So quick shout out to you guys who are still actively following this story story. The support is just absolutely overwhelming, you have no idea how happy I was reading those positive reviews. Seeing people actually genuinely enjoying this just inspires me to keep writing. So as a special I'll be doubling up chapters today, one now and one a bit later.


Chapter 10: They went into the unknown


Beacon Academy wasn't holding back when they gave out escort ships, the airship team ASHNRWBY were riding in was the very definition of luxury, soft, cushioned seating, a well-stocked snack locker, and sizeable bedding.

"Woah, did we accidentally get booked first class?" Yang whistled, quite impressed by the decor. Weiss raised her eyebrow, "At least they have the decency to provide suitable accommodations for an heiress such as myself."

"I'd assume you're accustomed to flying in such luxurious conditions?" Hex snorted as she placed down her bags, it would take them a solid two hours before they could get to their drop zone so they had time to strategize and brief each other.

"I only fly first class. One must hold themselves above the common rabble." Weiss responded with an air of snootiness.

"Are we part of the common rabble?" Sapphire asked looking up at the heiress. Weiss just glomped the shorter girl, "Nooo of course not. You're my extra special comrades you adorable munchkin you!" Weiss squeezed Sapphire who was currently gasping for air and making a desperate attempt to escape the heiress' death grip.

"So you wanna run it by me what exactly we're doing here? As in, Oz said investigate and infiltrate but, what's our game plan?" Alexandrite said as he reclined on the fabric lined chair around a table.

Sapphire, Hex, Blake, Yang and Nitro sat together playing some form of poker passing the time while Qrow and Ruby were stuffing their faces on airline food. Weiss who was sitting opposite to Alexandrite, reading a book glanced up to see the state of her team leader. Needless to say her eye began twitching so much Alexandrite was sure she was experiencing a bodily glitch.

"MMM Mhmm Hmm Mhmhm," Ruby said with a mouth full of cookies, apparently trying to converse with Qrow. Weiss just sighed and shook her head in disdain while Alexandrite couldn't help but find Ruby absolutely adorable, but business was business.

"Ahem!" he cleared his throat loudly, no one seemed to pay him any mind except for Weiss who quirked her eyebrow. When their eyes met, Alex made a hand gesture as if to say, 'help me out here?'

Weiss nodded in understanding, promptly put down her book, walked up to the distracted Ruby and smacked her over the head, hard.

"OWIE WHAT WAS THAT FOR? Uncle Qrow Weiss is being a meanie..." she pouted giving large puppy dog eyes. Alex felt his heart practically stop for a moment but he recomposed himself, "Yes now that I have your attention, Ruby, Uncle Qrow. We must discuss our strategy." Alex beckoned everyone close to the table. They all flushed in embarrassment having momentarily forgotten the fact that they were on a dangerous mission.

Once everyone was gathered around the table, Hex popped one of her miniature holo projectors and popped a 3D map of the landscape.

It pictured a large flat area with little to no trees and a few mounds along the way. The map was encircled by a tall mountain range with a single bottleneck opening through a ravine at its southernmost region.

Dusting off his hands Qrow spoke up. "The Ship drops us off here," he said pointing to a spot at the base of the ravine. "The storm's way too violent for a closer drop so we have to make our way inward. Our destination is here at the center," he then gestured to the very center of the area. He placed his left and right index finger on the same point and drew them apart to enlarge again. Zooming in on the center what appeared to be a totem sticking out of the ground.

"From the readings we took, the signal is being emitted from that antenna, our mission is to make it there and get information, possibly find Wulf or whatever traces he left behind, hopefully, it'll give us a clue on how to stop this being said," he turned to Alexandrite and then to Ruby. "You two, while this is a joint team operation lead by me, you are still responsible for your team and then each other you got that? I can't micromanage everything you do so make sure you're on your toes at all times and you keep an eye on each other," he rested a hand on each leader's shoulder. Ruby and Alexandrite glanced at each other sharing a silent moment as if to say I got your back. Weiss noticed the exchange and felt a sudden wave of nausea looking at them.

"If things get dicey and I tell you to run, you make sure you get everyone back to safety, even if you have to leave me behind," Qrow said, his expression was purely serious, a look that was rarely seen on his face.

"But..." Sapphire wanted to protest that they can't just abandon him but Qrow held up his hand, "This is reality, not training. You can die, so if I tell you to get going. You run and never look back you understand?" He said placing a hand firmly on the smaller girl's shoulder, she just stiffly nodded.

"Oh, and Charcoal," Qrow said turning back to Alexandrite, the boy in question tilted his head as if to ask Hm? "Try to keep it strictly professional when we're boots on the ground, my niece needs to keep her head cool," Alexandrite started to sputter and fumble but he tried to play it off, "Uhhh which one old man."

"You know exactly which one I'm talking about," Qrow folded his arms.

Ruby proceeded to turn beet red, "IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Ruby almost screamed. Qrow started to laugh, "Yeah yeah I'm just messin' with yah," he ruffled her hair earning a pout from the red cloaked leader. "Same goes for you to purple."

Hex just nodded, "No problem sir, we know our priorities." she said stiffly. Yang just stifled a chuckle at Qrow rolling his eyes from being called sir.


The airship dropped them off at the base of the canyon that fed into the valley, already they could feel the frostbite on the wind. The difference in temperatures was massive, still, it wasn't cold enough that they couldn't bare. Yang's usual outfit was replaced by a fully covered orange and brown long-sleeved shirt and fitted pants, a large brown fur coat draped around her shoulders, unsurprisingly she was the second least layered out of everyone there.

"Holy shit it's freezing," Nitro was practically shivering already, he never was one for the cold, even in his silver and white fur jacket, black two undershirts and cargo pants. Yang was in a similar boat nodding in agreement as she pulled a large coat over her shoulders.

"Honestly it would be less cold if you didn't insist on not wearing thermally insulated under clothing," Weiss gestured to herself, she was wearing a full white and blue one-piece suit that was accented by a strapped on matching coat.

"W-What c-can I s-say, g-gotta look h-hot f-for the c-cold," she smiled through the slight shiver. Weiss just shook her head in disdain. Ruby was wrapped in a black fur coat that seemed a one size too large, her usual outfit was replaced by a one-piece suit similar to Weiss, except completely black with red accents around the collar and belt, her Rose symbol on the buckle, Hex, Sapphire and Blake were all wearing matching suits as well, apparently, they were designed by Hex to be thermally insulated, keeping out as much heat as possible. Alexandrite just pulled up his hoodie and stuck his hands in his pockets trying not to stare at the outfit that clung to the red leader's figure a little too well.

"Hey, why aren't you wearing a coat or one of Hex's thermal suits? Aren't you cold? I mean if you're not cold now you eventually will," Ruby reached out and touched his arm concern in her eyes. Alexandrite blushed behind his mask, "It's fine Red, I'm uh…naturally resistant to the cold," the boy responded poking her cheek to which she just squinted her eyes and beamed a smile before swatting away his finger.

Sapphire who was wearing a deep blue coat with purple patterns that resembled galaxies, simply giggled at the young leader, "Ruby, my brother doesn't feel the cold per se but, he doesn't like it very much." She punched her older brother's arm lightly.

Yang put an arm around Alexandrite's shoulder in a friendly manner, "How's that huh? You got some kinda funky built-in heater?" she laughed heartily. Sapphire and Alexandrite exchanged a glance knowing how close that was to the truth, "He uhh, it's part of his semblance, the adaptation yeah," she was nervous and biting her lip under her mask hoping they bought it.

"Ah, that makes sense!" Yang slapped Alexandrite's back playfully. The entirety of team ASHN breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright everyone we need to move now, otherwise we might not make it anywhere before the day is up," Qrow said as he moved forward. Both teams followed behind pressing through, as they made their way closer to the center, the snow beneath them began to thicken until it slowed their pace to a crawl.

The wind speed began to rapidly increase as the temperature further dropped. Everyone was bundling up further and wrapping their arms around themselves in a failing effort to stave off the cold. It felt as though the sun's heat no longer affected the ground beneath them, being hidden behind clouds of snow, the mountain ridges that lined the valley seemed to act like a border now, isolating them from the rest of the world. Alexandrite could feel the icy air enter his lungs and practically freeze his throat. He smelled nothing but the cold, his abnormally high body temperature kept him warm but even he had to admit it was becoming difficult now. Ever since he awakened his powers, his body generated large amounts of heat such that he never felt cold nor was bothered by extreme heat.

"We need to find a place to rest, we can't take much more of this weather!" Qrow yelled over the roar of the harsh winds. Hex and Blake who held no complaints at the start were now shivering uncontrollably, Blake's ears pressed against her head, "S-Seriously guys I-I'm f-freezing, and I t-think Y-Yang's turning blue!" she yelled back. Yang who couldn't even speak just nodded stiffly, icicles forming over her hair.

"Hex what're our bearings, your nav equipment got anything?" Alexandrite yelled back. Hex pulled out a handheld device that resembled a tablet and checked it, "W-w-We got a cave u-up ahead, 2 miles North East!" she walked up started guiding Qrow.

Suddenly, Blake, Alex, and Sapphire stopped dead in their tracks. Everyone followed suit standing stock still. "What is it?" Ruby yelled over the noise.

"We're surrounded." Came the short response, "Grimm, several of them." Alexandrite scanned the area, the storming landscape was limiting their vision, they could barely see five meters in front of them.

"I don't see anything, how do you know?" Yang preparing Ember Celia.

Alex didn't answer, instead, he launched himself at Weiss and tackled her to the ground just in time for a beowolf to come soaring above their heads.

"Defence formation, everyone back to back, they're using the snow as cover!" Qrow yelled as he helped Alexandrite and Weiss up. They barely had a moment to get into position before multiple Beolwolves came rocketing out from the thick snow. Qrow, Ruby and Alexandrite were dealing with the heavy onslaught from their sides while Hex, Weiss, and Blake were providing long-range support, Yang and Sapphire would take down the ones that got too close.

"Nothing like a little battle to get you warmed up, right? Remember guys stay frosty." Yang said laughing while punching a beowolf square in the jaw, popping its head. Everyone groaned in response to her pun.

The corpses kept piling up and disappearing, they could only handle so many at once, "Where are they all coming from!" Blake yelled in frustration as she wrapped her ribbon around one and batted it into an oncoming group.

"Ozpin did tell us that there was a mass congregation of them, I just didn't expect this many at once!" Qrow called back, cutting down a few in his path. The fact that they were all attracted to their location could only be because of one thing... his semblance, Bad Luck, it was active. Once he realized he yelled over "WE NEED TO MOVE FAST! We can't keep fighting forever!"

"NO SHIT!" Sapphire screamed as she spun her axe in a whirlwind severing the bodies of five beowolves at once.

"Just get moving, follow Hex!" Alexandrite called, they all instantly broke formation and began sprinting, Hex stood in the middle being protected by the other eight people because she couldn't fight while navigating. They fought tooth and nail before the seemingly endless droves of Grimm had subsided as if the creatures had suddenly stopped or given up.

The time it took to reach shelter felt like ages, Alexandrite's mask was becoming uncomfortable as the frosted air had melted behind it against his face and kept it uncomfortably wet on one side and practically frozen on the outside. If they were in any serious danger he may just have to risk his identity. But would that be so bad? A small voice inside him said, in some ways he agreed, it wouldn't be bad, rather he was sure by now his friends wouldn't care who or what he was but, it was for their safety, not his.


The mouth of the cave was finally in view as they hustled their way through the snow, the remaining stragglers of Grimm were finally gone but the storm wasn't. "Everyone inside!" Ruby yelled as she, Qrow and Alex hustled them in. "Is that the last of them?" Alexandrite asked trying to peer through the storm, sensing nothing.

"I think so but we can't let our guar- ACK!" Ruby's words were interrupted when a large worm-like Grimm shot out from the snow and struck her at blinding speeds. Alex's eyes widened in horror as he ran desperately over to the fallen girl, clutching her in his arms, "Ruby are you alright?!" He asked checking her over. She got up groggily, clinging onto him, "I'm fine, what the hell was that thing?" she questioned as Qrow had just pulled up and helped them into the cave. Everyone had run back to the entrance when they heard Ruby cry out.

"What's going on? Is Ruby hurt?" Yang asked frantically.

"Centinel, they thrive in cold environments... they're not easily detected so it's no surprise we were caught off guard... kiddo are you alright?" Qrow said looking to his niece. She sat up, her back against the wall, "I'm fine, nothing damaged." She affirmed. In truth, the creature had torn her suit with its surprise attack. The sudden influx of cold air hit her skin causing her to violently shiver and clutch her arms. Everyone just walked back into the cave except for Alexandrite who noticed her shivering.

Alex looked concerned, "Ruby... are you..."

"For the last time I'm fine Alex. It's just colder in here than expected... nothing my aura won't help." She smiled through the chill, not wanting to worry her friend. He just looked at her skeptically but, once she stopped shivering, or at least pretended to stop, he left it alone.

"Uncle Qrow do we need to set up watch for Grimm?" Alex said as he left to join Qrow at the mouth of the cave. The older huntsman nodded negatively, "I can see them, sort off, they refuse to get any closer like something is warding them off."

Alex wanted to contest his theory but he saw it for himself, the Centinel that had attacked Ruby had instantly sped off in fear as if the cave was taboo to them. They weren't coming in anytime soon, eventually, the just disappeared into the snow. Alexandrite concentrated on his senses, trying to pick up any threat but all he got was static noise, like a dull ringing that was blocking out his auditory systems.

Ruby looked to her team as they all sat in the cave, Yang's hair was frozen stiff while Blake was barely getting by, she was desperately trying to warm up her ears. Weiss looked unperturbed but the red sores on her arms said otherwise. Ruby herself was frozen to the core, her red hood stiff and her hands inhumanely cold.

"Alright we need to get a fire going," Qrow said as he dumped some 'dried' tinder and firewood from a supply pack on the ground. He sat there desperately trying to get it lit but the area was too cold, the wood was as frozen as it could get. Cursing loudly he stomped off. "Alright fire's a bust, best we just try to stave it off, keep together to stay warm" he muttered, just his luck, the one set of supplies they needed was frozen solid. Yang, Blake, and Weiss huddled together trying to get warm, Yang desperately prying icicles off her hair. Nitro and Hex huddled around Sapphire while Ruby and Alexandrite were still trying to defrost the firewood.

"Hey, Ruby got any fire dust?" Alexandrite asked as he clutched a handful of tinder. "Yeah hold on let me…." She reached into her coat and gave him a small vial of red dust.

"Is this all you have?" He asked looking at the incredibly small vial. "I don't wanna use it if that's the case, we may need it later," Alexandrite pushed the vial back into her hands. She shook her head affirmatively, "Yeah but we need the fire now, the only reason I have so little is because fire dust was pretty hard to come by since Torchwick cleaned Vale out pretty good," she said as she tried to force the dust onto him. He stopped her again.

"Hold up I got an idea," he said, Ruby looked at him curiously as he drew out Asura and pressed the blade up to the wood channelled his aura through it. Suddenly a warm glow formed around the blade slightly thawing the wood. "AH YES!" He yelled a little too excitedly.

The members of team ASHNRWBY looked at the source of the noise, Alexandrite felt a little embarrassed under the attention, "Ah nothing just got the wood thawed," he said laughing awkwardly. Ruby smiled at his embarrassment. The only problem now was that the wood was still slightly wet.

When he was sure everyone wasn't looking he turned to Ruby, "Psst Rubes," he whispered. She turned her head to respond but he put a finger to her lips, cold as it was on his gloved hand she still blushed from the contact. "What you are about to see you must swear to tell no one, understood?" he said as he looked her in the eyes.

"Wha- I don't…" she was confused but the look in his eyes said it all, she nodded seriously in understanding. "Okay good," he said as he ungloved his hands and placed them over the wood. Alexandrite concentrated deep within him channeling his inner fire, instantly drying the wood and igniting the pile. Ruby's eyes went wide.

"What was!" she almost said too loudly but Alexandrite silenced her again with his finger, it was inhumanely warm in contrast to her frozen lips. "Shhh not a word, I know you have questions but I can't answer them, not yet," he said as he ruffled her hair. She blushed but kept her mouth shut. He stared at his finger, then at Ruby... was she supposed to be that cold?

The members of the team huddled around the fire desperately trying to get warm. Ruby, however, was still freezing, the inside of her gloves had melted and the cold water kept there freezing her to the bone. Deciding it better to just stay by the fire and tough it out she kept at it, her boots that had filled with snow long forgotten on her feet. No one took notice of the young girl's demeanor which slowly deteriorated as the night rolled in, the thermally insulated clothing was thoroughly failing now that the cold had seeped into her body.

Everyone lay fast asleep, Yang cuddling up to her girlfriend while Weiss, Blake, and Sapphire were curled up together in a pile of black, white and blue. Nitro had fallen asleep with three coats on him, Qrow was silently snoring over the red-headed boy, apparently passed out from alcohol, while Alexandrite was propped up at the cave wall, not needing any extra warmth.

Ruby sat there awake, freezing in the dark ice cave that was barely lit by the fire. She tore her gloves off to see her fingers blue and stiff, her arms and legs ached and she felt difficulty to breathe. She drew closer to the fire in some thinly veiled attempt at salvaging what was left of her body temperature, she would get no sleep at this rate, in fact, she was pretty sure she would either collapse or die of hypothermia, but her throat was too dry, too cold to call out for someone.

Alexandrite had been roused from his sleep by a change in vibration of the floor. Something was moving rapidly in place. Waking himself he found a violently shivering Ruby at the fire. Alarms went off in his head and immediately he rushed to her side. Sitting down next to her on a sleeping bag, he reached out to touch her shoulder. The young girl who had been staring at he fire nearly jumped at the contact.

"Shh Ruby, hey, you okay?" Alexandrite said quietly as he held her shoulder, pulling her closer to him and wrapping an arm around her. Still shivering she nodded negatively. "Why didn't you say something before? How come you're this cold?" he said as he pressed an ungloved hand against her forehead. It was freezing cold.

"M-M-My suit is t-torn. I-I-I d-d-didn't want anyone to w-worry, p-plus I f-figured I would w-warm up eventually b-but…" she trailed off her teeth chattering. Alexandrite took her hands into his, both of them blushing furiously under the contact, and he channeled his warmth to her, secrets be damned, her life was in danger. He concentrated hard on generating as much heat as possible, screw losing control, he had to do this... for her. Gradually her hands began warming up but the same couldn't be said for her body, while it was becoming stable, her torso and legs were still slightly blue.

"Ruby…." He looked at the girl in question. She tilted her head slightly out of confusion, "Hm?".

"Umm…. Don't think I'm weird or anything but…. Could you remove your coat and suit?" he asked while blushing. Instantly her face turned red, "W-Wha! It's too soon..errr I mean um," she was clearly embarrassed, but he took her sudden energy as a sign her life wasn't in danger anymore.

"AH NO NOT LIKE THAT I MEAN UM I…I can't get you warm through your clothes, you can keep your undershirt on just I need a more um…direct…contact…" he said clearly embarrassed. She nodded awkwardly and not trusting herself to say more she undid her coat and took off her suit, sitting there in just her sweater like black vest and stripping he pants off staying in her shorts she drew closer to him. Finally, she turned around to find a rather shirtless Alexandrite.

Clearly not an unwelcome sight by any means she figured but she couldn't stop the urge to hide her face in embarrassment. His chest and abs were well defined each line as if chiseled to perfection. She almost felt all the blood rush to her head just staring at him. What was amiss however were the clear different patches around his shoulder and forearms, though nigh unnoticeable in the campfire light, Ruby could almost make out what looked to be scales, they were mostly hidden by the more glaring scars. Her gaze softened upon seeing the many battle wounds, he wasn't overly scarred by any means, but there were a few notable ones, an 'x' shaped scar with a hole in the middle on his left shoulder blade, a three-pronged scar on his right upper arm and two streaks on his left.

"Curious?" He asked seeing her eyeing him. He sat next to her and drew closer until Ruby was touching him, he draped his large black cloak around them and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, she knew he wouldn't answer so she didn't bother to respond.

"Don't get me wrong it's just to keep you warm," he said bashfully as he was clearly red under his mask. Giggling a little to stave off embarrassment she leaned into him. The unnatural warmth of his body comforted and soothed her. Unconsciously she then rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Noticing Ruby was falling asleep Alexandrite began generating more heat using his power, effectively warming up the girl. Pulling the coat around them they eventually succumbed to content and satisfying sleep.


"Well well well, You know while the rest of us slept practically freezing to death, waking up cold and sore I find this!" Yang yelled loudly, rousing Alexandrite from his sleep.

"Uhh Yang what are you…" he groaned his eyes still barely open. He tried to get up only to be met with an unfamiliar resistance, glancing down he noticed the still asleep form of Ruby Rose, snoring quietly on his chest, the two still barely clothed wrapped in the large coat, it didn't help that they were both shirtless, and when he attempted to move, Ruby just smiled and murmured something incoherent before nuzzling further into her warm pillow.

Blushing madly he began sputtering but he didn't want to wake Ruby. "Yang! It's um not what you think?" he answered sheepishly. A sudden murmur came from his chest, "Yang no…go back…sleep…bed warm…." Ruby said half asleep as she buried her head deeper into her bed, which was strangely hard. Using her hands, she pressed down, instead of meeting fabric she met soft skin and hard muscle. Blinking slowly, she raised her head and met the piercing eyes of Alexandrite staring down at her. "G'Morning!" he said trying to fight his embarrassment.

It took Ruby a few moments to fully register the position she was in. Quickly she got up almost crushing the poor boy beneath her in embarrassment.

"AH! IT'S JUST….HE WAS….KEEPING ME WARM! I WAS FREEZING TO DEATH SO HE SAVED ME!" Ruby squealed as she tried to frantically put on her clothes which had dried near the fire.

"Oh my~ Both team leaders sharing the cold night together on a mission, and behind their teams' back, how scandalous!" Hex said covering her hand with her mouth. Blake snickered next to her while Weiss just blushed in embarrassment seeing the intimacy between the two.

Sapphire fake wiped a tear from her eye, "My boy becomes a man," she said sarcastically.

Nitro just snored away.

"I told you guys it's not like- AH FORGET IT YOU'RE ALL JERKS!" Ruby yelled as she stormed off only to be held down by Hex.

"Why were you so cold anyway? Something wrong with the suit?" Hex asked scanning the red leader. In almost an instant she found the tear, it was about the size of her index finger, located on Ruby's lower back. "Oh I see, hold on let me..."

Ruby stood stock still as the purplette reached into her bag, pulled out a rather large strip of what looked like black tape and slapped it onto Ruby's back causing the girl to shriek in surprise. "Wha?!"

"Thermal duct tape. It's gonna be a pain in the ass when you're taking it off but it'll stop you from freezing to death," she explained. Weiss just raised her eyebrow, "Really? Duct Tape? that's your solution?"

"You got a better idea?" she shot back sarcastically. Weiss just sighed and gave up.

"Hey anyone seen Uncle Qrow?" Sapphire asked glancing around for the huntsman. Choosing that exact moment, Qrow entered the cave from the outside, dusting snow off himself he turned to the others. "Alright listen up, the storm outside is only getting worse the closer we get to the center, given the experience we had coming up here I think we established that no amount of equipment is going to get us through that icy death trap," he walked up to Alexandrite and placed an arm on his shoulder and leaned in close to his ear. "Try to keep it in your pants okay charcoal?" he said quietly in a tone that sent chills up Alexandrite's spine.

"Old man you KNOW It's not like that!" he said desperately trying to regain his senses. Qrow laughed and patted his back, "I know just doing the obligatory. I trust you."

Alexandrite turned around, "Hex" he began to call but she stopped him. "I figured this would be the case so while we were asleep last night I set the equipment to sonar scan the caves, Apparently this thing leads directly to a large empty space in the direction of the center, if we follow this we should get to our destination, if not we just retrace our steps. My tech works even underground so navigation shouldn't be an issue," she said.

"Resourceful as always," Alexandrite said proudly as he and Qrow began to pack up. "AND WOULD SOMEONE WAKE UP THAT RED-HAIRED IDIOT!" Hex yelled terrifying Nitro out of his sleep.

"WAH! WHAT! WHO?!" He scrambled to his feet. "Pack up were heading out," Alexandrite said.

The team made their way deeper into the iced-out cave. The ground beneath them was smooth but held enough traction so they didn't slip. Alexandrite could smell it on the air, the longer and deeper they traveled the warmer the air got, the biting cold slowly dissipated as if the cave itself was acting as a heater. His skin sensitive and the hairs on the back of his stood up, it felt like something was watching then. Or someone. In this age of Hunters and Huntresses, having a person lurk unseen is a much more terrifying thought than any beast in the dark. Once they were thoroughly far enough from the entrance, Alexandrite began to rub his arms raw from anxiety. He hated the underground, crazy how one of the last two known members of the dragon clan is afraid of one of the things dragons are known for... caves. Well, to be more specific, he was terrified of the underground, anywhere he wasn't free, where he couldn't see the sky or escape easily, terrified him.

"How long til we get there?" Nitro called back his voice reverberating along the walls of the cave.

Hex checked her handheld navigator for what seemed to be the hundredth time since they started their trek. "About few meters," she replied.

"Anyone notice the fact that we're underground but we haven't needed a single torch or light?" Weiss commented. The others took notice themselves, in truth what was supposed to be a pitch dark cave was near luminescent. The iced walls seemed to glow a faint light blue as if there were little lights behind them.

"This place probably isn't even a real cave, far as I can tell the ground underneath the ice is solid metal," Qrow said not looking back.

"You're telling us this observation now?" Weiss asked incredulously.

"Well I was a bit skeptical at first honestly but it makes sense now that you pointed out the fact that we don't need any light. This place was probably an old access tunnel of sorts, the power still working, either that or it's been turned on," he pulled his Harbinger closer to him. In truth he was on guard for quite some time, his nephew seemed to have picked up on it as well. Something didn't sit right in the back of his mind he felt it, and his instincts were never wrong.

"We're getting close, be on your guard," Qrow instructed. Alexandrite walked up beside him, "Qrow…" he didn't need to finish, "I know I've been feeling it for a while now," Qrow replied.

It wasn't long before the cave which had been relatively linear until now met with an abrupt dead end. "Well this is odd," Hex said, tapping her device.

"What's up did we miss a path somewhere?" Weiss asked coming to a halt with the rest of her group. "No I'm 200% sure we are on the right path but, the sonar scans didn't indicate this wall before," she said as she gave her navigation device a shake.

"Your equipment's buggy as usual," Nitro laughed only to be hit over the head by the iron fist of Hex Magenta. "You idiot! I'll have you know my tech is top notch," she stuck her tongue out.

"All right calm down, let's just take a breath and figure this out, Yang, Blake can you two take a recon back and see if we missed a path, don't go too far though. Weiss, Alexandrite and Nitro start preparing for- Hey Alexandrite, Alexandrite! What are you…" Qrow who was delegating stopped as he observed the young leader walk right up to the ice wall.

Since they arrived at the wall something seemed strange, it felt like, it was calling him. A low hum that only he could hear. "Dude you good? Alexandrite?" Sapphire called after her brother who was now walking in a trance-like state up to the wall. However, Alexandrite didn't head her, or rather he could neither hear nor register anything at the moment.

Placing his ear against the wall he closed his eyes and listened, a soft reverberating sound echoed within. "It's here," he finally said, turning around now fully aware of all the eyes trained on him curiously. He coughed in embarrassment, "Whatever we're looking for it's in here" he said scratching the back of his neck.

"All I see is a frozen wall" Weiss a little peeved at his confusing statement.

"It's um… hard to explain but I can hear it?" he said the disbelief even in his own voice. "Yeah... me to..." Blake said distantly as her ears perked up to the unknown dull ringing.

"What do you…" Weiss was cut off by Qrow. "Doesn't matter, there is a wall here, we need to do something about it."

"I have an idea for that…" Alexandrite said as he turned around and drew Asura, the Incindium blade glowed a hot orange colour.

"What are you doing?" Sapphire questioned but her brother paid no heed. He took off his glove and traced his fingers along the wall until he found something, a thin hole concealed in the ice. He jammed the edge of Asura into the hole.

He withdrew the blade and paused. For a moment nothing happened, leaving the team to question his actions. "Um what was that for?" Yang asked standing next to her sister. Suddenly as if on queue, the blue icy wall shot up in a glow of bright orange. Technological veins covered the wall like a computer circuit board. After a few seconds, the wall parted in two, revealing it to be a large door. The ancient frozen over technology glittering and gleaming behind the thin layer of ice that masked its futuristic aesthetic.

The gateway opened revealing a dark interior illuminated only by strips of blue light that traveled along the ground like liquid. The metal floor beneath them was solid and etched in various markings unknown to the troupe, as they pervaded the darkness, a rush of warm air filtered out from the depths, above them a ceiling too high to determine.

Alexandrite and Sapphire stepped in first, the faint hum that was naught but a mere whisper before seemed to increase in volume the further they went in. Alexandrite could tell now, it felt like the machinery that lay scattered and strewn along a seemingly guided pathway were once part of a grand scheme, something that felt so familiar yet foreign to him. His ears pricked at the sound, the dull ringing that seemed to come from far beneath them yet also above, an all-encompassing rhythm as if the complex itself was alive.

"How the hell did you know to do that?" Weiss asked, feeling baffled at her lack of information for what seemed to be the millionth time.

"I'm not sure..." Alexandrite offered up but Weiss just let out an exasperated groan.

Blake had a theory, that the low ringing was the signal Ozpin had picked up, she and Alex could hear it because they were Faunus. So why was it that Sapphire couldn't hear it? Why did the door open when he stabbed it? Did it have something to do with the way his blade resonated with the machinery?


The next chapter should be up by tonight, it's already in editing progress but my brain is a little overheated.