The Fellowship Sets Out

AN: So in this chapter our Fellowship begins their journey.

Again, sorry it took me so long for this one, I have a lot on my plate these days.
At this point, I will try to get my chapters in as soon as I can.
Sorry guys.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoy the new chapter!

Ruby was waiting in her room with Yang as they were preparing to set out. Weiss and Blake were walked into their room, as they were packing, Blake was carrying a box. "Ruby, you got mail from Patch."

Ruby quickly walked over to Blake and took the box out of her hand, "Thanks!" She then set the box down on the bed and ripped the tape off the top.

"What did you get?" Yang asked as she walked over and read the return address on the side, "From home?"

"I asked dad to send me my old shirt." Ruby said as she pulled out her Mithril shirt our of the Styrofoam beans.

Weiss held one of the sleeves and brushed it across her fingers, "Why didn't you bring this when you guys first left? It would have saved you at Weathertop."

Ruby slumped her head and groaned, "Well… when Uncle Qrow was telling us to leave I didn't know what we were dealing with… now that we do, I called dad the other day to send me this."

Yang moved her hand into the foam and found another object inside, she pulled out Thorn and it's holster, "You forgot Thorn too?"

"We were in a hurry!" Ruby said as she was unbuckling her hood.

Ruby removed her hood and main shirt and put the Mithril shirt on. She groaned as the chain male shirt squeezed her chest hard, almost flattening her. She then quickly took it off, "Ok… I think it needs to be resized."

"You think?" Blake said with a bit of a chuckle.

They then heard a knock at the door and saw Arwen enter. She slightly laughed as she saw Ruby struggle with the shirt, "Need any help?"

Ruby pulled the shirt off and smiled at Arwen, "I don't see how you can… chainmail isn't exactly 'machine washable'."

"No, but I have some spare Mithril that we can use to size it more for you." Arwen said as she gestured for them to follow.

Arwen lead the girls to a blacksmith to make more rings and resize the shirt to better-fit Ruby.

Ruby smiled as she saw it coming along, "Thanks again, Arwen!"

"How much is this going to cost?" Yang asked.

"YANG!" Blake said as she punched her shoulder.

"What? Mithril isn't cheap! Especially in chainmail." Yang said, which did bring up a good point. Mithril was almost as rare metal as Rhodium, equally durable, but ten times lighter. To even have enough to cover a sleeve would be worth the cost that was spent to repair both Beacon and Vale after the battle.

Arwen chuckled and agreed with Yang, "Indeed it is a great gift, one in which is small in comparison to saving my life and for volunteering for going on this mission. You will need every advantage you can get for a mission like this."

Ruby replied with a fast tight hug, "Thank you so much!"

The group decided to stay for a couple more days to prepare for their departure. They took all their blades to be sharpened by the same blacksmith that refitted Ruby's shirt. They also had their long-range weapon barrels swabbed.

As everyone else was enjoying their temporary down time by the beach or enjoying the Rivendell food, Ozpin asked some of the team leaders into a meeting.

Jaune, Ruby, Grun, and Jacob attended the meeting; Boromir requested that he join as well, given that he was a Star Knight, how could Ozpin refuse. They began to go over how the Fellowship would go to Mordor.

Jaune looked over the world map and sees that there were new territories of Grimm that were formed in the last 36 hours. "It would seem Radcliffe hasn't wasted any time shifting the Grimm territories into a theater of war."

"Given how versed he is in the land, I'm not at all surprised." Ozpin said, "But that also means we will have to find another rout to Mordor from here."

Jacob looked at the lay of the land and then pointed at Vale, "Couldn't you guys take a flight from Beacon and go straight for the Black Gate?"

"They would be waiting for that." Boromir said with a bit of annoyance in his tone. "Latest reports say that a fleet of Orc ships have blockaded most of the costal shores of Mordor. And there are Giant Nevermores waiting for you to try and fly there."

Jacob rolled his eyes, "Ok fine, then what other options do we have?"

"You could go a more scenic route. It may take longer, but it is the safest way." Grun said. First he pointed at Rivendell and dragged his finger west through the southern parts of Vale and then at Menagerie, "If you cut across to Menagerie, you'd be able to reach the southern parts of Mistral and move north from there. Then you could move northeast and reach the opposite side of the Dragon-shaped Island."

Everyone followed along with him, Ozpin, Jaune and Jacob saw the logic in Grun's plan, but Boromir seamed less than accepting.

"To go a route that long would take months, a year even! We don't have that kind of time!" Boromir said. "Star Knights cannot stay out of the frontlines of a war of this scale for too long. Arc, you understand, don't you?"

Jaune nodded, "I do. But if we can't get the Ring to Mt Doom and destroy it, then all of this would be for nothing. We can't fight on the front lines yet, we need to escort the Ring."

"Damn it, Arc!" Boromir protested.

"It is for the Ring bearer to decide." Ozpin interrupted.

Everyone then turned to Ruby who was standing behind them all. She didn't know anything about military tactics, or about fighting on the front lines, aside from Beacon. She walked up and saw Grun's plan, it looked like a long journey, but if it meant that they wouldn't get spotted and/or caught in the middle of a full-scale battle, it would be the best option. "We will go with Grun's plan. Even if it takes us a year, we will get the ring into that mountain of fire…"

Boromir groaned his protest and then spoke, "So be it… I'll inform my brother of our new plan."

Once he left, Jacob bumped Grun's shoulder, "Atlesians, am I right?"

Grun smirked, "No kidding."

Jacob then zoomed the holo-map in on Vacuo and highlighted Radcliffe's stronghold of Carn Dum, "Meanwhile, my team and I will stay here and see if we can keep this Radcliffe guy busy."

"As for my team and I, we shall be returning to Mistral. We were asked to return by… Her Grace." The last word he nearly spat out, "She asked us to assist their Star Knight in their rising threat of Grimm."

Jaune looked at Grun with a bit of confusion, he's never met someone who has as much anger towards 'Her Grace' before. Although Jaune never met her yet, he can't help but wonder what has him dislike her so.

The rest of that day went on like any other 'vacation' day in Rivendell. Ruby and Vixen had a little fun with most of the teams by starting a pranking spree, which ended with Vixen in the hospital. Her injuries were due to being punched hard by a mechanical arm after removing a lock of blonde hair.

Meanwhile, Jaune was in his room packing a backpack full of proper travel cloths and a medical kit. He heard someone knock at the door and told him or her it was open. He was surprised to find Headmaster Elrond enter. "Can I help you, Headmaster?"

"I came to inform you that I was given a commission… to reforge Excalibur." Elrond said as he walked up to Jaune. "The skill of Vacuo has the capabilities to reforge the sword, like we did in the last war… but only a Zenith can hold such power."

Jaune turned away from Elrond, "That sword is meant for those who are worthy… and I am not."

Elrond moved around Jaune to be in his sight again, "Do not let your past mistakes get in the way of your destiny! You are meant to hold the sword, no matter how you feel about yourself."

Jaune looked Elrond in the eye as he closed his bag and dropped it on the bed. "I am not going to weald that sword, because I am not worthy… and never will be…" Jaune then exited the room and found Pyrrha standing right at the entrance.

They said nothing to each other as Jaune continued to walk away. He went into the waterfall gardens; they often helped him to relax whenever he was stressed.

Pyrrha turned back to the room and saw Elrond approach. "We may have forgiven him for what he did when he was under the influence of the Arkenstone... but he still hasn't yet."

Elrond nodded in understanding, "Then I will leave it to you to see that he find the will to do so. Because if he doesn't... this war will be lost."

Pyrrha nods and walks away to find Jaune. Once she found him she saw that he was sitting at a bench with his eyes closed; he was listening to the running water. She sat beside him and laid her hand on his. His hand turned and folded his fingers around hers.

They said nothing to each other; they just sat there to enjoy the time they had left with each other before the beginning of the mission.

The last night came and Jaune called for all of RWBY and JNPR to meet at the beach for a small bonfire. There they ate smores and enjoyed each other's company before the time came to leave.

Jaune then held up his glass of Vale beer, "To the fellowship… and to Remnant."

"Here, here!" Everyone else said as they tapped their cups and glasses together.

Up in Elrond's office, he and Ozpin watched the eight hunters. "To think that only four years ago, they were just first years at Beacon." Ozpin said with a bit of pride and sadness in his tone.

"You did your job… Albeit, you did what you could." Elrond said as he pored Ozpin a glass of Vacuo whine.

Ozpin took the glass and held it up along side Elrond's, "To the Order of Light."

"To Remnant." Elrond said as they tapped their glasses together.

As daybreak came, the time to set out came with it. The Fellowship gathered at the front gate where two vehicles were waiting for them. They were similar to Jaune's Pitbull, but slightly bigger and could hold more people. Yang was saddened that she couldn't bring Bumblebee with them, but they couldn't risk getting spotted again.

However Yang was given a four-wheeler to ride, she and Jaune were both given one to be the escorts. While Ozpin and Boromir became the drivers of the Pitbulls, Ruby, Weiss and Blake were going to ride in Ozpin's truck, while Ren, Nora and Pyrrha were going to ride in Boromir's.

Just before they were about to prepare to leave, General Ironwood approached Jaune. He handed him a data file; when Jaune opened it, he saw it was labeled "Project Marauder". "What's this for?" Jaune asked.

"It's likely you'll see Locus again… In the event that you do, you'll need to know what you're up against." Ironwood says with a bit of hope in his tone. He then held out his hand to Jaune.

Jaune took it and shook firmly, "Thank you."

"Good luck, Commander." Ironwood said with pride.

Jaune gripped tighter, "You too, General."

About an hour loading food and ammo, all ten members of the Fellowship stood in a row to say their goodbyes to the council members in Rivendell. Headmaster Elrond himself spoke for the record, "The Ring-bearer is setting out on the Quest to Mount Doom. On you whom travel with her, neither oath nor bond has been laid to go further than you will."

While it was a slight inspiring speech, Ruby couldn't help but feel nervous. She had to hold her sisters hand to keep from shaking with her fear.

"Farewell, may the Light of the world guide your path." Elrond says with a hopeful tone.

Everyone either bowed their heads or saluted to their respected soldiers goodbye as the Fellowship did the same. They then climbed into the trucks, while Yang and Jaune got on their bikes.

They started their engines one at a time. Ruby sat in the back of her car with Weiss, she turned to her and whispered, "Are you ready?"

Ruby whispered back, "No… but lets get it done." Weiss nodded in understanding.

The trucks and bikes started up and ride down the path, leaving Rivendell. Yang rode up beside Jaune and spoke through the radio, "Just like last time, eh?"

"Yeah. Only this time the fate of the whole planet is at stake. No pressure." Jaune said with a chuckle.

Yang laughed back as she revved her engine louder and rode on ahead of him. The Fellowship is now underway.

Riding through the region between Vale and Vacuo was no different to RWBY and JNPR than when they made their ground trip to Beacon, although it was new for Pyrrha and Boromir.

As they were riding, they had to cut across a few trails while trying to stay off the main road to the coast. It was most likely that Salem has her Grimm spies watch the roads for 'mysterious activity'.

The group would spend nights setting up camp; eating food that either was hunted by Blake and Jaune or by eating the rations they brought. Surprisingly enough, Boromir proved to be a good cook and found a way to turn simple field rations into food that actually tasted good.

Ozpin would routinely go over the plan with Jaune and Boromir on what roads and or trails they would take on their way to the coast. Although they were traveling by car, Sanus was still a big continent. "We must hold our current course for at least five more days. If our luck holds, we may slip through the two Grimm territories between us and the coast without being spotted."

"Last time I read a survey on those territories it said that they weren't too thick." Jaune said as he laid his hand on the map.

"How so?" Boromir asked.

Jaune shrugged his shoulder, "Well, the biggest Grimm seen there would probably be a Deathstalker. If not a few packs of Beowulves."

"We can handle it, if we are spotted." Yang said as she cracked her knuckles.

"Lets hope we don't have to find out." Weiss said as placed more wood on the campfire.

They drove for another day and made camp on a rock face to refuel the vehicles. Jaune and Yang were in charge of the refueling while everyone else was enjoying their time to stretch their legs.

Boromir offered Weiss and Blake a sword lesson. At first they refused, but when Boromir brought up the point that if they were to encounter a Nazgul again, they would need to know how to property defend against magical abilities.

Boromir proved to be a capable sword fighter against both Blake and Weiss with swordplay. He would block some of Blake's heavy attacks while dodging a dust attack from Weiss. He even successfully blocked a blow from Weiss' Knight-Construct and brought it down with one swing of his blade. "When you're making this construct you're rely too much on how big it is in the fight; next time you make it, make it more durable and less weak towards blade attacks."

"How do you know to do that?" Blake asked out of curiosity.

"I've trained with Winter for years, and there were times that she's been able to make constructs that could withstand even the strongest swing from a Star Knight." Boromir said as he looked to Weiss, "You have the potential to do the same, you just need to find the strength to make it that way."

They continued their sword practice while Ruby, Ozpin, Ren and Nora were looking over the map that they had laid out for the trip so far. While Ruby seemed content on their current course, Nora voiced her own protest.

"Well if you guys ask me, I'd say we are going the long way to the coast." Nora said as she jumped down from the higher rock she was standing on and then walked over to the map and pointed at the mountain range between them and the coastline. "My grandmother has a tribe of Valkyries in the mines of Moria. She retook it last year, and last time I called, she was hoping I could swing by."

"How long ago was this?" Ruby asked out of curiosity.

"Roughly five weeks ago. She said that they were really making progress in reviving the mines." Nora said as she stood on a small rock trying to balance on one foot.

Ozpin shook his head, "I'm sorry, Ms. Valkyrie. But I don't think we should go that route. Not unless we have no other option."

Nora pouted as she jumped down form the rock. Ren looked out to the sky, he saw what looked like a haze in the clouds to the east. While Blake and Weiss managed to knock down Boromir, everyone else looked east to see what Ren was looking at.

"What is that?" Yang asked out loud.

Jaune squinted his eyes, "Could be just a storm cloud."

Boromir stood up from his defeat by the two huntresses and looked at the same thing they were, "It's moving fast… and against the wind."

Ren's eyes widened at the realization of what the were, "Nevermore swarm!"

"HIDE THE TRUCKS!" Jaune shouted as he and Yang pulled out the camouflage tarps and threw them over the trucks and bikes. Ruby and Ozpin gathered their things and put out the fire by kicking the dirt over it to snuff it out.

Ren then held his hands outward and shouted, "EVERYONE STAY STILL!" He then activated his semblance and covered everyone in his 'Grimm-invisibility' as the swarm passed right by the camp. They circled around once and then flew off westward.

Once the Nevermores were out of range, Ren dropped his arms and fell to his knees. Luckily Nora was able to catch him before he hit the ground.

Everyone gathered near the trucks, "What the hell was that?" Weiss asked in complete shock.

"It was almost like they were… on a patrol." Blake said with confusion.

Ozpin grumbled in anger, "No doubt Saruman asked Salem to spy on the southern regions to look for us."

"Then slipping though the Grimm territories is impossible." Jaune states.

"We must take the mountain pass." Ozpin recommended.

Everyone looked at the mountain range to the East and saw a wall of stone and snow; Yang couldn't help but feel fearful. "It won't be like last time, this time we are traveling in the winter time, which means there may be 4 inches of snow up there."

"Our vehicles can handle at most 6; but we will be staying on the main path, so we should be safer." Jaune says with a bit of a hopeful voice.

Ozpin looks to Ruby, she nods in agreement.

It took roughly a week for them to find a safer and more discreet way to the top of the mountain range. As they were driving through the snowy tundra, there were times they had to get out of the Pitbull and push it over potholes.

One of the times they got stuck in a pothole, Ruby was helping push but lost her footing. She fell down a small hill, tumbling backwards until she rolled onto a more flat surface. Jaune turned to see her fall and ran after her; once he made it to her he helped her to stand back up.

Ruby put her hand on her chest and then looked around, "I dropped it! Where did it go?"

Jaune looked around with her as they looked up the trail she made when she fell, they both look up to see Boromir standing there with the ring on the chain, in his hand.

Jaune looked at how Boromir looked into the Ring's jewel, it was almost like how he looked into the Arkenstone the first time. "Boromir."

Boromir looked into the jewel, "It is a strange fate that we should so much fear and doubt… over something so small…" He held his other hand underneath it, almost as if he was about to pull it off the chain it was on.

"BOROMIR!" Jaune shouted loud enough that it almost echoed in the tundra. "Give the ring back to Ruby."

Boromir shook his head awake and looked down at the ring then back to him and Ruby. He waited until Jaune and ruby walked up to him and handed it to Ruby, "Of course. It is your job to hold it." He said as he patted her shoulder and walked over to the truck.

Ruby looked to Jaune with a nervous look on her face, he nodded in understanding. He motioned her to go on back to the truck, just as he let go of his gun in his holster.

They got back in the truck and continued their way up the mountain. As they got higher, the path started to get thinner. Jaune and Yang drove in front to help guide the trucks, as they were getting higher.

Meanwhile in Haven Academy, a swarm of Nevermores flew around the tower in a tornado form. As they were flying around the tower, Saruman was looking into the Palantir and saw what the Grimm couldn't.

He then used the sphere to see that they were heading up the mountains, "So, Ozpin… you are leading them over the mountains." He then let go and walked over to one of the windows. "But if that plan were to fail… where else would you risk going?"

As the Fellowship drives on a thin path, Jaune and Yang rode ahead to make sure the trucks wouldn't drive off the cliff side due to a quick turn. They had to drive slowly; with the engines running so low, Ren could have sworn he heard a voice carried in the air.

He opened his door and ran in front of Jaune and Yang, stopping them and the convoy. Ren turned his head and removed his scarf from his left ear, "I hear a voice in the air!" she shouted over the loud wind.

"It's Saruman!" Ozpin shouted back.

Just then a large chunk of ice fell from the higher cliffs above. Boromir looked up and saw more ice and snow falling, "He's trying to bring down the mountain!"

Yang looked up and saw a storm rolling in overhead, and then a lightning bolt hit the top of the mountain. She then saw an avalanche come down from above, "HEADS DOWN!"

Jaune and Boromir ran as fast as they could in the snow and stood at the center of the convoy. While Jaune's aura was a slight yellow tint, Boromir's aura looked pure white. They held out their hands and formed a large light-barrier around all the vehicles. The avalanche came down hard, covering the barrier like a river around rock.

Once the initial avalanche ended, a large layer of snow appeared to have been pushed off from the cliff side. Jaune and Boromir started panting, the weight of the snow and rock was greater than either of them could hold alone. To make a personal barrier was easy, but to make a wide one usually causes more strain to their strength.

Jaune rewrapped his scarf over his face; the wind was so strong it almost pulled it off his neck. Jaune looked to everyone else, "You good?"

Blake and Ren waved him off, while Yang gave a thumb up. Jaune looked to see Boromir light on his feet so he helped him stand up against his truck. It was then he noticed how weak he was too.

"We must get off the mountain." Boromir shouts over the wind, "I saw a Sky Knight base on the way up. If we take a plane and fly straight for Atlas, we can cut the time of our journey in half!"

Jaune rolled his eyes, "Saruman just caused a storm right above us, ON A MOUNTAIN! The moment he realizes we are in a plane there would be nothing stopping him from throwing a typhoon at us."

"HOW DID HE DO THAT, ANYWAY!?" Ruby shouted, never in all her years had she heard of someone causing a storm.

"Saruman has the semblance to change wind currents and temperature in the atmosphere." Ozpin stated, "Essentially he can cause a storm where ever he wants, so long as it is in sight. And with the Palantir in his possession-"

"He can see us and cause a storm whenever he wants." Pyrrha exclaimed. She had heard he old Mistral folklore of that crystal ball; the moment she heard Ozpin say it's name, she realized just how much trouble they were in.

"Guys, there's no way for us to go around the mountain! So lets go through it! We should make for the mines of Moria!" Nora shouted over the wind.

Ozpin's eyes widened, he knew that it would be a dangerous gamble. The last time he was contacted by the Lady of Moria, Nora's grandmother, she said that they discovered something deep beneath the darkest cavern; something big, evil, ancient, and covered in shadowy flame.

But they were low on other alternatives; risk flying or risk the mines. "Let the Ring bearer decide…" Ozpin said.

Ruby looked to the others and then to Nora, "We will go for through the mines."

Ozpin nodded, "So be it."

It took about eight days for the Fellowship to go down the mountain the way they came, having most of their trail covered by the avalanche didn't exactly help their travel time. Luckily once they reached the roots of the mountains, Nora was able to lead them to the only entrance to Moria she knew of.

They followed a river that ran parallel with the mountain; Nora used it as their guiding path to the entrance. As they were driving on the road, Ozpin had Ruby sit in the passenger seat beside him.

"Ms. Rose, how is your shoulder?" Ozpin asked.

Ruby lifted her head and looked to her headmaster, "Better than it was a few weeks ago."

"And the Ring?" Ozpin asked. This time he looked her in the eye and saw a bit of the worry in her gaze. "You feel its power growing, don't you?" She nodded. "So do I."

"It's not like there is anything we can do to stop it." Blake said with a bit of an annoyed tone.

Ozpin agreed in that feeling, but this wasn't his point, "Evil will be drawn to that it, any form of evil. And I have a feeling that it will also attract an evil within our Fellowship."

Ruby, Weiss and Blake all looked to Ozpin in slight shock. Ruby looked away, "Whom are we supposed to trust, then?"

Ozpin looked at her briefly and saw that he frightened her, so he decided to say something he was once told when he was afraid, "Trust in yourself, Ruby… Trust the strength you alone have."

Ruby looked at him with curiosity, "What do you mean?"

"Ruby… There are many forms of magic in this world, some good and others evil. There are some greater than Knights and Maidens, and there are some that have yet to reveal themselves." Ozpin says with a calm voice.

Ruby sat back in her seat, "I'm guessing my 'silver eye' thing is one of them?"

Ozpin chuckled, "Somewhat. Your eyes aren't just a product of genetics; like how Jaune is one of the few Star Knights in history to have the power to make his wings, you yourself have a great power inside of you. A power that has a great destiny ahead of you."

There was only one known historical record of a Knight that had wings, and that was 85 years ago. And to top it off, there is a Silver Eyed warrior that had the power to freeze a dragon solid for two years. "Everything happens for a reason… They always do…" Ozpin thought to himself. Suddenly they heard Nora gasping.

"Look, there it is!" Nora called out on the radio, "Moria is just ahead!" The group looked to where she was pointing and saw a large stone wall with a lake resting at its base. With Nora eagerly taking the lead, the Fellowship descended the ravine and parked their vehicles next to the wall. While the others set up camp, Nora led Ozpin, Boromir, Jaune and Ruby in a search for the door.

"Valkyrie stone masons are incredibly skilled," Nora stated as she tapped the wall with her knuckles, "Any door they make becomes completely invisible when they're shut."

"Yes, I've heard those stories," Ozpin replied, "Even their own makers can't find them if they forget where they are."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised," Ruby said with a smirk. Suddenly Nora felt a familiar etching one the rock face as she traced her hand on it.

"I think I found it," she said, remembering what her grandmother taught her, "Valkyrie runes only reflect starlight, or a full moon." Then as if on cue, the overcast faded away to reveal the full moon itself. With the silver light shining down, the runes began to glow and revealed their text, and a hidden component opened to reveal a small keyboard with strange letters on it. Ozpin held his cane up to the ruins and began to translate the runes.

"It says, 'The doors of Sif, Lady of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter,'" he read.

"What exactly does that mean?" Yang asked as she and everyone else came over.

"Well, if it means that you're a friend, you type in the password and the door opens," Nora answered as she approached the keyboard. She then began speaking a strange language, which Ruby and Weiss assumed was Old Valkyrie, as she began to type the words into the keyboard, but when she stopped, the doors remained shut. She tried again with different words, but with no results.

"Looks like we'll be here for a while," Weiss stated. While Nora tried different words and phrases to unlock the door, Ruby and Yang decided to pass the time by skipping rocks. Yang threw hers first and made it halfway across the lake. But just as Ruby was about to throw hers, a hand suddenly caught her arm. Looking up, Ruby saw Boromir looking at her with a concerned expression on his face.

"Don't disturb the water," he said, "There are worse things underwater than on land." Nodding, Ruby and Yang put their rocks down and rejoined the others.

Pyrrha looked at the runes again and recited what Ozpin translated. When she said it out loud she realized something. "Wait," she said "It's a riddle. 'Speak, friend, and enter.' Hey Nora, what's Old Valkyrie for 'friend?'" Nora widened her eyes.

"Vinr," Nora replied as she typed in the short word. The group began to hear a rumbling sound and saw the door split down the middle before opening, revealing a dark cavern. Jaune turned to the group.

"Alright, we're going to have to go in on foot," he said, "The trucks are too big to travel in a place like this, and we need to be discreet."

"But what about the bikes?" Yang asked, practically hugging the motorcycle she borrowed.

"He's right," Boromir said, "Even if we managed to get the bikes into the mines, the loud noise from the engine would likely attract Grimm to our location." Sulking, Yang set up the kickstand on her motorcycle and took her bag off. Once everyone had their bags, they walked into the cavern, where Ozpin lit up the end of his cane like a flashlight. Nora was looking absolutely elated.

"Soon, you guys will see how Valkyries like to party," she said proudly, "Loud music, endless beer, and the best steaks you've ever had. This place is the home of my grandma Sif, and Atlas says it's a mine. Ha!" Boromir was about to retort when he stepped on something. He looked down, but then immediately wished he hadn't.

"This isn't a mine, it's a tomb," he said, prompting Ozpin to increase the light on his cane. Everyone saw the horror before them and realized that Boromir was right. The bodies of fallen soldiers and Huntsmen lay about the cavern floor, many of them still in the process of decay. Nora ran over to one and dropped to her knees, crying in despair. Weiss, horrified and disgusted, dropped to her hands and knees and proceeded to empty the contents of her stomach onto the cavern floor.

"How long have these bodies been here?" Ren asked.

"Long enough that they don't stink anymore," Boromir replied, having seen similar massacres like this before, "Four months at least." Pyrrha knelt down next to a corpse and saw an arrow sticking out of its rib cage. Pulling it out, she held it closer to get a better look at the tip. At first, she thought it was a normal arrow, but then she noticed the arrowhead had a familiar look to it. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought they were made of black glass. Then Pyrrha felt a stinging pain in her chest and put her hand over the area where she was shot.

"Pyrrha, what is it?" Jaune asked, kneeling down next to his girlfriend.

"Nothing," she lied, "I've never seen arrows like these before." Jaune took the arrow and examined the tip. Realizing what danger they were potentially in, he threw it down and drew Joyuse.

"Goblins!" he spat as everyone looked at him.

"Crap, not again," Blake muttered as she readied Gambol Shroud's gun mode.

"I say we leave and make for the nearest Sky Knight base, then catch a flight to Atlas," Boromir said, "I'm willing to risk crashing over being here!"

"Agreed," Jaune replied, "Let's get out of here, guys!" Suddenly Ruby felt something wrap around her ankle and drag her out of the cave with a scream. Everyone turned and saw her in the clutches of a rather large Grimm. Weiss and Yang ran out and caught Ruby before the tentacle could drag her any further, while Blake sliced it off Ruby's ankle. The stump of the limb retreated back into the lake, and was suddenly succeeded by six more tentacles that shot out of the water and swatted Ruby's teammates aside like bugs.

As the tentacles grabbed Ruby and started dangling her over the water, Jaune drew his pistol and fired an explosive shot, blowing the tentacle holding Ruby's waist clean off. The Grimm then raised its head out of the water, looked directly at Ruby and opened its mouth, prompting Ruby to reach for Crescent Rose, only for the Grimm to grab her arm with another of its tentacles. Yang, in a desperate attempt to save her sister, fired a shot with Ember Celica and blasted another of its arms off, causing it to drop Ruby and allowing Jaune to pull her back.

"Get into the mines, quick!" Ozpin shouted as everyone made a mad dash for the cave. Nora, in a fit of rage over what happened to her clan, fired a shot from her grenade launcher and scored a hit in the creature's eye. Enraged, the Grimm hauled itself onto the shore and grabbed the doors with its arms and began pulling them apart, taking huge chunks of stone down with them. The Fellowship could only watch as the entrance became completely sealed off by huge slabs of rock.

"That was horrible!" Ruby cried as she held Pyrrha, "It was like something out of Blake's books!"

"Hey, I don't read those kinds of books!" Blake said indignantly.

"What exactly was that thing?" Weiss asked as she was trying to calm down.

Boromir held his sword out and made it glow, providing everyone with a light, "They're called Watchers. They act like guard dogs for Grimm territories. More specifically for aquatic and marine types."

"Alright, everyone be quiet," Jaune said as he made his sword glow along with Boromir's.

"Now we only have one choice," Ozpin said as he lit his cane once again, "We must cross through Moria. Everyone, keep your guard up. There are worse things than Grimm in places like this. Now let's get going. It'll take us four days to get to the other side, if we're lucky."

AN: Boy was that insane. Now the group goes into the bowels of Moria…

I would like to give credit to my partners whom helped me get this far in the story, and the support they gave me to keep going. The same goes to my followers who help me to remember this story.

Please R&R!

I forgot to write this last time, ARKOS!