I watched, suitably befuddled as Robyn crept over to the corner. Everything had, much to my shock, gone perfectly as planned; something I honestly didn't expect.
The stupidly simple idea began its life as we followed the target. Through a series of twists and turns, they eventually pulled off onto a side-road tucked between two buildings in a rundown looking part of the city. We kept to the shadows of course, and watched curiously as they met with a woman.
She'd been well-dressed, with not a wrinkle to be found anywhere on her person - both clothing and skin. She'd spoken with the pair of uniformed men, writing away at her clip-board for around fifteen minutes before motioning them in. Another ten minutes later and they were out again with a few crates, and as expected they began their work in storing it aboard. It was during the final few crates where we took the opportunity.
The truck was large and its wheels rose the floor off the ground. All it took was a bit of speed and we were on the underside - granted the embroidered cloth tailing from my waist was crumpled, and would regrettably drag against the ground - Kali probably wouldn't mind given our situation, but I didn't like disrespecting her hard work either way. Despite the minor annoyance there was plenty of space for us to hold and brace for the journey back, and quite the swift journey it was.
The ride was bumpy, although that was quite obvious considering our 'seats', but nevertheless we managed through the harsh turns and occasional sprays of mud and dirty snow. From pavement, to earth, and through the fluffy snow; we kept braced in silence as the speeds adjusted and terrain shifted. Never once did the road crash against out persons, although it did come fairly close at points going up, down, and around small bumps and hills.
Yet we made it through.
Eventually the vehicle slowed, and we could just make out the voices up above through all the noise. Despite not being able to clearly hear what was said, the echoes and clangs of heavy machinery were more than telling enough to confirm we'd arrived at our destination. The truck slowed again, and we heard the men begin their work once more. I'd been about to release when Robyn stopped me.
"Wait." She'd whispered, pulling my hand and resting it back towards its original position prior to letting go. "Once they're done they'll drive to the hanger. They'll park and leave, giving us a better chance to slip out unseen."
I nodded, and as she said they hopped in once again and slowly drove somewhere new. I heard the music of life leave the hunk of metalwork, and looking from under saw the men distancing themselves. Soon the lights shining in underneath the truck dulled, and at that point Robyn gave my arm a few pats. A shift of her body, and nodding for me to follow, we slipped out from under and remained crouched between two identical vehicles.
"Cameras are probably watching the room; give me a sec." She fiddled with the band on her wrist, leaning in and speaking lowly. "See the hanger?"
"Yeah." A voice returned from the metal tool. I'd not seen one like this before, but I assumed it was a form of scroll; the type looked to wrap around a user's wrist, and appeared to lack the spectral function of closing up like the regular ones I was used to.
"Can you dim the lights a little, and follow up with a blackout; make it look like they need replacing."
"How many seconds you need?"
"Seven is plenty."
"Good call." The voice returned. "Any more and they might get suspicious."
"On my word." With that she turned to me, waving me over and flicking her sights out to a small doorway in the distance, just up a few stairs. "See that stairway?"
"I do." I confirmed, watching as she sent a few glances out around the edges of the trucks, seemingly checking for guards. Once satisfied she faced the door in the distance.
"We've only got those few seconds of darkness to make it in, so once I give the signal, run."
"Understood." I paused, thinking, and then questioned the woman. "And what if there are guards on the other side?"
"Restrain the nearest few, and I'll knock them out before they can call for help. There shouldn't be any though; I had our guide check our route beforehand."
"How so?" I asked, and she sent a look to her wrist-scroll again.
"We've got time." Robyn faced me with a calm look. "We've got eyes through all the cameras, yes, but we also have the security time-sheet. We know the schedule the guards work, and have planned this around the clock."
"Really?" I was speculative, and made my disbelief verbal. "You only just learned about my idea while tailing the truck."
"We've had access to the guards shifting schedules for a few days now; we just never decided on a date to strike, until you came that was." She looked to her wrist again, gritting her teeth and sucking in. She set her sights on the stairs and door again. "Question me later, alright? Now get ready..."
I did so, preparing to run as Robyn did the same. Once more she looked out to check for guards, and then she leaned back, raising her wrist and talking into the communication device.
"Do it."
The lights flickered twice, and Robyn pressed her hand into my chest, holding me back from sprinting. Next, the room went nearly pitch black, and I heard her whisper.
"Now."
She ran, and so did I. On second three we'd crossed the gap between the resting vehicles and the stairs. By the fifth second we were at the top of the stairs. As the final second struck, the door had just shut, and I saw light rain in through the glass. Robyn's chest rose and fell with great breaths, but even so her face showed no signs of fatigue; obviously used to this type of thing. I was much the same, more than experienced in bursts of movement and the rush of a ticking clock.
Usually the timer I followed consisted with keeping pace in battle, rather than running from it.
And here I was now, watching as my new partner and doubtful ally creeped a peek around a corner, crouched low in the shadows. The light above us was dull, and at points flickering between life and death, offering few chances for others to spot us with any sense of reliability. I mimicked her move, a few steps behind and right against the wall as she raised her wrist again.
"Where are we?" She asked, with her body strangely relaxed, as if certain there was no danger.
"Third corridor." The voice recalled. "Second floor. I'm checking the cameras now... and it looks clear. I can run a recording of earlier for around half a minute, but that's all. Any more and they'll know what's up."
"Right." Robyn said lowly. "On my call."
"As always." The voice said, and with that Robyn turned my way.
"You heard her; thirty seconds is all we have. If we can't find the door by then, we'll leave."
"Quitting halfway through?" I accused, only for her to scoff.
"Don't be stupid. If we're caught then we'll never get another chance like this again; I'm not risking our opportunities on your word alone. Once the clock runs its course we call it quits and scamper. We can always try again later, but I'm not burning our bridges here for you, so get that nailed into your head."
I kept my mouth shut, but even with that accepting silence there was still a bit of loathing deep inside. She was begrudgingly correct, and it would be stupid to risk such an advantage of leisure all for a door that might not even be around anymore. Oh yes, I wasn't adverse to the idea that it might have been sealed up, or lost to time by wear and abandonment alone.
Adam may have escaped before, but that also lead to the risk that his departure might have triggered consequences even he never considered. The entire area might have simply been moved after that event, and I was more than ready to face that irritating possibility, or any similar discoveries. Still though, I wasn't about to just give up now, not because I truly cared about the area or what secrets it held, or disturbingly even the fates of the occupants, but because I held the wishes of a dead-man in my hands.
Deserving or not, if I could fulfill that final desire, I could set my own mind at ease. Even if my days as a knight were long since lost, my teaching and honour was not. The desires of the lost were a tragedy in the making, and though they were few, I had aided the dead before in seeing their last dreams through. They never responded, but the goddess had told me before how those I helped thanked me in death, and even if it was just soothing words to ease the pain of their deaths, I still felt calm in those thoughts.
Jinn's lies put that faith into question though, and while I still believed they were the lies of a trickster, I couldn't completely deny there was a chance it was all true, and that my faith was just a fabrication forged by desperate immortals to seize control. Even so, my pride wouldn't accept the abandonment of something so sacred as a final wish.
I would see this through to the end, regardless of the cost; with, or without Robyn's aid.
I watched her take another peak before turning back to me.
"Thirty seconds, that's all."
"Fine." I spat, setting my sights down the hall she so diligently kept watch over. Robyn raised her wrist again, and spoke one final time.
"Now."
.
.
Everyone was silent afterwards, all except Nora who voiced the most relatable response to date.
"Well that's kind of fucked." Nora wasn't one much for swearing, granted not many of them used to be, but that was slowly changing, and Qrow would have had something to say with his nieces spewing such rancid language, but he was too distracted. Pyrrha it seemed did have a response ready though.
"That's an... apt way of putting it."
"Well it's true." Nora shot back, not angry or upset, just... plain. "Immortals fighting for centuries; betraying gods; what sounds like possible comic book time travel - unless V is just really really old; what else can I call it?" The girl's eyes lit up in what appeared to be shock. "Wait... is V actually an old geezer?!"
All eyes fell to Ruby, as if she held all the answers. Regardless of how that made her feel, she offered up her own two lien.
"I don't know, none of us know. I mean... he acted like any other normal guy. He wasn't spitting out age old advice or calling us young ins." She scowled softly, doing her best to remain sane from the look of it. "Everything's just been so... crazy, recently. I don't think any of us can really say what's going on."
Everyone's faces fell along with hers, and Ren - like his partner - spoke the honest truth in regards to the mood.
"It does feel a little... convoluted, in a way."
"Yes..." Weiss said, keeping her manner of speech even and smooth, as if it would alleviate the tension in the air. "But there's not much we can do. We're in this for the long haul, regardless of what happens."
"True..." Pyrrha looked to collect her thoughts and continued. "Salem's a force that will always be around. Even if we were to run away she'd still be out there causing trouble. It's only a matter of time before she begins fighting earnestly." She looked to Jaune at her side, who'd been quiet throughout all of it. "Jaune..."
"I don't know." His voice was hoarse, rough and quite potent with bits of anger. Yet he kept it as even as he could. "I don't know what to think, period." He gripped at his hair, like he was ready to rip it out any second. "What's the point of it all? When did becoming hunters at Beacon turn into a fight for the world? It's ripped straight out of a storybook; none of it should even be real."
"Jaune..." Pyrrha pulled him into a hug; or, at least she tried to. The boy stopped her, pulling his tired face up to be seen once again. He looked worn, yes, but there was this sense of spirit in his somber expression.
"I'm okay, really, I'm fine." He leaned back, breathing in and out for a second before starting up again. "Okay... so we're saving the world now. That's cool I guess; came to Beacon to be a hero anyways, so it isn't all that different now. Granted, I expected to fight off the Grimm, not save the whole world, but hey, it's all the same in the grand scheme of things right?"
Weiss offered an answer, a fatigued, but contrastingly lively one.
"There not even close in severity... but I suppose it's all the same for a hero."
This in turn drew a mild smirk from Yang, who leaned in and rested her cheek on her closed fist.
"Heck yeah it does. Good going Jaune; finding the way to kick everyone into high gear."
They were coming around, enflaming their wills once more, all except Qrow. He felt a little at ease seeing how they could pull themselves from the depressive hand life had dealt them. It stabbed him with a small amount of guilt for not having the capacity to share in that simple drive, but he was much too concerned with... other things.
It was these concerns that had him slip out into the kitchen unnoticed, and once alone he pulled up the scroll from before.
Searching through it had been no easy task, mostly because there was nothing really there to be found; nothing but one concerningly monumental series of pages. Oh yes, eventually Qrow had turned his sights to the odd collection of withered pages making up the photo album. Within said pages to the naked and unsuspecting eye would simply be a collection of journal writings, yet Qrow was intimate enough with certain pieces of information so as to catch on to their importance.
Thorn Rose had been the deciding factor of their significance.
Together they made up a journal, one which first came to writing over a thousand years ago if the dates were to be believed. Most would consider such a thing foolish, but Qrow himself was no stranger to families and individuals who kept meticulous records of their history, and with the last name 'Rose' he was more inclined to delve into the work in an attempt to discover anything useful. To keep something so thoroughly recorder, let alone accurately translated was a feat of no small significance, meaning whatever information this collection of writings held must have been essential to preserve.
It was this delving for information that had him both perplexed and lost at the sight of the current page. He'd re-read this page three times now, even going back and analyzing previous ones to try and make sense of it. But no matter how many times he tried, this final and tiny little pair of words left him both disturbed and full of dread.
Ruby Rose.
What the dust... The name really shouldn't have been that powerful for him, people shared names all the time after all, but it wasn't the name alone that had him trying to fill the hole in his gut. It was one thing to share names, but coupled with the woman they saw from Jinn's vision, and the fact that V already was proven centuries old at best, and potential time traveler at worst - if they were getting real crazy here - it left Qrow's mind shattered into tiny fragments, and he was having a heck of a time trying to piece them all together.
"Uncle Qrow." He was taken suddenly from the twisted bowels of his head, and turned to see his niece in question looking up to him with worry. "Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm fine." He said shooting his sights away, but it seemed she wasn't buying that.
"You don't need to lie." He looked towards her again, and noticed how her worry seemed to dull into a more reserved expression. "We're all feeling a little off; it's okay to say how you're really feeling."
"I'm not lying... not entirely." He sighed, collecting himself as he tried to think of what to do.
The source of his problems lay in the pages of the stupid scroll in his hands, and while it would be easy to show her, he wasn't so sure it was the right decision. The journal didn't exactly tell an easy tale, nor a happy one really; what it held was failure and loss, with only the 'Ruby' contained within offering any deviation from that pattern. But if he showed her, and she was having the same thoughts as him, what would she think... no, what would she do?
Maybe V was right, and Jinn really was just a lying witch.
No, no that couldn't be the deal; he slapped himself mentally, wondering just what he was doing. Jinn was the spirit of knowledge, a creature contained within the very relics designed to save Humanity - again, according to her - so wouldn't it mean she was forced to aid the people in their time of need? Why would Jinn lie to them if she was created to help and redeem them? She offered endless knowledge after all; the quite literal answer to the world's questions...
Wait... maybe that was it.
"This..." He held up the scroll, having made up his mind. "This right here is the reason I'm... conflicted."
"Your scroll?" She was confused, that was until she realized the important part of the situation. "No, wait, that's not your scroll, is it?"
"Bingo." Qrow quipped, looking down at the little device in his hand. "There wasn't much in the way of White Fang knowledge on this thing, but there's a collection of journal pages preserved in the album. He wasn't lying before either, it involves you."
"What?" She questioned, her face twisted in both intrigue and fear. Rather than offer up answers, Qrow just handed her the scroll.
"It's best you read them for yourself. Get comfortable though, it'll take a while."
And so, Ruby took a seat on the chair next to his, deciding to do just that. She wouldn't get through it all in a single day, Qrow knew this, and he was patient enough to wait it out, no matter how long it took.
Ruby needed to know the secrets within, because if what he thought was true, they were hers to begin with.
.
.
Door after door, and none of them matched the numbers.
Damnit! Where is it?!
We were running down to the final ten seconds, and still we hadn't come across it. Part of me began to wonder if we were even in the correct corridor. The only good portion of luck we had so far was the lack of any guards, although I was certain that was more than mere luck at play.
Come on! Running further down the halls, I never broke stride as my sight flew across every single door. Yet none of them bore the correct number, not even close actually. I was about to make the turn near the end when I was pulled into a room. The door shut, and I spun around just as Robyn let me go. Before I could protest she shook her head. I froze, and from there the message was clear.
Time was up.
Maybe it was immature of me, but I couldn't fight back the scowl clawing itself over my face; at best I turned away so she didn't have to see my lack of composure. Strangely enough her hand found its place on my shoulder, and shooting one final look I saw the barest hints of pity on her face.
"We'll try again next time. We need to get out of here." With that she crept over to a window, and I followed along as we both cast our vision below. The room we found ourselves in overlooked the main floor of workers below, and I could see the grime-covered Faunus hauling raw Dust crystals around.
I found myself presenting a fairly dull question.
"All that armed security... just for them?"
"Yeah." Robyn answered, her eyes narrowing. "Grimm roam the wilds outside, and even though the cold cuts down on their numbers, the guard here are also in charge of making sure nobody sneaks any Dust out. Raw Dust alone can fetch a pretty hefty sum, especially with the staggering prices the S.D.C charges, all thanks to the company's stupid monopoly on the stuff."
"Doesn't anyone else manufacture Dust?" Certainly there had to be others in the business.
"Most were driven out of business." Robyn explained as she faced me, and I got a good look at the stiff mask of calm she wore. "There used to be others who sold Dust, but the S.D.C would lower their prices to compensate, and sure enough it would drive the competitors under, at which point the prices go up again."
For some reason it didn't come as a shock to hear that - business was all about outplaying your competitors through any means necessary. Robyn turned her vision from the window, leading us over to another door. It was time to say goodbye to the small office we were in and embrace the neighboring hallway; appearing to be around the very turn I previously tried to make. It was dark, but this only drew a chuckle from the woman.
"Just like we thought."
"What?" I questioned, and she cast a quick grin my way.
"We'd been keeping tabs on this place for a while, as I explained before, and just like we predicted, they've re-routed most of the building's power to the main floor. They rarely use this particular corridor here, that's why it's so dark. From our best guess, we've assumed they just abandoned it to save on cash."
"Wait, that doesn't make any sense." I stopped her as the thought came to me. "From what I've learned up until now the S.D.C is Remnant's leading supplier of Dust. Why would they need to save money?"
This drew a sorry looking grin from Robyn.
"You clearly don't know Jacques Schnee. Man's as cheep as it gets, at least when it comes to anything but immediate appearances. He'll build a luxurious mansion and host all sorts of gatherings for the Atlesian elite, but will - at the same damn time - cut the lights to the mines to make use of the Faunus' natural night-vision. Don't try to make too much sense from his decisions, it'll only make your head hurt worse."
I simply offered up a nod of acceptance, and so she turned.
"Now come on. We've got to get out of here while we're in the clear. If everything goes as planned, the mid-night break buzzer will go off in around twenty minutes. We can blend with the crowds all the way to the exit, and from there the dark of night will shield us."
She started off with me in tow.
I wasn't happy, not one bit. This whole trip was nothing but wasted time, and worst of all I was damn certain Robyn knew this. My chances of proving my worth were shot to all heck, leaving me the dangerous prisoner once more. I watched as we made a turn, and just as the darkness began to fade I felt something, something familiar, something... needy.
"Hold on." I stopped, and Robyn turned to look at me. I wasn't looking at her though, I was instead following that insatiable desire to move, a want so strong it forced me to a stand-still.
"We don't have time for this."
"Make time."
"What?!"
I didn't care how shocked she sounded, nor how pissed she probably was. The feeling was strongest from a certain direction, and as I moved I heard a click. I didn't even need to turn back to know she had her crossbow pointed right at me. I ignored her and instead stared at the long side hall to the left of our destination. Like most of this section it was dark and lifeless, but somehow, this new direction, this... off-shoot of our path felt... decayed.
"I'm not quite sure what type of situation you think you're in, but let me make it clear. You're here at our expense, and if you think you can just ignore the rules we set up then I'll make damn sure to drill them in the back of your skull."
"You're not foolish enough to start a fight here, Robyn." I never spared her a glance, still enthralled to the silent echo calling out to my soul. "You wouldn't risk being caught, not you; there's too much relying on you to chance that."
"I see..." I heard the click again, and assumed she slipped her weapon away. "So it really was a trap all along. Then humor me this, if you would: why are you working for the general?"
I offered up a short laugh.
"You think your in a trap, and the first thing you do with that belief is begin fishing for information? Not quite insane, but you are pretty crazy."
"Yeah, and?" She grumbled back. "So you going to tell me, or are you going to spring your trap."
I faced her again, feeling a little more relaxed now that she'd spoken honestly. She was finally done with the charade, and although it clearly made her fury stand out, it also made it easier to talk with her. Speaking face to face was infinitely better than talking to a mask.
I could finally begin to decipher her.
"I don't have a trap to spring, and I don't work for the general yet."
"Yet huh?" She crossed her arms, unimpressed and somewhat annoyed. "So, you going to answer my questions or not?"
"Maybe... how about this: a question for a question, like a trade."
"Bargaining?" She sighed. "I suppose I can do worse. Answer mine first."
"I'm not working for the general yet, but he's the only person I've had contact with who has enough resources to help me."
"With what?" Robyn questioned, but I shook my head.
"My turn, remember." She grit her teeth, but nevertheless nodded. "How long have you believed I was leading you into a trap?"
"Since you pulled out that key card; you wouldn't have on otherwise. I never believed your story about Adam either; I just wanted you to make your move."
"Which is why you began questioning me here." I finished, not even needing her nod to confirm it. "With that in mind, I would be right in assuming you have an escape ready to leave me here if I were to act up and prove your suspicions."
"Yep." She eased her face. "You're still going to defend yourself to the end though, aren't you?"
"I told you I wasn't working for him yet."
"And that you needed his help..." She cut me off, but her anger felt like it tipped off a bit as well. "Mind telling me what for?"
"To find someone; nothing more to it." I said, watching as her face twitched, just barely showing hints of confoundment."
"Find someone... is that really all?"
"If you'll believe it." I said, looking back to the hall. I heard her walk up, setting her sights down that same hall.
"Right... anyway, what's so special about this hallway that you'd risk everything for it. You know my trust in you is at its lowest now, right? I might have given you the benifit of the doubt before, but that's shot now."
I nodded, staring deeper into the darkness.
"Something's calling me." I spoke, and for a second she stayed quiet.
"I don't hear anything."
"There's nothing to hear." I started walking. "It's simply a gut feeling. I've felt it before, and each time it's lead to the same thing."
"Uh huh..." Her footsteps echoed alongside mine, and she remained voiceless until we reached the very end. There was a door, no different to the others, save for the withered appearance it took. My eyes trailed to the side, and I saw the rectangular device positioned at eye level. Robyn must have seen it to, as her voice broke through the cold dead silence.
"You've got to be kidding me. Is that-"
"I believe so." I pulled out the source of all our troubles, and holding it up I heard Robyn scoff.
"Idiot." She evened her tone "There's no power here to-"
The resounding 'beep' locked up her lips, and with a noticeable groan the door shifted open, but stopped near the end - apparently the rust had clogged it. There was enough space for us to squeeze through though, and before she could say anything I turned my body sideways and slipped inside.
Frigid was the best I could describe it, like breathing in the heart of a blizzard. It pricked and tore at my skin, but I was more than used to the cold by this point - even if the contrast between here and the hallway was staggering.
"No way... this is ridiculous." Robyn offered from the side, and for just the feintest bit I could here the chill in her words.
"I'll say." With how dark it was, even I couldn't see a damn thing.
We were both startled by the slam behind us, and turning back the entrance was shut. Quickly I ripped out the key card, and with a quick swipe over the inside lock the door opened the same as before.
"It still works." I let out in relief.
"Yeah." Robyn threw out. "But that still doesn't explain why."
"That would be my doing."
We shot back; weapons drawn and ready to fight. Robyn had her crossbow loaded and at the ready, sitting gently on her wrist as she focused on the shadowy figure. However my eyes were instead locked to the mask he wore, and paired with the gargantuan weapon strapped to his back I could only make one assumption.
"Saw?" I proposed, earning a stern glare from Robyn.
"Last I checked..." The man began, his voice growing lower by the syllable as he took hold of his teethed blade. "Adam never told you my name, traitor. You've crossed paths with him then."
I sheathed my sword, again earning a look from Robyn. Her expression called me a fool, but my response had Saw do the same, leaving the woman as the only one ready to fight. She just offered a look of confusion, but kept her guard up anyways.
"He's the one who gave me this." I held up the card, and Saw remained quiet for a bit, seemingly staring at the tiny thing. "Told me to come here, and free the others."
"Yes... the others..." Saw hummed, shaking his head a little. "He would."
"I'm sorry, am I missing something?!" Robyn quirked a brow as she looked between the two of us. "Are you two buddies or something?!"
"Once upon a time we were allies." Saw said, easing up his shoulders. "But those days are long past." He then cast his focus to me again. "Where is Adam?"
"On the cuff of Argus, but at this point... probably dead." I told, and once more Saw hummed.
"And you took his life?"
"No. He gave me the card, and said he'd wait for Weiss. There were seven on the way not counting me. I told him he'd die if he faced them, but he was content to see it through, relaxed even."
"Yes." He didn't sound all that upset, but even so his tone held this sort of melancholic edge to it. "He always was keen to meet a warriors end." The man then chuckled. "He finally did it."
"So why are you here?" I took my turn, and he crossed his arms.
"Same as you, to free the others. Door had no power when I arrived; Dust, this entire section of the building may as well be dead. I'm no stranger to these types of settings though, so it was a simple matter of 'reconnecting' the power to the door alone."
"I see..." I had no idea how he did it, but the door worked, so I wasn't about to ask for specifics, not when I had a job to do. "You found them then, the slaves I mean?"
I could have sworn the room grew even colder.
"Yes." He turned and started off, and with nothing but the light of Robyn's scroll we followed.
Each step echoed, just like in the halls, but the icy air and lack of light made the darkness feel volatile. The blackest night had nothing on this section of the building, and the sprays of rust made the place feel even more dead - an apt word for what we came across.
Robyn hissed, but Saw merely held his firm appearance as we stared at the corpse.
"There are plenty more deeper in. I don't have to tell you their fates, do I?"
No, no he did not. The skin of this one was shrivelled close to the bone as it clenched in on itself. The hair was long, but ragged, and the stomach was non-existent. There were no signs of lethal damage across her skeletal body, and it was a her; the breasts were so shrunken to the ribs that the only visible tell of the corpse's sex was her crotch. Around her neck was a chain, clinging her to the wall behind.
"She starved..." Robyn proposed, only to double back. "Or maybe dehydration?"
"Could be the cold too." I threw in. "We don't know when they abandoned this place." I looked up to Saw.
"How many mor-"
"Too many." He replied instantly. "Every cell has them. Men, women, and even children; all in this same sorry state. And predictably, not a single Human or guard's corpse to be found."
"Meaning they were left behind all at once." He simply nodded as I said that, and I looked down to the body once more. If I had to guess, the cold was the reason it was so well preserved, but even so it didn't do much to ease the disgusting scene of cruelty. For some reason though, I didn't find myself all that bothered by it.
Ironically, I didn't really care.
"We should leave." Saw spoke up, drawing the eyes of Robyn as he continued. "There's nothing more to be done; they're gone, and this tomb should be left in peace."
"R-right, yeah." Robyn spat, visibly struggling to reign in her anger. I however wasn't quite ready to leave.
"Not yet." I said, looking deeper into the darkness. "I can still feel it."
"You got what you wanted, didn't you?" Robyn spoke up, looking back to me with a huff. "You're really pushing it, you know? Can't we just leave them be." She sent a sorrowful look back to the body. "You're really pissing me off, you know? Can't we just leave them in peace?"
"The calling is still here. Punish me after if it makes you feel better, but we're already deep in. Just afford me a little more time... please." I locked eyes with her, and watched as her teeth clenched. She shook for a second, once more restraining her rage, and spat her answer; her eyes hidden beneath the shadows of rough dusted hair.
"Fine. Do what you want, you greedy... heartless bastard."
Taking that as the best I could get I followed the pull. Robyn kept pace with me, but so too did Saw. He never made a sound, nor any tangible remark or response to my decision. The man just trudged alongside Robyn as I took us deeper in. Her light was the only thing that kept the darkness away, and subsequently the one who revealed to us all the gruesome secrets.
There were many, many bodies tucked away and chained, with entire families lumped together in their frozen doom. Some of the bodies were torn into and visibly eaten, most likely as a last bid at survival, holding onto a false hope that they may be saved. Every now and then a small stilled breath would escape Robyn, and I could almost feel her shaking from behind.
Despite her faults, I couldn't deny the sympathy she showed; it was genuine.
I took us through the halls; down some stairs; over a few extensions overlooking the deeper part of an abandoned pit; down into that very pit; and finally, through a series of cells making up the walls of a long hallway. At the end of said hallway there was another set of stairs going up, but we never took them. No, the feeling was strong here, and I stopped to face the bars of one particular cell.
I tried the door, and it fell the moment I pushed it. Ahead was another set of corpses, both embraced in the back corner of the room. It was a sad sight, but I paid it no mind as I touched the back wall. The stone felt coarse, and giving it a few knocks provided a short ghostly echo.
"Stand back." I said, allowing the splintered armor to burn across my flesh, and reeling back I drove it into the obstruction.
The stone collapsed, and as the dust settled I was granted my prize.
"So it was you all along." I said aloud as Robyn and Saw stood at my sides.
"What... is it?" The woman questioned as we stared at the black pillar.
"An annoying common advantage." I replied, taking a few steps forwards before stopping. "Listen, whatever you see, don't believe it. I'll be fine no matter how bad it looks; just get us out of here when I'm done, okay? I'll wake up afterwards... probably in a day or so."
"What?" Robyn shot my way, meanwhile I just approached the obelisk. "What does that even mean?"
I ignored her, focusing on the words ahead, and preparing for the next wash of cryptic nonsense no doubt in store for me. I touched the soulless black stone, and recited the inscription.
"Replica histories, carrying with them the forgotten, walking endlessly forward, never looking back."
The shadows of dreaming greeted me, as they always did.
...
Author's note
...
Okay, so their plan didn't go off all that great, but oh well.
Honestly this shouldn't even be a surprise - when has anything in this story ever gone well... don't answer that. Either way, V's sucked into another obelisk for whatever secrets it want's to expel, and with it another message. What secrets does the quote hide, and will V gain anything useful?
Stick around and find out.
We also get some time with the main crew, and while they came to deal with the knowledge of Jinn, Qrow has been snooping. Thorn's journal, preserved and translated, holds many secrets for the crew, and how they handle the implications has yet to be seen. Get prepped, things only get worse from here - depending on how you see it.
Catch you later.