There's a major reveal coming up, so one last time… please be careful to avoid leaving spoilers in the comments. I know it'll be difficult (especially with what's in store here), but I believe in you guys. :3
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…
"You really still awake?"
"Yeah… sorry, Misty. Didn't mean to keep you up."
Adrian slowly walked back and forth in his PJs, bare feet making light thumping sounds on the hardwood, a sound that should not have woken up his partner. If she was up, that meant she was just as worried as he was, though no doubt the subject of her worry was Adrian himself. She didn't have the fate of an entire Kingdom resting on her shoulders.
Misty sat up in the darkness, but even then her red hair had a visible shine. "There's no way I can sleep when you're like this."
Adrian paused a moment, "…Sorry."
"Quit being sorry, idiot."
"Sorry.~"
She growled, then sighed, "Is it a specific problem, or just… everything, all at once? I can probably help if it's just one thing."
"It's everything," Adrian admitted. "All of this is happening too fast. There's still too many things I don't know."
"You sure?" Misty adjusted herself so she was hugging her knees, watching him in the darkness. "The way you made it sound, this broadcast is the key to everything. It's all Elon Dusk's fault… right?"
"Dusk was the one who got the Elysium Academy idea up and running…" Adrian muttered mostly to himself while walking, "He and the other two Council members are founders of the cult that decided Ruby was a living goddess… but she humiliated them a few years ago… the Imu are slowly taking over humanity, and by all accounts they're really the ones running the cult…"
"Sounds like case closed to me," Misty said quietly. "I suspect it won't take much digging to reveal he was the one who created the Imu in the first place, which means we can pin it all on him and move on with our lives."
"But that's not it," Adrian growled, walking faster. "I can't explain it very well, but… that can't be it. There's still something we're missing and I can't… I can't put my finger on it. This is driving me crazy."
The nature of his conversation with Oscar was such that Adrian knew he couldn't just tell everyone the stuff he'd learned, at least not now. Maybe not ever. Misty didn't know about Salem yet, or the true nature of that big device in the broadcast, but even with that taken into consideration it certainly looked like Dusk could still take the blame – Oscar had said the machine appeared inactive during the announcement, which could only mean it had been turned off and Salem released back into the world. Dusk was a tech genius who built his own company from the ground up, so it stood to reason that he could figure out the lost technology of Ozma's time if no one kept an eye on him.
"I don't like it when you act like this," said Misty.
"Like what?"
"This," she gestured to all of him.
"I can't help it," he replied with a shrug. "I just have to get to the bottom of this-"
"Adrian, please," Misty stood up from the bed and hugged him around the waist. "Let it go. You've done enough."
("Are you angry? Does it make you upset?
…That's why.")
("It's all part of a bigger plan.
Someone's behind it. Find them.
Punish them.")
("Thanks for trusting me. Not
a lot of folks nowadays that will.")
("Give that man the justice
he always fought for.")
"Maybe I have," he sighed and gently held Misty's shoulders. "But my gut tells me it's still not over. I can't just stop, not until I know for sure. But I'm so tired-"
"Then come to bed already, fuck-nut. You're no good to anyone if you're half dead from sleep deprivation."
"Can't argue with that," he chuckled.
In truth, he hadn't been able to figure anything out yet. So much info was in his head that his thoughts ended up just going around in circles for the last few hours, always coming back to where they started. Opal, Qrow, Rusty, his Mother… so many people either dead or vanished, and somehow he'd taken it upon himself to find the people responsible? No wonder he was about to fall over where he stood.
Misty pulled away, leaving a warm spot against his stomach as she poked his belly with one finger and just said, "P."
("Hey, don't get mad at me for not realizing
the question was, you know,
a fucking RIDDLE.")
All at once, the gears began to turn in his head. Lessons from the last month or so appeared in his brain as though written by some unseen deity. He heard the voice of Uncle Jaune.
Eliminate the distractions and red herrings and focus on the question being asked.
The answer is sometimes hidden in the question.
The obvious solution is almost never the right one.
That stupid Poozle from the other day drifted back into his mind – Why did the dead baby cross the road? Crossing the road was part of the original kid's riddle regarding the chicken, the answer to which was different depending on who told the riddle in the first place. Anything dead couldn't cross a road on their own power, which meant it had to be carried either by inertia or as cargo. It was stupid, ridiculous even, but… by all accounts, the answer was probably something close to 'because it was tied to the chicken.' Or rather, stapled; if the baby was already dead, the added shock value would only make the quote-unquote 'joke' funnier. His gut was certain that had to be it.
Too late to try and answer it on the app; moving quickly, hands shaking so bad he nearly dropped his Scroll, Adrian quickly brought up the Poozle website and sought out the answer to the single most absurd riddle he'd ever seen in his life: 'Because it was stapled to the chicken.'
Trust your gut.
That was a lesson Uncle Jaune had drilled into him years ago. Detectives almost never had as much evidence in real life as they did in the movies, and sometimes they simply had to trust their gut instinct to solve a crime and punish the real culprit.
Misty sighed suddenly, pulling him back to reality. She was already back in bed but looking up at him, "I know that look. You're gonna be up the rest of the night, aren't you?"
"It wouldn't surprise me, but… I won't keep you awake anymore," Adrian said. He climbed into the bed anyway, settled next to Misty and let her nuzzle against his side.
"Good to… *yawn* …hear." She was asleep in less than a minute.
Adrian didn't fade right away, but he did make one decision before letting the machinations of his mind go into overdrive – tomorrow morning he needed to run into town and check in with Uncle Jaune. Last he knew his uncle was working with Ashens on some kind of secret project, but there had been nothing since her message while he was in Valley Glenn. If only the damned CCT still worked…
He would either be at his home or at the precinct. And even if he wasn't in his office, Adrian needed to check with the police anyway – Qrow's death had been reported the very next morning after it happened, so they had to have some kind of info on his cause of death, if nothing else.
As he stared at his sleeping partner, Adrian thought back to what she'd said about her encounter with Saphron. His reaction at the time was pretty subdued but the strongest emotion he'd felt was relief – now that his former step-mom was confirmed as an Imu, that also confirmed that his own mother, Terra, had in fact not been eaten by their old pet demon dog. It didn't answer the burning question of where she went, but at the very least he could rest easy knowing his mother had not been turned into a monster.
Misty can bring even the Imu under control, he thought with pride as he gently ran his fingers through her hair. How did I ever get lucky enough to find the actual perfect partner?
Eventually, Adrian managed to relax enough to fall asleep. His last waking thought was worrying about Laz acting weird and wishing the false Imu could be in bed with the two of them. No doubt she could use the company.
…
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(Friday Morning)
…
…
"Before you go, take this."
"What… is it?"
"A two-way radio courtesy of the Atlas Military. With the CCT down for the foreseeable future, I need a way to get in touch with my right-hand man whenever I need. This still works."
"Ah."
"I'd prefer you stick around so we can discuss your future, but I understand you have things you need to take care of. Just be sure you're back before 9 so we can fly to the Vale City Hall together."
"I still think I'm the wrong guy for this job…"
"Hush. I will not accept anybody else, Adrian Arc. I've known from the beginning that you were destined for greatness, and now's your chance to prove it. Relax; you'll get the hang of it in no time."
"Says you."
"Yeah, says me. Besides, I have other reasons I wanna keep you around."
"Cuz I make a good meat shield?"
"Strike one. Guess again."
"Shit, not again. Umm… because… you're worried about my safety?"
"You already knew that. Strike two."
"Well I'm not trying for three strikes today. Don't worry, I won't go too far."
"Hey, grab a couple of caramel lattes while you're out, would you? Make sure mine has extra whipped cream."
…
…
Adrian held the small, round device in his hand as the taxi rumbled down the road. They'd tested it before he left, and while the audio quality wasn't the greatest, the important part was that it did work; he and Ruby could freely talk to each other using a small radio while every Scroll in the kingdom was essentially broken (unless you wanted to watch the news).
Which left him free to concentrate, to dismantle and reassemble all the information he'd gathered up until now. Adrian stuck the radio in his pocket and started thinking.
The first thing he did was take Elon Dusk out of the equation, at least temporarily – almost all of his circular thinking last night revolved around the guy, and that kept leading him away from anything even close to a resolution. The man had basically claimed responsibility for a lot of recent stuff without flat-out confessing. It was all implied. And when placed against everything else going on, it seemed less and less likely he was actually involved in any of it outside of his name and face. He had a lot of influence in the world, but not that much. Total red herring.
The Crimson Cult was also set aside, as they were simply a group of deluded individuals led astray by a set of charismatic leaders. Desi Currant might have been part of it, but right now she was just a distraction.
His pocket buzzed, ["Hey Adrian…?"]
Speaking of distractions…
He pulled out the radio and hit the 'send' button, "Yes dear?"
["Careful, bub. Just letting you know that nobody's seen Saphron for a long time. She might be in town, so keep an eye out."]
Oh I know exactly where THAT one is. "Roger that," he said out loud. "Anything else?"
["Nope! You be careful out there."]
"Yes dear." He sighed as he put the radio away.
The taxi driver, an oddly familiar old man with most of a head of gray hair, turned back and said, "That was Ruby Rose, wan't it?"
Adrian nodded dismissively, "Yeah."
"Good to know she's doin alright. Girl's come a long way, she has."
The man drove through a quiet neighborhood just as the sun was climbing through the sky, painting it blood red. The moon was right next to it, and Adrian knew it would only be a few hours before their paths crossed. The eclipse was right on top of them.
Oscar's story about Salem's device returned to his mind, as well as what it would mean if the thing was activated at just the right moment. And now the Crimson Cult was in control of that very device. They didn't have much time left before the point of no return. Oscar was their best chance of avoiding such a dire fate.
"Dunno if I said it or not, but you don't owe me nuthin fer the ride," the old man turned back again and grinned at him. "You an Miss Rose are gonna be sworn into office today, right? I'll send 'er the bill later. Heh."
Adrian laughed awkwardly but said nothing.
"Oh yeah, we're almost at yer first stop."
Soon enough they pulled up to a building Adrian knew quite well; Uncle Jaune's apartment. Since he couldn't call anyone other than Ruby, this was the only way he had to check and see if the man was alright. In all honesty, he was also kinda worried about the rest of his family.
"I shouldn't be too long," he said to the driver.
The old man chuckled, "Take yer time, kid. I'm in no hurry."
…
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…
The Land of Darkness.
It was the one place on Remnant that he never thought he'd see again, never mind set foot on.
Oscar Pine walked forward without any hesitation, his hazel eyes fixed on the giant black building just ahead. Atop its roof stood the crystalline machine that would spell the doom of the planet if it was turned on. All around him wandered not Grimm, but humans. Or at least, creatures with the appearance of humans. All wore the robes of the Reformed Church of the Rose, as they called it.
Inside the castle awaited his immortal wife, his other half, a woman who had endured far more than her share of torment for the simple sin of wanting to challenge fate and remain with her love for a little while longer.
Nobody bothered him. No one tried to stop him. Oscar walked unchallenged into the domain of his former lover, only slightly apprehensive about the inevitable battle he would soon face; Salem was many things, but her patience only held firm when Ozma was not in her vicinity. He remembered well their first battle, and the resulting destruction of their home when she lost her temper.
More clear than that, however, was his memory of the last time he saw this place. And he was not alone that day.
_/_/_/
The Creatures of Grimm flew everywhere, giant swarms of black beasts, all with the singular purpose of destroying the intruders. Blake and Yang fought together with every scrap of their Aura, and multitudes fell before them. Weiss kept her distance and bombarded their adversaries with ranged Dust attacks in conjunction with her ethereal knight summon, the Arma Gigas, that waded into the thick of it and swung its blade with wild abandon.
Nearby ran Ruby, the young leader, with Crescent Rose in hand. She kept looking over at her teammates with a clear urge to help. But right now she had a more important job to do.
"Save your strength," said Oscar. The memories of Ozpin buzzed through his brain, strong enough that he had accepted his new identity more quickly than usual. He ran just ahead of her, his gaze fixated on their target; a massive structure of pinkish-purple crystal that resonated just like the old magitech from the days before the gods devastated the world. "And be ready; we will need your full mental powers to deal with that weapon."
"Got it," she nodded without stopping.
The five of them carved their way through the hordes of evil to reach Salem's castle, and beyond it… their destiny.
_/_/_/
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…
Adrian climbed back into the taxi with a heavy sigh. Pyrrha had told him what she knew, which wasn't a lot – Jaune had left town just after team MOCA had been sent to Valley Glenn, but she hadn't heard back from him since. That was bad news in many ways.
"No good, eh?" said the old driver.
"Nope," Adrian leaned his head back and groaned. "Of all the times for the damn CCT to be down…"
"It's all part of that Elysium stunt, I says," the driver said as he started the car back up. "That Dusk fella sure knows how to put on an act, lemme tell ya."
"An act?"
"Oh yeah… they're all tryin to hype up the new school with this big ol stunt, and boy is it working. Never seen so many folks runnin around like headless chickens."
Adrian opened his mouth to reply, but a sudden thought broke in and shut off his brain for a moment.
An act. Acting. Was Elon Dusk… just acting?
There was one way to check right now…
Back in Mr Spears' theater class, Adrian had taken part in a study where the students had to record their own faces while both reading lines for a part and just speaking naturally. After they did so, they were supposed to study their faces to identify the telltale signs of when someone was acting so they could work on cutting them out in order to reach a fully immersive mindset, to become their character with no seams. Adrian had learned a lot about improving his own masks that day.
He pulled out his Scroll and tuned to the one channel Dusk had hacked into so he could play his broadcast on an endless loop. He zoomed in to the man's face and watched as he spoke (on mute of course), and was surprised at what he found; the tiny eye movements, the slight head turns, the licking of the lips, it was all there. All the same signs Adrian and his entire class identified and worked to reduce in order to effectively play their various roles.
"He's not insane…" Adrian mumbled, "He really is acting."
The old man didn't reply this time as he was focused on the road. Their next stop was the police station, which meant he had a moment to think a little-
Until his pocket buzzed again, ["Yo! You still alive?"]
Adrian tried not to growl as he pulled out the small radio and hit the button, "Are any of us really alive? Or is this all a bad dream?"
["Keep up the attitude and I'll make it a nightmare."]
"Did you need something?"
["Just checking in and reminding you to be back here early enough for us to go over what you need to say during the ceremony later this morning."]
"Yeah right…"
["BOI…"]
"If you're getting lonely up there, just say so. You don't need to make up excuses.~"
["… … …I dunno why, but I just can't lie to you. Fine; I miss you, happy? Get done and get your sorry butt back up here."]
"See? Now was that so hard?"
["…Just for that you can bring back five lattes, one for each of us."]
"As you command, my liege.~" He didn't give her time to reply before shutting the radio off and stowing it again. It wasn't hard to imagine her annoyed face, but right now he didn't want to give her any more mental effort than necessary.
Though in all fairness, there wasn't much else he could do. Now that he'd figured out what Elon Dusk was really doing (or rather, not doing), the man was well and truly off the suspect list when it came to finding the mastermind responsible for everything going on. That only left the so-called immortal witch Salem, someone who Oscar felt personally responsible for. It was a fight Adrian had no part in.
He didn't know (or want to know) the details of how his former Headmaster had escaped his own office while surrounded, but he trusted that the man was doing exactly what he needed to right this second; stopping Salem. It was his problem now. There was nothing Adrian could do besides trust that everything would work out okay.
Still… something in the back of his mind wasn't satisfied.
("The death of Qrow Branwen disturbs me;
it is too similar to how I was silenced
before the Grimm War.")
Almost a decade had passed since Ozpin had been killed. If the circumstances around the two murders was so similar, it implied several things that left a sour taste in Adrian's mouth.
In any case, now was the time to settle that particular issue; the taxi rumbled to a stop just outside the VCPD building as the old man put it into park. "Here we are," he said.
Adrian didn't reply. He quietly got out of the vehicle and headed inside, all the while running Pyrrha's words through his head: Jaune had been worried about being spied on, and something weird was going on with his Lieutenant. The few times Adrian had interacted with Brand Ashens was enough for him to understand where those worries were coming from. There was a chance, however slim, that whatever the cops told him this morning would be a lie. But if he decided law enforcement was dirty, then why bother even coming out here today? Why bother doing any of this? Might as well just put on a shirt that read 'Ruby Rose's Bitch' and be done with living.
Heh… if Misty were here, she'd do everything she could to smack him upside the head for having a thought like that. And she'd know he did, even if he didn't say it.
Thinking of his partner again dispelled his sour mood. He walked into the building in no particular hurry, his emotions passive.
…
…
Less than an hour later, he came back out with a deep frown and an angry power-walk.
He quickly marched up to the taxi, threw himself in and barked, "Screw the lights, I need to get to Beacon 5 minutes ago."
The old man only hesitated for a moment, mouth hung open in shock, before he collected himself and grinned like a teenager, "Now that's what I'm talkin about! Buckle up, kid…"
Police station be damned; Adrian's taxi peeled away like a bat out of Hell. He sat in the back and tried to hold himself down before he got out and ran.
What he'd just learned put all the final pieces in place. At last he had what he really needed.
And he really really really hoped he was wrong this time.
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…
_/_/_/
Oscar and Salem exchanged numerous volleys of magical attacks, the kind not seen since the ancient days. Most of team RWBY stayed out of the way, three of the girls continuing their efforts to keep the Creatures of Grimm at bay while the fourth prepared to end the fight once and for all. They fought outside the castle while Oscar faced Salem within, their combined power doing untold amounts of damage to the structure.
Oscar paused to take a breath. Salem didn't appear even slightly tired out. Were he facing any ordinary opponent, the man once called Ozma knew he would prevail – against the unending threat of his ex-wife, however, it was simply a matter of time before he fell, exhausted.
Neither combatant said a word. There was no need, not after everything they'd been through. All the better, as it made listening far easier…
His Scroll gave a single, quiet 'ping' from his pocket. Ruby was ready.
Oscar readied the cane of Ozpin, called Long Memory, and charged up an attack that launched the queen of the Grimm straight up from the floor, sending her flying into and through the vaulted ceiling. She didn't even try to block the attack, as there was no need. It would never be enough to kill her. Moving swiftly to keep up, Oscar put all his meager Aura into his legs and jumped through the hole.
They cleared the roof and came into the open night sky together. Oscar charged up a burst of Ice Dust and shot it straight back down, forming a pillar of ice that connected Salem's body to the building. Again, she made no effort to dodge the attack or absorb the damage; life as an immortal rendered such things as trite.
That is, until Oscar looked over and yelled, "NOW!"
"ON IT!" yelled Ruby Rose.
A deep, resonant hum quickly made itself known and rapidly increased in strength. Oscar used a bit of Hard Light to reinforce the ice at the last moment, then landed and tried to run over to Ruby and the giant device… but his untrained Aura gave out at that moment, sending him to his knees with a grunt.
Gods bless Ruby, she couldn't just leave him there. She darted over in a flurry of rose petals and grabbed him as the crystalline device quickly charged itself. Salem strained against her icy prison, but the added power of the Hard Light Dust was enough to keep her in place just long enough-
"Go! Quickly!" Oscar grunted as Ruby started running, "We must get out of range before-"
WA-CHOOM! ! !
A shockwave hit them like a bomb blast, knocking both Oscar and Ruby forward at high velocity. Oscar's entire world faded into white noise for quite a while.
When he came to, both he and Ruby were lying on the ground about a quarter mile away from Salem's castle. He could see the immortal woman trapped in a bubble of energy up on the roof even from here.
It worked. Salem was imprisoned.
But they paid a high price for their victory; while Oscar was merely battered and bruised, Ruby was unconscious on the ground next to him, bleeding badly from the tattered stumps that used to be her legs. They hadn't cleared the blast radius quite fast enough, it seemed. Oscar had no Aura left to try and stifle the bleeding, but fortunately for all of them, that was the moment the rest of her team appeared. She was stabilized within minutes.
Oscar and team RWBY would be hailed as heroes. They had ended the war and vanquished the evil.
Or so they thought…
_/_/_/
Oscar had met with Elon Dusk twice before now, but both meetings were quite normal by comparison; once as Ozpin during an official interview and once as the 'newly appointed' Headmaster of Beacon Academy during a party in Atlas. Elon was naturally jovial, able to make nearly anyone smile after a few words, and his skill with technology and Dust was more than outstanding. All things considered, he had every skill needed to make a comfortable life for himself and retire in the lap of luxury.
"Ah, welcome Oscar Pine," said the man in flamboyant red and black robes. He stood next to an empty throne, one that only Salem had ever occupied. "To what do we owe the honor of your presence?" Elon's dimpled cheeks almost left his face as he smiled.
"Where is she?" Oscar said without any preamble.
Dusk flinched, but only slightly. "Our goddess comes and goes as she pleases, dear sir. It is not for us mere mortals to understand her ways."
Oscar didn't hesitate, "If she's not here, then all the better. I must reach the device on the roof. If you do not interfere, I will not kill you."
Now the man put on a cocky grin, "Oh-ho, you think to harm me, the prophet of the living goddess? I am under her protection, my good man."
"That creature is no goddess, Elon."
"Those who doubt will always be among us, I fear."
Oscar sighed, "There's no getting through to you, is there?"
Elon crossed his arms and stood waiting, almost as a challenge.
Oscar pulled out Long Memory and held it before him. He began to gather his Aura into the weapon, slowly at first, making sure it was visible. His opponent saw what he was doing and his grin faded a little. Oscar didn't intend to actually attack, just scare the man… and it appeared to be working.
"Get out of my way," said Oscar calmly.
"M-My g-g-goddess will p-protect… m-me…"
Oscar pulled more of his Aura into the cane, held it out and aimed the weapon directly at the other man. At once Elon Dusk fell to his knees, babbling and crying for mercy.
Well now… that was easier than expected.
…
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…
…
Adrian was almost out of time.
Once he was back on campus, he made a beeline for the dormitory. As luck would have it, both Misty and Velvet found him along the way. He wasted no time instructing them to get out of the school and make their way to Uncle Jaune's apartment right now. Misty tried to argue, but his tone left no room for debate, nor did he wait around to make sure they listened. All he could do was trust that the older rabbit Faunus would take care of the most important person in his life.
He first power-walked toward the CCT tower, but a sudden announcement over the intercom made him change course; Ruby and her team would be waiting at the launch pad on the roof of the BMAC (Beacon Multipurpose Activity Center, a building used mostly for after-class activities) until he got there. He doubled his speed.
Sure enough, he reached the building only a few seconds before they did. Above, the sky glowed red as the moon inched its way towards the true eclipse.
"Ruby!" he called out as they quickly marched into the building.
Yang turned and waved at him, "Good timing! They moved up the schedule-"
Adrian ignored her, "Ruby, wait!"
Ruby chatted with Weiss at the front, her crimson cloak billowing out behind her as she walked almost as fast as Adrian. Her two white Dust crystal earrings glimmered every time she turned her head to say something to her old partner. She didn't seem to even notice Adrian was there as she quickly saw a line waiting for the elevator and went for the stairs without pausing.
He finally grabbed her attention at the ground floor stairwell, "Ruby we need to talk-"
"Not now, kiddo. We're already late." The four women summoned their Aura together and bypassed the stairs completely, choosing instead to leap up the open center and ascend all 16 floors in a matter of seconds, bouncing off the guardrails every few floors.
Adrian growled, took a step back and focused his Aura before slamming his fists together. A few people nearby gave a cheer at seeing the now-famous blue lightning running up his arms, but he paid them no mind. With the power of the God Hands running through his veins once again, Adrian followed the path team RWBY had taken and reached the roof in one powerful jump.
At the top, his targets had barely slowed down. An Atlas airship waited on the tarmac, the SDC logo clearly emblazoned across the side. The engines were already running.
It was now or never; he wouldn't get another chance at this.
"Ruby, wait! How did you know Qrow had been killed?"
All four women stopped at once.
For a moment, nobody moved. Adrian's heart was already beating fast from the exertion of keeping up, and it wasn't slowing down anytime soon. A sense of dread started to overtake him.
Ruby turned first, her hood already up in preparation for the trip. "I told you already, Adrian. They let us know just before you got in-"
"No they didn't." Adrian crossed his arms and glared. "You lied to me."
"I've never lied to you."
"Bullshit. I just got back from asking about it in town. If Sargent Burns didn't owe me a favor, I'd still be there now, in custody. They only identified his remains a few days ago, and with him being a former spy, his death was considered Top Secret until the investigations are over. I had a lot of explaining to do about why a civilian like me knew about it at all."
Weiss, Blake and Yang shared a look. Ruby didn't even blink. "I'm the Headmistress. I have special access."
"Not according to the cops, you don't. This was high-level stuff. Qrow didn't even have any next-of-kin registered to be informed first, never mind you guys."
Ruby glanced away for a moment, then back at Adrian. "We don't have time to discuss this. Let's just get into town and get this ceremony over with, and then I'll answer all the questions you want."
"No."
…
…
…
…
Now that he was properly cowed, Dusk was more than willing to let Oscar have the run of the place. He wouldn't answer any questions, at least not directly, but that was fine. Oscar knew his way around on his own. The hole he'd made in the roof last time had been fixed, so he had to find the stairs.
At no point after arriving did he feel anything close to the old pressure of Salem's presence. It had been a constant weight on his soul all throughout his last visit, but now it was missing.
Which had to mean the witch was simply in another part of the world, far away from her doomsday device.
And if this clown was her best defense… maybe Oscar had overestimated his wife's abilities after all.
At long last they reached the roof and Oscar beheld the final creation of Salem; it stood nearly 20 feet tall from bottom to top, in a shape that was roughly triangular. A crystalline pyramid made of numerous shards of pinkish-purple material the likes of which the modern world could never imagine. Each part seemed to thrum with magical power. It was a safe bet that every scrap of ancient tech still on Remnant was sitting before him, all constructed with a singular purpose in mind.
Now, with no one around who could stop him, Oscar finally had the chance to properly dismantle the thing and put the threat of global catastrophe behind them once and for all.
"She t-told me…" Dusk mumbled from behind him, "She… t-told me it would… all w-work out…"
"And you believed her," said Oscar without looking back. He quickly found the console, the same one he'd instructed Ruby on how to use all those years ago, and brought up the interface. The programming appeared completely intact. All he had to do was remember the right commands to run in order to permanently shut the entire thing down.
"You…" Dusk was now talking directly to Oscar, "You… know how to operate that?"
Oscar shrugged, "It is not that difficult. Even one such as you could figure it out."
"I would never… that is the tool of the goddess. We mortals are not meant to comprehend such a thing."
Oscar's fingers paused over the keypad. He slowly looked over at the man in the robes and said, "Why do you say that? Didn't you use this to release your 'goddess' from her prison?"
Dusk furrowed his eyebrows deeply. "My…? Do you refer to that white-haired woman in black? Dear man, do not take me for a fool."
…
…
…
…
One deep red eyebrow lifted high enough to touch her hood. "No…?"
"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me the truth."
There was about 20-30 feet of open space between them, but Adrian and Ruby glared at each other for what felt like hours. In time, those silver eyes turned away first as she clicked her teeth, then sighed deeply. "Fine. You wanna know the truth?"
"That's literally what I'm saying."
Ruby stared at the tarmac for a moment, clearly thinking about how to word her next excuse. "The reason I knew about his death…"
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As Oscar stared at Elon Dusk, the pieces began to fall into place in his mind. All the clues, all the information, everything he and Adrian had discussed. A cold blanket of dread engulfed his heart.
Dusk put on a prideful smile, "Now and forever, I have only ever worshiped one goddess."
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Ruby suddenly snapped the fingers of one hand. A large black bird appeared from the other side of the airship and cawed loudly as it flew just overhead and out of Adrian's sight.
A moment later, the hiss of swords being drawn made itself known from just behind him. He glanced over and found a red-haired man to his right and a black-haired woman to his left, both wearing red and black outfits, both holding curved swords. And both wearing similar white masks that resembled Grimm.
"…was because I ordered it."
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The fear quickly withered away as anger took over. Oscar glared at the poor fool of a man, then back at the console of Salem's weapon, just barely holding himself back from destroying it with his bare hands.
Ruby. It had been Ruby all along. And she'd played him for a goddamned fool!
It must have been because of the incident with the Cult, back when they killed Zwei. Even then he could tell something inside Ruby had broken, but now he understood the true depths of her madness. She had come back and released Salem on her own, probably bringing Dusk with her if his words were any indication. And somehow she had dispatched her immortal foe, taking the power of Darkness for herself. The power to create Grimm.
The Imu.
Zwei.
The Crimson Cult.
Grimm in the shape of dogs that were slowly spreading across all of Remnant, replacing humans and Faunus with monsters.
Everything was connected. Everything. How could he not see it until now?!
Oscar took a deep breath to calm himself, then another, and looked upon the device he had come here to destroy. Ruby would face his wrath soon enough, but this was the higher priority now. He needed to dismantle the greatest mechanical threat to the world first, and then he would deal with the personal one.
Heart racing and palms sweaty, Oscar started typing.
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Two long, wicked sharp swords were aimed at his neck from either side. Adrian held still as the masked strangers held firm, looking frantically between them and the girls of team RWBY. And in those first few seconds, he knew it was over. He'd stepped right in it.
Ruby and all three of her old teammates just stood there, watching him. Staring. Much like a certain rabbit Faunus used to do before she was incinerated.
Adrian spoke through gritted teeth, trying not to start shouting, "…Why?"
Ruby said, "Why what? Be specific, Adrian."
"Why… are you… doing this?"
"You already know the answer."
"IFIKNEWTHEANSWERIWOULDN'TBEASKING!"
Ruby giggled. She freaking giggled. "And here I thought you were the big, smart detective who was going to solve the case. Come on… use that big brain of yours."
The two blades moved closer, not even an inch away on either side. One twitch and he'd be more than bleeding. Adrian tried to calm himself down and think, since it was probably the only way he'd get out of this with his head still attached. "Qrow…" he growled, "He was getting too close, wasn't he?"
"Sadly, he was." Ruby sighed dramatically, her smile only slightly fading. "Of all the people on Remnant, only you and him could've put the pieces together."
"Oscar isn't going to find Salem, is he?"
"Of course not. I made sure of that after the cult murdered my Zwei in cold blood."
"Your dog? Was that… the point of all this? Because they killed your stupid DOG?"
BANG
The time it took Ruby to draw her weapon, unfold it and fire was less than half a second. His last sentence was still echoing in his head as the bullet from her shot took off the top part of his left ear. White hot pain exploded across his face as he smelled copper, followed closely by two pinpricks against his neck like fireplace pokers. He'd jerked away from the shot and moved into the blades, but not very deep. Not yet.
Ruby's silver eyes glowered at him from beneath her hood as the smoking barrel of Crescent Rose remained leveled at his face. "Don't you EVER call my Zwei a stupid dog. If you were anybody else, I'd tear you limb from limb where you stand."
Adrian bit his tongue to keep from screaming in both agony and frustration. The blood from his ear dripped down his neck and onto his back but he dared not move.
All at once, Ruby's attitude shifted right back to the old Huntress he'd known for the last few years. She smiled and put her weapon away, sighing, "Sorry, kiddo. I always get a bit too riled up anytime someone brings up that incident. Qrow should have mentioned that, right?"
"…You knew?"
"Naturally." Ruby put her hands on her hips and looked just as smug as Opal did back when she got the highest grade on a test out of the four of them. "I know everything about you. I mean, I wasn't that bad of a guidance councilor, was I?"
"That's debatable now…"
"Oh hush. You turned out fine! In fact, better than fine…~"
Adrian blinked as he realized the sky was starting to change. He dared to glance up and found himself looking at the eclipse. It was happening right now. The shattered moon couldn't completely block the sun, but it was mere inches away from being positioned right in front of it. The resulting effect turned the entire sky a deep, dark red not unlike Ruby's natural hair, everything except the area right around the moon, which glowed like a distant explosion of fire.
When he looked back down, Ruby had not taken her eyes off him. "We belong together, you and I."
"…wut?"
"When I told you I wanted to keep you around, I meant it. I meant every single word. We're the same, Adrian. Think about it – both of us had the one we loved the most taken away from us, we both faced rejection by the world at large, and we both know firsthand what humanity is capable of when they're faced with something they don't understand. We've seen their true colors. THEY are the true monsters of this world. Not the Grimm."
For just a moment, Adrian's brain reset itself. "You… you're insane."
Ruby grinned. The white Dust earrings glimmered in the fading light. "Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment."
"When Oscar gets back-"
"He won't."
"He WILL!"
Adrian suddenly found a burst of strength and shot both fists out, knocking away the twin blades of his ambushers at once. He then slammed his fists together once more, amplifying the effect even further since the boost he'd given himself to jump up to the roof was still in effect. The blue lightning spread out farther than before and drove back the two masked warriors, giving Adrian some much needed breathing room.
He pointed one brightly glowing fist at Ruby – no, the Imu wearing her skin – and declared, "Oscar Pine is going to destroy Salem's machine and come back, and together we will wipe you freaks off the face of Remnnat."
This didn't get the intended reaction. Nobody so much as flinched at the display of power he put out, but Ruby just kept on smiling. "Oh I know he'll destroy it."
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Almost a full minute passed as Oscar entered all the necessary commands into the console. It took a long time to remember the exact sequence, but in time he got it all. It was fortunate that while the machine itself was a custom job, the interface program Salem chose to control it with was fairly bog-standard back in the day. Simple enough to work around.
All of the safety programs were off. Everything that kept the crystalline structure bonded together had been disabled. One last command… execute final shutdown… and… done.
Immediately the machine began thrumming low and loud, a tone that rapidly increased in power.
The screen in front of him read, 'ACTIVATION COMMAND ACCEPTED. COMMENCING FREEZE OPERATION.'
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"In fact…" Ruby started laughing, a soft, sinister sound, "I'm counting on it."
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Oscar stared, dumbfounded. He'd gone through everything right, but…
Ruby. That little-
That's why Ruby didn't stop him from escaping; she wanted him to do this! SHE SET HIM UP! ! !
Not only did she figure out how to release Salem, that diabolical little genius had even found a way to reprogram the entire database to make it activate with the goddamn shutdown command! This was way beyond anything Salem had pulled off before now. It was damn impressive. She'd read his every move like a cheap romance novel.
And there was no way either he or Elon Dusk could hope to escape the kickback range when the damn thing was set to end the world as they knew it. Ruby had lost both of her legs when it froze just one person. Oscar and Elon wouldn't even leave bodies behind.
The last thing Oscar Pine heard before the machine activated was the voice of a madman laughing and cheering, "Hail the Rose! MAY SHE LIVE FOREV-"
Salem's castle exploded in a burst of pure magical light.
A shockwave ripped across the Land of Darkness, leveling absolutely everything in its path. People, Grimm, the land itself, nothing stood before it.
Once the destruction stopped, the light did not – it spread further, gradually rising to the blackened sky and further still, until it covered the entire world in a matter of minutes. Keen observers would also notice a similar field of magical energy spreading over the surface of the moon like a blanket, and they would see that the two energies were identical in every way.
The last day on Remnant had begun.
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A deep, intense rumbling started up all around them, and Adrian could taste his heart in his throat. The entire sky flashed with a pale light for just a moment, but most notable was a similar flash on the surface of the moon. Had the eclipse not reached its exact mid-point, that last glow would have gone fully unnoticed.
All six people on the roof around him took a moment and looked up at the moon. Nobody said anything as the rumbling gradually came to a stop. In fact, it almost felt like everything had come to a stop.
No.
No, it couldn't be. It was impossible.
"What did you do?" Adrian demanded of the woman he once trusted with his life. "What did you do?!"
"What did I do?" Ruby Rose, the legendary Huntress credited with saving the world, slowly turned and laughed, a twisted, broken sound the had no business coming out of a human face. She looked upon Adrian with eyes hidden in shadow, only a glimmer of their original silver visible in the murk.
"I've won."
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It is time.
My friend, my companion, my love, you must now choose – will you stand against me, and forsake everything I've worked for? Or will you defy those who once looked down upon you, spurn those who hated you, and join me in absolute victory? Will you stand with the pure Grimm, or the monsters of humanity?
I know you're a smart kid, but I also know how much you want to do The Right Thing™ no matter what. For once in your life, be more than everyone thinks you are. Rise above the cattle. Prove that you deserve to live… while they deserve to die.
Join me, Adrian Arc. Let us rule this world together.
Please don't make me kill you.
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Author's Note: She hasn't won yet, calm down.
All I'm gonna do here is give you a reminder that the next chapter will serve as the finale (19 will just be a bonus chapter). And just as a heads-up, it will be a long one. Be ready.
=^..^=