RWBY: Shadows of Light

by B.D. Skunkworks

"I want to be a Guardian..." Those are the words that Ruby Rose has lived her life by; to protect those that cannot protect themselves. After proving her mettle in an unforeseen battle, she is invited to The Tower by The Speaker himself to live her dream. It is here that she not only learns the secrets of the Light, but of a threat that could destroy all of humanity's Golden Age...

34. Legend 34- Passed Tense

-Legend 34-

-Passed Tense-

…..

"Wait, wait wait. You... were a Night Witch!?"

Sat in Blake's deluxe two bedroom apartment, did Yang utter this gobsmacked pry to her Fauns girlfriend.

"Yes, I was- in name only- and for a very short period of time."

Yang smacked the back of the chair she was straddling. She then looked to Blake in trepidative wonder. Blake sat on the foot of her queen-size bed, her legs crossed right-over-left. Her white coat removed, Yang could behold what little was left to the imagination of Blake's upper body in full; its only covering a sleeveless leather half-vest.

Yang bit the inside of her cheek to stay herself from the direction her thoughts began to drift at this observation. She was here to listen to the story of Blake's past…

Not check out her smoking-hot body.

"So...how did you get yourself involved in all that?" Yang asked.

There was a recollective pause before Blake began her tale:

"When I was home, training for the initiation exam to join the Guardian force, I was labeled as...talented." Her mouth work in silent chagrin before she continued. "A fair number of Guardian outposts, even from off-world, had me on their radars. But chief among them, was The Tower.

"Glynda Goodwitch herself came to me. She said that Ozpin was willing to advance my standing; to guarantee my entry into the Earth's Guardian force...if I accepted his proposition. Which I did."

Blake reloaded for breath.

"There were three of us candidates in total: Myself; Cayde- just 'Cayde' then as he was; and Adam Taurus."

There was a flicker of something fleetingly unidentifiable that flashed over Yang's face then. Though Blake chose to ignore it.

"They flew us out to Mars, where we underwent intensive training and examination at the BrayTech Futurescape. James Ironwood took a particular interest in the proceedings. As did a woman from his partner enterprise, 'Vector Industries.' What was her name...Sheena….Zion…?"

"Shion, I think," Yang said. "She was at the Supremacy tournament with Ironwood."

Blake nodded. "Over four days, we were stress-tested in many aspects of combat; weapon proficiency; reaction time; tolerance for pain..."

"That seems a bit...strange," Yang said.

Blake shrugged. "Over the course of this time, Adam and I developed a...bond."

"I'll bet you did." Yang immediately regretted her outburst. She winced at the look that Blake gave her. "I know. I'm sorry. I asked you for this story; I need to be mature about it. Please go on."

Blake ran a hand through her hair, Yang watching the movement intently. "Adam and I realized quite quickly that our fighting styles complimented one another. Our examiners noticed this too. From there they put us through the trials in tandem. And we flourished." A little smile had crossed Blake's face then. "Adam was amazing. So headstrong, so determined, so...powerful. My attraction to him grew to be undeniable. As did his to me. We...met when we could. As intent as they were on training us together, they made a point to lodge us separately. But we would violate lock-down every night to meet each other." A blush colored Blake's glorious fair skin.

"And, yes, Yang, nature did take its course on several of our meetings. We were falling for each other, and fast. And we didn't know how much time we may have had at this facility together. So we...moved things along quickly."

Yang nodded, her lips pursed. "Fair enough."

Blake heaved a slow breath through her nose, her demeanor changing pointedly. "On the fifth day...is when they came."

"Who?"

Blake hesitated just a moment. "The Night Witches."

Yang, the reflex entirely unconscious, sat up straighter in her chair.

"There were five of them."

"Fi- there were five Witches?!" Yang sputtered.

Blake nodded slowly. "The Red Witch; The Steel Witch; The White Witch; The Silver Witch; and The Chaos Witch."

Yang could muster only silence to this revelation.

"Our training then took on a very new and visceral intensity. From the onset, The Witches made one thing plainly and perfectly clear…" Blake let this statement trail before its isolated punctuation.

"They were there to kill us."

Yang had become stone-still then, not even daring to blink.

"They put us through a gauntlet, facing off against each Witch one by one. They set a time limit of five minutes per encounter. The objective was simply...to survive." Blake adjusted her stance on the bed, uncrossing her legs and leaning rhetorically forward, her head bowed.

'Dammit, Sunny! Stop staring at her boots and pay attention. This is getting good!'

Yang adjusted her gaze at her Ghost's mental outburst.

"Cayde was the first one up. He battled the Silver Witch first." Blake shuddered. "Traveler she was frightening. They all were…"

"Who was The Silver Witch? Yang said.

"We never found out. For one thing, she wore a mask that resembled a skull. Her eyes were hidden; just empty and black. And second, they never told us their names, only their titles."

"Well, we know who a few of them are now."

Blake nodded again. "Cayde barely survived her. The Silver Witch was like a whirlwind. She wielded Adam's current weapon, Crimson. But she had two of them! They were gilded silver, like her namesake. She just toyed with Cayde, cackling like a maniac the whole time. She let him survive, but barely." Blake fussed with her hair again. "But The Steel Witch wasted no time…." Blake grimaced. "I couldn't watch. I had to turn away. When she was done with him, Cayde's body was utterly mangled. The only thing keeping him alive was his Light. They loaded him in a life-support casket. That Vector woman couldn't stop smiling; she said that he was the perfect subject for 'Exo-bipedial Enhancement', and to take him to The Crypt...whatever that is…"

Yang nodded, the muscles in her neck quivering.

"And then...me and Adam were up." Blake took a preparatory breath. "They reversed the order, we faced The Chaos Witch first. His weapon was some kind of hand cannon...but it was unlike any hand cannon I've seen before. It was dark and twisted, and hummed with corrosive Void energy. I took a shot to my leg as I tried to Blink behind him, and I swear it set my entire nervous system on fire.

"It was intense, but fairly brief. Adam used his sword to fend off most of the projectiles, but it was eventual broken, and he suffered two shots to the chest." Blake shook her head. "They weren't really bullets, I could see the projectiles protruding from his chest, like two ugly...thorns or something… By the time his screaming stopped, the round was over. We faced The White Witch next.

"While my first reaction to her presence was fear, I couldn't help but to actually admire her a little…" Blake fidgeted about slightly at this. "The White Witch was incredibly beautiful. At least I thought so at the time…"

'I'll just bet Ruby's mom was a looker!'

Yang cocked her head, a smirk teasing her lips. "You're worse than me," she chuckled.

Blake's smile own smile grew and then faltered as she continued her tale:

"She didn't use her White pulse rifle, she only used her knife. And I swear, it was like we were trying to fight...wind. The White Witch was unbelievably swift. She danced around our bullets like they were moving in slow motion. She closed in and Adam and I engaged her at close quarters, which was the worst thing we could have done. She was everywhere and nowhere. It was like being caught in a cyclone of razor blades. She would dodge one strike and answer with two of her own. I was bleeding from more places than I could count. I disengaged, as I was pretty sure I was bleeding to death. Then she focused on Adam…"

Blake overlapped her hands over her heart. "Oh, Adam…" she moaned. "His toughness proved to be a detriment. The White Witch cut him again and again...but he just wouldn't go down; he wouldn't quit!" Blake's eyes fluttered closed, tears visible through her lashes. "And then she said something I'll never forget. She said, 'Let's see what I can do about that face of yours, Mr. Handsome.'" Blake gritted her teeth. "She targeted Adam's face. She cut him and cut him, again and again. I screamed for her to stop, to spare him. The time limit was the only thing that saved him…"

Yang's bottom lip had vanished between her teeth, it in danger of splitting given how hard she was biting upon it.

'Your stepmother wasn't really vicious like that...was she?'

Yang had no answer.

"We faced The Red Witch next," Blake continued. "Our Light had repaired most of the damage The White Witch inflicted. But we were on our last legs. We stood as ready as we could, but Adam and I knew that he was going to kill us, it was that simple."

Blake reloaded, her gaze drifting upward then. "He looked us over for some time. And then he looked to the others and said, 'They're ready.' Ready for what, we didn't know. I wasn't sure if The Red Witch was showing us mercy, or preparing us for something worse than himself."

Blake paused again in her story, but Yang uttered not a word as she waited for her to continue. At length, she did.

"The next day, they flew us back to Earth. They took us to an area of The Cosmodrome, not too far from The Skywatch. There, they took us to the mouth of a cave. It didn't seem foreboding, really, but The Silver Witch assured us that the test we were to undertake inside would either make or literally break us. It was there, on the cusp of this trial, that we were given our names; The Onyx Witch, and The Carbon Witch, respectively.

"The Silver Witch then provided each with our trial." Blake called to her Ghost. "Adam, show us, please."

The Ghost projected before him a small image. It looked like an intensely bright spark of Light. It was deep, violent gold in color, and swam with bright yellow contrails that orbited the small thing in constant motion. "That," said Blake, "is Etheric Light. The Light of The Traveler in its purest, most concentrated and powerful form."

"Whoa…" Yang breathed. Even Celica popped out of her head to hover close to the projection, scanning it into his own database. "So, what's the deal with that?"

"Our trial, was to absorb the Etheric Light into our bodies, and make through the cave and out its other end."

"Seems pretty simple…"

"Oh, Yang my love, that is where you are completely wrong."

Yang cocked her head as Blake elaborated. "Etheric Light is nothing like the Light that normal Guardians carry in their bodies. It's far more potent; it's...predatory in a sense. It actively attacks the Light that's already there, seeking to destroy it, to replace it."

"What's that feel like?" Yang asked quietly.

"Pain," was Blake's blunt and singular response. "Like I have never experienced before in my life. Every nerve and synapse in my body raging in dire, unending, inexorable, utterly... blinding... agony." Her eyes had drifted closed again, the memory of her ordeal seeming to cause her actual pain. "The Silver Witch said that if we could not master the Etheric Light, then it would literally rip our bodies apart from the inside out."

"And you...accepted that?" Yang gasped.

Blake nodded slowly. "By that point, yes, I was completely seduced by the allure of power that The Night Witches possessed. I wanted to be one of them; hallowed; covert; and outrageously powerful. So me and Adam entered the cave, and we absorbed the Etheric Light into our bodies.

"At first, I thought the warnings were just meant to intimidate us, to see if we would really go through with the choice. For a solid minute, there was nothing. We made it our priority then to navigate through the darkness of the cave. And that's when it kicked in. Adam felt it first, and he all but stopped in his tracks, screaming like a madman. And then it hit me."

Blake shuddered, the memory running its ragged course through her body. "I sank to the ground, unable to even think past the fire raging through me. I screamed and pleaded; I begged The Witches to take it back. But they watched on without a word. But then Adam, my beloved, courageous Adam, he took the Etheric Light from my body, and added it to his own."

"He did, what?" Yang shrieked. "It sounds like just one of those things can kill you twice!"

"But he did it anyway…" Blake's voice seemed to abandon her at that point, leaving her only breath to speak with. "How that man endured that torture, is something I cannot even begin to fathom. His will is made of something more than steel." She paused in her speech again. "By this time, I had long since passed out. I was informed later that I slept for three days. When I awoke again in the facility, Adam was the first person I saw."

A smile graced her face then. "He had become a Night Witch, but I had not. I wouldn't see him again for another four years, until that night at the tournament. After I was let go from the program, I entered The Tower's initiation exam. Having passed, I was drafted by Pyrrha Nikos, and the rest is history, or Legend, as it were."

Yang remained silent upon the tale's completion, gathering her thoughts for her next words. "That's...some heavy stuff…"

Blake nodded slowly, in silent concurrence.

"I guess all that explains how and why you're so fucking amazing." Yang stood from her chair, advancing on Blake slowly. "Blake Belladonna: So mysterious; so tragic; so aloof; so... alluring." Yang's slow, purposeful steps were timed with each of these spoken descriptors. On her now, did Yang lean down, her face an inch away from Blake's own, her hands supporting her on either side of Blake's hips. "Blake Belladonna. The girl I fell in love with so hard, I don't know what to do with myself…" These words were but a sultry and directed whisper, Yang's lips dancing mere inches from Blake's own.

"Well," the Faunus purred, wrapping her arms around her lover's neck. "I do know something you can do…"

Their mouths were locked as Yang pressed Blake down into the bedding, Blake's legs locked around Yang's waist. Their kiss broken, did Blake reach for her legs. "Hold on, let me take off-"

"Oh, no..." Yang pinned Blake's hands down to either side of her head. "Those boots are stayin' on!"

…..

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release thy soul, and by thy shoulder protect thee…"

Her prayer complete, did Ruby pull her hood back from her head. Kneeling as she was, she was all but eye level with the memorial headstone that marked the fall of the White Witch.

Thus Kindly I Scatter

"Hi, Mom," Ruby said, her voice measured. "I know it's been some little while since I last visited; a lot has been happening since then." She paused here, if only for rhetoric benefit. "Well, first of all, I did it. I became a Guardian. Have been for five months now. And it's...just about everything I imagined, but not everything I wanted it to be...if that makes sense."

This revelatory chagrin colored her next statement. "I've gotten to do things and see things that ordinary people can only dream about; the stuff they write in story books. I think that's what makes it hard though. Because when they do write those stories, will my Legend be able to live up to them? Will I be remembered like you were? If I'm remembered at all?"

Ruby's eyes found the horizon then, the place where the treetops met the sky. She sighed, the medicinal expelling of breath perking her up some bit. "As far as my Guardian team goes, I actually ended up on the same team as Yang. Don't ask me how that happened. And our third member, I think is the most amazing. She's brilliant; and powerful; and beautiful; and gorgeous...which are kind of the same thing- I know. Her name is Weiss Schnee. Yeah, that's right, Schnee. Not only is she my teammate...she's also my girlfriend. Don't ask me how that happened either; I still have to pinch myself sometimes, thinking I'll wake up any moment. Oh, and in case I haven't mentioned it, I'm the team leader. And together, Yang, Weiss, and I form Team Rosenkreuz."

Ruby nodded her head several times, the movement conducted throughout her body until she was rocking back on forth on her heels with perpetual slowness.

"There are a lot of other Guardians in our class too. They're really strong. We had a big battle royale tournament, and yep, I won the whole thing! It wasn't easy though. I had to fight Weiss and a lot of other strong Guardians. But I think that's the beauty of it. When the older Guardians retire, and we take their places as the next Vanguard, I think we'll be ready. Ready to carry on the Legends they built, while adding to them with our own. At least I hope that's how it will work out…"

Ruby scooted in closer to the headstone before her. "Because I want to carry on your Legend- I will carry on your Legend. The system will know me as The White Witch...one day…" She lay her head upon the grave marker. The smooth marble surface of the thing was surprisingly and refreshingly cool, its smoothness allowing Ruby to rub her cheek across it. "I love you so much, Mom. Your Legend is in good hands. I promise they won't forget you, even if history tries to erase your existence, I'll live my life making sure that doesn't happen."

She straightened, her hands still on the grave marker. "So...goodbye for now," Ruby said at length. "I promise my next visit will be much sooner."

Ruby stood, her knees only slightly sore, her having been sitting upon them for so long. She wasn't surprised then, when a pair of large and rough hands clapped upon her shoulders from behind.

"She's proud of you, kiddo, believe me. As am I."

Ruby turned to face her father. "I know, Dad."

Taiyang used a gentle finger to wipe away the tears from his daughter's flushed face. "These past few months have been nuts for you, I know, but you're doing a bang-up job, if I don't say so myself." He laughed. "Shoot, in less than half a year, I think you've accomplished more than I ever did in my whole Guardian career!"

Ruby giggled, a prideful blush touching her cheeks.

Taiyang hugged Ruby to his chest. "Just know, that wherever your Legend takes you, Summer will be there every step of the way. Believe that."

Ruby only nodded against her father's broad chest, her arms wrapped around him.

They stayed like this or some time before Ruby finally spoke up. "Well, I think I should be going. Weiss is waiting for me."

Taiyang laughed again. "Listen to that little accent of yours all of a sudden! That girl's worked wonders on you, hasn't she?"

"Has she ever," Rub said, stepping away from him. "Zwei, dress me up. Date outfit." Zwei shone his blue beam over his Guardian. When he was done, was Ruby sporting her casual outfit.

She wore a midriff-bearing red top; the sleeves just passed her elbows, the neckline a deep 'V'. This paired with matte-black leggings over glossy black tights, and black patent ballet flats on her feet. Ruby side-tied a solid red bandanna around her neck. She held out her arms. "How do I look?" she asked Taiyang.

The former Guardian chuckled heartily. "Like the quintessential teenage lesbian."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "I guess that's a compliment, coming from you!"

Taiyang hugged her again. "Go on, have fun kiddo. And also…"

Ruby eyed him.

"See if you can get that new girlfriend of yours to break off some of that Schnee money. The house needs a few renovations, you see..."

"Ugh!" Ruby groaned, her smile wide. "Bye, Dad! See you and Mom again in a bit!"

And she transmatted from the scene.

….

A few minutes from there saw her appear in the heart of the city of Vale. While she didn't find her immediate person of interest here in this square, she did find something else.

"Look, it's Ruby Rose!"

A small flock of admirers had swarmed her, demanding from her things that ranged from her holograph, to her hand in marriage.

Meeting the more reasonable of these demands, did the little crowd part. And upon their dispersal, was Ruby met with the person she was waiting to see.

Ruby's first thought, was that she looked like one of those married and mature ladies from a really old romantic-drama film. Weiss stood serenely before her, clad in a classical-looking sundress, white and frilly. The skirt of which was rather tastefully and attractively short, nearly the whole of her flawless and utterly swoon-worthy legs on display, their length enhanced by classy white, peep-toe stiletto mules, accented by jeweled bows. She wore lacy white gloves, and held her familiar sapphire-encrusted clutch purse. And on her head was a wide-brimmed sunhat, white and patterned with flowers.

Weiss closed the short distance between them, her steps model-perfect, her shoes click-clacking with flawless feminine rhythm. "Guten tag, leibchen," was her greeting. Weiss then cocked her snowy head. "Are you...alright?"

Ruby actually had to force herself to blink. "Y-you're here to see me...right?"

Weiss giggled her disbelief. "What on Earth makes you ask that?"

"It's...I mean…" Her cognition failing her, Ruby could only whimper, "You're gorgeous, Weiss…"

"No more than you, Ruby." Weiss sealed this statement with a kiss. "You look positively Wonderful."

"I do really like these leggings," Ruby said. Her hands on her hips, did she do a little wiggle. "Feels like I'm wearing nothin' at all!"

Weiss then, for the very life of her, could not suppress the sudden mental image of Ruby wearing nothin' at all…

Nothin at all…

NOTHIN' AT ALL…

'Stupid sexy Ruby!' was Weiss's mental curse then.

As distraction from this, Weiss took Ruby's hand, the girl lacing her fingers through her own. "We've about an hour before the gondola leaves, and I know of a darling little cafe not far from here."

So Weiss and Ruby made their way through downtown Vale. Their hands joined and stride casual, did they end up attracting some little attention.

"Dude, Ruby Rose, the rookie champion!"

"And Weiss Schnee, too!"

"Damn, Ruby looks fucking delicious in those leggings..."

"If you could only bang one of them, who would it be?"

Ruby took these more vulgar comments in the best stride she could, Weiss seemed largely unbothered.

She was used to being wanted.

A little bit from there and they arrived at the cafe Weiss mentioned. She placed their orders and they were seated in the outdoor area along the street.

"This place is nice," Ruby said, taking in the view.

"Isn't it just." Weiss placed her purse upon their table and then made herself daringly comfortable; seating herself in Ruby's lap, side-saddle, her legs crossed alluringly.

"W-Wiess…" Ruby sputtered a giggle as the Warlock wrapped her arms around her neck.

"Is there a problem, my liebchen?" Weiss batted her eyelashes, perfect smile beaming.

Ruby's heart-rate rocketed into the stratosphere. "Nope. No p-pr-prob…"

Their order was served a moment from there. And Ruby found herself being fed bites of cheesecake and sips of coffee.

"I do have two hands, you know," Ruby giggled.

"Indeed you do, but they seem to be rather occupied at the moment."

Indeed the first of Ruby's hands was cradling Weiss about her waist. Her second was in idle motion stroking the silky plains of her thigh.

Another bite of cheesecake was followed swiftly by the tender pressure of Weiss's lips upon her own. Her face burning red, Ruby said, "I'm not sure which tastes sweeter…"

"I might have an idea…" Weiss said, closing in for another kiss.

"For Traveler's sake, get a room already!" A young woman at the table across from them snapped shut her book and made inside the cafe.

"Bitches be jelly," Ruby said, both her and Weiss giggling like schoolgirls.

After a delicious snack of cheesecake and kisses, the two of them made for the waterfront, where the gondola for the guided tour around The Traveler was to disembark.

They stood in line, Weiss bringing up their digital tickets on her Scroll. In the second line beside them, Ruby noticed a young man with a rather keen interest in Weiss's...lower extremities.

She frowned. And that's when she formed her idea. "She does have amazing legs, doesn't she?" she said loudly to the young man.

"Huh, what?" he said.

\ Ruby circled her arms around Weiss's waist. "Well you better look elsewhere, 'cuz those legs are mine-all-mine!" She punctuated this with a kiss on Weiss's cheek.

"Are they ever," Weiss purred.

This behind them, they flashed their tickets and boarded the two-tier gondola. They settled themselves on the open air upper deck as they waited for the other riders to board.

Weiss stood at the railing as Ruby snuggled in behind her; arms around her waist, cheek resting against Weiss's own. "You know, I've never done this. Took this tour that is. How many times around do we get?"

"Drei," said the Warlock. She pulled up the tour brochure on her Scroll. "And there are plenty of tidbits and stories to go along with the tour."

The craft was soon filled to capacity and it gently disembarked from its dock. As they rose into the air toward The Traveler, a pleasant feminine voice drifted through the PA:

"Welcome, Gazers. We ask at this time to please secure any and all personal belongings, and to please keep your arms, legs, and other extremities inside the gondola at all times. For those of you who purchased the guided audio experience, please plug your listening devices into your Scrolls now. Happy gazing, and Traveler's Light be with you all."

And so they rose into the air, The Traveler becoming clearer all the time. The other tour-goers around them broke into excited and audible whispers. The small children among them giggled with glee and wonder.

And soon, the full glory of the mysterious god-machine was the only thing to meet their gazes.

"I honestly keep forgetting how...big it is…" Ruby breathed.

Weiss could only muster a nod, her voice then suppressed by pure awe. Recovering, she said: "Have you ever in your life seen anything so wondrous and awe-inspiring?"

Ruby hugged Weiss a little tighter. "I can think of one thing…"

As Weiss giggled and blushed, Ruby noticed a happening taking place around them.

Quite a few of the tour-goers then had produced identical pendants; all of them small replicas of the great floating machine before them. As one, they held the pendants up to their foreheads and chanted softly:

"By the Sign of The Cross

your life will be lost

your soul shall be saved

so hallowed be thy name

new life begins."

By the Sign of The Cross…"

Ruby watched and listened with intrigue as the little mass continued their prayer. "Makes sense that a few Travelists would be here."

Weiss agreed with a nod, her eyes on her Scroll.

"You know, I think Yang's girlfriend is a Travelist. She mentioned having seen her pendant while on her ship.

Weiss scoffed from the bottom of her throat. "What kind of god could possibly love one of those beasts?"

Ruby blinked several times, actually taking a step back from Weiss.

Weiss whirled about, her eyes wide with apologetic sorrow. "Oh, Ruby…I...I'm…"

Ruby shifted about on her feet, her gaze anywhere but on her girlfriend. "Weiss...that's...really harsh." Her glorious sight of The Traveler then was blurred by the sheen of tears welling in her eyes. "That's not...I mean…" Ruby shook her head slowly, hugging her elbows. "Weiss...I can't."

Weiss rushed to her. Cradling her head, did she kiss Ruby's cheeks profusely. "I apologize, Ruby. I truly do. It's just…" She paused, to both even out her voice and to find the right words to repair the apparent rift now between them. "My family. We have...we had a...history with the Faunus. Most of it has passed, you see; times were...different back then. My father...drilled certain beliefs into us. But Ruby, I swear to you, I've never done anything extreme like he has. I never once harmed or otherwise raised my hand against one of them.

"I understand that I have some things to work out, and I will." Weiss sank to one knee then, Ruby's hand held tightly in her own. "Forgive me, liebchen. Please…"

The scene had then caught the attention of several of the other tour-goers.

"Aw, look!" said a lady, her hand over her heart. "How sweet!"

"Oh, Traveler, please let her say yes!" said another.

Ruby blushed up to her forehead. "Oh, um! It's-it's not...that! It's not that!" she said, waving her free hand about furiously. She looked then to her pleading girlfriend. "Maybe it's best we talk about this...in private?"

Weiss nodded, words failing to come.

The two Guardians were then tranmatted from the spot.

…...

The Crucible master Lord Shaxx made his slow and purposeful way up the short flight of linoleum stairs that lead to The Speaker's office. Upon breaking the curtain, did he enter into a scene which he entirely expected.

Ozpin, The Speaker of The Light himself was sat at his great desk, the one Glynda Goodwitch at his side.

Shaxx presented himself front and center to his liege. "Sir Speaker," did he say with a Titan Salute. He then offered the same gesture to Glynda. "Madame Warlock."

Glynda dipped into a rather shallow curtsy then.

"Good afternoon, Lord Shaxx," did Ozpin say in welcome. "Please, do have seat." He gestured to the rather comfortable-looking chair drawn up before the desk.

"I thank you kindly, Sir Speaker, but I will remain standing in your presence," said the Crucible master.

"Very good." Ozpin made himself more comfortable at this juncture, leaning against the high back of his chair, his hands overlapped upon the hilt of the cane that was his weapon. "I imagine you have some news to share with us?"

"Indeed I do," was the response. "And as I have nothing but respect for your time, Sir Speaker, I will cut right to the chase, as it were." He drew himself up straight after a rhetoric pause. "Ruby Rose is our next witch."

Ozpin nodded at this news, which to him, was no news at all. "I surmised as much."

"From the moment you met that girl, you've dotted on her especially." Glynda paused here as she pushed her glasses up her nose. "Of course, the fact that she even exists at all is proof that our experiment was a success." Her gaze drifted off then, settling on the great sphere of The Traveler in the distance. "The seed of The Witch is in full bloom."

"That she is," Ozpin concurred. He looked to Lord Shaxx then. "That battle royale of yours is certainly an...elaborate screening process, but it has gotten us results before, and certainly has now."

Shaxx nodded. "I will continue to operate said event as you see fit, Sir Speaker."

"That of course, leaves but the solitary question." He turned then, to an apparently empty corner of the room. "Qrow Branwen. Is Ruby Rose ready to assume the mantle of The White Witch?"

The Red Witch made himself apparent then, fading into existence.

Glynda gave a start, but recovered herself quickly enough. "Traveler…" she said. "We made you people and yet I'm still not used to you doing that…"

Qrow gave this statement silent consideration before answering Ozpin's original question. "I think you and I both know the answer to that."

Ozpin relaxed his stance, but not his voice. "We have precious little enough time as it is. The enemies of The Traveler are gathering in both strength and number. We need a response more potent than that the Guardians themselves are capable of providing." Ozpin bore into the faded red eyes of his most vaunted super-soldier before again posing his dire inquiry:

"Qrow. Is your daughter...ready to assume...the mantle of The White...Witch?"

Qrow made a show of taking a drink from his flask. His eyes then locked on nothing, did he say: "No. Not as she is. Not now."

"I quite beg to differ," Glynda spoke up. "Her achievements on the field have been outstanding; as was her victory in the tournament. This should honestly surprise none of us, as we literally bred her for excellence. She should be more than able to harness the Etheric Light."

"See, that's the difference between what you and I see." Qrow pointed a finger at Glynda, this same hand that his flask currently occupied. "I'm the one with boots on the ground, Witchy-poo. You don't see the minutia involved." He took a drink.

"To start, that Crescent Rose of hers, as terrifying as it is, is still just a home-brewed mock-up. She can't handle the real thing because she's nowhere near level-black. Second: she still hasn't unlocked every facet of her Semblance yet. She literally copied my fighting style and Semblance one-for-one; there are things she doesn't know about Arc Light thatwould make her head explode; and Etheric Light at this point would actually make her head explode. So, no, she's nowhere near ready."

This sobering truth settled upon the room and its occupants. Ozpin was the first then to break the new silence. "I understand. If that is your honest assessment, than we must respect that."

"We do have eyes on another candidate in the meantime," did Shaxx say. "A young woman from Venus by the name of Ilia Amitola. As a Night Stalker, she's already shown outstanding-"

Shaxx's statement was cut short by the appearance of Glynda's Ghost floating free from her body.

"Yes, Dorothy, what is it?"

"An urgent call from The Cosmodrome, my Lady. The Fallen have launched an attack on the Mothyards and the Steppes!"

"Again!?" Glynda shrieked. She composed herself as she gave her orders. "Scramble teams Nikos, Cinder, and Celsius, as well as any Guardians in a five-minute vicinity of The Cosmodrome." She then turned to Ozpin excusing herself with a bow before she was transmatted away by her Ghost.

Ozpin's instruction then was simple and dire. "Qrow. Gather The Witches, and put and end to The House of Truth…"

Qrow tucked away his flask and was whisked from the room without a further word.

Shaxx then, somewhat tentatively said: "Perhaps I can be-"

"-That will be all, Shaxx. Thank you."

Shaxx offered a Titan Salute before leaving the office. "As you wish."

Ozpin then leaned froward, his elbows propped upon the desk, chin resting on his folded hands. "No victory in strength…" he said for no one to hear.

…..

-End of Legend 34-

….

A/N:

Phew, some pretty heavy stuff in this chapter. On the personal side of things, my move is complete, nice and comfy in my new apartment, so I can get to writing comfortably again! And I just want to thank those who have followed my story recently- AurelLor and BUDDER BADGER. You guys rock! And another thank you to anyone and everyone who gave my content a read. There are hundreds of stories of this like, and I truly appreciate you giving your time to mine.

And as always: If you liked what you read, a fav, follow, or review would be greatly appreciated. If you didn't what you read, I thank you reading this long. Take care and see ya soon.

-B. D. Skunkworks.