Welp, I said I'd finally get back to this fic once Volume 9 was done, and here I am. Granted, I was really hoping V9 would show us the consequences of the previous arc's events on a global scale – show me whether or not the various developments were completely dependent on things going as badly as they did in V8's conclusion. Instead, we got an almost entirely self-contained arc in another world. For the most part, things in V9 canon don't/can't have any major bearing on the Travels-verse and can be somewhat ignored (for one thing, the presence of multiple "heroic leader" characters from the DDF means Ruby isn't being saddled with quite as much pressure as in canon), but it does include a resolution to Neo's character arc, as well as the origin of the Brother Gods… I don't know what I'm gonna do, and I'll have to decide by the time I reach the climax of V8 in this story…
In any event, here we go…
SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS
PLEASE READ & REVIEW
PLEASE CAMPAIGN FOR THE TROPE PAGE'S DELETION
-CHAPTER START-
Realm R38Y
On approach to Atlas/Mantle
The dropship's radio came on. "Ironwood to Qrow. This channel is secure. Heard you had some trouble back in Argus; everybody in one piece?"
"Qrow here. Yeah, things got hairy, but we're all here. Be advised: Before we come up to see you, we've gotta head down to Mantle for a bit; Calavera needs to get her prosthetic eyes tuned up."
"Understood. Don't keep us waiting too long. Out."
The dropship flew low over Mantle, looking for a landing pad. Looking out the windows, the heroes could see signs that things had been tumultuous lately. The UNSC detachment stationed on the Solitas continent, operating on harsh lessons from their own history, were well aware that Ironwood's plan of a pseudo police state on Mantle would inevitably turn everything below the floating city into a powder keg, and so they had been doing their best to make the DDF presence in Mantle more personable. UNSC soldiers & other personnel were out & about in person, wearing helmets that actually showed their faces (either lacking faceplates or with ones that could be made transparent) to get the locals to see them as people and not faceless extensions of some war machine, and in addition to standard patrols and manning the anti-Grimm wall surrounding the city, they were helping to shore up and upgrade the local infrastructure, and just generally trying their best to get in the citizens' good graces. A handful of Atlesian soldiers had even been moved to join in.
It seemed as if the overall presence of Atlesian and UNSC forces across Atlas and Mantle was, overall, inversely proportionate. In fact, the main UNSC groundside base in Solitas was situated in the crater beneath Atlas, where they'd been hard at work improving the lives of the impoverished locals living there, constructing better housing and infrastructure; as they explained to the mostly-Faunus inhabitants, 30 years of interactions with Covenant races in all their radical difference from humanity led them to see Faunus as "humans with extra bits" rather than the alien otherness that fueled anti-Faunus racism on Remnant.
The dropship finally set down in a large parking lot, and the whole gang piled out, setting the security measures for the ship as they made their way out onto the dimly-lit streets, Maria leading the way. They passed a few patrols, a few drunkards (none of whom were brave enough to pick a fight with such a large group, thankfully), and a few holoscreens displaying local news and occasional recorded speeches by Gen. Ironwood. Finally, Maria led them to a building with a green cross sign; a Faunus man with a prosthetic arm exited as they approached, heading off into the night.
"Pietrooo!" She announced their presence by dramatically flinging the door open and calling out. "I'm finally back, old friend!"
The man seated behind the front desk – old but not as old as Maria, with dark or tanned skin, dark-grey hair complete with beard & moustache, wearing little pince-nez glasses, a dull-green cap atop his head – looked up in surprise, staring at the group with confusion, but after a second of looking at Maria's mechanical eyes his face lit up with a grin.
"Maria Calavera! My goodness, has it already been 10 years?" He came out from behind the counter, revealed to be seated in a fancy white 'wheel'-chair that moved on four insectoid robo-legs instead of wheels.
"Ah, I know" the old woman grinned. "I age like a fine wine. Would've been here sooner if I hadn't run into these jokers. At the time, I thought they might need my guidance while fighting a little old Sphinx."
"Oh, did they?"
"No, no. They had much more complicated issues."
"U-Um…" Ruby spoke up. "Mr. Polendina, sir?"
The man chuckled. "Please, call me Pietro. …Wait, how do you know who I…" He leaned closer, squinting at the four girls at the front, and then gasped, a smile slowly coming to him. "You're Team RWBY… What brings you folks all the way up here to Mantle?"
"More than one thing" Weiss replied. "Besides checking in with Penny and whoever of the DDF is stationed her, and inspecting the overall state of affairs here in Solitas, there's a valuable relic that was stored in a vault beneath Haven Academy, and because that place is no longer safe we're transporting it to a similar vault beneath Atlas Academy."
"So…" Yang said. "What's one of Atlas' finest minds doing in a run-down place like this?"
As if to punctuate her question, a tile fell from the ceiling.
"He likes to keep a low profile" Maria replied. "Something I've come to realize none of you know anything about. This pharmacy is just where he volunteers when he's not building the future of Atlas alongside Ironwood, up in the clouds."
"Oh, it's stuffy up there" Pietro remarked. "Down here, I get to help the locals and have a little fun. I'm currently working on shoes that make you dance; wanna try 'em on?"
"Yes!" Nora squealed.
Blake cleared her throat at Nora, before turning back to the Doctor. "Even with the UNSC trying their best to make things comfortable, the air around here seems… tense. What's been going on?"
Pietro coughed. "Well, the Fall of Beacon took a toll on all of us. James was no different. I couldn't tell you exactly what he saw there, but it changed him. He's…"
"Scared" Qrow surmised.
"'Paranoid' would be the more appropriate term. You have to understand, it wasn't just the Grimm. Someone completely dismantled Atlas security code, made it their plaything, and made us look like traitors to some and buffoons to everyone else. Whoever managed to do that is either a genius or one of our own. I fear the answer may be both, and so does the General."
"Maybe Atlas isn't as safe as we thought…" Ren remarked, worried.
"After we came all this way," Oscar replied, "we can't just leave, can we?"
"What's the Council think about all this?" Weiss asked.
"Well," Pietro replied, "they're so scared, they'll agree to whatever he wants. Though, some representatives from Mantle are digging their heels in. The DDF have helped mitigate things to an extent, especially with Commander Carnegie and Captain Fuller – the CO's of the UNSC corvette stationed over Atlas and the cruiser monitoring Remnant from orbit – coordinating responses and talkin' a little more sense into James. I shudder to think how bad he could've gotten if we didn't have help from outside, if he felt like Atlas was all alone…"
Suddenly, the 'Grimm Attack' alarm began to sound outside, the streetlights turning red. The group of heroes quickly rushed outside, readying weapons. There were faint screams, along with bestial roars drawing closer, along with sporadic gunfire. Then, at an intersection ahead, an Atlesian humanoid battle droid came tumbling across the road, its chestplate carved open by massive claws. Two more robo-soldiers fell back in a fighting retreat, only for a Sabyr to pounce and rip them both apart. The Sabyr's packmates came into view, making for nearly a dozen of the feline Grimm, and then all of them turned to look at Ruby's group. With a snarling roar, the pack alpha roared, and they all rushed at the group, spreading out.
Nora made the first kill, springboarding off Jaune's shield and shattering a Sabyr's skull with her hammer. Ren and Blake dashed in, parrying the monsters' lightning-fast claw swipes and taking advantage of split-second openings to deliver crippling or killing strikes of their own. Rattrap brought one of his shoulder-wheel shields to bear, blocking a few slashes and bites from a Sabyr, then bashed it in the face to stun it, drawing his pistol and shoving it into the Grimm's mouth, firing a few rounds upward into its brain (or what passed for it in a creature of living Darkness).
Qrow and Pyrrha were double-teaming the pack alpha, a high-speed deadly dance of blades and claws that ended with Qrow shifting his weapon to scythe form mid-swing, catching the Alpha Sabyr off-guard and slashing out its throat. Weiss used gravity glyphs to hoist a few Sabyrs into the air, along with platform glyphs that Ruby used to dash around & across the helpless Grimm, cutting them apart. Pirika flipped over a Sabyr's lunging bite and used an axe kick to slam its head into the pavement, while Yang pummeled another Sabyr's ribcage with rising blows and then fired a shot from her gauntlet down its throat. Oscar beat a Sabyr senseless with his inherited cane, finishing with a blow that cracked its skull.
As Ruby cut down another Sabyr, a larger one – a 'sub-alpha' – leapt at her from behind. Ruby spun to engage, but knew she wouldn't be able to bring her scythe to bear in mind… Suddenly, a vibrant green beam of energy lanced down from above, slicing the big Sabyr in two. A pair of Sabyrs rushing at Oscar were blasted by a wave of star-shaped magic bolts, then a whirling 'blade' of Light spun in and sliced the feline Grimm's heads off. A petite teenage girl with short black hair and vibrant blue eyes, wearing a black sleeveless dress with a bluish-grey short skirt, leapt into the fray, catching the spinning Light which was revealed to be the Keyblade 'Aubade'. Then, another girl, with curly orange hair, flew onto the scene, black & green swords fanned out behind her, emerald-green Aura-based jets emitting from the soles of her boots.
Ruby's face lit up with delight. "Penny! Xion! I can't belie-WARGH!-!"
She was cut off by Penny's jet-assisted tackle-hug, sending both girls tumbling for a few meters, ending with the gynoid hugging Ruby tight.
"Salutations, Ruby!" Penny giggled happily, a big grin on her face as she hugged her friend. "I am so very happy to finally see you again!"
"Urk… I'm happy to see you too, Penny" Ruby squeaked out, feeling kinda like she'd be crushed by the super-strong hug were it not for her Aura.
When Penny eventually let go, leaving Ruby groaning softly and gasping for breath, Xion came over and helped Ruby to her feet.
"What brings you guys here?" she asked.
Ruby brushed herself off. "A few things. Mainly, we have to bring a valuable 'package' to the secure vault underneath Atlas Academy."
"Oh, we have so much to catch up on!" Penny said excitedly. "I cannot wait!"
Another Grimm-incursion alarm sounded in the distance.
"…It seems we will have to wait" Penny said, her expression and tone not changing from her previous sentence. "Please, head for the General's office at your earliest convenience; I will meet you there!"
With that, she zoomed off into the evening sky, heading for the disturbance. Pietro and Maria came out, watching her go.
"That's my girl…" Pietro said fondly.
"I'd think it's about time to go check in with Jimmy" Qrow remarked.
"I'll stay down here with Pietro for a while" Maria said. "You go get your heads in the clouds. Heheheh…"
-Break-
The group of heroes was given an escort and a ride by the Ace Ops, Atlas' most elite special-ops team of five Hunters. While Link broke away to go answer a call, the rest of them headed for Ironwood's office. There, they were met by the General, flanked by Winter Schnee and Penny. Winter immediately speed-walked over to her sister with as much decorum as she could maintain, quietly fussing over her and checking for any new injuries.
"It is so good to see all of you" Ironwood admitted. "Things have been… difficult."
"Yeah, that new beard of yours says a lot" Qrow replied. "Anyway, we've got a… package to deliver."
"You mean the Relic of Knowledge?" Penny interjected.
"Meant to be placed in the relic beneath Atlas Academy that can only be opened by the Winter Maiden?" Winter added.
Qrow looked at Ironwood. "…You told them."
"Uh… Penny kinda told me she'd been brought into the loop back when she called me after Xehanort was dealt with" Ruby spoke up. "Did I… forget to mention that?"
"Yes. Yes you did."
"With Ozpin gone," Ironwood explained, "I needed my own team of people I could trust. So yes, I told them. The Ace-Ops, too. Which is why I'm so glad you're here… with this." He gestured to the Relic. "Until now, I believed it was impossible to truly turn the tide against Salem. Oz has pushed her back, has kept victory out of her claws, but she will keep returning stronger and stronger… unless we destroy her."
"But… what about the Atlas Relic?" Ruby asked.
"You mean the Staff of Creation?"
"It's safe inside the Vault!" Penny cheerily announced.
"And the Winter Maiden?" Qrow asked.
"She is secure," Winter replied, "and in stable condition."
"Stable condition?" Yang looked confused. "What does that me-"
Qrow cleared his throat at her. "She's, uh… not exactly a spring chicken…"
"I know I'm not exactly coming off the best right now," Ironwood said, "with the restrictions on trade & travel. Hell, I probably would've shut Atlas' borders completely if Captain Fuller hadn't talked me out of it. But I need you all to trust me when I say this: I have a plan."
Shutters came down over the windows, and a large circle in the floor in the middle of the room began to rise up, converting into a holo-table.
"Ozpin believed the best way to fight Salem was to do so in secret" the General explained. "Whether that was the right choice or not isn't for me to say. But we find ourselves in a position of needing, well… a new approach."
He pressed a button, and the holotable projected an image of a familiar floating structure.
"That's… Amity Colosseum" Jauna's eyes widened.
"Where the Vytal Festival is held?" Oscar said.
"Indeed" Ironwood replied. "When Beacon fell and everyone on Remnant lost contact with one another, I knew our current system was outdated. Amity was built to hold the nations together, and it will serve that purpose once again."
He keyed another command, and the holographic colosseum sprouted a large antenna.
"Due to unforeseen issues regarding compatibility with Remnant's existing networks," Winter explained, "the Dimensional Defense Force is having difficulty establishing a proper satellite network for full-scale Remnant-wide civilian communications that would fully replace the presently defunct CCT network. However, although the CCT network is offline, it is still in place. And Amity Colosseum already runs on the same systems…"
"We are going to propel the colosseum as high as the modifications we have been performing on it can take it," Penny continued, "and use it as a broadcaster to link with the CCT network. That way, even if another groundside tower is lost, Amity should be able to keep the network up & running."
"James…" Qrow spoke up. "You don't need the entire military for this."
"I will for the next part," Ironwood replied, "when I finally tell the people about Salem & her allies."
"Huh… So that's why you withdrew your troops – to handle the panic that would break out in Atlas."
"Yes. Panic is inevitable, and panic brings Grimm. But I believe we are ready. Once Atlas has come to grips with the fight ahead, I'll use Amity Tower to spread the message to all of Remnant."
"But everything will fall apart" Weiss objected. "Grimm will be everywhere!"
"You're right," Winter replied, "but Atlas is willing and prepared to assist, as are the UNSC."
"Trying to hide the truth from the world will eventually kill us all" Ironwood said.
He disengaged the holotable and the shutters, returning the room to normal configuration.
Qrow frowned. "Oz spent his whole life, many lives, keeping this secret."
"I know" Ironwood nodded. "But since Beacon, things have changed. Without him here to guide us, all I can do is use my best judgment."
Oscar shifted uncomfortably, and – as if sensing something – Ironwood turned to face the group.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Actually," Oscar replied, "Oz isn't completely gone…"
"Uh," Qrow spoke up, "Oscar here… is the next Ozpin."
"…Oz?" A big smile came to Ironwood's face as he eagerly approached the boy. "I'm so glad you're here. I didn't think you-"
"Not quite" Oscar interrupted. "He's kind of, um, gone… at the moment."
Ironwood's smile faded away, his head lowering. "That's not normal. What even happened?"
Ruby looked back at the others, and after a second Rattrap nodded, followed by Qrow. With a deep sigh, she turned to face Ironwood & co.
"Before we left Argus," she said, "Ozpin told us that the Lamp's three questions had been used up. …He lied. And after the train derailment dumped us in the snowy wilderness, we ended up using the Lamp to discover some huge secrets that he'd been keeping from everyone, for centuries. It… It was really bad. And things got really heated, got ugly… Ozpin's retreated deep into Oscar's head – so deep that he's not even aware of the outside world."
Ironwood was stunned, trying to process this development. "What… What was he hiding…?"
"I, uh…"
Rattrap came up, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Kid… Yeah, tellin' him is gonna be bad. But if we don't tell 'em now, and he finds out later from some other source, it'll probably be worse."
Realizing he was right, that Ironwood would likely be furious if he learned everything later and realized they'd kept it from him, Ruby nodded and turned to Ironwood, Winter, & Penny.
"You guys might wanna sit down for this…"
-X-
As the gang finished explaining what they'd learned from the Lamp, Ironwood was slumped in his seat with an expression of stunned horror.
"Salem… is immortal… Literally, conceptually immortal thanks to a literal divine curse… A curse that can't be lifted, because to do so, she would have to learn some arbitrary 'lesson' – a lesson she can't learn because of how her body, mind, & soul have been Grimmified by one of her past attempts to kill herself…"
"And now she seeks to divide humanity and then gather the Relics," Penny surmised, "in hopes of the Brother Gods destroying the world so that she can finally die…"
Winter was very, very tense. "How… How could deities meant to guide, nurture, and protect life be so… so callous, so short-sighted, so arrogant, so incapable of understanding how mortals think & feel…?"
"Fortunately," Rattrap spoke up, "the DDF's got plenty 'a deities on call who conduct themselves a lot better. And they've been informed of what's happened here. Last I heard, they're mobilizin' to try an' fix things… and track the brothers down and make 'em answer for their crimes & mistakes…"
"Salem can't be killed," Ruby acknowledged, "but that doesn't necessarily mean she can't be beaten. If nothing else, we stop her from getting the Four Relics, and hold her off until the gods on our side can neutralize the threat she poses, one way or another."
"We might not even need their direct intervention, for all we know" Xion spoke up. "I don't think the brothers' curse will be able to fend well against the χ-Blade's power, and there's that other Genesis Weapon, 'Ea', locked up for safekeeping on the Supreme Kai's world…"
Ironwood took a deep, slow breath, face in his hands. After a few seconds, he looked up, his expression determined. "We hold the line, then. Until the big guns – divine or otherwise – can mobilize and end the threat of Salem. Plus, even if we can't kill her, maybe we can cut down on her allies & subordinates. Above all, we must keep the Relics out of Salem's hands. And warning the people could still be helpful and the moral thing to do… though maybe we'll leave out the 'immortality' bit…"
He sighed again. "Miss Rose, I'm going to leave the Lamp in your care for the time being. You managed to get it all the way here safely despite all sorts of threats & trials, so you've proven more than capable of looking after it." He cleared his throat. "Okay, then. Focusing on the short-term for the moment. Getting Amity Tower online and airborne. It's not going to be easy, but it's doable. First, however… I think we need to get those weapons of yours upgraded."
"Remember," Winter managed a small smile, "this is Atlas. While assisting the military, we will provide you with the best equipment our weaponsmiths can devise."
"You can all stay at Atlas Academy during your time here!" Penny announced. "The Ace Ops would like to properly meet you after this meeting, as well; they look forward to working with you… even if a couple of them may be too prideful to admit that up-front…"
With things being hashed out, Penny then led the group out. Outside the office, little Link was waiting.
"Hey, everyone" he said. "So, it turns out that I'm needed elsewhere, in another Realm."
"Awww…" Ruby patted his head. "We're gonna miss you!"
The little blonde boy blushed, still shy about receiving affection. "Well… With how things sometimes end up, odds are there'll be some big dramatic final battle for the fate of Remnant, and when that comes, I'll be back to help you guys win the day."
-Break-
Meanwhile, Down in Mantle…
Arthur Watts strolled along the nighttime street, looking like any average pedestrian except for the communication device in his ear.
"For the last time," he said, "a singular hideout makes us susceptible to discovery."
"But what if we're seen?" Tyrian asked from the other end of the channel. "What if we're recognized?"
"We stay mobile."
He could hear the sound of blade piercing flesh on the other end. "We're walking around a city with a thousand eyes…"
Watts casually hacked traffic signals as he walked along crosswalks, making cars screech to a halt in his wake. He sighed.
"While cybersecurity has been stepped up in Atlas, as usual, none of the code was updated in Mantle."
Tyrian chuckled. "That certainly sounds useful."
"It should be." Watts pressed on one of the fancy rings on his fingers, and all nearby security cameras shut down. "I helped write that code, after all."
As he approached a building, a final scream was faintly heard from inside, as the camera watching a nearby door went offline. Tyrian stepped out with a grin.
"Well," he said, "I suppose we all have our talents."
The men walked away down the nearby alley, while a pool of blood slowly flowed out from beneath the door…
-CHAPTER END-
And that's the first post-hiatus chapter done. As you can tell, there are going to be changes to how events in Solitas take place here compared to canon. Now, due to my current schedule, working on chapters will take me a while; I started work on this chapter the day after Volume 9 ended, for instance. But I am back, and I am working on things, so just hang tight.