Not too much to say. I lost a lot of motivation to write, but read a few reviews and started feeling bad, so I powered through this chapter. I just find chapters like these so terribly boring to write; it kills me. Essentially because I feel like I'm just recounting an episode everyone already knows. I try to change things as best I can, but at a certain point, some events just have to happen, and I can't adapt them well to make them more original.

Anyways. Thanks for all the reviews, and I'd like to thank everyone for their patience. I got no angry pm's, only encouraging reviews. I suspect because a lot of people who read my story try to write, and they know how hard it can be at times. Have a good thanks-giving and holiday season! Hopefully next chapter comes sooner. Also, my joining the military is accelerating quickly. Going to MEPS soon, so excited about that. God bless and have a good day.

EDIT: Now Beta'd by my good pal Kevin, the beta for all my prior chapters.

Gathering as promised, everyone was here, from Sun and Neptune, to himself and Weiss. It was a rather important day, as hopefully it would assist in putting Blake's worries to rest. The plan had been discussed previously, with Blake and Sun infiltrating a meeting, while the rest of them scattered on other various delicate tasks. He and Weiss seemed to have the simplest one, to be honest. He'd rather be at the forefront of danger, but there was some wisdom in having him ready to respond to anything which might come up.

It was the only thing which brought him comfort.

"Must. Resist. Urge. To. Pet." Ruby muttered under her breath, her eyes wide as she continued to stare at the fluffy, wild, grey mane of Sif. It was a bit… silly to watch, honestly, given that he had rarely, if ever, entertained thoughts of petting Sif. He'd always considered the pup too intelligent to be treated as a common pet. Sif could wield a sword, after all. That was as close to human as one could get in his opinion.

Sif, seeming to hear Ruby, stood and stretched, moving over to the girl before plopping down on his back. One expectant stare later, the wolf had properly trained his human pet to give his stomach some scratches. "Ooh, who's a good dog! You're so smart, aren't you? I wish Zwei could wield a sword… maybe he can?"

Gods above, she was talking to him with that insufferable 'baby' speech. But, well, Sif seemed to be entertaining the girl. Maybe it was just what everyone needed: some lighthearted fun. Who was he to stop them?

"Ruby, can you focus please?" Weiss's words cut through the air, and seemingly instantly, the girls' team leader straightened out, giving a sloppy salute to the girl in white.

"Yes, ma'am!"

Sun laughed, the monkey Faunus and his friend Neptune having been the last two to arrive to their group meetup. The Chosen Undead had no real feelings, one way or another, on the latter's presence; Sun was of course welcome. He was forced to assume Neptune was of respectable character, given Sun vouched for him. It was enough, and again, even one more person could help with situations like these.

Paying those around him enough mind, Sibyl finished fastening his gauntlets, before finally putting on the same helmet of eastern design Shiva used to wear oh-so-long-ago. It was a sturdy set, the Eastern Armor, which he had found one day in the Darkwood Forest. It was comfortable, as well as light, so it wouldn't slow him down much. Besides, the helmet provided much better visibility than the more traditional knight armors he was used to. It would also help mask his infection, which was the most important thing of all.

It felt nice not having cloth against his bare skin for once. Damn masks… he'd never liked them, but it was a necessity.

"You know, this is the first time I've seen you in heavy armor since we first met," Yang mentioned offhandedly, and he nodded, enjoying having the bars of metal in front of his delicate face. Ah, he missed wearing full helmets.

"Yes, it has been some time. Still, this both help covers my infection, as well as gives a sturdy line of defense should things go awry tonight." The only question he had left was what weapon to bring, and he'd decided that intimidation was the biggest factor. Should the White Fang try to attack again, he wanted them to fear him, if they did not already.

There was only one weapon which made him hesitate when he picked it up, one sole weapon which he feared. The Dragonslayer Spear, chosen weapon of the Captain of the Four Knights of Gwyn, Ornstein the Dragonslayer. Grasping around its shaft, he squeezed firmly, fighting through the phantom pain in his stomach.

Sif growled softly, and Sibyl frowned behind his helmet. Yes… the wolf probably knew Ornstein, didn't he? But that was what Sibyl did, wasn't it? What the Chosen Undead did: killed opponents who dared be in his path into irrelevance. Sighing, the knight mentally hardened himself before giving the spear a brief twirl, careful to not strike the ceiling or his surroundings.

"You have a ton of weapons, don't you?" Sun asked, and Sibyl nodded.

"Variety is the spice of life, as they say."

Sun nodded at the undead's words, though he eyed him for a bit longer than he might normally. Then again, he'd probably read Sibyl's letter in-between the last three weeks. A long gaze should be expected, given what it had outlined.

Yang finished fastening her own weaponized gauntlets, and with that, everyone was ready. The day had really dragged, but the time was here. Blake looked elated and nervous, while most of everyone else just seemed nervous.

"We all understand the plan, yes?" Sibyl received a series of nods from all in the room. He certainly wasn't the leader, or the one who had come up with the plan of investigation, but he did want to clarify a few things. "Good. Blake, Sun, should anything go awry, call for immediate backup."

He paused, digging into a pouch on his person.

He presented two Green Blossoms to Blake and Sun. "Green Blossoms. A bitter herb, I admit, but one which provides a great boost to stamina temporarily. Use it if conflict arises." They each took one, and it did a remarkable job reducing his stress level. If nothing else, it would give them the endurance needed to flee.

"…Sif," the undead began, getting the wolf's attention, "I had planned on you coming with me, but it would ease my mind should you stay with Ruby and help keep watch over Sun and Blake's infiltration. Would you do so kindly?"

Sif growled in confirmation, standing and retrieving his blade from the far side of the room before standing firmly next to the youngest girl in the room.

"Excellent. Well then, I believe we have little to wait for."

"It's impressively large," Sibyl admitted as he took in the sight of the Transit Tower, and it didn't sound like he was saying it just to appease her expectations of a reaction from him.

Weiss nodded in confirmation, but while it was large, it was nothing compared to what they had in Atlas.

"You should see the one in Atlas, the first of them to be built," she explained, noticing Sibyl's brow furrow briefly in that uniquely odd way of his. "They transmit messages all across the globe, instantly. It was a very important development, helping unite different people under different walks of life, as well as allow humanity to better organize and band together against the Grimm."

Sure, they could have made a trip to the library and accomplished everything they were trying to do without going to Transit Tower, but she wanted to wow Sibyl. And, as she explained what it was able to do, he looked quite wowed. From what little she could see of his face beneath the iron bars, anyways. How did he have so many different armors...

"A gift after the great war, no? I believe that's what the texts said, anyways."

Nodding, the Schnee heiress allowed herself to fall more steadily into step beside Sibyl as they entered the tower. "I wonder what Lordran might have been like with such technology," the knight idly wondered, completely ignorant to the many odd looks his armor was receiving; it was charming in its own way, his obliviousness. "Perhaps the plight of the undead would have been better understood if we could communicate with those who would rather ignore us."

She didn't want to crush his hopes, but given that Faunus existed and faced similar discrimination… she doubted it would have done much of anything, especially since undead had a more valid reason to be hated and feared. Still, while Sibyl had explained what an undead was, and what being one entailed, she still didn't properly understand the culture built around being undead. It could be perceived different than Faunus, though.

After all, humans could just ignore Faunus as other, lesser beings. Being undead was more akin to… to a disease? It could happen to anyone, from a king to a farmer. It made her head hurt and her heart ache, so Weiss shook her head and focused back on her surroundings.

"Space is a bit open," the undead mumbled to himself, but Weiss caught the meaning behind his words. She also saw the way he tensed; it wasn't anything with his face, because she couldn't see his face beneath his helmet enough to see and tell. But he postured a bit straighter, his stride got a bit shorter, and his fingers flexed around the grip of his weapon, which was a very large spear that had impaled him in the past.

"…does it bother you?" She decided to ask, and she waited patiently as he paused in his step, giving the room one more long glance before sighing.

Another moment of looking around, he finally turned to her to speak. "Yes. The bigger the space, the bigger a demon it can fit. Sometimes a dragon, too, but not as often. One learned to search for the signs of a dragon if they intended to not be burnt alive."

It made a twisted sort of sense, so Weiss hummed to herself as the two entered the elevator. As the door closed, a voice rang out. "Hello, welcome to the CCT. How may I help you today?" It took the Huntress a few moments to focus, because she saw Sibyl staring at the screen with narrowed eyes. He was no longer easily startled by things like intercoms, but that didn't mean they made much sense to him on a technological level. Nothing did, really.

She quickly verified her identify with her scroll, Sibyl dutifully patient by her side all the while.

"Perfect. Thank you Miss Schnee," finished the intercom voice, and Weiss was stuck between a desire to grimace and smile. She settled for a mix of both, and as the elevator rose, stopped, and the door opened, she composed herself and walked out with a confident stride, Sibyl trailing behind like a particularly menacing bodyguard.

The projected-secretary behind the most prominent desk looked up from her work, greeting the pair pleasantly. "Welcome to the Beacon-Cross-Continental Transmit center. How may I help you?"

"I need to make a call to Schnee Company World Headquarters in Atlas."

"If you'll head over to terminal 3, I'll patch you through."

"Thank you," Weiss inclined her head, beckoning Sibyl to follow.

"This all seems like a bit much," he spoke aloud, looking around with small wonder at the many different people and terminals. "It's… I really don't even know what to say. Only the walls of Anor Londo ever reached the skies, and even then, only just. And these projections? They're incredible. It gives me ideas for a soul sorcery, but I doubt I have a good enough understanding to follow through with it."

Weiss opened her mouth, but hesitated. Sibyl was insanely well versed with sorcery; what could she offer to help with? But, he said he didn't have a good enough understanding of projections to follow through with it. That was something she did have. After a few moments of silent contemplation, she decided to follow through. "I'd be happy to help, if I can."

Sibyl hummed, taking the offer in. "Perhaps you could. There was a way for beings to cross timelines in Lordran, using a crystal. They would come in a phantom-like form; I'm beginning to wonder if such magic can be replicated. A… projection of one's soul, either as an illusion or a half-physical manifestation."

Sibyl paused, stopping in his steps. "…perhaps even a way to speak with dead and lost souls."

Weiss blew air as she thought, arriving at the terminal she'd been assigned. Sibyl's pondering would have to wait for now. There were more urgent things to take care of.

The two settled at the terminal, Weiss taking her seat, seeing as how Sibyl was mostly here to look menacing. It took a few moments, but the screen powered up to display a woman with fair skin and orange hair. "Thank you for calling the Atlas-"

Finally, the woman seemed to recognize just who had called. It always seemed to go that way.

"Ah, Miss Schnee. Good afternoon; can I patch you through to your father? Your sister is around as well, I believe."

Smiling cheerfully, Weiss tried to make that expression somewhat more real by recalling that Sibyl was near. "No, thank you, I was actually hoping you could retrieve some files for me." Reaching for her Scroll, she placed it accordingly on the terminal.

She did her best to keep her face passive while the data transferred, because she had a feeling when her request went through-

"Miss Schnee, these are some very... sensitive documents," the girl behind the monitor muttered, face scrunched in... well, it was hard to say whether it was confusion or worry.

Keeping her voice as passive as possible, she nodded. "It's for a school project," she insisted with the bold-faced lie, and Sibyl nearly chuckled behind her.

She quieted him with a quick side-glare, before turning back to the confused girl who was doing something which could possibly get her fired. "I-I understand, but if these were to fall into the wrong hands-"

"I'll be sure to take good care of them," Weiss answered, voice a bit chippy. It was a Schnee tone, and when a Schnee used it, employees bowed to their whims. It was a bit irritating and made her stomach churn to actually have to use it, but it was for a good cause. Necessity compels.

"Very well. Do take care, Miss Schnee."

A few moments later, the data was transferred, and Weiss more-or-less dismissed herself and Sibyl. They had more important things to get up to.

It wasn't as if she was confused as to why everyone who passed them by, from kids to old people, were staring; she'd have to be really oblivious to not realize why they were an odd sight. And, while Weiss always said she was a dolt, she wasn't that dolt-ish. Was that even a word? Ruby was going to make it a word, that's for sure.

A fifteen year old girl, especially a Huntress-in-training, sitting on a bench with a gigantic, white wolf which was dutifully licking a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, was not something the people of Vale saw every day. They might have been more used to oddities than most, but it was starting to push it just a little bit. But, while Ruby was more than willing to acknowledge they looked a bit odd, she definitely didn't care.

"See? It's good, isn't it?" Whether or not Sif heard her, she couldn't exactly say for sure. What she could say is he did give an answer, and that answer was to keep on licking the dairy treat happily. Ruby couldn't help but stare at his tongue as he did so; it was so big! Sif was so big, and according to Sibyl, he wasn't even full grown! He already came up to her chest! How much larger could he get?

He was a big, good boy. His fur was so soft, and he had such beautiful eyes. It was a bit odd, because she was so used to Zwei – and Ruby loved Zwei – but she'd also always liked bigger dogs. Especially big dogs who could wield a sword which looked absolutely awesome. How did he even learn to wield a sword? She could vaguely recall Sibyl saying Sif had been Artorias's partner, and Sibyl always talked about Artorias with a lot of respect.

She could understand why. How cool did someone have to be to have a wolf for a partner, and to teach that wolf to wield a freakin' sword!

A large part of her wanted to ask Sibyl if she could keep Sif, but it was held back by one thing: Sif wasn't exactly a house pet. He was incredibly intelligent, which she'd only realized after he nodded an answer to her fourth, supposedly rhetorical question. Then she'd asked if he could understand her, and he'd nodded again. A few more probing questions later, and she realized he was probably smarter than Cardin was… not that it was hard to be smarter than Cardin.

Sif may not have been a person, but he was close enough. Maybe she could even make him an honorary member of team RWBY, just like Sibyl? Ruby was the leader, so she had the ability to do that if she wanted to, right?

Well, it was something to think about as she tried to keep the time passing smoothly. And that was difficult, because she had to wait all the way until tonight. It's not like Blake and Sun could just ask the White Fang to move up their meeting time, anyways...

"I wish we didn't have to wait so long for tonight... I don't even know where to scout out on the rooftops!" Slumping slightly, Ruby leaned her head back and sighed. "But hey, I have you! And we have this ice cream!" Glancing at the cone to see where Sif was at, Ruby blinked. It was entirely gone. Had he just eaten it all at once? There had still been so much left!

Sif was looking at her expectantly. Giggling, the young Huntress rose to her feet, stretching and standing on her toes. "Sure, we can go get more."

She had taken precisely two steps before she slammed into someone, falling onto her behind.

When Sif started growling, Ruby decided she needed to stop caring about the fact she'd fallen on her bottom, and instead, care more about the situation before it escalated. "Sif, it's fine," she insisted, shaking her head and turning to whoever had knocked her down. She blinked upon seeing familiar orange hair, and an even more familiar face: Penny.

She hadn't seen Penny in forever! Last time she saw her was the night Blake and Sibyl got kidnapped. The smile on her face faded at that memory, but Ruby shook it off. "Penny! Where have you been? We haven't seen you since the night at the docks!"

The girl in question froze, her eyes widening.

"...I think you're confused," she quickly said, brushing off her body and offering a quick incline of the head. "I've got to go!" Without another word uttered, she turned and set off at a brisk pace.

Ruby's jaw nearly dropped, She thought Penny was a friend! She'd been so eager to help that night, not to mention friendly! A part of her wanted to yell in frustration, but she settled on giving Sif a glance.

Right, well, Ruby wasn't going to let Penny just leave without an explanation.

Rushing to catch up, and with Sif at her heels, she cut off Penny's escape path.

"Penny, please. Things have been crazy since the docks… we're actually going after the guys who caused that big mess tonight!"

The girl in question froze, finally turning to meet Ruby's eyes.

"And, I know we don't know each other that well, but I have been worried about you! I was afraid some White Fang member might have seen your face and went after your or something. Just… please, will you speak to me? I thought we were friends…"

Penny's face finally softened, and Ruby decided that was a good thing. "This… isn't the best place to talk about this."

Well, fine! So long as they could go somewhere to talk.

"I… There is a café a few blocks from here."

Ruby nodded; there were a lot of cafés in Vale, but she knew of the nearest one. "Meet me there in like an hour, so you can… uh, do whatever you need to do?" Ruby questioned, and when Penny nodded, she smiled.

Perfect! They'd be able to figure things out. She was tired of all the surprises and secrets; luckily, Penny seemed relatively normal. No big surprise – like bombs would be dropped on her today – nope!

"This is it," Blake declared, observing as two Faunus were let through at the guard-in-disguise stepped aside. She could feel her heart start to beat just a bit faster. How many Fang members would be in there? What would they be discussing? Would she be spotted? Sure, she wasn't exactly unique as far as Faunus went, but when paired with Sun's distinct golden hair, they might be able to pick them out of a crowd. Why was this rally still going through, anyways? Adam was dead – Sibyl had seen to that. The Fang should be reorganizing, putting new leaders in place. There would be some chaos for at least a little bit. Instead, they were-

"You sure?" Sun questioned, and Blake paused in her mental ramblings, turning to glare. The monkey Faunus quickly straightened, holding his hands up in surrender, "Y'know, I'm just gonna' take your word for it!"

Keeping her glare up for another moment, she shook her head, reaching up to undo the bow atop her head. Turning the alley corner together, she and Sun walked side-by-side. The usher looked at them for a few moments before nodding, speaking a few words of Fang propaganda which she tuned out.

And finally, they were in. The pair who had entered before them were still within sight, being talked to by a man in a White Fang uniform, complete with mask. The two new recruits were given their own mask, too. God, she couldn't stop staring at those masks. Faunus hiding who they are, because they're so ashamed but afraid to admit it. Not hiding because they're Faunus, but because of just what kind of a Faunus they were. Hiding behind a mask to shield them from their terrible actions, their stupid beliefs that they were strongerthan her and she should be punished for just leaving the Fang. Like she was some property, some lump of meat-

"Blake!" Sun snapped, and Blake whirled, throwing a fist which was caught just inches from his face. Blake couldn't hear anything but her own heartbeat for a few seconds, and there was this sort of distant ringing in her ears which made it hard to focus on anything. Eventually, her heartbeat calmed, and she was finally able to focus again. Sun had gently lowered her fist back to her side, but her hand was still clenched.

"...you gonna' be okay?" He asked, softly, so hopefully none else could hear.

She almost nodded, but decided against it. Lying didn't do any good. "Maybe. I don't know."

Resting a hand on her shoulder, Sun squeezed firmly. "I may not be Sibyl, but I'm not too bad in my own right."

Ah, yes, because Blake needed protecting. Her, a Huntress-in-training, needed protection against a bunch of barely-trained White Fang grunts. A part of her wanted to scowl and brush his damn hand off her shoulder, but he was just trying to help and comfort her. She didn't need to lash out. It wasn't Sun's fault she had failed. But, Blake was never going to fail again.

"...thanks. Let's just get this over with."

Blake decided she needed to stop thinking, at least until something important was going on. So it was with robotic movements that she took her mask from the White Fang member offering them and donned it, and when her and Sun finally found their place in the crowd among other 'recruits', her brain was turned on again.

A few moments later, someone began to speak.

"Thank you all for coming," he began, walking across a stage to the backdrop of a large, black curtain with the White Fang emblem painted on its center. It wasn't Adam's usual lieutenant, that was for sure. But she did recognize him as someone relatively high up the chain. "For those of you only just joining us, allow me to pass on some terrible news. Adam Taurus is dead. He didn't die as he should have, a hero, by old age, celebrated by all. No, he was murdered."

There were murmurs of sadness and confusion across the crowd. Blake nearly cheered.

"Before that, though... Adam had a vision. A vision which had followed him since he was a child, and one which was very close to coming true. He recruited a very special someone to help with that vision. He is the key to achieving what we've fought to achieve for so long..."

From behind the curtain, someone walked out. Blake scowled, but was quick to school her features. They couldn't be found out... though, a scowl was on most of the other Faunus's faces at this point. The person who'd walked out was was Roman Torchwick. So, even with Adam dead, Roman was still in touch with the White Fang.

"Please, hold your applause," Roman both began and taunted.

A few Faunus murmured, one eventually throwing out what most of them were thinking: "What's a human doing here!"

"What, is a human not allowed to mourn an old acquaintance who he despised and was equally despised by?"

Blake blinked, but overall wasn't too surprised at the statement. Adam would have never gotten along with a human, and from what she'd observed of Roman, he wasn't all that open-minded.

"Me and Adam, we were never pals. But we were working together towards the same goal: taking down those pulling the strings. You know who. The government. Atlas, Beacon, Huntresses and Hunters! All people working together to keep you down. I don't personally care much if you lot are muzzled and caged, and I doubt you'd care if I ended up dead in a ditch somewhere. What matters is that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. And those enemies... they're pests who need to be put down.

"Fortunately, I'm the best exterminator in town. No offense to the rodents in the room." With a snap of his fingers, the curtain on the stage was pulled back, and Blake felt her own eyes widen.

He had a giant mech.

"Yup. Atlas's newest and best line of defense against all the scary things in this world, generously donated to all of you by the Atlas military! With the help of my employer, we managed to snag a few more before they hit the shelf."

This... this was huge. It didn't seem too relevant to whatever the hell Adam had been trying to do, but this was still huge, literally. And they had grabbed more than one? Also, Roman had claimed he had an 'employer.' That meant he wasn't at the top of this command chain – he was answering to someone. Previously, she might have thought it was Adam or a White Fang high leader, but now... now she wasn't so sure. It could be anyone!

"Now, many of your brothers have already moved to our little operation in the south east. If you'd rather stay within the city, that's fine. But if you're truly ready to fight for what you believe in, this is the arsenal I can provide you." Roman paused to light his cigar, taking a long drag and puffing the smoke forward. "Any questions?"

"We need to get the hell outta' here," Sun muttered under his breath, leaning in close to her. She nodded; it should be easy to just dip out the back, if they moved quickly-

"All new recruits to the front!"

Damn it! This was bad, bad. All around them, Faunus eagerly moved up as close as they could to the stage. Her and Sun stayed still as they got bumped into, her mind busy racing for a solution to get out of here. White Fang agents had blocked their behinds, and were ushering people forward. There weren't any exits in this room on the ground floor; there were a few windows and a door on the upper stage, at most.

"He sees us," Sun observed, voice oddly monotone. Blake glanced towards the stage, and it was true; Roman was looking right at them, a sneer adorning his features. Not wasting a moment, Blake pulled out her gun and took a shot at the fuse-box in the corner. The lights went out, and Blake wasted no time grabbing Sun and high-tailing it out one of the windows, glass raining down behind them.

"This is so boring," Ruby muttered, sitting on her position of a nearby rooftop. Her eye was looking down the sights of her rifle, but she couldn't exactly see much. Not due to lighting or anything like that, but because nothing was going on. Sif growled in agreement, his head resting next to her legs. "At least it means Sun and Blake haven't been found out... we woulda' heard something," she thought, briefly turning to face Sif. "Hopefully the meeting is done soon, though..."

Man, tonight had been crazy! The only reason she was able to stay focused on keeping an eye on Blake's meeting point, and not have her mind stuck on the fact that Penny was a freakin' robot, was that she remembered the last time the White Fang had been involved with anything. Frowning, Ruby bit her lip. What they'd done to Blake... it was despicable. Things had been going great before that mess – everyone was getting along, mostly.

And Sibyl... he had nearly died! Not to mention how many people he killed... but she wasn't too upset about all that, even if she knew she should be.

"...Sibyl, he's a good guy, right Sif?"

The wolf breathed deeply for a few seconds before nodding softly. Well, that was good enough for Ruby.

Turning back to the scene of the crime, Ruby blinked. Because Sun and Blake had just jumped out of a window, and that meant things were going not good. Oh. A giant robot just crashed through a wall, chasing them. Definitely not good.

Sif howled, and Ruby didn't waste a second to throw herself on his backside as the wolf leapt from the roof, following the escaping Sun and Blake. A moment later, her Scroll went off, with Blake and Sun requesting backup.

Well, backup was on the way!

"Damnation! Quick, with haste," Sibyl growled, resisting the urge to crush the damn Scroll which had been the bearer of bad news. How were they going to catch them? Firstly, the people of this world were as quick as damn Ornstein was, and while his Aura being unlocked had also increased Sibyl's own speed, it was nowhere near as good as everyone else's.

He was given little more time to think when Weiss grabbed his hand, pulling him in close and up against her.

"C'mon. We don't have time to waste," she muttered, face oddly red. Must have been the adrenaline pumping. A second later, and Weiss was sending them flying forward with the help of her glyphs. Incredible things, those. They would have been useful in damn near any situation he could think of.

They caught up much more quickly than he'd expected them to, to be honest. Evidently, the two were not as far as he had expected them to be. They were on some overhang, cars flying past them every which way. And, down below, albeit far away at the moment, he could see Blake and Sun being chased by a giant machine-man.

"I've got a plan," Weiss informed, eyes steeling with a glint of determination. Sibyl nodded, waiting for her to explain further. "...mount him with that spear of yours. Don't worry about the rest."

"It will be done!" Laughing, Sibyl approached the edge, a grin adorning his unseen-lips. Weiss had rushed backwards to the other-side of the overhang, and Blake passed them by – Sun and Neptune had been discarded, it seemed, though hopefully they were well. Well, here goes nothing. Leaping off with a roar of triumph, he brought his spear down right upon its shoulder joint. The spear went deep, and Sibyl was glad it was made by such a strong soul and skilled blacksmith, or perhaps his weight would have snapped it in half.

...well, he was now stuck on its shoulder. Weiss had said not to worry about anything. What was she doing, anyhow? Turning his head to face where she should have jumped off, he grinned at seeing the sheet of ice which now covered the ground. A remarkable plan! Except, well... he was on top of the thing.

Sibyl cursed as the metal machine beneath him slipped, rolling and falling off the side of the overhang. He did his best to hang on, but the rough landing ended up dislodging Ornstein's spear and him with it.

He landed in a heap, bouncing and skipping along the ground, before finally managing to stop himself with his foot dragging along the ground, not managing to calmly stab the tip of the gigantic spear to slow him down better. When his head finished ringing and he took a glance around, he found Ruby, Yang, Blake, Weiss and Sif. The machine had risen back to its feet, and he only now noticed just how many weapons it had attached. Sibyl prepared to take command, to give those around him a plan – but then Ruby spoke.

"Freezerburn!"

Blinking, because that word had no meaning to him, the Chosen Undead watched as Yang and Weiss leapt into action, the latter creating another ice sheet and the former smashing it; the air around them was covering in a thick mist, and the group scattered. An impressive maneuver, especially to have it ready in advance. Sibyl whistled for Sif, leaping on the wolf and dodging some sort of explosive blast at his person.

"Are you ready, dear friend?" Sif growled, and Sibyl laughed, the mech's weapons immediately coming down at his position. Sif did not dodge aside; no, instead he rushed straight at the mech, his sword in his mouth. Sibyl readied his spear as if jousting, aiming for a joint on the lower leg. His spear lodged in, perhapsa bit too well. He found his body flung from Sif as it got stuck, the wolf rushing by and retreating back into cover. Putting his feet up against the metal legs of the machine as its guns turned to point at his face point-blank, he kicked off, landing with a roll and trying to take off-

A blast at his feet sent him flying, landing in a disgruntled heap.

"Checkmate!" Ruby's voice called out.

Recovering back to his feet and ignoring the ringing of his head, Sibyl turned and watched what their next combination attack would be. Blake and Weiss rushed forward, slashing and attacking in a masterful combination and acrobatic display. He whistled in appreciation, though quickly shook himself from his marvel and grabbed his catalyst.

Preparing a Soul Spear, he fired just as Blake was pulled out from beneath the thing's foot by Weiss. His Soul Spear flew true, striking the glass where Roman Torchwick sit behind. Unfortunately, it only cracked the window, and Sibyl growled as he watched Weiss get thrown back by an explosive shot. Next, the machine shot missiles, as he recalled them being called. A few tracked him, but most went towards Blake, who glowed an odd gold at the moment.

Casting Homing Soulmass as three of the missiles rushed towards him, the soul magic went forward and met them, albeit a bit closer to him than he would have liked. As Ruby and Blake continued to attack the legs, Sif joined them, his sword strikes both precise and powerful. As the two girls leaped high into the sky and came down on one of the arms, Sif leaped high, striking with his own blade a mere moment before the two girls would have. Combined, the three dislodged the arm entirely.

Sibyl, however, was quick to grab Weiss and get her to furnish her catalyst as Yang was smacked aside. The Schnee Heiress gasped in concern, but Sibyl refocused her. They stood side by side, and Sibyl wrapped his hand around hers while his other hand held up his catalyst. "I will help you channel, but it is time for you to cast Soul Spear."

Weiss gave him a wide-eyed, disbelieving look. "W-What? I'm, I'm nowhere near ready for that! I just got Great Soul Arrow down! We're not-"

He leaned in close, though his helmet separated the two. "Weiss. You are strong and bright, far brighter than I. I would not ask this if I didn't believe you could do it. Besides, I will guide you."

She searched his eyes for any lies, but found none. Nodding, she took a deep breath. As Sibyl helped guide her soul magic to the proper form, he conjured his own Crystal Soul Spear as Yang shattered the machine's other arm with but a single punch. Their magical casts, oddly, formed together; his Crystal Soul Spear combined with Weiss's own regular Soul Spear.

It resulted in the single largest, most powerful chant he'd ever seen. It was double the size of the largest Soul Spear he'd ever seen Master Logan cast, and the screeching sound their cast made was enough to stop everyone in their tracks. "Yang, blind it!" He screamed, as his and Weiss's magical cast slammed into the chest of the machine, shattering with a sound louder than the mightiest of dragon roars. The machine stumbled backwards, its breast-plate blown out, but it was still technically working.

Yang, having heard his words, quickly threw a fireball up at the glass window, the fire spreading out over the window for a brief moment. Meanwhile, Blake and Ruby worked together for one final strike at its left knee joint; the leg coming clean off, and the machine began to stumble to the ground. Yang reared back one fist, smashing it in the center where Weiss and Sibyl had softened it up. The giant machine came apart everywhere, and Roman Torchwick was left rolling on the ground.

Ruby was quick to fire at him, but some girl with the oddest hair he'd ever seen suddenly appeared in front, blocking the attack with an umbrella of all things.

"Ladies, Ice Queen, Mr. Chosen," Roman taunted as he sauntered beside the girl, who moved her umbrella to rest on her shoulder. Sibyl sneered, grabbing his spear and leaping atop Sif. The wolf needed no invitation to charge forward.

"It's been a pleasure," Roman bowed as Sibyl's spear slammed into the girl's umbrella. The Undead prepared for a continued fight, but instead, the two shattered into glass. Sif skidded to a stop and Sibyl cursed, leaping off the wolf and slamming the bottom of his spear onto the ground.

"Damn it! Sif, can you pick up any trail?"

The wolf growled softly and shook his head. Sibyl gave one of the glass pieces on the ground a strong kick, shattering it further.

"Who was that girl?" Ruby asked aloud, and Sibyl had as little idea as she did.

"I don't know, but she really made our plans... fall apart?" Weiss observed, her lips cracking a smile.

Sibyl couldn't help it; he chuckled. Despite the worst of things... well, at least some good had come of this.

As police sirens sounded in the distance, he wondered just how true that was.