Realizing that Salem's strength was far greater than anyone could have imagined, the Hero sacrificed his life to banish the Demon Queen back to the deepest depths of Oblivion. Thus, the 'Dark Century' came to an end.

[~]

"Alright, alright. You've made your point. Now get off me." Ilia said, pushing aside the dagger at her throat as Blake stood up. Offering her a hand, Blake rolled her eyes as Ilia swatted it away, "What are you doing here, Blake?"

"It's nice to see you, too, Ilia." Blake said as the two women sheathed their weapons, "How am I doing, you ask? Fine, thank you for asking."

"Still annoying even after all this time, huh?" Ilia said with a scoff.

"What did you expect? You did just try to kill me, after all." Blake said.

"Oh, please. If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead." Ilia shot back, "So, what are you doing here? You know Adam has eyes all over Mistral, right? Strolling back here like it's nothing, it's like you're practically begging them to come and get you."

"I'm just here to… pick up some stuff and maybe lie low for a while." Blake said as she descended down the hidden staircase.

"Oh? Is that all?" Ilia asked as she followed after her, "And who were those three women I saw you arrive with?"

"Just some people I'm travelling with." Blake said as she dusted off a bunch of crates before prying them open to reveal a set of clothes.

"Hmm… And where are the four of you headed?" Ilia asked as she leaned against the wall.

"Vacuo." Blake said, the woman lying as naturally as she breathed as she scoured the area for any supplies she and her party could use.

"Is that right?" Ilia asked with a hum, "Now what sort of business exactly does the Second Princess of Atlas have at Vacuo?"

Upon hearing Weiss's title said aloud, Blake paused whatever she was doing. Silence reigned for a few moments before Blake turned to face her old friend with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"Is there something you want to say to me, Ilia?" Blake asked.

"As a matter of fact, quite a lot, actually." Ilia said with arms crossed, "If I know you're here, how long do you think until news of your arrival reaches his ears?"

"You're being paranoid." Blake said, the woman making her way for the stairs only for Ilia to stand in her way.

"And you're getting sloppy." Ilia said, "Maybe you forgot but the White Fang has people everywhere, Blake. Especially in Mistral."

"So what? We'll just keep our heads down as usual." Blake said as she shoved past Ilia and onto the floor above, "My party and I have made it this far doing just that."

"Blake, I'm trying to help you." Ilia said as she trailed after the cat Faunus in disguise, "Can't you see that?"

Letting out a sigh, Blake turned around to face Ilia with an apologetic look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. Things have been... moving fast these past few days." Blake said, "But if you want to help then I need to find me a ship that's sailing to Vacuo and knows how to be discrete. Any idea where I can find something like that?"

"Well, if it's a ship you want, Mistral has a harbor." Ilia said, a teasing grin on her face as she leaned on the nearby wall, "You can try your luck there."

"Gee, why didn't I think of that?" Blake said with a deadpan stare before turning around and heading towards the door, "You're a genius, Ilia. Thanks for your help."

"Alright, alright. I was kidding. Geez. What, did you lose your sense of humor or something?" Ilia asked as she hurriedly caught up to Blake.

"I never had one." Blake said.

"Ugh, I forgot how boring you could be." Ilia said with a disappointed sigh, "Now your mom, she's a funny woman."

"Ilia." Blake said in a futile attempt to get her attention.

"Man, that woman sure is easy on the eyes." Ilia said with a hint of longing in her eyes, "Your father is one lucky Faunus."

"Ilia!" Blake shouted as a bit of red started to creep up her cheeks.

"What?" Ilia asked.

"The ship?! Please?!"

"Oh, right. There's a ship docked at Mistral's harbor called the Blind Rabbit." Ilia said, "The captain and the first mate are friends of mine. Tell them I sent you and they'll be more than happy to help."

"You have friends?" Blake asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"A lot of things can change in five years, Blake." Ilia shot back, "Especially if someone doesn't even bother to write a letter back home or anything."

Blake flinched at that as a guilty look formed on the cat Faunus's face.

"I'm… sorry about that." Blake said as she looked to the side, "I've been meaning to… write back home but… it's complicated."

"Not really." Ilia said, "All you need is a piece of paper, a quill, and some ink. That's half the job done already."

"How are they, by the way? Mom and dad, I mean." Blake asked, ignoring Ilia's sarcastic remark entirely.

"They're good. Healthy. And staying as far away as they can from any White Fang business." Ilia said before her voice turned into a harsh whisper, "Especially with recent developments."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Blake asked. In response, Ilia simply took out a gold coin from her pocket before tossing it to Blake.

"Here. If the Blind Rabbit's captain doesn't believe I sent you, just show her this." Ilia said as she patted her on the shoulder, "Tell her it's me paying her back for the incident at Furuyama Harbor."

"Ilia, answer me: What did you mean by recent developments? What are the White Fang up to?" Blake asked as she blocked the chameleon Faunus's path.

"You'll find out soon enough." Ilia said.

"Is that a threat?" Blake asked.

"It's a warning. I told you, the White Fang has people everywhere." Ilia said as she walked past her old friend, "Good luck, Blake, with whatever it is you're doing. I'm rooting for you."

"You know, being all stealthy and mysterious doesn't suit you at all, Ilia." Blake said.

"Pfft, this coming from the Faunus trying to hide her cat ears with a dumb bow and travelling with an Atlesian princess?" Ilia said with a bark of laughter as the two friends went their separate ways.

[~]

"Knock knock, kiddos. Mommy's home." Yang said, pushing the door open to the room they had rented for the night with her shoulder while balancing a tray filled with bread, fruit, a single block of cheese and a butter knife in one hand and a pitcher of milk in the other, "You ladies hungry? Because dinner is served."

"Wonderful. What are we having tonight?" Weiss asked as she walked over to help Yang with the pitcher of milk.

"Oh, you know… The usual. Day old bread, partly moldy cheese and fruit that's been in the back of the cabinet for Gods knows how long." Yang said as she set the tray of food on the single desk in the room before pulling a chair for herself, "Living the life, wouldn't you say?"

"I most definitely would not say that." Weiss said as she pulled a chair of her own.

"Ruby, you gonna join us anytime soon?" Yang asked as she looked at her sister to see the young woman playing with a small red orb in her hands, "What do you have in your hands there, Rubes?"

"I'm… not quite sure." Ruby said as she brought it closer to her left eye to further inspect the small orb, "It was a parting gift from Nora. As a way to, in her words, "Not forget the deep bonds of friendship we forged" or something like that."

"Speaking of, those guys were an odd bunch." Yang said as she popped a grape into her mouth before gagging at the sour taste.

"Oh, come on. They were alright." Ruby said, putting the red orb away before joining Yang and Weiss, "A bit weird, sure, but what party doesn't have the odd quirk or two, right?"

"Why did you look at me when you said that?" Weiss asked, the woman taking a quick whiff of the cheese in front of her before deciding the hard bread was the smarter option.

"Anyway, forget about those guys and let's refocus. Specifically on where we're going next." Yang said as she broke a piece of bread for her and Ruby.

"Well, we're headed to Vale, obviously." Weiss said as Yang rolled her eyes at the princess's answer, "Once there, we make our way to the capital and hopefully be able to secure an audience with the King."

"You think it's gonna be that easy?" Yang asked as she downed a glass of milk, "Or simple?"

"The Kingdoms of Atlas and Vale have a good and diplomatic relationship." Weiss said as she swallowed a piece of bread that she was sure was a rock in disguise, "Plus, I've met King Ozpin once before. He was a reasonable and just ruler. I'm sure if we approach this in a peaceful and respectable manner, everything will work itself out in the end."

"Well, here's hoping your optimism isn't misplaced, Princess." Yang said as she poured herself another glass of milk, "Vale, huh? Sheesh, how long has it been, Rubes?"

"Oh, about four years? Maybe five?" Ruby said as she popped a grape into her mouth, "I hope dad's okay. I miss him… and Zwei."

"Heh… Zwei…" Yang muttered, staring at the glass of milk in her hands with a look of nostalgia, "I miss that little rascal. You know who won't be happy to see him, though?"

Before anyone could answer her question, however, the sound of someone knocking at their door had all three women alert and ready for action. Sending a glance at Ruby, Yang gestured towards Weiss before the blonde stood up from her seat and made her way towards the door.

"Yes? Who is it?" Yang asked as she leaned against the wall beside the door.

"It's me, Blake. Open up." said the voice on the other side of the door.

"Blake? Which Blake? I know lots of Blakes." Yang said as the three ladies in the room breathed a sigh of relief at the familiar voice of their Faunus party member, "If you are the Blake I know, then you have to say the password we agreed on."

"I'm not saying that stupid password, Yang." Blake said once more before banging on the door, "Now open up!"

"I'm sorry, miss, but if you don't say the password, I can't let you in." Yang said before a loud and exhausted groan from the other side of the door reached their ears.

"Yang is the best, Yang is number one." Blake said, "There, happy now?"

"Very happy." Yang said, the woman unlatching the door before pulling it open, "Oh, hey! Blake! It is you. You should have said so earlier."

"One of these days, I'm going to stab you in your sleep." Blake said with a glare as she entered the room before taking a seat on one of the two beds.

"As amusing as that would be to witness, I have to ask: Did you find anything useful?" Weiss asked.

"The safe house is a bust. Too banged up for it to be of any use to anyone at this point." Blake said, "But I did find us a ship that could probably take us to Vale."

"That was fast." Yang said as she slapped the Faunus in the back, "Nice work, Blake."

"It's called the Blind Rabbit and should currently be docked in Mistral's harbor." Blake said, "The capital's just an hour walk from here, half that time if we move fast enough. We could go tonight."

"How'd you find all this out, anyway?" Yang asked.

"I met up with… an old friend when I was in town." Blake said as she picked up a piece of bread, "She tells me the ship's captain owes her a favor."

"You have friends?" Yang asked with a snort.

"Shut up, Yang."

"I might be worrying for nothing but don't you think going tonight's a huge risk?" Ruby asked, "It's a lot easier for a sneak attack to happen at night and we humans don't exactly have the advantage of natural night vision."

"Ruby has a point. Plus, it'll be easier to sneak past people during the day." Weiss added as she walked towards the window to see the sun quickly disappearing beyond the horizon, "I don't like our chances at night."

"Early morning it is, then." Blake said as the party of four nodded in agreement. The Cat Faunus then took a mask from her back before handing it to Weiss, "And Weiss, this is for you."

"...What is it?" Weiss asked as she stared at the mask in her hands.

"It's a mask." Blake said, "It'll help to better hide your face. We can't expect a hood and cloak to do the job all the time."

"I suppose you make a good point." Weiss said before a frown formed on her face, "Couldn't you have picked a better design, though?"

"The idea is to blend in, not stand out." Blake said.

"I'm pretty sure I'll stand out more with a mask than without." Weiss said.

"Not in the capital." Ruby said, the woman snatching the mask from the Princess's hands before trying it on, "They've got a weird thing about masks there. Creeps me out every time I visit."

"Well, I suppose it won't hurt to disguise myself better." Weiss said.

"It's certainly an improvement on your look." Yang said with a laugh.

"Shut up, Yang."

[~]

Stepping off the carriage, a deep scowl carved itself on the face of Cinder Fall as she eyed the castle ruins before her.

"Wait here, Emerald." Cinder said without even turning around to face her green-haired subordinate.

"Yes, ma'am." Emerald said.

Whatever satisfaction or joy she may have felt after the successful meeting with the White Fang slowly turned to ash with every step she took towards the ruined castle.

Wearing a black dress under a red cloak, the woman was careful not to step in any of the puddles of black ooze that dotted the grounds around her. As she reached the castle's entrance, the woman pushed open the wooden doors - what was left of it, anyway - as a colony of bats flew overhead and out into the skies behind her.

Stale and musty air assaulted Cinder's sense of smell the moment she took a step into the castle ruins that deepened the scowl on her face. As she stalked through the dilapidated hallways, the sounds of ominous chanting - most likely worshiping Salem one way or another - reached her ears.

Cinder ignored it all, instead turning her focus on the throne room ahead. As she entered the once magnificent hall, the sound of someone giggling echoing through the throne room alerted Cinder that someone else was present.

"Tyrian." Cinder said as she pulled back the hood of her cloak to reveal a pair of amber eyes that seemed to pierce the darkness around her. Shifting her gaze to a dark corner of the throne room, the woman let out a tired sigh, "What did you want?"

"Aww… you found me so quick?" a voice said before a figure emerged from the shadows. With eyes the color of gold and his hair tied into a long braid, the man who seemed to appear from out of nowhere was wearing a simple chest piece over a white shirt and a pair of black pants under a pair black greaves. With his scorpion tail swinging lazily behind him, the man asked, "Shall we play again?"

"Tyrian. Securing the aid of the White Fang was incredibly vexing. Unless you have something of value to share with me," Cinder said as she turned around to leave the throne room, "Then I don't see any further need to waste my time here."

"Such impatience, dear Cinder." Tyrian said as he made to block the woman's exit, "Worry not, wasting your time is simply the last thing I would do. After all, what free time I have is devoted to the Goddess and only the Goddess."

Eyeing her colleague - for lack of a better term - Cinder relented with a sigh before taking a seat on a nearby chair, an action that seemed to delight Tyrian.

"Ah, you are interested in what I have for you today, yes?" Tyrian asked as he giggled, "Oh, you should be. I know something that will most assuredly have you very excited. And not in the sexual way, either."

"...What are you getting at, Tyrian?" Cinder asked with narrowed eyes.

"Before that, allow me to introduce you to…" Tyrian said, the man letting his sentence hang in the air as he looked to the entrance Cinder had come from moments prior, "What was it you said your name was?"

"I-it's Michael, L-Lord Tyrian." said a man wearing the standard hooded cloak of the Church of Salem. His face was obscured by both the darkness of the throne room as well as the cloak and Cinder was not keen on finding out what he looked like anytime soon.

"Yes, that's right. Michael." Tyrian said as he strode up beside the man before putting an arm around his shoulder, "Now then, lad, why don't you tell Lady Cinder here exactly what you told me. Go on, don't be shy."

"W-well, my Lady, my group and I were about to offer up sacrifices to the Goddess when we met a group of travelling merchants during our journey." the man said as Cinder tried her best to listen to what it was he had to say, "Thinking nothing of it, we invited him to join us for the celebrations. He refused at first but soon after accepted our offer."

"Yes, yes... That's good and all but I would like you to tell her the description of this travelling merchant that interrupted your celebrations." Tyrian said, the man either unaware or uncaring for how uncomfortable Michael was at the moment.

"W-well, t-the merchant had… he had blonde hair and blue eyes." Michael said.

"Now tell her about the weapon he wielded." Tyrian said when Cinder gave no visible reaction.

"The merchant had a sword with a blue handle and a golden cross guard." Michael said. Cinder remained silent for a few more seconds before letting out a chuckle.

"Come now, Tyrian, you don't really believe it's him, do you?" Cinder said with a smirk, "I've always known you were insane but this is low, even for you. You're grasping at straws here, don't you think?"

"Now, now Cinder, there's no reason to call our good friend here a liar, is there?" Tyrian said as his eyes glinted with a mix of madness and excitement, "After all, he wasn't finished. Were you, Michael?"

"N-no, my L-Lord." Michael managed to squeak out.

"Go on, then. Tell her the name plastered on the side of the merchant's caravan."

"I-it was Juniper, my lady." Michael said, "The name written on the side of his caravan was Juniper."

Everything that happened next seemed to have occurred in an instant. Tyrian jumped away just as soon as Cinder leapt towards Michael. Grabbing the man by the neck, Cinder dragged him across the room before slamming the man against the wall behind him.

"Are you certain of that name, boy?" Cinder asked in a voice laced with venom.

"Y-y-yes. I-I'm certain of what I saw." Michael managed to say. Glaring at the man before her to see if there was any deceit in his eyes, Cinder finally let go of him as Michael fell to his knees.

"Where?" Cinder asked.

"I-I'm sorry…?" Michael asked before Cinder rolled the man on his back with her foot. A moment later, the man found a sword pressed against his throat.

"Where did you meet this group of travelling merchants?" Cinder asked, "And where were they headed?"

"O-on the path between the city of Mistral and the port city of Argus, just before the forest. T-they were heading to the capital of Mistral!" Michael hastily answered. CInder, meanwhile, put away her weapon before hastily making her way towards the exit.

"Oh, my. Such eagerness from you is quite rare, Cinder." Tyrian said, the scorpion Faunus following Cinder out of the throne room. In response, Cinder merely sent a glare his way that seemed to encourage him further, "Shall I join you? Oh, what a grand-"

"No!" Cinder shouted as she before the scorpion Faunus, "He is mine to deal with as I see fit. Interfere and I won't hesitate to turn even you into ash, Tyrian."

The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds in silence before Tyrian let out a laugh.

"Very well. If that is what you desire, then who am I to come in between such a magnificent reunion." Tyrian said, the man's cackling echoing through the ruined hallways as Cinder left the castle behind. Stepping into the carriage she arrived in, she slid open the slit in front of her before giving Emerald her orders.

"Emerald, we're leaving." Cinder said as her subordinate complied. Not a moment later, the carriage was on the move once more.

"Our destination, ma'am?" Emerald asked.

"Mistral's capital." Cinder said before closing the slit, ending the brief conversation. With a look of barely contained fury, Cinder uttered a single name as she sat alone in the carriage, "Jaune Arc."

[Chapter END]

A/N: And that's Chapter 5. I hope you guys like this one. I really enjoyed writing the scene with Blake & Ilia and the final scene with Cinder. Struggled a bit with the middle scene but ultimately, I like what I have. I hope you do, too.

Next chapter we'll see RWBY meeting the captain of the Blind Rabbit. Twenty points for whoever can guess is the crew of the Blind Rabbit.

As always, faves, follows, and reviews are always appreciated.

NoXIV signing off.