Within an undisclosed location, Cinder fall flanked by her two enforcers Emerald Sustria and Mercury Black looked over the warehouse currently occupied by the white fang soldier, the grunts were busying themselves moving multiple crates of dust to their proper storage areas and taking inventory of their contents. It had taken longer to negotiate a deal with Taurus ending with the deal stacked more so in favour of the Faunus group their operations being observed by one of Adams agents, who was currently nowhere in sight.
A setback which could have easily been avoided, Idly cinder glanced down to her right arm a slender crimson glove leading up to her biceps, their battle with the cloaked man had left a small but unsightly scar running up the back of her hand a constant reminder of her failure to secure the Fall Maidens powers, although compared to Mercury you could say she escaped unscathed, Mercury had been cleared by the doctors but even with a simple glance you could tell he wasn't back to his full strength.
Ridding those thoughts from her mind, she turned her attention back towards the floor below looking for any sign of the red-headed master criminal currently under her employment.
"Where the hell is he, they should be back by now?" Emerald said her arms crossed as she paced back and forth.
"The firefight at the docks is all over the news, maybe we got lucky and he got taken out." Mercury said from his position atop one of the crates.
"Please, we aren't that lucky" Emerald said.
"Quiet" Cinders voice cut through them ending their conversation as she stared down at the small group of white fang soldiers entering the warehouse some carrying their wounded brethren and crates of dust a much smaller payload then what was expected.
Cinders eye's scanned the group finding the man she was looking for. Roman was stood off to the side engrossing himself with one of his cigars unaware of her presence as she approached him.
"Disappointing Roman, "Cinder began in a deceptively calm and polite tone. "you were provided ample resources and forces at your disposal. And yet you still return almost empty handed I expected better from you Roman, perhaps you aren't the best after all."
"I am the best" Roman said in annoyance turning to face cinder took a slow drag from his cigar before continuing "But even the best have problems when they got a group of hunters in training meddling in my affairs, some Huntress that hits like a bulldozer and having half my "Help" getting taken out by some guy with a bow!"
"What!?" Cinder said, she had already been planning how to remedy Romans latest failure and keep the White Fang in their good graces, but the last part stopped her in her tracks. Cinder turned to look at Roman narrowing her eyes. "Explain." she said
"Creepy fella dressed in all black with some bird on his chest, couldn't see his face but he seemed pretty dead set on taking my head off" Roman responded, Cinder looked away for a moment in thought, Roman glanced to Emerald and Mercury who both shared a look with one another Roman could swear they almost looked... afraid.
"Thank you for this Roman" Cinder said as she took her leave Emerald and Mercury quickly following behind her "We'll leave you to your work." Roman blinked in confusion at the swift change in attitude half expecting to have received a good ear full of bitching but this, this was... weird even by his standards seeing the usual fiery woman close off like that maybe he should bring this guy up more often if it got Cinder and those brats of hers off his back.
Cinder was mentally kicking herself, of course, he was here, where else would he be and if that were the case the Fall Maiden wouldn't be that far behind, no, she had work to do her mistress had commanded it she wouldn't allow herself to be distracted by her own desires.
Never the less, this Nightingale as she had heard many of the White Fang refer to him as was present in Vale, the question remained was he one of Ozpins pawns his arrival seemed too convenient at the time it would make sense for Ozpin to have one of his own to watch over the Maiden during her journey, and yet her mistress had no knowledge of this man nor his involvement with Ozpin... were there others who knew of the Maidens and their power and if so then what were there motives if they sought the maidens for themselves why save her, in the girls weakened state it would have been easy to claim her power unless there was something else?
Cinder rid those thoughts from her mind there were more pressing matters that needed to be dealt with and in time so would this Nightingale personally.
/
Mikael sat staring out towards Vale the lights from the City illuminating the night the cool night air was a welcome feeling to the nightingale, tonight had been a rather... eventful evening to say the least, after providing the Vale's law enforcement everything they needed they were free to go, Mikael chuckled slightly at the memory if they had been aware of his position in the guild or the crimes he had committed in his past he was sure things would have been less then...Civil.
Their arrival back to beacon had been met with the headmaster accompanied by a furious Glynda Goodwitch after a quick discussion RWBY were allowed to return to their dormitory, three of them with instructions to be present in her office the following afternoon beginning one of their detentions for the following week, the final member of team RWBY would be spending her free time for the following months in his classroom it was a better outcome than possible incarceration.
Despite the calming nightly atmosphere there was something nagging him in the back of his mind one of them being the trip to forever fall around two weeks prior the Grimm, there were many books depicting different species of Grimm within Beacons library, at first glance, one would suspect the creature to simply be a nevermore although the bone and armoured plating it bore the kind that would normally be seen on one of the elder Grimm depicted it as something else, it had shown some intelligence by fleeing after it had been spotted .
Then there came Mora, the Demon had been there at every turn watching him all this time worst of all he had apparently taken interest in one of his students, Ruby, he couldn't deny he sensed the power inside her that she seemed unaware of, it was similar in strength to the power Amber bore yet differed drastically he could swear it felt...pure like almost as if it was a piece of light.
Mikael sighed deeply, Ruby was young with dreams of grandeur and heroism a simple soul, often times one of the strongest. And now Mora had set his sights on her like so many before him, like himself. He knew Mora he knew what that bastard was capable of and he'd go to any length to get what he wanted spilling any amount of blood in the process.
The image of an ageing man bearing the garbs of a Skaal flashed through his mind.
The stairwell door leading to the rooftops creaked open bringing him away from his thoughts turning his head he saw Amber two mugs in hand making her way towards him "I thought I might find you up here" she said coming to take a seat beside him. holding out one of the two mugs containing a tea to the Nightingale who accepted the beverage.
"I find this place rather relaxing and the view isn't that bad either" Mikael responded gesturing towards Vale in the distance taking a sip from the mug, surprisingly it was not more of that caffeine that most of the staff seemed to constantly have on hand but instead a tea and a rather good one at that. The beverage did little to distract him as his attention quickly returned to his previous topic.
Amber glanced over at the nightingale who stared down into his drink in thought "Are you alright?" She asked.
Mikael chuckled although there was no humour in it "Is it really that obvious?" He asked
"You've seemed stressed over the last few days" Amber replied, "What's bugging you?"
Mikael sighed as he turned to look up into the night sky "Do you recall how I came to arrive in this world, more importantly, who sent me here." the statement caused Ambers eyes to widen before she too grew quiet
"...Mora" Amber muttered, Hermaeus Mora the Daedric Prince of Knowledge and Fate, she found herself disgusted by simply uttering that creatures name, from what little she had learned from Mikael about the Daedra they were being of great power many hailed as deities who made pacts with mortals and relished in the suffering of mankind, they were not to be trifled with so easily. "A-Are you sure?" She asked tentatively
Mikael nodded as he set the mug down beside him "The night Blake ran off he appeared, it would seem he's taken an interest in Miss Rose"
"Ruby?" Amber asked Ruby was just a girl true she wasn't that much older when she received the Maidens powers from her predecessor. Never the less Ruby was only fifteen she may have been remarkably skilled to have been able to attend Beacon at such an age but still had a long way to go, what could such a creature want from her. "Why her?"
"There is something about her, something powerful but I doubt she's even aware of this part of herself and that worries me. When I first discovered my abilities my heritage as Dragonborn I sought answers from any available source be it books or those I thought knew best on the subject, I was young then, naive to the fact others would attempt to use me for their own gain. Over time I grew wise to their games, but Ruby... I dare not think of what that Demon would do to her if he gets the chance" Amber was silent for a moment taking in all that the Nightingale had said it made her thankful Ozpin had been there to guide and help her become who she was now.
"Then what do we do?" Amber asked taking on a serious tone.
"Whatever we can?" Mikael said
/
It had been almost two months since the Dragonborn had vanished from Skyrim, the news had spread across the province like wildfire and as such many rumors had popped up, had he met his end by one of the dragons that remained loyal to Alduin's Rule, Had the Thalmor done away with him in an attempt to strip the land of its defender or had he shared the fate of the Dwemer.
No one knew, except for a small group of the Dragonborn closest allies
Atop the highest mountain in all of Skyrim The Monahven better known as The Throat of The World sat a monastery a lone figure approached the monastery via horseback the jet black stallion pushed on as the wind pelted its body it's ridder shielding herself with her cloak it's vibrant red eye's cutting through the night, she had been one of the first to notice he had vanished, true he would sometimes drop off the grid but would usually return a few days later, she was one of the few people who could get him to open up these day's and even that was a rare skill for someone to possess.
Dismounting she approached the large doors to the monastery knocking three-time " It's me, open the door" she said A few moments passed and the massive door to the monastery opened an elder Nord garbed in the usual attire of the Greybeards, Arngeir.
"Ah, Serena come in child." he said Serana held in a small laugh at the term she was much, much older than the four monks combined
Entering the monastery, she pulled down her hood a pair of amber eye's shone in the light cast from the fire "This way, some of your allies have already arrived" Arngeir said gesturing for her to follow. Entering a room off to the side used for diplomatic purposes she was greeted by the familiar faces of two mages
One an ageing Nord his hair greying and his mismatched eyes of hazel and green, smiling kindly at her and the other, a Kahjiit with grey spotted fur resembling that of a snow lynx
"Greeting serana"
"Arch-mage" She replied.
Tolfdir raised his hand "There is no need for formalities, have you heard any news from the others."
Serana took a seat across from him" The last I had heard Mjoll is still checking with Frea and her people on raven rock, I haven't heard from Karliah or Brynjolf in a few days Mikael was a member of their order and his ties to the thieves' guild mean they have contacts across Skyrim and beyond" she said as footsteps echoed behind them
"That may be true, but this takes us far beyond the borders of the mortal world." Brynjolf said as all present turning to face the new arrivals.
Serana stood up from her seat "What do you mean? "she asked
" Mikael managed to make contact with nocturnal from another plane of existence, from what we've learned Hermaeus Mora seems to have had a hand in sending him there" Karliah stated the dark elf pulling down her hood as she and her companion took a seat at the large stone table.
"So, he is not on Nirn perhaps one of the planes of Oblivion, it should be easy enough to retrieve him fro-"
"No" Karliah interrupted the Arch-mage "Nocturnal had no former knowledge of this realm she said it was overrun with darkness but not her own, it belongs to something else."
"It could be an undiscovered plain of oblivion, fascinating "Tolfdir stated
"J'zargo believes we should act quickly, the people are becoming restless and undesirables are becoming bolder... no offense." J'zargo said to the thief duo a few feet away
"None taken" Brynjolf responded shrugging
"In any case, we need to return Mikael to Nirn before there is a chance for bloodshed" Tolfdir turned to address the two nightingales present "Did your... Mistress happen to say anything else about this place?" Tolfdir asked
"Not much Nocturnal is rather cryptic at times, we were only able to get a name, Remnant"
"Interesting" Tolfdir began "There may yet be a way to retrieve him, tell me do you know the fate of the Elder scrolls Mikael had in his possession Serana?"
Serana was quiet for a moment " Mikael hid them away he said they were too powerful for anyone to possess I asked him once and he simply said, "Where no man or Mer can set foot" I still don't know what he meant by that."
"Skuldafn" Arngeir said stepping out of the shadows as he joined the group's conversation
"What?" Brynjolf asked in confusion
"Skuldafn a Nordic ruin high in the eastern mountains of Skyrim, true no man can set foot there but that does not apply to the Wyrm" Arngeir began as all focused their attention on what he had to say "The Dragonborn came to the monastery some month ago to commune with Paarthurnax, the Elder scrolls were in his possession by his request I accompanied him to the top, the Dragonborn entrusted their safekeeping to the dragon Odahviing who has placed them at the ruin of Skuldafn and even now watches over them."
"Why did you not speak of this sooner?" J'zargo inquired a small amount of annoyance present in the Kahjiits tone.
"I was sworn to secrecy by the Dragonborn, but if the scrolls are required in order for him to return I see no reason why I should not speak of it. Odahviing is currently communing with Paarthurnax atop the mountain even they have grown restless due to the Dragonborns absence" Arngeir said
"Thank you for this Arngeir." Serana said
"Think nothing of it child." The Greybeard spoke
"We should get started" Brynjolf began turning to Serana "Karliah and I are coming with you and the old man to retrieve the scrolls if there is a way to get the lad back then we better hurry." Brynjolf said Arngeir rolled his eyes at the nightingale's comment
"I've met Odahviing in the past it should be easy enough to convince him to give us the scrolls." Serana said
"J'zargo and I will return to the college and prepare for when you have the scrolls meet us there then we may begin." Tolfdir said nodding to the vampire as he and J'zargo rose from their seats making their way to the exit, the preparation alone would take time and resources, but it would be well worth the risk.
"Come, it is best we do not keep the others waiting." Arngeir said making his way towards the exit Serana, Karliah and Brynjolf following close behind as they exited the monetary Serana glanced up to the mountain peak above.
'I just hope we're not too late.'
'To be continued