After what seemed like forever, the battle ended. Wolf landed a final powerful blow on the last surviving Grimm with a powerful Arc punch; he took a minute to regain his breath as he holstered Khvostov on his back. Looking around, he sees the remaining black forms of Grimm disintegrate into nothing but ash, some leaving behind only fragments of bones with red markings. He then looks over to his newfound ally, Ruby Rose, a young girl who could be around 15 or 16 years old if he could guess. However, suddenly, he notices a strange red shield surrounding the girl dissipating into motes of red light as if it were shattered, and she almost collapses as her weapon drops from her hands, but Wolf manages to catch her in time.
"Ruby! Are you alright?!" Wolf asks in worry; the girl in his arms is much more exhausted than when he first laid eyes on her, new wounds scattered across her body and patches of her clothes have been torn; her cloak is nothing but tatters at this point, and holes of various sizes reveal themselves.
"I-I'm alright… just tired… my A-aura's depleted…" Ruby said weakly. Her injuries were quite extensive, and she was having trouble staying conscious. The term 'Aura' she used is unknown to him, but he'll ask the more important questions later.
"Stay with me, Ruby. Ghost?" Wolf called out to his partner as he phased into existence.
"I've never seen anything like this, but she's expended most of her energy. Not only that, she took some heavy hits from the Grimm." Ghost said as he scanned her. "Use Solar energy to heal her wounds, Guardian. It'll help her recover."
Wolf nodded and began to focus his Light from Arc to Solar, conjuring a healing grenade and applying it to Ruby's wounds. Ruby started to regain clarity as her injuries began fading away slowly. Not only that, but the mysterious red shield surrounding her begins to repair itself.
"W-what's going on…? Why is it so warm all of a sudden…? …What? I-I can feel my Aura recharging? W-what is this?" Ruby asks in confusion, observing the white light surrounding her, closing the wounds on her body. She feels strangely rejuvenated and warm as if sitting by the fireplace back home, relaxing by its soothing warmth in the winter. Despite the odd feeling, she notes Wolf's state: more of his armour is destroyed, and more injuries have been added to his body. "Y-you– are you ok?! You look terrible, w-we need to get you to a doctor!"
"I'm alright… I'll survive, been through a lot worse." Wolf sighs, looking at his worsened state; he then conjured another healing grenade to mend his injuries. "I'm just glad that you're alright. Thanks for the assist; that was incredible." Wolf breathes out in relief as his injuries have been mended. "I've never seen anyone move like that, especially no one as young as you." He had to admit, fighting alongside someone who could turn into petals of all things is certainly a first time for Wolf. He had to be careful when shooting the shadow monsters, given that Ruby was extremely fast in dispatching them compared to him. 'Seems like she's been trained to fight these things, but even then, she's just a kid.' He was worried about hitting her, so he used his gun as a melee weapon by imbuing it with Arc Light since it became inoperable after sustaining too much damage.
"Hahaha… thanks…" Ruby smiles, but something about her changes. It is as if her current exhaustion just disappeared as she springs out of his arms, suddenly filled with energy, and a shining glimmer appears in her eyes, surprising Wolf and Ghost. "THAT WAS AMAZING! I've never seen nor met anyone as strong as you! You killed that Ursa Major with nothing but an electrified headbutt, and then you charged up an electric punch, making all those Grimm explode! Is that your Semblance, or is your armour laced with lightning dust?! And that gun of yours, it ricocheted every seventh bullet?! I've never seen anything like it! How does it work? Does it have a weapon mode? Is it a sword or something? No, it looks like a normal assault rifle, given how basic it looks. You were mowing them down like it was nothing! It even penetrated through the Grimm like it was paper! I don't think I even saw you reload. What ammo does it use? Armour piercing?! But that'd be very expensive. You also healed my wounds and your own? Wait, is your semblance healing other people or–"
"Woah, woah, woah! Time out, Ruby." Wolf gestured his hands into a T, which appeased the now excitable girl before him. "I don't think I understood most of what you were saying. Dust? Semblance? Aura?"
"What…?" Ruby asked in confusion, "But you're a Huntsman, right? How could you not know about Dust, Semblance or even Aura?"
Wolf wonders if these 'Huntsmen' are the equivalents of Guardians in this reality. If they can burst into petals like Ruby or have other strange abilities, it's no wonder they can fight against hordes of these 'Grimm.'
Ghost chirped up as he floated towards her. "To be completely honest, Ruby, this is probably overwhelming for all of us, and I'm sure that you have many questions right now, and so do we, but to put it plainly, we aren't exactly from this planet."
"So… you're an alien… that looks human?" Ruby asked with a confused look on her face. Wolf and Ghost shared a look, and both shrugged.
"I guess you could call me that, but it's complicated. On the other hand, I'm positive you can call Ghost that," Wolf confessed, scratching his head and sharing a look with Ghost, who only gave him the Ghost equivalent of a shrug. Ruby's eyes widened and started to shake a bit, and she didn't say anything for a moment. Wolf became worried since he might have broken her, but she smiled widely.
"THAT'S AWESOME!" Ruby exclaimed before turning into a burst of petals and moving toward what was left of his ship, the Spirit of the Warmind, a parting gift from the Warmind Rasputin after sacrificing himself to save the City and the Traveller. He piloted the ship to honour a fellow Guardian and a friend. "Is this your ship? Is it a spaceship?! I've never seen anything like it!"
"Uh… Ghost? Is she alright?" As he walks towards the wreckage, Wolf is currently confused about Ruby's well-being, considering the last couple of minutes since they first met. "To answer your question, yes, but be careful! There's some volatile material in there."
"She took some heavy hits but no life-threatening injuries, thankfully. The Solar energy you used on her healed all of her injuries." Ghost says, "As for mental trauma? I am not sure, Ruby, are you alright?"
"Pssht, I'm fine! I'm just processing that I've made first contact with an actual alien and his cute little alien drone buddy!" Ruby dashes towards the cockpit to look at the controls, carefully avoiding any shattered metal or glass.
"Why thank you, although I'm not a drone, I'm a Ghost." Ghost corrects her, confusing Ruby. "We'll explain our circumstances later." Ghost then floats over to the ship and begins to inspect it.
Wolf walks over to the ship where he dropped his helmet, and he kneels to pick it up to notice how badly damaged it is. He sighs heavily as he holds onto his fractured helmet. The visor is broken, leaving a massive hole for a single eye to be viewed from afar; parts of the helmet have exposed wiring. He then looks over to Ruby as she inspects his ship, utterly enthralled by it, but also carefully watches her step to avoid any sparks or the fading fire.
"Guardian, I've finished diagnostics on the ship." Ghost said as he floated over to him.
"Well, what's the damage?" Wolf asked, placing his helmet on the boulder and turning to face Ghost.
"Given the damage it took on our violent descent, it's unable to fly at this moment or in the future until we make adequate repairs. The storage wasn't spared either, so we have lost most of our inventory, but your Sparrow seems to be operational. Ah! It appears we also have some spare armour materials for repairs and some spare weapons that were thankfully undamaged."
"Well, that's good enough. Anything else?" Wolf inspected his inventory via a hologram opened up by Ghost. The weapons he has currently, apart from the Khvostov, include Conditional Finality, Devil's Ruin, Lumina, Ace of Spades, Xenophage, Izanagi's Burden, Bastion and Young Wolf's Howl. He brings out Devil's Ruin as it transmats into his hand, checking the magazine and ensuring it still functions before holstering it. Then he looks back at Ace, the trusty weapon of Cayde-6, the late Hunter Vanguard. 'Miss you, Cayde, trying to make you proud.'
"Apart from the Hive staff Eris gave us, do you remember that Splicer Gauntlet Mithrax gave us during the Endless Night predicament?" Ghost rhetorically asks. "Well, thankfully, it's undamaged, so if we can find some Vex signatures, we can potentially use it to send a distress signal to the Vanguard, but we'll have to be careful not to cause an incursion." Ghost whispered the last bit so that Ruby wouldn't hear while offering a helpful idea if they encountered any Vex. "Oh, and we also have some transmat beacons, five at most."
"Well, that's all good, but how about our glimmer storage? Is there enough to repair the ship with?" Wolf motioned his Ghost to continue. 'Well, I'd rather not bring the attention of the Vex to whatever planet I'm on. It seems like they have enough problems with these 'Grimm'. As for the Hive Staff, I doubt I'd use it. The situation surrounding Eris' ascension to a Hive God of Vengeance is done and dusted.'
"In terms of Glimmer, we had roughly 180000 before we left, but unfortunately, most of it was lost in the crash. We have roughly a third of it left. I doubt we'll have enough if we attempt to fix the ship and repair the rest of our destroyed gear. We'll have to see whether this world has the technology to find suitable material substitutes." Ghost concludes the inventory check and floats over to Wolf's palm.
"Haa… well, we are resourceful, so we'll find a way. We always do, Little Light." Wolf chuckles as Ghost grumbles slightly at his nickname. But the Ghost knows his Guardian likes to call him that to show appreciation and tease him.
"Soooo~, what's your name?" Ruby asks by his ship, still inspecting the wreckage. "You call your little alien robot friend 'Ghost', but I never heard your name. He calls you 'Guardian'? Is that some sort of nickname? My sister Yang calls me Rubes, even though I hate it sometimes."
"Oh, well, uh… call me Wolf. It's what people call me back home." The Guardian smiles, "As for Ghost calling me 'Guardian', it's technically my job title, a protector of the innocent and destroying the enemies of Humanity."
"So, you're like a Huntsman from space! That's so cool!" Ruby beams but then shifts to confusion. "Wait, 'Humanity'? You're a human, even though you're from space?"
"As we said, our situation is complicated, but we promise we'll explain everything later. But more importantly, is there a place where we can rest and recover if more of these things show up?" Wolf asked, and he saw something change in Ruby's demeanour. Her face shifted from a happy and chipper look to one of worry and horror.
"Oh, crap! The school! I almost forgot because you're a literal alien, and I've been running and fighting the Grimm for over an hour!" Ruby began to panic and ramble before attempting to take off. "I need to hurry! My friends and family are in trouble!"
"Hold on, Ruby, what are you talking about?" Wolf asks, managing to grab hold of Ruby by her arm.
"There's a massive Grimm horde attacking the school I used to study at! There are hundreds of them! They won't last long! I need to go and help them!" Ruby revealed rapidly, worry brewing inside her heart. "I-I was helping some civilians get to safety alongside my friends and fighting off the Grimm before a meteorite, which turned out to be your spaceship, crashed on top of us! I was knocked out cold for who knows how long and got separated from my friends, and after I woke up, I have been running around for over an hour fighting Grimm that were trying to eat me before I met you! I need to go! I won't let my home end up like Beacon Academy!"
Wolf's eyes widened at this revelation. While he saw a young warrior, he also saw a kindred spirit, one who was about to lose his home to a force of darkness. Additionally, he saw fear in her eyes and a spark of determination swelling in her heart, wanting to fight until her body aches and until her home is safe.
"She's right, Guardian." Ghost began pulsing a bright blue light, scanning for signals. "I just accessed the local communication grid and tapped into the communications using Ruby's scroll, and… wow, there is an excessive amount of distress calls being sent out from a 'Signal Academy', a 'Huntsman' training academy. It might be the school Ruby is talking about. These 'Huntsmen' are trying to call for aid from a place called 'Vale'. But the connection is very weak; I highly doubt Vale would even receive their distress calls." Ghost confirmed Ruby's story, and Ruby herself was surprised by how quickly Ghost managed to access the Huntsmen's communication just by using her scroll.
"Is it really that bad?" Ruby asked, concerned about the well-being of her friends and family, before shifting her focus to the matter at hand with determination in her eyes. "No, it doesn't matter; we have to get to the school! They need help!" She then grabbed Wolf's arm and attempted to drag him towards the school; he couldn't help but admire her tenacity and unwavering conviction. Fresh off from a long fight and moving on to the next one with the intent of saving lives, Wolf can't help but admit that she'd be a fine Guardian.
"You're right; they need help." Wolf agreed, "However, we'll need to be careful when approaching the school, given that the Grimm would likely have surrounded the academy. Ghost, is there a safe route to the academy?"
"Yes, there is." Ghost said, projecting a holographic map of the area. "I got a map of the island by using a nearby cell tower called a CCT tower. I can triangulate our current position, and as you can see, we are right here." A red marker appeared to signify their current location on Patch. "It appears that Signal Academy is approximately 20 kilometres from our current position, and given the route, we'll arrive at a cliff face overlooking the academy. However, due to the weak connection, I'm unable to get a clear description of the situation, nor can I hail anyone on local channels, so we have no idea what we're walking into."
"Then let's go! The more time we waste here, the less time Signal has before they're overrun!" Ruby exclaimed hurriedly; she felt restless, just standing around doing nothing while her home was in danger.
"You are right, Ruby, but if you consider our current situation, we aren't adequately prepared to enter battle. Wolf's armour is compromised, and you are out of ammo." Ghost said, which seemed to make Ruby pause and groan in agreement. "However, I believe I can help. May I inspect your weapon?" Ghost asked, which seemed to puzzle Ruby.
"Sure, why?" Ruby complied as she brought out Crescent Rose in its scythe form.
"Amazing, a high-caliber bolt action sniper rifle combined with a scythe. I've never seen anything like it. Did you make this yourself?" Ghost asked, very intrigued by the weapon.
"You bet I did! My sweetheart is called 'Crescent Rose'! I made it while I was studying at Signal Academy." Ruby proudly revealed. "It's also got a war scythe mode. As for the rifle mode, it uses 0.50 BMG rounds! Instead of compensating for the recoil whenever I fire a shot, I use it to enhance my mobility, making me faster and being able to avoid any attacks!"
"Impressive, so that's why you used some of your rounds to avoid a few of those Grimm." Wolf noted that while people back home would typically say a scythe is impractical in battle, specifically the weapon smiths and the Cryptarchs, Ruby seems to have proved them all wrong. 'Now that I think about it, I enjoyed using that scythe during the Nightmare infestation on the Leviathan.'
"0.50 BMG, huh? I can work with that." Ghost said, his shell components shifting before scanning a few raw materials around the area. A few moments later, he returned and phased a couple of magazines with a red colour scheme as Crescent Rose into existence. "Don't worry about ammunition, I've got you covered."
"W-woah! W-wait, how did you do that?!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly as she loaded a fresh magazine into her weapon.
"Ghost here can make ammunition from raw materials; comes in handy whenever I run out of ammo in the field." Wolf smiled.
"That's awesome!" Ruby beamed before grabbing Ghost and rubbing him on her cheek. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Y-you're welcome, Ruby, but please let me go!" Ghost pleaded with her, and soon enough, she did.
"Alright, Ghost, if you don't mind?" Wolf chuckled lightly at his little partner, mentally signalling what he wanted.
"Let me fix that armour of yours." Ghost's shell opened and pulsed with blue light once more. Hovering around Wolf, bathing him in the comfortable Light of the Traveler, Ghost fixed Wolf's damaged armour, bringing it back to its former glory.
"Whoa~!" Ruby could only watch on in amazement as the exposed and broken armour mended itself back together in a shower of light.
As Ghost applied the finishing touches, Wolf looked down at his person to see his armour back to its original look. His broken helmet was remade on his head into the Virtuous Helm as a single blue line reveals its visor; the Virtuous Plate's tears and fractures were repaired to their former glory; the majestic Parade Guantlets revealed their luxurious forms; the empty pockets of ammunition on his Thunderhead Greaves have been refilled. Then he looks down to see his mark, the Mark of Remembrance showcasing the symbol of the Iron Lords, two wolves on opposite sides of an image of the Ironwood tree. Lastly, Ghost reapplied the colours on his armour, the Superblack shader being applied to Wolf's helmet, chest plate and mark, while the Pole Position shader is used to his gauntlets and greaves.
Finishing his inspection, Wolf turned his attention to his damaged Khvostov unholstering it. Ghost tended to the weapon, fixing the damage and returning it to its original look. A sleek black paint job of the gun looking freshly polished, equipped with a laser attachment on its side, the scope fixed with no sign of cracked glass, and the word 'Khvostov' etched onto the side of the gun. Wolf then directs his gaze to the young girl before him, noting her awestruck expression. Wolf smiled underneath his helmet, watching her bewildered face with some enjoyment.
"Now, we're ready." Ghost smiled, "Any questions?"
"W-what– w-who are you?" Ruby stammered as she struggled to find the right question to ask.
"I am a Guardian." Wolf began, reholstering Khvostov onto his back, "I know what it's like to lose a home, Ruby. But I swear to you, your home will not fall on this day, for I am a Titan of Earth, my home world, and I shall be the shield that holds the walls strong and the spear that strikes down the forces of Darkness." Wolf declares loudly, his voice booming in the forest. "Eyes up, Ruby Rose, your people need all the help they can get."
"Alright! Let's do this!" Ruby pumped her arms in the air confidently but quickly dropped them a moment later. "Quick question… how are we going to get to the school? I mean, your ship doesn't like it can fly."
"This world wouldn't happen to have hoverbikes, right?" Ghost asked, to which Ruby nodded in reply.
"Yeah, there's lots of those kinds of bikes. Why do you ask?" Ruby sounded confused until, out of thin air, a sleek red and black sparrow appeared beside Ruby, who gasped in amazement. "You have a hoverbike?! THAT'S AWESOME!"
"Say hello to my Sparrow, 'Always on Time'." Wolf smiled as he got on. "Grab on tight, Ruby! You're in for a bumpy ride!"
"Please don't go too fast; it's her first time, Guardian." The Ghost muttered in concern before disappearing into motes of light.
"Pssht, I've dealt with Yang's driving before. How dangerous could it be?! Let's go!" Ruby excitedly ushered as she got on. Wolf complied, putting the pedal to the metal, quickly proving her wrong. "AAAAAHHHHH!" Ruby always had fun riding her sister's bike, but this was different; the Sparrow, as Wolf called it, was much faster than she expected. "SLOW DOWN! PLEASE! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!"
"GUARDIAN!" Ghost yelled angrily, concerned for Ruby's safety, as she tightened her grip around Wolf's waist.
"HAHAHAHA!" Wolf laughed loudly as he drove into the forest.
A few minutes into their journey, Wolf surveyed his surroundings and was reminded of the beautiful forests of Earth. "I hate to ask right now, but I'm going to do it anyway; what's the name of this planet? It reminds me of Earth." Wolf asked over the roaring engine of his Sparrow.
"Remnant, that's what our world is called!" Ruby answered in reply as she finally adjusted to the Sparrow's speed.
"'Remnant'? That's a strange name for a planet." Wolf replied, thinking about the name of the planet where he and his Ghost now find themselves.
"Says the guy from a planet called 'Earth'!" Ruby retorted.
"Touché! But can you explain to me how you turned into rose petals?" Wolf asked as he continued driving on the designated path provided by his Ghost.
"You molecularly dismantled yourself and transformed into rose petals! I've never seen anything like it before! How did you acquire that ability?" Ghost asked through the speakers on Wolf's armour, trying to comprehend how Ruby transformed into petals.
"Well, it's my 'Semblance', basically a superpower; most people on Remnant have one, especially Huntsmen, while others don't." Ruby began to explain as they drove. "Every Semblance is different; some have super speed like myself; others are very strong like my older sister Yang; some absorb electricity like my friend Nora or hide people's emotions, which Ren has. The last one is especially useful in hiding from the Grimm since they are drawn to negative emotions and can't detect us if our emotions are hidden. However, a few people have similar or the same Semblance, like my friend Weiss and her older sister Winter. Our Semblances are linked to our 'Auras'."
"'Aura'?" Ghost asked. "You mentioned that term before while we were tending to your injuries. What is it?"
"Aura is the manifestation of a person's soul; every single person has access to it, but sometimes you have to unlock it." Ruby clarified. "It can appear in all sorts of colours, like you saw earlier, that red shield around me, that's my Aura. We can use our Aura as a barrier to protect us from any injuries or attacks, but we can also use our weapons or armour to act as conduits for Aura to enhance our attacks or defence. I mean, we can also use it on food."
"Food? What do you mean?" Wolf asked, a bit confused.
"W-well, it's embarrassing, but my friends and I got into a massive food fight. I mean, an actual fight, but we were using food as weapons." Ruby chuckled lightly.
"You're kidding, right?" Wolf asked incredulously.
"Nope!" Ruby laughed loudly. "But anyway, that's the gist of it. Without our Aura, we can't use our Semblance. But once we get to the Academy, I'm sure one of the professors can explain it to you better, at least after we've saved the day and driven back the Grimm."
"Interesting, it seems like Aura is similar to the Light." Ghost is intrigued by such a power and can see similarities between Aura and Light.
"'Light'?" Ruby asks, curious as to the terminology Ghost used. "Is that your Semblance Wolf?"
"It's essentially my powers, making me stronger faster and providing protection. But it's also very complicated." Wolf clarified as Ruby leaned over with a curious look, itching to know more. Wolf looked over his shoulder and saw her eyes brimming with curiosity. He sighed before continuing, wanting to keep this lesson simple for her. "Well, with my powers, the Light, I can use different elements, such as Void, Arc, and Solar. We can even create physical constructs with them, for example, a sword, shield, hammer, you name it." Wolf lifted his right hand off the handle while maintaining his sparrow, showing off the different elements. "Void Light is related to gravity so I can dismantle things down to their basic atoms. Arc Light, which you saw earlier, is essentially electricity but much more powerful, and Solar is pretty much fire that can burn as hot as the Sun itself. Solar light also has healing capabilities, which I used to heal your wounds and my own."
"Wow, that's awesome!" Ruby exclaimed, seeing the energy switch between a dark purple representing the Void, electric blue representing Arc and a fiery red representing Solar. "You're like a Huntsman from space! Does everyone where you're from have these cool powers like you?"
"Every Guardian has access to these same elements. Some specialise in one element, while others have fully mastered all of them." Ghost explained, "Also, don't forget Stasis and Strand, Guardian."
"How many elements do you have?! I'm feeling super jealous right now!" Ruby exclaimed.
"I didn't forget and was about to get to that Little Light." Wolf smiled as he heard his Ghost grumble in annoyance. "But where there is Light, there must also be Darkness: Stasis and Strand." Wolf's hand then shifted to a cold, icy blue as a small ice crystal formed on his hand. He could also feel Ruby shiver at how cold it was. "With Stasis, I can freeze enemies in their tracks and then shatter them." Wolf then dismissed the Stasis crystal to reveal a small ball of green energy with a continuously moving mass of green-looking strings. "This is Strand; basically, I can reach out and grab at invisible strings surrounding us and manipulate them into whatever we desire. I can use them to grapple towards farther distances or enemies and even create sentient Strand projectiles called Threadlings to seek out our enemies."
"Wow, you must have a lot of fun with your powers." Ruby giggled, imagining all sorts of fun Wolf could have gotten into wherever he was from.
"Haha, tell me about it; you wouldn't believe the stuff we Guardians get into." Wolf chuckled before turning his attention to his invisible partner. "Ghost, have you tried contacting the Academy?"
"Unfortunately, I can't reach them. The connection is very weak. Maybe once we get closer, it could be better." Ghost grumbled in annoyance. "Ruby's scroll was badly damaged, so I'm somewhat limited in what information I can gather. I can gather more information if I can scan a fully functioning scroll. But– hang on, what is this?"
"What is it, Ghost? Do we have Grimm up ahead?" Wolf asked, curious as to what caught his partner's attention.
"No, I'm picking up a signal right ahead, actually, let's check it out." Ghost revealed.
"What kind of signal?" Wolf asked, wanting more information on this random signal.
"I'm not completely sure, but it's possible that the signal is coming from, well, Signal?" Ruby added sheepishly, which seemed to earn a silent gaze from Wolf over his shoulder. "Sorry, I was hoping that it was from the academy."
"Ghost?" Wolf directed his attention to Ghost.
"Unknown, but the signal is nearby. I'll have to triangulate where it's coming from to discern what it is. I'll try my best to guide you; once we're in the target area, I should be able to triangulate its location. Take a left in 100 meters, Guardian." Ghost directed as Wolf complied with the instructions.
"Hey Wolf, what do you think this signal could be?" Ruby asked, "I'm just a bit worried that we may not be able to reach the academy in time."
"I understand your concern, Ruby, but don't worry. We'll take a quick look around and see what this signal is. If it's nothing, then we'll head straight to the academy." Wolf reassured her, "However, this is just my opinion, but it could be possible that there might be some survivors nearby trying to call for help but are unable to due to the weak signal."
"If there are any, we'll have to find a way to get them to safety. They'll be sitting ducks, especially with the negativity they might give off, which will attract the Grimm." Ruby said worriedly, "People lost in the middle of Grimm territory have meagre chances of surviving, so we have to help them out. I won't leave anyone behind."
"Right, let's take it one step at a time." Wolf nodded in agreement as he continued driving.
A few minutes later, following Ghost's guidance, they arrive at a gated area, a familiar place that Ruby recognized. The Town Center on Patch is a place where all the people come and go to shop, whether for groceries, clothes from retail stores, books from the local library, or inquiries at the town hall.
Ruby and Wolf remain quiet as they stop by the town center's entrance gate. Hopping off the Sparrow, Ruby activates Crescent Rose from its compact form while Wolf brings his weapon into his hands. He told her its name while they were driving, the 'Khvostov 7G-OX'. They prepare themselves by a doorway into the town center if they encounter any lingering Grimm in the area.
"Ghost, anything on the radar?" Wolf asked as he stood near the door with Ruby behind him.
"No hostiles in the area, but the signal is getting stronger. We're in the right place; I'll try to see if I can triangulate its exact position." Ghost replied as he finished off a burst scan.
"Alright, let's go." Wolf nodded as he opened the door and walked through it. Ruby walked right behind him as they scanned their surroundings for potential threats while Ghost floated around, shining a bright light to illuminate their path forward.
She walks slowly and cautiously through the town center and takes in the sight before her. What was once a bustling and beautiful area where people go about their daily lives working amidst Patch's many shops and stores is now a silent and barren place filled with the stench of fire and death. Some buildings have been destroyed, and small fires burn what's left to ash while others are abandoned. Most of the windows are broken, leaving shards of glass everywhere.
The determination Ruby felt earlier when she set off with Wolf to help the academy is now slowly fading and being replaced with sorrow. 'I can't let it happen again… I won't let it…' Brief flashes of memory fill her mind of that night when the world was changed forever. Dark skies filled with innumerous Griffons, students and Huntsmen fighting for their lives. The image of Yang's missing arm and Pyrhha…
"Ruby, are you alright?" Wolf asked, bringing her back to reality. "Is there something on your mind?"
"I-I'm fine," Ruby replied; however, that didn't seem to answer Wolf's question truthfully, and she knew it. Ruby sighs heavily, shaking her head. "I don't want my home to end up like Beacon."
"I hope you don't mind me asking this, Ruby, but what happened at Beacon?" Wolf asked as he approached her. Despite his helmet, Ruby can tell he's concerned about her.
Ruby became quiet momentarily before mustering up the courage to speak. "I mentioned that I studied at Signal before, right? Well, I managed to jump two years ahead of my classmates and found myself studying at Beacon Academy, one of the main four Huntsmen Academies. It was where I went to school to train to become a Huntress alongside my big sister, Yang. But the Academy was destroyed when the Grimm invaded during the Vytal Festival." Ruby spoke sorrowfully, her grip tightened around Crescent Rose's frame. "Yang lost her arm in the attack because of the White Fang, a terrorist group… General Ironwood's robots were hacked and turned on the people they were designed to protect… and… Pyrrha… she got hurt very bad…" Ruby stopped to catch her breath; reliving those memories still scares her. "A lot of people died that night… worst of all, people lost hope."
Wolf remained silent for a moment, letting Ruby's story sink in. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." Wolf apologizes; he recognizes the feeling of loss, anger, and failure all too well, as well as the small spark of vengeance in her. Something he's all too familiar with. "I know what it's like…" Ruby looked up to see Wolf's head drop slightly and listened as he continued. "One day, Ghost and I were returning home from a mission, and we couldn't contact the Vanguard, our commanding officers, which worried Ghost and me. Soon enough, we were horrified at the sight of our home being invaded by an enemy force." Wolf paused; the scars of the Red War still hurt even though the wounds had healed. "My fellow Guardians and I tried to stop the invasion, but we failed… I failed. I wasn't strong enough to stop them. As a result, I was badly injured and left for dead… when I came to, I had to walk through the ruins of my home as the enemy patrolled the streets. Within a few weeks, I had lost the only home I had ever known, even lost some very good friends and those I considered family… and worst of all, people lost hope, but not everyone."
"What happened?" Ruby asked hesitantly. "Did you save your home?"
"I did, but not alone. " Wolf continued, "Every one of us, Guardians or not, rallied together to face the invaders. We stood united, stronger than before. Together, we forced the invaders back and restored hope. Showing the world and beyond that no matter how often you try to kick us down, we will rise stronger than before. No matter the odds or how dark the night might be, a spark of hope will always burn bright until that spark turns into a raging fire. So I strive to provide hope in the darkest corners of the world and beyond and spread that hope so that it shines brightly amongst the stars."
"So… what can I do?" Ruby asked, gripping Crescent Rose in her hands. "What can I do to help restore 'hope' to everyone?"
Wolf then placed his armoured hand on her shoulder. She didn't feel the cold steel but again felt that soothing warmth emanating from his hand. "Be the spark that fights back against the Darkness. Shine bright so that everyone can see that not all hope is lost. Remind them that even if everyone is afraid, someone'll always be fighting the good fight. Soon enough, others will join you, adding to that spark until it becomes a roaring flame."
Ruby could feel the meaning behind his words; whatever he faced on his homeworld had taught him invaluable lessons and moulded him into what he is now. Lessons he is now imparting to her. 'He's right, I have to be a spark. Just like Mom was.' A memory emerged in Ruby's mind: one of her mother, Summer Rose, stood proudly before her, an icon she strived to become: a renowned Huntress and a symbol of hope.
"Thanks, Wolf." Ruby smiled at him, and he nodded in reply, yet she imagined him smiling underneath his helmet. "So, where's Ghost? Did he find that signal he picked up?"
"I'm not sure. I saw him over by that building; he must have gone inside." Wolf pointed towards the town hall. The building itself is in rough shape, but it appears that the CCT tower relay it has is still standing. "Let's go and check on him."
"Right." Ruby then walked alongside Wolf towards the town hall building. Ruby entered the building first, followed by Wolf, finding themselves without a light source in the destroyed building. "Ghost? You in here?"
Soon enough, the white drone floated up from behind the reception desk. "There you are. I believe I found something!" Ghost said, ushering them over.
"What is it? Did you find out what the signal is?" Ruby asked, watching Ghost shoot beams of light at the terminal.
"Two things. First, I accessed the data from the terminals in the building to try to triangulate the exact position of the signal." Ghost again brought up the holographic map, with the familiar red outline signifying their current location. "It seems like someone is sending a signal on a Huntsman frequency, but it doesn't appear to be an open channel; rather, it's signalling a location."
"A distress beacon on the Huntsman frequency?" Wolf questioned, "Is there someone out here?"
"It appears likely, from the data I've collected, it appears to have been activated for quite a while. However, given the poor connection across the island, no one must have been able to pick it up. Most likely due to the Grimm damaging the main CCT relay tower at Signal Academy." Ghost explained, yet there was a tone of suspicion as he spoke. "But…"
"Something's not adding up?" Ruby asked, with Ghost doing the equivalent of a nod.
"It became active a few minutes before the Grimm siren was activated around this area." Ghost revealed a pulsing green outline much farther away from their location. "As you can see according to the map, it became active somewhere deep in this forested region on the outskirts of one of the small towns here on Patch. However, for some reason, the signal went offline and then reappeared an hour later." A pulsing yellow outline appeared on the map not far from their location. "Now, the signal appears to be coming from a nearby CCT relay tower a couple hundred meters from the Town Center. Given the chaos, no one would have noticed this detail until most likely after the Grimm were driven away."
"What are you saying?" Wolf asked, concerned about what this meant.
"I think that there's something else going on here." Ghost said firmly.
"And the second thing?" Ruby asked as she looked at the findings on the terminal. Ghost's findings filled Ruby's heart with dread. The fact that the signal was active after the Grimm alarm was activated seemed like a coincidence, but minutes after during the evacuation process? 'Why am I getting a bad feeling about this?'
"The second thing is that from these records, I learned that the CCT network across Patch had been acting up for the past few days." Ghost continued to relay his findings. "After worldwide communications went offline when the CCT tower at Beacon Academy was destroyed, technicians from Vale arrived for a repair job about a week after the entire system went offline."
"Wait, does Remnant not have any satellites?" Wolf asked, confused, "Why would one CCT tower being destroyed cause global communications to go offline?"
"We don't have any satellites." Ruby said, "There was an attempt years ago, but apparently, Dust doesn't work when it leaves Remnant's atmosphere. So Remnant relies on four major CCTS towers located at each of the main Huntsmen Academies in each capital. Besides, when one of the main towers has to go through maintenance, the entire network goes offline regardless."
"Interesting…" Wolf thought to himself. "But what is 'Dust'? I don't think we covered that."
"Oh, well, it's a natural resource found here on Remnant. It powers everything: cars, Scrolls, lights, etc., and we even use it with our weapons to help us deal with the Grimm." Ruby provided a simplified explanation of the nature of Dust before Ghost coughed to grab their attention.
"Anyway, as I was saying, the technicians arrived after being commissioned by the mayor of Patch, one Slater Goldstein." Ghost continued, showcasing images of the mayor, a bald, old man wearing expensive clothing akin to the colour gold and holding onto a cane with what appears to be a jewel at the top. Ruby can only scoff at the fact that the mayor of Patch spent money on anything other than himself. "Do you have something to add, Ruby?"
"No, I'd rather not comment on a cheapskate like the Mayor." Ruby rolled her eyes dismissively. "Let me guess, the technicians did an even worse job than the Grimm that destroyed the CCTS tower at Beacon?
"Not quite." Ghost shook his shell. "The technicians repaired the system on Patch within a few days of arrival. That sounds like very efficient work, I might add. The next step was to link the main relay tower on Patch with the one over in Vale. However, they had difficulty attempting to communicate with their peers in Vale."
"Wait a minute, I thought that with the entire network offline, we couldn't communicate with Vale or anyone else outside the island? How did they manage to work out the issues that fast?" Ruby wracked her brain, trying to figure out how this was possible, but thankfully, Ghost had an answer. "It's barely been a month since the CCTS tower at Beacon was destroyed!"
"Well, that's the first question the Mayor asked." Ghost said as he brought up the first report on the technicians. "Here's what the lead technician said regarding this question. Ahem:
'As you know, Mr Mayor, during routine maintenance of any one of the main four Cross-Continental Transit System towers located at any one of the main Huntsmen academies, the entire global network shuts down, rendering us unable to communicate with anyone outside the Kingdom, however, it is still possible for us to communicate with people inside the Kingdom. This is possible by using an older yet still up-to-date method, radio transmission. The CCT relay towers across the continent can use radio waves to ensure we can communicate with our peers in Vale. However, this limits our ability to communicate with anyone outside the kingdom. During the maintenance process of the main towers, the CCT relay towers across the continent shift their focus from international to domestic communication by undergoing maintenance to ensure we can still communicate with nearby settlements. The process won't take too long; however, given what happened to the CCTS tower at Beacon Academy, I'm afraid that restoring international communications will take far longer than one might hope.'
Despite the main towers going offline during routine maintenance, there was always a backup plan to ensure communications work domestically."
"I never knew that." Ruby was fascinated by the process described in the report—no wonder these technicians showed up on Patch not long after the system went offline. "So, you mentioned that they had trouble communicating with Vale. Was there interference affecting the process?" Ruby asked, to which Ghost nodded.
"Yes, the technicians were stumped as to what was causing the interference," Ghost explained, bringing up reports made by the lead technician to the Mayor regarding their process. "From these reports, something seemed to hinder their attempted communications with Vale. No matter how many diagnostics and inspections on each relay tower on the island, they all came up normal when it came to internal communication on the island, but not when it comes to the external communication outside the island."
"Something was blocking the signal?" Wolf sounded surprised as he realized what was going on.
"Yes, the technicians tried to tell the Mayor; however, he brushed them all off and began listing bogus complaints about their work, demanding that they leave without paying a dime." Ghost sounded disappointed at the outcome of the hard work the technicians put in. "I can see why you don't like him, Ruby. He really is cheap."
Ruby nods in mutual understanding as she watches Ghost browse through the reports. However, the revelation that something blocked attempted communication with Vale was more concerning. 'What was causing the interference, and why was it preventing them from contacting Vale? Is it a technical issue, or is something else going on?' Looking back at the terminal, seeing Ghost scroll through them, one of them catches her eye based on its contents: complaints made by the technicians. "Ghost, do you mind bringing up this report?" Ruby asked the tiny drone who complied with her request. "Huh, that's interesting."
"What is it?" Wolf asked as Ruby was reading the report.
"Seems like the technicians were having some difficulties dealing with the Mayor's son, Bole," Ruby explained as she read the report. "More specifically, the Faunus technicians were having difficulties with him."
" 'Faunus' ?" Ghost asked with a holographic question mark appearing in front of his eye.
"Here on Remnant, there are normal humans like me and my family, but there's another race of people that live on Remnant, the Faunus." Ruby began to explain. "They look like regular humans, but the main difference is that they have animal characteristics, for example, cat ears, monkey tails, bunny ears, etc."
"Fascinating," Ghost said, but even then, he was still confused. "Forgive me for asking, but why does Bole have an issue with the Faunus?"
"In early history, humans discriminated against the Faunus due to their differences, and they were used as slaves for cheap labour until after the Great War when the Faunus became independent and gained civil rights. However, even to this day, people like Bole are still discriminating against them." Ruby paused briefly to catch her breath and then continued. "As for Bole? He's always had an issue with the Faunus, believing himself far superior to them. In his eyes, they're nothing but animals; after Beacon fell, his hatred for them intensified." Ruby scoffed, shaking her head.
"Ah, so classic racism." Ghost deadpanned, sighing in disappointment.
"Pretty much," Ruby sighed but brought the focus of the conversation back to the report she found. "Anyway, it seems like Bole was interfering with their work and making some trouble with them, accusing them of quote 'spies of the White Fang' he even tried throwing his weight around telling a Faunus technician that they aren't needed for a specific job that said Faunus was qualified for. Not only that, he also did 'surprise inspections' of their work, taking apart crucial components and messing with equipment, which led to arguments between him and the lead technician."
"The White Fang? That terrorist group?" Wolf focused on that critical fact. "What do they have to do with the Faunus?"
"I believe I can answer that, Guardian." Ghost said, bringing up a couple of holographic news reports. "They were not always a terrorist group, but rather a non-violent political organization founded to advocate for peace and unity between the Faunus and humans. They conducted political protests and boycotts against organizations that discriminated against them. However, given that these activities proved useless, in time, they took up more violent methods, such as disrupting events, firebombing businesses that discriminated against the Faunus in any way, and even targeting organizations that exploit the Faunus, most notably a business called the 'Schnee Dust Company', which is most notorious for its exploitation of Faunus employees. Their sudden change from non-violent methods to violent ones seems to stem from a change in leadership over five years ago." Ghost then opened a few more newspapers, showcasing recent events where the White Fang were most prominent. "Moreover, in recent months, the Vale branch of the White Fang had been consorting with a known criminal by the name of 'Roman Torchwick' who had been conducting Dust robberies over an extended period across Vale and providing the White Fang with resources, including high-grade military armaments. They even caused a breach in Vale, causing a Grimm incursion, which was swiftly dealt with, thanks to the intervention of Huntsmen and Huntresses and the Atlesian military. Finally, the White Fang, led by Adam Taurus , were seen attacking the Vytal Festival and released Grimm onto Beacon Academy, cementing their part to play in the academy's destruction."
Ruby glared at the picture of Adam Taurus, her fists clenched in anger just at the mere sight of him. She stopped listening to whatever conversation Ghost and Wolf were having as she focused on the holographic picture before her. Ruby could feel herself breathing heavily as vivid images of Yang's unconscious body lying still on the concrete with bloody bandages wrapped around her amputated arm filled her thoughts. As she attempted to get a hold of herself, she could hear Yang's voice echoing in her mind, begging Ruby to leave her alone. Seeing the lively colour of her beloved sister fade away because of what this monster had done to her filled Ruby with nothing more but pure hatred. She then felt the cold steel grip of Crescent Rose in her hand as she unconsciously grabbed its handle; part of her was telling her not to give in to her anger, while another part was encouraging her, begging her to lash out and even the score.
Ruby looks back at the picture, only to see him smiling . A sick, twisted, monstrous smile that solidifies Ruby's anger even more. He took not only Yang's arm but also her smile, her vibrant happiness, and everything that made Yang who she was, leaving her as nothing but an empty shell. So it won't matter if Ruby evens the score, and she'll make sure that he never smiles again, not once she's taken his arms!
Suddenly, the sound of sharp steel resonated within the desolate remains of the Town Hall. Ruby had done it; she used Crescent Rose to wipe that sick smile off Taurus' face, yet she didn't feel blood splattering across her face nor hear the sound of his screams, only silence and the grinding of cold metal. Ruby opened her eyes expecting to see the torn and broken remains of the Faunus, the target of her vengeance, only to be disappointed by the familiar sight of the Town Hall's reception desk and a singular blue eye gazing silently at her in shock. Ruby blinked as she looked above her, finding Crescent Rose locked in a stalemate with a sword she had never seen before. Tiny sparks sputtered to life as the two blades grinded against each other, yet the tiny lights revealed an armoured hand gripping the sword's hilt. Looking to her right, she saw an armoured man looking down upon her with nothing more than a single white visor.
Ruby blinked a couple of times as her brain registered what she was seeing. Her gaze shifted between the glowing visor and the singular eye until the fog that enveloped her mind lifted.
"W-wolf…? Ghost…?" Ruby spoke their names hesitantly as she recognized who they were. The two of them said no words as they silently stared at her. Soon enough, Ruby felt her hands shake; her heart was pounding so hard she could hear it echoing in the room. Confusion filled her mind as she tried to process what happened until moments later, a new feeling filled her—regret.
She dropped Crescent Rose onto the floor as she finally understood what happened. "I… w-what did I… what have I done…?" Ruby breathed slowly and heavily as she stared into Wolf's visor, slowly regaining clarity.
"Ruby, are you alright?" Wolf asked firmly, yet Ruby could tell that a part of him was concerned for her.
"I… I-I'm not…" Ruby could feel her heart beating so loudly that it echoed throughout the room. It felt like her mind was not hers, and she didn't know what to do. "I-I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry." Ruby clutched her hands over her chest as her knees faltered, causing her to fall to a kneeling position. She noticed her eyes blurred as tiny droplets of water fell onto the floor before her; she was crying. "I-I don't know what came over me… I-I didn't hurt either of you, right?"
"No, you didn't. We're fine," Wolf said reassuringly as he lowered himself to her level, rubbing his hand over her back to comfort her. "Ruby, I want you to tell me what happened. Why did you unsheathe Crescent Rose?"
"I… he was smiling…" Ruby choked out hesitantly. She felt sick, and her stomach churned violently. She wanted to throw up, but her body wouldn't let her.
"Who was smiling?" Ghost asked as he floated in front of her, his multiple shell pieces rotating in alternate directions.
Ruby took a few deep breaths in and out, trying to calm herself down before answering. "A-Adam… Adam Taurus… he hurt my big sister… he hurt her… he took everything from her…!" Ruby then looked towards Wolf and Ghost, showing her teary face. "He's the one who took my sister's arm!" Ruby didn't need to see Wolf's face, but she could tell he was shocked by this. "T-the moment I saw his picture, I could only think about what he did to my sister—lying unconscious on the ground without her right arm, while he was smiling a sick and twisted smile… the kind only monsters have." Ruby paused briefly as she regained control over her breathing. "I swung Crescent Rose because…"
"You wanted him to suffer for what he did to Yang?" Ghost finished what Ruby was going to say. She didn't deny it.
"I want him to pay for what he did, to wipe his smile off his face… a-and… take his arms to even the score for what he did to Yang." Ruby wiped her eyes as she revealed her heart's twisted desires. "So… do you understand why I almost attacked you?"
"...I do," Wolf said hesitantly. Ruby blinked a few times as she processed what she just heard.
"Y-you do?"
"Yes, I know the feeling of wanting revenge very intimately." Wolf nodded slowly as he took off his helmet. "I lost a good friend of mine four years ago. He was killed in the line of duty, doing what he did best… and…" Wolf paused before continuing. "I wasn't there to save him… I watched as his killers escaped… I couldn't do anything as the light in my friend's eyes faded away… and in the end, the only thought I had in my mind was to bring his killers to justice… but truthfully, I wanted revenge."
"D- Did you get what you wanted?" Ruby asked hesitantly, and he nodded.
"At the time, it felt good, really good, but in the end, it didn't take away the pain, the grief, or the anger I felt." Wolf sighed heavily as he put a hand through his hair. "It only made me feel hollow. I was in a dark place back then…" Wolf then looked at Ghost for a moment before turning back to Ruby. "And it took me a long time to find my way back to the light. So I understand what you're feeling, the rage, the need for revenge. It feels like you need it because, without it, you feel powerless. However, it will not improve things; it will only worsen them."
"He's right, Ruby," Ghost said softly. "I've seen how vengeance consumed Wolf and the consequences of it. We don't want you to go down a similar road because once you do, there is no going back."
Ruby contemplated what the two were saying, yet her desire to make Adam pay still lingered. "H-how… how do I get rid of this feeling ? I do not want this… I just want things to go back to the way they were…"
"There's always that part of you that'll want revenge, but you must not let vengeance consume you. To overcome that feeling, you must be stronger than that feeling. Stay true to yourself and your values, but do not let anger dictate your actions; it will only lead to further suffering." Wolf said reassuringly as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Your sister is still alive, Ruby." Ghost said comfortingly, "We may not know much about her, but I believe she wouldn't want you to go down that road. She needs you, Ruby, more than ever before. Even the older sibling needs protecting, and who better to do that than their younger sibling?"
'They're right… Yang needs me…' Ruby thought to herself as Wolf and Ghost's words struck true. She doesn't know much about the desire for revenge, but she can tell that Wolf is much more experienced than she is, even though part of her feels that he shouldn't be. "You're right… Yang's always protected me since I was little… now it's my turn to repay her for all she's done for me."
Ruby stood up and took a deep breath, renewing herself with determination. She looked to Wolf and Ghost as they nodded in approval, Ruby acknowledged them with a smile before picking up Crescent Rose and holstering it into its compact form.
"Before we continue from where we left, I just want to ask you one thing," Ruby said to Wolf as he stood up, holstering his blade. "Your friend… what was his name?"
Wolf looked slightly surprised momentarily, but his face showed a small smile. "His name was Cayde–Cayde-6. I'll tell you more about who he was and how he lived another time."
Ruby nodded with a smile, but even then, she felt slightly embarrassed. "So, what were we talking about before I almost tried to kill a holographic picture of Adam?"
Ghost chuckled as his shell pieces whirred. "Well, we were talking about how Bole accused the Faunus technicians of being spies for the White Fang when they had no association. So now, that begs the question of how the White Fang fit into this mystery: what would they gain from attacking Patch?"
Ruby thought about this momentarily and offered her suggestion, which seemed very likely. "I don't think they would gain anything at all."
"Why do you say that?" Wolf asked, wishing to hear her reasoning.
"The White Fang weren't the only ones that had a hand in destroying Beacon. Roman Torchwick and his partner, Neopolitan, were also there, but the mastermind behind Beacon's destruction was Cinder Fall and her allies, Emerald Sustari and Mercury Black." Ruby explained, yet she clenched her fists when she said Cinder's name, something that didn't go unnoticed by Wolf. "The White Fang has always been about bringing attention to themselves and bringing down their people's 'oppressors'. It's part of the reason why they attacked Beacon. As for Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan, I fought the two of them before on multiple occasions."
"Wait, you fought both of them? By yourself?" Ghost immediately showed concern. "From what I've gathered, they are notorious criminals that shouldn't be taken lightly! What were you thinking?!"
"It's a long story, Ghost," Ruby scratched her head sheepishly, "The last time I saw them was at Beacon; they had taken control of General Ironwood's flagship and implanted a virus to take control over Atlesian Knights, combat robots which are capable of fighting the Grimm. The virus they uploaded caused the Knights to target the people they were designed to protect. I boarded the airship myself and stopped them. I knocked Neopolitan off the airship, but unfortunately, Roman was eaten alive by a Griffon."
"What did they have to gain from attacking Beacon Academy?" Ghost sounded confused, his pieces twisting in thought as he brought up more information on Roman Torchwick.
"I don't think he had anything meaningful to gain." Ruby said, "When I confronted him on Ironwood's airship, he said he had 'nothing to lose' and that Cinder was planning on 'changing the world' , and that he 'couldn't stop her' , so it seemed like he had no choice but to join her. From what I could tell, he did everything in the name of survival."
"So then that leaves Cinder Fall…" Wolf said as two of the three main culprits were crossed out. "Given what Roman claimed, it seems he feared Cinder and was forced into submission and servitude. Additionally, based on what we know about the White Fang, I doubt they'd take kindly to working with a human unless there's something else going on."
"What are you thinking, Guardian?" Ghost asked quizzically.
"I think this 'Cinder Fall' may have more than meets the eye." Wolf suggested, "Given the resources and planning it took to destroy Beacon Academy, it wouldn't make sense for her to attack Patch as it's just a tiny island off the coast of Vale. She wanted to make waves across the entire world, and what better way to do that than to attack one of the four respected Huntsman Academies?"
"The Breach in Vale, her message at the Vytal Festival, framing Atlas, and the Battle of Beacon…" Ruby listed all of the events that led up to the fall of Beacon before coming to a realization. "She wanted to create chaos… to divide us! That's the reason why she attacked Beacon! It's why Roman hacked General Ironwood's ship! And the White Fang attacked the academy!"
"Exactly!" Wolf affirmed, "Cinder stood to gain fear, discord and chaos amongst the masses, which led to the Grimm invading. The White Fang and Torchwick were nothing more than pawns she had on the board to add to the chaos and create as much destruction as she could. Ultimately, she won the game and got her desired result."
"You're right," Ruby nodded, "My uncle told me that the White Fang and Cinder went into hiding. They wouldn't make any more drastic moves as the entirety of Vale and the rest of the world would be looking for them."
"So now that begs the question, who would stand to gain from attacking Patch?" Wolf questioned. "Given that Ghost and I aren't from around here, we have no idea who would do such a thing."
Ruby's brows furrowed as she thought about it, yet nothing came to mind. "I'm sorry, I don't know who might benefit."
"Alright, so let's just recap what we've found so far," Wolf said as he prepared to list their findings. "After global communications went offline due to the CCTS tower at Beacon being destroyed, technicians from Vale arrived on Patch about a week later to do emergency maintenance to ensure domestic communications are still working. The technicians managed to repair the CCT towers on Patch. However, they had difficulty contacting their Vale counterparts due to interference."
"Right," Ghost confirmed, "No matter how many times they attempted to bring it to the attention of Mayor Goldstein, he always brushed them off. Whereas, his son, Bole Goldstein, was causing problems for the technicians, such as tampering with their equipment, giving orders to the technicians when he had no jurisdiction whatsoever and spewing racist nonsense to the Faunus workers just because of the part the White Fang played in Beacon's destruction."
"Then there's the mystery behind the distress signal." Ruby added, "Ghost said it got activated minutes before the Grimm alarm went off and then suddenly went offline for over an hour, only to appear not far from us. So what does that tell us?"
"I don't know, but we're about to find out," Wolf said as he looked out of a shattered window. "Whoever is transmitting this signal may know more about what's happening. If possible, it may lead to the truth. Ghost, see if you can find anything more about this interference. If we find out what's causing it and resolve the issue, we may be able to contact Vale for reinforcements."
"Right!" Ghost said as he began to sift through everything he found in the terminal before disappearing into motes of light.
"So we're going to check out the signal?" Ruby asked, walking up to Wolf.
"Yes," Wolf nodded, but his face showed some doubt. "However, I'm just getting this bad feeling that something is off."
"I feel the same, but whatever the case is, we have to help whoever is trying to call for help before it's too late," Ruby said with determination flowing through her veins. "I won't leave them behind."
"Alright, let's go." Wolf motioned her to follow as the two of them exited the building.
Ruby couldn't help but think about what they'd just learned as they returned to the Sparrow: the mystery of the distress signal, the revelation of interference affecting communications with Vale, the Goldsteins' disruptions of the technicians' work with baseless accusations and false complaints and whoever would stand to gain from attacking Patch. Whatever truth they find, Ruby will strive to bring it to light and hopefully prevent her home from becoming another Beacon.