"Where are we going?" Pebble asked.

"To meet with a few friends of mine."

Unfortunately that was the best way Ruby could really put it. Given that the tribes were... lest than courteous to Humans she had no real option to ensure a safe chat. Pebble was a Faunus, and as bad as it made her feel to use him the chances of a hostile meeting were lowered with his presence, if only slightly.

The little boy held her hand tightly, and Ruby took what comfort she could from the familiar feeling.

She'd left to retrieve the boy after her little 'chat' with Prim, who fondly enough allowed her to keep using the nickname. Dove Phoenix was the queen of Halvali, but 'Prim' was the lighthearted pirate with a taste for adventure. The woman had offered her aid in meeting with the tribes, in hopes that their recognition of her would allow positive feedback, but Ruby declined. Sure she wanted to make things easier, but Prim was a queen now, and most of all her people needed her, for the little time they had her anyway. The Phoenix name would be lost to history along with the entire age, and if what the previous crown owner said was true, so was the queen's life as well.

Ruby could only hope the message she gave would survive up to it's needed time, and hopefully contribute to something.

The desert sands were harsh, and the heat sure wasn't helping, but the winds, though shifting the blinding sands were a decent breeze of cool air, and Ruby took comfort in that minor gift. Each step tried her patience and strength, and at some points bits of sand would sneak into her boots, although the woman was far from bothered by the irritation. Ruby was more focused on keeping an eye on the dunes, because if what Prim said was true then several of them were burying stone caverns.

"The stone flag marks the way." Those words alone weren't the most helpful, but it was all Prim remembered from her childhood, and so it would have to do.

"Ruby?" Pebble tugged at her cloak; something she was glad to have back after returning to the ship for Pebble.

"Yes?" She asked, only for the boy to begin pointing. She steadied her gaze and picked him up. "Right. Lead the way."

Pebble it seemed had picked up on some aura, and considering they were wandering in the supposed direction of the tribes - according to rumors - then it meant they might have just found their way. They had walked for not a minute before Ruby spotted it, a small chunk of stone. Narrow at the base with a prodded end up top. It looked to be carved from a chunk of fallen earth, but considering it's size and unnatural shape Ruby assumed this was their 'flag' showing itself.

We're close. Ruby picked up the pace as the storm seemed to sense their heightened focus. The winds grew bolder, and as the storm picked up Ruby managed to catch sight of what looked like a drop.

Walking closer Ruby noted how the desert seemed to sink into a whirlpool, and Ruby debated whether it was their 'hideout' or not. However there was really nothing to lose with a quick look, and with... honestly a minor touch of hesitation to be truthful, she leapt into the pit. As her feet touched down on the sands it spread to make way, and the loose foothold spread as gravity took control and pulled her deep below.

Ruby internally compared it to skiing, albeit less snow - and much less Weiss showing off at her side.

Of course the image of a cocky Weiss faded as the center quickly approached. Ruby readied herself and slid to a stop, and at the very center of the seemingly dip in desert she noticed how strange the ground felt.

Maybe. The mature woman opted to return her passenger to the ground as she studied the dirt at her feet. Just something about it made her feel perplexed. Ruby had been walking her fair share of desert for more than enough time now to tell when something was wrong. The sand, it felt abnormally... solid in this particular spot of land.

She kneeled down and reached into the ever-shifting dry waters of the sand sea, and would you know it her fingers caught hold of something solid hidden below.

How do you forget an underground hatch Prim?

Ruby cut the woman a small bit of slack on a second thought, as she had been with her mother upon the first visit. Ruby's eyes glanced back to Pebble on that thought of the first queen, and the memory of what she would do to her daughter weighed on Ruby's mind. For an instant she imagined their places swapped, but even if it was only a second the thought of offering Pebble as some sort of 'cattle' boiled the motherly woman's blood. No matter how desperate she was Ruby could never imagine a scenario in which she traded family for any sort of reason; even the world was worth less in her eyes.

After all, her family and friends were the reason she rebelled against time itself.

Ruby threw aside her reminiscing for the moment, and her fingers soon found what felt like a handle. The grip was solid, and considering the odd shape she assumed it was their entrance to the Faunus tribes hideout. She had no evidence to support the idea, but nobody was around to call her foolish if it was just a rock she grabbed, so she decided to bank on the hopes she was right.

Years of experience proved themselves once again, and with the pull the stone hatch was lifted.

No ladder... of course there's no ladder. Ruby sought the Faunus tribes after all, and they often made use of the land itself to live. looking closer she noticed the hatch itself was more of an uneven hole in the sand, and the door but a flat chunk of sandstone. Clearly they made no manual changes to the desert, and instead made use of what was around. Honestly I won't be surprised if they just found this hole in the ground and called it home.

Whatever the reason Ruby took her first step down, her boot catching part of the rough stone wall. She looked up and waved Pebble towards her, to which the small boy obliged. Ruby took him on her back, and as he clung tight she started her descent downwards. The wall was jagged and covered in cracks, but overall solid. Unlike the sands above the makeshift ladder was apparently stable enough for the two of them, and after some time they touched down into some... water?

Huh? Pebble tried to slip down, but Ruby stopped him. The young Faunus made a small confused hum, but otherwise stayed put. Water underground wasn't entirely uncommon, but a little strange for the desert. However there was a solid chance the liquid was hand placed, and was usually common for tribes that make caves their home. But if this was their water then why was it positioned right at the bottom of the entrance? The splash from touching down would - and had - muddy the water. Certainly drinking water would be kept somewhere safe, meaning that the current puddle must have had another reason.

That thought alone made it clear.

Oh for Dust's sake. Ruby held in a sigh as the air shuffled around them. The echoes of the splash had fulfilled it's purpose it seemed, and the two were surrounded by pointed weapons of all kind; primitive, but still deadly.

I never catch a break.

.

.

"So..." Yang started, a cold sweat running down her back. "Do you... always choose little boys?"

I could see the way everyone shot their looks to her, their displeasure at the wording, and after a second she seemed to realize what was spoken.

"No no wait! I didn't mean it like that!"

Oscar, or as I had recently learned Ozpin, merely chuckled at that. "Not in most cases. I rarely get a choice in who I am reborn into."

"Oh..." Yang scratched at the back of her neck, still visibly uncomfortable. "R-right. I guess that would explain why you weren't in someone more... 'suitable' for your line of work."

"Great deduction Yang" Sarcasm flowed naturally from Weiss's tongue, and for some reason it suited her well, even with her more noble wear. Her focus switched back to the headmaster. "So how many times has this happened before? You seem to treat this rather casually for something so, and pardon manners, nonsensical."

"As strange as it may seem this is a more common occurrence than you might believe." Ozpin told as he leaned away from the cane between his knees, reclining in the chair as he continued. "At the end of every host's life my soul searches for a new host, and while they may differ in all manner of physical ways their mindset is always similar to that of mine."

"Still kind of weird teach." Yang commented. "You saying it's possible for you to live hundreds of lives with the whole 'parasite soul' thing?"

"Can, have, and will continue to do so." Yang's face lost a little colour at that, but regardless he continued. "While I cannot disclose everything about the process, I can at the very least tell you it is related to our... 'mutual' foe. One I've recently learned has been spoken of without my knowledge."

Qrow seemed to bite back a snarl. "Come on Oz. Kids are targets now, and with V back they're in more danger than ever. They needed to know, not only for their safety, but ours too." He crossed his arms. "What would have happened if Salem's goons asked any of them about us, or tried to go for squirt over there." I followed his eyes, only to see them land on Ruby. "They've known about her since the festival, and if I were to guess even sooner than that."

"Calm down Qrow. I'm not blaming you for anything, just bringing up the topic." Ozpin smiled through Oscar's face, which was weird now that I thought of it. "We would have needed to fill them in anyway, what with their natural habit of chasing trouble. You doing so before hand simply makes the process of obtaining their aid quicker."

Ruby put on a perplexed face. "Help? What do you-" She stopped herself, having seemed to catch on. "Right... Salem."

"Great." Yang whined. "Now that's another can of worms."

"Not helping Xiao Long." Weiss spoke from her side.

Salem, the queen I needed to save. I noticed immediately when he first started 'explaining' that half of it was lies. He made the queen out to be a beast of chaos, which had existed since time immemorial. He had forgone telling of Mobius, or the princesses, or really anything back during the time of his direct rule. Part of me at first wondered why, and then I watched as they reacted. Magic alone had been enough of a shock for them, and speaking of complex subjects such as living divines and the like would have been far too much. As heavily as I wanted them to know the truth it would seem they weren't ready for it yet, and with that in mind I decided to wait for the moment when they were.

I chanced a look to Blake, only to see a cross expression. "Headmaster, can I ask something?"

"Go ahead miss Belladonna."

"Ruby's uncle asked what you'd do if Salem's people tried going after Ruby. What did he mean by that; why would they go after Ruby specifically?"

"Ah" Qrow snapped his fingers. "Knew I was forgetting something."

"Excuse me?" Blake tried, only for Ruby to place a hand over hers.

"They already tried to take me and Pyrrha."

"Pyrrha and I." Weiss spoke, only to receive several looks. She gave off a sheepish expression. "Sorry, force of habit."

Yang grumbled as she looked over to Blake. "She's right though. Crazy guy calling himself Tyrian already challenged us and lost. But that does raise a question." She faced her uncle. "I get why Salem would want Pyre, with regards to V and all, but why does she want Rubes?"

"It would seem Qrow has not told you everything there is to know." Ozpin faced the man. "Would you care to do the honors?"

Qrow sighed. "Fine." He looked over everyone. "Have any of you heard the stories of the silver-eyed warriors?"

Everyone looked between themselves, and surprisingly enough everybody looked about in confusion. I wondered how none of them had ever heard about one of the most loved and worshiped breed of champion, that was until I remembered I was over a thousand years in the future. So with a little bit of thinking I raised my hand, and Qrow looked to me.

I cleared my throat before speaking. "Stories tell of how they can slay Grimm with nothing but a glance. They are held in high regards throughout all legends, and are rare as gold. Supposedly they hold the source of Humanities light.

Qrow smirked. "Damn near perfect, minus the little 'Humanities light' bit."

"Hold on." Yang interrupted. "You saying Rubes can kill Grimm by looking at them!"

"Wha~" Ruby let out in plain confusion, appearing stalled on the idea.

Ren saw fit to add his piece to the pile. "It does sound a little bit... fantastical."

Qrow blanked. "And killing literal darkness with the power of the soul is normal." He crossed his arms again. "Face it kids, life is equally as weird as it is chaotic."

"Aura is one thing." Weiss started. "It's been documented and studied for years. It has rules, limits, while magic has none to speak of. Crazy to believe or not I hope you'll forgive the small bit of skepticism towards a practice only ever spoke of in fiction."

"Now settle down children." Ozpin's voice - though said through Oscar - had a commanding effect, and everyone slowed. While still clearly agitated they returned to a more peaceful demeanor as they focused on the headmaster, and I was once again reminded of his relaxed way of handling things. "While this may all seem fairly strange and unbelievable to you, I assure you it is all true. Salem is an enemy I've fought back when the knowledge of magic was common, back when there were those able to harness it."

Everyone's eyes widened, and I noticed a particular level of shock from Blake as she spoke up.

"Are you saying people were capable of using magic?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I am, and that is what leads us to where we are now. Considering how... 'surprised' you were by the reveal I suppose it's safe to assume Pyrrha never told you of our 'private chat' from back at Beacon?"

Everyone looked to Pyrrha, who took on a somber mood.

"The maidens." She sighed. "So that's what you meant."

"I apologise if the wording back then wasn't clear."

"No, it wasn't." Pyrrha told. "I just assumed the 'transfer' was how her semblance worked. I thought I was taking it to keep it from the attackers hands, because it was powerful and the attacker had already taken a portion. I admit it sounded like magic, but i was... 'conflicted' on that idea."

"Transferring her aura was the plan, but what's done is done." Ozpin tapped his cane on the ground, gathering everyone's eyes as he spoke. "Regardless of how things turned out it matters little with how we continue onwards. Salem has made an outward attack on Humanity, and what's worse is she's revealed her knowledge of the Vaults."

"Vaults?" Jaune of all people asked. He had remained silent the whole talk, having stayed at Pyrrha's side the whole time, much closer than I remembered him being from back at Beacon.

"Special places designed to hide the relics." Qrow said from the corner. "Kept locked by the maidens themselves."

"Huh?" Jaune let out as Qrow narrowed his look.

"Basically it means that each maiden is locked to a door. Four maidens, four vaults, four relics. This means only four people in the entire world can access the relics, and even then they'd need to know of the vaults to begin with."

Yang cringed slightly. "That's a... strangely impossible level of security."

"That was precisely the point. These relics are incredibly dangerous, and were never meant to see the light of day again. However Salem has figured out their general locations, and obtained knowledge of how to open them, thus we need to secure them."

"And how do we do that?" Yang countered. "She knows where they are, how to open them, and what they hide. Sounds like a losing game to try and stop it, especially if we're dealing with literal magic."

"Correct on most fronts, but believe it or not it's rather simple. All we need to do is place this relic here in one of the other vaults, and then locate a maiden. Once the maiden is found we ensure her secrecy and have her keep the magic under wraps. Considering how similar magic is to semblances and Dust it's quite easy to disguise one as the other."

Realization hit me. "Salem will never be able to locate the maiden."

"Yes, although it is only a temporary solution. Once a maiden dies the last woman in their mind will inherit the power, no matter how far they may be. We cannot guarantee they will keep the power hidden."

Yang sighed. "And there's the caveat." Her brow twitched. "Why is that even a thing anyway? It's kind of... weird. More importantly if the maidens are the only keys to the vault then why not try trapping Salem inside, that way she can never escape?"

"Most assume it's to keep the power from being lost forever, and to keep it from being easily tracked. As for Salem; her power is much greater than that of the vault. It would take time, but Salem would eventually escape. The maidens are only the easy way into the vaults, and Salem quite enjoys these games of hers, which is why she seeks the maidens, and why we need to find them first."

"Well there goes that idea, and now it just so happens we need to track the impossible to find maidens first." Yang spit out sideways with a huff.

"Like the relics the maidens were never supposed to be tracked or controlled. The fact that we need to go against that is unfortunate, but even so if it were so easy then our enemy would have collected both the relics and maidens by now."

"I suppose." Yang didn't sound so sure, but her sister patted her side.

"Think on the bright side Yang. At least we don't have to worry about Salem getting ahead of us."

"And how's that Ruby?" Questioned Yang, only for Ruby to look over at Ozpin again.

"Headmaster, have you ever found the maidens? You talk like it's easy to do so."

"Not easy per say, but it helps to have the influence and connections I once had. A maiden is currently being monitored and cared for in Atlas, hence why I suggest we set the kingdom as our next destination. We can both secure the maiden and the relic. James Ironwood will also be there, no doubt forging a plan of defence for Atlas."

I felt the need to question this next part. "And why is that? Atlas seemed perfectly capable of defending themselves back at Beacon."

"Capability has nothing to do with it. Back at Beacon Atlas had it's equipment hacked, and considering how security ridden they are with their technology I'm sure they've come to the same theory Qrow and I held when everything happened; treachery."

Qrow continued on for Ozpin with a tired demeanor. "Cut of it is that Jimmy thinks the hacker may have been an insider. Nobody knows Atlas code better than the programmers who write with it, especially government level security. He was paranoid back when the CCT was first attacked, but when the whole 'hacking' thing tore throughout the fight against the White Fang I'm certain he suspected someone from the inside."

Jaune raised his hand, and Qrow nodded his way. "What do we do about that? Nobody's heard anything about Atlas since the fall of Beacon. Even with the network down shouldn't somebody have spread news or even Rumors?"

"Right you are kiddo." Qrow gave as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "Rumors from travelers should be blazing like wildfires, but strangely they haven't. I'll let you kids guess this one, try to think of why nobody would hear a word about what's going on in Atlas."

Everyone paused to think on it, however I felt something off about the question. His wording was... fairly strange all things considered. Qrow usually dispensed info directly, but for some reason his last statement felt a little long. Something about it felt hazy, like it was trying to throw something off. Regardless I thought on it, my mind coming up with all sorts of reasons why nobody from Atlas would talk. Maybe things were silent, or perhaps they held too much pride as to report on any weakness; I know several nobles back home who shared that last sentiment.

Jaune tried first. "They're scared nobody would believe they were hacked, I mean it was a pretty crazy fight."

"That's not wrong." Ren added. "I'm certain within all the chaos many people had lost their families..." He seemed to hollow at that, only for Nora to cover his hand with hers. Ren looked to snap free with that. "That's enough to keep anyone silently mourning for a while."

"Good guess, but not quite." Qrow looked over them. "Anyone else?"

Weiss made the second attempt. "Guilt." A look of disgust crossed her features. "Most nobility of Atlas are stuck-up snobs, and the very thought of sullying their pristine reputation is enough to make them gag. They'd rather throw away their own family members than risk disgrace. They're probably keeping quiet to avoid admitting that Atlas isn't perfect."

Qrow smirked. "Smart guess; good to know you understand your kingdom so thoroughly." He crossed his arms. "But wrong again. Any third takers?"

Ruby raised her hand, albeit warily.

"Yeah Ruby?" Qrow tried, with more of a curious look than anything.

"What if they can't?" Ruby questioned, which presented her with off looks from everyone. "I-I mean what if they can't tell anybody?"

Qrow was about to speak when Ozpin stopped him with his cane, to which he then proceeded to focus on the girl.

"Would you care to elaborate, miss Rose?"

"Well..." Ruby twiddled with her thumbs. "I was thinking about how uncle Qrow said general Ironwood was worried about hackers 'inside' Atlas, and so I wondered about how he might handle that." Her eyes and face appeared to focus more and some nervousness washed away. "I mean, think about how you would handle it. If I had something stolen, something secret that only I, and the people I told knew about, then I'd assume it was one of them. But it's easy for me because I only have a small group of friends I share things with, while the general probably has lots of soldiers and allies in other places. Finding one traitor in a group of maybe a hundred is hard, especially if they're wandering all across remnant. So... I wondered if he would try to limit that search to only Atlas, like how I used to limit my searches for lost things to where I last saw them."

Weiss's eyes lit up. "That's brilliant Ruby! The general already has a seat on the council of Atlas, and after an event as big as Vale he may have been given more sway in decision making, considering he's the leader of the Atlas army and headmaster of it's huntsmen academy."

"So what?" Yang waivered with a cross face. "You saying he locked down the whole kingdom?"

"Bingo." Qrow smirked, and Yang blanked.

"Wait really?"

"Yep." He looked over to Ruby. "Nice job deducing that kiddo." Ruby blushed and at the praise, and internally I smiled. Qrow set himself as the focus again as he spoke. "While recent rumors may be scarce, I managed to actually get this info from the lady I spoke with while you kiddos were getting into trouble."

"The 'deal' with your lady?" Yang smirked, and Qrow wore a conflictedly sour look.

"Yes." He breathed out. "The deal. Look, that woman had a relative in Atlas who managed to get a single letter out to her before the 'lockdown' as it's called. Short of it is Atlas has closed down all trade and transportation for an undisclosed time, but knowing Jimmy that's just the surface level story."

"Darn." Jaune's mood dropped. "So how are we getting to Atlas then?"

"We may worry about that after we reach a point to travel there." Ozpin interrupted, quieting everyone down as he talked. "Our current location isn't exactly suited for direct travel. Most travel routes are cut short due to the global shortage of Dust already, meaning we'll have to get closer before we can make a direct trip to Atlas."

"More walking?" Pyrrha asked with a look of annoyance. "Our last hiking trip wasn't so peaceful."

"Luckily for us that we won't be walking." The headmaster looked over to Qrow. "Perhaps Qrow should break the news, he's the one who travels most after all."

"Like Oz said we won't be walking, especially with what happened with Tyrian." He shuddered, and I wondered who 'Tyrian' was, but pushed it back as he continued. "There's a train leaving for Argus tomorrow morning, we'll be taking it."

"Argus." Blake mumbled before she looked up. "Isn't that a port town?"

"Correction, it is the port town." Qrow said as he crossed his arms and carried on. "Argus is the central trading hub between both here and the continent of Solitas, so basically it's where Atlas greets everyone with the new stuff. However unlike here in Anima, Solitas is freezing cold, and has little to offer other than their new tech, which as I'm sure you know is top notch."

"It had to be." Weiss chimed in. "The place is a frozen wasteland below Atlas. The city of Mantle lives in Atlas's shadow."

"Well a floating island will do that to you." Yang quipped, but quickly shut it as Weiss sent a glare.

"Alright kids, no fighting." Qrow stepped in. "We rise early tomorrow, so let's just get some rest. We can do the whole 'catching up' thing on the train."

"Fine." Yang said as she stood, hands on her hips as she sent a hard look herself. "But I need to ask one thing."

"Shoot."

"Can you just tell us what's really going on, and cut out all this secrecy?" Her eyes hardened. "Since we joined Beacon it's been one punch to the gut after another. Before I head into any more crazy conspiracy garbage I want to know everything beforehand. No more mysteries, and no more hiding. We're all together now, so we should share what we know, okay?"

Qrow looked to be ready to talk back when Ozpin once again interrupted him.

"Very well. It will take a while, but I will do my best to get you all up to speed. Sound fair?"

"Yeah."

"Well then, let us call this discussion finished for tonight. I shall see you all tomorrow." With that Oscar looked to freeze for a second, before frantically taking breaths. He calmed himself for a second, and with everyone's eyes on him he mumbled out his words.

"So, uh... how's it going?"

Sun leaned back. "Pretty chill."

"That's cool."

I sighed internally, as I knew this would take some getting used to.

Author's note

...

Once again things are going... not quite as planned for everyone, myself included as a matter of fact.

Sorry if the editing on this chapter is a little off, I'm currently sick, and my eyes tend to wander as I try to stay awake.

Anyway this time we had a smaller section with future Ruby, mostly due to her massive role in the last chapter. She's moving too fast for the plot, and I have nobody but myself to blame. Pacing is again not my strong suit, but at least the V and the gang are all back together.

Many of you know the events coming up, and believe it or no this is where a lot of the more major events for the story were planned and built up to, so be ready for one hell of a ride as everything comes to. Get ready for the coming arc, as three of four major events are coming, events planned since the story even began, and now in motion with everything that has transpired.

Feel free to leave a review, or point out your gripes with the plot, anything at all really.

Catch you next time.