Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 70 – The First Steps Forward
In the white void, Woz was currently sitting on his clock while reading through his book, "Recent graduate Sougo Tokiwa has made it his mission to help Miss Rose out. Accompanying them to Atlas, our group finally manages to make it to Ironwood where several interesting things are brought to light. The General has expanded those who know about Salem on his side, and has a plan ready to restore Global Communications. Unfortunately there's one issue with those plans…"
"He wishes to rush into everything too fast and tell all of Remnant about Salem," Jinn soon floated into view, "And while forcing her out of her secrecy, it would still be a risky gambit."
"Choosing to withhold the truth from him due to his questionable mental state and decision making, we create a fabricated alliance thanks to my Overlord's quick thinking," Woz added.
"To think that he was able to come up with a story and wrap Ironwood around his fingers," Jinn remarked, "I must say he'll grow up to be terrifying one day."
"Indeed," Woz smiled, "With everyone beginning to settle at Atlas Academy, we all take our first steps into what will end up as our current lives for a good while."
Remnant – Atlas Academy
Since Ruby and the others arrived in Atlas, it had been a day and a half since they had gotten there. For the most part, everyone was trying to familiarize themselves with the various facilities and structure of Atlas Academy. The first order of business that Team's RWBY and JNR had done was put in requests for new equipment and combat gear. It would come courtesy of Pietro due to him already working on studying Team Zi-O's equipment. The step after that was a mission that would be coming up shortly once everyone was fully geared up, which Ruby, Jaune and Qrow were attending a meeting to get debriefed on.
Team Zi-O were all currently in their room relaxing. The dorm rooms or rather barracks, were fairly simplistic, having the same sleek and metal styling the rest of Atlas Academy had. There were four bunk beds built into the wall with a ladder in the center for ease of access and on the other side were four small desks and chairs for each individual member of a team. The group was trying to figure out what to do since they weren't authorized to help out on the upcoming mission.
"You know, I kind of like Remnant having bunk beds as a standard thing," Sougo admitted as he was lying on a top bunk.
"From what I heard apparently Beacon didn't have that," Tsukuyomi mentioned as she scrolled through her tablet on one of the bottom bunks, having managed to connect it to the CCT via one of the student networks. She was currently using whatever access she had to learn more about Remnant since she now had access to an Academy's systems, even if they were only student privileges.
"They didn't?" Sougo asked, "So Ruby and the others went without bunk beds?"
"Well… not exactly," Tsukuyomi held a light grimace as she recalled the nightmarish setup she had heard in passing, "From what I heard they made their own… and possibly committed all safety code violations in the process."
"Sure sounds like them," Geiz scoffed as he glanced back at them from a desk.
"That makes sense given how reckless Miss Rose can be with our own issues…" Woz trailed off as he was lying on the last top bunk.
"So what do we even do?" Geiz groaned out, "I hate how we're basically cooped up here."
"Well we've just got to be patient," Sougo replied, "Ironwood did mention something to help us get out there. Plus it sounds like we've yet to fully start up operations anyway."
"Tomorrow seems to be that day," Woz said.
"Yeah, given everyone's getting new equipment that's likely what's going on," Tsukuyomi agreed.
Knocking was soon heard and it wasn't long before the door opened up with Penny standing outside with a salute, "Salutations!"
"Hey Penny," Sougo gave a wave as he peaked out from his bed.
"What brings you here?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Dad wanted you to join him in his lab," Penny replied, "He said he'd like to ask you a few questions."
"Sounds good to me," Geiz gave a groan as he sat up and stretched, "It's kind of getting a bit boring."
"You will not have to worry about that much longer," Penny gave a smile as she put her hands behind her back, "The General is finishing up preparations to allow all three teams to fully help out in our operations!"
"That's good to hear," Tsukuyomi said.
"Shall we get going then?" Woz asked.
"Yeah," Sougo gave a nod as he and the others went to follow Penny.
"So I have been meaning to ask," Penny admitted, "What exactly is the meaning of Zi-O?"
"The meaning…?" Sougo tilted his head.
"Correct," Penny replied, "And you all call yourselves Team Zi-O too, why is that?"
"I wonder that every day since we decided that title…" Geiz grumbled only to get elbowed by Tsukuyomi.
"Well because I'm the leader," Sougo pointed towards himself, "And my Rider name is Zi-O."
"And also because he couldn't think of an easy name like Team RWBY with our names," Tsukuyomi teased.
"That too…" Sougo slumped slightly.
Penny couldn't help but giggle a bit, "Well I think it is a fine name. But that does not answer my first question."
"Oh right," Sougo said as he put his hand to his chin in thought.
"It goes into the language our village adopted," Woz explained as he took the lead this time, "Zi is similar to Ji which is Watch. Thus the time and clock based theme. Next, O is referred to as King which is fitting."
"A King…?" Penny asked, "How is it fitting?"
"Oh I may sort of be the village head's son," Sougo rubbed the back of his head with a nervous smile, "We do things a bit differently and our leaders are called Kings. So with that said my dream is to become King one day."
"That sounds very aspiring," Penny admitted, unaware of the surprised looks on Geiz and Tsukuyomi's faces, the two somewhat caught off guard at how easy Sougo was sliding into the fake background he was compiling.
"Zi-O is also wordplay in that old language for 20," Woz added, "As there were only 19 other warriors identified before him."
"Sounds fascinating," Penny said as she continued to lead the grouping of Riders through the halls and elevators of Atlas before arriving at her father's lab, "Dad, I have brought them like requested!"
It was a fairly small lab all things considered. When they entered they could see that there was an examination station similar to the one in his pharmacy office behind sturdy glass alongside what looked to be a human sized docking station across from it. Further to the back was a fairly wide desk with several screens on it and a large screen against the wall alongside several lockers in the corner.
On the desk though were the three Ziku Drivers, Beyondriver, Ridewatches, and Zikan Weapons that had been collected.
"Thank you dear," Pietro smiled as his chaired moved over to the group, "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything important."
"Not at all," Geiz replied as he crossed his arms.
"Ah good, good," Pietro said before giving a bit of a light cough, clearing his throat, "Penny dear, could you let Ruby and Jaune's teams know to come by here after their meeting?"
"Absolutely," Penny smiled as gave a salute, "I will see you all later!"
Sougo and Tsukuyomi both gave a polite wave as Penny quickly sped out of the room before they turned back to the matter at hand.
"So, Penny mentioned you had questions," Tsukuyomi spoke up.
"Ah yes, only one in particular but I was just curious how much you actually knew about these devices?" Pietro asked.
"Not much sir," Sougo said as he put his hands in his pockets, "The most we know is that they give us cool armor and they were found in some old ruins."
"Which is surprising to say the least," Pietro admitted, "Given the structure and just my inability to find anything at a first glance."
"You weren't able to analyze them well?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"I did a general sweep at first to try and figure out the technology," Pietro explained, "But unfortunately that seemed to be too general as I couldn't identify anything within the devices."
"Yeah, we're not sure why they're so advanced if they came from an old civilization," Geiz replied.
"Well there have been legends that those who came before us were more advanced than we could ever hope to be," Pietro said as he went over to behind his desk and gestured to the items on it, "The General has seen it fit for me to give these back to you. After my report he says that maybe analyzing combat data will help with my research."
"Oh," Woz mused, "So he is going to send us out on the field?"
"Given I work a lot in Mantle it's quite likely," Pietro gave a nod, "Though if I could look at them from time to time that would be appreciated."
"Of course," Sougo smiled as he went to grab his equipment alongside the others, everyone holstering or holding their weapons.
"Was there anything else you wanted to know?" Geiz asked.
"Well… I'm just a tad curious, but reviewing what little footage there was and hearing details from Ironwood…" Pietro trailed a bit, "I take it the armor enhances your fighting ability?"
"In a sense," Woz replied.
"I only ask since you say your village is fairly isolated," Pietro replied, "So you all don't have any formal Huntsman training."
"Nope," Geiz crossed his arms, "We were self-taught alongside whatever we were taught in the village. Zi-O is probably the worst of us though."
"Hey," Sougo huffed before deflating, "Yeah you're probably right…"
Pietro couldn't help but chuckle a bit, "Regardless I must admit it's exciting to lay my eyes on these kinds of things. It helped distract me when the work on the other team's requests got a bit overbearing."
"Sounds like it was a lot of work," Tsukuyomi said.
"A bit," Pietro admitted before noticing the door opening up, "Ah and here are the lucky boys and girls right now."
"Oh, hey guys," Ruby waved as she entered with her team alongside Jaune's, "Penny caught us on the way back from our mission briefing and told us to come here."
Jaune spoke up next, "Yeah, I take it-"
"Are our cool upgrades done?!" Nora interrupted almost immediately.
"Yes, yes," Pietro gave a smile before gesturing to the lockers, "Apologies for the mess and for holding onto your weapons for so long. The upgrades you requested were, uh… well, they were more than I anticipated."
Despite those words he clearly still had fun on it as he ended his sentence with a chuckle. Team's RWBY and JNR walked over to the lockers before going to open them up to reveal cases inside. The cases were labeled for each individual as they all stared long and hard at them… except for Nora who was bouncing around with excitement.
"Your new weapons and armor should be as requested, but I also took the liberty of reviewing your combat footage from the Vytal Festival Tournament," Pietro explained, "There's some additional enhancements I'd like to suggest. Oh, but for now, these should serve you well enough."
"Looks like you all are excited," Geiz remarked as he saw the looks of surprise or content when opening the cases.
"All of you are free to head back, get fit in your new combat gear, hang out, do whatever you young kids do nowadays," Pietro replied with a chuckle, "Tomorrow's a big day, at least I assume from the deadline I was given."
"Thanks Dr. Polendina," Ruby gave a smile before closing her case and looking at the others, "What's say we get prepped?"
Team Zi-O and Oscar were all waiting in one of the empty lounge areas near the barracks, everyone sitting nearly bored out of their minds as they waited for everyone to finish. It turned out that in addition to new clothes, some of them wanted to get their hair styled differently or cut which ended up taking a couple of hours as a result.
Oscar though was fidgeting around a bit, "Hey…"
"Finally someone says something," Geiz gave a groan as he sat up from the couches he was lying down on, "I was wondering if we'd sit in silence and do nothing…"
"So um…" Sougo spoke up, recalling the time that Geiz had gotten stir crazy, "I'm not going to wake up in the morning and get assaulted by you leaping down the stairs am I?"
"What was that?" Geiz gave a glare.
"Now, now…" Woz spoke up, "I know we've been barely doing much but these things take time."
"Anyway…" Tsukuyomi rolled her eyes before looking at Oscar, "What's up?"
"Are… are you guys sure about this?" Oscar asked, "Why couldn't you just tell him what you told us?"
"Well…" Sougo muttered he thought about it before holding up a finger, "I think it was mostly because of the circumstances of when you all last saw Ruby and what her Team saw when we helped them."
"Also you all are Ruby's family and close friends," Geiz pointed out, "Meanwhile Ironwood is an acquaintance at best."
"Yeah," Sougo gave a nod, "Plus the fact that he was already looking to mass produce our gear…"
"Kamen Riders shouldn't exist on Remnant," Tsukuyomi added, "And if someone as mighty as Atlas suddenly started to use them… especially our kind…"
"It would be a bloodbath," Geiz finished in a matter of fact tone.
"Not to mention they would besmirch my Overlord's power by creating inferior versions," Woz gave a huff.
"That aside," Sougo chuckled a bit before turning serious, "He would've wanted to know more about Earth and how we got there. And I wouldn't doubt him trying to force us to take him and his army to Earth so they can try and seize control of other Rider Tech. It's why I decided to go with the story I did."
"Right…" Oscar trailed, "But did we… really have to lie about the other thing?"
"Given how the situation was, Ruby had the right idea," Geiz said, "That man is already teetering towards the edge, I can tell."
"Yeah," Sougo gave a nod, "But I do want to see how he does things, given he is a leader after all. It might be a good learning experience given what I want to do."
"Just make sure you don't pick up his bad habits," Geiz suggested.
"Like you need to tell my Overlord of all people that," Woz remarked.
"Point is," Tsukuyomi said as she looked over at Oscar, "I think what might be the best bet right now is to wait and see. Maybe push the situation into a more positive space before letting him know."
"Right, right…" Oscar mumbled, still a bit put off by the ideas even if they had decided on them before coming back to Remnant. He decided to get up and confront Ruby himself, heading over to where he knew she'd be getting ready at.
"I seriously hope he doesn't do anything we regret," Geiz sighed, "He's a good kid, but he's taking the wrong lessons from what we learned at the crash."
"It took Yang a while remember?" Tsukuyomi said, "After all there was that argument, and it wasn't until after a while that she calmed down. And Oscar came back after that."
"What's important for our group right now is to try and survey the situation in Mantle," Sougo suggested, "We haven't seen any sign of the Time Jackers yet, but if there's any place they'll be it's there to cause more trouble."
"Right," Geiz said before tapping his foot and crossing his arms a few times, "How much longer do we have to wait?!"
Around 30 or so minutes was Geiz's answer as Teams RWBY and JNR had eventually started to file in, everyone admiring their new looks. All parties involved had decided to dub these new looks their Atlas Attire after realizing they had all basically changed styles and outfits for Mistral after coming from Vale. Overall it was fairly similar for a lot of them, especially JNR in terms of their outfits evolving to suit their more experienced selves.
Jaune had more fitting clothes and upgraded his armor, alongside sporting a questionable haircut. Nora had cut her hair shorter again while adding a whiter and pastel coloration to her clothes alongside armor. Ren meanwhile kept his green top and grey bottom combo but with the addition of an arm guard on his right arm that held a sheathed dagger. His long hair was also not free flowing anymore and braided.
Of course after them was Team RWBY when it came to their updated gear and looks.
Ruby herself ironically didn't need much of a style change for her hair, keeping its spiked and choppy look. But she made sure it was better maintained since she had been more relaxed on it in the past few months. Of course the second most immediate thing was that her torn and worn cape was now replaced with a brand new hooded cape. That alongside her red skirt allowed her signature color to pop more while also keeping the similar styling of a light top under a black corset alongside her darker colors as previously seen.
Blake's changes were some of the more noticeable ones as she now had shoulder-length bobbed hair instead of her usually long flowing hair. She wore a dark purple sleeveless bodysuit with a white long sleeved tailcoat helped complete the look as she seemed to be keeping her coloration from Mistral in her design.
Yang had decided to go different, going for khaki overalls with a white low-cut cropped tube top underneath. Of course covering her upper body was a baggy dark brown crop aviator styled jacket with a fur trim alongside an orange scarf around her neck. Her prosthetic also had a fair bit more bulk to it, part of the band around the wrist being similar to the Ember Celica on her left arm.
Weiss was the last one in and was probably one of the more drastic changes due to her outfit from Mistral being less of a combat outfit and more the only thing she had on her at the time while escaping Atlas. Her ponytail kept its tilted position but was braided now and because her front hair was more grown out, she ended up styling the bangs to frame her face. Despite being from Atlas, she seemed to have the most layers when it came to her dress, while keeping the white and light blue coloring for her dresses, belts and pouches. She now had a vivid blue shrug with a raised collar and puffy sleeves for her top alongside dark blue long sleeved gloves. Of course the inside of one of her dresses was also red as she had a few red accessories to bring back that color from her beacon days. Not to mention how she now no longer had standard heels but thick heeled boots.
"Whoa…" Sougo trailed as he saw Weiss' new look.
"So, how do we clean up?" Ruby asked as she twirled around.
"Pretty good on the new hairstyles for the most part," Geiz said as he put a hand to his chin, but looked over to Jaune, "I'm not sure what you were going for."
"What?" Jaune asked.
"The hair," Geiz said as he motioned towards his head, "Not sure if it was a good fit."
"Oh it's perfectly fine," Jaune huffed and crossed his arms.
"Oh just you wait," Nora grinned at Geiz as she patted Jaune's shoulder, "He'll be reeling in the ladies in no time."
"I'll believe it when I see it," Geiz scoffed.
"So you think the new hair's good for the rest of us?" Blake asked.
"Honestly the cuts and new styling work well," Tsukuyomi spoke up, "I also like how the outfits are evolutions of what you've worn already."
"Why overalls though?" Woz looked over to Yang.
"Why?" Yang asked back before shrugging and smirking, "Why not?"
"Of course you would do this…" Woz pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Actually," Geiz looked over at Ruby, "Why not get a new hairstyle? You just sort of cleaned up the one you had before."
"Eh, I liked the spiked choppy look so I figured I'd keep it," Ruby admitted as she poked her hair a bit.
Sougo meanwhile cleared his throat looking over at Weiss who had made eye contact before she looked away, he decided to speak up, "So um… blue?"
"Y-Yeah…" Weiss trailed as she messed with her bangs slightly, "I figured I'd go more my own style."
"I uh…" Sougo felt a bit awkward before speaking up again, "I didn't know you liked red."
"Huh, oh," Weiss looked herself over before giving a nod, "I used to have red as an accent in Beacon. I figured I could go back that a bit."
"Wait, really?" Sougo asked, "It looks nice on you."
"I uh, thanks…" Weiss gave a light blush as she looked away, she wasn't sure on one aspect of her outfit however, "How about the hair? Do you think the braid's too much for how long it is… or?"
"Oh um… I like it," Sougo said as he gave a thumbs-up.
Everyone couldn't help but silently pause when they heard the current conversation. Blake and Yang saw this and glanced at each other before noticing Ruby had cracked a smile. Jaune had raised an eyebrow slightly at Sougo when hearing this while Nora gave a knowing smile. The only one of the Huntsmen and Huntresses that didn't seem to notice anything was Ren who was simply looking around, trying to see why everyone had mostly gone silent.
Woz could only smile while Tsukuyomi and Geiz silently groaned out before looking at each other. They had slowly started to notice something after the Another Zi-O and Roze incident, and couldn't help but wonder how long Sougo and Weiss were going to be oblivious to each other's feelings.
"It's a good fit Weiss," Geiz spoke up as he cleared his throat, "It keeps your loose hair from flying all over the place. But I can imagine that might be a pain to maintain every day."
"I think I can manage it," Weiss said as she kept her blush, figuring since Sougo liked it she'd keep it.
"Anyway," Geiz looked around, "Where's the Relic, and Oscar?"
"Oh right," Ruby realized, recalling the talk she had with Oscar and him not being too happy with the situation, "I decided to have him hold onto the Relic, and he's a bit tired so he decided to turn in for the day."
"Good idea," Tsukuyomi gave a nod, "Given its properties and who wants it."
"Also cause Oscar's likely going to be staying here most of the time, right?" Sougo asked.
"That too," Ruby replied.
"One other question," Geiz said as he moved closer to Ruby, "Did you let Pietro touch Crescent Rose?"
"Nope," Ruby said as she knew what Geiz was trying to say, "Told him I didn't need Crescent Rose modified and I'd work on maintenance myself. So he didn't get to examine it."
"Good," Geiz sighed in relief.
"Oh right, so what's your guys' mission tomorrow?" Sougo asked, "It's not that classified right?"
"Well it is part of the Amity Project," Ruby recalled, "I don't think it would hurt too much since you all were told about it anyway."
"We're clearing out a Dust Mine that's going to be the launch site for Amity," Jaune explained, "There's a lot of untapped Dust there we apparently can use."
"Issue is we've got an old Geist skulking around," Ruby added, "But we'll be going with the Ace-Ops tomorrow to deal with that."
"Shame you guys can't come with us though," Nora admitted, "I wanted to see cool Rider stuff."
"Well you'll see cool Ace-Ops stuff," Sougo pointed out.
"True…" Nora relented for a brief moment, "But still…"
"I think if we're done here we should probably rest up," Geiz suggested, "You all have a long day tomorrow and we have no idea what Ironwood will have our team do."
"True," Ruby said as she gave a stretch, "We've got a long road of work ahead of us."
"But I think we can do it," Sougo reassured in his usual way.
The Next Day
Remnant – Solitas, Schnee Dust Company Mine #2
Three Manta airships flew through the air, approaching a mining site that was situated inside of an iced over and snow patch filled mountain. Abandoned and rundown buildings lined the front of entrance of the mine, though it had clearly been a while since it had been used due to an incident that had occurred.
As two of the Mantas flew further in, one began to slow down as the hatch opened up to reveal Team RWBY, the four being the ones to enter from the front. All four girls looked at each other and exchanged nods, all ready for a field run of their equipment.
The four soon leapt off of the Manta, Ruby immediately using Petal Burst to glide towards her preferred landing path. She drew out Crescent Rose, switching it to its scythe form before firing from it, using the recoil to slow her fall. Thankfully she didn't have to worry about wasted ammo due to her weapon's already modified form.
Weiss meanwhile was utilizing glyphs to launch back and forth while making her way downwards. She launched herself forward before using a glyph to summon her Arma Gigas' arm and sword, using a glyph to send her towards the sword and slide down its blade.
Blake meanwhile drew out Gambol Shroud from its sheath, the blade being fully replaced but with a gold streak where the snap had happened on the prior blade. She shifted it to its sickle form and threw it, hooking it onto one of the metal structures before using it to swing from building to building. Yang went for a full freefall, spreading her arms out before firing at the ground before she hit it, flipping and landing on her feet before sliding forward. As she did, Blake, Weiss and Ruby soon joined her after she slid to a stop.
The two Ace-Ops that were paired with them were Marrow and Harriet, the latter of which landed with a bounce, tucking and rolling before sliding to a stop in a crouched stance. Marrow on the other hand used his weapon Fetch, a boomerang, to help him brace. He threw it first and landed on it to ride across the snow before leaping off of it and kicking it away to force it to fly into the air and return to him. He grabbed it before switching it into its secondary form, a rifle.
Team RWBY and their Ace-Op partners would soon watch as the other Manta's flew overhead to deposit the rest of the Huntsmen and Huntresses in them to the other entrances of the mine.
"This is Alpha squad. LZ's clear. Proceeding on foot," Clover's voice came through the comm system as everyone heard, "You've all got fancy new Scrolls, so don't forget to use 'em. Keep your eyes and ears open. I want an update if you encounter the target. Alpha out."
As Blake was looking through her new Scroll, her ear twitched and she looked ahead, "Huh?"
Yang was caught like a deer in headlights, looking side to side before realizing that Blake noticed her stares, she gave an awkward pose and wave, "Uh, sorry, just not used to the new hair yet."
"Is it… bad?" Blake asked with a blush, brushing her hair back a bit.
"No! No. It's good. Great, even!" Yang called out.
"Oh sister…" Ruby pinched her nose as she shook her head, seeing Sougo and Weiss interact alongside both Blake and Yang's interactions on Earth just made her sigh whenever this still happened. While it was cute with Sougo and Weiss since both still seemed mostly unaware, she figured Blake and Yang would be past this by now given what they had both been through.
Marrow seemed to share the sentiment on the awkwardness, "Man, I did not sign up to be babysitter."
"Yeah, well, the rest of us babysit you all the time," Harriet remarked before walking away.
"Hmph!" Marrow pouted with his arms crossed and followed after her.
Weiss couldn't help but brush the snow off of a nearby crate she was passing, seeing the logo of her families company, the SDC, on it. She gave a sigh before pushing forward, wanting to get this mission over with as quickly as possible.
Ruby couldn't help but shiver though, "Oh, it's freezing out here!"
"Without heating or projected Aura, the cold of Solitas can kill you in a matter of hours," Weiss reminded.
"I suddenly don't feel as bad about leaving Oscar behind," Blake admitted.
"Also glad that we unlocked Tsukuyomi's Aura before we did this too," Yang replied, "Still can't believe Woz is like… not affected by this."
"Woz is Woz," Ruby said in near deadpan as she waved it off, "I've learned not to question his ways."
"Fair," Weiss replied, "Speaking of them though… I'm a bit worried."
"Because of Sougo's bluff and how close he is to Ironwood because of that?" Ruby asked in a lower voice, glad that both Marrow and Harriet were scouting ahead for now.
"Yeah, it's definitely a big risk," Yang gave a nod.
"Despite how Sougo can be, you saw how he pulled it off," Blake said, "I think he'll be fine. Especially since Geiz and Tsukuyomi can pull off a good straight face."
"What about Oscar though?" Yang asked, having seen Oscar nearly storm off after Ruby's talk, "He doesn't seem happy about our plan."
"I know," Ruby sighed, "When it comes down to it we'll release the information we're withholding, but you saw how things looked when we flew into Atlas."
"The General's heart seems to be in the right place," Blake admitted, "But that doesn't mean we should trust him yet."
"Yeah, playing along for a while before making any major decisions is our best choice," Weiss agreed.
"Yeah, you're right," Yang agreed, "I just hope Oscar doesn't do anything without the rest of us."
"And here's hoping they aren't dealing with anything too crazy back on Atlas," Ruby said before gesturing for her team to follow, leading them forward to meet up with the Ace-Ops they were paired with.
Remnant – Atlas Academy, Ironwoods Office
Winter was currently alone in the office and was at the holographic table silently surveying the mission that the Ace-Ops, JNR, and RWBY were on. As she listened to radio chatter she was also multi-tasking as she brought up several holographic screens to look at a new strange occurrence that had popped up in Mantle.
Normally they wouldn't be concerned, but with the idea of monstrous powers being unleashed it made them more wary when certain pieces of news came into play. The news being that there were various parts of Mantle that were overrun with sudden patches of ice despite the heating grid. But they also seemed to be targeted as well, noting that some spots were near usual deployment areas for the Atlas Military, thus making it harder to deploy in those areas or outright having to deploy into different areas as a result.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she received a call, placing her Scroll on the table to connect it and bring up a voice call screen while muting the radio chatter of the Dust Mine mission as she continued to look at the photos from Mantle.
"Special Operative Schnee here," Winter spoke up.
"Ma'am, the individuals you requested are on their way up right now," An Atlas Soldier spoke on the other line.
"I see, thank you for the heads up," Winter replied.
"Did you need anything else?" The Atlas Soldier asked.
"Nothing at the moment, Specialist Schnee, out," Winter said as she hung up before taking back her scroll. She then began to close the various screens before taking out the remote that controlled the table and pressing a button to retract the table and return the office to normal. She walked to the door before exiting the office and placing her hands behind her back while walking down the steps.
It wouldn't be long before her guests arrived, Team Zi-O with Sougo at the very front.
"You asked to see us?" Sougo asked as he stopped a few feet away.
"Yes," Winter said before turning around and walking back towards the office, "As I said when you all first arrived because you are assisting us you will get the best equipment our scientists can devise."
"I'm curious what you mean when you say that towards us," Woz admitted.
"We're all pretty comfortable with what we have so far," Tsukuyomi added.
"I'd imagine so given what little footage I saw of your brief fight," Winter said as she led them inside the office before going over to Ironwood's desk where a briefcase was, opening it up, "But combat equipment isn't the only necessity for us. Do you remember what you all did the day before last?"
"Oh, oh," Sougo suddenly remembered as he raised his hand, "The four of us had our pictures taken and had to give out some information."
"Correct," Winter said as she began taking the contents out before closing the case and walking over, she then began handing each Rider something, "They were to situate your ID's since you all didn't have any Scrolls on you."
"We're getting our own Scrolls?" Tsukuyomi asked as she looked it over, seeing the ID on it as well as her Aura Level being displayed along with the others. Something that surprised her was that Woz had an Aura reading at well despite not actually having one. She glanced over at the chronicler and wondered if mimicking an Aura was another one of his strange abilities.
"The General did mention some sort of permit," Woz added.
"Correct, these will also act as pseudo-licenses," Winter replied, "The General feels as though we could use all the help we can. Though there are certain restrictions on what you can do in regards to work."
"What kind of restrictions?" Geiz asked.
"You all aren't able to select Missions on your own and you can only pair up with another licensed Huntsman or Huntress. Of course it must be the Huntsman or Huntress that selects you to pair up for this mission," Winter explained.
"What about if we're just around and Grimm attack…?" Sougo asked.
"While you won't have to worry about that in Atlas, I will let you know now that you'll be fine in Mantle," Winter said, "Your permits have special permissions that allow you to act in self defense or in the face of sudden Grimm attacks."
"Oh cool," Sougo smiled.
"But aren't Huntsmen and Huntresses that could choose us basically non-existent?" Tsukuyomi asked, "Especially since we're not exactly well known around here."
"I wouldn't say that," Winter said as she walked forward before gesturing for the group to follow her. The group of five would make their way out of the office and towards the elevators, "I also know that this is sudden but the General requested for you all to join us at the mission site."
"But I thought we weren't part of the team dispatched today," Geiz said.
"You aren't," Winter confirmed, "But there's something the General wants to do in order to help make the coming missions easier and it also involves you four."
"I see," Woz said, "Then I suppose we should make haste."
It wasn't long before they took the elevators down, mostly heading for the military facility that was underneath Atlas itself. As they made it to the main facility however, Winter held a finger up to her ear, getting chatter on her communications channel.
"Very well, I have four individuals who were requested by the General to be taken to the Mission Site," Winter said before listening back, "No I won't be joining them immediately, schedule a different transport for me."
"Is there something wrong?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Nothing you all need to concern yourselves with," Winter brushed it off before leading the way forward, "I'll lead you to your transport. You're to meet up with the General in order to greet the mission team."
"Understood," Sougo said as he gave a salute, his friends rolling their eyes.
Remnant – Solitas, Schnee Dust Company Mine #2
It only roughly took less than an hour for the Ace-Ops alongside the assisting Huntsman and Huntresses to fully clear out the Dust Mine of the Geist. It was a risky battle, especially once it became a Frosted Petra Gigas that held various chunks of Dust within it. But with the Ace-Ops taking the lead, and a close catch from Ruby, it was fully defeated with no collateral to the mine itself.
After receiving the all clear it took the remainder of the day for the rest of the Atlas Military to start arriving onto the scene while setting up. In fact it had already become sunset by the point in which Amity Colosseum had started making its way over to the eventually launch site. Of course the large ushering of Atlesian Military Forces to the Dust Mine caught the attention of a certain activist group from Mantle, two of what looked to be Huntresses staking out the area and looking on in surprise.
It wasn't long before Ironwood had arrived, his and Team Zi-O's transport coming to a stop as they exited them.
"I'm glad you all could make it," Ironwood gave a warm smile, "I take it Winter gave you the Scrolls?"
"She did," Sougo gave a nod, "Thanks again."
"I just figured being connected would be important," Ironwood admitted.
"I'm curious why we're here though," Geiz said, "It looks like the mission is over."
"Ah yes, well it has to do with what will come after," Ironwood said before seeing the Ace-Ops and Qrow exiting from the mine alongside Team's RWBY and JNR, "Looks like they made it out alright."
"So what exactly is the next step?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Well it's-" Ironwood stopped when he heard chatter in his ear and put a finger to it, "Yes?" He asked before his face became shocked, "What, another one?" He then looked over as he saw a soldier come over to him, gesturing a few directions before cutting the call and sighing.
"Sounds like something happened," Geiz muttered.
"Excuse me for a moment," Ironwood said before walking over to talk to the Ace-Ops who were approaching, receiving brief details of the mineshaft mission while also letting them know about the repeat situation he was informed of, he then looked around, "Can I get the Team Leaders over here? There's something I'd like to discuss with you. That includes both Sougo and Qrow."
"Have fun," Geiz patted Sougo's shoulder before walking off to meet with the remainder of Team RWBY and JNR alongside Tsukuyomi and Woz. The Ace-Ops meanwhile went to walk off, all leaving while Clover who stayed behind.
Sougo raised an eyebrow at this, wondering what exactly Ironwood wanted to talk about as he walked over.
Ironwood then turned back towards Clover, "I need you on the ground, but be subtle. If people see too many Huntsmen milling around, they'll get nervous," he watched Clover give a salute before walking off before he remembered something, "And Clover? Don't take Marrow."
Clover looked back to see Marrow attempting to impress a guard with some pantomiming of what had gone on in the current mission. Clover could only give a bit of a chuckle before giving a nod and taking off.
It wasn't long before Qrow, Jaune, and Ruby walked over, Sougo going over to join them.
Qrow raised an eyebrow, "New problems in Mantle?"
"More of the same, unfortunately," Ironwood said with a sigh as he deployed his Scroll, bringing out a screen to show mugshot of a familiar man. The same man who had talked to the group before they arrived at Atlas academy. His name was Forest but the horrifying part was the screen next to the mugshot, it showing his dead body, "Someone in Mantle is taking out public leaders who speak out against Atlas, specifically, people who speak out against me. It didn't look like a pattern at first. But this is the third murder of its kind in the last week."
"Wait a minute," Jaune recognized Forest, "That's the guy that rode with us after we ran into Clover and his team."
Ruby gave a light gasp, nearly covering her mouth, "He died?"
"Who could have done something like this?" Sougo muttered, "Time Jackers?"
"Your opposition in Mantle dropping dead isn't exactly a good look for you, huh?" Qrow mentioned.
"Not really worried about my public image, but it is causing unrest," Ironwood agreed to an extent, "I think someone's trying to frame me and, by extension, Atlas. And it's working."
"Well, if it wasn't for the embargo making everybody so mad, people probably wouldn't be so quick to blame you for everything else," Jaune mentioned in an off-hand fashion only to get nervous when Ironwood gave a frown and narrowed his eyes, Jaune quickly straightened up, "S-Sir."
Sougo however noticed that, keeping a neutral expression but noting how guarded Ironwood got when the flaws of his prior decisions came to the forefront.
Ironwood rubbed the bridge of his nose a bit, "No. No, you're right. Things in Mantle have been… hard to manage lately. I'm not blind to its issues. In fact, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," he turned to look up at Amity Colosseum, "With the launch of this mobile communications tower and tensions down in Mantle, I think there's a lot of good your teams can do here."
"Really…?" Sougo asked.
"Of course," Ironwood gave a smile before frowning as his communicator beeped, putting a finger to his ear as he gave a look of surprise, "What, already? Here? No, it's fine. Let him land. I'll deal with him myself."
Qrow and Ruby exchanged a glance, the uncle soon speaking up, "More Mantle problems?"
"No," Ironwood said as an airship flew on its way to the nearby landing pad, "This one's an Atlas problem."
Ironwood began to head off for the landing pad, everyone else following after him and grouping back up into their teams. Ironwood was at the front, waiting for the ship to land with Team RWBY several feet behind him. Team Zi-O was nearby while Qrow and JNR hung towards the back.
"Hey," Sougo whispered to his team, "Is it just me or is Weiss acting a bit weird?"
"She did seem nervous when she caught sight of the airship," Tsukuyomi said in a low voice.
"And I can already tell why," Geiz said as he pointed towards the airship which was landing, the door to it holding the same emblem that Weiss wore, the Schnee Emblem.
The airship released a ramp as the doorway opened, revealing a skinny pale man with white hair and a mustache in an white pants and jacket combo with a light blue shirt underneath. This was the current owner of the Schnee Dust Company, and Weiss' father, Jacques Schnee. And he was already raring to go the minute the doors opened.
"So let me get this straight, James," Jacques spoke as he walked down the ramp, "In addition to this nonsensical embargo of yours crippling my business, you've also decided you have the authority to commandeer private property? When the Council hears about this, you will never-"
"Actually, I've already informed them," Ironwood interrupted as he gestured to the scene around them, "As this is now the site of a classified military operation, it didn't even require a vote."
"Didn't require a vote?!" Jacques spoke in near outrage.
"You might want to brush up on Council law before you lose this upcoming election, Jacques," Ironwood suggested, "Now I've allowed you to land here once as a courtesy. The next time, it won't be a friendly reception."
"Lately, you seem to forget who your friends really are. I'm going to get that Council seat, James, and maybe then, you'll…" Jacques cut himself off as his eyes wandered enough to see Weiss nearby, both father and daughter locking eyes, "You…" He walked past Ironwood, giving a brief glance, "You roped my missing daughter into these schemes of yours, too?" He asked as he looked back at the General, "How long has she been back in Atlas? Did Winter know about this?"
"It was my decision to come here," Weiss spoke up, having gotten annoyed at her father's complaining, "Just like it was my decision to leave. Or have you forgotten all about that?"
"If you think I'm one to forget anything, girl, then you've misjudged the man your father is," Jacques answered back.
"Believe me," Weiss said, not amused in the slightest as she crossed her arms, "I know exactly the kind of man you are."
Jacques gave a fiercer glare, "How dare you speak to me that way!? I have half a mind to-"
Ironwood cleared his throat, "Half a mind to what, Jacques?"
Sougo narrowed his eyes and stepped forward at Jacques words.
Jacques narrowed his eyes, soon noticing all eyes were on him when he made that comment. He adjusted his cuff link while sighing to compose himself, having to go about the issue differently, "You know… your mother was devastated when you left, didn't leave her room for days. You know how… she gets… when she's upset."
Weiss couldn't help but glance down at the ground, her father's words managing to get to her. Jacques could only give an amused smirk as his act had worked before turning back towards Ironwood. Blake already knew exactly what Jacques was trying to do, and while Sougo didn't have the same experience as Blake did with verbal abuse, he could still tell what Jacques was trying to do.
"I knew one day, you would overextend your reach," Jacques said to Ironwood in a confident tone, "I didn't come here to beg for an abandoned mine. I came here to thank you… for personally handing me the noose to hang you. You'll regret this."
Blake had gone over and held Weiss' left hand, giving a comforting nod to her. Weiss was a bit surprised when she felt a hand on her shoulder, it being Sougo who gave her a reassuring nod as he stood behind her. Soon enough Ruby and Yang stood alongside her while Geiz, Tsukuyomi and Woz stood behind and between the team alongside Sougo.
"So these are the little friends you threw everything away for?" Jacques asked before raising a slight eyebrow, something about one of them felt off. He narrowed his eyes at Sougo, wondering who exactly the boy before him was to be giving him this feeling.
"Not friends," Weiss spoke up and shook her head before she looked directly at her father and gave a smile, "They're family."
Everyone of the group couldn't help but smile in different ways at this as Jacques simply gave a huff and turned to leave. Once he had entered the airship Weiss had sighed and slumped over in relief.
"Are you going to be okay?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Yeah, I'll be fine… it's just a lot, to deal with him," Weiss admitted.
"Can we take a page out of Nora's book?" Geiz asked as he cracked his knuckles, only for Blake to grab his hands and lower them.
"Honestly I'm just glad you all are here," Weiss admitted with a smile.
"Hey, I know it's been a while but we did say we'd be at your side," Ruby reminded.
"Hmm," Sougo however was lost in thought, "Something felt off about him…"
After the Schnee Dust Company Airship took off, a cargo truck soon came by and slowed to a stop. Exiting the back of it was none other than Winter herself who was glancing around carefully.
"Oh, now you show up, Winter," Weiss teased her sister with a joking smile, "You just missed father."
Winter sighed and walked over, "I wouldn't say I missed hi-"
SLAM
"SURPRISE!"
Penny had suddenly landed between the group and Winter, spreading her arms out as she projected 'Congratulations' in the air while unleashing green confetti alongside the sound of a party horn. Winter had stepped back in a guarded stance while the entirety of Team's RWBY and Zi-O were blown backwards… except for Woz who had simply stayed where he was, unaffected by the landing.
"Impressive," Woz gave a smile as he clapped several times.
"Uh," Penny suddenly looked to both fallen teams in surprise, "Did we not start yet?"
"Apparently," Winter sighed in exasperation, "We haven't."
"I feel like we needed a warning or something," Geiz groaned out as he went to pick himself up.
"Start what?" Ruby asked as she stood up, not noticing Jaune and Nora laughing up a storm behind them.
Remnant – Amity Colosseum
It wasn't long before everyone had gathered at the center of Amity Colosseum's arena. Sougo and Tsukuyomi looked around curiously and in awe while Geiz and Woz were staring at the scene before them. Their group was off to the side with Qrow. Meanwhile Ironwood, Winter and Penny were standing across from Team's RWBY and JNR who were all lined up.
"It goes without saying that this arena holds significance to all of us," Ironwood said as he stepped forward, beginning his speech, "It's only fitting that we should be able to reconvene here, now, when the world needs to be brought together more than ever. The road you traveled from our first meeting hasn't been easy."
Penny was bubbling with excitement, holding a tablet sized scroll as she bounced up and down. Winter meanwhile placed a hand on Penny's shoulder to keep her still.
"Is this what I think it is?" Geiz muttered, suddenly recalling Winter's words from earlier.
"You fought for your school and your friends at Beacon," Ironwood said as he began to pace in front of the two teams, "You fought for the world and the innocent at Haven Academy and beyond. You faced down terrors people can't even fathom. That's not the behavior of students. It's the behavior… of Huntsmen and Huntresses."
Penny soon saw her signal as Ironwood looked over to her. She began stepping in front of each person with a light hum, tapping her Scroll as each and every one of theirs began to buzz. It wasn't long before everyone began to check as their Student Licenses were change into Huntsman and Huntress Licenses.
"Wait… what is this?" Ren asked.
"You are being granted your Hunstman licenses, today," Winter explained before giving a knowing look towards Team Zi-O.
"Oh… oh…" Sougo suddenly realized why they wouldn't be as restricted in who could pick them for missions, "Okay this is cool!"
"I know this is coming a little ahead of schedule, but Brothers know you deserve it," Ironwood continued, "I only regret I couldn't do something a little more ceremonious for the occasion."
Ruby couldn't help but stare in surprise at her license. When she said she'd protect Remnant as a Huntress, she wasn't expecting this, "I… We… we're honored, General Ironwood. But you really don't have to do th-"
"Please," Ironwood interrupted, "With the threat of Salem still out there, the Time Jackers as Sougo mentioned, and tensions rising in our Kingdom, I certainly could use more trustworthy fighters by my side, I should be so lucky to have all of you." He then looked back at them and noticed the lack of immediate celebration, "It's okay since it is a big moment, and what better way than to celebrate here? When this tower is ready and communications are back up and running, we'll tell the world about Salem and face down whatever comes at us after that, together."
"Huh, not bad…" Sougo crossed his arms.
"Very decently presented," Woz agreed.
"That's… just about all the pomp I have in me," Ironwood sighed as he adjusted his tie in an awkward manner, "If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to running this operation. Um…" he turned away, "Well, then. Enjoy the cake."
"And I stand corrected…" Woz trailed in disappointment, "The ending is the most important part."
"Your speech outros are improving, sir!" Penny gave an encouraging compliment as both Ironwood and Winter walked off.
"After everything we've been through, I almost forgot this is what I wanted in the first place," Yang admitted.
"When Beacon fell, I didn't think this would even be possible," Blake gave a nod.
"It almost feels trivial now," Weiss said, "Especially given everything we've done."
"Geez guys, lighten up a little," Qrow gave a bit of a laugh as he walked over to the group with Sougo and the others, "Enjoy yourselves for a change. You've earned it."
"You've all gone way above the call of duty to get here today," Geiz added as he crossed his arms, "It's sudden, but not unearned."
"Indeed," Woz gave a smile before spreading his arm out, his voice soon echoing without even the need for a microphone, "REJOICE!"
"Ooh," Penny hurried over to Woz and inspected him, "How do you do that with your voice?"
"One of my many talents," Woz smirked as he adjusted his scarf.
"Woz while odd, is right," Tsukuyomi said, "Today's a big day for you all."
"So let's party!" Sougo raised both of his fists up into the air.
"Finally, someone said it!" Nora called out in near exasperation, "Let's kill some cake, huh? Because I can eat two slices before Ren even eats one. Who says I can't? Who says it, huh!?"
"Nora, nobody is arguing with you about this," Ren said.
"Actually…" Sougo spoke up with a smirk, "I bet you can't eat three slices before Ren even eats one."
"Oh you're on!" Nora called out as she pointed towards Sougo.
Weiss buried her face in her hands, "Why do you do this?"
With the formalities out of the way, everyone went about celebrating by heading to one of the entrances that led to the stands. Waiting for them there was a fairly large cake that likely had enough slices for everyone alongside various juices and cups for drinks.
Penny had done the honors of cutting and serving the cake, Sougo staring in awe at Penny's weapon, the Floating Array. She easily commanded the six blades to slice through the cake with the utmost precision and made multiple clean cut and even square slices.
Of course with cake being passed out that meant everyone could just mingle. Jaune was managing to get some stories from Tsukuyomi about their adventures on Earth, Woz was feeling rather boastful and adoring the attention that Penny continued to give him about his voice, and Yang was currently hanging out and taking pictures with Blake.
Meanwhile Ren, Weiss and Sougo could only watch as Nora tried to prove Sougo wrong in an even greater degree. She had gotten six slices stacked up, immediately eating the first of the slices in a bite much to the trio's surprise.
"Anyway…" Weiss turned towards Sougo, "So you all got licenses as well?"
"Sort of, we got these permit things," Sougo said as he showed his Scroll, "From what your sister said it lets us act in self defense and we can fight Grimm if necessary. But to do missions a Huntsman or Huntress has to pick us for them."
"Huh, I guess she knew that we'd be getting our licenses today," Weiss said as she looked at her Scroll and license, "Still this is good, it means you all won't be that cooped up."
"Thankfully," Sougo said before pumping his fist, "So don't worry, Team Zi-O's got your back if you ever need it Weiss."
"Well… I doubt that I'll ever need all of you," Weiss said causing Sougo to frown slightly, "But…" she turned with a bit of a smile towards her friend, "If I only have one slot open I know who I'm picking first."
"Wait, really?" Sougo asked as he realized what Weiss meant before pumping his fist, "Nice! For a second I thought you'd choose Tsukuyomi or Geiz."
"W-wait, hold on a second, what?" Weiss asked, "Why wouldn't I choose you first?"
"Oh it's just uh… I figured since they have more experience…" Sougo rubbed the back of his head.
"Sougo," Weiss sighed as she put a hand on his shoulder, "You may be a dolt but you're an amazing Kamen Rider."
Sougo couldn't help but smile at that, "Thanks."
Nora smiled after finishing up her third slice, while Ren was just barely getting halfway done with his.
"I must admit, being on Earth all that time really made them good friends," Ren said, with Nora giving an audible huff as he had completely missed the point.
Off to the side in the stands was Ruby who was still taking everything in.
"You seem to be one of the only sensible ones," Geiz said as he walked over and sat nearby.
"Not one for parties?" Ruby asked with a chuckle.
"Nope," Geiz said, despite this he still had a slice of cake and was taking some bites out of it, "So how's this whole fighting as a Huntress thing going?"
"It felt really weird being on a mission after everything we've been through," Ruby admitted, "But I think I managed just fine."
"Good to hear," Geiz replied, "At the very least you aren't defenseless without Roze."
"Well even if the armor enhances stuff, there are just some things you can't forget," Ruby said before giving a stretch, "Still though…"
"I can imagine it's a lot," Geiz said as he glanced to the side before standing up, "After all you basically accomplished your dream."
"Sort of," Ruby said before raising an eyebrow, "I thought you weren't one to party?"
"I'm not, but I know when to give some space," Geiz said as he walked away from the stands Ruby was sitting on.
"Huh?" Ruby tilted her head before glancing to where she saw Geiz looking.
Qrow gave a chuckle as he went to sit down near his niece, "Big day for you, huh, kiddo?"
"It's… definitely a lot to take in," Ruby admitted.
"Which part?" Qrow asked, "The finally getting to Atlas part, getting your license part, the not quite disclosing everything to Ironwood part or… all of the above?"
"All of the above," Ruby gave a soft laugh, "Trust me when I say I'm relieved that despite all the detours, especially for me, we're finally here. But also now coming here has introduced its own set of problems too. That's not counting all the outside factors… so I'm trying to do what I think is best really. But it is getting a bit overwhelming even if it's a decision supported by the others."
"Understandable," Qrow replied, "But if you're worried about the lying part don't be. Oz only trusted himself with the whole truth. You trust others, but you're making sure they prove themselves first. I think that's a pretty big difference."
"Yeah I figured," Ruby said, "I take it you're fine with what I did then?"
"As much as I trust James, the guy's pretty rough right now," Qrow admitted, "I mean you saw my reaction right? That was after a victory, and given the current situation he wouldn't have reacted well to it. Sougo was also smart for pulling a bluff like that. It's best to keep things close to the chest until Ironwood calms down."
"That's relieving to hear," Ruby admitted.
"Still, if you ever need to let anything out just let me know," Qrow offered, "Best not to bottle those things up."
"Thanks Uncle Qrow," Ruby smiled before sighing and pulling out her license, "This still feels unreal, I'm a Huntress now, but I don't feel like I know much more than I did at Beacon."
"That feeling never goes away," Qrow admitted with a laugh, "Your mom, Summer, would be proud of you."
Ruby gave a smile but she soon began to drift back into thought, one thing was bugging her, "Her… last mission. Was that another Oz secret?"
"Hmm, there were a lot of those back in our day," Qrow thought back as he looked down, "But this one was a Summer secret. When she didn't come back, Ozpin seemed just as in the dark as myself and your father. Still, who knows what he may have hidden from us over the years."
"What do you think she would've done, if she learned the truth about Salem?" Ruby asked, "That she can't be destroyed."
"Pressed on, I think, like you," Qrow said before pulling Ruby in close, "She was always the best of us."
"How about being a Rider?" Ruby asked with a smile as she leaned her head against her uncle's shoulder, "If it was her instead of me, think she would have been cool?"
"Probably," Qrow said, "Would've been a real brat about it though. But hey, I like brats."
"Hey," Ruby gave a playful smirk and elbowed Qrow.
"Hey Ruby come check this out!" Yang called out from the bottom of the stands.
"Geiz you too, this is pretty cool!" Sougo shouted.
"Coming!" Ruby called out as she went to hurry towards the others that were gathered.
Geiz meanwhile sighed as he went to keep eating his cake while slowly following after Ruby. Despite the space he had managed to hear some of the conversation. And admittedly the idea of Ruby's mother or someone related to her being a Kamen Rider was a thought that wouldn't easily leave his mind. Especially when he wondered why Oma Zi-O would try and kidnap Ruby specifically before she became a Rider.
Remnant – Atlas, Schnee Manor
Jacques had gone straight for his office after meeting with his daughter and Ironwood, having a drink to calm himself down as he sat in one of the lounge chairs. His attention was caught when he heard the door open partially as his son and the youngest of the family, Whitley, opened it.
"Father," Whitley said in a nervous manner, "You, um… have a visitor."
"I told you I didn't want to be disturbed," Jacques slammed his glass down on the arm of his chair, "Why did you let them in?"
"I didn't," Whitley admitted, "He… let himself in."
The guest was none other than Watts who grabbed the door and pulled it open while entering past Whitley, "A spitting image of you, this lad, Jacques. Creepily so, I might add. He's definitely inherited your… affect."
"Arthur," Jacques spoke in disbelief as he saw the man before his eyes. He now knew this was important and turned towards the door, "Whitley, leave us. And shut the door." He said but grew frustrated when Whitley only seemed confused and suspicious, "I said shut the door!"
Whitley quickly shut the door after Jacques slammed his glass down, Watts making an amused look as he went to inspect some of the books in the office.
"I… you're supposed to be dead," Jacques managed to speak up.
"That is what I wanted people to think. You're right," Watts agreed as he paced around, getting near Jacques now, "However, I've heard things about you too, Jacques. Namely, that you have an Ironwood problem."
"That bastard is costing me more money every day with this embargo," Jacques admitted in frustration, "I'd lay off every employee in Mantle if I wasn't trying to get their damn votes for this Council seat."
Watts chose to sit down in empty chair nearby Jacques, "What if I said you can have your cake… and eat it, too?"
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"I was hoping to borrow two of your team members."
"Let the professionals handle this alright."
"I suppose your title is nothing to scoff at."
"Heavy snow and ice isn't something usually seen in the city."
"No one in Atlas can stop me!"
Chapter 71: A Chilling First Mission
Author's Note: Figured I'd combine both Episode 3 and 4 of Volume 7 together since with the way I've set things up for Team RWBY, things aren't going to be that different on their end which is why the Mine Encounter was cut aside from basic details. RWBY's stuff for the first chunk of V7 will also mostly be in the background while I have some fun with Team Zi-O.
Adding onto that, with this chapter out of the way we're not heading into the main meat of Volume 7. I'll be taking a slight detour with a few side chapters detailing some Remnant shenanigans that Team Zi-O gets up to since well, the next episode in V7 is mostly a montage and I figured I'd use that chance for a bit of detailing some of what happens within the timeframe since a lot of time passes. Now I should note again that despite Arrowfell releasing, and how far in advance I wrote this, I won't be doing anything with Arrowfell… at best it'll be something in a separate story. Anyway thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time.