RWBY: Destiny of Remnant

by UGX7

In the wake of the fall Team RNJR sets out to bring Cinder Fall to justice while the new Fall Maiden overlooks her master's plan in Haven City. Meanwhile Weiss tries to help a friend, Yang struggles with the loss of her arm, and Blake deals with guilt over the White Fang. Meanwhile someone from Cinder's past returns and Salem's newest pawn rises. Arkos, WhiteRose, SunnyBees, Renora

69. Journey to Vacuo

Soundtrack for select scenes in chapter: Heavenly Spirit from Fullmetal Alchemist.

Warning: Some sexy stuff in this chapter, no lemon but still sexy. Also discussing the issue of abusive relationships, so be warned.

Chapter 68: Journey to Vacuo

Tyrian crouched at the head of the table in what Ante called the command room of his headquarters, which was a large three-story building that had once been a Dust supply facility in the outskirts of the capital's factory district. The building had been shut down during a time when the western Kingdom had undergone an economic recession, and once it had recovered the owners of the building saw no point in reopening it, so the place had been boarded up while its Dust were shifted to other facilities. So it sat unused and abandoned, and aside from the homeless and criminals looking for a place to hide no one bothered to give the derelict building a second glance.

Which made it the perfect place for Ante to set up his temporary base of operations since it still had equipment for Dust storage and provided a place to meet in secret.

Standing at Tyrian's left-hand side was Ante himself, with his Enforcers hanging out in various spots scattered around the room yet still alert for anything. Trooper and Fireball stood together, the former leaning against the wall with an assault rifle cradled within his hands while the flamethrower enforcer was idly fingering with the ignition trigger of his personal weapon. Lao was slowly sharpening his sword against the vambrace of his right arm; Little Steve was seated beside him on a crate with his minigun propped in front of him, one hand resting on the rotating barrel of his weapon, and Tom-Tom was etching some new kill-markings on the wooden stock of his shotgun-mullet weapon. Reclining with his hands behind his head at the top of some Dust storage crates was Merrick, his trusty, heavily customized sniper rifle braced across his legs and his eyes taking everything within the command room while Executioner was standing beside a tall steel stanchion a short distance away from Ante, his personal axe-headed weapons strapped to his back on their holsters while having his arms crossed.

Emerald and Ilia stood at the far end of the table's right side, clearly keeping as far a distance from the hybrid-Faunus assassin as possible. Mercury was sitting next to his partner, with his cybernetic legs propped up on the table as he leaned back on his chair, while Hui sat not too far from them. Thorn was seated at the opposite end of the table, directly across from Tyrian with a deceptively passive look on her face while a small hologram of Anansi hovered next to her from a small projector device since the Grimm Commander was still gathering the Grimm hordes together for the upcoming assault on the capital and couldn't break away to physically attend the meeting. And last of all, several of Ante's criminal allies he had made acquaintances with after he and his cabal arrived in Vacuo and made a powerful name for themselves also stood around the table, and from what the crime lord previously mentioned he had already taken over and assimilated quite a number of those gangs in the Vacuoan criminal landscape over the months. Tyrian didn't know most of their names since he didn't care or need to do so he didn't bother, but the one he did at least remember was Madame Viper, who was the current leader of the notorious Black Vipers gang.

Viper had been a tough opponent for Ante when he began to take over the criminal scene in Vacuo, as she had enough turf, muscle and resources to combat any attempt to absorb the Black Vipers gang. According to Ante's personal experiences, they managed to reach an understanding, but only after agreeing to stick to their respective districts, engage in some mutually beneficial dealings and mind each other's business. From the death glare the tattooed woman gave in Ante's direction Tyrian could tell that she would like nothing more than kill Ante and take his men and power for herself, but she was also cunning enough to know what the consequences of that would entail, and hence she remained an influential ally for the time being and only acted civil around them if she felt there were benefits worth reaping.

The tall leader of the Black Vipers looked rather attractive with her mop of grey-black hair and sharp steely eyes, lean muscled and well-built body, and her sharp black fingernails were supposedly to be covered with deadly snake venom in which could kill within seconds. Aside from her brown ears which identified her as a Mongoose faunus, the most distinguishing feature on her was that her dark skin was decorated with tattoos of various dangerous-looking species of snakes, including a King Taijitsu. Manipulative and ruthless in her own right, along with controlling the Black Vipers gang with an iron fist, and a skilled fighter with curved poison-coated knives, it wasn't much of a stretch that she could probably fit Tyrian's criteria of a woman, but that kind of deals could wait for another time.

Now, it was time to get down to business.

"Okay, listen up! This is the plan for the attack on the city, so we need to do this fuck-up free, got it?" Tyrian barked loudly, getting nods from the others clustered around the table, "Good. Thanks to our spy in Shade Academy we have detailed layouts of the school, including a secret passage that leads into it and a way to get to our primary target unnoticed." He pressed a couple of buttons on the computer console built into the table which brought up a moderate-sized yet detailed hologram of Shade Academy.

"Thorn and I will be leading a small team consisting of Emerald, Ilia and Ante to attack and subdue the primary target inside Shade Academy." Tyrian began, glancing over at Thorn who grinned maliciously as she admired Salem's emblem on her gloved right hand, containing a Grimm parasite that would drain the Summer Maiden's powers. Tyrian's gold eyes flicked forward again, and went on, "We will enter through the hidden underground entrance in the sub-basement and stealthily make our way through the academy, avoiding the detection of the Vacuo Ranger patrols stationed within. Then we will use the secret passageway that the spy told us about to enter the tower where the Summer Maiden currently resides. Now, in order to distract her protectors and catch them off guard, we need you all to divert their attention elsewhere. Anansi?" Tyrian looked at the hologram of the Grimm Commander, whose holographic representation moved along with several hordes of Grimm of varying species in the background.

"I'm presently underground, and I've got at least a few hundred Grimm with me; Bergingels, Creeps, Ursas, Death Stalkers, Beowolves, Tarantula Widows, Sanus Deathworms, and I'll be having Scavengers and Lancers come in through the air. I also have the different locations you want me to have the Grimm breakthrough during the attack, and the Grimm hordes are making good progress getting there. The Sand Devourer Elder Grimm was spotted by a Desert Guard patrol team, but that won't be much of a problem since we're going deeper." Anansi reported as he moved among the red-eyed beasts in the tunnels, "At this rate, we'll be in position at the appointed time, which is roughly around ten to twelve hours."

"That's good, keep up the pace then. Now that is one of the many distractions we will use to take the city by surprise," Tyrian said as he pressed some more buttons on the keyboard and brought up a hologram of the city, highlighting several areas in red, "These are the spots Anansi will strike, around the Huntsman Academy and the Grand Temple of Vacuo, here in the main downtown areas, near the train yards and main airship interchange terminal, and the main entrance near the border walls. Additional Grimm Knights are also going to be deployed with the Red Fang sleeper cells already within the Kingdom to incite more mayhem when the time is right, and also to maximize devastation of the surroundings in the immediate vicinities. But this might not be enough, however, so we'll require some assistance from you, our criminal allies, to keep the insanity flowing!"

"By following our example." Hui interrupted, his masked gaze meeting those of the gathered gang leaders. A few met his gaze coolly, while the rest simply averted their eyes elsewhere.

Tyrian nodded and cackled evilly, "Yes, our Red Fang friends here will be helping out in the attack near the Academy. The rest of you will be scattered about the capital, so cause as much chaos as you can. Property damage, robbery, mass explosions, murder, rape, assault and whatever else you want. Just do it and have fun!"

The Human-Faunus hybrid threw his hands and head up towards the ceiling, letting out an excited and insane laugh before returning to back to his seemingly normal pose and saying, "Anyway, as for Mercury and the Enforcers, they will be in place near the front of Shade Academy, where they'll attack it head on when we give the signal, drawing the Vacuo Ranger guard patrols stationed there away so the infiltration team can take the primary target with minimum resistance."

"You mentioned the Grimm will be attacking the main gate on the border wall of the Kingdom." One of the gang leaders spoke up, "What about the other gates located at other positions of the border wall?" He pointed to the North, West and South gates shown on the hologram since Anansi will be attacking the East gate.

"Not a problem." Ante waved a dismissive hand, "We have allies in the more aggressive desert tribes far out in the wilderness who are unhappy with the Kingdom's authorities and they had already sworn allegiance to our leader in secret. They're going to provide distractions some twenty miles off and draw the Vacuo Rangers and Desert Guard units away."

"And what about us? When and where do we strike?" Madame Viper questioned, crossing her tattooed arms with a slight frown on her face, "You promised me blood, Ante. Don't forget that."

"Of course, Madame Viper." Ante put on a friendly smile on his face as he turned in her direction, "I always keep my promises."

"You guys can attack wherever you like, but not until I give the signal. Our Master has put me in control of this operation, so none of you will attack until I give you the signal to do so. One wrong move and everything could go to hell, so no one will start the attack until I say so. Anyone who disobeys my order will personally answer to me! Got it?" Tyrian declared with a demanding tone in his voice, his scorpion tail stabbing into the table to emphasize the serious nature of the mission.

Everyone nodded, some more quickly than others, while Madame Viper offered a glare with hers.

"Good, then we have no problem. As for you gang leaders, don't tell your underlings anything else except what is necessary and do your best to cause massive chaos out there." The assassin then encouraged as his stinger retracted from the surface of the table. "Now I presume you all need to go and prepare your troops for a glorious day of mayhem?"

The gang leaders turned and left the room, escorted by both their own guards and Ante's thugs. Madame Viper glanced back at Tyrian and said, "We will do our parts well, just make sure you wreck that Academy. Burn it to the ground."

"All part of the plan, my venomous lady." Tyrian told her in an exaggerated classy voice.

She nodded and took her leave, but there was a clear look of disgust in her aggressive grey eyes when she locked eyes with Tyrian before striding out with her bodyguards.

"So you didn't tell them anything about Watts?" Ilia asked him, once the doors to the command room had closed.

"I only told them what they needed to know my dear. Watts's mission to steal the info on the relics is not something they needed to be privy to." Tyrian dismissed.

Ante glanced over at Thorn who was pretending to checking her fingernails and decided to speak up, "So why don't you have lackeys like Cinder does?" Salem's candidate for the Summer Maiden sighed at the question, as it was something she had pondered many times in the past. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see Emerald and Mercury looking in their direction.

The woman with shaved-down brown hair looked over to the crime lord and answered, "Well for one, I don't think Emerald and Mercury appreciate being called lackies." She gestured over to the duo who were glaring at Ante, "As to why I lack my own disciples; Salem wishes to be careful with who we involve with regards to the Maiden candidates. It's better not to have too many loose ends, just in case some slip away when you are tying up the rest. That, and I wasn't part of an elaborate plot to infiltrate an academy and sabotage an important event, so I don't need 'teammates' as it were."

"Well, you're infiltrating an academy now, Thorn, so you got that part wrong." Mercury corrected her with a smug smile, which made the Maiden candidate roll her eyes.

"Whatever. More to the point, I'm not exactly the sociable type like Cinder is. She is honestly a bit more outgoing than I am." Thorn commented, "But regardless, the fact of the matter is I don't really need disciples since I am a pretty good fighter myself. If everyone performs their part according to the plan I will definitely obtain the powers Salem promised me. I'll finally have what I deserve."

"Oh yes you will, my dear." Tyrian spoke in a low, promising whisper as he jumped off his chair with a razed grin.

She then looked up at everyone present and added, "One more thing: Don't get between me and the Summer Maiden when the fighting starts, or you will regret it."

Everyone gave their nods, and an arrogant smirk crept across Thorn Branch's features as she gazed intently at Salem's emblem on the back of her gloved hand, and whispered, "Soon… so very soon."

---

Hyperion One's Command and Combat Information Center occupies a large space which was linked by a short hallway that leads to the main cockpit, offering a spectacular view of the surrounding airspace through the transparent main viewports that ringed the cockpit where Ciel and Ross piloted the cutting-edge aircraft. Being a highly-advanced airship that could easily function as a mobile headquarters during wartime, everything within the ship was furnished with state-of-the-art Atlas technology that wouldn't be out of place within any of their military battleships.

A sizable holographic table dominated the center of the room, with seats lining the multiple workstations and control panels at both port and starboard walls which presumably monitored the various other systems of Hyperion One. A number of blue and green holograms depicting various kinds of information ranging from a number of 3D representations of the Mobile Airborne Command Ship's top and side views to detailed navigation maps of Remnant could also be seen above the workstations, and there was even a particular transparent screen with a bank of consoles lined up against one of the walls which could be used to hold live video conferences with anyone of importance.

It was in this room that the entirety of Team Beacon gathered along with Sharp Strike and N1CK3L once they heard Ciel's announcement to distribute everyone's respective I.D. cards over the intercom system, standing around the holographic table and waiting patiently for the co-pilot Specialist cadet to make her appearance from the cockpit after making the necessary adjustments for smooth flight with Ross. About half an hour after the Hyperion One had taken off for Vacuo's capital, the armored bulkhead doors with transparent inset windows slid open soundlessly as it admitted Ciel into the interior of the Command and Combat Information Center, where she made her way towards them with the stack of cards in her hand.

"As I said earlier, these cards will grant you access to other parts of the ship, so please do not misuse the privilege or lose them." Ciel advised the assembled members as she handed the I.D. cards out. The various teens looked at their given cards, which was translucent white in color and made from good quality plastics and silicon. The new I.D. cards looked similar to their normal identification cards since it had their headshot images and Kingdoms of origins displayed at the front along a data matrix barcode which presumably contained various identification details. There was also a clearance level stamped at beside their I.D.'s images, and from what Ruby could discern almost everyone was given a Level Six clearance.

She glanced over to Sharp Strike's I.D. card, and noticed that his was slightly different in the sense that there was a platinum lining around the card's circumference and instead of an image of a Kingdom's emblem it was replaced with the emblem of the Knight Order. The headshot image was a picture of his armored form, and apparently he also had a higher clearance level as well since his was a Level Eight clearance.

"Ciel, what's with the clearance levels?" Pyrrha posed to the beret wearing girl.

"It's a system used by the Atlas military forces to protect the information within the Atlesian archives. Different levels of personnel have different security clearance levels, which is to ensure that they only know what they are allowed to know to avoid any secrets being accidentally disclosed." Ciel explained as she continued to give out the other cards, "There is a total of ten levels of clearance, and from what I do know Huntsmen and Huntresses in Atlas are normally only given a Level Six clearance. Team Beacon is special because it's comprised of a variety of members from various Kingdoms and organizations, so you can all consider yourself a multi-Kingdom strike force of sorts."

"I presume Sharp Strike's clearance is at Level Eight because he's a Remnant Knight?" Ruby guessed.

"Partially yes. And the fact that he's also an honored representative of the Knight Order as well." Ciel replied quietly, "Also, your personal clearance level is not based on how long you have been part of a team, but primarily on individual performance."

"So that means he can access information and places we can't?" Weiss mentioned.

"Yes, I can. But you can rest assured that I will be sure to inform you if anything I know of becomes relevant to any situation at hand, Miss Schnee." Sharp Strike said as he slipped his card into one of his waist pouches.

"So, what are your and Ross's clearance levels?" Ruby asked Ciel curiously.

"I believe Ross is a Level Seven, while I am a Level Six like you." Ciel answered with a straight face.

"Thanks, we'll be sure to keep them close." Sun told Ciel as he stuffed his card into his pocket.

"Yeah, we won't lose them since we're quite responsible…" Nora said as she jerked her hand up to emphasize her claim, only to drop her own I.D. card but quickly caught it. She let out a nervous giggle at her blunder and said, "See?"

Ciel raised her eyebrow before handing Penny's card to her, before dismissing Team Beacon to explore the facilities on board Hyperion One.

"What about N1CK3L? Does he get a card as well?" Penny inquired.

"As part of the Atlas military forces, my current identification is more than enough to grant me access to the rest of the ship. Since I will not be staying with your group for an extended period of time, an additional piece of identification would be unnecessary either way." N1CK3L stated calmly.

"So, what part of the military are you in?" Yang asked him as the some of the group began to leave the room after making sure they have securely kept their personal I.D. cards, presumably to explore other parts of the high-tech airship.

"Isn't it obvious? The emblem on his right shoulder-plate already gave it away." Weiss gestured with a pointing finger for the blonde brawler.

"Miss Schnee is correct. I have been assigned to Task Force Omega, an elite covert operations team made up of hand-picked members of the Atlesian military." N1CK3L nodded as he revealed to his temporary comrades, turning a little to display the emblem of the said team on his shoulder-plate.

"Aren't they those guys who helped us out at the White Fang base in Vacuo and totally kicked all kinds of butt a while back?" Nora asked with an impressed look on her beaming face.

"Yes, Miss Valkyrie. Although I have only been on one mission with them, I am a part of the task force." The male android said in agreement.

"Really? What kind of mission was it?" Jaune inquired while Team CFVY made their way down to the second level with Sage and Scarlet through the staircase behind the Command and Combat Information Center.

"While I cannot speak of specific details, I think I am allowed to tell you that my first mission with Task Force Omega was to secure a high-value target within a Red Fang cell that was operating deep within the Atlesian mountains." N1CK3L told them, "My orders given to the Task Force I was part of were to recover the said target and eliminate any hostiles in the immediate vicinity."

"The Red Fang," Blake repeated, the contempt in her voice obvious, "They're actually operating in Atlas?"

"Unbelievable." Weiss muttered darkly.

"Yes," N1CK3L confirmed with a nod, "However, their overall number of separate cells has decreased significantly thanks to the efforts of Task Force Omega and the other teams of Specialists, and we manage to capture most of the cell and eliminate those who were…uncooperative. Before I was temporarily reassigned to the Hyperion One, I had overheard reports that there are still some scattered cells hidden throughout the Kingdom, but they will be dealt with in time as we have quite a few of their cell leaders already in custody."

"Some of those punks just don't know when to quit." Sun commented.

"Even after so many of the White Fang turned against Adam, Razor gathering the broken cells and reforming it, the authorities of Menagerie declaring them a dangerous terrorist organization, and even though Adam's death, some Faunus are still so blinded by hatred that they refused to see the truth of what they're doing." Blake said in a voice that was both sad and angry.

"Hey, hey, it's not your fault." Yang said to her partner, wrapping her mechanical arm around her shoulder, "You did everything you could, and most of them saw how right you were and chose you over Adam."

"She's right." Sun chimed in, taking Blake's hand into his own and squeezing it comfortingly, "So they're stupid enough to refuse to admit that they're the bad guys. That's their mistake, not yours."

Blake looked up at her boyfriend and smiled, before giving one to her partner and secret girlfriend, "Thank you, both of you. I know it's not my fault they chose the wrong path, but I still hope they'll eventually see the error of their ways before it's too late. N1CK3L, do you know the names of any of the Red Fang members Task Force Omega took into custody?" She asked the android as they began descending the staircase back to the second level of the airship.

"There weren't many, but the leader of the Red Fang cell that the Task Force fought was a Vampire Bat Faunus by the name of Drago Sanguine. Perhaps you were acquainted with him?" N1CK3L related to the Cat Faunus.

Blake sighed, "I didn't know Drago very well since I only ever talked to him twice, but I saw him often enough and Adam would mention getting various reports from him. He was one of Adam's most fanatic followers, so I was a bit surprised he wasn't at the White Fang headquarters in Vacuo the night we defeated Adam, along with the others I noticed that were missing. I thought they had either been killed or captured before we defeated Adam."

"Well, Sanguine is in the custody of the Atlas military, and I was directly involved in his defeat and capture." N1CK3L continued speaking, "However, he's a bit… different from how you remember him."

"Different how? What do you mean by that?" Blake asked with a puzzled expression.

"I am afraid I am under orders not to disclose anything else, as those information pertaining to his incarceration and interrogation are classified. I should not have mentioned it." N1CK3L informed her.

"So, if you can't tell us how he has changed, can you at least tell us how you took him and his cronies down?" Neptune asked him while Coco approached the group after coming out of Team CFVY's cabin.

The masculine android nodded, "That is something I am allowed to speak about, if you would not mind hearing it."

"Hey, no prob, it'd nice to hear about someone else taking on the bad guys for once." Yang told him encouragingly with a smile on her face.

"Very well, while I obviously cannot mention anything classified, I can tell you the details of my first mission." The combat android agreed.

"Yeah, you can even tell us what you're capable of, since I got the feeling you might be a bit more deadly in combat than Penny is." Jaune remarked.

"Possibly so, but both Penny and I are unique in different ways." N1CK3L said while Penny moved over to Ruby.

"Uh, friend Ruby? Can we have a word… in private?" Penny asked her, "I hope I'm not disturbing any of you, but I have something I need to ask Ruby about."

"No problem, we'll be speaking with your 'little brother' for a while." Yang quipped while Jaune nodded in agreement, and Penny gave them a thumbs-up.

"So what's up Penny?" Ruby asked as she moved over with Penny to Team RWBY's cabin, shutting the door behind them while the rest stayed behind to talk to N1CK3L as they made their way to the common lounge and kitchen area.

The green-eyed female android looked into the silver eyes of her best friend and asked, "How does one be a good sibling?"

The young Huntress was stumped at first, but quickly realized just how weird the whole N1CK3L situation must be for Penny, to discover she had a sibling out of seemingly nowhere. "Well…" She began, "It's not really a matter of what to do and what not to do… okay it kind of is, but there's not exactly a handbook on how to be a good sister or brother."

"Maybe there is one, should we use our scrolls to look for something online?" Penny asked.

Ruby chuckled and said, "Let's just forget that for now." She sat on Weiss's bunk and invited Penny to sit next to her, "I guess this must be really weird for you, just having a brother out of nowhere without any warning. It's one doozy of a surprise huh?"

"Oh yes, and a most pleasant one. But I have to admit I never saw it coming and I don't know the proper sibling interaction protocols. Since you have Yang, perhaps you could give me some pointers?" Penny asked her.

"Well Jaune, Weiss and Sun all have elder sisters, so you could've asked any one of them for help, but it's really nice that you wanted to ask me. And to be honest, being a sister is a… well, it's something you'd have to experience for yourself really." Ruby confessed to the young-looking female android, "No two pairs are exactly alike, so the bonds between siblings are always different."

"I understand, but I do not want to have a negative relationship with N1CK3L. I want to have a bond like you have with Yang or Weiss does with Specialist Schnee. What is it like, Ruby?" Penny queried.

Ruby sighed and thought for a few moments, tapping a finger on her chin as she sought to find the proper words to express the relationship between her and Yang, "Being a sister is… well I don't really think there is a word for it. Yang is and always was there for me, as far as I can remember. We would play all kinds of games together, get into trouble together back at Signal Academy, gang up on Mom, Dad, and Uncle Qrow together to play tricks on them. Whenever I'd get hurt, she would always do something to help like run to get mom or dad, or carry me home, and sometimes I would do the same for her, though it was harder for me to carry her since she's the bigger one. We've still had our fights at times though, I mean, fighting is literally unavoidable for any siblings."

"So, what were your fights like?" Penny inquired, her green eyes narrowing a bit.

"Well, we didn't really fight that much except over cookies and snacks, but as we got older Yang wanted to be on her own a bit more. She'd yell at me for going into her room or using her stuff without asking or drinking the last can of soda," Ruby let out a laugh at that, "Puberty hit her way harder than it hit me, so she was bit... tricky for me and dad to deal with. I swear, she'd get mad over the dumbest stuff like me using some of her shampoo even if it was the tiniest amount of shampoo ever used in the history of Patch Island. Sometimes she would take my ammo without asking and sometimes when we were training together we'd fight rough whenever she used a little too much tough love to make me fight harder, but she would always apologize afterwards and tell me she was only training me at least hold my own in a fight."

Penny looked thoughtful at what Ruby had just spoken to her about, and the younger sibling of Yang continued, "You might want to ask Jaune, since with seven sisters it sounds like he'd have way more experience with sister fights. But the most important thing is that no matter how much you fight since once it's over and done with, you still love your sister or brother when all is said and done. You say sorry and forgive each other, or stay mad until you eventually get over it and life goes back to normal, bit honestly I'm really happy to have Yang as my sister and I love her very much."

"So, the bonds of siblings are mostly about unconditional love?" Penny said, "No matter what happens?"

"Pretty much. Like I said, Yang was always there for me, especially if Dad and Uncle Qrow weren't around after… well, after Mom died." Ruby said, a smidge of sadness coloring her last few words.

"That's something else that interests me. You and Yang come from different mothers, but the same father. Did that ever affect your relationship as sisters?" Penny gestured with her fingers.

Ruby shrugged, "Not really. I didn't understand that we were only half-sisters until I was like six years old, but it never really mattered to me. I had known Yang my entire life, and as far as we were concerned we were sisters, same moms or not."

Penny nodded as she acknowledged what Ruby meant, "So the bonds of siblinghood run deeper than I thought."

"Yeah, sibling bonds are pretty deep and tight. Usually. I mean, there are some people out there who never get along with their brothers and sisters, and hate them, even refusing to ever speak with them. And there are those who… kill their siblings, like what happened to Ashe and Cinder." Ruby looked away for a few moments, "Although I'm pretty sure that'll never happen to you and N1CK3L, Penny. So, let's avoid anything like that."

"Agreed, I would not want to have any negative effects in my sibling relationship with N1CK3L." Penny nodded in agreement.

"The bottom line is; I really don't know what to tell you," Ruby confessed to her friend, "Meeting a brother that you never knew one day is just…hard to deal with, but you're doing pretty good so far."

The android girl smiled at the compliment before Ruby went on, "Just be good to him, and make it clear that you're not just his sister, you're his friend. N1CK3L comes off as kinda awkward, perhaps as awkward as you were when we first met, so I think he could use a friend, especially someone who understands him."

"And given our shared robotic nature, I can understand him." Penny surmised thoughtfully.

"That's what I think." Ruby voiced kindly, "Listen, I think he wants to have you as a sister, he seemed genuinely happy to meet you. I remembered you telling me that you were pretty lonely and almost friendless before you met me, so maybe N1CK3L feels the same way."

"You're right Ruby! I suppose the different circumstances of our creations and our overall differences don't matter in the end, but what does matter is that we form a bond together. A bond as strong as any normal brother and sister!" The android girl declared as she suddenly stood up, a beaming smile on her face.

"That's the spirit!" Ruby cheered Penny on, patting her on the back before the robotic girl pivoted around and hugged Ruby, who was strong enough to endure the vice-like affectionate hugs by now.

"Thank you so much, Ruby!" Penny said gratefully.

"No problem, Pen. Now let's get out of here and join the others." Ruby told her before being released from the crushing hug and leading the female android out of Team RWBY's cabin, happy that she could help her friend in any way she could.

They both walked into the common lounge area, where they saw N1CK3L sitting on one of the sofas around the marble and glass table, deep in conversation with Jaune, Pyrrha, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Nora, Ren, Sun, Neptune and Coco.

"So, what were you two talking about?" Pyrrha asked the newly-arrived duo as they rejoined the group.

"Oh, just some stuff about life." Ruby answered simply, earning a wry look from her elder sister.

"So, you mind telling us more about your encounter with the Red Fang?" Nora asked N1CK3L, clearly interested in knowing more about the dangerous offshoot of the White Fang and not noticing Blake's brief discomfort of hearing about them.

"As I said, not at all. Perhaps I can tell you all during dinner to give myself something to do while you all are eating." N1CK3L replied.

"Speaking of which, it's approaching dinner time so I better get started. I'll see what they have in the kitchen's larders." Ren mentioned before making his way to the front of the commons lounge where the kitchenette was located.

"Sounds like a plan. So in the meantime, which two girls want to be the first ones to test out the showers in the women's bathroom? Fox and Yatsuhashi just went into the men's, so we might as well find out what the showering facilities for the girls are like." Coco suggested.

"Oh, me and Blakey!" Yang volunteered, using her robotic hand to grab Blake's left hand and jerk it upwards. "After such an eventful day like today, a new, high-tech hot shower is just the thing to begin the relaxation. Right Kitty-Cat?"

Blake shared a knowing look with the yellow-haired girl as she let out a smile and said, "Well, that couldn't hurt, that is if the rest of you don't mind us going first?"

"No problem. Besides, me and Velvet are about to head up to the armory and see what it's packing. Anyone else up for that?" The fashionista asked them.

"Ooh! I want to go! I can't wait to see what we have!" Ruby said right away, silver eyes sparkling.

"Oh heck yeah! Let's see what kinds of pain we can lay down on our enemies." Nora agreed as she pumped a fist in the air.

"Yes, N1CK3L mentioned that this vessel is carrying many impressive weapons." Penny chimed in.

"Quite so. I could assist in showing you around." N1CK3L agreed.

"That would be a wonderful bonding opportunity!" Penny cheered, grabbing her brother's gauntleted hand tightly.

"I might as well join you, just to make sure the three redheads here don't accidentally blow us up." Weiss remarked dryly.

Ruby and Nora laughed while Coco chuckled lightly and said, "Okay, we'll be happy to have you with us."

Just then the leader of Team RWBY noticed a certain armored figure was missing, and so she questioned, "Where's Sharp Strike?"

"He went up to his cabin, probably getting his stuff set up I guess." Jaune answered, "He said something about having a package for me and Pyrrha from the Remnant Knights, and requested to meet us later. He didn't say what exactly, but if it concerns both of us it must be important."

"Speaking of setting stuff up, we should be doing the same huh, Neptune?" Sun asked his partner, who nodded in agreement.

"Well, in that case… let's all get moving and check this place out some more, shall we?" Coco clapped her hands and stood up.

Jaune and Pyrrha went back to their room to make sure the Aura Crystal was secure just to be on the safe side, while Ruby, Weiss, Nora, Penny, Coco and N1CK3L (who was still attached to Penny by the way of her hand) all went to the third level to meet up with Velvet at the armory. Sun and Neptune both went to help the rest of their team and themselves settle in their respective cabin, whereas Blake and Yang headed into the women's bathroom to test the showers.

Blake glanced back at her boyfriend and subtly blew him a kiss, while Yang shot a flirty wink his way. Sun, despite himself, stared a little dumbly at where they were as they closed the sliding door to the women's bathroom. Coco smirked at the somewhat goofy grin on his face and nudged him in the ribs.

"You are one lucky Faunus, you know that?" She told him quietly.

Sun sighed, remembering that Coco and Neptune were privy to the three-way relationship he had with Blake and Yang, "I know I am, and I'm not going to waste that luck."

"So, when are you going to break the news to everyone else?" She inquired, placing her gloved hands on her hips.

"No gossip?" He asked skeptically. Coco made a 'zip' gesture across her lips and Sun nodded, "We don't know. I guess we'll do it when we figure out a way that won't end with everyone in Beacon finding out or with me dead at the hands of Qrow, Taiyang, and Ghira."

"Well, I hope your luck keeps up, Sun." She told him encouragingly before she went on to catch up with the others heading for the armory.

"Yeah…" Sun whispered as he looked down at his artificial tail, "I do so too."

---

The showers of the men's bathroom were already pouring their streams of water onto the bare, waiting bodies of Yatsuhashi and Fox, who both allowed the relaxing warm water to cascade upon them.

Yatsuhashi let out a low grunt as the water streams poured down his muscular back, as he massaged shampoo onto his scalp and shaved-short black hair, fresh from the bottles offered by the racks hanging on the wall. His broad, chiseled chest had a slick sheen from the running water which was especially highlighted by the room's lights, and it was also marred by a scant few scars and cuts from old training sessions back at his family's dojo.

Across from him, Fox let the warm water cover his tanned and scarred skin, washing off the dirt and dead skin cells in the process, not to mention also soothing the old scars on his body as he washed his burnt orange hair. Fox's body was not as statuesque as his teammate's but it was nothing to sneeze at since he was also well-built with a decent set of abdominals and pectorals, and nicely-muscled arms and legs that displayed his punctual dedication to training.

Fox kept his white eyes closed as he kept washing his hair, but his face turned into one of deep thought for several seconds before he spoke just loud enough for Yatsuhashi to hear him over the sound of running water.

"Hey, Yatsu?"

Yatsuhashi opened one eye as he looked towards the naked back of his smaller teammate, "Yes?"

"What do you think about that prophecy Jaune and Pyrrha told us about?" Fox inquired, "The one about the ancient stories that our friends are apparently similar to?"

Yatsuhashi let out a small sigh and closed his eyes again before speaking again, "To be quite honest, I have no idea what to make of it, nor the fact that we are apparently the only members of Team Beacon not to be based on any of those forgotten tales."

"Yeah, that's what has been bugging me; why us? Why aren't we based on or incarnated or whatever from one of those stories?" Fox wondered aloud.

As Yatsuhashi spread body-wash over his broad chest, under his armpits, and across his arms he shook his head and replied, "It is indeed curious, I admit. Perhaps we are, but on stories obscure enough to escape the knowledge of the spirit fragments residing within the crystal."

"Oh man, it's freaking crazy to imagine how deep the history of this planet is." Fox mused.

"And how vast, an unfathomable amount of people, stories, cultures, ideals, technologies and lands. And one cannot help but wonder how much of it died off during The Great Shattering which devastated this world and nearly put an end to what was left." Yatsuhashi pointed out.

Fox shuddered at those words, despite his brooding exterior he was the type who would do his best to avoid thinking about death on a massive scale, and something like the cataclysmic event that broke the moon wasn't a topic he was comfortable with, so he quickly got back on topic.

"But that still makes me wonder, why do we seem to be the outliers? Are we variables unaccounted for within some kind of equation or are we here by mistake? Maybe there were others better suited to be with Coco and Velvet." Fox worded a little musingly.

"No." Yatsuhashi answered firmly as he stopped cleaning himself, making Fox turn around to face him, "Regardless of whatever fate awaits us in the end, it isn't wrong that we're here with them. We met and worked together during the initiation, together we became a team, and I am sure that there is a very good reason for that. Perhaps we're here for a reason, or we're the unaccounted for 'variables' as you put it, that will tip the balance in favor of our side in this conflict. Whatever happens in the end, we will be there to fight alongside our friends, especially Coco and Velvet."

Fox allowed himself a smile at his tall teammate and said, "Thanks, I guess that's something I needed to hear after the crazy stuff we've found out today. Still… do you think that prophecy is legit? I mean, it almost sounds too weird to be real."

"Well, I don't think Jaune and Pyrrha would make it up or lie about it. From what I could see from their mannerisms they were obviously trying to break it to us in the best possible way." Yatsuhashi stated.

Fox nodded at that, "Yeah, I trust them. I mean, Jaune used to be a major newbie when he first came into Beacon, and can still kinda be one sometimes, but I also don't think they're making this up to mess with us. But what about that artifact crystal they are carrying around with them?"

Yatsuhashi considered this idea and responded carefully, "We don't know enough about that relic to know if the spirit fragments within would lie for whatever reason. However, nothing is impossible at this point."

Fox nodded again as he reached around to rub his back, his hands going as low as his 'nice butt', as Coco was so fond of calling it. He stretched his body upwards and outwards a bit amidst the warm sprays, groaning a little as he worked the kinks out of his muscles. "Nope," He worded with a grunt, "Nothing's impossible, and so we'll have to try to be ready for everything. Perhaps we should even expect the unexpected seeing whoever and whatever we could possibly be facing up against in Vacuo should the worst happen."

"A momentous task," Yatsuhashi agreed before adding, "But whatever the case, I think that in the end we will still prove ourselves just as worthy as the rest of our friends. Based on stories or not."

Fox smirked and met the brown-eyed samurai's eyes, "Couldn't have said it better myself, Daichi."

Yatsuhashi nodded at his orange-haired teammate, a small smile of his own, before they both returned back to cleaning their bodies.

---

Directly across from them inside of the women's bathroom, Blake, clad only in her underwear stood in front of the mirror above the sinks, twisting her body around to stretch out her muscles. However, as she turned back to face the mirror, the sight of the faded scar where Adam had stabbed her during the Fall of Beacon caught her attention again, and the thoughts within her mind returned to this 'Red Fang' group she had heard about. She let out a small sigh before Yang called over to her.

"Let me guess; thinking about the Red Fang?" The blonde brawler said, her body hidden by the locker door as she placed her neatly-folded clothes and prepared to disengage her own robotic arm.

"Yes," Blake confirmed with a nod, "I can't believe there are still some Faunus who still believe in Adam's insane cause, especially after the truth about him came to light. How deeply indoctrinated are they?"

"Considering how Adam's White Fang imploded upon itself with help from Razor's group, probably damn stubborn, even by my standards. Or they're just too stupid to realize how far Adam had fallen and who they were throwing their support behind. Probably the latter if you ask me." Yang stated frankly.

Blake sighed and placed a hand on her thigh, rubbing it as though to soothe a pain. She shuddered a little, and remembered her intimate moments with Adam… moments that should have been tender, but were harsh instead. She recalled how rough he had been with her, how hard he had squeezed her body and how he would slap her when they disagreed over things. No matter how much she had tried to counsel him to let go of his hate for humans, he never relented and repeatedly told her that Faunus everywhere were suffering under the harsh treatment meted out by them. While the deep cut which he had inflicted on her during one of their intense sparring sessions had gradually healed over time, she still felt the phantom aches of pain from that time he cut her physically, and she had caught a glimpse of the spiteful beast that dwelled within him.

She had tried to soothe his soul with love and affection, but he only responded with harshness. She remembered how he had the skin of her thigh in a vice grip, squeezing his fingernails in hard enough to draw blood. She would cry and beg him to be gentle, but he never relented. Blake didn't want to remember any of those times, since after she had thought back about them it only brought more pain to her heart.

"Are you all right?" Yang asked, worry clear on her face.

Blake nodded numbly, saying, "I… I was thinking about him. About Adam."

"And how he abused you?" Yang mentioned bluntly. In the blonde's mind, Adam's relationship with Blake was obviously abusive and their so called 'intimacy' might as well have been rape, despite the Cat Faunus' reluctance to call it that, because despite the abusiveness of their relationship, she had still consented. There were times Yang wondered how in the world Blake was able to put up with him, doing all those terrible things he ordered her to, the roughness he called love… Maybe she had been afraid to say no.

"Y-Yes," Blake confessed, wincing visibly as she recalled the first time Adam had hit her; she was fifteen at that time and had refused to execute a human guard at a Dust storage facility the White Fang were ransacking. When they returned to the base Adam had backhanded her hard enough to send her face-first into a wall, drawing blood from her nose. Blake remembered Tukson had got into a heated argument with Adam after seeing Blake receiving medical attention and learning that he had struck her, and the two of them very nearly got into blows with each other if not for their respective supporters holding them back. Blake had kept the truth about Adam's abuse from Aunt Kali and Uncle Ghira until after she ran from him. It had taken every bit of reasoning from herself, Aunt Kali, and the other elders in Menagerie to keep Ghira from hunting down Adam like a lion would an antelope.

"I wish I had cut off his dick and balls along with his arm." Yang stated vindictively, a sentiment Uncle Ghira had shared, their mutual hate of Adam was part of the reason Yang and Blake's family got along so well.

"I still remember him, but I want to remember the Adam I once loved, the Faunus who initially fought for what's right before things went so horribly wrong. Remember him as a sad, traumatized boy who had suffered and lost so much." The Cat Faunus said softly as shook her head, absently rubbing the spot on her midriff where Adam had stabbed her with Wilt. She shut her amber eyes before she felt a comforting pair of arms, one made of pale white skin and strong muscles while the other completely mechanical and robotic, wrap around her lithely-muscled body.

"It's okay, Blake. He's gone now. He'll never hurt you again, and we'll all do our best to make sure the memories of him won't hurt you either." Yang promised in a loving voice.

Blake smiled at that, knowing that Yang was right. She leaned into her partner, only to realize the blonde fighter was naked. Yang smirked before she gently turned the black ninja cat around so she could see her nude body, "Like what you see?"

The Cat Faunus blushed furiously as her amber eyes took in the glorious sight of Yang's naked form; the blonde's face along with the caring look in her lilac eyes was as gorgeous as ever, and the loving expression on her face did honestly made Blake feel safe. The bright blonde hair Yang was so proud of hung down to her lower back, beautifully perfect as always. Naturally, Yang's large double D-cup breasts were the attention-grabbers wherever she goes and while they were a little larger than Pyrrha's they were just as magnificent; big and perky with cute pink nipples. Blake felt both her feline, and sexual instincts, quietly urging her to reach out and touch them or perhaps even play with them like toys. Beneath those heavenly mounds her tight belly was highlighted by a ripped six-pack, with curved hips to die for, a shaved mound above her womanhood, and a pair of wonderfully long muscled legs that displayed both power and beauty despite the small little scratches from training sessions and battles long past.

Yang's smirk grew as she walked forward towards her partner, flicking her treasured yellow hair a bit, "I'll take the lovestruck look of awe as one big yes." She commented and chuckled a bit.

"We… we should get the shower going… so no one can hear." Blake suggested nervously. She, Yang and Sun had been somewhat intimate in the past six months, but it had mostly consisted of makeout sessions, intimate touches, shared kisses, and glimpses of each other's bodies (though in Sun's case they got a good enough view of his muscular torso on a daily basis), but she hadn't seen her partner naked before now.

It was well worth the wait, but now she needed to return the favor…

Yang nodded and moved to turn on the showers, giving a noticeable sway to her hips as she walked over to and opened the door, allowing the black-haired Cat Faunus get a generous view of her exposed rear swaying a little seductively as she walked around to activate the rest of the showerheads which began to pour streams of room-temperature water.

Blake, despite herself, would have licked her lips at the rather sensual sight, but something else was plaguing her mind at the moment.

"Yang?" She asked a little timidly.

"Yeah, Blakey?" Yang asked as she walked out of the shower, making her breasts bounce a bit.

"What did you think of that prophecy Jaune and Pyrrha told us about? The one about the ancient stories?" The Cat Faunus asked.

"Huh, I don't really know. I mean, aside from my golden locks, I might not actually have that much in common with this Goldilocks girl." Yang said, since they weren't exactly given many details about their respective fables.

"Well, that's you… but the tale of 'Beauty and the Beast' that Adam and I supposedly represent…well, it's a bit disturbing now that I think about it." Blake confessed as she thought about the details Jaune and Pyrrha had given her at the meeting with Ozpin. She felt a small chill run up her spine, and her arms curled around her shoulders by reflex.

"Okay, I gotta admit…that's something that bothered and weirded me out too; a love for reading, involvement in a romantic relationship with a horned beast with anger issues, beauty that caught the beast's eye… yeah that definitely brings you to mind." Yang agreed as she began to detach her robotic arm from her limb, which she did everytime she washed herself so it wouldn't get rusty from the moisture.

"If there's any truth to this prophecy… what if I accidentally disrupted it?" Blake asked, her amber eyes widening a little.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Yang asked, looking away from her robotic arm as she fixed her gaze on Blake.

"If Adam was the beast from the story, what if he wasn't meant to die? What if I failed at some sort of test? From what Jaune and Pyrrha said, the girl in the fairy tale grew to love the beast, helped him regain his humanity, showed him the goodness in the world outside his castle and the power of love and kindness. What if I wasn't supposed to kill Adam? Should I have tried harder to change him? To make him see the light?" Blake spoke quickly, a series of unnerving questions about fate coursing through her mind spilling from her lips, "Yang, what if I failed?"

"Blake, you didn't fail." Yang told her as she placed her robotic arm inside of the locker, making sure the port above her elbow was sealed tight before walking over to join Blake, "You did your best to stop Adam, to make him understand that his hate was consuming him and his actions were wrong. I know what happened to him, and yeah I feel sorry for everything he suffered through; slavery, abuse, losing the people he loved… it was wrong, and I know I would probably turn out to be a monster as well if something like that happened to me, but it doesn't excuse the evil and hurtful things he did. There were other, better ways to get justice, but Adam chose to kill both humans and Faunus in his single-minded purpose to get revenge, and it was clear that he was totally blinded by hate."

Her lilac eyes looked directly at Blake's amber ones as she added, "Whatever that beast in the story was going through, I doubt he's as messed up as Adam Taurus."

Blake nodded, but went on speaking, "But should I have tried harder? Should I have spared him at the end? Was I wrong to kill him?"

Yang sighed and said, "I… I really don't know. I mean, I think he had it coming after every atrocity he committed, the lives he took, cutting off my right arm and Sun's tail, and how he abused you. I believe in you Blake, but I don't think that anyone could have made Adam understand how far he had fallen, no matter how hard they tried. Maybe he already played his part in this prophecy, we can't be sure though. Hell, we don't even know if this prophecy is bogus or not. But…" Yang walked right up to Blake, placed her left hand under Blake's chin and brought it up so that they could look each other in the eyes, "You shouldn't feel ashamed that you stopped Adam for good. You saved a lot of innocent people that night, and put an end to his evil… and his suffering."

Blake's amber eyes welled with tears as she saw the concern, love, and kindness in her partner's lilac eyes, and she didn't move away as Yang brought her head down so their foreheads would meet, while Yang's left hand moved to gently cup Blake's cheek and wipe away the first tear that streamed down, "It's okay… it's okay. I understand your pain, Blake…" She gently held her partner as Blake gently sobbed a bit as the Cat Faunus buried her head on Yang's strong shoulder.

After a few minutes, Blake managed a smile and replied, "Thank… thank you, Yang. I'm so happy I have you in my life."

"I'm glad to be here, Kitty Cat. And I always will be here for you, to help you, listen to you and protect you." Yang promised before planting a chaste kiss on her lover's forehead, "Trust me, I might have only one arm at the moment, but I'm still just as beautiful and deadly with one fist."

Blake smiled and shook her head, watching as Yang flexed her left arm to show off the rather impressive bicep swelling there for emphasis to her words, "Now, how about we get that shower we talked about going and stop wasting water? We don't want the others to get suspicious, right?" Yang suggested.

"We can just tell them you were tending to your hair as always." Blake deadpanned, "Now turn around so I can get my underwear off."

Yang would have asked why, given she was shamelessly nude at the moment so Blake had no reason to be bashful, but nevertheless nodded and turned around.

A few seconds later, she heard Blake speaking again, "Okay, you can look."

Yang turned around and took in the breathtaking beauty of a naked Blake Belladonna. Blake's face was adorned with a blush, with her cat ears sticking out from her head of pitch black hair, and twitched in such a way that Yang found absolutely adorable. Her breasts were perky C-cups, and the Cat Faunus was resisting the urge to cover them with her arms. Her mid-section displayed her smooth belly, and aside from the old scar it was wonderful with faint traces of her abdominals that hinted at Blake's own strength. Her creamy white legs were those of a sprinter and jumper, one that could outrun and outjump most people they knew, and between her legs was a delicately shaven mound above her maidenhead.

"So…what do you…? Hm?!" Blake began, only for her yellow-haired partner to walk forward and capture her in a passionate kiss which caught the Cat Faunus off guard. Her amber eyes were wide for a second, before they began to close.

Blake didn't resist and melted into the kiss as she returned the intimate gesture, standing on her tiptoes to be even with her partner. She also wrapped her arms around Yang's strong shoulders which met at her muscly back while Yang curled her single arm around the small of her secret-girlfriend's back as well. Their naked bodies pressed up against one another, causing their breasts to rub together and creating a very pleasurable sensation for the both of them.

Yang let out a soft moan of pleasure as she tightened her single grip around Blake and then hoisted her off the ground, spinning around and getting them closer to the running shower.

Blake's eyes widened at the wild, physical display of joy from her partner with only one arm. She broke her mouth away from Yang's with a gasp, breathing in deeply to collect some air and quipped, "Whoa, let's not get carried away."

"Too late." Yang answered with a smirk as she reached around and gave Blake's butt a gentle squeeze, getting a contented purr from the Cat Faunus that the blonde bombshell found cute, "Now let's get cleaned up and dirty at the same time."

Blake found herself smiling, and still blushing as she walked into the sprinkling showers, allowing Yang to get a good look at her butt.

Needless to say, Yang clearly whistled and complemented, "Hot damn. Now that is one fine booty."

Blake's blush deepened as water began to pour upon her naked form. "Well…" She managed to say while extending out one hand gesturing towards herself with it, "If you like it so much, come and get it."

Yang smirked as she walked inside of the shower area, shutting the door closed before taking hold of Blake and then gently directing her over to the wall, where she knelt down and planted several kisses over Blake's legs before daringly planting a loving kiss onto Blake's belly, causing the raven-haired girl to purr a little loudly.

"Oh, Yang…" Blake managed to say as she watched the blonde hold onto her hips and turned her body around to get a better look at her ass, which she admired as if it were a priceless work of art before she planted a kiss on both buttocks and her lower back and then guided the Cat Faunus around again to kiss the scar on her midriff. Yang's partner bit her lower lip as she held onto the blonde brawler's shoulders, watching as she gently moved up to kiss her nipples, followed by her neck, and then standing up fully to kiss her fully on the lips.

"I…I feel bad that Sun can't be here." Blake managed to say as she placed a hand on Yang's cheek, looking lovingly into her partner's lilac eyes as the streams of water matted their hair and naked bodies.

"Don't worry, we'll make it up to him later, make him feel like a real Monkey King. Right now, you need to be taken care of, and I intend to make you feel like the most pampered kitten in the world." Yang told her before standing tall, before reaching down and hefting her breasts and winking at her partner, "Just so you know, I don't really mind if you really want to squeeze or nibble on them. You wanna suck? I might not have milk, but it'll still be a treat for the both of us."

Blake laughed, earning a smile from Yang who was relieved she was able to cheer her partner up. She allowed her breasts to drop and jiggle a bit, as she leaned in and began to pepper Blake's neck with loving kisses again.

Blake found herself smiling as she reached over to a rack and grabbed a bottle of Yang's personal shampoo that she had put there after takeoff. She poured the yellowish-orange liquid onto Yang's head, but the blonde fighter drew back.

"What's wrong?" Blake asked.

Yang looked at Blake with a serious look and said, "You know me, Blake. You know my hair is really important to me, it's part of who I am… and I only let people I really love and trust to help wash it." The elder sister of Ruby briefly remembered the times when she was a baby, and her Dad would wash her hair in the sink of their kitchen or when she would take soapy baths with Summer, or when she was older and Ruby helped her do it, "I will let you wash my hair, but you have to know just how much it means to me. It's… it's a pretty major way of telling you that I trust the love you have for me completely."

Blake smiled and leaned in to kiss her partner passionately again, saying, "I suppose this would be a good enough way to show you how much I genuinely love you. So I would be honored if you let me do this."

Yang gave her a loving smile and said, "Then wash away, Kitty Cat."

---

Jaune and Pyrrha made their way to the crew and guest cabins and quickly reached the door of Sharp Strike's cabin. Since all the cabin rooms looked almost identical to each other, the only way they know of it was his cabin was that there was a small electronic panel displaying the occupant's name beside the doors' locking mechanism.

The leader of Team JNPR knocked a couple of times and Sharp Strike's voice came; "Please come in, the door's unlocked anyway."

Pyrrha pressed the panel on the adjacent wall and the doors to the guest cabin slid open smoothly, admitting them into the Knight's personal quarters. Even as the doors slid shut behind them, the couple looked around to take in what the knight representative's assigned cabin.

It wasn't much different from the four main cabins the various members of Team Beacon were in, with a medium-sized bunk bed lining one wall with a sizable locker beside it. A square table with three chairs occupied the opposite wall with an armored window which showed the white clouds and forceful winds rushing by outside due to the prestigious speed the Hyperion One was traveling at, while also allowing some sunlight to seep in as well. The room was brightly lit by the lights set into the ceiling, and everything within the guest cabin looked clean and pristine which was as it should be when adhering to the quality standards of Atlas.

Sharp Strike looked up from where he had been sitting in the chair directly opposite them at the table, still clad in his archetypal silver-blue plated Aegis armor, and it seemed that he was in the midst of finishing up on his writings on the pages of a thick leather-bound book with what looked like a quill-pen in the gauntlet-less fingers of his right hand. His customized scroll, which sported the same colors as the plates of his armor, was plugged into the charging port on the surface of the table, while a small stationery set containing essential writing materials was placed before him. The Remnant Knight had detached his midnight-blue cloak from his armor, and it was neatly folded on the white blankets of the bunk bed, its metal clasps placed in an unerring straight line. Jaune observed that Sharp Strike's twin sheathed swords were placed upon a simple weapon rack that hung above the storage locker which presumably contained the knight representative's personal belongings, while the third red and gold-colored relic sword remained belted to his waist, along with the custom-made revolver which occupied the holster on his right thigh.

They also noticed that although Sharp Strike was still wearing his helmet, he had apparently removed the visor section which laid on the table beside his stationery set. Deep blue eyes with a hint of vermillion red around the irises gazed at them both calmly for a few moments even as the armored knight put down his quill-pen and nodded his head slightly as he stood up in polite greeting.

"Jaune Arc. Pyrrha Nikos." Sharp Strike gestured to the two empty seats opposite him, "Please take a seat."

"You…you have beautiful eyes, Sharp Strike." Pyrrha felt herself say, and Jaune nodded in agreement as they both sat down. "Uh, not that yours aren't wonderful, Jaune."

Jaune smiled, he knew that it would take more than pretty eyes for Pyrrha to love someone as much as she loved him and said reassuringly "It's okay, Pyr."

"Thank you, Pyrrha." The knight replied, "You aren't the first person to comment on my eyes, nor will you be the last."

Jaune let his own eyes travel down to the open pages of Sharp Strike's personal book and noticed that whatever the knight representative had been writing within it wasn't in any language he was aware of; some kind of complicated-looking language code that was displayed in well-ordered and evenly-spaced horizontal lines which presumably only other Remnant Knights could decipher or read.

"We hope we aren't interrupting whatever you're doing, Sharp Strike." Jaune said.

"Not at all, I'm just finishing up on my personal writings." The knight reached out to put in a blue book marker at the latest page of his book before closing the cover and clipping its brown leather strap into place. He then nudged it gently aside to the space where his charging scroll was.

"So, what are you writing about?" Pyrrha asked curiously.

"Just some of my personal observations and thoughts about current… happenings." Sharp Strike replied cryptically, "I like to record them down so that those first-hand experiences can serve as careful reminders of what I've been through."

"I didn't know you have an interest in writing." The female spartan spoke again, "But I do remember you telling Ruby that you have an interest in collecting small mementos from your missions to remind yourself of them. I take it you read as well?"

"I do and yes." The silver-blue knight gave a quiet chuckle, "I enjoy reading extensively on a wide variety of topics. Ancient history, literature and poetry are especially among my preferences. After all, reading mission data, tactical updates, and combat information gets boring after a while."

"Well, I'm sure you will find lots of common ground with Velvet and Blake." Pyrrha mentioned, smiling a little at Sharp Strike, "They both read a lot as well, and Blake in particular has a love for fiction, especially the 'Ninjas of Love' series."

"To each their own interests, I'm sure." The knight nodded, "I, on the other hand, find my interests in ancient mythologies and legends, as well as the various historical periods. I also enjoy some contemporary fiction at times as well."

"Eh, I'm not exactly great when it comes to history," Jaune confessed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "I struggle during history class, it's thanks to Pyrrha and the others that I can get passing grades."

"And I can attest to that personally." Pyrrha replied with a good-humored giggle, "But Jaune has improved quite a bit from where he first started out."

The blond knight nodded in gratitude before deciding to change the subject, and gestured towards the Sharp Strike's leather-bound book, "So I guess the book you were just writing in is like a journal?" His blue eyes also noticed that there was an intricate design inscribed into the material of the book's brown-leather cover, which shimmered with a gleaming silvery glow when the cabin's ceiling lights fell on its surface and forming some sort of personal emblem that resembled a winged, scaled mythical creature.

"Something like that," Sharp Strike answered as he reached for his helmet's visor component on the table and replaced it back above the lower part of his face-plate, his mesmerizing ocean blue eyes vanishing behind lenses once more.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question that's kind of been bugging me, Sharp Strike?" Jaune inquired softly.

The Remnant Knight nodded, "I will answer if I can."

"Do you ever remove your armor suit?" He asked, "Or even your helmet?"

"Why should I?" The knight turned his helmet to face the Arc, "My Aegis armor is actually more comfortable than it looks, and it honestly feels like a second skin to me because I have gotten used to it after wearing it for so long. Besides, it wouldn't be practical to remove my armor when we would probably be reaching Vacuo in a number of hours anyway."

Seeing both Jaune and Pyrrha accept his answer with a nod, Sharp Strike continued, "And to answer your second question, we Knights are forbidden by ancient laws laid down within the Order to remove our helmets to those not of our organization in order to protect our identities from those who have yet to earn our trust." He paused for a moment and then added, "While I do respect the rest of my teammates in Team Beacon, I hope you understand my reasons for keeping my face hidden for the time being."

"I see, another one of the Order's ancient rules huh?" Jaune quipped while Pyrrha gave her acknowledgement with a nod.

Sharp Strike merely dipped his helmet a little as he locked the gauntlet back into his right hand with a few sharp clicking sounds and added, "Though for your information, I do spend quite a bit of time outside of my armor back at Tintagel when I'm not assigned on any mission or tasks of importance."

Seeing the blond knight and the female spartan's faces in front of him shift into that of understanding as he answered their question, Sharp Strike privately smirked a little behind his faceplate.

"So, what's the thing that you wish to give us?" Pyrrha asked politely.

"I was getting to that." Sharp Strike gestured for them to wait, his intricately-crafted helmet gazing at present Guardians of the sacred artifact

"Does it have something to do the Aura Crystal?" Jaune guessed quietly.

"Yes, it does. I have been entrusted something by Soul Seer, that is to be passed to the current Guardians of the Aura Crystal." Sharp Strike said simply.

"May I ask what it is then?" Pyrrha asked cautiously.

They watched as Sharp Strike stood up and walked over to his locker, where he inputted a complicated code to unlock it. Once it was opened he retrieved a thick and heavy tome from inside, before returning to them and placing it gently on the smooth surface of the table. Jaune and Pyrrha leaned in to see what Sharp Strike had placed in front of them, discerning the stunningly-detailed russet-colored cover and the brown oaken binding that formed the spine of the aforementioned tome. The stack of pages held between the front and back cover were of a pale shimmering silver, while long cursive lines also of silver formed a series of complex and ancient hieroglyphics decorating the front cover which seemingly glowed a little when strays of orange sunlight fell upon it from the transparent armored window.

"Something about those symbols on the cover look… familiar…" Jaune squinted at the tome's cover as his lips pressed together and brows furrowed, musing to himself.

"Wait, didn't we see similar symbols in those books that Ashe has left for us?" Pyrrha said as she glanced at her partner before returning her attention to the thick tome in front of them, "I studied them a bit, just in case we would ever encounter them within the crystal. I think… I think I can read the title of this tome. Let's see… if I am pronouncing it correctly, this book's name is 'Crystallus Libro Vitae'."

"Also known as 'The Book of the Crystal of Life'."Sharp Strike said quietly as he sat down opposite them once more, placing his hands on the table in front of him, "This old tome contains all the known information that the Knight Order had gathered with regards to the Aura Crystal over the centuries, and it has been written by one of the twelve founding knights who was said to have met the original Crystal Guardians."

"The first Crystal Guardians?" Jaune felt his blue eyes widen, while Pyrrha looked similarly shocked, "He actually met them in the flesh?"

"According to historical records of the Knight Order, yes." Sharp Strike nodded, "Apparently, after learning all he could about the Aura Crystal from its first Guardians, the knight swore an oath to keep the existence of the Aura Crystal and its appointed guardians a secret when he left. After returning back to the Knight Order, he wrote this tome as a way to educate future generations of Remnant Knights of the existence of the Aura Crystal, so that if such a time comes that the crystal's safety was compromised by the forces of the enemy we face the knights would know what to do, and what needs to be done."

Allowing a bit of time for this information to sink in for them, the protégé of Argentius continued, "Within this book you will find detailed writings on the physical and spiritual nature of the Aura Crystal, notes and sketches of the very first Crystal Guardians by one of the Order's founders from Tintagel's extensive archives, chronologies regarding events of significance on Remnant that concerns the existence of the crystal throughout the centuries, annotations on the various prophecies and dreams granted by the crystal recovered by prognosticators across Remnant, and also on the nightmares that had haunted the minds of many of its Guardians."

Jaune swallowed visibly at the mention of the last few words, before glancing at Pyrrha who smiled warmly back at him and nodded, "And you're giving us this great tome on the Aura Crystal, just like that?"

"I have been instructed by Soul Seer to give it to you in person, and I will abide by the oath I have sworn." Sharp Strike answered smoothly, "She also wanted me to tell you that this is a token of goodwill and a blessing from the Order as a recognition of your roles as the current Guardians of the Aura Crystal."

"I guess we should thank you for this," Pyrrha replied gratefully, "The details these pages have will definitely help us in understanding more about the Aura Crystal and the roles we would have to fulfill as its Guardians, perhaps even more so than the old books that Ashe left for us."

"Who knows? Perhaps it could answer some lingering questions of ours regarding the crystal's origins and its abilities?" Jaune said as he reached forward to lay a hand on the tome's cover, only for Sharp Strike to put one of his gauntleted hands securely on its rough surface before the Arc son could.

He looked up to see the azure lenses of Sharp Strike's helmet as the knight errant met his eyes and said in a serious tone, "A word of warning; as most of the knowledge about the Aura Crystal contained within this tome was painstakingly collected by many great Knights and prognosticators over the years, there are bound to be many secrets hidden among its pages. However, if the enemy somehow managed to obtain any of these secrets, it would lead to unimaginable disaster of terrible proportions. So please exercise discretion with whom you speak with, as certain details within 'Crystallus Libro Vitae' are not meant for the ears of others except the Crystal Guardians themselves. Do you understand?"

Upon hearing the change in the Remnant Knight's demeanor Jaune and Pyrrha shared a careful look with each other, before eventually facing Sharp Strike again and saying, "We do, you have our word."

"Thank you. Your right hands please," Sharp Strike removed his gauntleted hand from the tome, before reaching one of the pouches around his waist and withdrawing two small silvery-grey colored keys with elaborate markings on them.

Gesturing for Jaune and Pyrrha to hold out their open palms, the knight errant placed the keys in the middle of their open hands and both Guardians of the Aura Crystal watched in barely-concealed surprise as the keys glowed for a few brief moments before gradually changing their colors. Jaune's key shimmered briefly before becoming white and yellow like the shield of Crocea Mors while Pyrrha's key took on the colors of red and gold of her outfit, and yet both still retained the signature circuitry-like markings on their smooth surfaces.

"So… these are the keys to unlock the book?" Jaune found his voice a moment later, looking up at Sharp Strike who gave a careful nod.

"Yes, the keys that I just gave you were crafted personally by Soul Seer herself and they are now imprinted with your personal unique aura signatures." The Remnant Knight gently pushed the large tome towards him and Pyrrha, "As the representative of the Knight Order, I accept your oaths and hereby entrust you with them."

"Our thanks, Sharp Strike." Jaune said as he laid his hands on the cover of 'Crystallus Libro Vitae' and tried to pull it towards him, "Wow, this is heavy!"

"I imagine so, given how much information that's been collected by the Order about the crystal and its many Guardians, in addition to its many prophecies, associated events and conflicts that had sprung up among individuals who fought against each other to control it." Sharp Strike explained quietly, "And one such conflict was known as The Crystal War that raged on for a number of years before it ended, which you can find recorded entries within this particular tome."

"I take it you've read this before?" Pyrrha asked a little hesitantly.

"Some portions of it yes, and only those pages that had been approved by my superiors." Sharp Strike slowly knotted his gauntleted hands together, "To be honest, while this tome isn't a page-turner it does reveal quite a few interesting details about the Aura Crystal and the various prophecies. While some of them didn't come to pass, the rest of those divinations indeed come true which makes me wonder why aren't all of the prophecies given by the Crystal accurate?"

"Maybe outside forces prevented them, or maybe they were misinterpreted. I don't think prophecies hold all the answers, Sharp Strike." Pyrrha answered softly, echoing what she had said to Ashe in the mindscape of the crystal.

"Neither do I, but I do believe that they may contain some grains of truth within them." The knight agreed.

"Would you mind if we take a look inside the book right now?" Jaune asked while gently fingering the special key within his right hand.

"Not at all. This tome is yours now, so you both can pretty much do whatever you wish with it." Sharp Strike said as he gestured politely, "But you must guard it with your lives as much as you do with the Aura Crystal."

Jaune and Pyrrha nodded to each other as they both slid in the small keys into the brass lock at the side of the great tome, and there was a soft click as the leather strap came away. Jaune slowly flipped open the Crystallus Libro Vitae and found out that it was as Sharp Strike had said; every single silver-lined page was filled with rows of small, neatly written words alongside elaborate sketches and etched pictures of the Aura Crystal and its many Guardians throughout the ages. Other pages were filled with swirling, intricate markings which formed stunning literary tapestries that were not only mysterious but meaningful as well.

From what he had glimpsed from the quick flipping, the blond knight wasn't even sure he knew what half of those things he had seen on the various pages within the aforementioned tome meant, but resolved to read through those details carefully to see if he and Pyrrha could learn anything important about the Aura Crystal from the collective wisdom of the Remnant Knights. Eventually, Jaune settled on a page close to the middle of the tome that had a rough but detailed sketch of the entire Aura Crystal accompanied with several lines of text that seemed to comprise of an interesting passage. As he leaned in closer to make out what the words meant, Pyrrha and Sharp Strike also looked carefully at the chosen page as well.

"When darkness seeks to consume all, a bright light will rise from the Crystal's core. To prevent destruction and sundering, a great sacrifice needs to come into being. By Guardian hands shall the deed be done, for the light will cause magnificent power. The Crystal sings as never before, banishing the darkness forevermore." Jaune read slowly before looking up from the passage, "What do you suppose that means?"

"That's the thing about prophecies, Arc." Sharp Strike tapped his gauntleted fingers on the table, "They never tell you the truth directly, but instead made it so convoluted and twisted to the point that one might wonder if they are even true in the first place. That's what my master Argentius once told me, and it remained within my mind no matter how much time has passed."

Jaune nodded and said, "True. Plus, there's no way of telling the prophecy we just read has already come to pass or not."

Pyrrha examined the current page carefully as though she was solving a mathematics equation, a funny feeling present within her chest, "I… I don't think it has, Jaune."

"Things would be easier if Soul Seer was here." Sharp Strike commented quietly, "She often experiences precognitions and visions of the future, so I'm sure she'd have some insight into those prophecies. You may find some of her research notes on the Aura Crystal's prophecies in the later chapters within this tome."

Turning the large tome in her direction, Pyrrha went back some pages before seeing something else that caught her attention, "Wait, look at this!"

Jaune and Sharp Strike both leaned in as she pointed at a couple of detailed sketches of a battle, depicting a scarred man dressed in crude plates of armor striking the Aura Crystal with a spiked mace, followed by a drawing of a light coming out of the said crystal and enveloping the aforementioned bandit like some kind of holy light. The other battling figures clustered around the base of the crystal were holding their heads and writhing on the ground as though in great pain.

Running her fingers delicately over the cursive words accompanying the drawing, Pyrrha read, "'A band of raiders attacked the monastery today after somehow discovering the location, and in their terrible carnage they wreaked the lives of several guards and servants were lost. Their leader, whose name I shall not utter, grievously wounded my significant other in battle and nearly took the crystal, thinking that it was a valuable giant diamond. Despite our defensive efforts he made it to the chamber of the Aura Crystal and struck it with his mace, aiming to smash it to pieces so that he and his fellow raiders wouldn't have to carry the whole thing when they escaped. However, as soon as his mace touched the crystal, an ear-splitting sound resonated from within it and a powerful beam of light shot out of it and enveloped him in an otherworldly glow, and sent him flying out of the main window with a loud crash. The ringing sound from the crystal was so painful and soul-wrenching that every single person paused in the middle of their fights and tried to block out the sounds, and it seems as though the Aura Crystal was screaming in pain and anger. The leader of the raiders landed on the ground outside the Crystal Monastery, and he screamed like a madman while rolling on the ground for several moments while his followers grabbed him and sounded a retreat. Knowing that they would come back again with reinforcements, the archers swiftly took them down with their arrows to preserve the secret of the crystal's existence.'"

She paused for breath, and then continued, "'While our secret is still safe, this attack serves as a reminder of the importance of secrecy, and thankfully Aura Crystal was still intact as its power healed my mate and returned him to me. For that great boon granted to me, I was forever in the crystal's debt.'"

The female spartan looked up and remarked, "Interesting. It appears that at some point in time the Crystal Guardians had a bit more power if they had Crystal guards and servants supporting them. Do you by chance know where the Crystal Monastery is?"

"That's what I think as well." Sharp Strike agreed, "Yes, I do know where the Crystal Monastery is, but I don't think it would be a place you both would want to visit without additional support. Its ruins are located in a desolate region of Mistral known as the Dark Woods, which was overrun by significant hordes of Grimm after the conflict known as the Crystal War."

"There's an actual war fought over the Aura Crystal?" Pyrrha felt her mouth gape open involuntarily, and Sharp Strike nodded.

"Yes, if I'm not wrong it took place at roughly same time as the Second Great War of Remnant, and it was fought between the Scions of Light and the Disciples of Darkness. There's no real point in going back, as everything significant was removed by either Crystal Guardians or Knights. From what I know it's only a decaying building now."

"Wait… look at this, there's more." Jaune said, pointing to the next page which showed a sketched image of the Crystal Guardians mending the monastery while the Crystal guards and servants assisted them, "'When we tended to the crystal, we watched in awe and reverence as it had no wounds or marks despite suffering from the bandit raiders' attack. Apparently the time for it to break has not yet arrived, but we shall nonetheless maintain our vigilant watch.'"

The blonde knight looked directly at Sharp Strike, "What does that mean? Is the Aura Crystal supposed to be broken at some point?"

"That sounds highly unlikely, what purpose would it serve to break the crystal?" Sharp Strike pointed out, "The relic does contain many more mysteries than we know of, and even the prognosticators of the Order have encountered difficulties in discovering them through the centuries. Perhaps you two would can provide some fresh perspective after reading the tome?"

"And hopefully, we'll be the ones to uncover them." Pyrrha said, and gave Jaune a confident smile.

The blond knight returned her contented gesture and replied, "Okay, let's see if we can stuff this book into the vault with the crystal…"

"I'm sure you will figure out something eventually." Sharp Strike said as he watched Jaune close the cover of the Crystallus Libro Vitae.

"You have our thanks for giving us this enlightening tome, Sharp Strike." The red-haired spartan mentioned gratefully.

"And you're both welcome." The armored knight inclined his head in return as he watched them carry the heavy book together.

---

"Holy crud, Ciel wasn't joking!" Ruby squeed in delight as she darted around the armory, and it did indeed have all the features that the Specialist-in-training had mentioned. There were three long rows of lockers on the sides of the room, with the left side being stocked with a wide variety of spare weapon parts and maintenance tools for repairing their weapons while the ones located at the far end of the back wall contained various spare weaponry held on multiple horizontal racks, mostly the kinds used by the Atlas military forces such as their standard-issue pistols and rifles with accompanying magazines, assorted grenades, shock batons and collapsible swords used by higher-ranking officers. In addition, a number of heavy weapons were also present within their respective lockers which include grenade launchers, rocket launchers and what looked like the many components of two multi-barrel gatling guns.

"No, she wasn't." Velvet agreed as she looked through the additional weapons which were protected behind a layer of reinforced glass, only for Ruby to rush up next to her.

"Whoa! Now this is an arsenal. Might not have the personality of our weapons, but these babies are still awesome!" Ruby said as she took out a sniper rifle from one of the lower racks to get a good feel on it, while Velvet nodded in agreement as she admired one of the swords.

The final row of lockers on the right side was filled up with practically every color of Dust known to the group, in both crystalline and powdered forms. The former was placed in small stacks of secure boxes stamped with the S.D.C. logo, while the latter were stored in thick vial containers according to their colors on different shelves. All of them were kept within specially-armored lockers with shielded glass panels, presumably to protect the dust from accidentally interacting with each other and causing any accidents.

Weiss was examining the Dust boxes and containers carefully, given her upbringing she was naturally the team's resident Dust expert. She hummed quietly to herself as she looked over what the armory boasted, her fingers tapping against the reinforced glass cases containing red, blue, yellow, green, dark blue, white, black with purple lines, orange and cyan. She also noticed that there were also a couple of cases which contained multi-colored Dust crystals as well, which might have been exclusively acquired for Team Beacon as well by her father since the S.D.C. had been recently increasing the amount of Dust supplies to the Atlas military as much as possible, while also checking that their supplies were reaching their intended destinations as well.

"Wind, fire, water, earth, lightning, ice, gravity, volcanic and energy among others, with enough supplies for all nine major types." The heiress observed as she opened up the case containing the orange crystal, a type of Dust that was usually not openly available to the public or Huntsmen-in-training due to its deadly capabilities, and thus was only used by veteran Huntsmen and Huntresses as well as scientific professionals in the Dust field.

"I would advise you to take extreme caution with that particular type of Dust, Miss Schnee." N1CK3L warned as he and Penny looked over to her from the four construction and repair benches that were in the middle of the armory, with built-in chairs and desks for the occupants to sit on and generate weapon-crafting holograms while performing maintenance. Those benches were also filled with multiple high-tech tools for crafting, modifying and maintaining weapons as well as Atlesian military armaments.

Weiss nodded as she looked up from the orange crystals at N1CK3L, "I know how dangerous this type of Dust is, I'm just looking at it. Besides they are protected within the safety vials, so it would be safe. I'm surprised they would let us have these."

"Well, we are protecting Maidens and going up against the enemy," Coco voiced, as she made sure the armory had spare parts compatible with her minigun, and she was especially pleased to see the Atlesian minigun components stored in their own locker, "They probably want us to have everything possible to fight against Cinder and her associates. Though, it could just as well be that they forgot to remove the orange dust. Who knows?"

"Well, I would prefer to think of it more of the first reason than the second one." Weiss answered and Coco nodded in agreement, hand on her hips.

"Hey, what's behind that door?" Nora asked N1CK3L, pointing over to a door next to the spare parts lockers, which had the large warning label, 'Danger, Keep Out! – Highly Explosive Materials Inside!'

"That is where the additional weapon components and missile racks for Hyperion One are stored." N1CK3L answered simply, "And access is only possible for Flight Captain Ross or Co-pilot Ciel."

"Well, as much as I'd like to look at them, it's probably best to follow the rules for now." Ruby quipped, getting a nod of agreement from Nora.

"You two are actually deciding to follow the rules?" Weiss teased, looking at Ruby and Nora from where she was kneeling down, looking at the lockers' bottom drawers which were filled with more Dust bullets which had been neatly packed into cartridges and magazines for the weapons already present.

"I said for now," Ruby said, giving her partner a mischievous wink as Nora walked off, "We'll wait until Ross or Ciel take us in there, I guess."

"Hey guys, anyone know what this is?" Nora pointed to a piece of white, blue and grey-colored Atlesian equipment that occupied a space behind the four construction and repair benches, and everyone present followed her gaze. It looked like a huge rectangular armored box that was mounted upon a reinforced table, with a gently glowing computer panel mounted on the side facing them. A rectangular glass window beside the panel showed the complicated-looking blue-lighted mechanical interior of the machine, which looked like some kind of advanced manufacturing apparatus that could create virtually anything Team Beacon needed or wanted for their weapons. There was also a number of retractable slots at the bottom of the machine roughly around waist level, presumably for the user to receive the completed weapon parts. It gleamed in the armory's lights as though to show off its brand-new outlook, and Nora could tell it was probably the most advanced and expensive piece of equipment within the armory.

"I believe that is the fabrication machine." N1CK3L explained as Ruby leaned forward to take a closer look at the Atlesian equipment's inner workings through the glass window, "It is essentially a miniaturized version of the weapon-crafting machines back in the armories of Atlas Academy. I remember Miss Soleil informing me this ship was carrying some of the most advanced technologies that the Kingdom of Atlas could offer its military forces, and the fabrication machine is one of them."

"So, what does it do?" Velvet asked curiously, while Nora curiously poked at the aforementioned machine's computer panel.

"It is an incredibly advanced piece of Atlas technology that can produce nearly every weapon part you require as long as you have the relevant components. It can also produce additional Dust ammunition as well from the spare parts in the various lockers should the need arise, even though its primary function was to manufacture replacement weapon parts for the Huntsmen teams on board." N1CK3L added, "I am sure you will all find it incredibly useful for your own purposes."

"No kidding, this would make weapon repairs so much easier!" Nora exclaimed as she examined the device beside Ruby. Coco nodded, a visibly impressed look on her face.

"That means if I want the components for a replica of Crescent Rose, I can just create them from this machine?" Ruby asked rising excitement in her voice.

"I believe so, as long as you can scan the blueprints of the weapon parts you need into the fabrication machine." N1CK3L nodded.

The red-hooded Huntress whooped in delight as she rubbed her hands together like an evil mastermind, "I have so many interesting ideas for Crescent Rose! Perhaps I can make more adjustments based on those ideas when I have some free time!"

N1CK3L glanced at Weiss while Penny chuckled at Ruby's childlike behaviour, "Is she always like this, Miss Schnee?"

"When it comes to weapons?" Weiss shrugged her shoulders, "Every single time."

"So, is there anything we missed?" Ruby asked N1CK3L.

"As a matter of fact, yes. I do not think Miss Soleil told you about the Weapon Rearmament Capsules." N1CK3L stated, before he walked over to a wall panel near the repair benches and pressed several buttons on a glowing panel built into the bulkhead.

All of a sudden twelve small circular hatches opened up alongside the door, six on each side. Each was a long grey oblong capsule with an open interior that contained empty clamps and racks for the placement of weapons and ammunition.

"I guess they're like the normal weapon capsules and rocket lockers, huh? Launch 'em from the ship for ammo and weapon resupply during battle?" Ruby guessed as she leaned down to examine one of the hatches.

"Correct, Miss Rose. There are others stationed on board the ship, but these are the primary ones. Hyperion Minor also carries five additional capsules intended for emergency resupply of teams in the field." N1CK3L informed them.

"Okay, good to know this ship has everything we'll need for kicking ass. Now that the weapons and Dust ogling is out of the way, I think we need to talk about Jaune and Pyrrha's little story prophecy." Coco spoke up, using her 'take-charge leader' voice and attitude that lets everyone present know that she was being serious.

"Yeah, I have no idea what to say about it other than it's really weird." Ruby admitted.

"Weird is a massive understatement," Weiss remarked while crossing her arms, "Though I suppose at this point our lives are a competition of strange things happening to see which is the most bizarre."

"Certainly seems that way," Coco agreed with a nod, "But I wonder why I'm based on some fashion designer of the past who really existed? Or why Arc is reincarnated or whatever from a lady of war?"

"Excuse me, I do not mean to interrupt your conversation, but what are you talking about?" N1CK3L asked, his face looking genuinely confused.

" I guess you're not aware of the Aura Crystal?" Velvet asked softly.

"I do, actually. I know from scattered fragments of records found in the Atlas information databanks, that the Aura Crystal is a mysterious relic that was said to be connected to the ancient cataclysmic event known as The Great Shattering. Beyond that, I do not possess any other additional information about it." The male android related to them, "If those incomplete records are true, then is the crystal still missing or could it have been destroyed?"

"Actually the Aura Crystal still exists, N1CK3L," Velvet explained, "It's currently under the protection of Jaune and Pyrrha who are its latest Guardians, the rest of Team Beacon as well as the Guardians of Remnant. It's also on this ship with us right now."

"Query: What has the Aura Crystal have to do with a prophecy?" N1CK3L inquired with a hint of curiosity within his mechanical masculine voice.

"Okay, well… what you basically need to know is that the Aura Crystal has the combined aura of a huge bunch of people from before the moon was shattered, as well as bits of the souls from its former Guardians like our friend Ashe Kasai who passed away," Ruby told N1CK3L, "And apparently from what Jaune and Pyrrha had learned from the aura of all those Guardians, there are a lot of old legends, fairy tales and stories that resemble us and the people we know."

N1CK3L tilted his head to the side, looking surprised for a brief moment, "Are you attempting to trick me? Or is this another bit of humor that my programming failed to detect?"

"Not at all, little brother." Penny spoke up and gestured at her face, "I can assure you that what they have told you is true and real. See? I'm not hiccupping."

The enhanced tactical android gazed at his sister for a moment before nodding, no doubt knowing of his sister android's little quirk of hiccupping whenever she tells a lie. She had previously told him about it during their first conversation with each other, and also demonstrated it for him.

"So, it is true that the Aura Crystal exists. This prophecy, however, seems highly improbable or, to be very blunt, very illogical." The combat android surmised, his scrutinizing gaze meeting the faces of everyone present.

"Logic tends to get thrown out of the window when we're involved." Weiss deadpanned, "Stick around and you'll eventually understand what I mean."

N1CK3L nodded hesitantly before asking, "So, what kind of stories are you supposedly similar to?"

"Well, we already mentioned that I'm apparently similar to a real person, who was a fashion designer from a few millennia ago, give or take an eon." Coco began, "Which fits my passion exactly, but if I am like a real person, why do others resemble fairy tales? Jaune is also similar to a woman who existed in the old world, some female warrior who led her people through a war led by a voice in her head she claimed to be God. So what makes me and Arc so special? And why are Fox and Yatsuhashi the only members of our team who doesn't have any relation a story?"

"It's obviously a lot to take in, wonder about, and question. And we might never even know the answers to some of those questions," Velvet commented.

"Which sucks, because I would like to know the answers to all of the questions I have about the mythical being I'm similar to; like why am I based on a guy? I mean, this Thor guy sounds pretty cool with his hammer and lightning power and all, but still…" Nora shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, we all resemble some aspect of these fairy tales. Though, I must admit I find that being given the title of 'Fairest in the Land' quite flattering." Weiss admitted with a small smile.

"Well, you totally deserved it," Ruby told the Schnee Heiress as she came over to stand next to her partner, "I don't think I ever met a girl from Atlas as pretty as you."

Weiss blushed at the compliment before saying, "Oh please, Ruby. I've met many a woman more beautiful than me. My sister for example."

"Specialist Schnee is a woman most individuals would consider quite attractive." Penny chimed in, proving Weiss's point.

"Yeah, but still…I think that if this prophecy says you are like a girl who was the fairest in the land, then you probably are. Plus, Winter's a different kind of pretty compared to you since she's more like a lady of war kind of beauty, while you're like a princess." Ruby told Weiss as she tapped her fingers together,

Her partner rolled her light-blue eyes as she lowered her head, trying to hide her blushing cheeks, "Thanks Ruby, but… I really don't think I am the fairest." She said, as her left hand came up and passed over the crooked scar that ran vertically down her left eye.

Ruby placed her hand atop Weiss's left hand, and turned her head to see Ruby's silver orbs, "Hey, scar or no scar, you're still the fairest in our books."

Coco smirked at Weiss's attempts to hide her blush before Velvet spoke up again, "I have to say, I found my similarity to the story my name derives from rather appropriate."

"Whaddya mean?" Nora asked the Rabbit Faunus.

"Well…this story, 'The Velveteen Rabbit', is about the favorite toy of a sick little boy. It was something to keep him happy when he was feeling so miserable. Something about that resonates with me, especially since it's a rabbit. Maybe Jaune and Pyrrha could find out more about these stories so we can better understand them, perhaps even learn more about ourselves." Velvet suggested brightly.

"Not a bad idea, Velv," Coco praised, patting her friend on the shoulders, "And you're right, you are the kind of good person who would be there to comfort a sick kid." Velvet smiled at her team leader's flattery.

N1CK3L thought for a moment about what he had just learned, before looking over to his sister and asked, "So what tale do you apparently resemble, Penny?"

"Something with an odd name, Pinocchio, if I recall correctly. From the brief synopsis Pyrrha had told me it's a story about a puppet who magically comes to life and seeks to become a real boy. Now while I am robotic in nature, I also have strings attached to my swords and they could be seen as the strings which control a marionette. Another similarity is that Pinocchio has telltale sign that lets everyone know if he lies. These similarities are not strange in the slightest." Penny commented, before letting out a hiccup. "See what I mean?"

N1CK3L nodded before saying, "This is most unusual."

"Welcome to our world. Hope you enjoy the stay." Coco said in a deadpan voice.

"It's practically a rite of passage when joining us." Weiss added dryly.

"I have a question, N1CK3L," Velvet raised her hand and the male android's helmeted head turned her direction, "Do you believe in prophecies and premonitions?"

"That is a strange question to ask an android," N1CK3L replied easily, "But I do believe in predictions based on sound mathematical assumptions, and conclusions based on all available evidence. So, if the 'prophecies' and 'premonitions' you mentioned are based upon such scientific calculations and evidence, I would believe them."

"What about now?" Coco asked, looking over the rim of her aviator sunglasses.

"In the absence of more information, I am unable to form a verifiable conclusion at the moment." The combat android admitted, "Hopefully that would change when I acquire more information."

"And as for me," Ruby spoke up, "Apparently there's this story called Little Red Riding Hood. Well…" She gestured to her clothes, hair, and red hood, "I'm red, I have a red hood, and I'm fast, which some would call riding… I guess?"

"But you're not so little anymore." Weiss pointed out to Ruby, who now stood just a centimeter or two above her partner.

"Nope." Ruby said simply with a smile before looking back to N1CK3L, "Now, I don't know if you know about my silver eyes…"

"Of course I do. During my field training I killed Grimm with the bullets powered by the energy traces from your eyes." N1CK3L informed her.

Ruby shrugged and said, "Well, good to know the scientists are putting them to good use. Anyway, we didn't get many details about those stories, so I don't know if anything that mentions my silver eyes factors into Little Red Riding Hood. I mean, on our way to Fort Lakeford, Jaune said the story involved a wolf as the bad guy and I've taken out plenty of Beowolves in my time, but… well, it still bugs me how vague it is."

"Hey, don't worry Rube." Coco said as she placed an arm around Ruby's shoulders, "Come what may, we'll do our best to make sure everything turns out okay in the end. And if this prophecy does mean anything at all, it sounds like we're some chosen ones who are going to save the world. So whatever happens, it's up to us to make sure that our story has a happy ending, just like in those old fairy tales."

Ruby smiled at the older girl and said, "It's obvious why Ozpin made you leader of your team."

"It's a mix of being a natural leader and learning how to be one all at once." The fashionista told the younger girl.

"I guess that sums it up," Ruby laughed as Nora began sniffing the air.

"Smells like Renny's making progress on dinner, I'll go see if he needs help." She told them, excusing herself to assist the man she considered a soulmate, as well as partner, best friend, and boyfriend.

Penny and N1CK3L both also excused themselves to go somewhere else, presumably so N1Ck3L could give her a proper tour of the ship or share more of their personal experiences with each other. It warmed Ruby's heart to see them both getting along so well.

Ruby thanked Coco for her advice and went over to inspect the Dust supplies with Weiss, who looked to her partner and asked, "So, does all this talk of prophecies and Maidens really bother you?"

The silver-eyed Huntress sighed and admitted, "A little I guess. I don't want it to, but there's something about that prophecy and Amethyst having a nightmare about Salem attacking that strike me as bad news."

"I don't blame you. It feels like things beyond our control are steadily lining up, and something is about to happen." Weiss voiced thoughtfully. The Schnee heiress couldn't deny the gradual feeling that it felt like they were building up to something big happening. But what?

She looked to her partner a little more closely, and right away noticed the distressed look in her eyes. Weiss placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder, turning her around gently so she could look her straight in the eyes, "But don't worry. Whatever happens, we'll face it together. I promise." She kindly assured her partner.

Ruby's look of worry turned into one of happiness before she lurched forward and hugged her partner tightly, "Thank you."

It was all she needed to say.

---

"I mean, it's ridiculous! You guys at least get the names of characters, but all I get is 'related to an epic poem'. Like; okay, cool. What's it about? What's it called? Who are the characters of the story? If this prophecy is real, then I drew the short straw when it came to destiny." Sage complained to his teammates as he paced about the cabin.

"Well, at least you're a part of that prophecy. For all we know Fox and Big Y are just random blokes who are lucky enough to be here. Heck, maybe this is all a bunch of nonsense and the souls of people inside of that crystal relic are just putting us on." Scarlet suggested as he reclined with his hands behind his head on the bunk placed above Sage's bed.

"No way," Neptune refuted, who stood off to the side with his arms crossed as he leaned against opposite bunk, "We might not know much about that crystal, but it practically brought Jaune back from the dead, or near-death. The point is, I don't think either all of those combined aura, or soul fragments of Ashe, his mother and the rest of the guardians who came before them would be pranking us like that as it wouldn't do them any good."

"Why wouldn't they? I mean, they've been around for a few thousand years or something like that. I don't know about you, but it probably gets boring inside the crystal, so why wouldn't they decide to have some fun with us mortals outside?" Scarlet wondered.

"Hmm… well they did just ignore Ashe for years, didn't they? So, who knows? Maybe the prophecy's legit and we need to take it seriously. Perhaps I'll ask Jaune and Pyrrha to go in and ask Ashe and the rest of the 'inhabitants' within the crystal for more details on these stories." Sun said as he hung upside down from the top bunk on the left side of the room, his robotic tail attached to the bed railing closest to the wall and with his wrist bracer-covered arms crossed.

"Yeah, you'll probably want to know all about the monkey king." Neptune quipped snarkily.

"Well, you gotta admit it's pretty fitting." Sun remarked proudly as he puffed out his muscular chest out a bit, making the bluenette roll his eyes.

"I mean it's not like you got screwed over, you're apparently based on and share the same name as a god of the oceans from ancient times!" Sage pointed out to Neptune.

"Yeah, not exactly a positive thing when you're terrified of oceans," Neptune deadpanned, shaking his head, "Seriously, I've gotten a little better at controlling my aquaphobia, but still it seems like cruel irony to make me of all people to share a name with a sea god."

"Cruel irony? Maybe. But it's kinda funny, isn't it? A god of the sea and a monkey king being partners and best friends? What're the odds?" Sun asked his partner as he allowed his robotic tail to let go, so he dropped down and landed expertly on his feet upon the floor.

"Don't let it to your head, your majesty." Sage joked, before walking over to pick up the combined form of Ruyi and Jingu Bang off the table, "I mean, what? Do you think your bo-staff is like a king's scepter?"

Sun smirked and took it from his dark-skinned friend's hands and quipped, "Isn't it?" He twirled it about carefully before adding, "Maybe it's not a scepter, but a king's trusty weapon. Always at his side to bring about order."

"Oh brother!" Scarlet laughed as he hauled himself over and brought his legs over the edge of the bunk, narrowly missing Sun's head as the latter ducked, "Whoa, sorry."

"S'alright, just watch it." Sun warned lightheartedly, not too angry about the near miss, "Anyway if this story's hero, who shares the exact same name as me and is a Monkey King no less, then it has to mean something if it's for real."

"That's a big 'if', Sun." Sage voiced, unsure.

"I personally don't think the crystal would steer us wrong, or Jaune and Pyrrha for that matter. They're its protectors, and so far it has been straight with them." Sun argued, before looking to Scarlet and asking, "What do you think, pirate boy?"

"I dunno, man… it's bloody insane. Quite frankly I don't really want to make any big judgements until we know more about this prophecy stuff." Scarlet answered.

"What do you think about this, uh… Peter Pan thing?" Sage questioned his partner.

"I just said I think it's odd, mate. I mean, the whole foreverland bit sounds cool, and I do have a history with pirates, and my Semblance lets me fly short distances, but I think we should wait before we jump to any wild conclusions or get any weird ideas about Neptune here being the god of the sea or Sun being a monkey king." Scarlet eventually surmised.

"Not a bad idea," Sage commented as he made for the cabin's doors, "Ren's making dinner, and now that we've talked about this I guess there's nothing stopping me from helping him. After all, it's hard to think with an empty stomach. See you all later."

He nodded to them as he left the cabin, only for Scarlet to look at Sun and asked, "So when will you brag to your family about your new-found title?"

Sun's laugh was his only response.

About twenty minutes later, after Ruby, Weiss, and the others returned from the armory, and Blake, Yang, Fox and Yatsuhashi had all exited the bathrooms, Ren announced that dinner was finished which made everyone quite pleased, as it had been a long day and they were all getting famished.

It wasn't long before everyone sat around the lounge area, consuming the various kinds of tasty food that Ren had worked very hard on. Everyone thanked him for his tireless work, which he graciously accepted and also thanked both Nora and Sage for their assistance. After all, despite his considerable culinary skills he was only one person, and more hands helped to decrease his work significantly.

The entire group was accompanied by Sharp Strike and Ciel who was taking a break from her piloting duties for the time being, while Ross would eat at a later time when Ciel returned to the cockpit area after eating to take over for him.

Sharp Strike accepted his share of food from Ren politely, and took his seat between Ruby and Jaune at the lounge's main table. The mouthpiece of his helmet retracted, showing the group his mouth for the first time so that he could consume the food with everyone else. From what little the curious members of Team Beacon could see, the lower section of his face didn't appear any different from that of a normal human being.

As everyone ate, they also listened in rapt attention to N1CK3L who stood to the side, telling them about his battle against the Red Fang and the actions of his comrades in Task Force Omega. While the male android didn't speak about anything classified from his mission, he nevertheless answered any questions to the best of his abilities and mentioning about some of his various abilities, including combat capabilities.

As Sun listened to the android, he happily ate up the Mistralian-style dish Ren had made, but all the same he couldn't help but glance over at his girlfriends and smile at how wonderful they both looked. Especially how beautiful their individual hair of raven black and golden blonde flowed naturally and shining slightly in the illuminating lights of the lounge room. 'Oh man, I am really lucky.' Sun thought to himself as Blake smiled back at him and Yang gave him an amused wink in return.

Later on just after N1CK3L wrapped up recounting his mission he was met with applause from Penny which was quickly joined in by Ruby, Nora and Velvet as though he had given a literal wonderful performance. The enhanced tactical android's face shifted into that of a gentle smile and he bowed his head humbly.

"Wow, that sounded epic." Yang remarked.

"Totally." Neptune agreed.

"Gratuitous explosions, lots of action, enemies to fight?" Nora grinned as she ate her own plate of food, "Sounds like something out of my dreams!"

"I hope we get to properly fight alongside that team again sometime in the future." Weiss mentioned.

"Yeah, like when half of us aren't captured," Sun agreed before he looked over to Jaune and Pyrrha across the table and decided to ask them an important question, "Yo, Jaune. Pyr? Do you mind if I ask you guys something?"

"Sure, Sun." Jaune answered his fellow blond, "What's up?"

"Me and the boys were talking, and we would like a bit more info on these stories we're apparently similar to." The Monkey Faunus told him.

"Yeah, that's something I think we need." Ruby agreed.

"If those spirit fragments within the Aura Crystal are gonna drop a bombshell like that on us, we're probably going to need more detail than what you've given us." Coco voiced with concern.

"My thoughts exactly." Velvet added.

"I think they have a point Jaune, we could use some more information regarding this prophecy, if it is as important as they claim." Ren spoke quietly, getting similar agreements from the rest of Team Beacon, Sharp Strike included.

Jaune and Pyrrha looked at each other for a moment before turning back and nodded their heads. "You're right," Pyrrha began, "While the spirit fragments within the crystal did tell us some of the basic details, it would be nice to know more about these stories, and how each of us individually reflect them."

"How about once we get back to Beacon, we meditate with the crystal again and personally get the answers?" Jaune proposed.

"Why not just do it right now?" Scarlet gestured with his open hands, "It should be pretty simple for you both right?"

"Because we're en-route to Vacuo on an important mission and sessions with the Aura Crystal take time. Not to mention we don't know how long we would be in there, especially if we're trying to get more details on these stories." Pyrrha explained to the dark-red haired boy.

"Guess that does make sense, and we're capable of waiting for a few more days to get answers." Coco said as she cast her gaze around at the other members of Team Beacon.

"Wait, we are?" Yang asked jokingly.

There were some laughs at her joke, while others merely either smirked or shook their heads. As Sun looked towards his lovers with an affectionate smile, he was glad that Blake was more than happy to return, while Yang chuckled as she gave him another flirtatious wink.

Ciel was a tad confused, but she had been briefed by Ironwood about basic details of the Aura Crystal, and decided she would ask the group about it after she finished eating.

Everyone went on eating dinner as Hyperion One moved gracefully through the clouds.

---

A calm wind from the deserts directed Qrow's avian form over Vacuo through the darkness of night, his black wings flapping over the less-than-friendly part of the capital. Every major city, no matter how pristine and beautiful on the surface, had its dark underbelly in which a criminal underworld thrived, or a red-light district and despite its magnificent sights of religious importance the capital of Vacuo was no exception.

Qrow landed atop a tall decrepit building, looking this way and that to get a good feel of the area from above. Below him, robed men from the desert tribes led their camels back to the stables, tired from an unsuccessful day of attempting to get decent bargains on selling their goods. Scantily-clad women with clothing that exposed their stomachs, arms, most of their legs and overly-generous views of their cleavage stood on street corners looking for men or women who looked either good enough, rich enough or desperate enough to pay them for their sexual services. Homeless people walked to and fro through those crowded streets, some pushing or pulling carts with meager belongings, all the while making sure to avoid any thuggish-looking individuals who obviously belonged to one particular gang or another. Conmen skilled in the arts of deception and cheating sat behind tables lined up with various games which were likely rigged, trying to sucker cash out of anyone willing to fall for a scam.

Qrow had been to this part of town before some years ago on a number of his past assignments while working for Ozpin. Not much had changed.

He took off again after getting his bearings, flying further into the seedy district filled with nightclubs and gambling dens, past decaying buildings of brick and sandstone, past ragged billboards with torn outdated advertisements, over cluttered rooftops painted by skittering rats and bird droppings, and swooping by flashing neon light signs that were mostly broken up to alter the message into some dirty Vacuoan phrase or just smashed apart by those unscrupulous people for the sake of smashing.

That was when he finally spotted it nested between the husks of out-of-business competitors: The Last Chance Bar, which was advertised by its bright red, unbroken neon signs.

Qrow alighted atop an old power-line pole, glancing down at the small gathering square in the district where the large two-story bar stood prominently to the right, looking over the rest of the area like a crime lord surveying over his or her domain. Down below and around on the neighboring streets, things were more or less the same as the rest of the district, prostitutes dressed in barely-there clothes, goons from various gangs, tattooed shady-looking creeps looking to peddle drugs populating the spaces between abandoned buildings with shattered window and torn barely-closed doors, the latter of which was inhabited by either the homeless or criminals looking for a place to hide from the Vacuo Rangers.

The avian Huntsman silently kept watch over the streets, observing every human, Faunus or animal that walked by, while hearing the blaring music from inside of the bar, just to get a good look and feel of the place to see if any Black Vipers members, or anyone looked to be affiliated with them, were there. The Last Chance Bar was also seen as a neutral place of sorts among the many gangs within operating within Vacuo and made no distinctions between them all as long as its rules were followed. If one had the lien to pay its proprietors for the bar's excellent services, they are more than welcome to conduct any sort of business they wanted inside.

Sure enough after about roughly twenty or so minutes of waiting and watching, he noticed two drunken men stumble out of the double doors of the bar, one laughing his ass off while the other, a bald man with an elaborate snake tattoo coiled around his neck and head, growled irritably.

The snake tattoo upon closer observation made it quite obvious what gang these two were affiliated with, so this at least confirmed that some Black Vipers gang members come to drink there. However, it wasn't enough to confirm that there would be a meeting at the same place tomorrow.

He swooped down off the power-line pole and over the pair of drunk men, as well as a woman in a hooded long dark coat who was heading into the bar among the slightly crowded streets, and landed on the black metal awning close to the entrance to the bar and listened carefully as the two Black Vipers walked away, talking amongst themselves.

"Why the hell did you take so long?" The bald one asked his much more intoxicated partner.

"Hey, wh-what's the big d-deal? You already reported to the b-boss and told her that the p-place is good for the meeting she's having with the rest of the guys t-tomorrow…" The drunk one began, before a vicious slap to the back of his head abruptly silenced him.

"Quiet, you idiot!" The bald one scolded in a hushed tone, "You want everyone in the district to hear us? The boss will have our heads if anything goes wrong!"

"Oh, sorry. But I…I just want to see the d-dancers, especially that Bunny Faunus girl who oils up her body…heh, heh…plus, they have great drinks y-you can't find anywhere else…" The totally smashed fool mumbled out.

"Why did I have to get partnered up with you?" The bald man bemoaned to no one in particular as he shouldered his drunk partner away down one of the side alleyways presumably back to whatever their cell called home.

'Well, that was convenient… but then again, the evidence was there if one knows where to look.' Qrow thought to himself. He had confirmation that the meeting was going to take place at the bar tomorrow, so there was no doubting that anymore. But it wouldn't hurt if he sniffed around for any other pieces of information that fell from loose lips within the bar itself, so the dusty old crow made one last around the building and looked through the dirty windows, but he didn't spot any room that did look like it could serve as a meeting room so he resorted to other methods he knew.

But there were windows for a basement, one that was probably big enough to serve as a place for Madame Viper to conduct her meeting with all the privacy she needed. Sneaking in would be a piece of cake for him, but he wanted to get a good look at the interior and the staff…

He landed in a deserted alleyway atop of a trash-choked dumpster, and once he was sure no one was around and that he was also in the blind spot of any security cameras and alarm devices he slipped agilely into the black shadows and shapeshifted from bird to man once more, before walking out of the alleyway with his usual brooding expression and into the night crowds.

"Time to get a drink." Qrow muttered to himself. He needed to check the place out, but it couldn't hurt to parch his thirst...

He made his way through the crowds, staying away from armed thugs that lurked at street corners looking to hustle any prey they could find, and headed towards the fancy-looking black-framed doors of The Last Chance Bar. The pair of heavyset human bouncers with swirling tattoos of predatory animals on their faces and muscular arms standing beside the doors waved him through without any comment, although Qrow was pretty sure they wouldn't find anything dangerous on him even if he allowed them to frisk him.

He pushed through the entrance easily and entered the main area of the bar, which somehow managed to look decent and dingy at the same time with clouds of smoke from both expensive and cheap cigarettes hanging in the air. In addition to the dim glow of neon lights shining through the thin smog, there was also the constant thumping base of music echoed throughout the place from speakers mounted on stacks across the room. Some old fashion television sets hung from the ceiling here and there, and a rather large one mounted above the serving bars with four bartenders of both genders. Towards the back of the bar was an elevated walkway, which ended at three smaller stages in addition to a main stage where presumably the girls of the bar performed for their audience at the strong metal poles mounted on each stage.

One of the smaller stages was occupied by a human woman who couldn't have been older than twenty-two clad in nothing but a very thin bikini with dyed pink hair, grounding her lithe but sensual body suggestively against the pole, showing off her exotic dancing skills and lots of skin to the leering men and women around. The performers and the performances the strippers of The Last Chance Bar give were considered among the best in the Vacuoran underworld and were also considered a cut above the cheap dances offered by the other smaller bars elsewhere in the red-light district, but the Branwen Huntsman had seen it all before, in greater variety and at other, better establishments around Remnant.

Qrow grimaced at the catcalls and hollers from the drunks and mainly male clientele seated at chairs and curved tables scattered around the base of the stages, cheering the stripper on as she thrust her ass out at them along with a few sultry kisses. A few of those obviously perverted gang members even daringly reached up to stuff paper lien in the thin strings of her underwear..

The Huntsman was no stranger to sex or whores, he had more than a couple of late night stands in the past twenty years and knew a woman's body better than some, and he would freely admit to being a pervert when called one (especially by Taiyang), but the sight of someone just slightly older than Yang up on that stage made him uneasy.

He made his way to the serving counter, where an older man wearing only a vest to cover his muscled torso inhaled a line of white powder up his nose before throwing his head back and letting out a groan of pleasure. Qrow made sure to put a few patrons between him and that guy before sitting down at an empty seat and calling for a shot of Vacuoan whiskey from one of the bartenders.

After he downed the first one, the veteran Huntsman noticed the woman in the dark trench coat he had spotted earlier was sitting next to him. Qrow had to admit she was quite attractive, as she had copper-brown skin with long glossy dark hair run through with multi-colored streaks, several black tattoos visible on her pretty face, he noticed that none of them snake-themed from what he could see, but looked to be from some desert tribe.

Her hazel eyes took notice of him and she smiled a little impishly, "Hey handsome, buy me a drink?"

"Heh, you poor or something?" Qrow shot back which sounded worse than he meant it to, and he wondered if she would just simply stand up and leave.

"Nowhere near as poor as I used to be," She remarked with a smirk instead of turning annoyed, "So you're a Huntsman huh? I can tell when I see your type."

"Guilty as charged," He confessed, before noticing an apprehensive look from the male bartender who also had dark skin, "Relax, I'm not some squeaky-clean hero, just a violent ass who likes a good drink and look at the dancing ladies."

Well, it was somewhat true. Besides, it's not as if the bartender or the dark-haired girl was going to immediately run an extensive background check on him right there and then.

"So, what's a Huntsman doing in a place like this?" The hazel-eyed girl asked.

"Oh you know… passin' through town, visiting an old friend. Been a long time since I've been here, thought I'd take a look around and see what else has changed." Qrow lied easily.

"You get nostalgic for Vacuo's red light district?" She asked with an innocent-looking face that looked rather convincing.

"Hey, I had fun here a few years back." Qrow replied with a smirk of his own, "Another drink, bartender… and one for the lady, whatever she wants."

The bartender rolled his eyes but promptly delivered two shot glasses for them before he glanced at the woman and whispered, "Someday these suckers are gonna stop falling for your looks. You could always just use your damn employee discount."

Qrow turned his head to look at the girl beside him with one eyebrow raised, "'Employee discount'?"

"Yep. But why pay money for a drink when you can have someone else pay for you?" She asked rhetorically as she downed the shot glass of alcoholic fluid.

Qrow smirked and asked, "So what're you? Bartender? Waitress? Or..."

"Dancer." She answered simply.

He looked up and down at her and sighed, "Sorry. I was about to say a word associated with dancing in a place like this."

"Don't be. Dancing is what I love to do, and if I have to show off my body, it's the same as showing off my beauty." She told him, "I'm going on stage in fifteen minutes, but I am open to keeping you company for the night if you are willing to wait for after work…"

"Sorry girl, not interested. Well, actually that's a damn lie, you're gorgeous and I'd like to have some fun, but sadly I have other things to take care of." Qrow told her, grinning a bit as he shook his head.

"Well at least you're honest." She shrugged, and tilted her head at him, "Did you happen to see that crow on the awning when you came in?"

"No." Qrow dismissed, waving a hand nonchalantly.

"It was a pretty big one, which was unusual to see one here at this time of night." She remarked, "It might mean something bad may happen either sooner or later."

"So, are you also a fortune teller?" Qrow gave a small chuckle as he nodded his head.

She shook her head and continued explaining, "No, but my mother was. She used her Semblance to briefly see into the future in order to support our family after we were banished from our tribe in the desert."

"My father, Oum rest his soul, attempted to kill the chief over some major disagreement. He was killed, but our chief was a benevolent man and did not blame us for our father's crimes, but the law still required us to be banished. So my mother brought me and my sister to this city to live, and she became a fortune teller. From what I heard of her scryings, she often said that a crow is the herald of ill omen."

Qrow glanced at her, and his red eyes dulled a bit, "I've heard that quite a few times," He muttered, "Don't believe it either."

"Well, you didn't see it. I did, so maybe I should be careful." The dancer said softly.

All of a sudden the drugged man a few seats down let out a yell of panic as he began clawing at his arms, before stumbling out of his seat and rushing out of the main doors, crying out incoherently and screaming all the way. Onlookers and patrons of the establishment avoided him as much as they could but didn't spare him a second glance.

"Damn druggies. What're they gonna be huffin' next?" The bartender asked aloud as he wiped clean an empty wine glass.

"That normal?" Qrow asked the girl.

"I'm well used to it by now." She answered with a neutral shrug before the bartender whispered something into her ear which Qrow didn't catch. The girl with hazel eyes and dark hair rose up and adjusted her clothes, "It's time for me to get ready, want to watch?"

Qrow considered it since this woman was younger than him, but seemed about ten or so years older than Yang, so he had no problem with it. Plus, if the rest of her body was as beautiful as her face… it wouldn't hurt to watch her performance.

"I'll be sitting around, preferably in a place that has a pretty good view." He told her with a grin.

"Keep your eyes on the main stage. That's where I will be, and the name's Alina." She flashed him a smile before sauntering off.

Once she had disappeared into the backstage, Qrow walked up to the main area and sat in an empty chair somewhat close to the runway and the main stage, but made sure to take note of the staircase that led to the basement, the open entryway clearly marked in an open hallway off to the side that connected to the restrooms. He walked over to it, making it appear that he was going to the restroom, and looked down the staircase and knew from the look of it that it lead into the basement.

That's where they'd be in the morning, so he would have to stick around to spy on them.

All this work, fighting, and heroics… he honestly needed something to take his mind off the workload, even if it's for a little while. Booze and babes were just the things.

Minutes later when the purple and red curtains parted to reveal Alina, wearing a revealing outfit that consisted of a tight dark-colored bra and a black pareo wrapped around her hips, sparsely decorated with small gold sequins, while a silken veil covered the lower half of her face but as her hazel eyes gazed out at the small crowd she soon spotted Qrow. He noticed her grin at the sight of him, so he returned the favor by putting on a look of interest as he admired her face and body, paying attention in particular to her smooth legs, bare stomach, and generous cleavage. There's a reason why she's given the chance to perform on the main stage compared to the other girls, so maybe her dances were probably on a whole new level.

As Qrow watched her dance on stage to the cheering audience he reminded himself that he would definitely be here tomorrow to infiltrate the secret meeting, but for tonight he reasoned that he deserved some pleasure.

After all, considering what he had been through after graduating from Beacon, Qrow had personally learned that one should enjoy whatever small pleasures he or she could, because there wouldn't be another chance to do so at another time.

And so he sat and watched as the exotic woman danced sensually, and he had a feeling she was constantly showing off towards him.

---

When performing her duty as the Spring Maiden, Amethyst had taken passage on several different types of airships and boats from four Kingdoms and the outlying cities, villages, and islands, while at other times she had ridden on horses to travel through different routes that involved mountains and valleys. As far as her journeys across Remnant go, Amethyst was quite sure that travelling with the Eternal Warriors was among the better ones she had experienced.

The imposing stealth airship she was now aboard, belonging to the Eternal Warriors Knight Legion of the Remnant Knights which protected the continent of Anima, was named Breath of the Wild Storms. When it had first decloaked itself at the edge of a tall cliff a short distance from the monastery, Amethyst thought the specialized ship looked rather beautiful; it was sleek and sharp-edged, silvery grey with dark blue highlights on its shining hull.

According to what she heard from Wind Runner, the spectacular airship belonged to the Knight Castellan of the Mistrialian Knight Legion and he generously allowed its usage to convey the Spring Maiden to Vacuo. Amethyst had also guessed that Wind Runner's superior, the Knight of Water, probably also recognized the immediate urgency of the nightmares that had been plaguing her dreams and hence sent an airship capable of carrying an entire detachment easily. It was likewise adequately armed enough to repel a sizable flying Grimm attack attack should the worst happen during the journey between continents.

It was relieving to know that the Knight Order was taking her dreams quite seriously.

She was currently in one of the medium-sized crew quarters, which was quite spartan-looking since it was made for the personal usage of a Remnant Knight in mind, and so only consisted of only an adult-sized bunk, a locker for storing their armor and weapons, a table and a chair. Her personal backpack and briefcase was placed beside the locker, while the gleaming form of Gembreaker hung on the weapon rack above it. One of the grey walls had an oval porthole which showed the wonderful view outside the stealth airship, allowing the light of the moon to seep in through the window as the stealth airship flew speedily east-wards to Vacuo's capital.

Sitting on the hard-backed chair in front of the steel table beside the porthole and tapping her finger on the table's surface ceaselessly, the Spring Maiden sought to restructure her chaotic thoughts and formulate what she would say to Heliosia when she got to Vacuo. The purple-haired girl wasn't sure how the Summer Maiden would react to her arrival, but she guessed there was a good chance Heliosia would be both surprised and shocked at the same time as she wasn't informed by the Relentless Crusaders about Amethyst's visit.

Out of her other three sister Maidens, the Summer Maiden was probably the one who bonded with her the most as Elsa was a little too regal in her mannerisms due to her Atlesian background, while Amber was a taciturn soul that spoke very little unless the situation required it. As it was the duty of the senior Maidens to educate and impart essential skills to the ones that had just received their Maiden powers, Elsa had accepted Amber under her wing while Heliosia had taken to training Amethyst in both physical fighting skills and properly utilizing her Maiden powers as much as she was able.

Heliosia probably possessed the most fighting experience among the current Maidens, and it was her who kept Amethyst's personal fighting skills up to standard over the years. Given her background as the former scioness of the Raging Tempest Martial Arts School, it wasn't difficult to see her as a formidable opponent well-versed in a wide range of different fighting styles and weapon usage. Amethyst vividly remembered the first few times she had sparred with Heliosia in the Maidens' mindscape, with the Summer Maiden always coming up on top and encouraging her fellow Maiden to learn and try again. However, over time the Spring Maiden had gradually improved to the point of even creating her own distinct fighting style separate from Heliosia's, and was now capable of holding her own against the other Maiden.

If the agents of Salem thought that the Summer Maiden was easy picking for them, they'd regret underestimating Heliosia by the time she had their blood on her fists even though the Spring Maiden knew that her friend wasn't the type to kill, but to incapacitate. Even Amethyst could not help but crack a smile of amusement at that strand of thought while she admired the white-glow of the moon through the clouds through the window.

A knock at the doors of her temporary quarters made Amethyst look away from the window, the steel-grey doors whispered open smoothly to reveal the armor-plated form of Wind Runner, and she could glimpse a couple more armored forms of other knights stationed outside her quarters.

The Knight Vanguard entered the room, before turning around to speak to Moon Hunter who was a step behind him, "I wish to speak to Amethyst in private, you may return to your other duties."

Moon Hunter nodded before the doors slid shut again.

Amethyst couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as she watched the leader of the knight detachment assigned to her walk to the chair at the opposite side of the table and sat down, before placing his hands on the table in a polite, non-threatening gesture.

"If you're thinking that I'll attempt another escape Wind Runner, then you're worrying for nothing." She quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

"Amethyst." Wind Runner's voice echoed from the depths of his helmet as his blue lenses met her purple eyes, "If you attempt anything like what you did back at the monastery, or play any games that will in any way inconvenience me or any of the other Remnant Knights under my command, then you will learn that my patience and tolerance has its limits."

The drastic change from cordial to stern in the Knight's tone caused the hairs on the back of the Spring Maiden's hands to stand up and she knew at once he wasn't joking with her. For a moment there Amethyst briefly thought she was listening to her combat instructor back in Beacon Academy who would chide her harshly for her antics.

"Okay, duly noted." She eventually said, "Oh, how was the Knight I froze with an arrow?"

"He's been through worse than being encased in ice, and he's recovering well in the infirmary. I advise you to apologize to him when you see him."

"What about Storm Bringer? Is he also okay too?" The Spring Maiden queried, "It wasn't my fault to give him that seizure when he looked into my mind."

"He has requested privacy to meditate in silence, but thankfully Storm Bringer has recovered from the… unfortunate episode. He does not blame you for what happened." Wind Runner said carefully.

"I see. You have my word I won't do anything like I did back in Mistral." Amethyst promised.

Wind Runner stared at her intently for a few moments before giving a nod, "And I believe you."

"How long before we reach Vacuo?" The Spring Maiden inquired.

"Longer than we initially thought." The Knight Vanguard replied, "Long range scans from Breath of the Wild Storms' sensors have picked up a sizable swarm of Lancer Grimm nesting in the floating land-masses that are present in our current flight path. While they aren't aware of the airship's presence due to our cloaking system, I'm not going to risk a sudden rapid attack that might damage my superior's personal ship in the slightest."

"What? Your Knight Castellan would demote you to toilet duty if this baby gets so much as a scratch?" Amethyst leaned back on her seat and smirked.

"Let's just say I'd rather wade through hordes of Beowolves and slay a Dragon Grimm than face his wrath." Wind Runner sighed softly, "In any case, there will be a small detour as we skirt around the edges of the floating land-masses, but it won't add too much delay to our overall travel time."

"How much?" Amethyst tilted her head in questioning.

"Forty minutes or so," Wind Runner answered, "Don't worry, I'm sure the Summer Maiden can wait a bit longer. She isn't going anywhere at the moment and she's safe in Shade."

"So you say," Amethyst crossed her fingerless gloved arms, "I'll only believe it when I see her with my own eyes."

"And you shall. You have my word," Her knight protector gestured with his gauntleted hands, "I just pray that your nightmares, or visions, of Vacuo being invaded by the Grimm and the agents of Salem don't come to pass or things would get rather… inconvenient for us all."

"I can't make any promises about that," Amethyst sighed as she knuckled her forehead a little, "I still don't know if my nightmares are just bad dreams or some kind of premonition that's warning us about the future? It's honestly giving me a headache."

"Unfortunately, I don't have the gift of the prognosticators, so I cannot give you a proper answer." The Eternal Warrior spoke honestly, "But I can explain to you why I decided to help you."

"Oh! That's what I was wondering too!" Amethyst's face turned slightly inquisitive, "I remember it was something to do with someone who was very important to you, right?"

"Yes, it is." Wind Runner said quietly, "You're going to be one of the few people who know of that in a moment, so I would appreciate it greatly if you would remain quiet throughout my explanation."

"I'll try." Amethyst nodded, sensing that she may be learning a bit more about her protector than she initially imagined.

"Did you recall that I mentioned that due to my inability to make the right decision at a crucial moment, I lost someone who I called and loved as a brother?" Wind Runner began, "It happened a long time ago, and I was much younger and practically a different person. My mission, along with other Knights, was to investigate reports of an unusually terrifying Alpha Saber Grimm that was terrorizing the mountain settlements of Mistral by killing many civilians, Huntsmen and Huntresses. We were to seek out and kill it before it claimed more lives or made its way into more populated towns."

He paused to take a breath and began to tap a rhythm with his fingers in accordance to his thoughts, "We scouted out the mountain regions where the Alpha Saber was sighted and the places where the bodies of its victims were found over the course of three weeks, trying to narrow down its primary hunting areas and find the lair where it resided in after eating its fill. It was difficult work piecing together the clues, but we managed to eventually discover its hiding place."

"So what happened?" The Spring Maiden whispered, no trace of her usual bubbly tone in her voice.

The Knight Vanguard continued, "My fellow Knights and I surrounded the lair, and planned to catch the Saber unawares when it venture out to terrorize the nearby towns and villages. What we didn't know was that the Grimm we were hunting had… changed, and it had been able to call out to the other Sabers in the surrounding regions. When it emerged from its den with a streak of other smaller Sabers, the sheer size of it would have made an Alpha Ursa look small in comparison. The Alpha Saber we faced had grew almost the size of an armored personnel carrier, its body covered with thick black fur and thick white bony plates in several areas, while long spines erupting from its back, its claws were as long as the swords, and it drooled acidic saliva as it eyed my detachment hungrily."

The tapping of Wind Runner's gauntleted fingers continued as he spoke, "What happened next was a huge, terrible battle that sadly wouldn't be recorded in the Order's archives, because it was honestly a slaughter. Despite the heroic efforts of the Knights who I served with, they were eventually overwhelmed by the sheer number of Sabers, Beowolves and Ursas which had answered the evolved Alpha Saber's call. Eventually, it was down to me and my friend, another Knight named Wind Ranger, we fought back to back against the incoming Grimm hordes. We fought an uphill battle, but I wasn't going to let all those Knights who had perished die in vain and so I continued to fight stubbornly despite Wind Ranger's insistence that we needed to retreat and find another way."

He audibly swallowed within his helmet, "I charged at the Alpha Saber when it was occupied with tearing out the flesh of another one of my fellow Knights… and paid the price. With a backhand swing it shattered my armor, broke my right arm and my faceplate, and its acidic drool melted the flesh on my face. I flew halfway across the woodland clearing and crumpled into a heap of shattered armor and broken bones. I must have lost consciousness, because the next thing I know when I opened my eyes again Wind Ranger was carrying me over his shoulder and running for both our lives.

"The Alpha Saber, sensing our fear, was in hot pursuit, and it eventually cornered us at the edge of cliff above a deep crevasse between mountains. Wind Ranger had laid me down by then, and since my sword was broken I had only my backup combat knife which probably looked like a laughable toy than anything else. The evolved Grimm thought me as better prey, and was about to lunge for me when Wind Ranger emptied the rest of his pistol's ammunition into the Alpha's face, enraging it and making it change its target from me to him. When it leaped for my brother Knight, Wind Ranger pushed me aside at the very last second away from the cliff edge, before drawing his sword and leaped onto the Grimm's back. Gripping onto its thick neck, he plunged the length of the entire sword deep into the beast's back, using the momentum of its lunge to throw it over the cliff and down into the crevasse." Wind Runner exposited, "It almost worked. Almost."

Amethyst said nothing, too enthralled by what Wind Runner's story to do anything.

He continued a second later, "As the Alpha Saber twisted towards the cliff edge, gravity took care of the rest and it fell over and down into the mountain crevasse. Wind Ranger, seeing the incoming danger, leaped off its back but its claws lashed out at the last moment sliced through both his legs, slicing through the armor plates and tendons of both his legs. Even though I was bleeding out, I used the last of my strength to push myself towards the cliff edge to catch my brother Knight's hand with my unbroken arm, and his weight caused me to be pulled dangerously close to the deadly drop. The blood-chilling howls of the Alpha Saber accompanied it as it disappeared into the darkness of the crevasse below."

At this point Wind Runner's voice was cracking a little, a tremor of emotional pain clear in his tone, "I hung there with my brother Knight, my broken arm wrapped around a protruding chunk of rock while my unbroken one gripped Wind Ranger's hand as tightly as I could. He was hanging above the crevasse, blood sheeting down from his ruined legs, while my blood pooled around me from my wounds as I tried to haul him up with every tiny bit of my remaining strength. My broken arm began to slip, and I doubled my efforts, screaming loudly as I tried to pull the Knight who had been with me every step of the way ever since I was recruited into the Order to safety. But I had no more strength left, and I was losing blood even faster than I knew. I began to slide towards the cliff's edge as my broken arm loosened, and that was when I locked eyes with Wind Ranger's broken helmet.

"He looked at me with those joyful green eyes, and spoke my Knight name once. It was a whisper so low that I almost didn't hear it. But the meaning was as clear as day." The Knight Vanguard's fingers stopped tapping, and instead clenched into a shaking fist, "My grip on his hand had broken long ago. He was hanging onto my unbroken arm to prevent himself from falling into the depthless abyss. We stared at each other's eyes for only a moment more, but it seemed to me like an eternity. To save my life, he had to do the unthinkable."

The Spring Maiden didn't need to guess what happened next, as Wind Runner's body language told her all she needed to know.

"He let go and fell away from me and into the darkness. I laid there at the cliff's edge for a long time, screaming my pain and grief to the heavens and the mountains, cursing myself for my fatal mistake and craving for death. It was all I could do not to flung myself after him, but then I lost consciousness again." Wind Runner stilled his shaking fist, and spoke in a small whisper now, "When I woke up I found myself in the medical wards of the apothecarium back at Tintagel, and later I learned that another Knight scouting the area found me and evacuated my broken form to a triage facility where the healers stabilized my severely deteriorating condition. When I had recovered enough to speak my superiors asked me what happened to the other Knights of my detachment, I gave them the truth and took full responsibility for my actions… and the severe punishment that came with it."

Wind Runner reached up to his right pauldron and unclasped it, removing the thick armor plates there and pulled away the thick underlying protective bodysuit which covered his body. What was revealed to Amethyst was a trio of ugly jagged-looking scars that looked like it had been deeply gouged by the claws of the Alpha Saber. The tanned flesh of his shoulder had completely healed, but around the angry-looking wounds the flesh had puckered up and looked as though it wasn't fully healed with the rest of Wind Runner's body. The Spring Maiden silently wondered how much pain he was in when the wound was inflicted, but thought that it wouldn't be appropriate to ask him.

"And this mistake of mine will follow me until the day I perish performing my duty as a Remnant Knight." He finished before fixing his pauldron back onto his Aegis armor with clasped everything back together again, "So after going through my punishment and paying penance for my actions, I swore never to repeat my mistake again. I also made a personal vow to myself to save every single life I could, no matter what it may cost me, because Wind Ranger taught me a lesson that to sometimes save the one you love the most, you have to make the most painful sacrifice of all." He finished and noticed the beginnings of tears forming in Amethyst's purple eyes, "I couldn't save the person I loved as a brother, but I can use this second chance he gave me to save many more lives in the future, and I will honor his sacrifice by saving as many as I can. Now do you understand why I decided to help you, Amethyst?" Wind Runner spoke softly and kindly, like a parent to a child.

"I… I do." The Spring Maiden replied as she wiped at her eyes with the back of her hands, clearly saddened by the Knight Vanguard's tale.

"I know what it's like to lose someone you care deeply about, so I've decided to trust in your visions and bring you to see the Summer Maiden." Wind Runner said cautiously, "And I sincerely hope that your nightmares don't become reality."

"I have one last question, Wind Runner." Amethyst spoke up as she looked at her protector intently. He nodded, and while she wasn't sure he'd answer, she still asked "What happened to the Alpha Saber?"

Wind Runner took a deep breath, and knotted his fingers together. He locked the blue lenses of his knight helmet with the Spring Maiden's eyes and said, "It was eradicated."

"How can you be sure?" Amethyst pointed out, "You didn't see its body or kill it personally."

Wind Runner shook his head, "I believe I didn't clarify it for you. It was eradicated because as part of my penance of losing my entire detachment, I sought out the beast again… and when I found it once more I put a bullet through its skull for every Knight I lost to its teeth and claws."

Silence met his words as the Maiden under his protection just gaped at him.

He got up to leave, but before he reached the doors of the quarters he paused and looked back at her, "Please remember to get some rest when you can before we reach Vacuo's capital, and be prepared for anything that might happen once we land at Shade Academy."

"I… I'll try to, Wind Runner. Thanks for the conversation." Amethyst said gently.

"You are welcome, Amethyst." He bowed politely before leaving the Spring Maiden's assigned quarters, the steel-grey doors closing behind him.

Amethyst changed into her sleepwear and turned off the lights before slipping under the covers of the bed. She looked out at the light of the moon before allowing merciful sleep to take her.

---

Hyperion One offered many amenities for its passengers, and everyone in Team Beacon took advantage of them whether it be the comfortable lounge or the features in the cabins. Despite the overall design of the airship showing military efficiency in its sleek lines and white bulkheads, the Atlesian engineers who built it also took into consideration the welfare of those who would be using it, and hence they made the appropriate changes in its interior to cater to non-military personnel.

Sharp Strike was no exception. In his many years of service within the Knight Order there had been few comforts in his otherwise harsh and unforgiving existence, hence the knight errant also took full advantage of the airship's facilities. Such as the soothing hot shower he was having in the men's bathroom located at the second level's portside at the moment.

Taking the showerhead furthest from the main entrance to the men's bathroom, he stood underneath the showerhead and allowed the warm jets of water to hit his head and body. Water cascaded down his muscled physique, flowing from his bowed head and thick shoulders before traveling down the scarred and creased skin of his body and then escaping through the drain. The water and heat provided by the Hyperion One's plentiful water supplies and notable power plant respectively, and compared to some of the showering facilities he had used before the quality of Atlas technology really showed as Sharp Strike felt that it was good, very good, and enjoyed every passing second of it.

There were a number of reasons why he did not use the bathroom alongside the other boys of Team Beacon other than the need for privacy to keep his identity hidden from the eyes of others since no one had seen him out of armor before. Among those reasons were that while showering it does give him time to think about what had happened to him so far and sort out his thoughts accordingly, not to mention the fact that he doesn't like to be interrupted nor rushed when taking a shower.

Closing his cerulean eyes as he held onto the metal railing in front of him as he felt the gentle caress of warm water against his flesh, Sharp Strike mentally ordered the many thoughts within his mind according to their importance and relevance before mentally reviewing them one last time. Once he was satisfied with what he knew so far about the various members of Team Beacon from his interactions with them, the Remnant Knight shut off the water and walked out of the cubicle, drying himself with a pair of towels. Then he began to slip on the standard-issue Atlesian army shirt, long grey pants and slippers that were given for male occupants in the guest cabins.

Sharp Strike paused as he was about to put on his shirt, looking at the mirror. Due to the fact that his body was protected behind his armor most of the time, he would often go days without knowing what kind of state his body looked like underneath it all. Years of strict training and spars against other Knights, undertaking extremely dangerous missions, and surviving intense battles against various kinds of perilous enemies had all taken a toll on him both physically and mentally. While his personal reserves of aura had tried its best to heal him as much as possible throughout it all, the number of scars that decorated his front and back put testament to the fact that even aura couldn't heal everything.

His head with a mop of black hair with red streaks stared back at him from the mirror, and it was attached to a body that while not hugely over-muscled, was definitely ripped enough to be on the frame of a bodybuilder. There was serious muscle definition on each visible muscle group, as benefiting someone who possessed impressive levels of strength and endurance that is proportionate with a highly-trained individual that partakes in regular, strenuous exercise and vigorous physical training. His washboard flat stomach displayed a visible six-pack, and his pectorals while scarred were also nevertheless impressive, and that extended to his well-muscled arms as well. Each scar, and their respective position on his body, had its own story to tell. Some of those stories were short, some were long, and each of them he could speak easily from his memory depending on his mood.

But there were a couple of them he would never speak of, due to the oaths he had sworn as well as… personal reasons.

A long time ago that almost seemed like another life, Sharp Strike remembered his body was lean muscled and free of any scars that now marred much of his form. At that time, he was a naïve young boy who was curious to learn about the world and led a carefree life with dreams of becoming a hero like a professional Huntsman to protect others. Now, he was a hardened veteran of many battles with scars to show how much pain and suffering he had endured in his eternal duty to protect the people of Remnant from the unspeakable things that hid within the shadows and the darkness. Then there was the fundamental core of his existence, which the clandestine organization he served would never allow anyone to know that he existed alongside many others who fought the long war, and that meant no one else other than his fellow Knights would know of the painful trials he faced and the enemies he vanquished in the execution of his sworn duty. Now, those scars were just painful reminders of how dangerous the life of a Remnant Knight truly was, more so than the lives of Hunters.

Some time ago Sharp Strike had briefly wondered what his parents would have thought of him joining the Remnant Knights, even though he knew they had been taken from the mortal plane, falling in the attack on their home of Himawari. Would they have stood by his decision or would they have been ashamed of what he had become? He still remembered the tales that his father would tell him about the heroic Remnant Knights who fought against the Grimm creatures to protect the innocents of Remnant, and despite his vivid storytelling it was also clear that his father was somehow reluctant to let him seek out the Knights when he became of age. His mother had also advised him that he shouldn't be abandoning his family, saying that the Knights were only legendary heroes of the past and no one knew if they even existed now.

Perhaps his parents had done so because they never wanted him to live such a life embroiled in secrecy and constant danger? To spare him from the inevitable pain that came along with the responsibilities of being a Remnant Knight?

But all that changed when Himawari was destroyed by the Grimm hordes and his path crossing with that of the Remnant Knights who accepted him into their ranks and gave him a new home, a new family, and a new purpose in life. Within the Order he gradually formed close relationships with those who he had served with; Iron Fist, Eagle Eye, Tranquility, Shadow Reaper, Wood Cutter… all of whom imparted a variety of important skills and lessons that served him well in the many trials he had faced. Soul Seer had tempered and nurtured the roaring fire within him, while Argentius had taught him the ways of the Knights and encouraged him to know when to do the right thing while staying true to the tenets of the Remnant Knights. They had all given him his teeth, and wholeheartedly trusted his judgement on when and where to properly use it.

As Sharp Strike pulled the military-grade shirt over his body, he reminded himself that he had chosen this path of being a Remnant Knight of his own free will back when the choice was presented to him by Argentius. He would honor the sworn oaths he had given when he was officially granted knighthood by Grand Knight Master Seraph, and he would continue to perform his duty as long as he was able to do so. His fate is his own, and he will defy the darkness till the bitter end like every other Knight.

And because he was still seeking justice for the slain people of Himawari as well.

After covering his face with a silver battle mask that only showed his bright sapphire blue eyes, Sharp Strike walked out of the bathroom and made his way towards the staircase that led back to his guest cabin at the third level. Since everyone else was asleep or back in their bunks aside from Ciel, who had taken over for a tired Ross, in the cockpit, he was possibly the only member of Team Beacon who was still awake on board the Hyperion One.

"Unidentified individual, freeze and identify yourself." A masculine-sounding synthesized voice spoke from behind him just as he was a few steps away from the base of the staircase.

So much for thinking that no one would see him.

The knight errant slowly raised his hands in a non-threatening gesture, his back to the android who had suddenly appeared without any warning at all. Sharp Strike momentarily wondered if Penny's sibling had some form of stealth camouflage that enabled him to blend into his immediate surroundings, but reasoned with himself that N1CK3L might have just been performing his assigned duties and accidentally ran into the unarmored knight.

"I am Sharp Strike, representative of the Knight Order of Remnant." He said.

"Turn around slowly and present your identification card." Sharp Strike slowly turned his shoulders and masked face, and was greeted by the tall and fully armored form of N1CK3L who was standing at arm's length away from him, with his right arm extended forwards in the direction of the Remnant Knight. N1CK3L's right hand had been snapped backwards at a 180-degree angle, and the entire forearm behind it had completely bifurcated itself to reveal the narrow mouth of a pulsing white energy projector hidden within his arm's mechanism. There was a soft humming sound that filled the entire corridor, and the bright glow of the weapon cast some black shadows on the white walls around them.

Reaching down to the clipped I.D. card that had been attached to the waist of his long grey pants, Sharp Strike pulled it free and held it up in front of him towards N1CK3L whose modified helmet turned a little and a blue light scanned the identification card for a few seconds to verify that he was who he said he was. Once the advanced android was satisfied with the details he had seen on Sharp Strike's I.D. card, he lowered his armor-plated arm which quickly reformed back into its non-lethal form and the helmet's faceplate retracted to show the realistic synthetic skin-covered face within, "My apologies, knight representative Sharp Strike."

"It's all right, N1CK3L." The knight errant lowered his hands to his sides, still holding onto his small pouch of hygiene and cleaning supplies, "I understand that you're simply performing your duty."

"May I ask why you are still awake when everyone else is asleep?" The male android inquired.

Sharp Strike raised an eyebrow as he replied, "I was taking a shower, N1CK3L. Let's just say I don't like showering with others." He paused for a moment and then asked the android, "What about you? Don't you also need to recharge yourself?"

"I have been patrolling the entire ship as part of my on-board duties, Sharp Strike." N1CK3L replied smoothly, "Yes, I do have to recharge at times, but my latest recharge cycle has already finished, and so I am performing my other assigned duties now."

"I see." Sharp Strike gave a nod and dropped another question, "What made you see me as an unidentified individual, N1CK3L?"

"I was doing a routine check of Hyperion One's water and power systems when I saw a slight raise in consumption for both systems. I also detected the sounds of water usage from the men's bathroom and soft footsteps with my auditory sensors." N1CK3L explained as he tilted his head a little, "Due to the fact I have not seen you outside of your armor, my programmed combat protocols promptly activated and so I followed standard operating procedure when confronting an unidentified individual."

"In other words, you were exercising all due caution." Sharp Strike said, "I'd pretty much do the same thing in your place."

"I am gratified to hear that." N1CK3L lifted his head a little and looked at the Remnant Knight in the eyes, "I was hoping for a chance to speak to you, knight representative."

"About anything in particular?" The unarmored knight waved his hand in a polite gesture.

"Would it be more appropriate for us to continue our conversation in the lounge area?" The male android pointed towards the room with his hand, "Perhaps you can also sample some refreshment from the variety of beverages stored within the kitchen area as well."

Sharp Strike considered it for a moment, before telling himself that since it was still some time before the Hyperion One approached the Vacuoan capital, so there would be no harm in indulging N1CK3L's request for a conversation between them both. And so, the Remnant Knight and the android both made their way to the lounge, and as Sharp Strike passed by the kitchen counter he casually opened the nearby fridge and larders to look for something to drink. After finding a cold glass bottle of Mistrialian apple cider, he made his way over to the glass and marble table where N1CK3L was patiently waiting for him. They both took opposing seats, and Sharp Strike watched silently as the male android reached up and unclasped his modified combat helmet before placing it gently on the near-transparent glass surface of the table.

"So… what's on your mind?" Sharp Strike asked politely.

"Due to my advanced programming, I am curious about many things and desire to learn as much as possible. Your Knight Order particularly intrigues me." N1CK3L explained, "I know very little about the Remnant Knights other than scant information which mentions them as a secret order of warriors who protect the entirety of Remnant in secret, without any allegiance to any particular Kingdom. They are highly trained, formidable fighters who counter any major threat towards the Kingdoms, but little is known of their ways and much of their history is so shrouded with myths that it is difficult for historians and conspiracy theorists to differentiate between fact and fiction. I know that certain members of the Councils that govern the Kingdoms are aware of the Order's existence and General Ironwood is also allied with your Order, but I do not know many other details, much less any concrete ones even after searching through everything within Atlas's archive databanks."

Sharp Strike was silent for a few moments as he mentally digested what the android had just said, and he was honestly not surprised that there was very little information regarding the Knights within even the most well-kept archives within the Kingdoms. While Atlas had one of the most comprehensive database in Remnant as they possess extensive records on everything imaginable and not to mention many other secrets that couldn't be found anywhere else on the planet, the secrecy of the Knights was so paramount that only the most privileged and trustworthy individuals of the Kingdoms' Councils were entrusted with the information that the Remnant Knights still existed in the present.

While he couldn't fault N1CK3L's curiosity since it was probably a quirk of his programming, the knight errant silently reminded himself of his oath to keep the secrets of the Knight Order to himself and perhaps answer the Atlesian android's questions cautiously.

"I suppose it's natural for someone like you to be curious about individuals like myself," Sharp Strike mentioned, "But I'm afraid I cannot tell you many details about our Order, outside of what I am allowed to tell the others."

"And what are you allowed to tell the others?" N1CK3L inquired as he rested his hands on his armor-plated knees.

"The bare details of the Knight Order, like our purpose and mission, and the four different Knight Legions that protect Remnant, among others. By any chance you wouldn't be trying to spy on me, would you?" Sharp Strike asked before lifting up his battle mask a little to take a sip of his drink.

"Not at all, I understand that General Ironwood and most of the high-ranking figures of the Kingdom of Atlas are aware of several things about your Order, so it would be ultimately pointless to attempt to spy on you." N1CK3L replied with no hint of deceit in his voice.

Sharp Strike nodded at his answer and said, "So, you simply wish to know more about me."

"An accurate statement." N1CK3L agreed.

"Well from what I understand, you and I aren't that different. True, while I am of flesh and blood and you are made of metallic alloys and synthetic components, we do have our similarities. We're both members of elite warrior groups." Sharp Strike began, leaning back on the sofa.

"I see your point, since I am part of Task Force Omega of the Atlesian military forces, while you are a member of the Remnant Knights." N1CK3L acquiesced with a nod, "I suppose that is something we indeed have in common, along with our current status as temporary visitors to Team Beacon."

"I'm not sure about you, but my 'visit', as you put it, will be much more long-term." Sharp Strike commented, "And that's another thing you and I both share, we're both outsiders among friends."

"Outsiders?" N1CK3L echoed, his head tilting a bit.

"Yes. We might feel welcomed among Team Beacon, made to feel as though we're a part of them, and perhaps even form bonds of friendship with them, but when all is said and done there's still a feeling that we don't truly feel like we belong." Sharp Strike explained.

N1CK3L slowly nodded again and replied, "Again, you have made a valid point. For example, during dinner tonight although the various members of Team Beacon do make me feel welcome to be there and they were enthralled by my recounting of my mission with the Task Force, but I still felt out of place. The same thing also happened when I first joined Commander Central's Team 113 of Task Force Omega as well. As if I were a new factor in a finished equation."

"Not a bad way of putting it. They're familiar with me to an extent as well, since they've fought alongside me, and due to my assistance during the attack on the White Fang headquarters they trust me, but they don't know me. They don't even know my real name or even what my face looks like…" Sharp Strike said quietly as he looked down at the smooth floor between his legs for a moment. Then he looked back up at N1CK3L in the latter's blue optics and added, "So yes, we both feel like outsiders because we are not used to this situation or being around these people. But this will pass with time, hopefully."

"This feeling of being an outsider, it is one I am all too familiar with. But I suppose you do not suffer from it as much as I do." N1CK3L remarked.

Sharp Strike took another drink before asking, "And why would that be?"

"It's simple, you are human. You are a natural being. You may wear heavy armor, but underneath it all is a normal being of flesh, blood, bones and aura." N1CK3L stated directly to the Knight.

Behind his battle mask, Sharp Strike smirked and answered, "Normal. That's something I don't feel very often. True, I feel content when I am with my fellow Knights, my brothers, sisters, Master Argentius, mentors and such, but when I am out on missions in the world, I feel like a stranger. My armor is the skin that people see, not the man underneath it."

"Unlike myself, whereas when some people look at me it feels like they do not take the synthetic skin I wear into account, just the advanced machinery underneath." N1CK3L said quietly, "Though I did not see that kind of reactions from Team Beacon. While I still felt like an outsider, I never felt that they saw me as a mere machine, but someone like Penny, who they do not think of as simply a machine."

"That's because they grew to know Penny over time, just as they'll come to know me and vice versa in the future. I will fight alongside them, bond with them, assist them in any way I can… and perhaps then I will no longer feel like an outsider when they see me as one of them, regardless of my armor." Sharp Strike mentioned with conviction clear in his voice, "And I am sure you will as well, N1CK3L."

"I see, then that is the course of action I must take with the people I work with as it would produce the most positive results. I must take my leave now, as I have to attend to the rest of my duties. Thank you for speaking with me Sharp Strike, it was quite illuminating." N1CK3L told the knight errant, before standing up and giving him a polite bow and salute.

"You're welcome, N1CK3L. It was a pleasure speaking with you as well." Sharp Strike answered as he watched the android walk out of the common lounge and up the staircase.

As the Remnant Knight leaned back in the sofa and took another sip of his drink, he looked out of the wide view-port gallery as the Hyperion One flew over a village in the Vacuoan desert. It would be undoubtedly a long way before Team Beacon would truly see him as one of their own, but Sharp Strike was determined to make it happen. After all, trust goes both ways and if he could get the members of Team Beacon to put their trust in him, then it would make things all the more easier in future.

He just hoped that there would not be a time where he would be forced to tell them the truth about his past and his identity.

This chapter was co-written by Relentless Crusader

THE CLONE WARS ARE RETURNING AND I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER UNLESS THEY GIVE US A BLU-RAY RELEASE!

Sorry if the story's been boring lately, but I promise that things will heat up in the next chapter...

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