned the hug, evidently overjoyed to be physically reunited with her sister Maiden in the flesh and not in the mindscape. It was clear to everyone present that Amethyst had been looking forward to this meeting for a long time, and a number of other emotions including relief and delight colored her usually expectant face. While before there was some remaining trepidation occupying her facial expressions, it all vanished like a new day banishing the night when she finally saw Heliosia.
"Amethyst, it's so wonderful to see you in person again! Truth be told, I didn't think it would happen outside of us having to stop some calamitous threat to the entire world!" Heliosia declared as she released the smaller Maiden, while looking into the latter's purple eyes.
Amethyst nearly said something about her dreams but she didn't want to ruin the happy reunion, so she simply replied, "Hey, my Knight protectors either had to bring me to you or I'd just keep trying to escape."
Heliosia's bright smile dropped as she shook her brunette head, and her face grew serious, "That reminds me, I've been meaning to tell you something…" She brought up an open palm and lightly smacked Amethyst upside on her head.
"Ow!" The Spring Maiden cried out, more annoyed than hurt.
"Never do that again!" Heliosia scolded, though not very harshly, "I know you were worried about me due to some terrible dreams, but your actions were reckless and dangerous not only to yourself but also to others who are trying to protect you. You could very well have exposed yourself to the enemy and ended up like… like Amber."
"I… I know, but these dreams of mine were just so awful. You can't understand the dreadful things I saw in those nightmares. If you knew what I saw… you wouldn't be so mad at me." Amethyst told the Summer Maiden, her usually energetic and happy voice now detectably depressed and hollow.
Heliosia's features softened at once, and her maroon-red eyes now looked at the purple-haired girl she viewed as a younger sister with empathy and compassion.
"You aren't the only one who has seen some incoming calamity about to transpire here." The Summer Maiden spoke carefully, "The Kingdom's military forces have been placed on high alert and Shade Academy's security have also doubled because there seems to be a significant number of Sanus Deathworms approaching the capital as well. So I would believe what you saw in your dreams, my sister Maiden."
"So you are taking my nightmares seriously?" Amethyst inquired with wide eyes, "And you're not totally mad at me?"
"I'm not mad at you. Look…" She said as she turned the other Maiden to look straight at her, "I heard about what happened with Storm Bringer, and if a prognosticator of the Knight Order says your nightmares are to be taken seriously, then I will take them seriously. You worry for my safety, little sister, but I also worry for yours. Amber was taken from us so suddenly, and do you not think I won't feel any concern with regards to your continued well-being as well as Elsa's?"
She lightly kissed Amethyst's forehead before gently embracing the younger Maiden once more, and the purple-haired girl slowly returned the hug, all the while trying valiantly not to cry in front of others.
"I just… I just don't want to lose someone else. I lost Rachel. I lost Amber. I lost my parents before I even knew them, I…don't want to lose anyone else…" Amethyst said, on the verge of tears.
Everyone around the pair of Maidens remained respectfully silent throughout the exchange of conversation between them both. Though obscured by his helmet's blue lenses, Sharp Strike's eyes never left the two Maidens as he watched the tear-jerking scene unfold. The Spring Maiden undoubtedly had suffered a lot of heartbreak throughout her life, and she probably shed countless tears in private to mourn those benevolent people who had been taken from her all too early.
Off to the side near the open glass doors, Sharp Strike noticed the elaborately-armored forms of Fire Walker and Wind Runner with Storm Bringer, Stone Claw and Moon Hunter. He inclined his helmeted head in respect as be bowed briefly in their direction, and received nods of acknowledgement from the Knight Vanguards who were also silent as they witnessed the Maidens' tearful reunion.
"I know, and I understand your reasons. And while I don't exactly approve of your rash actions, I know you mean well and you only want to help me and others as much as possible. You don't have to apologize to me, Amethyst." The Summer Maiden told her sympathetically, unaware of Sharp Strike's quiet observation of them both, and the changing look of apprehension on his face under the helmet.
"Thank you so much, Heliosia." The Spring Maiden said gratefully.
"Now that we got that out of the way, how about we get you upstairs so we can properly introduce you to everyone else? You already know Pyrrha, by the way." Heliosia said, gesturing to the female Spartan who waved to her.
"Hello again, Amethyst. I hoped we would meet in person, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon." Pyrrha told her as the entire group began heading towards the grand staircase.
"Me neither, though it's good to see you too Pyrrha. You are just as good-looking in real life as you are in the mindscape." The Spring Maiden complimented as she briefly hugged the taller redhead girl.
Pyrrha blushed slightly at the compliment before Wind Runner coughed politely to announce his presence behind them and suggested, "Let's get upstairs then. The less time we spend out in the open the better."
"While we're not exactly in the open, and this area is temporarily out of bounds to other students and most of the faculty of Shade, I concur. Everyone, please proceed up the tower." Fire Walker ordered politely but firmly, while gesturing for the other Remnant Knights to return to their appointed stations.
With that everyone took another long trip up the winding marble staircase, and while they did so Fox quipped dryly, "Would it have killed them to put in an elevator?"
"Maybe they spent all the budget on fancy decorations and forgot to install one?" Nora jokingly said and shared an amused laugh with Pyrrha and Amethyst. Even Heliosia gave a chuckle as she heard everything as well.
They soon reached the assigned living chambers given to Heliosia Ainea near the top of the tower, where Penny and N1CK3L stood to guard the main doors to the room along with the Remnant Knights Steel Punch and Spear Dancer.
"Welcome back, Maiden Heliosia. I assume the girl dressed in purple is the Spring Maiden?" N1CK3L inquired, the high-tech sensors of his modified helmet no doubt already scanning Amethyst from head to toe.
"Correct, N1CK3L." Heliosia confirmed as she nodded to both Steel Punch and Spear Dancer who remained at their posts, while Penny came forward to extend a friendly hand towards Amethyst, "Salutations! I am Penny Polendina, and I am pleased to meet you! And the armored android who had just spoken with your sister Heliosia is my little brother N1CK3L!"
"Nice to meet you in person, Penny Polendina." Amethyst shook hands enthusiastically with the female android, "And what's this with a younger brother? When does robots have siblings?"
"Well, let's just say they do now and leave it at that." Heliosia said before she opened the main doors of her chambers with her personal keycard.
Entering the room from the north, Amethyst could see that Heliosia's living chambers in the tower was fairly large and luxurious since it was designed with the intention to house the academy's honored guests in mind. The circular tower room was fairly large, with several different areas; there was the main living room in which they had just entered, where a couple of plush sofas and chairs were placed around a large circular table made from greyish-white stone. The floor beneath her feet was all smooth light-brown tiles and unwrinkled patterned carpets, and gentle illuminations came from crystal glow-globes set into the ceiling and at the upper parts of pillars around the chambers. There was a fully stocked kitchen area, a private meditation chamber toward the back and a small elevator which led to to a fully equipped gym.
While her fellow Maiden could very well have lived in the lap of luxury during her stay in Vacuo and stay in the more spacey guest building, but Heliosia was far too humble to do so and instead only made use of the available facilities in the tower suited to her needs and nothing more than that. She spent her time not roaming around Vacuo City and its surroundings with her Knight protectors either in the meditation chamber, working out in the gym area, or performing casual maintenance on Flameguard in the weapon workshop of the school.
In the chambers' west side was a moderately sized, comfortable-looking bed placed against the wall, with four wooden poles held up a canopy of dark red cloth above the bed that was covered with a couple of soft white pillows and similarly-coloured red silken blankets.
Opposite the bed was the entrance to a functional bathroom with its own shower and bathtub, and flanking that were two long sets of shelves, one covered with books and old tomes of varying sizes and the other holding up an advanced video screen which was obviously a holographic television. There were two sofas and a few chairs about for guests to sit on, which was more than necessary for everyone present, in addition to a fairly large dresser near the bed and a full-body mirror next to it, and on the south side of the room was a long, large pane of opaque glass with a sliding door built in that lead to the balcony which offers a wonderful view of Shade Academy's surroundings and the landscape of Vacuo City beyond that.
"If you won't be needing anything else, we will take out leave for now. We'll be at the bottom of the tower, so call for us if you need us." Fire Walker told Heliosia.
"I'm fine for the time being, and we'll call you should anything happen." Heliosia promised the Knights before they took their leave.
"Nice digs, you seriously have it better than me or Elsa." Amethyst commented as she moved to sit down on the one of the sofas. She looked around at the rest of Team Beacon, and wondered if she had been onto something earlier, even as the Spring Maiden noticed that the entire team was filled up with people who ranged from cute to drop-dead gorgeous.
"Thank you, Luna's staff did their best." Heliosia said as she sat down next to the Spring Maiden, "Now you've met Pyrrha, Teams CFVY and SSSN, so let's introduce you to the rest of Team Beacon." She gestured towards Jaune who was standing next to his partner and lover, "This is Pyrrha's partner, Jaune Arc."
"Hey there, I guess you're exactly as Pyrrha described you to be, but it's nice to meet you in person." Jaune said as his team sat down on the sofa across from them, Nora putting up her feet on the elaborate coffee table between the two sofas. Ruby and Weiss sat on the bed with Velvet while Blake And Yang sat with the two Maidens. Sun, Neptune, Penny and Coco seated themselves on the chairs while Sage and Fox stood behind Team JNPR. Yatsuhashi and Sage sat on the floor with their legs crossed while Sharp Strike and N1CK3L stood in front of the opaque door leading to the balcony, facing everyone present and the bedroom's door.
"Pleased to meet you, Jaune. Pyrrha told us a lot about you in the Maiden mindscape, and I gotta say you sure got guts to do some of the things she says you did. And you better take care of her, because girls like Pyrrha are rarer than uncut Dust crystals." Amethyst told him smartly.
Jaune smiled and rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah… I get that a lot, but trust me when I say that I will wholeheartedly give my best for her. Always."
"Good, make sure you do. So, I guess this couple beside you are Nora and Ren?" The Spring Maiden asked, lloking at them.
"Yep! We're the other half of Team JNPR, loyal friends to the very end." Nora declared, with Ren nodding in agreement.
"Such optimism! And I thought I was the free-spirited one." Amethyst chuckled, and Heliosia smiled.
"Yes, and it's good to meet you," Ren said gently, "Pyrrha told us a bit about you, although not much for the sake of secrecy, but I can see that she was indeed right on the money. She particularly mentioned you have an energetic personality and almost always trying to get other people to smile around you through encouraging words and jokes, and that also obviously shows."
"The two young women sitting on the bed are Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee, and these two next to us are Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long, they form Team RWBY." Heliosia introduced with a gesturing hand.
"Nice to meet you," Ruby greeted politely, giving the Spring Maiden a friendly wave which was appreciatively returned.
"I watched you guys fighting against other Teams during the Vytal Tournament broadcast, and you were awesome," Amethyst praised, "I especially heard a lot about Ruby during my travels across Anima, especially after the Haven incident when she made that little speech on television."
"Oh, it was nothing… I was just speaking from heart." Ruby said modestly.
"Nothing? You practically challenged Salem right there and then!" Heliosia pointed out, remembering Ruby's little speech at Haven Academy after Ashe's death.
"And she hasn't even tried taking you on, guess she's too scared of my little sister's powers." Yang remarked with a smile. Ruby laughed nervously, clearly uneasy by the idea of Salem actually answering that challenge for real. She had met Salem briefly before for a couple of times back in the CraftTech factory, and even during those fleeting meetings she could tell that the Dark Mistress of Grimm was definitely not someone to mess with, since there was a terrible kind of dark malevolence about her, and to face Salem directly in battle would be a nightmare come true. She felt a small weight on her hand and looked to see Weiss's own atop hers. The Schnee heiress gave her a comforting and reassuring look and through her light-blue eyes Ruby could feel her fears and nervousness gradually slip away as a wave of heartening calm comfort seep into her body from her white-haired partner.
She gave Weiss a grateful smile in return, quietly thanking her fellow team member for her silent but much-appreciated support.
"And a Schnee?" Amethyst said, getting Weiss's attention, "I never thought I'd see the day when a Schnee would be a hero or even try to get the sticks out of their pretentious butts."
Yang, Coco, Nora and Sun laughed while Weiss sighed, not overly impressed with the Spring Maiden's rather blunt behavior, "I've been doing my best to improve my family's reputation and mend the mistakes we caused in the past. For all my actions, I personally think that fighting against evil and protecting the common people is my own way of making up for what had happened in the past."
"Well, trust us when we say that you're doing a pretty good job of that." Velvet told her, earning a small smile of gratitude from the snow-haired swordswoman.
"Yeah, and risking your life to go against General Ironwood, your dad and practically the entire Atlas army? That took a lot of guts, even compared to some of the things I normally do." Amethyst praised.
Weiss gave a nod and said calmly, "I did it for my friends' safety and for the sake of my kingdom."
"Like I said, it's weird to see a Schnee acting all heroic." Amethyst told her before looking to Blake and Yang, "Now, I know about you two as well; I watched the Vytal Tournament and I was really surprised when you 'attacked' that Mercury punk, but then I eventually noticed that some things just don't add up. When I found out what really happened and that you have been framed for something you actually didn't do, I felt bad for you."
"Eh, you weren't the only one who fell for their tricks… but at least you managed to see that something was wrong during that battle." Yang dismissed by waving her robotic hand, trying her best not to let the memory of that day get to her, "But I did make him pay back during the fight in Haven."
"Tell me about it, and I'm so sorry about what happened to your arm." The Spring Maiden said sincerely.
Yang flexed her robotic limb and replied, "It was tough at first, and really hard to cope with for a long time, but once I got this baby I was back on top."
"If you don't mind me asking, what's it like having a prosthetic?" Amethyst inquired and noticed Yang staring at her, "Sorry, I've met some people who have lost their limbs to Grimm or accidents, and a lot of them don't really want to talk about it. If you do not like to speak about that, it's fine with me."
"No, it's okay." Yang assured the Spring Maiden before she looked to her shiny mechanical arm and continued, "For me personally it wasn't hard, me and Ruby are always quick learners in whatever we do; be it fighting, bike riding, weapons training… I guess since this artificial arm was attached to my body, I just had to work with it or fight one-handed and to be entirely honest with you a robot hand is probably the better option. It helps that I had a good doctor who helped me along the way to recovery and taught me how to properly take care of this baby. It was honestly really weird at first, but now it feels like part of my body already. One that happens to be removable and equipped with various weapons and gadgets, but still a part of me."
Amethyst nodded, and secretly decided that it was best to keep any comments about how attractive Yang was to herself for now, lest she unintentionally make herself sound insensitive. She looked over to Blake and mentioned, "And Blake, man from what I heard the Remnant Knights and the military forces of the four Kingdoms had their hands full when you and the rest of Team Beacon brought down Adam Taurus and his corrupted White Fang."
"Well… it's actually more like they helped us, since we're the ones who fought Adam's main White Fang cell head on." Yang remarked, "They managed to pull together a sizable strike force to assist us when attacking his headquarters in Vacuo."
"It's true." Sharp Strike added from beside N1CK3L, "I was present during that battle as well."
"Got me there, but I guess you're still a hero among the Faunus, right?" Amethyst asked Blake who shrugged her shoulders.
"It's kind of complicated; some have treated me as such, especially in Menagerie. But there are others who see as making up for past sins… given my history with Adam and the White Fang." Blake replied, her cat ears drooping a little, "And then there's the formation of the Red Fang from the ashes of Adam's supporters…"
"But still, you took that Taurus guy down and saved so many lives in the process. That counts for something, right?" The Spring Maiden pointed out positively.
"It counts for us." Ruby said quietly, making Blake look over to her and seeing the kind smile on her leader's face.
"You got that right, Ruby." Sun agreed, shooting his girlfriend a loving look of reassurance.
"If nothing else I'm appreciated by my family, my friends and my team. I suppose that's what matters." Blake managed to say after looking at the supportive faces of her friends.
"Good to know you see it that way, and if I remembered correctly the orange-haired girl over there is obviously Penny Polendina." Amethyst said as she pointed at the seated female android.
"You are correct, Amethyst. As I said earlier, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!" Penny spoke cheerfully to the Spring Maiden.
"You too, I was really surprised when I saw on the television broadcast that you are a robot." Amethyst mentioned, "Nice to see that you've been put back together."
"As were most people when they saw my original body destroyed, sorry to bring it up Pyrrha." Penny said before looking apologetically to the redhead Spartan, who quickly dismissed it with a friendly wave of her hand, "And now that you know who I am, this…" Penny gestured over to N1CK3L who stepped forward a little.
"…is your little brother, N1CK3L." Amethyst finished with a smirk.
"Greetings, Amethyst Rilo." N1CK3L greeted plainly, inclining his black helmet a tiny faction.
"Hey, so how many of you are there and why are there two of you in Team Beacon?" She asked curiously.
"Well I am technically not a member of Team Beacon, only a temporarily visiting so I could meet my 'sister' Penny. And aside from backup bodies for the both of us in case our current forms suffer heavy damage, other Atlesian combat androids are still in development but will not be ready for some years and I do not know how many are planned." N1CK3L explained.
"Wait, so the Atlas military forces are replacing their Huntsmen with more robots?" Sage asked as he crossed his arms, "That isn't a very good idea if you ask me."
"Well, that makes me kinda curious." Neptune commented, "If the robots take over the duties of Huntsmen and Huntresses in Atlas, what would they be doing?"
"Yeah…" Scarlet agreed from his seated position on the floor of Heliosia's bedroom, "…they get absorbed into the military forces or something?"
"That is a distinct possibility, but without additional information I cannot give you a proper answer." N1CK3L answered while looking at them, "Please do not worry about being replaced by technology my friends, as combat androids like me and Penny are very expensive and are not cleared for active duty until we undergo multiple tests. Even if those test runs confirm us to be successful, Humans and Faunus would still outnumber androids by a substantial margin. Given your encounters with Grimm Knights, I can understand why you all would be wary of robots without personalities."
"I would say that about sums it up, but I personally think two androids are enough for now. Besides, your separate personalities make you guys even more special than the other Atlesian robots we normally see." Coco remarked.
"Thank you very much for the compliment, Coco." Penny said gratefully.
"And before I forget him, the last member of Team Beacon is also its most recent official member, the representative of the Remnant Knights, Sharp Strike." Heliosia introduced, gesturing over to the silver-blue armored figure standing beside N1CK3L who bowed a little.
"I thought he was another one of your Knight protectors, but the Remnant Knights actually assigned one of their own to join Team Beacon? Wow, you guys must be very important." Amethyst quipped as she rose and extended a hand towards Sharp Strike, "Hi there."
"Greetings, Maiden Amethyst. It is my honor to be assigned to protect not just one, but two Seasonal Maidens." Sharp Strike said, courteously shaking her hand.
From her position on the sofa beside Amethyst, Heliosia couldn't help but notice that Sharp Strike had no problem whatsoever speaking to Amethyst. He doesn't seem to exhibit any of the apparent hesitance that he had previously displayed when he met her earlier. She also noticed the peculiar personal emblem which was etched on his left pauldron, and found it strangely familiar as well despite not being able to recall when she had seen a similar emblem like that before in the past.
Curious.
"We met Sharp Strike back when we were taking on Adam's White Fang, and he saved the lives of me, Coco, Yatsuhashi, Neptune, Scarlet and my Uncle Qrow," Ruby informed Amethyst, "We were telling Heliosia about it before you got here."
"Wow, I'd sure like to hear some of your stories personally. From what I've heard you guys have crazier lives than us Maidens." Amethyst voiced with an amused smile.
"Sure seems that way sometimes, given what we have been through." Jaune murmured.
"Speaking of the extraordinary things you've all went through, I was hoping that you could allow us to see the Aura Crystal." Heliosia suggested to the two Crystal Guardians, a hint of eagerness in her voice.
Jaune and Pyrrha looked to each other and nodded, "Of course, that's one of the reasons why we brought it with us." The Arc son said as they placed the case on the table between the two sofas, with Ren pulling Nora's legs off of it and making her giggle cheekily.
Jaune and Pyrrha then slid their fingers onto the case's security system before undoing the latches and opened it up, revealing to the two Maidens the impressive sight of the large faintly-luminous crystal resting inside the protective padding within the case.
"Whoa…" Amethyst murmured as she distinctively felt the powerful aura emanating from the relic.
"I know, I can feel it too." Heliosia agreed, herself also awed by the crystal and somewhat humbled by its presence.
"A lot of people get that feeling when they're around it," Jaune said, "That's why Ashe used some money to make this case to conceal its power. Well… most of it anyway."
"I can see why…" Heliosia said as she stared intently at the sacred relic, "I've read so much about it, but to actually see it up close is… is… fantastic."
Pyrrha smiled before she pressed a button on the interior of the case, activating the levitation field in the case which was powered by a Gravity Dust crystal, allowing the Aura Crystal to float upwards about half a foot.
Heliosia smiled widely at the sight of the now floating, beautiful crystal that sparkled a bit from the sunlight coming in through the windows from outside.
"Tell me what it's like to be inside of it, please." She asked politely.
Elsewhere in Shade Academy, deep down below in the sub-basements, a neglected and almost completely forgotten tunnel was slowly being opened up by the infiltration team. True to the information supplied by the spy hidden within Shade, a labyrinth of old tunnels indeed occupied the ground beneath Vacuo City that stretched to every single part of it and converged at a central hub which led to the Vacuo Council's palace, The Grand Temple of Vacuo, and finally Shade Academy itself.
Due to the long passage of time and the lack of routine checks from the faculty and security forces, the tunnel leading to the sub-basement weas instead used as places to store the detritus of history or anything else the staff didn't wish to throw away at the moment. The entire room was filled with crates and aged boxes, old equipment that used to power the academy's electric facilities, outdated textbooks and other teaching material, and other unidentifiable things which formed barricades that choked the mouth of the tunnels that snaked in every direction. And one such barricade, formed by Emerald and Ilia the previous night to cover their trail, was slowly pushed away to make room for the stealth infiltration team, squeezing their way through the dusty piles of storage items.
"Here we are, those stairs will take us to the main floor." Ilia pointed as she stepped into the dark sub-basement, cautiously checking the spot where she knew there would be a camera built into the ceiling. After seeing there was no red light blinking there, she beckoned to the others and added, "Good, the cameras are still out."
"And we have the path to the Summer Maiden's tower mapped out and the schedules of the security patrols. From what I can tell, the first period of the day had ended just now, so after the second period begins we should be clear to move about freely." Emerald stated as she checked her scroll, while keeping her revolver-sickles close at hand.
"Excellent." Tyrian said darkly. They had their weapons all primed and ready, they had their scrolls and other communication devices to keep in touch with their reinforcements outside, and they knew all the places to hide themselves from the Vacuo Ranger and Desert Guard security patrols. If everything went according to plan, then today would be exactly what Salem had been hoping for.
Ante looked at the glowing screen of his own scroll as he got a text from Trooper which read: 'The Enforcers and Mercury are in position near the Academy main gates. Ready to strike when you give the word.'
He checked his own weapons before looking to Tyrian and Thorn, "My Enforcers are already in place."
"Have you got the check-ins from all the other gang leaders and lieutenants?" Thorn asked the crime lord.
"Almost, although Madame Viper's still not calling in. I've gotten word from the other Black Viper cells, but nothing from her so far. Maybe she's still gathering her own cell, or maybe she's up to something." Ante mused to himself.
"If she is, we'll make an example out of her once this attack is over. For now, everyone make sure their weapons are working and know what to do once the waiting is over. Ante, when I give the word you send a mass-text and have the gangs begin their attacks at the assigned locations." Tyrian fixed Ante with his crazed gold eyes, "If you screw this up, I am telling our Mistress that it's your fault."
"Yeah, yeah…don't worry, I got it." Ante waved hand dismissively, "You just worry about how much security the Summer Maiden has once the fighting starts."
A short while later they eventually determined it was safe to move out, and the entire infiltration team moved up the stone steps to the upper basement levels and finally to the double doors that led to the main floor and its endless corridors. Ilia gestured for the rest to wait as she used her camouflage powers to blend into the dark shadows of the corridor that led towards the basements and storage chambers. Keeping close to the sandstone walls as she moved to the T-shaped corridor at the far end, her Red Fang mask covered face looked around and saw that there were no students walking to their classes and no academy teaching staff members moving about either. Cautiously checking the two security cameras stationed at the end of the statue and painting-lined hallway, the fusion Faunus agent nodded to herself when she saw that they were also inactive.
She jogged back and beckoned to the others, "We're clear, come on."
The small group stepped out of the shadows, silently moving about the empty hallways of Shade Academy as they took the quickest path to the tower where the Summer Maiden was. As they entered yet another hallway, Tyrian smiled and cackled, "So good to be back. I actually went to this Academy, you know?"
"Really?" Thorn asked with a smirk, "You getting nostalgic?"
"Yeah. I can finally live out my dreams of tearing this damned place apart." Tyrian hissed with a wide, sadistic smile, "I always hated this school."
Ilia and Emerald, who both overheard the assassin's words, exchanged somewhat worried glances as something in the scorpion hybrid's voice told them Tyrian most definitely wasn't kidding.
They moved carefully throughout the school, following the path the spy had given them, and it proved to be just as secluded as he promised it would. There were a few times they had to take a parallel hallway or overarching walkway to avoid the Vacuo Ranger patrols that were in the vicinity even though Tyrian and Thorn could have taken them out pretty easily, but Ante had prudently pointed out that any missing security patrols not reporting in to the main security bureau would definitely have raised the alarm early.
"Up ahead. A Ranger patrol should be coming through here any minute now." Emerald whispered to the advancing group as they heard loud marching footsteps.
Thorn nodded and spotted a reasonably-sized alcove in a nearby smaller hallway and gestured, "Then let's make ourselves scarce." Tyrian almost protested, but after a quiet glare from Thorn he simply shrugged in resignation and followed the rest into the alcove and stuck to the darkened shadows there.
A minute or so later, a group of five uniformed Vacuo Rangers armed with rifles marched in standard patrol formation through the hallway the infiltration team had recently vacated, their helmets looking this way and that for anything out of place. As they passed the shadowy alcove, the group retreated into the dimly-lit darkness while Ilia's camouflage abilities allowed her to blend into the color of the wall behind her, which made her unnoticeable to the security patrol as well.
"Left hallway clear." One of the Vacuo Rangers piped up.
"Right hallway clear." Another Ranger spoke curtly.
"Both corridors H85 and H86 clear." The female Vacuo Ranger situated at furthest from the rest of the group gave her report.
"This is security patrol 54, reporting junction hallway H8 is all clear." The armored sergeant at the front of the patrol adjusted the shoulder strap of his own rifle and spoke to a specialized communication device in his right hand while he took one last look around, "No, negative contact. Moving to next patrol point."
Once the patrol moved off and was far enough away, Tyrian complained, "All this hiding and sneaking about is gnawing at my nerves. How far are we now?"
"Guess patience isn't really his virtue." Ilia commented quietly to Emerald, before quickly looking away when Tyrian snarled in her direction.
"Not very far, we'll be at the entrance to the secret passageway in two or three minutes." Emerald assured.
"Very good. At least the spy's information is legit," Tyrian stated as they began to move again once more down the empty hallways. His gold eyes briefly flicked down to look at his scroll, and his demented smile widened slightly, "Ante, it's time. Send the texts and let's get the party started!"
Ante grinned darkly and said, "You got it, Callows."
Ilia and Emerald looked at each other once more, and while both of them were already prepared to fight the Summer Maiden and her Knight protectors along with whatever else security forces assigned to protect her by the Headmistress, they also know that things would only get harder from here on out.
Madame Viper swerved her bike down onto a neglected-looking concrete path under a highway bridge, her engine still roaring as she tried to get to safety. For the past few hours she had ridden as though Grimm were after her, hounded relentlessly by the Huntsman and the mysterious crow the entire time. Her scroll had been destroyed in the chase when she accidentally smashed against a hard brick wall when making a hard turn to avoid him, which she was sure that the Huntsman purposely did that to even the score. She had come very close to getting help or getting into her gang's territory, but the scruffily-dressed Huntsman somehow always seem to know which route she would take and thus manage to drive her away. There had even been a few close run-ins with cops but she had managed to weasel her way away from those.
Yet the Huntsman and the bird still persistently followed her.
She noticed that it was practically time for the planned attacks across the capital to begin. So if this Huntsman was trying to stop them then at the very least she could take some satisfaction that she had distracted him long enough so he couldn't prevent what was about to happen.
While she had taken shortcuts and roundabouts whenever she could, her gas tank was nearly empty, and she had run out of bullets some time ago. But if it came to a fight, and Viper was a particularly vicious fighter given the gang she commanded, she would do everything in her power to murder the infuriating Huntsman chasing her and make a chilling example out of him to warn away would-be vigilantes.
Her bike plowed through the chain-link fence, the rusty chains and padlock holding the gates together snapping apart easily due to its severe decay. Graffiti and scraps of litter covered the walls on either side and road, the lights were unlit due to malfunctioning cables, but at least the sounds of her bike was masked by the cars and trucks driving overhead. She drove further into the darkened tunnel underneath the bridge, only to bring her bike to a screeching halt to avoid driving into the half-full reservoir in front of her.
She swore under her breath in a stream of rude Vacuoan that would have made even her underlings cover their ears, now remembering that this specific bridge and the road under it went over one of the city's smaller water reservoirs. While it was commonly known that the population of Vacuo City depend on the two natural spring geysers found underneath Shade Academy and outside the Grand Temple of Vacuo, smaller water reservoirs were built to provide fresh water supplies to citizens living in other parts of the vast city for their industry, agriculture and basic living. Viper looked around guardedly, and breathed a little easier when she saw no one else in the vicinity.
Madame Viper then looked back the way she came, and saw no one standing at the semicircle of light some distance away that was the mouth of the tunnel she took. She could also hear police sirens but they seem to be passing by and were soon receding into the distance. While she didn't believe in luck, this was actually a positive development for her current situation. All she had to do now was keep hiding and once the coast was clear and she made sure she wasn't followed she would take the shortest route to the nearest Black Viper cell hideout.
She turned the bike around, and that was when she heard a crow's loud caw.
Her head jerked up, and there he was; the Huntsman. He was standing as still as a statue, but his coat seemed to be flapping up into the air before falling down again, making it briefly seem like the wings of a bird. She inevitably swore colorfully again.
She growled at him, and while she couldn't see much of his face in the darkness of the tunnel, she knew in her gut that he was smirking at her.
"End of the line, Madame." Qrow said as he slowly began to approach her, "You gave me one hell of a chase, but it's over now. You have nowhere to go."
"Except through you." Madame Viper growled as she got ready to make a desperate charge.
"Don't try it. Just tell me what Callows, Ante, and the rest of those bastards are planning and you can walk away. Last chance, I suggest you take it." Qrow offered her as he pulled Reaper out and slipped into a guard stance.
"I know you have something to do with the crow that's been following me, I don't know if it's your pet or you have some Semblance that can control birds or whatever, but I swear I'll kill that bird and have its corpse stuffed and mounted after I feed you to a pit of poisonous snakes and make you into another example of what happens to those who cross me!" She shouted angrily.
"I guess that's a 'no'." Qrow sighed, internally relieved that she hadn't figure out his Semblance, "Just remember that while snakes eat birds, sometimes there's a bird big enough to carry a snake off."
"You think this is a game? You think you're in control?!" Madame Viper ranted before she turned her bike's headlight on, shining in on veteran Huntsman, "You have no idea who you are messing with!"
Her engine abruptly roared to life as she shot towards Qrow, her fists gripping the handles harder than ever as she charged at the aforementioned Huntsman, aiming to kill him by running him down. She would make good her vow to kill him right here and now, and damn the consequences.
Qrow silently transformed Reaper into its shotgun mode and fired off three shots. The first flew past the bike, only slightly scratching it, the second grazed the tires before blasting into the frame, but the third shot scored a direct hit on the gas tank which caused it to burst into flames. Thankfully the lack of fuel did not cause the bike to explode instantly, or else he wouldn't be getting any useful information out of a charred corpse.
Madame Viper screamed in panic as she lost control of the now flaming bike which began to swerve wildly. Qrow dashed forward and whipped Reaper into scythe mode, neatly slicing the motorcycle in half. The Back Viper gang leader went flying through the air unceremoniously as the two halves of her bike skidded onto the dirty road, both flaming chunks catching fire and causing a small explosion which covered part of the tunnel with orange flames.
She cried out in pain as she felt the bones in her legs break upon hitting the hard pavement and her body rolled on for a few feet, bits of broken glass from shattered bottles stabbing into her body before she came to a halt, moaning in pain.
She looked up to see Qrow approaching her, walking around the flaming wrecks of her bike and glaring severely at her with disdain. "I gave you a chance," He said darkly as he stopped in front of her, "Now tell me, what are Callows, Ante, and their people planning?!"
The female gang leader spat at him, and a bloody wad of saliva landed on the lower hem of his coat. Qrow shook his head before he grabbed her bruised arm and threw her bodily over to one of the burning halves of the wrecked bike, while she cried out in pain and cursed him the whole way.
Qrow grabbed her by her grey-black hair and hoisted her over the flaming chunk of wreckage, "Tell. Me. Now." He demanded firmly as he slowly began to lower her down.
"You are a Huntsman! You wouldn't dare to torture me!" She cried out when the flames inched closer to her bruised and bleeding face.
"Wanna bet, snake lady? You chose the hard way, so don't blame me for going rough on ya." Qrow growled sternly as he pressed down on her broken legs painfully.
"Okay! Okay! I'll talk! I'll tell you!" Madame Viper eventually screamed out, and with that Qrow threw her against the nearest wall before bringing Reaper's grey blade inches from her chest. Catching her breath, she began to spill out the truth from her lips, "Callows and Ante… they want all of the gangs in Vacuo City to mount attacks around the city today… including the Black Vipers. It doesn't matter where where… so long as we cause as much chaos and mayhem as possible to get the attention of the Vacuo Rangers, Desert Guard and the cops!"
"Why?" Qrow forced the word from his lips, although his mind was filled with the various different clues that he had collected over the past few weeks. The pieces of the puzzle were slowly fitting together, and his gut feeling that the plan concocted by the agents of Salem might involve the Summer Maiden or even possibly the Relic in Shade Academy might be right after all.
"To… to make a distraction so they can enter Shade Academy and make a move on someone called the Summer Maiden before their other associates began attacking the Academy with Red Fang cells and Grimm… I saw some kinda freaky Grimm-humanoid with spider-legs on a hologram, bringing tons of Grimm to the capital by openly attacking the East gate…" She confessed, and cried out as Qrow jabbed Reaper's sharp end into her chest, "…and also through the underground tunnels!"
"Shit!" Qrow cursed as everything finally slid into place. It all made sense now; why Damien Ante and his Enforcers were in Vacuo; the hidden Red Fang cells going to ground within the western Kingdom; and all those loads of Dust stolen from warehouses and or hijacked shipments from Anima were to help fuel this attack. If it actually happened, not only would the capital city swiftly descend into chaos, all the fear, misery and other negative feelings would undoubtedly attract the Grimm and make them go into a frenzy. While the capital's defense forces along with their Huntsmen and Huntresses were occupied putting down these 'distractions', it would allow Tyrian, Ante and their other associates to sneak into Shade Academy undetected and steal the powers of the Summer Maiden.
"One last thing…" Qrow knelt down until he was level with Madame Viper, "During the meeting with your other gang lieutenants you mentioned someone was working with Callows and Ante from within Shade Academy. Who is that spy?"
"I… I don't know!" Viper cried out, "I… I heard about the spy being mentioned when Tyrian Callows was talking about their attack on the Academy itself, but I don't know who he or she is!"
"You sure you are not lying? My patience is pretty much gone!" Qrow barked as he pressed down on her broken legs, making her scream in pain, "Anything else you didn't tell me?"
"That… that's all I know! And I am not lying!" She managed to throw a smile of contempt at him, "You can't stop what's happening, Huntsman… you're too late."
"Yeah, but enjoy wallowing in prison with the rest of your gang." Qrow snapped as he delivered a hard punch in frustration which knocked Madame Viper out cold. As she collapsed onto the dirty floor of the tunnel, the scythe-wielding Huntsman mulled over the details of what he had just discovered and confirmed by the words of the Black Vipers gang leader.
There was no way he could warn Luna or Strider with his broken scroll, so he had to get to the nearest Vacuo Ranger outpost to establish contact with Shade Academy. Besides, Madame Viper wasn't going anywhere for the time being, not when she had a pair of broken legs and he rendered her unconscious.
Qrow, upon hearing distant voices coming closer, looked up to see a flashlight shining at him from the entrance of the tunnel, which gradually resolved into a trio of Vacuo Rangers, one armed with a pistol while the other two were carrying assault rifles. Behind them, he could make out the twin lights of an armored jeep idling near the tunnel's mouth.
"Hey, what's going down here?" The Ranger with the flashlight, who was of sergeant rank, asked loudly as he pointed his pistol at Qrow.
Qrow dashed over to them and spoke quickly, "I'm Huntsman Qrow Branwen. I just took down Madame Viper…"
"The leader of the Black Vipers?!" One of the rifle-wielding Rangers blurted out in shock, "For real?"
"Yes, for real. But that's not important right now! You nee-" Qrow was cut off by the Ranger sergeant who waved his flashlight a little.
"Not important? She's the most wanted gang leader in the city, and responsible for dozens, if not hundreds of murders and hundreds other uncountable crimes…" The Ranger sergeant began, only for Qrow to snap.
"I don't give a damn about that right now! Do you have a radio in that jeep of yours? You need to call Commander Strider and-" The avian Huntsman was once again interrupted, but this time it was by the sound of several explosions echoing through the air followed by the terrible noise of gunfire and dreadful screams of civilians in the distance.
"What the hell?" The Ranger sergeant looked around, confusion writ large on his features.
"SHIT! It's starting. Just cuff her… and call Commander Strider, call every Vacuo Ranger on duty and in reserve, call the goddamn headquarters and sound the alarm! Then get out there and help, because all the gangs in Vacuo city are about to mount their attacks, and so are the Grimm swarms outside the Kingdom's walls!" Qrow shouted at the trio of Vacuo Rangers before he sprinted off.
"Wait, Grimm?! What's happening?" He heard one of the other Rangers ask, but Qrow had already turned the corner and after making sure no one could see him in a shadowy side-street, shapeshifted quickly into his crow form and flew into the sky, rushing towards Shade Academy as fast as his black wings could carry him.
As he saw thick grey smoke began to rise from certain areas all around the capital, Qrow prayed that he was not too late.
This chapter was co-written by Relentless Crusader
Hope you guys are ready for action, because the next five chapters will be very heavy on that stuff. Also, this arc will go up to chapter 77, as the outline for the finale of the arc is pretty long.
If you liked this story fave, follow, and review. Some feedback on what's good and what's not would be appreciated, thanks for everything guys.