I did say it wouldn't take 2 weeks, so I'm slowly cutting time between chapters until I can bring myself back up to my old speed.
Astray-tech nice to see you enjoying this so much, I can only hope to get better at my pacing and hit all the marks, and as for the cover art, it's actually fanart done by one of the readers, you can check them out on twitter Enix223.
Chapter 67: Snow, Ice But Not Everything Nice
Neopolitan was astonished at the hospitality given to her by Atlas Academy, let alone the team of teens that were once her mortal enemies.
Not only was she fully supplied with a fully furnished room, but she was also generously provided with clothes, uniforms, books and a scroll, courtesy of the team.
She was situated with the other new recruits in their barracks so she wasn't in the same side of the building as the Ace-Ops or team ASHNRWBYJNR but she was close enough to have access to their common room since she was essentially under RWBY's tutelage.
It technically all wasn't free since she was now working for the academy, but she did have to pass a physical screening to test her abilities. Being careful not to show off her skills too much, she was still able to pass with flying colours, and even let it slip that she possessed knowledge of Aura, her cover-up being that she was forced to awaken at an early age due to her life out in the Tundra. Needless to say they didn't ask too many questions, though the General didn't seem to share that courtesy.
His first few lines to her after the screening were a bombardment of "What led you to live out there? Who were your relatives? How did you manage the cold? How long have you worked with the SDC previously? Etc."
She replied as vaguely as possible and to answer when she didn't come up in the SDC database was that she was an 'un-listed' worker since she was under-age, so the SDC had full deniability on her existence, not that Jacques would ever remember someone like her anyway.
The team as well as Ironwood seemed to readily accept the concept that the SDC would try to pull something like that, and it begged the question, just how strained was their relationship?
It all fell in way too easily for her liking, if she'd known the enemy was this easy to fool she'd have tried harder a long time ago…
"Hey Anna, you ready for drills today?" Weiss asked as she approached the girl sitting in the training room.
Anna, a nickname the ex-Schnee Heiress had taken to calling her. Out of everyone on team RWBY, the last person she wanted to interact with, let alone the one she least expected to be nice to her was the Schnee girl, but for some reason, she was treated with such warmth, it was bewildering.
She trained with them over the last week, feigning to be bad at basic combat and pretending to learn through their teachings, essentially being taken under their wing. Surprisingly they were good teachers, even if she was new to fighting, she'd have learnt quickly under them.
"You know, you fight a lot like someone I once knew…" Weiss said as they began clashing swords in the training room. Neo had taken up a fencing saber since it was the closest thing to her umbrella she could find, and it wouldn't throw anyone off either.
"Yeah… she reminded me of ice-cream, a quiet girl, came off as a bitch…" Weiss continued on.
Neo almost froze up when she realized Weiss was talking about her, then began fighting the urge to punch Weiss for the 'bitch' comment.
"I didn't really know her though. Don't tell Yang I said this but, I heard she got her ass beat by the ice-cream girl," Weiss said with a giggle as she parried a thrust from Anastasia aka Neo.
Neo shot her a smug smile but quickly hid it. She was looking for a way to subtly get revenge for the comment when Weiss said something that completely threw her off guard, "That girl… we might've been enemies but… I wonder if she's okay now?"
Neo's strike faltered and she began blinking rapidly, her mind coming to a full halt at the unexpected sequence of sentences expelled from the mouth of Weiss Schnee.
Weiss caught the look, "Confused as to why I'm worried about my enemy?"
Anastasia nodded her head innocently.
It was a difficult thing for the Schnee to explain, it was more of a sentiment shared by her and Ruby throughout their travels. 'Where their enemies really evil?'.
"I don't think she was inherently bad," Weiss began explaining.
Neo sheathed her saber and began signing, 'You said you didn't know her, how can you assume that?'
Weiss sighed and leaned on Myrtenaster, "In all the times we clashed, she's never once tried to kill us. She could've killed Yang but she didn't. Yang says her mom saved her, but she said there were points in the fight where she could've been killed easily, but the girl chose not to. The real kicker was the last time I saw her." She held a look of remembrance.
"She had a partner, or father? I'm not really sure what kind of person Roman Torchwick was to her," Neo froze again when Weiss mentioned his name, but the Schnee didn't see the reaction. "That man… I think… gave his life to protect her. Ruby wanted to save everyone, but that was impossible in that situation. While we were escaping, I saw her, she was… crying… and I think that someone who cries over the loss of a comrade can't be all that bad…"
Neo was at a loss for words, she didn't know if she wanted to slap the Schnee girl for bringing up those memories and making assumptions about her personality, or curl up on the floor and cry, for the unexpected kindness.
Since Roman, no one had ever shown any sort of care for her well-being, and now, standing before her was her apparent enemy, showing more care than her own supposed comrades. She felt the urge to wake herself up, she had a job to do. Her goal was to acquire the Winter Maiden's power, drop the relics to Cinder and put a bullet in the head of the Grimm-loving queen and her pet corpse. Team ASHNRWBY were just tools for her to get what she wanted, just tools...
Despite her thoughts, she decided to tap Weiss on the shoulder to gain her attention, and signed, 'Wherever that girl is, I'm sure she's doing alright'.
Weiss nodded, "Yeah, she was pretty tough after all. Still… no one can be tough forever…"
Those words struck Neo's core, 'No one can be tough forever' she muttered the mantra in her head. She couldn't afford to crack, not now… not when she's so close to being free…
They were interrupted by the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps, it was the smallest one from the team, the big dragon's little sister, Luna, if she remembered correctly.
"Weiss! There you are… oh, hello Miss Anastasia, sorry to interrupt your training but General Ironwood wants to see all members of ASHNRWBYJNR in his office," Luna said in a very polite tone as she addressed Neo.
Neopolitan thought that she herself was cute, but this girl was definitely on her own level.
Weiss sheathed Myrtenaster and got up, "Looks like I'm cutting us short. Same time tomorrow Anna?"
Neo nodded with a smile as she waved them off.
As the team assembled in General Irondwood's office, the other members of the Ace-Ops were already waiting.
"Ah good, you're here…" James said as Weiss walked in accompanied by Luna. "We can get this meeting started."
Elain entered the room with Dr. Polendina, she was clad in a brand-new lab-coat and smoking what appeared to be a cigarette, but instead of tobacco smoke, out came sweet smelling vapours.
"Mom, why must you stifle us?" Nova said as he held his nose and waved away the vapours. He always found it odd that a canine Faunus with a heightened sense of smell would take up such a bad habit, but she seemed to enjoy it so he withheld his apprehensions.
The older Faunus took the cigarette from her mouth and blew out some more, "Vapour cigs, smells like flowers and tastes like tobacco, feels like heaven in my head,"
"Could you refrain from smoking in here?" Ironwood asked, also batting away some of the vapours.
Elain just snorted and pocketed it non-nonchalantly, "Fine, business it is, call me when you pull the sticks out your asses…" she muttered the last part.
"Ahem!" Polendina coughed into his fists, "What Dr. Flareheart means to say is that we've processed the batch of Dust you excavated from the mines, including that peculiar super charged crystal. It needs to be transported to Amity Colosseum launch site." Pietro explained with a chuckle.
Nova hummed, "So what? You need us to escort it or something? How much of a black-ops operation is this that we can't send a truck or a plane there?"
Ironwood chose then to interject, "As you know… my… public image is less than ideal, and any Atlas shipments heading out of Mantle will instantly be flagged for suspicion by… people who shouldn't know…" he chose his words carefully, and Nova couldn't help but envision his phrasing as if stepping through a craftily placed minefield. Perhaps the General had more tact than he chose to let on.
"What aren't you telling us James? Who're we hiding from?" Qrow asked confused.
"Nothing just… the less people who know about our moves the better. The problem lies in the transportation, the super-charged crystal needs a special case to carry it safely but…" Ironwood started.
"The case has already been designed by us and developed by our most trusted military suppliers," Polendina said proudly, "The Zephyr Security Company."
Nitro and Hex paled at the sound of the name, "Oh no…" Nitro mouthed.
"The case would've been delivered here but… they requested it to be picked up on site, all their delivery services are unavailable due to the embargo," Polendina explained further.
Jaune looked at the red-head, "Wait, isn't that… your family?"
Nitro nodded slowly, "I was really hoping to avoid this…"
"Better now than never mate," Nova said placing a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.
ASHNRWBYJNR had split off with Oscar sticking behind with JNR to train on unlocking his semblance while the rest went to the Zephyr Security Company. According to Jaune and Oscar, it didn't make sense they all visit the Zephyrs, since too many people would cause a hassle, they could always be introduced at some other time.
Zephyr Security Company aka the ZSC, a name that was widely known throughout the military community but highly unknown in the public eye. They were the primary suppliers and manufacturers of all Atlas, Vacuo and Mistralian military equipment. Vale, being the free city that it was, chose not to invest in military and relied on their own Huntsmen of Beacon Academy and Atlas to deal with threats.
If the SDC was the titan of Dust, then the ZSC were the titans of guns and explosives. The majority of Atlas Academy's development team came from them, and to say they wielded influence was an understatement, however, unlike the SDC, the ZSC chose to remain as covert as possible. They neither chose to spread their name through advertisements nor host spectacles, events and functions like the Schnees did, and as such, most of the general populace knew nothing of them. They were the giants hiding in plain sight.
Standing tall among the various buildings in Atlas, not heightened enough to be a skyscraper but wide enough to pass as a warehouse, was a shiny, modern-looking building, and though it was beautiful in architectural design, it bore no brands or name, and many citizens of Atlas passed it off as a manufacturing warehouse, which in fact only comprised of half of its facility, as the team would find out upon arrival.
They stood on foot at the guarded gates that entered into the premises, a single booth stood with a retractable gate barring the entry. A lone guard sat in the booth, bored out of his mind and uninterested with the world.
"Hello?" Nova called as they stood awaiting entry. The guard paid them no heed, so Nova nudged Nitro with his elbow, prompting the redhead to approach the man.
Nitro wrapped his knuckles on the perspex windowpane that separated the booth from the outside world, loud enough to rouse the man inside.
"What'dya want? This place ain't a tourist attraction, and if you're lookin for the amusement park it's three blocks down," He said with a grunt, barely acknowledging them.
Weiss felt a vein about to burst in her head, how dare he treat them with such disrespect?
"We're not here to sight-see," Nova said, following up behind Nitro, "We're here on business."
The man snorted, "And what business would a bunch of kids have with this place huh? I'm not buying it so piss off."
"Really? You're not making a very good impression," Nova responded, a sly smirk creeping its way over his face.
The man looked irritated, "It's not my job to make a good impression, and I should have you all arrested for loitering if you don't beat it right now!"
Nova's held an irritated gaze, "Is that any way to speak to professional Huntsmen?"
"Professional Huntsmen? Yeah and I'm the CEO of the SDC. Move before I call security!" The balding man's fists balled up in anger.
"Oh please, do try~" Nova teased causing them all to flinch.
"Nova what're you doing?!" Blake hissed, "Don't get us in trouble!"
Nova didn't answer as he watched the man pick up the desk phone and call head security, "Oi, we got a situation out here. Some kids are making a fuss and refuse to leave the premises."
"And how is that our problem? Deal with it," The person on the other side of the line said.
Nova quickly reached through the open window and snatched the phone from the man's hand with blinding speeds, and held it up to his ear.
"Hey is this head of security?" Nova asked sweetly through the phone.
"And to whom am I speaking?" The voice responded back.
"Nova Flareheart. I'm here with my team, we were sent by Ironwood to collect the specialized Transport cases for the dust? I believe you're expecting us? Your man out here is being rather rude."
"Ironwood's people? Wai…" The voice was suddenly cut off by the sound of a man saying something incoherent followed by the phone changing hands, the new voice spoke, "Did you just say Nova Flareheart?" the voice was deep and gravelly.
"Ah Mr. Zephyr? It's been a while!" Nova said with a grin plastered on his face now, it was hard to not remember the distinctive voice of Nitro's father. The guard seemed to pale at the sound of the name. "I'm here with your son and daughter, and Weiss Schnee," he deliberately called them out, each person in question folded their arms smugly while looking at the guard. He then passed the phone to the now terrified man who looked as white as a sheet.
The guard who'd been so rude earlier, now realizing the company he was in, was very quickly beginning to regret his actions as he meekly replied affirmations to the man on the phone before raising the gate, allowing the team inside.
As they crossed the parking lot toward the main entrance, Nova spotted several delivery trucks parked outside, 'I thought they said all delivery services were busy?'
Once inside the large doors they were greeted by a host of guards, all lined in pristine military uniforms, saluting their entry as a tall, muscular man with bright red hair and a beard that connected along his square jaw stood (Think Battle Professor Graves from LoL). He wore a fancy grey tuxedo with white undershirt, standing next to him was a tall woman with bright blonde hair and emerald green eyes, she wore a silver dress and matching stilettos. She radiated an aura of meadows and spring air.
"Welcome, Huntsmen and Huntresses, to the Zephyr Security Corporation." The tall man said as he greeted the team.
Jaune and the others marveled at the fancy greeting, "I hope you can forgive our less than friendly welcome at the door…" the man said.
Nova waved his hand dismissively, "No harm no foul, I think he took enough punishment from the heart attack we gave him, onto other news, I believe there are two people here who so desperately need to meet you…" he glanced back at Nitro who was shying away behind Hex.
The purplette rolled her eyes and gripped her brother's arm, yanking him forward to greet their parents and threw him in front of her.
"H-Hey mom, dad…" the redhead waved nervously at his two parents.
"Listen, um… I know we kinda… sorta disappeared without saying anything- OOF!" he was cut off when his mother stepped forward and wrapped him and Hex in a large hug.
"We can talk about this later, for now… I'm just glad you're safe…" she said.
Nitro and Hex looked about ready to burst into tears, "We're home, mother…" Hex said softly.
"Thank you, for keeping our kids safe," Nitro's father said looking at Nova and his team.
"Bold of you to assume they needed protecting," Luna giggled.
The man rolled his eyes, "I know my kids, they most definitely have a knack for trouble. Come, let's talk," he gestured for them to follow through the facility.
As they walked and talked, the team learnt of the identities of the Zephyr parents, Achilles and Flora Zephyr, who gave them a tour.
Weiss would often have to pry Ruby away from various rooms loaded with weaponry and drag Luna away from the labs.
"I noticed outside security was a bit… underwhelming, if you'll forgive my wording," Nova pointed out, trying to be as diplomatic as possible with his words.
Achilles smirked, "A ploy of sorts. Since you are officially military, I guess it's fine to tell you," he stroked his beard, "Laden in the walls are automated turrets that are programmed with precise aiming and loaded with various rounds ranging from lethal to non-lethal and crowd control. Ontop of that this facility extends several levels below the surface of the earth, and we have our own on site security team. We're about as impregnable as Atlas Academy itself."
Nova let out a sharp whistle, "Remind me never to try and break into this place…"
They were now situated in a break room of sorts, closed off from the rest of the facility.
"Now that we have some privacy…" Achilles said as he sat down on an office chair, one of many that lined a large round table at the center of the room, "I want to hear your explanation, and make it good…" his demeanor changed from the seemingly stern but amiable man, to a now serious and cold aura. He clasped his hands around his chin, resting under his nose, as he glared daggers at Nitro and Hex.
"Dear! You said you wouldn't!" Flora said looking angry at him.
"NO! I need to know why my only son and daughter decided to take it upon themselves to leave school without so much as an explanation or shred of contact for months, only for them to appear on the goddamned tv at Amity Colosseum, under a brand-new Huntsmen Academy!"
The sheer rage and fury he was emitting made the team shrink back in silence while Hex and Nitro sat in front of their parents, looking scared stiff.
"I… we…" Nitro stuttered.
"Son, do you have any idea how worried we were? When we heard from Mistral's headmaster that you and your sister had gone and vanished from the school records, supposedly sent on exchange but you didn't say anything! We were prepared to assume the worst until we received that 'letter of explanation' if you could even call it that!" he continued to fume.
Nitro clenched his fists tightly in anxiety, he knew this day would come, that he'd have to face them, but it didn't make it any easier, "Dad… I… the reason we left was not to put you in any danger, the nature of our leave was… delicate, at the time, difficult to explain."
"Our protection? Don't think too highly of yourself! We're your parents, we're supposed to protect you, and if you hadn't noticed, we don't need protection! Explain yourselves, now!"
"Mr. Zephyr, if I may… it may be easier to explain coming from me," Nova said as he gestured for Luna to join him. "Your children left to protect you, that much is true, but they also left because of us."
"I'm listening…"
Nova then explained the situation with the White Fang and their connection, their real reason for leaving Mistral being that Haven was no longer safe and their kids had gotten roped into their problems.
"I see…" Achilles seemed to calm down a bit, "The situation was like that…"
"Father, please…" Hex spoke up, "I know that we were wrong to leave the way we did. Nitro and I chose to walk this path, and we don't regret it, not one bit. If we had to do it again, for their sake?" she looked at her team, catching Yang's eye and sending her a warm smile causing the blonde girl to blush, "We'd do it all again with no hesitation."
There was a long silence before the man let out a heavy sigh, "I can't claim to control your decisions, and it was partly my fault for allowing you two to live the way you did… I mean what sane parent lets their kids topple underground mafia sectors in Mistral?" he said referring to Nitro's first mission and how Hex became adopted into their family.
"Well now that the heavy stuff is over, I think a few introductions are in order?" Flora asked cheerily, "I know Nova and Luna, aka Alexandrite and Sapphire…"
"Yes we were meaning to ask you how you recognized us…" Nova said remembering that the only time they met before was when they were still wearing disguises, "Was it Quinten?"
Flora nodded in confirmation, "He contacted us shortly after you all showed up at our house in Mistral. I must say it was one of our first relieves to hear that you were all doing well, but to find out you're royalty… I almost feel bad for wearing this shabby outfit."
Weiss almost choked. Flora's outfit cost at least a few thousand Lien, and she called it shabby? The Zephyr's might have been more money blind than the Schnees…
Hex turned around and introduced everyone, "Mother, Father, these are my friends," she began introducing each member of team ASHNRWBY.
"You are all lovely, and I didn't think I'd see the day where a Schnee and a Zephyr got along… please don't feel uncomfortable, Miss Schnee," she said looking at Weiss.
The ex-heiress still looked somewhat nervous, Flora easily picked up on it, "Oh sweetheart don't worry. I don't plan to use you as a means to bridge the gap between our companies. Jacques will get what's coming to him… one way or the other…" Weiss felt a chill go down her spine, the sweet woman was definitely hiding an underlayer of demonic energy.
Weiss felt flustered, "Please, just call me Weiss… the SDC and I aren't on speaking terms anymore…"
"Oh yes I do believe I heard the rumours of the heiress running away from home and Jacques appointing his son as the new heir… that man… is he still as slimy and cold as ever?" Flora asked Weiss with a hint of venom on her tone, which was uncharacteristic of the warm woman.
Weiss' expression became serious, "You know how he is… he doesn't change and I doubt he ever will…"
Flora scoffed, "It's no wonder Willow has become what she is… that poor girl… reduced to that state, forced to live with a man like him…" she saw Weiss become uncomfortable at the mention of her mother, so she changed the topic, "Never mind about that. What about the rest of you?"
Yang who was quietly sitting through the whole ordeal finally stepped forward, "Um… hi, Mr and Mrs Zephyr?" she approached the two parents.
Hex instantly flushed red as she realized what Yang was about to do.
The bashful face of Yang Xiao Long was a rare sight to see, especially to those who weren't Hex Magenta-Zephyr, and to say the team were taken by surprise was an understatement.
"M-My name is Yang Xiao Long, um but you already know that from just now…"
Hex rolled her eyes as she giggled at her girlfriend's expense.
Yang continued, "I-I'm Hex's girlfriend, it's a pleasure to meet you," she said with a light bow.
Achilles choked on air while Flora's eyes lit up like a thousand suns, "YOU'RE SO PRETTY! I knew my daughter had good taste but to think she'd land a bombshell like you! Please take care of my daughter," Flora said giving Yang a tight squeeze, much to the brawler's surprise.
The parents were so accepting, she thought they'd at least show some resistance, like her dad, but I guess there were these types as well.
While that interaction was happening, Nova turned to Achilles, "I noticed you had several delivery trucks parked outside. I thought you told the academy that deiliveries were unavailable?"
The redhead man smirked, "A little white lie... I mean how else were we to get you to willingly come here?"
"Ask like a normal parent?" Nitro groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"And what part of us was ever normal?" came the blatant response, and Nitro couldn't deny those words.
About an hour later, they were done collecting the specialized transport case.
"Are you sure you don't want any of our specialized gear? Stun grenades? Semtex? A mobile dust ammunition auto-turret?" Flora began listing as they were leaving, like a host offering food for guests to take home, except instead of food it was all explosive and dangerous.
Ruby's eyes gleamed, "OOOH YES PLEA-!" her mouth was covered by Nova's hand.
"Ignore her, we really don't want to burden you. Besides we don't really have travelling space for an auto-turret…" he replied nervously.
Their offers were tempting but he was pretty sure if they took back anything, his mother would throw a hissy fit at them using someone else's tech.
As they were leaving, Nitro and Hex stopped behind everyone else before turning around to look at their parents.
"Mom, Dad we…" Nitro was tired of being at a loss for words, "Look, I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for disappearing, sorry for worrying you…"
"Son, you're a Hunstman now. Whether you wish to align yourself to the ZSC or your friends, we don't care. We won't make you chose. After hearing the story, and seeing how much you've grown… your mother and I can't lay claim to your lives anymore. You make your own decisions, both you and your sister. All we ask is that you take care of yourselves… no parent wants to see their children die before them," Achilles said with a stern expression.
Nitro felt his eyes begin to water as the overwhelming emotions burst forth like a broken dam, and he crashed into his father, giving him the first hug in what felt like years, "Goodbye dad… we'll come back and visit again…" he said with a teary smile, before taking off and leaving.
The road to the Amity Colosseum launch site was long and arduous, as two caravans loaded with dust traversed a seemingly endless expanse of white snow and ice. Ruby, Nova, Luna, Weiss, Penny, Elain, Qrow and Clover took up on the trip, since there was limited space. The others stayed behind, undertaking tasks as official Huntsmen.
When questioned why Elain needed to be there her response was, "I can't expect you muscle brains to handle the delicate stuff... my kids are the exception since they inherited my brain, but you lot on the other hand..." she glared at Qrow, "I don't trust the truck to randomly explode even WITH Clover around."
Qrow couldn't deny that fact, as much as he wanted to take offence, she was right.
In the rear truck, Clover and Qrow sat playing cards in the cargo hold, while Elain sat up front all of them bored to death with the eternal white snow.
Qrow reached down for his flask as he dropped a card onto the pile. Clover looked at him disapprovingly, "You should stop that. I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life but... as someone who has to look after those kids, even if they can handle themselves, you should always be on top performance."
The Branwen sighed as he placed down the flask, "Honestly... I've been drinking for so long that going without it feels wrong. It brings me a sense of comfort, especially now that... things are the way they are."
Clover pondered on that, "But is that why you drink? For comfort? No offense, but when people drink away their problems, it never helps them move on, and all you're doing is just running away."
"But sometimes it just hurts so much..." Qrow muttered under his breath, remembering the feeling of bitter pain and betrayal when he learned of Ozpin's true feelings.
Clover didn't miss the words leaving his lips, even if they were uttered quietly, "The first step happiness is overcoming that which brings you down. You must hurt before you learn to truly live again, so tear off your band-aid and face reality," he saw Qrow's eyes widen in both alarm and fear, "Or don't. I won't tell you how to live, this is just a friendly suggestion, from someone who knows what it's like."
The Older man wanted to ask what he meant by that, but he realized it wouldn't be fair to either of them. They didn't know each other like that, and everyone had things they didn't want to talk about, even if they'd already moved past it.
The trip was relatively boring, nothing interesting was happening as Ruby was slowly beginning to nod off, most of the trip was in silence since the team were split into two caravans and accompanied by Atlas personnel, their banter felt awkward around soldiers who wore face-covering helmets and bore nothing but silence.
Her head was leaned against Nova's shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his left arm, hugging it tightly to her body for warmth in the cold tundra as they sat together in the front seat of the vehicle.
"Isn't this great?!" Penny said, her shrill voice breaking the silent atmosphere and thoroughly startling the sleepy Ruby Rose.
"WAH! Penny?" the reaper complained as she rubbed her eyes, not bothering to get up from her boyfriend's shoulder.
"We're finally making progress on the Amity launch! And the trip is so scenic!" Penny cheered.
Nova glanced at the outside world, his eyes trailing on what felt like the same snowy hill repeated nine times in a row before the occasional dead tree, "Yeah… scenic…"
Weiss and Luna were snoring away on each other in the back of the truck while in the other vehicle were Elain, Qrow and Clover.
"It seems we've encountered a blockade," the soldier who was driving said, drawing attention to the spot ahead of them in the vast snow where two large rocky hills stood with a gap between them, directly in their line of travel. They were supposed to pass through the size-able gap, but now it was barricaded by metal barriers, and standing in front of them was a woman with dull white hair and tan skin, a single mole on her right cheek, just under her eye.
She was accompanied by a Faunus girl with short, fluffy hair and pale skin, who sported long sheep like ears. They both wore dark green uniforms that were symbolic of Mantle.
Weiss squinted, "Is that who I think it is…?"
Penny ran an analysis, "Robyn Hill, one of the candidates for the upcoming council election and representative of Mantle. What is she doing out here?"
The white-haired woman stood with a stern expression, rifle in hand as she blocked the road, "ATLAS STOP! We the people of Mantle demand to know your purpose for being out here!" Robyn yelled loudly.
Nova observed Qrow and Clover walking outside the truck, and decided to follow suit, ushering Ruby outside but telling the others to stay, in case they needed the benefit of a surprise attack.
"The real question is why are you here Robyn? Aren't you supposed to be busy prepping for the upcoming election?" Clover stated matter-of-factly, "How do you even know about this route? This is top secret."
Robyn let out a sly smile, "Must not be that secret if I found out. We know you're carrying valuable supplies and Dust, what we want to know is why?"
"That's none of your business, now let us through," Clover demanded.
She scoffed, "Supplies that should be going to Mantle instead of the military, since the embargo placed on our people has caused so many to suffer, and in some cases die. Valuable resources that should be supplied to the people in need, not some shady military operation. We will not move until you give us an explanation… or hand over the supplies…"
Nova grimaced, and Ruby's brows furrowed. They shared a look both thinking the same thing.
'She has a point,' Nova's glance said.
'The people of Mantle need help… but this operation is also important…' Ruby's eyes said.
"You will know in due time what's going on, be patient and allow us to carry out our duties," Clover insisted.
"And what if we refuse?" Robyn said, as more men wearing dark green uniforms showed up out of seemingly nowhere, a woman with short blue hair accompanying them, the faint traces of Aura over her suggesting she had used some form of technique to mask their presence.
"Listen Ma'am… Robyn is it? I really don't recommend you try that… or you might end up regretting it," Nova warned, he meant it more as a word of caution than a threat.
"Is that a threat kid? Since when did Ironwood start hiring children to do his work?" she scoffed.
"Since we're professional Huntsmen, now stand aside, or be arrested for obstructing Military operations…" Nova said, holding up his licence.
She was taken aback, such a young boy was a licensed Huntsman, it was concerning to say the least.
Just as tensions were getting high, Penny flew out of the truck, her swords in full array as she hovered above the cargo, "Robyn Hill, you will let us through," she demanded.
"The protector of Mantle? Aren't you supposed to be protecting the people? Yet here you are siding with Ironwood. Typical…" Robyn said with spite, causing Penny's expression to falter in distress.
Ruby felt an anger burning inside her, no one talks to her friends like that, "Lady, if you don't move now… I will bring you down…" she threatened, her eyes glowing faintly from the emotion, which surprised Nova.
"And what do you expect to do ki-!" Robyn was cut off when a flurry of rose petals erupted and in less than a second, Ruby's scythe was under her face, sniper barrel aimed at her chin, a dangerous glint in the eyes of the reaper.
"Move…" Ruby said quietly.
The guards motioned to raise their guns, but Penny's swords were aimed at two while Nova's barrel was cocked at the blue-haired woman, Qrow and Clover were already trained on the remaining people.
Robyn sighed in defeat. They were outgunned and out-manned, and if the kids were good enough to be Huntsmen, they were worth at least three of her men, each… they weren't winning this battle.
"Let them through." Robyn commanded as Ruby removed the barrel of the gun from her chin.
Before they all climbed back into the truck, Ruby turned around and faced Robyn, "You're not wrong. The people of Mantle do deserve aid, but this is bigger than any of us… so for now, I hate to sound like this, but bear with it."
The delivery went smoothly, not much of a hiccup occurred, however, as they were about to break through the snowy landscape, the caravan came to a halt again.
"What is it this time?!" Elain grumbled from the back seat where she'd changed shifts with Clover. She was getting annoyed at this delivery taking so long. She popped her head over the back seat and her face slowly paled as she saw who was now blocking their path. Unlike before, instead of metal barriers, it was three men in hoods, their chests wide, each standing around six feet tall. They all sported similar looking clothes, clad in grey fur coats and strapping uniforms, in their hands they held tall mechanical staffs.
"Dr. Flareheart... do you know who these people are...?" Clover asked confused.
Elain's expression was grim.
"Prince and Princess of The Faunus Kingdom, and Queen Flareheart, we present ourselves to you!" The man standing in the center of the three shouted loudly.
In the front car, Nova and Luna felt frozen as their titles were called. No one in Atlas should be privy to them, then suddenly a flash of remembrance passed through Nova's eyes. He remembered his mother once saying that her family had long since left Menagerie and made their homes in the Atlas area.
His suspicions were confirmed when he saw his mother, walking with a reluctant stride in the snow before him. The two dragons looked at each other, before looking back at their mother who seemed to be motioning them out of the truck.
"It's been a while second brother," Elain said as she glared at the rough looking man.
He let out a smile and took off his hood, revealing bright grey hair and wolf-ears much like Elain's, "Little sister, so our intel was correct, though it is hard to hide the force signature of two Fragments of Remnant... especially when they are so blatantly displayed, isn't that right, my prince?" he glanced beyond Elain as he saw Nova and Luna stepping out of the truck with steel expressions.
"You know of us, but we don't know you. I believe it's common courtesy to introduce yourselves first when greeting royalty," he said playing the royal card. He despised using it, but it felt like the situation where such a thing was necessary.
The man chuckled, "My apologies nephew... I mean your highness. I am Fenrir Frostfang, your mother's younger brother and current heir to the Frostfang clan. Your family."
Elain whispered to her son, "Let me do the talking..."
Nova stopped her, "No. I need to speak," he turned to Fenrir, "Alright 'uncle', what do you want?" he said the word uncle with spite, and didn't bother to hide it.
The older man didn't seem phased, in fact he seemed to chuckle as if he expected this level of hostility, "Straight to the point, I like that. I need you to come back with us, our head wishes to meet you..."
Elain glared at him, "And why should we?"
"My dear sister, we aren't forcing you, but we simply request that you come with us, we mean no harm," Fenrir said with what he tried to pass off as an amiable smile.
"We den-"
"Alright then," Nova said interrupting his mother, she looked at him shocked.
"Nova what are you doing?!"
"I'm simply accepting their offer, on one condition however," he said looking at Fenrir.
Fenrir quirked his eyebrow, "And what condition is that?"
"That my friends can come with us."
"Are they human?" came the quick question.
Nova nodded, "So what if they are?"
"No human has set foot in our family home since the dawn of time. Our clan does not take kindly to humans..."
"They are coming with us, or no dice," Nova glowered and approached Fenrir, releasing a level of heat from his power that seemed to create an invisible pressure, as Fenrir felt a weight press down on his shoulders, causing him visible distress.
"Alright, but no Atlas soldiers. Just you and your friends."
Nova nodded and moved back into the car with Luna, "Guys, change of plans. We're not heading back to the Academy, we're taking a detour."
Weiss tilted her head confused, "Detour? What's going on?"
"Family matters, and we're not in a position to decline. I apologize for dragging you all into this but... they know about the stones..." he replied tapping on his right hand.
Her eyes widened as she instinctively reached into her pocket and touched the cold gem. She might find the answers wherever they were going.
Nova, Ruby, Luna, Weiss, Qrow and Elain followed the wolf soldiers on foot, trudging through near knee deep snow into the vast tundra, they seemed to be moving in an eastern direction, far away from the borders of Mantle and Atlas, and Qrow was beginning to feel uneasy.
"Hey, I don't mean to sound like I don't trust you, but I don't. Why are we so far out of the city reach?" he said with a gravely tone, his voice sounding a bit dry, as he glanced down at the flask attached to his belt, instinctively reaching for it, but decided against it. Clover was right, he needed to stop running.
Fenrir didn't look back as he answered, "As I said before, our clan isn't particularly fond of humans. Be grateful you're still awake and not being carried unconsciously to our home."
"And what makes you think you'd even succeed in that?" Qrow asked with a snarl, he didn't like this man's tone. At that moment a wave of cold seemed to emit like a shockwave, pressuring Qrow and forcing him to falter for a split-second. The man just tilted his head and smirked arrogantly as if answering his own question.
The red leader felt a draft of the cold and instantly began shivering, regardless of Aura protection, this cold was beyond anything she'd felt before. Weiss for some reason felt an odd sense of soothing while Luna had already latched herself onto her mother for warmth, Ruby was practically glued to Nova's arm from the walk onward.
"W-W-Why the fuck is it getting c-c-colder?!" the blue dragon hissed, her teeth chattering as she buried herself under her mother's labcoat, the older Faunus happily letting her be since it was very rare she got to act like a real parent.
Nova radiated a little more heat as Ruby seemed to find herself warming up, "It is pretty cold out here..." she said looking at the sky which was now being covered by grey clouds.
"You don't have a right to complain, your boyfriend is a personal heater," Qrow said rolling his eyes as he pulled his coat more, a thin line of aura covering his body, he was dedicating his defensive aura toward heat regulation.
"Worry not, we're already here," Fenrir called back as they crested the incline of a snowy hill and stared into a valley of pure white, except, amongst the snow were large grey buildings, made of stone, metal and other standard materials. It was almost like a small village, with a large metal complex resting in the center like a town square.
Various Faunus were seen walking around the place, all of a particular trend, Snow leapords, grizzly bears, wolves, they were all Faunus who were built to survive the cold climate. It was like a haven for them, far from the reaches of human civilization and away from prying eyes.
As they walked through the village, people noticed the humans and instantly began shrinking away, children and parents scurried back into their homes as if they were viewing aliens. Ruby felt a little sad as she saw them shrink away, she was unaccustomed to being the object of fear, it was her goal to be the opposite.
Nova entangled her fingers in his and gave her hand a small squeeze, as he sensed her distress, "Don't worry love, they just haven't gotten to know you yet," he said with a warm smile. This seemed to put her heart at ease, somewhat.
Fenrir seemed to notice this and couldn't hide his distaste, but no one saw since he was the one leading them.
Inside the large complex was much different from what anyone expected. Solid wooden-planked floors with a glossy finish lined the entirety of the open space, as the entry fed into a lobby that branched into many open rooms. A pair of large circular doors made of a darkened wood, with giant golden knockers on them stood before the team in the lobby area.
"The clan head is awaiting you beyond these doors. A word of warning," he made eye contact with each member of the team, especially the humans, "Our leader has a heavy distaste for disorder, should any of you cause trouble, our people will not hesitate to deal with it..." it seemed more directed toward Weiss than anyone else, and if it wasn't apparent before that this man was racist, it most certainly was now.
Weiss wanted to rebuke but decided against causing a commotion, people like him weren't worth the time anyway.
The doors swung open with a heavy creak to reveal a large ornate throne room of sorts, with a short set of black marble stairs leading up toward an elderly looking woman sitting on a silver throne. She wore a think grey oriental robe, her grey hair was tied up in a bun and two large wolf ears, and a tail could be seen.
Multiple Faunus traits were a sign of the purity of their blood. The dragons whom shared fangs, scales and horns, and this woman before them who sported ears and a tail. Despite her aged looks, she emitted an aura of command and power, while several guards, dressed similarly to Fenrir, were stationed along the staircase.
"I had a feeling it would be you, but to think you'd still be alive and kicking," Elain said as she stared up at the woman.
The older woman chuckled, "Is that any way to greet me, after such a long time?" she asked wit ha dry smile.
"My apologies," Elain grimaced, "I greet you, Elder Olwen, of clan Frostfang."
"Would it kill you for once in your life to just call me mother?" the old woman asked, folding her arms, "Besides, what is a 'Queen' doing humbling herself before a lowly elder like I am."
A distasteful grin graced Elain's face, "When in Atlas... (A/N: A play on the saying When in Rome) " she looked around as if searching for someone, "Where's Elder Cypress?"
Olwen's face twisted as she shook her head, "Your father passed on a few years ago. It was of natural causes, a simple passing due to age."
Elain appeared unaffected, but Luna felt a shift in her mother's demeanor, "I see. So, what is it that you've dragged my children and I here for?"
"Not even bothering to catch up with family... You're the same as the day you left us, stubborn and..." she chose not to finish her sentence, "I'll keep things short. The Cryoseki, where is it?"
Elain's ears twitched involuntarily, "What are you talking about? I thought it was here? In your vault, under strict guard?"
"As it much as it pains me to say... but the stone went missing several years ago," Olwen replied, "And recently its signature has reappeared in the city, and we have reason to believe it's in your possession, in fact... it's in this very room," her eyes landed directly on Weiss, who froze in place confused, resisting the urge to instinctively reach down and grasp onto the stone.
"What do you mean it went missing? How could you be so careless as to let something like that happen?!" Elain asked frantically, the fury evident in her voice.
Olwen sighed, "Do you remember your cousin Eleanora?" she asked.
Elain nodded, "Yes how could I forget? Even if we didn't talk that much, people often confused my name for hers, and she was resentful for it."
The old Faunus stroked her own tail, "After you abandoned our clan after marrying that dragon, the next in line for the clan head was her, since there was no one else on the hierarchy. We expected great things from her but..." Olwen looked as if she had just smelled somethign bad, as her face contorted in disgust and fury, "The pressure got to her, she couldn't handle her duties and abandoned us as well. Eloping with some human, and leaving us, taking the stone with her. We were unable to find her, and we haven't stopped looking for the stone since." she explained, the word human coming out of her mouth like she was spitting out bad food.
Suddenly things started to fall into place in Nova's mind. Eleanor had stolen the stone, if the Cryoseki was anything like the Agniseki, then it had a will of its own, probably guiding Eleanor to leave, making its way out of the hands of these people and being hidden away for years, before it was found by him, and now it resided in Weiss' hands.
One thing was perpetually bothering him however, "Grandmother," Nova said, the word on his tongue felt wrong.
Olwen regarded him, "Ah the young prince... Fenrir tells me it is because of you that these, creatures, are allowed within our sanctuary," she looked at Qrow, Ruby and then Weiss, all subtlties gone.
"You would do well to keep better company, especially when that company includes a Schnee," she hissed.
Nova felt his blood beginning to boil, he would not stand by while his friends were being so blatantly insulted, but he couldn't be too rash, "Grandmother, they are the most pleasant company. These are some of the most honorable and kind hearted people I've met in my life, and human or not, Schnee or not, it does not change the fact that they are good people." he narrowed his eyes at her, releasing a wave of heat.
The woman grimaced as she felt the power, "Humans will always be lesser beings, incapable of compassion!", she said releasing a shockwave of cold of her own, her aura flairing wildly as the two forces clashed, a semi-invisible wall of frost and heat increasing in intensity as they clashed against each other. The woman seemed to visibly begin to sweat while Nova looked unaffected by the force. Eventually she relented as the two energies canceled out.
Olwen roared, "Seize her! She has the stone!" she pointed at Weiss who was still frozen in fear.
The guards began advancing. Nova and the others prepared to engage in a fight, but as one of them neared Weiss, she let out a shrill scream, "Don't fucking touch me!" she yelled as a blast of frost erupted from her, a glow of white surrounded her as freezing energy shot out like a wave, freezing the guard solid, and startling everyone in the room.
Olwen gaped, "It can't be... the power of our people... how could you possess such a thing?!"
Weiss instinctively reached down and touched the now violently humming gem in her pocket, pulling it out and looking at it in the palm of her hands.
"That's impossible..." Olwen muttered again, "You're not even a wolf let alone a Faunus! A human! A SCHNEE! And yet the most sacred artifact of our people has bonded to you?!"
Suddenly the doors of the room burst open, "It seems you've lost, Olwen. The world has been changing, and it's left tradition behind. It would do you good to give up the old information." It was Randolf Wulf, standing in the doorway, his face looking tired and worn, just like the black coat that wrapped around his frame.
He looked at the teens, "Hey kids, sister, it's been a while."
I wanted to continue this chapter but I need to formulate my thoughts for the upcoming series of events properly. Until next time guys!
