Before we start I'd like to point out something I neglected to explain in the last chapter. I found the idea of there only being a single type of warship in the Atlesian air fleet, or at least only one type making up the group sent to Vale for the Vytal Festival. In this story, there are at least three types of warships that make up the Atlesian air fleet. The destroyers are the type seen in canon, equipped exclusively with forward-facing guns for a direct engagement or long-range bombardment and able to land on the pads like a bullhead could. The second type would be simply called cruisers, which would be larger than the destroyers (maybe 1.5 times the size) and can only "land" at Beacon by docking at the pier, similar to the civilian airships from the first episode of RWBY. The cruisers would be equipped with forward-facing lasers like the destroyers, but also have shorter range turrets for defense against more agile threats. After that would be battleships, airships so large that they'd require a special docking facility to land and are equipped almost exclusively with turret-mounted laser cannons, miniguns, and possibly rocket launchers. For the purposes of this story, it would be safe to assume there's only one battleship in the Atlesian air fleet.
Since I've only received positive feedback on the idea of someone being able to bind a soul to a Draconian automaton, I've decided to include that in this. The inactive automaton would be called an "Avatar" for this.
Also, I'd like to say that I'm happy with the progress I'm making so far. This story's been up for two weeks now and I never expected to write this much in such a short timeframe. I'm glad people continue to enjoy it and I hope I can continue with quality updates.
SirSpangler- Ruby didn't ask them for their names for a few reasons. As I said before, the quality of the recording wouldn't quite be good enough to be certain that they had the same voices, only that they sounded similar. Secondly, Ruby only had one name from the recording, besides Torchwick's, which lacked a surname or family name and, as Ruby admitted, might not even be the real name of the woman she heard. Ruby's aware she doesn't have much to go by since she didn't get a full name for any of them and she only has the vague sound of their voices. At this point, she can't focus entirely on trying to link them to Torchwick without giving him the freedom to act without interference, on top of the risk that they'll get suspicious. She'll keep an eye on them, but she'll only do so in a way that can be brushed off as watching the potential competition.
Chapter 18: Investigations and Landfall
Draconys, Point Refuge
Bisman let out a sigh as he walked down the road, a grey cloak wrapped around him as he glanced around. Other than a few collapsed supports, the partially destroyed outer wall, and ruined buildings near the edge of the city, Point Refuge was fairly well-preserved. He watched as a pair of Sentinels and a Champion marched past, weapons in hand as their gazes swept over the area. He noticed the team of Hunters behind him step out of the way nervously before he sighed. "Greene, I was told your team knew what to expect. The smaller automatons aren't a threat at this point. If anything, they're probably the reason the city is still mostly intact."
Alex Greene glared at the professor, her emerald eyes trying to burn a hole through him as she tugged her own cloak tighter against her in an attempt to fight off the chill in the air. "I'm sorry if we're not as calm as you are about being on a continent that every story says is a place of death! I'm not even sure why you're so calm about this."
Bisman let out a sigh before he turned back around, continuing down the street. "I wonder that myself sometimes…" He glanced around, noticing the gothic design of the buildings and the vaguely familiar appearance of a few. They went around a corner and found a small park in the middle of the next intersection. Sitting in the middle was a massive crystal, two stories tall, held in a metal frame along the edges. The group stepped up to it before Greene spoke up.
"What is this? It's not Dust, is it?" Bisman frowned as he reached forward, gently touching the crystal. He yanked his hand back as a surge of energy went down his arm, the dark crystal suddenly coming to life, releasing a soft red glow as a humming filled the clearing. Bisman felt a headache coming before he almost blacked out.
Bisman looked around as he saw the frame sitting empty in front of him. A pair of figures walked up and the one in blue looked up at the frame before placing a small red crystal in the center. The moment it was slotted into place, it started to give off a quiet hum. The blue-cloaked man turned to his companion "And with this, the new era of our civilization begins…" The other man tapped his cane on the ground and pushed his glasses up before he turned around.
"Hopefully, this one will be brighter than the one that came before it."
Bisman blinked as he looked around, finding Greene's team still staring at the massive crystal in front of him. "I-I think it is Dust… Just not a kind we're familiar with…" He shook his head before continuing down a random street, causing the rest of the team to look at him in confusion.
"Hey! Where are you going?" one of the members called out before Bisman turned to look at him.
"Toward the city center, I believe!" They watched the man continue on before following behind him. With every step, Bisman tried desperately to shake off the strange feeling that had settled on his shoulders. "I've seen that cane before… The grip, the handle…" He glanced up at the arch above him as he passed under it, three interlocked gears carved into it like a number of other buildings. He knew they were there, Greene had commented on the mark when she noticed it on the city gates. "I'm not sure what's worse, the thought that I'm going mad, or the possibility that I'm still completely sane…"
A week later, Beacon Academy, RWBY's Dorm Room
Ruby carefully put Crescent Rose in its place behind her back as the rest of her team got read. "I thought that class would never end…" Blake muttered, causing Ruby to glance up at her.
"Alright everyone, today's the day. The investigation begins!" she said with a smile before looking over the group. "So, everyone remember their roles?"
Weiss nodded. "You and I will head to the CCT and check the Schnee records for any other Dust robberies or inconsistencies. Since I am a Schnee, it shouldn't be a problem."
Blake quickly put her hands behind her back. "The White Fang has regular faction meetings to hand out orders and recruit new members. If I can get in, I can hopefully find out what they're planning," she said before Ruby nodded, looking at Yang.
"I have an old friend on the shady side of town that usually knows everything going on in Vale. Getting him to talk shouldn't be too hard," the blonde said with a grin. "Of course, if he decides to make it difficult I get to have some fun, so it's a win-win regardless."
Ruby nodded. "Okay, we'll meet up tonight with Yang and go over what we've found. Let's get started!"
"Yeah!" called Sun from outside the window, causing the members of team RWBY to jump back before they glared at him. "What? I thought we were going after that Torchwick guy. Don't you want help?"
"We are going to investigate the situation… As a team," Blake said before Ruby sighed.
"Normally I'd agree that we need to involve as few people as possible, but it might be a good idea if you and Yang had some backup, Blake," Ruby commented before Blake let out a groan and Sun hopped in the window, pulling Neptune off the ledge in the process. "Why were you standing out there Neptune?"
"No reason. Just thought I'd lend a hand," the blue-haired boy said with a smile, winking at Weiss.
"Okay, so I think Sun should go with Blake while Neptune can go with Yang. Weiss, the two of us will stick together like we planned."
"A-actually Ruby, maybe you should go with Yang while I go with Neptune, she is your sister after all…" "It'd help to spend time with someone other than her and Neptune looks like he'd be someone I could at least enjoy having as company…"
Ruby blinked before sighing. "I can't go with Yang, Weiss. If we get into a fight she's going to have to either avoid using Dragon's Fury or I have to stay far away from her. Right now, it's not a good idea."
"Well, what about-"
"Going with Blake is out of the question too. The fact is, even if I leave the Rose crest here like I planned to already, there's always the chance Torchwick will be there or that he's told people to watch out for a wolf faunus with a red cloak. The thing is, he's already had two run-ins with me, so I'm pretty sure he's not willing to risk me messing up his plans a third time. If we want to make sure everyone has someone to back them up in case we get into a fight, I'd have to go with you."
Weiss let out a frustrated sigh. "There goes that idea…" "Alright, fine, I can't find any faults in your logic, Ruby." With that, the faunus girl grabbed her partner and started moving out the door, the other pairs quickly splitting up behind her.
Beacon CCT Tower, with Ruby and Weiss
"Wow, I forgot how big these things were…" Ruby said in amazement.
"You should see the one in Atlas. It is where the Cross-Continental Transmit System was designed after all," Weiss said smugly.
"That's not really important for the task at hand…" Ruby muttered.
"The only reason we're even here is because you like the tower so much! We could have just as easily made a call from the library."
"Yeah, we could have, but Professor Ozpin said the CCT is regularly checked for listening equipment, so it's the most secure location we could go to actually get the information without having to worry about anyone spying on us." Weiss let out a sigh.
"I hate when you're right…" she muttered and started heading toward the tower, only to bump into Penny.
"Oh, excuse me," the girl said before Ruby looked at her.
"Penny?" Ruby started. The strange girl stuttered for a moment before Ruby continued. "Where have you been? We haven't seen you since the night at the docks."
"S-sorry, I think you're confused," Penny said before turning around. "Uh, I've got to go." She quickly started walking away, leaving Weiss and Ruby to stare at each other.
"What was that about?" Weiss asked before Ruby shrugged.
"I'm not sure, but it was weird… Do you mind if I go check and meet back up with you afterwards?" Ruby asked, looking at her partner as she let out a sigh.
"Fine, just don't do anything stupid, okay?" Ruby nodded and walked off leaving Weiss alone. "Of course she'd do that, make me go with her and then take off…"
Ruby quickly ran up to the strange girl before putting a hand on her shoulder. "Penny! Where have you been? It's been weeks!"
"There seems to be a misunderstanding…"
"What? Penny, is everything okay? I don't know what's wrong, but you have to listen to me. Those people at the docks, they're up to something and if we don't stop them, something bad could happen. I need you to tell me what happened that night. Please, as a friend?"
Penny let out a sigh before glancing around. "It isn't safe to talk here…" she said before walking off, Ruby following behind her.
With Weiss
Weiss let out a sigh as she stepped into the elevator, trying her best to prepare herself for the call she was about to make. "They're going to ask questions, I know that much. The problem is, will they just accept what I come up with or will they drag my father into this? If they do that… I'm not going to be able to get any of the documents we need." Weiss let out a sigh as she stepped out into the communications room, walking up to the front desk.
A hologram of a woman appeared and smiled at her. "Welcome to the Beacon Cross-Continental Transmit Center. How may I help you?"
"I need to make a call to the Schnee Company World Headquarters in Atlas," Weiss said as calmly as she could.
"Absolutely. If you could head over to Terminal 3, I'll patch you through."
"Thank you." Weiss smiled before walking over, taking a seat before a woman appeared on the screen.
"Thank you for calling the Atlas- Oh, Ms. Schnee. Good afternoon! Would you like me to patch you through to your father? I think your sister Winter might be here as well."
Weiss smiled as best as she could. "No thank you, I was actually wondering if you could find some files for me…" "hopefully without involving my father, that would be preferable…" "I've actually compiled a short list," Weiss finished before placing her Scroll into the receptacle. The woman glanced over something on her end before frowning slightly.
"I… see. If you don't mind me asking, what is this for?"
Weiss shrugged before answering. "Just a school project…" "Technically I'm not lying, it is something Professor Ozpin wanted us to do, it's just not something that'll show up on our final grade…"
The woman looked at her nervously. "U-um, there are some sensitive documents on this list, ma'am."
Weiss tried to smile reassuringly. "It's fine, I'll make sure to delete them as soon as I've read through them."
"R-right…" The woman quickly started transferring them over. "Very well, the data is being transferred to your Scroll… Now."
"Wonderful, that will be all then. Thank you."
"Are you sure you wouldn't like me to patch you through to your father before you go?"
Weiss frowned momentarily before she responded. "Yes, I'm sure."
"Well then, have a nice day…" The screen went blank as the call was disconnected. Weiss let out a sigh as she got up and walked back to the elevator.
With Ruby and Penny
"What happened that night Penny? You just vanished after the fight, we thought they might have kidnapped you or something while we were distracted," Ruby started, looking at the girl beside her.
"Oh no, nothing like that! I've never been to another kingdom before. My father asked me not to venture out too far, but… You have to understand, my father loves me very much. He just worries a lot."
Ruby let out a sigh as she nodded. "I know the feeling, Tai's like that with me."
"Who?"
"He's my dad… At least the one I thought was my dad. He helped raise me after my mom died."
"Oh…"
"Why didn't you let us know you were okay?"
"I… Was asked not to talk to you…" Penny said hesitantly.
"Was your father really that upset?" Ruby asked, glancing back at the girl.
"N-not my father…" The pair stopped when they heard a voice from the nearby park. Ruby quickly identified it as Ironwood's as a hologram of him was announcing the deployment of a new model of Atlesian Knight, she rolled her eyes before glancing at Penny, noticing her nervously watching the Atlesian soldiers near the event. The faunus thought back to her previous encounters with the girl before something clicked in her mind.
"Hey, Penny… You wouldn't happen to be from Atlas, would you?" Penny jumped before looking at the red-cloaked girl.
"H-how did you-"
"Well, you seem a bit nervous about the soldiers, Atlas is always pushing the envelope when it comes to robotics…" Ruby stopped to gesture at the hologram of the Atlesian Paladin before continuing. "…and, well, the way you move and talk is a bit mechanical at times, no offense…" Ruby chose to ignore the surprise flash across the other girl's face for the time being. "You're not some advanced model, are you?"
Penny hesitated before looking down. "Y-you're my friend, right? You promise?"
Ruby smiled. "Of course."
Penny sighed. "I-I'm the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an aura… I'm not real." Ruby giggled before patting the android in front of her with a smile.
"You think and feel, you have wants and needs, and you have an aura, which means you have a soul. You're as real as me, even if you were made instead of born."
Penny suddenly leaned forward, looking at Ruby suspiciously. "You're taking this extraordinarily well…"
Ruby smiled sheepishly. "You know about the Draconian Sentinels, Goliaths, and Archons, right?" When Penny nodded, Ruby continued. "I'm a Rose, one of my ancestors had a part in creating them. I know for a fact that they existed, and I know they were probably about the same as you, except not made to look like flesh and blood. You're not like the Atlesian Knights, remember that, okay?" Ruby let out a squeak as the android girl wrapped her in a hug.
"Oh Ruby, you're the best friend anyone could have!"
Ruby managed to fight her way free before she glanced over at the crowd. "So, I guess they don't think you're ready, do they?"
Penny shook her head. "No, but one day it will be my job to save the world… But I still have a lot left to learn."
Ruby pat the girl on the back. "Maybe you should ask your dad if you can interact with people more. Learning how to talk to others and how to act might make it easier for you to stay hidden. But I'm curious, what are you supposed to save the world from? We're in a time of peace, even if things are getting bad right now."
"That's not what Mr. Ironwood said…" Penny cautiously commented, causing Ruby to pause.
"So, he's told you then?" Before Penny could respond, a pair of soldiers ran up to the pair.
"Penny, what are you doing out here?" one of them asked.
"What do you mean? I was just taking a walk and taking in the sights," Penny responded carefully.
The soldiers let out a sigh before looking at each other. "You're staying out of trouble, right? Your father's still upset about the last incident."
"Of course! I wouldn't want to worry him after all, right?"
The two soldiers looked at each other and sighed. "Alright then, we'll see you later then, okay?" Penny gave them a quick salute before they walked off and turned to Ruby nervously.
"Ruby, you promise you won't tell anyone, right?"
Ruby smiled and put a hand on her chest. "I promise as a Rose I won't reveal your secret unless there's a chance keeping it to myself could lead to you getting seriously hurt. You're my friend and I wouldn't want you to get hurt or worse, okay?"
Penny sighed before she nodded. "I suppose that's the best I could hope for, thank you Ruby." Before Ruby could respond her Scroll rang, causing her to look down at it.
"Oh, it's Weiss. I've got to take this call, sorry Penny." Ruby looked at the other girl and smiled meekly. "Mind if I talk to you later?"
"Of course! Have a wonderful day, Ruby!" The faunus girl watched the android walk off with a sigh before answering her Scroll.
"Hey Weiss."
"Ruby, I'm done over here, were we going to meet up with Yang?" Ruby blinked.
"Oh, right, sorry! I'll meet up with you on the way there! Bye!" She quickly hung up and broke into a sprint. "Well, it's not something related to Torchwick, but at least I feel better about not trusting the general…"
White Fang Meeting, with Blake and Sun
Blake looked up at the stage, listening quietly as the faunus on stage started speaking. "Thank you all for coming. For those of you who are joining us for the first time tonight, allow me to introduce a very special comrade of ours. I can assure you, he is the key to obtaining what we have fought for, for so long." Blake sighed as the crowd started shouting insults up at the stage, watching as Torchwick stepped forward. Her gaze quickly went toward the shadows where a girl with pink, brown, and white hair holding an umbrella stood silently, watching the crowd.
"Thank you, once again, for your… warm welcome," he said calmly.
"What's a human doing here?" shouted a deer faunus from the crowd. Roman glanced at her.
"I'm glad you asked, miss. Now, I'll be the first to admit, humans are the worst." He gestured to himself. "After all, I'm not a saint, am I? I'm not even the worst out there when you have people like, say, Jacques Schnee, who exploit the poor and desperate for their own personal gain!" The crowd died down at that remark. "So, I can understand why you would want to see us locked away, or killed… Though I'd rather not be a victim of the latter, if you'd be willing to remember who helped you when the time comes…"
Sun looked at Blake and muttered something under his breath. "Does he have a point to all this or…"
"But, before the claws come out, I'd like to mention the fact that you and I all have a common enemy. The ones in control, the ones pulling the strings behind the curtains in every kingdom on the face of Remnant, the ones that swim in Jacques Schnee's pocket. Government, military, even the schools. Their greed and decadence are all to blame for your lot in life!" Roman smiled as the crowd cheered. He wouldn't admit it, but he actually found the White Fang more agreeable to work with than human thugs. The White Fang didn't walk away when the money ran out or things went south, after all. "And they're all pests that need to be dealt with. Which is where I come in!" He snapped his fingers and the White Fang banner was pulled away, revealing an Atlesian Paladin as the crowd cheered.
Blake and Sun looked at each other nervously as Torchwick continued. "As some of you may have heard, this monstrosity is Atlas' newest line of defense against all the scary things in the world… And thanks to my… employer… We've managed to snag a few before they see official deployment! Now, many of your brothers have already moved down to our new 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." The crowd started cheering as the new recruits started moving toward the stage. Torchwick was getting ready to light a cigar when he saw Blake and Sun, causing him to quickly put it back in his pocket.
The two looked at each other before Blake pulled her gun out and shot the circuit box on the wall, knocking the lights out. While they scrambled for an exit, they heard the Paladin power up before it smashed through the wall behind them. Blake quickly grabbed her scroll and called the rest of her team.
A short time later
Weiss let out a sigh as the Paladin charged at her, her breath coming out as steam in the frigid air as the ground around her froze solid. She watched the behemoth slip and fall off the overpass before jumping down next to Ruby and the rest of her team. Ruby's eyes moved around the machine quickly, trying to find any possible weakness before she glanced to the side. "Ready?" She got a nod and quickly jumped back before she shouted out to Weiss and Yang. "Freezerburn!" As soon as the cloaked girl was clear, Yang jumped into the air while Weiss coated the ground in ice, jumping clear before the blonde's flame-coated fist struck the ground, covering the area in a thick fog.
Torchwick let out a grunt as he switched over to motion sensors, desperately trying to shoot the girls as they moved through the smokescreen. "Can't they give me a break just this once?"
"Checkmate!" Ruby called out as Weiss and Blake surged forward, Blake making an attempt to cut the hydraulics as Weiss jumped up and stabbed into one of the sensors, quickly using a Glyph to pull Blake out of the area before Torchwick could fire a rocket barrage at them. Weiss made another Glyph to strengthen Blake's aura as the cat faunus quickly sliced through the missles.
"Ladybug!" Ruby called out before charging forward with Blake, making a few attempts to cut through the armor on the legs before she gave up and made a slash at the arms with Crescent Rose, quickly removing the guns. Ruby jumped back as she saw Yang drop down, getting clear before the blonde started pounding away at the Paladin with flaming fists, slowly melting the armor. Torchwick quickly rammed the Paladin into a pillar to knock Yang loose before the arms transformed, punching the blonde as she fell to the ground.
Blake paled as she watched her partner slam into the pavement. "Yang!"
Ruby glanced over at the cat faunus with a frown. "Bumblebee!"
Blake nodded before throwing her weapon over to Yang as the girl got up, quickly pulling on the ribbon to let the blonde build up momentum for a strike before the mech jumped out of the way. Ruby let out a frustrated sigh before she looked over at Weiss. "So, White Rose then?" Weiss nodded as Ruby took a breath, quickly dissolving into rose petals and swarming around the Paladin. Weiss focused on the petals, coating each one in a layer of ice before they shot forward, slicing through the Paladin's armor and removing the limbs, forcing Torchwick to jump out before Ruby reformed, a bit of frost still on her cloak and clothes.
"Oh, come on…" Roman groaned out as he saw Yang launch a fireball his way. Before it could hit, the girl from the White Fang meeting dropped down, using her umbrella to block the shot. Torchwick let out a relieved sigh as he ruffled the girl's hair. "Ladies, Ice Queen…" Weiss glared at the man before he continued. "Always a pleasure," he stated sarcastically before looking at the girl in front of him. "Neo, if you would…" The girl bowed, a smug smile on her face as Yang charged forward, fist pulled back. Just as Yang's fist connected, the pair shattered, causing her to blink in confusion before she saw a bullhead take off.
The rest of the team ran up before Blake spoke up. "Looks like he got a new henchman."
"Yeah…" Weiss looked over at the rest of the group. "I guess she really made our plans… Fall apart?" She tried to hide her grin when she heard Ruby snicker while Yang groaned.
"Weiss, that was terrible." Yang said, frowning.
"What? But you do it all the time!"
"There's a time and a place for jokes…"
Ruby smiled at her sister. "Aw, are you just mad you didn't think of it first Yang?" She glanced over at Weiss, noticing the heiress trying to hide her shivering. Ruby wouldn't lie and say their attack left her cold too. "C'mon Weiss, let's head back to the dorm room and get something warm in us." Weiss nodded and the group started heading back to Beacon.
Vale Expedition Ship
Bisman let out a sigh as he looked over some maps they'd found in Point Refuge. Much to his surprise, it turned out that there was a small strip of beach where he thought during the trip over to Draconys. He wasn't sure if he was happy or concerned about that any more. "The entire time we were there it seemed like everything was wrong. Not in the normal "abandoned ruins full of corpses" way either, it just feels like… The air should be warmer, the trees should be healthier, the grass should be greener. I'm not sure why, but…" He took a deep breath as he ran a hand through his hair, trying not to think about the fact that Greene accused him of dying it during their time in the ruins before looking at the Dust crystal on the table. "No… I think I know what's going on. I just need to check a hunch before we get to the city of Sanctuary." While the rest of the expedition was wondering why there weren't references to Dust mines in a civilization that used it for everything, Bisman's interest was elsewhere.
As he sat down, he looked over the map again, reading through the last recorded mission in Point Refuge's archives. "They were moving into the Dragon's Talons, but considering how quickly they got back…" He quickly marked a spot on the map. "I need to look here." He leaned back in his chair with a sigh. He hadn't told anyone else yet. He couldn't, not without there being a chance they decided to drag him back to Vale to lock him away. "If it's not there, I really am going mad… If it is…" To Arthur Bisman, it didn't matter anymore. The pull he'd felt his entire life was driving him into the heart of Jormungand's Plain. No matter what, he couldn't resist it any longer.
This is the longest chapter I've written yet, I'm not sure if I should be guilty but it seems you guys like the long chapters. Before I end it, Weiss and Ruby have two attacks they can do together. One is Ice Flower from canon where Weiss infuses Ruby's sniper shots with Frost Dust, while White Rose is them combining their semblances to turn the ordinarily (somewhat) harmless petals of the Rose Storm into a deadly blizzard of razors.
After that, we have what the expedition is doing: we now have a third type of Dust littering the cities of Draconys and something very strange is happening with Bisman's mind. He could be going insane, who knows… Well, some people may have already figured it out, so I guess at this point a lot of you already know what's going on.
Either way, you know the drill. Leave a review if you have input or have questions.
