A black bird circled high above the forest, scanning the area for signs of life. Bright blue flashes flickered between the leaves and branches of the trees, giving Qrow hints as to where Kali was busy fighting far below. Occasionally, ripples of sheer force from her detonation semblance caused entire trees to sway and bend back and forth. Confident in his companion's ability to hold her own, Qrow flew up even higher to get a better view of the island.

The dense vegetation extended far into the distance, covering nearly two miles beyond the city of Kuo Kuana. Though Qrow couldn't tell where 'forest' ended and 'jungle' technically began, he could tell that he was nowhere near the edge of the tree line. Beyond the dense canopy, seemingly endless sands stretched out toward the horizon, the ocean cradling the strange landform of Menagerie on either side of the wide desert that made up the majority of the island.

A sudden snapping of several trees below caught Qrow's attention. The transformed man did one final circle, surveying the immediate area for any other signs of movement. Satisfied that their assigned zone had been cleared, he transitioned into a divebomb, headed straight for where he expected Kali to be. As he spiraled down, weaving between braces, he caught sight of Kali embroiled in combat with a hulking ursa. The faunus woman had her scroll held up to the side of her face as she took potshots with the golden luger in her other hand, speaking nonchalantly all the while.

"Of course we'll head back to see you off," Kali said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world before firing off another round, lodging a bullet into the ursa's paw just as it raised its limb to swing. "The clearing of the rest of the island can wait, and I'll draft more Fang to help with the hunting efforts. Yes, I'll be fine on my own. Besides, I want your input on the plan moving forward before you leave."

Immediately upon landing, Qrow shapeshifted back into human form and held out Harbinger, its mechanical blade flipping back to expose the shotgun barrels upon the weapon. He opened fire into the ursa's chest, advancing and earning a pained roar from the beast as it stumbled backward.

"Hm?" Kali asked into her scroll, totally unsurprised by the turn of events. "No, it's just Qrow. Apparently, he thinks I can't fight an ursa one-handed while taking a call."

"Never said that," Qrow clarified as he snapped the blade of his sword back into place and watched the ursa turn its attention to him.

"Right, we'll see you tonight. Love you, too," Kali offered into the device before snapping it shut and pocketing it. "Besides… I'm never one-handed."

Bright flashes of blue and purple burst from Kali's back as her semblance engaged, showering the area in unnatural light. A spread of ghostly arms manifested from the center of her back as she charged forward and sank a trio of haymakers into the side of the ursa's jaw. The beast's face was whipped to the side, only for Qrow to drive his razor-shaped blade straight through its forehead, right between the eyes. Within seconds, the beast had dissolved into a cloud of ash, leaving the forest serene once again.

"Guessing that was Blake?" Qrow asked as he holstered his weapon.

"Nuh-uh. Neptune," Kali replied flippantly as she inspected her nails. "We're screwing on the side, behind Amaya's back. If she finds out, the plan is to have a three-way."

"Very funny," Qrow said dryly. "So, we're heading back to town ahead of schedule?"

"We have to. Blake is heading out to Atlas with Daisuke," Kali explained as she made an immediate about-face and began to walk, as though it had been planned all along.

"Just like you predicted," Qrow acknowledged as he followed, his hands in his pockets.

"I can't take too much credit," Kali admitted. "I asked her to try to convince him for his own good, and ours. I think you should go with them."

Qrow chuckled and offered a shrug.

"What, tired of me already?"

"No, but… they're young," Kali explained as she looked up at her companion. "Skilled, yes, but also naïve. If Salem is the threat you and Ozpin made her out to be, and Cinnamon is now in her clutches… we need to make sure that that information gets to Sun as quickly as possible. I trust you to get them to Argus without a hitch, and then Atlas."

"Well, to be totally honest… I would've asked to go with them, anyway," Qrow replied. "Atlas is where I belong, right now. I only went along with this plan because Oz thought it was for the best to follow Sun's idea. That being said… I'm gonna feel guilty leaving you here to take care of fortifying Menagerie and rebuilding the Fang alone. You sure you're gonna be alright?"

"I'll be fine," Kali answered with a wave of her hand. "I was there at Ghira's side the first time we had to do this. I saw Kuo Kuana's construction, and I know a thing or two about rallying people. Besides… I'm sure I can find a few good men and women to take leadership roles as needed. I'll figure it out and be ready with backup by the time you and yours need it."

Qrow let out a ragged sigh and ran a hand through his messy hair.

"…and we will need it. I think I always knew I'd be headed back to the front lines, but to be honest with you… this was a nice little diversion, for a while. An escape I think I needed, to get my head back on straight. I think this is the longest I've gone without a drink in… years. Ironic, considering we're working out of a bar."

"Good," Kali praised. "Leave the alcohol on the island for me- I'll need it, running things here on my own."

"Very funny," Qrow shot back with a roll of his eyes. "Seriously, though- Blake… made some good points a while back, and I haven't touched a bottle since. Offered to help out, lend a set… or two sets, of ears. She's a good kid, and I get the feeling she'll need me on the road ahead. I'll probably need her, too, to stay sober."

"Then it looks like everything is working out, slowly but surely," Kali observed. "Funny how things all just seem to line up even when they were kicked off with a bad decision, isn't it? Almost like we've hit a run of good luck."

"Yeah," Qrow agreed as the pair continued to make their way back toward Kuo Kuana. "Funny, that…"

"Billiard hall," Coco said nonchalantly as she nodded toward a large building, deep into the wide cavern that had previously been a train platform. The woman pointed across the tracks to the other side, where a building with a gaudy neon sign of three bright blue wispy trails above the door stood. "Spa. Next to that's the arcade."

"…arcade?" Nora asked, thoroughly confused as the large group of hunters in training continued to walk. "I… what is this place? I thought we were headed to some secret military staging base, not an underground theme park!"

"The ferris wheel's farther down the tunnel, actually. It's near the water park and cotton candy stand," Fox Alistair said without missing a beat as he continued to walk at Coco's side.

"I… I actually can't tell if you're joking," Nora said as she rubbed at her forehead. "I feel like I'm going crazy, and I didn't sleep well last night..."

"He's joking," Yatsuhashi Daichi answered from Coco's other side. "At least, I… believe he's joking. I don't remember a ferris wheel down here…"

Suddenly, Sage let out a deep chuckle, earning the attention of everyone around him.

"…I think I get it, actually. Good feelings, right?"

"Ding ding ding," Roman snarked from his place at the back of the pack. "Honestly, you kids have been kinda slow to catch on, but I knew you'd get there eventually."

"Good… feelings…?" Oscar asked, tilting his head as he looked up at the much taller ex-con.

"Well… you guys are right that Styx is meant to be a staging ground," Velvet Scarlatina began as she turned to walk backwards while facing the younger hunters. "This is where we launch all of our expeditions out into Sanus at large. Originally, as you guys all know, Mountain Glenn was infested with grimm. After a… certain someone crashed a train into downtown Vale…"

"Not it," Roman chimed in with a shit-eating grin. "I was unconscious at time. Technically, RWBY crashed that train."

Velvet fixed the man with a pouty glare, her attempts at looking fierce somewhat failing.

"…anyway, after that, professional huntsmen and huntresses were sent into the tunnels to clear them out. Apparently, there was a debate over whether or not to 'retake' Mountain Glenn and make an attempt to resurrect it as its own functional town again, but the proposal was shot down after Beacon fell."

"Typical suits playing typical suit games," Coco said as she shook her head. "Retaking Mountain Glenn was seen as too costly, since the grimm on the surface would have to be cleared as well… until one day, the grimm on the surface disappeared. We don't know why, but they just up and left. Totally abandoned it. The place has been a true ghost town ever since, and the grimm seem to actively avoid it. Professor Goodwitch led a bunch of students to build the city of Styx down here in the tunnels, since… well, hey. If the grimm are busy trying to goop up the countryside and they're ignoring this place, it's probably the last one they'd think to look for us."

"…I think I'm following now, too," Ren cut in. "You've filled these tunnels with not just strategic equipment, buildings, and lodging… but entertainment as well, to generate as much positivity down here as possible. To repel grimm, and keep their attention on Beacon, instead."

"There you go," Fox praised. "Styx is a staging ground, a base, and a little 'get happy' retreat, while Beacon draws waves of grimm day in and day out. After all, what puts out more negative feelings than a school? That's why they still let Port teach history over there- everyone's bored to tears, and that draws in the grimm. The man's practically a negative feeling producing machine."

Coco swiftly smacked the back of her hand into Fox's chest, earning a satisfied chuckle from the man.

"Stop being an ass. He's right, though- Mountain Glenn itself appears abandoned to anyone or anything that comes looking, the grimm are wiped from these tunnels, and to them, Styx reeks. So far, none of those beasts have come to find out why. It's convenient like that. Having an underground village allows the upperclassmen and student volunteers from years one and two to run the show here along with Torchwick, while the professors focus on what little education they can still get away with at Beacon between defending against waves of grimm. Main base is up ahead. I'll introduce you to my partner in crime for planning grimm-clearing outings."

"So, I guess that's going to be our role, at least, for a while," Ruby said as the party approached the largest building in Styx, hidden deep within the darkened section of tunnel. No natural light from the hole in the roof far behind them reached the command center, rendering its walls almost pitch black from a distance. "Tactical strikes to clear out those giant grimm that are spreading black pools around Sanus. Chimera, right?"

"Chimera," Yatsuhashi confirmed. "We heard you ran into one on the way here."

"Yeah, and we would've been dead without some help from Goodwitch and Torchwick…" Nora lamented.

"Well, fortunately, no one's leaving Styx unless they're in a team of four or more," Coco informed as she stepped up to the door of the command center. "We figured it would be best to operate on 'old school' teaming rules. You guys will catch up, soon enough. C'mon. Let's add all of you to the schedule and get you familiar with the current goings-on in the general area."

Ruby sucked in a breath and hung back a moment as Coco led the way into the building. The command center was painted a dark green, and a bit more care seemed to have gone into its construction than most of the other buildings around. The door was constructed of steel mesh, and mounted guns poked out from the two windows on either side of the door. An ominous feeling washed over Ruby as she looked at the defenses, causing her to hesitate as the door swung closed before her.

"…having second thoughts, Little Red?"

Ruby looked over her shoulder to find Roman standing with his arms folded across his chest, his expression unreadable.

"No," Ruby said slowly as she turned her eyes back to the door. "It's just… I… I don't know why, but somehow, suddenly, it started to sink in that we're actively at war. I know that probably sounds silly to say out loud since it's so obvious, but up to this point, nothing's really given me that feeling. I was at the Battle of Haven, my friends are out in Atlas, and now, back in Sanus, it's continuing. It's like all of Remnant is at war…"

"Sounds about right," Roman agreed as he walked past Ruby and pulled open the door. "That feeling's probably about to get worse. Don't keep the man waiting. Ladies first."

"…'the man'?" Ruby questioned as she walked forward and made her way into the command center.

It didn't take long for Ruby to spot the person in question standing on the other side of the room. A dejected looking redhead was hunched over a wide table, upon which a map of Remnant was spread out and haphazardly marked with colorful pins. Coco stood next to the male teen, who was clad in a simple, worn black t-shirt and dark blue jeans. He looked up as Ruby's face drained of color, his own totally expressionless as he spoke in a hollow voice.

"…yeah," he said with a slow series of nods. "Guess it makes sense it'd be you leading the pack..."

Ruby found herself unable to move as she tried to make sense of the situation at hand. Try as she might, there was only one thing she could think to say.

"…Cardin? What are you doing here…?"

Author's Note:

Next chapter- the second half of the intro to Styx, and then… a thing.

-RD