"Woah," Ruby murmured quietly as they crested a hill and the Bridge came into view. "That's... is that a Dust crystal?"

"It's not the right color for gravity dust," Weiss mumbled, staring at the floating shape. "But... what is it, then?"

"Ciel... from what I learned during my time here, if there's one thing they were really, truly skilled at, it was making things from Aura and magic," Blake smiled slightly at the memories. "It wouldn't surprise me if that's a focus of some kind that helps keep the Bridges running."

A likely conclusion.

"You've said that word before. I'm guessing it's more magic, since I don't actually see a bridge here," Yang drummed her fingers on her hip, looking at the sea. "Hey, wait, isn't this the northwestern coast? Where are we going from here?"

Penny looked thoughtful. "There is a great deal of speculation on the history of the northwestern continent. Is it possible that Ciel was located there?"

Blake chuckled. "That's correct. It will be an easy journey from here. Hopefully you find it as interesting as I did, the first time."

As they stepped into the awning of the Bridge, Weiss continued to study the crystal as Ruby peered at the stonework. "This is... what is this?"

"They call it Soulstone, I think. I'm not sure exactly how it's made, though."

Ruby brushed her fingers against the engravings, inhaling a sharp breath. "It's so..."

"Magic is very heavy here," Penny said, closing her eyes with a content smile. "It's different from Mother, but... somehow comforting, all the same."

"All right, we only have so much time. Everybody ready?" Blake raised her right hand, feeling the slightest tingle from the black gauntlet she wore. When the others nodded, she smirked. "Bridge to Waystation One." As the shimmering platform of interlocking prisms formed and lifted them into the air, she chuckled at Yang and Weiss's startled expressions. When they began soaring across the ocean, Ruby let out a whooping call of joy.

As they landed on the isolated waystation, Yang took a breath and steadied her footing. "Okay. Okay. Not what I expected, somehow."

"That was certainly... interesting was a good choice of words, Blake," Weiss said as she straightened her collar and cleared her throat. "Perhaps you could warn us next time?"

The Faunus chuckled. "Sorry. It's just; you only get to be surprised by it once, you know?"

"You just wanted to laugh at their faces. And I agree! Yang, that was hilarious!" Ruby stuck her tongue out at her older sister, only to be grabbed in a headlock. "Ack! No, wait, I take it back! Agh, this is leader abuse!"

"Weiss, your reactions remind me of Specialist Schnee! When she is surprised, she performs the same actions!"

Weiss blushed slightly. "Really? Well, that's... all right, then."

Blake let herself bask in the moment for a while before she finally spoke up. "All right, time to finish the trip. Remember what we talked about, all right?" With a nod, she activated the next Bridge, and they were off through the tunnel to the city itself. As the underside of the mountain opened up to the subterranean city and the form of Ciel's tower came to dominate their view, Blake could almost physically feel Ruby's wonder.

"Woah. That tower's... even bigger than Beacon."

Weiss flicked her eyes around the city, noting the small pillars that crisscrossed through the air. "Those supports... wouldn't be enough to keep this cavern stable. But... I can sense...?"

"Magic is a staple of construction here. I don't understand the details, though," Blake answered the unspoken question.

"Halt there, strangers!" A familiar voice drew Blake's attention, and she turned to the approaching guards with confidence. "How did you... wait. That can't be... Blake?" The soldier's grip on his spear slackened as he blinked at her.

She smiled. "Hello, Geran, son of Armen. You have guards posted on the entrance now?"

After a moment, he chuckled softly. "Things have changed a bit, since you left. Who are these...?"

Blake gestured, and the rest of the team stepped forward. "These are my companions. This is Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and Penny. Everyone, this is Geran - one of the princess' soldiers. Geran, what's happened?"

He shrugged. "The princesses would be better to explain it than I. Come. I'll escort you to them. Malos, you'll have to keep watch on your own for now. I'm afraid I have standing orders in the event of Blake's return." His companion nodded, and Geran gestured at them to follow, leading them through the streets towards the tower.

Blake had been escorted through the streets of Ciel before, and she remembered the whispered words and lingering stares. But this... this was different. She could feel the weight of the attention directed towards them, and the words were now whispered quietly enough that not even her ears could parse them.

"Geran... what happened?"

He shook his head. "I'm just a guard. It's above my head. Just... be careful, all right?"

She frowned, but took a breath when Yang bumped their shoulders together. "Right. Thank you, Geran."

"Blake!" Salem's voice was so joyful it was shocking. Has anyone ever been that happy to see me before? If that hadn't revealed enough, the way that Salem immediately lunged into a hug certainly did. For a moment, all Blake could do was blink vacantly at her snickering teammates. Then she gently wrapped one arm around Salem and squeezed once, carefully keeping her magic limb away.

Salem stepped back, clearing her throat, and bowed very slightly to her group. "Ah. I'm... very glad to see you again, Blake. I thought you'd be gone for longer, but it looks like you found what you were searching for?" Salem's eyes flicked to each of her teammates, and then down to where Shroud and Veil rested on her waist.

Blake nodded. "Ruby here made a... key of sorts, that was able to reverse the magic that originally sent me here. And, fortunately, it was also able to bring us back."

"Then you have my utmost thanks, Ruby." Salem's second bow was noticeably deeper.

"Uh, I mean, it was... I just wanted to help Blake out, you know?" Ruby scratched her head, chuckling nervously.

Salem smiled. "Yes. I believe I do know. Now, come; you must be hungry after your journey. We can eat and talk."

It took a shockingly small amount of time for a table to be prepared, set, and served for all of them - it reminded Blake vaguely of the dinner they'd had at the Schnee manor, only without the animosity hanging in the air.

"Pardon my asking, but what exactly happened? Blake's description of the city and how things are... there's been a change of some kind," Weiss said in between bites.

Salem paused, taking a deep breath before sighing. "The Wilder... the tribes have united and declared war upon the city. They've demanded that what was stolen be returned, but no one seems to know what that refers to. What's worse is... well. I knew you weren't a normal example of what the Wilder Hunters were capable of, Blake, but I was expecting them to be less skilled. More like the one we encountered, but instead they've proven to be very threatening. It's become dangerous to leave the city except in force."

"What...?" Blake's eyes were wide.

Yang grimaced. "Shit. It's gotten that bad...?"

Weiss' eyes closed. "How terribly... familiar."

While Ruby was quiet, Penny leaned forward slightly. "What actions have the Wilder taken? What is their strategy?"

Salem frowned. "I'm... not sure. We haven't been able to identify a pattern, exactly; there are areas they're guarding more heavily than others, but they aren't areas the tribes have frequented in the past. Their attacks are difficult to predict or pin down. Are you... a strategist?"

"I have been educated in many such subjects," Penny said happily - although she wasn't smiling.

"Perhaps... would you be willing to share some of that expertise with us? It's been some time since Ciel saw conflict, and I believe my sister could use the assistance. I'll vouch for you, since Blake trusts you." The princess smiled. "Although my sister might simply trust Blake's word, as well."

"I will consider it. I do not like seeing people hurt."

"That's all I can ask of you," Salem replied softly.

Ruby sat on the plush Cielan bed, idly kicking her legs out. "I... this is bad, right?"

Weiss crossed her arms. "It's significantly worse than I expected. This... I know we came back to investigate the Grimm, but..."

"People are suffering," Penny said simply. Weiss nodded.

"Blake? You're the expert. Closest thing we have, anyway," Yang shrugged.

"I don't know. I... the only Wilder I've actually interacted with wasn't exactly interested in sharing. There's definitely a lot of animosity on their side. I got the impression the Cielans mostly just looked down on them."

Weiss grimaced. "That sounds... awfully familiar."

The air was heavy. After a moment, Blake spoke up. "If we want to figure out what's going on... we can keep our eyes open when we go looking for the Grimm. More helpfully... I can talk to Salem. She was going to investigate a few things, before. I don't know if enough time has passed for her to figure anything out, but... if I can find a moment away from others, I'll ask her."

She received a round of nods, and they set to planning.