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

84. Towards a Darker Tomorrow

In Loving Memory of Sammy, a beautiful cat. 2004-2020.

Chapter 83: Towards a Darker Tomorrow

Blake, Yang, Team JNPR and Qrow hurried through the hallways of Shade, pushing past other students, faculty personnel, security officers and medics towards the main courtyard. They emerged onto the second level of the huge grand staircase that led down to the main intersection hall where Qrow fought Tyrian. Just beyond was the main entrance of Shade which opened up towards the courtyard and its damaged main gates.

They soon spotted Sharp Strike, N1CK3L, Sharp Strike and Teams CFVY, SSSN, and BRNZ, along with several Remnant Knights who were especially clustered around Heliosia and Amethyst as though they were royalty. While the human and Faunus traffic continued to flow throughout the main intersection hall, they all had the good sense to give the group of heavily-armored warriors a wide berth.

Several meters away from them at the far end of the hallway, dozens upon dozens of Vacuo Rangers armed with heavy riot shields and batons were quickly arranging themselves into neat rows under the shouted orders of the sergeants. Additional security officers and Desert Guards were running from other hallways to their assigned stations, and snipers whose rifles were loaded with tranquilizer darts were heading to the best vantage points. Barricades were hastily thrown together and reinforced with whatever sturdy material the rangers could find for the possibly impending riots.

After making their way down, the present members of Team Beacon exchanged quick and heartfelt yet worried greetings with each other, along with a few relieved hugs and bumped fists. They quickly filled each other on any important pieces of information before Qrow stomped forward using Reaper as an improvised clutch and Yang supporting him with his arm over her right shoulder, asking grumpily, "Anyone wanna tell me what's happening now?"

"Long story short?" Coco jabbed a finger over her shoulder at the rapidly assembling army of rangers and Desert Guards not far away, "Word got out that the Summer Maiden is here, and now a few hundred protesters are right outside in the primary courtyard, and the number is steadily increasing. They're all demanding to see the Maiden in the flesh, and security are barely holding them back."

"Oh, now that's really bad." Qrow grumbled as he placed a hand on his forehead as though to stall an oncoming headache, "The last thing we need is a riot that could possibly trigger another Grimm attack."

"Can you blame them?" Sage piped up, gesturing with his open hands, "The city was suddenly attacked by Grimm and a huge gang uprising at the same time. The people are scared out of their minds and are looking for anyone that can protect them."

"Considering that the people of Vacuo are deeply religious by nature, hearing about the Summer Maiden probably roused them to want to see a legendary Maidens in the flesh for themselves," Sharp Strike remarked to the others, "Plus, Vacuoans are well-known for their disregard for laws, as demonstrated quite a number of times from the examples mentioned in the history books."

Coco chuckled a bit when the knight errant nodded in response, "Then I guess Velvet isn't the only teacher's pet in Team Beacon now." The Rabbit Faunus felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment and looked away briefly, playing with her fingers.

"So, what's going to happen now?" Jaune asked worriedly as they heard angered shouts and hollers, "Are the rangers going to try and disperse the crowds?"

"That would be the ideal solution," Sharp Strike remarked, "Although judging from the rapidly escalating situation outside if we don't do anything soon to calm them down things can potentially get very bad very quickly."

"And we are running rapidly out of time." Pyrrha shared a concerned look with him.

"No kidding," Qrow grumbled as he looked around and pointed at the huge doors of the academy's grand entrance, "Can the main doors be shut? If the protestors can't get in, we can probably just wait things out until they finally leave."

"I'm afraid that's not possible," Sharp Strike informed him as he pointed upwards with an outstretched finger, "Flame Weaver said that the mechanisms of the outer gates were severely damaged by the Sphinx."

"Damn," Qrow swore while shaking his head, "So what's Luna planning to do?"

"We're not sure since she's currently attending an emergency session with the other Guardians of Remnant at the moment." The silver-blue armored knight told him, "But we need to find a solution that hopefully won't cause a riot that might quickly spread city-wide and possibly trigger another Grimm attack. That's the last thing we need right now."

"Other than for the Summer Maiden to reveal herself to the people of Vacuo City to placate them, you mean to tell me that there's no other way?" Qrow groused angrily, shrugging off Yang's helpful arm.

"Wait, won't that course of action severely endanger Heliosia's safety?" Penny spoke up, with quite a few other members of Team Beacon agreeing shortly. Even N1CK3L nodded in agreement.

"I don't like it either," Sharp Strike voiced with concern in his voice, noticing that the chanting and shouting of the congregating civilians outside were getting louder and louder, "But I think that's what she's planning to do."

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Qrow groaned visibly, "This is just one disaster after another!"

"You can't be serious," Yatsuhashi commented, "The Winter Maiden is gone, and now the Summer Maiden has to show herself? There's still a chance that things might fall apart even more quickly than any of us could have anticipated if something goes wrong."

"Exactly! That's the last thing we need right now." Sun spoke exasperatedly as he raised both of his hands.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Neptune agreed as he looked at his team partner with a concerned face as Qrow walked on.

"Hey, hey!" The avian Huntsman hobbled over to where the large group of Knights stood around the pair of Maidens defensively, and was immediately barred by another pair of Knights carrying huge halberds and heavy shields who closed their weapons instantly in front of him with a loud clang.

"None may proceed beyond this point." One of them rumbled under his helmet.

"Let me through you idiots! I serve the Guardians of Remnant!" He shouted at them.

Sharp Strike looked at the assorted members of Team Beacon and N1CK3L and said, "I'll see what I can do to make sure Qrow doesn't offend anyone, and I advise that you all to be best prepared for anything," After receiving nods and thumbs-up from them, he walked up briskly to stand beside the irritable veteran Huntsman, "Let him through, he's with me. We need to speak with the Maidens."

The two Knights reluctantly parted their crossed halberds, allowing them to proceed into the protective circle of Remnant Knights to see Flame Weaver talking a little animatedly with Heliosia, who had her arms crossed in front of her with a serious look on her facial features.

"-this is at best a foolhardy course of action, Heliosia. Revealing yourself to those people out there can only buy us only a little more time. There's no telling what other agents the enemy had planted here, nor what kind of attempt on your life they would most likely try should your identity be confirmed. Moreover, we can't protect you adequately in such an open environment." The prognosticator told her quietly but firmly.

"I understand your concerns Flame Weaver, but I don't see any other way." The Summer Maiden gestured with one gloved hand, "If you want to properly contain the rising emotions of the people outside, using brute force will only beget an even more forceful response. They will descend into rioting, and things will definitely become even worse."

"You can't do this, Heliosia!" Amethyst walked forward gripped the larger Maiden's arms with her own hands, "Revealing yourself will make you an easier target for the enemy!"

"Yes, I know the risks," The brunette-haired Maiden spoke a little tersely as she gently removed her fellow Maiden's hands from her arms, "But what other choice is there? The only reason they don't know about Amethyst being the Spring Maiden despite her contributing to the counter attack is because of the chaos and their primary focus on me, while my identity as the Summer Maiden was revealed when that crazy assassin revealed it publicly to everyone present."

"I…concede that point." The prognosticator of the Relentless Crusaders Knight Legion muttered.

"So in other words, you're putting all of the attention on yourself," Qrow cut in as he stopped near them with Sharp Strike, "And making yourself an even bigger target for Salem's agents."

"I apologize for this interruption, Flame Weaver," Sharp Strike bowed briefly at Amethyst and Heliosia, "He vehemently insisted on speaking to Heliosia."

"Qrow Branwen, nice to see that you're back on your own two feet," Flame Weaver voiced as he turned to face the Guardian of Remnant, "Shouldn't you be in the infirmary?"

"Not with this much shouting and yelling outside!" Ruby's uncle growled as he aimed a finger at the tan-skinned Maiden, "And besides, I think the Summer Maiden here needs to have some sense talked into her before she makes a foolish mistake."

Heliosia's response was simply to raise an eyebrow and reply with, "Mr. Branwen, if you have a better way to peacefully stop hundreds of civilians from rioting, I'm all ears."

Qrow raised a hand as his mouth opened to speak, but no words came out as he probably just realized that there were no easy options available at the moment, so he simply grunted and closed his mouth again.

"I thought so," A ghost of a sarcastic smirk briefly appeared on Heliosia's face for a moment, "Now, can I have your complete attention?"

"You have mine." Sharp Strike mentioned quietly, earning a thankful nod from the Summer Maiden.

"And I presume you have a workable solution?" The prognosticator asked a little doubtfully, "Please tell me it isn't one that endangers your life."

"Yes, I do have a plan, but I need all of you to trust me." Heliosia told them.

"And what is that so clever plan you've cooked up?" Qrow grumbled as he glared at the Summer Maiden.

Over the rising volume of the chanting sounds belonging to the civilians outside, Heliosia quickly told them of her plan before ending it with, "And finally…I need Sharp Strike to be with me in order for my plan to work."

"That's…an audacious plan," Flame Weaver agreed with a nod, "Even from coming from someone as bold as you, Heliosia."

"You can't be serious." Qrow said, "You do know that the other Guardians of Remnant won't just be unhappy with you."

"It's my duty as a Maiden to do what's best for Remnant." Heliosia placed a hand on her chest, "And if it means revealing myself to prevent a riot that could potentially endanger thousands of lives, then so be it. I'm also doing this to preserve Amethyst's identity as the Spring Maiden as well."

"No, this isn't right!" Amethyst looked pleadingly at her fellow sister Maiden, "I'll go with you! We'll face the outside crowds together as sisters!"

"Amethyst, no," Heliosia took the Spring Maiden's hands in hers, "The people of this city already know about me, so I might as well reveal myself before things get worse. You, on the other hand, are still unknown for the most part. I'm sorry, Amethyst, but it has to be this way to protect you a little longer."

The Spring Maiden shared a long look with her before eventually saying, "I…understand."

"Pardon me, my lady." Sharp Strike looked directly at her, "Why do you specifically need me to be with you? There are Knights here who could escort you just as well."

"True, but let's just say I feel safer when I'm with someone who saved my life at least three times in less than a day," Heliosia gave him a small smile, "Are you up for it?"

"My swords will ensure your safety, my lady." The knight errant bowed respectfully.

"Good, though I hope you won't have to use them. I guess that's that then," Heliosia looked around at the gathered group, "Now, can we please get on with it before another calamity comes up?"

"I believe we need to clear this plan with Headmistress Luna, Fire Walker and Wind Runner first," Flame Weaver mentioned quietly, "Once they give their approval, we can go ahead with what Heliosia's plan."

"Yeah, good luck with them," Qrow sighed as he held his bandaged side, "Who's the poor sap who's gonna tell them?"

He caught Flame Weaver, Amethyst and Heliosia all looking at Sharp Strike, who sighed and tapped the side of his helmet to open his personal communication unit as he mentioned, "I hope they'll at least listen to me before making a final decision."

"Best of luck, shiny." Qrow growled a little as he shared a pointed look with Flame Weaver, while Heliosia walked over to capture Amethyst in a tight embrace, whispering soft words of comfort to the younger Spring Maiden as she rubbed the purple-haired girl's head affectionately.

A few tense minutes later, Sharp Strike's helmet turned to Flame Weaver and said, "It took every bit of patience I had, but I managed to convince them that Heliosia's plan could work out if we implement it quickly. The Guardians of Remnant and our superiors, however, are still quite hesitant"

"They aren't wrong, shiny," Qrow looked at the twin-swords wielding knight, "I can't even begin to tell you how many ways this plan can backfire on us if anything goes wrong when she's out in the open."

"Will they be possibly pushing for the 'Ultimate Sanction' on the Summer Maiden?" Flame Weaver whispered softly to Sharp Strike, not noticing the momentary look of alarm on Qrow's face.

Sharp trike shook his head, "I pray not. We can't afford to lose a Maiden so impressively skilled like her right now. With Elsa gone, she's the senior Maiden of the two and is someone who could help keep Amethyst in line. Besides, the Spring Maiden's recent escape attempt was already a cause for major concern among the Guardians."

"What about you being the Summer Maiden's escort?" Qrow crossed his arms, "Did Ozpin and the rest say anything about that?"

The knight errant paused for a moment and then added, "They...reluctantly gave their assent, but they respect the Summer Maiden's decision. However, Flame Weaver will conjure up several shield spells for additional protection just in case anything happens, and I'm going to be right at her side. Should the worst-case scenario happen, all Remnant Knights and other active agents are ordered to implement both 'Eternal Spring' and 'Endless Summer' emergency evacuation protocols immediately."

"Shit." The longsword-scythe hybrid weapon user groused as cursed the nurses for confiscating his flask.

"I guess we just have to wait and see what happens then," Sharp Strike's careful gaze met theirs, "And pray that Heliosia's plan comes through."

"In light of what we've faced so far…" Flame Weaver shrugged, "…I guess this option is perhaps one of the better ones."

"Then let's get to it before anything else happens," Sharp Strike said as he glanced at the Maidens, "Or else we won't be able to salvage anything out of the current situation."

"Heliosia, it's time for you to make your appearance," Flame Weaver bowed a little with Qrow standing beside him, "Best of luck." The prognosticator nodded to Sharp Strike who quickly marched up to stand beside the Summer Maiden, carefully hiding his troubled thoughts behind a mask of careful control.

"A moment please, Flame Weaver." The Summer Maiden said. She then squared her shoulders and took a deep breath as though to calm herself, her gorgeous face immediately becoming a serious mask as she turned to face the crowds outside, "I'm ready. Let's go before I have second thoughts."

Flame Weaver nodded and gestured for the other Knights to form two long rows that cleared a direct path towards the grand gates of Shade. Even from a distance the rising roar of more than a hundred throats could be heard clearly as the congregated mass of civilians outside cried out their demand repeatedly to see one of the fabled Maidens of legend.

"Show us the Maiden! Show us the Summer Maiden!" They chanted over and over.

"I hope you know what you're doing, my lady." Sharp Strike whispered to Heliosia before looking at Flame Weaver who gave a nod and began murmuring incarnations to generate protective shields around him and the Summer Maiden.

"I do. Just be ready when I need you in my plan, and I'm sure everything will work out just fine." She turned her brunette-haired head to look at him in the azure lenses, "You have faith in me, don't you?"

The silver-blue armored knight slowly gave a nod, "Yes, I do. But if I see anything unusual I will take action, because your safety is my duty."

Heliosia gave him a small thankful smile, "Your vigilance is appreciated, Sharp Strike. And I trust you to protect me, considering what you've already done for me today."

"You always have it, my lady." Sharp Strike answered, silently thankful that his armored helmet had hidden his brief blush due to him seeing Heliosia's genuine smile. He shook himself out of any distracting thoughts and gestured for Steel Punch and Spear Dancer to keep close, while Flame Weaver was right behind him along with a dozen other knights armed with a wide assortment of weapons.

"All of you, with me." Qrow told the assembled group of Huntsmen and Huntresses, "Teams CFVY and SSSN, Blake and Yang, take the left-hand side of the main gates. Teams JNPR and BRNZ, watch the right-hand side. Be ready if things do get ugly. Keep your weapons close, watch each other's backs, and if you see anything out of the ordinary, use your scrolls to contact the nearest rangers and security officers. Pacification only. Got it?"

"Understood." Jaune gave a nod, along with the rest of Team JNPR.

"You can count on us!" Sun gave a thumbs-up, and the rest of his team nodded too.

"You got it." Coco added for her team.

"Like you even have to ask." Brawnz replied with a grin.

"Penny, and you, war machine…" Qrow gestured at the pair of robotic siblings, "Get to somewhere high up above us, in those upper balconies, and keep whatever electronic sensors you have scanning the crowds for anyone or anything suspicious."

"My given name is N1CK3L, Branwen." N1CK3L looked directly at the red-eyed Huntsman as he spoke, "Please refer to me with that name for future reference."

"Whatever, robo-boy." The Huntsman waved a hand dismissively, "Think you and your sister can handle that?"

"No problem, Mr. Branwen!" Penny saluted as she activated the thrusters underneath her booted feet, "Come on little brother, let's get to work!"

"Acknowledged." The advanced tactical android looked at the veteran Huntsman for a moment more before the thrusters on his Aile Integrated Armor Pack battle suit blasted him into the rainy grey sky alongside Penny while activating all of his available scanning and weapon systems to full battle readiness.

The visible Remnant Knights arranged themselves into a horizontal line facing the roaring crowds in the main courtyard of Shade Academy, their weapons and shields held in front of them within their gauntlets. Just meters away were a few more lines of Vacuo Rangers, Desert Guards and security guards, all doing their best to hold back the amassing crowds who were all trying to catch a glimpse of the Summer Maiden as they loudly howled their demands. While raindrops were splattering on every uncovered surface, the masses of civilians didn't care about being drenched as their attention were all focused on seeing the Maiden.

Heliosia steadily climbed up onto a huge chunk of rubble that had been sheared off from one of the surrounding structures during the battle between Salem's agents and Team Beacon, crushing a statue of one of Shade Academy's previous headmasters. She stepped into the pouring rain, drawing Flameguard in one of her fingerless-gloved hands and straightened herself to stand tall and proud. "People of Vacuo City!" She spoke to the masses of civilians who all turned to look at her, "My name is Heliosia Ainea; and I'm the Summer Maiden, one of the Four Maidens of old legend."

The shouts and cries from the civilians lessened slightly, while others simply fell silent upon hearing Heliosia. Sharp Strike turned his helmet a little, glancing over to see Flame Weaver clutching his force staff with the red Dust Crystal that topped it glimmering considerably, no doubt keeping the hidden shield spells intact with additional incarnations as well as using a voice amplifying spell to supplement Heliosia's voice.

The maroon-eyed Maiden looked over the crowds of exhausted and frightened civilians, and knew that she had to handle things delicately or else she might as well finish what Salem's agents had started. There must be hundreds of Vacuoans present, young and old, male and female, human and Faunus, waving their hands in the air or jostling to get a better look at her. Mothers were holding up their newborns above their heads while children sat high on the shoulders of their parents or elder siblings. More stood atop chunks of broken rubble or climbed onto the overturned armored ranger vehicles, and others leaned out from the shattered gates of Shade in a slim hope to at least see her even from afar. Several of the monks and priestesses among them had their heads bowed and hands clasped in front of them, murmuring lines from their varied faiths as they avoided eye contact with the Summer Maiden.

"Maiden, look at me! Please!"

"Give us your blessing, Maiden!"

"Please bless my baby!"

"Maiden! I'm begging you, save my wounded father!"

Heliosia could feel all of the visible masses' attention focused solely on her now, each with their own individual requests and pleas. She carefully reminded herself that they were all innocent people looking for someone that they could put their trust in to protect them, frightened civilians whose everyday lives were abruptly torn apart by the Grimm incursion that swept through the city. She could also tell that not everyone present was convinced that she was the Summer Maiden judging from more than a few faces of disbelief, because she possibly wasn't what they expected her to be as one of the fabled Maidens. Jaune and Pyrrha, due to their special powers, could feel the collective sorrow, desperation and fear these people were feeling. It was terrible.

"I know that this is a dark time for all of you, and you have all suffered greatly," She swept her firm gaze from left to right, taking in as much of the gathered crowds as she could, "I also know you have all lost friends, colleagues and even loved ones from this terrible attack. The enemy that attacked the capital today may have fled and the Grimm hordes have retreated for now, but they are all still out there waiting for another chance to strike again."

The majority of the civilians were hanging onto her every word, Heliosia knew without a doubt. She had to make sure that every word that came out of her mouth would hopefully calm them down instead of causing more panic which would unquestionably trigger another Grimm attack on Vacuo City. She had only just recently come out of grieving with Amethyst at losing both Elsa and Kaifin to Salem's agents a short while earlier, but Heliosia knew that she needed to present a strong image of what a mythical Maiden should be to the civilians in order to give them hope, but not to give them the impression that she was the solution to all of their problems.

"Maiden, please save us!"

"Use your incredible powers, Maiden!"

"Maiden, show us your boundless benevolence!"

"Please heal my sick brother!"

Even though raindrops were splattering onto every surface from the dark grey clouds above Shade Academy, the civilian masses made no attempt to disperse or seek shelter. The many Vacuo Rangers, Desert Guards, and other academy security officers gripped their weapons tighter while the Remnant Knights present girded themselves for a quick evacuation should the situation take a turn for the worse. Thankfully however, the packed crowds that occupied the huge courtyard of Shade Academy wasn't in a riotous uproar…at least for the moment.

"While I am the Summer Maiden, and I do have considerable power, but I cannot be everywhere at once," Heliosia continued speaking, her maroon-red eyes meeting the gazes of as many civilians in front of her as possible, "I didn't save Vacuo City on my own, but with the help of many Huntsmen, Huntresses, Remnant Knights, Vacuo Rangers, Desert Guards and police officers as well. That's right, the Remnant Knights are indeed real, there can be no hiding it anymore. The real heroes and heroines today are those who bravely fought back against the terrible Grimm invasion and gang uprising throughout the capital, who did their sworn duty to protect and save as many lives as possible. They are the ones you should be thanking for saving your lives, instead of thanking me alone."

The rain fell harder against Heliosia's face, slowly soaking her outfit, but she marshaled her willpower in order to keep her voice strong and clear. When the crowds didn't shout out more of their requests and prayers, she took the chance to pause for breath and then resume speaking once more.

"Look around you, people of Vacuo City…all of you," She slowly raised both of her hands, one clutching Flameguard firmly within her fingers, "So much blood and effort had been expended to keep this city and academy from becoming a repeat of the Fall of Beacon, and even so we barely kept it from falling. The enemy that orchestrated this attack today is sinister and treacherous, and they wanted to send a clear message that they are still capable of launching damaging attacks on our world at any time they wish. They sought to plunge this Kingdom into fear and panic, to cause anger, distrust and hate to foster among the survivors so that you all will fight among yourselves for whatever's left while they sit back and watch the chaos happen."

Sharp Strike could tell that the faces of hundreds of civilians were focused on the Maiden who was standing a short distance from him, and a variety of facial expressions could be seen; rapture, astonishment, awe, and even veneration. They were all listening to her speak with hushed reverence, as though she was one of the High Priestesses from the Grand Temple of Vacuo giving out a religious sermon. Heliosia's resonant voice rang throughout the entire academy courtyard, capturing the attention of civilian and the Vacuoan security forces alike, and he could also tell from those Knights nearby that more than quite a few of them were also listening intently.

"I humbly ask of you, every single person present here; for the sake of those innocents who had barely survived this brutal attack, not to give in to your fear and distress as that would undoubtedly attract the Grimm to attack the capital city again. This is the outcome the enemy wants to see, and we need to prevent it in order to save more innocent lives." Heliosia spoke deliberately and clearly, "The Vacuo Council and their associates are currently doing their best to restore order as quickly as they can, but they need your invaluable assistance alongside those of the rangers and desert guards so as to aid as many people as possible. So give whatever help you can to those among you in dire need of it, and render any you can support to each other, especially in these calamitous times."

At first, there was only respectful silence as the civilians absorbed the words that the Summer Maiden had spoken to them. It wasn't long before the murmurings were heard among them, and spread rapidly as several civilians looked to each other. Before long, the rainy air was filled with rapturous noise once more. The group of Team Beacon members, along with Team BRNZ and the recently-arrived Team NDGO, all watched Heliosia make her speech in quiet deference while also keeping an eye out for anything unusual. Qrow leaned against a large chunk of debris not far away beside Blake and Yang, watching with his arms crossed and muttering to himself. Penny and N1CK3L both stood on two of the upper balconies which could support their weight loads on either side of the main gates, their own individual scanner systems constantly analyzing the civilian crowds below for any visible and unseen threats.

"So far so good. She has a way with words, doesn't she?" Jaune remarked to Pyrrha.

"Makes me wonder if she already a speech prepared or did she just form it off the top of her head?" Pyrrha replied as she nodded in agreement.

"Who knows?" The blonde knight shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe a little of both?"

They both turned their heads when they heard a female Cow Faunus hidden among the masses cried out as she raised her hands beseechingly, "If you possess the powers that the legends say, then use those same powers to protect us!" Many others echoed her sentiment from among the crowds, while others either wept shamelessly or murmured grateful prayers of their individual faiths for being able to lay their eyes on a real Maiden in the flesh.

From his escort position closest to Heliosia, Sharp Strike felt the fingers of his gauntlet grip onto the pommel of his relic sword as he gazed out at the chattering civilians which were held back by a few lines of armed rangers, security guards and police officers. While he knew that the Maidens were venerated throughout the Four Kingdoms, the outpouring of emotions coming from them was quite surprising and extreme at the same time. He didn't doubt that their emotions were anything other than genuine, but it somehow seemed a little unsettling to him as he gradually realized that the people of Vacuo City were literally seeing Heliosia like some kind of mythological deity.

'As far as they're concerned, she was supposed to be beyond them. She wasn't a person, but a Maiden from the legends. They didn't see Heliosia Ainea as a human being.' He thought privately to himself, and noticed Flame Weaver glancing briefly at him as though reading his thoughts. He banished the thought and focused his efforts on being the Summer Maiden's chosen escort, making sure that he was ready for whatever she needed him for even as droplets of rain splashed onto the silver-blue plates of his Aegis armor.

"I have already done so, when fighting against the Grimm during the battle," Heliosia said, her maroon-red eyes drifting from one face to another in the crowds before her, "Though I have impressive powers, and I wield the power of fire, I'm but one of the four Maidens. While I will give my best efforts to protect the people of Remnant, I can't be everywhere at once, nor can I save everyone."

There was silence for a few long, uncomfortable moments. Then the sounds of weeping were heard followed by several cries for salvation and deliverance that they fervently believed only to come from a Maiden.

"A Maiden like you should protect us!" Someone within the crowds shouted in anger.

"Isn't that what you should do?" Another civilian voiced.

"Will...will you protect us?" A young tattooed tribe boy called out from the nearest ranks of civilians.

Somehow that small comment that came out of the crowds caught Heliosia's attention, and it seemed as though her stern mask slipped for a second. She took a deep breath to steady herself, closing her eyes momentarily. Then the brown-haired Maiden opened her eyes again and spoke, "I am aware of what hardships the people of this city are facing, as I have personally seen the devastation and hurt inflicted by the Grimm on this city first hand. And as the Summer Maiden I'd say this: My duty as a Maiden is to protect the people of Remnant, and I have never shied away from that duty. As long as it's within my power to do so, I will perform that same duty to the best of my abilities. This is my given vow, and I will never break it."

The cries and shouts slowly died down until silence reigned once more throughout the courtyard as the massed civilians and arrayed Vacuoan security forces heard the Summer Maiden's words. Though it was rapidly becoming a thick shower, none of the civilians present deigned to seek shelter or make an effort to get out of the rain, their attention rigidly fixed on the Summer Maiden that had appeared before them.

"All Relentless Crusaders, be prepared for 'Endless Summer' protocol." Flame Weaver sent over the encrypted communication channel, receiving swift acknowledgements from the other gathered Remnant Knights stationed around Heliosia.

"Acknowledged." Sharp Strike replied softly.

Then the most surprising and unbelievable thing happened. The whole mass of more than a thousand civilians dropped to their knees in supplication almost all at once. Young and old, human and Faunus, they bowed their heads as though in prayer, hands gripped together so tightly that their knuckles whitened. Several of the rangers and Desert Guards did the same as well, mimicking what the civilians had done while the tattooed monks, priests, priestesses belonging to the many faiths that dwelled within Vacuo City bowed and kneeled so deeply that it seemed as though they were praying to a literal goddess. The cries and chants soon rose in pitch and volume, until it echoed from one end of the Shade Academy's main courtyard to the other.

"All praise the Summer Maiden! The Maiden of Fire!"

"All praise the Summer Maiden! The Maiden of Fire!"

"All praise the Summer Maiden! All praise the Summer Maiden!"

The grouped members of Team Beacon, Team BRNZ and Team NDGO, who had also arrived to help, were astonished by the stunning spectacle that unfolded before them. One might have been forgiven to have imagined the phenomenal scene being something out of the history books, like the official declaration of the end of hostilities during the Faunus Rights Revolution, or when the renowned King of Vale announcing the end of the Great Wars of Remnant.

Sharp Strike turned his head to look at Heliosia, and saw that a variety of expressions crossed her features; shock, surprise, resentment and perhaps even a bit of anger as well. He could tell that she was obviously trying to keep her emotions under control, and there was a brief flicker of suns appearing around her eyes before...

"Enough!" Heliosia spoke in her usual pitch, but due to the amplification spell her voice was akin to that of a mythical goddess giving out a proclamation. It reverberated loudly throughout the entire packed courtyard, and there was a brief moment of sorrow on her stern features before it vanished just as quickly, the flame around her eyes fading.

"Enough." She repeated, this time at a much lower pitch. The crowds fall silent again as they all felt the tangible sensation of raw, elemental power emanating from Heliosia through the courtyard's surroundings. The temperature in the immediate vicinity had clearly risen by more than a couple of degrees, and every wet surface for several meters was instantly dry as the accumulated water droplets were evaporated within seconds by a heat wave of sorts.

"I'm going to say this only once: I'm not a goddess! "I will not be worshiped! I only use my powers for the greater good of Remnant, and I don't belong to you!" She spoke loudly and compellingly, letting the fire within her fuel her voice as it echoed around the wide packed courtyard and beyond, "There are many other people like you out there beyond the borders of this city, whole towns and cities full of innocent civilians who still needed me to perform my sworn duty as a Maiden!"

"Then what can we do, Maiden?" A distressed voice cried out.

"Don't forsake us!" shouted another, and soon many other voices joined in.

"All of you have already heard my words and my vow," Heliosia spoke again, "I will stand firmly by my duty as a Maiden and do whatever I can to help, nonetheless I humbly ask of you all to disperse and go home to wait for fresh news from the authorities which will definitely come as soon as possible. Take care of each other. Once the capital city has been properly secured from the Grimm, more assistance would be sent out to the most affected districts of the Vacuo City. I know you're scared over the current situation, many of you of mourning...but I promise you that help is coming. The Vacuo Council are doing everything they can to expedite search and rescue efforts, and with your combined cooperation things would be able to proceed far more smoothly without any hindrance."

She then gave the kneeling and bowing crowds time for her spoken words to sink in. When not a single one of them spoke a single word for several seconds, the Summer Maiden took another breath and resumed speaking.

"However; to those who think that they can take advantage of this catastrophe as the means to achieve their less than morally decent ends…" Heliosia slowly allowed more than a hint of steel to enter her tone, "…and to those who think I'm choosing to ignore any power-hungry adversary who would challenge me for the power I possess within me, I can tell you that I'm not. So if anyone thinks that they can hunt me down and take the power of the Summer Maiden from me, be warned: I won't hold back, nor will I show any mercy against those who raise their fists and weapons against me. And should anyone wish to steal my powers for themselves, then they will have to fight through the Remnant Knights who have sworn themselves to protect me with their blades and lives, and face a formidable Maiden with the power of elemental fire at her command!"

Almost instantly, each Knight from the Relentless Crusaders and Eternal Warrior detachments unsheathed their curved and claymore swords from their protective sheaths and held it in front of them in an honored salute to the Summer Maiden. Sharp Strike himself drew Hong Long in one swift motion and held it upwards in both of his gauntlets in front of his faceplate as he turned to face Heliosia. He thumbed the built-in mechanism within the sword's hilt that immediately transformed his blade into a flaming sword, a gesture which was immediately replicated by several other Knights which resulted in a small forest of flaming blades which gathered around the Summer Maiden herself.

Heliosia spun Flameguard smoothly in one of her hands which extended to its full length, its Fire Dust crystal shimmering slightly with power in the showering rain before holding it high above her head and pointed towards the raining heavens. She then flexed her Maiden powers which caused her eyes to glow brilliantly with the shape of the sun within them and then channeled it into her weapon, which then projected it outwards into the air above her into the manifestation of what she wanted her power to take shape. The red crystal at the tip of the Summer Maiden's weapon shone brighter and brighter before a much more dazzling light began to shine down on the mesmerized crowds who had finally dared to raise their heads to see what was happening. Ripples of awareness soon spread from the outer edges and soon spread inwards as more and more civilians turned their heads upwards to see what the Summer Maiden was doing with her incredible powers.

For an ephemeral moment, the grey sky above Shade Academy turned from grey to blue as the clouds slowly dispersed themselves, while the thick showers of rain and sounds of thunder gradually lessened and ceased entirely. The strong winds in the academy's surroundings also picked up for a few short moments before settling down deliberately. Several humans and Faunus among the crowds and rangers covered their faces as they gazed in amazement and awe at the sight of the Summer Maiden unleashing her power.

In the air high above Heliosia, a vast and majestic-looking red and gold-feathered phoenix slowly came into being with its wings outstretched, the entire wingspan stretching from one end of the academy's massive open doors to the other. It was a mythical creature made real, with bright orange and gold flames coming off of it while narrow eyes of white glared down at the kneeling people of Vacuo City. The Summer Maiden held it there for several seconds through intense concentration, and before she let the manifestation vanish, she allowed the great monstrous bird let loose a deafening screech from its open beak which echoed throughout the courtyard and into the capital city beyond. Civilians and soldiers alike were openly astounded, rendered temporarily mute by what they had just witnessed.

Then it vanished in a sudden, unexpected torrent of even brighter light and flames, leaving the crowds within the courtyard momentarily blinded, some holding onto their family members and friends for balance while others blinked hard and rubbed their eyes as though unable to believe what they had witnessed. The air above Heliosia was empty once more, as if nothing had been there at all. And of course it hadn't, since it was the Summer Maiden's power that brought the phoenix manifestation into reality. The rain soon returned, but more akin to a light drizzle instead of the heavy showers from before.

The assembled crowds were silent. What little doubt any of them had harbored in secret with regards to the girl standing within a semi-circle of Remnant Knights was the fabled Summer Maiden had been burned away. Even Qrow murmured in disbelief at the spectacular display of Maiden power under his breath.

Heliosia then lowered her gloved hands and her maroon eyes' shine began to die down even as the sun's image vanished back into their depths, her powers settling as she retracted Flameguard and slotted it back into its special holster. She took a few quick breaths to control her breathing, before leaping off the chunk of masonry she had previously been standing on and landing onto the wet flagstones beneath her booted feet. Sharp Strike allowed the flames adorning the length of Hong Long to die away as he sheathed it once more, turning to follow the Summer Maiden along with Flame Weaver as she marched back into the depths of Shade Academy, with several other knights forming a protective cordon around her once more.

As she stepped into the main arterial hallway where the great grand staircase, Heliosia looked up to see Headmistress Luna with a flushed and worried face hurrying down the steps with Sister Rosea walking briskly behind the Guardian of Remnant in her long priestess robes. A pair of armed Desert Guards obediently followed them, perhaps out of concern for the elderly Caribou Reindeer Faunus.

"W-what have you done, Heliosia?" Luna's voice was barely a whisper as she stopped in front of the senior Maiden, while Sister Rosea's wrinkled and aged face was a look of anguish and hurt.

"What I had to do…what was necessary to save this Kingdom." The Summer Maiden replied, unable to meet their eyes. A fresh tear rolled down her right cheek, and dropped onto the tiled floor beneath her where it lay like a tiny glistening jewel.

Nobody spoke a single word to contradict her. What more was there to say?

---

Smoke trailed into the skies over the small town of Solitarius, turning the clouds an ominous dark-gray as embers floated about like glowing snow. In the burning air hung the stench of blood and death, of flames consuming bodies and destroyed homes. One couldn't look in any direction without seeing the corpses of the victims of the deadly Nuckelavee; their chests slashed wide open, limbs torn off, and many bodies crushed under its cloven feet.

None had been fortunate enough to escape its wrathful rampage.

All around the ruins of the town, birds came down to land among the dead bodies; crows, doves and sparrows to guide the souls of the dead from the world of the living to their designated afterlife. Many souls had nothing to say, some were too devastated or shocked to speak or even argue. More than a few of them just wanted to get away from the sight of the carnage. Others just wanted to see their loved ones who had been killed by the soulless monster.

Raven, in her bird form, perched atop the tallest tree that overlooked the village, grimaced regretfully at the distressing sight. She was no stranger to death and destruction, she had been around it since she was a child when the Branwen tribe dealt with fierce targets, she had even seen enough villages which were utterly wiped out by the Grimm when she became a Huntress, but she never really got used to the ferocious brutality of the Elder Grimm. All of the deaths, young and old, human and Faunus, rich and poor…the Grimm were unbiased in their slaughtering.

A part of her wanted to believe that one of the main reasons she left her family was because she blamed herself for bringing Yang into such a violent world and wanted to make it better and safer for her, but she didn't know if she truly believed it herself.

A sparrow flew by her, slowing down a little and hovered a short distance away while flapping its wings, saying, "A raven? Who in this little village is wretched enough to deserve you?"

"No one," Raven explained quietly, "Despite all the death today, I only had to collect one soul, a mass murderer and rapist who died in an Atlesian prison. I wanted to take in just how bad the battle for this Kingdom is."

"'Bad' doesn't do this justice. Quite frankly I don't think a word exists that can describe just how awful this is." The sparrow replied.

"No arguments there." Raven muttered before she looked across the ruined town and spotted the kneeling form of Samantha in her human form within one of the destroyed dwellings.

The Guardian of Nothingness flew down and turned into her human form, walking through the snow-covered ground marked with bodies, blood, ruined weapons and smoldering debris. She passed through the doorway of the house, the door itself had been violently ripped off its hinges, and slowly approached the blonde spirit guide, but before she could say anything Raven was stunned silent by a sight that would have made her blood run cold.

Samantha sat on her knees, the dead body of a little girl who couldn't have been any older than five years cradled within her arms as she wept silently. The girl's color of blonde hair would have made Raven's heart skip a few beats had she still been alive, as for a moment she could easily believe the girl was Yang when she was very young. A closer look revealed that a toy of a fairy tale princess was clutched in the girl's dirtied and bloody hands, now shut tight due to rigor mortis setting in.

Stepping forward carefully, Raven placed a gentle hand on the shoulder of the weeping Guide to Elysium. It was always painful to see young lives so cruelly cut short, and she prayed that neither Ruby nor Yang would meet such a fate in their roles as Huntresses.

Samantha glanced up at the other Guardian of the Dead with tearful eyes before saying, "Did I ever tell you what my life was like before I died?"

"No." Raven answered softly as she knelt down beside her.

"I was an assistant teacher in a kindergarten in Atlas. I loved children…I always felt at peace around them, watching them play and have fun, put all of their energy into running as fast as they could, trying to understand all the wonderful things they could imagine. I always wanted to be a mother, to know what it was like to feel a life growing within my womb…a life with unlimited potential. A life you and I would do anything to protect." Samantha said in a hollow-sounding voice as she looked down at the dead girl within her arms.

"I suppose I know how you feel, Samantha. Part of the reason I left my family was to protect them…at least that's what I keep telling myself." Raven remarked darkly, remembering the day she left her best friend Summer, her husband Taiyang, her brother Qrow, and her baby.

"I gave my life for those children, you know," Samantha continued talking in a low voice as Raven removed her hand, "Th-there was a Grimm attack one day, an elder Boarbatusk leading a sounder of its kind. The two guards we had at the kindergarten died quickly, but I knew a bit about fighting from my parents to hold them off…and so I did everything to keep those kids safe. I was bitten, slashed with their horns and my aura was shattered…but I managed to hold out until help came. By the time troopers from the Atlesian military arrived, I was bleeding out on the ground while the medics desperately tried to save me. I died of severe internal bleeding, which was what they said before the sergeant in charge comforted me as I heard the children scream my name as they begged the medics to save me, but by then it was too late."

She gently laid the little girl back down on the hard floor and placed her hands over her chest with the princess doll within them, then she stood up and walked over to the nearest shattered window while adding, "I always hid my transformation power, like we all did…but I never knew the pain and sorrow it would bring me."

Raven flinched visibly at this, remembering Samantha's furious tirade when she had made the ignorant comment about the blonde guardian's job being relatively easy in comparison to hers. How can one not grieve for taking the souls of young children, knowing that they could never grow to their fullest potential because of their lives being so abruptly cut short by the Grimm?

"That little girl you just saw was so scared…every time a child is killed in a Grimm attack, they're like that. Terrified, confused, and further weakened when their fear and sadness are the very things that attracted those monsters…she didn't understand due to her young age. None of the little ones ever do. But I have to take them from this world, maybe to a better place, but it offers me little comfort. I must ferry the souls of the dead children from this world, or else they will be lost to an eternity of torment…so in a way, I guess I'm suited for it because of how much I love children. It's honestly a personal hell for me." Samantha surmised as she struggled to find the right words that fit her feelings. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed out, "I…I don't know how long I can keep it up."

"Samantha, I'll take you off duty for a while." The voice of Gabriel, the Crow Guardian of Purgatory, came from behind them both after a few seconds of silence.

The two women turned to see the old man clad in dark grey robes standing in the doorway, looking at both of them grimly with uncertain eyes. "You have been with us long enough, so I think some rest will do you good."

Samantha looked at him for a long while before nodding, clearly grateful for the offer, "Thank you, Gabriel…I think that will help me." She turned her head to look at Raven briefly before excusing with, "I…I think I need some time to myself before I break down again. Please excuse me." The other female guardian gave a small nod and Samantha walked away to another corner of the room, furthest away from the dead bodies.

"What did this?" Raven asked Gabriel as she looked at the disturbing carnage around them, and deliberately averting her eyes from a dead horse which had its neck slashed open.

Gabriel's face turned serious as he sighed and answered Raven's question, "The dreaded Elder Grimm known as the Nuckelavee."

Raven's head turned sharply as she favoured him with a surprised yet unsure look, "Are you serious? That monster had never been seen this far in the north. It's always been the bane of Mistral, hell I don't even think it has even left the continent of Anima."

"We cannot assume these Grimm creatures have limits anymore, Raven. The Grimm, even the Elder ones and unique cases like the Nuckelavee are atavistic creatures governed by their raw primal instincts at best, and the will of Salem at worst. I think it's fair to say that all these attacks we have witnessed today, all this death around us, were undoubtedly her will."

The Guardian of the Nothingness sighed as she glanced back at the dead little girl, her deceased family lying beside her. Looking back at Gabriel, she spoke up as she approached him slowly, "We should have helped."

"Whatever do you mean?" The gray-haired man asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"We all sensed all this death before it happened! That Omen thing, that strange sensation!" She exclaimed while holding out her hands, "We knew these disasters were going to happen before they did, we could have prevented all this!" To emphasize her point Raven gestured to the ruined town and the dead bodies strewn about, many missing limbs and heads while others laid in frozen pools of red blood.

There were a few moments of silence before Gabriel stated coldly, "Do not think you're the first guardian of the dead to propose such an idea, Raven Branwen."

"Then why did this even happen?!" Raven demanded to know while walking a few steps closer, "If we can sense these catastrophes before they happen, why not do something about it? Think of all the innocent lives we could have saved and the unspeakable atrocities we could prevent if we were able to warn those people."

"That is absolutely out of the question." Gabriel denied sharply while making a cutting gesture with his free hand, "You know the rules! We cannot provide irrefutable proof of life after death! It would disturb the natural order!"

"Oh, like this is natural?!" Raven barked a little cynically as she pointed at the dead bodies not far away from them.

"Death is a natural part of life, even when it happens in an unnatural way." Gabriel replied, easily holding Raven's scathing gaze, "Everything happens for a reason, Raven. Look, we guardians of the Dead aren't heartless; we've allowed a few souls to linger as ghosts, or messages from beyond the grave every now and then to give the people of Remnant hope! So they will believe that there really is something for them in the afterlife when their mortal bodies are killed. Why do you think we allowed Samantha to help that sick child leave a message for his family?"

"Maybe out of kindness? Shit, and I thought I was cynical. Now I know how everyone else felt around me." Raven commented unhappily as she began walking outside, her spirit leaving no footprints in the bloodstained snow.

"Did your brother or teammates ever try to talk you out of doing something you knew was right?" Gabriel asked as he followed her out.

"More times than I bothered to count," She eventually admitted while not looking at him, "But there were times when my team kept me from doing something really stupid…or wrong."

"And that is what I am trying to do for you now. Listen, as I said earlier, you weren't the first guardian to come up with the idea of warning people before a disaster struck. A few thousand years ago, before the moon shattered, there was one of our kind who sensed a great tragedy befalling a town; a bridge was about to collapse and claim forty-six lives. He sought out to stop it, appearing as a monstrous creature so those who govern us won't know. He scared people, gave them prophetic dreams…but all he succeeded in was scaring them and leaving behind a mysterious legacy afterwards. In the end he failed to stop the tragedy and the forty-six souls still perished when the bridge collapsed. For his crime, he was banished to Limbo, and reshaped to become the monster he disguised himself as. He still is to this day and will be for eternity." He finished, taking in her stunned expression.

"But he tried to save lives…isn't that punishment too harsh?" Raven pointed out.

"And he worked for death. Not life." Gabriel counted solemnly, "So I insist you keep the rules I have told you about and this warning in mind when you pay your secret visits to your loved ones when they're asleep."

Raven felt her hands clench into fists for a moment, but she then sighed and hung her head like a unruly student caught by a teacher, "So you know about that, huh?"

"Of course. I try not to let much get by me. We don't mind you doing it, most of us have visited our loved ones, but it's more tormenting to us than anything. We are forced to watch them go about their lives, and not help them even when we know they need us." Gabriel told her in an emotionally-heavy voice, which gave Raven the sense that he understood her pain better than she believed.

She turned to look back at Samantha, who was looking out at them from the doorway of the ruined home and began to wonder about something else. "What if we refuse to go through with it?" Raven asked, getting Gabriel's attention, "What if someone doesn't die when they're supposed to?"

"There's another story to answer your question with." Gabriel said sadly after taking a deep breath, "And it's where we shapeshifters come into play. Thousands of years ago, millennia before anyone even thought it was possible to shatter the moon, there was but one of us. One collector of souls for this entire world. You see, there was a great and clever soldier who came into possession of a magic bag. He used the bag to defeat a group of demons who tormented a town, making himself a great hero in his land, and managed to enslave one of the demons. But one day, his young son fell deathly sick and he asked the demon for a way to save his son when all the doctors in the city failed to heal him. After striking a bargain, the demon gave him an enchanted drinking glass that allowed to the soldier to see the original Soul Collector, and the water within the glass simply had to be sprinkled on the afflicted one's head and they would be healed, but only if the Soul Collector was below their head as when it was at one's head they would be beyond saving. The Soldier did this for his son, thus saving him, and many others…until one day his king fell gravely sick, and by the time he got there it was too late, and so he made a deal with the Soul Collector to take the place for his king, but when death came for him, he used the magic bag to capture the Soul Collector and keep him a prisoner."

"He made Death itself a prisoner?" Raven asked with her arms crossed while shaking her head. It didn't take a genius to know that Gabriel's tale won't have a happy ending for everyone involved.

"Yes. He effectively made everyone in the world immortal in the process. Warriors could hack each other to pieces with and still not die. A man could fall from a cliff only to have a long painful climb back up. People who wished to die tried anything and everything to die but nothing worked as their immortality prevented it. Before long the Soldier eventually realized what he had done was wrong, especially when he saw the sick and the elderly beg for death to release them from their suffering, he saw the wounded scream as their injuries made their lives living hells, and he knew he was to blame for their suffering. So he set the Soul Collector free, ready to sacrifice himself…but Death would not have him. It left after taking the lives it was due to take, but left the Soldier alive and unable to die as punishment." Gabriel elaborated.

"Is this story real or just a fairy tale?" Raven inquired.

"Considering what is possible in the world of Remnant and what we are now, I'm somewhat surprised you would write off the fantastical so easily." The crow Guardian of Purgatory commented with a wry smile, "But yes, it's a true story. The Soldier tried to physically enter the afterlife but he never succeeded, and he still walks the world to this day, somewhere out there. After that little incident, the Gods decided that they couldn't risk someone else capturing Death. What if the next jailer lacked a kind heart? And so they enlisted our kind, perhaps as punishment for our ancestors' gaining such unnatural powers. This way, the world shall never be free of death, which is both cruelty…and mercy. That is why we cannot get involved in the affairs of the living, or neglect our individual duty as Guardians of the Dead."

Raven let out a frustrated sigh. She knew that despite everything, despite how unfair and infuriating it was to have a chance to prevent such catastrophes yet be forbidden to intervene…Gabriel had a point about the natural order of things, even though there was nothing natural about any of this.

As she walked with Gabriel through the devastated town of Solitarius, digesting all she had been told so far by the grey-robed man, Raven saw a hay hook lying on the snowy ground with a severed hand still clutching it, and she couldn't help but remember Saul Jude and the story he told Ruby and Jaune when they were Cinder's prisoners when she overheard while spying to scout ahead for the rescue mission.

"Gabriel, if all of what you've told me is true, and we must follow a natural order…then what happened to Saul Jude?" She posed the question to him.

The older Guardian of the Dead stopped and looked at her with a face that let her instantly know that he had the answer to the question but didn't want to say it. He looked away for a few moments as though collecting his thoughts as she continued.

"Jude was a brutal drug lord who came to work for Salem after he murdered the lover of an ally of mine. I overheard him claim that when he was a child he nearly died in an accident and got a glimpse of hell, and what he saw in that fleeting moment eventually drove him to become a monster and a pawn of Salem. Was there any truth to his mad ramblings?" Raven demanded to know, her red eyes narrowing severely.

Gabriel turned away with a sad look on his face, which the Guardian of the Nothingness realized he was indeed aware of the truth. "I need to know, Gabriel." She pressed ahead, "What happened to him?"

"It was an accident that nearly killed him. Occasionally we get close calls like that, people who are on the verge of death but are pulled back at the very last second. Young Jude was one of them. The closest Guardian of the Dead at that point in time was a Sparrow…he took the boy to hell and back." Gabriel confessed, looking as though he was about to chew through his tongue with every word.

"Who did it?" Something clicked in Raven's thoughts before she heard a depraved-sounding chuckle coming from above her.

"T-t-that would be me!" Azrael announced between cackles as he sat atop a tree branch. He then jumped down close to Raven, his arms spread out in a cheesy 'ta-da!' pose, the oversized brown coat he wore flapping about him.

"And why in Oum's name would you do that?" Raven almost shouted, confused.

"I admit, it was I who set Saul Jude on his dark path. It was an honest mistake…or was it? I don't know myself sometimes." Azrael admitted, before Raven shot forward and grabbed him roughly. She hauled him close to her, getting up in his face with a fierce expression that would have caused a whole pack of Beowolves to freeze on their tracks.

"He was an innocent child. Why did you do it?" She demanded to know.

Azrael allowed a dark smile to spread across his face, his eyes shining with a special kind of madness as he answered, "I got curious and wanted to know what would happen if an innocent soul glimpsed the horrors of hell. I have to admit, I wasn't disappointed in the slightest."

He began to laugh maniacally, ignoring the disgusted looks from Gabriel and Samantha before Raven let out a roar of anger and flung him into the nearest tree with a hideous crunch. Faster than a blink, she already whipped out her weapon and leapt forward, bringing the blade dangerously close to his neck while pinning him to the aforementioned burnt tree.

"I took him there, and what young little Saul saw drove him completely and irrevocably insane. My only regret is that he became so twisted that you got to take his soul and not me!" Azrael declared before she pressed the tip of her sword against his neck. He smirked at her, and rasped out, "What are you gonna do? We're already dead. You can cut me to ribbons and I'd just laugh in your face!"

"Maybe so, but I can still find ways to make you suffer, you psychotic bastard." She hissed angrily.

"Oh I don't doubt it, my dear." Azrael returned with an insane-looking smile that would have made any living person's skin crawl.

"Enough." Gabriel said, trying to defuse the situation, "Raven, Azrael has already been found out for his contemptible actions and appropriately punished when it happened. He was briefly banished to a pocket of Limbo and was only released a few years ago."

"You idiots should have left him in there forever. This son of a bitch is crazy." Raven stated bluntly.

"Son of a bitch? A bitch?!" Azrael echoed mockingly, "Isn't that what you are, my dear Raven? I mean, what would one call a woman who willingly abandons her daughter and husband for a life of killing and violence? I'd say, you're quite the bitch."

Before anyone could say or do anything else, Azrael's head was severed from his body by a single horizontal slash. It bounced off the debris-strewn cold ground and rolled a few feet as the body slumped down and began to search for the head aimlessly, bumping into things along the way.

"Like I haven't had that happen to me before!" Azrael's head barked at Raven, "Face it my dear, until our time is up, we're unkillable!"

"Suits me just fine." Raven snarled as she walked over to his head and slammed her boot down on it, "It means I can hurt you over and over again to my heart's content."

"Enough of this!" Gabriel shouted, "He has already paid for his transgressions, Raven."

"Or maybe the punishment just made him worse. They should have left this monster in Limbo to rot for all eternity." Raven told the Guardian of Purgatory bluntly as she gave Azrael's head a final savage kick before walking over to one of the small work shacks. As she swept her blood-red eyes over the shacks, she took notice of a scroll lying propped on top of a stack of ore slabs.

Gabriel sighed as he looked at Azrael's body collecting his head and placing it back onto the stump of the neck, magically reconnecting in the process and turning it this way and that in ways that would make mortals queasy in the stomach while commenting cheekily, "It appears I've made our Huntress friend rather mad."

"She's not the only one." Gabriel replied, his voice not doing anything to hide the intense loathing he had for the guide to Hell. The severe glare he was directing at Azrael was more than enough to convey his other intentions as well.

Azrael immediately knew he had gone too far when even Gabriel's patience had run out, so he simply nodded as he quickly held his hands up in a peaceful gesture before transforming back into his sparrow form and flying away.

Gabriel sighed as he began to walk in Raven's direction when the sounds of Bullhead and Manta engines caught his attention. Looking up into the smoke-filled sky, he saw a squadron of Atlesian rescue airships and gunships appearing on the horizon, rapidly approaching the ruins of Solitarius.

It was time to leave.

He stopped a short distance from Raven, who had been joined by Samantha who stood close by her. The guide to Purgatory noticed that they were both using their ability to physically interact with the world of the living to look at the recording made on the scroll that had been left behind.

"A response team is about to land. It's time we left." He told them.

"We can't directly help the living, right?" Raven spoke up, before adding, "But what's the harm in us subtly nudging them in the right direction?"

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, but when she showed him the only possible known record of the Nickelavee's carnage through the town of Solitarius he knew there was a good chance the first responders would overlook it, and the dead deserved to have their tragedy known.

"Very well. As long as it's within reason." He eventually conceded when Samantha glanced at him with a pleading look. Gabriel then turned into a crow and flew off for the trees.

Samantha looked at Raven and muttered, "I hope this works Raven." She transformed into her dove form and took off after Gabriel.

"So do I." Raven muttered to herself as she set the scroll down where she had found it and transformed into her namesake, just as the nearest Manta gunship settled down amid buffeting clouds of snow and dust, quickly followed by the rest of the squadron.

Once they touched down, squads of Atlesian troopers poured out of the aircrafts' passenger bays followed by medics and rescue personnel carrying heavy lifting equipment as they frantically searched for survivors. Raven could tell by the reactions of some of them that they weren't used to seeing such terrible carnage. More than a few of the rescuers threw up upon seeing the torn bodies, others froze on their tracks, while the remainder carried on with their assigned duties by checking any body they found for signs of life.

"Captain, I am getting no human or Faunus life signs whatsoever." One of the soldiers called as he held a scanning device out, "There's was no problem with the ship's scanners, Captain Katsagari, there's nothing here alive but birds."

"Oh Oum…" The female captain muttered in a dismayed voice, "There must be survivors! I want the area thoroughly searched! Even the basements, storerooms and panic rooms! There might be a bunker that's preventing us from detecting anyone that's still alive!" She ordered before stopping cold at the sight of a teenage boy's horribly trampled body, forcing herself not to heave out whatever was within her stomach.

The veteran captain shuddered at the sight before adding, "At least find me a recording, a message…anything that can tell us what happened here!"

"Yes, captain!" Her troops shouted as they went about escorting the rescue teams, with a large number of them searching the ruins for any survivors. A pair of Paladin battlesuits, with their arms clearly customized for heavy lifting, detached from a nearby heavy transport airship and stomped over to assist a rescue team by clearing away the larger pieces of debris of what was previously the main government building within the town.

Captain Katsagari forced herself to walk deeper into the village, looking at the bodies scattered around her which were either intact or torn to pieces. Although she had seen more than her fair share of action during her military service; firefights with White Fang terrorists and other insurgents, various Grimm attacks…but seeing so much death and desolation shook her to her very core.

Seizing her chance, Raven flew towards the Atlesian captain, and landed on an overturned barrel near Katsagari.

Katsagari's attention was abruptly stolen by a loud cawing sound not far away from her, and she turned her head in the direction of the noise. Seeing that it was a large raven which was noisily cawing atop a barrel at her, she momentarily cocked her head in confusion wondering what the bird, which was looking straight at her, could possibly want.

Before she could do anything else the raven flew up onto the roof of a demolished house nearby and cawed some more, all the while gazing straight down at her. "What the hell?" Katsagari remarked, utterly baffled before the black-feathered bird took off and landed on a stack of processed ore slabs by a small work shed, still cawing at her.

Wondering if the bird was diseased or a pet of one of the dead villagers, Katsagari drew her service pistol and carefully moved towards where the raven was directing her to go. After making sure the coast was clear, she looked around and noticed a plain-looking scroll the bird had landed next to which was propped up against the wall of the shed, as though purposefully left there.

Curiosity got the better of her and Katsagari moved over to the stack where the scroll rested, intrigued by the raven's lessening of caws as she got closer. The raven flapped its wings in a downward fashion as its red eyes met hers, and black-haired military officer couldn't help but feel as though the bird was trying to tell her something.

Acting on the feeling that she was on the verge of discovering something important, Katsagari cautiously picked up the scroll and activated it. She frowned at the first few seconds of the video recording, but as the video feed played the last recording made with the device she gasped. Each second that passed showed her how the attack on the town of Solitarius unfolded, with villagers doing their best to fend off a strange and unnerving kind of Grimm that could only be described as an abomination. Swiping her gloved fingers to replay a segment of the video repeatedly, Katsagari felt her blood turn cold when she recognized the Grimm creature as the Nuckelavee which she had only read about and heard through whispers from her tour of duty in Mistral some years ago, and she also knew it was not native to Atlas.

Glancing up, she wasn't too surprised when she saw the raven had vanished. She briefly wondered about its peculiar behavior, but brushed it off as irrelevant since she had found what she wanted. Opening up a secure communication channel through her earpiece, Katsagari said, "This is Captain Katsagari, I have found something that will shed light on what happened here. Someone get me a direct line to General Ironwood immediately!"

The bird form of Raven watched from a tall tree several meters away, safely hidden from the Atlesian troops and rescue personnel combing through the town below her. She smiled internally, content to know that the deceased people of Solitarius town would not go unheard or forgotten.

---

General Ironwood marched briskly through the hallways of the Atlas Military Headquarters, a pair of soldiers from Blizzard Company escorting him out of formality. He held his scroll to his ear as he spoke with a medic from Camp Independence on the other line about the status of Colonel Chamberlain.

"…I understand. You've managed to stop the bleeding and kept him stable, that's the most important thing presently. The medivac airship carrying him will have clearance to reach the headquarters to receive emergency medical attention. I'll have our best prosthetics people look into leg replacements." He spoke before turning a corner to reach the main doors of the primary command center within the military facility. A pair of elite troopers on guard duty immediately snapped to attention and saluted him as Ironwood added, "I'll have to end this conversation prematurely, I'm afraid I have many other pressing matters to deal with. Keep me informed."

Terminating the call and putting his scroll into sleep mode, the general with greying-black hair sighed tiredly again as he waited for the security systems to scan and verify his identity. Seconds later the huge doors of the primary command center opened smoothly to admit him, and as he walked into the military facility he was greeted by the smartly-dressed form of Specialist Yin.

"Any word on Fort Valor or Sentinel Base?" Ironwood was especially concerned about the former military base, since they had managed to briefly establish contact before being abruptly cut off.

"Sentinel Base is reported to be still standing, sir. Most of the facilities there are badly damaged and there's been numerous casualties, but it still stands." Yin said as she pointed to one of the larger screens, which showed a live video feed of the severely battered military base. Reinforcements in the form of Atlesian soldiers and rescue personnel were moving about the base and assisting in search and rescue efforts, while more than a few Bullhead and Manta gunships continued to circle in the smoke-filled air.

"But as for Fort Valor…" She sighed sadly before forcing herself to go on, "…I personally don't think I can do it justice, General. You have to see it for yourself."

She nodded to one of the computer technicians, whose fingers operated the holographic keyboard at his station to bring up images of the utterly destroyed Fort Valor. Even after all he had lived through and seen, Ironwood's blue eyes widened as he took in the utter devastation that had been wrought to the base.

The entire base had been reduced to smoking ruins with scattered fires, with wrecked Paladin battlesuits, mangled tanks and APCs and dead bodies of the base personnel littering everywhere. A portion of the defensive walls had been smashed open as though through sheer brutal force, while the twin long-range cannons stationed at the front gate had been torn from their mounts and reduced to so much scrap metal. The primary command complex with its communications tower located in the middle of Fort Valor shared the same fate as the rest of it, which was simply a huge mound of collapsed and burning debris. Other images showed Atlesian reinforcements and rescue personnel fighting the fiercest fires in those areas, while others directed heavy mobile cranes to clear the largest chunks of debris in the vain hope to look for any survivors.

"By the Four Gods…Fort Valor was one of our best sites on the eastern side of the continent. They had both the manpower and firepower to withstand any significant Grimm attack. Were there any survivors?" He demanded to know.

"None sir. Most of the bodies were too severely maimed or burned to be identified." Yin answered, "However, Colonel Gotze's body was one of the few to be found intact by rescue teams."

The Atlesian general let out a heavy sigh and quietly asked, "Fort Valor was a fully staffed and heavily defended military base. How did this happen?"

"From what we can tell, sir, this was far from any normal Grimm attack," Yin mentioned carefully, "The scouting party found numerous Grimm stalking through the ruins, but none were large enough or dangerous enough to do…that."She gestured to the images of towering walls that had been smashed open, of barracks and hangars ripped open, or bodies stomped flat or torn apart in horrifying ways that even the battle-hardened Specialists within the primary command center stare in shock or turned their faces away to avoid throwing up. Even Ironwood's normally stoic face winced a little at the most shocking images, especially those that had Paladins that were badly crushed, one even had its legs torn off and its cockpit smashed in.

"Were there any signs of what could have done this?" He asked solemnly.

"The analysts believe so, since the rescue teams' scouts discovered these." Yin answered, gesturing to a secondary holographic screen as pictures displaying huge clawed footprints left in the snow came up. The footprints, many of which were bloody and some even having the remnants of crushed bodies in them, were long and three-toed, with claw-like marks in the toe-prints and what looked to be the light imprint of a large, sharp dewclaw on the back.

"That looks like the footprint of a giant bird. Perhaps the Grimm that attacked Fort Valor was an Elder Nevermore?" A lieutenant standing nearby suggested.

"I doubt it." Ironwood shot down that suggestion, shaking his head slowly, "Nevermore don't have any reason to be on the ground that much, they tend to stay in the air when they're attacking. They also tend to leave huge feathers behind, having used them as weapons, and I don't see any in those pictures. We're dealing with something else entirely."

"Like what, General?" Specialist Yin inquired, her voice a tad uneasy.

"Something that can wipe out a military base like Fort Valor easily can only be a new kind of Grimm menace we have never encountered before. Inform the military forces dispatched there to try and recover any video or images from the base's surveillance network, maybe that can possibly provide us with some answers." Ironwood told Yin, who nodded and informed the appropriate military personnel to send out new orders.

"General, we're receiving a transmission from Captain Katsagari and her team from Solitarius." A communications officer spoke up as she lifted her head to look at Ironwood from the screen of her computer console.

"Put her through." Ironwood permitted. Soon, a live broadcast image of the captain appeared on the main screen, the visible distressed look on her face letting Ironwood know straight away that she didn't have any good news. "Captain, have you found any survivors?" The general asked.

"None, general, at least not yet…but I doubt we'll find any. The town has been utterly devastated. Homes are completely destroyed, bodies littering the streets, fires are burning in several places…but by chance I managed to discover what actually did this." She held up a battered scroll within her gloved hands, "It seems that someone, possibly a Huntsman or Huntress, left their scroll's recording function on to record the attack on Solitarius. What I saw was terribly disturbing…and I…I don't think you'll like what's in its final recording."

Ironwood shook his head as he said to Katsagari's hologram, "I've already seen a lot of dreadful things today and I don't like any of it, so why stop now? Show me the video you found."

Katsagari nodded and quickly transmitted the contents of what she had discovered within the recovered scroll which showed the disturbing footage of the feared Elder Grimm known as the Nuckelavee in all of its terrifying glory rampaging through the town. On the main screen, the sight of the Grimm trampling over innocent, screaming civilians, its long hands with razor sharp claws reaching out to eviscerate the inhabitants of Solitarius or grab them in order to bring them up to its fanged heads which took crunching bites out of them. The screams of its victims, distorted somewhat by the lower quality of the recording device due to it being partially damaged, still managed to disturb everyone who heard them, as did the terrifying shrieks and roars that came out of the horned monster's humanoid and equine heads.

Gasps of shock and horror were heard from the support personnel manning the various consoles around the primary command center as they saw the carnage that had been wreaked by the Elder Grimm, and somewhere behind Ironwood came a heaving sound as someone with a weak stomach ran over to a trash can to vomit. Ironwood clenched his robotic fist tightly, knowing that Salem had brought the monster to his Kingdom to engage in mindless and wanton slaughter. Now innocent Atlesians were dead because of that abomination, and he would make sure justice would be served by killing the Nuckelavee.

"Captain Katsagari, is there anything to suggest that the Nuckelavee is still in the vicinity?" He asked, still trying his best to sound calm in front of everyone else.

"No sir, our Bullheads and Manta gunships didn't spot anything resembling it, nor have we heard its roars." She answered, her voice seemingly having a tremor of fear.

"Then perhaps it's already gone back to wherever it came from. I don't want to lose anyone else to that beast. Secure the area the best you can and conduct one final search for survivors with all available troops you have…and recover all the bodies you find for burial. Contact us immediately should you find anything else." He eventually ordered gravely.

"Orders acknowledge general. Katsagari out." The image of the female Atlesian captain saluted before ending the transmission from her end.

Ironwood sighed again as he looked at the hologram of the northern Kingdom displayed on the holographic table in front of him, showing several regions surrounding Atlas City highlighted in glaring red with estimated civilian and military casualty reports. He had a feeling he wasn't going to get any sleep that night, not when he still had many more difficulties to resolve both inside and outside the Kingdom.

---

It was like something out of the worst nightmares of a tormented child. On one side, a massive beast with a mouth full of countless razor-sharp teeth, muscular legs that could crush anything flat and a long whiplashing tail which could impale or smash aside even the hardiest of defenses. On the other side was an unholy combination of a horse with the upper body of a skinless humanoid creature, long strong arms with huge claws that can slash and cut its victims open, and a horse-like body with legs that were just as strong and fast as the larger monster.

The Tyrant and the Nuckelavee glared hatefully at one another with blood-red eyes. They stomped about, trying to intimidate each other, displaying their claws and sharp teeth. The Nuckelavee's horse half suddenly reared up and both heads let out nightmarish shrieks as the hands stretched out to either side, its deadly claws lengthening to the size of swords.

The Dinosaur Grimm wouldn't back down from the challenge and let out a deafening roar as it stomped as hard as it could, the ground trembling beneath it as its tail whipped about, threatening to stab or severely cut into its current adversary. All of the Grimm in the surrounding area, even the alphas of various Grimm species, had bowed their heads respectfully to the Elder Grimm, not wishing to be caught in the battle for dominance.

Without warning, the Tyrant's head jerked forward and tried to take a bite out of the equine-humanoid Grimm, but the other Elder Grimm galloped out of the way and past the right side of the larger monster, using its long sharp claws to score a nasty slash across the Tyrant's armored side, cutting open the occasional patch of black skin which caused black blood to leak out. However, it didn't get away with it unscathed, as the Dinosaur Grimm's bone-plated tail snapped at the Nuckelavee's hind-legs, causing it to trip over and slide roughly in the dirt. As the Nuckelavee tried to push itself back up while screeching in anger, the Tyrant then moved forwards to bring the full weight of its deadly jaws on its opposing Elder Grimm, but the older monster kept it at bay with a wild slash across the snout of the Dinosaur Grimm's bone armor, making the Tyrant draw back as it bellowed in pain.

"ENOUGH!" Came the booming voice of Salem.

Her voice caught the attention of every Grimm present, and the two Elder Grimm immediately stopped their struggle for dominance. Their heads turned to look up at the Mistress of Grimm who was standing on a balcony overlooking the dull, lifeless field before her palace which was populated with many species of Grimm, spawning pools, dead trees

and huge glowing purple crystals which seemingly grew out of the broken ground.

"I will not have you two fight like insolent fools. I need both of you, so if either of you were to kill the other, I would be…very disappointed." Salem spoke with a stern, dark voice as she fixed both Elder Grimm with a cold stare that was enough to make even the bravest of warriors freeze. It was clear that she was in a bad mood; and no one, not even the Elder Grimm, wanted to invoke her wrath.

The Tyrant growled softly as it bowed its bone-plated, horned head, while the Nuckelavee's human-like head gazed at Salem for a brief moment then it too also lowered its head. It even retracted its clawed hands back to its sides, giving out a few soft screeches as it kept its head lowered obediently.

"Th-thank you, your grace." Head Grimm Keeper Matilda spoke from a respectful distance away, "I…I was afraid this would happen. The Elder Grimm never get along. I imagine things would get even worse if the Wyvern was up here, as all three would be fighting to be the dominant power among them…"

"Among their kind." Salem remarked casually as she glanced over one shoulder at Matilda, "They all know I am the dominant force here."

"Yes, obviously. Of course, your grace," Matilda managed to nod nervously before taking out her radio and began giving orders to the rest of the Grimm Keepers, "Okay, the Tyrant has calmed down thanks to Mistress Salem's influence. All Grimm keepers, start guiding back to the underground but keep your distance. Leave the Nuckelavee alone, that thing can't be caged."

Salem watched silently, her intense gaze remaining on the Tyrant as Matilda left to join the other Grimm Keepers in their work to guide the Dinosaur Grimm back into the underground tunnels beneath the dark palace and to its designated cell. There it would be kept contained again until such a time when she required its talent of causing mass devastation again. She was quite impressed with the results of the Tyrant's impressive rampage at Fort Valor, which was an all-round success. However, it was too bad the same couldn't be said for some of the other Elder Grimm like the Dreameater and most recently the Elder Deathworm.

No matter, she still had various Elder Grimm under her command when she was in need of them. Placing one white and black-veined hand on the balcony's balustrade, she looked over to where the Nuckelavee was, and spotted it trotting over to a secluded part of the crystal-studded field where the equine portion stops still while its humanoid portion twitched spasmodically. When its horned head swiveled to look in Salem's direction, she gave it a condescending smirk which conveyed an unmistakable message to the Elder Grimm that she would always be its master.

Holding the Nuckelavee's frightening gaze until it growled and twitched its head away, Salem took a breath before heading back inside her palace, her smirk shifting into a dour expression as she returned to the current matters.

Re-entering her throne room, she saw that everyone was still where she had left them to check on the Elder Grimm. Cinder, Hazel, Tyrian, Watts, Ante, Thorn, Anastasia were all present and accounted for, and out of Ante's Enforcers she saw that Trooper, Lao, Little Steve, Tom-Tom, Merrick and Executioner had returned from the failed mission in Vacuo City. Commander Hui and Ilia of the Red Fang were present as well, along with the Grimm Commanders Sheer Kaa, Ziz, Steppenwolffe, Anansi, Mavis and Norvik. In addition, Cinder's disciples Emerald and Mercury were standing behind her while Dr. Toma Sherizawa was standing with a pair of Grimm Knights, one of which was holding a portable holographic generator which displayed an image of Captain Skarnage. The Son of Salem was still standing alone at the foot of her throne as usual, light from multiple candles around the throne room glinting off the black and red polished plates of his armored suit. The ominous form of Chaos Edge was still within its sheath at the moment, and a haunting aura seemed to radiate outwards from both the dark warrior and his deadly Elder Grimm-infused sword.

Dr. West and a small number of hooded medics dressed in dark robes embroidered with Salem's emblem were tending to Watts, Tyrian, Thorn, Mercury, Anansi and Hui for the various injuries they had sustained in the Battle for Vacuo. Norvik sat by himself in a corner of the throne room, his wounds slowly healing on their own due to the unique nature of his Grimm Chimera body. Several pieces of broken white bone armor and droplets of black blood littered the ground around him, a testament to the horrendous amounts of damage he had sustained from the Atlesian military forces he had encountered. The smell of antiseptic, blood and ionized plasma was thick in the air, and Watts stifled a cough as the cowled medic tightened the bandages around his chest.

Whatever the various individuals present had been talking about while she had been gone quickly fell to the wayside as the doors of the throne room were pushed open at her gesture. The entire room went silent as she glided smoothly past them, allowing a subtle aura of restrained anger that everyone present could sense to flow into the chamber.

Cinder couldn't help but feel a passing moment of sympathy for those who had failed her master, even Tyrian who looked like he was about to cry as his body shook like a branch in the wind. Glancing around at those present, the Fall Maiden could see that Ante and Thorn were looking quite fearful even though the crime boss was vainly trying to keep his composure. Trooper was also looking rather uncomfortable, but he simply stood as though he was a soldier awaiting inspection by his superior, his clenched fists by his sides.

"Those who should not be here, leave." Salem spoke in a deceptively calm voice. The hooded medics picked up whatever medical equipment and items and bowed hastily before making themselves scarce, the doors automatically closing behind them.

Sitting herself upon her throne, Salem gazed at all those before her with a glowering look upon her white face. She took a breath, and began to speak, "So, I'm sure that everyone has been sufficiently informed that the Battles of Vacuo and Atlas are essentially a stalemate, but we still inflicted mass destruction and death. We successfully obtained the powers of the Winter Maiden…and yet you not only failed to capture or steal the powers of the Summer Maiden, but also the Spring Maiden as well. We had the chance to have all four of the Seasonal Maidens under our control, but you failed." Salem's face turned to face the kneeling Anansi and Thorn, who were holding onto their wounded body parts which were leaking blood into the bandages that had been wrapped around those areas. They both flinched visibly at the venom in the Grimm Queen's voice, keeping their heads lowered in order not to disrespect her, but thankfully for them Salem then turned her attention to Ante and his Enforcers, "Ante and his men also had a perfect chance to capture the Aura Crystal and not only did they fail, one of them was also killed in the process of escaping their pursuers, who turned out to be the renegade Grimm Hybrids."

Ante sighed inwardly when Fireball's death was mentioned. He mourned for the late pyromaniac who was physically and mentally scarred by the accident that had ravaged his body, and while he may be slightly fixated with fire-based weaponry he was a loyal Enforcer who stood by his comrades and never jumped ship even when he was offered more lien by the gangs who opposed Ante. The crime lord knew this particular situation was coming but told himself that at least Salem hadn't blown his head off with that microscopic explosive planted within the base of his skull. Yet.

"The Elder Deathworm was destroyed, a significant number of our Red Fang forces have either been killed or arrested by the Vacuo authorities and Garrett Odinson was incompetent enough to allow himself to be arrested by the Atlesians, so I don't doubt the fool will be able to keep what he knows secret once they apply the right amount of pressure on him." Salem went on, her face looking over those who knelt before her.

"I think he will," Hazel spoke up with a hesitant expression on his face, "Odinson might have failed to escape or keep his connection to you secret, yet he knows that should he give up what he knows, you have special ways of making him suffer painfully. Besides, we could always have him assassinated."

Salem turned her head to look directly at the hazel-eyed muscular man, at first annoyed over his interruption, but she knew he had a valid point. "True." She admitted and then looked at her candidate for the Spring Maiden's powers, "Anastasia, while you have performed an exemplary job in attacking Mantle City, you encountered the traitor Neopolitan and you failed to either capture or kill her."

The girl with dark blonde hair shuddered as Salem's gaze moved over to her, and feebly tried to defend herself by saying, "Mistress Salem, she was trickier than expected...I-I did the best I could…"

"And yet she is not here in chains, nor do I have tangible proof of her demise. While I'm reasonably convinced of your improved fighting skills with what you have achieved overall for now, it's those little flaws that leave the most glaring blemishes. Such…imperfections. So try harder, Bloom." Salem voiced a little sternly, then looking away as Anastasia's face shifted slightly to convey how embarrassed, hurt and angry she was. Her wounded reaction was something Cinder carefully took note of.

"Ma'am, I would en-" Watts began to speak, but lost his voice when Salem's head snapped over to glare at him. He swallowed, shaken by the seemingly unnatural way she could move at times…and by the piercing stares of her red eyes. That, combined with the flaring pain in his chest which spoke of a few broken ribs due to the fight with the Faunus guardian back in the Solaria Crescent orphanage, was enough to make him want to leave, but he knew that was not an option. He wasn't as brave or as powerful as Hazel, he even suspected the Grimm Mistress actually respected the large dark brown-haired man much more than him because of his reserved nature and formidable fighting skills.

But Watts wasn't without his own strengths too. Putting those thoughts aside since they wouldn't help him in his current predicament, the moustached doctor gave a polite cough and managed to continue, "...I would encourage you to look on the bright side of things. I mean, I have accomplished my assigned task by successfully obtaining the maps that will tell us where two of the mythological Relics are! Not to mention that we must also look at how effective the simultaneous assaults on Vacuo and Atlas were in terms of striking fear into the unprepared inhabitants of both Kingdoms! All the death, chaos and destruction, all of the dread and dismay engulfing the fools of this world at this very moment will work to our advantage in the long run!"

Salem continued looking at him before she gradually allowed a small, dark smile. She knotted her fingers over her front and closed her eyes briefly, taking in a deep breath before replying, "Ah, yes, Arthur, you have raised a valid point there. While we have suffered some failures, we must also savor our victories. It seems that Dr. Sherizawa succeeded in capturing the prototype pulse spectral array cannon for the Thanatos and its accompanying data."

Sherizawa's face transformed into a smug expression most individuals who noticed it wanted to wipe it off with their fists; Cinder, Watts and Ante in particular.

"We managed to put quite the heavy dent in the Atlas military through attacks on multiple fronts, and even managed to cause enough damage to nearly cripple the flagship of their navy. For your first attack, you have performed well within my expectations, young Mavis." Salem complimented softly.

The aquatic Grimm Commander forced herself to look up at her master and nodded politely in an attempt to look grateful for Salem's praise, but if Mavis was being honest with herself she was quite ashamed for taking part in such carnage. It would take several weeks, if not months for the Margarite Harbor to be rebuilt, even with Atlas's considerable resources.

"And the pirates, I trust, managed to capture quite the haul. Correct, Captain Skarnage?" Salem inquired as she looked at the hologram of the pirate leader.

"So, the trade route between Anima and Solitas has not been severed." Salem commented, her fingers tightening their grip on her hands.

"We have indeed, ma'am." Skarnage began, no longer putting on a deep and imposing voice, no need for it in Salem's immense presence, "We have not yet begun to count the riches my crews and the other pirate captains have accumulated, despite our losses."

"Ah yes," Salem said, steepling her fingers again, "Who did you lose?"

Despite being many, many miles away from Salem's dark palace, the Panther Faunus was still very much intimidated by her very presence but managed to speak up in a gracious tone, "Captain Silvers had just filled me in on the details of the naval battle at Margarite Harbor. Captain Lizbetha was killed by Admiral Nemo and her ship was sunk by the Nautilus II. However, some of her crew survived the sinking of their ship and decided to join up with Silvers' crew."

Skarnage's hologram flickered a little and he then hurriedly added, "Unfortunately, my informants have told me that Captain Yunthao and his lot didn't have much of a success in their attack on Argus. The bloody fool got himself killed by that Cordovin woman and her mech, and his ship was destroyed."

"So, the major trade route between Anima and Solitas has not been severed," Salem commented, her long thin fingers tightening their grip within her black-veined hands, and the beginnings of white frost could be seen crawling over the surface of her throne's arms and down onto the marble floor. "That is…unfortunate."

"Um, I'm afraid not, Lady Salem. Those who survived were arrested by the Atlesian military forces stationed at Argus though. Too bad, since I've been planning on getting their captains killed and then rolling their surviving crews into my own fleet if they escaped. But the diversionary pirate attacks on the other Atlesian port towns and villages, like Halix and Abroal, have also been successful in bleeding out additional strength from those naval forces stationed there." Skarnage's hologram glanced at Watts and Hazel for a moment before confessing,

"You will have control over the other pirates in time, Skarnage. Just remember your agreement with us and keep your whining to yourself." Watts admonished, possibly in an attempt to make himself look strong in front of Salem. Glancing back at the Mistress of Grimm, it would seem to the malicious doctor that she wasn't overly impressed with his self-importance.

Cinder observed Skarnage's hologram, seeing him giving a small frown but quickly go silent at Watt's words. She knew from whispers that the Faunus pirate harbored great ambitions of his own, and had wanted to seize the greatest amount of power among the pirates for himself. Even though he already had some allies within the loose confederation the pirates commonly and mockingly called a 'pirate council' of sorts, Skarnage had wanted to become the pirate king himself. Hence it was easy enough to appeal to his desires and secure his support for Salem once an arrangement had been struck to deal with anyone who would oppose him in taking the role of leadership among the Remnant pirate gangs.

She then turned her head to look up at her master, and knew that Salem was not happy in the slightest with those who had failed her in the Vacuo mission. The amber-eyed Fall Maiden knew enough of her mentor's moods and was more than sure that although things seemed calm now it was actually all a prelude to Salem's boiling point.

"Mistress," Watts began again, holding his bandaged side and taking a step towards her throne, "I know this outcome was not the…ideal total victory you had wished for, but such a thing was always a bit of a long-shot with so many unexpected variables and circumstances in play. Yes, we took hits from our opponents but we have also managed to give some of our own in return. But we must stop and think about what terrible effects the attacks on both Kingdoms of Atlas and Vacuo, as well as on our enemies! The Guardians of Remnant will become more paranoid! They'll undoubtedly want more power, which would most likely create a schism between them and the Kingdoms' Councils!"

Noting silently that Salem didn't order him into silence, the mustached doctor knew he had gotten her attention and told himself that he would have to be quick to seize upon the chance that he had unknowingly been given to hopefully appease her, "And most importantly, we have forced those high and mighty Remnant Knights into intervene during our attacks. They have exposed themselves in a way that cannot be swept under the rug or covered up by the Councils. With so many of them seen in open combat, people can't just write this one off as some strange Huntsman swooping in to save the day and then leaving just as quickly. Oh no! All of Remnant knows about them now, and the public masses will demand answers from the authorities to their many questions about the Remnant Knights, and that may further hinder whatever ongoing operations they have."

There were a few moments of silence as the dark witch looked at Watts carefully, a thin finger raising to her chin in thought as her glare softened a little. The crackling frost that seemed to be slowly spreading outwards from her throne also seemed to stopped for the moment, much to the relief of the group within the throne room.

"All valid points, Dr. Watts…but I'm afraid that I must still address my disappointments," Salem said as she stood up from her throne, the white frost vanishing as she reined in the Winter Maiden's powers again. Watts shrunk away automatically, trying to make himself scarce between Cinder and Hazel as the Mistress of Grimm walked slowly down the steps leading to her throne, "I am satisfied with your success, dear doctor, but now I want the rest of all who were involved in the attack on the Vacuo capital to come before me. Tyrian, I want you in front."

The Scorpion Fusion Faunus knew there was no escaping this, and immediately complied by doing exactly what she told him to do, albeit still a little hesitantly. Emerald and Mercury both shared an uncertain look with Cinder, who gave them a silent nod as though silently assuring them they would be all right, before beginning to go forward as well. Ante and his surviving Enforcers, Thorn, Anansi, Hui and Ilia all followed suit, walking forward nervously while many of the others, including the remaining Grimm Commanders, stepped back nervously as though afraid to be caught up in whatever punishment she had in mind for them. Norvik seemed to know that he wasn't the focus of Salem's attention and slowly retreated into a particularly dark corner of the throne room, an occasional soft growling noise the only indication that he was still there. Cinder, however, did not and stayed a few steps behind her disciples to keep them calm.

"Kneel." Salem spoke softly, and everyone who were involved in the disastrous Vacuo mission immediately knelt at her command. She looked over the kneeling subordinates who executed the tasks she had given them for a moment, lingering on the softly murmuring psychotic assassin before suddenly snapping her fingers. The Son of Salem quickly sprung into motion, coming up to stand beside her and unsheathing Chaos Edge menacingly to plant it downwards while his gauntleted hands rested atop its pommel.

"I would like those kneeling before me to explain fully…how is it that you all managed to fail so spectacularly despite performing in accordance with the plan Ante and Tyrian devised?" She directed her glare at those individuals who she had posed the question to.

Ante swallowed and began talking, "Ma'am, the gangs within Vacuo City who supported us during the attack-"

"Stop." The slight raising of Salem's voice instantly caused the crime lord to fall silent. Everyone else dared not speak a word and instead focused their collective attention on the floor.

"I do not want excuses, Ante." The dark queen's glare intensified in his direction as the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees, while Ante remained silent with a fearful expression on his face, "Understood?"

"Perfectly." The leader of the Enforcers bowed his head low. From his position between Lao and Tom-Tom, Trooper can see that his gang leader was quite terrified, if the shaking of his shoulders was any indication.

"Think carefully on your answer for my question." The dark queen turned from him and moved to stand before the shaking Scorpion Fusion Faunus who was on his knees in front of her, with both of his hands flat on the marble floor and his head bowed, "Tyrian, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Tyrian broke. He began to openly weep as he got on his hands, bowing to her, crawling forward as he babbled out incoherent apologies and pleas for mercy like a child fearing severe punishment coming from particularly strict parents while tears fell onto the ground. He all but submitted himself before his 'goddess' like a slave to their cruel master.

"My Goddess! I am not worthy of your grace! I have failed most egregiously, but I beg your forgiveness! Forgive this lowly insect, who is not worthy to be in your presence!" He begged tearfully, keeping his head low, "I did my best, I wanted to capture Rose, Arc and Nikos, I truly did! But I was thwarted by Ozpin's meddlesome agent, Branwen!" Salem's glare never changed as she looked down at her assassin as he grovelled frightfully, save for the slight narrowing of her eyes at the mention of Qrow.

Tyrian managed to speak through fearful sobs as he bowed low as if worshiping her, "Bu-but I punished him for trying to stop me! Oh yes! I used my stinger...I-I poisoned him! I stung him! He won't be a nuisance to you any more! I don't know if he's dead…but if he is then surely that must count for something, right? I've done that...have I done well? Have I pleased you?"

He looked up timidly, and at first believed all was well. Salem's eyes had a gentle look to them, maybe even sympathy. She knelt down and reached out, slowly stroking Tyrian's face with her fingers as though about to wipe the Fusion Faunus' tears away. Tyrian was about to breath a little easier internally when the Mistress of Grimm's grip suddenly constricted painfully around his chin, squeezing his cheeks in an agonizing grasp as she pulled him uncomfortably close to her. Her face immediately transformed into something utterly inhuman, but could only be described as a death glare so intense that it would have easily caused mass massacres all on its own. The other subordinates of Salem on either side of Salem remained silent from where they were kneeling as still as statues, not daring to say anything as Salem's grip on Tyrian's lower-jaw tightened as she slowly lifted his face to look directly at her.

"M-m-mistress?" Tyrian managed to say in an utterly terrified whisper, while more tears streamed from his golden eyes.

"I am very disappointed with you, Tyrian." That was all Salem said before she released her grip on the crazed assassin who fell onto the floor.

Tyrian tried to push himself up but lacked the energy, so he collapsed onto his side and kept sobbing like a child…and it wasn't long before his wails gradually turned into mad laughter like the violent man with a broken mind that he truly was, his shortened tail twitching erratically.

The other members of Salem's Inner Circle and her followers either looked away from him or focused their attention on the marble floor, while some were honestly annoyed and embarrassed by the pathetic sight Tyrian had become.

Tom-Tom looked up and whispered, "So…uh, so he's to blame and the rest of us are good, right?"

The sounds of palms slapping against faces followed as Ante snarled at the youngest Enforcer just as Trooper reached over and slapped the youngest Enforcer hard on the back of the head, nearly causing him to stumble.

Emerald dared to glance up a bit to glance up at Salem, who seemed somewhat amused by Tom-Tom's foolishness than anything…but then her expression shifted to one of fury. She clapped her hands, and then everyone in the throne room instantly heard the sounds of growling and stone shifting. Those who dared to look up all glanced around, trying to figure out what was making the aforementioned sounds when Mercury spotted red eyes shining from the shadows at the top of various pillars situated around the throne room which held up its cathedral-like roof.

"What the hell are those?!" He cried out, pointing to where he saw them. Puffs of dust began to emit from the walls as strange, humanoid-shaped figures began to emerge from the walls and atop pillars.

"The Gargoyles…" Cinder whispered, surprised that Salem would summon them.

"Oh, what the actual hell?" Trooper muttered, having not noticed the strange creatures as their wings began to shed thin stone chips like how someone would peel away old paint.

Thorn, who had just noticed the winged figures that were seemingly built into the walls, exclaimed in fear, "Those things are alive?!"

"Oh yes…" Tyrian announced as he tried to push himself up, "Alive and angry."

Now revealed, the Gargoyles descended on those who had been involved with the Battle of Vacuo City, coming at them from all sides. They seized the kneeling group within their clawed hands, with the larger members such as Little Steve and Anansi being subdued by numerous gargoyles while the others were held down firmly by at least two each. Tyrian remained on his hands and knees, offering no resistance as the red-eyed stone beasts grabbed him tightly.

Mavis drew back, despite being a Grimm Commander she was frightened by the sudden appearance of the Grimm that most of those present had been completely unaware of. A few of those closest to her sensed the youngest Grimm-hybrid's negative emotions and began to crawl towards her intimidatingly, snarling and hissing like starved hyenas in search of prey, but Ziz quickly stepped in front of Mavis with her Nevermore wings outstretched and her axe weapon in a guard stance, shortly joined by Sheer Kaa who drew his scissors-like blades.

"Did you know about these?" She hissed over to the Saber Grimm Commander, who gave a small nod.

"They're known as Gargoyles," Sheer Kaa spoke softly as though afraid that Salem might hear him, "I have know of them but have never seen them in action. They're a special species of Grimm that act as our Salem's personal protectors and guardians of the castle's inner sanctums. She hasn't had any cause to summon them for years, but that just changed."

"She must be really pissed..." Ziz muttered as the Gargoyles gnashed their teeth threateningly at them, before withdrawing a little but nonetheless eyeing them like prey. The Grimm Commander of the Nevermore turned her head to look at Mavis, and saw young Grimm Commander clutch tightly onto her elbow for comfort and safety.

"Argh! Let go of me!" Anansi cried out as he tried to use his powers to control the Gargoyles while struggling to get free, but it was no use as he soon felt all of his spider-legs, including the shorter in length ones, being pinned down firmly by those sinuously horned Grimm. Their clawed grips felt like iron restraints, and the more he resisted the tighter they clung onto him as they growled aggressively at him.

"It won't work, Anansi," Salem remarked with a dark smile, "They answer only to me. And I don't want any of you trying to escape from this."

"E-escape? What are you going to do to us?" Emerald asked fearfully as she saw Mercury having a similar look of undiluted fear. If she was being honest there was no way they could escape even if they wanted to, not with so many different species of Grimm surrounding Salem's dark palace from all sides, and that's not counting whatever additional and unknown defenses within the palace itself. If Salem wished they would already be dead before they even knew what happened, if they were lucky.

The Mistress of Grimm's face turning into a cold grimace was answer enough as she told them, "Most of you here have disappointed me with your failures. You have allowed many of your tasks to remain unaccomplished and important assets to slip through your fingers."

"I-it's not like we just let them get away!" Thorn objected as she fought to look up at Salem from the Gargoyles holding her down, "The Summer Maiden had one of those Knights helping her! I had the perfect trap all planned out to get her power, but that son of a bitch intervened and cut off my right arm! Then…then the Summer Maiden punched me right in the face and now I can't see out of my left eye!"

"And we had no way of knowing that the Spring Maiden was there! We were totally unprepared for both her and those kids from Team Beacon! We improvised as much as possible under the circumstances, and fought as hard as we could!" Anansi added, wincing as the sharp claws of a Gargoyle dug painfully into his side as it kept him firmly in place.

Salem glared over at the disgraced ex-Specialist and asked in a soft but ominous voice, "As for you? You were the one who lost the Aura Crystal. What excuse do you have to offer?"

The Enforcer had been considering his answer for some time before it the time to answer came, so he carefully answered, "I have none to give. I lost it to them and my comrade was killed. I can't excuse myself for my failures." Trooper forced himself to remain calm, but Salem could feel his fear and could see through his facade, knowing that he had mentally practiced that answer over and over again in his mind.

He could see Ante glancing at him as if he were insane, as he openly admitted his own failure in front of Salem. The other remaining Enforcers either looked down or away from him, possibly not wanting to witness his impending demise. He couldn't blame them, and he could remember how Cinder snapped Douglas' neck just because the Enforcers turned on Saul Jude to help Ashe defeat him. With the exception of Executioner, the Enforcers had all been loyal to him and following his orders without question since the day each of them had joined him. He didn't want to risk losing anyone else needlessly, not when he had already lost Fireball.

"How disappointing. I expected better from agents possessing your skills." Salem spoke softly, her tone nonetheless hard as she stared unblinkingly at him.

Trooper instinctively grunted in pain as he felt the clawed hands of the two Grimm Gargoyles restraining him tighten on his neck, and knew that they would snap his neck effortlessly at a simple command given by Salem. He only regretted that he didn't have the chance to do a little more good before he died, but he kept his expression calm despite feeling as though his mind being swallowed up by the bottomless depths of Salem's eyes, his soul slowly coming apart under her gaze.

Just as it felt as if his admittance of lying and confessions of betrayal would spill unbidden from his lips, Trooper heard Ante spoke up, "My fault. I take full responsibility for the failures of my Enforcers." His voice echoed around the throne room, surprising everyone and even Salem herself.

"I don't believe I heard you correctly. What did you just say?" Salem inquired as she turned from Trooper and walked towards the kneeling crime lord, each step making Ante's heart beat faster.

Ante swallowed and said, "Me and Tyrian, we both came up with the attack plan together based upon the information given to us by the spy. During the attack on Shade, the opposition was…more than we expected since Team Beacon was there, plus the Spring Maiden, and more Knights than was expected. And I was the one who told Trooper and Fireball to run ahead with the Aura Crystal, so…"

"…punish you for his failure." Salem finished, not really paying him much attention as she walked over to The Son and whispered something to him. The dark-armored warrior sheathed Chaos Edge and then began walking towards Ante, who knew this was not a good sign and tried to step back when the pair of gargoyles abruptly released their hold on him and backed away. He suddenly found himself cold and unable to move, and looked down to see his feet encased in solid ice from Salem's reclaimed Maiden powers. He looked back up at her in horror as The Son walked closer and closer to him, exuding terror with every inch of his presence as she said, "Your loyalty to them is admirable, if surprising. Now order your men to stand still and not move, no matter what happens, unless they wish to join the fates of Douglas, Zhan and Fireball."

"You heard her, boys." Ante told them, while not taking his eyes off Salem as The Son came to a stop in front of him, his shadow looming over the crime lord.

Suddenly, the Son grabbed Ante's head with both of hands and slammed his helmeted head into the crime lord's face, making him scream out in pain as those closest to him heard the sound of his aura breaking as well as that of a hideous crunching sound as his nose broke with it, a gush of blood flying into the air. The dark warrior then grabbed Ante by the neck, choking him hard before punching him repetitively like a boxer with a training bag. The Son threw an uppercut so brutal it shattered the ice covering Ante's feet, sending him reeling onto the throne room's floor in a broken, moaning heap while leaking great gouts of blood from his severely wounded face. The Son wasn't done, and knelt down to savagely beat Antes, each blow spraying droplets of blood all over the floor.

The punishment was a horrifying one, as even the normally reserved Hazel flinched at the sound of Ante's arm snapping when the Son grabbed hold of it and twisted it the wrong way. Even though Cinder knew Ante would eventually recover from his punishment due to his regeneration Semblance, that didn't make the ferocious thrashing he was on the receiving end of any less painful. Despite her dislike of the crime lord, even she had to admit she felt bad for him suffering such an excruciating punishment. Nevertheless, she watched in horror as the Son broke ribs and smashed kneecaps, and noticed that Tyrian was crackling madly as he watched the chilling show unfold when she heard mad laughter coming from nearby.

Anastasia and Thorn looked at each other nervously for a moment before averting their eyes from Ante's horrible situation. The Grimm Commanders, with the exception of Norvik, all looked rather unsettled by Ante's punishment despite being half-Grimm hybrid themselves. Anansi winced at every sound of multiple bones being broken, Ziz shielded Mavis with her Nevermore wings while Sheer Kaa and Steppenwolffe tried to keep the uneasiness underneath their faces in the form of indifferent cold masks. The Grimm Chimera Commander, on the other hand, growled quietly as he witnessed the whole brutal beat-down continue with interest.

Ante would possibly need a couple of weeks to recover, even with his Semblance.

Trooper couldn't stand it as he was forced to watch Ante being beaten into pulp, his cries of pain turning to moans as the Son continued raining powerful blows down on him. The Enforcer knew Ante was a bad person and maybe even deserved a few punches in the face at times for his less sensible actions, but watching his leader suffer for his failure was unbearable. He struggled in the inflexible grip of the two gargoyles that held him, wanting to intervene but finding himself unable to do so. He turned his head to look at Salem with that wicked yet serene look on her face as she witnessed The Son beating up Ante, and felt an immense loathing for her curdle deep within him.

Lao, seeing what Trooper was about to do, quietly whispered to him, "Forget about it. There's nothing we can do without losing our lives."

Trooper grunted in annoyance, knowing his fellow Enforcer was right, and so tried to look away from the brutal punishment. No one deserved such an excessive punishment, not even Ante.

"It's not right, Lao." Tom-Tom whispered as he heard more of Ante's ribs snapping, with Little Steve wincing slightly at the horrible cracking sounds.

"Shut up!" Merrick snarled quietly, "Do you want to get beaten too?"

Salem held up a hand, and like a machine that had received a new order The Son delivered one last punch into the whimpering, bleeding broken mess of a man on the floor of the throne chamber and stopped completely. He then held up the battered Ante by his head as the dark queen began to slowly and methodically walk around the entire group which was subdued by her Grimm Gargoyles, her soft footsteps echoing throughout the throne room.

"Dr. Watts, do you remember what you said about punishments for failing me?" She asked casually, as though they were having a normal teatime conversation.

"I...believe so, ma'am." Watts forced himself to look at her.

"Then do you think my punishments are unnecessarily excessive?" She gestured with an outstretched hand at Ante's pitiable moaning figure.

The mustached man could feel the eyes of everyone else focusing on him as he carefully considered an answer that could appease Salem and not make him lose face in front of the other members of her Inner Circle. While he disliked Cinder and Tyrian, and they most certainly felt the same about him, it would not do well to make more enemies among the Inner Circle if he could help it. While rivalry was all well and good, he would very much prefer to be alive rather than being stabbed in the back when he had to work with any of them in future under Salem's orders.

"No, ma'am…while I'm not particularly fond of failure, I believe it's ultimately your choice to decide how much and what kind of punishment to give according to the severity of those who have…" He momentarily searched for the right words, "...been unsuccessful in their given tasks. Please forgive my thoughtless words in the past, and I shall endeavor to earn your satisfaction through my future actions."

A groan of pain came from Ante's lips, while Cinder, Tyrian and Hazel all glared at Watts as he coughed again while holding his broken ribs and lowering his head. Seemingly satisfied by Watts's answer to her question, Salem continued walking as she addressed her subordinates, "I know you all did your level best, and some of you performed admirably in the tasks I gave you and did not fail in them, so it is not your fault that your comrades have let us all down. But I will not tolerate failure, and if you believe that death is the ultimate punishment…then you are sadly and sorely mistaken."

She looked down at the spilled blood and broken teeth from The Son's ferocious beat-down of Ante for a moment, then glanced back up at everyone present and continued, "It's important not to lose sight of what drives us; love, justice, revenge…but the moment you put your desires and agendas before my own, they will be permanently lost to you. This isn't a threat, simply a statement of truth. I alone am the path to realizing your greatest desires." She told everyone present as she walked back towards her throne, speaking grandly as though she was a priestess delivering a sermon, "Therefore I would advise all of you to remember that…or face the consequences of defying me."

No one dared to say a word as they saw Salem turning her head to glare back at all of them.

She snapped her fingers and the Gargoyles released their captives, letting them stand up on their own or stumble forward. They moved back up against the walls and pillars of the throne room, silently watching her subordinates as they waited for whatever Salem's next command for them was. The Mistress of Grimm watched Emerald and Mercury shuffle over to rejoin Cinder, who quietly made sure they were unharmed, while Ilia and Hui quickly retreated to join the Grimm Commanders with Anansi stumbling after them. The Enforcers hurried over to check up on Ante when The Son let go of his head and let him collapse with a loud thud before walking away. They lifted him up as gently as they could in order not to make their leader's physical pain worse than it already was, with Lao and Little Steve each taking a broken arm and supporting Ante the best they could. The sword-wielding Enforcer grimaced as he felt his gang leader spit another mouthful of blood onto his clothing, but neither he or the minigunner dared to ask Salem for permission to leave. She also didn't miss the hateful look in Trooper's eyes despite his face still being a mask of calm as he got to his feet, and surprisingly felt more amused than angered by his reaction. If anything else she was slightly impressed that the Enforcer had the courage and temerity to even dare look at her like that, since all of those who did were already long dead.

Hazel composed his face back to its emotionless façade once more, Tyrian let out a few small crazed chuckles from his kneeling position, Watts stood a little straighter as he patted down his coat, while Cinder turned from Emerald and Mercury to face her master again. Ilia shifted herself behind Hui discreetly, and the Grimm Commanders stood as close to each other while keeping clear of Norvik who had taken to slowly licking one of his slowly healing wounds on his extended clawed arm.

Salem looked at the windows above her throne room which the reddish sky dominated beyond along with the weak light of the shattered moon among the blood-red clouds. She watched the Nevermore fly across the dark horizon for a few moments, and then added, "We must press on despite the losses."

She turned around fully to face her subjects and associates, "While the maps to two of the four Relics are within our possession now, there are still a few lingering questions that I would like to know the answers to before we move on to anything else." Those who were involved in the Vacuo mission glanced at each other uneasily, wondering who would be the next unlucky individual to be questioned by Salem and face her wrath.

"Tyrian." Salem suddenly said, making the mad assassin's head snap up from the tiled floor where he was still deeply bowing, "What of our spy, Cedric? I haven't heard any news about his whereabouts, I assume you have had enough initiative to punish him for not informing us about the full scale of the opposition you faced in Vacuo."

"Oh, yes! Yes I did Mistress! He is dead, I made sure of it! The cowardly fool tried to talk his way out of it, but I wouldn't have it!" Tyrian cackled, clearly eager to get back into his Goddess's good graces.

"Perhaps curing his sister's disease wasn't enough to ensure his loyalty." Watts remarked, shaking his head.

"He betrayed those who trusted him and his Kingdom, but his deal with you to save his ailing sister was not enough to erase his guilt. I assume he intentionally left us in the dark, perhaps hoping Luna and the other Guardians of Remnant would be triumphant," Salem surmised softly, "Well, at least he died for defying me. Although I would have preferred to watch him die slowly by a Grimm Seer's tentacles."

"And what of his sister, ma'am?" Watts inquired, "Shall we dispatch an agent in to eliminate her for her brother's treachery?"

"No. He is already dead, and his family will suffer enough knowing what he did when the Vacuo authorities discover his betrayal." Salem answered as she waved a dismissive hand.

"Good. Now moving on to another particular question of mine…" The Mistress of Grimm turned her attention to Thorn and saw the teleporter seething in pain as droplets of blood dripped from the bloodstained and medicinal cream-covered bandaged stump where her right arm had once been. She slowly walked over to her candidate for the Summer Maiden's powers, knotting her black-veined hands in front of her and watching Thorn froze in place, visibly terrified of facing her master for her own failure.

"Thorn, you mentioned the Summer Maiden had help from a Remnant Knight during your fight with her at the colosseum?" She asked tenderly as she leaned in dangerously close to her chosen Maiden candidate.

"Yeah! I nearly had her! I really did, Mistress! The Grimm bug was about to patch onto her and I could feel the Maiden's power…but the shiny bastard shot me with some kind of special bullet that went through my hand, destroying the parasite, and then he chopped off my right hand, elbow and all with some fancy sword and then that Maiden bitch punched me in the face with a flaming fist, taking my eye too!" She explained, her anger at her failure momentarily overriding her fear of cursing in front of Salem herself. Then Thorn's remaining eye widened when she realized what she had done, and seeing Tyrian growl maliciously in her direction she hastily added, "Sorry for my bad language, ma'am…I'm just…angry right now."

"Anger is good, my student. But you must know when to channel and use it on the right people." Salem's face turned unhappy for a moment then shifted to one of reproaching concentration as she reached out and held Thorn's chin in her hand, "Remember what I've taught you, and be wary of how you speak to me next time," She said, tightening her grip a bit before letting her go and added, "Now, you mentioned the Remnant Knight used a special sword to cleave off your right arm. What was the color of its blade?" Cinder noticed that her master was seemingly quite intrigued for some odd reason, and made a mental note of that in her mind.

Salem didn't say anything, she looked to be lost in thought. Remembering the past.

"Red and gold. I didn't get a good look, but I noticed that it had some kind of weird, elaborate writing on both sides of the blade's fuller." The pale-skinned teleporter told her master, relaxing a bit when she realized that she was only given a stern warning compared to what happened to Ante.

"Sounds like the sword of the Remnant Knight I encountered during the White Fang debacle." Steppenwolffe commented, and Salem's head turned to look at him, "If I remember correctly, the sword's sheath is black and gold in colour. But the knight didn't use that blade against me, instead opting to use twin swords instead."

"Yes, yes!" Came Tyrian's weepy voice as he glanced up, "I…briefly fought the same knight that Thorn faced when we attacked the academy. He had a third blade belted at his waist matching that description!"

"Are you certain?" Salem asked, her tone hardening as she glared at him.

"Yes, your grace!" Tyrian bowed even lower, if such a thing was possible for him, "I would not want to lie to you! Ever!"

"So that knight's sword is indeed crafted by the Promethean Tribe after all…" Steppenwolffe mentioned quietly.

"Wait, you mean-" Watts looked at both Tyrian and Thorn, surprise evident on his face.

"-a member of that tribe is still alive?!" Cinder finished, her voice raising a little.

Their dark queen's response was a single nod as she whispered, "Yes, it would appear so."

"How could that be?" Watts gestured with one of his gloved hands.

"Are you questioning our queen?" Tyrian growled as he pushed himself up, the blades of his gauntlets unsheathing with sharp clicking sounds. The palpable violence radiating from him was enough to make Watts take a step back in response.

"Of course not!" Watts hurriedly backtracked, before noticing Salem looking away from the group.

"Master?" Cinder looked at her teacher and asked hesitantly, but Salem didn't say anything as she seemed to be lost in thought. Remembering the past.

She stood in the ruined, burning home, which had once been a beautiful multi-leveled house. Roaring fires burned everywhere, and clouds of black smoke from the tribe's destruction rose to blacken the night sky. The outlying houses and farmlands had met the same fate, scattering ashes throughout the length of the Mistralian valley and beyond. Many corpses of the tribe's people and warriors laid everywhere on the streets and within homes, picked apart by the hordes of Grimm that had invaded the valley.

She focused on a dying warrior who was clad in impressive armor forged from detailed dragon-etched crimson plates that seemed to fit together like the separate pieces of an intricate mural. Copious amounts of blood leaked from the wounds all over his mangled body in a spreading pool, and his dragon-like helmet laid crushed a short distance away. The valiant warrior stubbornly kept his grip on his broken sword, with half of its length embedded in the neck of a Grimm Manticore which was slowly dissolving away. He had been a mighty warrior, but was now succumbing to the numerous wounds he had suffered.

She watched him prop himself slowly and painfully against the side of a ruined throne-like marble chair where he would have sat as the Chieftain of the tribe, and glared at her with cinnabar-colored eyes full of defiance as he pressed a hand against a gaping bloody wound in his chest where the Manticore had dealt with him a death blow. "Look at yourself, Chieftain. This is what your defiance against me has cost you; your tribe decimated and everyone you know and love is dead." She spoke softly, gesturing with her open hands for emphasis, "You fought as hard as you could and you lost, but I can respect you persistence in the face of a doom."

Salem then took a step closer and looked down at the dying chieftain with a gentle sneer, "However, I am not without mercy, I'll allow you one last chance to change your mind. Tell me where Tintagel is, and I shall grant you a quick death." She told him as the horrifying screeches of the Gargoyles echoed from above.

"Save whatever you call mercy for your puppets and fools." He shot back spitefully, blood flowing from the edges of his bleeding lips.

She sighed at the chieftain's continued obstinacy, "Your stubbornness has already cost you dearly, Red Dragon. Your tribe has been completely purged. Your wife is assuredly dead, and your bloodline will be wiped from the face of Remnant. And you shall soon join them, but if you still refuse to tell me what I want to know, then I can make it a slow, painful, humiliating experience that will make you beg pitifully for the sweet mercy of death, or I can make it brief and painless. Which fate do you prefer?"

"You waste your breath, monster. I'll never tell you anything. I keep my oaths to the death. Kill me and be done with it." He responded vindictively, with a voice that was both tired and sorrowful, as he allowed his exhausted body to slump against the chieftain's marble chair.

"Mistress," Hazel's deep voice came from behind her through the smoke, "We have searched the entire town, but the boy isn't here. Tyrian and Cinder are checking the forests and cliffs as we speak, he couldn't have gone far. Our other assassins have caught up with his wife and her retainers, who reportedly fled with the boy. She and her protectors put up significant resistance and managed to kill many of the Gargoyles, but the son was nowhere to be seen. I apologize…but the Azure Phoenix took her own life before the assassins could stop her."

Unseen by Salem nor Hazel, a single tear of grief rolled down the bruised cheeks of the Chieftain at the news of his wife's death. Nonetheless, she had kept her promise to him by giving their son a chance to hopefully escape, and he hoped that he would be reunited with her in the afterlife when death finally claimed him. His son also knew the lands and forests well enough to know the best hiding places until the Knights bound by sacred oaths to the Promethean Tribe could find him and then spirit him away to a place where they could protect him from Salem and her agents. While he knew he would be dooming his child to a possibly even more painful fate in that hidden place, he would take any other outcome other than the death of his only child.

"What about the weapon vaults?" Salem growled at her subordinate, "Where is the Codex Illuminatus? Where is the tribe's legendary sword?"

"All of the tribe's vaults have been emptied before our arrival. Anything that remained had been destroyed beyond recovery," Hazel said slowly and hesitantly, "The Codex Illuminatus is also missing from the house's library, and so is the legendary sword. Our agents are still pursuing some leads, but I doubt we can recover any of them without alerting the authorities."

The chieftain gave a wounded smile knowing that his other risky gambles had paid off as well. While his plans have been hurriedly planned and executed under an ever-shrinking window of opportunity, those few trusted acquaintances he had delegated with their execution of his plans had come through since they had all sworn death oaths to ensure that absolutely nothing would be left behind of the tribe's weapon-crafting secrets for Salem to exploit and be used against the people of Remnant.

A sharp blow from Salem sent Hazel's face to the side, causing his cheek to flare with aura as she glowered darkly at him, "You disappoint me." The other assassins behind Hazel lowered their heads in shame, knowing that they would most likely be punished as well.

"We will find the son." He assured his master while looking down, hoping to placate her, "We won't disappoint you, ma'am."

A mocking laugh caught her attention as Salem turned back to see the Chieftain of the Promethean Tribe laughing at some kind of private joke only he knew, even as several Gargoyles landed around them and multiple Beowolves stalked into the ruined hall. Hazel frowned but said nothing, watching Salem glare at the chieftain. The wounded man looked like he was about to shake hands with whatever gods he believed in, but he used his last moments to laugh vindictively in their faces.

His laughs soon turned to pained chuckles, and the fading chieftain spoke softly, "I think…if you haven't found him, then you're very unlikely to succeed," He broke into another bout of laughter, hot tears leaking freely from his bloodshot eyes and dripping down the ravaged plates of his armor, "I left nothing for you to take from me. My tribe's relics and secrets are safe from you. My tribe's weapons are beyond your reach. Tintagel will be forever hidden from you, witch." He practically spat the last word like poison.

Salem visibly bristled at his rebellious tone and hot fury broke through the her normally calm façade as her glare intensified and her eyes shone like bright rubies. Her fingernails seemed to get longer and sharper and every single visible black vein on her face, neck and hands began to pulse and bulge beneath her chalky skin. Hazel and the assassins, seeing the incoming danger, quickly retreated back several steps. Every single Grimm in the vicinity, including the Gargoyles, withdrew as much as they could from her path when Salem suddenly rushed forward, grabbing the defeated chieftain in both of her hands and lifting him easily off the ground. Plates of shattered armor detached and crashed to the debris-strewn ground, and more blood splattered the ground beneath them.

"Where is your son?" She demanded to know in a low, threatening voice that seemed to echo. Her growing rage soon reached a fever pitch as the chieftain continued to laugh, mocking her with every breath that left his dying body. All pretense at remaining calm was abandoned as she clenched her hands into the material of the broken chestplate, causing the ruined armor plates of his suit to crack like fragile plastic and yet more blood to leak out.

Smiling triumphantly through his bloody teeth, the chieftain replied in a dying whisper, "Gone. Away from here. Safe from you and your minions. He's in the place you seek. You will never find it, or my son." As more blood oozed from his lips, he gasped out his last words contemptuously, "You'll never win."

With a roar of fury, Salem dug her sharp fingernails into the Promethean Chieftain's neck and with a mighty twist, snapped his neck. With his last words echoing through her ears, Salem flung the body aside where it crashed through the marble chair and was soon buried under a large pile of burning rubble; a result of a huge chunk of the wall collapsing.

She threw back her head and howled in fury like a madwoman at the victory the Red Dragon had snatched from her in the midst of defeat, at his dead wife, at every single member of the tribe that fought against her, and at all of Remnant, the echoes of his last words gradually fading into silence.

Everyone could feel the tension in the air as Salem remained silent and as still as a statue. Cinder, Hazel, Watts and Tyrian all shared a fearful look, they knew this wasn't good. The Fall Maiden glanced at her master's hands, which were clenched so tightly that her fingernails had dug into her white flesh and blood could be seen between the fingers. There was suddenly a loud cracking sound, the unexpected noise catching almost everyone's attention. They looked up to see one of the impressive stained-glass windows overlooking the throne room had cracked, and the fracture lines began to lengthen and widen with each passing second.

Then another window cracked. And then another. Followed by several more.

"This isn't good." Sheer Kaa whispered as he saw dark smoke emanating from Salem's body and robes.

"No shit..." Thorn mumbled as she speedily put as much distance between her the dark queen as possible..

"Oh, bloody hell." Steppenwolffe as he also stepped backwards.

"I-is she mad?" Mavis quietly asked Ziz who looked at Salem fearfully.

"What do you think, you little moron?" Anastasia quietly snapped, before drawing back when Ziz gave her a glare as she brought up her axe weapon threateningly. The winged Grimm Commander was also quite intimidated as well, and was mentally going through her options. She reached the same conclusion as those who were quick-thinking among Salem's associates.

"I think…we should get out of here. Now." Ilia suggested nervously.

"Best idea I've heard today." Trooper muttered as he looked to the other Enforcers and saw them nodding furiously in agreement as they helped Ante up as gently as they could.

"I think I should check up on other business appointments." Skarnage's hologram fretfully stated.

Cinder, gathering courage, took a step forward while ignoring Emerald's whispered protests, "Master?"

Salem turned in an unnaturally rapid fashion to face the Fall Maiden, and by extension everyone else in the throne room, with a terrifying furious expression on her face and uttering just one order to them, and all she needed was a single word, "Leave."

No one dared to utter a single word. Her rage-filled stare, with thinly-veiled wrath blazing in her red eyes was more than enough to scare any of them, and even Norvik quickly changed positions from his darkened corner to the main doors of the throne room. Everyone felt the temperature in the room drop several degrees, as frost began to spread out from the ends of Salem's robes once more. Their breaths soon became plumes of smoke and even Hazel seemed very uneasy as more windows kept cracking around them. Emerald looked on in pure fear before she felt Hazel putting a hand on her shoulder and looking at Cinder, before gesturing with his chin at the doors behind them. She nodded, and gestured for her disciples to stay close to her, which both of them were more than happy to comply.

Taking charge, the huge brown-haired man quickly said, "Yes. Of course, ma'am." He then turned to the crowd and added, "Come on, let's go."

No one had to be told twice, as everyone was eager to be out of range when Salem vented her wrath. Anastasia, ever selfish, was the first one out of the open throne room doors, while Ziz quickly led Mavis out. Dr. Sherizawa wisely departed as well, despite the fact he was trying his best not to look disturbed by Salem's behavior. Thorn and Anansi were helped out by Dr. West and Steppenwolffe respectively, the latter Spider Grimm Commander keeping his mouth shut as he stumbled out on his uneven spider legs. Skarnage's hologram quickly deactivated, the Grimm Knight bowing low as it clanked backwards towards the exit alongside the Enforcers who worked together to help the groaning Ante through the heavy thick doors over the sound of yet more cracking windows.

Watts and Cinder were the last ones out, watching as The Son of Salem stood by the entrance as if on guard, while Tyrian scampered out meekly with his shortened tail twitching between his legs. Beyond the Son, Cinder took one last look at the silently seething Salem before she stepped out as well, deliberately preventing Emerald and Mercury from seeing Salem. The moment she was over the threshold, The Son slammed the doors shut behind them, making numerous people jump in surprise

Even for someone as unfeeling as The Son, even he knew when his existence would be in serious jeopardy from Salem's wrath.

Inside of her throne room, Salem was now left alone as she fought to calm herself down. Her subordinates had achieved so much today; multiple cities had been devastated and quite a few towns and villages had been totally wiped out. The Atlas military forces had taken a severe hit which would take them weeks at best to recover, the remaining Maidens and Remnant Knights have accidentally revealed their existence to all of Remnant, she now had the maps to half of the Relics and most importantly she had her Winter Maiden powers back…but her weak underlings had still failed her. Had they been more competent, she would have all the Maiden powers under her control, she could have had the power of the Aura Crystal…

She stood in the center of the throne room, not making a sound as the Grimm Gargoyles began to kneel down around her and sit as still as stone. But inside of the dark witch's mind, all those failing and little imperfections, all those disappointments, no matter how minor or significant, soon piled up into a huge mountain within Salem's thoughts.

Ante had accepted the blame for his men's failure.

The Mistress of Grimm gritted her teeth as she knew she would have to follow his example when answering to her own master. She inhaled deeply and slowly closed her eyes, upon which the cracking sounds stopped and everything seemed to go back to normal as silence reigned once again.

You will never win.

A wayward thought rose unbidden into her mind; the bitter smile of triumph from the Red Dragon, Chieftain of the Promethean Tribe who laughed derisively in her face as he defied her even to his final breath of life, taking all of his secrets to the grave with him and so leaving her with nothing for her efforts; no masterfully-crafted weapons, no weapon-crafting techniques, and not even a hint of Tintagel's location.

And his son is still alive.

Of all those who had opposed her throughout the years, that chieftain still managed to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat. And while she had wiped out the entire tribe for defying her, for the first time Salem felt that her own success tasted like ashes in her mouth on that very night. And that thought made her blood boil, and eventually reached its peak.

Salem let out a furious scream of rage as she unleashed an enormous blast of icy Maiden energy, causing huge ice spikes to erupt all around her and shattering all of the cracking windows violently, sending shards of beautifully-crafted stained glass raining down all around her down into the throne room. She fell to her knees and slammed her fists into one of the nearest gargoyles, shattering into chunks of rock that began to slowly vanish.

She screamed. She howled. She roared out her fury at the top of her lungs. She slammed her fist on the purple crystal planning table at the other end of the throne room where she plotted the demise of everyone and everything on Remnant ever since she took on the role of the Mistress of Grimm, scattering scraps of paper and tiny model figurines everywhere.

Outside, everyone stood still and as far away from the throne room's doors as they could, shaken to the core by the echoing sound of Salem's screams. The crashing and breaking sounds beyond the doors that reached them caused many of those present to flinch or tremble in fear before she began to quiet down.

Giving a polite cough to catch everyone's attention, Watts spoke up, "Well, um…I for one think we can write today up as an overall success," He kept his voice low, trying to calm everyone down, "Dr. West, I'll help you in tending to everyone's injuries as much as I can since I'm also slightly wounded as well. Callows, Anansi and Thorn, I promise you that you'll have replacement robotic prosthetic limbs before the week is out, or depending on how fast I can recover from these broken ribs. Dr. Sherizawa has designed replacements for your more…unique attributes, as we knew there was always a risk of this kind of situation happening."

"Lucky for us." Anansi remarked in a deadpan manner, crossing his arms and standing on his human legs, as well as doing his level best to keep the stubs of his arachnid legs from touching the ground.

"Lucky is an understatement. Considering how furious she must be right now, you're fortunate to still have a pulse." Hazel told the Spider Fusion Faunus Grimm Commander, who knew the mountain of a man was right.

"Still, it's good news, I can't wait to have a new hand so I can beat the shit out of him." Thorn said, gesturing to Tom-Tom, who looked surprised.

"Then I suggest we all rest up and lick our wounds, so to speak, and wait for Mistress Salem's word on what our next move will be," The mustached doctor said, which was a decision no one argued with, "Since she currently has more than enough on her plate, I also advise we should not disturb her in any way…for all our sakes."

Murmurs of agreement came from the gathered group of Salem's subordinates, but no one made any attempt to leave even after several seconds of hushed whispers and mumbling.

"Well, what are we all waiting for? A starting gun?" Watts raised his eyebrows questioningly as he gestured with his gloved hands in a shooing gesture.

Trooper walked over to Watts, looking angry, "What about my boss? I noticed you didn't mention anything about him. Does he look like he's in need of, I don't know, immediate medical attention right fucking now?!"

Before West could say anything, Watts stepped in front of him, "Mistress Salem didn't give permission to heal Ante,." Watts retorted as he jabbed a finger at the Enforcer's chest, "Besides, his semblance will heal him when his Aura regenerates. I have better things to do than worry about someone who more than deserves the beating he got because of his gross incompetence."

Before Watts knew it, he was brusquely shoved up against the nearest wall with Trooper's war face opposite him as the Enforcer's hands wrapped tightly around his grey overcoat, "Listen to me, you arrogant piece of shit, Fireball just died in a fight we staged as an distraction for you to do get those maps, or else you would be in Ante's situation right now for failing to get the. Now, you will have your medics save him before he dies. In case you failed to nitce, his aura is spent so his Semblance won't do him much good, and I don't think Salem will be happy if he dies because you couldn't be bothered to do something without her permission. So either help him or…"

"Or what?" Watts growled and Trooper heard whirring sounds behind him, turning his head to see a pair of Grimm Knights aiming their arm-mounted laser cannons at him, "Unhand me at once, or your brains will be splattered all over the walls."

More weapon cocking sounds were heard, and Trooper glanced back to see Lao drawing his grenade launcher, Merrick aiming his custom sniper rifle, Tom-Tom bringing up his shotgun-mullet weapon, Little Steve already holding his minigun weapon at the ready and Executioner unsheathing his axes. And they were all pointing their weapons at Watts and his Grimm Knights' direction. Emerald and Mercury looked between two confrontational groups worriedly, while Hui, Ilia and Sherizawa hurriedly stepped to the waiting chambers' far side as though dreading the inevitable gunfight.

Watts glanced at Cinder and Hazel, both of whom were giving him looks of anger and disgust. Tyrian, as usual, was hanging back and enjoying the show with a crazed expression. Many of the others present, including the Grimm Commanders and even Red Fang members like Hui and Ilia, were shaking their heads or clearly having clenched fists, showing exactly what they thought of him. Watts couldn't help but notice Ziz looking at Trooper with a genuinely concerned expression.

"How fast can you give the kill order before the rest of us bring down your robots, doc?" The ex-soldier growled as he dug his fists into Watts's chest and making his broken ribs grind together before Trooper swiftly drew his service pistol in one sharp movement and jammed the barrel over Watts's heart.

"Enough Watts," Hazel growled in that deep rumbling voice of his, causing the discredited Atlesian doctor to look over at him, "Just let West do his job so nobody else dies today."

The mustached man turned his head back to see Trooper still glaring daggers at him, the barrel of his pistol never wavering from its position on Watt's chest. His aura was still weak, and the Enforcer was clearly willing to put his claim to the test as his finger tightened on the trigger. A shot at point-blank range would definitely result in a fatal wound for him.

"Fine. You made your point." He finally relented as he called off the Grimm Knights as West came forward.

"I'll do what I can, then the rest is up to Ante's healing semblance. Is that satisfactory?" He asked.

"It will do, for now." Trooper said before shoving Watts, sending him staggering into a nearby stone statue while clutching his broken ribs before walking away. Tyrian, obviously amused by the confrontation, cackled mockingly while Cinder had a small smirk playing about her lips. Hazel sighed and gave a small shake of his head before gesturing for West to call in some more hooded medics to administer some medical attention before the wounded individuals could be moved.

The group slowly dispersed, with Watts, West and the recently arrived medics leading Tyrian, Thorn, Anansi, Hui and the Enforcers who were still carrying Ante on a makeshift stretcher, away to the palace's infirmary while the rest split apart to return to their own individual chambers. Cinder noticed that no one bothered to help the limping, stumbling form of Watts, and Mavis was sticking particularly close to Ziz as they disappeared down another gloomy-looking hallway.

The Fall Maiden listened closely as she watched Anastasia marching off, muttering to herself under her breath, "'Such imperfections'. Ungrateful witch…I joined her little band of criminals and psychopaths, and I do my best to wreak havoc in her name and that's all the thanks I get?! Stupid Maiden, stupid mute, filthy hybrids…"

Salem's candidate for the Spring Maiden's powers vanished around a corner, leaving Cinder intrigued. Anastasia was selfish and impatient, and clearly didn't respect anyone very much other than herself, not even Salem. Perhaps that part of Anastasia's personality could be used to her advantage when an opportune moment comes up. She looked over to The Son of Salem, noticing that he had not moved since coming out of the throne room, and was still standing in front of the shut doors as still as the Grimm Gargoyles had been.

She eyed the strange creation of her master, taking his Elder sword and thick plates of black and red armor, and knew that this dark warrior could prove a challenge. Nevertheless, there was still something about The Son that gave Cinder an odd feeling, not the soullessness. It was something else that she couldn't put her finger on, although she couldn't shake the feeling that his presence was familiar to her.

Shrugging the thoughts of The Son out of her head, she turned to Emerald and Mercury before gesturing for them to follow her. As they traveled through the dim hallways she asked them, "Are you sure you're both all right?"

"I took a beating, but it's nothing I haven't dealt with before. Man, a bed sounds good right about now." Mercury said, rubbing at a sore spot in his torso where Yang had punched him.

"For once I can't argue with you." Emerald replied as she stretched her arms out as they began to walk down another hallway and into the grand hall of the palace. In the center of the hall, a magnificent chandelier that was made out of branches and purple crystals hang suspended in the air by thick heavy chains, illuminating the dour interior.

"You two can fill me in on the rest of the details once you're rested," Cinder told them, "But for now I think we all need to rest and tend to our wounds."

"So, how much of a fight did the Winter Maiden put up?" Mercury asked as they climbed up the grand staircase.

"She was a much more difficult opponent than Amber. I doubt you two would have lasted long," Cinder thought for a moment before admitting, "I doubt she would have killed you, but she was a force to be reckoned with."

"Well, she's dead now so I guess she wasn't that good after all." Mercury remarked snarkily as they reached the level their rooms were on.

Cinder whirled around and glared at him, lecturing him sternly, "You don't understand the danger of an experienced Maiden, Mercury. The Winter Maiden I faced was incredibly skilled, and she would have defeated me had Salem not intervened." It infuriated her to admit that she wasn't as strong as she should be, but the Fall Maiden knew she still had to become stronger so as adequately fight either Spring or Summer when the time comes.

Mercury gulped and nodded, holding up both of his hands, "Okay, I think I understand. But I guess you still feel pretty good about your latest victory right? I mean, the Winter Maiden was apparently more powerful than you and yet you still came out on top."

Cinder sighed as she turned around and gripped the staircase's handrail which was made of the same stony structure the dark castle was raised out of, looking over the massive hall and at the tall windows that showed the various Grimm creatures roaming the landscape beyond, "I should feel that way, but now…I don't know what I should feel."

Both disciples of Cinder shared a concerned look between themselves before the latter assassin sighed and bid them, "Well, it's getting late so I guess…sleep tight? See you again later." He bowed his head at Cinder and then walked off to find his room.

Emerald shook her head at Mercury's blatant escape from the awkwardness of the situation as she glanced down the staircase to see Ilia's figure walking out of an adjacent hallway. Judging from her facial expression she looked like she was lost, and the green-haired thief had heard enough whispers of dark entities preying on those who got lost in Salem's own palace to be slightly worried for the Fusion Faunus agent.

She called out, "You okay, Ilia?"

"Oh, uh…I was just wondering where I could stay while I'm here and Hui is recovering," Ilia explained as he walked up the grand staircase steps, "I…I never stayed here very long, you see…"

"There's an empty room next to mine," Emerald pointed down the hallway, "I guess no one will care if you use it. Just remember to lock the door when you sleep, and keep your weapon close."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." The Fusion Faunus gave a thankful smile while moving to follow Emerald.

Before she took her leave, Emerald leaned in close to Cinder and whispered, "If you wish to know about other matters, text me tonight. I'll tell you what else happened to me during the Battle of Vacuo." Cinder's response was only a single nod in return, and that was acknowledgement enough for her disciple.

She had done it quietly enough so as to go unheard, but Ilia still noticed it through her lip-reading skills as a Red Fang assassin and infiltration agent. The Fusion Faunus inclined her head respectfully to Cinder, and then followed Emerald who led Ilia deeper into the castle's candle-lit halls.

Cinder stayed behind, left alone with her troubled thoughts as she silently gazed through the windows opposite the grand staircase at the shattered moon's visage in the sky.

---

Salem opened up a secret doorway leading to a tunnel hidden within the wall behind her throne. Beyond the surreptitious doorway, evenly cut stone steps leading down a dark passageway were revealed. The Mistress of Grimm descended the steps, the door closing silently behind her and leaving her in the near total darkness. The passageway was one of the many hidden paths within the castle, and this particular one only she knew led to a large open cavern deep beneath the palace, and was directly connected to the Grimm spawning pools.

Chilling snarls and roars echoed from other tunnels sank deep underneath the castle foundations, leading to pools of black slime in other secreted underground chambers, or coming from the bigger pools that populated the broken landscape around the sinister-looking palace which birthed the terrifying Grimm.

The steps eventually ended and formed a bridge of rock that allowed Salem to look over the whole of the enormous cave, with her lowering her head and looking down at the massive pool of churning black liquid beneath her for a few quiet moments. She was about to continue walking to the end of the rocky bridge when she paused and brought up one of her hands. With a small flick of her fingers, she allowed a burst of frigidly cold energy to erupt from her fingertips, white snowflakes easily forming into existence.

Despite her dour mood, she found herself smiling. For centuries, she felt an emptiness within her as a result of her powers being taken away, and now they were finally hers again. After those Guardians of Remnant had taken them away from her. After those people who had vowed to save Remnant had lied to her and her sister Maidens.

After he had lied to her, and manipulated her into serving their ends.

She remembered Luc Arc, the man she had loved so much. She remembered how happy and warm he made her feel when she was the Winter Maiden; his flattering words, the passion in his kisses, the visible adoration for her in his eyes, the gentle touches of his hands on her body that night…

They had daringly pushed the limits of the 'virginity rule' for the Maidens, sleeping in the same bed and allowing him to wrap his strong arms about her nearly naked body and draw her close to him. He made her feel loved, and that was what she most desperately wanted.

A part of her supposed that her relationship she had with Luc was the reason why she had allowed his descendant and Nikos their happy little reunion when the boy had freed the female Spartan from her deep mental conditioning. She had allowed it because Jaune Arc looked almost like a younger version of Luc, but lacked his dashing personality and apparently his deceiving ways as well. She knew that was why she had let the young lovers have their moment, a fleeting moment of empathy, because the strong bond of love between them was something she had once thought she had with Luc Arc.

Salem despised that forgotten part of her that somehow retained that tiny piece of compassion which regrettably rejoiced at that show of love. She wished she had the ability to cut out all of her emotions, so that she would never be reminded of what she had lost and focus all of her attention on making those who deceived her pay for all the pain and heartbreak she suffered.

She and her Sister Maidens were assigned to a large combined task force that had been given the mission to destroy the previous Grimm Queen, and Luc's group, Team ABON, was also part of the same task force. After a while, she and Luc found themselves falling in love with one another, even though Luc's teammate Lyman Ozpin was also bewitched by Salem. She and her sister Maidens had ridden into battle with their team, which included the humble Nuru and the courageous knight Bertilak atop his own steed, charging into the huge hordes of Grimm to decimate them. Their many missions together had only strengthened their bonds, and it continued until the Guardians of Remnant, a thorn in her side even back then, had discovered where the Grimm Queen's lair was and hence proposed a daring plan that was also downright suicidal for the Maidens.

The Spring and Fall Maidens had already accepted their fate and made their peace with it, while the Summer Maiden was apparently the one most in favor of the mission despite its significant and weighty dangers. Of all her Sister Maidens, Salem remembered the Summer Maiden, Freya Eldur, most vividly. While each of the four Maidens were gorgeous in their own right, Freya was regarded as the most beautiful, with waist-length deep brown hair and honey-colored eyes. Not only was she quite tall of body, she also had quite an impressive physique that granted her significantly higher physical strength than the other Maidens which she used to great effect when using her Maiden powers to manipulate fire and earth into various fighting constructs which aided her during battle. From what Salem recalled of the times she had shared with Freya in the Maidens' mindscape; the Summer Maiden displayed an incredibly courageous, feisty and opinionated personality, as she would challenge and question Salem whenever the latter expressed any form of doubt in their discussions, as well as influencing both the Spring and Fall Maidens to side with her when making any final decisions.

While it was only whispers and hearsay on the night before the final campaign to destroy the Grimm Queen once and for all, Salem had ostensibly heard that Freya had eventually developed feelings of intense affection for one of the Remnant Knight she had fought together with on several missions. While the Winter Maiden heard only bits and pieces of the Summer Maiden's relationship that night, she managed to piece together what actually happened over time; the similarly-built knight seemingly graced Freya with a passionate and unforgettable dance which ended with the Summer Maiden kissing him deeply while shedding tears of sorrowfulness from her golden-brown eyes, a rare change of personality from the strong, brave façade she normally displayed to others.

Although unlike what Salem did with Luc Arc herself, even Freya wasn't brave enough to dare the thin line of the Maidens' virginity rule, but she clearly spent every last moment she had with the same knight until it was finally time for her to take part in the final battle against the Grimm Queen.

When Salem had heard about the plan, she had adamantly refused, but Luc had managed to talk her into accepting it. She and her sisters eventually agreed when the overall plan was revised so their powers could be taken by the next generation of Maidens, all of whom were already under their tutelage, while they would be saved by the healers who were going into battle with them.

She didn't realize until it was too late that the 'healers' were simply extra troops, none of whom stood a ghost of a chance against the fury of the last Grimm Queen, who slaughtered the members of the task force sent against her and gravely wounded Salem's fellow Maidens. The battle was a brutal and severely painful one, but with the sacrifice of all the Maidens, the Grimm Queen was finally vanquished when her castle fell.

And Salem had been left behind to fall with it, she screamed for help as the throne room collapsed around her, left to die by the man who claimed to love her, left behind to have her body battered by falling chunks of stone and finally plunged into the freezing waters of Mistral's eastern sea.

She remembered the cold, the unbearable cold of freezing death. The pain of ice water filling her lungs as she was pinned under huge chunks of debris, the twisted dead bodies of her sister Maidens and other soldiers floating around her with open eyes and bloody wounds.

She had been left to drown and freeze to death, surrounded by corpses, as the man who had warmed her heart abandoned her. Had he ever really loved her? Or had he lied to her and manipulated her into giving her life up for the so called 'greater good'? She could feel her life slipping away, about to be snuffed out by the cold as she finally let sorrow and hatred consume her heart.

That was when it came. Her salvation. Her master. Her faith.

The Darkness.

It had saved her from the cold embrace of death with a different kind of cold; the cold of darkness. By doing that, it showed her how things really are; that life is cruel and needs to change. It also showed her how Luc abandoned her and eventually met someone else to have a family with. Finally, it showed her how the world of Remnant went on without mourning her and her Maiden sisters as if their sacrifices meant nothing.

By destroying the old Grimm Queen, the Guardians of Remnant had simply created a new one.

She was now its priestess and herald, to usher in its rule over the world of Remnant.

Salem had given her life for Remnant, and it had given nothing in return.

For that, she would help The Darkness, which was unlike anything Salem had imagined prior to being taken in by it. It was one and many. It was nothingness yet infinite. It was what many would call an Ancient Evil, a Malevolence, a Maligancy, an Anti-God, the Cruel Ones. It had infected and taken over countless other worlds and universes and how now set its sights on devouring Remnant.

And it had helped her get her revenge on Luc Arc, Lyman Ozpin, Nuru and especially Bertilak, who had called her selfish for not wanting to die for the greater good. She had made him pay greatly for that.

Salem snapped herself out of her reminiscing as she found herself in front of the largest spawning pits underneath the castle itself. Kneeling down, she took a deep breath and spread her open hands out before her, closed her eyes and began to hum a spell in a forbidden language very few individuals on Remnant know of, and fewer even could speak.

She reached out and placed her hands atop the black liquid of the spawning put as her whispering chant intensified and echoed around the cavernous chamber, and the black fluid gradually roiled and shook like boiling water for a few moments before settling down again. Salem then opened her eyes, now pure black, and felt it come to her.

The Darkness spoke to her, in a sense. Invading her mind and communicating with her, using the voices of those in her memories, voices of every single person Salem had ever met, even if only passing when she was a child. Voices of people who were little more than sketches among the darkest shadows of her mind. She could hear Ozpin, Cinder, Ironwood, Ruby, Tyrian, Watts, Luc, Ozma, her deceased sister Maidens, her parents, even a nurse who had tended to her wounds when she was a new student all those years ago. She heard everyone.

SALEM, MY LOVE, its 'voice' came loud and quiet all at once, WHAT NEWS HAVE YOU TO TELL US?

"We have somewhat succeeded in the most recent phase of the plan, but there were many small failures along the way." Salem informed it, before elaborating on the details.

I SEE. YOU HAVE MADE QUITE AN AUDACIOUS STEP. It said serenely, which made Salem a bit unsettled, AND YET SOME OF THEM FAILED IN THE TASKS YOU HAVE GIVEN THEM.

"Shall I give out further punishments for their failures? I do not wish to waste valuable allies and useful pawns when they still have their uses." Salem continued speaking within her mind.

WHILE HARSH EXAMPLES MUST BE MADE AT TIMES, YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE WHEN THOSE LESSONS CAN HAVE THE MOST DRASTIC EFFECT, The voices echoed back at her, HOWEVER, FROM WHAT YOU HAVE TOLD ME, WE BELIEVE THEY HAVE SUFFERED ENOUGH. FOR NOW.

"As always, you are too kind." Salem commented.

I HAVE EXISTED FOR CENTILLONS OF YEARS. WE HAVE CONSUMED ENTIRE WORLDS AND HAVE BORNE WITNESS TO THE DESTRUCTION OF ENTIRE REALITIES. IF WE HAVE LEARNED ANYTHING, IT IS PATIENCE. YOU NOW HAVE THE LOCATIONS OF THE FOUR GODS' RELICS, THAT IS GOOD.

"Yes, and I will send out my subordinates to obtain them once the ancient writing on those pair of maps have been deciphered." Salem informed it.

HOW LONG WILL YOU THINK THAT WOULD TAKE?

"If the translation goes smoothly, about a week, perhaps two." The Mistress of Grimm answered.

YOU MUST BE CAUTIOUS. THE SILVER LIGHT STILL POSES A THREAT. I HAVE FELT IT. I HAVE CONQUERED MANY UNIVERSES AND REALITIES, YET THIS ONE SEEMS TO HAVE SOMETHING UNIQUE; A WAY TO HOLD BACK THE VOID, TO BURN US BACK AND CUT OFF OUR DOMAIN OF ETERNAL DARKNESS FROM EMBRACING THE MULTIVERSE.

"The daughter of Summer Rose was at the Battle of Vacuo. You felt the energy of her silver eyes destroying the Grimm, which was the same type of energy seen at the Fall of Beacon." Salem explained to her eldritch master, "I believe she can be useful to us; Sherizawa has obtained a weapon built from the research of Atlesian scientists, bullets infused with traces of silver eye energy left over from her unleashed attacks. By studying it we could possibly discover its origins, and if we could recapture the girl, I am confident that we could use her to help build a tolerance to it, a way to become immune to its light. Or perhaps even turn her to our cause if given enough time."

YES. UNDERSTANDING OUR WEAKNESS WILL HELP US TO DEAL WITH IT. THIS PLEASES US. AND I SENSE YOU ARE ALSO PLEASED TO FINALLY HAVE YOUR POWERS RETURNED TO YOU.

"Yes. You promised they would be mine again, and after so long I have finally reclaimed them, thanks to you." The Mistress of Grimm spoke with gratitude.

NOW WE HAVE THE POWERS OF FALL AND WINTER. SPRING AND SUMMER, THOUGH THEY ESCAPED OUR GRASP THIS TIME, WILL SOON BELONG TO US. ALONG WITH THE FOUR RELICS AND THE AURA CRYSTAL.

"Yes…soon." Salem said as her mind began to wander.

YOUR THOUGHTS STILL DWELL ON LUC ARC. WE TAKE IT HAVING YOUR MAIDEN POWERS BACK HAS BROUGHT BACK OLD MEMORIES.

"As always, you are right." Salem confirmed bitterly, "He told me he loved me. That he would always be my warmth. But instead he left me to die in the dark and the cold, until you proved to be my salvation. All I ever wanted was a family, all I ever wanted was to be free and happy, to have children…and they took that from me." Her hands began to clench into the black oily liquid as her white hair slowly became undone from its complicated offshoots and lifting into the air, thick curls of black smoke emanating from her body once again, "They knowingly led my Sister Maidens to death and forgot about me, destroying my only chance at happiness. So now all that will make me happy is by destroying everything the Guardians and Knights of Remnant tried to achieve. Soon I shall have all of those Maiden powers and Relics, and I will use them to open a rift in this universe and let you in!"

A DAY LONG AWAITED AND LONG OVERDUE. THE DAY OF RECKONING FOR THOSE WHO DEFIED US. THE DAY YOU WILL AT LONG LAST BECOME A GODDESS.

Salem smiled evilly and added, "And all those who dared to stand in our way; Ozpin and his foolish group of guardians, Rose, Arc, Nikos and their band of friends, the Remnant Knights and all of the others who oppose me will be little more than footnotes in the history of our glorious reign as we spread throughout the vast amount of universes and wreathe them in the eternal majesty of everlasting darkness."

WITH YOU AS OUR EMISSARY. OUR AVATAR.

"Yes. Soon."

WHEN ALL IS FINALLY SAID AND DONE, REMNANT IS YOURS. EVERYTHING ELSE…IS OURS.

"I thank you for your generosity." A smile crept across Salem's white face.

THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE YOU MUST KNOW. A WARNING.

"What is it?" The dark queen softly asked.

BEWARE OF THE SON OF THE DRAGON AND THE DAUGHTER OF THE PHOENIX, AS THEY WILL AID YOUR ENEMIES IF THEY WERE TO BE FOUND. THEY ARE BOTH HIDDEN FROM MY SIGHT, BUT THEY ARE STILL SOMEWHERE ON REMNANT.

"May I ask who they are?" Salem asked, curiously, "And what would you have me do?"

THE DESCENDANTS OF THE OFFSPRING OF THE GODS OF REMNANT. THEY MAY ALSO BE OBSTACLES TO OUR ASCENDANCY. THEY MUST BE PREVENTED FROM REALIZING THEIR FULL POTENTIAL, AND ELIMINATED IMMEDIATELY ONCE THE CHANCE ARISES. FAIL TO DO SO, AND I WILL BE...MOST UNSATISFIED.

"I understand, my master." The Grimm Queen replied, "Rest assured; I will make sure they both will die, either to my agents or by my hand if necessary when they reveal themselves once more."

GOOD. I WOULD ALSO ADVISE YOU TO KEEP A CLOSE WATCH ON YOUR DISCIPLE. SHE GROWS EVER MORE POWERFUL, BUT SHE MAY BECOME TOO AMBITIOUS FOR YOUR LIKING.

"Which one?" Salem felt herself asking, although she already had her suspicions.

YOU KNOW. UNTIL OUR NEXT MEETING, MY LOVE.

As her eyes changed from black to its usual form of red irises with black scleras, Salem lifted her hands out of the black waters of the huge spawning pool. Her white hair dropped back down as the smoke quickly dissipated.

"Yes." She murmured to herself, beholding the unfathomable depths of the pool's oily surface, the reflection of her red eyes looking back at her, "I think I do."

---

Cinder stepped out of her private bathroom, clad in a sheer lacy black nightgown that did not leave much to the imagination, as it gave an exceedingly tantalizing view of the shadowy outline of her shapely body. Sitting down on her bed, Cinder reached over and unlocked the drawer of her bedside stand, pulling out her scroll.

She examined the readout on the scroll's screen, which confirmed that its scans showed no sign of her room being bugged, meaning she was still in the clear. Cinder carefully keyed in a coded message on an specially encrypted message channel she shared with Emerald.

'E, are you still awake?'

Ten seconds after sending it, a response came, 'I'm here. Can we talk?'

'Of course. The channel's secure.'

It took Emerald a while to type in her next message, telling Cinder everything that had happened to her during the Battle of Vacuo City, and about how she made her escape during the fight with Ruby Rose when the latter was distracted when she saw the Grimm creatures attacking a school full of innocent children. She had used that brief lapse in attention as a distraction to get away from the leader of Team RWBY, by making the silver-eyed girl see another Emerald through her hallucination semblance and spoke through it. She then told what Ruby had said to her, and how she had decided to help take out some of the Grimm beasts discreetly.

'I see,' Cinder texted, 'Why didn't you take advantage of the opportunity and knock her out?'

'I couldn't,' Emerald's answer came quickly, 'She was the only way those helpless kids would survive. I couldn't bring myself to let them die. I…also think you're right, Cinder. We need to do something to stop Salem before it's too late to do so, because she's honestly insane and we're stuck helping her.'

'I knew I could count on you,' Cinder typed back, 'However, we need to find others who we can convince to bring into our little insurrection. Do you have anyone in mind?'

'Trooper.' Her disciple messaged back, 'I saw him talking to Arc and Nikos before returning the Aura Crystal to them, and I heard him admit to mercy-killing Fireball who accidentally set himself on fire. Apparently he has a bleeding heart and has been helping them for some time, at least since Cadia. It seems that from his recent actions Trooper frankly wants to stop Salem too. I think we should bring him into our group.'

Cinder wasn't too surprised by the revelation that Trooper was helping their enemy. The Enforcer was loyal to Ante and to the other Enforcers, and he was clearly resentful of how Salem treated her subordinates. He also did seem like a good man trapped with a bad job.

'Yes, he'll do. Also, I don't think we should bring in Mercury until we're ready to make a move against Salem. He couldn't even stay hidden during the Vytal Tournament. As for me, I'm thinking about Anastasia.' Cinder texted.

'Her? I don't think so. She'd probably sell us out the moment it suited her.' Emerald answered cautiously, 'Perhaps I can have a chat with Mercury when we're out of this place, I can tell he doesn't like Salem either. Shouldn't be too hard to get him on our side.'

'Very well, I will leave Mercury's loyalty to you then.' Cinder replied, 'Also, you're not wrong with Bloom, but you saw how offended she was by Salem's comment about imperfections, and I think that if we nudge her in the right places she could possibly become a useful ally…or at the very least a valuable distraction. But I'll think about it before I approach her. In the meantime, keep an eye on Trooper's movements and approach him the moment you get the chance, but keep it discreet. Then bring him with you to meet me at one of my little isolated spots where I used to go and think.'

'Gotcha. Gonna catch some sleep right now. Night.' Emerald typed her final message.

Cinder texted her a 'Goodnight' and ended the discussion, before placing her scroll back into her bedside stand's drawer and locking it. She then climbed onto her bed, getting under the covers and made herself comfortable.

Turning her black-haired head, she saw her scarred reflection by the bedside mirror and absentmindedly rubbed at the wound she had been given over a year ago by Ruby, and burned in place by Salem as her punishment for losing the Battle of Haven. The scar would forever be a reminder of Salem's true nature, and of the incredible power that Ruby Rose possessed.

She vowed that she would treat Salem the exact same manner the Grimm Mistress had treated her, and she would make Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha pay for all the humiliation and pain she had suffered ever since her humiliating defeat in Haven. And when she had all the powers of the four Maidens and the Relics she would never be powerless again, and she would reign over Remnant as she sees fit.

And woe to anyone who got in her way.

This chapter was co-written by Relentless Crusader.

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