Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 68 – The Greatest Kingdom?
Woz was currently in his usual black void, the clock ticking away in the background as he paced in front of it several times, "As it is written here, recent graduate Sougo Tokiwa embarks on a path which will lead him to become the overlord of time, Oma Zi-O."
"However his story to great power must be put on hold for now…" A familiar female voice spoke out as the voice turned to white, leaving only the black clock behind. Jinn soon floated into view with a smile before grimacing, "This is due to the Time Jackers getting bold."
"Indeed," Woz gave a nod as opened up his book, "Swartz has seemingly gained knowledge and access to Remnant as well as access to older equipment to create expendable soldiers. Catching us off guard he confirms his suspicions and declares that Remnant will be targeted next. Sougo alongside Miss Rose were forced to hasten their plan to return to Remnant."
"Your strategies are in place, you all are rather well invigorated," Jinn remarked, "You all have gone off the script so many times I can't help but wonder what that means for Remnant."
Woz could only give a smile as he raised a hand forward, "Rejoice! For a new era is upon the once Riderless world!"
Remnant – Argus, Cliffside Clearing
Only a couple of hours had passed like they had planned and Team JNR, Maria and Qrow were all trying to pass the time as a result. Though every now and again they'd have someone look up into the sky to keep watch. Jaune was currently on the lookout for anything while Nora and Ren were caught up in their own conversation.
Qrow and Maria were both sitting on one of the stumps, the two simply waiting for the Time Mazines to show up eventually.
"Worried about them?" Maria asked.
"Just a bit," Qrow admitted, "Can't help but be even if those kids, especially those Riders, were amazing a couple hours back."
"You weren't half bad yourself today, Qrow," Maria added.
"I feel like they did all the heavy lifting," Qrow admitted with a sigh.
"But you were there to help when they asked for it," Maria pointed out, "And putting your trust in your niece like that for her to carry out her plan instead of still trying to rush off after her… you did well."
"Thanks," Qrow rubbed the back of his neck, "You know it was pretty incredible getting to see the Grimm Reaper in action."
"Ha, you should have seen me when I was your age!" Maria laughed.
It wasn't long before skies above Argus began to ripple briefly. A bright blue light shined briefly before the time gateway opened up. The Zi-O, Geiz, and Woz Units flying out before making their way for where the others were waiting.
"Hey guys, I think that's them!" Jaune called out.
"Well it's about time!" Nora shouted.
"It was a rather refreshing rest however," Ren admitted.
"I just hope they got everything taken care of," Qrow said.
"Well we don't know how long they've really been gone," Maria said, mostly in partial annoyance though due to still not getting a handle on how the time travel worked.
It wasn't long before the five slowly made their way towards the Time Mazines that began to land. Everyone was waiting with anticipation before the hatches opened up, Team's RWBY, Zi-O and Oscar all exiting the Time Mazines.
"Oscar!" Jaune gave a laugh as he hurried over with Ren and Nora, "You're alright!"
"Please don't ever do that again," Ren begged.
"Thank goodness!" Nora gave a sigh of relief.
"Hey guys, sorry about worrying you," Oscar said with a sheepish chuckle.
"So how long did your guys' trip take?" Jaune asked.
"About a few months give or take," Yang replied.
"Jeez, that long?" Nora asked.
"Something tells me that Diend guy wasn't the easiest to find," Qrow said as he walked over with Maria.
"Trust me, he wasn't," Ruby gave a groan before pepping up a bit, "But we managed to get Oscar and the Relic back! Plus we've got a whole new batch of tricks too!"
"Ooh, ooh!" Nora called out excitedly.
"I wish we had more time to show them off though," Sougo admitted, "Zi-O II and Trinity are pretty cool."
"Wait, II and Trinity?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah but come on, the real star's Tsukuyomi isn't it?" Yang remarked, "Her transforming was pretty cool."
"O-Oh," Tsukuyomi stammered as she gave a light blush, "I didn't think it was that special…"
"Says the girl who kept repeating to herself in amazement that she was a Kamen Rider," Weiss said with a smirk.
"Come on it was pretty cool though," Sougo pointed out, "And you had Ruby rejoice for you!"
"Wait, she did what?" Nora asked.
"Yep," Ruby grinned, "I think I did a pretty good job."
"My pride still feels trampled…" Woz stated as he clutched his book tightly.
"Really…?" Geiz asked, "We're teasing them?"
"You're just mad no one mentioned Geiz Revive," Blake gave a chuckle.
"So you're gone a couple of months and get a ton of new toys!?" Nora shouted as she raised her hands in the air.
"Yeah pretty much," Ruby admitted.
"Well hey let's not forget about how good Ruby is with her new form," Yang elbowed her sister a bit.
"Yaaang," Ruby groaned out, "Stop embarrassing me!"
"Ruby," Maria spoke up, "You're looking a lot different, I take it some things happened while you were on Earth?"
"Yeah," Ruby gave a nod, "Sort of had things put into perspective for me. It really helped out even if it was sort of rough."
"That's good to hear," Maria smiled before looking around, "So if we're all accounted for, how about we go get that Lamp to Atlas?"
"That would be best," Woz agreed, "Especially given we sort of showed up urgently even for our standards."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Qrow asked.
"We'll explain on the way and fill you all in on the cliff notes," Geiz reassured, "Right now we should get going to Atlas."
"How do we all pair up anyway?" Jaune asked before finally doing a double-take, finally noticing how many Time Mazines there were, "Wait, I thought we only had two?"
"Oh right, long story short but there was another Woz and he had his own," Sougo explained, "But after he was defeated he left his Time Mazine behind."
"I've taken the liberty of procuring my alternate self's vehicle," Woz replied.
"I think… Team RWBY goes with Sougo," Ruby said before pointing at Jaune, "Jaune, Nora, and Ren will go with Geiz and Tsuki. Then Oscar, Maria and Qrow will go with Woz."
"So how exactly are we going to do this when it comes to approaching Atlas?" Jaune asked, "Since we're not using an airship anymore."
"Stolen airship," Ren clarified.
"Right, stolen…" Jaune sighed.
"Was any of it salvageable?" Ruby asked, "Like the main control unit or something?"
"The black box and radio," Maria said before holding out both objects, both haphazardly tied together with busted wires. She then noticed all the looks she was receiving, "What? I figured I'd do some work to keep things from getting maddeningly stale."
"I'll go hook it up to the Time Mazine's while linking our cockpit systems together," Geiz sighed as he went to grab the black box and radio combo from Maria before heading off to his Time Mazine.
"So anyway, we need to see how Atlas is in regards to its airspace," Ruby said, "Weiss said the General was being cautious so you know."
"If it's relaxed I think we can give them a call, maybe have Qrow lead off since he's an official Huntsman," Sougo suggested, "Tell them he needs to speak with Ironwood or to at least give the message that he's arrived."
"Worst case scenario…" Ruby trailed before shaking her head, "We figure out our own way to get to Ironwood, thankfully the temporal cloaking should make that easy."
"I'm not sure I like the way you said that…" Nora admitted.
"Sorry," Weiss apologized, "It's just we've been thinking about this trip for a while now."
"Alright, we're good to go!" Geiz yelled out as he exited his Time Mazine.
Remnant – Solitas Airspace
It didn't take long for everyone to pile into the respective Time Mazines. There they started a linkup in communications between the three, everyone being able to converse on camera as various holographic screens popped up in the cockpits. With everything settled the three time-traveling vehicles took off into the air before making their way towards the continent of Solitas.
Of course it wasn't a quick and simple trip since it still took quite a while even with the output that the Time Mazines held. Geiz, Sougo and Woz were all relaying anything that might pop up. It was mostly them just checking and making sure the Time Mazines were handling the slow but sure drop in temperature well enough since it got colder as they made it higher up north.
While they were doing that, everyone that had gone to Earth was giving a cliff notes version of what had happened from the end of December to the middle of April. It was mostly to catch everyone up to speed on the various cases, forms and battles that had taken place. They also made sure to mention why they were in a rush to get to Atlas as well, that being the Time Jackers finding out about Ruby's true origins.
Of course eventually questions and comments began to slowly die off as everyone just went to relax and wait till they'd arrive in Atlas.
"I'm detecting a large mass up ahead," Sougo noted as he got a signal on his cockpit.
"Sounds like the black box and radio are starting to act up too," Geiz added.
"Can we get a frontal camera view on the outside?" Qrow asked, "If you all haven't seen Atlas you aren't going to want to miss this."
"Sure, I'll switch to audio only for our channels," Geiz replied, "And we'll make sure all cameras are on the Kingdom. Zi-O, take the lead."
"Roger," Sougo said as the Zi-O Unit flew ahead to take point, "Temporal cloaking working?"
"Yeah," Geiz called out, "I've got cameras going online in a few seconds."
"Is it weird that I'm sorta nervous?" Ruby asked.
"No," Yang shook her head, "I'll believe we've made it to Atlas when I see it."
"I doubt we'll get another detour," Tsukuyomi said.
"Exactly, so believe it," Weiss smiled.
It wasn't long before the Time Mazines flew out of the thick clouds they were flying through, unveiling a massive floating city in full view. But it wasn't just one city but two in fact, one in the air and one below with a giant crater near it.
"Whoa…" Sougo trailed.
"What the hell, it floats?" Geiz asked.
"This is… unreal," Tsukuyomi admitted.
"You know, you make the trip up to Atlas over and over, but you never get used to that view," Maria said.
"So um… which one is Atlas?" Sougo asked.
"The floating city," Maria clarified, "The lower one's Mantle."
Weiss however grew nervous when she saw something out of view of the camera's, "Geiz, expand the camera's range."
"Weiss, what's wrong?" Ruby asked.
"Expanding range," Geiz said before sighing, "Well, this isn't good."
It wouldn't be long before the cameras would show the full view of Atlas, which included the massive air fleet high above it. It consisted of many Airships alongside dozens upon dozens of Manta ships out and about flying all over. All of them were in a peculiar formation however.
"The Atlas air fleet…" Weiss said, "I knew all of our ships were called back, but…"
"They're set up like they're expecting an attack…" Qrow finished.
It wasn't long before buzzing could be heard on the communications channels, "Manta 5-1, your signals fuzzy, is everything okay? Please continue your approach to Atlas docking bay Omega-12. A security and repair team will meet you there, over."
"Okay… clearly nothing good is happening here," Ruby sighed.
"Jeez, I hate to say pessimism wins the day, but…" Qrow started.
"But we are here. We got the Lamp to Atlas, so I guess we land and get some answers?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah unfortunately that may be hard," Weiss admitted, "I've never seen our forces deployed so aggressively before. If we even remove the temporal cloaking they'll catch that we're only using part of Manta 5-1 and they might just attack us on sight if we suddenly appear. And even then if they do let us land there's no way the security team will let us anywhere near Ironwood. They might even take me back to my father…"
"So…" Blake trailed.
"Then we go with Ruby's plan," Sougo said firmly, not liking the tone that Weiss was giving out, "Figure out another place to land and find a way to get contact with Ironwood some other way."
"Another way…" Weiss muttered before figuring something out, "Winter!"
"Winter…?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Weiss' sister," Yang said, "She's pretty high up there, if Weiss can get a hold of her…"
"Sougo, Geiz, Woz," Weiss spoke up as she drew out her Scroll, "Try and find a good place for us to land while I try to call my sister."
"Roger," Sougo gave a smile as he led the Time Mazines down towards the city below towards the city of Mantle.
Remnant – Mantle, City Airspace
The group was able to get a better look at the streets as the Time Mazines went lower. While not half bad, Mantle wasn't exactly the talk of the town when it came to looks and left much to be desired. Though many from the group were able to figure out where exactly the architecture for Argus came from now.
Of course one concerning sight was the fact that there were large screens on the sides of taller buildings. They managed to catch one showing video of Ironwood who was giving an announcement at the moment.
"...cannot express our appreciation enough. Many describe these as uncertain times, and while that may be the case for the rest of the world, I can tell you what is certain. The Kingdom of Atlas will remain strong, and it will remain safe. That is my promise."
"Someone thinks highly of themselves," Woz commented.
"General Ironwood," Yang frowned, "He looks…"
"Tired," Ruby finished up.
"James, what have you been doing?" Qrow asked.
"Ruby…" Sougo spoke up, exchanging a look with his friend when she turned to look at him, "You know…"
"Yeah, I know," Ruby gave a nod, already starting to get an answer on what to do.
"This isn't right," Weiss sighed as she caught a few bits of the Time Mazine's camera footage, seeing some machines known as Atlesian Knight-200s patrolling the streets alongside small camera drones.
"Manta 5-1 is everything okay? We've noticed a detour in your route. You are to make your way to docking bay Omega 12 immediately. If you cannot then give your reasoning, do you copy? Over."
"Weiss, you got anything yet?" Geiz asked, "We're running out of time."
"I say we ditch the black box and radio combo immediately," Yang suggested, "Toss it out as well before hiding the Time Mazine's and going on foot."
"Agreed," Qrow spoke up, "Get lost in Mantle and buy ourselves some time."
"Come on… if we can just reach my sister I'm sure she can take us to Ironwood," Weiss growled in near frustration as she tried to call her sister.
"Uh, Weiss…?" Blake asked as she pointed towards one of the video feeds, a camera getting footage from another building. It was Winter Schnee who was also having video playing of her on the side of a building.
"A reminder," Winter said, "Failure to cooperate with Atlas military personnel is a punishable offense. If your sector is under lockdown…"
Weiss seemed to tune the rest out, "Winter?"
"No offense, Weiss. I'm not sure that's a good idea," Qrow said.
"Qrow's right, I don't like that she's also being used in what's clearly political propaganda," Geiz admitted.
"There's obviously something very wrong," Weiss argued, "If we can just talk to her, then we-"
"Look, I'm not even sure we should be talking to Ironwood until we know exactly what's going on with Mantle," Qrow admitted.
"Our options are pretty limited at the moment," Ruby admitted.
"But…" Weiss trailed.
"Weiss," Sougo spoke up, "I know you want to trust your sister, but for now let's put that on hold. At least until we figure out more information."
"Everyone just needs to calm down," Maria suggested, "I know someone who can help with both your inquiries."
"Wait, Ms. Calavera you know someone?" Ruby asked.
Geiz gave a light scoff, "Well would you look at that. Not even a day back and you're already impressing-"
"Manta 5-1, you are to make your-"
Ripping sounds could be heard as Geiz had immediately torn apart the connection between the black box, radio, and Time Mazine. It didn't take long for audible smashing to be heard as well.
"Geez, lady, take the hint!" Maria groaned out.
"Agreed," Geiz replied, "The minute we land we toss this in the garbage."
"Forget landing," Tsukuyomi said, "We'll drop out into an alleyway and then send the Time Mazines to hide in the tundra. We don't need someone accidentally coming across them."
"A wise decision," Woz agreed.
Remnant – Mantle, City Streets
It didn't take long for the group to lower themselves further to land in Mantle itself. Thankfully the temporal cloaking was still working as no one had noticed their descent. Geiz had decided to open the hatch and drop the black box and radio down into an alleyway. Eventually the group found a fairly low roofed building near another alleyway to jump onto, everyone leaping from the Time Mazines and onto the roof before making their way to the alleyway below. Tsukuyomi drew out her tablet and issued the commands to the Time Mazines, using what little geographical information she could find to send the Time Mazines to a remote location to hide.
"Okay, new game plan guys," Ruby huddled her team together alongside Woz who gave a confused look, "If we're in the presence of Atlas Military we do not use our Earth powers alright? We're Huntresses here first and foremost. Leave the Rider stuff to the others."
"Sounds good to me," Yang gave a nod.
"It would draw too much suspicion," Blake agreed.
"What about you though?" Weiss asked.
"That's where Woz comes in," Ruby said as she brought out her equipment and held it out, "Hold onto these for me alright?"
"Are you sure about this?" Blake asked.
"I decided that if I can, I'll protect Remnant as a Huntress," Ruby smiled, "If things get bad then I'll take up the mantle of Roze again. But for now I'm Ruby Rose."
"Sounds good to me sis," Yang said.
"I will hold onto the Faizphone X, just in case," Ruby said as she had not included it as part of her equipment.
"I shall keep them safe Miss Rose," Woz gave a nod as he took the Ziku Driver and Ridewatches that were presented, "You have my word."
"Okay, so…" Ruby trailed as she walked over to Maria, "You said you knew a guy?"
"Yeah, just follow me," Maria said as she went to lead the way, peaking out of the alleyway before walking out.
Everyone could only walk after her in silence as they all took in the city of Mantle. Atlesian Knight's stood on various sidewalks with even a few Soldiers that were patrolling around. Separate from the patrolling ones, there was a group of soldiers seemingly trying to find where Manta 5-1 had went. Various civilians were on the streets, some sitting while others setting up posters. There were also a few hologram boards that showcased some headlines.
Some of them talked about missing journalists, an election, the embargo, and apparently some damage to the outer wall.
"This isn't a good first impression," Geiz crossed his arms.
"Agreed," Tsukuyomi gave a nod.
"Come on now, hurry!" Maria insisted, "It shouldn't be that much a walk."
"Is this many soldiers around normal?" Jaune asked Weiss.
"No," Weiss shook her head, "At least, I didn't think so."
"Huh?" Yang could have sworn she heard something near her and stopped to take a look, soon seeing a small camera drone staring at her. She decided to keep walking to catch up only for it to get closer, leaning in she was suddenly assaulted by a flash from the drone's camera. Giving a yell she instinctively kicked it upwards, knocking it out of the air and sending it tumbling into the street.
Everyone turned at this commotion and saw the drone try and get up only for it to get smashed into by a car that ran it over.
"Ooh…" Yang trailed before looking to see that everyone was just staring at her, "Um, maybe we should pick up the pace."
"Seriously, the amount of surveillance here is creepy," Geiz said.
"Yeah, something definitely feels wrong about Mantle," Sougo agreed.
"A wise deduction my Overlord," Woz said.
Nora tilted her head, "Huh… his Overlord?"
"Oh that's just Woz's nickname for Sougo," Weiss waved off the question.
"You have to remember, the Kingdom had just lost the Great War," Maria explained as she led the group forward, "The people of Mantle needed a sign of a brighter future, and that sign was Atlas. After all, a home in the clouds is as bright as it gets."
Everyone could only look up at the city of Atlas and feel a bit imposed by its massive size hovering above them. They also were able to see a pair of trucks drive by with miners sitting in the back, all covered in black gunk.
Nora gave a frown, crossing her arms, "Unless you're the one having to look up at it."
"This whole city, it just seems awful," Blake admitted.
"Yeah…?" A loud and sudden drunken voice could be heard as a man stumbled from a porch as he had heard the conversation, "You don't like it here? There's plenty of space out in the tundra."
Blake could only sigh, "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"Atlas is the greatest Kingdom in the world, alright?!" The drunken man called out.
"Listen here…" Geiz gave a growl only to be held back by Tsukuyomi.
"Geiz no," Blake stepped forward and held out a hand to keep him back, "We can't cause a scene."
On the steps of the porch was another drunk, the man's drinking buddy, "The embargo… the embargo's got us in a rough patch. But it'll blow over, you'll see."
"We try and help the other Kingdoms, and this is what happens? I say let 'em rot!" The drunk man called out.
"I apologize. I didn't mean to insult you," Blake said, trying to deescalate the situation.
The drunken man simply spit on the ground, giving a glare, "Stupid Faunus like you wouldn't underst…" He slowed and paused when he saw something strange at his feet. It was a black glyph, suddenly forcing him into the air and sending him flying into a dumpster in the nearby alleyway.
Everyone could only stare at what had happened before looking back. Geiz was the most surprised since he was ready to rush over and deck the guy in the face as it was Weiss who had flung the man around, Myrtenaster out and ready.
"Come on, really?" Geiz asked.
"Mad I stole your fun?" Weiss gave a polite smile before quickly hurrying off, everyone else following Weiss' example and running once they saw a few Atlesian Knights making their way over.
Eventually after making sure they weren't being followed and making sure they were all huddled together to keep walking, they made it to their destination. It was a building that held a glowing green plus symbol above the front door. Of course the side of the building was the more important part as that was where Maria was leading them.
Sougo couldn't help but take in his surroundings, grimacing a bit at everything he saw. Though there was one interesting thing of note, a poster that held a woman with light blond hair, the words 'Protect Mantle' on the poster.
Out from the side entrance came what looked to be a bear Faunus, her left arm prosthetic, giving a cheerful wave towards whoever was inside.
A jovial older man could soon be heard, "And no more heavy-lifting, yah here?"
"Ah, it's good to see you again, old friend," Maria spoke up as she entered, making sure to keep the door open as everyone slowly began to file in.
An elderly dark skinned man with oval-shaped glasses and grey hair was currently behind a desk, shuffling a few things around in a drawer.
"Ahem," Maria cleared her throat.
"Ah, yes, yes." The man was a bit startled as he lifted his head to look at her, shutting the drawer before pushing a stack of papers aside, he gave a smile, "Have we met?"
"Well, this is off to a fantastic start," Ren remarked.
"Hey, anything is better than Cordovin," Geiz reminded.
"Cybernetic optical implants," Maria pointed towards her eyes, "You adjust them, oh, like every ten years or so?"
The man stared at Maria long and hard before lifting his hands up, "Maria!" then the unexpected happened, the chair he was in began to lift up before revealing that it was a mobile four legged chair, "Yes, with the cybernetic optical implants! I adjust them every ten years or so."
Everyone could only stare in surprise and wonder at the robotic chair, watching as Pietro took Maria by the hand and led her to an examination table.
"Whoa, that's so cool!" Sougo gave a giddy look.
"That's one way to move around at that age," Tsukuyomi agreed.
Geiz though couldn't help but crack a small smile at seeing how warm and friendly the two elders were to each other.
"Oh wow, has it been that long already?" The man remarked.
"Ah, I know. I age like fine wine," Maria smiled, "Would've been here sooner if I hadn't run into these jokers. At the time, I thought they might need my guidance while fighting a little old Sphinx."
"Oh, did they?" Pietro asked.
"No, no," Maria shook her head as she sat on the examination table, "They have much more complicated issues."
Qrow cleared his throat, "And this is?"
"Yeah, um, this is nice and all but um…" Sougo scratched his chin, "Who?"
"So impatient," Maria sighed, "I didn't think I'd need to introduce one of Atlas' finest minds."
Yang raised an eyebrow, "Working in a place like this?"
As if to prove Yang right, a creak was heard as a ceiling tile suddenly fell to the floor.
"He likes to keep a low profile," Maria countered, "Something I've come to realize none of you know anything about."
"You can call me Pietro," The man introduced.
"Finest heart, too," Maria added, "This pharmacy is just where he volunteers when he's not building the future of Atlas alongside Ironwood, up in the clouds."
"Oh, it's stuffy up there. Down here, I get to help the locals and have a little fun," Pietro admitted, "I'm currently working on shoes that make you dance. Wanna try 'em on?"
"YES!" Nora called out excitedly.
"Let's get Geiz to try them out first," Sougo suggested.
"What?" Geiz turned, "Why me?"
"Come now, your dance skills are likely sorely lacking," Woz patted his allies shoulder.
"Don't you dare butt into this," Geiz turned with a glare.
"Before we get to that," Yang cleared her throat to try and get things back on track, "We were wondering if you could help us. We came to Atlas hoping to talk to General Ironwood, but um…"
"What exactly has been happening here?" Blake asked.
"Well, the Fall of Beacon took a toll on all of us," Pietro admitted with a cough, "James was no different. I couldn't tell you exactly what it was he saw there, but it changed him. He's…"
"He's scared," Qrow finished.
"Paranoid would be the more appropriate term," Pietro corrected, "You have to understand, it wasn't just the Grimm. Someone completely dismantled Atlas security code, made it their play-thing, and made us look like traitors to some and buffoons to everyone else. Whoever managed to do that is either a genius or one of our own. I fear the answer may be both, and so does the general."
"Maybe Atlas isn't as safe as we thought," Ren realized.
"We came all this way," Oscar said, remembering Ruby's words back on Earth, they still needed to be here because of Salem, "We can't just leave."
"How does the council feel about all of this?" Weiss asked as she stepped forward, "Or Winter Schnee? Do you know anything about her?"
"Well, the council's so scared they'll agree to whatever he wants," Pietro admitted, "Though, some representatives from Mantle…" he paused when he saw Weiss, "Wait, you're… you're Weiss Schnee!"
Everyone began to grow nervous at that callout, suddenly realizing their cover was likely blown. Though Geiz gave a sigh and shook his head.
"Wait," Yang stepped forward and held her right hand to try and get Pietro to pause, "What was it that you were trying to say about mantle?"
"You painted it," Pietro stared at the prosthetic arm.
"What?" Yang asked as she withdrew her arm.
"Is everything okay?" Ruby asked.
"You're Team RWBY!" Pietro called out in disbelief.
"Whoa, you guys are famous?!" Sougo asked.
Geiz could only stare at this, "…how?!"
"As loathe as I am… I must agree with him," Woz admitted, "How?"
"I'm just as in disbelief as you all are!" Ruby called out to the Riders before looking at Pietro, "You know us?!"
"Oh, my girl, I do, I most certainly do," Pietro smiled before shaking his head, "And I feel like such a dunce for not recognizing you sooner. My daughter's told me so much about you."
Ruby tilted her head, "Your… daughter?"
Soon enough an alarm could be heard through the open door, the streetlamps turning red as everyone could hear screaming.
"Ah, trouble," Jaune realized.
"Let's get to work then!" Sougo suggested.
They all quickly made their way outside, not hearing Pietro calling out for them to wait. It wasn't long before everyone readied their weapons, Team Zi-O themselves readying their transformations.
"Alright guys…" Sougo looked at his team, "Let's go!"
"Henshin!"
[RIDER/FUTURE TIME!]
[KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) ZI-O! (ZI-O!) ZI-O~! II!]
[KAMEN RIDER GEIZ!]
[SUGOI! JIDAI! MIRAI! KAMEN RIDER WOZ! WOZ!]
[KAMEN~ RI~DER~ TSUKU~YOMI! TSU-KU-YO-MI!]
"Feels weird seeing all of you do that now," Jaune admitted.
Zi-O chuckled, "Pretty cool right?"
"I think we're glossing over the fact that one of them just decided to go straight for one of the new ones," Qrow remarked as he pointed at Zi-O.
"Oh yeah," Zi-O nodded before giving a thumbs-up, "Pretty cool, right?"
"I swear to goodness…" Weiss sighed before bringing out Myrtenaster.
Everyone else began to bring out their weapons. Yang simply readying Ember Celica while Blake drew out Gambol Shroud only to remember its blade was broken.
"This isn't going to be fun," Blake grumbled as she shifted it to its gun formation.
"I guess the city defenses aren't doing much," Oscar looked around.
"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me," Nora remarked dryly.
"And every second here makes that impression go down…" Geiz gave a low growl.
"Calm down Geiz," Tsukuyomi said as she readied herself, "We have more important issues."
It wasn't long before they were treated to the sight of Atlesian Knights flying into view and crashing down against the street, broken. Several more came through while backing up, firing at an unknown target before they were suddenly pounced on by Grimm. The Grimm in question were Sabyrs, saber-tooth cat themed Grimm. Interestingly enough they had a few patches of frost on their bone armoring, likely showing their adaptation to the current climate.
Without anymore prey, the Sabyr Grimm turned towards the grouping of Huntsmen, Huntresses and Riders near them. The Grimm let out low growls before running straight for them.
"Looks like we're their welcome party," Ruby remarked as she brought out Crescent Rose, switching it into its scythe form and slamming it into the ground. She then took aim and began working on shooting at the Grimm to spread them out.
Yang and Ren immediately launched themselves towards the Sabyrs. Nora meanwhile went to use a startled Jaune's shield to kick off of in order to launch herself after Yang and Ren. Yang closed in and performed an uppercut on a Sabyr. Ren landed on one's back and stabbed his guns' blades into it with Nora slamming down on its head shortly after with her hammer.
Jaune moved in carefully, beheading a Sabyr when it leapt at him before blocking a second leaping Sabyr with his shield, stabbing his sword deep within its neck to kill it. Qrow meanwhile was moving like a professional, cutting through two Sabyrs back to back with Harbinger's sword form before switching to its scythe formation in an instant, slicing through the Grimm like they were nothing.
One Sabyr managed to turn its attention towards Oscar, charging towards the farmhand. Oscar took a deep breath before leaping into the air, stabbing into its skull with Ozpin's cane before landing on the other side. He gave a satisfied smile as he saw it fade away, noticing he was getting better at his jabs. Another leapt towards him from behind only for an arrow to pierce through its skull.
Oscar gave a wince before looking over, "Huh?"
"Keep an eye on your surroundings," Geiz reminded before turning back and aiming, firing off several arrows to stun the Sabyrs before rushing forward. Switching his weapon to its axe mode he began slashing through the Sabyrs with ease.
Tsukuyomi meanwhile was trying to get by without using her time based powers, bringing out the Zikan Girade Tsu and taking aim before shooting at the Sabyrs. She then switched her weapon to its sword mode and began slashing against them whenever they got too close, resorting to using invisible pulses from her hands to launch a few backwards.
"Not bad young Tsukuyomi," Woz stated as he stabbed his Despear into a Sabyr's skull before pulling out and spinning, slashing through a Sabyr's gut when it attempted to pounce at him.
Zi-O meanwhile was using Zi-O II's enhanced abilities to help tank his way through the Grimm. Thankfully, a huge upgrade like this meant he didn't have to worry about being pounced on. He felt one land on top of him before he grabbed it by its front legs, slamming it into the ground with enough force to kill it. He then brought out the Saikyo Girade, slashing through another Sabyr Grimm that tried to pounce at him from the front.
"Now then…" Zi-O looked around and used his Future Sight. However he wasn't using it for the immediate future during the fight. Realizing that this was going to definitely draw attention he went to see the future far after the fight was already over, "So that's it…"
Tsukuyomi continued to fight against the Grimm, getting a small window to breathe before noticing Zi-O moving closer, "Sougo?"
Ruby meanwhile went to show that despite not being a Rider for now, she still had her skills. Using her quick reflexes, petal burst, and recoil from Crescent Rose, she began tearing through the battle field, easily dispatching several Sabyrs in mere seconds.
"My, my, now that was some quick work," Woz remarked.
"I think I'm a bit rusty but that was pretty good," Ruby admitted.
"Rusty? As if," Geiz scoffed as he slashed through another Sabyr, "You're still in top form, it's just you lost most of your bells and whistles."
Weiss went to slash through a Sabyr, soon noticing four more rounding a corner before they all charged at her. Giving a smirk she brought out her Gravity Glyphs, forcing them to paw at the air as they were forced upwards. Ren took advantage of this and sped towards the Sabyrs, leaping off of each one while slashing before landing on the other side. The Grimm were split in half before fading away.
Yang slammed her fist into a Sabyr's head, sending it to the ground to kill it. Another tried to sneak up on her and pounced only to get shot through the head, it being from Blake who chose to stay back and support.
Blake gave a smile towards Yang only to see her partner look up in horror. Blake quickly turned and aimed, her eyes widening as a Sabyr closed in on her from above.
Before it could even think of touching Blake, a green laser was fired from the sky that sliced the Sabyr in two. More lasers rained down after the first, all striking and slicing through the remaining Grimm in the area. Everyone could only stare in awe as the alarms began to grow lower, with the lights returning to normal.
"Whoa, what was that?" Zi-O asked as he looked around. Since he had used Future Sight to view way after the fight that just happened, he didn't catch the actual end of the fight.
"It came from above," Tsukuyomi pointed out.
"Is it an enemy?" Geiz asked.
"Not likely," Woz said as he knew if whatever killed those Grimms was their enemy then they'd be struck down by now.
Up in the sky a female figure with long hair flew into view, green jets coming from her feet. She gave a few twirls in the air before slowly descending. As everyone else slowly recognized who this was, Team Zi-O in particular were all taking in this newcomer's appearance.
The young woman had long curled orange hair, with a black fabric bow with a pink metal bow over it, having a green power symbol at the center held within a gold frame. Her outfit was an olive green and white German styled dress with black lacy cuffed gloves, another black ribbon at her collar with a power button at its center. Her legs were clearly robotic, having obvious joints and were fairly larger in proportion compared to human legs. They had a green stripe that ran along the outer sides of each. Despite this her feet were low heeled metal boots, the tops hidden by the lower part of her leg pieces. She also had a backpack on her, likely for storing her weapon when not in use.
Ruby gave a gasp as her eyes widened, immediately recognizing who it was, "Penny…!"
"Darling," Pietro smiled as his robotic chair walked him out of his office, "Why don't you say hello to your friends?"
Penny turned when she heard Pietro speak to her and she gave a curious glance towards the Kamen Riders before her eyes finally settled on Ruby. She gasped out as her eyes shined with joy.
Ruby couldn't help but smile as she folded her weapon up, holstering it once more.
Penny leaned forward with a smile, "Sal…"
"Huh?" Ruby gave a confused look.
Penny soon lowered herself to one knee as a high-pitched charging noise was heard, "u…"
"Uh…?" Ruby was now suddenly nervous as fear began to creep in suddenly.
Penny quickly rushed towards Ruby, sprinting at high speeds, "…tations!"
"Salutations…?" Zi-O asked as he leaned to move forward before his shoulder was grabbed, Geiz forcing him to back away.
"This is going to get crazy…" Geiz realized.
He was right as Penny activated the jets on her legs, rocketing forward and tackling a panicking Ruby who was flailing her hands around in front of her with a scream. Penny proceeded to tackle hug the Huntress Rider to the ground, the pair crashing as Ruby gave a groan of pain.
"What an odd greeting…" Tsukuyomi muttered as she and Zi-O kept their Rider Forms, Geiz and Woz dismissing theirs while everyone else put their weapons up.
Ruby gave a light groan, slowly standing up with her hand on her head while Penny popped back up onto her feet with ease.
"It is such a pleasure to see you all again!" Penny called out in glee.
"This is real…" Ruby muttered as she tried to keep herself from crying tears of joy, "Penny, I… I-I thought you…"
"Died?" Pietro asked as he rode his chair over to Penny's side, "I guess, in a manner of speaking, she did. But we were able to recover her core from Amity Arena once it had made its way back to Atlas. It took me some time, but…"
"I am as good as new! Better, even!" Penny finished, "And now I am the official protector of the city!"
"That's my girl," Pietro smiled, "We're not going to let a little ripping to shreds stop us, are we?"
"No sir!" Penny knocked on her head a few times, making an audible clanking sound.
"So she is a full robot?" Geiz muttered, "But she feels and acts so alive."
"This is so cool," Zi-O admitted in awe.
Weiss couldn't help but smile, "This is…"
"Strangely wholesome," Blake finished.
"Sounds like Penny to me," Yang replied.
"We have so many things to catch up about. I cannot wait!" Penny called out with a smile as she excitedly grabbed Ruby's shoulders. But it wasn't long before the alarm began to blare in another part of the city. Despite this, Penny's demeanor didn't change, "It seems we will have to wait!"
"Talk about timing…" Tsukuyomi said.
"Let's talk later!" Penny hopped back before starting to lift off, taking off into the sky, "I can't wait to hear about all of your adventures and tell you how I have been and I am just very excited about the whole experience!"
"I can't tell if I completely understand what's going on or have, like, a million questions," Nora said.
"You can handle the understanding part," Geiz said before gesturing towards his group, "The rest of us can handle the questions part."
"Well thankfully, I have about a thousand answers," Pietro chuckled as he made his way back to the pharmacy, "But let's get out of this weather first."
"I have absolutely no idea who that child was," Maria walked after her friend, "Is she important somehow?"
"That was unexpected," Jaune said.
"Never a dull moment," Ren said as well.
"But I wouldn't say unwelcome," Qrow admitted, "I was honestly expecting things to go a lot rougher."
"Hey Sougo, why don't you and Tsuki change out of that armor already," Ruby suggested, noticing they've yet to change back, "Or is it really that cold?"
Zi-O looked around before hearing something, "Tsukuyomi now!"
Tsukuyomi quickly held out her hands as the area around everyone turned a tinted green, time stop occurring on a large radius of the city but leaving the Riders and their allies unharmed.
"Huh, what's going on?" Yang asked.
"Tsuki, Sougo… why did you do that?" Ruby asked.
"Zi-O, the hell is this about?" Geiz asked.
"I see you noticed it as well," Woz stated calmly.
[ZIKAN GIRADE! JU!]
Zi-O quickly drew out his Zikan Girade before pointing and spinning all around them, moving towards the center, "Everyone, huddle together now."
Everyone was a bit confused but slowly and surely they saw what was in the air and currently headed for their location. Several high tech bolas were all in mid-flight towards their location. Zi-O quickly took aim and began firing at each of them, and once all of them were hit he soon raised his hand, "Be on guard."
Tsukuyomi soon released the time stop, the bolas falling to the ground and sparking heavily as several audible noises of confusion could be heard around them.
"Okay, what's the big idea?" Zi-O asked as he raised his voice, "Come out now! We know you're there!"
It wasn't long before Zi-O's request was answered, as from the rooftops three men and two women in white uniforms similar to Atlas military attire soon leapt out of hiding.
"Okay what was that? That felt like my thing only way stronger and weirder," One of the members of the group, a young dog Faunus, spoke up.
"Now is not the time for that, we have a mission, remember?" The tall buff female of the group remarked.
"Well if they want to fight we'll give them one," The short female of the group gave a glare.
"It would be unwise," The thin pale man of the group said, "I think we might have gotten in over our heads."
"Okay… was not expecting that…" The lead of the group trailed in surprise and he was now rather wary despite having a fairly confident aura to him, "So how about you all put your weapons down and not resist the arrest we're about to make?"
"That depends," Zi-O said as he kept his calm, "Under what grounds?"
"Hey, what is the meaning of this?!" Pietro called out as he quickly hurried back over with Maria, giving a few coughs, "What are the Ace-Ops even doing down here in Mantle?"
"Ace-Ops…?" Ruby raised an eyebrow.
"Doctor, good to see you," The leader said and gave a salute before turning back to Zi-O, "Well since you all don't seem to belong here. We have the report of an unauthorized ship making an unauthorized landing, an unauthorized disappearance of said ship with only two pieces in disrepair found, and finally an unauthorized use of weapons by unlicensed Huntsmen."
"Okay but is that robot even a Huntsman?" The dog Faunus asked.
"Not a robot," Zi-O said as he knocked his helmet a few times, the sound it made showing it was a helmet before he gave a thumbs-up, "Just cool armor."
"So you don't deny what you did?" The leader asked.
"I only ask that we do this civilly and you don't treat us like how you were about to," Zi-O replied in a simple manner as he lowered his Zikan Girade and set it on the ground before raising his hands up, "We're here to meet with General Ironwood, things sort of happened and it's of the utmost importance we speak with him, right Ruby?"
"Y-Yeah," Ruby said as she gave a nod, drawing out her weapon and setting it down, glancing back at the others and giving a nod, "We even have someone who is close friends with the General, Qrow Branwen."
"Hey there, Official Huntsman, sorry about having a bunch of unlicensed Huntsman along, it's just I had a mission and I could use all the help I could get," Qrow admitted as he went to set his weapon down before showing his ID.
"That's pretty reckless and possibly worth its own set of other charges, you know?" The leader added.
"Yeah… yeah I figured," Qrow sighed with a slump.
It wasn't long before everyone else begun removing their weapons and setting them down as well, figuring they'd go along with Zi-O and Ruby's lead. The Riders themselves made sure to place their Drivers and main Ridewatches down, Tsukuyomi finally dismissing her transformation as a result. Thankfully for this, Woz didn't have to worry about being searched as he had his own means to protect the Legend Rider and Roze Equipment from detection.
"We'll let you handle our weapons and equipment," Zi-O said, dismissing his transformation and setting his Ziku Driver down before seeing Oscar and gesturing for him to come over. He then took the Relic of Knowledge before holding it up, "I know you have no reason to believe us, but present this to the General and tell him everything I just said. Then he can either choose to arrange a meeting with us or throw us in jail."
"Uh…" Yang trailed.
"S-Sougo…?" Oscar stammered at this.
"We just want to help out, so we'll do whatever you ask," Ruby added.
"Is he really trying to give us orders?" the shorter woman's glare intensified.
"Now, now… they're offering to do this painlessly," the buff woman added, "I think we can cut them some slack, right?"
"Well this is somewhat alright," Pietro sighed, "Kind of glad we can sort of talk this out…"
"Could you put the thing you're holding on the ground?" The leader asked, giving a slight smile when he saw Sougo comply. He walked over and took it in his hands, looking it over as several Atlesian Knights began to approach. He looked over at one, "Get them loaded onto the next transport."
"So you're definitely considering what I said?" Sougo asked with an innocent smile.
"Yeah, you'll be able to talk it out all you want once we get you to Atlas," The leader added, "Just follow our machines to the transport and don't try any funny business, alright?"
"Sounds good to me," Sougo kept his smile.
"That lad is very optimistic…" The buff woman trailed.
"One more thing though, procedure," The leader said before he and the rest of the Ace-Ops began to search everyone. While they weren't cuffed, Yang did end up having to part with her prosthetic and Blake's broken blade was taken. But that was all it was in the end. Once everyone was cleared the Ace-Ops also began distributing the weapons between the remaining Atlesian Knights, "Alright, let's move out!"
Everyone could only watch as the Ace-Ops quickly leapt from the streets, returning to the rooftops and traveling away from the area. Pietro and Maria decided to clear out since they were considered civilians and unaffiliated with the group, Pietro sighing in relief that nothing too drastic had occurred.
"That… was weird," Tsukuyomi admitted, "Good call Sougo."
"Thanks," Sougo chuckled a bit, "I thought maybe we were going to have other trouble once we finished… so I decided to peak ahead a bit."
"My hate of this Kingdom continues to rise…" Geiz growled out, "Like seriously?"
"Let's just be glad it isn't as rough as could be," Tsukuyomi reminded.
"Agreed," Blake nodded.
"I believe we struck up a good first impression," Woz replied.
"Follow us," The lead Atlesian Knight spoke up once it finished processing orders.
It wasn't long before the group was brought to a large prisoner transport, everyone being ushered inside as they all sat awkwardly and tried to make themselves fit since they were also in with someone else.
"Okay… while much closer to what I was expecting…" Qrow trailed before the doors were shut on them, he raised his hands a bit moved his wrists around freely away from each other, "This isn't too bad."
"Zi-O," Geiz spoke up, "I need to correct you on what you said back at Argus."
"Huh, what's that Geiz?" Sougo asked.
Geiz sighed, "Atlas really sucks."
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"Got a customer."
"Ironwood must really have a bone to pick with you."
"It is so good to see all of you."
"They're the real talk of the town so far."
"Thank you for agreeing to this."
Chapter 69: New Ideas and Careful Approaches
Author's Note: And thus we begin the Volume 7 portion of our newest Saga! Expect Chapters to be a bit shorter from time to time like how they were in the Rising Riders of Remnant Saga. I should also note, especially given Arrowfell just recently released, that there are no plans to utilize Arrowfell elements in the main story unless I see something I really like and do a last minute edit on some of the chapters. Note that I said main story though, I do have potential plans for a potential Side Content Fanfic that it may get shoved into but we'll see.
Other stuff to note is that I figured to have some fun with our recap segments so we've got Woz and Jinn narrating these segments together now. Also since I had been writing Song of Swords for a while by the point I was writing this I had ended up writing Saber instead of Sabyr for the opening fight scene a lot. And then that just filled my head with funny images of Brave Dragon Saber having the mannerisms of Primitive Dragon and attacking our Huntsmen, Huntresses, and Kamen Riders. Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.