Damn, already?! One Hundred Followers now!? I kinda expect this to occur very soon. I guess that happens when you publish a lot of chapters at a fast pace.

Well, this chapter is leaning to the original side. I have planned this in my head for a while. I am going to be truthful; the previous chapters were thanks to me using the RWBY script via Wiki to get to where the chapter is currently. Hey, I was lazy and didn't want to write something pure original.

This is filler. Now, try to expect a three-chapter long fight as you may know where this is going towards. I am kinda running out of quotes to use from the Dark Souls series. I may have to use quotes from Bloodborne, and Elden Ring at certain points.

Now then, with that out of the way, let' get onto the chapter.

Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant

Seven

The Real History

'Where the transitory lands of the Lords of Cinder converge.'

Ash followed Patches as they were walking out from the city of Argus. The sun had already begun to set, and he knew that Ruby and the others would be worried that he hadn't returned from his walk. "How long till we reach your destination?" He had asked his sketchy friend.

"It's not that long. Why are you asking?" Patches replied back to the Unkindled's question.

"…I…need to meet some people before the next day," Ash dryly replied, not wanting to reveal the Relics to him. That is IF he already knows by the look on that face.

Both were now walking through a snowy wooded area not far from Argus. They continued to trek until they felt a familiar flame nearby. The two approached what appeared to be a recently made den in the deeper parts of the forest. A small-winged vehicle had been docked nearby. Ash spotted something he hadn't seen in the middle of the shelter in quite a while.

"Well, here we are. Try to make yourself comfortable." Patches told Ash as he walked towards the Bonfire and sat near it before going to his squat position.

Ash looked at the Bonfire and brought both pleasant and unpleasant memories. He stood there, contemplating his own thoughts. "How long it has been since I've seen an accursed Bonfire?" He felt hesitant at first. He only went there as he remembered that he had an Estus Flask that needed to be refilled. He sat down and watched the fire flicker within the flame.

The only sound made was the flame that sparkled within the Bonfire as Ash and Patches did their own thing. The smug Merchant watched Ash pull the Wolf Knight's Great Sword from his back. Ash put the weapon near his face to see if there were any scratches seen on both sides.

Seeing that there were only a few caught, he let out a breath of air. Positioning the sword where he could lean over on the hilt while the blade was near his feet.

A few minutes went by, and Ash noticed that Patches needed to redirect his eye contact towards him. "Anything you want?" He questioned in his usual tone without any emotion.

"Was looking at that sword." Patches simply replied back. "Can't believe you managed to get that sword that once belonged to one of Gwyn's Four Knights."

Ash looked at him for a few seconds before he looked back at the Bonfire. "Is that so?" There was no emotion in his voice.

Patches started seeing how uncaring Ash was as he looked back at him. "That's how you would respond? What happened to you? It seems like your personality has turned the opposite." Now he was concerned about him despite his attitude towards him.

He heard Ash silently sighing before looking directly at the eyes. "I do not want to explain it." The Unkindled knew that Patches must've known what he had done.

The Merchant looked at Ash for a few seconds. By the way, his body language displayed, he could tell that Ash was not in the perfect mood to talk on that subject. This is why he didn't press on, which could have provoked his swindling fury.

"Alright. I won't press on." Patches told him through his conceited tone.

Ash went silent for a while. Thinking about what to ask, he focused his gaze on him. "You said there are 'some similarities between here and the old lands of the Gods'. What do you exactly mean by that?"

His answer caused Patches to look at him. Though he still displayed that attitude, he could already tell that Patches had an intense look on his face. "About that, why do you think this entire land is called Remnant in the first place?"

Ash then responded back as he looked back at him. "Because that's what the natives call it. And how it was some sort of experiment ground by the beings known as the Brothers." Then, he realised that his statement made Patches shake his head in disbelief. He knew that something was already wrong. "Patches?"

"Did one of their creations tell you?" Patches stated the obvious rather than a question.

His statement made Ash look at him. Though the Fallen Knight Helmet covered most of his face, if it was off, he would have the look of disbelief shown. "How do you even know that?"

"Oh, I basically know what happened here. Except for some." Patches answered back, a smile forming on his face. "Those two beings end up in the land of Lordran—"

"Hold on." Ash interrupted, unsure what he heard was correct. "Lordran?"

"Yeah, didn't you hear?" Patches reminded him, narrowing his eyes towards the Unkindled. "Once the Age of Fire had ended, the entire land of what was once Lordran was covered by nothing but Dark. It was difficult, yet I managed to survive. I do not know if others survived." Hearing that made the Ashen One go numb. But it didn't bother him too much. "The Age of Dark went by until, before you interrupted me, those two ended up in this land." Hearing this caught Ash's interest. As he thought about that, it made sense why Jinn knew about him and his kind without even meeting one, at least from what she had stated. "They then proceeded to create a new life with the power of their own part of their soul before they did it again after they wiped them out. Though one of them got contaminated by the Abyss in their time in Lordran,"

"They bred new life without the source of any flame?" Ash stated, and Patches nodded in confirmation. He was surprised to hear that the Dark corrupted one of the Brothers. Then again, Ash knew that it could not be toyed with. Already, he felt that one of the brothers had been tainted with the Abyss. "And let me guess, one of the brothers infected with the Abyss was the God of Dark?"

"Sort of, but not completely. Kinda funny that Remnant is just a remnant of the old land of Lordran." Patches nodded while popping the last letter. "Though, there were fragments of what was left in the Age of Fire and thought they can overpower it. Which they did in only two aspects. The latter of which they did to two people that they branded."

"And that was the control of another Flame and…" Ash muttered as he had guessed that the brothers may have tampered with the New Flame for their own liking. The second answer he cannot think of. Before he could think of it, he had to ask Patches one question. "What does it have to with Ozma and Salem?"

"Ozma and Salem…?" Patches pondered for a few moments. It clicked on him as if he knew who those two were. "Oh yeah. Heard about them. They were the reason why this world was in a mess in the first place. It's no reason why both had been given unique Darksigns by those "Gods". One cannot be killed through magic and normal means. And the other, the spirit, just hijacks body to body. Luckily, the brother Gods removed the negative effects before they left. One of which is preventing them from going Hollow."

There was no need for Ash to go even further as he knew Patches knew what would happen next. From what he heard in the trickster's tone, there hadn't been a single lace of lie present. Which made him deep into his thoughts. His speculation of Salem having a Darksign was true. But Ozma was surprised about this. He looks back at the Merchant to ask him an obvious question. "Do you know about the Four Relics?"

Patches looked back at him with a giant smile shown on his face. "Yeah. To be honest, I thought there were just rumours at first. Until I overheard some people knowing that the Relics are real. It makes sense considering how Atlas has been a floating island for a long time."

Ash looked at him when he mentioned his Ruby's group's destination. He went silent as he was processing what Patches had stated. "…Atlas is a floating island?"

A nod was made by the trickster merchant. "Yeah. I've visited that kingdom a couple of times since its creation." Patches explained, remembering making multiple trips there. "It's a sight to see. At least on thier island. They have amazing architecture, though the people could sometimes be quite snobbish and short-sighted. Kinda makes you think of the City of the Gods, Anor Londo."

Hearing that made Ash remember that city. Anor Londo, a once proud city of the Gods, has been reduced to nothing more than a cold, wintery ghost town, and the only source of light is the moon. Still, he needs to tell Patches about something. "Do you know some people referred to as the Schnees?"

Patches was surprised to hear this from him. "Wait, did you say—"

"I'm currently travelling with one of them, Lady Weiss Schnee, to Atlas." Ash interrupted with a stoic and cold attitude.

"Weiss Schnee…" That was what Patches uttered. He eventually chuckled at the name in realization. "Hm. I've heard of her. a Former Heiress of this Company called the Schnee Dust Company run by her greedy, power-hungry father, Jacques Schnee. They're pretty messed up by how they look at the photos in the newspaper. It's no wonder why there was speculation that Jacques disinherited her after that outburst after that "charity" event for Beacon."

"…" Ash didn't say anything as he remembered reading what happened in Beacon. From what he can think of, some schools were targeted by the White Fang and other people. They were successful in Beacon, but everything came to an end in Haven. An event which occurred two weeks before he had awakened.

It was at that moment that Patches then remembered he had forgotten something. "And I managed to trick a Schnee down a cave. I'm surprised that despite one of their kind being in the military, they are always tricked by their greed."

"Of course, you would do such a thing." Ash mentally said to him. His thoughts then shifted to Weiss's father, Jacques Schnee. From what he had observed in the way Patches had described, he could tell he didn't like him. Jacques is a scum. Obviously. But not a scum that shouldn't deserve death for the actions that he has done. "From what I heard from you, this Jacques Schnee is a sort of a pest. Now I had my own thoughts about him. And not the kind of pest that would not go away."

Ash's statement made Patches chuckle. "You can say that. Jacques Schnee believes that he is untouchable. Using cheap slavery to mine their dust-up to make big profits. It's no wonder people all over Remnant hate him despite his claim that he is "benevolent and caring" towards his workers." The two words he put in quotations are a mocking of the actual thoughts of the CEO of the SDC.

That was a piece of helpful information that Ash heard. If he ever encounters Jacques Schnee in person, he'll just confront him about it. Without getting angry, of course, as Ash knew Jacques's greed and lust for power would eventually lead to his downfall. Looking up to the sky to see that the night had come, he needed to return to the others. Right before doing so, he needed a question to ask Patches since he had been in this land for a long time. "Do you know anyone called…Adam?"

Again, Patches murmured that name. It clicked onto him in realization. "Oh, you mean the bull Faunus that cannot keep his mind intact?" This caused Ash to go silent again, looking at him without a response. It continued for a little while until he realizes he wasn't directly answering his question. "Yeah, I obviously know who Adam is. Who doesn't after the White Fang's attack on Beacon and Haven?"

"Can you provide me anything useful about him?" That was the next question Ash asked, wanting to get anything in case he ever encountered him.

Patches rubbed his chin as he thought about it. He began to list off. "Hm. From what I can remember from hearing what people had to say, Adam was a member of the White Fang until he pulled that stunt in Haven, which I can imagine being an utter embarrassment for him. He's fast and a formidable fight." He then realizes one more necessary detail. "Oh, and he has a powerful semblance that makes everything go red after absorbing enough energy before slashing his sword."

Ash processed this kind of information for a few moments. This Adam is sure to be a formidable opponent. One that will undoubtedly get him killed unless he isn't careful enough. "I see…"

Patches immediately recognised that Ash had been asking too many questions despite enjoying his curiosity. "Why are you asking these questions? Weren't you awake—"

"For the past three days?" Ash immediately answered before Patches could finish his question. "All of this is new to me. I need to know the necessary information in case I would run into some unavoidable problems. I feel that Adam has been stalking someone during that time. I was hoping you could answer my questions?"

He heard Patches laughing at his statement. Although he was annoyed by it, he wasn't too bothered about it. Patches rested his arms above his knees and gazed directly his eyes at him. "Alright, I can tell you what I know since I still owe you. It's going to be a while. After that, I am going to make my move."

"Very well, let me hear it then," Ash said, now listening to what Patches had to say.

-Scene Change-

Ash walked through the sidewalk within Argus as he was reaching his destination. He was in his own thoughts after hearing what Patches had told him before departing on a transport called a ship, which he was certainly surprised that the trickster could pilot one. Then again, it's Patches, and he can sometimes be quite unpredictable. "Now, time to get back to the others."

The walk towards the Arc House was a pleasant one for Ash. Upon seeing the house not far from where he was, he approached it. Walking up a small flight of stairs, Ash knocked on the door. It opened to see Ruby looking at him before smiling. "Ash! You're back!"

"…" Ash didn't say anything as he entered the house after Ruby allowed him to enter and saw everyone looking at him in relief. Even Qrow was relieved to see him despite his drunken state. As well as Oscar, who seemed to have an upgrade in his clothes.

Speaking of which… "So, it took you long enough just to calm down?" The Farm boy asked.

"…" Ash stared back at him without making a sound.

It was at this time that Jaune decided to ask a question. "Ash…" Said the person looked over at Jaune, who had a look of uncertainty shown on his face. It took a couple of seconds to ask his question. "Ruby and the others told me and my team that you're hiding a secret from us—"

"I will tell all of you when the time is right. I just recently met you all, and it wouldn't be wise to say it just yet." Ash immediately responded back. He felt that Ruby and her team would tell them at one point. He wasn't mad about it but knew it wasn't the right moment to say to them.

Speaking of the time is right, Ruby immediately remembered some. "Say, Ash, do you remember our plan to visit Atlas?" He nodded in remembrance, and she scratched the back of her head. "Well, it didn't go well, but we managed to hatch a plan?"

"You mean the one where we stole an Atlas Airship since they only give clearance to them to go in and out of Atlas?" Oscar raised an eyebrow.

"Yep," Ruby answered while popping the word's last letter. "We're going to initiate it by tomorrow. But to successfully do that, we need someone to disconnect the comms from the two to not raise suspicion. Which is why Blake will be the one to do it."

That sounds like a perfect plan. But Ash wasn't sure if that plan would go well as he still felt that same spiteful soul observing their every move. He went up to the Faunus and presented her with a piece of folded paper. "What's this?" Blake asked as she unfolded it to see some scribble drawn, hueing a light-yellow light from within.

"In case things goes wrong, use your hand over it, and you'll find out," Ash answered cryptically, hoping what he handed her would work. Blake didn't know what he meant by that, but it might be helpful to her.

Now that was out of the way. All that was needed was to rest for tomorrow. "We better get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be quite eventful."

Everyone then proceeded to head to a room where they could rest. Qrow stayed in the lounge, where he saw Maria sleeping and Ash looking at a blank space. The huntsman could feel a powerful presence within Ash for the past three days. He couldn't piece together what it was. But if he had one thought, that power could rival the Maiden. Soon, sleep began to overtake him as he closed his eyes. "Just exactly what you're hiding from us?"

This is a filler chapter, and I am not so good in writing long chapters. Thanks to the gods that there are only three chapters left before the start of the Atlas Arc. I have plans for him to wear a certain set of armor from Dark Souls 2 because, Atlas is a cold kingdom, and he needs something that could provide him with the warmth he needs despite being Unkindled?

I know that I am confused with the Undead and Unkindled since one can go hollow, and the other can't unless there are outside interference. And I fucked up the lore of RWBY now and I have to think of any alternates I can think of. Would you expect me to only include the RWBY lore? It's not really good to say the least. In my opinion at least.

Next chapter, expect a mech fight to happen and Ash could probably humble the Commander due to her jingoistic and arrogant traits. I wonder how it will play out if he pulls a certain sword that can take down a giant?

Speaking of fight, it seems like the Ash and Adam Taurus fight is certainly going to happen soon.

Now then, onto the reviews…

Dasgun (Both reviews): Uh-huh…

Spenge: Well, I hope you are going to like the next few chapters.

Argorok: I certainly will.

Crimson Soldat: Yeah, this is more of a notice Review that I put because you may expect it to come soon. Who knows what will happen next?

Guest: Yeah, I had to use translate just to understand what you said. I hope you enjoy it.

EXCUBITORE: Oh, don't you worry, I will try. But it may alter the plans I have settled for the Atlas Arc.

That is now over. I will see you in the next chapter. Whenever it will get published after the chapters have been rewritten into peoples' likings.