Larger Issues
AN: Welcome everyone! In case you don't know, this is a continuation from my other series, Big Issues. A new arc, if you will. So for many things to make sense with what is happening here, I recommend reading that story first. Though I am also working on the prequel for Big Issues- Small Issues. But if you can't tell by the names, this is an overarcing story series. Maybe this segment will hit 100 chapters after the last one stopped at 94.
Anyway, enjoy!
The Next Step
The houses that had been bases of operation were now clean and empty, left the way they had been found by the teams who needed to use them. And with their absence, the houses were ready for the next groups of Huntsmen and Huntresses who would need a place to meet and rest before, after, and between missions.
Those teams were now in the transportation depot of Mistral. That depot is the central hub of traffic going to and from the Kingdom, moving goods and people around the clock. Airships, trains, trucks and wagons, they all passed through the depot. Ideally, ships would too but the waters of Mistral weren't navigable for larger ships, leading to a well protected port town downstream where the ships could dock and move cargo.
But the group of interest were in the central hub of the civilian transport station…
"Everyone have their things packed?" Taiyang asks, letting his fatherly side out.
He was greeted by a chorus of affirmations of various tones from excited to tired.
"Bike all loaded up?" Qrow asks Yang.
"Made sure of it myself. They didn't like that I didn't trust them to do it but Bumblebee is my baby, I'm not letting anyone mess her up." Yang states as she crosses her arms. It just happened that one of those workers was passing by and grumbled.
"And everyone knows what they are doing?" Itazura asks. She began passing copies of an ornate golden lamp with blue glass to Arslan, Ruby, Vernal, Ghira, and kept one for herself.
"Yeah! Get this thing to Professor Theodore as soon as we can!" Reese seemed excited, even if she didn't know why it was so important.
"I get mine to Goodwitch asap." Vernal shrugs.
"Up to General Ironwood." Weiss stands up straight.
"Lock ours in the Vault on Menagerie for safekeeping." Ghira says as Kali wraps an arm around his waist.
"Good." The fox nods. "And don't let anyone take them from you if they aren't with your team.
"Umm… why is this thing so important anyway?" Nadir crouched down to get a closer look at the lamp in his leader's hand.
"Think of it as a treasure of Mistral… and treat it that way. You're just taking it to Vacuo for temporary protection."
"And the others?" Neptune asks, pointing at the copies.
"We're sure that thieves are watching and waiting to grab it. Only one of us has the real deal and we made sure it's next to impossible to tell the real from the fake."
Scarlet cups his chin "Ah… that makes sense. Throw them off trying to chase multiple targets with no way to know if they are aiming at the right one. Pretty clever."
"Thanks!" Her mechanical ears twitched with her smile.
With that done, they began to say their goodbyes and divide into their traveling groups.
"Ya know… I think you may have to share a room with Ruby once we get home." Yang tells Vernal.
"What makes you say that?"
"We shared a room as long as I can remember but now…" the blonde trailed off as she glanced to the side thinking of a certain man.
The elder girl noticed and smirks. "I see, ya wanna make sure that you can get your private time."
"Yeah."
"Heh, no problem. Just make sure that you aren't too loud when you get busy."
That got Yang to blush, not from her intimacy with her boyfriend but from the potential of disturbing her family with that intimacy. Yet she had the perfect distraction that she had yet to comment about.
"Gotta say, I love the new threads on ya!" It was the older girl's turn to blush as she was still getting used to her new outfit.
Her hair is too short to do much with so that stayed the same aside from the blue band that wrapped over the top to the back of her head.
She kept her black choker and now wears a V-neck black shirt with sleeves that reach just past her elbows, dark brown jeans with black boots, and a blue vest with chest pockets embroidered with the same bird over a flower as is tattooed on her arm on the back in white. A pair of belts crossed her hips to hold her weapons and a pouch on either side of her hips.
Simply put, gone were the ragged clothes of her life as a bandit and she now bore an outfit that looked good while practical for one who valued functionality.
"Thanks."
"The plane will be leaving soon." A deep voice rumbled, bringing attention to Tater. The massive man bore a few scars from his fight with Hazel and the bomb, but he was able to get around well enough even though his greatest injury was the loss of his left eye.
He too had ditched… or rather lost his old clothes to the blast, and gotten a new wardrobe, though that had become a simple brown kimono and sandals. That along with his eyepatch and scars made him look more like a monk who had a violent past that had been given up for peace.
And to be honest, it is exactly what he was intending.
"Hey Raven! We gotta go soon!" Vernal calls out to her adopted mother.
The woman pulled away from the hug that Ruby had given her before walking over to her eldest daughters.
She too had gotten a new outfit. She had kept the red bandanna that 'tamed' her hair but now wears a red yukata embroidered with white birds with matching red pants. The upper sleeves were loose thanks to the new black bracers binding the lower parts and her chest and upper back covered in a matching do armor, the polished segments glinting in the lights.
A thick black leather belt served as both protection for her waist and to hold up Omen's sheath. Meanwhile, her legs have black guards on the shins that blend with the matching tall boots with straps rather than laces.
While her overall color scheme of black and red hadn't changed at all, the biggest change was subtler- the couple beaded necklaces she had worn were gone and replaced by a single one, a cord with the emblems of Raven, Qrow, Taiyang, Vernal, Yang, and Summer/Ruby hanging from it.
Ruby had been the one to get it for her and the idea for the other symbols had come shortly after… leading to the simple piece of jewelry becoming one of her most valuable possessions as it represented her family being reunited and growing.
"I… I guess this is it, huh?" Raven looks to Yang.
"Hey, come on. It's not like it's gonna be for too long, we'll be home in a few weeks in time for school to start." The blonde reassured her mother.
"And it's not like it would be hard for you to check up with her." Vernal smirks, referring to the Scrolls and the woman's Kindred Link.
"Well… that is true." Raven admits, having gotten used to not using a Scroll for nearly the past two decades and keeping her distance from her family at the best of times and having gotten used to them being so close over the past few weeks. This separation would be an odd balance between those extremes.
She was wrapped in a hug, one that squeezed tight. "It was nice getting to know you… Mom. The real you."
Raven returns the embrace, silently fuming about the missed opportunities to have done this for so long. "And I thank you for bringing me back, Yang."
"And I hope things only get better from here." Taiyang wraps his arms around both of them, Vernal and Ruby by his sides. "But we really do need to get going or we'll miss our flight."
The four said their final goodbyes to the larger group before hurrying to their terminal. Soon the Faunus among them began to pull off for a slight bit of privacy.
"We'll be fine. It's just a few hours drive until we meet up with Sienna." Ghira tried to assure his daughter, his large hand patting her on the back as she hugged his waist.
"Sweetheart." Kali moved in to pry Blake away so she could hold her herself. "You don't need to worry about us so much. After everything you did at home… we'll make sure things are well taken care of for when you come back."
"But…"
"No buts Blake." Ilia cuts in. "Even if you have more butt than both of us combined." She points at herself and Kali with a smirk.
The younger cat blushed at that comment even as her mothers hold on her was replaced by Sun putting an arm across her shoulders.
"Gotta admit, you do pack a lot back there." His tail wandered to stroke the tight pants, eliciting a small shiver from the girl and a look of desire.
Ilia ignored the actions between the lovers. "Just remember, I'll be in the same boat." Just as she said that, Itazura slid over to hold her waist.
"Yeah, neither of you will be getting tail for a while." The fox says with a sad smile that was matched by the other three.
Blake turns to look up to her boyfriend. "Can… we have a few more minutes? Alone?"
"I don't see why not, we're the last to leave." He shrugs.
"We'd see your train off but we need to get to our ride." Ilia comments before she and Itazura walked to where Ghira and Kali were waiting so they could have a few last moments together, the pair waving to the couple before they found a small alcove for privacy.
Over with the main group that was getting smaller as more had to leave with their connections.
—-
"Ever been to Vacuo?" Reese asks nobody in particular. She received a chorus of no's in response.
"Seems that we need to wait for Sun, he grew up there." Scarlet shrugs.
"Yeah… I doubt my time in Argus would be of any help to us." Neptune adds. "Maybe if I was going with the others to Atlas…"
"Hey, c'mon man! You got your best bud back and your full team again." Bolin tries to reassure the hydrophobe.
"Yeah… I know what you mean." Neptune grumbles.
With the others…
"Um… Weiss?"
"What is it, Ruby?"
"Are you… worried about going home?"
The heiress looked at her best friend sitting next to her on the bench. Her face is an open book to her inner thoughts and that face was uncertain about her friend's choice to go to Atlas.
"Yeah, isn't there a bounty or someth-!" Nora's mouth was swiftly covered by Ren's hand. The resulting glare at the short girl was only lightened at the ninja to convey her appreciation for his action.
"I'll more than likely NOT step one foot on my family's home while we are there. I expect that we will have a brief stay at Atlas Academy before returning to Beacon."
"Yeesh, that's harsh." Yang winced as she felt the chill from her words, glad that she wasn't the target.
"The only thing I'm really looking forward to is reuniting with my sister… and a few friends I made while I was there last."
"Didn't you say that you spoke to your mom a bit?" Ruby asks. Her memories of her own mother were hazy at the best of times, mostly relegated to memories of the warm safety of her hugs, the joy of the treats that would be baked, and the stories of missions as a Huntress. Having Raven trying to fill the role that she had previously abandoned was actually welcome, partly because Yang had a weight of her own being lifted and partly because Raven was actively trying to mend her ties with the family without being overbearing.
Overall, it was a confusing time for the rotund Rose but a good kind as she had found a woman who had lived and trained with her own mother, allowing her to get some more insight through stories of the past. Stories that her father would generally try to avoid before and the ones that Qrow would choose often were embarrassing to listen to.
"We did." Weiss confirms with a small nod. "Our little get together was actually quite pleasant but finding time to do so again was… difficult. Father always seemed to be too close to the estate to risk meeting. Luckily, Kline was more than happy to pass a few messages during that time when I was in Atlas."
"Sheesh, it sounds almost like some kind of spy movie." Yang commented as she listened in, though she was looking around.
That caught Jaune's interest as he and Pyrrha were content to sit quietly together up to this point. "Oh, like the Jim Glue series?"
The sisters look back at the knight and laugh a little as Weiss and Pyrrha look confused.
"Damn Jaune, you really are a nerd at times." Yang couldn't help but laugh, missing the slight narrowing of Pyrrha's eyes at her words. "But yeah, you're right."
"Who's Jim Glue?"
The others look at the heiress as she apparently had no clue who that was.
"Um… You know what? Since we are stopping in Argus for a bit, we were thinking about visiting family while we are there. You could watch a few of the Glue movies at my sister's place, she loves to break them out now and then."
Then some new voices joined the scene as a pair of men sauntered up with 'charming' smiles. The taller man carried a long rifle on his back with an oddly large stock while the shorter and much stockier man has a rather wicked looking spiked club slung over his shoulder.
"Hello ladies! I take it that you are waiting for the Argus Express?" The tall one asks, making it clear that he was confident in his opening line.
"Dee and Dudley at your service." The shorter one pointed to himself first then at his friend to indicate who is which. "We're Huntsmen in charge of protecting the train during the entire ride."
Dudley picked up from there, confirming that this was a usual thing for them. "And as such, you little ladies have nothing to worry about as you travel in style."
It was at that time when team DAIT joined the group.
"Sorry we're a bit late, traffic from the other side of the city is a pain." Denko apologizes as Yang steps over to him for a hug and kiss.
"Well… you did miss seeing off Mom and Dad, then Blake's folks had to go."
"Didn't help that our breakfast order was late." Talon grumbles, tossing the ball of wrappers from said order into a nearby trash can.
Dee and Dudley seemed a little surprised by the arrivals and a bit more so from the affection from the blondes.
"Hey! Are you two gonna stand around all day?" Qrow stands up to give the pair an annoyed glare.
"We're professional Huntsmen!" Dudley tries to defend himself.
"So?" Qrow opens his Scroll to show his license, shortly followed by Denko, Anya, Itazura, and Talon doing the same.
The two men looked at the rest of the group to find that nobody was exactly amused.
"And we fought off the White Fang when they attacked the city!" Dee boasts, hefting his club.
Still the group looked unimpressed.
"Umm… we were there fighting since before the gate was blown up." Nadir points out, deflating the duo.
"Did they show up at the end?" Neptune asks, causing them to slump.
"No idea." Bolin shrugs.
"Would have remembered if we had good help." Arslan dismisses.
Nobody seemed to notice or care that the men looked like they had lost the will to live after such commentary killed their egos.
And it didn't help much as they noticed as Jaune and Pyrrha sat close together holding hands, Yang and Denko holding the others waists, and Ren and Nora standing rather close while Ruby and Weiss leaned a little closer as they were a little creeped out.
And it seemed that Qrow wasn't done yet either. "Hey, brainiacs." He pointed down the terminal to where he had a clear view of the train through the wide windows. "It looks like somebody left the doors open on the service car."
The bumbling pair whipped around to find that he spoke true before turning to their friend and pointing at them.
"I didn't do it!" They yell at once. "That was you!"
Despite their initial blame game, they still had the sense of duty enough to go handle the problem without further delay, though they complained the entire way until they were out of earshot.
For the group, they were glad that they were gone and made that known by a few of them pulling some faces at the retreating backs.
But then Ruby glanced at the clock. "Ummm… guys? Where's Blake?"
That got the others to look around, none of them finding their aloof and until recently, wayward Faunus friend.
"Uh, yeah… Sun's not around either." Neptune points out.
"Let's go look for her." Yang states as she pulls Denko with her, the man offering no resistance but did notice that her grip on his arm was tighter than expected.
"We should go too." Weiss declares as she stands up. "I need to move anyway." Ruby left with her and they disappeared into the crowds.
Pyrrha blinked at the sudden departures. "Wouldn't it have been easier to just call them on their Scrolls?"
That question had the others looking at each other before there was a round of facepalms.
"Yeah… why don't we just text them for now and give them a minute or two to respond?" Reese suggests.
"On it." Itazura volunteered as she sends the messages.
—-
Back with the couple in question, the alcove they found wasn't exactly very big, just wide enough for them to walk in side by side and only deep enough for them to take a few steps in before there was a wall. Overall, it looked like it was supposed to be a closet but it was overlooked during construction of the building. The dust and the little bit of trash certainly gave the impression that it was simply used as a place for people to get a little privacy for a call.
But here, the pair were able to be alone, at least for a short time. And it was here where they simply held each other for a while.
"I don't want you to go." Blake mutters into his shoulder, refusing to let her boyfriend go.
"I don't want you to go either." Sun tells her, his cheek resting on top of her head where he spoke quietly into her ears. "But we have things to take care of."
"I know."
"You know we can always give each other a call, right?"
"I know."
"We'll just have to remember the time difference."
"I know."
"We have to get back with our teams soon."
"I know."
"Aren't you going to say anything else?"
"Yes, but you were making good points."
"Really?" His tone had gone from soothing to amused for that question
Blake felt the challenge being implied and pulled back so she could look him in the face, a small smile on her lips as she needed this little game. "You do on occasion. Not often but it happens."
"Ah, really?"
"Yes, really… but I wouldn't have it any other way."
They fell into a comfortable silence for a minute before Sun began to hum and Blake recognized the tune. And they fell into the habit when they were alone together.
"Babe, I'm leaving
I must be on my way
The time is drawing near
My train is going
I see it in your eyes
The love, the need, your tears."
It was a song they had heard not too long ago but it seemed to be far too perfect for their current situation. Blake kept singing softly, lost in a world of just her and Sun, smiling when he eventually joined in.
"'Cause you know it's you, Babe
Whenever I get weary
And I've had enough
Feel like giving up
You know it's you, Babe
Giving me the courage
And the strength I need
Please believe that it's true
Babe, I love you."
They pulled back a bit further so they could hold hands, still singing softly but clearly for themselves and nobody else. But it was clear that they were putting their true thoughts and emotions in these lines, the feelings that were reserved for noone else. And they continued together.
"Babe, I'm leaving
I'll say it once again
And somehow try to smile
I know the feeling
We're trying to forget
If only for a while"
The couple let go as they hugged once more, enjoying the other's warmth as much as they could in these final moments.
"Babe, I love you."
Their final line of the song was punctuated by a deep kiss, their hands moving over the other's backs to pull them in tighter.
"Hey Yang! What are you doing? Did you find them?" The familiar voice of their friend Denko began to pull them out of their little world, though they refused to let go.
"Oh yeah, I found them alright." And they couldn't mistake that voice for anyone either… not only did she sound rather close but the smug tone gave them a small twinge of worry.
Worry that was well founded as the grinning blonde was standing at the entry of the alcove with her scroll in hand and seemed to have been recording. Denko popped his head around the corner to see what his girlfriend had found, the couple hugging in privacy.
"You know, it's not nice to take someone's picture without consent? Right?" He asks her.
"Meh, I didn't take a picture." The girl dismisses as she fussed with her device a little before putting it away. "I just let everyone know I found them."
"Uh-huh." His tone made it clear that he wasn't buying her excuse, not completely at least. Then his scroll dinged with a notification, one that was echoed by two more.
Denko, Sun, and Blake each pulled out theirs to check the message only to find a MeView link… that led to a video of a certain couple just as they started singing.
"Yang Xiao Long!" Blake was blushing beet red as she turned to her teammate with her hands looking ready to strangle her neck.
"Well… would you look at that." Lilac eyes flicked around for an easy escape route. "I'll go find us some good seats on the train! Bye!" She gave Denko a quick peck on the lips before hightailing away, Blake hot on her heels.
"Never boring with them around, is it?" Sun asks his 'brother' as they watch the two racing through the crowds.
"Not really. But we're both going to be a little lonely being away from them." Denko shoves his hands into his pockets.
"True, but at least Yang gave us something good." Sun holds up his scroll showing the video, though comments were starting to come in already. The young man read the first one and blushed before putting it away. "And it seems that Kali loves it too."
"We better go see them off." Denko shrugs, he'll see the comment section later. "Interesting gift you gave her." He glanced at the Faunus who gave him a cheeky grin.
"Didn't you give Yang something?"
"Uh…oops?"
—-
The Argus Express turned out to be purpose built for the long journey, the cars having been divided into sections for groups so that they would have seating with tables and more private rooms so passengers could sleep. Though those rooms had their privacy limited by being meant for groups of four and used bunk beds in the rooms that had just enough room for those beds and a space to move between them.
At least meals would be provided as it would take a minimum of two days to reach Argus… in the best conditions possible and at the highest safe speed.
Given that it was already winter for the higher latitudes and altitudes they'd be going through, ideal conditions were unlikely.
Teams RWBY, JNPR, and ROQ boarded and checked out the car that they'd likely share with another small group, dropping off their bags in the closets in their bunk rooms. Then it was time for final goodbyes, teams SSSN, DAIT, and ABRN waving them off… with Denko and Sun getting one final kiss at the doors.
As the train began to pull out, those left behind moved out into the hub again to wait the hour until the flight to Vacuo was due to leave.
"Hey Sun?"
"What is it Neptune?"
"You got something on your back."
"Huh? Really?" The blonde starts feeling his back, eventually finding something clinging to his white shirt. Something soft and fuzzy.
It was a cat plushy, black fur everywhere and bright golden eyes, its front paws having magnets in them which allowed the plushy to hold onto him so well.
"Hahaha, oh man, she really got you!" Scarlet couldn't even try to hold back his smile.
Sun smiles softly at the toy before clipping it onto his shoulder. "I dunno, I think we're pretty even."
—
Blake sat heavily onto her bed having retrieved a book from her bag to read to help pass the time. The problem was that she soon found that she couldn't get comfortable.
It wasn't the fact that Yang had grabbed something from her bag and was on the bunk above her messing around with it. And it wasn't seeing Ruby trying to help Weiss with a game they were playing together, she and the others had gotten the heiress interested in Ancient Tomes starting with the lore and eventually into starting the game itself.
Granted, that had been after Weiss had found the door into their room to be too narrow, her hips getting stuck. Blake hadn't been in such a hurry and turned as needed to slip in without problems. It was amusing to watch as Ruby pushed her friend through the door.
Her pillow against the wall felt lumpy but pulling it revealed no lumps to be found, leaving her to check her back. It was odd considering that Gambol Shroud was leaning against the wall next to her.
What she found was clipped to her coat, a fuzzy golden monkey plushy with blue eyes.
She held it in her hands fondly, smiling that he had done the same to her as she had to him. The only real question was just how long had they been attached before being found.
"Cute. Seems you got something from your man." Yang looked down from her bed, her view leaving her to see Blake upside down.
"What about you? Get anything from Denko?" Blake couldn't help but feel like making it into a playful challenge.
"Well…. He didn't Give me anything."
The cat picked up on the inflection."What do you mean by that?"
Yang sat up before revealing what she meant. On one of the pillows of her bed, a dark grey shirt had been slipped onto it that looked a lot like…
"You stole his shirt?"
"Borrowing it. I'll give it back once we get together again." The blonde casually waved it off, lifting her comfort pillow back up.
"Do I want to know what you left in its place?"
"Don't worry, it's not one of my bras or panties if that's what you're thinking."
—
Team DAIT drove until they reached a small town just a three hours drive from Mistral. They were trying to track down rumors of White Fang activity in the area, or at least what may have been Salem's crew.
Apparently, an airship had stopped down in the middle of the night the same day of the Haven attack. Reports on what happened varied but it was clear that items were stolen, people were hurt but luckily not killed, and property was damaged.
The local Huntsman, a student of Haven who was in her third year, had been dealing with a Grimm attack at one of the farms on the outskirts when they arrived. But she was doing the best she could, arranging for lodging at the inn for the team and helping to gather up the witnesses so they could give their testimonies.
Though the townspeople did ask as to why the investigation had come so late, being just over two weeks since the incident.
"Sorry about the wait. We had been at Haven when it was attacked and dealt with the White Fang there and some of the cleanup as we started the investigation." Talon and Itazura would explain as Denko and Anya would poke through the damaged parts of the town that had yet to be repaired. It was unfortunate that with the delay in time, much of it had been cleared already.
At least there was a few pictures taken and some security videos of the night.
"Yeah… that's Tyrian for sure." Anya points at the screen, the metal tail with a large stinger being a definitive identification of the man.
"You know that man?" The Elder of the town asks the team as he oversaw the investigation and had provided information as needed so far.
"Not exactly personally." Denko shrugs. "But during the attack on Haven, my girlfriend's dad fought him and won, but the bastard snuck back to kill Professor Lionheart."
"Hmm… so that's how he died." The Elder nods solemnly. "He was a good man and it's sad to hear that he was killed in such a way."
"Yeah, we were there but there was nothing we could do, especially with the venom used."
"Hmmm, why don't you all get some rest at the inn? I'll arrange for a discount for your stay."
A short time later, Team DAIT was unpacking what they needed for the night. And Denko found something that he knew he didn't pack- a plush doll that looked a lot like Yang, blonde ponytail, lilac eyes, a smirk, and a very simplified version of her outfit. Though the doll was very, very, stuffed with some sort of heavy plush, it may only stand a foot tall but it was nearly just as wide- both of his hands were full and still the plush overflowed his grasp.
And his sister saw the doll, alerting the other two, all of them having a laugh at the sight. "Haha! When did she sneak that in there!?" Itazura gets a closer look, poking the large belly.
"It seems someone wanted to make sure you didn't forget." Anya smirks from her bed.
Talon chuckles as she pokes the doll herself and gives it a good squeeze. "Which part do you think she wanted you to remember? Just her or that she used to be so close to that hefty?"
"I don't think that matters." Denko tossed the doll onto his pillow and sorts through his things so he could shower.
"Maybe, but she did make it clear that you had no problems with her being that big before." The fox teased before slipping into the shared bathroom just as her brother pulled out his supplies.
—-
It was unfortunate that the flight to Vacuo didn't have accommodations quite as nice as the train. The seats were comfortable and food provided as they flew east. But they have no beds, just the ability to lay their seats back a fair bit… and wide enough for the hefty girls.
Probably the best part was that it wasn't crowded and noisy, allowing the eight of them to relax without disturbances. The adjustment to the new time zone would be the biggest challenge, though they had done it when they had been to Vale just over a year ago.
And they wouldn't likely arrive until early morning so any rest they got now would only help them.
—-
"Madam?"
"What is it, Doctor?"
Arthur stepped into the library owned by Salem. It is a vast collection of manuscripts from over the centuries that she managed to get ahold of and store here for preservation. When he had first been brought to the castle and introduced to this library, the scientist had been stunned by the sheer size of it and when he had time to spare, he'd peruse the tomes and took in all he could from ancient technology, various medical books, and on occasion- some fiction to distract himself when he was particularly stressed.
And he had barely scratched the surface while Salem has claimed to have read most of them. It was astounding that even an immortal woman such as her hadn't had time to read them all. Though to be fair, the collection was constantly growing and her interests rarely ventured far into the scientific fields beyond a passing familiarity.
"I bring news from Mistral." He announces, gaining her attention. "Though I admit that I should have brought this to you sooner but I-"
"Have many tasks that you are working on." Salem interrupts, though she was understanding of his situation. He has been tasked with leading the operation in Atlas, has to deal with Mercury's legs again, and take care of the injuries sustained by Hazel, Adam, and Tyrian.
"Yes, madam. It's a few hours old but I'll let you see for yourself." He uses his scroll to project security camera footage from Mistral, focusing on a group where copies of a certain item were being distributed. Then there were several cuts showing each copy going separate ways with a smaller group.
"The Lamp- The Relic of Knowledge." Salem states as she watches the groups leaving Mistral.
"I have found where they are going." Watts moves to point at the teams. "Vacuo." He gestures to the combined teams of ABRN and SSSN. "Vale." Raven's group. "Menagerie." The founder of the White Fang. "And Atlas." The combined teams of RWBY and JNPR with two older men and a teenager.
"What of the other team? They have a Lamp as well."
"Ahem, the best I could tell so far is that they drove north, though they could be trying to track the path of our associates since they did need to make a few stops during their return trip."
"And what do you think of the copies of the Lamp?" Salem actually seemed curious of his thoughts, though if she were doing so for simple amusement, playing to his ego, or testing him, it was hard to say. More than likely it was for all of those reasons.
Arthur rubbed his chin before answering. "I believe that this is a game of shells. We cannot tell which Lamp is the real one from here and each is on the move in different directions after leaving at separate times. Add in that each group could be argued to have the real one or for it to have been returned to the Haven Vault, making it easy for many to lose themselves to second guessing their choice to go after one or another as they all seem just as likely as the next."
"Quite." Salem laced her fingers with a smile. "That could be a problem, however there is a way to find out with ease."
"Ah, forcing them to be revealed all at once." His smile began to match hers.
"Precisely. It may not be elegant but after how things went during the last mission, let's see how well they've recovered."
"Very well." Arthur bows to his Mistress.
"Oh, and send Mr. Taurus to me. I'm sure he would like to work out some of his frustrations."
—-
Deep underneath Haven Academy, a block of ice is frozen to the stone wall of the cave. But the ice held a figure within, one that was nearly free as the ice melted away. Most of her left arm and that side of her head was exposed to the cold air, as was the rest of her left side down to the hip and her right leg from the knee down. And what was still holding her was cracking and meltwater pooled.
The left arm twitched. The hand flexed. The red eye flashed as she seemed to regain some consciousness.
Soon, the hand gripped the ice over the torso and the sharp claws dug in deep before violently twisting and pulling, shattering the frozen water.
Still not free, the hand pounded on the right shoulder, producing more cracks with every strike until the ice fell away. And that was repeated on the last part that was really holding her to the wall over the abyss.
One final hit and the ice broke free and with it the woman fell. The clawed hand tried to find purchase on the wall but whatever it did find broke away immediately. And so the woman fell into the dark chasm.
Cinder found herself violently awoken by a massively jarring impact followed by the instinctual panic of being submerged in water.
She managed to find the surface in the pitch black darkness and eventually to a rocky shore. Dragging her battered body out of the water, she gasped for air as she shivered.
Soaked in a cool cave with no light after having been frozen for an unknown amount of time. It could have been minutes or years, she had no idea as there was no way to tell the passage of time here. Looking up, there seemed to be slight glow of gold but it was too far away, like starlight, to be of any use to her. Even then, the source of the light was hidden from view.
Lifting her right hand, a small flicker of flame formed in her palm. It was all she could produce at this time yet she held it close, its heat warming her body and drying her clothes.
It must have been hours before she had warmed and recovered enough to really take stock of her situation.
She was at the bottom of a cave by an underground river. This cave also contained the Vault that held the Relic of Knowledge, the only way to open it being the Spring Maiden herself.
Memories of the fight flashed through her mind, the intensity of the clash of Maidens had shaken the cave itself as they commanded the elements during battle.
Yet for all of the power Cinder wielded, Raven always seemed to have a way to negate, deflect, counter, or even overpower anything that was thrown at her. Even catching her to take her Maiden powers almost seemed to be sheer luck rather than an act of skill.
Stealing the Maiden powers… Emerald had been the one tasked to become the new Spring Maiden. What had happened to her?
Cinder didn't know what had become of her teammate, she had been lost in her rage after the Grimm meant to transfer the power was killed.
The rage of their goal being ripped away by some lowly bandit girl. Rage that had been fanned by her feelings of inadequacy to the other Maiden. Rage that fueled itself since her childhood that burned everything around her, a manifestation of her emotions and thoughts in the physical world.
Cinder stood up… or at least tried to. Injuries from the battle made themselves known and prevented her from moving well. Her attempt to fly met the same fate for the same reason.
The fact that she hadn't eaten since before the battle didn't help at all, only making things worse for her. Water only did so much.
Her mind turned to the water. There had to be a spring that formed this lake but the current meant that there was a way out. A golden leaf fell from the tree high above and landed in the water. By the light of the small flame in her hand, Cinder watched as it drifted towards a wall until it was sucked down under the surface.
There wasn't a whirlpool, at least nothing noticeable at first, which meant that the hole was small.
Formulating an idea, she created a small globe of ice with a flame inside. Setting it in the water and concentrating on keeping the light source going, she watched as the ball was sucked down and by the light she saw that the hole almost looked artificial going by how round it is. It also wasn't very deep, leading her to thinking that it may be her only escape.
She was sure that even if she could regain her strength, somehow without anything to eat or really treating her wounds, that she couldn't get out the way she came in. The entryway must have been closed and sealed long ago, no doubt that there would be extra security after the attack.
The other option that wasn't promising was to try and tunnel through the mountain but she worried that she may cause a cave in or go the wrong way. Best case scenario was that she'd exhaust herself in the endeavor.
That left the watery exit… and she took the dive.
—-
Neo skipped down the road along the small river in Mistral. But she stopped when she noticed a golden leaf floating near the shoreline. Plucking it from the water and holding it up to the light, she recalled an old saying from here in Mistral 'Find a gold leaf and you will soon find what you are looking for'.
It's an odd phrase but she'd take what she could. There was plenty she was looking for, perhaps this could boost the chance of that happening faster.
Sticking the leaf in her hair, she continued skipping down the road as she was to meet with 'Lil Miss Malachite soon.
—-
Emerald was hating her cell. She may not be being abused but the solitary conditions were wearing on her. The guards would search her cell at seemingly random times, not that she could really tell one day from the next here, and anything said to her was kept minimal. Otherwise, it was nothing but quiet.
The one thing that kept her going was her belief that Cinder survived. Perhaps she would rescue her from this prison. Maybe even Mercury… Hazel… she'd even take Tyrian at this point. She just wanted out.
"Face the wall!" A guard barks through the door and she complied, it wasn't worth being tazed for noncompliance. Once she had faced the wall with her hands flat on the surface and above her head, the door opened and the guard entered with another in the doorway. The first one cuffed her hands and they were locked to a strap put around her waist. Her ankles were shackled as well, ensuring that she couldn't take a longer step than normal and running was impossible. Likewise, her arms were now useless to do much.
"Let's go, it's time for your interrogation."
Third round of questioning, if she remembered correctly. It made her wonder how much they already do know and how long she'd last without breaking.
AN: How's that for an opening chapter!? No action... yet, but plenty of romance and suspense. We'll see how things play out with Salem next time and what orders she has for Adam.
Music used is Babe by Styx. Honestly, it is a perfect song for the occasion for Blake and Sun, especially since they had become a little musical together. It also serves as a celebration of Blake's birthday today on January 19th. Granted, as much as I would prefer to have a dedicated birthday chapter to be released on the girls bdays, I've only been successful so far with Yang's and even that started out in a way to make readers worried. Ruby's chapter was delayed by life and misjudging how much content had to be gone through before that event could take place. As for Blake... you can count on a chapter for her once the date comes around in story.
But I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter and my other stories. Reviews are welcome!