She could hear movement.
In an instant her eyes were open, standing from her position against the stump as her eyes shifted around. Years of camping out in the dangerous wilderness as well as constant threat had trained her into awakening at the slightest sound. She was always ready for anything.
In the trees she caught a glance of movement, somebody was there. She had her weapon next to her on the ground, yet she left it there. Instead she took a seat and waited. It wasn't very long before her watcher had come out from the tree line, making to approach her.
She looked up at them, their face obscured by a hood and mask as the robes hid their body away. Stopping before her she was able to see the weapon sheathed at their side. However she did not make to strike, instead slowly pulling the dagger given to her from it's place on her and holding it forward.
The stranger seemed to look upon it for a moment before taking a step back, giving her room to stand. She returned the blade to it's place, getting up as she heard the stranger speak.
"He's stubborn you know." A feminine voice came as Ruby gave a slight nod.
"Yes, he is." She gave as the stranger motioned her to follow.
"I don't know what happened, but you must have done something for him to give that to you." The woman spoke as they passed into the trees.
"And how do you know I didn't just steal it?" Ruby questioned as the stranger let out a repressed laugh.
"You'd never find where he hides them, believe me when I say that."
"I'll take your word for it then." Ruby answered as they moved through a much denser area.
The trees were thicker now, nearly blocking all view. They had to actively move and force themselves through the dense forest as they made their way along.
"So you're one of the suppliers for the village?" Ruby asked as they moved along, branches slapping here and there.
"In a way, it's a give and take sort of deal." The woman replied.
"I don't quite follow?" She asked as she forced herself through, trying not to get her cloak tangled.
"They're blacksmiths, We'll give them the tools and supplies to make weapons sometimes. In exchange they receive anything they may need." The woman clarified as they moved along, her robes seemingly unaffected by the constant mess of wilderness much to Ruby's envy.
"If they're smiths then why not just let them live with your group." Ruby asked as it seemed like a hassle to constantly move equipment and tools about.
"That wasn't part of our deal. They wanted to remain out of the fighting, and our camps were always in danger. We compromised by setting up a forge hidden off in a cave. They work there and we come gather the weapons, as long as the place remains hidden they agreed to smith for us." The stranger explained.
It made a bit more sense now, somewhat. They keep their peace and the rebels get to keep on fighting. However as the fighting ramps up the village will be dragged into it regardless of wither they want to or not. It would only be a matter of time.
The trees had suddenly cleared off, much to Ruby's surprise. They found themselves before a cave. The stranger held up her hand, signaling Ruby to stop as she made her way forward. Ruby complied and held her ground, waiting as the stranger stood just before the entrance.
She watched as someone had came out of the cave, looking to talk with the robed woman she was just with. The other seemed to give a nod and hold up their hands, giving a sort of signal. In that instant four others dropped down from the trees, joining the group just before the cave.
So that's who they were.
She had thought them bandits, having seen the movement around them just before they entered the tree line. However the woman leading her had made no signs to attack, and so she had done the same.
The woman was obviously Faunus, being a rebel and all, even if her trait was hidden under the robes. She certainly heard the movement as they made their way along. Instead it looked like the ones following them were allies, at least to the stranger. Ruby was certain they didn't trust her.
The woman she was with made motions for her to approach, and so she did. Ruby made her way over slowly, taking her hood down in an attempt to look as non-threatening as possible.
They all kept grip on their weapons, ready should she try to strike. She had no intention to of course, but she could understand the worry.
She stopped just before them, waiting silently as the appeared to look her over.
"Human?" One of them asked, she nodded her head.
They seemed to look about one another, as if deciding how to handle the situation. However there were two who refrained from the shady looks, the woman from before, and someone else.
It was that same someone else that seemed to have a glint in his eye. He had no mask, and the robes he wore had the hood down, allowing her to easily see his face. He seemed excited as he stepped forwards.
"So I take it you are the one sent by the Mineral tribe?" He asked as she gave a nod.
"Yes, you are correct. I was told you could help me." Ruby said as the man took to thinking.
It was odd really, his fox ears and hair were a dull grey. Along with the monocle he was wearing, you'd think him an old man. Yet he was younger than her, She had to resist the urge to squish his cheeks. Just because he was taller than her didn't make it any easier.
"Then what is it you need? Your kind are rather popular, surely whatever it is you require could be provided by human allies. Faunus such as ourselves are only capable of so much, humans tend to get around much better." He questioned.
He was right, Faunus weren't capable of much in this time period where they were usually slaves. Fortunately for them what she needed was something they were experts in.
"I've been told you can get others into the city." She spoke as he took a confused look.
"Yes, we can get Faunus into the city. But you're human, you can just walk in. Especially a human silver eyes such as yourself, they'll provide all the comfort you desire."
Right on the money again. Unlike later on when Salem had hunted them to near extinction, the silver eyes in this time period were practically celebrities, at least among the human cities.
The smaller tribes and settlements mostly thought their powers a myth as while there were more of them, few had been able to truly use their gift. Only the main kingdoms with their larger populations had those who witnessed it. Most who were able to master the silver eyes using it as a way to gain fame and wealth. They would display their power to the royalty, easily winning affection, while the commoners would take the ruler's word for it.
She could easily walk into the city and have them all jumping at her feet, however she wanted to lay low and out of the light.
She saw some of the others grip their weapons harder at the emphasis on the clarification of human. That was a whole other can of worms. While 'human silver eyes' were treated as royalty, the same couldn't be said for 'Faunus silver eyes'.
Human silver eyes were widely believed to be 'pure born'. It was thought that only a pure and just soul could be born as a silver eyes, that only champions of all that is right could dare to hold such a wonderous power.
The Faunus however had it rougher. They were seen as a corruption of human purity, a vile disease that sought to ruin all that they stood for. It was a popular belief that the only way for a Faunus to gain hold of silver eyes, was to kill one and steal them. This same belief was especially deadly in Aether.
In said kingdom, if a Faunus with silver eyes was discovered they were immediately put to death. Publicly beheaded, with the eyes torn out only just moments before and held high for all to see.
The only kingdom to not hold any value to the rumors was Mobius. The kingdom ruled by queen Salem and king Ozma, aptly named by the queen herself. A never ending kingdom from what the two had publicly stated, of course Ruby knew better.
"It is not the light of comfort that I seek, but a shadow to hide away." Ruby stated as he looked to have a realization.
"A troublemaker then?" He asked as she took a savvy look.
"In a sense, I seek entrance to the castle." She told as he seemed to see what she needed.
"The castle is forbidden unless directly requested by the rulers, even the silver eyes are forced to follow this rule." A look of surprise covered his face.
"Yes, I see now. They're not known for taking requests, common word states they fear poison or treachery. You intend to prove them right, don't you?" He asked, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"Perhaps I may." Ruby hinted as his look grew.
Back when she attended Beacon so long ago, she remembered doctor Oobleck. At the time he was explaining the extensions that Vale had tried to make, and ultimately failed at. He spoke of a set of mysterious ruins with traces of gravity dust hanging in the air and buried in the dirt.
At the time she thought nothing of it, it was just another set of old ruins. However, looking at the placement of Aether compared to the ruins some distance before Vale. It wasn't hard to see the connection, or what happened.
She knew those ruins would be there, and she was certain that they were the ruins of the castle. Ruins hiding old secrets were nothing new, and she had plans to hide a powerful secret there. A secret that only one may access.
Wither Aether fell anytime soon didn't matter. As long as she did what she needed to do it was irrelevant if it was in the next two or two hundred years. The castle may die, but her gift wouldn't.
"Then I believe we may be able to help. Follow us if you would." The man spoke as he began walking into the cave, herself trailing along with him.
They placed their hopes into her, and her heart wept knowing she would disappoint them.
.
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"We did it boys, we made it!" Gold cheered as they all stepped out.
Magenta could only roll her eyes as others looked their way. Leave it to Gold to always make a scene.
"Oh shut it you." She said as she took him by the ear, dragging him along as he let out squeaks of pain.
"Here we go again." Lapis gave as he shook his head, following along.
Vermillion had been silent so far, most would take it as a look of professionalism. Adam however could see how he seemed to slightly shake as they made their way along.
Guess he really was telling the truth about not having been to the city. Adam thought to himself as he watched on.
Vermillion kept a calm look on his face, but he could see how the eyes would widen momentarily as they made their way along. The various machinery still present at the docks they were on, mostly from earlier that day if he had to guess.
He'd been like this earlier as well now that Adam thought about it. On the ride into Vale Vermillion had been staring out the window the whole time, completely silent as they went along. Probably taking in the sight of so many buildings in one place.
From what Adam remembered the villages outside of the main kingdoms had much smaller populations. This must have been quite the sight for the man seeing so many people in one place.
Even the greater abundance of tech made the city stand out, especially the holo-boards. Of course it was mostly adds, but the villages only had smaller ones, and they were usually only in the communications buildings. Seeing such a large one must have been neat to him. He could see the bounce in his step, he hid his excitement well.
Adam looked over to Vermillion once again as they made their way into the warehouse, wondering just what he may have been thinking.
.
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WHATTHEFUCKWHATTHEFUCKWHATTHEFUCKWHA-
.
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From the calm look on his face, Adam would say he was just quietly appreciating the new experience. Still, they had work to do.
They had made their way in deeper, around the various other rebels that went about situating the current equipment and supplies being unloaded from other bullheads. The warehouse they were in was not entirely furbished with everything they needed yet, but that was fine.
They still had plenty of time to get everything ready. Best of all it wouldn't impact their coming missions. The place was to act as a 'hideout' for their stay in Vale. It would be used to house all of the current members in their branch, as well as a place to store most of the spoils from other missions.
Not including dust however, they've already cleared a place for that just a while ago. They'd bring the dust here momentarily to hold and transport it to the main storage place, but it wouldn't be kept here.
Ironically enough they had Cinder to thank for this place as well. Before they had been camping just outside of the kingdoms. But thanks to her 'employment' of them she had obtained a place for them to operate within Vale itself.
How she did it, Adam didn't know, nor did he care. All that mattered was that the Fang had a place to lay low between operations.
They had made it into the basement now, much more open than the one from the previous place. There were several mats strewn about the floor, a place for them to sleep during their stay. Not the most private, but good enough for the time being.
"Alright, listen up!" Adam called, pulling everyone's attention and seemingly snapping Vermillion back into focus.
.
.
Everything was wrong, so very very wrong.
I'd still not processed it quite, even as we landed. The entire time, I'd been seemingly broken.
The small things such as the cold box back in Menagerie I could understand. Different continents have different resources and cultures, it made sense they would develop different tools.
The scroll had been a bigger hit, the ability to communicate with others without the need to even be near them. That had caught me off guard as I began to wonder. Yet I had let that go as well. They were a criminal group, of course they'd keep their own secrets. The ability to talk with each other anywhere was a powerful one, nobody would let loose a benefit that large.
The same could be said for the poorly named metal bird. I'd simply assumed it a tool of Menagerie, with their dangerous land and what I had believed a lack of work animals. I thought they'd just used gravity dust to somehow make the hunk of metal fly.
Even the light inside the thing I'd reasoned for. Just put fire in a glass container, I didn't know how they did it. But it must have been possible since the light was inside what looked to be glass. The inside was filled with tiny switches and levers, I'd seen things like that for controlling the city gates back home. So I assumed they could control how we flew.
All this time I'd assumed this was all the work of a miracle continent. One that was so dangerous that it's people were forced to create contraptions one couldn't even dream of. Creations that rivals even magic itself, capable of things that were unheard of.
And then that view was shattered, the very moment we flew closer to Vale.
It all came rushing to me the very moment I was able to see the land clearly below, Everything had been wrong. I'd seen flameless lights all about, different shapes of glass containing them. I'd seen horseless carriages moving around across coal pathways. I'd seen what looked to be massive walls of light, paintings changing and moving on them like that of the scroll.
But most of all, what caught hold of me most was not the things themselves, but just how much there was. I had thought this all a sort of secret, a secret known by Menagerie or the White Fang. I'd thought the news had not spread because they had kept it hidden.
I was wrong, and the implications of it had horrified me.
If this was as common as it looked, what did that mean for us? Why has the news not reached us? I'd questioned this before, but now the importance of the answer soared higher than ever. This was kept a secret, it had to be, there was no way to have this much and not have news of it spread.
Why why WHY!? It felt as though I was having my mind torn about, I'd wanted to just break down in tears right there.
No damn it! I'm a noble, a knight! I won't let something like this be my ruin! I was better than that.
The queen had taught me to always keep a calm look about me, even when things were out of control. 'Deception' was a powerful tool. To be able to control what others did could both start and stop wars. To be in control of information was to be in possession of the key to victory.
Even when you knew nothing, you still had to look like you did. Just because you had no control or idea of what to do didn't mean others had to know that. If things were out of your hands then the best you could do was to make it look like everything was going perfectly.
People make mistakes when stressed, and to force others to question their own control of the situation is the best way to create that stress. A bluff through and through.
However, the bluff would only work if the other fell for it. The greatest risk, both a blessing and a curse.
Even now I had found myself struggling to hold my façade. Each new sight had me slightly more jumpy as I had trouble keeping my face straight.
"Alright, listen up!"
I'd caught hold of myself at that moment. That had been Adam's call. Glancing about I was able to see we'd stopped in a larger room. It would appear my thoughts had eaten up most of my focus. It didn't matter now, Adam was about to talk, I could save the worries for later.
"This will be your sleeping quarters. I know it's mostly open, but it will have to do. This will be where you return to rest after missions. Any questions?" He finished as Gold raised his hand.
"Where's the bathroom?" He'd uttered, Magenta giving a slap to her face.
Everything was silent for a moment before Adam pointed upwards.
"Back at the entrance where we came in, the door on the left."
"Thanks!"
And Gold was off, a slightly speedy jog as he made his way upwards.
Now that had been another topic, 'indoor plumbing' Sienna had called it. She had shown me how these 'bathrooms' were used during the day of showing me how to use the scroll. An out house, in house, yet another miracle machine. One that I would bring news of when I returned home. Similar to our own relief rooms, except without the need to have someone go down below and clear away the shit pile, and even those were only in certain rooms of the castle. Everyone else just used buckets.
Yes, if there was one thing that could help calm me down, it was the fact that I would bring all the news home. All of these tools that were hidden from us, kept in the dark and away from our kingdom, I would speak of it all.
I'm certain both queen and king would love to know of all these new things, it might finally give them a reason to try and branch out of our seclusion somewhat. A reason to finally go out into the world instead of just ruling over our current area. Rather than just getting rumors from travelers and merchants, as well as the occasional village alliance such as the one I'd been delivering news of before ending up here. We could seek alliances with the other kingdoms we've heard about.
It remained quiet, everyone simply waiting for Gold to return. Several minutes later we could see him walking back, taking his place among us once more. He was seemingly blind to the looks he was receiving.
"Well...now that that's taken care of, We can move on with the next order of business." Adam told, getting everyone's attention.
"I want you all to get some rest. You've got another mission tomorrow, the details of which we will discuss then." He finished as Lapis made to comment.
"Another one already?" He'd asked as Adam nodded.
"Yes, unlike Menagerie you'll find that there is much more to be done in Vale. Tomorrow I will clarify on what exactly your mission is. Until then I want you to get some rest." He explained as we gave a salute.
And so we were left alone once again. It would do us well to get some rest, yesterdays mission had gone all through the night. We had only just gotten the captives settled away during the small hours of the morning, most of the others were tired.
It was around noon when we had arrived, Vale had been further away than I had previously thought, a lot larger too. Maybe some rest would help calm my nerves. Dust knows I could use it. But I couldn't do that yet, I had something I needed to take care of.
I made my way back upstairs as the others were getting settled in. There were still many others working about the base, most having been here before we arrived. Ignoring them I had followed the directions Adam had given before. I was able to see the room he had talked about. I made my way in and locked the door.
The bathroom had been clean, well as clean as a bathroom could be. I'd walked over to the end, as far away from the door as I could before reaching into my pocket. Pulling out my scroll I had made to call Sienna.
The device had made a few silent dings, I'd set the volume lower as she had instructed back before. A few seconds went by before I heard her voice come through.
"Hello?"
"It's me."
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"V?" She asked, getting up and locking the door to her room.
"Yes, now listen. Did Adam let you know of any missions?" He asked as she took a seat on her bed.
"Not in particular no."
"Well we've got one." He let out as she gave a sigh.
"Look, V, I know I said to keep an eye on him. But I meant that on a larger scale, small missions aren't a big enough deal to risk calling me." She gave, trying to clarify her instructions.
"What about a mission to raid a warehouse, and rescue Faunus slaves?" He spoke, catching her attention.
"You're going to do a mission like that already?!" She asked, realizing just how big his info was.
"Already done it, we're getting ready for another one, although I have no idea what it is yet." V gave as she had to stop for a moment.
"Hold on, wait just a moment. You're saying that you've already freed some Faunus?"
"Yes."
Okay this was getting out of hand. When she'd sent him with Adam she'd expected him to slowly work his way up to the bigger missions. Instead it looked like Adam wasn't messing around. Worst of all V had been right, she hadn't gotten any word of it. She didn't like this.
"Okay, slow down for a moment. What do you know so far?" She asked, hoping for him to have learned at least something.
"Aside from us now having a warehouse to store dust, not much." V spoke quietly.
"Store dust? What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that the warehouse is going to be where we store all the stolen dust." He clarified, much to her confusion.
"V, I've never been told anything about stealing dust." Sienna let out quietly.
She hadn't, at all. She'd never once given the order to steal dust, nor to hoard it whatsoever. She'd given orders to attack trains, block supply lines, heck even take hostages. Yet she had never given the order to steal.
Their previous tactics before had been about causing trouble and making a mess. A way to force the kingdoms to focus on them and recognize them. Dust theft was a small crime, barely even worth mention.
She held for a moment, overlooking the information. If Adam had needed a warehouse, then just how much dust were they stealing?
V had been silent the entire time, presumably waiting for her. She took a moment to gather her thoughts before speaking again.
"V, are you still there?"
"I am." He responded.
"Listen closely, I have a mission for you. I want you to keep track of how many dust stealing operations you go on. You haven't been sent on any yet, but you will from the sounds of it. Any mission related to dust, I want you to let me know of it all. Try and keep track of the places you've been to as well." She instructed, carefully as to get the seriousness of the order across.
"Right. I'll call as I get more info, I've got to get back to the others." He gave, a quiet tone similar to hers.
He was gone, and Sienna was left more worried than before. There were only two possible uses she could think of for Adam needing that much dust.
Either a massive bomb, or a war.
.
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"News just in, a massive group of Faunus have been found outside of the walls. Comments coming from them suggest they had been saved from a Faunus trafficking ring by the White Fang. Police are currently dealing with the situation as we speak. What does this mean for the terrorist group? All of this and more coming up, so stay tuned." The reporter spoke as the program cut to adds.
"Disgusting!" Glynda spoke as Qrow took a sip from his flask.
"It would seem that word has spread." Ozpin stated as they continued along, leaving the students to chat between themselves.
They left the mess hall and continued along. Currently classes had just finished and the student body were lazing about.
"And we're doing 'what' about this?" She asked.
"We're going to be keeping a closer eye on the White Fang. I'd wanted to wait until later but it seems as if we have no choice." Ozpin spoke as they stopped around Beacon's main statue.
"You two still haven't told me about what prompted this?" Glynda said, Qrow looking to Ozpin.
"I think it's best you explain what's really going on." He gave as Ozpin nodded.
"Quite, follow me. We'll discuss this back at the office." He told as they continued on.
The evening was calm, most of the clouds had parted and the students continued on without a care in the world. The aura of peace that Beacon seemed to hold was one of the greatest things he was thankful for. One of the few decisions that hadn't been a mistake.
Entering inside the feeling was still there, although the calm seemed to dull just a bit. Ozpin gave a wave to the person on shift at the desk, a different one from last night, receiving one back as the group entered the elevator.
It was only when stepping into his office did Ozpin feel the change. Unlike the rest of Beacon which had felt like a safe haven, his office gave off a different feel. Cold and calculated, a fitting air for what had essentially been a battle station. The room where all plans were finalized, and the fate of Remnant hung in the balance.
He made his way over to the window, his one glance at the carefree world below. kept safe from the terrors the protected it from. A sort of wall that kept the two apart.
"Alright Oz, give us the rundown. You never really explained anything to me before. So now's the chance to tell us what we're dealing with." Qrow spoke as he turned to the both of them.
Glynda looked ready for anything, same with Qrow. Both stood firm, needing only the word and they would be off. Another thing he had been thankful for, allies that held a strong will. Even stronger than his own, in his own humble opinion.
"Very well then. As you know, Salem has complete control over the Grimm. This was one of the first things I had ever told you. She is the queen of Grimm, and as such can not only control, but create them as well."
"Right, you already told us this. Where's this going?" Glynda asked as she motioned him to continue.
"Yes, well when I said 'create' I meant that in more ways than one. While she is able to make Grimm such as Beowolves, Ursa, Death Stalkers and the like. She is also able to alter the very essence of 'Humans and Faunus' similar to herself." Ozpin continued, only to be stopped by Glynda.
"Wait, so you're saying that she can make others like her?!"
"Yes." He responded, only to be caught by Qrow this time.
"And you didn't think to tell us this?" He questioned as Ozpin took to the window once more.
"I'd been under the belief she had lost the ability long ago. She had only done this once before, over a thousand years ago. As such I had assumed that had been a special case, and that she could not do it anymore." He stated as he turned back to them.
"It appears that I was wrong. If what you saw was true Qrow, then it would mean that Salem has found a way to make more of these 'Grimm Knights' as I had once called it." Ozpin finished as Qrow chimed in.
"What about the one you knew about, did you get any information from that one."
"Some, Unlike Salem herself. These Grimm knights are much weaker than her. And unlike other Grimm, they have the ability to think. They are able to keep their consciousness from when they were ordinary people." Ozpin told.
"And you learned this from the one before?" Glynda asked as he nodded.
"Yes, I did during the time. However I was only able to learn from him for a short time before he was killed in his travels." Ozpin said as Qrow jumped in once again.
"What do you mean by 'learned from'?"
"Well, at the time I believe he was more of an experiment. Salem never had complete control over him and I was able to recruit him for myself. He had been focused on protecting the people and had died during one of his travels." Ozpin explained as Qrow spoke up again.
"So you're saying we may be able to recruit this one?"
"No, Salem would have fixed that little issue by this point. Otherwise she would not have let this new one out of her sight. I'm nearly certain she has control over him." Ozpin continued.
"And we're just going to keep an eye on him?" Glynda gave as he nodded.
"That's our best course of action. We don't know what this new one is capable of. We can't rush in and risk any surprises, especially with the festival. Who knows what they have planned." He finished once again, receiving nods of understanding from both of them as he took to the sight of the students below.
What are you planning Salem? Why now?
Author's note
...
Here we are once again, another chapter your way. Things are picking up as we start beginning to weave things together.
We're still not quite near anything too important yet, but we're getting closer. We get to see Oz's little group again, spooky. Honestly they're both the easiest and hardest to write. But hey, they're showing up finally, now I just have to introduce team RWBY at some point and we're golden.
V gets a dose of culture shock, tech shock? Whatever you call it, things are finally clicking for our poor knight. Only it's all clicking the wrong way, oh no.
Anyway that's it for now, see you next time.