Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 26 – Two Kinds of Arrivals
"Once upon a time there was a young man by the name of Sougo Tokiwa, who abandoned his dreams to become an overlord to live as a Kamen Rider. After seeking refuge in the Brunswick Farms, the hero's morale and energy were at all time lows. While there were those that suspect foul play, it wasn't until the Relic of Knowledge was dropped down the center well that the truth was revealed."
The white void that Jinn resided in was once more present, the giver of knowledge Jinn floating into view with a smile.
"Confronted by a horde of Apathy Grimm, the group struggled to run away and escape. It was only thanks to Ruby Rose's eyes acting up and Tsukuyomi's sudden hidden ability that they bought enough time for Maria to coach Ruby into fully utilizing her Silver Eyes. With their chance they escaped, both Sougo and Geiz choosing to act on Weiss' plan of burning the estate by engulfing the entire farm in flames. Now with their close call out of the way, several revelations will come to light…"
Remnant – Northern Anima, Snow Trail
After a quick and brief explanation of the term Kamen Rider for Maria, the group slowly but surely continued their drive away from the Brunswick Farms. Ruby and Sougo rode on the left side of Bumblebee and the trailer while Geiz road on the other. But now that everyone was there, Maria herself began to explain what had happened. Oscar and Tsukuyomi had huddled together, reading the pages that Maria was referencing.
"The Apathy, they're not strong or ferocious. They drain your will to go on." Maria explained. "Bartleby's estate was hemorrhaging money towards the end. He wanted to cut costs on Huntsman protection, but in order to do that, he needed everyone calm… always."
"Damn," Geiz clicked his tongue. "Those things are probably some of the most dangerous Grimm out there."
"To be able to do all that to us…" Tsukuyomi trailed.
Oscar chose to read a passage, "…'Managed to get two away from their pack. Hike back was miserable, but got the bastards in the cellar. Wife thinks I was out sealing the waterway entrance. I'll do it tomorrow and tell her the truth once these things take the edge off of everyone. I'm tired.'…"
"The next page proves that he did, but not before the rest of the pack followed their missing pair all the way home." Maria explained. "My guess is they made their way beneath the estate through the water tunnels that Bartleby sealed up the next morning. Bartleby's plan worked," She continued as she took the book from Oscar. "No one was angry or sad or scared. No one was anything. And then… no one was left."
With one last look at the final page of the diary, Maria closed the book before tossing it out into the snow, the cover having 'VIII' on it.
With everyone back into clear thinking, it was Weiss' turn to get something off her chest, "I'm… sorry about what I said… about giving up."
Upon hearing this Yang began to slow down before stopping, the rest of the Riders doing the same.
"Me too," Yang agreed. "We can't quit until the Lamp is safe."
"It's not your fault. It was those… things." Blake managed to get out.
"Well Archibald is no more, so we're good," Sougo spoke up.
Everyone couldn't help but stare at Sougo as Geiz was the one who had to ask, "Archibald?"
"The Apathy," Sougo explained.
"You saw those things… what they could do…" Yang trailed as she looked at Sougo in surprise, "And you're nicknaming them?"
"Well despite how durable they are, they're burning in a fiery blaze right now," Sougo explained with an innocent smile. "I think picking on them now is a good thing, show that we aren't scared by them."
"I suppose you're right," Geiz admitted.
"You really are a dolt," Weiss shook her head.
Maria sighed, still dwelling on the farm situation, "I should have known. The signs were all there, but I'd never seen an entire settlement withered away like that. I suppose my mind isn't what it used to be."
Now that they were stopped though, Ruby had a question plaguing her mind, "Miss Calavera? How do you know so much about the Grimm? And in the tunnels, you knew exactly what to say to make me… to make my eyes do that, how?"
"Well isn't it obvious, girl?" Maria asked and smiled gently. "I had Silver Eyes."
Ruby was currently in shock and awe as was everyone else except for Sougo, Tsukuyomi, and more specifically Geiz.
Geiz cleared his throat, "Okay, we've seen that flash happen before. What's so special about Silver Eyes again?"
"I was told a long time ago, back before Huntsman and Kingdom's, it was said that those born with Silver Eyes were destined to lead a life of a warrior." Qrow explained briefly. "The creatures of Grimm were afraid of them. A single look from one of these fighters could strike a Grimm down."
"Given what happened to the Apathy…" Tsukuyomi trailed.
"There's also uh… a giant Wyvern statue on the remains of Beacon's tower," Ruby admitted.
Sougo gave a yelp, "Your eyes can do it to bigger things to?!"
"Uh yeah," Ruby gave a nervous chuckle, "It was sort of by accident too…"
"That just makes it even more impressive!" Sougo pointed out.
Geiz put a hand to his chin, wondering what the connection between the Grimm and the Another Riders were then. Because while her blast didn't disintegrate Another Ryuki back when it was used, it did seem to harm him.
"Well aren't you impressive… sounds like me back in my days," Maria responded fondly. "Let's get a move on, we're already wasted enough time. But I'll tell you kids a story just to keep things from getting too boring."
"Fine by me," Ruby agreed. "Let's go."
With that everyone took off yet again, Maria clearing her throat as she wanted to speak clearly enough for everyone on the bikes to hear. "So I know to some of you… maybe most of you, you might not know this name. I am pretty old. But well to start off… I went under one important title as a Huntress, The Grimm Reaper."
"Oh," Sougo spoke up. "I don't know what that means but that sounds really cool."
Geiz though seemed to notice Qrow's reaction of pure shock on his face. Clearly he was one who had definitely heard the title before.
It was a short story, and vague in regards to most details but Maria told her briefly of her time as a Huntress. She started off by revealing a few tricks in her cane, it originally being part of a set that formed into sickles that could be commanded through the use of Gravity Dust. Now it was a singular one mostly just used to walk and keep her steady, but it could turn into its bladed formation with a click of the button.
This further solidified her grim reaper styled theme to the Riders of Earth, noting that Qrow and even Ruby to an extent had similar thematic involved with their weapons and outfits.
Of course the one thing nagging at everyone were Maria's prosthetics, at first Sougo was worried that constant Silver Eye usage drove her blind. But that wasn't the case, Maria mentioned a simple hunting mission against a giant Nevermore turned south as soon as she used her eyes to turn it to stone.
A group of what seemed like hired thugs had gotten the drop on her, apparently they were working for someone who didn't want Maria alive anymore.
"In the ensuing fight I ended up losing my eyes to a well timed slash, I struggled and yelled my way through the rest of it," Maria explained, her tone growing wearier. "It's ironic, right before I got lucky and managed to kill her… she told me she respected me because I was a 'fighter to the end'. But I wasn't… I went into hiding soon after."
"I can't believe it. You… You're the Grimm Reaper, you were a legend!" Qrow called out, managing to finally get the words out despite the shock. "And then you disappeared…"
"How exactly does a legend just disappear?" Oscar asked.
"You never used your name, never showed your face." Qrow answered. "Lots of us thought you were just layin' low. Eventually, we just came to accept that you were probably dead. But the stories about you, I based my weapon off of yours. I wanted to be as good as the Grimm Reaper."
"Huh, that's neat," Sougo admitted, he remembered hearing that Ruby had designed Crescent Rose based off her uncle's. That meant that hers was technically based off of Maria's in the end. "That's really neat."
"Not really, I'm nothing but a disappointment," Maria admitted. "So he's well on his way."
Blake was surprised, "How can you say that?"
"Child, a Huntress is supposed to protect others to the bitter end. Even these Kamen Rider's seem to have a similar mindset." Maria explained. "But after I lost my eyes, I only ever looked after myself. Even after my surgery, I was too afraid to fight. Afraid someone would find me again, finish what the others started. You shouldn't aspire to be like me, especially when some of you are clearly stronger already."
"We should aspire to be better," Geiz agreed.
"It's… comforting," Maria admitted, "Seeing that your generation seems up to the task of inheriting this world. I'm just sorry I didn't do more to leave it in better shape."
Ruby though wasn't one to let Maria keep punching down on herself, "Well, maybe you can do something now. Teach me to use my powers the way you did."
Maria looked over to Ruby before suddenly focusing even further, "Wait…" She trailed. "Stop, we need to stop."
"Huh?" Yang asked. "Why?"
Blake suddenly noticed it as well, her ears twitching as she looked to the other side. "Oh no… are there Geists following us?" She asked seeing shadowy floating figures rushing through the woods on their left side.
"No…" Sougo trailed when he got a closer look as he looked to the side.
As everyone began to slow to a stop, the shadowy figures shot out from the sides and formed in front of them. The figures were revealed as black parkas with narrow orange eyes.
"Are those… jackets?" Yang questioned.
Tsukuyomi's eyes widened, "No way… it's Another Ghost?"
Oscar raised an eyebrow, "Another Ghost? Wait is this that Another Rider thing you talked about?"
[GHOST!]
The parkas began to spiral together before Another Ghost formed from them, giving a low growl as it stood in front of the group.
"Everyone should stay back," Ruby dismounted her bike and walked forward. "We'll deal with this."
"Looks like we'll need to teach this thing a lesson," Geiz said as he got up and readied his Ridewatch alongside the others.
Sougo readied his driver along with everyone else, "Right."
"You aren't doing this alone," Yang said as she dismounted her bike. "We fought and beat that Kasshine creep right? We'll do this together."
"Strength in numbers after all," Weiss pointed out as she hopped out of the flatbed along with Blake.
"We all still haven't fully recovered yet, we should help each other to make up for that," Blake reminded as she drew her weapon.
"Guys…" Ruby trailed with a smile. "Fine then, Oscar, Tsuki, Ms. Calavera, uncle Qrow, you guys sit back for now. We'll handle this."
"No need to tell us twice," Oscar gave a nod.
"Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME!]
[KAMEN RIDER ROZE!]
[KAMEN RIDER ZI-O!]
[KAMEN RIDER GEIZ!]
Sougo and Geiz raised their arms as they stood alongside Team RWBY who all had their weapons armed and ready.
"Okay, time for a test run," Ruby said as she took out the new Ridewatch she had gained, only for nothing to happen as she tried to activate it. "…Or not."
"Save the tests for later," Geiz suggested.
"You're right, it is just an old Another Rider," Ruby agreed.
Another Ghost growled out as it spread out its arms, black energy releasing from it as it summoned a horde of Ganma Commandos.
"These guys again?" Geiz gave an annoyed huff.
"Are they an issue?" Yang asked.
"Not really, just seriously annoying," Geiz admitted.
"If we don't take out Another Ghost that will be the least of our worries," Ruby said as she readied Crescent Rose in its scythe formation. "I'll work on clearing these guys out, you guys rush that Another Rider like there is no tomorrow!" She jumped before using the recoil in her weapon to boost herself forward, spinning and slashing through a good chunk of the Ganma Commandos.
She then spun again, using the recoil to send another wide slash to cut through the grunt monsters further, creating multiple paths to slip through and get to the Another Rider.
"You heard our leader," Yang rubbed her wrists before jumping up and launching herself upwards further with the recoil from her guns. She quickly performed a downwards kick, managing to force Another Ghost's shoulder to sink. She was surprised when the Another Rider didn't react, only grabbing her leg and tossing her into the snow.
Yang coughed as she managed to get up, "What the heck?"
"Oh no," Sougo said as he began punching and pushing his way through any Ganma Commandos that got in his way.
"If it's not reacting properly and only getting pushed that's bad," Geiz called as he kicked and punched through any Ganma Commandos.
"How bad are we talking?" Blake asked.
"If it's not reacting then whoever's inside might be…" Geiz paused before shaking his head. "Regardless, we finish this quickly!"
"He can't react but we can push him," Weiss called out, as she traced her hand across her weapon. She then stabbed it into the ground, closing her eyes and concentrating before a bluish white boar Grimm known as a Boarbatusk formed, "Hit him when you get an opening!"
The Boarbatusk summon began charging forward and slamming its tusks into Another Ghost. The Another Rider grabbed tusks, trying to steer it away. Blake used this chance to hop onto the summoned Grimm, using her Shadow Semblance to push herself over Another Ghost.
Another Ghost had tried attacking the clone by raising the Boarbatusk Summon upwards further only for the clone to vanish. Blake had landed behind and drawn Gambol Shroud, unsheathing it and performing a cross slash against the Another Riders back with both blade and sheath.
Sparks flew as the Another Rider let go of the Boarbutusk which promptly landed and charged straight into it. The Another Rider then growled out, shifting its body to get on the side of the summon and kicked it in its side to force it back.
Weiss stood up and dismissed the Boarbutusk, realizing that the Another Rider had enough strength to keep it at bay and force it back. "We need a new strategy!" She called out only to see Sougo and Geiz run straight past her, "Not that kind of strategy!"
Sougo and Geiz both yelled out, Sougo punching with his left while Geiz punched with his right. To their surprise they were caught by Another Ghost. The Another Rider gave a low growl as he gripped their fists tightly, trying to push forward.
Another Ghost released a blast of energy from the eye on its chest, sparks flying from the Riders as it kept Sougo and Geiz in place with its grip.
Yang quickly moved in from the side, getting behind and slamming her fists while releasing shotgun shells against the Another Rider's back. Sparks flew as the Another Rider let go of his targets, swinging its arms and forcing Yang to block by crossing her arms. Yang's eyes turned a bright red as she tried to keep from getting pushed down by the Another Rider.
(Insert Start: Rising by Jeff Williamas feat. Casey Lee Willians)
Ruby spun around, slicing through several more of the Ganma Commandos, her eyes widened when she saw that her team was fairing surprisingly well despite Another Ghost's sturdiness. Still she needed to end things here, "Dang it," She looked and saw there were still a few more around her.
[BURST MODE!]
Ruby turned and was surprised to see Tsukuyomi run over while shooting the Ganma Commandos, taking out the remainder of them.
Tsukuyomi smiled, "Looks like you've got somewhere to be."
Ruby gave a nod before looking over towards her friends, "Yang pull back, Blake attack from overhead and Weiss push him up!"
Weiss gave a nod and ran to the side, quickly forming a Glyph underneath Yang to pull her back. Blake had jumped over Yang, spinning down and slashing at Another Ghost to distract it. The Another Rider raised its arms, sparks flying before it reached out. Another glyph suddenly appeared beneath it and launched it upwards into the air.
Ruby jumped forward, using Petal Burst to launch herself towards Another Ghost. Switching her weapon to its rifle mode she aimed and fired, keeping Another Ghost juggled in the air. "Yang let him have it!"
Yang used a glyph from Weiss to boost her jumping, her hair lighting up as her eyes burned a bright red, "Take this!" She called out as she sent a punch into its gut, releasing a shotgun blast and sending it down into the snow.
Geiz raised an eyebrow at this combination attack. The members of Team RWBY were so into the fight that they didn't seem to notice everyone's Aura except for Ruby's acting up briefly. It wasn't acting like they had gotten hit, but it seemed more like it was being boosted somehow.
Another Ghost growled out as it managed to get up, sparks falling from the damage done but it still just barely managed to keep going.
"We need to end this now," Geiz said before holding out the Ghost Watch, "Ruby, finish it."
"Sounds good to me," Ruby said as she took the Ghost Watch.
"I'll distract it," Sougo said as he took out the Decade Watch, initiating the armor time.
[ARMOR TIME! KAMEN RIDE! WOW DE~CADE!]
Sougo drew out the Ride Heisaber, turning the dial all the way to W.
[HEY DOUBLE!]
The Heisaber lit up in purple flames as a green colored cyclone surrounded it, forming an almost drill-like cone over it.
[DOUBLE! DUAL TIME BREAK!]
Sougo rushed over towards Another Ghost, backing away from it swinging its arms before jabbing forward. The wind spiraling blade getting its tip slammed into the Another Riders stomach, wind and flames being released as sparks flew.
[GHOST!]
"Let's see what we get," Ruby called out.
[WEAPON TIME! GAN GUN SABER! HAMMER MODE!]
"Hammer mode?" Ruby asked as the Gan Gun Saber formed out of her Driver, however half of the blade ended up removing itself, attaching to the hilt and forming a Naginata styled weapon. Suddenly webbing wrapped around the end of it, a cross between a spider and a lantern swinging along the web and closing in before latching on. As a result it created a makeshift hammer mode.
"Huh," Geiz stared at the weapon. "I guess that makes sense, you are used to pole arms. Regardless we're ready."
"Let's go then," Sougo called out
[FINISH TIME! DECADE!]
Sougo soon found in his hand Tsukasa's Kamen Ride card for his base form. He threw it out, the card striking Another Ghost. The Another Rider gasped out as ten holographic yellow Final Attack Ride cards formed all around in various angles.
[ATTACK TIME BREAK!]
Sougo quickly jumped through one, suddenly snaking around all over as if the cards were propelling and carrying him from one to the other. Everyone's eyes and heads began moving around to try and keep track of Sougo, the Rider disorienting Another Ghost and coming from the front. He passed through the holographic card, surrounded by Rings of energy and kicked through the Another Rider.
[FINISH TIME! GHOST!]
A pale white light was formed at the hammer tip of the weapon, Ruby held the hammer high into the air before slamming it down into the ground.
Suddenly the pale light spread towards the side before individual lights shot up. Suddenly white spectral weapons began to form, but not just normal weapons. Copies of the Zikan Girade, Ride Heisaber, Faizphone X and Zikan Zax formed alongside Crescent Rose, Myrtenaster, Gambol Shround and Ember Celica.
"Whoa," Sougo called out.
[OMEGA TIME BLAST!]
Ruby spun and swung her weapon forward as if slashing, "Take this!"
The spectral weapons all launched forward, one by one hitting consecutively as the damage grew greater with each hit. Another Ghost let out a yell as it was engulfed in explosions, the Ghost Anotherwatch flying out and shattering. The smoke from the explosion was fairly thick but the silhouette of Another Ghost could be seen dismissing itself, the user falling back into the snow.
(Insert End)
"They definitely seem like they're up to the task," Maria mused as she watched from the cart with Oscar and Qrow.
"Guess they are," Qrow muttered though he noticed something odd with how the Another Rider fell to the ground. Slowly but surely he began to make his way out of the cart, not wanting to break anything.
"They're honestly incredible," Oscar admitted, "Tsukuyomi didn't even need to step in but she did anyway."
Tsukuyomi meanwhile gave a smile, deciding to head over to congratulate everyone.
To the groups surprise and horror however, the smoke from the explosion cleared to reveal the Another Rider was none other than Dee who had gotten dragged to his death from the Argus Limited.
"Damn it," Geiz hissed out. "I knew something was off."
"Wait, isn't that the Huntsman that got dragged away by a Manticore? How is he here?" Yang asked.
Geiz and Sougo stayed silent, dismissing their transformations.
Ruby shook her head, "Ugh… this isn't good."
Weiss put a hand on her friend shoulder, "Ruby?"
"It's just…" Ruby dismissed her transformation and looked at Weiss. "Becoming an Another Rider isn't just a natural or random thing. We've seen this happen before with the original Another Ghost, someone must have found his body after it fell and transformed him into it."
"Wait, when you say someone…" Blake trailed.
"We mean the Time Jacker's," Geiz crossed his arms. "They might just be here on Remnant. And if they are this means our mission just got more annoying."
"They must really enjoy messing with us then," Ruby sighed. "I thought I saw the Apathy got frozen by one of them, and now an Another Rider?"
Tsukuyomi couldn't help but gulp a bit, a bit afraid to speak up. But given the current situation and trust issues, if she kept it to herself things could only get more complicated, "Actually…" She started. "That wasn't a Time Jacker…"
"It wasn't?" Ruby asked.
"I'm not sure how but…" Tsukuyomi looked at her hands. "I think that was me."
"Are you sure?" Blake asked.
"We're sure it wasn't a Time Jacker just messing with us?" Ruby asked.
"No, when they were getting closer after that first burst of light…" Tsukuyomi clasped her hands together, "I screamed and held my hands out. I could feel the power flowing from them…"
"That doesn't make any sense though," Yang noted. "Aren't those powers only exclusive to that group?"
"They are," Geiz confirmed.
"Then how does Tsukuyomi have them?" Sougo asked. "I mean Geiz you would know right?"
"Actually, there is something you all need to know about me," Tsukuyomi admitted. "When I had joined the resistance, I didn't have my memories."
"Wait, like amnesia?" Sougo asked.
"Sounds like it," Weiss said.
"I don't remember anything about my life before the resistance," Tsukuyomi explained. "Even my name is more like a codename than anything. I don't know my real name…"
Ruby's face softened, "I had no idea…"
"I only knew her for ten years, and in those ten years she never exhibited those kinds of powers," Geiz explained. "It might be regarding her past."
"I tried not to dwell on it… but now," Tsukuyomi looked down.
"Well there's not much we can do in that regard," Blake admitted as she realized Tsukuyomi was troubled by this, and she'd need to talk with her later. "Given these powers manifesting, your memories might come back in due time. For now though, we should try and keep moving."
"We should figure out what we're going to do with him," Yang gestured to Dee's body.
"It would be too cruel to leave him in the snow…" Tsukuyomi trailed.
"Well we have a flatbed," Qrow spoke up as he walked over, having seen what went on from a far and decided to take the lead for now. "Not sure how long it'll take till Argus but we can double up on the motorcycles and carry his body, I didn't really like his attitude much… but his body deserves more respect than it's received."
As everyone was ready to agree a sudden ringing could be heard, or rather a ringtone from a scroll. Ruby quickly pulled it out, gasping in surprise as she saw the Caller ID, "Its Jaune!"
All eyes were on her in shock.
Weiss raised an eyebrow, "How?"
Geiz looked over before looking around, "Seriously?"
"Let's see," Ruby said as she answered.
"Ruby! Oh thank you!" Jaune's voice was bursting with excitement from the other end. "I was worried when you all kept ignoring my calls recently. I've been checking my Scroll for your signal since we made it to the city!"
Everyone suddenly began to check their Scrolls, realizing the fighting with Another Ghost had drowned out their ringtones with each having several missed calls.
Ruby's eyes widened, "The city? Wait…" She looked to her scroll and held it around before stopping and slowly pointing it forward as the signal grew in strength as she did. The group was so busy in their fighting that they had failed to notice that straight ahead of them was a hill where the snow started to end. "Jaune, we'll call you back!"
"We'll be waiting for you!" Jaune answered.
"Alright everyone, double up and let's get rolling," Qrow said as he and Geiz went over to take Dee's body back to the flatbed. They laid him down on one side, Qrow, Maria and Oscar sitting on the other side.
Geiz readied up with Tsukuyomi on his Ride Striker, Weiss doubling up with Sougo on his, while Blake doubled up with Ruby on the Rose Attacker. Yang mounted Bumblebee again before driving ahead, the Riders following alongside her on their bikes. It wasn't long before they reached the top of the hill, everyone sharing looks of relief and excitement as they all saw a stone walled city along the ocean.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Yang addressed everyone with a smile, "We have arrived in Argus."
"Yes, we did it!" Sougo pumped both fists into the air with relief.
"Well, we shouldn't keep everyone waiting," Ruby suggested.
Remnant – Northern Anima, Forests near Argus
"Gotta run," A voice gasped out in a hurried tone as it was revealed to belong to a standard White Fang grunt.
He and a few others had managed to catch Adam's deal with the hooded man and were soon hunted relentlessly by said hooded man. While there were a few times when the man just seemed to vanish and appear suddenly at will, it wasn't until recently that their getaway vehicle was attacked and he was the only one to escape.
As he ran through the forest towards Argus he began to step in a few puddles that had formed from melted snow. Of course what he wasn't expecting was something to reach out of the puddle and grab his ankle, gasping out as he face planted onto the ground.
"Ugh… what," He gave a groan before getting up before gasping.
"You know… I was thinking of slaughtering you like I did your allies… you're no longer needed here," The hooded man clicked his tongue a few times as he moved forward. "But… I wanted to give them a bit more to fear."
"Like hell I'm getting caught up in your game," The White Fang grunt growled as he held his hands forward, his nails growing longer and claw-like. He was ready to lunge forward when his arm was grabbed. "What?"
It wasn't long before his assailant spun him around, the White Fang grunt giving a gasp as Another Ryuki had grabbed his wrist with his free hand.
"W-What the hell are you?" The White Fang grunt questioned.
"Something you'll be very soon," The hooded man said directly behind the grunt.
The grunt was released by Another Ryuki, turning to strike at the hooded figure only to gasp out. The hooded figure had activated an Anotherwatch and slammed it into the grunts gut as he turned.
[OOO!]
The grunt yelled out as he transformed into Another OOO, slumping over before straightening up and giving a light growl.
"Thank you for your help," The hooded man went to address Another Ryuki who simply walked off. "Yes, I suppose it's too soon. Don't worry I'll get them warmed up for you."
As the hooded man began to leave, Another OOO turned towards him before following after in silence.
Remnant – Argus, Outer Walls
Once at the city it was the waiting game, getting closer the group had decided to slow considerably, dismissing the Ride Strikers and Rose Attacker while walking on foot the rest of the way. After detaching the flatbed trailer, Geiz and Qrow went to take Dee's body to the appropriate authorities, their explanation being that he had stayed behind with them and ended up not surviving the crash that ended up happening.
Yang meanwhile had managed to get a parking space for Bumblebee, inputting the code she was given to load her bike temporarily in one of the garages along the wall.
"This is pretty cool," Sougo admitted as he looked around.
"It's fascinating to see such a change in architecture," Tsukuyomi added.
Blake looked over at Ruby, "So when do you think Geiz and your uncle will be back?"
"Probably soon, it shouldn't take that long," Ruby replied.
Of course the first to reach the group wasn't Geiz or Qrow, it was Nora who had managed to spot them, specifically Oscar, "Cute. Boy. OZ!" She pointed before rushing over and tackling him to the ground via hug just as he turned to look.
What followed was Jaune and Ren hurrying over once they saw Nora shouting, everyone else hurrying over and engaging in their own conversations. Jaune broke off once he saw Ruby, walking over and giving her a hug. Once they pulled away though Jaune couldn't help but frown and look down.
"Hey. I promised, didn't I?" Ruby reminded.
Jaune smiled as his eyes watered up a bit, soon wiping them with a finger, "Yeah, you did. It's good to see you guys."
"Told you things would go smoothly with Team Zi-O around," Sougo walked over with a smile.
"I did say I'd hold you to it, and you proved me right," Jaune gave a chuckle. "Looks like you have a bit more pep in you too."
"I managed to figure some things out on the trip here," Sougo admitted.
"That's good to hear," Jaune replied.
"Okay but seriously though," Nora spoke up interrupting everyone. "Who's the old lady?!"
"A pain in the ass," Geiz called out as he walked over with Qrow.
"Do I need to teach you a lesson like I did at the train station young man," Maria quickly raised her cane in defiance.
Geiz backed up in defense, mostly because he did not need to get whacked in his shin again, but he did give a glare, "Watch it old lady."
"Maria Calavera," Maria stressed, introducing herself inadvertently to the rest of the group.
Sougo couldn't help but snicker a bit, "Geiz, is that why you were limping after you came back with Blake?"
Geiz raised his fist with a glare, "Don't you dare."
Sougo backed up and held up his hands before quickly hiding behind Tsukuyomi who could only sigh.
"So how'd it go?" Ruby looked at her uncle.
"They managed to believe the story, unfortunately because of the incident they had ended up kicking Dudley out from ever trying to get a train guarding job again," Qrow explained. "They'll see that the body gets its proper respects though."
"I take it something happened?" Ren asked.
"It's… a bit of a long story," Yang admitted. "Like I said, it was kind of a crazy trip."
"Well let's discuss it somewhere more comfortable, I actually have a place we can stay at to work things out," Jaune admitted.
"Ooh," Ruby was excited now, "Seriously?"
Nora gave a grin, "Seriously!"
"I did not think you actually had connections in this city," Weiss crossed her arms, "Consider me impressed."
"Come on, I'll lead us there," Jaune said as he gestured for everyone to follow.
It had taken a while, especially because of Maria and Team Zi-O, their usual group size was now given a fourth more than usual. But they had managed to secure an empty hovering trolley that would take them through the city to their destination.
Of course that didn't stop one person from trying to run after it regardless.
"Sorry, but we don't have much room, just wait for the next one!" Sougo called as he was near the back with Jaune. He had wanted to save the poor man some trouble since they were really pushing the limits as to how many people could fit.
Geiz and Tsukuyomi sat at the front with Maria on the right side. Everyone else was leaning on railings or holding onto the straps that hung down.
Needless to say sightseeing mode was fully activated, even for Jaune, Ren and Nora who had already passed through quite a few times. Sougo was able to compare it to some foreign films and video games he had played, it reminding him of a city known as San Francisco.
It was built on hilly terrain, the trolley they were on going down on a slope as they passed various brick buildings huddled closely together that were only a few stories high, having a Victorian architecture. There was even a large suspension bridge in the distance that lead directly towards the Atlesian Base that was just off the coast.
Sougo couldn't help but notice a movie theater as they passed, managing to catch a glimpse at a few posters. He wondered if the one he saw as the 'Fall of Beacon' was a documentary, but one that interested him the most was one called 'Demon of the Deep', with what looked to be a large aquatic Grimm front and center.
"It's a lot bigger than I thought it'd be," Yang admitted.
"It's actually one of the largest non-capital cities in all of Remnant," Ren stated.
Ruby couldn't help but gasp in amazement, "No way! But wait, wouldn't it be harder to settle something this big away from the main Kingdom?"
"Yeah, I thought that stuff like this would be difficult," Sougo admitted, shaking out of his fascination to hear the history lesson. "At least that's what you guys mentioned."
"Well, it was, until Mantle showed up," Jaune explained. "Early settlement attempts by Mistral didn't go well. But colonists from Mantle were able to help them brave the cold climate in return for goods that Solitas couldn't provide."
"The two nations worked together to create a hybrid city." Ren continued. "While it falls under Mistral domain, Atlas keeps a military presence here to help keep the people safe and keep trade between the two nations steady."
"Well, until recently…" Nora trailed, sharing a nervous look with Ren.
It wasn't long before the trolley stopped, everyone getting off and stretching a bit due to the long ride, making way for everyone else who wanted to get in.
"We should probably start looking for a ship," Blake suggested.
Ren and Nora exchanged another nervous look, Geiz and Tsukuyomi immediately noticing it from where they were. But before they could ask, it was Oscar who spoke up.
"So, where have you guys been staying?" Oscar looked at Jaune.
"Uh…" Jaune gave a nervous chuckle as he finally dismounted the trolley, rubbing his neck as it took off.
"There you are!"
Jaune jolted slightly and turned slowly towards a woman with dirty blond hair and blue eyes across the street. She was holding a toddler with short black hair and brown eyes. The woman was holding the baby with one arm while waving to Jaune.
"Is that…?" Yang started.
Jaune gave a smile and waved back, "Hey, Saph."
"Wait…" Tsukuyomi looked between the two, "Are they?"
Ruby though had a hunch on what was going on, giving a starry-eyed look as she soon gave a gasp upon coming to the realization of who Jaune and his team were staying with. "You're Jaune's sister!"
"Wait, he has a sister?" Geiz asked.
"Oh right it didn't come up," Yang realized. "Yeah he does, that's one of them."
Tsukuyomi tilted her head, "…one of them?"
"One of seven actually," Nora answered.
Geiz's eyes went wide, "Seven?!"
As Qrow had mentioned, Dudley had ended up facing hard consequences when it came to the failure to protect the train. Despite being the trained Huntsman, the students that had come up with the plan ended up getting the credit and he ended up getting cut out of his payment.
"Damn stupid kids and their stupid secret stupid piece of lamp," Dudley was currently muttering and slurring to himself as he kicked a can across an alleyway in Argus. He had no real place to go and with his train gig gone that meant he had to purchase a ticket to get back to Mistral.
He didn't have enough lien for a ticket but he did have enough for some cheap booze to drink his sorrows away. He'd figure out a way to get lien once he sobered up.
"Such a pitiful state," A voice called.
Dudley gave a growl, aiming his rifle as he was now staring down the hooded man that had been across Anima. "Just who the hell are you?" He slurred.
"Someone who sympathizes with you," The hooded man gave a chuckle as he walked forward, unfazed by the weapon drawn on him.
"Yeah, like you know anything," Dudley called out.
"Oh but I do," The hooded man answered as he suddenly vanished before appearing right in front of the rifle, grabbing it and forcing it to point towards the ground. "Stupid brats who choose to cause you pain, costing you what was supposed to be an easy job."
Dudley looked down, "Okay so what?"
"They even brought your dear friend back," The hooded man said, smiling beneath his hood when he saw Dudley turn to him in surprise. "But… they changed the story, made him go out all heroic alongside them, and made them look better as a result by bringing him here for a proper burial."
"They…" Dudley gave a light glare as he looked off to the side before punching the wall. "Damn it, they had to rub salt in the wound too!"
"But I can give you your revenge," The mysterious figure remarked. "I can give you all of that and the power to show up that drunken Huntsman who mocked you."
Dudley turned towards the hooded man before dropping his weapon and walking over, "What do I do?"
"Receive this gift," The hooded man said before plunging an Anotherwatch into Dudley's chest.
[DOUBLE!]
Dudley gasped out as purple energy spiraled around him, soon transforming him into Another W. It gave a growl as it tapped its head before pointing forward, the hooded man taking it by the hand.
"And that's another one…" The hooded man chuckled before he and Another W vanished from sight.
It wasn't long before Jaune's sister introduced herself as Saphron, and her son as Adrian. She had brought everyone to her house, everyone setting their bags and weapons off near the entrance before sitting in the living room as Ruby was still giddy with energy at this chance.
Weiss and Yang meanwhile had their attention captured by Adrian, the two playing with him as Tsukuyomi decided to join in as well.
"I can't believe I'm meeting your sister!" Ruby called out in excitement. "I have so many questions."
Nora grinned, "Oh, I can give you the rundown later!"
"Will you guys knock it off?" Jaune groaned.
"I have gained an immense respect for you now," Geiz muttered as he was staring at a family photo of Jaune and his sisters. It was of all the Arc siblings together, a young Jaune at the center with pigtails and a deadpan expression all while holding a sign that had 'HELP' written on it. Geiz shivered at the thought of having to live with seven girls for however many years.
"What?" Saphron asked with a grin before pinching Jaune's cheek. "I love telling stories about my baby brother."
Jaune began flailing his arms with a groan, "I am not a baby!" He pointed at himself before pointing at Adrian. "That is a baby."
Adrian could only huff which instantly caused Yang and Weiss to go completely wide-eyed as they fussed over Adrian, making baby talk. Tsukuyomi could only blink a bit in surprise but chalked it up to the two being sisters in their own families.
"So Saphron," Blake decided to ask, having noticed the photo that Geiz was looking at, "You're the only Arc living here?"
Saphron was continually pinching Jaune's cheeks before letting go, "Yep! Moved the second I could. Jaune and I are the only two living away from home." She then gave a teasing smirk, "I guess he wanted to be like his big sis."
"I, uh…" Jaune started and tried to rebuttal only to simply groan in defeat.
"Aw, you didn't deny it!" Saphron teased again before she ended up playfully fighting with Jaune, the two grabbing each other's cheeks.
Sougo couldn't help but chuckle a bit as he saw the two siblings, but his thoughts were broken when he heard the door open.
A woman with short dark brown hair and eyes with red rimmed glasses was soon seen walking with several bags of groceries, just barely shutting the door with her foot.
"Everyone, this is my wife, Terra Cotta," Saphron introduced.
A slew of various greetings emerged from everyone present as to not be rude.
Terra gave a chuckle, surprised at the amount of students there, "Why, hello there!" She greeted back. "Quite a party, you weren't kidding." She then began making her way towards the kitchen, "Hun, can I get some help please?"
Sougo watched as Saphron hurried over before looking over at Jaune, "Your sister's really nice."
"Yeah, yeah she is," Jaune had to relent with a soft smile despite the annoyed brother façade he put up.
"Still, I'm surprised you were able to survive," Geiz admitted, "Seven sisters?"
"Yeah it's a lot compared to usual," Jaune admitted. "And while there were totally some annoying times… I don't really regret it."
"Something tells me you would panic at even getting one sibling Geiz," Blake teased.
"I mean given how they grew up," Weiss noted. "Geiz and Tsukuyomi are technically siblings aren't they?"
"I suppose so…" Tsukuyomi pondered.
"If you want to look at it that way I guess," Geiz replied.
"Nah, not really," Ruby waved it off in a teasing manner. "Geiz seems completely clueless and scared of that kind of thing."
"I can handle any challenge," Geiz gave a determined stare as he straightened up.
"Sure you can tough guy," Ruby smirked.
An audible noise was soon heard, Sougo giving a chuckle as he saw Geiz hold his stomach, "Guess that's one challenge you might have trouble at."
"W-Well we didn't eat in the morning, remember?" Geiz reminded as he kept his collar up, trying to hide his blush from embarrassment.
"Ah no need to worry about food, Jaune said you'd probably be hungry," Saphron called as she peaked out from the kitchen. "That's why I asked Terra to grab a lot of groceries."
As time passed, Jaune, Ren and Nora offered to prepare the food for everyone, the three working on sandwiches while Saphron and Terra had chosen to speak to the others about staying.
"And you're sure it's alright if we stay with you?" Weiss asked.
"We're really not imposing?" Sougo inquired.
"Of course not, we're happy to house Huntsmen and Huntresses," Saphron answered.
Terra gave a nod, holding Adrian who was sitting on her lap, "You all risk so much to keep people like us safe. It's the least we can do." She looked at Qrow. "Especially for such an elite Huntsmen like yourself. Although, I will say I was surprised to learn you had students helping you. Is that even… legal?"
Qrow was out of it, having his mind on other matters though a quick nudge from Ruby brought him back into action. "Uh, of course," He started. "Think of it as an extended training mission. Trust me, I was a professor. Even went to the same academy as them. Let me tell ya, these kids are way better than we were at their age."
As Qrow began to ramble on, it wasn't long before Jaune, Ren and Nora walked into the room with plates full of cut sandwiches.
Qrow meanwhile was too caught up in making himself look good to pay attention, "Well, not better than me specifically, but a lot of students-"
"Shut up, there's food!" Ruby interrupted as she quickly put a sandwich half in Qrow's hand to distract him from rambling any further.
Needless to say despite being simple cold cut sandwiches, everyone was more than happy to immediately dig in. While mostly everyone was moderate enough to only eat one at a time, both Ruby and Sougo had gone for the double sandwich method, eating two at once.
A buzz was soon heard as Terra gave an audible sigh, passing Adrian over to her wife, "Excuse me, I'll be right back." She walked out of the room while answering her Scroll. "Hello?"
"Is everything okay?" Blake asked.
"Oh, yeah, it will be." Saphron reassured, "Terra's a technician for the town's relay tower. Unfortunately, the military's radar system is also housed there." She then looked at her son who was trying to wiggle out of her grasp. She switched gears and began making baby talk at him while she explained further, "Guess what's been on the fritz lately and who's getting falsely blamed."
Not missing a beat Terra peaked back in, pointing at herself, "Me."
Geiz could only roll his eyes slightly, every single bit he heard about Atlas, no matter how advanced they seemed, made him dislike the Kingdom further.
"So, what's your plan for tomorrow?" Saphron decided to ask and switch gears.
"Well…" Ruby had started talking with her mouth stuff before realizing it'd be rude, soon gulping down her last bite, "We're trying to make our way to Atlas. We'll probably start with the military base."
Once again, Tsukuyomi noticed that Nora and Ren were both sharing a concerned look when that was brought up.
Jaune gave a nervous chuckle, "So, we kind of already tried that, and… it didn't go… super great."
"Come on, it couldn't be that bad…" Yang brushed off the concern.
"Besides you've got me with you all now," Qrow reminded, figuring the three didn't get anywhere because of their lack of Huntsman status.
"I'm pretty sure everything will turn out fine," Tsukuyomi said, trying to reassure the rest of their party even though she noticed Team JNR was fully skeptical of anything working.
"I think we can do this," Sougo agreed.
On top of one of the rooftops to Argus was the silver dressed Woz. He held a satisfied smile on his face as he overlooked the city, holding his tablet-like book close to him.
"No matter how much you try to run from it," The silver Woz remarked. "You will always end up on the path of the conquering Overlord, this is but a detour, and I do hope you realize it." He paced around the rooftop he was on before looking out towards the military base. "But this detour will present such an interesting opportunity… and the start of my Savior's path to glory."
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"Atlas kind of sucks…"
"I need to know why the blank watch reacted and formed this."
"Everything we did was for nothing!"
"How can you all still be so comfortable around me?"
"Are you sure this is a good idea?"
Chapter 27: Arrival at a Dead End
Author's Note: This was a fun chapter to write purely because the past several chapters had been a lot of setbacks and uncomfortable truths coming out. I figured the group could use a good win, even if their opponent's identity was slightly disturbing. It's a good way to get everyone in better spirits after all the events of the prior chapters. But with everyone in Argus, the fun can finally start up as we start up the back half of Volume 6.
Now I know there's a lot of questions and concerns about the future, but I can't really answer them without spoiling things. I will at least admit that I waited to see how Volume 8 ended to see what direction we were going before completing a rough outline of how I want things to go. As of now I've only planned ideas up until Volume 8. I mean given the time this is posted (10/09/21), it makes sense that I only have up until that point. There's a chance I might not touch Volume 9 but borrow concepts and ideas from it, we'll just have to see.