Heart's Embers

by SugarLoaf12

It's been fifteen months hasn't it? Living from day to day, moving from place to place. Looking for the next payday, the next target... the next fight. I thought living outside their war would be easier. But sometimes knowing... is all it takes to leave you wondering "What if" I think back to why I left and I know I made the right choice... Ozpin be damned.

40. Countdown

Hey guys! Finally got around to finishing this chapter for you all, I'm glad you've all been so patient with me.

Anyhow, without further ado, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

"Speech"

Thoughts

---

Chapter Forty: Countdown

Qrow sat in the lobby of the Corinth infirmary. It was a small place, nothing in comparison to what they'd find in Mantle or Atlas. His foot tapped incessantly, his hands clasped together in front of him, shaking. Blake and Winter sat on either side of him, neither of them in any better condition, both worried for their teammates or family members. Jaune's team stood to the side, against a nearby wall with Oscar pacing nervously in front of them.

Winter placed her hand gently over his, stopping the constant shaking "She's a strong girl, Qrow"

"Strong doesn't mean anything when it comes to Salem" he replied gravely.

"If Salem wanted her dead, she would be"

"Believe me, I know"

She frowned "Yang isn't Summer, Qrow"

His foot abruptly stopped taping, exhaling slowly "I know... I just-"

"Mr. Branwen?" one of the doctors called.

He quickly stood, moving over to her "How is she? Is she alright? Is she awake?" he asked rapidly.

She raised her hands in a placating manner "Take a deep breath, Mr. Branwen. She's going to be fine. But she needs rest"

"Then she's still asleep?" he asked.

"No, she's conscious, but she won't be returning to active duty for the next day or two"

He let out a sigh of relief "Thank you, Doctor. Really"

She smiled "You should be thanking him" she gestured to Jaune "Without his assistance, she'd still be in critical condition. The Grimm responsible for her injuries temporarily weakened her Aura. I've never seen anything quite like it before"

"Grimm... yeah..." Qrow nodded along.

"But your niece is a tough girl. She'll recover, however, for now... she's going to be much weaker while she fully recovers. No more than a week at the most"

Jaune nodded "Glad I could help"

"She'll have no trouble recovering? No complications?" Winter asked.

"None at all. She should make a full recovery within the next two days, but the more active she tries to be before she's ready will increase that time"

"Can I see her?" Qrow asked hopeful.

"Of course. Just don't let her out of bed. She's a stubborn girl" the doctor warned.

He chuckled "You have no idea"

Winter motioned for him to go in "Go on. We'll wait out here, give you two some time"

He nodded back with a smile "Thank you, Winter"

She returned the gesture "Just don't take too long. I'm sure her friends will want to see her for themselves. I know I do"

He stepped inside the room to find Yang glaring out the window, her prosthetic resting on the table beside her "Hey, Firecracker" he called.

Her head snapped over to him "Ugh, finally! Someone who isn't a nurse! Can you tell them I'm fine so I can get out of here?"

He chuckled, moving over to the chair beside her bed "You need to rest, you just went through quite alot"

"Yeah, I know. That's exactly why I need to get out of here. Where's everyone else?"

"Out in the lobby, most of 'em anyway" he answered, jabbing his thumb toward the door.

"Most?"

"Yeah, most. Slade, Ruby, and Weiss all stayed behind to recover the Relic from Salem. So far, we haven't heard anything-"

"They what?!"

"Well we couldn't leave it behind, and you were in no condition to-"

"Qrow, we need to help them! Salem could've-" Yang started, trying to get up.

Qrow forced her back down "Woah, easy there, kiddo. In your condition, you're no help to anyone"

"But what if they're hurt, or captured, or worse?" she asked fearfully.

"Let us worry about that, you just focus on resting"

"But-"

"They can take care of themselves, Yang. They'll be okay" he insisted.

She huffed "Well, since I really don't have a choice in the matter..."

He smiled in amusement "That's the spirit. Now, there is something I need to talk to you about"

She sighed "Is it about Slade?"

"It's a, uh... related topic" he answered hesitantly.

"Related?" she asked in confusion.

"Back in Ironwood's office, you reacted pretty strangely when you heard Lawson's name. Then the good Doctor did the same... and both of you looked at Slade. Something you wanna share?"

She frowned, eyes downcast "You noticed that?"

"I notice everything. I'm used to watching people, Yang. It was all I ever did for Oz, really" he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs, fingers intertwined "So, what's the deal? You know something we don't?"

Her hand closed into a fist, clutching the blanket over her legs "I... I can't... I can't tell you" she forced out.

He furrowed his brows, surprised by her answer "Can't, or won't?"

"Does it matter?" she countered, looking back up at him.

He frowned, lowering his hands between his knees "It's just... not like you to keep secrets, Yang. You've always hated hiding things from people"

"I still do" she asserted "But this isn't something I can just tell people, it could... it's dangerous to know"

"More dangerous than knowing about Salem, about her immortality?" he asked, receiving a silent nod "Why?"

"Because if Salem learned about it, there would be no stopping her from using it against us"

"That serious, huh?" Qrow took a deep breath, exhaling before adding "It's something you learned from Elise isn't it? While you were in Slade's head?"

Yang nodded "More or less"

"And the Doctor knows?" another nod "Anyone else know?"

"Ozpin does"

He scoffed "Why am I not surprised. Then why didn't Jinn show us?"

"According to Elise, because the Relics are very specific... and Ozpin wasn't hiding that from us. He was hiding it from Salem"

Qrow sighed "Then Slade doesn't know?"

She shook her head "When you learned Ozpin didn't have a plan to stop Salem, you felt like your entire life was a lie, right?"

He nodded "It was... hard. I had spent so much of my life fighting for Oz, fighting for everyone. I lost friends, family, Raven told me I was crazy for staying... but I trusted him, and he went and stabbed me in the back"

Yang nodded "Yeah... well, this thing that I know... if Slade found out, he'd... I don't know how he'd take it. Dr. Polendina is worried it'll destroy his view of the world, take away the few things he actually still has to hold onto... and I... I can't be the one to do that to him"

"Because you don't want to hurt him" Qrow nodded in understanding "Believe me, I know that feeling. I can't tell you how long Tai and I agonized over telling you both Summer wasn't coming home. And when we finally did? It was so painful to see you both go through that, it still hurts to see the pain left behind by her loss... but at least we felt that pain together. We shared and grieved, and we fight for her memory. That's what keeps us strong"

She gave a weak smile "Yeah..."

"Don't you think Slade deserves to know what's being kept from him, even if no one else does?"

"Of course I do! I... keeping it from him is so hard. Everytime I see him, I just want to tell him everything, but I don't! I just bury it down and pretend it away! I... I..."

Qrow frowned "We're not just talking about your secret anymore, are we?" he asked knowingly.

"I... I..." she looked away "We argued in Mantle, and the way he talked... he made it sound like he wasn't rejecting me, made me hope I was wrong, that I'd misread the situation. But... if I'm wrong, if I... I just can't go through it again, Qrow. One rejection was enough for me"

"Did you tell him how you feel"

"I think it was pretty obvious when I tried to kiss him" she glowered.

"No, Yang. It isn't. He may think you want something more between the two of you, but he hasn't avoided you, he hasn't told anyone else he's not interested. If anything, I'd say he looked like he was upset, which doesn't make much sense when it comes down to it. Not unless he wants it to"

Yang blinked in surprise, looking up at him "If he wanted to be with me too, then why would he..."

"I don't know, Yang. We men aren't terribly complicated creatures, and sometimes we do things that don't make much sense because we're overthinking a situation. Whatever the reason, that's something you'll have to ask him about"

"And if he won't tell me?" she asked dejectedly.

"You tell him exactly how you feel, you tell him what you want and why you want it. Trust me, it's harder to fight your feelings when it's-" there was a loud crash from outside the building, pulling their attention away.

"What was that?" Yang asked.

"No idea, I'll go check it out" he stood, making his way to the hall, the sound of a door slamming against a wall drawing his attention.

"Wait!" he heard Winter's voice call.

Qrow poked his head out as the sound of rushing footsteps fast approached, the owners sliding to a stop in front of him "Hey, kiddos" he smiled.

"Is she okay?"

"How is she?" Ruby and Slade asked at the same time.

"See for yourself" Qrow stepped aside, gesturing toward the blonde smiling at the sight of them.

"Thank god" Slade breathed out in relief.

"Yang!" Ruby zipped over to her, wrapping her arms around her sister.

"Hey, Ruby" she returned the hug with her remaining arm.

She smiled "You're okay!"

"Pft. Of course I'm okay, nothing keeps Yang Xiao Long down for long! Pun very much intended!" she assured.

Slade rolled his eyes with amusement "Glad to hear it. You weren't at your best last time we saw you" he moved to the open chair Qrow had previously been occupying.

Yang shifted her gaze to him, her smile widening "I'm glad you're okay too"

"More than okay, now that you're safe" he admitted before he even realized what he'd said "I mean, well, that is... I'm just... relieved"

Yang couldn't help but laugh, untangling herself from Ruby "Well you did all come pretty quickly"

"Couldn't help it" he shrugged "Cinder took our stuff"

Yang laughed a bit harder this time, turning her body fully toward him, her feet swinging down to the floor. Her eyes caught a glimpse of the Relic fastened to his belt, relief washing over her, knowing Salem hadn't managed to keep it from them. She looked up into his eyes, finding them staring back at her intently. She could feel the light blush on her cheeks, but didn't avert her gaze. She thought back to their argument in Mantle, she couldn't help but feel childish for acting the way she had been, neither of them knowing their thoughts mirrored the other's. Ruby looked between them with a small smile on her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but was beaten to it when Qrow cleared his throat, breaking their trance.

"The others will want to see you too, Yang. We'd better go over everything we know before we report back to Ironwood"

"He doesn't know what happened?" she asked surprised.

"He knows we're here, and he knows you were injured. Winter and I agreed it would be best to keep the rest to ourselves until we knew the full story"

"I'll go get them!" Ruby suggested with a bright smile, zipping out of the room, a trail of rose petals flowing behind her.

Yang let out a soft laugh, shaking her head at her sister's antics. She moved to get up, only to find she didn't have the strength to hold herself up, falling forward. Slade and Qrow were at her side immediately, each of them supporting her carefully. She coughed roughly into her hand, pain shooting through her whole body.

"Easy, kiddo" Qrow soothed.

"Don't push yourself, Yang" Slade added as they helped her back onto the bed.

She nodded silently, allowing their assistance. Once she was seated, she moved her arm to steady herself only to find it was still absent. Before she could moved to get it, Slade already had it in his hand, taking a seat beside her on the bed. She frowned, facing her missing limb toward him so he could reattach her prosthetic. He carefully placed the arm onto her, being sure not to use too much force.

"You don't have to do that, Slade. I can do it on my own" she asserted.

"I know you can, Yang. But that doesn't mean you have to do it alone, that's what I'm-... what we're here for" he corrected, clearing his throat.

Qrow rolled his eyes, an amused smile on his face "Yang!" Blake called as she entered.

Yang snapped her attention to the door, the rest of her friends each filling inside one after the other. Blake and Weiss quickly moved to her side while Jaune and Winter stood at the opposite side of her bed. Nora, Ren, Oscar, and Penny all took spots behind Ruby at the foot of the bed.

"Hey, guys" she greeted.

Blake and Weiss each hugged her, both relieved their teammate was okay "I'm so glad you're alright" the heiress said in relief.

Yang smirked "Hey, guess it was my turn to get injured"

Ruby sputtered "It's not a contest"

"Winter and Qrow were both poisoned, Weiss was impaled, Blake broke her arm, Yang was tortured, and Slade... well he's always getting hurt, like once a day really" Nora listed off with a mischievous smile, elbowing him playfully.

Ren nudged her "Nora, that's rude"

Slade snorted "But true. If it was a contest, my stupid ass would be winning and losing"

Winter rolled her eyes "How're you feeling?" she asked concerned.

"I feel fine. Buuuut, I almost fell when I tried to stand up. Guess I'm gonna be taking longer to recover than I expected"

"I'll be here to help heal you whenever you need me, Yang" Jaune assured.

Oscar could feel the compassion and concern radiating from each of them, smiling "And we're all here to help however we can"

Yang smiled widely "Thanks, guys"

Qrow sighed "Right, well now that we're done with all the warm and fuzzies. We need to talk about what we found"

Penny nodded "I agree. I'm delighted to see everyone alive and well, but General Ironwood will want to know what you've discovered. I didn't have a lot of time to scan the ruins completely, but there seemed a considerable Grimm presence around the ruins"

"Not just around the ruins. They were everywhere" Weiss noted.

"Not to mention Chimera, I thought their numbers would've been reduced after their base was destroyed" Ren added.

Qrow nodded "Yeah, I've been thinking about that" he crossed his arms "That base was way too big for you guys to have met so little resistance"

"That's true. The amount of recruitment files I found suggested there was significantly more than were encountered throughout the base. As well as no Grimm presence inside, despite several being operated on" Penny explained.

"Then it was a trick, to make us lower our guard" Blake surmised.

"Well it worked" Slade frowned "But now we know where Salem is amassing her army. She won't be complacent"

"No, she'll send everything she has after us" Weiss agreed.

"Then we should tell Ironwood, have him evacuate Corinth. If Salem is coming here, no one will be safe" Ruby proposed.

Qrow eyed Winter, who remained silent, her gaze distant "Winter? Is there something else?"

She quickly shook her head "It can wait until we're back in Atlas"

He eyed her suspiciously, but chose not to push her "Alright, then if that's everything. James needs to-"

"There is one more thing..." Yang cut in, a deep frown on her face "I didn't break myself out... I had help"

"Help? From someone working for Salem?" Nora asked surprised.

"Yeah... Sable cut me loose"

"What?!" most of the room asked in shock, leaving only Qrow and Slade silent.

"Then why wasn't he with you?" Qrow asked.

"He said he couldn't risk seeing Ruby, Salem's control chip would've forced him to attack"

"But he had no orders to capture you..." Slade nodded in understanding "What exactly did Salem want from you?"

She sighed "Wanted me to tell her how to use the Lamp, how to get the Relic from Beacon, managed to figure out we learned the truth about her and Ozpin from the Relic. She... almost seemed to know when I was telling the truth, knew exactly what to say to make me slip up. I don't know how long I would've been able to resist her if you guys hadn't come along"

"We distracted Salem, bought Sable enough time to get you out" Winter sighed "If only that mattered"

"Well, we did manage to confirm one thing. My eyes can disable Salem's abilities because of her connection to the Grimm" Ruby offered optimistically "Maybe we can use that against her in the future"

"Salem was incapacitated?" Ren asked surprised.

"Temporarily, it didn't last long" Slade explained.

"You fought Salem?" Yang asked in shock.

"Ran mostly" Weiss admitted "If it wasn't for Ruby, I don't think any of us would've made it out"

"Slade helped alot! He stopped Salem's, uh... dark thingys. Without that, I might not have had time to use my eyes. Besides, I'm sure Penny would've gotten us out" Ruby assured.

She smiled at Ruby "I'll send a full report to General Ironwood immediately, and I'll recommend evacuation for the town. Mayor Radcliff won't like it, but even he knows Corinth can't hold against an Grimm horde of that size"

"Yeah, but how much safer is Mantle?" Blake asked.

"Nowhere is safe right now" Winter asserted "But if we can't hold Mantle against the Grimm, then we'll be forced to evacuate to Atlas... and then we'll have nowhere to run"

"You know what they say about a cornered animal" Qrow sighed "They're dangerous, unpredictable"

"Though, that goes both ways" Slade replied "Salem is just as desperate to get the Relics as we are to keep them from her"

"And she can't die, and she doesn't care about anyone or anything but winning. She won't be the one to break first when it comes down to pressure" Qrow added in agreement.

"Then we'll make sure we don't either" Ruby assured with determination.

---

Twenty-Four Years Ago

Deep within the Wastelands spanning the kingdom of Vacuo sat a small settlement of poorly arranged tents, walled off by trucks, vans, as well as small pueblo-styled homes. There was a CCT tower in the center, backed up against a large tent that functioned as a tavern for the people there. The makeshift walls did nothing to stop the wind from carrying the harsh sand inside. There was a single dirt path leading outside, fading no more than ten feet into the sweeping desert that surrounded the settlement.

It was just past sunrise, the sweltering heat radiating from the low hanging sun on the horizon, giving the sand a reddish hue. This settlement was known as Feldspar, it was the one place you could go outside of the city of Vacuo that had a CCT tower for short range communications. Most people would avoid a settlement like this in any other kingdom, but in Vacuo, this was the best most could hope for. There was a few fire pits inside the tavern that had mostly died down, the returning heat of the sun doing nothing to incentivize anyone to keep them lit.

There was a man entering the building, moving the canvas covering the doorway with one arm. He had a long brown cloak closed around the front, his face was covered by a thick headwrap, a pair of sunglasses concealed his eyes from the others. Lowering them, a single golden eye scanned over the place, resting his gaze on a man drinking alone, silently in the corner. There weren't many in the place at that hour, most residents fast asleep in their homes. There was less than a dozen, including the staff working the place. The others acted as if he hadn't been there, but he knew it was all a mask. Each of them were watching him carefully, just as much as they were watching the stranger he'd taken an interest in. A Faunus with snake-like eyes pranced right over to him, wooden serving tray in hand and a bright smile on her face.

"Good morning, you must be tired from all that walking! Can I get you something?"

"Water" he answered curtly, covering his eye once more "And a pint of whatever he's got" he nodded his head to the stranger.

"Oh, alright. Of course"

"Thank you"

He waited patiently for her to return, accepting the two drinks from her, he approached the man silently. He eyed the newcomer up, his hand lowering to a holstered pistol on his leg. Placing the two drinks on the table, he removed the wrap covering his face, a friendly smile on his face. He downed the water as he took a seat opposite the silent man glaring at him, holding a single finger up to him, indicating he would answer his unspoken question in a moment. He roughly placed the empty cup on the table, a satisfied sigh leaving his lips.

"Sorry. I've been walking through that desert for almost a week now. Was a bit parched"

"What the hell do you want?" he asked annoyed.

He shrugged "Saw you were drinking alone, figured you wouldn't mind the company"

"You figured wrong"

He slid the ale toward him "Relax, I can tell you're not a native. The others are just as cautious of you as they are of me right now" he chuckled "I even bought you a drink"

He eyed it suspiciously "I'll pass, thanks"

"Suit yourself" he took the ale back and downed a quarter of it in one fluid motion.

"You're really not getting the hint, are you?"

"No, I think I got it. I was hoping to do this a bit more discreetly, but..." he removed his sunglasses "Guess that's not possible now"

His eyes widened, the man's right eye was badly burnt, permanently shut "You!"

Before he could move, the man threw the ale into his face, blinding him painfully. With one hand, the table was flipped away from them, the other reaching beneath his cloak to grab a pistol holstered on his shoulder. Using his right leg, he kicked the man's legs out from under him, knocking him over. He fired two shots into his left side, causing him to release his hold on his own weapon. He kicked the weapon away from him, planting his opposite heel atop his right shoulder painfully. With his open hand, he showed his Huntsman license to the others inside, trying to put them at ease

"Sable Wolf. Huntsman business, don't concern yourselves"

"You... you're supposed to be dead!" the man beneath him growled.

"You should've made sure the job was done right" he pressed harder into his shoulder, removing a silver locket from beneath the cloak "You see this?" he opened it, shoving the picture in his face "You see her?!" he spat.

His eyes widened in fear "She wasn't part of the job! She wasn't supposed to be in there!"

"She was" Sable hissed "You killed a little girl all because you didn't do your job right"

"No! I didn't know! I swear, I didn't know about her!"

Sable pressed the pistol to his temple "Who hired you?"

"I don't-"

Sable grabbed him by the throat, lifting him angrily "WHO?!"

"I can't... they'll... kill me" he forced out.

"I'm going to kill you whether you tell me or not. But I promise you, it's going to be much more painful if you don't tell-"

A single gunshot rang out, killing the man in his grasp. He dropped him in shock, dropping into a crouched position as he twisted toward the source of the shot. He saw the man's weapon in the possession of a woman's gloved hand, aiming it right toward him. She tilted the weapon away, swinging on her index finger, a light chuckle escaping her lips. She was a shadowy woman, hidden in a black hood and cloak that reached down to the floor, dragging behind her. There wasn't a single part of her visible to him, the sleeves of her cloak reaching far past her hands.

"So much rage you have, Mr. Wolf"

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

"Someone very interested in you" she answered, the gun clattering to the ground "We should speak outside, less prying eyes"

Sable looked to the others around, all of them on edge. He sighed, holstering his weapon "Fine" he lifted the man's lifeless body onto his shoulder "Sorry for the trouble" he called before leaving silently.

The woman followed him outside, neither of them saying a word as they left Feldspar. After a few minutes of silence, he dropped the body to the ground "Leaving him to the desert?" she asked tilting her head toward him.

"Scum like him aren't worth the effort to bury. Let the wildlife have him" he removed his weapons, aiming them toward her "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you"

"I'm here to make a deal"

"A deal?" he asked surprised "What could possibly make me want a deal with you?"

"You seek information. information I possess"

"You know who killed my daughter?"

"I do. In fact, now that I am the only one you know with that information, I believe I am at an advantage for our negotiations. I'd be willing to bet you'll do just about anything to get that information, desperate men often make rash decisions"

He scoffed "Unfortunately for you, lady, negotiations require two interested parties" he gestured to himself with one hand "And you're looking at one very uninterested party" he pressed his pistol to her chest, aimed right for her heart.

"You seek revenge on those responsible for the death of your daughter. But... it's gonna be hard to kill him..." she smacked the pistol away from herself with an open palm as she finished her statement "...when you don't know where he is!"

Sable holstered his weapons "Him?"

"That's right. I know the one who paid this assassin" she gestured to the corpse beside them "In exchange for that information, you will owe me something in return"

"Uh-huh" he stepped closer "What makes you think I can't force that information from you?"

Sable couldn't see anything beneath her hood, only two crimson eyes looking back at him. The woman chuckled darkly, a wave of her concealed hand was followed by several Blind Worms erupting from the sand, surrounding them. Sable's hands moved to his weapons, but stopped when he saw them all turn to face Feldspar. They seemed to ignore the both of them, completely disinterested. He watched as the woman placed a gentle hand on the one nearest to her, affectionately running her knuckles along it.

"What... the... hell..." he mouthed slowly.

"If you wish to make this a fight, you'll be involving the rest of them along with you" she turned toward him "You wouldn't want anything to happen to those poor people would you? It would be unfortunate"

"That's not gonna happen"

She laughed "I like that confidence of yours. But even a Huntsman as good as you are can't stop all of them and fight me at the same time"

Sable was suddenly bombarded with a sense of dread unlike anything he'd ever encountered before, wave after wave striking him in quick succession. It was as if she'd been intentionally holding it back until that very moment. He dropped onto his hands, unable to stop himself from throwing up from the powerful sensation. He refused to let his fear control him, panting for breath, his pistols were out of their holsters and aimed up into her chin before she could move.

"You really think I can't kill you before you try it? That I can't stop half a dozen Grimm before they reach them?"

"You really want to roll those dice?" she asked.

"I'm willing to risk it. They'd have to tear through me to get anywhere near those people. Are you?"

They both stood in silence, each of them staring down the other, neither willing to give ground. The woman suddenly laughed, the Grimm receding into the sand once more. She removed her hood, revealing her skin was a deathly pallor, red vein-like markings and a black diamond shaped marking on her forehead. She wore a sickening grin on her face.

"I like you, Mr. Wolf. You're not afraid of me... I'm not sure if you're cocky, presumptuous, or just foolish. Either way, I'd rather keep this civil"

He forced down his disgust "Then you'll tell me everything?"

She crossed her arms "I will, if you're willing to make a deal with me"

He glared "What do you want from me?"

Her grin widened "I haven't decided yet"

"How can we make a deal if you don't even know what you want?"

"Oh, I know what I want. I just don't know how you fit into it yet" she chuckled "Let's just say... you owe me a favor"

---

"You're just gonna sit there and do nothing?" Lionheart asked.

"Of course not! But I'm not going to be as reckless as the rest of you!" Theodore replied angrily.

"Reckless, are we?" And what have we done this time to earn such a scathing remark?" Ironwood asked with a roll of his eyes at the eccentric man.

"Do you want me to list them chronologically or alphabetically?"

"That's enough" Ozpin called with a sigh, doing his best to keep the call civil "Theodore, do you know anything more about the incident?"

He shook his head "No, nothing. Those responsible were either killed or escaped before any Huntsmen could intervene. They were forced to fight off the Grimm that attacked, too many people were afraid..."

"Drawing the Grimm right in" Ironwood nodded in understanding "Any casualties?"

"No civilians, thankfully. But we lost two Huntsmen, and only one of them was lost to the Grimm"

"So whoever is responsible is tough enough to take down a Huntsman" Lionheart rubbed his chin thoughtfully "Any idea who it was?"

"None. Not one of the bodies we found has any association with any of the others. It's as if the criminals in the city all just suddenly started attacking each other"

"Each other, or someone else?" Ozpin asked.

"You think a third party was involved?" Theodore asked surprised.

"I don't know. I just know it's unlikely any Huntsman worth the title was taken down by petty criminals. As far as I knew, the criminal organizations all kept to their own territories for fear of Huntsmen involvement"

"Typically they do, and when they do act against each other, it's behind closed doors" Theodore crossed his arms "And as if I don't have enough on my plate already, one of the Councilors was reported missing this morning"

"I trust your Huntsmen can handle the investigation?" Ozpin asked.

Theodore huffed "They'll have him back safely before you know it!" he answered with enthusiasm "You're absolutely certain none of your men are operating in my kingdom?"

"We have our own kingdoms to worry about, Theodore" Ironwood answered.

Lionheart sputtered "W-what James means to say is: we'd all be happy to assist however possible, but we have plenty on our plates already without sending our own to other kingdoms unannounced"

"That's what I said" Ironwood asserted.

Theodore scoffed "It's a wonder you made Headmaster at so young an age. You have the manners of a Deathstalker, James" he ended the call.

Ironwood shook his head "Always nice to talk to you too" he ended the call on his end.

Lionheart watched the silent Ozpin for awhile before speaking "Is everything alright?"

He exhaled "Just tired, Leonardo. I appreciate the concern, we'll let Theodore handle things for now"

He nodded "Of course, Ozpin. Take care of yourself"

"You as well"

Ozpin ended the call, rubbing his eyelids with his thumb and index finger. He tried to direct his focus to the transcripts of those hoping to attend Beacon at the end of the summer. His eyes scanned over page after page before realizing he wasn't even reading the words anymore. He sighed, leaning back into his chair, he briefly wondered if he was being paranoid. It couldn't possibly have anything to do with her, could it?

He was broken from his thoughts when the elevator to his office opened suddenly, Qrow entering a bit sheepishly "Hey, Professor"

Ozpin folded his hands in front of himself "Mr. Branwen" he greeted.

"Look, I know what you're gonna say. But It wasn't my fault!" he insisted "Raven took the hit for me! I-"

"She wouldn't have had to if you'd listened to your leader, would she?"

"Summer was in trouble! I wasn't gonna just leave her-"

"She told you to keep the right flank clear of Grimm. If you had listened, Raven would've assisted Summer without putting the town in danger. Not only did you expose civilians to danger, but you put your entire team in even more danger by leaping to help Summer"

"But-" Ozpin stood abruptly.

"I'm not finished" Qrow winced at his tone "I understand wanting to protect your friends, but you need to trust your teammates to handle things on their own. By putting yourself in that position, you caused Raven to be injured instead, because she knew with her Aura level, she wouldn't be able to stop the Grimm at your position. She needed you to do what you were told, no more, no less"

Qrow frowned "I'm sorry..." he rubbed his arm in shame.

Ozpin sighed "No, Qrow... I should apologize" he dropped back into his chair "My last meeting was tiresome... and I took my frustration out on you. I'm sorry"

Qrow nodded "Look, I know you wanted Raven for an important mission, but she's not in any condition to go now, and Tai is in the same boat as Summer. Both of them need rest from overusing their Aura"

"Your point?"

"Send me instead. I know I messed up, but I'll do better this time! I promise"

Ozpin studied his determined gaze, smiling lightly "Very well"

"Really?!" he asked surprised, before clearing his throat "I mean, um, I won't let you down, I swear!" he turned on his heel to leave quickly.

"Qrow..." Ozpin called with slight agitation.

He stopped short "Yeah, Oz?" he asked looking over his shoulder.

The professor shook his head "I haven't even told you what your mission is yet"

"Oh... right" he turned back to him.

Ozpin got to his feet "The city of Vacuo just became a battlefield. Criminals from throughout the city all suddenly started attacking one another. We have no clue as to why, but this morning one of the Vacuo Councilors was reported missing"

"You think they might be connected?" Qrow asked surprised.

"I think I'd like to be sure they're not. I want you to head out there and keep a low profile. The last thing I need is for Theodore to accuse me of going behind his back"

"Aren't you?"

Ozpin narrowed his eyes "Not the point, Qrow"

"Right... any idea where to start looking?"

"I'd recommend you start with the Councilor's home. I'll send you the address before you arrive. Learn what you can, and figure out if there is any connection at all"

"And if I find something?"

"Pursue the lead until you find the culprit. There's no real judicial system in Vacuo, so if you find the one responsible... it might be kinder to handle things yourself rather than hand them over to the authorities, if you catch my meaning"

He nodded "You can count on me"

"I certainly hope so. There's no room for mistakes this time, Qrow. You're a Huntsman now, not a child. Prove it"

---

The desert sand glowed silver from the shattered moon above, illuminating the abandoned and rundown buildings covered in thick layers of sand. The buildings used to serve to process mined Dust, but had long since been left behind once the mine had been depleted. There was a platform for airships, with one having recently arrived. From the top of the buildings, the walls of Vacuo and Shade academy were visible, only a few hours out from the city. The entrance was a cave mined into the ground, tunnels leading into a giant cavern with man-made platforms and a structure that served as the foreman's office. Metal girders were placed throughout the mine with supports to hold them, emergency lights flashing even still. The mine itself was completely depleted, not one Dust crystal to be found within. However, there were dozens of armed men in matching black armor throughout the cavern, positioned around the main entrance to keep any unwanted intruders out.

"You think he knows we're here?" one of them asked.

"We were told to assume he was coming to us. That's why we set this ambush"

"Right, but he took down a lot of our guys back in Vacuo"

"So?"

"So, you really think we're gonna stand a chance?"

"I think you should spend more time watching that entrance, and less time wondering what we're gonna do-ugh"

The man suddenly slumped to the ground, causing the others to turn toward him, coming face to face with a pair of pale red eyes "Heya, chumps. Is this a shopping trip? I'd buy some different outfits. The whole boyband thing has gone outta style"

"Who the hell are you? You're not the target"

"Nah, must've beat him here" he shrugged "You wouldn't happen to know where Councilor Ward is, would you?" he asked as he rested Harbinger on his shoulder.

They shared looks between each other, then all opened fire on him. Qrow spun his blade in front of him, deflecting each round with ease "I'll take that as a no" he grumbled as he shifted his footing to angle the blade.

One of them snuck around behind him, taking aim for his backside. Qrow noticed at the last minute, but before he could think to move, his attacker was slammed into the ground by a heel dropping onto him. His rescuer had a pistol in each hand, standing back-to-back with Qrow and firing into several of their attackers. Qrow recognized him immediately, but was shocked to find a Huntsman from Atlas.

"Sable? You've seen better days" he called with a smirk.

"What the hell are you doing here, Branwen?" he asked in annoyance.

"I was gonna ask the same thing"

"No time to explain. Ward is here, and I can't let him escape. I'll deal with his goons, don't let him leave that office" he pointed.

"You want me to just leave you here-" Sable didn't let him finish, rushing off into the fight. Qrow lowered his weapon as his attackers turned their attention on Sable "Okay, guess I'll just... do that then"

Sable landed between a group of thugs, firing his pistols into the one facing him, he slammed his heel backward into the abdomen of the man behind him. He then swept his leg for a third, knocking him off his feet, then flipping forward into a kick, slamming him down into the ground. Rushing forward, he planted his heel onto the knee of another, firing into his chest, then pushing off and kicking the next in his chest. While he was busy fighting, Qrow snuck into the foreman's office, catching the hiding Councilor off guard. He was a short man with slightly graying hair and a thick mustache covering his upper lip. His violet eyes showed clear panic at the sight of the imposing Huntsman, pointing a pistol at him. Qrow caught his arm by his wrist, twisting it painfully, forcing him to release his hold on the weapon.

"Councilor Ward? I was under the impression you had been kidnapped, at least until I found your residence"

"Please, you have to save me! I'll give you anything!"

"Save you? I'm turning you in, bud" he lifted him by his coat collar.

"You don't understand, he's going to kill me!"

"Yeah, I'm still not exactly clear on the why of that, but considering what I found on this" he held up a Scroll "I'd say Professor Ozpin is gonna be real interested in what I have to show him"

"Show him! Just don't let him get to me-"

Sable crashed through the glass behind Ward, pistols aimed right for him "Councilor Ward" he seethed.

"Please don't kill me! I'll do anything!" he begged as Qrow released his hold on him.

Sable approached him, pressing the pistols to his forehead "Unless you have a way to bring back my daughter, then you have nothing I want"

"Daughter?" Qrow asked "What's going on here?"

Sable aimed at Qrow "This doesn't involve you. It's between me and him"

"Woah, easy. I'm on your side here, can't we keep it civil?"

"Not with him" Sable smacked Ward across the face with the back of his hand, throwing him onto his back "I need to know who he works for. I need to know if they're connected to her"

"Her? What do you mean who he works for?" Qrow asked confused.

"The one who controls the Grimm!" he yelled "I have to know how she does it, and he has answers I need. The people he works for, they'll know"

Ward attempted to crawl away but was stopped by Sable's boot on his knee "Sable, you sound..."

"Paranoid?"

"Like a lunatic"

"Yeah... I feel like one right about now, like my whole world has just been turned upside down for the second time in my life"

"Please..." Ward begged.

Sable holstered one pistol, lifting the man to his feet "Give me a name, and I promise to make it painless"

"I... I..."

"You give me something, or you're about to start hurting-urgh!" he was thrown back out the glass by a powerful kick to his face.

Sable rolled to a stop as Qrow followed behind him "Murdering a member of the Council of any kingdom isn't gonna look good for you. What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Sable glared at him "Qrow... I am warning you. Stay out of my way"

"Convince me" Qrow shot back "I've seen some of the stuff he's guilty of, Sable. If he's responsible for what happened to you, I understand you want revenge-"

"Understand?! You don't understand anything! This is bigger than you or me, bigger than Vacuo or Atlas. The woman who gave me this intel, she is completely immune to the Grimm, controls them, summons them, and she's not afraid of Huntsmen"

"And she's somehow part of some grand conspiracy with a member of the Vacuo Council? Come on, man. You know how crazy that sounds?"

"I know she wants something from me, and whatever it is. I have to make sure she doesn't ever get it" he aimed his pistol at Qrow "If you won't help me, then you're going to have to kill me. Because I won't stop until he tells me everything I want to know"

"I'm not going to just let you murder him" Qrow assured.

"That's assuming you can stop me"

Sable fired his weapon, forcing Qrow to turn and use Harbinger to block the round, still fastened on his back. Snaking his hand around to grab the handle, the blade angled downward and fired right at Sable, forcing him to use his armored forearm to block the round, sliding back a short distance from the force of the impact. Sable fired his weapon as he rushed forward, each round deflected with ease. Qrow swung his blade for his head, forcing Sable to duck beneath it. Sable swept his legs for Qrow's, forcing him to jump back away from them. Qrow twisted around, kicking for his left side, meeting his forearm. The power of his strike knocked Sable to the ground, rolling on his shoulders to a crouched position. Qrow swung for his chest, but Sable leapt up out of the way, flipping through the air as he fired both pistols at him from above. Qrow blocked a few rounds, then rolled forward to avoid the next set and close the gap between them at the same time. Sable caught Qrow's arm midswing, slamming his elbow into his face and stumbling him back a short distance. Harbinger segmented and curved, catching his pistols and firing, knocking them both aside as he regained his footing. It shifted into scythe form, swinging for his head, forcing Sable to duck beneath it, spinning on his heels.

Qrow spun with the motion of his attack, twirling Harbinger in his hands, he swung downward at Sable. He blocked with his armored forearms, then flipped forward, kicking Qrow across the face. Wasting no time in his movements, he wrenched Harbinger from him, flipping him forward as he slid beneath him, slamming his heel into his back, throwing Qrow away from him, keeping Harbinger in his grip. Qrow got to his feet just in time to catch Sable by his arm as he swung, snapping the bone over his shoulder, forcing Harbinger from his grip. He slammed his fist into Sable's face, then was knocked onto his back by a kick from his opponent. Catching himself on his hands, he propelled himself upward, slamming his heels into his chin. Sable stumbled back, unable to stop Qrow from descending on him with a powerful strike, knocking him to his knees. Qrow quickly followed up with a flurry of strikes to his face, twisting with the momentum of the final strike, he uppercut Sable into the air, causing him to flip backward, then slam down to the ground on his head painfully.

Sable's Aura sparked as it depleted, groaning as he forced himself to his knees "Well... you gonna kill me or what?"

Qrow picked up Harbinger, shifting it back into it's blade form "I don't want to kill you, Sable. You're a good Huntsman, a good man. You don't have to do this to make peace with what happened"

He smirked "You don't get it Qrow... you haven't lost someone that important to you. Someone you'd trade places with, someone you'd move mountains to keep safe. She... she was..." tears streamed down his face.

"She was everything that mattered to you... I know" he frowned "But you can find other people who're important to you. You can still do good, you don't have to be this psychotic killer. Come back with me, talk to Ozpin. I know he can help you-"

"No one can help me, Qrow. Be thankful you don't understand my pain, pray you never do"

"I-"

"If you don't kill me, I'll just break out of wherever they lock me away, and I'll hunt down anyone who knows anything about what happened. I will find those responsible, I will learn everything I can about that woman, and I'll kill anyone who tries to stop me... even you and your friends"

Qrow's expression steeled "I'm not going to let that happen, Sable" he held his blade to his throat.

"There's only one way to stop me, Qrow... I won't stop... I'll never stop..."

Qrow's eyes dropped to the ground, saddened "They'll execute you for this, you know. Vacuo..."

"I know... at least give me the dignified death of a Huntsman, Qrow. Not some rabid dog"

He sighed "If that's how you want it to be" he lifted Harbinger "I'm sorry, Sable"

"Don't be... just make sure someone else knows. Ozpin, Ironwood... doesn't matter who. She can't be left to her own devices"

"Yeah..." he closed his eyes as Qrow moved to swing.

The next thing Sable knew, he saw a bright light "Mr. Wolf? Can you hear me?" called an unfamiliar voice.

"What?" he blinked in surprise, his voice sounding different now. Almost... synthetic.

"Ah, Mr. Wolf! You're awake!" the man said cheerfully.

"Where am I?" he demanded, finding himself restrained to an operating table.

"You're in a Chimera facility" he answered.

"Chimera?" he asked, focusing his gaze on the man "Who are you?"

He had blonde hair and brown eyes, his rosy complexion difficult to see in the blinding light "Ah, yes. My name is Dr. Carmine Abbott. I was tasked with your reconstruction"

"R-reconstruction?" he asked confused.

"Yes, you see... you've been a big problem for my employers, but it seems they think your skills can be put to better use for them instead of against them. It was unfortunate they were unable to take you down the first time, that unfortunate fire wasn't intended for the girl you see"

"You... you're the ones who killed my daughter!" he started fighting against his bindings

"As I said, unintentional, and unfortunate. However, Chimera is not a charity, there's a reason we're the best assassins you've never heard of"

He growled "What happened to me? How did I get here?"

"Well, after the failed attempts on your life in Atlas and Vacuo, you managed to hunt down one of our members. Or, more accurately, one of our benefactors. You may have failed to kill him, but Mr. Branwen did not fail to kill you"

"I... died?"

Carmine ran a finger across his throat "Took your head clean off. Made my job a bit harder. But I enjoy a challenge"

"What happened to Ward?"

"Grimm got to him when he tried to escape during your battle. Unfortunate, but these things happen" Sable finally broke through his bindings and moved at blinding speed to grab his throat "Stop"

Sable froze in place "What? What is this? What have you done to me?!"

He grinned "I'm delighted you asked! You see, you're the culmination of my collogues work as well as my own, not that they're aware of that fact" he chuckled "Pietro is trying to use part of his own Aura to create life. I merely used some of your own to bring you back"

"Some of mine? When the hell would you have had the chance to get a piece of my Aura?"

"Did you think those men were just sent to kill you?" he asked with a knowing look "They may have failed the first time around, but our men secured enough of your Aura in Vacuo for me to use to bring you back using my cybernetics and some of the schematics of Arthur's Knights in order to make a chip capable of controlling you"

"Controlling me?"

He smiled "That's right. You see, anyone in Chimera can now command you however they please, and you'll be compelled to listen, even if you don't want to. You'll be unable to deny any order we give you"

"You sick bastards!"

"Yes, yes. We're all very terrible, but you'll be so much worse. Besides, if you don't work out, we'll just find someone else. We always do" he grinned.

---

Ozpin stood at the window of his office, looking down at the empty courtyard. He knew he should've been reading over student transcripts, but he couldn't focus. Theodore had been rather tightlipped about the issues in Vacuo, he knew to expect such treatment from Vacuo, they never trusted outsiders easily. Qrow had also been gone several days, not a word from Theodore about his presence or from Qrow about his findings. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried. He briefly wondered if he should've gone himself, but he was sure he'd never hear the end of it if he had.

His train of thought was derailed when the elevator opened, Summer Rose stepping inside "Professor"

"Summer" he turned to her with a smile "What brings you to my office today? Shouldn't you be enjoying your time off?"

She crossed her arms over her chest "Have you heard anything from Qrow recently? He's been gone awhile"

"Not since I sent him to the border, no. I'm sure he's fine, he did volunteer for the mission, after all"

"Do you know when he'll get back?"

He shook his head "I know Raven is worried about him being on his own, Summer. I have faith Qrow can handle himself, it's just a bit of recon"

"Right, recon. You said there were some strange reports coming out of Vacuo, right?"

"As of late, yes" he took a sip out of his mug.

"That wouldn't have anything to do with the recent shootout in the city of Vacuo would it?" she asked with a knowing look.

Ozpin choked on his drink "What... what makes you say that?"

Summer shrugged "No reason" she frowned "I just don't understand why he couldn't wait just one day for Tai and I to join him"

Ozpin shrugged "He insisted he could do it himself. I assume he wishes to prove himself after your last mission together"

She groaned "I already told him that wasn't his fault. Raven made the choice to take the hit, not him"

"Perhaps, but that doesn't change the fact he didn't follow your instructions"

"I know. But I understand, I would've done the same-" she stopped when the elevator opened behind her.

"Ah, Qrow" Ozpin stood abruptly "You've returned. I was expecting a call..." he said with a stern look.

"Yeah..." Qrow couldn't bring himself to look at him, not even noticing Summer was present.

"Qrow? What's wrong?" she asked concerned.

His head snapped up to her in surprise "Summer...? I didn't see you there. Sorry" he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly "What're you doing here?"

"Trying to find out what you've been up to these past few days. Professor Ozpin said you were out on recon, trying to make sure Grimm numbers weren't getting too much for local Huntsmen to handle at the border"

"Uh... right" Qrow looked to Ozpin, who only nodded "Everything seems to be safe. Only a few packs of Grimm to deal with right now"

Summer scrunched her face at him, knowing he wasn't being truthful with her "Well, that's good" she turned back to Ozpin with a stern look "Will you be sending Qrow on any other solo missions without telling me?"

Ozpin swallowed nervously "I... no, Summer. I assure you I have no intention of making a habit out of this"

She nodded, satisfied "I'll be at the hospital with Raven and Tai when you're done. Meet us there?" she asked hopeful.

Qrow smiled "It's a date! I mean, not a date-I didn't mean, uh..."

Summer rolled her eyes with an amused smile "Good. See you there"

Ozpin couldn't help but chuckle at his awkwardness, both of them watching as Summer silently exited "How was your trip?" he asked, sitting back into his chair.

Qrow sighed "Eventful" he removed a Scroll from his pocket, placing it onto the desk.

Ozpin accepted the device and started looking it over "Tell me everything"

"I got to Vacuo pretty quickly, easy to get airships into the Wastelands without being noticed. Finding information on the attack was pretty difficult, no one there trusted me enough to talk about it. I leaned on some of the local criminals pretty hard, but all they seemed to know was that the gangs weren't the ones responsible for the shootout"

"So you went to see what you could find at Councilor Ward's residence?"

Qrow nodded "Yeah, it wasn't pretty. There were bodies everywhere, one of them was strung up, clear signs of torture. I found that Scroll and managed to learn what Ward was up to, even managed to track him to a mine not too far out of the city"

"Yes, this is all pretty damning evidence. But this isn't Ward's Scroll, is it? It'd be rather careless of him to just leave this behind" Ozpin looked down at the last message sent from the device "I'm coming for you..." he didn't like what he was seeing. It seemed all too familiar, working behind the scenes, manipulating people on all levels of society.

"Yeah, I think it was planted there on purpose. Hoping to lure the guy out there for an ambush"

"Then it was a trap"

Qrow scoffed "Of course it was, but it was also my best chance at finding the Councilor. Turns out, the other guy who was looking for him got there about the same time. Sable Wolf"

"Wolf?" Ozpin asked surprised.

"Yeah, from what I could tell, Ward ordered the hits on him in Atlas and in Vacuo. The second hit was the reason for the recent shootout in the city, and Sable wanted revenge for the murder of his daughter... but he seemed to be more concerned about something else"

"Such as?"

"He thought the Councilor was part of a secretive criminal group, like they were trying to manipulate the world" he explained "He even thought... he thought one of them could control the Grimm"

Ozpin's eyes widened "What did you just say?"

"I know, it's crazy, right? Sable... he... refused to be taken alive... I had to..."

Ozpin offered him a sympathetic look, but his sense of urgency never left his voice "I'm sorry you were forced to kill him, Qrow. Sable was a good man, a good Huntsman... but the Grimm, you said someone could control the Grimm"

"Yeah, he seemed pretty sure. Scared even" Qrow shrugged "But that's not possible, no one can control the Grimm. They're mindless-"

"Qrow!" Ozpin interjected "I need you to tell me exactly what he said. Word for word"

He was taken aback by his tone "Well, he wasn't exactly precise... but he was insistent I tell you about it. Said he met her-"

"Her?!" Ozpin's fist slammed onto the desk "No... it's not possible..." he breathed out.

"Oz? You look... scared"

"Councilor Ward, what happened to him?" he asked without addressing his concern.

Qrow frowned "After Sable was... I tried to find him, turned out he'd gotten away. But the Grimm didn't let him get very far"

"Grimm... did they attack you?"

"Nah, they ran off before I got there. But it was clearly the work of a King Taijitu. It was strange of it to leave his body behind, if he'd been killed by anyone else, I'd have considered it a warning"

Ozpin took a deep breath, straightening "Qrow, I need to get to Atlas immediately. I want your team to meet me there, I'll send you the location"

"Oz, Raven's still recovering-"

"I know, but she's going to be released today, normally I'd let you all have some time off. But this can't wait, if what Sable said was true... we're all in danger"

"Hang on a damn second, you think he was telling the truth? He was crazy, there's no way-"

"Qrow" his stern tone stopped him "I know you have questions, but any answers can wait until we're all in Atlas. Just tell the others it's urgent. If I'm right... Remnant is about to become a very dangerous place for all of us"

"Dangerous? More dangerous than the Grimm?"

"Far more dangerous"

"Then what're we heading to Atlas for?" he asked confused.

"There's something I need to check..." his voice lowered to a whisper "I need to be sure she hasn't escaped"

---

Twelve Years Later

Vacuo was Sable's least favorite place on Remnant, he could make a list longer than his hitlist he'd been handling in his years since his 'rebirth' as Dr. Abbott called it. Though, he supposed it was Commander Abbott now, overseeing the operations for Chimera throughout Vacuo wasn't difficult. All anyone had to do was wait until a target left the safety of their settlements or tribes before striking. Not many jobs required the true subtlety of an assassin to be successful. There were many things he missed about his old life, food, sleep. None of it was necessary anymore, not even the blistering heat of Vacuo caused him the slightest discomfort. It was fortunate, due to his black armor, but it didn't change that he'd prefer the discomfort to this illusion of life he was living now, he was just thankful no one could see beneath his helmet, no one should be forced to see an abomination like him. The only thing driving him to do anything anymore was the thought of ending those who did this to him, he constantly planned ways out, ways around orders, but today was special. He was meant to serve as a bodyguard for Abbott on a trip from Vacuo to Coquina. His orders were simple, fend off the Grimm and any bandits that sought to take advantage, and to ensure there was no survivors so Chimera wouldn't be put at risk of discovery. That final order was the last nail in Abbott's coffin. Just vague enough for Sable to make his move when a large pack of Grimm attacked them.

"W-what are you doing?!" Abbott forced out, being held up by Sable's hand on his throat.

"You gave me a very clear order, Commander. No survivors, that means you"

"What? No! That's not what I meant at all!"

"Vague orders, such a pain, aren't they?" his synthetic voice hissed "Too bad you only put a failsafe in the chip to prevent self termination. Guess you figured you'd never order me to attack you, huh?"

He grit his teeth "Clever bastard"

"What? No orders for me to release you?" Sable mocked.

"Put me-" he was stopped when Sable released him, slamming his hand into his throat, crushing his windpipe.

Abbott dropped to his knees, hands on his throat, struggling to breath, desperately trying to survive the damage his 'protector' had caused "Could you repeat that? I didn't quite catch that!" Sable kicked him in the side.

He slammed his leg into his chin, throwing him back up into his grasp, then he slammed him down into the ground painfully "Go on, order me to do something! Use your words!" he threw him beside the group of bodies of the others guarding him.

He removed his pistol from the holster on his shoulder "You feel that helplessness? Feel how little your protests matter?" he pressed his heel on his chest "That's how I've felt all these years, all this time under your thumb, forced to murder anyone you were paid to end. Too bad for you, Chimera is under new management"

He pressed the pistol into his forehead "Any last words?" Abbott rasped painfully, trying to force words out "I didn't think so" he pulled the trigger, Abbott slumped to the floor with the others.

Sable replaced the pistol into it's holster, reaching into Abbott's jacket, he removed a patch with the emblem for the kingdom of Vacuo, placing it onto his opposite shoulder. He turned away from the destruction he'd left behind, making his way back toward the city. There was about to be quite a few changes going on in this order of assassins. Changes that would leave it as nothing more than a smoldering husk... his Aura wilted suddenly, alerting him to an unwelcome presence behind him.

"Finally, you've broken from the chains that kept you bound. Bravo"

Sable leapt away from the voice, readying his pistols to attack "You..."

Crimson eyes stared back at him from beneath her hood "It's been a long time, Mr. Wolf. It's been unkind to you"

"Dying will do that"

She let out a soft laugh "Yet we both seem to have cheated death in our own ways. Neither of us have had much control over our fates, have we?"

"You don't know anything about me"

"I know you and I could accomplish much if we collaborated" she replied.

"You want me to trade his shackles for yours? You must be joking"

"You'll find mine come with much greater range. Regardless, I don't require a slave. I require a partner"

"Partner? What the hell for?"

"Peace, of course" replied a voice from behind him, accompanied by a sinister laugh.

Sable twisted, pointing a weapon at each of them "I see you got yourself a friend"

"Tyrian is a recent edition. A rather enthusiastic one at that"

"Can't possibly imagine why"

"Do not-!"

"Tyrian" she cut him off "I told you to let me handle this"

"Y-yes, of course. Deepest apologies" he replied with a bow.

Sable turned both his weapons onto her now "I promised myself if I ever saw you again, that I'd kill you"

"Good luck with that. I don't die easily" she held her arms out at her sides, inviting him to attack.

"We'll just see about that"

He fired both weapons into her chest, dropping her onto her back after half a dozen rounds struck her. He quickly approached her, pressing her to the ground with his boot, then firing once more into the hood to finish her off. He watched for any sign of movement, but was revolted by what he saw next. The wounds on her body filled in with something black as tar, her hood fell from her face as she rose to her feet, arching her back unnaturally in the process. He took an instinctive step back, Tyrian's manic laughter serving only to compound his disgust.

"W-w-what the hell... are you?"

Salem smiled "I am the savior of this world" she answered simply, bowing elegantly.

"Savior? You look more like a demon to me"

She chuckled "Looks can be deceiving, Mr. Wolf. After all, would you not think the same if you saw yourself as you are now? It's all about perception"

Sable placed his weapons in their holsters "A favor for information. I believe that was the deal we made, wasn't it?"

She nodded "It was"

"You say you want to save this world, but what specifically do you want from me? What are your goals?"

She folded her hands in front of her "What was the name of that story you used to tell your daughter? Her favorite one"

Sable stiffened at the mention of his daughter, but answered nonetheless "The warrior in the woods"

She smiled "Ah, yes. A cautionary tale against relying too much on others"

Sable shook his head "No, it's meant to inspire selflessness, not selfishness"

She chuckled "A true Huntsman, through and through"

"You never answered my question"

She looked skyward "No, I suppose I didn't... have you ever wondered if any of those tales are true?"

"Not... recently"

She nodded in understanding "A long time ago, there were two Gods, brothers who were complete opposites in every way. One created, the other destroyed. Eventually, the God of darkness created the Grimm, to counteract the creatures the other had created, animals and such. Eventually, they joined together to created humanity along with four gifts. Creation, Destruction, Choice, and Knowledge"

"The tale of two brothers. Didn't take you for the religious sort"

"Not religion, history"

"Uh-huh" he crossed his arms over his chest "You expect me to believe that one is true?"

"Believe it or don't, it makes little difference to me. But the gifts in the story do exist. Each of them a Relic, locked away beneath the Huntsman academies in each kingdom"

"The academies? You think they're protecting something?"

"Something I can use to reshape the world. No Huntsmen, no Grimm, no kingdoms. Humanity would finally know lasting peace. What better place to hide them, than in a place protected by the world's guardians"

"Ozpin's little game" Tyrian laughed.

"Ozpin? Professor Ozpin? You think he's responsible for the academies? That's impossible, they've been around since the last war"

"Indeed, a war that united the kingdoms but left them separate. I sought to make the world whole, but he put a stop to my plan... again" she seethed.

"Stopped you... you make it sound like you were there. But that's not possible, you'd have to be over a century old"

"We are far older than you can imagine. The Gods cursed him to reincarnate upon each death until he can successfully unite humanity. I have been cursed with immortality until humanity is united, just like him. However, he believes the kingdoms were the solution, while I see the disparity between them. Vacuo distrusts the others, particularly Mantle... er, Atlas now I suppose"

Sable didn't want to believe her story, but the sincerity with which she spoke made him doubt himself "Why not just take the Relics from the academies? If you can control the Grimm, you could make an army to attack them"

She shook her head "The academies are more well fortified than I'd anticipated. You see..." she formed a purple flames in one hand and blackened ice in the other "We possess Magic, which is far more powerful than your Aura's and Semblances. Your 'Ozpin' once gifted a portion of his magical power to four women he calls Maidens, one for each season. The Relics are sealed within vaults that only the Maidens can open, and the power of the Maidens can only be passed on through death, passing to the last woman in their thoughts"

"Making procuring that power difficult" he nodded in understanding "How do you plan to counteract these 'vaults' in the academies?"

"The first thing I'm going to require, is manpower. Regardless of how many Grimm I control, it won't matter if I don't have competent soldiers like yourself to do what they can't"

"How many do you have?"

"We only have Tyrian, and I for the moment. You would be our third, but I have my eyes on a few more"

"Three? You've been alive for centuries and you haven't recruited anyone else but this guy?" he gestured to Tyrian behind him.

"Just because she can't be killed doesn't mean her worshipers are" Tyrian pointed out far too happily.

"Tyrian is indelicate, but he is correct. They are less... durable than I. And many of the followers I gathered were defeated by a particularly irksome Huntress named Summer Rose"

Sable's head perked up at the name "Summer, huh? I remember she was pretty tough, all of her team are"

"Indeed. It was Mr. Branwen who took you down the first time, was it not?"

"Not that I was trying to kill him, but yes"

She nodded "I had to remove her from the board. With her gone, I can refocus my efforts on recruitment"

"Summer's dead... you killed Summer?" he asked.

"An unfortunate, but necessary step to the plan. I spared the others, chose not to pursue them, but they're likely to get in the way at some point"

"But if they were all problems for you, why spare any of them? Surely Summer wasn't the only one causing you issues"

Salem smiled "She was the only one I needed removed, Mr. Wolf. She and many others throughout history have possessed certain genetic traits that have proven... detrimental to my plans"

"genetic traits?"

She nodded "Their eyes in particular, hold special power. Summer Rose was the last of her kind so far as I am aware. My efforts to expunge them has been largely successful. The last one before her was the Grimm Reaper"

Sable was beyond shocked now "You... you killed the Grimm Reaper?"

"Not personally, as I did with Summer. But yes, one of my followers went after her, and while I unfortunately lost Tock in the battle, she lost her eyes, and therefore her importance to me"

Sable didn't like the idea of fighting Huntsman, but someone like her couldn't be killed directly. If he went right for her now, she'd just destroy him and keep working against Ozpin all the same. If she was truly responsible for the Great War, then she was far less benevolent than she portrayed herself to be. And if she was strong enough to kill Huntresses like the Grimm Reaper and Summer Rose, then she was either tougher than she looked, or far more influential than she seemed. Something about her story didn't ring true, and he didn't like it. He needed to learn all that he could... he needed to remove Chimera. She wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of an organization like them. For now, he would need to bide his time, something he was used to, given his predicament.

Finally, he asked her "Who did you have in mind?" She smiled, holding up her fingers as she listed off candidates.

"The first is Hunter Thombs, he's young, but was recently expelled from Sanctum academy for nearly killing a professor. That's the kind of talent and ferocity I require. The next is Cole Larson, another one of young age, but his Semblance will make him particularly useful in battle. He's part of a gang in Vale, using his skills as a hitman with unusual success against Huntsmen. Hazel Rainart lost his sister during a training mission while she attended Beacon. Then there is Arthur Watts, a professor from Atlas who's already contacted Tyrian in hopes of hiring him to assassinate General Ironwood. The final candidate is one Marcus Black, a skilled and reclusive assassin. Finding him will be difficult, you should focus on those we're already aware of"

"You want me to find each of them?"

"No, I'll reach out to Hazel directly. Tyrian will bring in Arthur, while you contact Cole and Hunter. With them working with us, we can begin to plan our next move"

"And if they won't join willingly?"

"Hunter won't likely pose a problem with his bloodlust, Cole is an orphan forced to crime from a young age. Neither of them will put up much resistance when offered an outlet for their anger. If they need convincing, promise them whatever they want. I'm willing to accommodate personal desires so long as they don't interfere with my goals"

"Right, well the only thing I want is to destroy Chimera"

"Something you'd be unable to do on your own. You may take your place as Vacuo's commander, but they'll never allow you to be on equal footing with the others. I am willing to remove them as obstacles in return for your services"

He nodded "Works for me. The world already thinks I'm dead. Won't be hard to stay under the radar, even without Chimera covering for me"

"Then we have an accord" she reached into her cloak, removing a small silver locket "I believe this belongs to you"

Sable reeled in shock at the sight of it "You... where did you get that?"

"I recovered it from your gravestone in Atlas, right next to your daughter's" she answered before tossing it to him.

Sable caught it in his right hand, opening it to check if it was damaged "Thank you... I... can't believe you got this for me"

She offered a sympathetic look "I know what it's like to lose a child"

He nodded to her "I'm sorry for your loss"

"And I yours" he turned away from them, heading off toward Vale, the opposite direction from the city "By the way..." she called, stopping him in his tracks "My name is Salem" he didn't turn back or reply, just resumed his pace once more.

Tyrian approached her from behind "What about the other one? That runaway girl you recruited"

"Yes, the one who killed her mother. I've given her a new name, Cinder Fall. She's been working diligently in Vale after her failure cost us one of our own, at the hands of a child no less"

"Yes, but... Why not tell him about her too?" he asked curiously.

"I have yet to decide if either of them are trustworthy enough. If I can get control of that chip, then he will have no choice but to serve me. But Cinder? She's a wildcard"

"Then how do you intend to keep her loyal?"

"By granting her what she craves more than anything, that which she doesn't yet possess. Power... and I shall inundate her with it"

---

Qrow stood over a gravestone at the edge of the cliffside overlooking the forest of Patch. He rattled his flask before taking a large swig from it. It was almost three years ago now, the last time he saw Summer, the last time he heard her voice, the last time she told him 'Qrow, you worry too much', and it was the last time the girls would ever see their mother. He tried not to think about it, but everytime he saw Ruby's face, he couldn't help but almost break down. That's when he started drinking, only a few times a week at first, then only at night... now he couldn't stop himself. It was the only thing that dulled the pain anymore.

He remembered when he told Yang that Summer wasn't really her mother, that her real mother abandoned her the day she was born. Honestly, he didn't know for sure why Raven left. He'd always wondered if it was because she was afraid of being a mother, didn't feel ready to be one even, or if she was just that scared of Salem. He figured it probably didn't really matter, she was gone, and she never planned on coming back. Every once in a blue moon, she'd contact him, try to convince him to return to the tribe, abandon Ozpin. Each and everytime, he remembered the look on Yang's face when she learned her own mother didn't want her... and he couldn't do that to her. The poor girl had suffered enough without him adding to it, both the girls did. Even so, he hoped Raven still cared about him, but he couldn't even be sure of that anymore, not after how quickly she left her own daughter behind, how often she ignored her existence when they did speak. That, and she always wanted something from him whenever they met, it was never just to catch up or check in, she always wanted intel or a favor... and it annoyed the hell out of him. So, here he sat instead... watching the morning sun slowly rise over the treeline from his place.

"You know, happy hour ended awhile ago, Qrow"

He turned to see the woman approaching him with a small smile on his face "Hey, Viri"

Her eyes lowered to the gravestone "I miss her too, Qrow. She was a good friend"

He nodded with a sullen look on his face "Yeah, she was the best"

"And you wish it had been you, don't you?" He turned his head away, giving her all the answer she needed "You shouldn't. Those girls love you, Qrow. Losing you would've hurt them all just as much as losing Summer hurt you"

He scoffed "Bet you never wish you could take your son's place, huh?" the devastated look on her face made him regret his words instantly "Shit, Viri, I didn't mean-"

"No, Qrow... you're right. I do wish it had been me instead of Malachite, I wish that my boy could grow up, become a Huntsman, fall in love, start a family of his own, be the man he wanted to be... but that'll never happen now"

Qrow shook his head "If I had been faster, none of it would've happened at all"

"And if Sinn and I had been the ones to go instead, maybe he'd still be alive. But we didn't, and you saved my two living children all the same. That is something I can never repay you for"

"You don't need to pay me back for anything-"

"Yes, I do" she insisted "I promise you, right now. If anything ever happens to you or Tai... we'll make sure those girls are taken care of. Ya hear?"

Qrow smiled "Thanks, Viri. I appreciate the thought" he took a sip from his flask "If that's the case, I promise I'll look out for yours if anything happens to you and Sinn. Not that I'm worried"

She chuckled "Well, we're not the ones who wore a skirt to class on your first day. That is worrisome"

Qrow laughed "Oh no, don't remind me"

"Like what you see?" she mimicked his voice, laughing as she finished "I swear, I don't think I've ever seen Raven laugh harder"

Qrow balked "Are you kidding? All of those pranks Tai was pulling on me and Sinn? Raven was the one who came up with half of 'em!"

"No kidding!" she shook her head "I thought Summer was gonna tear their heads off when they died her hair in her sleep!"

"Oh, that look! She had the mom stare even back then, to this day, I have never seen Yang shape up quicker than under those eyes"

Their laughter died down as they shifted into a comfortable silence "I miss them both, Qrow. You're not alone"

He sighed "I know, I know... believe me, sometimes I feel like Ruby is glued to my hip"

She giggled "She's not the only one. Slade's been practicing extra hard so he can impress you. He'd never admit it, but I think you inspired him. I've never seen him work harder for something in his life, and he was never exactly lazy"

Qrow smiled "You don't say? Guess I'm forming my own little fan club"

"Believe me, if he were attending Signal with your girls, you'd be his favorite teacher"

"Somehow, I can't see my classes being any harder than the training you've been putting him through"

"Hey, Huntsman or not, it's a dangerous world out there. He deserved to be prepared"

"You'll get no argument from me" he took another swig from his flask "What made you come all the way out here to visit? You can't have just been coming to check up on me"

"Not exactly, no. Ozpin has a mission for us, but Sinn promised to take Slade to the festival in town. Normally I'd have Elise take him, but..."

"Beacon doesn't exactly leave a lot of time for trips back home in the middle of a semester" she made a motion with her hands, as if hammering a nail, huffing in disappointment "And you're hoping I'll fill in"

"He shoots, he scores" she smirked "So? You up for it?"

He chuckled "Yeah, yeah, fine. Let me just let Tai and the girls know I'm going on a mission. We better be quick though, Yang's birthday is next week. Nine is an important number, you know"

"Very important, it's almost double digits" she smiled knowingly, holding up a finger on each hand "I promise we'll be back in time for her birthday. Wouldn't want to get you in hot water, would we?"

He shuddered "I'd never hear the end of it"

---

Present Day

"Is that everything?" Ironwood asked.

"Yes, Sir. We'll have the Relic secured on a transport back to Atlas first thing in the morning" Winter assured.

"Good. I'm relieved to hear you're all okay. I'll be sure to send Corinth ships to help evacuate as soon as possible. We don't want any of them getting caught dealing with those Grimm on their own"

"Of course not, Sir. Has Pietro had any luck with his work?"

"Unknown, though he seemed very excited to have an intact sample of Lawson's work, he swore he'd have something by the morning. News of her death wasn't easy for him to hear, but I think the idea she was working for Salem might've hit him harder. It's never easy to learn someone you trusted isn't who you thought they were"

Her gaze hardened "No, it isn't" she agreed, forcing her tone to be civil.

Ironwood picked up on her irritation all the same "Is everything alright, Winter? You seem... tense"

"It's nothing, Sir. Just tired is all" she quickly lied.

He was unsatisfied with her answer, but allowed it all the same "Alright, then. Get some rest, you've more than earned it"

"Of course... Sir" she added almost as an afterthought.

Ironwood took immediate notice, but chose not to push. He ended the call, leaving Winter to stew in her anger. She had volunteered to keep watch for packs of Grimm or more likely, Chimeran scouts from a watchtower at the edge of Corinth. She couldn't seem to focus, how could he have thought it was okay to keep this from her? She very rarely found herself questioning Ironwood's judgement, but this? This was something else entirely. Her blood boiled the more she thought about it, the biting chill of the night air did nothing to cool her rage.

"Winter-"

"What?" she snapped, turning back to find her sister with a steaming mug in her hand.

Weiss recoiled at her harsh tone "I-I brought you some coffee, might help you stay awake" she offered, a hurt look in her eyes.

Winter chastised herself for taking her anger out on Weiss, guilt washing over her. She stepped forward, accepting the mug from her carefully "Thank you"

Weiss nodded with a small smile "I made it just the way you like"

Winter took a sip, forcing herself to focus on enjoying the gift "It's perfect, thank you, Weiss"

"You're welcome"

The two of them remained in silence, neither moving from their place. Winter sighed "Weiss..."

She wore a sheepish look "Sorry, it's just... are you alright? You seem..." she started timidly.

"Agitated?"

"Pissed, actually. Last time I saw you like this, it was when you left for the academy"

Winter took a deep breath, exhaling before she responded "I'm fine. It can wait"

Weiss crossed her arms, looking unconvinced "Yeah, you said that already. But it doesn't-"

"I said, it can wait" her tone was harsh, leaving no room for argument. Not that her sister cared to listen.

"You don't have to push-"

"Hey, you do a coffee run and forget about me? I'm on watch duty too, you know" Qrow called as he climbed the steps.

Weiss looked up at him "Uh... I didn't know you were staying up too"

"Well, would you be a doll and grab me a mug too?" he asked politely, fixing her with a pleading look.

Weiss glanced between the two of them, then sighed "How do you take it?"

"Cream and five sugars"

She crinkled her nose "So you're the one who taught Ruby to drink blasphemous amounts of sugar"

"Guilty as charged" he chuckled "Thanks, Ice Queen Jr." Weiss glared but decided to keep her mouth shut, walking off with a shake of her head.

"So stupid" she muttered to herself.

Qrow turned his gaze to Winter "Bit hard on her, weren't you?"

She ran a hand over her face "Qrow, just leave me alone" she sighed "I need some time to think on my own"

He snorted "I think you've had enough time alone"

She glared at him "You really want a rematch that badly? Keep pushing"

"No, but as the leading authority on pushing people away, let me tell you, it never helps"

Winter sighed "I just... it's... have you ever trusted someone so much you'd do anything for them? Only to find out that person was keeping something from you they had no right to?"

He snorted "Yeah, actually" he leaned against the edge of the watchtower rail "When I found out Oz didn't have a plan to stop Salem, that he was just making it up as he went along... it hurt, pissed me off like nothing else... made me feel like the friends I lost was all for nothing... like maybe Raven had been right all this time"

"She wasn't, and they weren't" she assured him, placing a comforting hand on his "I'm sorry you had to go through that"

He grunted in response "Still stings just thinking about it, but I'm getting past it"

"Good, you deserve to be happy"

"So do you, Winter" he covered her hand with his opposite hand "Look, I... I was just gonna ask... I ain't exactly good with this kinda thing... but back in the ruins, when we... you know..."

"Kissed?"

"Yeah... I just, why'd you do it?"

"Why? You didn't like it?" she asked feeling hurt.

"No! No, I did like it! I just... I didn't know you felt that way about me. I mean, if you feel that way about me. I mean, was it a heat of the moment thing, or was it more than that? We're usually at each other's throats... just didn't make a whole lot of sense to me"

She laughed softly "Honestly, it doesn't make sense to me either, Qrow. But I guess sometimes it doesn't have to. You listen, you're there when I need you, on or off the battlefield, you're an amazing uncle to those girls, all those kids care about you like you're one of the family... and you care for them the same way. Believe me, I thought Weiss had gone mad when she showed up with you and Slade. But most of all, you're not afraid to challenge me, to make me face the hard truth, even when I don't want to"

"Winter..."

"Qrow, you make me feel like I'm the most important person in the world. You're loyal, and you care under all that bluster, you break right through my shell to the real me, even when it's infuriating" she couldn't help but smile "You're one of the only people I can talk to honestly, even if it's hard to talk about, and you don't judge or try to change me... you just listen"

He cupped her face with one hand "Stop talking..." her breath hitched as he moved in to kiss her.

"I brought your abhorrent excuse for a coffee-oh" Weiss stared in shock at the two of them, looking back at her in surprise, neither of them moving "I uh... I'll just..." she placed the mug down, clearing her throat "Right, carry on"

Winter sighed, face red from embarrassment "I am never going to hear the end of that" she separated from him, returning her attention to the coffee in her hand.

Qrow fetched the mug from the ground "Yeah, probably" he took a sip, letting out a satisfied sigh "Perfection"

"Does it even taste like coffee anymore with that much sugar?"

"Not really" he smirked "Want a taste?" he puckered his lips playfully.

Winter couldn't stop herself from laughing at his stupidity "Were you dropped on your head as a child?"

"Not that I remember" he chuckled "Is that a bad sign?"

She snorted "Only if you planned on retiring with your sense intact"

"Why worry about that? It's a long way off"

"Mmm, maybe not as long as you think"

"Oh, haha. An old joke, never heard that one before"

"On account of losing your hearing?"

"What?" he asked louder than necessary, cupping his hand to his ear.

Winter allowed herself a soft laugh, rolling her eyes "You're too much sometimes, Qrow... thank you" she placed her hand in his, giving a light squeeze.

He smiled "Anytime, Ice Queen"

She rolled her eyes at the nickname "I hate you"

"But you hate me because you love me"

"No. Sometimes I just hate you"

---

The sun rose over the small village of Corinth, gently bathing it in rays of sunshine. Most of the villagers were still asleep or were busy making sure their possessions were properly packed for evacuation, ships having arrived since it was still dark out. Outside the infirmary, sat Ruby Rose, her legs dangling off the walkway, her arms resting on the center of the metal railing leading up to the entrance. She blew the hair in her face out of her eyes, unable to take her mind off the coming attack she knew Salem would send. She wasn't sure if she was ready for this, ever since what happened at Beacon, she'd been dreading another battle like this. Of course she'd been prepared for the attack to happen for some months now, but waiting for Salem to have everything in place was agonizing. It didn't help that she'd been unable to send a message back home, all the recent destruction throughout the kingdom made it hard to contact her father. She had chosen to send a hand written letter, but at this rate, she was sure he wouldn't see it until after the battle was over... assuming they all survived.

"Ruby Rose, awake before sunrise. That's something I'd never thought I'd see" Slade's voice called behind her.

She turned her head enough to see him carrying Yang on his shoulder "Hey, guys" she greeted with a tired smile.

"Can't sleep either?" Yang asked.

"Yeah... guess I'm just nervous is all"

"You can say that again" Slade moved the two of them to a nearby bench and sat her down gently.

"Thanks"

"Of course" he smiled down at her "Coffee?"

"Please!"

He nodded "Ruby, how about you?"

"Yes, please! Cream-"

"-and five sugars, yeah. I know how Qrow takes it" he chuckled "Be right back"

Ruby giggled, standing from her place, she moved to sit down beside Yang "Nightmares again?" she asked.

"Yeah... just scared, I guess"

"Everyone is scared, Yang"

"I know... but we're supposed to be brave and strong and... and... I just don't know how to be that anymore, not after facing Salem"

"Being brave doesn't mean not being afraid, Yang... it means not running away in spite of your fear"

Yang smiled "What, did you grow up again when I wasn't looking again?" she rustled her sister's hair.

Ruby giggled "Maaaaaaaybe"

"Well, could you cut it out? I'm supposed to be the big sister here"

Ruby grinned "Well, big sister. Did you talk to Slade yet?" she nudged her shoulder.

Yang paled "I, uh... we haven't really... I mean, it hasn't... come up?" she offered.

"Cause you're avoiding it"

"N-not specifically" she stuttered out.

"Yang" she whined "You're never gonna get your prince charming if you keep waiting for him to ride in on his own. You've gotta take initiative!"

She sighed "Now you sound like Qrow"

"Well? Maybe you should take our advice"

"But... I don't know if I can. I want to, after our fight in Mantle I... I got the feeling there was more to it than he was saying. Like, maybe Slade-"

"Maybe I what?" Slade asked from behind them, two steaming mugs of coffee in his hands.

Both girls jumped at the sound of his voice "Slade! How long have you been there?" the blonde asked.

He handed each of them their mugs "Long enough to know you were talking about me. Singing my praises again?"

Ruby giggled at Yang's embarrassment "Something like that"

"Hm, sounded like more low notes than high ones to me. Something the matter?"

Ruby suddenly had a mischievous grin on her face, standing quickly "You know what? I just remembered I needed to... go find Jaune!"

"What? Why?" Yang asked.

She placed her finger to her chin in thought "For... training!" she shouted, pointing her finger skyward.

"Training?" Slade asked "Ruby, we're going to be evacuating with the civilians in a couple of hours at the most. Shouldn't you be conserving your energy for any Grimm or other thugs Salem could send our way?"

"It's not that sort of training, it's uh... mental training!" she insisted.

"Uh-huh" Yang fixed her with a knowing look "This wouldn't happen to be your way of giving us some alone time so we could talk, would it?"

Ruby sputtered "No, of course not! Why would you even think that? You're crazy" she lied pathetically, then started speaking a mile a minute "Anyway, gotta go find Jaune now. Bye!" before zipping off, rose petals flowing behind her in the wind.

"And not a drop of coffee spilled" Slade smiled in amusement.

Yang shook her head "Sometimes, I wanna kill her... but I know she means well"

"Yeah, and not at all obvious about her intentions" Slade chuckled, turning his head to face her "I guess we do have to... clear the air, don't we?"

Yang frowned "You mean about... the dance we shared?"

"I mean about the way I reacted to... the kiss"

"We never kissed" she clarified.

"I know, I wanted to, I really did... but..."

She looked down at her arm "Was it... this?" she held it up to him.

His face scrunched in confusion "What? No! No!" he quickly took her metal hand in both of his "This, doesn't matter to me, Yang... it's all still you"

She couldn't help but smile, tears threatening to fall "Then... why?"

"I... didn't want to complicate things. Make things harder for you before the battle"

"Harder?" she asked confused.

"Yang, if you needed to choose between saving me and saving Ruby, who would you choose?"

Her eyes widened "Well, I... that's... I just... that's not an easy answer... I... I don't know what I would do..."

He nodded "I figured as much"

"Huh?"

"Yang, I know you care about me and I care about you, I care about Ruby, Weiss, Jaune, James, everyone. But if it came to saving any of them or losing you, I'd choose you, everytime. Even if it meant losing Atlas or the Relics, I would always choose you"

Tears started to flow freely now "Slade..."

"That's why I couldn't kiss you, why I didn't want you to think of me the way I think of you. If being angry at me meant you could focus on them over me, it was important that you could"

"Slade, that's not fair"

"I know it isn't... but it's what's right. They matter far more than I do, you need them, not me... but I couldn't make that choice, Yang. I can't lose you too, not after everything else I've lost"

she hardened her gaze "I'm not losing you to Salem, Slade. I'm not losing anyone"

He shook his head "We might not have that option, Yang. You can't afford to think of me over someone else, you have too many people to look out for as it is. You have to think of Ruby, of Qrow, of Oscar. If it comes down to saving them or saving me... you can't choose me"

"Slade..." she frowned.

"Whatever you want this to be between us, it's... not possible. Not while Salem is still out there, we-"

"Do you have feelings for me?"

"Yang-"

"Do you want to be with me or not?"

"Yang, don't. Please"

"It's a simple question"

"Nothing about this is simple"

"Stop worrying about anything else, stop overthinking everything. What do you really want?"

"What I want is...!" he snapped, his expression dropped after a moment "Isn't important right now"

She glared "Then tell me I don't matter to you"

"What?"

"Tell me you don't want me, tell me you don't want to be with me, tell me the truth"

"Yang, please..."

"You promised there would be no secrets between us, Slade. So you tell me how you really feel, right now"

He sighed in exasperation "Yang, I... the truth is... you mean more to me than words can say..."

Her eyes widened "Slade..."

"I just... I want to tell you everything, to show you just how I feel, but..." he turned away from her "I can't be what you want me to be, Yang. I'm not, I've never... I wouldn't even know where to start. You deserve far more than I could give you, more than I can be for you. You deserve to be happy... I don't want to risk hurting you"

"Slade, every relationship is a risk, they're not sure things, that's why they're called risks. I am opening myself to the chance of being hurt, because I want to be with you. If you want to be with me, then you shouldn't deny yourself just because you're afraid"

"I can't be who you want me to be for you, Yang..."

"You really think I couldn't be happy with you?" she asked, forcing him to look at her with her finger under his chin.

"What do I have to offer you but lies and heartache? I keep things from you, from everyone so often, you want honesty and compassion, but I don't know how to do that anymore, Yang. I can't promise not to keep secrets from you, no matter how many times I say I'll tell you everything, there will always be secrets, things I keep from you... things I am keeping from you, even now. You deserve better than that, better than me. I'm no Huntsman, and I'm certainly no hero, I'm not good enough for that and I never will be. I can't be like you-"

She slapped him across the face "Shut up"

Slade blinked in surprise "Huh?"

"You are too good a man to feel this way about yourself. You're amazing"

"Yang, you don't have to-" he started to look away

"No, Slade" she grabbed him by his shoulder, forcing him to look at her "I know how great you are! You should know that too!"

"I'm nothing but a liar, Yang. I've tried to be the man you see in me, but I can't be the person you want me to be"

"You are so much more than just a lair... that didn't come out right. You are incredible" she insisted "You're smart, fast, strong, and you have such a big heart, you care about people more than they deserve. You're one of the funniest people I know"

Slade chuckled "With your sense of humor? That's a low bar"

"Hey!" she smacked his arm "I'm being serious here! You fight for the right thing even when it's tough, even when you don't know if others will agree, if the people you care about will hate you for it. Your selfless, always putting everyone else before yourself, even when you know you can't do it alone, you won't risk your friends if you don't have to. You're always there to offer a hand when we fall, to lighten a tense situation, or just listen when we need you to. You push us to be better than we ever thought we could be, and you're patient, even when we're not... Slade, you're the most amazing man I've ever known, and everyday, I learn something new about you. That's why I know you're a hero, why you are worthy of being a Huntsman, and you are exactly the kind of man I want to spend my life with"

"Yang..." he was shocked to hear her words of praise.

"I've always wanted to just go with the flow, see where the world takes me... and you never let anything be boring" she smiled "I know I can count on you to be there for me, for my friends, for my family, you always have been and I know you always will be. And if I get hurt... well, love is worth the pain, isn't it?"

Slade wiped his eyes, drying the tears threatening to fall "Yang, I... I have no words"

She rolled her eyes with an amused smile "And if you did have the words? What do you think you'd say?"

"Nothing that could match that performance" he chuckled, after a short pause, he smiled brightly "Well... I guess I'd say-" his eyes widened "Oh, shit..."

Yang wore a confused expression "Huh?"

Slade pointed "Yang, look"

She turned her head and followed his hand, her eyes widened when she saw the massive army of Grimm coming over the ridge "Oh... my... God..."

Alarms blared through Corinth "Grimm horde approaching! Battle stations!" Winter shouted as she rushed by with Qrow not far behind.

Slade quickly got her up, one arm over his shoulder, coffee falling to the ground, melting the snow beneath it "We need to get you with the evacuees"

"No, not if you're all gonna fight. I can help!" she argued as he started making his way toward the landing area.

"Not in your condition, Yang. You'd only hurt yourself" he put his earpiece in.

"But-"

"This isn't up for debate, Yang. Someone needs to keep the civilians safe while they evacuate. There's no guarantee we can keep them all back. We're gonna be packing them in tight-"

"Yang, Slade!" Ruby called as she and the rest of Team RWBY rounded the corner.

Without wasting a second, Slade started calling out orders over the earpiece "Ruby, get your team to the west gate, Qrow and Winter were headed that way. Jaune, you hear me?"

"I'm here" he answered quickly.

"Meet me at the east gate, a horde of that size isn't going to hit us from one side only. Make sure Oscar is with you"

"Roger that!" Nora called

Ruby nodded to him, turning her head back to her team "Time to zap some monsters with my zap eyes!" she shouted before rushing off.

Weiss rolled her eyes "That's soooo, not how they work" she replied before following after with Blake alongside her.

"Don't question your team leader!" Ruby called back.

Penny arrived beside Slade and Yang "Where do you want me?" she asked.

"You're the fastest one here, take Yang to the evacuation area and protect the airships from the Grimm. We can't risk having them brought down"

Penny scooped Yang up easily "Understood"

"Thank you" he turned to leave, stopping only when he felt Yang's hand on his arm.

She fixed him with a stern glare "You'd better come back to me. We weren't finished, and it's rude to keep a lady waiting"

"Well, we wouldn't want to tarnish my reputation, would we?" he turned to her with a smile, gently taking her hand, squeezing it lightly "I'll be right behind you, I promise"

She smiled back "I'm holding you to that"

He chuckled "I know you will" he rushed off toward the east gate.

The massive army of Grimm marched down toward the village, splitting around the ridge to head toward each entrance of the village, dozens of winged Grimm soared overhead, making their way straight toward the landing area. Despite the size of the horde, only a small amount of Chimera soldiers marched along with them. Slade reached the east gate to find Jaune arguing with the mayor.

"We cannot possibly evacuate everyone in time! There's too many Grimm!"

"You should've thought of that when we offered to help you before!" Nora shouted.

"I will not be lectured by a petulant human child-"

"Hey! We're all just trying to help here!" Jaune shouted back.

"Great lot of help you've been! You're the only reason they're here!"

Slade cut in "The Grimm would've attacked Corinth regardless, this horde is on it's way to Atlas and nothing would've stopped them from trampling your little village"

"How dare you-"

Slade moved past him, ignoring his protests "Winter, Qrow, what's the situation?"

"It's a massive force, a small detachment marches toward us, but the bulk of the horde remains on the ridgeline" Qrow answered.

"She must not think we can repel what they're sending" Winter concluded.

"We probably can't" Ren agreed.

"That's encouraging" Oscar frowned.

"We'll protect these people, we just need to hold the line" Jaune affirmed.

"Then that's what we'll do. We'll hold this line until the last ship is safely evacuated" Slade turned back to Radcliff "Mr. Mayor, I suggest you get yourself on the next airship out of here. Corinth is about to become unsafe"

He huffed, but nodded in agreement "Be careful, all of you" he added before rushing off.

"I don't know if careful will help us against that" Nora pointed to the ridgeline.

They followed her gaze to find Salem and Sable standing at the head of the horde remaining behind. Slade turned to Jaune "Got any bright ideas?"

"Just one" he deadpanned "Not sure it's any good, though"

"Let's hear it"

"Corinth isn't equipped to fight an army like this, but there are several cannons around here to help dispatch large Grimm, like Nevermores. If Penny can plug into them, she can make them accurate enough to fend off an army like this" he explained.

"Giving us control of the battlefield" Winter concluded "How long would it take, Penny?"

"It'll take me about two minutes to calibrate them, maybe longer if I have to fend off aerial units at the same time" she answered.

"We'll keep 'em busy as long as you need, but even those cannons won't work for long. There's too many Grimm" Qrow assured.

"We only need to keep them busy long enough to finish evacuations, then we get out. Preferably before the unkillable witch comes down here" Weiss added

"We'll need to meet their forces to buy as much time as possible" Winter concluded "Soldiers, we're to keep the horde at bay until we get those cannons online! On me!" Winter shouted.

Slade nodded to the others "Guess that means we're charging their lines"

"That's a horrible idea" Ren argued.

"And we're doing it!" Nora grinned, charging the gate and knocking it open with a powerful kick "Come and get it baby!" she launched herself skyward, slamming her hammer down in the center of the first line of Grimm she found.

"You heard the lady! Attack!" Jaune charged out, leading the rest of them into the attacking Grimm, several Atlas soldiers taking up defensive positions and firing at the Grimm headed right toward them.

The west and east sides clashed violently as Penny got to work clearing the skies of any Grimm who made it over the wall. Several Grimm were knocked skyward by the impact from Nora, only to have Ren cut through them with the blades of StormFlower. Jaune sliced through a Beowolf as he slid to it's left, then blocked as a Sabyr tried to leap at him, claws wrapping around his shield. With a quick slash, he beheaded the Grimm and kicked it back into one of the oncoming attackers, knocking it on it's back. Slade used his wrist blades to slice through an Ursa as he slid beneath it, then spun over a charging Sabyr, bisecting the creature with one fluid motion. Sliding to a stop, he leaned back beneath a Beringel's swinging fist. Spinning Defiance in his hand, he fired several rounds up into it's head as it turned to strike once more, destroying it. Swinging with the momentum of his movements, he kicked an oncoming Beowolf across the face with both heels, then flipped Defiance in his hand, uppercutting the creature with the back of it. Before it could react, he slid out of the way of Nora, slamming it down into the ground with Magnhild, a grin on her face. A Sphinx landed behind Oscar, who smacked it twice across the face with his cane just as another appeared behind him. Wasting no time, he kicked off the Sphinx, launching him back into the Grimm opposite him, slamming the cane into the bottom of it's chin with an uppercut, stumbling it back. He then did the same as before, slamming his cane into the neck of the opposite Sphinx, killing it before flipping backward, slamming it's head down into the ground, killing the second one. Before he could react, an Ursa moved to strike him from behind, only to be shot down by multiple rounds from Ren. The two shared a nod, but at that moment, a Sabyr leapt at Ren from behind. Crocea Mors impaled it through it's right side, having been thrown into the creature by Jaune. Without wasting a moment, Ren flipped back, kicking the weapon over, then sending it flying back toward Jaune, who blocked with his shield, flipping the blade into the air, before bashing it by the handle with his shield, down into the ground, slicing through two different Grimm in the process. Slade picked up Jaune's blade in a reverse grip, slicing through a Beowolf as it charged, then flipping it through the air over his shoulder, Jaune caught it in his hand, slicing through two Ursi one after the other.

On the opposite front, a massive white Manticore crashed through their lines alongside Arma Gigas, cutting apart the Grimm rushing toward them. Qrow spun his scythe expertly through a Beowolf, then kicked a Sabyr in the face, knocking it back into Winter's blades as she cut through the creature. Transforming into Corvid form, he avoided being crushed by a Manticore as it landed, he sliced it's tail off as he returned to human form, leaving it defenseless from behind as he moved to strike. Ruby launched herself forward by firing Crescent Rose, both scythe wielders arcing through the creature on each end, severing it's right and left limbs from the main body. Blake severed the head of the creature, flipping through the air before cutting through two Sabyrs, rolling into a crouched position, she fired several rounds into the Grimm charging them, dropping a Beowolf and a Teryx as it swooped down to attack her directly. Weiss used her Glyphs to launch herself around the battlefield, slicing through one Grimm after another without much difficulty. Ruby fired Crescent Rose as she released her hold on it, launching the weapon into a spinning strike on their front line of attackers, destroying them before catching it in a spinning movement, embedding the weapon into the ground and firing it into the next Grimm she saw. Salem watched the battle from afar, noticing the lack of progress. With a wave of her hand, the Grimm suddenly switched direction, heading straight toward the wall between each front. Sable leapt down from their spot on the ridge, the rest of the horde moving with him, marching toward Corinth. Slade took immediate notice and rushed to the undefended wall, using his Semblance, he lifted the first three lines of attackers into the air. Winter and Weiss used their Glyphs to slice through them at blinding speed. Slade prepared to charge their ranks, but stopped when several mounted turrets suddenly started firing at the charging Grimm horde, stopping most of them in their tracks

"Nice work, Penny!" Ruby shouted.

"Yeah, take that you beasties!" Nora shouted with excitement as they started to be driven back.

Salem rolled her eyes, then made another wave of her hand. The loud roar caused the others to turn their attention skyward, just in time to see a Wyvern swoop down from the clouds and crash into the wall with it's legs, smashing it apart, throwing Slade to the ground onto his side. The Grimm substance fell from it's skin to the ground, spawning several Grimm all over the battlefield.

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING!" Weiss shouted.

"Penny?!" Winter called.

"Turrets are online. But They can only focus on the Wyvern or the attacking horde, not both"

"Then focus on the Wyvern. Keep it away from the evac ships!"

"All civilians are away. But there's no way we're escaping with those things on our tail" Yang added.

"That's not going to be a problem, Ms. Xiao Long" Ironwood's voice assured.

"General, you have an idea?" Ruby asked.

"Evacuate immediately. I have an airship ready to drop the mountain on that entire valley, let nature do the work for us for a change"

"An avalanche? That's awesome!" Nora bellowed.

"Everyone fall back! Fall back to the evac point!" Winter ordered.

"General, that'll destroy Corinth" Ruby pointed out as they all rushed back inside.

"I don't think Salem plans on leaving much behind as it is. We can focus on rebuilding once we've defeated her forces. This will help with that effort"

Yang watched from her place in the airship as soldiers loaded in with her. Her friends rounded the corner and she started listing off names "Ruby, Blake, Weiss, Winter, Qrow. Oscar, Jaune, Ren, Nora... where is... oh, come on! Where the hell is Slade?!"

Jaune's team slid to a stop "I thought he was right behind us"

"He was just a second ago!" Oscar added.

"Dammit! He has the Relic too!" Winter groaned.

Slade groaned painfully, pushing himself up on his knees. Looking ahead of him, the faint glow of the Relic caught his attention, the morning sun reflecting off the golden lamp. He quickly moved to recover it, but was thrown back by a powerful kick to his face. Rolling to a stop, he looked up to find Sable standing over the Relic, moving to pick it up. Slade quickly reached out with his Semblance, pulling the Lamp toward himself just before Sable managed to secure it.

"Sable" Slade took a step back, Defiance ready in his hand to attack.

"Slade, you need to run"

"I wasn't exactly planning on sticking around-"

Sable charged forward, striking for his left side. Slade sidestepped the strike, then redirected his opposite hand reaching for the Relic. Flipping forward, he kicked for his head, only for Sable to match it with his own, then kicked both heels into Slade's chest with a front flip. Slade managed to get his arm over his chest to block the strike, but slid back a short distance from the impact. Slade deflected a round fired at his back from a Chimera soldier who'd snuck around, then twisted into a slicing motion with his opposite hand, severing the head of an oncoming Ursa. Slade deflected several more rounds from the soldier before firing Defiance into his chest, dropping him onto his back. Sable flipped forward, slamming his leg down onto Slade's gauntlets, then spun to the left, kicking him across the face before following with a punch from the opposite direction. Slade stumbled, barely managing to block a downward strike for his face before being kicked in the abdomen, sending him back through the destroyed wall, sliding to a stop.

"Ow..."

Sable stepped through the rubble "I don't want to do this anymore than you want me to, Slade. But I don't have a choice in the matter. Either you run, or I'm going to take that Relic from you... and kill you" he warned.

Slade propped himself up on his elbows "You sure about that?"

Sable looked up at the sound of a loud cry, just in time to step back away from a swing from Jaune's blade. He sidestepped a second before catching him by the wrist and pulling his fist back to strike, making contact with his shield. Jaune pushed him back as Blake leapt over his shoulder, slashing across Sable's chest twice. He ducked beneath a third strike, slamming his fist into her chest, only for him to destroy an afterimage of her Semblance. Twisting to his left, he avoided a few rounds from Ren, firing back with his own weapon. Winter sliced across his back as she slid by him using her Glyphs, followed by a powerful strike from Oscar to the back of his head, dropping him to his knees. He rolled forward beneath a fireball launched from Weiss and used his forearms to block a downward strike from Ruby. She pulled Crescent Rose back, striking at him as the weapon spun on her shoulders around her neck, forcing him to block with his forearms. Weiss and Blake sliced through him from each side, propelled by her Glyphs. His Aura sparked from the damage, as he let out a mechanical hiss. He caught the next strike from Ruby just above the tip of her scythe's blade. Twisting it away from himself, he moved to strike her left side, only to receive a kick to his abdomen from Qrow, stumbling him back slightly. He Spun his scythe in an upward motion, forcing Sable to sidestep around each strike from Qrow only to find himself trapped in a Glyph from Winter, Jaune's Semblance empowering it, while Nora was empowered by a lightning infused Glyph from Weiss, allowing her to crush him into the ground effortlessly with a single downward swing of Magnhild into his back, depleting his Aura completely.

"Slade, are you alright?" Qrow asked concerned, helping him to his feet.

"I'm fine. I'm fine" he assured.

The turrets started firing on the approaching Grimm and Chimera soldiers once again "We need to get clear, now" Penny insisted over their earpieces.

"Then let's move!" Ruby ordered.

Sable struggled to get to his feet as they rushed off toward the last airship "Their teamwork has certainly improved" he mused with a light chuckle.

"It is tiresome" Salem agreed as she passed him.

"I was not expecting you to involve yourself, Ma'am" he said apprehensively.

"And I was not expecting these children to prove to be such an annoyance"

"Slade!" Yang called as they arrived back at the airship, everyone pilling in.

"I'm okay, just a little-oh!" he stopped when she pulled him into a tight embrace.

"You had me worried, when you weren't with the others..."

"Penny! That Wyvern is taking an unhealthy interest!" Winter pointed out, pulling them back to the present.

"I'm on it!" she redirected the turrets to firing on the creature once more.

"Pilot, get us out of here!" Qrow ordered.

"Right away, Sir"

The airship took off, shadowing Atlas as it began it's course. Just as they reached the village limits, the ship stopped abruptly, the sound of the metal straining could be clearly heard.

"Oh no... not this again" Weiss shivered at the thought of facing Salem once again.

The door to the airship opened, revealing the pale witch hovering a few feet away from the ship, her hand outstretched "Leaving so soon?" Moving her other hand toward Slade, the Relic detached from his belt, soaring out the door.

He managed to snatch it alongside Oscar while Qrow, Nora, and Blake pulled on him to keep him in the ship. Ruby, Weiss, and Jaune grabbed Oscar in the same manner "Hang on, kid! I've got you!" Qrow assured.

"Open fire!" Winter ordered.

Ren and Yang fired their weapons at Salem along with the few soldiers inside. She merely ignored the damage they inflicted, increasing the force pulling on the Lamp. Winter formed several Glyphs around Salem, launching ice shards from them into her, knocking her around, losing her focus on the Relic and the airship. The ship soared away for a moment before she recaptured it in her grasp.

"Give me back my Relic" she seethed.

Penny soared out toward her only to be caught by the throat in her hand "Penny!" Ruby shouted in concern.

"I am tired of all you insects interfering with my plans"

"So sorry to disappoint you" spoke a voice from behind her.

"What?" Salem turned just in time to catch the red glint of a blade before it severed her head from her shoulders. Penny was released from Salem's grasp, hovering back to the airship as it was freed as well.

Salem's body fell limp as her head descended to the snow below, Raven Branwen hovered in the air, flames from her heels keeping her aloft "Mom?" Yang asked in surprise.

Raven was suddenly grabbed by the throat, Salem's headless body descending into the snow covered ground quickly, slamming them both into it "Now's our chance! Get us out of here!" Winter ordered.

"What about Raven? She just saved us!" Ruby argued.

"And if we want to stay saved, we need to leave, now!"

"Salem will kill her!" Qrow argued.

"We don't have time to argue this! We need to go, now!"

"Pilot, get us back to Atlas" Slade ordered.

"With pleasure, Sir"

"We can't just-" Weiss started.

Slade pushed the Relic into Qrow's hands, leaping out of the airship "Slade, what the hell are you doing?!" Yang shouted, forcing herself to the doorway.

"Raven saved my life, I intend to return the favor" he called back.

"Kid, get back here!" Qrow called after him.

"Stop the airship!" Yang shouted.

"Ignore that order, soldier!" Winter called with a pointed look.

"Winter! We can't just leave Slade behind!" she argued.

"We go back there, that Wyvern will tear us apart, and that's if Salem or the rest of those Grimm don't get to us first" she argued.

Qrow sighed "She's right, Yang. We can't just charge back into danger, Slade and Raven know how to take care of themselves" he assured, not really certain if he was trying to convince her or himself.

"But-"

"Hey, Slade's always come back to us before, right?" Ruby tried.

"Well... yeah..."

"Then trust him to do his job, Yang. He'll be back before you know it"

"Yeah, Raven will just get them both through a portal, right?" Nora added, trying to be optimistic.

Salem dragged Raven as she reached her head, lifting it with one hand back up to it's proper place. The wound on her neck healed immediately, leaving her capable of speech once more "Did you really think that would work on me, girl?" she growled.

"Wasn't... meant... to stop... you" she forced out through grit teeth.

"You must think you're so clever. Trying to-argh!" Salem was suddenly thrown into the wall behind her, shattering through it as Raven dropped to the ground.

Slade rushed over to her side, extending his hand to her "On your feet, Branwen"

Raven looked up in surprise, getting to her feet with his help "You?" she watched the airship soaring away from them "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I pay my debts" he answered.

The wall suddenly exploded outward with a blast of dark energy "I... have had... enough!" Salem shouted as she moved into view "You are but children before a power you could never hope to match, and that terrifies you, doesn't it?"

Raven pointed her blade at Salem "I am not afraid, of you, or anyone else"

Salem's eyes widened, she broke out into a fit of laughter "Lie to yourself if you must, but do not believe you can lie to me. I see through your mask of fearlessness" Raven took an instinctive step back from her as she approached, Omen unsteadily shaking in her hand "You see? Your fear is clear to me. Give up this pointless resistance"

"We're not as helpless as you think" Slade called.

"Oh? Care to prove that theory?" she asked with a grin.

"She's right, we can't defeat her. We need to run" Raven whispered.

"She's not gonna let us go easily, we need to make sure she can't follow"

"You have a plan?"

"More or less, distract her"

Salem tilted her head "Planning ahead isn't going to change your fate"

Raven nodded "I know" she unleashed a bolt of lightning at Salem from her palm.

Salem deflected it with her open palm, catching sight of Raven as she leapt toward her. With a flick of her wrist, Raven slammed into the ground painfully, then rising back into the sky, slammed back down even harder a second time followed by a third from an even greater height. Satisfied, Salem lifted her a few inches from the ground, leaving her helplessly flailing. Slade stepped around Raven and fired several Dust infused rounds at Salem, encasing her in ice.

"Clever" her body was enveloped in purple flames, the ice exploding outward.

Slade paled "Well... that was short lived"

"That was your plan?" Raven asked incredulously.

"I have more!" he protested.

Salem laughed "You two fight like children before a giant. My patience is wearing thin, I will kill you both if you continue to resist"

Slade got into a combat stance, wrist blades at the ready "Yeah, most likely"

Salem raised her hand out as a darkened blade formed in her hand "Neither of you need to die here today, surrender to me, and I promise you mercy"

"Your promises mean nothing!" Raven shouted, manipulating the air around them into a current, sending snow right at Salem.

Salem held her hand in front of herself, redirecting the current away from her. Spinning the blade in her hand through the current, she thrust her hand forward, the current shifting into tendrils of darkness, speeding toward Raven, knocking her onto her back, rolling to a stop as her blade embedded in the snow. Slade flipped overhead, striking for her face, only to clash with her blade. Landing behind her, he ducked around a swing for his chest, then kicked her right knee out from under her. Salem held her blade horizontally over her chest to block the downward strike from his wrist blade.

"I thought you were smarter than this, Slade. Taking me on directly"

"Well, you didn't exactly leave me with a lot of other options"

She smirked, getting to her feet, her strength forcing him back as he lowered onto one knee "You should have fled with your friends!" she grinned.

Salem backhanded Slade, throwing him back into the edge of the broken wall, gripping the top of the wall, he flipped backward through the air, kicking her in the chest. She soared backward from the strike, spinning around as she approached Raven, swinging downward as she came to a stop atop her. Omen soared into Raven's hand, thanks to Slade's Semblance, which she used to block the strike from Salem. Slade charged forward, forcing her to redirect her attention to him, blocking a powerful kick to her face with her blade. Raven transformed into Corvid form, rising over Salem, then changing back, she slammed a blade of ice down onto her back. An explosion of energy knocked Raven and Slade backward, both flipping into the landing away from her, sliding to a stop. The Wyvern landed behind her, lowering it's head to her right and she caressed it gently.

"Accept the futility of your resistance, and you needn't suffer any longer"

"Really could use a plan here, Slade. Something useful this time?" Raven grumbled.

"What're you talking about? This has all been part of the plan!"

"Then make a better plan!"

"I have a plan, and you're not helping matters!"

"Not helping?!" Raven shouted incredulously "You're lucky I'm helping at all!"

"I'm not sure Summer Rose appreciated how helpful you were to her" Salem shot back.

Her emblazoned eyes flared with anger "Don't you dare say her name! You've no right after what you did!"

"What I did?" Salem laughed "I wasn't the one who abandoned her like a coward, just like you abandoned your daughter-"

Raven sent a fireball her way, forcing Salem to dissipate it with a wave of her hand "Don't pretend to know me, witch! You know nothing of the sacrifices I've made!"

"You mean the people you've sacrificed" she grinned "Summer Rose, the Spring Maiden, what was that other girls name? Verna? Verda? Or was it Ve-?"

"Vernal!" Raven shouted enraged.

"Ah, that's right. Vernal... such a track record you have"

"General, fire for effect" Slade whispered.

"Copy. Firing for effect" he replied.

"Shut up!" Raven shouted "You don't know anything! You're just a monster with no conscience! No concern for anyone but yourself! We're all just pawns to you, even those who follow you are nothing to you!"

Salem grinned "Why, yes... all of you, and all of them, are means to an end. Those of you who choose to stand against me are-" she stopped when she noticed Slade's eyes focused elsewhere "Just what are you playing at, Slade?"

"Just a little surprise is all" he replied with a smirk.

"Shot" Ironwood's voice said moments before one of the airships in view began bombarding the mountain behind the Grimm horde.

Her eyes widened "You weren't trying to stop me, you were trying to stall me"

"Aw, did you come up with that all on your own?" he asked mockingly.

The snow on the mountain started rushing toward them, quickly enveloping the Grimm and soldiers that remained. Salem roared with anger as the Wyvern took to the sky, quick to escape the incoming avalanche. Rushing toward them at blinding speed, Salem was suddenly dropped onto her face when a single gunshot from behind pierced her leg. Looking over her shoulder, she found Sable with his weapon in hand, shaking and straining on one knee, groaning with pain.

"Run..." he forced out.

"Raven, now!" Slade called.

"Right!"

Salem's eyes widened "You're... resisting it?" she asked in surprise.

Raven froze Salem in ice, then turned to Slade, wrapping her right arm around his midsection, flames from the bottom of her heels propelled them into the air and away from the avalanche. Slade watched as Sable was enveloped by the snow alongside the frozen Salem, the Wyvern circled overhead alongside many winged Grimm, but none of them gave chase, all of them desperately searching for their master. Raven descended, releasing Slade as she came to a stop in the center of an open field of snow, the walls of Mantle in view on the horizon.

"Well... that was, bracing" Slade shivered.

"You said keep her distracted. I believe we accomplished that quite well"

He nodded "Yeah, for a minute there, I thought you were actually mad at me"

She rolled her eyes "That part wasn't an act"

"Oh... right" he cleared his throat "What do you say? We even?" he asked extending his hand to her.

She looked down at his hand in amusement "Technically I've saved your life twice now" she pointed out.

"To be fair, I didn't kill you in Mistral or Haven. I'd say that more than makes up for this time"

She shrugged "I suppose you have a point, not that you'd actually be capable of defeating me" she firmly shook his hand.

He snorted "Right"

"What? Think I'm wrong?"

"You can't prove that"

Raven sighed, rubbing her forehead with her thumb and index finger "I don't know what she sees in you"

"Funny, I was just thinking Yang's father must've had bad taste, but from what I've heard about Summer, that can't be true. Which means you must've been bearable company at some point. Hard to imagine that"

"Strange way to treat your future family"

Slade's expression quickly changed from jovial to enraged "You are not part of her family. You gave that up when you abandoned her! You think I give a damn what you think after everything you've done to the people I care about? Yang, Qrow, Elise, need I go on?"

"So sensitive, are you?" she crossed her arms over her chest "Perhaps next time I should just leave you to die then?"

"I don't care what you do, just keep it far away from her. You've done enough to hurt Yang as it is"

Raven frowned, looking away "Actually, I was hoping to speak to you about that"

Slade's brow furrowed "About what-"

"Slade, report. Your Scroll shows your outside Mantle. Are you injured?" Ironwood's voice asked with concern.

Slade turned away, placing two fingers to his earpiece "I'm alright, General. Raven and I got away from Salem before the mountain came down on her"

"Is Raven still with you?" he asked.

He looked to her, she took an instinctive step back "No, she disappeared after dropping me out here. Any chance I don't have to walk all the way back?" he asked hopeful.

"Not to worry, Slade. We're already on our way to you" Winter's voice assured.

"You'd better not move a muscle" Yang's angry voice warned.

Slade paled "Right..." he cleared his throat "I'll be here" he assured.

Raven tilted her head as he returned his attention to her "Thank you. I have no desire to-"

"I didn't do it for you" his tone was sharp "I did it because despite everything you've done, Yang and Qrow still care about you. We have enough to worry about without you on our radar"

Raven frowned "Why?"

"Excuse me?"

"You lost everyone you cared about, your family, your team, you left Ozpin's war behind, just like I did-"

"You and I are nothing alike"

"I agree, you ran away because you were afraid. I left because I was too smart to be tricked into his stupid plan, plans that never worked"

Slade laughed "You can try to act tough all you want, Raven. But you're still just afraid, just like the rest of us"

She snarled in anger "I am not a coward!"

"So you just gave up and ran to a bunch of lowlife scumbags? Started hurting innocent people because it was easier than protecting them? Real courageous stance, Raven. I can see why everyone wants to follow you"

"Mock me all you want, but I was right! Ozpin has no plan and Salem can't be stopped! I didn't even need the Relic to figure that one out"

"No, you just needed to lose Summer"

"You don't know anything about that!"

"And you don't know anything about Yang, you abandoned her because you were afraid!"

"I know more than you think!"

"Because you've watched from afar? That doesn't mean you know her! It's just a convenient excuse for you to twist how she feels so you can manipulate her. Fortunately, Yang is smart enough not to fall for that. She's smart enough to know you care more about yourself than you do about her"

She scoffed "You ran away because you were scared, Slade. Scared of Salem, scared of caring for someone again, scared of becoming just like all the rest. You and I aren't as different as you'd like to think"

"I don't sacrifice the people I care about, I sacrifice for them. I don't prey on the innocent, I protect them. I came back"

She took a deep breath, calming herself "You did... and that is what I do not understand"

"Why would you? You'd have to give a damn about someone other than yourself"

"How dare you!"

"No, how dare you! You don't care about Yang, you're just scared of being alone, of no one being there to die in your place, like Vernal. Don't pretend saving me, saving us, is for any other reason than to manipulate her into leaving, when that doesn't work, you want me to try and convince her to leave myself, am I right? You think because I ran away before, that I'll do it again"

"That's not true! You don't know anything about what I want!"

"I know you're not above manipulation. You tried to trick Yang when she came to see you, tried to convince her with information on Salem, but refused to tell her everything unless she chose to stay with you. Then you used her as a distraction all so you could claim the Relic for yourself. You manipulated her until the end, until she convinced you of how stupid your plan really was. You're quick to make decisions but you rarely see the big picture, you don't think through the consequences of your actions"

Raven growled "I admit, Yang is smarter than I gave her credit for, but that doesn't change why I'm here. I'm no longer with my tribe, I left it all behind and followed you here to Atlas. Do you really think I did all of that because I was afraid?"

"Yes, I do. I think you did that because you're afraid Salem would've hunted down your tribe if you'd stayed"

She balked "I... that's not... you don't know what you're talking about"

"Uh-huh" Slade crossed his arms over his chest "I rest my case"

She scowled "I just want to know what made you come back. What did Yang do to convince you to start fighting for Ozpin again"

"She didn't 'convince' me to do anything" Slade took a deep breath "She just... reminded me why I wanted to become a Huntsman in the first place. She reminded me of the person I wanted to be, and not the person I was. I still didn't trust Ozpin, and I planned on keeping a very close eye on him"

"Planned? What changed?"

"Everything did. The Relic showed us the truth, showed us what he'd been through, what Salem was and what she wanted. It showed us everything, it made me rethink all my choices, and I know I didn't always make the right ones... but I can't change those, all I can do is make the right choice now"

"And that means following Ozpin, following Ironwood?"

"Neither of them are why I'm here today, Raven. I'm here because I lo-" he cut himself off, chastising himself.

Raven gave him a smug look "Oh no, I understand now why you stayed. You two are absolutely smitten with each other"

He sighed "Can't you just go crawl in a bush somewhere and die? That would be great"

She chuckled "But you know now that Salem can't be killed, she's immortal. She'll always win in the end... and that means you'll lose her, or she'll lose you"

"And she'll destroy everything if we don't stop her, which means I'll lose Yang anyway. Maybe we can't kill her, but surely there is something we can do"

"Ozpin's already tried. Containment, Magic, the Relics, killing all her followers, it's always the same. Eventually, Salem comes back and it starts all over again. Even if you're successful, even if you manage to live out the rest of your life and Salem doesn't get the Relics... she'll just come back, and the Huntsmen that come after you will do this all over again. Ozpin will make sure of it"

Slade glared "Then at least there will be a next generation of Huntsmen, better than letting Salem win so I can enjoy what time I have left instead of fighting"

She shook her head "You truly are a fool"

He snorted "Coming from you, I'll take that as a... as a..." his eyes glazed over "I... uh..." his eyes started to shimmer brightly for a moment.

"Slade?" Raven asked uncertain as he teetered "Hey!" she called as he collapsed to the ground unconscious "Slade!"

We need to find that tree

In the morning light, the snow covered valley was covered with Grimm, many of them breaking from their snowy prison, along with dozens of soldiers in blackened armor. A Wyvern soared overhead, spawning more Grimm with each passing moment, flanked by the other Grimm flying all around it. Through the snow, a ghostly hand broke free with a barely perceptible growl. Pulling herself from the snow, she made her way over to where Sable was buried and reached into the snow, pulling him free.

"You have made a grave mistake" she growled.

"You seem displeased"

She lifted him with one arm over her head "You knew the price of betrayal!"

He laughed "You can't betray someone you were never loyal to. I knew from the beginning what you planned, why you wanted my help. I've been working against you anyway I could ever since you recruited me. I'm only sorry I couldn't do more, or fight against you directly"

"You... you're the reason they've been so successful against me. How they've discovered my plans time and again" she seethed.

"In part, yes. Truthfully, they've been far more successful in thwarting you than I ever could've imagined. I can't wait to see the look on your face when you fail to destroy the kingdom, fail to claim the Relics"

"That chip in your head makes you do what I command. Even you cannot resist me completely"

"True... but I trust them to stop me, to stop you. They've proven they're up to the task. They may be young, but they're true Huntsmen, true Huntresses"

She growled "Your punishment will be severe"

"There is nothing you can do to me that can trump what Chimera already has. And there will never come a day where I will stop fighting you, where I will stop trying to do my duty as a Huntsman. Never"

She scowled "That... is unwise" she dropped him to the ground "I have the perfect task for you, traitor"

"I can't wait to hear this"

She gave him a sickening grin "You are going to destroy Mantle"

---

That's all for now, guys! Sorry I didn't end up getting this one out sooner. Honestly I've had this chapter ready to publish for a little over a week now, but just couldn't bring myself to finish the last scene until now. Had some unfortunate family issues that needed to be handled and unfortunately, without going into too much detail, now I've gotta work through the grieving process. I'm planning on taking the next week or so off from writing to get myself back into the right headspace before finishing out the next few chapters. I promise I won't leave you guys hanging too long though! Once again, I wanna thank all of you for your patience and wonderful messages, it means a lot to me. Until next time!