Ilia ran as quickly as she could, her leg screaming in protest the entire way. The damage hadn't been properly healed, as she had been clearly told, and she knew that there would be a risk of permanent damage if she didn't slow down. Even so, she had successfully located Emerald, managed to link up with Neon, and found Weiss' family on top of getting her eyes on Robyn Hill. Something was going right, and in the end, it would all be worth it… provided they all survived.

Robyn was the first one into her tavern and held the door for the others as she fired explosive bolts into straggling grimm behind the party. Once everyone had made it inside the establishment, she locked the door and nodded her head toward the far wall while looking at Winter.

"Knock over the jukebox and use it to bar the entrance. Should keep the lesser grimm out," the woman commanded before looking at Neon and the trio of children huddled behind the bar.

"Have you seen Emerald?" Ilia asked before Robyn could continue. "Dark skin, green hair, white leather jacket?"

"I haven't seen anyone else here," Neon said sullenly. "Just me and the kids. I thought you called her…"

"I did," Ilia said, her frustration clear in her voice. "Shit!"

"Who are you?" Robyn asked the faunus, looking annoyed.

"An Academy huntress trying to protect the people," Neon snapped as she held the group of kids in a hug. "That's what I've been told you were down here doing, but you seem to be interested in just saving your own ass. Who are you, really?"

Robyn sneered as she moved toward the basement staircase with Jacques in tow. The woman raised her voice to be heard over the sound of Winter toppling the jukebox and beginning to slide it across the floor using a series of glyphs.

"We don't have time for this. I'll secure our transport out of here. The rest of you… we were having the floors renovated, so there's spare wood and tools in the back rooms. Start barricading windows while we get set up downstairs."

"For this place that we're not staying in?" Ilia questioned as she moved to follow Robyn. "Whitley, Neon, come with me. Now."

"Huh?" the boy questioned, though he immediately moved to follow her. "I don't understand…"

"I'm making sure we're not about to get fucked over," Ilia explained as she began to walk down the stairs. "Winter, catch up with us as soon as you're done!"

"Come on, kids," Neon encouraged as she shepherded her charges along toward the staircase leading to the basement. "Ilia, what are you thinking?"

"You'll see in a minute," Ilia seethed as she rounded the corner and emerged into the dark basement. The sound of the heavy door unlocking resounded throughout the space, and Robyn was already making her way through into the transport tunnel. "Don't lag behind."

As Jacques walked through the door, a shadowy figure moved to tail him. Ilia recognized the silhouette immediately and ran forward, blowing her friend's cover.

"Emerald!"

"Ilia? Shit, you're really here…" the former thief muttered as she was swept into a quick hug. "Hey, hey! What the hell!?"

"Shut up and let me have this," Ilia ordered before breaking away and turning toward the door. "Everyone, move your asses! Don't let them get too far ahead!"

"The boat we saw isn't big enough for this many people…" Emerald warned as she followed directly behind Ilia. "What were you thinking bringing this many!?"

"I know!" Ilia yelled. "This wasn't the plan. Just… we'll improvise!"

"You aren't actually thinking they'd leave us behind?" Neon asked rhetorically. "We have kids with us!"

"As if that's going to matter to them," Ilia muttered. "Just keep moving…"

Ilia emerged from the small tunnel just in time to see Jacques untying the small boat at the edge of the underground lake. Robyn stood nearby, her arm-mounted crossbow loaded and pointed at the tunnel entrance.

"…the fuck do you think you're doing aiming that at me?" Ilia questioned, coming to a stop before the others. "You're not leaving us here in Mantle!"

"We'll take you if you fit," Robyn said icily. "Send me Whitley and the kids. They're priority. The rest of you… we'll see what seats we still have available."

"…and Winter?" Whitley asked immediately as Emerald dipped beneath Ilia's outstretched arm and began to walk calmly toward Robyn. "What are you…?"

"Don't," Ilia warned, knowing exactly what the boy was referring to. "Just don't."

"Winter isn't a priority," Jacques answered as he stood, dragging the small boat with him to strand it in the dirt and sand at the edge of the water. "Now come, and let's be rid o-"

Before Jacques could finish, Robyn found her arm wrenched to the side and she fired off a bolt in reflex. Emerald suddenly came into her view almost as if the woman had somehow teleported across the room. She ducked her head to narrowly avoid the projectile, the bolt harmlessly ricocheting off the cave walls while one of the children screamed in fear. In mere seconds, Robyn was in an arm bar and brought down to the floor while Emerald drove a knee directly into her back. Ilia seized the opportunity to dash forward and thrust her weapon out for Jacques' throat, letting the tip come within an inch of his skin.

"…what I believe you two meant to say was, you'll be on our boat if there's room."

"You insufferable…" Jacques began, gnashing his teeth. "Robyn, can you not overpower her!?"

"Even if she does, you're outnumbered," Neon declared as she stepped forward, drawing her pair of nunchaku. "Kids- get on the boat, now. Whitley- you, too."

"Where's Winter?" Whitley asked as he followed the younger children. "She should be down here by now…"

"No one saw her following us?" Ilia asked, her weapon arm rigid as she watched the children clamber aboard. "One of us needs to go back upstairs and check on her…"

"…I can go," Neon offered. "But that boat… it can fit another three people, tops. We'll need to make two trips no matter what. We're not abandoning these two assholes, are we?"

"Yeah, w-"

"Shut up, Emerald," Ilia interrupted. "No, we're not, but… Neon, get on the boat. Then Em you go, too. I'll head upstairs and see what's wrong with Winter. One of us will stay behind with Robyn and Jacques until someone comes back for us with the boat."

Robyn let out a humorless laugh from her place on the ground, only for it to turn into a hiss as Emerald wrenched her arm into an even more uncomfortable position.

"…you have no idea who, or what's waiting on the other side," Robyn warned. "And they're not about to let you just waltz into their sanctuary unless both Jacques and I are on that boat. Either make room… or you're walking into a more dangerous situation than being left in Mantle."

"You're working together?" Neon asked with a venomous glare. "Figures, in this grounded hellhole. Everything's corrupt, everyth-"

"Speaking of shit we don't have time for!" Ilia announced as she lowered her weapon. "Just… fuck! You absolute snakes!"

"…there's a simple solution to guarantee all parties get what they want here," Whitley said as he got up from his sitting position, his voice frigid and calculating. It almost reminded Ilia of his father… though filled more with conviction than distaste. "I'm surprised none of you can see it."

All eyes were on the heir to the Schnee Dust Company as he made his way back onto shore before turning and pulling out his borrowed sidearm. The youth aimed it squarely at his father's head, his expression furious.

"Get in the boat."

"Whitley!?" Jacques asked. "What are y-"

"Get in the boat," the boy repeated. "You're going, along with Robyn and cat faunus. I don't trust you to come back for Winter… but you will come back for me. Your only remaining heir. Your supposed pride and joy. You taught me how to manipulate… now, reap what you've sown."

"Whitley, I…" Jacques began as Emerald finally let Robyn stand and shake out her arm. "…the grimm will come for this place. I don't want you stranded here!"

"I'll have three huntresses here to protect me," Whitley insisted. "The children will be safe, and you'll be able to bring the boat back for the four of us. Now stop wasting time and get going."

Robyn snorted as Jacques slowly climbed into the boat.

"He's bluffing. Look at his grip- he has no idea how to hold a gun, and he wouldn't shoot any-"

The sound of a gunshot rang out within the cave, and Robyn clutched her upper arm as she let out a cry of pain.

"Yeah, but I would," Emerald said simply, the barrel of her weapon still smoking. "Follow the kid's orders and get to where you're going. Don't even think of screwing us over. Better move fast and get some medical attention."

Robyn checked her arm as her aura fizzled and shattered. The bullet had grazed through her protective field and carved a shallow, bleeding cut along her biceps.

"…you people are fucking crazy. Come on, kitten. Let's get going."

"I'll keep an eye on them both and make sure they come back," Neon assured as she made her way to the boat. "Where does this thing go, anyway?"

"Under the ice and beneath the snowfields," Robyn said cryptically as she worked to stanch the bleeding. "We'll arrive far outside of Mantle, in a… camp. That's all you need to know."

"It doesn't really matter right now, as long as the answer is not here," Ilia said as she looked back toward the tunnel. "Emerald… take Whitley and hang out by the sewer access tunnel over on that wall. If any grimm make it down here, run. I'm going back up for Winter."

"Why are you risking your life for these people?" Emerald asked as she stared at Ilia in disbelief. "We just had a guaranteed out!"

"And a fight on our hands after we arrived," Ilia reminded. "And because… I've done enough terrible shit for one lifetime… and Weiss is my friend. You want to roll with me? You play by my rules. Protect the kid, and I'll go to Winter. See you soon!"

"I hate everything about this," Emerald announced as she turned to see the boat already leaving and Whitley staring up at her expectantly. She finally let her eyes fall on the boy and offered him a nod. "…nice move back there, at least…"

"…it just… felt right," Whitley replied. "And I'm not a kid. Thank you for trusting us, all the same."

"I do," Emerald said with a sigh. "I shouldn't, but I do…"

"Anything new on your end?" Blake asked as she appeared back on the hologram. "Looks like Yang is talking to her dad and Qrow on a three-way call. Gods, I don't want to be around for that at all, but I feel like I should check in every now and then…"

"You probably should," Sun agreed as he pressed his head back into the headrest of the co-pilot's seat. "Not much new going on here. Looks like we're well on our way out over the snow fields toward Mistral. I, uh… still have the key for Qrow's house. I guess we should just use it to lay low for the night? He probably wouldn't mind, and I don't think now's a good time to ask…"

"Better to ask forgiveness than permission," Blake said with a shrug. "I'm sure it'll be fine. That being said… how's your scroll looking? I've got signal on almost everyone In Solitas at this point, but…"

"Not Ilia," Sun finished for her. "Yeah. It's the same for me, and I'm getting worried. I don't know if she's… I mean, unless the scroll was totally obliterated…"

"Or she's underground," Blake suggested. "Maybe she ducked into the mines to evade the grimm or something? We can't give up on her."

"Never," Sun agreed. "I'll keep watch. I just…"

Blake's ears perked up on the hologram as Sun let out a pained hiss.

"Sun…?"

"My head is… killing me," Sun let on. "Something's not right…"

"These seats recline," Harriet said as she cast the hologram a sideling glance. "Including the pilot's seat. Never really understood that part…"

"Sun? You… really don't look good. You're sweating a lot…"

"Well, I get the feeling opening a window would be a bad idea," Sun joked as he undid his belt. "I'll be fine. I've just… gotta…"

Blake watched, her ears folding back as Sun slumped in his seat.

"What the… hey! Neo! What's happening over there!?"

Neopolitan spared a glance at Sun and then the hologram before raising her arms in a shrug and pointing to her throat.

"Shit… right, I'm calling Jaune! We might need to land!"

Author's Note:

Trouble's brewing.

-RD