After so long, we are back baby! Back with chapter 130! I hope you guys hae been patient in waiting for this story to begin again. I wanted to get through my other stories first before coming back here. Anyway, we begin with Velvet and her friends stuck on her old world. This is set a few years after the events of Berseria, so it won't be connected to the story of Berseria or Zestiria since that takes place centuries after. I do not own RWBY or Tales of Berseria. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 130. Enjoy.


Chapter 130: Desolation

A cold expanse stretches out beyond her view. She can see the cold coastal waters in the distance, and the city of Hellawes beyond, a large gate still keeping demons out. Velvet Crowe looks out as she comes to terms with the fact that she somehow ended up back on her old world.

"To think that I'd wind up here of all places. I'd wonder how this is possible, but then again, I did die here and was brought back to life, only to be sent to Remnant afterward. But, if that's the case, then that means the others are stuck here as well," Velvet pulls out her necklace. "Please, where are you, Ruby?"

She points the crystal in different directions, but only gets a faint glimmer at the city. Deciding that's her best bet for right now, she walks through the snow towards Hellawes.

"But, where did the others end up? What if they're on different continents, or even somewhere else entirely? Please, Ruby, be safe until I find you," Velvet thinks as she approaches the city.

However, as she does, she comes across a group of bipedal, pig-like creatures standing before her. Orcs. Velvet remembers them. She also remembers that because of her previous actions during her quest to stop Artorius, she prevented him from ridding the world of malevolence; thus allowing these monsters to remain. Though, if she didn't stop him, the humans of this world would be under his control and eventually wither away after losing the will to do anything, even simply living. The orcs wield their wooden hammers, while Velvet engages her arm blade.

"Get out of my way... or I'll eat you," Velvet glares.

Meanwhile, in Loegres, the people move about while going about their daily business. Things seem relatively peaceful here compared to what lurks outside the city walls. However, that is hardly a comfort to one white-haired girl as she sticks to the alleyways and the shadows of the city. Weiss Schnee looks around, making sure no is looking for them for any kind of funny business. She sighs before hearing some noise behind her and turns to see Blake land behind her, carrying a black cloth in her arms.

"Did anyone see you?" Weiss asks.

Blake shakes her head, "No, no one noticed anything, but I wouldn't stick around for too long when they notice one of their products is missing," Blake unfolds and wraps the cloth around her head to hide her cat ears. Blake sighs, "I thought I was done with hiding who I am like this,"

"It's only until we get out of the city and have a better idea of our bearings. I don't recognize any of this. And I don't see any other Faunus around. I don't want you to get harassed or anything," Weiss replies.

"Okay. Just until we're outside the city... I hope the others are okay. Weiss, what happened after we fell?" Blake asks.

Weiss looks away, "I think it would be better if we find the others first. Then, we'll talk about it. All I know is that Velvet lasted longer than any of us, so she knows more than me. We need to find her, and Ruby, and... and Yang," she holds a hand to her chest, worried sick about her girlfriend.

Blake places a supportive hand on her shoulder, "We'll find them, alive. And then we'll find a way back to Remnant. Come on, no use standing around here, moping," Weiss nods and they move through the city streets, blending in with the people that walk by. "From what we've seen so far, I don't think this place has any means of aerial travel,"

"Right, which means people either travel by land or by water. Let's find a port and see if there are ships that transport people to other areas. We should also ask around in case anyone has seen our teammates," Weiss says.

With a plan set, the pair make their way to the port, and hopefully to their friends.

Velvet swings her blade, slicing the head off of the last orc that stood in her way. Looking around, she finds herself finally free of anymore annoyances.

"I see not much has changed since I've been gone. It's probably worse since the Abbey is done for, and the malakim are all free. Right, onto Hellawes," Velvet retracts her blade and heads to the city.

She manages to get inside without much issue. Inside, people are moving about. The only thing she sees that's really changed is no exorcists. She remembers the chaos she created when she first came here. It was also this place where she first met Laphicet. She checks out the stalls, seeing vendors selling their wares. Unfortunately, she doesn't have the money of this world like she did before. She just has lien, and that's definitely not going to work here. Pulling out her scroll, she tries to see if she can pick up her friends' signals, but no such luck either.

Velvet sighs, "Might as well ask around a bit,"

Walking around, she asks the townsfolk if they've seen anyone matching the descriptions of her teammates. However, no one has any good answers for her. Some tell her to buzz off, and a few just ignore her entirely. She'd have half a mind to burn the place to the ground, but she kind of did that once and she'd rather now draw to much unwanted attention to herself. Oh well, best keep going.

Meanwhile, on the island of Titania, Ruby wakes up to find herself in an old cell. She looks around, seeing how dank the place is. She also finds that she doesn't have her weapon with her. Approaching the door, Ruby finds it to be unlocked, much to her relief. Slowly pushing it open, she gets confused when she finds no guards around. She notices other cells like hers, meaning this is some kind of prison.

"Where is everyone?" Ruby mutters.

She cautiously walks through the halls, looking for signs of life, but finds none. There are scorch marks on the walls, debris, and broken supplies and such. The obvious signs of a battle that had long since passed.

"This place... why does it feel so... familiar?" Ruby wonders.

Thankfully, no enemies appear to be around. Since Ruby doesn't have Crescent Rose right now, she won't have to worry about fighting. She continues to roam through the halls of the prison, finding more open cells and more damage to the place. Where the Hell did everyone go? For all intents and purposes, it looks like the place was abandoned after some big battle. After a while of climbing stairs and moving through halls, Ruby finally finds what appears to be an exit. She can smell salt in the air, which means there's ocean water nearby. Coming outside, she finds an empty port overlooking a wide ocean.

"Where am I?" Ruby mutters with worry.

There's no one around. Worse, there are no ships she can use either. Then again, she doesn't really know anything about sailing. She walks up to the end of the pier, plopping down on her butt.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Ruby mutters, pulling her knees up to her chest.

Back with Velvet, she continues her search for her friends, but still hasn't found anything.

"I really hope they're alive, but not on another continent," Velvet mutters.

Suddenly, she sees someone flying out of an alleyway into a few crates. Two more people come crawling out of the alley, frantically trying to get away from something.

"I said I wasn't done with you yet!" Velvet hears a female voice and looks to see none other than Yang walking out, her eyes red. "Now, give me what I'm owed, or you'll be needing that money to help reattach your limbs after I tear them off of you!"

"Gah! Stay away from us!" the guys try to run away, causing a scene amongst the crowd.

"Get back here!" Yang gets ready to chase them, but stops when she notices Velvet nearby. "...Velvet?"

"Yang..." Velvet is relieved to see her friend alive, but the feeling is short-lived when she notices guards heading in their direction. The Abbey may be gone, but local militias and security forces remain all the same. "We need to go, now!"

"This way. Come on!" Yang waves her arm before she runs back down the alley, with Velvet behind her.

They move around the buildings, putting some distance between them and the security detail. After a moment of running, they jump up onto one of the buildings and wait for the guards to run right past them.

"Whew, that was close," Velvet turns to Yang. "Yang, are you-,"

"Damn it!" Yang curses. "You weren't supposed to be here,"

Velvet smiles, "Please, you really think I or anyone else on our team wouldn't come looking for you," she walks up and hugs Yang. "I'm glad you're okay,"

Yang sighs, but returns the hug, "I'm happy to see you too. Though, I'd be even happier if it were under better circumstances," she separates. "If you're here, then... what about everyone else?"

Velvet sighs, "Penny is alive and got through the portal safe. But Yang... Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Jaune are stuck here with us. As is Neo,"

Yang doesn't like the sound of that," No... No, no, no, they shouldn't be stuck down here with us! They should be in Vacuo right now... Did things really go that bad?"

"Emerald, Neo, and Innominat ambushed us. We'll talk more about this later. Right now, we need to find the others, then find a way back home," Velvet says.

"Yeah. It would be nice if we knew where we were first. I know I've never seen any of this before, but... it feels a little familiar," Yang notes.

"It should. I told you guys about it before. This... is my old world, Yang," Velvet drops a bombshell on her friend.

"Wait... what?" Yang nearly freezes.

"This city is called Hellawes. It's where I first met Laphicet on my quest to defeat Artorius," Velvet says.

Yang looks around, "I'd say you were probably drinking something freaky, but after everything we've been through back home, and everything we've learned, I can't say that's the case. Okay, if this is your old world, then how do we get back?"

"First we find the others. There are no airships in this world, so the best way to travel will be by boat. Given my past experience with that, I can sail a ship myself easily enough. It would be easier to hire a ship, but I don't have any money from this world after I came to Remnant. Speaking of which, what was all that back there with those goons?" Velvet asks.

"I figured I would need money to get around, so I looked around for some job that would involve quick easy money. Figured I could do bodyguard work. I met those merchants that needed help getting to the town safely. I had the luxury of meeting some of the local wildlife on the way here. It was... unpleasant. After we got to the city, I wanted my money, but those idiots... First, they tried to swindle me out of what I was owed, then they said they would pay the rest of I agreed to go out for drinks with them. I could see what they really wanted, and I wanted none of that. You basically know the rest," Yang explains.

Velvet groans, "That's going to make things a little harder if the security around her is looking for people that look like us. I could probably keep myself hidden, but with you and you hair, that's a different story,"

Yang holds her hair protectively, "You are NOT cutting my hair!"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. For now, let's find a ship, and get moving," Velvet holds up her pendant. "This glowed when I point it outside Hellawes. I'm guessing it was referring to you. Once we're out at sea, we can use it to find the others,"

"Well, at least that's something. So anything else I should be worried about in your world?" Yang asks.

"Demons, monsters, soldiers, criminals, pirates, and pretty much majority of the population on this planet would only know me as the 'Lord of Calamity' and are terrified of me. That sort of thing," Velvet takes count flatly.

Yang slouches her shoulders, "Did I mention that your old world sucks?"

"I can't say I blame you. One second," Velvet brings up her pendant, moving it around to get some kind of reaction from it. Unfortunately, nothing happens this time around. "Nothing. Come on, let's head to the port. We may get something there," Velvet drops down from the roof, with Yang following behind her.

Back with Ruby, she remains at the port, contemplating how she can get herself out of this situation. So far, the only idea she can think of is starting some kind of SOS fire in the hopes that a passing ship will notice it and come to check things out. But, considering that this place appears to be abandoned, that may not help that much.

"How can I get off this island?" Ruby wonders.

Just then, a swift breeze blows by, making her hold back her hair out of her eyes.

"Wait a minute, aren't you..." Ruby hears a man's voice and looks back, gasping at seeing a familiar face.

"Wait, I know you. You're... Zaveid?!" Ruby sees the wind malakim standing behind her.

Zaveid puts the pieces together, "Ruby? Is that you? What the Hell are you doing here?!"

"Wait, if you're here, then does that mean that this place is... Velvet's old world?" Ruby looks out to the ocean.

"Yeah, this is where we're all from originally, but that still doesn't answer my question. How did you get here?" Zaveid asks.

"Things... Well, things happened," Ruby gets a little gloomy as she recounts her story.

She tells Zaveid about everything that happened after they left following the Battle for Haven. Their trip to Atlas, working with Ironwood on Amity tower. Salem and Ironwood's betrayal. Penny and the relic. And the chaos that happened afterwards. All of it.

"Damn, didn't think things would get that crazy after we left. Well, sorry... about you guys getting stuck here," Zaveid says.

"It's not your fault. But now, I have no idea where the other are, or how to even get off this island. I need to find the others and get back home," Ruby says.

Zaveid smiles, "Well, I might be able to help out with that,"

Ruby cocks an eyebrow, "Wait, how? Does it have something to do with you showing up here?"

"I go wherever the winds take me. And, not too long ago, they suddenly shifted ad brought me here. Now I see why. Don't worry, you need a ship. I will get you a ship," Zaveid walks up to the end of the pier and conjures up some of his wind artes. He sends out gusts of wind that fly over the ocean beyond their view. "Now, we just wait. When my artes find s ship, they'll hit their sails and steer the ship right to you. Shouldn't be too long,"

"But, uh, what do I say to those that might show up? And what if they're bad people? I don't have my Crescent Rose right now," Ruby still looks worried.

Zaveid doesn't seem too concerned, "Don't worry. I have a pretty good feeling that those that show up will be good guys. Though, word to the wise, they won't be able to see or hear me. Most humans can't see us malakim anymore after Velvet put Artorius' plans to pasture. Keep that in mind. You and your friends will probably be able to see us, but that's most likely because you guys aren't from here. Don't want anyone thinking you're crazy now, right?"

"Um, thanks for the heads-up. But still, how do you know that whoever comes won't be a problem for me?" Ruby asks.

Zaveid looks back out into the ocean, "Let's just say the winds know,"

Out on the ocean, a large, black ship, with several dark red sails moves through the open waters. Men work along the ship, keeping her floating smoothly. Up at the wheel of the ship, a young man with blonde hair and wearing a typical sailor's hat keeps an eye out on the horizon.

"Captain Benwick, we should make landfall in a couple day's time. The weather is looking pretty calm today," a shipmate says.

Benwick nods, "Good. We'll stop and resupply when we get to the port. We managed to get a pretty good haul of treasure this time around,"

Suddenly, a gust of wind hits the sails and the rudder, forcing the ship to lurch and turn towards its right.

"Whoa, what the Hell's going on here?!" one crew member freaks out after almost falling into the water.

"Captain, why are we turning?!" one asks Benwick.

"Don't ask me. The wind suddenly came out of nowhere. This makes no sense!" Benwick tries to steer the ship back on course, but it's almost like it has a mind of its own.

Benwick is about to try again when a sudden feeling overcomes him and he looks back up to one of the masts of the ship. He stairs at that spot for a while before coming to a decision.

"Forget it, we'll just have to move with the wind for now. All hands, change of plans. Let's see where this wind takes us," Benwick gives the order.

"Aye, aye, Captain!" his crew call out before getting to work.

Up on the mast, Eizen watches over the crew work before looking out into the ocean, "Well, what could you possibly want with this ship, Zaveid? Something's going down, isn't it," Eizen mutters before flipping his coin, landing on tails again.

Velvet and Yang reach the port at Hellawes, looking for any ships worth hiring... or stealing. They managed to find a small ship that would require only a few crew members. Since it's just the two of them, if they have to use it themselves, then something too big would only cause more problems.

"Think they'll let us borrow it?" Yang asks.

"They're gonna have to. Wouldn't be the first time I stole a ship. I just didn't expect it to happen so soon. Come on," Velvet walks ahead.

As they head to the ship, "There they are!" they hear and see the guards from earlier running towards them. "We have questions for you. Stop and surrender!"

"Okay, time to go," Yang notes.

Velvet runs to the ship they chose. They kick and punch the crew members out of the way, and even throw a few off of the ship. Yang unfurls the sails while Velvet unleashes her Maiden powers and then sends some fire onto the pier to keep the soldiers back. She then creates some wind to blow the sails forward, propelling the ship out of the port.

"You don't think we'll end up on some wanted list now, do you?" Yang asks as Velvet takes the wheel.

"It wouldn't be the first time. Now let's go find the others... Hang in there, Ruby. I swear I'll find you," Velvet mutters as they stare out into the ocean.


And that's the chapter. Velvet finds Yang while Weiss and Blake look for the others. Meanwhile, Ruby meets Zaveid again who gives her a hand. The team have quite the road ahead of them if they hope to get back. Will they reunite and find a way back home? Until then, please Read and Review.