RWBY: Dual Eclipse

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

Transitions

Chapter 4: Time and Consequence

Back at their temporary base of operations, Mercury winced as he dressed his wounds from the earlier battle, if it could even be called such. Whatever that thing was, it hit him hard enough that even his Aura had trouble keeping together. He definitely had several bruises from the hits he took before his Aura began to falter. If another encounter with that thing was in the forseeable future, then they'd need to plan for it - yet at the same time, if it could bruise him through his Aura, then what could it do had it managed to shatter his? For that matter, that thing came damn close to shattering it with less than five blows... he hated this feeling of being powerless against another person. It reminded him a bit too much of his former home...

Emerald, having been tasked with keeping a hold of their captive, had gotten away with relatively less physical injury, but was dreading the prospect of having to explain to her boss about how she let her guard down long enough to allow someone else to abscond with the Autumn Maiden.

However, something else was on her mind, namely how that shadow-thing seemed to throw off her Semblance - it was undoubtedly affected for a good amount of time, so it couldn't have been a machine in any way, but so long as her concentration wasn't broken, it shouldn't have worn off so soon. The telltale signs of a migraine hadn't set in, so there wasn't another target that caused her concentration to split, and she definitely hadn't run out of Aura, so that was out of the question...what was she missing?

"Emerald..." A familiar voice called to her, and she got to her feet in a quick hurry.

"Cinder!" The woman in red had a contemplative look on her face, as if wondering the same things.

"Have you finished recovering?"

"I'm fine, but what about you - I mean, that thing kicked you hard enough to-"

"As you can see, I'm still in one piece." There was a certain... playfulness to Cinder's vocal tone. "Despite our... setback.." That was soon replaced by a certain kind of venom, one that made Emerald wince internally, "..we can still make our plan work. We'll need to have Taurus on our side for the next phase to go through."

"How, though? We already tried to-" Emerald was uncharacteristically silenced by Cinder placing a finger onto the thief's lips.

"You need not worry about that. Just obey." A very light pink dusting could be seen across Emerald's cheeks, and as Cinder removed her finger, the green-haired girl didn't argue any further.

Over in Vale, 8:54 P.M.

A Consequence of Actions Taken

Qrow and Amber, after making it a bit further into Vale's residential district, had taken a quick Bullhead over to Beacon Academy. He'd sent Ozpin a message ahead of time, letting the headmaster know of their arrival, despite how late it was getting. Then again, said Bullhead had a slight problem with its lift engines, needing a bit of cleaning before properly taking off.

The ride over was a quiet one; as Amber stared out the window, her mind replaying the events of the last few hours, Qrow had an eye on his Scroll, mostly waiting for a reply back from Ozpin, or at least one from his assistant that let him know they were expecting him. It was about three minutes after takeoff that Beacon Academy could be seen coming into view, its telltale spires and architecture looking more like a castle from the olden days than what one would imagine an academy to look like.

'Swear that Oz must live here...'

Anyone whom were to casually see Beacon at this point in time would take note of how quiet the campus seemed to be. Aside from how late it was, the current semester was soon approaching its end within the next month or so, and as the fourth-year students would graduate and move onto working in other locales, there would be an influx of first-year applicants. As that particular thought crossed his mind, he remembered that his older niece, despite her reckless tendencies and short temper, had plans to send in her papers to this academy, and his younger niece was planning on attending once she finished her current schooling at Signal. Feelings on that were decidedly mixed, but he put those to the back of his mind for now.

The Bullhead landed, and the pair were off to the Academy - more specificially, the tallest tower, where Ozpin's office was located. The elevator was located as they passed by a few students, a few of which recognized Qrow and greeted him rather fondly, and up they went. An uncomfortable silence passed over the pair as the elevator car ascended. For a second or two, it seemed like the car had stopped, but eventually made its way up.

When it finally arrived, the duo stepped into Ozpin's office. It always felt like walking into the interior of an immense clock every time he visited.

"Qrow. Good to see you've made it." And there was the man of the hour. The silver-haired Headmaster of Beacon wasn't seated in his chair, as he usually was, but that unmistakeable olive-colored outfit of his stood out. Evan after all this time that Qrow had been working with Beacon's Headmaster, he still couldn't help but wonder if Ozpin ever had any other suits. "And Miss Amber, quite the relief to see you in one piece. When I received your message earlier..." He was uncharacteristically cut off by the drunkard raising his hand, in the manner that asked for silence.

"Believe me, Oz, that earlier alert wouldn't do this explaination any justice." Qrow withdrew his Scroll from his coat pocket and opened it into its phone-like form. He selected the audio-only recording, and had it play, only doing a few skips here and there to get to the real meat of the recording. As the conversations with Belderiver played out, from the slaughter of the Grimm all the way to the unorthodox escort back to Vale's borders, Ozpin had an outward neutral expression, but his inward thoughts were moving about at a chaotic pace. This being seemed honest enough, but to call itself an unwilling guest to Remnant...

Up next were the images captured of Belderiver, as Qrow pulled his Scroll into its tablet-form. Ozpin kept his neutral expression as he flipped through the pictures, but inwardly he knew something didn't add up... something cloaked in half the colors of the Grimm, appearing as though it were made of living obsidian flame, but at the same time was humanoid and had the capacity for intellect, not to mention that the Grimm had also seen it as a target. Yet it had clearly stated that it wouldn't reveal its true self, as preserving its identity was of high priority.

"So his appearance was some manner of Semblance?" Ozpin finally asked after a tense moment of silence, catching Qrow's attention. "If what this Belderiver said is true, and this is a large if we're talking, then his appearance may be a disguise. I've no doubt he'll attempt to go to ground, to try and blend in, but as we have access to the records of the people in the kingdoms..."

"We look for what isn't there." Qrow answered, getting a knowing look from Ozpin. Belderiver was an honest sort, a bit too honest in this case.

"Headmaster Ozpin..." Amber finally spoke up, after taking her time in processing the last few hours. "I was supposed to be on my way to Vacuo to help out there..."

"If you still wish to head out that way, I can arrange for transportation out to Vacuo. Given what has recently transpired, I would have to suggest meeting with our Academy Nurse, as a precaution."

Amber wasn't going to argue that point; getting her Aura broken by several explosive arrows, and then having an arrow shot into her back wasn't exactly a good time.

Around the same time...

With Qrow and Amber a long way away, Raoul let his transformation drop, and Belderiver soon receded away, the flames dispersing back into his left eye socket. The munsell glow in his eye darkened back to orange as he reapplied his eyepatch. If anyone were around to see the eyesocket that once housed his left eye, they'd see a small orange dot floating within it.

'So magic does exist in this world...' The one formerly known as Epsilon thought back to the fight that Amber had against those three. 'You think that's why that kid was attacked? The bitch in the red dress wanted to eliminate a potential threat?'

'Considering that Grimm-colored bug she summoned, I think it was something else she was after.' Raoul began heading back towards Vale, taking a different road through the Agricultural District. 'Thinking on it, what purpose would that insect have served?'

'Don't quite know. There's still much to learn about this world. If we could get access to more readily available information, we'd be able to make more informed judgements.'

'True. Still, we're going to need funding, alongside that place to call our own.' Raoul looked skyward, seeing the shattered moon once again. '...now that I think about it, you did record that fight, right?'

'Which one?'

'The one about that magic kid getting jumped, before we intervened.'

'I got a good bit of it committed to what memory space I have unscrambled, yes. Take it this is for outing them should they show up again?'

'Something like that. I've no doubt they'll come back for a second attempt eventually.' The Residential District came into view, and it was time to scout around some more - 'Oh, right... didn't get a chance to ask her about that magic.'

'There is always next time. After that experience, some time to calm down would help her more than being pressed out of the blue.'

'Fair enough. Though how would we locate her again? I have my doubts she'd be the type to sling spells out of the blue.'

Beacon, Ozpin's Office

October 5, 12:21 A.M.

With Amber taking sanctuary within an unused room after a quick medical examination, Ozpin turned his thoughts to the events that had recently transpired.

Someone was after the Autumn Maiden, likely to slay her and claim the power for their own. Somewhere in his mind, he had a guess forming about whom this crimson-clad woman had to be working for, if Amber's testimony about the attacker summoning a Grimm-colored insect was any indicator. Yet at the same time, the one calling itself an unwilling guest to Remnant stepped in to stop the power grab.

Going by the recording and images that Qrow provided, this Belderiver wouldn't be one to just show up for a social call, but would have to have some other kind of guise, either its true self or another form, in order to move about. Given that the wilds outside the kingdoms didn't offer too much in the way of housing and supplies, due to rampant Grimm activity, this Belderiver would have to step within one of the kingdoms sometime. And with this being having actively escorted Qrow and Amber back to Vale, implying he had been close before, if not already within the kingdom's borders...

The Headmaster had brought up a comprehensive database of all registered people within the kingdoms, and was getting on accessing and reviewing any security footage from the past few days. He'd only a little while before Beacon's current term would end, and even though the students got time off, he wouldn't, as the transcripts would begin to flood his office once more, needing approval or dismissal. If he were to obtain some level of comprehension over what this whole matter entailed, time would be of the essence.

Qrow would be in the area until tomorrow, mainly to keep Amber company until she went on her way. The dusty old crow had admitted to trying to catch a good glimpse of the assailants' faces, but getting Amber to safety took higher priority, given the attack's aftereffects and the ongoing battle. He did give mention to one of them, the one holding Amber during the battle, having green hair, red eyes and darkened skin. Tomorrow morning, once Amber had gotten on her way out to Vacuo, he'd begin his own search for Amber's assailants, and try to get some more info concerning them.

Much as he knew he'd catch an earful from Glynda Goodwitch, his erstwhile second-in-command here at Beacon, he had prepared some information to be passed to her as well. There was, however, one person whom he was silently dreading sharing this information with... he decided to carefully word this update to them.

Time to begin this search from the top. He'd go back at least two weeks, and start from there. He made a mental note to get his favorite hot chocolate ready - this could take a while. He'd also have to remember to get some sleep during all of this, as he didn't need another earful about his health.

Come to think of it, this wasn't the only oddity as of recent. There had been that video footage from Vacuo's borders about that strange light show, and something rising into the air before descending back down.

"Yet another mystery to add to the collection, it would seem..."

Cinder's Camp, 5:12 P.M.

A Consequence of Actions Taken

As Emerald and Mercury made to dismantle their tent and recollect their distributed supplies, Cinder cursed her foul streak of luck.

Their initial plan was to obtain the Fall Maiden's powers, and use them to convince the White Fang's Field Commander, Adam Taurus, that having turned her offer down before was a fatal mistake. Since that plan had gone up in smoke due to that anomalous interference, a new plan had been concocted.

A few hours earlier...

The plan had been set on their way back to where the White Fang had set up camp. Close-by in the northern section of Vale were some old railways, and often times the Schnee Dust Company would send Vale several shipments of the higher-quality Dust via train. Obviously, the White Fang had set up shop here to rob the train blind of its supplies once it made its way through the area.

Emerald would use her illusory Semblance to draw away several of the grunts on lookout, giving Mercury ample time to knock them out. With them out of the way, it'd give them the advantage of surprise in taking out the remaining ones that might've tried to fight back.

Cinder, much as she hated wasting resources on something as simple as a recruitment missive, had taken some time to weave plenty of Fire Dust into her sleeves. The heat would get the ground nicely prepared to allow her own Semblance to do the brunt of the talking. Rumors had been abound concerning Taurus and his skill with his crimson blade, and of course his right-hand man, the Lieutenant, had a Dust-powered Chainsaw said to be capable of tearing though anyone's Aura in seconds. If she allowed them to get their footing early, they'd be more than capable of brushing them off... she was going to deprive them of that chance, put them on the back foot and never let them get any control.

The plan was set. Soon, she'd make Taurus see the error of his-

"...uh, is this the right place?" Emerald spoke up, alerting Cinder to one very problematic issue.

The White Fang encampment was gone, the only traces of its existence being several footprints in the dirt. They were too late.

Back to Present

Cinder felt her dress' right pocket shake, as her Scroll went off. She knew whom it was that was calling, and much as she knew she should answer, she also knew that reporting her failure to capture the Fall Maiden's powers would get her raked over the proverbial Fire Dust...

No, she didn't have to report about the failure to capture the Fall Maiden, she'd just tell of Taurus packing up early. Sure, a reprimand was in the cards, but his decision to move early would be out of her hands. Besides, it'd be child's play to find them again, thanks to their long-standing grudge against the Schnees.

Though, as to where the Autumn Maiden would be held... she had an idea. All that she needed to do was confirm it.

Vale Commercial District, Five Months in motion

After the battle concerning the magic girl and the three assailants, Raoul began to settle into something of a loose routine during the next few months, as the autumn weather transitioned into winter. If he wasn't in the southern part of the kingdom using several Grimm as practice dummies to keep his skills sharp, he'd be found either checking out the various districts or holed up within the Vale Public Library, reading over varying topics. This was mixed with him checking around the outskirts of the kingdom, looking to find signs of those assailants lurking around.

At first, as one would rightly expect, people were understandably cautious around him. A tall, random stranger venturing out into the wilds every other day, and with an axe that odd-looking? Suspicions would undoubtedly rise, some beginning to wonder what his purpose really was.

During a few of his forays into the wilds south of the kingdom, he had occasionally met another wandering Hunter or two also working to combat the Grimm. Most of whatever conversations they had were mostly related to strategizing methods to draw the Grimm out to new areas to kill them off. For the most part, a lot of Grimm tended to be straightfoward in their attempts to kill people, so luring them into ambushes and traps was easily a viable strategy.

It was during one of these expiditions that it clicked as to why these humans didn't need protective wear, though he still figured it would be a better idea for them to have it.

Vale-Vacuo Route, 137 days before the Encounter

October 17, 11:21 A.M.

A fair-sized flock of Boarbatusks, Grimm resembling wild boars with elongated tusks, had decided to try and waylay some people traveling from Vacuo by foot, so off went several Hunters to kill the Grimm and ensure a less stressful passage into Vale. Not everyone had the money to be traveling via one of those aerial craft, and while the group had a few extra Hunters of its own, it was more practical to have the extra help on-hand if something went wrong.

Raoul brought his axe down, splitting one Boarbatusk's head in twain in a single blow. Not skipping a beat, he withdrew his gun with his free hand and fired at two other Boarbatusks, breaking the tusk of one and crippling another via a bullet to its leg.

One of the Hunters, a middle-aged man by the name of Hinto, had used a poleaxe to gut one in its unarmored belly; sadly, he wasn't watching his back, and he paid for it via being struck from behind by one of the Boarbatusks curling into a ball, spinning rapidly like an out of control tire, and launching itself into the human. For the briefest moment on impact, some kind of azure sheen was seen across the Hunter's body before it shattered like glass.

'Wait a tick... wasn't that-'

After killing the Grimm via lopping its head off, and ensuring that everyone and everything was accounted for, Raoul could overhear the Hunter stating that he'd be fine after his Aura restored itself, but his accompanying partner, Doug, had insisted on getting him back to the city to get checked out.

'Aura? Likely not the kind I'm used to seeing.' Now intrigued, once the group had made it safely to the kingdom's borders he headed back to the Vale Public Library to look up this term.

Vale Public Library

2:32 P.M.

A bit of searching on the library's computer system lead him to an article that held some answers.

Aura was the term used to describe the manifestation of one's own soul as a ward against attacks. When unlocked and active, it pushed its user's abilities upward a fair amount, allowing them to block deadly attacks and even heal minor wounds. Some tales and videos of Hunters prior showed them able to leap multiple meters into the air and keep a running pace with most vehicles thanks to Aura enhancing their bodies.

However, as this was one's own soul projected outwards, it could only take so much punishment and use before breaking and needing to recharge. Not everyone had their Auras unlocked, with reasons ranging from a general lack of fighting ability or interest in such, to their Auras being potentially too small to be useable in combat. Not all souls held the same capacity, after all. There had also been a law stating that unless you were going into the Hunting business, having your Aura unlocked was illegal.

Of course, much like an actual shield in one's hand, it needed to be actively raised to get the best effect, else you were as vulnerable as when your Aura was still locked.

'...this seems oddly deadly to rely upon. If something could break this Aura, it would undoubtedly kill them if another good hit landed. Is good, practical armor that hard to come by?'

Of course, Raoul had no room to speak on the matter.

Still, this explained the shimmering he had seen during the assault against Qrow's ward some weeks ago. The red woman's explosive arrows, combined with the fatigue from whatever else her two cohorts had done prior to his arrival must've exhausted her Aura. Then, of course, when he stepped in, the one with the prosthetics had that same kind of shimmer, albeit grey-tinted.

Of course, Aura had another trick, aside from acting as a shield and overall enhancement. Some people with awakened Auras ended up possessing a Semblance, a unique ability borne from their soul that could be said to reveal much more about a person. Some were more suited for combat, whilst others were more for support roles. As long as one had Aura remaining, they could use their Semblance.

'Huh... reading about these suddenly reminds me of Overload Skills..'

'Indeed. Though these Semblances appear to be useable so long as their user still has Aura, and pretty much anyone could have them. Overloads are usually restricted to Overlord-class demons and angels, and I can only think of a few that have non-combat applications. Then again, a single Overload can easily turn the tide of battle.'

'Any that come to mind?' As his companion asked this, his mind immediately turned to one specific Overlord that had visited his home Netherworld during his earlier days, long before he began his interdimensional escapades. This Overlord was a violet-haired female, and matching that hair was nine fox-tails and a pair of fox ears upon her head.

'Overlord Izuna from Dragon Fang is an easy pick. Her Overload, Comet Disaster, could lay waste to entire armies of enemies in a single use.' His mind then went towards another Overlord, this one an immense green and blue moth that someone could easily ride. 'There's also Overlord Hedler from Poisondise - his Poison Party Mist could cripple entire worlds with some of the most debilitating toxins the Netherworld has ever seen...' He continued reading, learning of a few recorded Semblances that were used as examples... one such Semblance gave its user the ability to generate powerful electricity. '..now that I honestly give it some thought, these seem closer to those abilities that the people of Ivoire were said to have.'

'Really? I've never been to Ivoire.'

'Neither have I, but stories have come in about the people there and their unique skills. One bloodline was said to have the ability to light their souls on fire for an amazing strike. I bet if the people here were informed about them, they'd have a field day.'

With this information now known, he thought back on the attack against Qrow's ward... that crimson-clad woman must've made use of this Semblance thing, to turn that nigh-incinerated dirt into molten glass. At the same time, him seeing illusions of both her and her grey-haired associate had to have been a Semblance... of course, it did make him wonder which of the crimson woman's associates was using it.

Vale, 124 days before Encounter

October 30, 1:21 P.M.

As the first month of his stay in Remnant approached its end, he had begun to notice something of a change in a few of the Agricultural District residents. Many of them were lightening up on the suspicious glances, and a few had even tailed him to watch him commit mass murder on the ravenous smoke monsters that liked to lurk outside of Vale's borders. Of course, that paled in comparison to what had happened days prior.

After a particular extermination request had been finished up, Raoul headed back towards the heart of the kingdom, only for one of the residents to wave him over before he could cross into the Commercial District. When he headed over to the person in question, they pressed something into his hands before nodding and heading back to their home.

He took a look at what he had been given, and much to his surprise, it had been several Lien cards. Part of him wanted to return the money, but there was a note with the money, reading as such:

[Been noticing how many Grimm you've taken out. This is a little token of our appreciation, stranger.]

Still, if they were willing to pay him to exterminate those Grimm, he'd be a fool to turn this opportunity down. It wasn't that much different from what he had done prior, and it'd at least get him into good standing with some more people.

Decorum to celebrate the season were up and in full swing, with some children excitedly wanting to show off their new costumes. Many of them were dressed up as Hunters and Huntresses of legend, whilst others were donning costumes that looked like cartoonish versions of the Grimm. One way to alleviate fears, it would seem... at some gatherings, the kids were even having "mock fights"; the Hunter-dressed kids putting on a theatric show of fighting the Grimm, and the Grimm-dressed kids having some amount of fun pretending to die in hilarious ways.

First thing was first - much as his ensemble had been a part of him throughout his many years, he needed something new to wear. Heading to the Commercial District once more, he decided it was time to check out the local clothing stores, and see if there was anything in his size. Being seven feet tall, he might need a custom order and all. With a fair amount of Lien in his possession, he entered the first store he found.

As he took a look around the multicolored aisles and shelves lined with different kinds of shirts, pants, and other wearables, he took notice of a tag that some articles had. If the tag were to be believed, these clothing items were "Hunter-grade", made to be durable in the case of Grimm attacks. Rubbing the material in-between his right hand's index finger and thumb, the material felt breatheable as well, which would allow for more efficient cooling when in battle or on the move. If he had to guess, it probably had something to do with linking with a person's Aura to provide extra defensive benefits. This might've been why so few people needed full-on armor.

'It kind of reminds me of how most stuff in the Netherworld is made.'

"Sir..." A deep, masculine voice brought him from his thoughts. Looking over, he saw a man... no, a young man, easily his equal in height. The young man in question had black hair and tanned skin, about a shade or two lighter than his own. He had an ensemble of green and brown, with a black muscle shirt beneath it. "If you're looking for the larger sizes, they're three aisles down." He tilted his head in the aforementioned direction.

"The struggle of the giants, huh?" Raoul responded.

"You could say that."

"Still, thanks." With a friendly nod, Raoul headed down to the aisle mentioned, and as the equally tall stranger had said, there was the larger sizes, ready to be examined.

Around half an hour later, he exited the store, having grabbed two pairs of the essentials: shirts, pants, socks, the whole works. He'd even nabbed a new jacket similar to what he had on. However, it was as he was exiting the store that he had the feeling of being watched, as if this person was scrutinizing every aspect of him. He took a look around for a moment, but upon seeing nobody that looked to be gazing in his direction, he continued on.

Once he made it back to the warehouse, he wasted no time in changing into his new wear.

His new ensemble was one of a grey duster jacket, a blue muscle shirt, and a new camo pattern for his pants. His boots were still in excellent condition, so they weren't in need of replacing anytime soon.

Now it was time to break them in. What better to do than find a local laundromat and get his old stuff done up?

Southern Sanus Continent, 105 days before Encounter

November 18, 10:34 A.M.

Another day, another Grimm extermination request. Today was a little different.

A pack of Beowolves had been sighted a little too close to a smaller relay tower, so a few Hunters had been called in to take them out, lest the Grimm end up making communications difficult by destroying it.

What made this request a little different was the pack leader - an Alpha.

According to some studies, as Grimm got older, they get stronger and smarter with age... kinda like the demons back home, now that he thought about it. Then again, most demons back home also trained and studied up on new techniques, and the Grimm only had the extra strength and slight intelligence boost, so it was hardly a fair comparison. It was these older Grimm, the Alphas, that end up leading a pack.

The Alpha Beowolf stood at least a good two or three feet taller than its weaker brethren, and sported more bone plating along its elbows and knees. Its rib cage could be seen slightly protruding from its lower chest, and there were plenty more bone spikes along its outer forearms. A ridge of even more bone spikes trailed from the back of its head down along its spine, to at least midway down its back.

"C'mon, Fido, let's go for a walk!" Raoul taunted the larger Grimm, drawing its attention while the other Hunters worked on taking out the smaller packmembers so the relay tower could be inspected. A few bullets aimed towards its face also helped in making it focus on him.

The Alpha Beowolf took the bait as a bullet came close to clipping its ear, turning towards him and lunging. As would be expected from a stronger variant, the Alpha was also a fair bit faster on the draw, but Raoul proved much quicker. Even as the Grimm lashed out with its claws, he dodged each incoming blow, purposefully driving it into a deeper state of anger. Anger can give rise to greater strength, but the tunnelvision that comes alongside it can also cause one to make mistakes, and one such mistake was capitalized upon when the Alpha Beowolf tried to slam its claws into his chest.

He slid straight beneath its outstretched grasp and between its legs, firing three bullets from his gun into its chest, staggering it as a few of the bone plates cracked. As he got to his feet, the Grimm turned around and beelined right for him, intending to rake its claws across his chest. Raoul held his arm out, stopping the attack cold, and before the Alpha could figure out what just happened, he raised his right foot and brought it down hard on the Grimm's left knee. A horrid crunch could be heard as the Alpha's leg was torn off from the force of the stomp, and it howled in pain... for only a few more seconds, anyway.

Raoul put his gun's barrel to the Alpha's right eye, and pulled the trigger. The back of its head was blown clean out, and soon it fell over, dissolving away. Holstering his gun, he went to go see how the tower was doing... only it seems that that he had drawn a bit of an audience with that performance.

He got flooded with questions - what kind of gun was that? What ammo did it take to blow out an Alpha's skull so easily? What level of strength did he have to stop its swing cold?

He mentally sighed.

Vale, 57 days before Encounter

January 7, 80 P.W., 10:32 A.M.

Today seemed as good a day as any to swing by the Library for a little bit and check on what news is going on. The weather seemed to be oscillating between cold enough to snow, and warm enough to begin melting some of it, causing the streets and sidewalks to be covered with slush and melted snow. Some vehicles were busy helping clear the streets and sidewalks for when the temperatures dipped below freezing again, to prevent black ice.

"Back again, Raoul?" One of the check-in officers chuckled. "We're gonna have to get you a frequent visitor's pass or something."

"What can I say? Place has been pretty good to me."

Grabbing a seat at a nearby computer desk, it was time to check in on things.

So far, it appeared that things were relatively calm... and he immediately retracted that thought as articles detailing the occasional Dust Store robbery began to crop up. Whomever was hitting up those places was being meticulous about it - no money taken, just Dust. Taking into consideration the number of Dust stores within Vale alone, and this was already looking like one hell of a spree. The perpetrator, believed to be one Roman Torchwick, had been hitting up stores left and right, all the way from the Upper Class District and into the main Commercial District.

On that note, if this guy was spiriting away a ton of Dust, he'd have to have some kind of hideaway within the kingdom to duck into. A warehouse in the Industrial District would be ideal, but also somewhat predictable. Besides, given that his current hideout was in that District, that would've put him close to any activity around the area, and given there hadn't been much of a police presence... then again, this guy is a thief, and any good thief worth their weight in stolen goods knows how to hide effectively.

Making a mental note about this, as it would likely affect the security within the kingdom as these robberies kept up, Raoul had decided to switch gears and do a quick review on what he knew of Remnant. Today's main topic was of how Remnant got to this current point, and what each of the four kingdoms was like.

As he had read before, the Great War had started around 90 years ago according to Remnant's timescale, and lasted a full decade. Mistral and Mantle had been frequent traders with one another, and soon had set their sights on the Sanus continent. Vale, despite its people's wishes, had allowed the settlers from Mistral to set up shop, but tensions ran incredibly high - cultural differences most likely, resulting in riots.

Vacuo, having had relations with Mantle and Mistral thanks to its immensely rich Dust deposits, initially remained neutral in the conflict, but pressure from the other two countries was weighing heavily on the citizens. If Vale fell, there would be nothing stopping the foreign kingdoms from swooping in and claiming everything for themselves. Ultimately, they pushed the foreign powers out and allied with Vale, kicking the war off in earnest.

As the war raged on, technological advancements came swiftly, humanity and the Faunus grew closer together, and whenever the Grimm sought to capitalize on the fighting, both sides called for temporary ceasefires to drive the third party out.

The ultimate end came when the King of Vale, known by some as the Warrior King, personally stepped onto the battlefield at Vacuo, laying waste to legions of men on his own. This, combined with Vacuo having violent sandstorms and Mantle being highly inexperienced in desert combat, resulted in the war's termination. All three powers had offered up their crowns to the Warrior King, but he declined, instead choosing to redistribute the territories, abolish slavery, and restructure their governments. This would also be the founding of the Hunter Academies, training their people to combat the Grimm.

The history lesson now over, he put his current book onto a return cart, then went to check out any reference materials to the current Kingdoms. Since he was in Vale, that would be a good place to begin.

Vale was bordered by shallow waters to its northwest and high mountains to its southeast, making Grimm activity fairly uncommon and keeping the kingdom fairly safe to reside in. Key places to know of were Forever Fall, a gigantic stretch of forest to the north that obtained its name thanks to its constant autumn colors; Mountain Glenn, a failed expansion project to the southeast, and of course, Beacon Academy, the most prestegious of the Hunter Academies, behind which lay the Emerald Forest. One could easily look out an eastward window and see the academy. Maybe it was just him, but the place looked more like an olden-time castle than what someone would think an educational institution would appear as.

'Gonna have to get a map of this kingdom, figure out what else lies where.' Up next on the list was Atlas.

Atlas lay to the north, on the arctic continent of Solitas. The high mountains and incredibly cold temperatures outright stifled Grimm presence on the continent, but of course most humans aren't made to survive in those conditions, so in order to establish some kind of livelihood there, they quickly developed incredible technology. They had set aside plenty of land devoted not only to Dust mining, but also research during the war. As a sign of goodwill for the war's end, they developed the Cross Continental Transmit System, allowing for wireless communications among the kingdoms. Anyone with a Scroll could easily keep in touch with others in the neighboring kingdoms, thanks to this system.

'Technology... hmm...' Gears were turning in his head.

'Mr. Raoul, what are you thinking?'

'If Atlas is responsible for a lot of this world's technology, we might have a good place to stop off at and acquire some materials. At the very least it'd serve as a baseline for seeing if anything here could be compatible with Netherworld tech - assuming everyone else got off that world as well, we could send a message out into space.'

'Hold on, I thought Dust didn't work in space.'

'Hence why we need the compatibility. We'll have to add an alternate power source, likely some of my inherent Mana, to keep the signal strong.' Placing his books back, Raoul got up from his seat and headed back out into the city. Time to head back south and get some exercise in.

Vale, 24 days before encounter

February 9, 9:34 A.M.

"All right, think my systems are back up to full."

Raoul's friend had done a self-recovery on several of her systems over the past few months. Slowly, steadily, many of her initial skills were coming back into focus, and with each function unscrambled, that meant more memory and processing power to getting the other functions cleaned up.

"Sensory Array... green. Usatako Unit... everything is reading fine.. Memory's unscrambled, and the recording is sitting pretty. If and when we get that Item Diver working, remind me to check with the Netherworld Hospital and get a second opinion."

"Honestly, given how the Netherworld Clinic works, we'd probably be better off interrogating another Netherworld Scientist for that kind of opinion. Pretty sure the last thing we need is being strapped down and having an axe come down on us." Raoul gave his two Lien on his friend's suggestion as he looked over his weaponry.

His companion had gone quiet at that thought, a few not-so-pleasant memories of her own surfacing. Had she a body of her own, it's likely she'd have been shuddering.

His axe's blades were sharp, and in no need of attendance. His gauntlets were serviceable for the time being, but sooner or later he'd need to take them apart to check the interior workings and ensure that the recent events didn't damage them beyond repair. The gun that he had gotten as a replacement was working incredibly well, and he couldn't help but notice how natural it felt in his hands, almost like it had finally found its way back to him.

With everything in order, now came another foray into the Commercial District. With a fair amount of Lien now in his possession, it was time to check out the electronics shops and begin piecing together what he'd need to get.

Beacon Academy, Ozpin's Office, Several Months prior to Interrogation

March 5, 8:19 P.M.

Ozpin stepped away from his desk, mainly to stretch out and let his tired hands rest.

The application processes were going very smoothly, with confirmation mail going out to those accepted into the academy. Now he turned an idle thought to how well the process was going in trying to out their mystery assistant. Thousands of people entered and exited Vale throughout the last few months, and even with some of the most sophisticated technology allowing for such a search, very little was coming up.

Glynda, as one would've suspected, was rightly suspicious about this Belderiver's intentions. Initially, she had suspected Qrow to be drunk, as he usually was, but it was Amber's extra testimonial that caused her suspicions to falter. Regardless, this was an unknown that needed to be figured out, before it could cause a panic across the kingdom, and become a lure for the Grimm.

So far, every person they had run though the system came back with positive identification. He'd need to wrap this up quickly, preferably before the Council caught wind of the situation and decided to take matters into their own hands.

As far as the situation with Amber was concerned, he had silently commissioned a private ship to take her out towards Vacuo, as she had requested. There was a lingering concern about the three assailants trying their hand again, but he had called ahead to the Desert Kingdom and requested a close friend of his to keep tabs on her, as a just in case measure. From the last few messages he had received, Amber had settled in fairly well in the desert kingdom, and was currently staying with a close friend of hers that she had made out there before.

His personal Scroll pinged, and as he opened it up to answer, he received an interesting report. Glynda had been out on her rounds through the city, when she caught wind of a Dust Store robbery being carried out by Roman Torchwick. What made this worth reporting was the following - a single young girl had managed to fend off Torchwick's hired help, and had followed the infamous criminal. It was when he started fighting back that Glynda had to intervene.

Ozpin saw there was an attached file to the report, one concerning the young girl that had stymied Torchwick's robbery, and so he opened it up. What he saw had surprised him.

This young girl, a Signal Academy student by the name of Ruby Rose, couldn't have been older than fifteen at the latest, and yet... her eyes. He'd only seen one other person in this lifetime that had those silver eyes, and she even held the same surname as that former silver-eyed being. Without a doubt this had to be her daughter.

He sent a reply - he would be personally appearing to speak with Miss Rose. As he grabbed his favorite cane and began to head down to the Vale Police Department, he stopped for a second, and sent a second message to Glynda, urging her to not be too harsh on Miss Rose.

Vale Streets, 7:45 P.M.

Just moments earlier...

Having completed his usual Grimm extermination, Raoul had headed back into the Commercial District for another scout around, namely to see if anyone with loose wallets had accidentally dropped some idle money here or there, and it had been the faint sound of what seemed like fighting that caught his attention, followed by something making a loud bang. Running over to investigate, he saw several black-suited humans laid out on the streets, as if someone had knocked them around. The front window of the "From Dust Till Dawn" shop had been broken from the inside, if the shards of glass on the street were an indicator. An explosion sounded from above, and as he looked upwards, he saw a cloud of red eminating from one of the rooftops... and was that some manner of aircraft up there?

'Looks like another one of those VTOLs, a Bullhead, if the engine arrangements are an indicator.' From what he could see, the aircraft was being pelted with multiple icy shards raining down from some manner of stormcloud, yet no magic was felt - something was up. Given that nobody else was around, though he could hear sirens in the distance getting closer, he took a quick leap up to another rooftop. From his new vantage point, he scoped out the situation.

He could see people on another rooftop. There was some teenage girl in black with a red hood. She was carrying some manner of oversized crimson scythe, and right next to her was a blonde woman in a white and black ensemble with a tattered cape, but his attention went squarely to the aircraft.

'It's that bitch in the red dress!' Standing in what looked like a side-door to the VTOL craft was the crimson-clad woman that had attacked the girl from before. Her two lackeys were noticably missing, but that was minor in comparison to the battle at-hand.

The red-clad one and the blonde woman were exchanging what looked like powerful blasts of magic, but Raoul couldn't sense any magical potency, not like what Qrow's ward had been using. Mayhaps it was a different branch of magic, or maybe they were using that Dust substance in combination with their Semblances? Regardless, the one in red was forced to retreat after one of the blonde's techniques had done some more damage to the aircraft's engine, threatening to ground it. The scythe-wielding girl had folded up her weapon into some kind of gun and had also fired at the craft, but the woman in red had dodged the gunfire, quickly closing up the side hatch.

As the craft quickly pulled away, Raoul made to follow. After taking a second to make certain that the two on the roof wouldn't notice him, he took off running across the rooftops. He did his best to keep behind the craft, so as to not draw their attention.

Present Time, Interrogation Room, 10:26 A.M.

"That explains what I thought I saw after apprehending Miss Rose." Glynda was the first to speak in this matter. "Here I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.. it had been a bit of a long night."

"And if my guess is correct..." Ozpin took over. "...what's coming next is in relation to the news report that aired the next day."

"Before that... your companion somehow recorded the assault against Miss Amber?" Ironwood had latched onto that detail.

"Indeed I did." Said companion affirmed. "I still have the file within my memory, if you feel like viewing it once we're done here."

"I'll hold you to that statement. Now then... you chased down Torchwick?"

"That we did." Nelius took over speaking. "Here's what came next."

Chapter 4: Complete