The Rose, Blooming

Scribble, scribble.

Weiss continued to read on her Scroll.

Scratch, scratch, scribble.

There was a report on the estimated costs to reconstruct the city of Vale, and that some parties in Atlas and Mistral had reached out with offers of aid, although nothing was set in stone yet.

Scribble, scribblescribblescribblescribble-

"Aggggh!" Ruby swept the papers to the floor, biting back a shout of frustration.

Weiss took a moment to set her Scroll to the side and take a deep breath. "Another dead end?"

"I just...I'm missing something. I know I am. I can see lots of places to start, but I lose them in the middle." Ruby shook her head. "There's some piece that I'm not getting, and I just..."

"Maybe you should take a break, Ruby? It's getting quite late, and you're not going to stumble across the answer if you're sleep-deprived."

For a moment, she was certain Ruby would protest. But the moment passed with an explosive sigh as her partner slumped down. "...Fine. You're right. I just wish...I just want her back, Weiss."

She laid a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "I know, Ruby. We all do."

An old man with greying hair worked at the forge. Day after day he toiled away, crafting a base and pouring himself into it.

He spoke to it, as it developed.

"I have done much in the pursuit of knowledge. I have built wonders that have been misused, and I have allowed terrible things to come to pass."

Slowly, day after day, the knife became a shortsword, as the power of Lavos began to fill it.

"I am...I wish I had done things differently. Perhaps, back then, if I had refused..."

It broadened and grew, becoming a wide blade that gleamed in the light.

"Please. Let this be my chance to make things right. This world...it deserves better than what I have brought into it."

And deep within the blade, two spirits began to coalesce.

Justice and heart. What is right, and what is good.

Regret for the past, and a wish for the future.

"Don't worry, old man." Masa.

"Yeah! I'm sure your wish will come true someday. We'll make sure of it!" And Mune.

Ruby's eyes opened and she shot out of bed, almost stumbling to the floor in her haste.

"Wha-Rubes? Wha's going on?" Yang was half-asleep, fists raised as though to fight off some assailant.

"I know what to do! I need to get out into the city!"

"Ruby...? How do-why do you need to go into Vale?" Weiss was slightly more dignified on waking.

"You said...you said Blake didn't have Gambol Shroud with her when she made it to Beacon. She'd lost in somewhere in between. I need it. I think it's the piece I've been missing."

"What does her weapon have to do with...?"

Ruby was already getting dressed. "The Masamune was Melchior's masterpiece. And it was a great weapon but that isn't what made it special. He poured his heart into that sword. All his regrets and hopes and fears and dreams, and they...they made it more than just a sword. And I think I can do something similar."

Yang blinked. "Just a sword, huh...? Don't think I've ever heard you say that." She shook her head, pulling herself further out of sleep. "Well. You're the expert, sis. If you say you need it then I'll help you find it. I think I know where she was when everything started, so...we can start looking from there." Slowly, she rose and began to dress as well.

"So you intend to enchant Gambol Shroud to...do what, Ruby?" Even as she questioned, Weiss began to pull on her outfit, setting Myrtenaster to the side but within reach.

"It depends. I still don't know if I can open the gate, but I know that this is important. I can feel it." For a moment, Ruby held a hand over her heart, and she could feel an echo of her own heartbeat. Warm and steady, as it had been since Obsidian began to teach her.

"Then let's go. The sooner you get your hands on it the sooner you can figure it out, right?" With Ember Celica buckled, Yang smiled. For once, it was completely genuine.

"Agreed. And it will be nice to see what we can determine of what happened to her, before...all of this." Weiss nodded, buckling her blade back to her belt.

The streets had been torn asunder, and the oppressive air of magic still hung over the ruins. Debris was scattered, worse than in some of the other areas of the city.

"They...they were really on a rampage, weren't they?" Yang's eyes were watching for Grimm, but at the same time they kept being drawn back to the aftermath of whatever battle had happened here.

"If they were facing Adam Taurus, I can't say I blame them." Weiss' fist clenched.

"I heard that name, but I'm not terribly familiar. He was a White Fang lieutenant or something, wasn't he?"

"More than that. He was a...a symbol. The most skilled and terrifying warrior in the White Fang. He...there are very few recorded occasions where he could be said to lose."

Yang chewed on her lip. "And Blake was fighting him? Why?"

"That is a question we would have to ask her. Perhaps they had some kind of history from...before, or perhaps she was just unlucky."

As they turned a corner, Yang nodded towards one of the damaged buildings. "There. I think that's the hotel Blake was heading for...and it definitely looks like they fought here, too."

"Oh, no..." Ruby's voice was plaintive as she stepped towards...a collapsed building. The rubble was strewn about oddly, as though something had disturbed it during or after it fell.

And there, forlorn on the ground, were the blade and sheath-cleaver of Gambol Shroud. Both split cleanly in two.

"That's...why she left it behind, then?" Weiss swallowed. "It looks...to have been cut through, rather than broken."

Ruby nodded. "It's a clean slash. I...I can work with this, I think. I'm just...now I'm not certain what to do with it."

"Oh, shit." Yang took a reflexive step back, fists clenching. It took a moment for the other two girls to follow her eyes. "Wait, Ruby, don't-"

"Oh."

A small, feminine hand upon the ground, in...poor condition, surrounded by the stains of old blood.

"Oh, Blake." Weiss winced. "That is...I suppose, without her weapon, she..."

Ruby knelt down, cradling the pieces of Gambol Shroud. "...She was alone. Alone, and disarmed, and injured, and...Knowing Blake, she would have kept fighting. She would have pushed and pushed and pushed her magic, until she was completely dry. Even without a weapon, even with no magic, she wouldn't have given up, would she...?" She nodded once, firmly. "That must have been when she asked Obsidian for help, and she answered. Just like she always does. Like she did with Nora..."

And like she did with me, at the Breach.

Her heart beat, and her heart beat. She reached down with a single hand, towards the dark stain of dried blood on the concrete. As her finger touched it -

call

- there was a spark that leapt from her fingertip, spreading out along the stain -

and I

- which shifted, forming odd geometric shapes that rose out of the ground in dark colors for a brief moment before settling back down, and yet -

will answer

- there was a strange, shimmering quality to the suddenly-moist liquid that had not been there before.

"What in the...?" Yang stepped forward, peering down at it.

Ruby's silver eyes reflected from the pool, slightly distorted. "Obsidian...do you think you could answer one more time? I think I could use a little help again, if you're still there."

For a moment, there was no answer.

Then, the liquid shifted, condensing into endlessly-shifting shapes that slowly coalesced towards her fingertip. And, a moment later, her hand was pushed up from the ground as a small, rounded crystal formed. Its outline shuffled and shifted briefly before settling into a vaguely flame-like shape.

She picked up it, cradling it gently within her hand, and it was strangely warm.

"Ruby...could you explain what just happened?" Weiss' hand was on the hilt of Myrtenaster and her eyes were wide.

"I don't...I'm not sure, exactly. But this is where Blake called to Obsidian. Right here. There's magic in the air all around us, you know?" Weiss nodded wordlessly, her mouth suddenly dry, and Ruby knelt to pick up the pieces of Gambol Shroud. "Even if they're gone, they left something behind, I think? An echo, or a memory." She shook her head. "Either way...I think I have everything I need. I know what I have to do. I need to get back to the workshop."

"What is the plan, Rubes? You're acting a little..."

Ruby shook her head. "Yeah. Sorry. There's a lot to think about, if I want this to work. But - ugh, how do I make it simple?" She licked her lips once, before sighing. "I can't open the Gate. I don't know how, and neither did Melchior." Before she could be interrupted, she rushed ahead. "But Obsidian could."

"Obsidian isn't here...and Penny said she might be-"

"I know. But even if she's not here, or even if she's gone - well." She held up the small, glimmering crystal. "Do you remember? She told us she was connected to each of us. And we're all connected to each other, both through Obsidian, as a team, and as friends." She smiled. "If that connection can't reach Blake - or Obsidian - where or whenever they are now, then I just have to make it strong enough that it does."

The Next Night:

"Yang. Weiss. I need something from each of you."

The two of them shared a look. It wasn't exactly uncommon for Ruby to barge into the room late at night with a wild idea, but...well, it had stopped after the Battle. For a while.

"What, exactly, do you need?" Weiss continued her preparations for bed.

"Well...that depends on you." At Weiss' raised eyebrow, Ruby continued. "I need something important to you. Something that you don't want to give up, that means something to you personally. Like..." She gripped her cloak tightly in her hands. "I'm going to be using...I'm going to cut a piece out of Mom's cloak. I've always tried really hard to keep it in one piece, because I know even if I fix it later it won't be the same as it was when she gave it to me. But...she'd want to be part of this, if she knew what I was doing."

"And that is...?" Weiss leaned against the table as she considered. "This has something to do with Blake and Obsidian, I assume."

Ruby nodded. "If I'm going to make our connection to Blake and Obsidian stronger, then I need something important to each of us. I have Gambol Shroud and the...crystal for Blake, and the crystal should work for Obsidian too. But I need something for each of us. I'm going to talk to Penny, as well. Just...think about it, and once you've decided, let me know? I think I can tell if it's something that will work or not."

As Ruby settled down, pulling out her Scroll to send a message off to Penny, a contemplative silence descended over the room.

What am I willing to surrender, to get them back?

"Ruby?" The next day, Weiss was the first to enter the workshop.

"Yeah?" Ruby didn't look up from the table where the fragments of Gambol Shroud lay, the mechashift components having been carefully disassembled, and the crystal sitting in the center of the table.

Slowly, Weiss unclipped her hairpin and laid it on the table.

Ruby blinked, finally looking up. "Weiss?"

"This is the last thing my mother ever gave me, before she...well. That isn't important. I've worn it nearly every day since it was given to me, and it's...The day I received this was a very happy day." She shook her head. "When I was designing my emblem, I wanted to incorporate the icicle pattern into it...but, of course, my father wasn't interested in that. My emblem was to resemble the SDCs for proper symbolism, naturally." A sigh. "Regardless. Will this suffice for my contribution, Ruby?"

Slowly, reverently, Ruby picked it up, examining the hairpin. "...Are you sure you want me to use this, Weiss? It's not...I mean, if there's something else you want to-"

"I don't want to. But that's part of the point, isn't it? You told us, something we didn't want to give up. There is very little I'm hesitant to give up for Blake, and...to be honest, there isn't very much I possess that I am attached to, Ruby." Gently, Weiss laid a hand on her leader's forearm. "Besides. If my partner is going to give of a gift of her mother, then it seems appropriate for me to do the same."

Ruby smiled softly. "This will work perfectly. Thank you, Weiss."

"If you require my assistance, let me know. Until then, I shall get back to work."

"Friend Ruby? I have come to deliver my component."

"Hey, Penny." Ruby looked up from the half-finished diagrams spread across various surfaces. "What do you have for me?"

She copper-haired girl stepped forward hesitantly...which was very strange for her. Ruby tilted her head. "Penny? Is everything all right?"

For a moment Penny simply peered at her. Then, she formed a fist in front of her chest and nodded. "Ruby, I have not...been entirely honest with you. Or the others."

"How so?"

"I am...not exactly what I seem to be." Slowly, her hand unclenched, her fingers spreading out - and continuing to spread, separating outwards and revealing mechanical components and wiring. "My father...first made me as a mind within his primary computer. Then, slowly, he built me a body, so that I could experience the world in a physical sense. That first body was...clunky, and inefficient, and we nearly overloaded it in our first test, and yet - and yet it is a wonderful memory that I still cherish." Her smile was wide, even if her eyes weren't entirely happy. "I didn't truly understand how happy it had made me until Mother awoke my Aura for the first time. Ah - I am sorry, I am losing track of my purpose here." She held out the other, ordinary-looking hand and gently laid a series of elegant gears atop Ruby's designs. "These...are all that is left of the first power core my father built. It was barely sufficient, for he and I had made several errors in its design that only became noticeable afterwards. But, when we recycled the original body, I asked to keep it. At the time...I wasn't sure why, but I believe I understand now.

"The only parts that were salvageable were these, and I have always kept them to remember the moment of my 'birth.' I am hopeful that they will prove sufficient to connect with Blake - and, perhaps, with Mother." Her smile wavered as her hand collapsed back into its normal shape. "I am sorry for keeping this secret for so long. I hope that you can forgive me, but I will understand if-"

Ruby gripped both hands tightly, eyes shining. "Penny. You-it doesn't matter if you're human like me, or a Faunus like Blake, or...something like Obsidian, or a robot. In fact, it's really really cool that you're a robot! I'm super excited to-uh, no, nevermind." She cleared her throat, blushing. "My point is...You're our friend, Penny. It doesn't matter what you are, besides that. It...sorta explains a few things, actually..." Ruby smiled widely. "Thank you for helping with this. I'm sure these will work perfectly."

Penny's hands trembled slightly. "Th-thank you, Ruby. I am glad to hear that you...that we are still friends." There was a pause as glowing green eyes stared at her. "If you require Mother's power, I am-it is not efficient for me to channel it without Mother's guidance, nor am I skilled at it, but I will do my best to assist you if needed."

Ruby nodded.

"Hey, Rubes."

Ruby contained her jump. For once, Yang had managed to sneak up on her in the Workshop. Breathing out an explosive sigh, she turned to reprimand her sister - but stopped at the look on her face.

"Yang? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I just-I dunno. This was a hard decision to make. I don't really...I don't have that much I can give up, and I don't even know if this will work."

Ruby tilted her head. "What are you thinking?" Slowly, Yang held out a black feather. Ruby blinked down at it. "Uh...?"

"This is...I got a letter, a few days ago. It was sitting on the desk in the bedroom."

"That's kinda odd, Yang."

"Yeah. It was...it was from Raven."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Wha-she sent you a letter? What did she-what did she say!?"

Yang blew out an explosive breath, eyes narrowing. "Barely anything. A bunch of stupid, cryptic bullshit, mostly. But she-she left this, and told me if I wore it in my hair she'd come and get me and we'd talk."

Slowly, Ruby's gaze lowered back down to the innocuous little feather. "So why did you bring it here?"

"I want you to use it for your project."

"Wh-Yang, you've been looking for her for-for years and years. I can't just-I mean, don't you want to-"

Yang tugged at her wrist, pulling her hand out before pressing the feather into it and forcing her to grip it. "I'd rather-I'd rather have Blake back than this. Even if Raven turned out to...to answer all my questions, or whatever. I can still go find her on my own. And if she wants to talk she can come and talk instead of pulling this stupid shit with me." Yang shook her head, her hair cascading down and wow she hadn't been taking care of it for the last few days. "I still don't know if I can let myself believe that this might work...but I want it to. And if I don't do everything I can to try to help then I'll never forgive myself. So take this stupid thing, and bring our teammate back, okay Rubes?" A deep breath. "And...and Obsidian too, if you can. I...don't want to leave things like they were."

And Yang stepped back with a breath.

Ruby's eyes flicked between her sister's face and the small black feather in her hand. "If you're sure, Yang, then...I think this will work. I'll do everything I can. I swear."

"I believe you, sis."

She made designs, and tossed them out.

She revised them, crossed out sections of notes that didn't work, and revised them again.

She had the pieces, and she had the understanding, but it was missing something. The Masamune had a weight, a heaviness to its existence that was part of why it had become so powerful. It had been made of powerful ingredients, yes - dreamstone and Melchior's hopes and regrets, all the magical material available to the Guru of Life, and yet...the power of Lavos, pumped through Melchior's own Mammon Machine - the same machine that he regretted building and wished to destroy, guided by the same Queen that he wished he hadn't aided in her descent towards madness...there was a strength in that kind of history.

And it was missing. There was history here, personal history to each and every ingredient of the project, but it wasn't enough. At least, she didn't think so. But where was she supposed to find it? Stories and their components didn't just fall out of the sky. She wasn't even sure where to begin.

Her eyes roamed aimlessly across the table, tracing the lines where Gambol Shroud had been quartered. Maybe if she -

the ruby knife plunged into the Mammon Machine, the act of defiance awakening all that it was meant to be and

- she stood up, palms slamming down on the table as her breath escaped from her in a rush, moments before she shakily grabbed at her Scroll.

"Friend Ruby? Do you require-"

"I need to talk to General Ironwood."

"...I will see what I can do."

"Miss Rose. I understand you require my assistance with something?" The General sat in his chair, polished silver cane gripped gently in one hand. He was recovering well considering how much damage had been done to him, but even Aura took time to heal deep wounds.

Ruby nodded. "I...I need you to release something to me. I need Adam Taurus' weapons."

Ironwood's eyebrow rose, and when she didn't elaborate, he cleared his throat. "Well. That's an unexpected request. What purpose do you have for a murderer's weapons, Miss Rose?"

Ruby licked her lips. "A magical one."

His expression didn't change. "I'm going to need more to go on than that."

She shook her head. "It's extremely complex. I'm not sure how much I'm supposed to say, or..." She trailed off, blinking. "No, it's pointless to keep secrets now. We have good reason to believe that Blake and Obsidian were cast adrift in time, and my goal is to retrieve them."

Ironwood's eyes closed and he sighed. "Even if I assume that is true, I don't see how those weapons relate to-"

"Those weapons injured Blake. Badly. And Obsidian intervened because of those wounds, and from my understanding of what followed Blake and Obsidian avenged those same injuries. Even outside of the fact that I'm sure they are high quality weapons on their own, there's...I can use them. I know you aren't using them for anything, General, and even if this doesn't work, isn't it better for someone to try something good with them?"

Ironwood shook his head. "Even if I believed what you're saying is possible, I can't simply release those weapons to you. They have been involved in an uncountable number of crimes, and to be honest I'd rather see them destroyed. Besides which, I..." He winced, briefly reaching up to touch his shoulder where his cybernetics met his flesh. For a moment, he stared into the distance.

For a moment, he seemed...very old to Ruby.

"...Perhaps if we'd trusted you all to begin with..." He sighed. "What makes you believe Blake and Obsidian are...displaced, rather than missing or KIA?"

"Penny made contact with...some part of Obsidian. She received some shattered understanding of the battle, and confirmed that in her last moments Obsidian felt a hole in time being torn. She wasn't sure exactly what caused it, but she was certain that is what was happening."

Ironwood's expression hardened. "I see. And you believe you have some method of retrieving them?"

"I hope so, General."

He eyed her carefully. "Your understanding of magic is that great?"

She shrugged, a half-smile on her face. "Obsidian taught me some things. I think I know more theory than anyone else, at least."

He stared down at her, his hand idly rotating his cane back and forth. "If I release those weapons to you, I'm going to have questions that you need to answer."

Ruby shrugged slightly. "I'll...answer what I can, General, but not everything I know are my secrets to share." When she saw the look on his face, she swallowed once and pressed on. "But I'll-I'll tell the others that you helped me make this possible. If Blake and Obsidian make it back, I'll make sure they know, and...I know they'll answer whatever questions you have."

They stared at each other for several long seconds, before Ironwood finally sighed. "Very well, Miss Rose. I'm placing my trust in you and your team. I will have Wilt and Blush released to your custody, and delivered to your workshop. However, I will be coming by to see your work, and I expect you to be available for questioning soon."

She sketched a somewhat sloppy salute, a smile on her face. "Of course, General. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

He sighed, and shooed her out of the room. After she was gone, he peered out the window.

"It makes me wonder, Oz. If we'd asked them earlier instead of...if I hadn't been so resistant to the idea of asking for their aid, would you still be here...?"

Parts were strewn across the table. Finished mechashift modules, pieced together from Blush, Gambol Shroud, and Penny's gears. The blade of Wilt, and the remaining pieces of Blake's weapon lay nearby, devoid of grip and guard.

"So what exactly is the process here?" Weiss examined Ruby's notes for a moment before dismissing them as incomprehensible.

"It's complicated. I'm not-I'm not going to try to explain it all because it would get absurd. Each of you just needs to know what I need from you. Penny, I need you to saturate this room with as much of Obsidian's energy as you safely can." She held out the shimmering composite crystal. "And hold onto this while you do."

"What is it?" She accepted the crystal even as she asked, peering at it curiously as soon as she touched it.

"Something Blake and Obsidian left behind. From what I can tell, it works like a...a binding agent of sorts? It can change its own shape, and I'm planning to use it to combine the different parts together...and break the rules. Wilt and Gambol Shroud are made of two different metals, and generally, combining them would be a terrible idea...not even to mention the other components. But..." She slid the two blades into the crucible. Then, she took two items from the table – a feather, and a hairpin. These, too, she allowed to fall into the crucible. Finally, she reached out to the crystal in Penny's hands.

Obsidian. Blake. I just need a bit of help...

A part of the crystal separated like water, slipping into her hand, and as she held it out over the crucible it dissolved into tiny geometric shards that poured down. As they touched the slowly-melting metal, there was an invisible flare of magic through the room that swept across Ruby's skin like lightning. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Weiss' eyes widen, and -

There was a knock on the door, and a moment later Ironwood entered. For a moment, the looks he received had him tensing - and then the atmosphere relaxed.

"General! Welcome." Penny was all smiles, as usual. "As the resident Atlesian expert in these matters, I must request that you avoid disrupting this operation. It is both critical and delicate."

So formal. Ironwood smiled and simply nodded. "I shall keep to myself." He made his way to one corner and sat, leaning forward on his cane slightly as he did.

After a moment, Weiss cleared her throat. "What do you need from me, Ruby?"

"You'll be helping me later, with some of the finer detail work. For now, I need your magical senses. They're sharper than mine; If you think something's off, tell me." Weiss nodded, and Ruby turned to her sister. "Yang, you're going to be my striker. So once the blade gets hot, you're going to be hitting it with these hammers, when and where I tell you to."

Yang's eyebrow rose. "You're not using the automatic hammers?"

"Not for this. This is important, and personal. In fact, this goes for everyone: While we're doing all this...think of Blake. Think of Obsidian. Remember, the point of this is to make us more connected. That requires help from all of us. For now, while we're waiting...remember them."

"I wanted to be seen as a person instead of as a criminal waiting to happen!"

Ruby tapped the blade, and the hammer came down.

"Now I've abandoned the only family I've known for five damn years because they turned into murderous, heartless monsters, I have only one thing that makes me feel safe, and I don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore!"

Ruby tapped the blade, and the hammer came down.

"My... departure from the White Fang didn't exactly go well. I only survived because Obsidian enhanced my Semblance somehow."

Yang grimaced, but the hammer came down.

"I... have nightmares. About the White Fang. I- the Flame gives dreams, you know? I can't have a nightmare if I'm dreaming about something else."

For just a moment, there was a gleam of silver before the hammer came down.

"I...misjudged you, too. When I first saw you, I assumed you were the rich heiress slumming it with the common people as...I don't know, an act of rebellion? But...you try. Harder than almost anyone else in our year. And you really, truly want to help Ruby catch up on the years she skipped. I think...I'm glad to have you on my team, Miss Schnee."

Weiss' fingers tightened on the sleeve of her shirt, and the hammer came down.

The first lesson is death. I beheld a spar in the waking world. I saw a game. A fair practice. But a pale shadow of the law of the world: Win, and live. Lose, and die. That is the first lesson. The second lesson you have learned: there are many weaker than you. But that does not make you strong. You may become strong, in time. As you are now, you are not.

Yang's brow furrowed, and the hammer came down.

Your Dream to protect the Kingdoms. You wielded your power in pursuit of that Dream. You did well. ... It is right for you to pursue your Dream, by all methods you possess. Thus: you did well.

Penny's eyes drifted closed for a moment, and the hammer came down.

You, Ruby Rose, suffered injuries that your team were unable to treat. As such, you died. Therefore, you failed. ... Destroying an enemy stronger than yourself is not the purpose of training. The purpose is to be able survive doing so. What made the Heroes great was not their ability to kill, it was their ability to live.

Ruby's grip on the tongs briefly tightened, her knuckles almost white, and the hammer came down.

You four are interesting. Yet it is your nature to face danger that you are not entirely prepared for. Your deaths would be a pointless waste.

For a moment, Yang visualized Cinder's face, and then the hammer came down hard.

"Yeah. I'm going to explore the festival grounds a bit, and maybe check in with my mom. With all the preparation we've been doing for the tournament, I haven't had much chance to talk to her. Now that I'm out of it, I'd like to spend a little more time with her before she heads back to Menagerie."

Yang's hand shook, but the hammer still came down.

"I'm all right. Really. Are you done with my inspection, sergeant?"

The hammer came down, and -

"All right, Yang, that's enough. We're going to put the blade aside for the moment. Take a breather while Weiss and I work on the mechashift."

Yang swept her hair out of her face and nodded, heaving for breath and wiping sweat from her brow.

As the mechashift pieces latched together and the sheath closed into its final form, Ruby nodded towards Yang. "The heat treatment on the blade is done. Pull it out and lay it here." Immediately, she turned to Penny and reached out for the crystal still cradled in her hands. "Penny. Is it charged?"

"As much as I am able, yes."

"Good." She took it gently, and as soon as Yang had finished the artifact was thrust into her hands. "Yang. Heat this. As much magic as you can push into it, do it."

"Uh? Yeah. Sure." A moment passed, and the room began to heat. Golden hair smoldered and the air around her began to flicker as the crystal's color shifted. From crimson to orange, then slowly to yellow.

Yang's face scrunched up as white spots began to appear, and Ruby nodded. "Okay, stop! Weiss, freeze it. Shape doesn't matter, just pour magic into it."

Weiss took a breath and exhaled as Yang slumped slightly, and the crystal shifted unnaturally back to its original color as droplets of water condensed on its surface, sprouting out into jagged iceforms and - "Enough!"

Ruby snatched the crystal, hissing softly at the cold, and a moment later electricity danced across the surface of the crystal. The ice shattered, dissipating into the air, and Ruby held it over the glowing blade and crushed the remaining crystal.

Tiny shapes spilled forth from her fingers, drifting down to meet the blade -

Please, Obsidian. I just want to bring us all together again.

- and burrowing into it as there was an explosion of steam. The girls stepped back in reflex as a tone rang out into the room like a ringing bell.

Slowly, the air cleared, and the blade became visible. Thin and curved, a pitch-black spine with a crimson edge. Ruby peered down at it.

A gleam ran down the dark spine, and Ruby's heart beat. Weiss took a step back.

"That was...I felt that. Ruby...what is this?"

"It's not finished yet. I can't give it a name until it is. Here. Help me with this."

Together, they attached the guard, and then the handle, wrapped in a cord woven from crimson cloth.

As Ruby gripped the handle and lifted the blade, it pulsed in her hand, and there was...recognition.

"I'm not your owner, little one. Just your maker." She spoke softly, staring at the reflection of her eyes in the black metal.

Thrum.

"When you do meet her...take care of her, okay? Sometimes she forgets to look after herself."

Thrum.

Yang stepped forward, licking her lips. "So...did it work?"

Thrum.

Ruby smiled. "Yeah. I think so." She reached down, gripping the sheath and sliding the blade home.

And for a flickering moment, she felt the warmth of the Flame.

"What do we do?"

"I think...we wait for a bit. Let them settle. Then...we'll see if Obsidian answers." Ruby wiped her brow and stumbled slightly, exhaustion slamming into her all at once.

Yang caught her, barely, stumbling herself, as Weiss leaned against the table for support.

"I think...we all need some rest." Weiss sniffed, carefully controlling her breathing.

"Yeah. But I...They need their names." She gazed down at the sheath, picturing the blade in her mind, reaching out for the proper name. "You aren't Gambol Shroud anymore, but you were. You're closer to her than to Wilt or Blush, aren't you?" She shook her head once.

"I think...your names are Shroud and Veil."

Thrum.

"Thank you for all your help, Penny. We need to get some rest now. General Ironwood, I...I'll be available soon, okay?"

Ironwood merely nodded, and they hurried themselves out of the room.

Did you know, Oz? What they were capable of?

An Artifact has been forged.

Shroud & Veil - A thin, curved sword, forged in tribute to the Masamune. A black spine and a crimson edge, forged from the remains of Gambol Shroud, Wilt, and Blush, infused with the wishes of Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao Long, and Penny Polendina, and empowered with the energy of Obsidian and the conceptual connection of the Arbiter. The blade itself has no mechashift functionality, but the sheath has blunt, bladed, and projectile modes. What other functions it has, or what sleeps within the blade, remains unknown... Rank: ?

Ruby has advanced a skill! Artifice: D = C - The ability to create wonders surpassing standard equipment. At this level, can create artifacts several steps above modern equipment in all general areas, even with relatively mundane materials. With access to magical materials, conceptual infusions, or mystically important locations, great works can be forged. Time required to create equipment scales based on the complexity of both the physical object to be imbued and the enchantments placed upon it.