Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 83 – Approaching the Turning Point
Jinn and Woz were currently staring at Woz's book as they saw the prior events involving Ruby and Yang's team play out before them.
"Recent Graduate Sougo Tokiwa embarks on a path which will lead him to become the overlord of time, Oma Zi-O," Woz narrated, "The race to get help for Remnant is on, as I continue with Tsukasa's team and the other teams make slight progress on their work."
"But they do end up running into snags," Jinn added.
"Yang's team has met the most resistance," Woz said, "Simple escort and hunting missions have spiraled out of control. Not only can Ora and Uhr transform into foes from Rider past, a mysterious Grimm known as The Hound has appeared and kidnapped Oscar. Now they must rescue him before it can take him away."
"With Ruby's team they've managed to get the necessary components for Amity's Launch," Jinn said, "However due to small snags, Nora Valkyrie has ended up in a critical state. They'll need to lay low until she recovers."
"Regardless, we've made some progress," Woz said, "Now I can only hope that my group makes it in time…"
Earth – Tokyo, Mid April 2019
"Oh that cake was so delicious~!" Summer called out with a smile as she held her face in bliss.
"Yeah, it was pretty good," Qrow agreed before raising an eyebrow, "But what was with the Birthday thing?"
"That's his whole deal," Tsukasa said as he walked with them, the group walking past a sign that was labeled 'Kougami Foundation', "But with him out of the way we've got another set of allies to help us."
"How many does that put us at?" Qrow asked.
"Him agreeing to contact some we needed assists us greatly," Woz admitted as he walked behind them and looked at the list, crossing out names, "That leaves us at only a few left to gather at the rendezvous point. We're nearly done."
"Jeez, was not expecting us to get things done this easily," Qrow admitted.
"Well, that just shows how good my daughter is at making friends," Summer crossed her arms with a smug expression.
"We get it," Tsukasa groaned, "Your daughters are the-"
Tsukasa ended up being cut off by the loud roar of a motorcycle, everyone stopping where they were. A motorcycle pulled up at the bottom of the steps that led to the street. It was a particular two toned motorcycle with two people on it.
"Those two are…!" Woz's eyes widened.
"Are they on the list?" Qrow asked.
"No," Tsukasa said as he took the list from Woz, "From what Ruby said, she didn't want to pull them away from their work."
"Well… that makes things interesting then," Summer admitted as she looked over to the two who had just parked and were now dismounting their bike, "Especially if they're coming to us."
Remnant – Mantle Streets
[RE-VI-I-VE GORETSU~! GORETSU!]
[ARMOR TIME! AGITO!]
Both Geiz and Tsukuyomi took their powered up forms, Geiz stepping forward as he watched the Time Jackers break free of his friend's time stop. Superior yelled as he slashed down at Geiz only for the sword to simply bounce off.
"What?" Superior asked in surprise.
"Still can't beat Revive," Geiz chuckled.
Superior yelled out and swung again only for his blade to get caught by the Flame Saber, soon yelling out as he was struck in the chest by the Storm Halberd.
Tsukuyomi had closed in, brandishing both weapons as she stood in a defensive stance in front of Geiz before rushing towards Superior to start pushing him back.
"He may not have had luck," Night Rogue called out as she combined the Transteam Gun and Steam Blade together before loading in the Bat Lost Bottle, "But I'm clearly better than him."
[RIFLE MODE! BAT!]
Geiz however pressed down on his Zikan Jaclaw, gathering energy as the saw began to spin and gather energy, "Just try it."
[STEAM SHOT! BAT!]
[POWERED NOKO! NOKO SETSUZAN!]
Night Rogue fired off a purple blast of energy at Geiz who gave a yell and jabbed forward. Energy erupted from the Jaclaw before Geiz pushed further, completely tearing apart the blast.
"No fair!" Night Rogue called out in annoyance.
"You caught us off guard but that ends right now," Geiz said as he planned on going into Shippu to finish this quickly.
"We aren't losing that easily to you!" Superior called out before grunting as he was pushed back by Tsukuyomi. He was ready to rush forward again when a sudden burst of blue card holograms shot in front of him, the holograms deflecting his attempts to move forward while sending him staggering back, "What?!"
[KAMEN RIDE: DIEND!]
"Hey now, I know you kids didn't just rescue that kid from me only for him to get kidnapped again!"
Geiz and Tsukuyomi turned in surprise to see Kamen Rider Diend before them, the thief Rider tapping his Diendriver against the palm of his hand.
"You're here too?!" Night Rogue questioned.
"Of course I'm here," Diend called out as he then pointed forward with his free hand, "I need to protect this World's treasure after all."
"What's your game?" Geiz nearly growled out.
"Why help us?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Because Tsukasa is helping you all and I owe him and you all for that Another Chalice incident," Diend replied as he began loading in cards from his holster to his Diendriver, "Isn't that all the reason I need?"
[KAMEN RIDE: SPECTER! CROSS-Z!]
Diend aimed and shot forward, holograms launching out and sliding all around before coming together and forming Kamen Rider's Specter and Cross-Z. The two drew their weapons before charging straight at Night Rogue and Superior, Specter firing at Superior while Cross-Z slashed at Night Rogue.
"I think we should get going," Tsukuyomi suggested.
"I suppose so," Geiz said, not exactly the most trusting of Diend, but his assistance would get them out of this fight faster, "Tsukuyomi, the Time Mazine."
"On it," Tsukuyomi said.
[TIME MAZINE!]
It wouldn't be long before the Zi-O Unit Time Mazine shot into the air at a distance, launching towards the area and transforming into its robot mode. It soon landed nearby in a kneeling position, both Geiz and Tsukuyomi entering it as Tsukuyomi took the main controls, the main Ridewatch face transforming the Zi-O Unit into the Tsukuyomi Unit.
"Let's go!" Tsukuyomi called out as the Time Mazine transformed into its vehicle mode and flew off.
"Now then I've got a few things to check up on one last time," Diend said as he slotted in another card and aimed forward, "So I'll leave you with those good matches."
[ATTACK RIDE: INVISIBLE!]
It wasn't long before the card's effect activated, Diend's form turning invisible before there was no trace that he was even there.
Superior and Night Rogue both growled out as they kicked away their respective Riders, the two giving a nod as they rushed forward before crossing each other. Superior drew his sword and slashed at Cross-Z while Night Rogue took aim with her rifle and shot at Specter.
The two Riders were surprised at the sudden switch up in fighting styles, being forced back as a result. Night Rogue swerved again and went to slash at Cross-Z with her rifle, using it as a makeshift sword due to its bayonet styled shape. Superior meanwhile used his large sword to block against Specter's shots before swinging and disarming the spectral Rider.
Night Rogue threw her weapon away before spreading her arms out, large bat-like wings forming from the Night Rogue armor as she launched herself directly at Cross-Z. Superior meanwhile grabbed his sword with both hands and slashed downwards, energy gathering as he did so.
Night Rogue managed to cut past Cross-Z, a large glowing gash being seen as Cross-Z sparked heavily before exploding. Superior meanwhile cut through Specter vertically, a glowing cut erupting with energy and causing an explosion.
"So we're still out of luck against Revive, huh?" Night Rogue asked as she landed.
"Seems like it," Superior admitted, "But I think we can handle ourselves better than we ever could."
"Yes," The Jester called out as he appeared behind the two without warning.
"Huh?" Night Rogue tensed and immediately turned before relaxing at the sight of The Jester, "Oh it's you."
"You gave us some pretty sweet stuff," Superior said as he looked himself over.
"But it seems like you could use something to even things up just a bit more," The Jester said as he held out a briefcase, "Here you go."
"What's this?" Superior asked.
"Some particular items that will help assist you with your new forms," The Jester explained.
Remnant – Atlas Medical Facility
Harriet sighed as she sat in Clover's room, despite it only being a few hours she had hoped something had come up, but nothing had changed in the slightest.
"Just what happened?" Harriet questioned.
"I'm surprised you're here of all places," Swartz remarked as he entered the room, "I assumed someone with such a strong spirit would be practicing 24/7."
"What do you want?" Harriet asked with a light glare.
"You said you wanted to know what happened, correct?" Swartz asked, "Because I can tell you that and the secret as to why you couldn't beat Zi-O."
"What?" Harriet's eyes widened as she stood up, "Why did you word it like that? Is he responsible for this?"
"In a way," Swartz replied as he went to walk deeper into the room but away from Harriet, "Tell me what you know about him."
"What the General said you told him, which is still hard to believe," Harriet admitted, "I mean, another planet named Earth? Also hard to believe the overlord part, but man does it make a good insult."
"Indeed it does," Swartz chuckled before growing more serious, "But he does have control over time. After all that was how he was able to counter you all so thoroughly via Zi-O II as it can predict the future. But Zi-O II has another effect which I'm sure was likely used on your leader."
"What kind of ability?" Harriet asked.
"Tell me," Swartz said, "Do you ever wish you could do something over? That was how he was able to stay with the new Winter Maiden. I could sense time being shifted, and when I did I remembered he shifted time a while back ago as well. Around the time Clover's ship crashed as well if I'm remembering correctly. Something possibly happened to your leader, and so Zi-O was merciful and tried to save him via a do-over."
"What?" Harriet asked as she turned back towards the unconscious Clover in surprise, "He saved him?"
"But don't think of Zi-O as a merciful hero, as you can see the results clear as day," Swartz called out as he gestured at Clover, "No doubt the do-over caused his mental functions to shut down, effectively putting him in a coma for who knows how long. It's essentially just as bad as if not worse than death, all because Zi-O wishes to do whatever he pleases."
"If you think I'm going to thank him then no way," Harriet spat out, "That kid thinks he can play with us and the military we built up just because he's going to be a King and has some cute time powers? Yeah you can get that shit out of here, I'm going to make him pay for thinking he can own anything or anyone."
"That's exactly the answer I wanted to hear," Swartz admitted with a smile.
Marrow was passing through the area, having come by after dropping off Watts in the prison complex. He was tempted to go in to check on Clover but spotted Swartz and gave a shiver. Deciding to not take his chances he quickly picked up his pace to exit, especially since he did want to meet with someone he was sure would also feel the same way about Swartz.
Remnant – Solitas Tundra
Jaune, Ren, and Yang weren't having the best of luck catching up to The Hound. The beast had managed to keep its speed steady but fast enough to where it was always ahead. And it was far up enough that no one would be able to grab at it without risking one of the bikes. The Hound had also made its way into a rocky chasm to try and lose its pursuers.
Of course that wasn't to say the bikes weren't having troubles already. They were only newly built and Ren was the first to realize they weren't going to last long in the intense cold of the Solitas Tundra. Their desperation was high however and it had gotten to the point of Ren abandoning one of the bikes. He had used Jaune to launch him towards The Hound, hooking onto one of the hind legs of The Hound via Stormflower's bladed cables.
The Hound of course noticed this and began flying more erratically, slamming Ren against the cliffs a few times.
"He's slowing him down," Jaune said before activating his communications, "Hold on, Ren!"
"I don't have much of a choice!" Ren shouted as he ran along a cliff wall before using his second gun's bladed cable to wrap it around a boulder to slow The Hound even further.
The Hound felt something and looked back, still holding Oscar in its mouth. It noticed the additional weight and jerked its body up and down, managing to dislodge the rock, and nearly causing Ren's bladed cable to hit Jaune and Yang who yelped as they moved out of the way.
"Ren, get away from the hound, we've got this!" Tsukuyomi's voice called through their earpieces.
Everyone perked up in surprise as they heard Tsukuyomi's voice before looking back and hearing a loud humming as the familiar shape of the Time Mazine began to come into view. Ren quickly let go of The Hound, managing to dislodge the wire as he went to fall back, Yang and Jaune keeping up with Ren and managing to catch him, with Ren quickly climbing onto Jaune's bike.
[TIME MAZINE!]
The Hound had attempted to go faster as it heard the whirring, but when the announcement happened it turned its head. It let go of Oscar in its mouth and caught him with both of its hands.
"…Now!"
[SPEED TIME! REVI-REVI-REVI! REVI-REVI-REVI! REVI-I-VE SHI-PPU! SHIPPU!]
The Time Mazine's hatch opened up as a blue blur shot outwards, the blur launching out and striking at The Hounds arms. The attack had worked as The Hound let out a cry of pain and it was ready to keep moving forward only to suddenly feel that its arms were lighter. It began sniffing and looking around before looking up.
Geiz was currently floating high in the air, an unconscious Oscar in his arms. He watched as The Hound gave a growl, shifting its mouth as if ready to do something. The Hound didn't get the chance as Geiz sped forward, striking the top of the Grimm's face with his foot to keep it from howling out.
The Hound could only give a whine as it was sent downwards, quickly using its wings to catch itself in mid-air.
The Time Mazine meanwhile shifted to its robot formation as it used the boosters on its feet to keep moving forward. It then grabbed The Hound by the legs and landed before slamming the strange Grimm into the snowy tundra.
The Hound began to shift and morph, its legs making a cracking sound as it made its legs as thin as they could be, slipping away from the Time Mazine's grip and trying to reach Geiz.
Geiz quickly sped past The Hound, the Time Mazine's hatch opening up as he landed inside and set Oscar down near Tsukuyomi.
"Take care of him," Geiz said before speeding out of the Time Mazine again.
"Right," Tsukuyomi gave a nod as she closed the hatch.
The Hound sniffed and gave a low growl, raising its head to try and unleash a large howl.
"I'm not sure why you want to yell out but I'm not letting you!" Geiz yelled out.
[SPEED CLAW! TSUME RENZAN!]
Geiz needed to end this quickly as he struck against The Hound numerous times in rapid succession, easily forcing his way through as he kept the pressure up. He also made sure to aim towards its mouth to keep it from howling out.
"It's over!" Geiz yelled out as he rushed forward, ready to strike at and destroy the Grimm.
To his surprise a Flying Smash suddenly swooped in and rushed towards Geiz to take the hit. Geiz's claw struck the Smash in its chest and it didn't take long for the Smash to explode.
The Hound was blown back by the explosion, giving a low whine as it began to realize it was out of its depth. It shook its head before turning and flying off as its self-preservation instincts finally kicked in.
"That was…" Geiz trailed as he looked around, trying to spot the Time Jackers only to find no one.
In the distant snowy tundra, beyond the chasm was Narutaki who was staring at where the group was, "Just barely got here in time. Salem, it seems your pet has failed…"
Yang meanwhile began to ride up to the Time Mazine with the others, "Thank goodness Geiz was here."
"And we managed to at least keep two of the bikes too," Jaune added.
"Right," Ren muttered as he looked off to the side.
Geiz soon landed but kept his armor on, walking over to the group, "You guys okay?"
"Yeah," Yang nodded, "That thing was fast but it definitely wasn't faster than Revive."
"So what's the plan now?" Jaune asked as the Time Mazine walked over.
"We need to lay low, there's no telling if Salem will try and come back for Oscar once that Grimm returns to her," Geiz said as he looked back at the Time Mazine, "We found an old outpost on our way over here. We'll use the Time Mazine to take us and the bikes part of the way there before sending it back just to keep us from being too noticeable."
"Sounds good to me," Yang gave a nod before wiping some frost off of the main control panel, "Cause these bikes do not seem to be fairing too well in this intense cold."
Remnant – Atlas, Schnee Manor
"Are you going to be okay?" Sougo asked.
"I'll be… fine," Weiss reassured as she stared at the Schnee Manor before sighing, "Just didn't think I'd be coming back here again so soon."
"Well you've got us here," Sougo said as he gave a reassuring smile, putting a hand on Weiss' shoulder, "And now I can actually be with you this time."
"Thanks Sougo," Weiss smiled, feeling more relief than she had earlier during the banquet.
"And you're sure this is the safest place we can be?" May asked as she currently had her crossbow staff out, surveying the area.
"Let me check," Sougo said as he closed his eyes, opening them up as they began to glow a bright pink, activating his Semblance and looking around, "There's no Atlas Military, Monsters, or Grimm."
"Whoa…" Ruby trailed in awe.
"You managed to get your Semblance?" Blake asked in surprise.
"Yeah, sorry if I didn't mention it," Sougo admitted as he blinked, his eyes returning to normal, "It helped out a lot last night with coordinating everyone."
"Huh," Weiss spoke up, "So… what exactly is it?"
"I'm able to sort of see the world differently, see who's in the area beyond any structures," Sougo said as he tried to explain it the best he could, "And everyone's color coded too, friends are green, strangers are yellow, enemies are red, etc. And I'm not picking up any enemies hiding nearby."
"Then all we need is to get inside so Nora can properly rest as well as seeing if we can treat her," Blake admitted, giving a concerned look as she held Nora in her arms, "Weiss using Recovery on her didn't seem to do much."
"At most it probably eased some of her pain," Ruby said, "But she did take in a lot of electricity."
"Well let's hurry up then," May suggested.
"Right," Weiss said as she walked up to the door, taking a deep breath before knocking hard against it several times.
After the last set of knocks, the door was opened up by Whitley who looked in surprise at the group he was seeing.
"Oh you've picked a fine time to-" Whitley cut himself off when Myrtenaster was suddenly pointed at him.
"Not. Another. Word," Weiss stressed, already done with her brother from second one, "We're coming in."
"Weiss…" Sougo muttered as he saw this.
Whitley simply stepped aside, allowing everyone to enter the main hall to the manor, with Blake briefly setting Nora down so she could rest her arms.
"Things are already bad enough after what you did to father, now you want us to harbor fugitives too?" Whitely asked, "Our family has a reputation."
"That's what you're worried about?" Blake asked in an offended manner, "Your reputation?"
"I'm just saying that we've already lost all the house staff," Whitley replied before pointing upstairs, "And mother locked herself in her room."
"Maybe you haven't figured out what's going on, Whitley," Weiss replied, "But we're busy trying to save Atlas."
"Look, our friend is hurt," Ruby said as she stepped between the two to keep the siblings from derailing everything, "We just need to lay low while she rests, and then we'll be out of your way."
"Fine," Whitley said after an audible sigh, "What do you expect me to do then?"
"Go to your room," Weiss said as she pointed towards the staircase.
Whitley stared at Weiss for a few moments before sighing and heading up the stairs.
"Weiss…" Sougo spoke up.
"Sorry you all had to see that," Weiss shook her head, "But I did not want to deal with him right now."
"It's fine, family can be a hell of a pain," May admitted as she decided to pick Nora up, "Where to?"
"This way," Weiss said as she went to lead May to the one place she figured Nora would be safe in, and that would be her room.
Ruby meanwhile had decided to give a call to Yang to update her only to receive no answer, soon staring at her Scroll in slight concern.
"Ruby…?" Blake asked.
"I'm not sure if she's busy or not, but Yang's not answering," Ruby said.
"Let me see if I can give them a call," Sougo said as he pulled out his Faizphone X only for it to suddenly start ringing, "Huh?"
"Answer it," Ruby said, realizing that something was likely wrong.
"Hello?" Sougo asked.
"Good, I got through to you," Geiz spoke up, "Listen, things have gotten a bit complicated on our end."
"Complicated how?" Sougo asked as Ruby and Blake listened in.
Remnant – Solitas Tundra
Geiz was currently pushing one of the hoverbikes with Tsukuyomi riding it to steer it in the proper direction. Jaune was pushing the second one alongside Geiz while Oscar was now awake and steering theirs. Yang and Ren were taking the lead, though Ren was farther ahead than Yang at the moment. The hoverbikes had ended up taking a lot of weather damage in the engines. As a result, on their way back they went to salvage parts from the one Ren had jumped off of in order to repair the two.
Everyone had looked over briefly when they heard Geiz start speaking to Sougo, with Geiz explaining what happened with the Time Jackers' new powers and The Hound.
"Thankfully Oscar's alright if a bit roughed up," Geiz admitted, "We took the Time Mazine most of the way before sending it back but are going to lay low at an outpost for the night."
"That's fine," Sougo said, "I'll tell May to let Robyn know."
"So how did your end go?" Geiz asked.
"We've secured everything for Amity's launch but…" Sougo trailed before lowering his voice, "Listen, I don't want Ren to worry but Nora ended up getting hurt in the process. We're laying low at Weiss' place till she can recover."
"Got it," Geiz said as he was glad that his phone's volume was low enough, deciding to not let Ren know for now purely due to the young Huntsman's current mindset, "It'll probably do both our groups some good to rest. Amity's activation is the turning point, so our best bet is to be fully rested for anything that comes after."
"Alright, I'll keep you updated," Sougo said before hanging up.
"Okay, looks like we're getting pretty close," Yang said as she spotted the outpost in the distance as the sun began to set, she then looked over at her Scroll to see how everyone's Aura was doing, noticing all of theirs were below 50% and dropping further due to the weather, "Which is good given our current Aura levels."
"Yeah," Oscar slowly nodded.
"Are you going to be alright?" Jaune asked.
"For the most part thanks to your recovery," Oscar admitted as his Aura flashed briefly, "Honestly, being in the freezing weather beats the alternative."
"Right," Jaune said before thinking a bit, "Why was that thing after you though?"
"I'm not sure," Oscar shook his head.
"It might be because of the Fake Lamp," Tsukuyomi guessed, "Oscar likely had it on him the most and it didn't look like that Grimm had eyes so it was going off of scent."
"We must have pissed Salem off really badly if that's the case," Geiz said.
"Given she likely got delivered a fake of what she's been after, yeah…" Oscar agreed.
"Hey Ren," Yang called out, noticing Ren was starting to outpace the group, "Hey, don't wander off too far. Even if we're close we're still not sure what might be out here."
"It's fine, if anything you all should be picking up the pace," Ren responded in a harsher manner.
"Anything you want to say?" Yang asked, noticing her friend's tone.
"Not really," Ren brushed off the question, "Wouldn't want to waste any more time."
"Hey!" Yang called out as she marched past Ren and got in his way, "What is your deal?"
"Don't worry about it," Ren said.
"Well, I'm sorry things aren't going smoothly enough for you," Yang said as she crossed her arms.
"Guys…" Jaune spoke up.
"Wait," Geiz interrupted Jaune, "I want to hear this."
"Do we really have the time?" Jaune asked.
"We do," Geiz replied, "Besides we're going to take things easy for a while and the outpost isn't that far anyway."
"We don't have the time to take things easy," Ren turned towards Geiz with a glare, "Things are not going smoothly at all."
"I hate to break it to you, but that's part of being a Huntsman," Yang replied.
"We've hit a few rough spots but that's because of all the unknown factors we haven't taken into account," Tsukuyomi reminded.
"It's easy for you Riders to look on the bright side isn't it?" Ren asked with a frown, "Given how much of an easier time you all are able to handle everything."
"I seriously think we should just cut this conversation here," Jaune spoke up in a firmer voice.
"And let something Ren's feeling clearly fester?" Geiz asked before shaking his head, "I get your concern, but let's hear what he has to say."
"Ren, what's wrong?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?!" Ren asked as his frustrations grew, "It's clear that four of us here don't know the first thing about being Huntsmen. We clearly weren't ready and even with the Riders backing us, stuff is still going wrong!"
"I'd pull out the list but somehow I feel like you'd just push back against it," Yang gave a short bored stare before sighing, "Listen, I'm not going to pretend we've done everything perfectly, especially given how off script we likely are given Earth, but if we'd done nothing, things would be even worse than they are now."
"How could they possibly be worse?" Ren questioned, "The Time Jackers can interfere further now, we're out here when we should be doing everything we can back at Mantle, and we still don't have an answer to facing down both Ironwood and Salem's forces which is inevitable."
"You're ignoring our recruitment team," Geiz replied as he began to push the hoverbike at a faster pace, "And you need to learn to rest and take a break. We're going to get nowhere if we all burn ourselves out."
"You really think you Kamen Riders are some miracle that will just fix everything the moment you arrive?" Ren narrowed his eyes.
"I don't think that," Geiz said, "Because even if our help does arrive it'll take a lot of work and effort to win this thing. But that's what us Riders do, we stare at those bad odds and face them down."
"You really don't think we're in over our heads?" Ren asked as he started to reach his boiling point, "That we should still be making these tough kinds of decisions? Ruby was just a kid who shouldn't have had to experience anything she went through while I'm just an orphan from the middle of nowhere…"
"Ren, seriously," Jaune spoke up, "That's enough, just because we're not the best doesn't mean-"
"You don't get to speak since you cheated your way into Beacon!" Ren snapped out in anger as he glared at Jaune.
Everyone could only stare in silence as Ren suddenly realized what he said before looking away.
"You don't think we should be Huntsmen, fine, you think the Kamen Rider's somehow have everything going for them, fine," Jaune said as he was completely done with the conversation now, pushing the hoverbike in a faster pace, "But I'm cutting this conversation here so we can get out of the cold and get some rest, because we've still got a job to do after this."
"Seriously, is your goal just to push everyone away?" Yang asked as she walked after Jaune and Oscar.
"Are you feeling any better?" Geiz asked genuinely but didn't wait for an answer as he passed, "Sometimes letting it all out like that is good."
Tsukuyomi could only stay silent, already figuring out what was eating at Ren. Mostly because she was starting to realize Ren's frustration was that he felt he couldn't do anything. Something she recognized all too well, soon realizing that she'd need to have a talk once everyone was settled.
Remnant – Atlas Academy
Winter was currently in a break room, this one being reserved for Specialists as well as higher ranking officials such as General Ironwood. Thankfully for her, the General wasn't much for breaks so he rarely used these kinds of places. Not to mention, given the current situation, the Ace-Ops were likely to be spread out on their own and not trying to take a break.
She was currently in front of one of the counters that faced away from the door, having brought out the half of the Silver Roze Ridewatch that she had. She stared at it long and hard, recalling how she had almost handed it to Ironwood before seeing Swartz. It wasn't hard debating on if it was the right call or not given her instincts kept screaming at her to keep the half of a Ridewatch she had a secret.
Of course her eyes soon shifted to the modified medical braces that were on her arms, recalling how Ironwood had given her these to help her out. While she appreciated the General's kindness, she was still wary of his complete willingness to work with the Time Jackers.
The door soon opened up and she let out a light gasp as she quickly pocketed the Ridewatch before turning to see who was entering. To her relief it was just Marrow who had raised a brow while entering.
"You okay?" Marrow asked, noticing how wary Winter seemed.
"Just… on edge given the current situation," Winter admitted as she went to sit down, "I take it you came to calm down as well."
"Kind of," Marrow nodded, "I uh… I actually was hoping we could talk."
"About what…?" Winter asked.
"About what I'm sure has us both on edge," Marrow said as he went to sit down in the seat next to her, he leaned closer, "You don't trust that Time Jacker guy either, right?"
"Of course not," Winter replied, "We were told they were very dangerous, remember?"
"Yeah but that was supposedly part of Sougo's lie, right?" Marrow asked before sighing, "What do you make of what we got briefed about?"
"Another world, Zi-O is supposedly on track to become an ultimate Overlord that will ruin that world?" Winter listed off, "And the Time Jackers trying to valiantly stop him?"
"Yeah, all of that," Marrow replied, "Personally I didn't think that kid has it in him, but…"
"He was able to easily lie to the General and was able to get special privileges," Winter reminded, "He's a cunning individual… but…"
"But…?" Marrow asked.
"My sister seems to trust and respect him a lot," Winter said, "And while I'm unsure of why… I feel like that says a lot about him as a person."
"You really think he's not that bad of a guy?" Marrow asked, "I mean… well, I didn't think he seemed that bad. The Overlord title thing kind of comes out of left field, right?"
"In a sense," Winter nodded, "But there's also another reason I'd trust Zi-O and his Riders over the Time Jackers. It's because of the difference between Kamen Riders and Monsters."
"The difference…?" Marrow asked, "You mean aside from one side looking heroic and the other side looking destructive?"
"While it's possible there can be an individual who could use the power and appearance of a Monster to fight for the greater good…" Winter trailed as she thought about how to word this, "From what I've seen… Kamen Riders seem more in control of themselves from the onset."
Marrow put a hand to his chin in thought, "More in control?"
"I've seen it up close, no matter what form they take, the power of a monster twists the individual or their goals," Winter continued, "I even feel like they can bring out a person's true nature or make their true nature easier to see."
"Meanwhile from what we've seen with Kamen Riders, they're pretty much just people who use super powered armor to fight," Marrow added.
"Correct," Winter replied, "What I'm trying to say is… I don't exactly trust a group who can turn people only into monsters, who want to twist others to their whims… and who likely have their claws in Salem's ranks as well."
"Wait what?" Marrow's eyes widened, "What do you mean?"
"I ran into another one," Winter said as she stared up at the ceiling, "Cinder was saved and taken away by them."
"Hold on," Marrow stood up, "We should go to the General with this. If he finds out then he'll stop conspiring with Swartz, right?"
"The question is would he even want to?" Winter asked in a more hesitant tone, "Given how close Swartz seems to the General with the likely promise of power to stop someone like Salem and even Zi-O… would he even bat an eye at what we tell him?"
"Well he…" Marrow paused as he wasn't sure before gritting his teeth and gripping his hands tightly, "So what, we're supposed to just sit back and let the Time Jackers take control of our Kingdom?"
"I'm not saying that," Winter argued as she stood up, "There has to be some way to take control of the situation before it spirals into more chaos."
"And if there isn't?" Marrow asked.
Winter looked away, "Then…"
"Then you should run before you lose your sense of self."
"Huh?" Marrow turned to see an Atlesian Soldier nearby, "Hey, what are you doing here?"
"This area is off limits to your rank," Winter narrowed her eyes, "How much did you hear?"
"Enough to know you're out of your depth," The Atlesian Soldier said as he went to remove his helmet to reveal that it was Daiki, "You don't need to worry about me reporting to anyone, I was never involved with Atlas to begin with."
"What?" Marrow asked as he got in a defensive stance, "Just who are you?"
"I'm a passing through Kamen Rider," Daiki smiled as he held up his fingers as if pointing a gun, "Remember that, okay?"
"Why reveal yourself to us?" Winter asked.
"To give you a warning," Daiki replied as his expression turned into a dour one, the room growing quiet, "People like Ironwood who obtain great power won't be satisfied until they have full control. That includes everything underneath them, even people."
"What are you trying to say?" Winter asked.
"Watch yourselves," Daiki replied as he formed an Aurora Curtain behind him before walking backwards, "If there's one thing I absolutely detest, its someone's freedom being taken away from them."
Marrow watched Daiki vanish through the curtain before looking over at Winter, "So… that was ominous…"
Winter said nothing but walked over to the exit.
"Really, even after all that, nothing?" Marrow asked, "We should be coming up with something in case things go badly with the Time Jackers."
"I'm not sure if we can even prepare against them," Winter said as she stopped at the exit, "For now let's keep this between us, understood?"
"Understood," Marrow sighed as he turned to see if he could grab something to help calm his nerves.
"Marrow," Winter said as she was still standing near the exit, "No matter what happens, let's watch each other's backs alright?"
Marrow turned back in surprise before nodding, "Understood."
"I'll give you some space," Winter said as she walked out of the break room.
Remnant – Monstra
The Hound whined out as it approached one of the side docking areas of Monstra, landing as Salem approached it.
Salem narrowed her eyes as she watched The Hound return to her without the person she specifically asked for, "And why are you back?"
The Hound merely continued with its whining as it lowered its head, its body slowly but surely shifting back to its quadruped dog-like form.
"If it stayed it would have died, and you would have lost your most valuable asset."
Salem turned and narrowed her eyes, "Narutaki."
"You remember my name, that's good," Narutaki smiled as he walked over from seemingly nowhere, he soon frowned, "If I didn't expend one of my forces then it would have been killed."
"That's impossible," Salem said, "Any mere Huntsman, even one with Silver Eyes, cannot defeat this beast."
"Maybe not, but a Kamen Rider can," Narutaki replied, "Especially the same one who can overpower and outpace your Maiden."
"So why are you here?" Salem asked.
"I am not here to give you a new deal… yet," Narutaki said as he opened up an Aurora Curtain and began to enter it, "However you would be wise to consider your current situation a lot more carefully."
Salem narrowed her eyes as she watched Narutaki leave before stroking The Hound's chin.
"I had hoped those damned Riders would not interfere," Salem hissed out before walking further into Monstra, The Hound following after her. Eventually as they turned a corner they encountered Cinder, Neo, and Finis.
"Your grace, I-" Cinder kneeled before noticing The Hound, "What… is that?"
"An experiment with a few issues to still work out," Salem said as she scratched behind The Hound's ear, the Grimm seemingly enjoying the scratching, "Did you need something, Cinder?"
"Yes, I… I want to search for the Winter Maiden," Cinder admitted, "I think-"
"Do you hear that, my pet? She thinks. She wants." Salem asked The Hound before leading the Grimm past Cinder and the others, "As if she's done something that warrants me caring about either of those things."
"We're just sitting and waiting," Cinder said as she was frustrated by the lack of action, "Without the Maiden power, the vault means nothing. Let me claim it for you."
"I will tell you when and where you are needed," Salem said as she glanced back.
"But your grace-" Cinder tried to speak but quickly stepped back as The Hound turned and roared at her, causing her to recoil in fear.
"I would like to think I have shown a great deal of patience over my many years walking Remnant," Salem said, "But I do hate repeating myself. You will remain here… Is. That. Clear?"
"Yes, yes of course," Cinder gave a more docile response and kneeled, lowering her head, "Without you, I am nothing."
Finis could only watch on in amusement as Salem and the Hound left the area. The elder Time Jacker was now realizing just how much the situation was in their favor when it came to Cinder in particular. Now all they needed to do was gather a bit more information and wait for the right moment to strike.
It didn't take long for Cinder to immediately get up and walk towards the docking area of Monstra, planning using the Small Manta they retrieved. Neo and Finis followed after her, the Time Jacker staying silent as they held a small smirk.
"I know what she said, I just want to check on something," Cinder addressed Neo in particular as she began to approach the Small Manta, "We'll be back before anyone realizes."
Neo meanwhile decided to stop at a distance, using her umbrella to float down and pass Cinder with a bored expression, eventually landing on the wing of the Small Manta while crossing her legs.
"I'll stay behind to see if I can give you some cover," Finis said, "But I'll be sure to contact my group and give you some backup."
"Good," Cinder smiled, appreciating Finis' support before looking out into the open Solitas skies, "I want to see if anything is still going on at Amity Colosseum. Salem doesn't know those children like I do. They wouldn't just abandon their misguided attempt to save the world."
Neo merely looked away, clearly not amused by the prospect.
"If she doesn't want to, I'll come," Emerald said as she walked over to the three, "I've been working on my Semblance. I can help. I won't tell anybody."
Cinder held a slightly annoyed look before sighing and walking over, "How much did you overhear?"
Finis meanwhile gave a smirk, glad to see that Cinder was trying to take some kind of proactive approach.
Neo glanced at Finis who didn't seem to know she was looking at them. Neo gave a light shudder, while she was skeptical at first arriving on Monstra, Finis' continued presence alongside the situation she was in made her realize she was slowly growing out of her depth.
Remnant – Solitas Outpost
The day continued to grow later as Yang's Team had made it to the outpost before their Aura's dropped. This was especially good since they still had some sun left as a result. The outpost was fairly barebones but it still had enough supplies inside and around it. Of course the most it had for commodities was a furnace, a bunk bed, and a workbench.
The group had decided to rest for a short while with what little space they did have, mostly to recover their Aura before Yang went out to scavenge for parts. Geiz and Tsukuyomi were sitting on the bottom bunk while Oscar was lying on the top, still wanting to recover some more after being attacked. Ren meanwhile had opted to simply stare out the window into the cold tundra.
It had also taken a while but Jaune had eventually managed to get the furnace started.
"Finally," Geiz let out a soft sigh as he could feel the furnace starting to do its job.
"You're right, Ren. I… I did cheat my way into Beacon," Jaune finally spoke up before going and walking over to his friend, "And I'm glad that I had people around me to help me see that I was bigger than that mistake. You've got people around you too. You don't have to force yourself to be strong. The more you hide from what you're feeling, the more alone you're going to feel. Trust me."
Ren glanced at Jaune before relaxing his posture slightly and walking out of the building, shoving the door open. Yang was just outside, having gotten a purple canister alongside a bag filled with other small parts.
"So good news," Yang greeted, "It turns out they did have the missing parts we needed to fix the bikes."
"That's good," Tsukuyomi said.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry he said that to you," Yang looked over at Jaune as she went towards the workbench to get to work, "I know you've had to work hard to get here, Jaune."
"We're all under a lot of stress right now," Jaune shook his head, "I used to push away people too."
"I'm just glad he finally got that out of his chest," Geiz admitted as he went to stand, squatting near the furnace for a bit while rubbing his hands, "I know you wanted to stop the argument but I feel like he needed something other than just staying pent up."
"Yeah… I just didn't want to bring anymore negativity than was already present," Jaune said.
"Even if it was negative, it was still necessary," Tsukuyomi said.
"Guys, I'm sorry."
Everyone turned and soon noticed that Oscar had rolled over onto his side on the top bunk to address everyone.
"There's no need to apologize," Tsukuyomi said.
"I just feel like I need to," Oscar sighed, "I was completely caught off guard and nearly taken to Salem… and you all risked life and limb just for me."
"Of course we did," Geiz said, "You're our friend."
"Besides, none of us knew about that Grimm," Yang pointed out as she worked on fixing up the hoverbike parts, "Still… just what was that thing?"
"I'm unsure," Tsukuyomi shook her head, "It's completely unprecedented from what records I've viewed of your world."
"Does Oz have any clue?" Jaune asked.
'Unfortunately I'm as in the dark as you are,' Ozpin admitted, 'Whatever that thing was, it's unlike anything Salem has ever created.'
"He doesn't know either," Oscar shook his head.
"For now everyone should get their rest if they can, we'll take turns and keep watch," Geiz said as he stood up and stretched.
"I'll go talk to Ren," Tsukuyomi stood up and freed the bottom bunk, "Maybe see if I can get him to come inside."
"Good luck," Yang said, "Make sure he doesn't brood himself to death out in the cold."
"You should get some sleep," Geiz turned towards Jaune, already noticing how tired the team leader was.
"Sounds like a good idea," Jaune yawned a bit before sitting on the bottom bunk.
Remnant – Atlas, Schnee Manor
While Ruby and Blake had decided to go and help Weiss with treating Nora, Sougo had admittedly decided to wander around the manor by himself. Since there was no one around, at least he assumed there wasn't, he was able to take in the place Weiss grew up in.
"This place is pretty big…" Sougo muttered as he looked around. He admittedly was also hoping he'd run into Whitley since he did feel the need to get to know Weiss' family some more. As he began to turn the corner he felt an odd sensation, as if he was being watched. He shrugged it off before continuing to walk around.
"Excuse me."
"Huh?" Sougo turned to see Willow peeking out of one of the doors before partially stepping out. Upon getting a closer look at her he realized who she was, "Oh, hello there. Sorry about barging in all of a sudden, but Weiss said this was a good place to bring her friend. And I just felt like taking a look around."
"I see…" Willow said as she stayed where she was. She just stared at Sougo for a bit since she felt something odd about the young man. She wasn't sure what it was but there was a very reserved aura and presence to him, "So I take it you're one of Weiss' friends?"
"I… uh… yes ma'am, I am," Sougo gave a nod as he looked away and gave a light blush, it admittedly being a bit harder to talk to who he assumed was Weiss' mom.
Willow raised an eyebrow but seemingly didn't question it, "Well please make yourselves comfortable. I won't be getting in your way."
"Of course, thank you," Sougo gave a bow before he heard the door shut. He gave a sigh of relief as he straightened up before holding his chest, "Jeez… that was nerve-racking…"
"My Overlord..."
"Gah!" Sougo gave a yelp as he turned all of a sudden and backed away, he gave a sigh of relief as it was just Woz, "Woz, don't scare me like that…"
"Apologies," Woz said as he bowed, "I've come to let you know that we're finishing preparations on our end."
"Oh that's good, Yang's Team got a bit sidetracked but our Team managed to get the preparations for Amity complete," Sougo said before putting a hand to his chin in thought.
Woz raised an eyebrow, "My Overlord?"
"Woz, I need you to head to Amity," Sougo said, "Make sure Penny makes it out alright. We had a run in with the Ace-Ops during our mission and they were targeting Penny. Not to mention Ironwood is likely working with the Time Jackers."
"Very well, I'll be off immediately then," Woz said as he unfurled his scarf, it wrapping around him like a tornado before he vanished.
"Now then," Sougo said as he decided to head back so he could see where Weiss' room was, figuring he was away for enough time already.
It didn't take long for him to turn the corner and see Ruby looking around for him.
"Ah, Sougo," Ruby said as she hurried over, "We got a bit worried when you hadn't followed after us so I came to find you."
"Oh, sorry about that," Sougo said, "I just wanted to see more of the manor since I didn't get to join you all for the party."
"Its fine," Ruby waved it off before sighing, "Sougo…"
"Huh, what's wrong?" Sougo asked.
"You were very serious back at the military compound," Ruby replied, "What did you see when you used Zi-O II's Future Sight?"
"Oh," Sougo said as he remembered how rashly he acted before frowning, "Ruby… they were going to do something awful to her I know it."
"Sougo," Ruby grew more concerned, "What did you see?"
"They'd split up and try to distract us all," Sougo explained, "But the key point was when Penny would try to attack Harriet, she'd use that chance to take one of Floating Array's swords."
"What?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah," Sougo gave a nod, "And I remember Pietro and Penny both mentioning how they were remotely linked to her so that she could control them. And given they had Watts in custody and he's the one who hacked Beacon and Mantle…"
"Oh no," Ruby put her hands over her mouth, "Do you really think…?"
"That General Ironwood would go that far?" Sougo asked before he gave a nod, "Of course he would… he never saw Penny as anything other than a soldier, at worst a tool. So that's why I made sure to get us out of there as soon as possible, I couldn't take the risk."
"I see," Ruby said before sighing in relief, "Then I guess it's a good thing she's at Amity."
"Admittedly… I also don't agree with that part," Sougo added as he went to pace around, "As much as making sure Penny is safe is a good thing… we need to stop forcing her into one path and let her choose for herself."
"I know we do," Ruby sighed further as she looked at the ground, gripping her fists as she shut her eyes as tight as she could, "I know I should have argued with Pietro but… it really is the safest option, I just… I don't want to lose her again."
"I know you don't," Sougo said as he walked over before putting a hand on Ruby's shoulder, "We'll make sure nothing happens to her, alright?"
"Right…" Ruby opened her eyes and gave a nod, her posture loosening up.
Remnant – Solitas Outpost
"You know you're going to catch a cold out here," Tsukuyomi said as she approached Ren who was sitting underneath a light post that was next to the building.
"I'm fine," Ren insisted as he turned away partially.
"Fine, we'll catch a cold together," Tsukuyomi said as she sat near Ren but far enough away to respect his personal space, "You know, I know how you feel."
"Sure you do," Ren said with a sarcastic bite to his words.
"You want to save your world, but you're frustrated by your current power," Tsukuyomi said, recalling the words she had heard back when she was in a similar slump, "Especially when standing next to us Riders who seem to make things much easier."
"Maybe…" Ren muttered, not wanting to drop his wall but realizing that Tsukuyomi hit the nail right on the head, "Okay, so what if that's true?"
"I was like you once," Tsukuyomi admitted, "This was before Brunswick, when all I had was my Faizphone X and some hope that the future would turn out okay."
Ren glanced back in surprise, "How… how did you deal with it?"
"I had an ally to help show me the way," Tsukuyomi admitted with a small smile, "He wasn't always a Kamen Rider, same with me. Even so we tried our best to support the Riders we were allied with, and eventually we became Riders ourselves."
"I see…" Ren trailed.
"But you shouldn't strive to be a Kamen Rider," Tsukuyomi said, "Even we Riders have our own share of difficulties, and even though we are strong we can't do everything alone. That's why we chose to call for help, because this situation is bigger than what even Team Zi-O can handle."
"Really…?" Ren asked in surprise, "I figured with how long you spent on Earth and how you all have grown that you wouldn't have any issues handling this stuff."
"Trust me, we're winging it just as hard as everyone else is at the moment," Tsukuyomi chuckled, "Regardless, the best thing you can do is continue to support everyone, be it in battle, gathering information, or just being there to listen. It doesn't matter what you're capable of doing, what's important is what you choose to do."
"I see…" Ren trailed as he closed his eyes and held out a hand, a snow flake dropping down on his hand, "Thanks… Tsukuyomi…"
Tsukuyomi could only give a smile as her words seemed to have at least gotten through somewhat if he was thanking her.
Watching from the front of the building was Geiz who was handing Yang some tools as she worked on fixing up the first of the two hoverbikes.
"So how's it looking?" Yang asked.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Geiz asked.
"Well hey, look at you cracking a joke," Yang chuckled, "You know what I mean."
"Yeah I know," Geiz smirked, "Looks like Tsukuyomi's getting through to him."
"That's good to hear," Yang said as she continued to work, "So…"
"How are you doing?" Geiz asked.
Yang continued to work, "If you're worried about me getting tired-"
"I'm talking about who showed up not even 24 hours ago," Geiz said, cutting straight to the chase, "I'm sure it's a lot to take in."
"That's… an understatement," Yang admitted with a sigh as she slowed down in her work, "It's… it's hard to accept, you know? Why did she do it? Why show up now? What's her relation to Decade…?"
"And if you found out the answers to all those questions?" Geiz asked.
"Doubt they'd help to be honest," Yang admitted, "I went most of my life thinking she was dead while my first mom abandoned our family… there's one important question I want answered and it's not any of the ones I listed."
"I see," Geiz said.
"Mind handing me a few bolts?" Yang asked.
"Sure thing," Geiz said as he looked in the bag he was holding before finding a few bolts to hand Yang.
Remnant – Atlas, Schnee Manor
"I hate that this is all we can do," Weiss sighed as she looked over Nora's current state.
They had to undress Nora and bandage her up in order to try and treat her as best as they could since the scars had ended up causing some bleeding. While Weiss using Recovery worked to stop the bleeding for a bit, they had to keep her mostly wrapped up. After helping with Nora, May had decided to just wander around the halls of the Manor while keeping an eye out through any windows she passed just to make sure no one was trying to ambush them.
"They listed some doctor Riders while they were making their list, right?" Blake asked.
"Yeah," Weiss said, "But the question is if someone from Earth would be skilled enough to treat damage from a Semblance being overloaded."
"That is true…" Blake sighed before wanting to distract them briefly and noticed something about her friend, "You seem more relaxed than usual."
"I do?" Weiss asked before looking away, "I guess… I am. I mean, this place holds a lot of memories… plenty of unpleasant ones too. And yet, I don't feel overwhelmed like I was at the party, it's weird."
"Really…?" Blake asked in surprise, before trying to figure out why, "Is it because the man you despise is finally no longer here?"
"Maybe…" Weiss trailed as she tried to figure out why before her thoughts went back to when they first arrived. That's when it hit her, "Sougo wasn't here before…"
"What?" Blake blinked a few times.
"Sougo wasn't with us at the banquet," Weiss explained as she had a look of realization on her face, "I'm not sure why, but for some reason him asking me if I was alright earlier made me feel better."
"Hmm…" Blake gave a thoughtful look before giving a smirk, though she decided to stay silent.
"What?" Weiss asked before noticing Blake's smirk, "What's with that look?"
"Oh, nothing," Blake said as she looked away, "You'll realize it eventually."
"Right…" Weiss rolled her eyes.
"How's Nora?" Ruby asked as she entered with Sougo.
"Doing as well as she can," Weiss said, "We need to look into finding someone on Remnant who can look at her though. This damage is beyond what I can use Recovery Camel for."
"That's going to be the hard part," Ruby admitted.
"I think Robyn knows a doctor," Sougo said as he recalled Doctor Mikado, "But I'm not sure if she's recovered enough from the incident to do work. Or if she's busy tending to everyone in the Crater."
"Yeah, we wouldn't want to pull away resources like that," Blake agreed, "At least for now."
"So what do we do?" Weiss asked.
"That… I'm not sure," Ruby admitted, "For now let's watch Nora's condition and if we're lucky we'll be seeing Amity launch tonight."
The group then heard a strange hum outside the hall, the familiar sight of an Aurora Curtain appearing in the doorway as Summer walked out and into the room.
"You're back already?" Ruby asked in surprise.
"Oh right," Sougo remembered, "Woz said they were nearly done, so I guess they're slowly starting to come back."
"We would have come back all together, but there are some things that came up, which meant that I needed to come back earlier than most," Summer admitted as she stepped forward and took a deep breath before speaking, "I think it's time you learned the story of how I got involved with Tsukasa."
"Wait," Ruby said in near disbelief, "Really?"
"Remember that long story I told you about when we finally had a moment to ourselves?" Summer asked, "I was debating on how I'd present it but thanks to a couple of your friends I was able to figure out how."
"Wait, a couple of my friends?" Ruby asked.
"Hey there Ruby," A familiar voice called out as from around the corner of the doorframe, Philip emerged, his usual book in his hand as he gave a wave.
Ruby and Sougo's eyes widened, "Philip?!"
"What are you doing here?" Ruby asked before looking at her mom, "I thought I told you not to bother any of the Futo Riders. I didn't want to pull them away from their city."
"Well… I tried to honor your request…" Summer admitted with a nervous smile as she scratched her cheek, "But he and his partner insisted they come along after basically stopping us in our tracks. And given what Philip managed to put together, I decided to accept their help."
"What are you talking about?" Sougo asked.
"Color me curious," Blake said as something wasn't adding up, "What exactly does one half of W have to do with your involvement with Tsukasa?"
"Yeah," Weiss agreed.
"Ruby," Philip spoke up before giving a bow, "I'm sorry."
"Okay, this is getting weirder," Ruby admitted as she tilted her head, "Do I want to ask why?"
"I lied about not being able to look up anything about you," Philip admitted, "I didn't want to get your hopes up but that was because even I was stuck at the time."
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.
"The key words all pointed towards a singular book named Rose," Philip said as he held a finger up, "But I was unable to access it, it was shut tight… until a couple of days ago."
"Wait a couple of days ago…" Ruby trailed before realizing something, "Did us coming to Remnant again do something to the Gaia Library?"
"Supposedly," Philip said as he began to pace around, "I was now able to access the Rose Book and as a result open up a new section of the Gaia Library that is now connected to Remnant."
"He was trying to find you but instead found Tsukasa and I," Summer explained, "Mostly because he managed to come up with a device to show you how Earth and Remnant were truly connected."
"How they're truly connected…?" Ruby asked.
"Indeed," Philip explained before holding out a black boxy wristwatch like device, it being cobbled together and based on the wristwatch spider themed device Shotaro would use, the Spider Shock, "This will be one of our components."
"Wait, what?" Ruby asked as she stared at the device curiously.
"I was able to craft artificial replica of the Memory Gaia Memory," Philip continued as he brought out a Giji Memory that was labeled M with small lettering that had 'Memory' written near it, "Utilizing these devices we will access the Rose book alongside Summer's memories and show you her past."
"Whoa…" Sougo trailed, "So we're like, uncovering something big now, huh?"
"Hold on," Ruby said as she pulled her Faizphone X out and dialed Geiz's, "Yang should hear this too."
"Hello?" Geiz asked once he answered.
"Oh thank goodness Geiz," Ruby sighed in relief as she had hoped they weren't asleep yet, "Is Yang there? I think we're finally going to get answers from my mom, and I want her to listen to this too."
"Hold on," Geiz said as she could barely hear what was being said, a lot of whispering being heard that couldn't be picked up, "She's still got some work to do on the bikes, she said there's only one question she wants answered but she needs to ask Summer herself."
"I see…" Ruby gave a nod as she already figured what her sister wanted to ask, "Alright."
"She also said that given this is likely Rider stuff, you're the one who should hear it not her," Geiz added.
"Alright, stay safe then," Ruby said before hanging up.
"Do you need me to pick her up?" Summer asked.
"No, she's resting for now," Ruby said, deciding to cover for her sister, "They ran into a crazy weird Grimm and it took a lot out of them to keep Oscar and Oz from falling into Salem's clutches."
"That's a bit concerning though I'm glad they're alright," Summer said, "If I don't have to get her then we can begin."
"Very well," Philip said as he held out both devices.
Summer took the wrist device and locked it in place, soon holding up the Giji Memory.
[MEMORY!]
She slotted it into the wrist device as Philip place a hand on her shoulder, a light shining from underneath him as he entered the pose he normally would while accessing the Gaia Library. Soon enough, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Sougo were all consumed by a bright light.
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"Looking back, I took up this seemingly standard mission without knowing of the ordeals ahead of me. Nor was I aware of the man who'd change my life forever. But that day… that was the day I learned of otherworldly warriors who fought for others behind masks."
Chapter 84 – Rose of Remnant (I)
Author's Note: We continue into V8 with another major change going forward with that being Oscar not getting taken to Salem. There were enough factors to keep Oscar out of Salem's hands and while the kidnapping did start, it couldn't be completed. Of course we've got some more original scenes as well as some other scenes from Episode 4 in here. With of course a bit of a detour…
Considering the downtime by both Ruby and Yang's teams, I figured this would be a good chance for Ruby to learn about her predecessor. That's right everyone, we're turning back the pendulum as we get into a set of chapters I've been looking forward to busting out ever since Summer being alive was a concept. Also just to hammer home how different our territory is, we've got a slight difference in how titles work and the Next Time segments are also going to be different for this mini-arc of sorts within the saga.
With all of that said, once again thanks for reading and I'll see you next time as we start the first part of the Rose of Remnant flashback arc.