Author's note: This chapter, we get stuff done. I also decided to give Salem a new minion, since Sirena broke a few in the last chapter.
Also, happy mother's day to all the mothers out there. Except Raven. She doesn't want the responsibility, so she doesn't get the benefits.
Leonardo Lionheart was standing in front of a Seer, in a room adjacent to his office, and nervously fixed his necktie.
"Your Grace… are you there?" Leonardo asked. The red smoke in the Seer's body faded, revealing an image of Salem sitting in her throne.
"Hello, Leonardo," Salem said and asked, "Do you have something to report?"
"Of course," Leonardo answered, "I would not waste your time, if not." Salem inspected the room.
"Tell me, Leonardo, where is Arthur?" she asked.
"He found it safer to remain undetected," Leonardo answered, "There are unforeseen risks, but I can contact him, if you wish."
"Yes, tell him the Fall and Spring Maidens are on their way," Salem said, "He is to meet with them and help them reach the relic."
"Of course, your grace," Leonardo said and began writing the message to Arthur. He got a reply shortly after.
"What is it?" Salem asked.
"He says it is too dangerous for him to show himself," Leonardo answered, "But he will guide them as best as he can."
"Well then," Salem said, and her face disappeared again.
~o~
Yang was in her dragon form, and flying towards Lake Matsu. Weiss was sitting in the saddle on her back, and Niob was staying out of sight until they needed his help. Yang turned her right eye back a little, and instinctively moved a semi-transparent lid in front of her eye to shield it from the sun's light. In the distance, she could easily spot Niob, but the conflicting information from both her eyes made her a little nauseous, so she flipped her right eye forward again, rocking a little.
"Careful," Weiss said, holding on to a bone spike in front of her with her right hand. Yang grumbled apologetically. As the Queen Lancer came into view, Yang gave Weiss a determined look, and both got ready. The Grimm opened with a barrage of bone spikes. Yang angled downwards and turned around, pressing Weiss into the saddle as the two of them dodged the attack. The Queen Lancer followed them. Weiss shot fireballs at the enemy. The Queen Lancer shot its tethered barb at the duo. Weiss deflected the projectile with a glyph. Yang narrowly passed between two colliding boulders and stopped mid-air.
"Yang, I have a plan," Weiss said. Yang turned her head around and gave Weiss a questioning look, and Weiss explained her plan. When the Queen Lancer came flying around the floating boulders, Yang flew away again, with Weiss flinging fireballs at the Grimm. The Queen Lancer fired another barrage of bone spikes at the duo. Yang flew a barrel roll, getting behind the Grimm. The Queen Lancer stopped, turned around and fired its harpoon stinger at the duo again. Yang dove to dodge the attack. Weiss used a glyph to launch herself out of the saddle and held onto the red tether. The Queen Lancer pulled the tether back, taking Weiss with it. Weiss coated her weapon's blade in earth-dust, and landed a devastating hit against the Grimm's midsection, splitting it in two and killing it. Yang heard the explosion above herself and turned around to catch Weiss, while Niob swooped down and caught her weapon. Yang landed on the lake's shore and turned around, sitting on her bike with Weiss behind her. Niob flew past them and dropped Weiss' sword before disappearing behind the canopy again.
"You know, I expected Ruby to come up with this kind of plan," Yang said.
"Me too," Weiss said and gave her a tired smile.
"Are you alright?" Yang asked.
"Yes," Weiss answered, "Just a bit shaken." She picked up and sheathed her sword.
"Well, if you're up for it, we can go and meet with Ruby," Yang said, "I know someone who can take us to her now matter where she is."
"Sure, let's go," Weiss said and asked, "Who were you thinking about?"
"My mom," Yang answered and said, "Hold on tight." She revved up her bike's engine and drove off, with Weiss yelping a little in surprise before holding on to Yang.
~o~
It was late at night, and Blake was rolling around in her sleeping bag, having a rather bad dream about Adam coming after her family or friends. They had left Menagerie and were on their way to Mistral.
"No!" Blake called out as she woke up, and sat up in her sleeping bag. Ilia, who slept next to her, woke up from the commotion.
"What's wrong?" Ilia asked.
"It's nothing, really," Blake answered.
"Are you sure?" Ilia asked and said, "You look stressed." Blake sighed.
"What if Adam sends someone after my parents?" Blake asked.
"He won't," Ilia answered.
"How can you be so sure?" Blake asked and said, "You know what he's like. He will definitely send someone to kill them."
"He won't find anyone who would go after your parents," Ilia answered, "Argent made sure of that."
~o~
On a roof in Kuo Kuana, Fennec and Corsac Albain were waiting for Argent, to discuss the latter's involvement with the Belladonna family. A thick fog appeared on the roof, and Argent manifested from it.
"Argent Star, welcome," Fennec said and asked, "What did you want to talk to us about?"
"I came to request that you leave Blake's parents unharmed, at least until she chooses to come back here," Argent answered. Suddenly, Yuma tried kicking Argent in the back. Argent evaporated, and manifested after the bat faunus had flown through him, with his tail wrapped around Yuma. Trifa stood behind Argent and shot a silk string at him. Argent turned into fire, setting the silk sting on fire. Yuma was enveloped in the flaming silk, and Argent kicked him off the roof. He grabbed Trifa by the neck with his tail and slammed her on the ground, forcing the air out of her lungs. Argent threw her off the roof and she landed on Yuma, knocking him out as well. Fennec and Corsac looked at Argent, terrified at how nonchalantly he disabled two of their best assassins. Argent wrapped both of them up in his tail and held them upside down.
"Alright, I'll try it again, this time in your language," Argent said, "If you so much as think of harming the Belladonnas, I will turn the rest of your pathetic life into a waking nightmare." He wrapped Fennec's ears around his brother's throat, tying them together, and wrapped Corsac's tail around hie brother's waist, tying its tip to its base. He evaporated his tail just as he hit the brothers with a palm thrust, sending them flying into the desert with an aura shockwave.
~o~
During breakfast, Blake absentmindedly eyed at her food, not knowing how to feel about what she had learned about Argent the previous night. He seemed so friendly most of the time, and even when he was being a strict mentor, he was always caring, in his own way.
"Blake, what's wrong?" Sun asked.
"I learned something about Argent last night," Blake answered, gaining Argent's attention.
"And what?" Argent asked.
"I heard what you did to those two brothers," Blake answered, "And Trifa and Yuma."
"Oh, that," Argent said, "I mean, none of them died, nor were they crippled in any way."
"But what if they died later?" Blake asked and said, "I don't want people to die for my sake!"
"Blake, please," Argent said calmly, with a slightly laughing tone, "I've killed more people in my life than you can count. I know when someone will survive something and when not. The knot I tied is just their fur, so it'll open when they land. I sent them to a safe area, with no real predators. They'll think I tried to kill them, sure, but they're perfectly safe."
"There has to have been a better way to settle this," Blake said, getting a little agitated.
"I tried it peacefully," Argent said, "They didn't want to listen to reason, so I had to get a little rough with them. They knew who they were dealing with, and could figure out that an assault was not going to work, yet they tried it anyway. They made their decisions, and now they have to live with the consequences."
"Are you just going to try and justify your attempted murder like that?" Blake asked.
"I told you, I never tried to kill them," Argent answered, "Had I decided to kill them, they wouldn't have bothered us any more."
"So you just go and kill anyone you don't like, or what?" Blake asked angrily and shouted, "You're just like Adam!" She froze once she realized what she had just said, got up and wanted to run away, but kept her eyes on Argent to see when he was going to react. Argent just sat there, looking at his food.
"What do you know about Adam?" Argent asked in a monotone voice and said, "I know that he is a monster. No conscience, no remorse, no guilt, and no honor. A few years ago, my father was working on something. Because of this, we were low on money. My sister and I decided to help out, and look for jobs. I started out as a delivery boy for, well, for whoever asked, really. My sister was eventually hired to use her semblance to sabotage a dust mine in Atlas. She was fifteen, cheerful, optimistic, lively. Her job was rather simple on paper. She was to possess some ice, and remove any bumps and dents, really smooth it out, so that the next person stepping on it would slip. She was told it was just a little prank. The resulting chain reaction killed thousands. Do you know what it looks like when dust particles go off inside a person's body? She knows. She had to witness it, just so Adam could use it to recruit more members for his personal vendetta. I'm nothing like Adam." A shocked silence fell on the area, and Blake slowly sat back down.
~o~
Yang and Weiss were riding Bumblebee through the forest, heading towards Raven's camp. Yang felt the air against her face, and while it was a familiar and good feeling, she didn't like being confined to the ground.
"Weiss, one thing," Yang said, trying to sound as friendly as possible, "Next time I'm in dragon form and carrying you, please keep your hands off my back spikes."
"Sure," Weiss said and asked, "But, why?"
"Because they're connected to my spine," Yang answered, "And the one you grabbed is connected to one of the vertebrae my wing muscles are attached to. If I hadn't expected you grabbing it, I would've pulled an aileron roll and flung you into the nearest rock."
"Oh, sorry about that," Weiss said and asked, "Anyway, why did you rock like that?"
"I realized I can move my eyes independently from one another, but it makes me a bit nauseous," Yang answered.
"Anyway, your mom is a bandit, right?" Weiss asked.
"Yes," Yang answered and asked, "Why?"
"Do you think it'd a good idea for me to show up?" Weiss asked and said, "I mean, I'm a Schnee, so what if they capture me for ransom?"
"Don't worry," Yang answered, "If she tries anything like that, I'll be there for you."
"Thank you," Weiss said and smiled, knowing she'd always have her friends to lean on if she needed to.
~o~
Yang and Weiss drove up to the Branwen Tribe's camp, and stopped in front of the gate. Two bandits watching the area noticed them and pointed their guns at them.
"Who are you?" one of the bandits asked.
"We're just looking for my mom," Yang answered, "I heard she lives around here."
"Sorry Blondie, but we -," the other bandit said, noticed Weiss and asked, "Wait, you're a Schnee, right?" Weiss shrunk behind Yang, who got ready to fight.
"Yeah, so what?" Yang asked.
"We'll get some nice ransom money for you," the first bandit said, turned back and yelled, "Everyone, there's a Schnee here!" The gates opened and the duo was surrounded by bandits, with their weapons drawn. Both got off the bike and readied their own weapons.
"I don't like this," Weiss said.
"Calm down, we got this," Yang said. One of the bandits tried hitting Yang with his sword. She blocked the attack with her prosthetic arm. Weiss used a glyph to block several bullets. Yang punched the one with the sword against a tree. Weiss used a glyph to fling herself into a group of bandits. She hit them with her rapier, knocking them down one by one. Yang uppercut one bandit and punched him into another one. He bounced off the other bandit and knocked down a third one.
"That was… disappointing," Yang said, looking at the defeated bandits.
"Wait until our leader hears of this," a bandit said, "She'll make you pay." Before anyone could react, Talia appeared in the gate.
"Look who it is," she said, her voice sounding a bit like a child's. Weiss immediately rushed her, still in fighting mode and thinking this huntress, who looked and spoke like a little girl, was somehow the bandit leader. Talia jumped up and kicked Weiss in the face. Weiss fell over backwards, being suspended in mid air. Talia punched her midsection, sending her to the ground. Talia landed next to her.
"Talia, that's enough," Yang said and went to help Weiss up.
"Wait, you know her?" Weiss asked.
"Yep, she trained me," Yang answered.
"I see Niob did a nice job, too," Talia said, now sounding more like an adult, "I almost had to get serious. My name is Talia Star, nice to meet you."
"What are you doing here?" Yang asked.
"Waiting for you, mostly," Talia answered, "I also had to do some stuff, but that's not important right now. Anyway, let's get inside." She led the two friends into the camp to meet with Raven. Niob landed beside them after they went through the gate, and followed them.
~o~
Weiss, Yang, Niob, Talia and Raven were sitting in the latter's tent, and a woman brought tea for them.
"Thank you, Vernal," Raven said, Vernal left the tent again, and Raven asked, "So, what brings you here?"
"Bring us to Ruby," Yang demanded.
"And how do you think I can help you with that?" Raven asked.
"Dad told me about your semblance," Yang answered, "You can bond with people, and once you do that, you can open a portal that takes you right to them. You got one for dad, one for me, and one for Qrow. Qrow told me he'll watch over Ruby, so if you open a portal to him for us, we'll find Ruby."
"You come here and ask for my help," Raven said and asked, "But what is in it for me?" Suddenly, the room temperature dropped, ice crystals formed in the tea, and Niob glared at Raven.
"For one, we'll take Niob and Talia with us when we leave," Weiss answered.
"Alright, I'll help you," Raven said and asked, "But Yang, aren't you curious what Talia has been doing here?"
"Good to hear that," Yang said, turned to Talia and asked, "But yeah, what did you do here?"
"I built a machine that replicates Raven's semblance," Talia answered, "It connects to all devices with my aura-lock security system installed on them, as long as Raven has bonded with the owner of the device, and thus allows for long-distance communications."
"Aura-lock system? What's that?" Weiss asked.
"A simple security measure I developed," Talia answered, went into scientist mode and explained, "It scans the user's aura based on proximity, and if that person's aura wave frequency is different than the one the device is programmed to recognize as the owner's, it won't accept any input. There is still a backdoor or two, but I'm trying to close those as fast as possible." One of the bandits sounded the alarm, alerting everyone of a Grimm attack.
"I'll handle that," Talia said, now in huntress mode, and turned into a ghost. Weiss, Yang and Raven ran outside to find Beowolves trying to get into the camp.
"You two, stay back," Raven said, looking at Weiss and Yang, "This is my tribe, and I'll defend them." She drew her sword and dashed through several Grimm. Weiss summoned a Queen Lancer to fly around and offer air support, and Yang helped deal with smaller pockets of Grimm that broke through the walls. After killing an Alpha Beowolf, Yang saw Talia surrounded by small, rat-like Grimm. They wielded bone spears in their front paws, and jumped at her almost all at once. Several of them threw their spears, and grabbed rocks to throw. Talia punched and kicked the Grimm away, and used her tail as a whip to slap the spears out of the air. One of the spears barely missed Yang. She turned around and saw a dying Beowolf on the other side of the camp, with the spear in its head. Talia's fluent movements reminded Yang of a form of dance. She was effortlessly dodging the attacks, countering them with just enough force to kill the small Grimm. She uppercut one Grimm with her right fist. Talia kept the momentum, spun around and kicked two more Grimm with her left heel. Two more Grimm took her left elbow to the face. Her tail cracked like a whip, hurling another spear into another Grimm.
"That is incredible," Yang thought, "She is so precise. No, calculating. She knows where they are and how they act. They can't touch her." Suddenly, a larger Grimm came barreling out of the woods and tackled Yang to the ground. It looked like a massive rat, with bone spikes growing out of its back, and several of the smaller ones were accompanying it. As they were gnawing on the spikes, Yang realized that that was where they got their spears. The larger one clawed and bit Yang, trying to break through her aura. Talia quickly finished off the smaller Grimm and ran over to help Yang. She stepped onto the big Grimm's tail and it screamed in pain. Yang pushed it off of her with all her might. The Grimm was flung into a tree, and Yang used her weapon to launch herself towards the Grimm. She delivered a series of powerful blows, until the enemy was reduced to nothing.
"Thanks, Talia," Yang said after calming down again.
"I didn't like having to do that," Talia said coldly, "Be more careful from now on." They returned to the camp and saw that the Grimm had been dealt with. Weiss made her Queen Lancer disappear and summoned an Army Gigas to help the bandits move materials to the biggest holes in the wall. Raven gave her a confused look.
"Consider it a professional courtesy," Weiss said, "We're not your enemies, the Grimm are."
"Who would've thought that Scavengers, and even a Scavenger King, would show up here," Talia said, now back to being her child-like self.
"You mean those rat things?" Yang asked.
"Yeah," Talia answered, pouted and said, "Somehow, Professor Port can talk about those for hours." Raven groaned.
"Spare me that," Raven said, "Anyway, we have some repairs to do, so I suggest you four leave now. Follow me." She led Weiss, Yang and Talia back into her tent, where Niob was still sitting and drinking his iced tea. Raven left her tent through the back, and when Weiss and Yang followed her, they saw a bird sitting on a nearby branch. It flew towards them, then turned into Raven, and she landed in front of the two. Niob and Talia came out of the tent as well.
"Wait, what was that?" Yang asked, turned to Weiss and asked, "You saw that too, right?"
"Yes, but I can't really believe it," Weiss answered.
"You might want to call it magic," Raven said, "Ozpin did this to my brother and I. You shouldn't trust him."
"And we should trust you why, exactly?" Yang asked.
"Because I'm right," Raven answered, "Now go, and take those two with you." She opened a portal next to her, and Yang got her bike.
"By the way, Raven," Talia said, "My brother wants you to take him and his little group to Sirena tomorrow."
"And if I don't want to?" Raven asked.
"I have orders to make sure that you do want to help us," Niob answered. Yang returned and both she and Weiss walked through the portal, with Talia and Niob following them. After the portal closed, Raven let out a deep sigh and a cold shiver ran down her spine, then she went to help her bandits fix up the gaps in the wall.
~o~
Sirena and Ruby were sitting outside the house, with Ruby trying to pin-point the source of sorrow near her. She wore a blindfold and ear muffs, and Sirena was standing a few meters away. Ruby had already focused on her sorrow, so all she had to do now was to locate Sirena based on that emotion alone. Ruby pointed slightly past her, and Sirena took off Ruby's blindfold and ear muffs.
"Almost," Sirena said with a warm smile, "But you are improving. In any case, we will have to take a break now. We have guests coming."
"Really?" Ruby asked, got up and wiped the tears off her cheeks.
"Yes, really," Sirena answered and went inside. Ruby put the blindfold and ear muffs on a rock and followed her.
~o~
Jaune, Ren and Nora were sitting in the living room, and Qrow came back from a trip to the lower levels of the city. He stopped in the door for a moment before he came in. Sirena and Ruby entered the living room just as Weiss and Yang came into the house, and Ruby froze in motion.
"Yang, I'm sorry," Ruby said, fighting back tears, "I know I should've stayed, I should've talked to you more, I -" Yang went to hug her, cutting her off.
"I love you," Yang said, and Ruby slowly hugged her back.
"I love you, too," Ruby said, now crying tears of joy. The two sisters opened their hug and let Weiss join them. Ruby noticed that Yang was unusually warm, but didn't think much of it.
~o~
Adam Taurus and Leonardo Lionheart stood in front of the Seer, and Adam swallowed nervously, not sure how to handle the fact that such a Grimm existed. He had received a series of instructions from someone named Arthur Watts on how to get away from Sirena without getting punished for his actions in Vale, but he was starting to doubt it was worth it.
"Your grace, are you there?" Leonardo asked, and Salem's face appeared in the Seer's spherical body.
"Hello Leonardo," Salem said and asked, "Who is this?"
"I'm Adam Taurus, and I -," Adam began, but was cut off when the Seer wrapped a tentacle around his neck and began strangling him. Adam dropped to his knees, looking at Salem's unchanged expression.
"I do not recall asking you," Salem said, and the Seer let go. Adam rubbed his throat and slowly got back up.
"Leonardo, what does he want here?" Salem asked, ignoring Adam completely.
"Arthur suggested he join us," Leonardo answered, "He is a skilled fighter, and will likely be a valuable asset to us."
"I will be the judge of that," Salem said, "I will send a small group of Grimm to where I found you. Arthur is to ensure noone goes there, and once they arrive there, Adam is to eliminate them as quickly as possible."
"Of course, your grace," Leonardo said.
"Now, Adam," Salem said, turning to Adam, and asked, "What did Hazel say about you?"
"I… don't know," Adam answered, getting nervous, and added, "Your grace."
"And why is that?" Salem asked.
"He was killed before he could assess my skills," Adam answered.
"And by whom?" Salem asked.
"By Sirena Blue," Adam answered.
"I see," Salem said, "That will be all for now. Be ready for your test, Adam." Her face disappeared and Adam put on a hood to hide his identity. He left the academy and went back to the White Fang headquarters. Leonardo sent the instructions to Arthur, and he requested they postpone the test for a few more days.
~o~
Sirena swam along the lake at the bottom of Mistral, pulling a sled behind her. It was loaded with various items, most of which were scrap metal. She stopped by a hole in the ground, where the water was sucked into an underground tunnel leading to Lake Matsu. Her people had dug a tunnel from the bottom of that lake, leading into the ocean. She dumped the items in the hole and they were sucked away.
"This is not much, but it will help," Sirena thought, "I need to think of a more efficient method of transporting materials, however. Perhaps I could have my scholars take on this task. And with the knowledge I have recently acquired, courtesy of Mimi, I will surely be able to expedite the process." She swam back to the other end of the city, taking her sled with her, tied it to an old anchor and took another look at her construction. It was an oblong steel container resting on two hollow steel pipes, which had been welded shut at the ends, trapping air inside. Four leather strips were attached to it, allowing Sirena to fix it to her harness and keep her hands free while swimming.
~o~
Blake yawned and stretched her arms and legs. She instinctively scanned her surroundings for potential threats, but found herself to be rather safe. She got up and walked out from under the stone plate serving as improvised tent. Sun was already making breakfast.
"Slept well?" Sun asked, giving her a sly smile.
"Yes," Blake answered, her left cat ear twitched a little, and she said, "But I think we're in for a weather change."
"How do you know?" Sun asked.
"I just do, I think," Blake answered, rubbing the back of her head. Argent and Ilia came out of the undergrowth.
"Looks like another one of your abilities is manifesting," Argent said.
"What do you mean?" Blake asked.
"You can sense the ambient aura around you," Argent answered, "In Ilia and me, this results in a seismic sense. Sun gets better control over his own aura, and you can detect dangerous situations or places, as well as differences in air pressure, the latter of which affect the weather. My mom can do that, too. She actually predicted that heat wave eight years ago."
"You're kidding, right?" Sun asked and said, "Not even meteorologists saw that one coming until it was almost too late."
"No, I'm not kidding," Argent answered, "My mom saw it coming a few months in advance, and our village survived unscathed."
"Anyway," Ilia said, walked over to the stones, put her hand on it and asked, "Is it just me, or does this all seem like a shattered stone statue of a Goliath?" Everyone looked at her, then at the stones dotting the clearing, and then at Argent.
"Yeah, Sirena tends to do that," Argent said and explained, "Whenever she kills a Grimm all by herself, she leaves a stone statue of it behind. Noone knows why or how she does it, though. It's like she just snaps her fingers and it's there. However, she is incredibly precise with her attacks, so it wouldn't surprise me if she just did that to hone her skills or something. But one thing is weird about these statues."
"What do you mean?" Sun asked.
"Somehow, they soak up negative emotions," Argent answered, "I have never heard of a stone that does that, but any negative emotion within five meters around these rocks gets soaked up by them."
"So, if we surround a city with these, it'd be invisible to Grimm?" Sun asked.
"Not quite," Argent answered, "Airborne Grimm could still see most of it, and the others could still sense it. However, building a city from these rocks would, in fact, render it completely invisible to Grimm, no matter how much negativity there is. But, as you can see, these stones tend to erode faster than normal ones."
"By the way, when are we leaving for Mistral?" Blake asked and said, "We've been camping and training her for some time now, and I feel like you're keeping something from us."
"We'll get picked up," Argent answered, "I have arranged for someone to go and get us straight to Mistral. It's the best option, really. We get to train, stay safe from Grimm due to these rocks, and we'll be in Mistral in no time."
~o~
Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Jaune, Ren and Nora were sitting around a table, laughing and telling stories of what had happened since they last saw each other.
"I can't believe you actually did that," Yang said, looking at Weiss.
"Me neither, and I was there," Weiss said.
"Did you take pictures?" Ruby asked.
"I was saving an entire kingdom from Grimm," Weiss answered.
"So, no pictures?" Ruby asked.
"I can't believe you summoned Grimm to help you fight," Nora said. Weiss summoned a Life-Stealer under the table in front of Nora.
"You better believe it," the summon said in Ruby's voice, startling Nora, who fell over backwards.
"A talking Grimm?" Nora asked, "How?"
"We Life-Stealers can mimic the voices of the person our victim trusts the most, and since Weiss only heard us speak in this voice in her dream, this is how she creates all of us now," the summon answered. Weiss made the summon disappear again.
"Anyway, Ruby, what have you been up to?" Weiss asked, trying to change the topic.
"I'll get to that," Ruby said and asked, "But first, Yang, why are your eyes red?"
"Oh, that?" Yang asked and answered, "Talia taught me how to use my semblance more effectively, and now they're always red. I'm basically always absorbing all kinds of kinetic energy, including from air vibrations, and releasing it as heat if I don't use it up on time. But let's talk a bit about you."
"Alright," Ruby said and explained, "Well, Sirena told me that I can turn Grimm to stone if I get really sad and I'm near them. We've been training to help me get into a head space where I can use these powers freely, but it's kind of difficult to get sad on command like that."
"That… sounds tough," Yang said and asked, "And you're sure you're fine?"
"Yeah, don't worry," Ruby answered and asked, "But let's change the subject. I still can't control this power, and I haven't used it yet either."
"Alright," Yang said, "I actually have something I wasn't sure I'd show you so soon. I was kind of worried you'd freak out, but with what you told me, I'm sure you'll handle it. Everyone, please close your eyes for a moment." Everyone closed their eyes and Yang turned into her dragon form, now towering over the table, and making the room a bit crammed. She nudged Ruby with her nose, and Ruby opened her eyes, gasping in awe. Hearing Ruby's gasp, everyone opened their eyes again.
"Oh no, the dragon ate Yang!" Nora exclaimed, and everyone gave her a look of disbelief.
"The dragon is Yang," Ren said.
"Yeah, I know," Nora said, laughing a little at her own joke. Ruby put her right hand on the scales on Yang's left cheek.
"But how?" Ruby asked, then hugged her sister and said, "Actually, I don't care. My sister can turn into the best mount ever." Yang proudly raised her head, leaving Ruby to dangle over the table.
"I don't know," Weiss said, "Horses are more elegant."
"But horses can't fly," Ruby said, and Yang nodded. She then slightly tilted her head for a few seconds, looked straight at Weiss, licked her lips and gave her an attempt at a devious smile. Yang stretched her neck to bring Ruby back to her seat, and Ruby let go. They laughed for a bit, before they heard Qrow clear his throat and saw him standing in the door.
"I guess we have a lot more to talk about than I thought," Qrow said.
~o~
A few minutes later, everyone was sitting in the living room, and Yang had returned to her human form. Qrow finished his explanation of the most important events, and Weiss and Yang looked at Ozpin.
"Wait, so that kid is Ozpin?" Yang asked.
"Indeed, Miss Xiao Long," Ozpin answered, "However, as for your ability to turn into a dragon, I am at a bit of a loss."
"What do you mean?" Yang asked, "I saw my mom turn from a bird into a human, and she said you did this to her, so I must have gotten it from her, right?"
"Wait, your mom can turn into a bird?" Nora asked, "What kind?"
"Take a wild guess," Qrow said.
"A little tip, her name is literally Raven," Yang said.
"So she probably can't turn into a raven," Nora said, "That'd be too easy, and noone would be stupid enough to risk anyone finding out about their secret by making it this obvious."
"That's what I told him," Qrow said, "Since then, Raven and I can turn into the birds we were named after." Suddenly, Qrow got a message on his scroll. Qrow checked it, and his expression turned a lot more serious.
"What is it?" Ruby asked.
"I need to take care of something," Qrow answered.
"Can we help?" Ruby asked.
"No," Qrow answered.
"Why not?" Ruby asked.
"Because it requires a certain amount of secrecy," Qrow answered. He left the house, turned into a crow when noone was watching, and flew to the local newspapers to stop the spread of some news regarding the White Fang, and the fight with a certain anarchist organization.
"So, what now?" Ruby asked after the door closed behind Qrow.
"I still don't know where my powers come from," Yang said and asked, "Any ideas?" Everyone turned to look at Ozpin.
"The amount of magic I gave the Branwen twins was minuscule," Ozpin said, "It could not have caused any hereditary abilities."
"Maybe you become unimaginably powerful in the future," Nora said, "But since it's too much for you to contain in that moment, it affects you into future you's past, or our present." Everyone looked at Nora.
"Really?" Weiss asked.
"It's as good a guess as any," Nora answered. Everyone was silent for a moment, then Qrow came back, catching his breath.
"What did I miss?" Qrow asked.
"We still have no clue where my powers come from," Yang answered.
"Maybe Sirena has an idea," Ruby suggested, "She seems to know about therianthropes."
"Really?" Ozpin asked and said, "I don't recall telling her about them, and Talia promised me not to tell anyone about them."
"Then how does she know about it?" Qrow asked.
"Fusion," Yang answered, noticed everyone's confused looks and explained, "Talia told me about it. Essentially, two people with their aura unlocked can merge into one if they focus on one another. They also need physical contact for that, like hugging each other or holding hands. They share one body and mind, and their souls become one as well."
"This sounds more than impossible," Weiss said.
"True, but that is the only way," Ozpin said, "Talia never breaks a promise, and I only told her about this because she already knew most of it anyway. However, if Sirena and Talia really did fuse into one, Sirena is the most dangerous person alive right now."
"For Salem, right?" Ruby asked.
"Yes, and no," Qrow answered, "Sirena is difficult to read, and everything I thought I knew about her went out the window since she came back. However, I do know that she's always up to something, which is still true as far as I know, and that she is extremely quick to change her mind about someone. She won't hurt you, but that's it. I don't know how she'll feel about the rest of us tomorrow, or next week, or whenever."
"Don't worry, you're all fine," Ruby said.
"How do you know?" Qrow asked.
"She knows I like my friends," Ruby answered, "She also knows that, if she were to hurt them, I'd be really upset with her. She told me you can't force someone to let you protect them, and since she wants to protect me, I make the rules. Also, she just sent me a message explaining that she went out of her way to get Argent, Niob and Talia to protect Weiss, Blake and Yang, so I know she's serious about all of my friends being safe." Everyone looked at Ruby, who held her scroll in her hands.
"Wait, how did she know to send you this text now?" Weiss asked, "Is she spying on us?"
"I wouldn't put it past her," Qrow answered, "And if she really did fuse with Talia, and gained her knowledge, she could very well do it, too."
"Come on, let her have some secrets," Ruby said, holding her scroll, with another text message on it.
"Secrets are the last thing she should have," Qrow said and asked, "Any idea how she's doing it?"
"We know it's not her semblance," Ren said.
"Would be cool, though," Nora said and asked, "I mean, can you imagine a semblance that lets you listen in on people talking about you?"
"Sounds nice, but people couldn't throw a surprise birthday party for you," Yang said.
"What about magic?" Jaune asked, looked at Ozpin and asked, "Is there a spell that could let her do that?"
"There are various, yes," Ozpin answered, "However, members of the royal family are forbidden from learning magic, so as to not offset the balance between the schools."
"Let's drop it for now," Ruby said and asked, "I mean, why are we even concerned about this? She's our friend, and we should trust her. She left her people to make sure we were safe, so that has to mean something, right?"
"I guess you're right," Qrow said, "Unless Sirena decides to tell us what she can do, it's really anyone's guess, and she may just use this confusion to get away with all sorts of stuff, while we're too preoccupied with our worries about her to notice anything going on."
"Not exactly what I was getting at, but good enough," Ruby said and asked, "Anyway, Yang, how does fusion work, exactly?"
"I only know what Talia told me, which isn't much," Yang answered, "And I told you all of what she told me already, too."
"I may be able to shed some light onto it," Ozpin said and explained, "Throughout my many reincarnations, I often had the idea to merge souls together temporarily. Before I used up most of my powers to create the original maidens, I was occasionally able to merge with another person against their will, though the result was unstable, and left both of us fairly weakened afterwards. I decided it was best not to spread information of this process, fearing it would do more harm than good, if, or when, it fell into the wrong hands."
~o~
Cinder and Emerald were wading through the sewers of Mistral, Cinder holding her nose to block out the stench.
"How can you even bear this disgusting smell?" Cinder asked.
"I had to deal with worse before you picked me off the streets," Emerald answered. She rushed forward, stopped between Cinder and an open pipe, and created a force field out of green energy around the two of them. A dark green, viscous liquid burst out of the pipe, splashing against the force field. A horrible and nauseating stench filled the air, and Cinder struggled to keep her composure. The liquid flowed into the canal behind them, and the two kept walking.
"Is it just me, or are we being watched?" Cinder asked after a while.
"That's just the rats," Emerald answered. Suddenly, Cinder's foot hit something solid, and the duo saw dozens of petrified Scavengers, with a Scavenger King in the middle, and Cinder got a message from Arthur.
"One thing I forgot to mention, Sirena very recently petrified a pack of Scavengers, and she may still be nearby," it read. The two maidens started running down the tunnels, going in the direction where the Scavengers were running towards when they got petrified.
~o~
About an hour after dinner, Ruby was walking through the house and found Oscar in the training room. Unbeknownst to either of them, Sirena was leaning against the wall next to the door and listening.
"Oscar?" Ruby asked, not sure who she was talking to.
"Yes," Oscar answered.
"Good to know," Ruby said and asked, "And you sure haven't fought before?"
"Only small Grimm, but nothing like this," Oscar answered.
"Well, you look like a natural," Ruby said.
"It's strange," Oscar said, looked at his cane and said, "I've only had this cane for a few weeks, but it feels like I've had it a lifetime. Longer, even. I sound like a crazy person." Oscar sighed at the last sentence.
"Yeah, a little," Ruby said, "But at this pace, you'll be combat ready in no time." She frowned a bit, and Sirena was about to step in, but Niob, sitting on the roof, gestured her to stay hidden.
"Well, I've still got a few comics I'd like to read," Ruby said and turned to leave.
"How do you handle all of this?" Oscar asked, and Ruby stopped and turned around.
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.
"I'm scared," Oscar answered, and his voice began to crack, "I'm more scared than ever in my life, than I ever thought was possible. I always knew I wanted to be more than a simple farmhand, but this? Who would ask for this?"
"We all went to Beacon because we wanted to protect people," Ruby said, "For as long as I can remember, Beacon Academy has stood as a promise. A promise of shelter for the fleeing, purpose for the competitive, and hope for the forlorn. When Beacon fell, all of this was lost. But not only that. I lost two of my best friends that night, Penny Polendina and Pyrrha Nikos. I didn't know them for long, but that doesn't change the fact that they were some of the most kindhearted people I know."
"The part with the promise sounds a lot like what I told Sirena about the academy, back in the day," Ozpin said in Oscar's head.
"I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt, that I didn't think about them every day since I lost them, that I didn't wish I had spent more time with them. But if it had been me instead, I know they would've kept fighting too, no matter how dangerous it was. So that is what I choose to do, to keep moving forward," Ruby finished. Sirena smiled and walked away, and Niob flew off into the night.
~o~
It was close to midnight when Yang felt something pulling her right leg. She slowly woke up, and saw a summoned Life-Stealer staring at her. Both her aura and semblance were inactive, and her eyes had returned to purple.
"You have to help me," the summon said.
"What's going on?" Yang asked, already used to crazy stuff happening.
"Weiss is having a nightmare," the summon answered, "You have to wake her up, or she'll kill you." Yang was wide awake and jumped out of bed. The entire team wore their pajamas from Beacon. She walked over to Weiss' bed and gently poked her shoulder.
"Weiss, here is someone who wants to talk to you," Yang said in a gentle voice, and Weiss slowly woke up.
"What?" Weiss asked, still half asleep, "Yang, what is it?"
"Thank goodness you're awake," the Life-Stealer said, and Weiss freaked out a little bit.
"When did I summon you?" Weiss asked, now wide awake.
"In your sleep," the summon answered.
"I had the weirdest dream," Weiss said, looked at Yang and said, "You lost control of your dragon form and went on a rampage, and I had to stop you somehow."
"Yeah, that's weird," Yang said, "But don't worry, I don't think I can lose control."
"Good to know," Weiss said. She made the Life-Stealer disappear again, and both went back to sleep.
~o~
The next morning, Ruby and her friends were sitting in the kitchen and having breakfast. Weiss was just done explaining the events of the previous night.
"Wait, you used your semblance in your sleep?" Nora asked.
"Yeah, but it was weird," Weiss answered and said, "Ever since meeting Niob, I had these weird nightmares. Well, whenever he wasn't training me, that is."
"What kind of nightmares?" Qrow asked.
"For one, you secretly working against us," Weiss answered, "But I also had ones about monsters made from wood and stones, a crazy cult taking over Remnant, or horrible mermaid-like apex predators chasing us. Another one had Ruby as leader of an army, and noone could oppose them for some reason. People just bowed down to her wherever she went."
"Those sure are weird," Nora said.
"Yes, but let's change the topic," Weiss said and asked, "Any reason you're so cheerful today, Yang?"
"Blake is coming today," Yang answered, "And then, you know, we'll be all together again. That's great, right, Ruby?"
"Yeah, it is," Ruby answered and asked, "But how do you know she's coming here today?"
"Talia talked to Raven, and she will use her semblance to bring Blake and Argent here today," Yang answered.
"It is not guaranteed that she will help us, though," Ren said. Suddenly, Talia manifested above the table and fell down, laughing and rolling on the floor.
"Wait, Talia?" Yang asked, "What are you doing here? And what's so funny?" Talia stopped herself from laughing, but still giggled, and got up.
"Your mom's smart," Talia answered, "She won't refuse to help us. Not again, that is." With that, she disappeared again.
"Wait, that was Talia?" Ruby asked, "She seems a bit young, don't you think?"
"Yes, but you'll get used to it," Yang answered, "She's actually quite the fighter." The group finished breakfast and went about their daily lives.
~o~
In the late forenoon, Ruby and Oscar were training hand to hand combat behind the house, with Yang watching and giving them tips. Ruby tried hitting Oscar with her left fist, but Oscar blocked the attack, and both stumbled backwards a little.
"Ruby, don't put all your strength into one hit," Yang said, "You're a lightweight, so try landing several weaker hits instead."
"Got it," Ruby said. She hit Oscar with a left hook. Oscar blocked the attack, creating an opening. Ruby hit him with a right hook before he could recover.
"Oh, and Oscar," Yang said.
"Yes?" Oscar asked, turning to look at Yang. He took a hit to the head and fell down.
"Keep your eyes on the opponent," Yang said with a sly smirk.
"Oscar, are you ok?" Ruby asked, helping Oscar back on his feet.
"Yeah, thanks," Oscar answered.
"Can we take a break?" Ruby asked.
"Sure," Yang answered, and all three went back inside to get something to eat or drink.
~o~
Argent, Blake, Ilia and Sun just finished dinner and were packing everything away, when a red portal opened next to Argent, just as he put out the campfire. Raven walked out, not wearing her mask.
"Raven, you're early," Argent said.
"Better than too late," Raven said.
"Wait, Raven?" Blake asked, recognizing the name from when Yang told her about her mother.
"Yes, what about it?" Raven asked.
"Raven, cut the chitchat," Argent said, "Bring us to Sirena."
"I thought it was only you and her," Raven said, looking at Blake, and asked, "Who are the other two?"
"Doesn't matter to you," Argent answered, "Now, get us to Sirena."
"Can't you ask a little nicer?" Raven asked.
"I'm not asking," Argent answered, "But I'm sure Niob will ask nicely where I am if I don't show up by sunset today."
"Alright, fine," Raven said. She made the portal she came through disappear and created a new one. Argent walked through, followed by Blake, Ilia and Sun.
~o~
Sirena entered the boy's room, where Jaune was sitting on his bed. She sat down on Ren's bed, opposite of Jaune.
"You wanted to speak with me?" Sirena asked.
"Yes," Jaune answered.
"What worries are clouding your mind?" Sirena asked.
"Sometimes, actually a lot of the time, I'm afraid I'm holding the others back. Mostly because I haven't unlocked my semblance yet. And, I'm afraid that it's not even that good. That, when I finally unlock it, it'll be useless, or worse, and it'll make life harder for everyone around me," Jaune answered. Sirena thought about it for a moment.
"I wouldn't worry so much," Sirena said and asked, "Besides, who do you think got you into Beacon?"
"Wait, that was you?" Jaune asked. Sirena smiled and shook her head.
"No," she answered, "But I could have prevented it. You getting your hands on those papers was no accident, however."
"But why?" Jaune asked, "Why would anyone want to help someone like me?"
"Because your family has a powerful gift," Sirena answered, "A caring heart, and a strong soul."
"Thank you, Sirena," Jaune said, and Sirena could feel his fear fade. Suddenly, a red portal opened behind her, and Argent, Blake, Ilia and Sun walked out of it. Before Jaune knew what was going on, Argent evaporated, and Sirena had managed to sneak away as well.
~o~
Argent met with Niob and Talia in an outwardly shady Inn on the lower levels of Mistral. They were sitting at a table for four, with the seat opposite of Argent being unoccupied. Niob was sitting to his left, and Talia to his right.
"Did you get the info we needed?" Argent asked, looking at Niob.
"Yes, boss," Niob answered, "Talia's little worm helped me quite a lot."
"Of course it did," Talia said, "I wrote it. And now that we have the info we need, I'll just have to modify it a little, and Project Alpha is on the way."
"Boss, one thing concerns me, though," Niob said and asked, "What if I had not been able to restrain myself in Atlas? What was the fail-safe this time?"
"What do you mean?" Argent asked.
"We both know I cannot be trusted around Atlas high society," Niob answered, "I could have destroyed the city, and there was no noticeable fail-safe to prevent that from happening."
"Yeah," Argent said sarcastically, "Because I'll let an emotionally unstable war criminal walk around and interact with people he really shouldn't interact with, without thinking of a way to prevent genocide." Sirena walked up to the table and sat down on the chair opposite of Argent.
"I hear you're talking about me again," she said with a smile.
"Sirena, there you are," Argent said and asked, "Any reason in particular you wanted us to protect Ruby and her team so badly? What about Project Alpha?"
"They are connected, actually," Sirena answered, "And, I have something to confess."
"What is it?" Argent asked. Very early on, literally on his first day as team leader, he had made it clear that none of them were to force any other team member to reveal things about themselves, and that it was up to each individual to reveal their abilities, weaknesses, training methods or their past.
"As I am sure you have noticed by now, I sometimes leave behind stone statues of Grimm. The reason I can make them so quickly and in so much detail is because they're not carved from stone, but rather, petrified Grimm," Sirena answered, and everyone at the table was stunned.
"Wait, so you can turn Grimm to stone?" Argent asked and said, "That could help Project Alpha progress much faster than originally planned."
"It is my eyes," Sirena answered, "And it is why I wanted Team RWBY to be protected as much. Ruby Rose shares this gift. It is a powerful weapon against the Grimm, as it can neutralize them in an instant. Salem knows of this gift, and is trying her best to eradicate it. That is why Ruby and her team are targeted by her. And it is why one of us must watch over them for the time being."
"I see," Argent said and asked, "Anything else any of you want to add?"
"I haven't gotten to test Goo in the outer atmosphere yet," Talia answered, "But I'm working on it. Also, the city's cyberspace acts weird, so I will have to look into that first. I mean, I did some calculations for when the CCTS breaks down, but this is nothing like my results."
"I would have to return to my kingdom and restock my supply in water-goo," Sirena said.
"Good," Argent said, "Then I'll go speak with Sienna about our alliance."
"Already done that," Sirena said, "They will help us, in return for Goo."
"Alright," Argent said, "Then I'll go check on the kids."
"I would prefer if Niob went first," Sirena said, "He can help Jaune again."
"I'll just stay here and keep an eye on things, then," Argent said.
"Good," Sirena said, "But keep an eye out for Cinder and Emerald. They're trying to get to Haven, and I don't know how long I can keep them away. The kids need to reach a certain level of skill before they can face off against the two of them. But worry not, I have a plan, and by my calculations, it will work perfectly." The team got up and left the Inn, all going about their assigned jobs. Niob sent the files he stole from Atlas Academy's main server to Talia, who then went and checked on the city's central communication systems.
Author's note: I'm putting Raven through my patented redemption program for awful people that aren't quite villains yet.
And remember, Arthur is dead, and Sirena is posing as him via text.
The Scavenger and Scavenger Kind belong to MyRynoRunsHot over on DeviantArt, who allowed me to use them in my fanfics.