To the guy who said "this crossover is far too one sided now"; That's just how some crossovers are gonna happen. Hell, look at all the crossovers that are literally just "Ben dropped into Remnant." Some elements just become more prevalent in the foundation. In the early chapters, the first saga if you will, it was based on the Original Series. Now, the Atlas Arc is tilting the other way. When we get to some Ben 10 focused arcs, it'll lean back to Ben 10 and Omniverse. There's nothing wrong with more elements of one series being a bit more prevalent so long as the events, while familiar, can happen in a new unique way with the addition of some characters.
It's better than Isekaing your characters in
Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
The Ace Ops' Manta was flying back to the city, thankfully unaccosted by any of the encroaching Grimm. Manta and Shark squads were keeping any skyborne beasts busy, thankfully. Yang's Outcasts were restrained with gravity bolas and were being watched by Nesmith, Chiffon and Vine like hawks. If they even thought about trying something, those three would retaliate immediately. Winter's expression fell a bit as the ship flew over the world's self-proclaimed "Greatest Kingdom." The city's skyline had never looked bleaker nor its streets emptier. A scant few operatives and soldiers were dispatched into the streets to aid in the evacuation, but a majority of the kingdom's forces were out beyond the walls, fighting Monstra's "passengers."
As the battlefield came into view, the Manta cresting over the horizon, another trio of gunships raced over the Ace Ops' ship, making the interior shake just a bit. Harriet and Winter watched as the trio of airships flew straight at Monstra, intent on conducting a bombing run. The ships launched a collection of missiles at the beast, and while they did land hits against the leviathan, the explosions only harmlessly scorched its hide. On the front lines, the Praetor shield wall was holding as best as it could. Against Sabyrs and some of the Grimm it held up well, letting the beasts hurl their bodies against it, only to be gunned down and run through by the soldiers behind it. If the Megoliaths' charge reached them, the wall would have been utterly crushed. Thankfully, many of the mammoth Grimm quickly fell to the Paladins in the back lines. They fired off rounds of plasma Dust into the air like mortars, letting the shots either rain down on the Grimm horde as a whole, concentrating their fire on the elephantine behemoths especially. One Paladin was even engaged in a stand-off with one of the Grimm, its mechanical limbs grabbing hold of the Megoliath's tusks as the beast tried to thunder its way past. Countless rounds of ammunition were spent down in those trenches by normal grunts and Specialists alike.
The military channels were abuzz with orders, requests for reinforcements, and updates from the front lines. Some sectors of the defenses were doing well, while one was completely static, no matter how many times a handler tried to get a response from their charges. It was sheer chaos.
"Sir, Hard Light shield generators are FUBAR over here, no way we can get the shield back up," one commander reported in.
"Then don't waste resources on them. Divert all your engineering teams to the other defenses, turrets, mines, Paladins, everything. Beta Squad, the creature?" Ironwood coordinated over the buzz of panicked chatter.
"Nothing works, sir. Bombs, missiles, even a few shots from the cruisers, we haven't even dented the damn thing," the leader of Beta Squad reported.
Winter pressed two fingers to her ear-comm and added her signal to the storm of others, though for Ironwood, this one took priority.
"Sir, Specialist Schnee here," Winter interjected, "Penny is still MIA, but we've captured Xiao Long, Dombrowski, Albedo, Salazar, Min, and Rook."
"First bit of good news I've heard all day," Ironwood sighed, "Await further orders, but do not let those fugitives out of your sight. Understood?"
"Perfectly, sir."
Behind her, Yang turned to look at her with a grim expression. "Still following orders, huh?" Winter turned and narrowed her eyes at the girl, wanting to just let out every true emotion and thought she had bottled up, but now wasn't the time. She turned back to the cockpit and gasped as Monstra slowly came into view through the windscreen. Everyone stared in sheer horror at the gargantuan Grimm.
"Good lord," Albedo muttered. "That must be where that Grimm took Oscar."
"Please," Nesmith narrowed his eyes, clearly skeptical, "As if Grimm took hostages."
"This one did. If you would just let us go-" Rex stood up, but Chiffon grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him back down into his seat.
"Sit down," Chiffon warned, flaring his harness's wings in a threatening display.
Winter held up a hand to quiet everyone in the Manta as her comm buzzed to life again.
"Manta squads, cease fire. Focus on secondary hostiles and take some pressure off of the front lines," Ironwood ordered, "Command's working on a solution for the Leviathan-class."
"What do you have in mind, sir?" Winter inquired.
"Attacking that thing from outside's getting us nowhere. But from the inside, we may have a chance. Weller, Scarletina, and the rest of the science team are putting together a bomb. Once its ready, it'll be dropped off as close to the target as possible before the payload is delivered on foot into the creature."
"...who's the escort?" Winter hesitantly asked.
"Your team. Rendezvous coordinates are already being sent," Ironwood answered, "You just need to hold the line until it arrives."
"Understood, sir," Winter tapped her earpiece and nodded to Cammie.
"But Oscar's still in there!" Kylie protested.
"You cannot do this! You do not have the right to just give up on him!" Rook added, only for the both of them to be shut down by Vine.
"The longer that creature lives, the more damage it causes and the more Grimm and aliens it seems to spew forth," the monk of the Ace Ops reasoned, "We cannot wait."
"Bullshit! It wouldn't even take that long!" Rex argued.
"And I am gonna call you right there, kid," Nesmith scoffed, "Take a good look at that thing. How big do you think it is? From head to tailfin? A couple miles long? That's not a 'get in, get out' kinda place. We'll give the kid a memorial, say he sacrificed himself for the good of Atlas."
"Oh, I'm sure he'd appreciate it," Albedo hissed, words dripping with pure sarcasm.
"See? You get it."
"I...I'm just...going to chalk that up to the stress of the situation because there's no way you actually believed me there."
"Please, Winter, give us a chance to try to rescue him first!" Kylie bargained. "We… We could be your test run. You don't know what'll be waiting for you inside, right? So we can go ahead to check it out and look for Oscar while we're inside."
"You want to go inside that thing alone?" Cammie asked.
"Wouldn't YOU do that for someone?" Kylie countered.
"What if it was one of yours in there? Elm? Harriet? Vine?" Yang asked. For the first time, Vine's stoic expression fell. It was a quick slip before he regained his composure, but that worried look was evident to everyone that looked. Cammie fell silent because she knew exactly what she'd do. She wasn't cut out for this whole "deep cover" thing, because she hated herself for having to follow every faulty fucking order the general sent her way.
"You're the empathetic one, right? It figures you'd suggest something as emotionally charged as that," Chiffon scoffed, "Trading six lives for one? That's idiotic."
"No. It's not," Albedo chimed in, "Oscar is our friend. Under our watch he was taken and we will do whatever it takes to bring him back. Because we care about him."
"Looks like Galvans can be turned after all," Harriet scoffed, "Always pegged you as the most level-headed of this whole group, the one with the most logic, but I guess that was just an act. Feelings don't matter, the job does. You lose someone on your team, you move on. Just like Mr. Politics back there replaced Clover, Cammie technically replaced Elm, and Marrow replaced-" The speedster stopped herself once she realized what she just said. She tightened her hands around the flight controls at her own words, ready to throw a punch at the smallest provocation.
"And Marrow replaced Marion?" Kylie finished. Harriet's eyes flashed with yellow lightning, before she activated the autopilot with a quick button press. She then bolted up from the pilot's seat, marched back to Kylie, and reared back a punch. Right as her fist flew at the captive, Vine quickly caught it, stopping his teammate from landing the hit.
"No. We're not-" the monk began, only to get socked in the jaw himself, actually catching him off guard.
"Woah, woah, woah, enough!" Nesmith stepped in, pulling Harriet away from the prisoners.
"You ever say her name again-!" Harriet threatened.
"You talk about them as if they are just…pieces of equipment." Everyone looked back at Blonko, who was staring at the whale. "When one breaks, you simply get a new one, but you don't really believe that, do you? You say you need to move on…but you have not. Have you? You are devastated that you cannot properly grieve Clover. You miss him, dearly. You miss Marion and Elm as well."
Harriet briefly let her surprise show, but her expression quickly reverted to anger. "You don't know anything about me or how I feel. Elm lost it because she couldn't handle our mission. Unlike me."
"...that is why you lost against us," Blonko realized, "You were not just fighting us, you were fighting against yourself as well."
"That might have been the case with the emotional wreck and the traitorous mutt," Chiffon interjected, "but their replacements have no such issues. We are sons and daughters of Atlas, all! Proud patriots who will do whatever it takes to protect this Kingdom!"
"Whatever it takes, you say? Even if it means turning against innocent people? Even if it means sacrificing your morals and values in the name of 'security?'" Rook asked.
"Did I stutter?" Chiffon scoffed, "Or do you need someone to check your hearing? I'm no veterinarian so-"
"Enough," Winter ordered, her voice low and authoritative, "...you'll have your chance. We'll drop you off as close as we can to that monster. But if you aren't out in time...we drop the payload. No matter what."
"Wait what?!" Harriet yelled, "We can't just let them go! You heard the general! These fugitives and traitors are to stay under our watch, no matter what."
"For once, I agree with her," Nesmith spoke up, "I'll pull rank if I need to here. The Ace Ops are my team, Schnee. You don't have the-"
"I outrank both of you," Winter shut down their argument immediately, "From what I'm hearing, it sounds as if you'd like to be reminded of how the Atlesian military handles insubordination. "
The two usual rivals shared a glance between them before turning their gaze back to Winter. For a moment, they didn't say anything, letting tense silence take over. Chiffon and Vine watched the standoff, the former thinking the two would try to depose the higher-ranking officer then and there. The latter, however, wasn't sure what to think. He was fairly certain Harriet would never throw a punch at him outside of a training scenario but, well, here he was, his face still stinging from the strike.
"Well?" Winter asked, moving her hand to her saber, anticipating a violent exchange.
"...no, Commander," Harriet grumbled before turning and moving back to her seat.
"What she said," Nesmith scoffed, "Your funeral, kids..."
"Vine, Chiffon, the restraints," Winter ordered. With that, the two Ace Ops began undoing the bindings and freeing the group as the Manta made its final approach. Cammie couldn't help but look down at the battlefield. She could see the chaos down on the front and, while she'd hold to her word, she would be lying if she said she was optimistic about the Outcasts' chances.
A Paladin bashed a Megoliath onto its side before pressing the barrel of its plasma gun to the Grimm's underbelly, its free hand keeping the beast pinned as it gripped one of the giant tusks. A glow emanated from the barrel of the weapon before firing off and burning a hole through the massive Grimm before its body turned to ash. Atlesian soldiers were racing off to their next position through the old trenches, a hold-over from the Great War itself. The only reason they never really appeared at first glance was because they were covered up, much in the same way that Burrow Guns could be hidden in underground caches. As they continued on though, they came to a stop and formed a firing line when they heard the disgusting sound of skittering legs. A swarm of Sulfur Fish surged over and into the drenches like a living flood of chitin and superheated stingers.
As soon as the bugs started pouring down, the rifle barrels opened up with rapid muzzle flashes. Bullets tore through the smaller Grimm as they skittered towards their prey, but no matter how many members of the swarm were lost, they kept charging onwards. Some of the insectoid Grimm began linking up their legs, shells, and tails, intertwining to form a massive, almost serpentine form. What would be the beast's hide writhed and squirmed as its component bugs linked up. Its maw opened wide, making it appear shark-like as the legs of the Sulfur Fish had transformed into rows upon rows of jagged teeth. With a roar, the maw lunged forward and grabbed two of the squad in one bite, piercing through their armor and devouring them in a few gruesome bites.
"Fall back!" one of the soldiers panicked, laying down some cover as the others of the squad began to retreat. His bravery was nothing to the Grimm as it just lashed out and devoured him as well. Before the maw could surge further down through the trenches, a diamond-shaped projectile hit it in the back. Ice began to surge out from the wound and quickly froze the entire swarm into one giant ice sculpture. The frozen amalgamation was then shattered into pieces as Kobalt, now clad in standard Atlesian soldier armor, charged right through it. Ivori, similarly adorned in armor, followed up behind his bruiser partner and picked up the thrown projectile, inserting a fresh Dust crystal into it.
Now, Grimm were one thing. If it was just them, then this battle might be locked in a stalemate with the beasts' only advantage being numbers.
But Zs'skayr's followers put a wrench into that theory.
A loyalist Loboan pounced on and bit down on the head of one of the Praetors, ripping the machine's head from its shoulders. When a barrage of bullets came the alien's way, a layer of iron plates covered its body, letting the bullets just bounce off. The Loboan turned its purple eyes to the shooter and unleashed a sonic howl at the soldier, taking him and a few surrounding defenders out of the picture. The werewolf turned around as it saw a Manta begin to land away from the front lines. It growled and charged at the landing dropship.
"Uh hey, someone noticed us!" Cammie called out.
"Open the doors, now!" Winter ordered as she quickly got up and moved to confront their "guest." The ship's troop bay opened to reveal the charging alien, but the elder Schnee sibling wasn't phased. She simply focused after drawing her saber and holding it before her. A glyph formed at the perfect time, just a few seconds before the Loboan lunged. Winter opened her eyes and made a sweeping motion. From the summoning glyph, the head of a decently sized Megoliath emerged and swung its head around, rending the Loboan's plates with a sickening crunch and tearing right through its chest with its tusks. The summoned elephantine Grimm trumpeted in triumph before tossing aside the body.
"You're clear! Go, now!" Winter ordered, letting Yang's Outcasts jump out and begin making their way to the whale. The last one, Blonko, turned to look at Winter and Cammie.
"You do not like this any more than Marrow did," Rook said to Cammie first, "You do not wish to be a part of it anymore."
"I got...I got a job to do," Cammie said, trying to cover her true intentions, "And I'm in the best position to do it."
"And you?" Rook turned to Winter, but he got no response. Weiss' older sister just nodded, motioning for him to catch up with his friends. He was falling behind. With a sigh, the Outcast leapt from the ship and raced after the others. Winter turned back to Cammie and nodded.
"We give them the time they need. Make for the rendezvous at the front. Ace-Ops! Make ready for war."
Kylie transformed into gas as soon as she leapt off the ship and began to fly through the battlefield. The smell of methane filled the air, as she flew under Loboans, Creeps and all sorts of other monsters. She wanted to just help, even if it was a tiny bit. Soldiers were soldiers, but they had families to go back to.
And then she heard it. Piercing the chorus of war cries, gunfire, and monstrous roars, a frighteningly familiar screech reached the empathetic Outcast's ears. She turned to the source, despite feeling the smallest bit of fatigue creep into her being. Shambling among the ranks of Thep-Khufans and Beowolves were the skeletal forms of the Apathy. On their own, they were horrible abominations that trained their targets of the will to live, a feeling Kylie experienced firsthand.
In a war-zone, though, the Apathy were like walking mental flashbangs. Soldiers heard the screeches and their gear felt heavy, weighing them down. They couldn't even focus enough to pull the trigger on their rifles. One poor fatigued soul was grabbed by a Transylian and broken over his knee in a move that Bane would pull, accompanied by an extra bit of purple lightning from the giant tesla coils that jutted up from its shoulders.
But even among the Apathy, Kylie was able to pick out what seemed to be an Alpha. While the other Apathies were shambling around like zombies, the Alpha was taking a page out of the Ring, a humanoid form bent out of shape to where it seemed to be more comfortably walking on all fours instead of upright. Its legs ended in large, almost insect-like points instead of claws or talons. Its skeletal hands dug into the dirt as it slowly crawled along the ground. A long tongue hung from its mouth, just adding an extra level of disturbing to its appearance. Unlike its lesser counterparts, this Alpha was missing its entire lower jaw, just an upper jaw lined with jagged teeth. But what made this worse was the extra bit of color it sported. Instead of the red eyes that normal Grimm sported, this Alpha Apathy sported a pair of glowing purple orbs in its sockets. Crystalline spines jutted out and ran the length of its spine and its claws were similarly replaced with those distinct purple crystals.
"Oh my god," Kylie gasped.
This Grimm was infused with corrodium.
Kylie doubled back, shooting at it with her guns. "GUYS! HAZMATS SUITS ON!" Kylie screamed, as the Alpha Apathy began to hiss and screech. The sound waves it emitted immediately made Kylie feel like she was suffering from hypothermia again; all energy left her body in a second.
Blonko looked over and tossed everyone a small disc. It was one of the few bits of tech that the Ace Ops hadn't confiscated when he was arrested. Each of the Outcasts, save for Albedo, slapped on the disc over their chests. From inside the small device, a hazmat suit emerged and wrapped around their bodies, coating them in a green and black fabric, complete with a blue visor.
As for the Galvan in human form, he slapped down on the Ultimatrix and turned into Diamondhead. He knew it was a detour, but it was one he needed to make. He raced over before slamming his hands into the ground, forming an aquamarine colored crystal dome around the Alpha Apathy. It looked up at the new cell it found itself in and tilted its head.
"If that thing somehow breaks out, keep those suits on. Lest you end up incredibly mutated..." Albedo shuddered.
Harriet had just downed a Beowolf, punching its jaw clean off, before she turned to look at Albedo. The nerve on him. But, if that creature unnerved the genius, it should at least be taken seriously.
"...fine." Harriet huffed, as the Outcasts barreled their way through the warzone.
"Vine, call it in. Let command know Salem has an active biohazard on the field," Winter said as the Manta flew off to the rendezvous.
"Roger. Perhaps there's a method we can quarantine it further." Vine said, as Winter looked back to the Outcasts. They were almost out of sight, almost to the Leviathan-class Grimm. While it may have just been the stress of the battle, Winter could swear that she saw other purple colors sprinkled into the sea of jet black and bone white.
You'd better slip out of my fingers, Winter thought to herself.
"Hopefully no stray artillery breaks that dome," Albedo muttered to himself as he threw Kylie a hazmat suit. She caught it and quickly slapped it on, enveloped in its protective casing. Kylie took a few seconds to recover before she raced over and joined the other Outcasts.
"Ok, so, I know the plan is simple on paper," Rex said, "but how do we get on this thing? It's a whale."
"Perhaps the blowhole?" Blonko suggested.
"You wanna climb this thing?" Kylie asked, pointing all the way up to the top of the whale.
"Hmm…perhaps not then."
"Ok, so then where?" Yang asked.
"I believe I have the answer to that," Albedo answered, tapping Yang on the shoulder and pointing out a massive opening in the side of the whale, like a gash from a weapon. Several bones jutted out from the side in an odd, almost artificial manner.
"That must be the way in," Albedo stated. "We'll need to climb up those bones and make our way inside from there."
"Groooooooss." Kylie gagged. "But, it's for Oscar."
"The stealth part is gonna be hard. Who knows what else is in there?" Yang wondered.
"Once we get in...I have a solution for that," Albedo nodded before he turned his arms into spikes and leapt at the whale. Even though it wouldn't do damage, he stabbed into the whale's hide before snapping off the spikes. As he leapt across the whale's outer skin, he created a series of secure handholds for everyone to follow him with.
"Couldn't have just turned to a flyer?" Yang asked before launching herself at the nearest crystal spike.
The group climbed up the spikes, and got inside the beast. The smell was...horrid. The beast's hallway floors were shown to be a cartilage-like substance, with bright red Grimm markings outlining the path. In these, doorways were similarly fleshy, being a translucent membrane in Monstra that resembled gothic architecture, and large veins dangled overhead.
"Well, this is gonna be harrowing." Yang huffed.
"Careful." Albedo said. "I bet there's some 'sentries' around."
"You said you had a solution though?" Blonko asked.
"That I do," Albedo said, slamming down on the Ultimatrix symbol. In a quick flash of red, he transformed into a Merlinisapien, that slender reptilian form replacing that of Ben's color-swapped counterpart. He then adjusted the dial again as four spikes jutted out and connected to his chest. A wave of red energy passed over the alien's body, making his already elongated body even longer. To compensate, extra appendages grew out of the sides of Chamalien's body, two, four, six extra arms. A trio of shimmering dorsal fins ran down the length of his back, the material between the spines of said fins being rather glossy. Instead of a trio of RGB-colored eyes, Ultimate Chamalien only sported a single eye, broken up into three similarly colored segments.
"Ultimate Chamalien," Albedo hissed, "In this form, I'm able to extend my invisibility field."
"Niiice." Kylie said, as Albedo started to work his magic. The evolved Merlinasapien projected some sort of shimmer of light around the group, shielding them from being spotted.
"Handy. But I assume we are still audible." Rook frowned.
"That we are, Mr. Blonko. Stay quiet. And try to hide the sound of your footsteps." Albedo instructed.
"Only question now is...how do we find Oscar in all this?" Rex asked as the group slowly but stealthily moved deeper in.
"Hs key." Yang realized. "We gave him an Alien X key, right? After the Watch Collector incident."
"I think so..." Min frowned. "If that doesn't work out, I got a few tracking spells."
"Blonko?" Albedo turned back to look at the Revonnahgander, but he already brought his Plumber badge and was pressing a few buttons. He nodded once he had the right configuration, letting the device scan the whale before he got a blip.
"Alright. I have him. I think," Blonko said.
"You think?" Kylie asked.
"This creature's body is giving off...interference, consistent with..." Blonko froze when he realized, "gravity Dust."
"That's how this thing's flying. Gravity Dust." Albedo said, before he realized something else, "The Corrodium. There was a case Neo and I handled a while back where there was a copious amount of the mineral involved. Seems we found its purpose."
"Dust and Corrodium? Explains why we never saw any big deposits show up after Haven..." Yang muttered as they continued deeper.
Hazel marched through the hallways of Monstra, passing by floating Seers and patrolling Anur aliens. Funnily enough, the aliens were holding their technological torches, ringed staves that resembled tesla coils topped off with glowing yellow spheres. Whenever one of them looked his way, Salem's bruiser just nodded to them, hoping to alleviate any suspicion. It seemingly worked as he made his way up to a doorway that seemed much more important than the others. Bones began to lower into the flesh of the whale, acting as a gate before the membrane stretched open.
Hazel took a deep breath before exhaling and walking on in. The chamber inside was a series of fleshy, tumor-like platforms connected by bridges of black tendons. All of these platforms were suspended above a pool of bubbling Grimm ooze. In the middle of this fleshy web was a single platform dominated mostly by a pillar of flesh with what seemed to be purple webbing wrapped around the entire structure. Sat on a pedestal with four small fangs surrounding it was the Relic of Knowledge. Salem's bruiser looked to the Relic and only tilted his head when he heard the fleshy door close behind him.
"Used your Semblance on everyone you passed?" Hazel asked.
Emerald sighed, dropping her camouflage, "Y-yeah. Sorry. I just...I just needed to know if what he said was true."
"It's fine." Hazel huffed, taking a deep breath. "Curiosity is always the scariest thing."
He looked to the lamp, trying to quash any last lingering doubts.
"And if that kid is telling the truth...I deserve to know what Salem's really about," Hazel finished.
"Why did you join her?" Emerald asked. "Besides...your sister."
"I joined because I thought she'd tear down the framework. One that doesn't allow for people to view hunting as a 'celebration'. It's an operation. All violence is truly useless in the end..." Hazel sighed.
"Really? With all the effort you put-" Emerald began before she stopped herself, "Sorry..."
"It's fine. I've...heard it sounds kinda hypocritical of me," Hazel sighed.
"So, do we just...take it?"
"No. That would set off an alarm and every Grimm and guest of ours will be on us in seconds. So instead...we just say the password."
"And if Salem asks?" Emerald wondered.
"We rationalize it," Hazel explained, "I managed to get the password from the boy, but I needed to test it. If it's a lie and we took that lie to Salem, the punishment would fall on us before him. If what he said is true and we use the password ourselves...well, I don't know what happens when this thing activates. So...do you want to say it or shall I?"
"What's the password?" Emerald asked.
"A name. Jinn."
Emerald stepped up to the Lamp, and stared at it. It was such a pretty thing; she'd never seen a gold so...so shiny, for lack of a better word. She hesitantly reached out to grab it and closed her eyes.
"Jinn," Emerald said with conviction.
The word echoed out from Emerald's lips, not just because of the cavernous chamber either. It was as if the name itself carried literal weight to it. And then time simply froze. Hazel and Emerald both watched in shock as the bubbles in the pool below just stopped, some in the middle of forming, others in the middle of popping. Their attention was drawn back to the lamp when a bright blue mist, the same color as the lamp's middle piece, began to seep out. It then curled and coiled around the lamp, growing with each twisting turn before it shot up above in a massive plume.
Emerald and Hazel shielded their eyes from the blast of mist, waving some of it away when they were able. The sound of chains rattling reached their ears as they turned towards the lamp once more. Floating above and in front of the pillar was a massive, easily twelve foot tall, elven-eared, light blue skinned woman. She wore no clothes, only golden accessories including a pair of cuffs on wrists, complete with chains, an ornate choker, large hooped earrings, with an extra ring in her right ear, golden chain headdress, a single golden bracelet on her left forearm, and a chain belt wrapped around her waist that ended in a large, three-pronged ring, almost like a key ring. Her hair was a darker shade of blue than her skin, long and flowing behind her, reaching past her waist. That same mist she emerged from seemed to be coming off her body constantly, some wisps of it concentrating below her waist, almost like a misty skirt.
This literal genie of the lamp stretched, apparently enjoying her newfound freedom from such a confined space. She opened her eyes, light blue irises on dark blue sclerae, and looked down at her two summoners.
"Hello, you two," she smiled, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Jinn, an entity created by the God of Light to aid humanity in its pursuit of Knowledge." She added a little flourishing bow before she took up a lounging pose in the air, resting her cheek in her hand.
"I've been graced by my creator to answer three questions every one hundred years. And as it stands, I still have two remaining. But do keep in mind...the future is out of my view. I can only answer questions about the present or the past."
Jinn was beautiful to all. Emerald found herself speechless before the big, blue beauty. Hazel himself found his mind was...a bit scattered, just looking at her.
"...ma'am." Hazel coughed. "You can answer anything. Correct?"
"If you're going to waste a question on that," Jinn teased.
Hazel frowned. "...tell me the truth about Ozpin. And Salem..."
"Oh the old man? Haven't seen him in ages," Jinn chuckled, "But, if that is your question, then I...shall answer." The towering genie raised her hand and snapped her fingers, the sound echoing out. In the blink of an eye Hazel and Emerald found themselves no longer in Monstra, but rather just a pure white void.
"Where..." Emerald started, before plumes of smoke, the same color as the Lamp's, began shooting up all around them. As the smoke faded, pieces of an environment began to materialize and, soon, instead of a white void, the duo stood in an open field, bisected by a red brick road, and littered with various weapons of old. Axes, swords, spears, all broken and discarded. The road they now stood on led up to a familiar looking castle, a central tower rising up above the rest of the more almost gothic architecture.
"Once upon a time," Jinn narrated from somewhere, her voice just echoing in the air, "a beautiful girl was locked away in a lonely tower by her cruel father. Her father, the king, was not always the story's villain. He was once the hero. He saved a woman from bandits, married her and through her rose in power to become a lord. But his joy did not last. When he lost his queen in childbirth, the king swore that he would not lose his daughter."
The thief and the bruiser saw glimpses of these events, literal shadows of the past that appeared and disappeared in puffs of blue smoke. They saw the king in his younger years, fighting off the bandits and saving his future queen; they saw an older king holding the hand of his hand as she was expecting; they saw his distraught form at the queen's bedside as her life slipped away; they saw the image of this jaded monarch yelling at a nursemaid, telling her to take his child and lock her away in the castle's highest tower.
The environment quickly changed, replaced as another plume of smoke swept across their fields of view. Instead of on the road up to the castle, they were now inside the fortress, specifically the aforementioned "highest tower." The room itself had everything this lonely girl would need, including a desk and a large collection of books, each one read over several times. Banners adorned the walls, showing the castle's crescent-shaped coat-of-arms.
"The girl, as she grew, would often ask her father why she could not leave the tower and his response was always the same," the genie spun the story.
"My darling," the king's voice suddenly took the place of Jinn's, "You are my most prized possession. I am protecting you from everything outside that could harm you."
"But I'll be careful!" the king's daughter spoke up, "I promise!"
"But the girl's words fell on deaf ears," Jinn lamented.
"This was your mother's favorite tower," the king explained, "She loved gazing out this very window. Why would you want to leave it?"
Another puff of smoke appeared near the mirror, revealing a rather beautiful woman sitting in front of it, humming boredly to herself and brushing her hair. She had fair skin, light blue eyes and long, flowing platinum blonde hair, most of which was styled in a half up-done bun style. She sported a rather elegant two piece dress consisting of a white sleeveless, overlapping pleated top and a similarly white, though with a faint purple tint and adorned with diamond emblems, high-waisted skirt.
"That girl, that sweet, inquisitive child, treasured so dearly by her father was named...Salem," Jinn continued. The unlikely duo of Emerald and Hazel shared a look of total shock before they looked back at the once mortal Salem.
"The nurse maid, who had been more of a parent to her than her own father, decided that if Salem could not go to what was beyond, then what was beyond the castle walls would come to her, in the form of books. And for a time, that sated her curiosity. But her true desire was not fully quelled. She wanted to leave that tower, step outside and see the world she had read about in all her cherished books. There was but one problem, her father had erected a magical barrier that prevented her from leaving the room at the top of the tower. One fateful day, though, she stumbled upon a plan."
The Salem at the mirror disappeared in a puff of smoke, reappearing in a similar way on her bed, clutching a green covered book. She seemed younger now, but her attire and hairstyle were the same.
"The world in these books," the past Salem swooned, "what a marvelous place!" Her joy quickly turned to sour resentment as she gripped the tome tightly.
"Tomorrow I'll be sixteen and I have never even stepped outside!" the then-princess lamented before, in anger, she chucked the book out the window. In the past, whenever she'd reached out that single window to try and reach the world beyond, her father's magical barrier shocked her, preventing her from going too far. But today, the barrier didn't activate. Instead, the book just flew and plummeted to the ground below.
"...huh," Salem hummed in thought as a plan formed in her mind.
"And so," Jinn told her audience, shifting the scene to the next day, "when her sixteenth birthday arrived, she was lavished with gifts. Chests full of silver, the finest garments her father could find. As she looked over the gifts she had been showered with, her father entered to check in on her daughter."
The door to Salem's room gently opened behind Emerald and Hazel, signaling for the duo to step aside. On the other side of the door was a wall of blue mist, out from which stepped the cruel king. His skin was pale, almost sickly so, with dirty blonde hair, mostly in the form of a full beard and long sideburns that reached all the way down the furred collar of his crimson cloak. Atop his balding head sat an iron crown adorned with several blue jewels of immaculate cut, each one easily worth a fortune on their own. Beneath the cloak, he wore a set of robes that sported a mix of reds and blues, hunting boots and gloves, with tufts of fur around the ankles and wrists.
Upon seeing her father, Salem gave a small curtsy in greeting.
"Thank you, dearest father, for these wonderful gifts," Salem said.
"Anything for my daughter on her sixteenth birthday," the king said gently with a slight wave of the hand.
"Yet...there is one thing I still desire."
"And that would be?"
"Pen and paper," Salem said earnestly, "Every book in this castle I have read dozens of times, I know the stories cover to cover. So...I would like to write my own stories."
"Hmmm," the king hummed, "It shall be yours. I hope that, when they are finished, you will read these stories to me."
"Of course, father!"
"And write, she did," Jinn said, poofing the two characters out of existence before replacing Salem with various versions of herself, quill in hand and writing away at a piece of parchment.
"She spun a story of her own, that of a beautiful maiden being held prisoner by her cruel father, beseeching any hero strong enough and brave enough to free her. Her hero was promised the maiden's hand in marriage, the riches of her tyrannical father, and a happily ever after to call their own. And so, her story spread, the parchments folded into paper birds and set loose on the breeze. Every hero worth their salt answered the call and marched on the castle of Salem's father, bringing to life his worst nightmare."
Hazel and Emerald were then thrown into the king's throne room, littered with pieces of armor, scorch marks, and other signs of battle. They watched as one warrior, clad fully in plate armor, smashed his way through living suits of armor with a massive warhammer to reach the evil lord. Salem's father narrowed his eyes at this latest opponent and growled in annoyance. He raised his wooden staff, tipped with a finely cut amethyst gemstone and fired off a swarm of lightning bolts at the warrior. Each strand of purple energy connected with the adversary's armor, making him stop in his tracks and writhe in agony. Before long, the would-be hero's armor clattered to the floor, his body turned to dust, just like all the rest.
"Death awaited all who dared try to claim such a sought after prize," Jinn spoke, "Until...one day, a different kind of challenger arrived."
The double doors of the throne room were flung open as a suit of animated armor crashed through them, much to the king's displeasure.
"Another thief, come to steal what is most precious to me, hm?" Salem's father scoffed.
"Not a thief," the challenger said, walking forward. He, too, was clad in armor adorned with intricate, vine-like etches over his blue-green tunic and tan undershirt, black pants and brown boots. A dark blue cape fluttered in the wind behind him as he made his grand entrance, his own staff in hand, this one tipped with a fine emerald gem. The man sported a dark complexion with messy brown and brown eyes.
"A hero," the mage corrected.
With his own powerful magic, this new challenger destroyed all of the animated soldiers sent to stop him, and not even the king was strong enough to stop him. Emerald and Hazel watched as, in a glorious display, a burst of pure green magic was fired from the mage's staff and disintegrated Salem's father, leaving naught behind but his iron crown and ashes. With the lord defeated, he raced to the highest tower, eager not to claim the riches or a promised wife, but to save the life of a girl who had been trapped her whole life.
The scene shifted to that fateful meeting, when the warrior threw open the door and laid eyes on the beautiful maiden.
"You...you did it," Salem said, surprised, "After so many failed, I thought-"
"It...certainly seemed daunting, when I first heard," the champion admitted, "but it was worth it. How long has it been since you smiled like that?"
Salem actually found herself blushing at the little compliment before composing herself.
"T-tell me, sir knight," the now freed Salem said, "what is your name?"
"Ozma," the knight answered with a bow.
"And from there...the two lived a happy life together," Jinn said, "until..."
And from there, she recounted the events of Ozpin's story, the one told to the now-dubbed Outcasts. How Ozma fell ill, how Salem nearly tricked the gods into war over his resurrection, the destruction of the First Humanity, all of it. Though...she also mentioned that Ozma's first reincarnation settled down with Salem and had children, four daughters who were tragically caught in the crossfire of Salem and Ozma's first conflict.
When the story was done, the scenery returned to the Relic chamber aboard Monstra, still frozen in time.
"One question left," Jinn said, "Do you have another or are you going to hold onto it for now?"
"...I wish to yield that to someone else." Hazel said, closing his eyes. Jinn's gaze turned to the stunned Emerald, eyes wide and jaw slack. She...she was so, so, so overwhelmed with knowledge. Cursed with it, even.
"Do you wish to ask me something?" Jinn politely asked.
Emerald said nothing.
"Then I have nothing else to say." Jinn said, flowing back into the lamp.
And once she was safely back within the Relic, time began to move normally again. The bubbles in the Grimm pool below formed and popped at their usual speed again.
"She had a talent for manipulation," Hazel muttered, "Even back then. And...as much as I hate to admit it, he was right."
"...I need to get out of here." Emerald said breathlessly, taking a few steps back. "I...I can't...I can't be here. We can't- Oh god, Hope-!"
"Calm down. You're right, though," Hazel agreed, "You need to get out of here. You and Oscar."
"W-what? I can't take him with me! Not yet! If I do, Salem'll do god knows what to Hope!"
"Hope won't get a single scratch on her," Hazel frowned. "I'll let Salem take the brunt of her anger out on me while you run."
"Are you crazy?! You won't survive that kinda-!"
"I know. Salem likes to drag it out, too. Foolish to think I would survive it." the giant of a man looked down at the Relic, before he got an idea, "How well have you honed your Semblance?"
"Uh...p-pretty well?" Emerald stammered, "I've been able to boost the effects with magic-"
"Good. Then...if everything goes to plan, we'll meet back up in Atlas and figure out a way to tell Hope what happened."
"You're...you're gonna take the Lamp...aren't you?"
"Not yet. I pull that thing from its pedestal, this place goes on lockdown. Every Grimm, every Seer, and every one of Zs'skayr's loyalists will stop at nothing to find it. So, you and the boy are leaving first."
"But...what happens if-" Emerald began.
"It won't." Hazel frowned. "Repress that thought, repress EVERYTHING you're about to let out. It's the only way to really cope nowadays..."
"All of it...?" Emerald repeated softly, before she closed her eyes and tried to calm down. All these...these negative emotions running through her wouldn't help. Hell, if there were any Grimm nearby, they could probably sense those feelings. If this breakout/escape was going to work, she needed to keep those feelings at a minimum, nonexistent if possible.
"This world rewards the stoic. The emotional get devoured without second thought," Hazel frowned. "So act like you're invisible. Don't show any fear. Don't give off any suspicions. Nothing."
"No fear, no suspicions," Emerald muttered and steeled herself, "Ok...ok. I just...walk out there and pretend like I belong. Like I didn't just see the start of Salem and the destruction of humanity the first time. Easy..."
"Emerald," Hazel placed a large hand on the mage-thief's shoulder reassuringly, "You can do this. Just stop and take a few breaths. In and out. Alright?"
"...I don't know if I can really do anything right now. My mind is just abuzz with millions of questions. I can feel my brain just imploding on itself. What...what am I doing here? What are me and Hope doing here? We don't really belong anywhere, do we?" Emerald asked, almost hyperventilating.
"Emerald," Hazel said, gripping her shoulders gently by firmly, "You do belong somewhere. You're right that it's not here, you just need to find it."
"And…and Hope?"
"You're close with her, very close. Once she learns about all of this, I'm sure she'll be there with you, no matter where you choose to go."
Emerald took a deep breath. "I can't steel my mind as well as you can, but...I'll try."
"It's better than nothing right now." Hazel said. "Go."
Emerald hesitated for just a split second as she turned to leave, but she quickly overcame those feelings, or at least pushed them to the side, and made her way out of the Relic chamber. What she didn't see, however, was someone further down the hall. They had been obscured in the darkness of the ship, arms crossed, leaning back against the wall. Once the mage-thief had rounded the corner, the figure's breathing mask let out a subtle hiss as they emerged from the shadows.
"Jinn...was it?" Vilgax asked with a raised brow.