"This way. This way please."

Most of the citizens had little trouble in adhering to her cries, but it was the elderly and young who struggled to move. For them, Ruby would round up a few of the more agile ones personally, and assign volunteers to help the less capable with moving ahead. The Grimm had yet to fully reach the outer edges of Mantle, which she attributed to Robyn's extended crew holding the front lines with those that Atlas could spare.

The rush of the election and the rivalry between peoples was thrown out the window when the black sky came, and all those who bickered over machines taking precedence over thinking breathing people were keeping their traps shut. For as much as they hated the lack of a Human or Faunus touch, these same machines made perfect substitutes for sacrifice and war. Ruby spotted some of them throughout her route: Paladin's and Knights throwing themselves endlessly into the fray and slaughtering what few beasts had slipped by Robyn's pack.

And thankfully, none of them turned on the city itself, meaning Ruby and the rest could focus on their jobs.

Inside, Ruby was hoping the others were having as easy a time as her, but chances were this was only a short break before the real trouble showed itself. Still, after helping clear a few more buildings to send along the line, Ruby turned to some of the volunteers who'd decided to arm up and help create her path through the city.

"Can you guys move on ahead? I need to make a quick call to see how the others are doing."

"Would you like one of us to stay with you and watch your back?" A particularly brave young woman asked, but Ruby just shook her head.

"I'll be fine; it'll only take a minute."

A minute meant nothing for most people, but when evacuating a whole city filled to the brim with frightened impoverished people, those precious sixty seconds could be the difference between barely scraping by, and a hundred extra casualties. Knowing this, the woman nodded, and with a wave she took charge, ordering the rest to move on and continue their rounds. Ruby made sure no Grimm were rushing from behind them before whipping out her scroll and calling up Weiss.

Ten tense seconds passed, with about five rings going through before someone picked up.

"I'm here." A wave of relief passed over her at the sound of Weiss's voice. Clearing her head of worries instantly, Ruby requested an update.

"How far along have you gotten?"

"Only twelve blocks left." Ruby had fifteen herself, so she could confirm they were at least moving at a consistent pace. "I've found more than a fair share of volunteers both willing and able to help with the relocation. How's things on your end?"

"The same, although I'm three blocks behind."

"That's not bad." Weiss seemed to perk up a tad, but it was a little fake sounding; still, Ruby would give her partner points for trying to lighten her tone to pull up the mood. "Honestly, I'm probably just pulling ahead of everyone. People tend to follow the glowy white knights when clearing the way. I attribute that mostly to their shades looking so similar to Atlas personnel."

That was true; many would mistaken them for an Atlas run evacuation, and so would flee their hiding places quicker. Granted, this was an officially ordered evacuation, but with so much of the floating city's forces situated up top, it probably felt to the people of Mantle like they had been abandoned... even if that wasn't the case.

"That's good. Did you get anything from Yang or Blake?"

"Finished up with Yang ten minutes ago, and they're probably only a block behind you. Things are going good, to the point it feels like we're about to be blindsided."

"Can you please not say that?" Ruby had enough surprises already, let alone one which could get everyone killed. And she most certainly was not a fan of Weiss up and jinxing the situation.

"I'm just pointing it out. I know it's unlikely, and talking about it might just be inviting more problems in, but it's a very real consideration we have to keep in mind. We're dealing with Salem here, and I doubt this basic assault is all she has."

"I know." Ruby admitted tiredly. "I just want to be able to keep my head held high, which is a lot harder when you're pointing out how Salem could just destroy us all whenever she wants."

"Sorry." She could hear Weiss sigh on the other end. "I'm just a little stressed out."

"It's okay. We're all feeling the same. But nobody said being a hunter would be easy." Ruby, after hearing just how dower her words came out, attempted to spice up everything a little bit with the only genuine good news she had on hand. "On the bright side, it's a little exciting to finally be handed the same responsibilities as hunters."

"Ruby, at this point we are hunters." Weiss's comeback carried some of its old snark, and it was paired up with a touch of her prissy attitude. "I'm pretty sure the technicality of the title doesn't matter anymore."

"Hey, Weiss?"

"Yeah?"

"When we get everyone back together, and all of this is over, do you mind if we throw some sort of party? You know, to really celebrate finally making it." It was a bit out of nowhere, but the prospect of a celebration might just give them all the strength to put a little extra 'oomph' in their steps.

"A congratulations of sorts..." Weiss hummed, but it was a happy hum. "Yes, I think that's a fine idea."

"Then it's settled." Ruby allowed a genuine grin to blossom on her face. "When we get back after kicking Salem's butt, we'll throw the biggest bonanza ever seen!"

"Alright alright." Weiss said between chuckles. "But let's focus on finishing up here, okay? No good in planning a party when we still have so much work to do."

"Oh, yeah, r-right." She'd been getting a bit overzealous, and if the following giggles were anything to go by, then Weiss could tell. "Sure, of course. We'll finish everything up here."

"Right." Ruby just knew Weiss was rolling her eyes. "Well, I'm going to cut things here. I need to run and catch up with the others."

"Yeah, I do too. Take care." Ruby bid, getting the same from her partner before she slipped her scroll away and rushed ahead to find the rest.

A celebration... Yeah, that was just the thing they needed to recover from everything piled on top of everything else. A good party would help everyone relax, and hey, it might even help V and Pyrrha get into a better mood. Sure, V's missing emotions were due to the obelisk, but even dulled emotions could still be teased, and maybe a big happy gathering might just be what it takes to help coax them out.

Hopefully, this would excite Pyrrha too. She hid it well, but Ruby could tell something was wrong. Maybe it was due to them sharing similar experiences with dreams, but Ruby really wanted to help Pyrrha find some form of genuine happiness.

And hopefully, she'd succeed.

.

.

Cords of tainted sinew stretched across every internal joint, with raw velvety flesh padding most floors and crevices along the inside of the beast. It was a sight to behold, especially with how little I'd ever seen in the way of such.

Strangely, a piece of my mind beckoned a sense of... familiarity from this place, like I'd seen it before, again and again, to the point I could almost tell which direction would take me where. But not here, no. The gaping maw of an entrance I could read like a book, but the idea of trudging within pulled clouds of darkness across the mental map spread out over my mind, blackening it with swatches of ink. As I passed an arbitrary threshold, the details dyed themselves in that blot, but before me the hallway stretched on.

With nothing more to guide my footsteps, I let curiosity lead me deeper in. Taking turns based around the idea of reaching the center of the beast, I reasoned that if Salem were to situate a throne of sorts from which to watch her living carriage ride out, then it would be at the place hardest to breach from all angles: the core. Although the idea was sound, the twists and turns which wound in on each other presented a confounding maze. Being able to tell up from down would be done solely in response to the pull of gravity, for I could not trust my eyes.

"Stop."

Emerald... of course. Not that her presence surprised me. Truthfully, I'd been wondering when she'd show up; being elusive from Atlas and Mantle could only mean she'd been stuck here with Salem. Granting her request, I got a good look at both her and Mercury, who settled on a smirk and even tossed out a casual wave.

"Long time no see, V." His words could almost be mistaken as cheerful, had they not been peppered with caution. "Didn't think you'd take this long to show."

"You were awaiting me?" Seeing as the Grimm left me alone on my approach, I could only assume these two here were to be my guides towards the goddess's chambers.

"Eh, not quite." Mercury was quick to admit, much to the ire of his partner who hit him with a gravelly growl. 'Idiot,' she mumbled under her breath, but nevertheless, she let him continue. "Salem sensed the moment you stepped aboard, and while I can only guess it's due to some Grimm mumbo jumbo, she still told us to come and find you."

"Take me to her." I ordered, earning a deeper scowl from Emerald, who rose up in protest.

"Don't take that tone with us!"

Such a threat was meaningless.

"Move." I commanded, and upon seeing her expression deepen, I reminded her of who had ordered them to be my guides in the first place. "Or are you truly capable of disobeying your mistress?"

She held my eyes for a few seconds before ultimately making the wise decision to drop her hostilities and carry out the mission.

"Whatever." She whipped around on her heel. "Keep up."

Mercury gave me a shrug, which I chose not to acknowledge. He took my lacking response as ire and merely twisted back to focus on the walk. I didn't harbor much hate for them, really, but my need to stand within Salem's presence far outweighed the ideal of etiquette. Perhaps should my emotions eventually return, I might offer an apology, before taking out my built up rage and malice on their broken carcasses for the torment they'd put my allies through beforehand back at Beacon.

I did not forget, and if my emotions truly were to restore themselves, I knew for a fact I would not forgive their assault on my circle. In fact, it was rather fortunate on their side that I found them again after losing the will to give into hate... At least for now. That my hate had finally simmered to a crawl was a sickly omen of my regressing physical and mental state. The obelisks were only ever a boon before, and here, in the presence of those who should spark a rage beyond all but Cinder...

I understood how useful that boon truly was.

"Oh ho ho ho ho ho!" A new voice came into my head, as did the image of a crooked smile as breath pressed against my ear, and hands laid gently along my shoulders. "Oh yes~" He skipped ahead, alerting and startling the two as he stole center stage. "You are he! The one; the worthy; the obsession!"

"Damn!" Mercury collected his posture, pulling back his battle stance into one featuring fatigue and relief. "You're not as obvious as you usually are."

"What do you want, Tyrian?" Emerald spat with frustration building at the back of her throat. "We're already bringing him to Salem."

Tyrian, as it were, sucked in a distraught breath, placing his hand to his chest and leaning back as he stretched and bent, adding a theatrical flair to his broken, imbalanced pose.

"Truly?!" His eyes narrowed dangerously into slits, with his brazen smile retracting into a simple grin. "I had no idea."

Emerald appeared to cringe as his voice dipped into an almost salivating tone momentarily midway through, and he restored his standing by slinking back into an erect stance, with both legs tightly together and even his tail locking into a teapot's handle. Stiff like a nobleman in his best suit, he linked both arms behind his back and tossed his chin up as his head twisted backwards to look down upon her.

"Pardon my interruption~" His face rotated back onto me, but across his face the insane smirk had left, and only a plain and teetering professional gaze met mine. Even with this change, his manic voice stayed the same - although the movements of his lips, now speaking curt, did not match the noise escaping them. "But I simply must see the jewel of her eye in person."

He looked me up and down, only to afterwards present a pleased nod.

"Excellent. You much more resemble the myth, as opposed to the girl parading around in your style."

"Pyrrha?" I muttered unconsciously, and he gave me a normal smile.

"With you now here, I can cross her off my list of people the goddess wants me to track and observe." He gave me a bow; stepping back to add on the flair of before. Again, this display did not match his face, which showed more stability than his previous demeanor - and even his eccentric posing now - would have me believe. "She is no longer relevant, now that you are back with us, our precious young master."

"And thus the goddess will be pleased - yada yada yada." Mercury seemed to mock the man who bowed before me, but no negativity was earned from the act. Instead, Tyrian kept his respectful appearance, even as Mercury's own dropped into one I would describe as lazy. "Look, I get that V's important and all, but can we please just get him to Salem already?" A mischievous glint showed in his eye. "We can't keep the queen waiting, right?"

Like the flick of a match, Tyrian tossed on his crazy mask again and spun right around.

"But of course!" He clasped his hands together and performed a little skip. "Ooooh~ The goddess will be so pleased to have him back within her presence again after, hmm..." He held up a hand with all fingers outstretched, pulling three down before casting both hands to the wind and rattling off again. "Fifteen hundred years!"

"Wow. Fifteen hundred?" Mercury said with jested surprise, getting a face palm from Emerald as she turned away again, leading the pack of us along, with Mercury finishing off his bout of fun. "I never would have guessed V was that old."

"I swear." Emerald mumbled aloud, leading them around a corner, and down through a hallway possessing an... intriguing aura. "Would it kill either of you to show a little more respect for my sanity?"

"Aww! Silly toy of Cinder's" Tyrian began, only to send me a knowing look, taking a calm and reclusive tone one last time. "Such respect is reserved for the worthy."

Nothing more was shared as we walked along, but that didn't mean the oddities had left. While Tyrian was a man who I couldn't quite decipher in terms of personality or sanity quite yet, he was far from the strangest thing to see by far. While it wouldn't have stood out to anyone normal, I noticed us pass by a door which was uncomfortably... intimate.

What is this?

I'd never seen such a door before, but for some inexplicable reason I got this deepening sense of emotion while within its presence. I actually stopped and stared at the dark beauty of its fascinating appearance. Around it were several orbs, clenched within claws, and each containing a miniature fire. That alone would be impressive, but the intoxicating and nearly drowning tide of both endearment and abhorrence I felt just being near the thing had me perplexed.

"You feel it, don't you?" Tyrian stood beside me, shaking just a little as he looked upon the door. "The sublime ugliness shielded behind this monument." He struggled, but ultimately laid a hand on its surface, speaking still, even as his legs looked about ready to give way and send him plummeting to the floor. "The goddess has a spell cast around several archways both big and small within her mobile mount. This which you see here, as well as several entrances appearing disassociated with the internals of her beautiful child, are not truly present here."

"What do you mean?" I asked, curious.

"Salem, our dark divine, refused to leave the castle truly unattended, and so several entrances and rooms of interest had their doors enchanted. With this, she could cast similar spells here along the surfaces of her creation, and burn a connection between them."

"Yeah..." Mercury strolled up, along with an even more annoyed Emerald. "You're not exactly making that easy to follow." The silver-haired man turned to me. "Basically, what Tyrian's saying is the big boss lady used some of her magic to make portals all around the whale, allowing us to enter the base whenever we wish." Mercury sent one look at the door before shivering. "Yeesh. This thing always gives me the heebie jeebies."

"Your body senses that which lies within." Tyrian spoke, backing away a little. "A terror so extreme that every primal instinct knows to avoid it."

"I know you're probably curious -" Emerald piped up. "But can we please just go? You can look around afterwards if you really want."

Ignoring Emerald again for a moment, I placed my own hand on it, feeling urged to wring death upon it, but at the same time, a need to cuddle up. This contradictory stance within my heart had me throwing out one final question.

"What lies within?"

"Beats us." Mercury answered with a shrug. "Whenever anyone asks, Salem just says the same thing every time."

"And what does she say?" I prodded, and Mercury, for the first time this whole trip, threw on a truly uncomfortable expression. While he was wary within my presence, this new look on his features echoed a different sort of unsettling.

"Sacrifice." His nose crinkled, and his lips pursed. "Although, she's said a few other things in regards to the door when rattling on Cinder."

"Alright everyone." Emerald clapped, taking the focus again. "We're moving. Now."

With no one willing to retort, we took off. Mercury soon settled into his walk again, and Tyrian genuinely looked at ease away from fear the further away we got from the previous point of interest. I, on the other hand, allowed the single word to loop within my thoughts over and over. Sacrifice. Behind that door, according to Salem, was sacrifice. What did that mean? And why did I feel both unsettlingly calm and furious at the same time around it?

I would need to seek these answers later, as we came upon a large door, of which the flesh making up the blockade spread open from the center outward to make way for our collective. A long hallway ringed by bone every ten meters stretched ahead, until we came into a grand opening. Our pathway's end settled on a broad platform, with walls of stretched red skin illuminating the center. Several levels stacked upon one another, creating a circular staircase from the outside in, and leading up to a grand black throne spiked with colorless bone on every point.

Sitting upon the throne, and rising to stand as everyone around me bowed in her presence, was none other than my ancient ruler herself.

Salem.

Author's note

...

I'm an asshole for cutting it here, I know, but that's the power of a good cliff-hanger; if you're still invested, that is - with how bloody long this story is by now, I can't blame anyone for wanting to quit by now.

We got a brief moment with Ruby this time as she does her job and attempts to cheer her team up. But while that's good and all, and has its significance to a degree, I'm pretty sure most of you are more excited about V's perspective.

While it may have been short, I think a few of you will find some of the interactions and events leading up to his reuniting with Salem to be a bit... interesting. And for those of you who didn't quite get it: Yes, the door and the treasury Salem put V's bag in are still back at the castle; she's just using magic to project portals to each door across the walls of the whale.

Look, if Ozpin can create vaults with portals into pocket dimensions to hide the relics, then Salem can make little warp portals if she wants - key word being 'wants.'

Anyway, feel free to let me know if you're still enjoying the story even this far in, or if you just want it to finish already - believe me, I do too, but this takes time; especially in this Remnant with all its extra bullshit and mini plots.

That's all for this chapter.

Until next time.