19
The desert wind whipped at Salem's shawl-covered face, the fabric threatening to tear from her if she did not tightly bind it to herself. The convoy was moving fast across the dunes, mid-day heat rising as the temperature soared. The convoy rolled along the sand, sending plumes of dust high into the air. It was such an interesting sensation, the way these vehicles rode across the surface of the sun-baked sand, flipping her stomach and causing her no small amount of discomfort and vertigo. She had ridden on a bullhead once but her preferred method of travel, at least in the last few thousand years, had always been Grimm in nature. These new machines the humans had built were peculiar and far faster than anything else she had ridden.
In hours the vehicles covered what would take a horse a day or more. Of course she had always known of this, these machines, and even the flying aircraft they made, but not ever had she truly experienced it for herself. The enormous armored trucks had open tops, the guardians, her included, standing sentry on top with manned guns atop each vehicle in the convoy.
"Heyya, Alba." That woman, Esclados, chirped at her as she settled in beside her, keeping an eye out to the horizon of the convoy. The woman had stationed her on the lead truck with herself and that Bertilak fellow, though he remained rather irritable and downright rude. That was fine, she only need give him a wide berth, his courtesy was not needed.
"Hello Huntress Esclados. Come to check on me?" The woman had been busy organizing the convoy but now that they were underway she had come to check on Salem, no doubt to pry.
"Something like that." Esclados stretched, arching her back in a way that accentuated her proportions. It all felt very deliberate though not likely to work on Salem. A learned habit, perhaps? "Your story is an unusual one, if I'm honest. I was hoping to hear more."
Salem snorted, eyeing the woman from the corner of her eye, "I'm afraid there isn't much to tell. I was visiting Vacuo for personal reasons and in an embarrassing moment of inattentiveness all of my belongings were stolen, leaving me stranded in your city."
"Oh my, that is quite unfortunate." The guard leader put a hand to her mouth, eyes in shock, "What made you decide to approach us?"
That was a rather strange question to ask, she thought the reason was self evident. Perhaps the woman was suspicious of her? "Desperation, mostly."
There was a tense silence between the two of them and Salem was unwilling to think of it as anything but that, "Must have been quite desperate indeed to blindly sign on to our merry little band."
"It was either that or be forced to stay in your kingdom with nothing but my weapon and my wit." She gripped her staff, made of a type of summoned white glass, tighter, "While I am confident in my abilities I do not relish the task of establishing myself anew."
"No one likes starting from the bottom, eh?" Esclados chuckled before her mirth fade, gaze growing shrewd as she stared out across the empty desert. The brunette suddenly leaned forward, eyes squinting before she cursed, "Damn it all."
"Grimm." The woman shouted out a call of warning, "We have Grimm incoming!"
Salem's eyes snapped to the direction the woman had looked, seeing a haze of shapes flying towards them. Instinctively she reached out to them, to dominate their will and subjugate it under her own. Suddenly she was very aware of the fact that she could not, once again reminded of her very human nature.
Well, that is inconvenient.
She wasn't about to walk all the way to Vale, however, and thus resolved herself. It felt like eons since a Grimm had last accosted her, though she had never feared the creatures. Even when she was mortal her ability with magic rendered all but the most ancient of Grimm but chaff before her. This instance, however, provided a unique challenge. As the Grimm fast approached she considered what she should do. The Huntsmen and Huntresses of the convoy readied themselves with practiced ease, she observed, working together like a colony of ants. Each vehicle had a mounted gun that someone jumped behind, swiveling to face the oncoming Grimm, wasting no ammunition until their foe grew close enough.
It made her keenly aware that all she had on hand was a glorified stick and no Aura. Her immortality was a far greater shield than Aura, but it would also be quite the obvious sign she was not who she claimed to be. Salem could not risk taking injury and the one with all of the martial skills had always been Ozma.
Her own talents had lain in magic.
There was a rapport that vibrated the vehicle as the hefty guns opened fire, the agile swarm of dozens of Ravagers flitting about as they closed in on the convoy. As Grimm burst into particles they were replaced by more, the screeches of vicious hunger reaching over the sound of the wind. They were too fast for her to deal with individually and she could not afford to let them get closer.
It was with a sigh that she raised her free hand, fingers splayed out towards the swarm as she tapped into the ancient magic she had rarely touched in the many ages since her transformation. She felt the air with her mind, drawing out the destruction that lay within her. It bubbled up like roiling steam, building pressure within her as she molded it. The currents of air were bent to her will, splitting them apart as she laid the foundation for her spell. It was an old favorite of hers.
A crackling orb of dark energy sprung to life in front of her hand as the power within it built up. With the preparations done she let the energy go, allowing it to flow out of her like water. From the orb lanced out brilliant bolts of electricity, racing towards the leading Grimm. Upon hitting it the stream continued unabated as she poured more energy into it. The lightning arcing from one creature to the next, lighting up the swarm one by one in less than a blink of the eye.
It was over in a flash and the stench of ozone, the swarm dissipating into a dark cloud and the defenders left agape in awe of the feat. In the silence there was only the wind and the sound of the engines as the convoy raced along, no longer under threat. Carmine Esclados looked at Salem with wide eyes, slowly stowing her sai on her weapon belt. The brunette looked at a loss for words and, dare Salem say it, even a little fearful. For a moment she considered that perhaps she had made a blunder, but it was better they think her exceptionally strong than find out her immortality.
"Was that…" The woman shifted her eyes to the dark smoke that was nearly gone in the wind, "Was that your semblance?"
"What else could it have been?" Salem answered before turning away from her, effectively ending the conversation.
-SY-
A dark hallway stretched impossibly long, lights continuing on forever as she ran, lungs burning as her legs pumped. Doors flashed by but it all felt agonizingly slow to her.
"Weiss!" She shouted but before she could reach the door it erupted in flame, the explosion rolling down the hallways and consuming her.
A silver eye snapped open as Carmine sat bolt upright in bed, sweat pouring down her face. Running her hand down her face took off her eyepatch, sparing a glance to her side. The warmth of Neopolitan's sleeping form was a welcome one as she numbly recalled the events of the previous night as the small woman had sought her out, their spar turning into something far more intimate.
She swept her legs out of the covers and quietly got up, bare feet padding across the floor as she felt the cool air on her skin. With a soft click the bathroom door closed and she began running the tap, splashing water onto her face and staring at herself in the mirror. A haunted woman peered back at her, gruesomely disfigured face a reminder of what she had lost. Carmine thought she had put her friend's deaths behind her. She had grieved, of course, but she could not mope over them forever, her team would never forgive her if she did. It brought to mind her conversation with Blake and the discomfort of telling someone how she had watched them die. It had brought back all kind of nast memories and feelings, ones she had thought long dealt with.
Toweling her face dry she put her patch back on her face, securing the embroidered symbol of her family over her face once more, the silver rose standing out on the black fabric. By the time she exited and checked the time she despaired that it was nearly time to get up, a half hour before her alarm was set to go off. It was with a grumble that she climbed back into bed, determined to ride out what comfort she could derive from her bed companion.
The silent rise and fall of the pink and brown haired woman was silhouetted against the pale light of the early sky of the pre-dawn. The diminutive girl wrapped herself around Carmine in her sleep, seeking out the warmth that had gone missing from the bed. It was a slight chuckle that she let her head fall back onto the pillow.
At least I'm not alone, she thought. Her team would be horrified to know what she had done with the girl, though. The thought brought with it morbid amusement at her situation. She had once been mortal enemies with Neo, the girl trying on more than one occasion to murder her for the death of Torchwick. The grief and rage she could understand, which was why she found it so easy to overlook the small criminal. In all the she had seen, Torchwick and Neo didn't seem like they were evil. She chalked it up to a new perspective, after all compared to Salem what were they?
In all of her musings her scroll started going off, the alarm sound for a few moments before she silenced it. With a groan she got up, a yawn escaping her as she started slipping on some clothes. While she needed to take a shower, she didn't want to be cold whilst making breakfast. The kitchenette attached to her room was small but well stocked, allowing her to make a small amount of eggs and toast on the small dust-powered stovetop. Midway through she felt an impact on the small of her back and something warm wrap around her waist, Neapolitan having buried her face in her back.
"Morning, Neo." She chirped, slipping into her usual demeanor with ease, "Sleep well?"
Carmine felt the not against her back, the girl was surprisingly affectionate first thing in the morning.
"I'm making breakfast now but once I'm done you're going to have to slip out on your own."
Neo stuck her head around so that Carmine could see her, presenting the professor with a massive pout.
"Don't give me that, you know you're not supposed to be here and I have lessons. Besides don't you need to help Roman?"
The girl tipped her hand in a so-si gesture.
"You've got free reign until he gets started in Mountain Glenn?"
Neo beamed and nodded
"Well that's good for you but you still can't stay here." Carmine turned around to the small girl who she now noticed had neglected to put anything on and bent down to whisper in her ear, "I don't mind you coming back if you're interested in sparring some more."
The girl got a twinkle in her eye that told her she may have just made a mistake as a mischievous grin broke out over her face. Carmine watched her strut away with a sway to her lips and a coy smile as she started dressing herself. She couldn't help but tilt her head and stare as she watched the girl get dressed. Despite being so short, Neo had a figure that Weiss would kill for.
It was in an hour that she was showered and fed, moving out into the hallways of Beacon, the nightmare nothing but a faded memory as she set her mind to the day ahead. The school was rising slowly, students moving towards the cafeteria while the staff worked to prepare for the day. This was the time at which the professor met in the staff room to discuss upcoming events. While there wasn't much that escaped Ozpin's eyes in the school, he favored hearing from everyone individually.
Ozpin was already seated, along with Glynda, sipping on his mug of coffee. Bart already had his nose in his scroll and looked to be looking at some photos. Peter was, as always, either asleep or just closing his eyes, and he would die before telling anyone which it was.
She took a seat at the table. For such a massive school the meeting was incredibly small though she was given to understand there were more teachers but that this meeting was for the huntsman aspect of the education with others like Peach presiding over other courses and thus having other meeting times with Ozpin and Glynda.
"Ah Professor Rose, right on time." Ozpin nodded with a genial smile on his face. The old wizard had been quite upbeat since she had arrived, or maybe that was her mind playing tricks on her. After all the Oz she knew was also one where the world was crumbling around his ears, it was a given that he would seem happier here.
?Morning Oz, Glynda." She nodded at the two of them before looking towards Peter and Bart, "You two as well. What's got you so hyper-focused Bart?"
The green haired man looked up with a start, "Why these fascinating photos of course!" The man all but shouted, "A colleague of mine sent me these photos of a statue uncovered near Vacuo and it's simply fascinating! This could be the find of a decade!"
She spared a look at Ozpin who looked rather disinterested in history, though to be fair he had lived it, "That's fantastic Doc."
"With the pleasantries out of the way." Ozpin segued, "Good morning everyone. I trust there have been no issues that have arisen overnight?"
Ozpin paused, even going so far as to look at Carmine but she put up her hands to say she had nothing.
"Very well." He said with much relief, "I have received some rather good news Carmine."
"Oh?" The new professor perked up.
"Yes, it seems our request has been granted so you can be ready to travel after the dance is over."
She blinked, "Really?! Finally, I thought they might never agree to let us come."
"Yes, well, I'm sure you can understand their reluctance considering the current situation." He replied with a modest sip of his coffee.
"Oh?" Peter rumbled out from beneath his considerable mustache, "Going somewhere, Lass?"
"Eh, let's just say I got permission for an extra special field mission for some students."
"Really?" The man sat up, "Sounds like it's going to be ripe for adventure if you're the one in charge."
Carmine beamed at Peter, "You bet it will be. Though they probably won't think so."
The elder huntsman guffawed with a belly shaking laugh, "That's the spirit! Where are you taking them?"
Carmine's smile took on a predatory gleam.
-SY-
Team RWBY filed into Carmine's private office with confused and nervous looks on their faces. They had yet to forget that she was working with the criminals to stop the crimals, a conversation that had had their leader waffling back and forth for hours. Blake was less nervous than the others, her conversation with the time=lost woman still fresh in her mind, she doubted Carmine would have called them just to give them extra scoldings, they already had their detentions for that incident.
No, it was something else and going by the broad smile on the professor's face they weren't going to like it. It was the same smile she got right before raking them over the coals in class or tearing them apart in a spar. It was enough to have Blake sweating bullets.
"Welcome, welcome. You can go ahead and shut the door, take a seat. Don't worry you all aren't in trouble." The professor announced as they entered.
"What's this about?" Ruby asked, always one who couldn't beat around the bush when it came to her curiosity.
"I received some interesting news this morning." She got up, pacing around the desk to get closer to them, leaning back on it right in front of them, "It's about the upcoming missions."
Blake couldn't help but feel that if Ruby was a dog faunus, her ears would have perked up at the mention of a mission. Even without telltale faunus traits her eyes sparkled as she squealed, "Mission?! Our mission? What ist!? Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!"
"Relax." Carmine laughed, "That's exactly why I called you here."
"Professor." Weiss spoke up, waiting for her to raise an eyebrow before continuing, "I thought teams were allowed to pick their mission?"
"You're right." She nodded, "Normally they are but we have a bit of a unique situation on our hands this time. As such I am requesting you all for a special mission."
Oh boy,Blake thought, Ruby's going to go feral. Her prediction almost wasn't wrong as the girl in question started actually vibrating in her seat, petals leaking off of her as she barely contained herself. She wouldn't admit that she was anticipating the mission as well, they all were from the looks of it. Team RWBY had been itching to prove themselves since the year began and if they had a sanctioned excuse?
"Are we going after the White Fang?" Blake asked.
"Absolutely not." The quick answer had her blinking, "You will be required, and I do stress this, to not act against the White Fang during the mission. That isn't to say.." She held her hands up to forestall any complaints, " That you will not be forbidden from fighting them, Simply put you may only act in self defense or in defense of others, even if you see them."
"What?!" Blake stood, "But why?! They're terrorists! If we see them then of course they are doing something wrong."
"About that…" Carmine hedged, "The thing is the mission doesn't have anything directly to do with them but they will probably be present."
Blake felt like something heavy was settling in her gut, "What do you mean by that?"
Carmine flashed that same predatory smile, "That's because, kitty-cat, our mission is in Menagerie."
A/N:I suppose I should explain one thing. I do apologize for my spelling and grammar errors and I have two main reason for that. One is that I have no beta and my eyes are too used to the material to really pick anything up on a re-read. The second is that it's hard to re-read my own material sometimes because I have a medical condition and am just shy of legally blind. An no, it isn't something that glasses can help.