For now, I'm settled on the trio of Lisbon-13, Osiris and Saint-14, past that it would get too cumbersome to write.
I worked a bit on this chapter before the 14th if anyone is wondering why this is coming out so quickly.
"He's right, come on, let's go." Ruby turns to the crashed train and walks to it, heading for Ozpin's cane half-buried into the snow.
Saint watches them all pick up their fallen luggage, and sighs before looking at Oscar, who has his arms wrapped around his chest.
"So…is that it, I'm just going to be another one of his lives?" The boy asks, his eyes downcast and faded.
"Of course not," Ruby pipes in, a small smile on her face. She offers Ozpin's retracted cane to him. He puts his hand on it and she puts hers over it. "You're your own person."
"Don't lie to him Ruby," Qrow says, passing by with a flask in his hand. The man takes a swig. "We're better than that." His posture slouches even further.
Oscar takes the cane and shakes his hand, a frown appearing on it. Ruby follows.
"Don't take it too hard, Ruby," Saint mumbles once the shorter girl is beside him. "It's a terrible time but we must persevere."
He looks into the trail that splits the frosted forest apart.
Ruby doesn't reply and shrugs past him.
The group sets out.
/
The details of the coming interlopers are silhouettes behind the white storm.
"I cleaned up the body in the hallway. I'm sensing a Guardian signature nearby…look ahead," Ghost says as he floats towards the window, squinting his single eye. "Here, I've marked the life forms on your HUD."
Lisbon counts about eight life forms. One is hauling what looks like a motorcycle while another, shorter one sits on the back. One stands above all of them, a Spartan's mohawk on the top of their head. He can make out a faint lavender line going down the center of their face.
"Wait, don't…don't shoot, they don't look like Atlas," Ghost says.
Someone trips over an Atlas soldier's corpse. A scream and all of them draw weapons.
"Body's still fresh, whoever did this is probably still around," a gruff, male voice says. "Stay on your guard, he's probably hidden out somewhere."
"They carry weapons like Atlas Huntsmen, though," Lisbon grumbles. He lets out a small breath that forms mist. His eye is trained down the scope of his sniper rifle and his index finger hovers above the trigger guard. "I'll let them in, see how they act."
The group advance upon the house, keeping a circle formation while the one with the mohawk stops. The lavender line stares into the window Lisbon is set up on.
"In the house, I saw something," a deep, accented voice says. It sounds familiar. "Whoever you are, don't shoot, we're friendly!"
"…Saint-Fourteen?" Lisbon says, pressing his mechanical eye closer to the glass of his scope. The man reveals himself as a Titan with purple ribbons on one side of his chest. "That's…definitely him."
Saint-14 stops and stares at the window. In a second, he summons his Sentinel Shield and puts it up, casting a wider field of protection for his friends to hide behind. "Second floor, sniper! Move with me, don't get caught out!"
"Shit," Lisbon pulls away Omniscient Eye and sets himself up at the top of the staircase. He crouches and the sights of the Ancient Gospel are trained on the door.
Wood creaks as many pairs of feet step onto the front porch. The doorknob wobbles and clicks once.
Lisbon turns his Light into a six-shooter Golden Gun as soon as the door swings open and the drawer falls forward. He lets loose all six shots into the door, his other hand fanning the hammer with every trigger-pull.
The revolver disappears from his hands the instant the last bullet exits the barrel.
A Sentinel Shield crashes against Lisbon's stomach, forcing him into the stairs.
"Hunter, what are you doing!?" Saint-14 yells. A light sizzling comes from the construct of Void Light as it returns to his hand.
The Hunter blinks a few times as about seven people enter the house, their weapons drawn and all pointed at him. A shorter girl plants the scythe end of her rifle between the wooden planks on the floor.
Saint approaches with heavy steps.
"You're…not dead?" Lisbon says, propping his elbow up behind him "I-I'm…I'm sorry, sir." He looks to the floor and averts his gaze.
"You know this guy!?" The blonde-haired one says, turning her head to Saint. Her eyebrows furrow as her arm-mounted weapons tense.
Saint offers his hand out. Lisbon takes it and the Titan pulls him up.
"He was under command of one of my colleagues," Saint says, patting Lisbon on the shoulder with the other hand before turning him around. "Come, introduce yourself, Hunter, you were a deadly shot if I remember correctly."
"Um…Saint-Fourteen? Lisbon hasn't been feeling well these last few weeks. We've been shot down over this place and he's still…" Ghost pauses, turning his head to Lisbon. "He's still…rattled by some previous events."
Saint turns to his group of warriors. "I'll deal with Lisbon, come, Hunter."
They don't look convinced but their weapons lower one-by-one. The small red-haired girl grunts squeakily as she pulls her scythe from the floor.
"Close the door already! It's cold enough in here as it is," an old woman says, walking into the house. The teenagers split apart to let her pass through.
Saint-14 leads Lisbon back upstairs and into the room he was in. He seats the Hunter on the side of the bed, beside the dead bodies.
"Lisbon, it's been a long time," the Titan says, slinging his shotgun over his shoulder and slotting it on his back. "Where is your fireteam? You always travel with them. I remember your relationship with Rekkana was quite the gossip!" He chuckles.
"I…" Lisbon's throat dries. His body heats up and coolant releases down his head. "We got…separated after we were shot down."
"I see." Saint hums. "My group is headed for Argus, we're planning on reaching Atlas, to safeguard a Relic."
Lisbon gulps. His voice box doesn't behave properly.
"With all due respect sir, we've just escaped from Atlas," Ghost says. "Lisbon has been kept a prisoner in there for months by now."
Saint stays silent. "Oh." He pauses, then huffs. "It's your choice if you want to come with us, Hunter, I don't command any authority here-"
"How long have you been here?" Lisbon asks, his eyes peering up at Saint.
"Er…a few weeks, if my memory serves me well," Saint says, his forefinger and thumb rubbing on the chin of his casque.
"What's with the kids?"
Saint laughs, his voice echoing in the room. "They're not just kids, Lisbon, they are trained warriors!"
"Not Guardians, though?"
"No, they aren't but they are…unique."
Lisbon exhales, shakes his head and looks to his Ghost. "So, what do you think, Ghost?"
"I suggest we go with them."
"Then I'll go with them," Lisbon says. "You're the first Guardian contact I've had on this stupid planet."
"Osiris is in Argus as we speak." Saint reaches out a hand. Lisbon takes it and stands up, shaking it once. "We'll be a fireteam, at least."
"A fireteam with Saint-Fourteen and Osiris, am I dreaming?" Ghost gushes somewhere at the doorway. "Wait 'till Cayde hears about this!"
Saint-14 chuckles. Someone knocks on the door frame. A girl in a white skirt stands behind him. He turns to face her. "Weiss, what is it you need?"
"I'm looking for some blankets-" She tilts her body to the side to look past him. "Are those…"
Lisbon turns to the drained corpses next to him. "…Ooh. Tell the others."
/
Argus Limited.
The train ride to Argus is relatively smooth compared to the commotion that was earlier. Osiris keeps watch, standing around the back of the train car and peeking out the window for any of those winged Grimm.
"We are arriving at our destination of Argus in: Two…minutes," a robotic voice says over the PA system. A collective sigh of relief can be heard from the civilians on board.
"Hey, Osiris?" Jaune walks up to Osiris.
"Hm?" Osiris says, looking forward to meet his gaze. "What is it, Jaune?"
"I saw what you did with the rift…how do you do that?" The boy asks.
Osiris chuckles. "A little secret us Warlocks keep, my friend."
"Really?" Jaune deflates and a small frown grows on his face. "Do you think that I could do it with my Semblance?"
"You're still new to your powers. Keep persevering and you'll be able to do it one day." Osiris smirks and nods to the crowds of people packed in the train car. "We're almost at Argus, it would be best if you are there to file the civilians out."
"Yeah…I should do that," Jaune mumbles, turning around and walking away.
Sagira appears. "Why'd you have to lie to him like that?" She chuckles. "Now he'll just be trying to put down rifts everywhere."
"One thing I've learned as Warlock Vanguard is that people want something to believe in, no matter how small. The people believed in me, but the Speaker didn't like that," Osiris says, crossing his arms. "I wonder if Ikora is okay."
"She's probably running the place better than you did," Sagira sniggers. Osiris rolls his eyes. "What, am I wrong? You didn't even show up for some meetings."
"I was busy dealing with the Vex. I would still be in my original position if the Speaker understood," he says, sighing after. "Do you have any updates on the Undying Mind?"
"Some old Atlas documents concerning something called Amity Colosseum," Sagira says, projecting a small diagram of a floating coliseum on what looks like a white crystal. People start leaving the train. "I think they're using it to control artificial environments."
"Really? Is that all? And I thought the Speaker was foolish..."
"I've detected several...anomalies that open to the Infinite Forest and close a second later," Sagira says, somewhat perplexed. "I wasn't able to track any tangible evidence of an oncoming Vex invasion."
"That is quite concerning. Keep an eye out."
Once the train car is empty, Osiris pushes off of the wall he was leaning on and walks out the door, scanning among the crowds to find his temporary fireteam. Jaune stands out as his head is above most of the people. He slips between crowds and minds his cloak to make his way there.
"Come on, I have a place we can stay at," Jaune says to his teammates. "I have family here."
"Wow!" Sagira says, making Jaune jump in fear. "Whoa, watch yourself, you'll scare someone!"
"Ha ha, very funny." Jaune hmphs and pouts at the Ghost for a second. "Let's go, I know how public transportation here works."
"Do we need money, I can get us some money…" Sagira eyes a nearby ATM and her edges perk up.
"Actually, the streetcars here are completely free for anyone to use, as long as they don't get broken or vandalized," Ren says.
Sagira's frame slumps.
"Streetcar?" Osiris asks.
"Yes, there is an entire system of streetcars in Argus!" Ren says, an unusual enthusiasm surging in his voice.
"Hm, I would quite like to see it."
. . .
The streetcar is what it's called. A streetcar. It glides on the designated tracks through the city. It has a speaker system powered by an AI to call out the current and next stops. It stops for people to get on and moves once there is no one waiting.
It's very slow compared to a Sparrow but it does provide some nice time to admire the city.
"This is a city developed outside of the major kingdoms?" Osiris asks, craning his head to get a full picture of the quaint settlement. People walk around without much clothing, which is surprising considering it's as cold as the Cosmodrome. "How has it not been overrun by Grimm yet?"
"It's actually one of the largest non-capital cities in all of Remnant," Ren says, taking place beside the Warlock. "A joint project by Mantle and Mistral to establish a link between the two kingdoms."
"Does that piece of land over the water belong to Atlas?" Osiris points to a small mountain in the distance. It stands alone, with only a single road connecting it to the mainland.
"Atlas keeps a military presence to ensure the people's safety," Ren says, looking at the fragment of Atlas territory. "We'll have to talk to the commanding officer to see if they can let us through."
The streetcar stops and Jaune is the first to walk out. "Come on guys, my sister should be waiting for us."
"Where, exactly?" Sagira floats into the air and twirls once, a faint blue light coming from her eye. It turns off and she returns to Osiris' side. "Is it the woman on the other side of the road? The one with the baby?"
"How did you-"
"She's blonde. You're blonde. I didn't see any other blonde person in the general vicinity. On top of that, she's the only person other than us around right now."
"How can you be so sure of that?"
"I'm a walking, well, floating database, Jaune."
Osiris chuckles. "Jaune, don't argue with Sagira, you will lose every time."
Jaune scoffs and harumphs. "I haven't lost yet."
Once the streetcar departs, the woman across the road waves at the group. She shakes her head to the side once to clear the dirty blond hair in front of her eyes. Her beige vest and orange top are in style with every other inhabitant of Argus—they don't protect against the cold at all. "Hey Jaune!"
"Okay, I've lost."
Sagira laughs with a smug dryness to it. "See?"
The baby she's carrying also waves with its tiny hand.
"Come on guys, let's go," Jaune says, slouching in shame and crossing the road. "Her name's Saphron by the way."
. . .
Saphron's house is cozy and warm. The living room consists of four couches surrounding a square coffee table. A bookshelf containing titles of various color lines one wall. Osiris leans against the wall perpendicular to it.
"Do you lead all of them?" Saphron asks from the couch. Osiris hums and is pulled away from his thoughts. He turns his head slightly to make eye contact with her. "You look like you've been through a lot with these kids!"
"Not exactly, Jaune's the leader of his team-"
Saphron gasps and stars seem to shine in her eyes. "Are you serious, is that true Jaune?" A wide, teasing grin grows on her face as she turns to her brother. "Oh my God is my brother a leader!?"
"Saph, please…" Jaune mumbles while his cheeks get pinched by his sister.
"He's doing a good job of it, I would say," Osiris smirks and returns Jaune's very malicious glare. "He saved an entire train of passengers from getting mauled by Grimm."
"Osiris you're not making it any better!" Jaune exclaims while he gets spoiled with attention by his elder sibling.
"Who said I was trying to?" Osiris leans against the side of a staircase that leads to a second floor. "You would make a semi-decent fireteam leader."
Sagira appears. "Osiris doesn't offer many compliments, so you should-"
"Sagira I don't need you trying to inflate my ego."
The Ghost rolls its eye and makes a light snorting sound. "Whatever you say, old man."
Once Saphron is done with teasing her brother she clears her throat and looks back at Osiris. "Sorry, I got off-tracked over there. I wanted to ask about you, how long were you a Huntsman?"
Osiris shrugs. "I've been fighting for quite a while."
"Did you go through an academy, like Jaune did?"
Osiris snorts. "Please, I'm old enough to teach at one. I didn't, no."
The front door opens and a woman in a light-blue cardigan and red-framed glasses walks in. She's carrying a suitcase.
"Everyone, this is my wife, Terracotta," Saphron says, gesturing with her hand to the woman.
There are general acknowledgments and greetings from everyone.
"Well, this is a pleasant surprise. Huntsmen? I didn't think the day would come," Terracotta says as she puts down her suitcase while her wife runs up to hug her.
"We won't be here for long," Jaune says.
"Oh, don't worry about how long you'll stay, we're fine with housing Huntsmen and Huntresses." The woman waves them off. "I haven't gone out to get groceries yet, so there might be a shortage of food…"
"You don't need to worry about me," Osiris says.
"Does this guy ever eat?" Nora asks, looking away from the baby.
"He can conserve calories," Sagira says. "Long expeditions into the wilderness allow for it. He went a week on a single can of worm-"
"No need to make up stories but really, I'm fine in terms of food."
"I seriously hope you weren't going to say wormspore," Osiris says.
"I was just going to say a can of worms but you reminded me of what happened that day."
"There won't be a next time, Sagira. That story is never going out."
/
Blake and Yang both shut the barn door behind them. The Faunus glances at a decrepit tractor and chortles.
"Something's telling me that's not street legal," she says. Yang doesn't respond and Blake has to catch up to her as they progress through the shed, looking around to find anything that they can use.
"What do you think happened here?" Yang asks, looking to Blake.
"There's that well in the square, maybe water contamination?" Blake says.
Yang shrugs. "Yeah, maybe." She sighs and puts a hand on her forehead.
"Hey, are you okay?" Blake asks, her ears bending forward at the tips.
"Yeah, I mean…no, but…I don't know. I'm just tired," Yang says.
"Yeah."
Yang walks forward and stops at the end of the row of shelves. "Hey, I found something." A second later, she gasps and steps backward, raising her hands.
Blake catches up and her body tenses. "What is it?"
"I…" Yang looks outside a window and sighs. "I was just seeing things. I'm sorry, I still get flashes from that night." Her actual hand starts trembling for a second before she stills it with her other. "Do you think Adam's still out there?"
"I don't know, if he went back to the White Fang there would have been serious consequences. Saint pummeled him at Haven and I don't think he'll take that well," Blake says. "He never really liked people telling him what to do. Adam's strong, but his real power comes from control. He used to get in my head, make me feel small, but now I see he just wanted to pull me down to his size. I'm glad someone stronger took him down a notch."
Blake grasps Yang's prosthetic hand in her own. "Hey, I'm not leaving. And if we ever see him again, I promise I'll be there. Saint will be there, too."
The two share a smile.
"And I'll protect you."
The statement doesn't seem to bode well with Yang, as her eyes widen and her smile transforms into a frown.
"What?" Yang says, somewhat offended.
"What?" Blake asks, looking up to her.
Yang pulls her hand away. "Forget it, let's just head back."
Blake glances at the flatbed trailer in the corner. "But what about-"
"We're fine, we can hook that flatbed up to Bumblebee in the morning. Should carry everyone," Yang says, annoyed. "Mission accomplished," she mumbles.
Blake looks down and out of the window. She sighs.
If you're getting two notifications, don't worry. I had to tweak some things first.