Chapter 6: Season Maidens are Illogical

Continent of Sanus

Shockwave had made an illogical decision, the very first major illogical choice he had made as an organic lifeform known as a Faunus. At first, he attributed it to his lack of insight; then he reminded himself that he was new to Remnant. He didn't expect to know all the answers, but he needed to for his own sake, and now for another's.

He felt certain that on Cybertron, he would never have committed such a blunder as he had done now. He had saved this girl, yes, but now he was a potential target for that black-haired woman and her servants. They were skilled and powerful together. They were the winning side, and he had chosen a lost cause, or so it looked to be as of right now.

The Faunus man slowed his pace to check if there were any pursuers on his tail, but found none. Neither his Cybertronian systems nor his Faunus senses picked up anything indicating that he was being followed. It was strange that there was no sign of pursuit. He could not conceive of any reason as to why the three attackers shouldn't give chase. It would only essentially boil down to one against three. With this Amber girl out of commission, he was her only line of defense.

Shockwave felt Amber cling a little closer to him, and his head turned down to gaze at her face. She was young, and youth meant inexperience; however, her battle proved that she had skill and talent. If she had perished then and there, it would have been quite a waste. Young warriors who could fight against unfair odds were few and far in between. Perhaps this was his next excuse for her rescue, however flimsy his reasoning.

The village seemed much farther away than he thought, and it was getting dark. Had he miscalculated the distance? Or was his progress lessened by the additional weight he was carrying? No, not those two things. He was being more careful where he stepped, for he knew that major disturbances to Amber could have bad consequences.

More importantly, they were out in the open. He was more than prepared to fight in the dark, though it was not a good idea to fight, not with his new charge. Getting her to safety was his number one priority.

He took his steps in quick strides, his head tilting down to see her. She eyed him back. She appeared weak still. The arrow had already caused more than enough blood loss and there was no telling if the arrow had been tipped with any substance that could harm her systems as well as whatever virus was raging.

Shockwave stopped walking, kneeling down.

"Do you have any aura left?" He was quick to ask, his eye and optic focused solely on her.

"No, I… don't." She coughed loudly. "I need… your… aura."

"But to heal all your injuries would require a vast amount of aura." Shockwave recited, having done his research. "I do not know if I have enough."

Amber opened her mouth to try and speak, but she coughed again, and had to refocus on her breathing. She was overexerting herself too much. It looked that in an instant, her injuries, internal and external had magnified. Something had to be done right now. There was no time to wait for help.

The scientist quickly decided to set her down so that he could work with his two hands. He took only a moment to pick out a patch of grass that was more than spacious enough to lay her down. He took extra careful not to disturb her.

Shockwave's options were few. As he had told her, he didn't have the proper equipment to heal her, and this time, he had turn to the only option that would give him a quick result, albeit an unprecedented one in his book. Aura was new to him, and his inexperience in its practical uses made him more hesitant to use it.

There could be no doubt now, no matter how he felt on using aura to heal. This would work or it would not. The worst thing that would happen was that she would die, and he would go on his way, and possibly be hunted down.

The best thing that could happen? Who knew?

Relying on his previous experiences in channeling aura, he began to channel his own power. The first thing to do was to establish a connection between himself and Amber. If she said that aura could be transferred, then that would mean his soul would have to be somehow connected to her soul, so the logical course of action would be to search for a connection. That made sense to him.

Shockwave felt his own power, and he didn't have to concentrate hard to find something that felt like another source of power. Given that he felt no other presence within the forest that came close to this power, he surmised that this had to be her soul. His eyes narrowed only slightly in order to get a better connection.

A slight hitch in his breathing told him that he was no longer alone. It was like his own power had meshed. He was surrounded. He focused on this feeling, keeping it fresh in his mind. If he were to heal again, he needed to remember everything about this process, both from an analytical viewpoint.

He searched her whole being, reviewing her for any imperfections. He wasn't certain what to investigate, but instinct was telling him that as he searched, there was nothing glaring. Connecting to another pool of aura was as simple as it sounded. It was aura, but it wasn't his own; he could sense a difference right from the get-go. Her aura showed brightly like the colors of autumn.

Perhaps her powers were tied to a season, but she had displayed some power that could be associated with all the seasons. Short of asking her, he would not be able to determine what her other-worldly powers were.

Shockwave felt a disturbance in the fabric of her existence. It was something akin to clawing, biting, slashing, and bashing at a fortress, an invasion.

The scientist delved deeper into this problem. To his senses, he felt a blackness crawling all around, a blackness that threatened to consume all that it touched. Nothing was resisting it either, thus it's curse was spreading. It was like looking at a virus attacking a system and corrupting the coding.

Now the question was how he was supposed to block it? Did he just will it to go away with his own being? Did he actively try to stop it as if it were a physical act? Did he take it apart like a mental problem?

How did humans define the soul? He thought about that for a moment. He decided on an answer.

Since aura was a representation of a soul, the best way to counter an attack on the soul would be to force the invasion away, and the only way that would be done is by sheer willpower, to which the part-Cybertronian could understand in a way.

Yet that answer left him lacking. Willpower was not enough to win. One had to have the proper strength and intellect to carry out what they wished, and even those two things were inconsequential compared to what was most important; the ability to adapt to an environment accordingly. In any battle, being the most flexible was far more important than being the strongest or the smartest.

Shockwave reached out to 'touch' the invader, to which he received a jolt of pain, although nothing too severe. Seeing that he needed more of a push, he ramped up his aggressiveness, forcing the disease to fight back. It wasn't like a battle where he could hit, dodge, and counter, but it was a struggle of sorts.

Whatever this thing was, it resembled the Grimm in terms of how it felt against his own soul. There was nothing but negativity that he could see, everything that Mankind and the Faunus feared and fought against. In knowing this fact, fighting was easier. If there were no emotions to feed off of, then the job was easier.

He expected more of a fight, and after the disease tried and failed to get past him, it receded to his senses, though not fully going away. It retreated into a small corner of Amber's soul, and set itself up like it was preparing for a siege.

His thoughts turned back to the Battle at Iacon. The Autobots knew that they were losing, and they had set up Iacon as the last line of defense before jettisoning all artifacts into deep space. That had been a long battle, and the last one of the war.

More and more, this seemed less like a virus running on its programming and more like an intelligent life form that was trying to find a way out of the situation. It was as if it was saying that to touch Amber's soul was to spell certain doom.

Shockwave wasn't deterred.

(X)(X)(X)(X)

Amber found herself returning to consciousness, though she didn't take the time to open her eyes. She felt strangely comfortable, yet this wasn't a bed that she was resting on. It felt like it was… the ground. When she finally did open her eyes, she was greeted by blackness with a tint of yellow nearby, the yellow of a campfire. She had made enough herself to know even with only a slight glance.

She tried to get up, and she hissed in pain. Her back felt like it was on fire and she instantly returned to her prone position.

"It would be wise for you to remain like that until morning." That cold masculine voice sounded nearby. "The risk of reopening your wound is not worth the trouble."

It was such a distant tone, such a frightful one, yet it didn't sound like a lying one. Yes, it was perhaps the most deadly voice she had ever heard, but there was no denying that there was a cold-hard-truth vibe, the one that wasn't nice to hear but let one know how things truly were and nothing more. Her warm personality felt at odds with the simple cold regality that emaciated from this man, but she felt sure that he was trustworthy at least.

Trust meant so much, now more than ever considering the last few hours or so.

"Where are we?" Amber had to ask this first. "Are we safe?"

"We are on the path towards the nearest village." She recalled that his name was Shael as he informed her of their situation. "And we are safe for now. There have been no signs of pursuit since you were attacked."

"That's good." Amber relaxed her body a bit more. "I don't feel that I'm in any condition to fight."

"You are not." Shael's answer came swiftly. "I will be defending you until your injuries are fully healed."

That was a more than satisfactory answer, so Amber closed her eyes and calmed her mind. She was alive and still able to do good. Although she had guardian angel at her side now, however unorthodox, she would be on her guard until she returned to safety within the kingdom walls. Vale was not too far off.

"Thank you." She spoke suddenly, feeling a need to convey gratitude. "For saving my life."

"Your gratitude is unnecessary." Shael regarded her. "What was that power you displayed? It is not aura, that much I know for certain."

This was bound to come up in conversation, and if her situation were different, she might just silence him for seeing too much. It was simply too great a risk for travelers to know about the Maidens and their power, especially one who she could sense was far more dangerous than his attitude told. Saving her life had granted him an excuse from being killed, but she was under no obligation to tell him.

Amber then argued in her mind that she owed him his life once again. Surely that was more than enough justification to tell him. She trusted him somehow, even if she didn't know him at all, and people who trusted each other shouldn't have to keep secrets.

"Can you swear to not speak about what I have to say?" She demanded as best she could. "You were not supposed to see what you saw."

"I see no reason to tell anyone, so I will not." Shael nodded his head, but his eyes also conveyed his promise. "I swear upon the Allspark."

Allspark? Amber could only quirk in wonder. What in the gods' name does that mean?

She shook it off.

Amber felt strange not being able to fill the void with some form of conversation. She felt uncomfortable saying nothing, yet her savior was unaffected by the silence. All he did was stare into the fire with a look of indifference. If he was thinking about something, she wouldn't be able to tell what based on his expression alone.

At first, she attributed this lull to his nature, but it wasn't entirely out of the question that she was a bit on the quiet side. She was the Fall Maiden, and that meant she often travelled alone in the wide world. It was a small price to pay for possessing unnatural powers. That being said, her social skills could be rusty.

"You seem far from afraid of the situation that you've been placed in." Amber said this in order to see if she could glean something about him. "Most people wouldn't be able to handle a situation such as this."

"I am not most people." Shael rebutted with what almost sounded like a biting inflection. "This is no different from any problem in life. I will continue to approach this situation the same way that I approach any situation: analytically. Logically."

It was like this man was the picture-perfect incarnation of emotionlessness. No fear, no excitement, nothing at all. Emotions were an integral part of Humans and Faunus, not just intelligence. Having only the latter seemed out of whack. Amber couldn't say that she was enthralled by her new companion in that aspects.

"Well, if I can be of help in any way, please let me know." Amber changed the topic. "I might be weak physically, but my powers are still readily available."

"Duly noted." Shael heard and responded, then asked his own question. "And getting back to the main topic of your powers…"

"Apologies." Amber got comfortable in her laying position as she began her tale. "The Maidens power comes from an old legend. An old wizard had isolated himself from the world. Four young girls came to visit him, all of them sisters."

Telling Shael of the old story was a different experience than telling other people. With others, it was a legend to be passed down. Now though, she had to tell it as best she could because it was truth.

Amber made sure to outline all that she knew about the other maidens. Their powers, their original personalities, and everything she from the past up to the present. She could not tell him the identities of the other maidens. The Maidens were only aware of each others' existence, as it was necessary to preserve the secrecy. More than one Maiden in one place was just ripe for opportunists.

When she finished the story, the Faunus man could only stare at her with a face of analysis. He looked to be picking apart what he was given piece by piece if she had to venture a guess. It seemed a lucid idea considering what she had seen and experienced from him thus far. She could only ask herself one thing: what was he going to ask next?

A question was inevitable.

"Who do you answer to?" Shael's question deviated from her expectation.

"Well, we answer to no one." Amber answered honestly. "The Maidens are trusted to use their powers in responsible ways."

"But surely someone must keep an eye on you, either to protect or eliminate you. I refuse to believe that the Maidens are simply completely free to do as they wish. A safeguard is a logical and obvious choice."

Perceptive to the end. There was no hiding from this one. It felt like secrets held no meaning to him as he could presuppose the truth from the bits that he was already mindful of. Would he know all of her secrets if she spoke too much? Did he already know but he had yet to voice them because he wanted confirmation from her?

"The huntsman academies know of our existence, or to be precise, all of the headmasters know of our existence as well as a few others. There is a brotherhood, one that's dedicated to keeping the Maidens from the public eye."

"And who leads this brotherhood?"

"Although there's no leader per say, Professor Ozpin from Beacon Academy is the unofficial leader I suppose you could say."

She coughed for about five seconds, feeling herself getting exhausted. She felt more winded now.

"Rest. We will talk more in the morning and plan our route."

His attention was consumed by the scroll in front of him, and with her waning strength, she had no reason to fight his choice, so she reclined her body as best as she could and closed her eyes. Today had started off nice, turned ugly, then became weird. At the very least it wasn't boring.

Amber shifted a bit more to get more comfortable before trying to catch a few winks. She had a lot of things to explain when she got back to Vale. Speaking of which, she wondered if her shadow had witnessed these events.

If so, how come they had not shown themselves? Was Shael's presence a hinderance to the brotherhood? No introductions had been made nor had any attempt at contact happened. Was this a calculated move? Was it to buy time?

She yawned silently, then started to dream.

(X)(X)(X)(X)

Qrow watched from the shadows at his two targets of interest. The first was the Fall Maiden, his main charge to protect. The other was the man who was named Shael Watson, the very same man that he'd met in the cafe some days ago. It was hard to remember just how long ago; he'd been drinking enough to get drunk more than a few times and lose his perception of events and time.

The Faunus man had seen more than he should have seen. Silencing him would be the quickest and easiest way to tie up the loose end. Nobody would question someone who seemed so isolated and alien from everyone, even his fellow Faunus. The veteran huntsman had considered the option, then he came up with a better one.

"I can see you hiding in the trees." Shael said loud enough to warn him, but not enough to wake Amber. "There is no point in hiding."

The man had good eyes. Qrow jumped down and revealed himself.

"You must be the shadow, Qrow Branwen." Shael immediately began to speak. "You have been following me ever since your charge was attacked. Why did you not intervene?"

"I was delayed with some other business." Qrow sat down on a nearby log, watching the fire as he talked. "By the time I got to Amber, you'd already saved her, so I wanted to see what you'd do."

"And your conclusion, huntsman?"

"You're not our enemy, but are you our ally?"

Leaving that question in the air, Qrow grabbed his flask and took a swig, watching Shael from the corner of his eyes. The man likely possessed a heart of stone; the amount of emotions that he'd seen in the man could be boiled down to one: apathy, if that could be considered an emotional state. There would be no getting a read on this man, so he'd have to listen to the conversation attentively.

"It is more logical to be allied with you than to fight you." The Faunus threw another log into the fire. "I gain nothing from killing or capturing the Fall Maiden. As it has been said, only women can possess the power. I possess no associates either that could harness the power."

"Oh, but I think you've got more than you realize." Qrow suggested as he stopped drinking. "You already have Amber wrapped around your finger. Simply by saving her life, she has a life debt to you. Her nature will compel her to repay the debt. That in and of itself makes you dangerous."

"If I choose to act upon it." Shael repeated what he already intended. "Which I cannot and will not act upon."

"The word of an acquaintance isn't assurance." Qrow reminded the Faunus. "The only reason that we're not talking with our weapons is because you saved the Fall Maiden and you don't appear to be a bad guy."

"And who are the so-called villains?" Shael pressed. "You are all unknowns to me."

"Well, the Grimm for one, but I'm sure you already knew that." Qrow swished his flask around. "Then there's the pawns you just saw. The queen's pawns."

"The queen?" Shael questioned monotonously.

"Nothing much is known about her, and right now, it's not important." Qrow knew he was changing the topic, but he needed to establish trust first. "What is important right now is you. Regardless of how you feel about all of this, you're a liability."

"You present an ultimatum then." Shael's tone was less than impressed. "And my choices are?"

"Like I said, killing you would be a waste." Qrow stretched his arms. "However, there's another option that benefits all parties."

"I will be the judge of that."

"What I could do is bring you to my superior, Professor Ozpin, the head honcho of Beacon Academy, as Amber said. You might just be a valuable asset to our side."

"You mean to force me into service."

"I wouldn't call it that. Consider this like being scouted for a high-position job. I've done it more than a few times for Oz. I know unique people when I see them. You've got something hidden. I don't know what, but there's something."

"A instinct with no facts or evidence. I would hardly call that line of thinking logical or worthy of note."

"Man, you've got the emotionless robot part nailed down. Do you practice in front of a mirror or something?"

A withering stare was all the enigmatic man deigned to answer with. The scythe-wielder wasn't offended. He was used to more than a few people giving him all sorts of negative looks, not that he didn't get more than a few good ones too. This was one tough egg to crack; he had no leg-up on Shael. It was like no matter what he dangled, the bait would not be taken, at least not on Qrow's terms, and that was irksome.

"What do you gain?" Shael got his attention again. "What do I gain?"

"Simple." Qrow cracked his knuckles. "You gain huntsmen and huntresses as allies. You get access to the inner workings, the truth, really anything at this point. That is, of course, assuming that you come with me. We gain an ally who looks like he can actually get stuff done for us. We fight for Mankind."

"And Amber?"

"She'll be on her way once she gets a clean bill of health."

"Then I accept."

"Just like that? I thought you'd be a bit more resistant to the idea."

"Resistance is illogical. What I gain by accepting is more than what I gain if I refuse, even if I do not have a choice in the matter."

"If people thought like you, we'd have far less problems in the world."

"But this world is not logical. However, it is all that we have, so instead of complaining and griping for what I cannot have, I simply take what I have and make the most of it."

That sounded almost like an answer one gave to placate for the sake of keeping out the true answer. Qrow could say that he believed that Shae believed in the words, yet the answer left him wanting more. A man that had secrets to keep usually had a past that was worth finding out about, or at least that's what experience said.

"There is only one condition that I give in return for my service to Ozpin." Shael opened his palm and closed it. "I ask for nothing else."

"Alright, shoot." Qrow gestured to continue.

"Amber, I want to be able to remain in contact with her at my discression." Shael replied firmly. "This is not negotiable in any way."

"Oz might not like it, but I get it." Qrow sighed, standing up. "I think that's all I wanted to talk about tonight. The next village has a working airship that will take you to the kingdom of Vale. It's an early ship, in about… seven hours or so. I'd get some sleep if I were you."

"Then I bid a good night to you, Qrow Branwen." Shael stating his name in full felt different than when others did it.

"Yeah, you too." Qrow waved dismissively. "And thanks for making my job less complicated than it could have been."

"It was logical. That is all."

Sounded about right.

The veteran huntsman grabbed his weapon and walked off. He had a good feeling about this one. Although Ozpin might disapprove of the situation they had been placed in, the old man would listen because this was unmistakably a gamble that could pay off in the long run.

There was only one thing to do now: tell Oz what had happened. Qrow whipped out his scroll and began to text a message.

Queen attempted to steal the Fall Maiden. Situation under control, however, unknown intervened.

A push of the button and the message was away. It was late, but he had plenty of energy, so a quick transformation into a crow and he was flying off. It would be a bit of a flight back to Vale. That was enough time to convince Ozpin and Glynda if they had any doubts. The latter was bound to have an objection or two.

Then again, when doesn't she have something to say? Qrow snorted to himself. That woman has a criticism for everyone. If she didn't do her thing, I'd be amazed.

What couldn't be denied was the asset gained. A war was coming soon, and getting the upper hand was incredibly burdensome at a time like this. The world was at peace, or as close to peace as Remnant could get discounting the Grimm. How long would it be before the first shots were fired? It could happen at any time really.

Of course, revealing that to Shael Watson was a sort of desperate move on his part. Not revealing it would have only delayed the inevitable. The Faunus wasn't stupid; he could have already put it together long before the chat. Telling was an act of good faith, one that hopefully would have good consequences in the end.

And faith was one of the few things to be reliable.

(X)(X)(X)(X)

Amber felt awkward despite there be no eyes to witness the position that she was in at this moment. Her strength was returning, but not enough for her to walk for a sustained amount of time. Shael told her that he would carry her and there would be no problem. He proclaimed that she was light.

So she kept her head bowed and her hands on the front of his coat as he carried her bridal style. If he felt just as awkward as she did, it might make her feel less awkward. Maybe in another life, she would be getting some enjoyment out of this.

"You know, you could carry me on your back." Amber had tried to argue with him. "This position is a bit too personal."

"I could not care what others think." Shael's cold voice was it's usual self. "If it becomes a problem, then I will correct that assumption."

"You make it sound so easy." She murmured as she struggled to unwind her mood. "Have you ever head of the saying 'A lie told often enough becomes the truth?'"

"I understand what you mean." He remained in his disposition. "And I also reject what you say."

"You know, you could try to humor me at least. It's no fun when you shut my conversations down. People appreciate when their ideas and thoughts are heard. Your logic isn't the only thing in the world."

"Your opinion is noted."

Was that a true note of her words or was he saying that just to end the topic? Dammit, she couldn't tell. He was so good at looking like he didn't care about the people and the things around. What did he care about, if he cared about anything or anyone?

Apparently, there was an airship in this village that could take them to Vale, something that even the Fall Maiden wasn't aware of. Although not averse to ships, she did prefer to go about on horse or on foot. Right now though, getting to safety was paramount above all else.

It didn't take long to find the ship. In a village consisting of small buildings and houses, flying vehicles were easy to point out. Without hesitation or delay, Shael stepped up to the boarding deck.

"How much for two to Vale?" The Faunus questioned automatically.

"Um, hello there." The man seemed frightened. "Just you and your girlfriend?"

"How much?" Shael demanded more harshly.

"T-that'll be two hundred lien."

"I need to let you down." Shael told Amber.

"Okay." She agreed as he gently lowered her, though she leaned on him for support.

Almost as if he had better things to do, Shael brought out a wad of lien and slapped it into the man's hand. Then he quickly guided her up the ramp.

"You could be a little more courteous." Amber scolded him. "Not all people work like you do."

"Noted."

Shockwave is a logical Decepticon, meaning that virtually everything he does is something that is logical for him. While I may not explicitly state it in each chapter, know that just because he accepts does not mean that he agrees to all terms, at least not in his mind. Plus, as a logical being, he is bound to expose some loopholes if it suits his logic.

Next chapter, prepare yourselves. It's going to be Ozpin, Glynda, Qrow, and Shockwave in one room. What will happen? Stick around next chapter to find out.

Thanks for the support for this story. It's been fun for me to write, but it's also a joy to see the support that it gets. My sincerest apologies for such a late chapter. I had the chapter down in terms of what I wanted to happen. Then I got really busy.

Anyway, please leave a review so that I can see what the buzz is regarding this latest update. Also, continuing to favorite and follow and review gets this story higher up on my priority list.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading.

"You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind."

Joyce Meyer