Chapter 39


Blake's scroll vibrated, and she picked it up. Finally, they had a signal.

Pyrrha: I'll try to come to the docks discreetly, just wait for me there.

Blake: Okay.

She tucked away her scroll.

And then, she looked up.

She stopped at the sight of the city of Mistral, her jaw hanging open slightly.

It was amazing.

Situated on a mountain, the city of Mistral could not be described as anything but majestic. Curved, red and golden roofs, and great double pillars that framed the houses which dug into the mountains. Wooden bridges ran across the houses, covering the gaps between the peaks. There were so many different diverse cultures, and

She noticed that Sun was looking at her with a smirk on his face, and she quickly closed her mouth. Sun had already been here before, of course.

Excluding Menagerie, it could be called the most tolerant kingdom, or at least the least oppressive, in regard to faunus, compared to the others.

"Let's go," Sun said.

That reminded her. They were here under the pretense of Sun returning to his team in Mistral.

In actuality, they needed to meet with the headmaster of Haven, Leonardo Lionheart, and with Pyrrha.

They stepped off the ship, descending onto the docks of Mistral.

"Hey, wanna grab a drink?" Sun grinned, pointing to a bar nearby.

Blake sighed, "I don't think it's a good idea to get drunk the second you step foot in Mistral."

"Oh come on!" Sun threw his hands up, "Mistral has the best booze! Quality booze! Everyone knows that!"

"Didn't take you for a drunkard."

"I just enjoy letting loose every once and a while, unlike you, Miss 'I am gloomy and don't have fun'."

Blake punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow!" Sun yelped, "Why'd you do that?"

"Shut up, dummy."

They went to the bar anyway, and Blake ordered a fresh fruit drink, with no alcohol, while Sun had the drink with the lowest alcohol percentage on the menu. Blake wouldn't let him drink anything else.

She made sure that they took the seat in the corner, so that they had the advantage of sight if anyone tried to eavesdrop or sneak up on them.

"You're such a kill sport, Blake," Sun groaned.

"No, I'm responsible."

"Uh huh... I'm also very responsible!" Sun joked.

Oh, the irony. And the hypocrisy. Blake was aware of it.

"Y'know, it's not like I abandoned my teammates or anything. Twice or something. And then went with a girl across the ocean, yeah? I mean, I'm Sun Wukong, I would never do such a thing!"

Blake was about to reply, when they heard a charming giggle from behind them.

She whirled around, seeing someone in a black hood and robes. She raised an eyebrow.

"Who are you?"

The person took off their hood, smiling.

PyrrhaNikos. The Invincible Girl.

To be honest, she looked like shit.

She had dark eyebags underneath them, and she wore makeup to cover it. There were the hunched shoulders, and she seemed to have the constant urge to yawn.

And the only reason Blake could tell was that she had done the same before.

The two of them were never really that close, but they were still distant good friends. They respected each other and their privacy. And so, Blake made a decision; she wasn't going to pry into Pyrrha's business like that.

"Ah, Pyrrha!" Sun greeted, before grimacing.

"I don't really know you do I? Why'd I call you Pyrrha? That was kinda weird, not even gonna lie-"

Blake snorted, and Pyrrha covered her mouth to muffle a laugh, her shoulders shaking slightly.

"No, but why are you wearing that?" Blake questioned, as Pyrrha slid into the booth, taking a seat.

"Uh, because I thought it would make me stand out less?" Pyrrha shrugged.

"That makes you stand out even more!" Blake hissed.

"Well," Pyrrha said, dragging out the 'l', "I'm normally pretty good at disguising myself in public. The docks are known for being a shady place, so I thought I'd make myself a little more... suspicious."

"Yeah, but not like, that suspicious!" Sun said, grinning. He faked a suspicious look around, as if he was scared and paranoid that someone was watching them.

Blake rolled her eyes at his antics.

"Okay, okay, let's focus," Pyrrha said, leaning in, "So, do you have any news on what's going on? I've had contact with Percy, and he's been updating me, but nothing from the others."

"They're in the wilderness of Anima," Blake thinned her lips, "We don't really have an ETA for them. It's unpredictable. Though, Qrow did tell us in the group chat that they would be in Shion in three days' time, meeting with Raven Branwen."

"Percy's going to be there..." Pyrrha said, "I think we need to go. There's nothing going on here in Mistral. Everything is relatively stable, I think."

"It's Raven fucking Branwen..." Blake hissed, "The most wanted bandit leader in all of Anima! In all of Remnant! She's dangerous as fuck, and, according to Qrow, her tribe has the maiden powers!"

"We have Perce-boy, though."

Pyrrha and Blake looked to Sun, who seemed utterly lost. Still, despite that, he had just pointed out something crucial.

"I'm willing to bet that Percy solos this bandit chick and her tribe," Sun proudly proclaimed.

Neither Blake nor Pyrrha were ready to dispute that. Not after what Percy had done at the Fall of Beacon.

"We have Qrow, a renowned huntsman, and Taiyang, a retired, but also experienced huntsman. I believe it will be just fine," Pyrrha argued.

"Hmm..." Blake pondered.

"So like, what about me?" Sun wondered aloud, "Can I come with you guys too?"

Pyrrha opened her mouth, "S-"

"No."

"But why?" Sun protested.

"You need to go back to your team, Sun," Blake stated, "I get that you want to help, but you'll only be putting yourself in danger if you force yourself in. It'll add unnecessary tension."

"Plus, I'd be busy worrying about you."

Blake pinched herself under the table. Had she really just said that? Why did she just say that? A faint blush graced her cheeks.

"I-okay," Sun relented rather easily.

"Do we know exactly when they'll be arriving in Shion? Like what time of day? Or at least morning or afternoon?" Pyrrha questioned. Blake shook her head in the negative.

"I think we should get there in the morning, though," she said, and Blake nodded this time, agreeing.

"I-Salem showed me a vision."

Blake and Sun both stiffened, their backs going ramrod.

"What?" Blake hissed.

"Exactly what I said. Salem appeared in my dreams, and gave me a vision..." Pyrrha said, looking intently at them, "Of us. It was a battle on Mistral's Mount Olympus..."

"And then what happened?"

"It was the final battle. Percy was the only one left standing. A powerful beam shot at me, but Percy protected me. And yet, the beam was so hot that it incinerated everything he had. His wards, his sword, his suit, all the way down to his body..."

"Pyrrha, it had to be a bluff, right?" Blake asked.

"That's the thing," Pyrrha leaned in, her eyes wide, "The suit that we had ordered back at Beacon was there. Everything about Percy was perfect down to the minute detail. How could she have done that? She's never seen him face to face before..."

"It wasn't a bluff..."

Blake's heart pounded wildly against its ribcage.

She refused to believe it? Percy? Lost?

It was impossible... He was impenetrable. A demigod. The crème of the crop.

"W-Well fate is never set in stone," Blake argued, "Maybe that vision she showed you is just one of many possibilities. We control our own fate. We shouldn't give up."

"Y-Yeah..."

Blake reached across the table, clasping Pyrrha's hands with her own. Golden feline eyes met emerald green ones.

"Salem is going to be coming to Mistral, we know that from your vision. So, we have to get to Shion and reunite with the others as fast as possible."

"Yes, you're right," Pyrrha nodded firmly, "You haven't noticed yet, but Percy is worshiped heavily here in Mistral, since we worship the sea and sky quite heavily. A church of Apollyon has been set up, and it is quite extensive..."

"No way..." Sun gaped. Blake had a similar, yet more mellow reaction, as she raised an eyebrow.

"They have resources, and funding," Pyrrha said, "They're devout, and slightly insane, but..."

"It's worth looking into," Blake nodded.

"Sun, for the love of the gods, please stay in Mistral," Blake told him, "We need you here in case something happens. Our group will be more than enough to handle Raven Branwen in Shion. Can you check this Church of Apollyon out for us? Get more info, too. With your team."

"There are several notable taverns in Mistral for information gathering, so I can send you them if you give me your contact information. Be careful though," Pyrrha warned, "Some of them are notorious for the wrong reasons.

"Okay, okay, I'll do it," Sun looked serious, as Pyrrha and him exchanged contacts

"I have to get back to my team, yeah. I'll get back to Haven from here. I know the route well enough."

"Alright then," Pyrrha rose, "Blake, come with me. I'll arrange sleeping quarters for you."

"There's no need-"

"No, you're a friend. I couldn't let you stay out in some shady hotel in the den of crime in Mistral," Pyrrha countered, "Just follow me."

Blake relented. She wasn't particularly keen on arguing, not when Salem's lackeys no doubt lurked all over Mistral. It was undoubtedly better to stay in the Nikos estate. Thankfully, they weren't here, though.

"Alright, let's go."

They left the tavern, two of them going one way, and another going the other way.

The chrome blob melted out of the shadows of the corner.


Mercury tilted his head curiously, watching Neo do... something.

Mercury had no clue how Percy had given them permission to go to a mall, considering the number of shenanigans Neo had pulled in Atlas. At random convenience stores, at traffic crossroads, and even in Jacques Schnee's rich as fuck limo!

Maybe it was because if they pulled anymore shenanigans, Percy would whoop his ass. That was the unspoken threat.

A light smack on his chest brought his attention back. Mercury looked at Neo inquisitively. The diminutive girl jumped up and down again, pointing to a store in the mall.

"Paulina's Ice Cream, the tastiest ice cream in Atlas...?"

Neopolitan nodded eagerly.

Mercury sighed. She grabbed his hand, almost skipping to the store.

Great, there was even a guy that was there to greet them. That basically told Mercury how absolutely expensive this place was.

Neo didn't care, though.

She happily skipped over to one of the bins, labeled "Neapolitan ice cream."

She pointed to something through the glass, as the cashier and ice cream workers watched them carefully. They were the only ones in the store, after all.

He sighed, "Neo, this stuff is expensive as fuck... you know we're both poor, and Percy only gave us lien so that we didn't cause any trouble. Our lien barely fits this bill. We can only buy two, not three..."

Neo blinked.

"No, don't tell me."

Neo blinked once, twice, then three times.

"You promised!" Mercury crossed his arms, glaring down at her. If he let Neo loose here, Perce would have his ass. Neo pouted adorably, puffing her cheeks out.

As much as she liked to tease and fuck around, she understood her limits.

She jumped into his chest, fake crying and sobbing.

Gods, she was so short. And she was kinda cute...

"Fine, we'll blow all of our budget on this," Mercury rolled his eyes, "That means we leave after this. No window shopping, got it!?"

Neo nodded cutely.

"Two ice cream cones, please."

Neo watched with narrowed eyes, as they put four scoops of Neapolitan ice cream into each cone. She nodded, satisfied.

"A thousand two hundred lien please. Five hundred lien each, plus Atlas sales tax."

That was fucking expensive. Normally you could get a five star hotel room for a night for around four or five hundred lien. So one ice cream cone cost a night's stay...

Mercury sighed, forking over all of the one thousand two hundred lien that Percy had given them. Great. They were officially broke because Neo wanted to go to an expensive as fuck ice cream store...

They got their ice cream cones, and headed to a bench to sit down.

Correction: Neopolitan got her ice cream cones, and they headed to a bench to sit down.

"See you got your ice cream," Mercury sighed in relief, "You didn't need to go abuse your semblance and steal it..."

She made him hold onto the two of them, as she took out her scroll, and began typing something.

"But food tastes better stolen."

"That only causes more trouble for us," Mercury glared at her.

She pouted again.

Handing her back her two ice cream cones, Mercury began mindlessly scrolling through his scroll.

Suddenly, one of the ice cream cones was thrust in his face.

Mercury looked at Neopolitan questioningly. She smiled.

One of her hands was typing, and she showed it to him once she was finished.

"You can have one :3"

"Really?" Mercury was taken aback. Neopolitan never shared her ice cream. That was a sure thing in life.

As sure as death, taxes, and Perce whooping his ass.

After more insistence from Neo, he took it. He licked it with his tongue.

He wasn't such a psychopath as to eat ice cream and bite chunks out of it. Only some kind of sociopath would do such a thing.

The Neapolitan ice cream danced on the taste buds of his tongue, and he swirled it, savoring the taste.

Mercury Black exploded in ecstasy.

Fuck it was good. The word didn't even begin to describe it.

Neo nodded happily next to him, as if she had known.

Mercury understood now. He understood the fundamentals of life.

One might think it was food, or water, or shelter, or any of those useless things...

But it was actually Neapolitan ice cream.

Mercury Black understood Neopolitan.


"Salutations Friend Percy!"

Percy grinned at the sight of a certain green-eyed, orange-haired person rushing towards him.

She flew towards him, slamming into his chest. He grunted, but didn't move.

"Hey, Penny," he affectionately patted her head.

She seemed to have gotten some upgrades. Her hair was significantly longer, and she wore a puffy green skirt with long, black boots.

"It's been so long!" Penny gushed, "We definitely need to catch up like friends do! I have so much to tell you about! Like I'm the protector of Mantle now!"

"Oh, you're the protector of Mantle! I'd love to see you in action!" Percy grinned.

"Yes! That would be sensational!" she cheered.

A smiling Winter Schnee came to a stop beside them, "Hello, Perseus. It has been a while since we've met."

Percy hummed in agreement.

"Should I address you as Lord Apollyon now?" Part of Winter was joking, but the other part was not. She had offered it in a half joke. That meant Ironwood had informed his team.

Maybe she was afraid of him smiting her.

That could be used.

"Percy is fine, Specialist," he waved it off, smiling.

"Then, Percy, I would insist that you call me Winter," she offered.

"Sure," he shrugged, "Now, Ironwood said he wanted to test you and Penny"

"Indeed," Winter nodded, "Or, test yourself against us. I am still unaware of how you may fare against the elite of Atlas. Provided, of course," she shot him a sly smile, "You don't destroy our facility."

Percy barked out a laugh, as they rounded the corner. Who knew Winter Schnee could joke around?

In front of him was General Ironwood, and huntsmen who he presumed to be the Ace Ops.

They were said to be the elite of Atlas. He would test that today.

"Oh, Perseus!" Ironwood's eyes seemed to light up in recognition, ever so slightly. He normally had to show solidarity in front of his troops, but here? The Ace Ops, Winter, and Penny were his people.

"These are the Ace Ops."

A brown-haired, light green-eyed man stepped forward, extending a hand.

"Clover Ebi," he introduced himself, "But you can just call me Clover. I'm the leader of these guys right here." He had a smooth, strong voice.

Percy took it, feeling the man's strong grip out. His hands were callused, much like Qrow's. He seemed a little younger, though.

"Harriet Bree," a dark-skinned, dark-pink-eyed woman with a mohawk said, nodding and grinning, "I hope you can match us in the ring. We're not sparring today, though," she looked a tad disappointed.

"Vine Zeki," a tall, pale-skinned, blue-eyed man said in greeting. He seemed to be laid-back, and rather chill.

"Marrow Amin," a chocolate-skinned dog faunus said brightly.

The tall, brown-skinned muscular woman next to him grinned at Percy, gently patting Vine on the back, "You look like a pretty strong one to me. Name's Elm Ederne, by the way."

"Well, shall we then?" Penny clapped her hands together excitedly, "Oh, Percy, I can't wait to fight you and watch your recordings and all of your moves! I will learn so much from analyzing them!"

Percy shook his head, amused. She was like a little kid getting ready to go to a candy shop.

They stepped into the elevator and headed down.

"I will spectate," Ironwood spoke softly.

Percy nodded, agreeing, "I would like a bout with Penny and Winter. Their teamwork and cooperation is vital for when we embark to Mistral tomorrow."

"That is acceptable," Winter nodded.

"Shion is in three days, correct? Why do you prefer to embark earlier?" Ironwood asked him.

"I would like to get a feel of the area, mingle with the civilians," Percy shrugged, "And see the kind of woman Raven Branwen is."

He wasn't going to say that they were likely going to experience another assassination attempt by those Grimm hybrids on the way there. Or, it was really a probing attack. Some had survived from the last attack, he knew.

He wasn't going to tell Winter, or Penny. How would they adjust on the fly? Had Atlas taught them to be completely structured and follow the plan? How would they fare under emotional strain? These were all questions that had to be answered if he were to utilize them correctly.

Ironwood hummed in agreement, "I am still of the opinion that she is a dangerous bandit, just like the two assassins under your care."

"And I am of the same opinion," Percy stated, "But I simply find a use for them. Either they adapt and survive, or they are discarded to the side."

Ironwood barked a laugh, slapping Percy on the back, as the rest of the Ace Ops looked on at the exchange between them.

"Hey, anyway, don't go easy on us, Friend Percy!" Penny smiled, lightening as they stepped out of the elevator. The door to the arena was only a few paces in front of them, and they were introduced to a flat, barren arena.

"Preferred setting?" Ironwood asked, stepping forward to the machine. Percy assumed that it would calibrate which environment they were in; for example, an island surrounded by water, or a forest.

Percy did not respond.

"Forest with a few clearings," Winter answered instead, "The mission is at Shion, so we should drill for it with the appropriate environment."

Good.

She had answered correctly. She seemed to be the type to like to have a strong plan, and adhere to it.

How would she improvise, then?

Ironwood simply nodded. With a few hand gestures and light touches by Ironwood, the doors opened with a hiss. And they stepped through to the arena.

It was impressive, Percy had to admit. He shouldn't have expected anything less of Atlas, the world's most advanced kingdom.

"The battle will begin in a few minutes. I suggest you start heading down," Ironwood reminded them.

"We'll be watching, so give us a good show," Clover, the leader of the Ace Ops, winked at him.

Winter jumped down using her glyphs, and Penny simply flew down. Percy vaulted over the railing, using his glyphs to slow himself until he reached the ground.

"Good luck Friend Percy!" Penny waved cheerfully at him, bouncing on her toes.

"Good luck, Winter, Penny," Percy inclined his head.

"Oh, you're the one that's gonna be needing it," Winter smirked. Now that they were in a combat zone, it seemed she had loosened up a bit.

The countdown timer above soon began.

"Three..."

Riptide appeared in Percy's hand. Convergence appeared on his other hand. Dual sabers were in Winter's hands, and Penny's floating array hovered behind her back.

"Two..."

Winter narrowed her eyes. Percy tilted his head. Penny's swords tilted downwards at an angle.

"One..."

"Begin!"

Immediately, Penny and Winter swapped positions, weaving together in an attempt to confuse him.

Winter slashed at him, and he jumped backwards. She was fast, as expected of her. But, there were no glyphs beneath her feet. It was raw speed.

Penny's floating array of swords soon spun at him, and he tanked it with Riptide. Winter attacked, though, and locked blades with Convergence. He could feel her try to use her body weight to force him back, but he didn't budge.

Penny burst towards him, her swords spinning. Percy slammed his boot into Winter's chest, as he bent under Penny's spinning array.

He slashed Riptide at Penny's exposed thigh, eliciting a cry of pain from her. Ramming his shoulder into her abdomen, he pushed her away.

Percy felt Winter go for his back, but a ward shield erected itself, blocking the attack.

Percy flowed behind Penny's attacks slashing downwards with Riptide. Anaklusmos left golden arcs in its path, dropping Penny's aura even further.

Winter broke through the ward shield, and she summoned a flock of nevermore, sending it at him.

Dodging the ice nevermore, and the silvery swings of Winter's sabers, Percy disengaged, launching himself backwards.

Winter pursued with her glyphs, accelerating to meet him.

She was incredibly fast, but she was also out of control. Percy leaned to the side, allowing her to pass him and elbowing the back of her head.

Despite all of her momentum, it was useless if she was out of control.

Penny sent powerful, green beams at him, and he hardened the water moisture in the air. He summoned a water shield, which easily absorbed the beams.

He leaned to the side, allowing a saber to only brush the tip of his shoulder. He grunted, turning around and putting distance between himself and his assailant.

It was Winter. He hadn't expected her to get up so quickly.

She slashed again, and, this time, he grabbed the blade, stopping it in its tracks. He felt it dig into the palm of his hand, draining his aura. But his eyes glowed.

There was a spark of lightning between his fingers. Electricity.

It was only a moderate, barely above pitiable shock, but it was enough. Steel wasn't the most conductive material, but it worked. The single arc of lightning ran through the length of the steel blade, into her hand. The unexpected electricity ran through her flesh, draining her aura and freezing her muscles. She dropped her saber.

Percy dealt the finishing blow. As he thrust his blade, Riptide brutally speared through her aura, and sent her on her back.

How unfortunate. She should have expected that.

"Winter Schnee has been eliminated from the match," the robotic voice announced to the arena.


Winter had been eliminated.

It was now up to Penny.

Ironwood watched the match with a keen eye, wondering how Penny would fare against Perseus.

Provided, of course, that he didn't just electrocute her.

Although Penny was made of primarily non-conductive material, there were bits of silver, copper, aluminum, and brass, all extremely conductive.

Perseus rushed at Penny, and they locked swords.

He used brute physical strength to win the exchange, pushing Penny backwards.

The floating array of swords spun rapidly, but Perseus deflected it with ease. They engaged in a dance of blades, their movements blurring rapidly.

There were several seconds before Penny suffered damage.

But, the General could see it clearly.

Percy was inherently faster than Penny. Each time Penny made a move, just a single bit, she began to lose the advantage.

It continued to repeat, one time, three times, five times.

While Penny was moving, she was only digging her own grave. Little by little, Penny Polendina was being cornered.

Each time she received an attack his stance collapsed just a bit, and each time she went in to attack she had the initiative reversed on her.

Innate ability.

There was certainly nothing but ability there. Even Ironwood could barely see it clearly.

It was a brilliant technique.

Utilizing the least amount of movement possible, yet he was rendering Penny powerless at her fastest speed, and at her maximum amount of twelve blades.

And yet, he was not caught. Penny would have detected his fighting sequence of choosing the most optimal move; she had done that many, many times. But not here.

No, he did not choose the most optimal move possible. He chose the most optimal move possible that was not predicted by Penny. Every time she went in to counter, preparing for him to make the most optimal move, it was as if Perseus had re-evaluated what move he would take.

And that only left one conclusion. He knew. He had predicted her every move.

Penny was fighting him at her specialty distance, with her mastered combination of twelve swords.

And he was winning.

That was like being destroyed as if it were being ridiculed, staggered... gaps were being created, all while keeping the perfect, air-tight defense.

And then, suddenly, Penny wasn't able to do anything. All of her means of winning disappeared. Swept under the rug, smashed like a pest.

It was checkmate.

A glowing blue sword embedded itself into her abdomen.

A golden shortsword slammed into her shoulder.

He struck her upwards with his leg.

She spun in the air like a helpless baby, her aura completely gone. And she fell to the ground with a thump.

In terms of time, all of it had happened within at most ten seconds.

Her aura was gone, and she was unconscious.

She wasn't dead, but she wasn't moving.

Even though that was enough to render Penny Polendina helpless, it could have been called the fastest performance.

It shouldn't have been possible.

It shouldn't have been possible for a human to outmaneuver artificial intelligence, the pride of Atlas technology. It was as close to one hundred percent accurate as possible, and yet...

Penny was imbued with strength and speed and excelled at always finding the optimal decision to make in a simple, yet complex one on one situation.

In other words, she excelled at close range combat, with no unpredictable semblances involved. Penny, with her new upgrades, could win against Winter most of the time, in pure swordplay.

It shouldn't have been possible for a human to be more efficient than she was.

But, somehow, it was.

At least here.

An eighteen-year-old demigod, so skilled in swordsmanship that he did not need to even use his semblance to defeat Atlas' masterpiece.

Perseus Apollyon contradicted the very laws that governed this world. He was a living paradox.

Nothing could stop him if he wanted to conquer all of Remnant like a tyrant, yet he chose not to.

Every person was kept in check by something. Whether it be by friends, by fear of the law, by the Grimm... these natural restraints kept the order of Remnant and the universe intact and functioning...

For Perseus Apollyon, it was only his morals that kept him in check.

There were shocked gasps emanated from his Ace Ops who had been watching the fight.

Now, James Ironwood understood.

Perseus Apollyon was something different entirely.

A true divine being.


"That was a good showing, Perseus."

"Thank you, James," Percy replied. The elevator chimed as the double doors opened, and, as they stepped out of the elevator, Percy took in everything around him.

Weiss lingered at the back of the group, her hands clasped together. He didn't know what she had been doing earlier; she hadn't been spectating his fights, that he knew.

She still wasn't speaking to him. He was worried for her, but he knew he had to give her space.

This was the fifth floor.

It was clearly some sort of laboratory, as scientists in lab coats hurried back and forth furiously with liquid tubes in their hands, some steaming, others freezing. People frantically clacked and typed away at keyboards, editing code and changing software, while others still ran around from section to section, shouting incoherent words and commands. They walked past a sealed room, where explosions and jubilant cheering could be heard from within. The place was a menagerie of different things going on.

"This is one of many research centers of Atlas, where we advance military technology. As you can see, it is a little bit... cluttered, to say the least."

"You could say that," commented Percy with a smile.

"Follow me, I'll show you who made your team's combat suits," Ironwood waved him over, as they weaved through the area to the sections in the back of the building.

After a few more rights and lefts through the numerous hallways, they finally arrived at a door. Ironwood opened it, leading the way.

There was a brown-skinned, gray-haired man on some kind of Atlesian chair device, which had 8 spider-like legs; it allowed him to move around without having to get up.

"Dr. Pietro Polendina, one of Atlas' premier scientists in the artificial intelligence field, and the leading scientist on the P.E.N.N.Y project, Prosthetic Emulation of Neural Networks in Youth."

"Hello!" the scientist frantically turned around, hearing his name. He raised his hands slowly up to his face, adjusting his glasses. He squinted a few times, before his eyes lit up in recognition.

"General Ironwood! Ms. Schnee! And, ah, you must be Perseus, or Apollyon" he nodded, smiling, "I've heard many things about you."

"All good things, I hope," joked Percy, as he reached in to shake the scientist's hand.

"All good things, from both Penny, and the General," the man agreed, returning the handshake, "Call me Pietro."

"So, Pietro, since your last name is Polendina, are you Penny's father?" Percy asked.

"Yes, but not biologically. That aside, I will tell you that I am essentially Penny's father," he said, "She was created by using some of my own aura to generate new, not entirely the same aura. Since aura is a direct projection of the soul, Penny's aura could not be the same as mine, otherwise my soul would have been separated in two."

Percy listened raptly, fascinated with the explanation.

"Instead, my team and I were able to artificially engineer that portion of my aura to mutate into something different; a different soul, which is now Penny."

"And, of course, the aura still has trace amounts of my own aura in it, like any parent and their child."

The old man looked proud at having finished his explanation, and Percy's interest was only further piqued.

"Ahh, I'm likely rambling," Pietro Polendina threw up a hand, "Anyway, you two are here to see the suits, I presume. They're ready, now, actually. You can test it out yourself in Testing Room 3. I'll lead you there."

Pietro approached the door with his spider-chair, and Percy wondered how he would fit through it.

Parts of the wall on each side of the door melted away, revealing a bigger doorway. Polendina walked right through it.

Percy supposed that was one way to do it.

He walked out the door, followed by Ironwood, who closed it behind them with the push of a button.

Soon, after another right and a left, they came to a stop in front of a much larger, open testing area. Pietro went in first, and Percy followed.

There, in front of them, were the suits.

Percy's eyes scanned up and down the suits approvingly. All of his teammates had good tastes in color and design.

His eyes flicked to Weiss, who seemed to step towards her own suit, admiring it.

"Each suit was designed around your semblances, and catered to your requesting," Polendina offered, "For example, Yang Xiao-Long's suit amplifies her kinetic energy semblance, allowing her to better absorb and redistribute energy. Nora Valkyrie's suit provides electrical discharge from solar energy and potential energy from movement, while Jaune Arc's suit allows him to more easily discharge his aura amplification using his semblance. Yours caters around your own wards."

Percy nodded his head, impressed. Atlas was truly on a different level technologically.

He really hadn't known what to do with his, so he had left it up to the Atlesian scientists. Speaking of his combat suit, it looked like Pietro Polendina had done a very, very good job.

It looked like some kind of elaborate weave, with sea green and deep blacks that intertwined together in mesmerizing designs and patterns. As he requested, wards and symbols were embedded all over the suit, allowing him to activate any ward he chose, as long as he had the minute control to do so.

A necklace was attached to the suit. It seemed to be skintight, hugging the mannequin and emphasizing its form. Percy wasn't exactly a scientist, but he could already tell that the material was of premium quality. As expected of Atlas equipment.

"Fully armored nanobots made of Atlesian tharium, imbued with trace amounts of aura, in the form of aura crystals, as energy," Polendina smiled proudly, as he approached the mannequin. He tapped the necklace twice in quick succession, and suddenly, the suit seemed to retract into the necklace.

"Tharium is an integral material, and a key product of the Atlesian economy," Ironwood supplemented, "We regulate the export of the material. In fact, Atlas keeps most of it for itself, and for the military."

"Is Weiss' rapier made of tharium?" Percy questioned.

"No," Ironwood shook his head, "Only Atlas academy graduates are typically granted access to tharium, and only trace amounts of it. Mining tharium is a dangerous and difficult process, and moderate amounts of the metal are only given to those who have proven their valor in battle for Atlas. Though, your group is granted an exception."

Percy nodded. That made sense.

He turned back to Polendina, who continued to go over the suit's design.

"The necklace houses the nanobots, animating them and allowing them to fit to the user's form as needed," he double tapped the necklace again, allowing the nanobots to reform onto the mannequin, "It will memorize the user's form, and record the user's presence. The suit only recognizes the user, and any previous users the original user has allowed the suit to inhabit. Thus, the suit animates itself with nano technology. Of course, aura crystals are used to power this, but, given your capabilities and semblance, you could power the suit yourself without the need for replenishing aura crystals," Polendina grinned like the excited scientist he was.

He jumped up and down slightly, in place, "Additionally, it is extremely breathable, as any sweat is redistributed outside of the suit or washed away by the natural water intake using your abilities. And, of course, possesses night vision. Although not perfect and nowhere near the faunus' capabilities, it is the best night vision that Atlas has to offer."

"Furthermore, numerous pockets to hold your everyday things," he reached his arm out, showing the various sheathes that Percy had requested. Each of them would be nice to hold Requiem, or Riptide in its ballpoint pen form, or any other weapons if the need arose.

Polendina tapped the necklace again, letting it.

"Here," Polendina took the black tharium necklace off the mannequin, giving it to him.

"Try it on. Take off the jacket first, though."

Percy obliged, taking off his jacket first, and then putting it on.

The necklace was moderate weight. Apparently, even Atlas couldn't negate the effect of gravity. It was still better than expected, though.

He tapped the necklace twice.

The nanobots rapidly exited from the necklace, shredding through his clothes and hugging his skin. The shreds of clothes fell to the floor.

After they encompassed his whole body, the wards activated, glowing a dull sea green all over his body. It was a skin-tight suit, which mean that it hugged his body, and highlighted his torso and lower body's lean, muscular nature.

"Unfortunately, your clothes get shredded the first time you put it on," Polendina smiled apologetically, half-joking, "Which is why I asked you to take off your jacket. It looked expensive. The second time, once the suit has your body shape, it goes under your clothes, rather than shredding them."

Percy snorted. Polendina was a funny guy. He was fine, for now.

Percy wanted the suit to cover his head.

And, oddly enough, as if the suit was almost sentient, it shifted to cover his face, the nanobots forming over his head almost organically. Perhaps it was the aura crystals and the aura that he had pumped into the suit, making it move on its own, strangely.

He found, strangely, that his vision was almost completely as normal, despite the suit covering his entire face. He felt the side of his head with his right hand, taking a few moments before finding a bump on the suit.

He pressed it, and the world turned into shades of green.

Okay, so that was the night vision, he thought.

He clicked it again, and the world's colors returned to normal.

He began testing out its mobility, first stretching himself. The nanobots shifted imperceptibly to fit his form; the motion wasn't exactly distracting, and Percy could just barely feel it. Such advanced technology spoke volumes to how powerful Atlas' military was.

He turned to his left, seeing Weiss form glyphs with her rapier at a rapid, almost unyielding pace. As expected of her, her suit's color palate was almost entirely white, light gray, and shades of dark and light blue, suiting her theme as the Ice Queen.

"Ah, yes. Miss Schnee's suit was made to better amplify her wards, and also increase her durability and strength," the scientist nodded, "Since that was a major shortcoming that she had pointed out. Unfortunately, that meant the improvement in her semblance isn't as noticeable as yours or the others, due to the primary feature being physical statistical endurance. It is much like Miss Rose's suit," he gestured to the black and red suit that covered another mannequin, "Her suit doesn't have any semblance enhancements, and her suit's primary features are strength, durability, and mobility."

Covering the strength and durability gap with technology wasn't a bad idea. It wasn't a bad idea at all.

However, no amount of technology in the world could supplement your inherent endurance, even if it could augment your strength and durability as armor. Conditioning was needed.

So, they thought they could skimp out on conditioning, huh?

Well, they thought wrong.

They should watch their backs. Percy was going to put them through hell when they met back up in Mistral.

He pushed his aura into the suit; he was awed at how easy it was.

Normally, pushing one's aura into things was very, very hard. However, this time, the machine accepted it naturally, and it easily flowed into the suit.

Looking down, Percy saw the lines of his suit light up with a subtle, sea green glow that emphasized the power the suit could contain.

He grinned in anticipation.

He burst forward, Riptide out in a flash. The suit fit him like a second skin, stretching just like it. It was the perfect combination of mobility and protection.

He gave a few practiced swings with his celestial bronze blade. He slashed low at the opponent's ankles, then high at their head, and thrust forward into their neck, for the jugular. Then, finally, from the left shoulder to the right hip of his imaginary opponent.

When Riptide disappeared into his pocket again, he now turned to fist fighting.

Using the forms Tai had taught him, his fists blurred. He was fast before, and his fists would blur, yes, but now?

They were truly blurred, through the wards of unsight.

His forearms and torso were full of parrying and blocking wards, helping to deflect the full brunt of any force away from his blocks, which meant he could tank more blows than before, too.

There were impact wards on the palms and boots, meaning that any kick to the gut or open-palmed strike would leave the opponent reeling from the combination of his own innate force and the amplification by the ward.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Your shield!"

The cheerful Polendina came over with the watch that Percy had requested. Even Percy had almost forgotten about it as well.

"Thank you so much for all of this, Dr. Polendina."

"Oh, haha," he waved him off, smiling warmly, "It's no worry. It's my pleasure to create such wonderful technology for such great heroes and people you are. Don't mind me, gotta get back to work!"

And with that, he scurried away on his spider chair. Percy turned his attention back to the watch.

On the surface, it seemed to be a fully functioning, luxury watch. Gold, sea green, and black, with an accent of class. A perfect timekeeper for luxury dinners with the elite and the rich, making him appear wealthier than he really was.

Well, look at him. He had always wanted a Rolex.

However, with the press of a few buttons...

And the shield sprang to life.

The watch mechashifted in front of his eyes, expanded into a black metal shield – tharium, Percy assumed – and had the same color palate as his suit, with mesmerizing patterns and sea green tints.

It was nice to feel the weight of a good old shield again. As much as ward shields were great, he needed to mitigate his amount of aura output, since he was going to be powering the suit with his aura. Ward shields were good for forming large barriers, but now, he had his personal shield.

Now, what to name it.

And, almost immediately, something came to the forefront of his mind,

It was something that paid homage to his heritage. To the goddess Athena, who had given him her blessing, and to Thalia, one of his closest friends, who had once carried a copy of this shield.

"Aegis," he smiled nostalgically.

"May the sight of this shield send the Grimm curling and screaming away in fear."


Winter hummed, "The outfit does look good on you."

"See sister, I do have fashion sense," Weiss harrumphed, folding her arms. She was undoubtedly proud of the tailored combat clothes that she had ordered for him.

"On the contrary, you have never demonstrated such a thing..."

"Winter!"

Weiss seemed to banter with her sister like always, but... there was something missing, a certain spark. There was something behind her demeanor. She wouldn't look him in the eyes, not anymore.

He didn't know why. Nothing he had said that night should have had this much of an impact on her.

But, he decided to give her space, anyway.

Percy turned away, ignoring the two bickering sisters.

He wore his new necklace and watch, courtesy of Ironwood and Polendina, and a sleek, black cloak that Weiss had apparently had custom made for him. It was thoughtful of her to do that.

The bullhead's strong wind gusts whipped through his hair and his cloak, as he embraced Ironwood again. The General of Atlas leaned into his ear.

"Good luck in Mistral, Perseus."

"You as well, James. I hope Atlas will hold off whatever assault the Queen sends to you."

"It will be done," Ironwood nodded.

With that, no more words were said between them. Penny, Weiss, Winter, Mercury, and Neo had all already boarded the bullhead.

Percy was the last to board.

It was on autopilot; Percy had specifically instructed that there be no pilot on board. For better or for worse.

He stepped onto the bullhead, and it lifted into the air.

Mistral, here they come.


A forlorn sigh escaped from her lips.

Heather Shields made sure to keep her backpack on her shoulder, as she went to knock on her house's door.

She and her team had just made it back from a mission out in the wilds, that took much, much longer than expected. It was just supposed to be a little cleanup mission, since the villagers were scared of some kind of beast out in the woods. Folktales, really.

They had heard it many times before, but it had always ended up being a little mission that took at most a day, maybe two, before they were able to head back to Mistral.

But this time, there had been some kind of half-Grimm, half-man. She shuddered at the reminder of it.

It was an abomination. It had aura, but it was also a Grimm. It was intelligent. It evaded them, hiding in the town. It was absurd and strange, but they killed it anyway. Maybe it was intelligent, but protocol was to eliminate the danger. Shoot first, ask questions later.

She took out her scroll, dialing her teammates. After a couple seconds, only one of them picked up.

"Hey, you made it back right?"

"Yeah! I called them, but they didn't respond," Heather could almost feel Marianna's frown over the phone, "Magnus and Diomedes are normally pretty response. Neither of them are the emo type of guy, you know?"

Heather hummed in agreement. Either one would have contacted the rest of the team the second they reached home. It was odd.

She shrugged it off. They probably got caught up in something, she thought.

"Hey, whatcha planning to do tomorrow?" her enthusiastic teammate asked.

"I dunno, I..."

She unlocked the door to the house with her housekey. As she and Marianna chatted away, she slung her backpack off her shoulder, placing it on the couch.

Huh. John, her husband, and An, her daughter, weren't here. That was really weird.

John didn't work, since she was out in the field most of the time, and he had to stay to take care of An. Maybe they had gone out to a fair or something.

But An was supposed to be at school right now. It was half past noon...

Maybe they were having an off day. Like a vacation, or something.

Yeah, that was probably it.

"Yoohoo, dumby," Marianna teased over the scroll, "Did you drone out again? Staring at the clouds?"

"In your dreams, Mary," she snarked back good-naturedly.

"Haha, well you know-"

There was a scream from the scroll.

Heather took a step backwards, "Mary?"

"Mary!?"

There was a no response.

"What the fuck..." she sighed. Today was awfully weird.

The bathroom lights flickered.

It must have been the electricity. Maybe John had forgotten to pay the monthly bill, so the electricity company was fucking with them.

On, and off.

Red crawled up the sides of a mirror.

On, and off.

Red liquid began leaking from the faucet.

On, and off.

The mirror cracked. Red liquid poured through the gaps, slowly.

Shaking slightly, Heather took a step backwards.

What the fuck was going on?

It was straight out of a horror movie.

She shook her head.

She had to be seeing things.

She tried to deny that her heart was racing, but it was. It really was.

She felt sick. Just a little.

She looked in the mirror.

There were tentacles crawling up her body, from her back. Her arms, her chest, her face.

She went straight for her weapon. Her gladius would resolve everything. It had to.

Her hand clenched empty air.

Panic settled within her mind. She was unable to comprehend what was going on. Her body trembled, as her mind raced. Was she hallucinating? What was going on!?

There was a terrifying giggle.

"Are you, by any chance, looking for this?"

She was too scared to turn around. She shivered, the feeling of the tentacles crawling, squelching along her body. They kept on coming, crawling up her neck.

She could feel them sucking away at her aura, and it only drew her anxiety even higher.

Her mind was a haze of confusion and worry and anxiety. Her vision was getting blurry.

The edges of her vision were blotting out with black. It was all hazy.

"Oh come on, you should turn around!" the insane voice giggled, "After all, you do know, all work and no play makes Tyrian a dull, dull boy!"

Those were the last words she heard before the darkness engulfed her.


AN: Join my discord!

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How'd you like this chapter? Review, comment, favorite, follow, vote, but only if you enjoyed!

Remember that I only have pre-written content up to Chapter 42, and then this book will go on hiatus due to a lack of writing time unfortunately.

'til next time!

-thann3