"It's an army..." Thorn's whisper did not escape Ruby, and yet she couldn't quite feel the full extent of muffled fear that he exuded at the sight.

This hollowed out cavern was lit up with massive pillars of Ize, each shined with a different color. There were four in total, ranging from red to white, a deep purple, and of course let her not forget the blinding gold. These particular colors... Well, the irony was not lost on her, and it was due to this coincidence she'd felt a small prickle of genuine worry touch the faint skin of her breast: right above her heart.

As if the spirit of Remnant was teasing her fate.

"Well, you were right about one thing..." Ruby had her eyes scan the upper walkways, seeing how their wooden rickety structures looked to hold fast, despite the copious amounts of bodies shuffling across. "This isn't an ordinary cult."

"With this many people, I'd foolishly hazard a guess that they're preparing for a battle of sorts."

"More like a war." Ruby was certain that struck a chord with Thorn, but that was to be expected.

Remnant would soon enough birth the greatest threat of its prolonged existence, and from what Dove spoke to her about upon their first meeting - back when she was Prim the pirate - Ruby knew that particular threat had most likely already begun to spark the fires of her hatred. Salem: the woman who challenged the gods for the right to see her lover once more, only for said union to articulate her eventual desire to tear it apart. It was tragic how much her love for Ozma had twisted into a loathing for life, with the Grimm essence running through her immortal veins most likely tampering with her mind and temperament beyond all repair.

The dark queen had been damned from the start: if her disagreement with Ozma hadn't ended with the death of her empathy, then the constant observation of her dying lineage generation after generation would see her spirit broken. Being forced to watch as all those you care for and all that you love die over and over, endlessly; it's enough to shatter anyone's mind.

"But who would be their opponent?" An acute question, however it was one which already had an answer. "I've not heard of any fires being stoked recently."

"Take a guess." This was all Ruby needed to say, as with that blank statement, his eyes went from concerned to cautious, and soon enough became stilted with shock.

"Why? What reason have they, to seek the downfall of this place?"

"I'd have thought the docks alone might have proven a sufficient sign."

"That..." His eyes settled. "I suppose things aren't always what they appear; even the talk of the town is bloated with lies."

Ruby smirked, feeling a stitch of relief in knowing she wasn't the only one keenly aware of just how terrible things had become. She hadn't even been in Veilroot a full day before things went to shit. And yet, Ruby hadn't the time to speak on the matter further, as they were stopped by a new individual - it would seem their guide had paused too.

"New recruits?"

"I'd assume so; they've not spoken of any missions as of yet, so they must be awaiting instruction." Their guide turned back, waving his hand over to the scarred woman. "Allow me to introduce you both to the head of our combatants: Monolith Chrome."

The named woman, covered in scars and sporting long roughed hair that was black as night, just smirked.

"So you've finally come... then you seek the lamp."

"Hmm?" Thorn hummed, turning to Ruby with a face plainly showing his ignorance regarding the statement. Ruby however was much less confused, shooting her guard from zero to a thousand, and all she had to show for it was a mild scowl on the edge of her lip.

"Oh." The tender let loose, offering a hum and a glance to miss Chrome. "You two are acquainted?"

"That is nobody's concern." Monolith stated, turning her gaze once more to the tender. "Regardless, take her man here and have him outfitted in the armory.

"And for the young lady?"

"I wish to speak with her alone."

"Are you cert-" He paused once she sent another look, breathing out with a sigh. "As per your orders. Come now my good man, let's see to it you're fit for whatever challenges present themselves."

The tender began to strut north of her current facing, towards a set of stairs looking to dip deeper into the cavern; downwards into the torchlit shadows. Thorn tossed Ruby a look, and the woman offered a rigid nod, prompting him to accept what was to come and carry on with following the tender. After they were out of sight, she set her sights back on the other woman. Rather than speak, Monolith started off, opposite of where the other two ventured, and so Ruby followed silently. They started up the spiral of wooden walkways, climbing higher and higher until they'd reached the pinnacle of the structure, and it was here, at the top and high above the now pit of open space and wood, that they came to a door.

The tip of the cavern seemed to have a room built into it, and upon stepping inside, Ruby was greeted with a much less luxurious sight than expected. Seeing as Monolith was the 'head of combatants' she'd expected to see quite a bit of spice in the room, and yet she was greeted with plain stone and wooden furniture.

Yet it was upon turning around that Monolith began to stab Ruby at the core of her mind.

"You'll find that obtaining the lamp may prove a suitably difficult challenge. Nobility has been in the midst of a... shall we say 'debate' right at the moment, so 'logic and reason' are quite a ways out of their reach currently."

"I see..." Well that certainly spiced things up, but right now that was the least of her concerns. "You know what the lamp is... and that I need it. Would I be correct in assuming you know of its function?"

"That would be accurate, yes."

"How?" Ruby tensed her body, watching as the woman smiled deviously - almost childishly even, and yet the dark of her eyes turned the innocence such a sight should have bore frightful.

"Come now, our lord has told me all about you; through the very medium of shared spiritual linkage you Humans have come to call 'dreams'." She spread her arms wide with her head twisting downwards as her eyes shot right through Ruby from the corners of her sight. "Although I suppose it would be unfair to hold such ignorance against you; even my elder brother knew not of my existence, believing himself the most Human of us."

"Brother?"

"You spoke with him in the dream, his dream, right before claiming the staff." Monolith's smirk grew bold. "And back on the land to become home of the Faunus, you felled another of my brothers... although not entirely. And long after that, you marched yourself into the gullet of my youngest brother who lay hidden in the sands, liberating the souls of his stomach with the light of your silver blessing."

It was here everything clicked for Ruby.

"You're Grimm."

"Right again, but not just any Grimm." Her arms twisted back into a more... perhaps 'Human' position. "Our shared divine, our Père de la Décadence has seen fit that we all play our part in aiding you with his mission."

"His mission... I see now." Ruby's eyes hardened as she relaxed her stance around the wolf among sheep. "The younger of the brothers made you and your kind to aid me in our rebellion, is that about right?"

"Perfectly on the point; as expected of his little shadow."

"His little shadow..." A small chuckle escaped Ruby. "I didn't know he thought so highly of me."

"But of course. Your choice of twist to life a replication of history alone drew his eye, but to join in a scheme to upstage his elder sibling; he has quite the fondness for you."

"I hadn't known he was so impressed... then again, I suppose most people don't venture back through the very aspect of time all that often."

"Venture back... That's what you dub it?" Monolith's smile clicked into place. "Of course; although, personally speaking, I would have chosen something a little more fitting, but alas, I suppose I shouldn't be questioning you. It was your naked greed which saw my siblings and I born, and for that I thank you, mother."

"Don't call me that; I hadn't even known about your existence until your 'brother' saw fit to fill me in." Rolling her eyes, Ruby let the lids narrow; most unimpressed with the title slapped over her shoulders. "I'm as much a mother to you as the land itself; you were just an unexpected consequence; unintended, and unwanted."

"Aren't most bastards born as such?"

Gritting her teeth, Ruby couldn't actually come up with a counterpoint to that. Monolith just twisted her neck, appearing to get out the kinks as several crackles echoed out. The monstrous falsehood breathed out long and easy, aptly satisfied with their chat it seemed.

"Now then: you'll be wanting information on the lamp?"

"Yes." Ruby hardened her look once more. "But first, I want to know what's going on with the Bounded."

"Oh..." The 'thing's' smile grew crooked. "Have we already taken an interest in these people?"

"Answer the question."

"Spicy... but not unexpected." Turning away, the creature motioned for Ruby to follow, and she did just that. They stopped before a small table, and upon it was a map: one of Veilroot. "To put it bluntly: the commoners and slaves seek to rebel."

"Both are working together?" The slaves were all Faunus, so Ruby had a hard time believing the Humans of the kingdom would willingly cooperate... unless the reason for said rebellion was that dire.

"No." That shut out her idea up real quick. "While both want chaos, the commoners intend to double-cross the slaves nearing the point of victory... Although, they fail to realize that once victory is achieved, the numbers of Humans lost will far outweigh the loss of slaves; they'll be trumped in a heartbeat. Not only that, but unlike their Faunus counterparts, the Human farmers know little of desire or pain; the Faunus of Veilroot have both more drive and experience in this regard, and are willing to do whatever it takes to win - the commoners cannot say the same."

"And you're planning to get involved because?" If Monolith was who and what she claimed to be, then there was no reason for her to toss herself into the coming storm, which begged the question as to why she had.

"For you, of course." Monolith turned to her - eyes dimmed to the void, as if to suck in all light. "That, and the temptation of sorrow. A battle of this scale will be absolutely brimming with wondrous fear and hatred. The pillaging of camps for resources as desperation grows; the torture and rape of enemy forces and families as the soldiers desperately seek pleasure through the vengeful suffering of their foes; the depraved depths they all go through to justify their carnage as they lie to themselves and just barely believe it, allowing doubt and worry to cloud their minds."

Ruby grit her teeth; her jaw tightening as she saw the lustful excitement in the beast's eyes: the crimson disks aflame in the darkness as its voice dropped an octave, somewhat echoing as the speech turned to chant.

"And the nobles, oh the nobles: they'll stand back, cowering in terror as they're besieged, wondering how the people they put to the whip could possibly stand up for themselves. I'll savor every bite~"

A resounding clap echoed out, and Monolith trailed her eyes to Ruby, seeing the woman pull her own hand back down. Ruby on the other hand felt a slight sting in her palm, as even though aura protected her from everything, she could feel the darkness seeping from the fake woman's very skin as she slapped her. Monolith slowly centered herself again, licking at the side of her lip where the slap had graced, appearing to giggle.

"Apologies; I let my excitement get the best of me."

"See to it that it doesn't happen again." Outwardly Ruby shook her head as a scolding mother would, however on the inside she retained a completely different state of mind. This thing, this monster: it existed solely because she'd begun this journey of hers. These creatures were a direct response to her actions, but that was the least of her worries right now.

Monolith Chrome; this creature appeared as a Human woman, and yet every aspect of its chaotic nature was present in full. Ruby decided she'd need to deal with her later, and yet for some reason...

She was certain it already knew that.

.

.

"We move in at nightfall."

"Right!"

While everyone else may have echoed in agreement, Saw merely stayed quiet. Robyn Hill and her patsy little crew could go about their chants and heroism; he just followed along for the sake of it. How strange it was to fight alongside Humans, to see both races raising arms together, sharing drinks together, and spilling blood together - well... it wasn't quite so dramatic in this case, but they felled their foes nonetheless, even if said foes were only metallic junk.

Atlas dogs were Atlas dogs after all, regardless of whether they were classified as 'living beings' or not.

The man was growing tired of Robyn's little reminder of the plan, and so left the meeting room to seek rest in the halls. There were a few stragglers loitering about, and some even saw it in themselves to offer slight nods as he passed by. Saw returned the favor, not so much out of genuine acknowledgement, but rather habit. That wasn't to say he hated any of them, as strangely enough he found them easy to stand alongside. Yes, the Human few who fought for this new cause of theirs put him on edge, but even this caution had dulled as time passed.

He'd been here what, a day or so? And already he had grown used to them.

Saw supposed that was life outside the Fang, as now with them gone he was forced to cave into normal society. He still kept his mask however, because even though the White Fang he knew was no more, it still reminded him of the glory he fought for. Now however, Saw was left without a battle; a soldier without a war. His life had been one of strife, and his personality was forged by the fires of conflict: without chaos, without battle, what was he left with?

Peace... honest and simple peace.

It was again a strange feeling, going out into the world without the need to kill. Having Humans not trying to kill him was new, and even though the glares and insults were still there from time to time, they were nothing compared to his childhood as a slave. Blake… that Belladonna girl his friend had been so obsessed with: had she been right all this time? Did Remnant really have the capability for unity all this time? Could they really consider the concept of equality?

Adam had told him of Blake's decision: of her desire to seek a more gentle solution. Saw could respect her drive, but he couldn't agree with her ideals; much too simple and innocent for the world he knew. And yet here he was, able to stand with Humans as if they were fellow Faunus. Did this prove the girl right: was it possible? If such a thing was true, then what did that mean for men like himself? Had those similar to him judged the world too soon? Had their 'giving up' on union been too quick an assumption? Had they themselves become no different than the very people they sought to stand against?

Or had the world merely become so chaotic that even the impossible was no more?

The rumbling of his scroll erased those wonders, and he took it out only to find himself grow curious.

Roman? Last Saw remembered, Roman was captured by the enemy. Had he really escaped so quickly, or was this a call from one of the floating kingdom's prisons? No, Roman wouldn't risk something so stupid from a prison cell; that left only one option. Answering the call, Saw opened up.

"I'm assuming you've escaped?"

"I wouldn't be calling you otherwise."

"Rather quick for someone who was just captured."

"Oh please, who do you take me for? I'm the best of the best: nothing so gaudy as a simple prison can hold me." Saw would have rolled his eyes at that, had the man not immediately picked up the pace. "Now listen, I have a crucial question for you, and I need an honest answer here: is there currently any White Fang still active here in Mantle, or up on Atlas?"

"No." This was strange, and fairly concerning. "As far as I know, the others who were with my squad all split some time after Adam failed to rendezvous."

"None at all?" And that pretty much sealed the deal for Saw.

"None. Roman, why are you calling about them?"

"Because, my dear buddy, I have just stumbled across proof that contradicts your claim."

"Where?" While he didn't sound it, every fiber of the man's being was kicked into overdrive. The one thing he and the others agreed upon was to get into contacts with one another should they choose to restore their party.

He did not recall being contacted for such.

"I'll send you the address. So you really don't know anything?"

"No. The last of us here ended up deciding to split a while back. However, we agreed to contact one another if we had reason to reform our part of the Fang again; obviously I've been given no such warnings."

"Fruit-baskets." Roman was disappointed, however his blatant unease drew forth a question from Saw.

"How did you come across this 'proof'?"

"I'll keep it short since it looks like we might be on a timer here, at least based on what I've just seen. The Merry Few - you know the group right?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, well, they owed me money, and since hopping from the ship to prison island I ended up in their neighborhood. I was hoping to pay them a visit and 'extract' my funds... but our friends in black and white seem to have already done the poor sods in."

So these White Fang Roman believed to still be active did the Merry Few in; Saw wouldn't lie, he was intrigued. Unlike Robyn's little gang, the other players in town were much less powerful by comparison: being seen more as a small band of hooligans at best. This begged the question as to why they were targeted?

Saw supposed he would learn soon enough.

"I'm on my way."

"Yeah, well, pick up the pace if you would; who knows where they might be off too next."

.

.

Blake didn't know what to feel.

Disgusted; disturbed; deranged; other descriptors of demonic intent starting with 'D' bestowed upon her emotions as to keep up the alliteration in the nerdier side of her brain. The thought would have brought out a chuckle had she not been so winded from it all. Apparently, when V said 'everything', he meant everything, or so she chose to assume.

Weiss had her hands covering her mouth, and Ruby's eyes were shadowed over, so Blake couldn't tell what their leader was feeling. She knew what Yang was feeling however, as the woman straight up stood, shoving herself away from the table and starting towards the door out into the hall. V told them his story here in the cafeteria, which normally would have been a terrible place to divulge secrets. Yet the students and staff appeared to avoid him like a plague, and so they could count themselves lucky that they obtained a full description of events without any outside interruptions.

Blake was at her blonde friend's back before she knew it.

"Yang?" Tempting a woman as easily riled up and agitated as Yang probably wasn't the smartest of moves, but Blake considered her friend's well-being more important than whatever bomb the woman was cooking up. Personally speaking, Blake was sure Yang was feeling some sort of fury, which was proven right when she noticed the prickling's of light around her form.

The golden yellow flames of Yang's semblance.

It was a power revolving around damage: take a hit, and she'd store the energy for later, allowing her to boost her capabilities based on how much punishment she took. While it was useful if a lot of power was stored, it seemed to leak out based on emotional distress; rage, panic, and agony were all powerful enough to force the fury from its host.

With all due respects, Blake was impressed the brawler managed to hold herself together throughout most of the story; even the more questionable bits had not broken the woman. Executions, assassinations, and plain old warfare littered the tale, and Yang just took it all with nothing but a hard look and some occasional grunts...

And then came the girl.

Why V chose to go into detail about how he bisected her from her crotch was beyond Blake, but the young woman assumed it was to paint himself in the worst possible light. Part of her questioned if it was simply habitual honesty, and yet when it came to killings that were more just or humane, he'd never went into specifics like he had the more obscene ones. Was this what he wanted? To make himself out as a monster? What did he gain from shrouding himself in such a light?

They were friends, weren't they? Did he want them to hate him?

The crunching of metal drew Blake back in, and she saw how Yang's clenched fist was burying itself into the wall, denting the flawless white of the hallway.

"Damnit..."

"Yang?"

"He was just a kid..."

What? That perplexed the Faunus girl for a moment, until she recalled just how that section of the story went - pretty much all of it shared in this particular fact. That's right... he was only a little boy.

"That bitch is gonna pay when we find her... I swear it." It was quiet at first, and then Yang reeled her fist back, and nearly put a hole in the steel, all the while an explosive ire continued to build unseen by Blake, behind Yang's now crimson irises - a sign her semblance was in full swing. "DAMN YOU, SALEM!"

Hopefully nobody in the halls would pay that name any mind, but Blake only considered this worry for a second before rushing in.

"You need to calm down-"

"Calm down!?" shooting her head towards Blake, Yang grabbed her partner by the sides of her arms. "He was just a kid, and she had him do that! How the Dust can anyone stay calm after hearing that!?"

"Yang." Blake cupped the woman's hands with her own, freeing them from her shoulders. "It wasn't only her; you heard it yourself: V chose to go along with it."

Yang was flabbergasted for a moment, before doubling down; her hair now alight in golden fury.

"I can't believe you're siding with her now; seriously!? He was just a child: a scared, crying little kid. He needed a loving hand to hold him, and a mother who would tell him the bad people wouldn't hurt anyone anymore: not some bitch who had him do the killing!"

"I'm not defending anyone!" Blake fought back her voice, settling on a softer look, which appeared to have some sort of affect on Yang, who stilted a breath. "But he grew up in a different time. He was expected to take on adult responsibilities at his age, and taught as such. His beliefs, his way of life, his childhood and growth is completely different from our own: he isn't like us, he never had the luxury of growing up in times like ours, where children are allowed to be children. Yes, he needed someone to help him, and yes, it isn't right what Salem did, but we can't do anything about that. You heard what Jinn said: the past cannot be changed."

"What... what are you trying to say?" Yang was stuttering a little more, which was good, as it meant she was regaining her senses.

"I'm saying V told us all of this for a reason." The fury of the crimson discs flickered for a moment, and Blake pressed on gently. "He wanted us to know he was responsible for all he'd done, and that he holds himself accountable for his wrongdoings. He went out of his way to make the darker of his actions seem worse though, and even made sure to clarify that it was his choice to do so."

"I... I don't get it." The last of Yang's fires had faded, and Blake could see the wetness of her eyes. "Why would he do that?"

"I think he just doesn't want us to misunderstand him: he wants us to know that he was responsible for making those decisions. He knows they were evil, and he doesn't want to hide that. However, the fact that he seemed to focus on detailing the bad actions and choices, while glossing over the good ones tells us they weigh more to him."

"I... okay, I think I get it." Yang was back down again, which allowed Blake to sigh internally. The blonde appeared to know what she'd implied though, as she put it to words flawlessly. "He... thinks he's telling us the blunt truth of it, but he's biased towards all the bad he's done."

"Exactly." Blake's eyes fell a little. "And the fact that he does it even when his emotions are dulled tells us it's an unconscious decision, meaning he doesn't exactly see himself as a person worth focusing on the positives of."

"That's bullshit."

"I know." Blake sighed, taking a second to quell her own inner feelings before carrying on. "But it can't be helped: we can't force him to see himself in a better light, we can only be there to help him up when he falls."

"Augh!" Yang hardened her jaw, grumbling as the wetness gathering at the corners of her eyes finally accumulated enough to form a slight river down her cheeks. Unknown to even her teammates, Yang had a soft spot for kids. She knew what it was like to raise one, even as a child herself, and to see someone allow a child to face such horrors as V described: it infuriated her. "Why can't anything ever be simple?"

"I don't know; maybe one day things might get easier, but until then we'll just have to make due."

Yang spit out a deep breath after that, finally relaxing her muscles as she turned her eyes back fully on Blake.

"Okay."

As all of this was happening, Weiss was the first to speak up back inside the cafeteria.

"P... pardon me for asking this: how are you still going?"

"I don't know." The way it tumbled from his lips so lifelessly was unsettling, especially so as he never once broke from his pace. Weiss however wasn't so much disturbed with his demeanor as she'd already come to terms with his generally off-putting air; rather, she felt frightened by how casually he told his story.

"Were... the other executions of yours so cruel? After that one I mean."

"Again, I don't know." He narrowed his eyes, and Weiss watched on, silently curious and saddened all the same. The way he paused, it spoke of confusion, and it told her he was having trouble trying to recall. Yet his eyes opened up a little more, apparently coming to something, and he spoke. "Ever since my memories of that time returned, I... have trouble looking back. It's as if my mind is bulging sometimes, trying to find something that is missing."

"I... I see."

What more could Weiss say? She was already at a loss for what to truly feel in regards to what he'd told them, but this was amplified even further by the fact that he spoke so uniform, like a machine regurgitating information.

"You'll find it." The statement drew Weiss's attention, and she looked over to see Ruby still staring down at her linked hands; eyes remaining shadowed even as she spoke. "Whatever it is you think you lost, I know you'll find it."

"How can you be so certain?" His voice remained hollow, and yet Ruby paid that no mind, with her own voice came, almost as if rising in direct response to how his own remained steady.

"Because you haven't stopped looking."

Weiss nearly needed to do a double take, but no, she was seeing straight. Ruby... not only was there a faint purple glow seeping through her clasped hands, but her irises appeared to shine within the shadows, breaking up the darkness with slight rings of silver.

"I see... but what if I am unable to find it regardless?" V was pressing her, but Ruby never backed down; heck, the shadows around her eyes almost looked hide away as she looked up, bearing a determined face.

"You'll find it, because if it slips by you, we'll spot it."

"You'll be my second pair of eyes?"

"I said I'd stand with you, right?" Ruby slipped on a tiny smile, one that Weiss only noticed because of the angle she was at. "And that means I'll help you find whatever you're looking for too."

"And if what I seek is something vile?"

"Then we'll just beat it up."

And there it was, Ruby's childish answer. But for some reason, Weiss couldn't help but feel relieved at such a simple and highly unrealistic response. Ruby had been so stark and - dare she say - depressed for a while; to see her even a little bit outwardly happy again brought with it a comfortable warmth.

"Like any other opponent..." V may not have shifted his appearance, but his tone changed, and Weiss could easily feel the heaviness from before lift up. "We are quite skilled at battle, no?"

"The best." Ruby was almost smirking now. "Whatever enemy or challenge appears better watch out, because we're back together again." Ruby reached out like she had before, however his hand was still some distance away.

Surprising to Weiss, he reached out and allowed her to take it. Ruby smiled a little more.

"We're a team again: all of us. Team RWBY, team JNPR, and you - the extra."

"Extra huh?"

"A wildcard." Okay, that was definitely a smirk on Ruby's face; it was blatant now. "One we play when the opponent fights dirty. The coolest card in the deck, and the one I always used to beat Yang and dad with on game nights back home!"

"I get it now." V slowly pulled his hand away, and while Ruby appeared a little confused at first, that soon faded when she saw him pop a tiny smirk.

"Alright then." His eyes settled on Ruby, and Weiss watched as he gripped his fingers into a strong fist, feeling a small tingle dance across her skin as his voice seemed to almost vibrate as he spoke. "I'll be your wildcard."

Something about the way he said that just felt so... wrong.

Author's note

…

Here we go again.

Alright, so that may not have been the most exciting of responses, but hopefully it got the job done. I probably could have added a little flare, but as of late I'm rather tired. On a personal note, life has been kind of tiring lately, and because of that my writing has taken a hit. Luckily for all of you, writing this for nearly two years straight has brought with it a sense of familiarity.

The personalities of the characters and the plot come naturally the moment I have them do anything, which is the only reason this chapter can keep its length.

We also got to see Saw again, and it seems him and Roman get a team-up behind Robyn's back.

Future Ruby also got some excitement, albeit all in a thinly veiled meeting - an exposition dump really. You'll all need to be the ones to decide whether it was worth it or not.

Anyway, that's all for this week. Catch you later.

Special note:

For those who follow my other stories, note that L&K won't be getting a chapter this week. I've been finding myself sapped of energy lately, and all of it has been dedicated to getting this chapter alone out, as to keep up with the schedule. Apologies to any of you waiting for that.

For those reading Unstoppable: schedule is still nonexistent, but the next chapter is halfway done, so it should release on a similar date to L&K.