A/N: Hello again! I'm afraid about every two weeks is going to be the rate I can get posts out nowadays, between work and classes. Sorry for the long time between posts!

With that said, the Vytal Festival is almost upon us! Things will be heating up from here on out, both politically and with the tournament. I'm surprised to see that there were absolutely no reviews on the last chapter, and only received a few PMs with questions. Feel free to speak your mind, good or bad! Despite there being no reviews, the last chapter has actually had the most views, so I'm not sure what that means? Perhaps Dark Ifrit was a good fight? Perhaps people were reading it multiple times to gather criticisms to blast me with? I don't know, but I would love to!

Brownie points for who can spot another Wheel of Time reference.

Qrow sighed as he felt Neo's gaze on him once again as he looked out into the ravine and rising sun.

After Aran had done… whatever she did, Qrow was surprised to see Ryne holding a very unsteady Aran up as they shambled back to them. The Viera had promptly passed out, and Y'Shtola had rushed to her side, a few panicked words about the Light within her being unstable. Idly, he wondered if it had to do with the faint sound of shattering glass he heard coming from the woman.

That had been yesterday evening. After Aran had been stabilized by Y'Shtola and Ryne, they had begun a trek back to the entrance to the tunnel after Qrow verified that the spawning pool was gone. Where once he could imagine the pool being, all that remained was an empty chasm, similar to what Summer had done in the past.

Of course, they weren't able to carry Aran and Maven up the goat trail, being the very slim thing that it was. So they set up camp just before it, with Neo providing illusory walls on both sides of them. It never paid to be too careful. Past the illusory wall, dawn was only a few hours away.

By this time, Maven had begun to stir and eventually wake, her wounds having been healed by Y'Shtola, much as Aran's had been. Unlike Aran however, the woman who resembled Nael van Darnus was scarred over from the process.

"Even with her Aura shattered, it's trying to negate my magic. She will have to bear the scars until she can heal them naturally." Y'Shtola had said. When Neo pressed for an explanation on what Y'Shtola had done, both during the confrontation with Dark Ifrit and when she was healing their companions, Y'Shtola had informed her of what aether was and their ability to manipulate it.

Afterwards, the Miqo'te fell asleep next to Aran. Idly, Qrow had mumbled something about the two women needing to find a room, drawing a very unladylike snort from Ryne. Yet another thing the girl had picked up from Aran.

"You seem to think they would care if they had a room or not. Well, Y'Shtola would I suppose. Either way, they need their rest."

Ryne had followed the two lovers into slumber, leaving Qrow to stay awake next to a frowning Neo. Maven curled up into a ball near a wall of the tunnel and fell back asleep.

Whatever Roman has roped us into… it's certainly not boring ;) Neo wrote out for Qrow. The man nodded in agreement.

"True." The illusion allowed for small streaks of sunlight to reach into the tunnel, one of which Qrow reached out towards. As he did so, the illusion shifted to allow him to reach it easier. "It's never a dull moment with Aran and her companions." Playing with the sunlight with his fingers, Qrow continued. "But, there's more going on here than you realize. Based off what I know, she's intending on filling you and Torchwick in on it when you reunite, so I wouldn't worry too much. She's a good person. Doesn't go back on her word. But I want to know why you and Torchwick are putting so much trust in her."

Neo created a replica of Aran's ears on her head and mimicked the Viera's head tilt as her finger came up to tap her mouth as if in thought. Her eyes however, sparkled almost dangerously before her free hand returned to her scroll.

Roman's the mastermind, I'm just the brawn.

Qrow rolled his eyes.

"Right," the man drawled. "And I'm just a dusty old bird."

The assassin dropped her playful facade for a moment.

Aran isn't the only one with secrets that are important to keep. Roman is reaching the end of his patience with his, and sees Aran as a potential savior for more than just our current predicament with Cinder. We've chosen our side here, don't think we'll turn coats like we did to Cinder.

Qrow said nothing more, choosing instead to pull out his scroll.

It was nearing dusk when Aran finally awoke. Sitting over her was Y'Shtola and Ryne, while Maven and Qrow stood near the tunnel's entrance, no longer concealed by Neo's Semblance, looking to be debating something in hushed tones. It seemed they were watching something on the man's scroll. A few feet away from them stood Neo, Hush placed on her shoulder.

The Warrior held a finger to her lips to stop Y'Shtola and Ryne from saying anything as she reached into her bag and withdrew a usable set of armored clothes tailored in Vii fashion. Only a few moments later saw to the removal of the remaining threads of the travel clothes gifted to her by the Fae Folk. Her armor was completely gone with the exception of her sabatons, though those came off too. It was just as well that she had already begun work on a new set that involved a Remnantine process of folding in Dust, though she was also taking some liberties with magitek design principles as well.

It wasn't often that one found a viable alternative to Ceruleum. And while Aran was no Cid Garlond, she was intimately familiar with magitek design principles, having been one of the minds that helped develop it into what it was in the Source.

But those thoughts were for later. That armor wasn't finished, and now sat in her dorm upon her armor rack, hidden behind a glamour. Instead, she began to silently slip on the garments that closely resembled that of Almet.

"Something has you three on edge over there." Aran finally stated, wincing as she dropped the unintentional pun. Pulling on the last bracer to finish her outfit, she approached the trio.

"Vale came under attack through an abandoned tunnel. All sorts of Grimm poured through a breach created by a train ramming into the barrier blocking the tunnel. Apparently, Team RWBY had been actively trying to stop the train." Qrow answered. "Torchwick was captured by Pyrrha and Glynda, so he's staying out of Jimmy's clutches."

As Qrow gave the report, Aran glanced at Maven and winced slightly at the scars marring her body.

"Just as well then. And Pyrrha knows better than to leave Roman alone, especially with Cinder missing."

Maven frowned as she began to speak.

"Sounds like plans within plans you have going on there. What does Vale's criminal kingpin have to do with anything?"

"Roman Torchwick was rooting out White Fang terrorists." Aran responded. Technically, it wasn't a lie. Adam Taurus was a terrorist, and he was their only remaining link to find out what Cinder had planned. "He may be a criminal, but he has to have a city left to be a criminal in."

Maven scrutinized the Viera closely.

"For Firsties, you girls have a lot of shit going on."

"We're Scions. It's what we do." Aran stated ambiguously. "We should get moving."

Qrow raised an eyebrow at her before huffing to himself. He put his scroll away and reached for his flask, stopping only when he felt Aran's disapproving gaze.

"If you fall, I'm not catching you," was all she said before the woman was starting up the trail.

A few choice words came from Qrow's mouth, but he grudgingly put the flask back in his pocket to acknowledge her point.

It took longer to get up the trail than it had taken to go down. By the time they had reached the top of the ravine, night was embracing them fully with their path lit by the same orb that Y'Shtola had created in the tunnels. The Bullhead was as they had left it, door open and ready to leave as soon as they boarded. They were not expecting a fairly short figure to be laying down on the ramp.

It wasn't clear if the figure was male or female, wrapped as it was in an abundance of black leathers, both skin tight and loose. It stood up with a deceptive grace, its form seeming to both cause the skin tight leathers on its arms, legs, and chest to both bulge and hang loose while the loose flaps and strips hid it in an annoyingly secretive fashion. The effect was almost nauseating, though the silver and red short blade attached to its right arm kept Aran's focus enough to not succumb to it.

Its head was likewise covered in a skintight section of leather, with the sole exception of a singular, thick red braid that came from the very top of its head and went down its back, stopping only a few inches from the ground. Over its eyes were two red lenses, built into the suit's head covering. A rebreather looked to be built into the leather as well, covering the figure's mouth and nose. The only thing that gave away the person's allegiance was Vale's symbol, topped with a crown, embroidered into its forehead. When it spoke once the team had all cautiously approached, it was quiet and androgynous, though possessing a strange combination of both respect and boredom.

"Welcome back to your ride home. Next time, you might want to lock the door. I trust the creature was handled?"

While Qrow didn't reach for Harbinger, his tone was still suspicious.

"It's dead, and the spawning pool is gone. What's a Kingsguard doing out here? Who are you?"

The figure shrugged, enhancing the nauseating effect almost unconsciously.

"My interest is not in you, Qrow Branwen. You may relax." Its head pivoted to rest its gaze on both Aran and Maven, with a slight linger on Neo. "Aran Vinland, Maven Arseth, my name is Reisa Sombra. I come before you bringing an invitation to speak with His Majesty Bralor Vale." Reisa's head glanced back to Neo for a moment. "It would be prudent to bring Neo and Torchwick; we have questions for them."

Aran raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She nodded and began to move forward, keeping her attention on the short sword. She was followed by the others in short order.

Despite the ride back to Beacon taking only a few minutes, the presence of the Kingsguard made each minute feel like an hour. It was only when they reached Beacon that Reisa deigned to speak again.

"You have my humblest apologies for your discomfort. I shall wait here, while you report to your Headmaster. Tell him that I am requisitioning this Bullhead for the time being, and return posthaste."

Aran nodded and disembarked with the others. As they made their way to the elevator, Aran began to question Qrow on the Kingsguard that awaited them.

"Do you know anything about Reisa?"

"Only rumors. The Kingsguard are a secretive group that answers only to the King of Vale. Right now, that's King Braylor. The only publicly known Kingsguard is their Captain, whom you've already grown acquainted with. They're a traditional bunch that was formed a long time ago, but I don't know much more about their history than that. No idea on numbers, though they have a very selective recruitment process. They don't even consider someone unless their Semblance matches with something they need, from what I understand. Reisa though, is an assassin."

"I gathered that much. You have nothing on… it?"

"Not a thing. I've met several Kingsguard in my life, Aran, and all of them had different roles. Their captain is a political monster, as well as a godsdamned human tank. Age hasn't slowed him a wit. I'm sure it can go without saying, but be careful around them. They're just as manipulative and secretive as Oz." Qrow's eyes lit up for a brief moment as something seemed to come to mind. "Damn. They operate in pairs with the exception of Arget. Where is Reisa's partner?"

At that, Neo looked at Maven with a scowl. Qrow was too far ahead to see it, but Aran caught the look out of the corner of her eye.

She didn't say anything out loud, but she did check to see if both Ryne and Y'Shtola had caught the movement as well. They both nodded with pursed lips.

The elevator ride was silent. That silence did not remain when the elevator door opened to Ozpin's office, revealing a collection of people that looked to be in the middle of an argument. None of them besides Ozpin noticed the elevator open, and so Aran motioned to let them finish their conversation. She was glad she did.

In the room stood teams RWBY, JNPR, and MOAT. With them were Professors Goodwitch and Peach, along with a male Huntsman dressed in a long green duster coat and wide-brimmed hat, carrying an ashandarei, a four and a half foot long pole with a curved shortsword attached to it. The man clearly didn't want to be there. Beyond the teams and the people they shadowed, Ironwood stood off to the side, anger touching the corner of his eyes. And finally, next to Pyrrha, stood a roughed-up Roman Torchwick.

Pyrrha had clearly interposed herself between the general and the criminal mastermind. Even more shocking was the genuine anger that was burning in her eyes.

"I don't care whose custody he's in!" Ironwood stated. "Torchwick is an opportunity to learn what else might be planned to harm the Vytal Festival."

"The Festival, General Ironwood? What about Vale? You are overstepping -"

"Overstepping? Miss Nikos, Roman Torchwick is a wanted criminal that has plotted against not just Vale, but the Festival as a whole. As such, every Kingdom has a right to interrogate him."

"Then it's a good thing he's in the custody of a Huntress, not a Kingdom." Pyrrha bit back.

Seeing the calm redhead so disturbed actually surprised Aran. She had never been able to get more emotion out of her beyond joy, doubt, and good-natured embarrassment. Even when she had tried during their spars, Pyrrha remained in control of her emotions better than even Aran could manage at times.

"You are a Huntress in training. Ultimate authority of your prisoners remains with Beacon."

Pyrrha looked away to control her anger. In doing so, she caught sight of Aran and the others, earning a smile from her as she turned back to face Ironwood.

"I hereby transfer Roman Torchwick into the custody of Qrow Branwen."

The general narrowed his eyes in annoyance, but Ruby spoke up before he could.

"Why are you guys fighting over who has custody of him? What's even going on?"

"Torchwick has information that could be vital to the safety of the Vytal Festival and the Kingdoms as a whole, Miss Rose. I don't know what Miss Nikos hopes to accomplish with him, but she won't get the information I need to ensure our safety. Regardless, Miss Nikos, Qrow needs to be present to accept the prisoner transfer. I would expect a woman of your caliber to know this."

Qrow cleared his throat, making Ironwood's eyes widen.

"She knows perfectly well, Jimmy. I'll take him."

General Ironwood's jaw clenched, but he remained silent as he turned away and moved to go to the elevator. He shot Aran a glare, sensing that this was somehow her fault.

She did nothing. Ironwood knew that Aran was seeking the criminal, but he had never agreed to give the man to her. It was clear in that moment that Ironwood would likely never be a willing ally. His own plans were clearly all he gave credit to.

Once the man left, everyone who was present for the entire argument released a breath they didn't seem to know they were holding. Then, Qrow glanced over at Aran.

"Hey, feel like taking a clown off my hands?"

"Hey!" Torchwick protested ineffectually. The Viera nodded.

The criminal grumbled to himself as the new group approached Ozpin.

"So uh, you want our report while everyone is here?" Qrow asked. The Headmaster was about to answer when Aran beat him to it.

"It would be for the best, in case anyone here encounters what we did. But you already knew what was there, didn't you Headmaster?"

The man smiled as he nodded, confirming Aran's suspicions. Then he motioned for her to continue.

Aran gave the report, leaving out how they had killed Dark Ifrit and how she had removed the spawning pool. Behind her, Neo moved over to Torchwick, while Maven crossed her arms.

Once she had finished, everyone looked to Ozpin.

"Thank you, Miss Vinland. You did very well, just as I knew you would. Yes, I knew the creature was there. It first appeared there roughly fifty some years ago, but its existence wasn't widely known. It fed on the Grimm that came from the spawning pool, allowing Vale some reprieve. It was clear it wasn't Grimm, so as long as it stayed there, we weren't worried. While the people who knew of its existence began to dwindle, those who remained possessing knowledge of it began to grow worried. If it left its feeding ground and attacked Vale, it would have been entirely possible that it could be too powerful for us to combat, as well as take everyone by surprise. So, the Vale Council and the King agreed on something for the first time in years last week when the creature was brought up. Then they left it to me to decide on how to kill it. That is why the nature of the mission and the unusual composition of Huntsman and Huntresses were selected. Maven's Semblance meant she would not have to get close and risk being consumed by the corrosive mist it exuded; I have seen it eat clear through several people who had previously fought it. And I must say, you all have exceeded my expectations. That you removed the spawning pool as well is a welcome relief."

Aran frowned. The original mission had been the removal of the pool; Dark Ifrit hadn't even been mentioned nor hinted at in the information Ozpin had given them. She snorted mentally as she recognized that the man had no wish to reveal certain things to those still present.

She nodded and stepped back.

"Now then," the Headmaster continued, "congratulations to all of you. You all performed admirably. Are there any questions?"

Aran cocked her head slightly

"Would you happen to know where to buy birds?"

Aran and Maven split from the teams almost immediately after leaving the elevator, taking Neo and Torchwick with them. The Viera had released the man from his cuffs shortly after, though she kept hold of Melodic Cudgel which Pyrrha had passed on to her in the elevator.

When they arrived at the Bullhead commandeered by Reisa, they all sat down as the Kingsguard took the helm.

The ride was silent as well. This left Aran to focus fully on her own planning as well as observing where they went. By the time they began to set down in Vale on top of a four-story building, she had tracked their flight to somewhere in the Residential sector, a place she had only been to once when Cardin had shown her his ancestral home during his tour of the city. Idly, she hoped his team was doing okay. He had picked a mission which took him and his team out near the border of Vacuo to provide succor to a faunus village under siege by Grimm. All his team had to do was destroy a nest that contained an Alpha Creep.

Roman, Aran had noticed, was growing noticeably more tense as they disembarked and entered the building. The journey only lasted until they had passed a few doors, when Reisa stopped near the fifth. Apparently, this was an apartment complex. The Kingsguard knocked in a series of knuckle wraps that were clearly some kind of code. Then the door opened, revealing Arget. The man stepped away and motioned for everyone to come into the room.

Aran wasn't quite sure what to expect, but ultimately decided that she wasn't impressed with what she saw. The room was clearly a standard living room, with the exception being that there was no furniture beyond a long table settled in the center of the space with six chairs set up around it. At the far head of the table sat a man that looked to be in his mid forties who was putting down the folder her was reading.

Short blonde hair was combed upward, revealing tanned skin and a somewhat young face, with the exception of a few wrinkles around his brown eyes. A sharp nose seemed to dominate his features. A full beard framed his jawline, well-kept with three blue beads that looked to be made of Dust bringing it into order as it reached his chest.

Beyond that, the only thing Aran could think of the man was that he was rather large. Not like a Roegadyn, but definitely large by the standards that Aran had come to associate those native to this Shard. While he was sitting down, the Viera was still able to clearly see the man's rather plain attire. Black trousers covered along the thighs and calves with quarter inch thick leather. A forest green t-shirt pulled across his musculature, with a brown leather harness lined with a variety of pouches. A brown leather baldric to hold a bastard sword and an axe across his back, the hilts and cross guards just as plain as the rest of his clothing with the exception of a slightly glowing green emerald embedded into the pommels of each.

The only thing that gave away the man's station, was a thin golden crown that sat upon his head.

The Captain of the Kingsguard cleared his throat.

"For those unacquainted, allow me to introduce Braylor Vale, King of Vale." Arget stated before motioning to the seats. "He knows each of you already."

Torchwick began to move to sit at the opposite end of the King, only to be stopped by Reisa and redirected to sit next to the end. Once everyone but Aran and Reisa had been seated, it was clear that the end seat was intended for her. She sat down with an inquisitive glance aimed towards the King, who began the moment she was seated.

His voice was deep and rough, though it possessed a hint of honey as if to keep it appealing to any who heard him. A strange combination in her ears, but it did him justice.

"Greetings, all of you. Dispense with any formalities you may wish to display, for this is not a formal occasion. I shall state our business plainly, so that we may all continue on with our own plans. No sirs, majesties, bowing, or scraping. All of that is unnecessary and only serves to piss me off."

His gaze settled on Roman.

"Roman Torchwick, I promised you the next time we would meet would be the day you died. You should be thanking Ms. Vinland for preventing your execution."

The Viera cocked her head slightly in confusion.

"He is in the custody of an individual I've noted to be sufficient in keeping him contained. The last time I saw this man and his partner was when she was attempting to steal something from me," the King explained. "That discussion is for another time. Keep them under your control, or they will not see sunrise." His attention then moved to Maven, who gulped nervously.

"Maven Arseth, you met Reisa once before when my guard saved your life. You were marked as a prospective trainee, and your talent has been proven with the slaying of the creature within the ravine. Beacon Academy can still grant you your license despite the loss of your team, but there are other options open to you, if you would accept them. Expect something in the future."

Maven nodded nervously and jumped slightly when Reisa laid a hand upon her shoulder.

"Go with Reisa; you two have something to discuss."

Once they were gone, the King nodded towards Arget. The captain leaned forward and settled his attention on Aran.

"It is rare when I can find no discernible information on a person of interest, Ms. Vinland. At least, not through the normal means. I found nothing on you through my normal channels, not even from the most reliable of them. Imagine my surprise when I learned something not through you or anyone you had directly spoken to to any length, but through an object."

He reached for his pocket and withdrew a shell casing. When he tossed it over to Aran, her eyes widened as she realized it was one created from materials in the First. She had used all of those cartridges within the first week she had been on Remnant.

"And by pure chance, as well. I was walking through the Forever Fall Forest and happened upon a clearing that looked to have seen someone holding out in it. As I was looking around, I saw that little gem of information glint in the sunlight. Now, while I can't tell something's past, I do know someone in Vale's police force who can, part of his Semblance and all. Do you know what he saw?"

Aran's jaw set as she realized what he was about to say.

"A strange land, filled with even more strange creatures capable of yet even more strange abilities. Magic, it would seem. Am I wrong?"

The woman's frown said everything Arget needed to know.

"We have no intention of ousting you or any such thing, have no fear. Nor do we wish to use you. You are simply an unknown that could prove a danger to the Kingdom of Vale, yet everything you have shown up to this point has proven you to be a worthwhile ally. This was cemented with your attempted apprehension of Cinder Fall, who has been reported to have been seen in the company of a group that is suspected to be working against the Kingdoms. I had my reservations about standing up for you against Ozpin, yet it was an opportunity to learn more about you. I was not disappointed."

The man leaned back even as the King reached for the folder he was reading before and opened it before smiling at Aran.

"This is everything that my guards were able to gather on Ozpin. Your inquiry into the man after Arget's findings on you sparked my own curiosity. I'm sure you've likely learned more than we could on that front, at least as far as his motives and secrets go. But, I think we've found something you might find useful. Specifically, his psych evals."

He proceeded to pull out three sheets of paper and passed them down to Aran.

"Read those, and tell me what your thoughts are."

And so Aran did, frowning as she read the near-exact copies of the papers.

"These are essentially the same. Were these taken over Ozpin's lifetime?"

"And there's the kicker. Not one of these is Ozpin's, yet all sound as if they should be. They're medical records pulled from over the past couple hundred years. I'm sure you have an idea of what this could mean, and so do we. But Ozpin is your investigation. We will not get in your way, so long as you do no imprede ours should you cross our path again."

Aran's frown remained. This man was a king; why should he cede over the investigation of someone who potentially has almost as political clout as him? What does he have against Ozpin that is even allowing Aran to perform the investigation in the first place? These questions and more began to float through her mind, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she nodded in agreement to his terms and moved to stand, only to be stopped by a look from Arget. The man leaned forward once more.

"It has also come to our attention that White Fang members are leaving their organization and turning themselves in. We have you to thank for that, based off of the numerous things we've heard from them. You have our thanks, but be careful. Adam Taurus is a dangerous individual, and he will have his most ardent supporters with him still. You can take the Bullhead back to Beacon. Dismissed."

Aran set down the papers she held and stood to leave. A single motion for the two criminals to follow was all they needed before they too began to follow her.

"Seriously? We're staying… in a dorm room?" Roman asked with a raised eyebrow. The ride back to Beacon was uneventful, as was the walk back to ARY's dorm. When they arrived, they found Y'Shtola busy reading on Aran's bed while Ryne was sitting at a desk.

Upon closer inspection, Aran was happy to see the girl reading an introductory to aether and it's manipulation, penned by Y'Shtola for the girl if she ever decided to learn the intricacies of their arts.

"Yes. Y'Shtola sleeps with me most nights in any case, and the fourth bed here has never been used for more than storage. Speaking of, the woman on the bed is Y'Shtola, while the one at the desk is Ryne."

Each woman looked up and waved distractedly as they were mentioned before returning to their reading.

"Ah, lovely. You know, at least in a cell I wouldn't be surrounded by estrogen."

Aran rolled her eyes.

"If you want to test Cinder and Taurus's ability to assassinate you in a cell, then by all means. What did you do on your exit that you claim has put you on his hit list?"

The man sighed as he moved towards the lone bed with a couple of boxes and began to move them carefully. He wasn't sure what was in them, but he wouldn't be surprised if the woman with the bunny ears had left unstable Dust in them.

"The man is dead-set on finding a girl named Blake Belladonna. The cat faunus you attacked me with, I would imagine based off of some rather… interesting… muttering the guy did when he thought he was alone. I destroyed anything and everything he had on her, myself, and anyone that could help him with a well-timed explosive and a quick scrub through his scroll. Before you ask, I couldn't find anything on Cinder or his future plans, but I do know that the majority of his White Fang have deserted him aside from a very radical group of faunus. Gotta give it to Red, I didn't think she had it in herself to toss some of the last members of the Fang that wanted to ditch off of the train to their deaths."

Aran raised an eyebrow, which Roman caught.

"Ah, well I don't think she really thought about the consequences of her actions. She probably doesn't even realize that she killed them, thinking that everyone has Aura to keep them safe. News flash, most White Fang don't have their Aura unlocked."

That caused Aran to frown. Perhaps that little tidbit of information would be best kept away from Ruby, at least until she was ready to bear the weight of death. Until then, she would attempt to preserve Ruby's fragile emotional state as best she could, despite her plan to break the girl's sense of innocence.

What remained of the night was spent resting, with a promise to fill in Torchwick and Neo on what they needed to know the next day.

And so she did. She revealed parts of where she came from, including that she was not native to Remnant. Roman had been skeptical, until Neo stomped on his foot when he was being difficult. At the end of the revelation, she extended the offer she had given to Qrow earlier, and gave them both a linkpearl.

Ever so slowly, she was building up a network of agents. Unlike Ozpin, she wouldn't lie to them. She had made it clear that some things about her own past were off limits for discussion, but anything related to the current events of Remnant were fair game.

It on Friday that multiple notable events occured. First and foremost, Ozpin had called ARY to meet him in his office. From there, they rode the elevator to Beacon's basement, where they found Amber.

This was something that Aran and Y'Shtola had agreed to do when Ozpin had first revealed the Fall Maiden to them. It was a simple request they had initially imagined, until they took a closer look at the woman's aether. Simplicity had gone out the window, and Y'Shtola began to spend her free time rereading a number of books she had stored in a bag similar to Aran's own. Now, she had finalized her approach to healing the woman, and ironically enough, it required the Light aether within Aran to attempt to fix Amber's Aura.

The result, after roughly two hours of work in the basement, was a healed Amber being carefully removed from the machine she was attached to under the watchful eyes of Ozpin, Glynda, and Ironwood. A half hour later, Amber's eyes opened, though months of being hooked up to the machine had atrophied her muscles.

She was escorted to Beacon's infirmary with the utmost secrecy by Glynda and Y'Shtola, under a glamour to make it look like they were merely returning a medical bed to a room.

The other two things of note happened that evening. Every team that had entered the Vytal Festival Tournament was called to the amphitheater, with the odd couple of teams that were still on missions invited to a video call so that they could participate as well.

Glynda looked as if a massive weight had been lifted off her shoulders; it wasn't until later that Aran learned the woman was a close friend and mentor to Amber.

"Congratulations students, on making it into the Vytal Festival Tournament. Along with the usual events, the Kingdoms have agreed to include another aspect to this event as well. This year is the first time it has happened, and likely wouldn't have ever come to be without the arrival of survivors of Erza. For this, the Kingdoms thank you for your sacrifices while we were quarreling with ourselves. It is our hope that by the addition of this new event, the Kingdoms can grow even closer."

That brought a frown to Aran's face. From what she had seen, the Kingdoms were very close to open hostilities in certain regards. Truly, the only friendly things she had seen had been between natives of Vacuo and Vale. Mistral looked to be reserved and not aiding anyone, but not causing anything either. Atlas, on the other hand, she had seen make some very questionable decisions. First and foremost being the fleet that even now circled Vale like vultures.

"It is with pleasure that I introduce a preliminary event to the Tournament in the form of a Grimm Hunt. A total of fifty one teams has entered the tournament, and it is with these numbers in mind that we have decided upon how to use this preliminary event. Only thirty two teams can pass on to the Tournament proper."

Whispers were heard throughout the room.

"Starting Wednesday of next week, all of you will be dropped off in the Emerald Forest, or the Forever Fall Forest. Both locations are being prepared for the event by teachers and professional Huntsmen and Huntresses as we speak, and as such are off-limits to all students during this time. Expect to face more varieties of Grimm than you would normally see in these areas. Some of you will find them to be familiar to those you face near your homes in other Kingdoms, and some you will have only read or heard stories about. A point system based on the Grimm each team has slain will be used. The entire event will be televised, and will last a full thirty six hours. During these two days, all students will be exempt from classes as they would during usual Tournament days. Are there any questions?"

As several students began to ask simple questions that were of no import to Aran, she turned to look at Y'Shtola and Ryne. Both nodded confidently. After that, Glynda stepped down and dismissed them for the day, though almost nobody left immediately.

"Think you so little of us to have troubles with such a trivial challenge?" Y'Shtola asked with a grin.

"The opposite. Just wanted to make sure you two won't be falling asleep on me and make me do all the work." Aran replied with her own smirk.

"You'd pull it off just fine," Ryne added with a chuckle. "This should be easy compared to Ifrit."

Around them, their friends also began to chatter excitedly. Cardin was speaking to Yang, clearly talking about hitting something if they were both smiling like they were. Blake had been absorbed by Team MOAT, a fairly common occurrence once she had removed her bow. Amy had replaced her next to Weiss and Ruby. JNPR had broken apart momentarily into duos, which had Ren and Nora talking to Dove and Russel while Pyrrha and Jaune were speaking to Sage and Scarlet.

Aran wasn't sure where Sun and Neptune had gone, but that was a fairly common thing as well. The fact that Sky was missing as well probably meant they were busy coming up with a prank of some kind. Her unspoken question was answered as she heard Penny Polendina, the red-haired girl from Atlas, laugh over the din along with her partner Ciel. Shortly afterward, Sun's boisterous laugh was heard as well.

The entire scene made Aran smile proudly, something picked up by her teammates.

"The mother hare seems happy that all of her children are getting along." Ryne teased as she nudged her gently.

"Even more than you think, Ryne." Aran replied, responding to her nudge with a ruffle of the girl's red hair. "This is what I seek for the world to see. This is what Aranaea, what I, had helped create long ago until it all fell apart."

Y'Shtola gently grabbed hold of her hand and crossed their fingers.

"And so it shall be again. Some day, through your efforts. I hope to see that day as well."

Once everyone had shuffled out of the amphitheater, Aran returned to her room to grab her project of the last few months: a new set of armor. From there, she brought it to Beacon's armory, where she met with Professor Mulberry like she had been for most of the project.

The man was most happy to help her with the project when he learned of her proposed experiment. Despite his initial reservations about the functionality of tbe armor, he was quick to ditch them and put everything he could into the project when Aran had demonstrated a vastly scaled down version of her intended result.

And today was the final day of tuning.

Originally, Aran had decided that she needed new armor that could withstand weapons infused with Aura, which her allagan armor had proven to not protect against when she had first fought Pyrrha. While she had fixed the armor and reinforced it to some degree against Aura, it was still not ideal. Then, she had been drawn into the sciences of Dust and how it had been applied to clothing. This research had helped her create Y'Shtola's chakram. From there, she grew curious about the technology of Remnant, of the magitek that did not require Ceruleum. She freely admitted that she did not have as great a head for magitek constructs and weapons that Cid Garlond had, but she was one of the people who had helped Garlemald become as technologically advanced as they were now. But unlike back then, she now sought to combine magitek with magick. Her research was aided by Mulberry's own experience and expertise with Dust technologies, and it had all come together with this armor.

Ultimately, it came out to look rather intimidating. Beneath all of it was softened quarter inch leather which covered her body. Sewn into the hips, arms, and legs was miniaturized deep forest green splint mail. A curved black bulky layered breastplate trimmed in the deep forest green would encase her torso, with a bevor that rose up and almost resembled a short beak that would come up to cover up to her mouth. Along the back, two ridges interrupted the plates. A pair of bulky bulbous pauldrons, likewise black and trimmed with green would rise almost to the top of her head, due to the nature of the technology housed within them. They were patterned to look as if they were covered in feathers. Layered bracers and articulated gauntlets with claws covered her arms and hands, though the bracers were bulky plates like that of the cuirass. The armor possessed no faulds, leaving her hips armored only by the undersuit and splint mail. Similar to her bracers and breastplate, her thighs were encased by thick layered plates which would become her cuisses, along with her greaves. The back of her knees were exposed, revealing the green splint mail, though slightly extruding poleyns helped protect her. The sabatons had talons, reminding one of the feet of an avian predator. To finish the armor was a black visor that she had essentially copied from her allagan armor. Like the pauldrons, each of the bulky plates was stylized with feathers.

The appearance of the armor was not the important part, however. What was important was the technology contained within the pauldrons that spread through the bulky portions. With Mulberry's help, she was able to fit in thrusters between the plates. Instead of Ceruleum, she used her own aether for what she had hoped would be short controlled bursts, enhancing her already considerable mobility on the battlefield. An unexpected sight to be sure, seeing as she looked like a tank when she wore the armor.

They had gathered one final time in the armory to perform a final test of the armor. And they weren't disappointed with the results in the least.

The next few days passed by rather quickly and uneventfully. Aran, Y'Shtola, and Ryne visited Amber, but otherwise their days were taken with last minute research and planning with Roman and Neo. Aran had gone into town and bought twelve birds which she in turn handed off to teams RWBY, JNPR, and CRDL, along with teaching them how to care for them.

Before they all knew it, the Tournament was on them.