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.

45. Loyalty

Hey guys! Sorry for the long delay, honestly I've been having some issues saving documents on this site. It's been hard to motivate myself to write or post new chapters when the website itself wasn't even letting me. Thankfully I managed to get this done all the same and FINALLY got it to save so I can post it for you guys. Hope you guys enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

"Speech"

Thoughts

Overlapping Speech

---

Chapter Forty-Five: Loyalty

Ironwood, Slade, and Winter all made their way out onto the academy landing pad with dozens of soldiers following close behind them. The soldiers took up positions around the landing pad from every angle, making sure there was no easy route of escape. Ironwood and Slade had their pistols in hand, and Winter's blade was held in a reverse grip in her right hand.

"Do you think Ruby was sincere?" Ironwood asked.

"About needing help for Oscar? Certainly. As for the rest of it, unlikely" Slade answered.

"Then we keep a close eye on her, both of you. Be ready for anything" he ordered.

"Understood, Sir" Winter replied.

"What she said"

"Good"

"To be honest, James. I'm not sure this is the right call, I'm all for sitting Ruby down and talking with her. But trying to use her as leverage against Oz is sort of..."

"Morbid?"

"I was gonna say heartless, but, yeah. I mean, Oscar's just a kid"

"And he'll be a dead kid if we do nothing"

"I'm not suggesting that, but keeping Ruby here might not-"

Ironwood turned toward Slade with a stern glare "Do I need to remove you from the situation?"

Slade took a deep breath "No, James. Just trying to make you aware of our options. You did set up this meeting without consulting anyone"

"I don't need either of your opinions on what's best for Atlas, I just need you to follow my orders"

Slade frowned "I..." he stopped when he noticed Winter's stern look "I understand"

"Good, then stow it. We have incoming"

The Manta came down for a landing, resting between the squads of soldiers. The door facing the academy entrance peeled open, revealing Ruby as the only one inside. She stepped out onto the landing pad, making her way toward the three of them, stopping only a few feet away. Slade allowed himself a small smile, nodding to her.

"Hey" she gave a small wave.

"Ruby" he greeted back.

"I'm surprised, Ruby. I was sure you'd bring back up, plan an ambush, something" Ironwood admitted.

She shrugged "Would that have helped Oscar get the help he needs?"

Ironwood snorted "No, I supposed it wouldn't" he holstered one of his weapons "Watch her"

"Sir" Winter replied dutifully.

Ironwood stepped forward and held a bolas out for her, but this one was different. Instead of the usual purple, it was a myriad of colors, constantly changing from one to the next. Ruby looked hesitant, but nonetheless held her arms up, allowing him to bind them with the odd colored bolas. Once it was secured on her, the color shifted to match her Aura, then locked firmly in place. There was a faint pink shimmer that overtook the bolas just before it settled on the red of Ruby's Aura, but no one seemed to notice. She looked down at the bolas questioningly.

"What's this? It looks different than the others we use"

"A prototype" he answered "It links with your Aura, makes any use of it or your Semblance impossible. If you try anything, it'll drain what energy is used by your Aura, rendering you harmless" he explained.

"You really thought of everything, haven't you, General?"

"It was originally designed for Salem, but I haven't been able to test it out on anyone who can use Magic like she does. So I wouldn't advise trying to use your eyes either"

"Can't use them unless I'm around Grimm anyway, so unless you plan on sticking me in a room with Cinder" she shrugged "Won't be a problem"

Ironwood nodded, letting out a breath in relief "Good, because I really don't want to fight you"

She smiled "You saved my life from Hunter, I know you're not a bad guy, General. I just think we disagree about what's right"

He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder "I am hoping to remedy that"

"You're letting her keep her weapon?" Winter asked.

"I'm not arresting her, Winter. Just a precaution in case she tries to run off again. Besides, that will handle anything she tries to pull now. Can't fight without her Aura" he explained.

Slade holstered Defiance "Well, now that all that is out of the way, why don't I just go get Yang"

"Why don't you let me handle that?" Winter offered, stopping him with a hand on his shoulder.

"You?" he asked slightly annoyed "What, you don't trust me anymore?" he pushed her hand away.

"I'm calling your judgement into question, not your loyalty. You don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to Ms. Xiao Long" she answered.

"I-"

"That's enough" Ironwood turned toward Slade "We all know the terms of the agreement, what does it matter who escorts Yang to the infirmary?"

"That's... I.." Slade offered Ruby a passing glance, noticing the worry on her face now "Yang's already mad at me for siding with you, James. Can't you give me this? Let me give her some good news?" he pleaded.

"Her resentment is precisely the reason you shouldn't be the one for this task. I can handle her just fine"

"Agreed. Winter is acceptable"

"But-"

"Do we have a problem?" Ironwood asked narrowing his eyes at Slade.

He sighed, stepping aside to let Winter pass "No, Sir"

"Good" he folded his hands behind his back "If you'll follow me" he called back to Ruby in a soft voice.

"Uh, yeah..." she looked to Slade slightly panicked.

He didn't meet her gaze, just followed behind her as they entered. Winter peeled off from them, heading down another hall as the soldiers filed in behind them. One squad stopped at the entrance, while the other followed them until they reached the medical area. Ironwood stopped at the door to the infirmary and turned toward Slade.

"Why don't you go find something for her to eat. I am sure she is hungry"

"Seriously? Can't you have someone else-"

"Slade, now" he demanded sternly.

He groaned "Whatever" he called over his shoulder as he turned away.

Ruby blinked "You're sending him away?" she asked surprised.

"To get you something to eat, like I said"

"I don't suppose you'd believe me if I said I'm not hungry"

He offered a light hearted smile "Trust me, you're going to want what I'm offering"

"I'll take your word for it" she muttered as he opened the door.

"Ms. Rose!" Pietro called with excitement "I'm delighted to see you're doing well-" he stopped when he noticed the bolas on her "Is that truly necessary?"

"Just a precaution, Pietro" Ironwood assured.

He quirked his brow, unconvinced "Right..." he turned to Ruby "Don't worry, I have exactly what you're looking for"

Ruby let out a breath of relief "Whew, I was hoping you'd say that"

He quietly muttered to himself as he searched the small refrigeration unit with several vials in it. Removing one of them, he took a small plastic bag full of medical supplies from one of the nearby cupboards "I synthesized the antivenom as soon as James told me you'd called, this should be everything you need to administer it to Mr. Pine"

"Thank you, Doctor" she smiled "I really appreciate it"

"I'm just glad I was able to deliver on such short notice. Now, I believe the General wishes to speak to you alone"

"I do" Ironwood confirmed.

"Then I shall leave you to it" he nodded to Ruby, leaving the antivenom and the bag of supplies on the front rack of the refrigeration unit before shutting it and leaving without another word.

"So... we have a bit to catch up on" Ironwood took a seat in one of the chairs inside, motioning for her to do the same beside him.

"That's an understatement. General, Salem is moving Apathy into the sewer tunnels beneath Mantle. She wants to pacify the crater and then send in the Grimm to do the rest" she explained as she took her seat, only a small table separating them.

"Leaving them vulnerable to attack with no hope of defense" Ironwood sighed "I knew she was stalling"

"Stalling?" Ruby asked.

He nodded "Late last night, Salem came to us here in the academy and offered us a deal. She wants you, and the Relics. She's promised to leave Atlas intact if we do as she says, and she gave us forty-eight hours to comply"

"How long do you have now?"

"Thirty-seven, assuming she was being truthful, which we can pretty much guarantee she isn't"

"Which means we need to be ready before she attacks"

"Precisely, which is why I am going to have Slade open the vault once Yang gets here"

"What?" Ruby asked shocked.

"I know you don't like my plan, Ruby. But I think maybe you might come around if you're there when we speak to Jinn. Maybe then you'll understand our options better, right now every other choice seems like the wrong one"

"And abandoning the people in Mantle is the right one?" she asked incredulously.

"If it means protecting Atlas, keeping the Relics from Salem's grasp, then yes. I know there's the risk Oz mentioned, but-"

"Risk?! It's a death sentence for all of us!" she argued.

"Then let the Lamp confirm that truth. I can't just take Oz at his word anymore, not after everything you've told me"

"I understand not trusting him blindly, General. But not listening to Professor Ozpin was one of the biggest reasons Beacon fell, you kept secrets from him just as much as he did from you"

Ironwood sighed "I know, and that's why I am being transparent with you now"

"Well, what if the Relic doesn't tell you what you want to hear? What if it only confirms what Ozpin said? What then?"

Ironwood frowned, closing his eyes and exhaling before answering "Then we do things your way, Ruby"

She blinked in surprise "W-what?"

"If we die, either way, I'd rather die trying to fight back then just rolling over and letting my pride kill us all" his eyes glazed over slightly "But I know my plan will work, I just need the rest of you behind me on this. I don't want any of you to die"

"Neither do I" Slade called from the doorway with a plate of cookies in one hand.

Ruby's eyes lit up "Ooh!" she squealed with delight "For me?"

"You and you only" Ironwood answered "Though I doubt you'll mind if Slade or Yang take one" he chuckled at her childlike nature.

"I think she can enjoy them all on her own" Slade replied, placing the plate down on a small table between them.

Ruby quickly gobbled up three cookies before he returned to an upright position "Mmhm" she agreed through her full mouth.

Slade couldn't help but smile "Shouldn't Yang be here already?" he asked.

Ironwood nodded "Perhaps she's proving a bit difficult to convince" he placed two fingers to his earpiece "Winter, ETA?" he asked, receiving no answer "Winter? Do you read me?" he asked, once again getting no answer.

"Want me to check on her?" Slade asked.

Ironwood nodded "Quickly, if something is wrong, I want-" the door to the infirmary slid open.

"James, I need to speak with you" Jacques implored with urgency.

"Now's not a good time, Jacques" he rebuffed.

"It's important, James. I need to speak with you, now!" he insisted.

Ironwood sighed "Slade, go check on Winter. I'll be right there if you need me" he replied.

"I understand" he left without another word.

Ironwood got to his feet, turning toward Ruby, he unfastened the bolas and secured it to the table and chair to stop her from escaping "Stay right here, we won't be long. The more you struggle against that, the tighter it gets, so try to keep still" he gently warned.

"Yesh, Shir!" she offered a two fingered salute through her full cheeks.

As soon as Ironwood left the room, Neo's Semblance deactivated, Ruby's image changing to Penny's and Neo appearing from the wall nearby. She freed Penny from the bolas and moved to the door to keep them covered in case anyone came back. Penny moved straight toward the terminal nearby and opened her index finger into a plug, inserting it into the port, connecting herself to the system.

"Ruby, cameras are on a loop. You're clear"

"Right, clearing the landing zone now" she whispered back "Uncle Qrow, are you in position?"

"Caw!"

"I'll take that as a yes. Let's go!"

---

Nora grimaced at the sight before her "You always take me to the nicest places, Ren"

Ren couched down, inspecting the body "This is the third group this morning, all Chimera"

"This wasn't any Huntsman, none in the crater even dare head out this far"

Ren stood back up straight "If not them, then who?"

"Our guardian angel?" she shivered from the cold, the wind howling around them.

Ren frowned "Come on, let's get back where it's warm. Jaune will want to know about this anyway"

"Yeah..."

They started their way back, taking the opposite path from where they started to cover as much ground as they could. The two of them rounded the corner back towards the crater to find another body belonging to a member of Chimera. This one was strung up with a Scroll in his holster. As soon as they drew near, the Scroll stuttered to life, a message displaying on the screen. Nora scooped it up and looked it over, then frowned at Ren.

"If you can read this, turn back. Death ahead"

"Quite the warning"

"I don't like this"

"Neither do I" Ren poked his head around the next corner carefully, his eyes widened "Oh..."

"What is it?" she asked with concern.

"Booby traps" he answered "Someone's been busy"

There were several chassis of Atlesian Knights hanging from cables or half buried in the snow. With no obvious suspects to the trap setter, they continued back to the crater, circumventing the traps carefully. Nora turned on her heel as she approached the corner, she gasped as Ren wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her back, his Semblance active, keeping them both hidden from the Grimm horde on the other side of the street. An Ursa sniffed the air, lifting its head up curiously, after a moment, it returned to laying on the ground.

"Thanks" Nora breathed out.

He nodded in reply "There's dozens of them"

"Yeah, I didn't think they'd moved this close to the crater already"

"Penny did say they were advancing. Hopefully we slowed them down by trapping the Apathy in the sewers. At least until they find another way out... Guess we found out what those traps were for"

"You think so?"

"Those traps were obvious, no one would've fallen for those, and that's not even considering the warning and the 'scarecrow' left behind. Why bother setting traps if no one would fall for them?

"Because the Grimm aren't smart enough to notice them"

"Exactly"

The two of them walked in silence, careful to not alert any nearby Grimm and to avoid anymore traps that might be around. They found several spots littered with traps and "scarecrows" to go with them, making it obvious whoever was doing this wasn't targeting people, but Grimm. They just wanted to make sure no one from Chimera disarmed them, or removed the warnings.

"Ren?" she called softly.

He exhaled "Yes, Nora?"

"Are you okay?" he stopped in his tracks.

"I... I'm... why're you asking me that?" he questioned as he turned back to her.

"Well, because you seem... not okay. Mad, or sad, I don't know"

He sighed "I'm fine, Nora. Just have a lot on my mind"

"Is it me? Did I do something wrong?"

"What?! No!" he answered without hesitation "Nora, I'm... I don't really, talk about feelings"

She giggled "Yeah, I know, Ren" she elbowed his arm playfully "It'd get in the way of your quiet time"

He took her hands in his "What's this really about?"

"I... you just don't seem yourself. I know there's a lot going on right now, but something is bothering you. And I just don't know what I can do to help you"

He sighed, pulling her in for a hug "Thank you, Nora. I just... I..."

"What? What is it?"

"I froze"

"Huh?" she asked pulling away.

"Back at the pharmacy, with Ruby and Neo... I saw her down there, she needed help... and I froze"

"You're... feeling guilty?"

He nodded "She was helping... is helping us, but when I looked at her, all I could think about is Pyrrha, how she died, how Neo tried to kill Ruby, and I just... I just..."

She kissed him on the cheek "No one blames you for feeling that way, Ren. Heck, I was ready to wring her neck when she showed up with Ruby... but she did save her life from Tyrian and stopped Mercury and Emerald from taking her"

"She did... even if one of those was purely selfish"

Nora smiled "She saved Slade too. I hate to say it, but maybe we were wrong to mistrust her. I can see she's trying at least"

He nodded "I-" he stopped as Jaune's voice crackled through their earpieces.

"Guys! Get over here!"

"What is it? What's wrong?" Ren inquired as they separated.

"Oscar's awake!" They fixed each other with surprised looks, then bolted back toward the crater.

---

"I still cannot believe he shot me" Cinder whined.

"You can't say you weren't asking for it" Watts chuckled.

"I couldn't have told him anything even if I'd wanted to! Shooting me wasn't going to miraculously make me know the answers he wanted!"

"No, but I'm sure it made him feel better after you insulted him"

"Well the Schnee roughed you up a bit too, so don't act all high and mighty with me, Arthur"

"And yet she still got nothing out of me, excluding a bit of frustration, I suppose"

"What about you, Emerald? Slade play hardball with you too?" Cinder asked.

"Uh, not exactly-" she started to answer.

"Ugh, will you just SHUT UP!" Yang groaned "Some of us don't have two hands to cover our ears"

Cinder laughed "Aw, poor blondie. Would a kiss from your boyfriend make it all better?"

"Ugh" she groaned once more.

The entrance to the cellblock opened to reveal Winter Schnee with a small white case under her arm. She marched with purpose over to Yang's cell and lowered the Hard Light barrier. Stepping inside, the loud clack of her heels came to a halt behind Yang, who was facing the wall on her side in the cot.

"On your feet, Xiao Long. We have somewhere to be" she ordered.

"Go away" she grumbled.

"I said, on your feet!" Winter rolled her out of bed with her open hand.

Yang caught herself on her hand and twisted into a standing position, her eyes flashing red "I said leave me alone!"

Winter stood straight, taking in a deep breath before replying "Good morning to you too"

"What do you want? Ironwood want another go at me? Or maybe it's my turn to-" she stopped when Winter opened the box in her hand, showing her the contents "I... is that...?"

"An olive branch" she answered "One that Slade insisted Ironwood allow him to grant you"

Yang couldn't help but smile, running her fingers along her prosthetic "Slade did?"

She nodded "And the General agreed, considering the circumstances"

"Circumstances?" Yang asked as she placed her arm on once again.

"You'll see"

Yang flexed her hand to test it out, but was surprised to find something in her grip "An earpiece?" she breathed out confused.

Suddenly she was caught in Winter's grasp, slamming her against the wall, pinning her arm behind her back "Stop resisting!" she said loud enough for the others to hear.

"What the hell is wrong with you! I-" Yang stopped when she felt a familiar feeling on her wrist.

Winter moved her lips to her ear and whispered to her "I loaded your weapons for you, just in case. You're getting out of here" she explained, Ember Celica now secured in its place.

"What?" Yang whispered back in surprise.

"Tyrian poisoned Oscar, Ruby made a deal with Ironwood to get him treatment. But It's not really Ruby with Ironwood right now, he just thinks it is. Once you head out the door, run straight for the landing pad, there should only be a few guards there, and your team is waiting inside the airship"

"What about the cameras?"

"Penny has them handled, as long as father has done his part. You need to move fast"

She nodded "Okay, can you let go of me then?"

Winter tightened her grip "You need to make this look real enough for Ironwood to believe. I need you to hit me-ah!" she groaned in pain from a metal elbow striking her in the face.

"Sorry!" Yang called, rushing to the door and locking it, the Hard Light barrier separating them.

"Yang! Stop!" Winter cried after her.

"Not on your life!" she called back before bolting for the door.

"Yang!"

She pushed the earpiece in "Anybody hear me?" she asked.

"Yang!" Ruby called "It's so good to hear your voice!"

"Ruby!" she smiled "I'm so glad you're okay! I was so worried Ironwood wasn't telling the truth or the Grimm had-"

"Later, Yang" Weiss interrupted "You know where you're going?"

"Yeah, I'm heading there now"

"Good, Penny shouldn't be far behind you with what we need for Oscar" Blake replied.

"Affirmative! We're wrapping up and headed your way!" Penny reported.

"Okay, okay. I'll be there-" Yang assured.

"There you are!" Slade called, stopping her in her tracks, eyes wide.

She turned toward him "Slade..."

"When Winter volunteered to get you, I was expecting... some... precautions" he slowed his speech as he took in the sight of her, weapons locked and loaded "Yang, where is Winter?"

"Slade, are you with us, or...?" she asked hopefully.

He rubbed his eyelids in frustration "I see, you're breaking out"

She put her hands up in a placating manner "Slade, I need you to trust me, come with me. We can stop Salem if we work together"

He shook his head "I knew this deal of Ruby's was too good to be true" he muttered.

"Slade, please..." she tried.

"Yang, you don't understand what you're doing. James is trying to work with Ruby, not against her. If you just come with me, I can show you-"

"So he can lock me in a cell again? No thank you" she argued.

Slade sighed "Yang, I need you to put your hands in the air, right now"

She put her fists up in a defensive position, causing him to grip Defiance "Slade, you know what Ironwood's doing is wrong"

"He is trying to protect Remnant. I know we're in a scary situation right now, but if we don't work with him, we're only playing right into Salem's hands"

"He's going to abandon a city full of people to certain death because he's scared of what might happen! I won't just sit by and watch while people are in danger!"

"I'm not asking you to! But if you go to Mantle and Salem attacks, you will die, Yang. I'm not going to let that happen, whether you like it or not. I'd advise you to surrender before things have to get ugly" he removed Defiance from his holster.

"Then we've got a problem, Slade" her weapons primed to attack "Because I don't intend to sit in a cell and wait for you and Ironwood to get my sister killed"

Slade frowned "I don't want to fight you, Yang... but I will if you leave me no other choice"

"I'm not going back to that cell, Slade" she replied, narrowing her eyes at him.

He pointed Defiance toward her "I'm better than you, Yang. You know that. You don't stand a chance against me alone"

"You know, Slade... when I lost my arm, I was scared, and I hid away in my room, in the safety of my home while Ruby was out fighting everyday to make things better. When I met you, I saw that same fear in you, and we helped each other heal. We've become so much more than I ever imagined we could be when we first met... but I'm not going to hide anymore, and I'm never going to back down again... even from you"

"Yang..." he looked down at his weapon as she took a step closer to him "I can't let you die..."

"It's time to ask yourself what you can live with, Slade. Can you live with the blood of so many innocents on your hands? Even if it means I get to live?"

A tear cascaded down his cheek "I made a promise, and I don't intend to break it... not again. I'm sorry, Yang..."

She had tears welling up in her eyes now too "So am I..."

Yang launched herself toward him, catching his weapon in her hands as he attempted to fire, redirecting the bullet into the wall beside her. Slade wrestled with her for control, but was pushed back when she used an open palm strike to knock Defiance back, wrenching it from his grip. He caught her by the shoulder and twisted around, throwing her into the wall, falling onto her side with a groan of pain. She fired Ember Celica from her place on the ground, forcing him to shift out of the way. Springing to her feet, she swung for his head, only for her metal fist to collide with the wall beside his head as he moved out of the way. He delivered a strike to her abdomen, stumbling her slightly. With a growl, she unleashed an incredibly fast barrage of strikes against him. Slade barely managed to keep ahead of her, dodging and blocking her strikes before a powerful strike to his face sent him flying through the air. He caught himself on his hands, flipping back to his feet as she launched herself toward him.

He spun on his heel and swung his leg up to kick for her face, forcing her to dodge as he struck the wall. She shoved him away from her, then struck for his chest, only to have her arm caught in his grip. He slammed his fist into her abdomen, knocking the wind out of her, then caught her by her chin, throwing her over his shoulder into the wall. She spun on her hands and kicked for Slade, only to find his own kick matching hers. Springing up to a standing position, she slammed her fist into his face, firing as she struck. He grunted from the pain of the strike, but used her momentum to spin into a kick to her abdomen, knocking her onto her rear, sliding a short distance away. She scrambled to get back to her feet as he kicked for her once more, forcing her to redirect his strike with her hands.

Yang swung for his head, causing him to roll back away from her. She followed with two more strikes as he acrobatically avoided her strikes with backhand springs. Yang leapt up into a strike for his head from above, forcing him to block with his gauntlets. She used her leg to sweep his out from under him, firing her weapons to slam him into the ground. Slade flipped back onto his hands, kicking her arms away as he returned to a standing position. She swung her fist toward his face, only to slam into the wall as he dropped into a backhand spring away from her. He leapt into a kick for her face, landing the strike as she swung for him, then followed it with a second strike from his fist, dropping back into a handspring away from her as she lashed out.

Slade kicked off the wall into a flip one leg at a time to avoid a strike from her, connecting each heel into her face as he descended to the ground. He then spun into a final kick to her face, stumbling her back. She growled in frustration, charging right toward him with her fist pulled back to strike. Slade sidestepped and kicked up toward her face, forcing her to block with Ember Celica. He kicked again with a more powerful strike, knocking her arm down so he could follow through with two more kicks, one to her abdomen and another to the back of her knee. She dropped to one knee, managing to block another kick for her face with her metal arm, only for a second kick to knock it aside, followed by a third from his opposite heel, knocking her onto her hand. She picked herself up and fired her weapons for his chest, only for him to slide beneath her legs, slamming his heel backwards into the back of her remaining knee, dropping her onto her hands.

Slade used his Semblance to recall Defiance, spinning it in his hand as he turned back toward her "Yang, I've not even begun to use my Semblance yet. You know how this is going to end"

She punched the ground in frustration "No! I'm never giving up! Not until I can't move anymore!" she twisted into a strike for his face.

Slade used his forearm to deflect her strike, then aimed Defiance for her over his arm. Yang closed her metal hand over the barrel as he fired, catching the round in her grip. He quirked his eyebrow at her, then swept her legs out from under her, using his opposite hand to secure her in a bolas. She writhed on the ground, struggling to get free from his grasp. He holstered Defiance, using both hands to restrain her.

"Yang, that's enough. We're done here"

"Never! I will never stop fighting! I won't abandon Ruby! I won't!"

"Yang, calm down. Just take a damned breath and listen to me-gah!" he cried out in surprise as he stumbled, prosthetic in his grip.

Having wrenched free of him with her remaining arm, she twisted into a powerful strike to his chest, sending him flying into a flip on his heels, sliding to a stop with his open hand to the ground, losing his grip on her arm. Yang caught her prosthetic and replaced it quickly, ready to continue their fight.

"Guess I shouldn't expect you to make this easy on me" he straightened, readying himself for her next move.

Yang fired two shots with punches in his direction, forcing him to sidestep each of them as she quickly closed ground with him. She spun into a kick for his head, only for him to spin beneath her leg, then twist around a follow up strike, firing Ember Celica as she did. She kicked for his chest, forcing him to lean back away from it, then duck forward beneath a strike for his face. Twisting into an open palm strike to her elbow as she struck, he fired Defiance into her abdomen, stumbling her with a groan of pain. Extending his hand out toward her, he caught her arm in his Semblance, then with a wave of his hand, she was sent flying, flipping through the air until she slammed down into the ground painfully.

"Is that it, Yang? I taught you better than that"

"Shut up!" she called in annoyance.

"Come on, I know you can do better. I-" he turned just in time to avoid a kick to his chest, flipping back down the hall on his hands "So... it was a feint after all"

"Yang, are you alright?" Ruby asked with concern as the rest of the team joined her.

"I'm okay, but we need to get out of here. Ironwood could be on us any second now"

"Speaking of" Slade pressed two fingers to his earpiece "James, Yang's loose, and her team is here, all of them" he recieved no answer "James? Can you hear me?"

"He's not going to answer" Weiss explained.

Slade sighed "Penny"

"That's right, you might've had it easy against one of us. But now you've got the whole team" Ruby gave a confident smile "Come with us, Slade. You know we can't abandon these people to the Grimm, to Salem"

"Ruby, I don't want to abandon those people either. The decision to save Mantle is still on the table, just come with me. Talk to James, please-"

"We tried talking" Weiss spat.

"Didn't go very well last time" Blake added.

"Look, there's more going on here than you understand, with James, with Salem, everything. If you give us a chance to explain, we can come up with a solution, together"

Ruby frowned "I'm sorry, Slade. But we can't give up now, and Ironwood will never let us leave if we don't come to a decision he likes"

"Let us go, Slade. This doesn't have to get any uglier than it already has" Blake tried.

"I can't do that" Slade shook his head "We can stop Salem, I know it, but we have to work together"

"And you think we should do that from in a cell?!" Yang asked.

"No! Of course not! But trapping yourselves in Mantle isn't a plan! It's suicide!"

"We have a plan...! Sort of... most of one. Ruby?" Weiss tried.

"Seriously?" Slade asked in annoyance.

"It's a good plan! Or it will be!" she frowned "Okay, I know I'm not exactly being convincing here, but I know we'll come up with something"

Slade sighed "Look, I get where you're coming from, but you're not thinking like Huntresses, you're thinking like kids. This isn't a fairytale where everything just gets better because we're the heroes and Salem's the bad guy. This is the real world, and in the real world, people die! That's real, and that's permanent!"

"There's no point trying to convince him, he's already made up his mind" Yang glowered, raising her fists once more.

Slade frowned "Let's get this over with then" getting into a defensive position.

Ruby's gaze hardened "It didn't have to be like this, Slade"

"This can end, just lower your weapons, and I'll do the same. Your choice"

Ruby spun Crescent Rose, aiming it toward Slade, Weiss held her Myrtenaster aloft, Blake had Gambol Shroud separated into each hand, and Yang cocked Ember Celica. Slade checked Defiance, replacing any rounds used before closing the chamber once more.

"Fine, if that's the way you want it to be"

His wrist blades shot out as he fired his gauntlets at them, forcing them to dodge or block each round. Slade fired his grappling hook, wrapping it around Crescent Rose, pulling himself on his back into a rising kick into her abdomen, sending her backwards. Weiss swung for his chest, forcing him to block with his left gauntlet, then duck beneath a follow up horizontal slice for his head. Blake swung upward with her cleaver, though Slade was able to spin around the strike, holstering Defiance. He then caught her hands by the wrists when she swung both blades down onto him, restricting her movements. Blake pulled her legs up, kicking them both into his chest and sending him onto his back, sliding to a stop a short distance away from them. Yang leapt after him, firing her weapons to propel her toward her target, she pulled her fist back to strike, her prosthetic swinging right for his face. Slade caught her punch in his hand, using his Semblance to slow her momentum enough to manage the strike with ease.

He redirected her as he spun on his back, kicking her arm away from him as he rose to a standing position. Slade spun into the air, delivering three kicks as he twisted toward her chest, forcing her to use her metal arm to block each strike. Ruby used her Semblance to race toward Slade, catching sight of her, he flipped backward through the air one leg after the other, slamming his heel down onto her head, dropping her to the ground, rolling back onto her chest with a pained groan. Yang tried to uppercut him, but found him twisting around the strike as he spun into a kick for her face. She managed to duck out of the way, but the first strike was a distraction from a second, more direct kick to her abdomen, sending her flying backward, flipping into the landing as she rolled onto her shoulder into a crouched position.

Gambol Shroud soared over his shoulder in pistol form, firing back toward him a moment later. He caught it in his hand, twisting back toward her, he yanked on the ribbon connected to it, pulling her toward him, into a powerful upward kick to her chin. Slade narrowed his eyes when Blake vanished, her Semblance leaving him open for multiple shards of ice to strike him in the chest, stumbling him back with a groan of pain. Weiss raced toward him with the help of her Glyphs, thrusting her blade toward him. The blade passed right through him, eyes widening in surprise. Slade caught her armed hand by her wrist, twisting off the blade, he kicked her leg out from under her, flipping her back into the air, he then twisted into a kick from behind into her back, throwing her down the hall away from him.

Ruby spun Crescent Rose vertically, slicing the ground as Slade rolled out of the way, then leapt back into a handspring away from a descending kick from Blake. Ruby fired Crescent Rose, forcing Slade to duck beneath the round. Yang planted her feet behind him, pulling her fist back into a strike for his face. Slade placed his hands on the ground, twisting into a kick for her legs faster than she could react, knocking her off her feet onto her hands. She sprang up to her feet only to receive a kick to her abdomen, knocking her onto her chest.

Slade turned and fired Defiance at Blake, causing her to flip acrobatically over each round. Ruby fired Crescent Rose, launching herself toward him in a spinning strike. Slade dropped back into a backhand spring, kicking her weapon up as he did, causing her to stumble from the weight of her scythe overhead. Blake fired Gambol Shroud at him, forcing him to use his gauntlet to block as he kept himself level on one hand. A black Glyph appeared behind him, pulling him from the ground toward it. He turned toward it just in time to see Yang being propelled forward by a path of Glyphs, smashing her fist into his face, sending him flipping back through the air, rolling on his side to a stop.

Slade took notice of Weiss with her blade directed to the ground, a large Glyph behind her, Arma Gigas emerging from it. Blake kneed him in the chest, stumbling him back, then swung for his head, forcing him to duck beneath the strike. He kicked for her legs, only for her to flip overhead. He saw Yang take position in front of Weiss, protecting her while she finished her summoning. Yang's metal arm suddenly turned toward Weiss, firing into Weiss, distracting her Semblance from producing Arma Gigas, the pale white suit of armor dissolving a moment later. He slid out of the way of a downward kick from Blake, then blocked with his wrist blades as she swung Gambol Shroud toward his chest.

"Come on, guys. I know how you think, how you fight, distractions aren't going to work on me. You know that"

He flipped forward over a strike from Ruby, firing Crescent Rose to propel herself forward "That doesn't mean we won't try!"

He caught himself on his hand, pushing off the ground to avoid a slice from Blake. Ruby directed Crescent Rose toward him, firing for his chest, only for the round to change course and strike Blake instead, throwing her back away from him. Slade then waved his hand toward Ruby, throwing her with his Semblance back toward Yang and Weiss, the former of which, caught her in her grip. Gambol Shroud swung around him, restricting his arms to his chest. He rolled his eyes, twisting back toward her, he flipped sideways through the air, yanking her toward him as he passed through the ribbon with his Semblance, sending her flying over toward the rest of her team. He aimed Defiance toward them, his finger resting on the trigger.

"I think we've wasted enough time, don't you?" Yang growled in annoyance, launching herself forward by firing her weapons "Guess not" he grumbled.

Slade shifted around two different strikes from her weapons as she struck, then spun around her knee as she leapt toward his chest and flipping sideways over a kick for his legs. He sidestepped two more rounds from her, then spun around a kick for his head into a crouched position, firing his gauntlet into her foot as she prepared to strike again, stumbling her forward. Slade twisted into a kick across her face, followed by firing a round from Defiance beneath his arm back into her abdomen, knocking her into the air and then down onto her back, sliding to a stop. He held Defiance aloft toward her team and his open hand toward her, ready for whatever their next move would be. Yang got to her feet and immediately rushed right back toward him.

"She's just going to tire herself out doing that. What's she doing?" Weiss hissed.

"I don't know, we've gotta help her" Blake replied.

"How? He keeps anticipating our attacks?"

"His Semblance makes him able to redirect or just pass right through anything we throw at him. But we're already doing better than our first battle with him, we're moving fast enough to actually hit him sometimes" Ruby explained.

"So we just need to move faster and coordinate our strikes to look for any openings he gives us" Weiss concluded.

"Exactly! It seems like his Semblance uses up alot of his Aura at once, so he can't rely on it too heavily, right?"

"Yeah, I've noticed that too" Blake agreed.

"Alright, let's watch for any opening we can use while Yang's keeping him busy"

Slade shifted around each round fired from Yang with ease, firing Defiance back at her, forcing her to block or dodge each round as she closed the distance. She leapt into the air and fired twice more, forcing Slade to shift around the first, then redirect the second back into her midair with his Semblance, sending her crashing to the ground.

"Yang, stop this. I don't want to hurt you-"

He was interrupted by her next attack, striking out from the ground with Ember Celica, then leaping into a kick for his face. He dodged both strikes, then lifted her into the air with his Semblance, slamming her down into the ground, her Aura sparking from the damage. He sighed as she got back on her knees, turning toward him with a look of determination. He fired Defiance at her, forcing her to roll away from it. His eyes widened when he saw a wall of ice soaring through the air toward him through several Black Glyphs.

"Crap!"

He barely managed to catch it using his Semblance, it shattered a moment later, Yang leaping through the shards with her fist pulled back to strike. Using his Semblance, he caught Yang and flipped her over his shoulder, crashing down to the ground painfully. He shifted around a slice from Gambol Shroud, then caught her kick for his face in his hand. He looked up just in time to catch sight of Ruby using her Semblance to propel herself down from above onto his position. He rolled out of the way as Blake's Semblance allowed her to escape unharmed. Ruby spun her scythe expertly, swinging vertically for his right and left side.

Slade blocked one strike with his gauntlet, then spun into a kick to knock her weapon away from him on the opposite side as she struck again. He fired several rounds from his gauntlets, forcing Ruby to block them with her scythe, spinning Crescent Rose in front of her. Directing it behind her, she launched herself forward, blocking two rounds from Defiance as she flipped overhead. She continued to deflect each and every shot fired from his weapons, only firing once to force him to dodge the attack. His eyes widened when he caught sight of Penny soaring through the hall toward him, slamming her fists into him, both of them crashing through the wall behind him. Slade slid back, having caught her hands in his with the help of his Semblance, with a cry of exertion, he threw Penny over his head, sending her over the edge of the academy.

He turned in time to block several ice shards from Weiss. Yang leapt out with a strike toward his abdomen, forcing him to flip over her to avoid her. He leapt toward her with his wrist blade, thrusting for her abdomen as she flipped one leg at a time over his shoulder, then ducked back away from a second horizontal slice. Thrusting his blade toward her, Yang caught his arm over her shoulder, flipping him over the edge of the academy. He managed to snag his blade on the edge and swing back into a kick to hip, throwing her onto her side. She spun to her feet only for his grappling hook to catch her by the arm and flip her forward onto her back.

Slade leapt into a spinning kick to her abdomen as she rose, throwing her back into the wall inside "Yang!" Ruby called.

"This fight is over" Slade called as he placed a bolas onto Yang "Now, you can either stand down or-" he stopped when he felt something around his wrists.

He looked down to find a bolas around his hands, matching the color of his Aura. He recognized the bindings immediately, blinking in surprise at the sight of them. He looked at Yang, who wore a confident smirk on her face. She blinked, her eyes shifting color, one pink, one brown. His eyes widened in shock.

"Neo-ugh!" he groaned when she slammed her heel into his chin.

He managed to recover enough to dodge a swing from Crescent Rose, followed by a kick for his abdomen. He thrust his hands out toward her, attempting to use his Semblance, only to find the bolas stopping him from doing so. He caught her scythe in the center of the handle as she attempted to strike him again, raising it to allow him to kick her in the chest, only to find a Glyph blocking the strike, pushing him back away from her, sliding to a stop. Yang launched herself toward him, swinging her fist into his face, stumbling him as both her strikes hit their marks.

He delivered a rising kick into her abdomen, followed by a spinning kick, sending her backward a short distance. Blake's ribbon wrapped around both his legs, binding them together, stopping him from defending himself. A trail of black Glyphs appeared, leading from his legs upward, dragging him upward by his legs and rooting him to the ceiling. Ruby spun a bolas in her hand, launching it toward Slade, binding his arms to his chest as he hung from the ceiling. He was shocked and amazed how quickly they'd managed to plan this, and how effectively they were executing it almost flawlessly. He knew there was no way Yang had known about the plan, and they couldn't have known he'd interfere, to be able to adapt to such a situation so quickly, he wondered if maybe they really were thinking like Huntresses.

Don't I look stupid now...

Yang leapt toward him, her Semblance active, pulling her fist back to strike. With no escape, it was all Slade could do to position one gauntlet to block the strike, but without his Aura or Semblance to protect him, he was sent barreling down the hallway, crashing into the corner wall at the end of the hall after rolling painfully, Gambol Shroud unwrapping from his legs. Before he could even consider moving, another bolas was secured around his ankles by Penny, having appeared from thin air with Neo right behind her.

"Ow..." he groaned.

"Now it's over" Yang declared, her emblazoned hair returning to normal.

Slade looked up at her "I... suppose it is"

"I told you it didn't have to be like this. You could've worked with us" Ruby reminded.

"Yeah, maybe" he shifted his gaze over to Neo "Something stupid, huh?"

She smirked, then signed "What? I told you it was probably going to get me killed, didn't I?"

He chuckled, stopping with a wince of pain "Yes, I suppose you did"

Ruby threw her arms around Yang "I'm so glad you're okay"

"You're such a worry wart, Ruby" she laughed as she returned the hug.

"To be fair, we had no idea what was going on up here after we left" Blake added, hugging the two of them.

"After Ironwood threw you in a cell, we weren't sure what condition you'd be in" Weiss agreed, joining the hug.

"Pft, please. Ironwood didn't do anything too bad"

"Not yet anyway" Slade mumbled.

"Well, I'm glad" Ruby smiled up at her sister.

"Me too"

"Touching as this is, we need to go, like now. Ironwood could find us any moment" Weiss declared.

"She's right" Slade replied "You should leave, quickly"

"What? Now you're helping us?" Yang asked.

"I was never not trying to help you, I was just trying to keep you from getting yourself killed. If he sees me like this, and Neo with you, he probably won't have the best reaction"

"Oh, yeah" Yang turned toward her "Since when has she been on our team?"

Neo offered a polite wave "She's a... recent addition" Ruby answered timidly.

Penny looked down the hall "We have two minutes at most before Ironwood finds us, we need to be gone by then"

"Alright, we're going" Blake assured.

Neo gave an affirmative nod, then a two fingered salute to Slade before turning to leave. Penny, Weiss and Blake followed suit. Ruby looked to Yang with concern "Don't be too long, okay"

"Right behind you" she assured.

Slade waited a moment for Ruby to get out of earshot, then sighed "Yang, I understand you probably hate me right now-mph!"

He was silenced by her lips on his, surprising the hell out of him. It took him a moment to get with the program and reciprocate, returning a short, but passionate kiss to the blonde. She pulled back much sooner than she wanted to, but she knew she couldn't afford to waste any more time right now.

"I don't hate you, Slade. I know you're trying, even if I don't agree with it"

"But-"

"I'm not finished" she interjected sternly, shutting him up "No matter what happens next, no matter what you choose to do next, no matter how this ends... I'll be here, ready to finish where we left off"

He smiled "No matter how this ends" he agreed.

She smiled back "Be careful, okay?"

He nodded "I'd tell you the same, but we both know you won't listen" he smirked.

She snorted "You're one to talk" she kissed his forehead "I hate leaving you behind"

"I hate letting you go... guess we're both making hard decisions today"

She gave a soft laugh "I promise I'll come back"

"I promise to be here when you do"

She nodded, rising to her full height "You'd better"

She left promptly, catching up with her team as they raced down the hall away from him toward the landing pad. Slade sat silently, waiting for someone to come and find him in his particular predicament. All the fighting he'd done had made the bolas around his wrists to become incredibly tight.

"what a woman" he mused. Elise stepped around into his view and crouched down to his level with a quirked eyebrow "What? Why're you looking at me like that?" he asked indignantly.

She smiled "Oh, no reason" she moved to sit down beside him "You know this only makes things more complicated right?"

"Yeah, believe me, I know" he sighed "I don't know what the hell James is going to do now"

"If he was willing to work with Ruby before, he won't be now"

"I know"

"What're you going to do now?"

"I... I don't know. I want to stand by James, to stay true to my word... but with Yang headed down to Mantle and Salem on our doorstep... I just don't know anymore"

"He's going to snap, Slade. He's a ticking time bomb, and you don't want to get caught in the blast, or worst, let them get caught in it"

He rolled his eyes "Your Semblance tell you that?"

She scoffed "You don't need to see the future to predict Ironwood snapping"

"Potential futures. Key word" he argued.

"You think I'm wrong?"

"You said I'd regret letting Neo go, not really feeling that right now" he smirked.

She huffed "Alright, so my predictions aren't perfect. Just... be careful, please? Without us, Remnant is-"

"Doomed, yeah. You've said that a few times now" he sighed "Still, I'll need Oz if we're going to accomplish anything after this. The only way that happens, is if we drive Salem off"

"Ozpin will return if Oscar dies, you just can't stand the idea of letting this play out on its own"

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just suggest letting the kid die. You're certainly not the Elise I remember"

"You try being a disembodied voice in someone else's head for a few years and see how well you do then" she shook her head "You certainly haven't changed, stubborn as ever"

"You're too kind"

"You're a fool"

"That's Mr. Fool to you"

"Ugh"

Ironwood came rushing down the hall with soldiers in tow, catching his attention "Slade! What happened?!" he demanded.

"Yang got free, Penny was blocking communications so I couldn't warn you. Ruby and the rest of her team ambushed me, I wasn't able to stop them" he showed the bolas prototype to him "Neo was working with them. I don't know how, I don't know why, but they headed toward the landing pad, and I don't know where the hell Winter is"

Ironwood nodded "Unbind him" he ordered before rushing off toward the landing pad. Slade stared after him, Neo's letter on his mind.

Something stupid, how about that?

Ironwood made it out to the landing pad in time to see the Manta starting to take off. He rushed to the open door and leapt after it, barely managing to get his grip on it. He dangled from the edge by one hand for a moment, struggling to get his opposite arm up. Pulling himself up into the cabin, he was confused to find it empty. He pointed one of his pistols at the pilot, a stern look on his face.

"Hands up, now!" he ordered.

"Hey, General! What seems to be the problem?" Maria asked, turning around to look at him.

"Ms. Calavera?" he asked surprised "What the hell are you doing?"

"Joyriding!" she grinned, then banked right hard, throwing him into the wall with a joyful laugh.

"Land this ship this instant!" he bellowed.

"But that wouldn't be a very good distraction, would it?" she pushed down on the stick, but was confused to find the ship didn't budge "Huh?" she asked in confusion.

She looked out the window to her right and saw the now freed Slade using his Semblance to restrain the ship. Lowering his hand toward the landing pad, he forced the ship down, leaving a very disappointed Maria and an infuriated Ironwood within. The General pulled her from the cockpit, dragging her out of the Manta. He pushed her to the soldiers that had followed behind Slade.

"Put her in a cell" he ordered.

"Spoil sport" she huffed.

"Sir, I don't think that's necessary" Winter's voice called as she marched out to them.

"Excuse me?" he asked incredulously.

"Ms. Calavera is an old woman. We should put her back in her room, under guard, certainly. But placing her in a cell would be cruel"

"She's right, she doesn't deserve to be stuck in a cellblock with people like Cinder and Watts, despite the circumstances" Slade agreed.

"She... that's..."

"You already stuck Yang in there with them, you really want to give them more evidence we're fighting amongst ourselves? Salem is liable enough to attack us without dangling it in front of her face?" Slade asked.

"Salem has several operatives still at large, if they break one of them out..." Winter allowed him to imagine the rest.

Ironwood sighed "Fine, just... return her to her room, and don't let her out to go anywhere without a guard detail"

"Yes, Sir" the soldier saluted, then escorted her inside with the rest of his squad.

Ironwood waited until they were gone "Where the hell have you been? What happened?" he demanded.

"Yang got the jump on me, Sir. I was trapped in her cell until one of the men came to deliver lunch"

Ironwood growled in anger "They got away, they got exactly what they came here for and we lost Yang!" he slammed his fist into the side of the Manta, denting it.

"They caught us by surprise, I won't deny that... what do you plan to do?" Slade asked Ironwood.

He took a minute to collect himself before answering "I... I don't know" he stormed off.

"Sir?" Winter called, but recieved no response.

Slade sighed "Great, that's just wonderful"

Winter shook her head, hands on her hips "Are you okay?" she asked turning to him fully "That couldn't have been easy for you, fighting them, especially Yang"

He nodded "Yeah, we uh... we're uh... we're okay"

"We?" she asked confused.

"She told me she... she'd be waiting for me when all of this is over, even though we're both standing on opposite sides of Ironwood's plan"

Winter allowed herself a small smile "Well, at least that's something. I only hope Qrow feels the same. We didn't exactly part on good terms"

"Qrow is more of a show than tell type" he chuckled "I'm sure everything will work out in the end. Assuming we don't all die, of course"

She snorted "Of course"

---

"Oscar..."

His eyes snapped open, his breathing ragged. As he slowed his breathing back to normal, he took in his surroundings. The lush greenery, a tall tree in the distance, and Ozpin standing just beneath it, hands folded in front of him. Oscar noticed immediately the seemingly infinite nature of the empty field they were in.

"This place again?" he breathed out.

"You're the one who controls this, Oscar" Ozpin answered from directly beside him.

"Ah!" Oscar jumped, falling against the tree he'd suddenly come to stand under "Stop doing that!"

Ozpin chuckled "Again, I'm not the one controlling this"

Oscar groaned "Right..."

He extended his hand out to the boy, who gratefully accepted it "Now, try to focus. It's going to be hard to converse if we're jumping around the whole time"

"Why is it always this place? If I can control where we are, why is it always here?"

Ozpin shrugged "That's a question I don't have the answer to, like many of the questions I'm sure you want to ask me right now"

Oscar huffed "Do you at least know what is going on? Where everyone else is? Where we are?"

Ozpin nodded "Tyrian managed to surprise me, you're unconscious now because of him. Ms. Rose and the others managed to get you to safety in Mantle, but without medical attention, your condition isn't going to improve"

"That's great... so I'm going to die without Ironwood's help"

"We're all going to die without help from James. Salem will capitalize on any weakness, and division is one of her greatest weapons"

"But Ironwood's plan is doomed to fail"

"Using the Relics carelessly will only lead to more problems, even if they solve today's issue. Believe me, I know from experience"

"Then what do we do? How do we stop Salem?"

"As I said, we need to work with James"

"Yeah, and all he wants is to use the Relics, and he definitely doesn't trust you! So how do we work with him without following through on his plan?"

"That... I don't know"

Oscar groaned "Some help you are"

"I am trying, Oscar. But I don't have all the answers. If I did, do you really think we'd even be in this situation to begin with?"

"Well, no..."

"Listen, Oscar" he turned away from him "I thought Elise was dead and gone, I thought there was no way to remove Salem from Slade's subconscious, and I certainly didn't expect you all to recover the Lamp from her when she'd secured it. I don't know why Salem wants Ruby alive, or why she is targeting Yang now. All I do know, is that if we don't do something, we're going to lose Atlas, and a lot of innocent lives"

"Then we need a plan, something to stop or at least minimize our losses"

"I know..." Ozpin turned back toward him "I should've come to you sooner, hashed things out with James before Salem arrived. But I was a coward, and now you're all paying for my mistakes, again"

"Okay, okay... then, what do you think we should do? How do you think we should proceed?"

"I think... I think you've all been doing tremendously on your own without my help. The first thing we should do, is compile our knowledge and see what the others think. Using the Staff is not completely out of the question, but if we're going to use it, we have to do so carefully"

"So why not use the Lamp? Jinn can tell us exactly how to use it to stop Salem and save Atlas at the same time, right?"

He nodded "She can, but then we'd be forced to wait until the next century before we could ask anymore questions. If we had the Relic from Beacon we might be able to... I don't know, get some options. There's always Elise's Semblance too, maybe Slade knows something we don't"

Oscar gripped his head in frustration "Ugh! This is too much! Nothing we come up with is a concrete plan! It's all guesswork!"

Ozpin chuckled "Welcome to the fun, I've been doing this for centuries. It doesn't ever get any easier"

The boy frowned "You locked Salem away with your Magic before, right? Why can't you do that again?"

"I don't have much Magic left to begin with, as I said in Mistral, it's rapidly dwindling. If the Maidens came together and assisted me, perhaps I could, but that would leave the Grimm here free to rampage without anyone to control them"

"Which is just as dangerous as leaving her free" he sighed "Okay, but we don't have the forces to fight off the Grimm ourselves, right?"

"Not with that abomination in the sky. That thing could destroy Atlas alone, we'd have to target it"

"Could Ruby's eyes help?"

"Against a creature of that size? Honestly, I don't know. Perhaps from the inside it could... hmm..." he rubbed his chin thoughtfully "Even if we took that thing down, I am uncertain if we could win in a fight against what Salem has brought to bear against us"

"There's gotta be something!"

"If there is a solution, I'm not seeing it, Oscar. I'm sorry, but we'll need more than just my perspective on this if we're to come up with a real plan. And for that we don't have much time"

"Then what should we do?"

"Do" echoed a voice matching is own.

"Uh... did you hear that?" Oscar asked.

"I did" Ozpin got to his feet "But where did it come from?"

"Come from. Come from. Where did it come from?" echoed his own voice now.

The area around them suddenly began to darken, the grass drying out and dying, the tree leaves seeming to burn away, leaving it an empty husk. They moved away from the tree, the open sky around them. The both of them felt a presence behind them, turning to meet it. Before them stood a second Ozpin, only this one looked far more like Salem than himself.

"What the hell-?"

"What the hell are you?" it asked in both their voices, as if anticipating their thoughts.

The dark Ozpin looked toward Oscar now, his appearance shifting to match Ruby's own, stature shortened, skin filling in slightly, but not enough to match Ruby's usual appearance. Her eyes were lifeless and cold, she tilted her head in curiosity. Before either of them could think to react, black tendrils emerged from her back and arms toward them as many voices both familiar and unknown screamed. Oscar cried out in surprise as Ozpin leapt between them.

Oscar shot up to a sitting position with a loud cry, followed by pained groans "Oscar?" Jaune asked shocked.

"Ow... the hell was that?" he asked holding his hand over his mostly healed chest wound.

"Oscar! You're awake!" Jaune cried "Guys! Get over here!" he added, pressing two fingers to his earpiece.

He groaned "And you're loud"

"Oscar's awake!" he removed his fingers from his earpiece, directing his attention back to the boy "Hey, Oscar. How are you feeling? Do you hurt anywhere? Are you okay?" he asked, speaking a mile-a-minute.

"I feel awful, and it's making me hurt everywhere" he groaned.

"Well, yeah, I guess that makes sense. Poison and all" he muttered to himself.

"Oscar, don't tell him about what we just saw"

"What? Why not?" he questioned irritably

"Whatever that was, it wasn't Salem, it'd just add to the pressure they're already feeling" he explained.

"You want me to lie to them? Haven't you already done that enough?"

"I don't mean for you to keep things from them indefinitely, just don't tell them until after Atlas is safe. We don't even really know what we just saw, but it sounds a lot like what Ms. Xiao-ahem, what Yang encountered when she was connected to Slade"

"Maybe..." Oscar replied unconvinced.

"Oscar?"

He snapped out of his trance "Huh? What?"

Jaune frowned "Oz?"

He nodded "Yeah, he was... apologizing for letting me get struck by Tyrian. We've been trying to brainstorm some ideas to handle Salem. But he thinks we should talk with Ruby and see if we can come up with a solid plan"

Jaune smiled "Great! We'll just have to wait until she gets back from Atlas and then we'll-"

"Atlas?!" Oscar's sudden outburst surprised Jaune "What is she doing up there?!"

"Getting help for you" Ren called from the entrance to the tent.

"You're okay!" Nora cried as she rushed over to him.

"Ren? Nora?" he blinked in surprise "Wait, if you're all down here, then it's just the, uh..." he counted on his fingers "Four of them up there alone?!"

"You're finally awake" Radcliff called.

"Should we try and tell Ruby?" Jaune asked.

"No, it won't make a difference to her objective there. She and the others will learn upon their return"

"Well, I hope they get back soon... because we found something out on patrol"

"Father! Father!" Catalina called from outside.

Radcliff turned and held open the tent "Catalina? What is it?" he asked as she came into view.

"They're back! Listen!"

Radcliff stepped outside, followed by Jaune, Ren and Nora. They turned their attention skyward, the engine of an airship causing many of the nearby civilians to clear out, leaving plenty of room for a ship to land. A Mistral airship appeared out of thin air, pink patterns surging over the ship just as the dirt started to get kicked up around them. Once the ship touched down, the doors opened for those within to exit.

"Yang!" Jaune called, delighted to see she had come back with them.

"Heya" she called with a smile, hopping down from the ship "Didja miss me?" she asked, opening her arms to them.

Nora crashed into her "You know it! Who else am I going to arm wrestle with?"

"It's good to have you back" Ren added, hugging her as well once Nora had released the blonde.

"Good to be back, sorry I didn't bring more"

Jaune hugged her next "What happened up there? You guys look like you've been put through the wringer"

"Things didn't exactly go as planned" Ruby explained.

"That's an understatement" Qrow added.

"Hey, at least you're all alive, right?" Catalina replied, trying to be optimistic.

"Hey... it's good to see you guys" Oscar called from the entrance to the tent.

"Oscar!" Ruby zipped over to him, leaving rose petals in her wake, her arms wrapping around him "You're awake! We were so worried about you"

He returned the hug, releasing his hold after a moment "I'm sorry I worried you-woah!" he stumbled, only for Ruby and Neo to catch him before he could fall.

"Easy, don't hurt yourself" Blake called as she approached with the others.

"How're you feeling?" Penny inquired.

"Like I got hit by a train"

Qrow chuckled "I remember, Tyrian's poison is a real kick in the ass"

"Tell me about it" he groaned.

"Come on, let's get him back inside" Radcliff suggested "It'll be easier for the doctor to work without such a large audience"

"Affirmative, the faster Neopolitan can administer the antivenom, the faster his recovery" Penny agreed.

"Right, that's just what I was going to say" Yang nodded along.

"Was it?" Ruby asked unconvinced, leading Oscar back inside with Neo's help.

"Well, not in those words exactly" Nora giggled at her friend "Oh, shut up. I did not miss you guys"

"You did" Weiss replied matter of factly.

"Ugh, whatever"

They all gathered back inside the tent, Neo immediately going to work getting the antivenom into his system "When exactly did she start helping us again?" he asked pointing to Neo.

"I was gonna ask the same question. Last time I saw her she was trying to kill you, and that was like, yesterday" Yang pointed out.

"Tyrian trapped me up in Atlas when everyone else made it down here. Neo saved me, got me down here, and she's been helping ever since" Ruby explained.

Yang crossed her arms, unconvinced "Right, because last time she helped was just out of the kindness of her heart"

Neo frowned, but didn't take her attention away from her work "Well, she's helping us now, and that's what's important" Ruby reminded her sister.

"Neo's on our side, and right now, we need all the help we can get" Ren agreed.

Neo looked at Ren in surprise, he nodded back to her, earning a smile from her. She turned back and finished up what she was doing, then motioned for Oscar to lie back down. He was reluctant at first, but relented when she fixed him with a stern glare. He rested on the makeshift table, sighing in mild frustration.

"How long is it going to take for me to be back in fighting shape?" he asked.

"By tomorrow" Nora answered, Oscar groaned in response.

"It did take me a full day once I got treated in Mistral, though I had it in my system for a long time in comparison" Qrow answered.

"See? You'll be fine by morning" Nora chirped.

"And if Salem attacks by then?"

"Uh, don't die?"

"Nora!" Ren hissed.

"No, she's right. Dying does seem like something we should avoid" Yang agreed humorously.

"Who's Salem?" Radcliff asked.

"Oh, uh... she's uh, well..." Ruby tried and failed to think of a lie.

Qrow sighed "Great"

Oscar blinked "Oh, they didn't know... right"

"Don't know what?" Catalina asked suspiciously.

"Shouldn't we just tell them?" Weiss asked.

"Tell us what?" Radcliff asked more insistently.

"Ruby" Qrow called in a warning tone.

Ruby fixed him with a glare "They're helping, they deserve to know. Not everything, but this, at least"

He exhaled "Fine, do whatever you think you should"

She nodded, then turned her attention to Catalina and Radcliff "Chimera are the guys with guns who attacked Corinth, and they're the ones using their gadgets to control the Grimm, but that's not why all those Grimm out there are here. And they're not the ones behind that massive Grimm in the sky"

"But this Salem is?" he asked.

"Yes, she controls the Grimm, and she is responsible for the Fall of Beacon and the White Fang's attempt to destroy Haven. Without the White Fang, she went to Chimera instead. Now they work for her, and she wants to destroy Atlas"

It took them both a moment for that information to sink in with them "If that is the case, then why hasn't anyone killed her? Why wouldn't you be more upfront about her?"

"Professor Ozpin believed it was better to keep her out of the public eye, the Grimm are drawn to fear, and what do you think would happen if the world knew someone was controlling them"

"They'd panic" Radcliff nodded along "James knows about her?"

"He's terrified of her, that's why he's being so... irrational" Weiss answered.

"James? Afraid? She must be pretty scary if he's frightened of her. I've never seen James scared of anything in his life"

"She's incredibly powerful, not even Oz was able to defeat her alone. That's why we have to work together"

Catalina nodded in understanding "I think I know someone who can help with that"

"Your friend?" Radcliff asked, receiving a nod in response.

"Friend?" Qrow asked curiously "The same friend you couldn't find before?"

She nodded "I'll take another look around for him, not exactly like he could've gone anywhere outside the crater, right?"

"Go, but don't go too far on your own. It's dangerous out there right now" Radcliff warned.

"I know, Father. I'll be careful"

"Do you want someone to come with you?" Jaune offered.

"No, thank you for the offer. I'll be fine" she left without another word.

"We need to figure out how we're going to evacuate these people to Atlas" Blake pointed out.

"Then why don't you guys get me up to speed? What exactly happened? I didn't even know Oscar was poisoned" Yang questioned.

"And we'd very much like to know what happened up in Atlas, it seems your friends came through for you at least" Radcliff pointed out.

"And we found something out on patrol, something important"

"Important? You never mentioned-" Radcliff started.

"Stop, stop, stop, stop" Qrow waved his hands in front of his face "One thing at a time, all of us are missing some details here"

Ruby let out a sigh of relief "Thanks. Qrow. Yang, why don't you tell us what you know and we'll fill in the blanks for you"

Yang took a deep breath "Okay, well, I know you and Ironwood didn't see eye-to-eye on his plan to stop Salem. Then you guys busted out and made it down here, Emerald tricked Ironwood into shooting Slade, Salem tried to make a deal with him, and... uh... yeah, then Winter broke me out"

"Winter did?" Weiss asked surprised.

"The Ice Queen?" Qrow laughed "Didn't think she had it in her to go behind old Jimmy. I'm impressed" he smirked.

"As am I" Radcliff agreed "She's always been fiercely loyal to him"

"She's even more loyal to family" Weiss added.

"So... what happened with you guys?" Yang asked.

"We tried to break you out, but we couldn't reach the holding cells. Then Hunter and Tyrian attacked us outside the academy before we could escape" Blake explained.

"That's how I got injured" Oscar added.

Jaune nodded "Right, Penny managed to get him down here while the rest of us used the tethers connecting Mantle to Atlas"

"That was when Neo saved my life from Tyrian" Ruby chirped.

Yang snapped her fingers "Ah, got it. That's why those tethers aren't connected anymore"

"Yeah, was real hard on Weiss and me, injured and all from our fight with Cinder" Qrow replied.

"They all went to find some medical supplies to help Oscar in a pharmacy nearby, until they were attacked by Captain Evans" Radcliff explained.

"Evans? That guy from Corinth? Why'd he attack you?" Yang asked.

"Because he was working for Chimera, apparently" he answered with a deep frown.

"Damn, that's rough. What happened?"

"Grimm flooded back onto the streets, they're surrounding the crater now. They're everywhere" Blake shuddered at the thought.

"You're not kidding, I could see 'em all from the airship on the way down. No one is gonna be able to sneak or fight through all of them" Yang concluded.

"And we don't have the numbers to stop them ourselves, we'd need help from Atlas" Jaune added.

"Which isn't happening" Weiss sighed "Especially after how we left it"

"At least we know Ironwood's still on our side, he did save me from Hunter when we were trying to escape" Ruby explained.

"He did? That's... good" Yang replied unsure.

"Well, he did want to bring you both down to the vault with him when he spoke to Jinn, to be transparent with us" Penny added.

"He what?!" Yang asked shocked. Neo nodded, pointing toward Penny emphatically.

"I doubt that offer is still on the table now" Ruby sighed "I wish I knew that was his plan before we broke out of there"

"Well if Slade wasn't working with Ironwood, things might've gone differently" Weiss grumbled.

Qrow blinked "He's... what?" he asked in shock.

"Hey, it's not Slade's fault" Yang defended "At least he's still trying to help us, more or less. He just doesn't think our way is the right way"

"So he's working with him?!" Qrow asked in annoyance "He hated Ironwood before we got here! Hell, he didn't even like the idea of coming to Atlas at all because of him! Why would he work with him now?"

"Qrow, please" Ruby raised her hands placatingly "Now isn't the time"

"Isn't the time? Is he the one who delayed you? The reason we almost got caught? If it wasn't for Maria, we-"

"That's enough, Qrow!" Yang silenced him with her bright red eyes "Not one more word about him"

Qrow waved her off dismissively "Whatever" he turned to leave the tent.

"Where are you going?" Ruby asked.

"Out" he called back as he exited.

"That's not really an... answer" she finished, her tone deflating as he was already out of earshot.

Yang sighed "Ignore him, Ruby. He'll come around"

"Yeah, I hope so"

"Anyway, you were in the pharmacy and Grimm were coming in, what else happened?" she asked.

"We got trapped in the sewers is what happened" Weiss replied.

"Trapped? By Grimm?"

"Those Apathy, like at Brunswick" Blake answered.

"How many?"

"At least twice what we found there"

"Damn, how did you get out? Your eyes?" she asked Ruby.

"Partly, but it wasn't anything we did. Someone else drew their attention back outside, I don't know who. Same person who brought this back to me, probably" she explained, pointing to her rose shaped buckle.

"Uh, you lost that?"

"Evans pulled it off her, then he showed up dead with it not long after we got back. Whoever killed him wanted to return it" Ren explained.

"Then someone down here is helping us. Who?" she asked.

"We don't know, we've never seen them" Nora answered.

"You didn't see anything while we were gone?" Weiss inquired.

"Oh, we saw plenty" she replied.

"Explain" Penny prodded.

"There was boobytraps, along the wall surrounding the crater. They were obvious, though... no one would've fallen for those traps" Nora explained.

"Except the Grimm. They were placed strategically, anywhere a Grimm might think to climb" Ren added.

"Wouldn't Chimera just disarm those traps? If they're really that obvious, why leave them?" Blake asked.

"Doesn't seem like whoever set them was letting any of them get near. The traps were surrounded by bodies, all in Chimera uniforms. Some of them were being used like scarecrows, with warnings to turn back"

"Then whoever set them really didn't want anyone to set them off by mistake" Weiss concluded.

"That was our assumption as well"

"We didn't see that hooded guy from the sewer again either, so I don't know what's going on with that one" Nora added.

"Hood?" Yang asked "Like Hunter and Cole?"

"Yeah, but this one was leading the Apathy, directing them" Ruby answered.

"We suspect the Apathy were to disable those of us in the crater to be picked off by the remaining horde" Penny explained "Ruby had the outlet closest to the crater blocked to slow their progress"

"Not that it probably did much" Weiss sighed "They're probably still on their way here"

"Great, that's just what we need" Yang groaned "Why can't we ever have it easy"

"I don't think that really comes in the job description" Oscar pointed out.

"Does it also include the part about the Grimm god?"

"Fair enough"

"Okay, so we're all caught up again, right? So... Ruby... you do have a plan, right?" Yang asked nervously.

"I do! Or, uh... well, most of one!"

Yang smacked her hand against her forehead "Great, she doesn't have a plan"

"I do!" she argued indignantly "We're going to steal one of those big airships and use it to evacuate everyone at once"

Weiss groaned "Ruby, that might be workable, but if we move one of those airships now, Salem is going to attack Mantle to stop us and changing the defense formation of the fleet leaves Atlas exposed too"

"Not to mention taking a fully staffed airship is not possible for a group of our size, we'd need twice the numbers" Blake added.

"We stopped the one Chimera stole" she argued.

"From crashing, we didn't land the thing" Jaune pointed out.

"Then we just get Neo to use her Semblance on the ship so no one can see it and make a fake one so Salem doesn't know it is missing. That'd work, right?"

Neo's eyes widened in shock, she waved her arms in front of her in a panic "I believe that is a negative, Ruby" Penny frowned.

"Ugh" Yang groaned once more.

"This conversation has taken a turn for the moronic" Ozpin pointed out.

"Yeah, you said it"

"Well we have to do something!" Ruby argued.

"Doing something that makes things worse isn't a better alternative to doing nothing, Ruby. We need to think carefully about our next move. We know Salem is going to attack if we try and evacuate, so we need to do it as quickly as possible" Weiss explained.

"Which we know isn't going to be possible without one of those big airships, yeah" Ruby sighed "It's like you said, Blake, we don't have enough people"

"May I?"

"Just make it quick" Oscar's eyes shimmered for a moment, he sat up as they continued to debate.

"Maybe Slade was right, maybe the only way to help Mantle is to-" Yang started.

"If I may"

The group turned toward Oscar in surprise "P-professor?" Ruby asked.

He nodded "I know there's a lot I need to apologize for, and I promise I will make it up to you. All of you" he gave Yang a sympathetic look "But we don't have a lot of time, and Mantle is depending on us"

"Am I missing something here?" Radcliff asked.

Ozpin looked at him with a smile "It's a long story, but the short of it is, I am Professor Ozpin"

"The headmaster of Beacon?" he asked shocked "No, there's no way"

He shrugged "Unfortunately, there is a way. Perhaps I'll even tell you why, if we both survive what comes next"

Radcliff scoffed "Sure"

"What do you think we should do? Ruby asked.

"Are you sure you want to hear his plan? It'd probably just be to lie again" Yang pointed out bitterly.

Ozpin chuckled "Ah, I've never appreciated just how forthright you can be Yang until this moment" he cleared his throat "Ruby, think about the problem we're facing, the solution is staring you right in the face"

"It... is?" Nora asked confused.

"What is the reason none of our plans will work?"

"Salem will kill us if we try any of them?" Yang offered.

"Fair, but not quite what I was getting at"

"We're undermanned, we'd need more people" Weiss answered.

"Yeah, but we can't do anything to solve that" Jaune reminded.

Ruby's eyes widened in realization "Yes we can!"

Nora quirked her eyebrow "What? How?"

"Think about it, why were we able to stop Salem's plan in Mistral? How did we manage that?"

"Slade came back and Yang's mom beat Cinder?"

Ren sighed "Technically, you're not wrong, Nora. However, I think Ruby is getting at something else"

Blake nodded in understanding "Menagerie came to reinforce Mistral, the White Fang couldn't fight against our numbers if they'd wanted to"

"Exactly!" Ruby bounced on her heels in excitement "If we can convince the people out there that they need to fight to stop the Grimm from killing everyone, then maybe we have a chance!"

"Those people out there don't know how to fight, most of them aren't soldiers or security" Ren pointed out.

"Neither were most of the people coming from Menagerie" Weiss argued "All we need to do is arm them. There's bound to be plenty of tools around the crater"

Yang pounded her fist into her open palm "That's what I'm talking about! We bring the fight to the Grimm, make Salem wish she'd never given us the chance to turn this battle around"

Radcliff sighed "Well, it's not a bad plan in theory, but with those numbers out there, we couldn't possibly have everyone ready before they attack. Not everyone would be able to have a weapon"

"What about the Knights that were down here, fighting the Grimm? They'd have weapons, right?" Jaune asked.

"Anyone working for Chimera would've had them too, and there's a crashed airship outside the city with plenty of weapons too" Penny added.

"Could you get them back without the Grimm spotting you?" Ren asked.

Neo stood up and offered him a thumbs up, her Semblance camouflaging her moments later "Excellent thinking. We could use the airship again with your Semblance to keep us hidden and get all the weapons we'd need without being seen" Ozpin praised.

"Then we've got a plan? You think we can actually do this?" Nora asked.

"Oh, we've got this" Weiss grinned "If we tell people their options, we'll have an army of people ready to fight"

Radcliff sighed "Then you should get started immediately. I'll get the people gathered so you can say what you need to say. I have doubts it's going to change much, but making one final stand is better than nothing"

---

The clacking of Cinder's heels was the only sound within the academy holding cells. Watts stood with his back against the wall of his cell, hands stuffed in his pockets, clearly amused as he watched the former Fall Maiden pace in her cell. Emerald sat on the edge of her cot, unsure what was happening outside. All she knew was that the academy had gone into lockdown, yet there were no guards. Watts shook his head, a light chuckle escaping his lips.

"You know pacing isn't going to change anything" he sneered. Cinder growled, but gave no other response to his condescending tone "Fine, keep wasting your energy" he gave a flippant wave of his hand "It's not getting us out of here any sooner"

Cinder stopped abruptly "No one is going to break us out of here, Arthur" she hissed "If Salem had any intention of bringing us back into the fold, we'd already be there"

He wagged his finger at her "Or perhaps, we're right where she wants us to be" he pointed his finger toward her "You are the only one who can take the Maiden's power" he then gestured to himself "While I am the only one who can get into Atlas systems, which means with Emerald's Semblance, we can do exactly what we're here for, as soon as she breaks us out" he finished a bit deflated.

"She isn't breaking us out, she's abandoning us for the Relic, like she always will"

He shrugged "If you didn't expect that, then you're a bigger fool than I thought. Our relationship with Salem has always been transactional, not out of any sense of loyalty or honor. She wants the Relics, I want James to lose, and you want power, as much of it as you can get"

"Your point?"

"My point, is that we need to focus on what we can do for Salem, not on what she can do for us. She's already provided us with everything we need, it's our failings that got us stuck in here to begin with"

"And how exactly do you suggest we get out of here?"

Watts smiled "We wait for an opening, and we take it at the first chance we have. James is sure to be panicking right about now, especially if Ms. Xiao Long just broke out of here and actually managed to escape the academy"

"You think Ironwood and the girl are at odds?"

He laughed "That was Salem's plan from the beginning, you'd know this, if you weren't wasting your time chasing vengeance against a child"

"She is no mere child, Arthur" she hissed "She defeated a Wyvern with only her eyes"

"She petrified a Wyvern, she didn't magically obliterate it with a single look, despite what the stories would have you believe. Regardless, powerful as her eyes might be, she herself is no real threat. She and James are both easy to manipulate, you two aren't too dissimilar in that regard"

"What?!" she snapped.

"Oh come now, this cannot be the first you've heard this. Raven tricked you at Haven, and despite my warnings to stick to the plan, you insisted on claiming your vengeance on Ms. Rose, how exactly did that end for you again?"

She grit her teeth "Arthur, be very careful. One more word and I-"

"You'll do what? Smolder in that cell of yours? We've already seen what you're capable of, Slade took your power from you! Even after all the work we did to ensure you became the Fall Maiden, you squandered it just like you do with everything! You focus so much on yourself, you forget that you didn't get where you are because of your power. I understand my place in a plan and follow it to the letter without letting anything get in my way. If you did the same, then we would've succeeded long ago"

Cinder growled "Let's not forget your failure to bring down Ironwood"

He scoffed "My goal was to keep him distracted, not to remove him from the board. My part in the plan was carried out flawlessly, regardless of what a simpleton like you might think. It was you who failed to eliminate Jacques because you just couldn't help yourself, you just had to play with your food. And the best part is, when you failed to kill him, you thought you'd have a better chance against the Maiden, which went so spectacularly"

"That-" Cinder suddenly stopped when the door leading to the holding cells opened, an irate Ironwood marched inside.

"Ah, if it isn't my favorite tin soldier. Hello, James" Arthur greeted with a smirk on his face "We were just talking about you"

Ironwood turned his attention to him "Arthur" he approached the cell, stopping mere inches away from the Hard Light barrier "You betrayed your kingdom, your friends, everything you stood for"

"And you fell for it all, every lie, every manipulation, all because you're too incompetent to see what was right before your eyes, because you're inferior"

"I'll grant you this, you are certainly superior to me when it comes to lying, betrayal, and most importantly, failing"

"Fail?" he laughed "You believe because I am in this cell that I have failed? No, James, I did exactly as I was instructed. These two reprobates though..." he scoffed "Neither of them managed to succeed at their part in Salem's plan"

"You mean when they were supposed to trick me into killing Slade?"

"That was merely Emerald's task, killing him removed a particularly annoying thorn in our side, and would turn those brats against you, leaving you divided and fighting amongst yourselves long enough for our forces to destroy Atlas and Mantle in one swift assault. Cinder on the other hand, all she needed to do was kill Jacques, and she failed spectacularly"

"Salem intended to keep her end of the bargain with Willow, and eliminate the council at the same time"

He chuckled, holding up two fingers "Two birds" then switching to one "One stone"

"If your plan was to eliminate the council, then why leave me alive? Why not just kill me and leave Ruby and the others leaderless?"

Arthur quirked his eyebrow "Why indeed?"

"Because Winter would've taken your place" a voice answered from behind him.

He snapped his fingers "Bingo"

Ironwood turned to see Slade "Sir" he nodded to him.

"You" Cinder seethed.

Slade offered her a look of disdain, then returned his attention to Ironwood "General, I think we need to discuss our approach to... our mutual problem" he explained carefully.

Ironwood's gaze hardened, before turning back to Arthur "Salem hasn't broken you free from confinement, any of you. She doesn't discard anything that can be of use to her, she wants you all here, she wants me to keep you in arms reach"

He laughed "Perhaps, or perhaps she's merely waiting for you to have us moved somewhere outside the academy so Tyrian can spring us, or maybe she'll have Sable do it. Oh, I know! She'll come herself and destroy all of Atlas on her own!" he grinned.

The more he spoke, the darker Ironwood's gaze became "You're mad"

"Mad?" he turned away from Ironwood "No, James. I've never seen more clearly in my life" he folded his hands behind his back "Salem is going to create a new world without Huntsmen and kingdoms. And I will be an integral part of that world, so long as I remain useful to her"

"A dead world" Slade mumbled.

"I beg your pardon?" Watts turned back to him.

"Salem wants to bring the Relics together so she can finally die, if she succeeds, all of Remnant will be destroyed, and us along with it"

Cinder's eyes widened "She what?"

"Nonsense!" Arthur snapped "Don't believe a word he says, Slade is a natural born liar"

"Takes one to know one, doesn't it?" Slade asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Ironwood shifted his head just enough to look at Slade, once again, he did not speak. He turned his attention back to Watts cell, a brief flash of the Black Queen chess piece appeared on the barrier between him and the man he once believed to be his friend. His hand lowered to Due Process, gripping the weapon in its holster. His open hand raised to the keypad beside the cell, opening it a moment later.

"Turn around, and place your hands on your head"

Arthur rolled his eyes "The displays of power don't really do much in your position, James. You've already lost this battle, even if you don't know it yet" he taunted as he turned away from him as instructed.

Ironwood removed a bolas from behind his back as Watts placed his hands on the back of his head "On your knees, traitor" he ordered harshly.

"This was always part of the plan, you know. Salem wanted me to lose, to put me right into this cell, that much simpler to feed your paranoia. Atlas will fall, James. And it's going to be all because of you. Because you couldn't see what was right in front of you"

Slade stepped forward, taking the bolas from Ironwood "The General gave you an order. On your knees. Now" he demanded.

He went down onto one knee "Authority doesn't come from demand or rank. You cannot command through strength alone. You cannot just be powerful, you must be brilliant, perceptive, enduring, and above all, you must persevere-"

He gasped in shock as the room echoed with the sound of a gunshot, pain tearing through his chest. He looked down to the center of his chest, his clothes permeating with blood, his hands moved to his wound as he gasped for breath. He dropped onto his side, eyes wide in shock. Slade looked back at Ironwood, his white pistol smoking, aimed straight at Watts. That was when Slade spotted an unsettling sight, his eyes were looking right through him at his target. Without holstering his weapon, he moved to Emerald's cell, opening it with his free hand, he took aim.

"Wait, wait, General, please!" she begged, but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

The sound of a gunshot rang out once more, along with the sound of metal colliding against metal. Emerald stared in shock at the sight before her, Slade stood with his hand on Ironwood's wrist, directing his pistol up to the ceiling. Ironwood's emotionless gaze stared down at him as he glared back up at him. She scrambled away from them, her back pressing firmly against the wall of her cell.

"James-"

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Executing the defenseless isn't exactly a good look for you, James. I get Watts betrayed you, and I know-"

"No, Slade. What are you doing blocking my shot"

"What?"

"Get out of the way, Slade. I can't shoot her through you"

"James, you're not shooting anybody. Not anyone else" he declared, his free arm raising to defend himself.

"You would defend these criminals? What if Salem intends to use them against us, we cannot be certain of anything when it comes to her. If Salem had any of us prisoner, she would-"

"You are not Salem, do not become her"

"I..." he lowered his weapon "I am just trying to keep us safe. All of us"

"I know, James. And I know we'll solve this together, but not like this"

Ironwood sighed, holstering his weapon "I can't lose Atlas, Slade. Not after everything I've sacrificed"

"You won't, this kingdom will win, you'll see" he smiled up at him.

Ironwood nodded, but didn't reply, silently exiting the room. Slade let out a sigh of relief once he was out of sight "I hope you can keep that promise, Slade. I don't know what he'll do if things start turning in Salem's favor" Elise warned as she strode into view.

I know...

"T-thank you"

Slade turned his attention to Emerald "I gave you my word you wouldn't be harmed" his attention shifted over to Arthur's cell "Though I suppose that didn't extend to him"

"Hey! What the hell was that?! What did you mean when you said Salem was going to kill all of us!" Cinder demanded, pounding her fists against the barrier keeping her inside.

Slade turned his attention to her "I meant what I said, you want clarification, ask her yourself and see what she has to say"

"How exactly can I do that stuck in here?"

"Not my problem" he moved to Watts and checked for a pulse.

He's dead

"Ironwood's finally snapped" Elise announced "I knew it'd happen sooner or later"

It's not him, it's his Semblance. He wouldn't...

Elise frowned "Semblance or not, he's a problem, and a detriment to the kingdom in his condition. And that's exactly what Salem wants him to be"

Slade could hear Cinder raving behind him, but he continued to ignore her. He stood back upright, moving back over to Emerald's cell "I can't guarantee your safety in Atlas any longer. I suggest you leave the city, now"

"You're... letting me go?" she asked shocked.

"As I said, I cannot guarantee your safety. You can choose to stay in your cell, or you can escape now. Your choice" he turned to leave.

"How do you know I won't just come after you myself?" she asked.

He stopped at the entrance to her cell "I don't... I guess I'll just have to hope I'm right about you" he continued, heading toward the doorway.

"Vacuo" Emerald called, standing at the entrance to her cell.

"Hm?" Slade turned back toward her.

"You wanted to know what I knew of Salem's plans... I know she's going to target Vacuo next. She's already sent Mercury and Hazel there"

"Emerald! What are you doing?!" Cinder shouted.

Slade smiled "Thank you, Emerald... and good luck" she nodded to him in reply.

Slade promptly exited the holding cells, Cinder's attention shifted back to her old partner in crime "Emerald, open this cell right now" she demanded.

Emerald looked toward her cell with a deep frown. She moved to stand right in front of Cinder's cell, their faces only separated by the Hard Light barrier between them. Without another word, she took off out the door, leaving an incensed Cinder shouting and screaming after her from within her cell, fists pounding on the barrier in desperation.

---

Far below the floating city of Atlas, Mantle was now infested with Grimm. Every street, every corner, the sewer system, even the buildings were full. The rooftops were host to hundreds of Teryxes and Griffons, Nevermores and Manticores. Centinels were burrowed into the walls and Geists were possessing rubble, all of them preparing for battle, yet none of them seemed to be moving any closer to the crater. Numerous Chimera soldiers had filed in through the outer walls of the city, patrolling the roads alongside the Grimm. Thankfully, for those occupying the crater, the walls surrounding them remained untouched, at least for the moment.

Near the outer edge of the wall, farthest from the remaining civilians evacuated there, sat several stacks of shipping containers, the centermost container had sparks bobbing out of the partially open entryway. Catalina snuck around to get a view inside, catching sight of the man she'd been looking for. He stood over what appeared to be a workbench, metal parts from Atlesian Knights were scattered around the floor, rifles and ammunition filled two large duffle bags to his left. Sparks flew from the blowtorch in his hand, but she wasn't close enough to get a good look at his uncovered face, so she moved to step inside. Faster than she could react, he dropped the blowtorch and removed a pistol from the holster on his shoulder, firing a single shot at the ground in front of her, causing her to cry out in surprise. By the time she looked back up at him, his head was hidden behind cloth as she had first seen him the previous day. His pistol slid back into its holster, a deep sigh escaping him.

"Apologies, I thought you were... someone else"

"I can see that" she stepped inside, a bit more timid in her movements now.

"Did you need something?" he asked gently.

"I... yeah, I... uh..." she slowly answered as she looked around the container "You've been... busy"

"I have"

"Doing what exactly? This is... a lot"

He nodded "Preparing"

"For what?"

"Those Grimm out there aren't going to stay out there forever, and S-ahem... Chimera, isn't going to give up Atlas without a fight"

Her eyes widened "How do you know about them?"

"We've had... dealings, in the past" he answered carefully as he fully turned toward her now.

"What kind of dealings?" she asked crossing her arms over her chest.

"The violent kind" he sighed "They were responsible for my daughter's death"

"Oh... I am so sorry, I didn't mean to interrogate you like that"

He raised his hands in a placating manner "It's alright, no harm done" he turned back to the workbench "Was there a reason you were searching for me?"

"I... well, I was hoping you could talk to the others"

"Others?"

"The other Huntsmen, they're talking like we're all going to die tomorrow, they seem to have given up on fighting the Grimm. They're not even patrolling the wall anymore"

"I noticed"

"Then you'll talk to them?"

"Nothing I say will change our predicament" he turned on the blowtorch, finishing up his task "Besides, I've never been one for speeches"

"Well we need to do something, don't we?"

"I never suggested otherwise, just that it can't be me inspiring them. Besides, you've already got a few friends with good heads on their shoulders, here and in Atlas"

"How do you...?" her eyes widened "Captain Evans, that was you, wasn't it?"

He let out a low chuckle "As I said, they've got some good heads on their shoulders. They'll take care of everything"

"And if they can't?"

Sable put down the blowtorch and attached the small device to his forearm "Then I'll pick up the slack"

"What is that?" she asked curiously.

"My advantage" he answered, turning away from her, he lifted the duffle bags with no discernable effort.

"Where are you going with those?"

"As I said, I'm preparing" he offered them to her "Take these, you're going to need them"

"What is all this?" she asked curiously.

"Donations" he answered, pressing them into her hands.

She sturggled to carry them on her own "What do you... want me to do with them?" she asked as he moved to exit the container.

"Listen to your friends, and stick close to the evacuation site"

"How do you know about-" the roar of the engine from an airship reached her ears "-them?" she finished.

He turned back toward her "Ms. Radcliff, I suggest you get back to your father, now"

"You didn't answer my question"

"I know" he turned to leave.

"Wait!" she called, but he didn't stop "Before, you were going to say Salem, weren't you?" she asked anyway.

Sable froze midstep "They told you?" he asked turning back to her.

"Then you do know about her!"

He stared her down, but made no effort to answer or interrogate her further "Take care of yourself. This is probably the last time we'll meet"

She frowned "Why?" she called after him as he moved further and further away.

"Farewell, Ms. Radcliff"

---

Screams of anguish and the sharp crackling sound of lightning was the only thing shattering the overbearing silence of this dark realm. The unnatural arches were beginning to fracture from the powerful energy being expelled. At the center of the black wave of lightning, sat Salem, her shawl billowing behind her. Her hand was outstretched toward her prisoner, who's screams continued for several minutes, her unrelenting torment finally coming to a sudden halt. The panting hooded woman struggled to compose herself, looking up to meet Salem's cruel gaze.

"You know... this would end if you would only give me what I want. You put yourself through all this suffering, you are going to put her through so much more"

"I... I..." she choked on her words, unable to speak in her condition

"Oh, very well" Salem waved her hand over her, healing her wounds almost instantly "Well?"

She laughed softly "I... don't remember. Must've forgotten from all the torture" she looked up at Salem "Maybe if you hit me again?"

Salem took a deep breath "As you wish" using both hands, she placed them onto the sides of her head. The woman started screaming "Do you understand what I am going to do to her once she gets here? Hm? Do you really think you'll be able to keep your composure?"

She released her hold on her, allowing her to answer through the lingering pain "You're... never... going to... win..."

"I won long ago, my dear. The rest of the world just hasn't caught up" she slammed her fist into her face, knocking her head back violently "When I bring her here, when she lays before you, begging you to end her pain, her suffering? I will not allow you to relent. You will be the one to torment her. You! Not me!"

She laughed "If you really were so sure of your victory, you wouldn't be standing here right now... empty handed"

Salem grit her teeth "My forces are poised to demolish Atlas before the sun finishes setting. Nothing those buffoons attempt can avert their defeat"

"Then why are you wasting your time with me?" she asked knowingly.

"Help me understand. What is it that keeps you going? What makes you capable of resisting me for so long? You know the only thing waiting for you is the peace only death can grant you"

She scoffed "Death hasn't been that peaceful"

"You know nothing you do will matter, you know that those children cannot possibly stand against me. No army, no power in this world can hope to resist my power. Yet so many refuse to stand down, to accept their defeat"

"Hope"

"Hope?" Salem furrowed her brow "Explain yourself. How can you have hope when you know there is no hope?"

"You believe hope comes from power, from numbers, that you can extinguish its flames by smothering it with the shadow you cast upon the world. But you can't, because hope is an everlasting flame"

Salem narrowed her eyes "I have seen those who lose hope, those who have nothing worth fighting for any longer. Yet, she has inspired hope in them even when nothing else could. How?"

She smiled "You believe victory comes from insurmountable power, but that isn't the case. True strength comes from fighting for those important to you, from facing down your fears and having the courage to hope for victory. And that comes from things you've lost. From understanding the value of life"

"Why?"

"For the same reason you refused to bow to second rate gods... you just don't know when to give up"

"Second rate? Wait... how do you know about that?"

"I know everything" her voice suddenly shifted to a much deeper one.

The chains restraining the woman shattered apart, her body contorting in an unnatural manner as Grimm fluid enveloped her from every direction. She grew, extending skyward until she was transformed into the visage of the God of Darkness. Salem stared in shock, not sure of what was happening, perplexed by the sight. She angrily extended her hands out toward the God, but found her Magic was gone, she was powerless. His hand grabbed her, wrapping around her midsection with ease.

"Unhand me!" she shouted.

"Do not command me, human" it's voice didn't sound like the God she knew, it was as if several voices were speaking at once, but she couldn't place all of them.

Salem was flung back into one of the archways, smashing through it and bouncing along the top of the ocean of Grimm fluid. She finally rolled to a stop on her side, groaning in pain, her wounds remaining behind rather than healing as they normally would. Only then did she notice her skin had returned to her original tone from before she was cursed. Whatever had attacked her was now hovering over the black sea, moving closer to her with each passing second. She felt a wetness on her face, her hand moving up to find blood seeping down from her nostril. She struggled to get to her feet, refusing to allow herself to be overpowered.

"Touch me again, and I will destroy you" she warned.

The creature bellowed with laughter "You do not fool me, pretender. You've no courage, you've spent far too long unable to die. You have forgotten what it is to fear death... permit me this chance to refresh your memory"

She was snatched up in it's grip, slamming her down through the surface, allowing her body to be damaged time after time, pain coursing through her from every cell in her body, screaming at her to make whatever was causing it to stop. She could still hear it speaking to her, a manic grin spreading over unseen lips. This was certainly not the God of Darkness she remembered.

"What... are... you?" she forced out, confused how naturally speaking felt below the surface.

It's visage parted the surface of the Grimm sea, mere inches from her now "I am what you fail to be. I am deliverance"

Salem's eyes snapped open, her body covered in a cold sweat, hands shaking against her throne, heart pounding. She could see the viewing glass cracked all the way through, her hands had made imprints in the arms of her throne. She struggled to catch her breath, involuntary tears cascading down her cheeks.

"This again..." she quickly dried them "That's the second time... it wasn't speaking last time though. I wonder what..." she left her statement unfinished "Doesn't matter, it's nothing"

Hunter entered a moment later through a dark corridor "You called?"

"I've done no such thing" Salem growled.

"Uh... you told me-" he stopped when she fixed him with an irritated look "I mean, my mistake"

She huffed "You're already here. What've you found?"

"The Grimm are positioned around the crater, they're ready to move in whenever you wish. The Apathy merely await freedom from confinement"

"Good, what of Ms. Rose and her friends?"

"An airship took off earlier, headed up to Atlas. I assumed it wouldn't return, but it did almost two hours later"

"What?" Salem brought up the displays before her "I saw no ship leave Atlas, only arrive... how could they have made it back unnoticed?"

"Neopolitan, that's how"

Salem growled "So she's betrayed us. How does she do it?"

"It?"

"Draw people to her side... Ms. Rose seems uniquely capable of inspiring even the most unlikely people to fight with her. It is perplexing... and irritating"

"Because they're-" he blinked in surprise "Are you bleeding?" he asked surprised.

Salem's hand reached up to her nose, blood had dripped down from her nostril as it had in her dream. But that wasn't possible... it was only a dream, wasn't it? It couldn't have been anything more... or could it? She shook herself from her thoughts, returning to their discussion.

"It's nothing. Is there anything else?"

"There was some commotion starting just before you called-I mean, before I returned" he corrected upon noticing her glare "That blonde girl was with them this time, though..."

"Yang Xiao Long" she sighed "And here I thought she-wait... did you say there was a commotion?"

"Yeah, I don't know what about. But it seems like people were gathering for something"

Salem pondered his words for a moment. If Ironwood wasn't taking her deal as she suspected, then why would they return to Atlas? Why would they move back to Mantle, and what about that could cause such a stir? As far as she knew, Yang was supposed to be indisposed because of Slade's death, but she knew Emerald had failed to kill him, so if she was in Mantle, it had to be for a reason. Her eyes widened in shock, it was right in front of her this whole time! Her plan had worked, Ironwood and Ozpin weren't working together, the divisiveness of her plan had gone exactly as intended, only she was too distracted to see it.

"He's in Mantle!"

"What? Who?" he asked confused.

"Ozma"

---

Winter stood staring out at the massive storm before her, the city remaining within the eye, awaiting the second wave. Her hands were folded behind her back, her gloved hands straining the fabric as her grip tightened. She couldn't shake the feeling of dread, the pervasive sense of hopelessness Salem seemed to exude hadn't departed the academy yet, at least as far as she was concerned. The tarp beside her had been replaced on the shattered window, flailing from the wind. Behind her, Jacques Schnee paced back and forth in the center of the office, his rapid-fire questioning keeping her focused on the present.

"You're sure?" Jacques asked with concern.

"I am, you mustn't concern yourself" Winter answered without any real conviction.

"What if he-"

"He won't"

"But-"

She turned on her heel "Father" she hissed, her stern tone silencing him. She inhaled deeply "The General has more important things to worry about. And if you're so worried, then perhaps waiting in his office is unwise" she suggested as she approached him.

"That's... I'm not worried about myself, Winter"

She smiled "I know" she wrapped her arms around him "Thank you, truly. I am certain Weiss will be fine, we both will"

"But what if-"

"Father, please. Trust me, I will do whatever is necessary to keep you and Whitley safe, and I promise Weiss will be fine, she knows how to take care of herself, and she's got good friends watching her back"

"And what about you?"

"I have friends here, you don't need to worry about me"

"I... alright" he sighed "But Whitley and I are not staying in the academy, not with James acting so irrationally"

"A wise choice" she smiled with a nod to him "I love you, father"

He perked up the moment those words graced his ears "I love you too, Winter"

"Go" she motioned to the door with a warm smile, he left without another word.

Once the room was empty, Winter placed two fingers to her earpiece "Doctor, do you read me?"

"I hear you, Specialist. What is it?"

"How long until the countersignal is ready?"

"I've nearly finished, just need another minute or two to unscramble a few more-"

"I don't need the details" she interjected.

"Right, of course. Are you certain you want to do this, Winter? We've been fortunate enough as it is the General hasn't caught wind of what we've done, if he even suspects"

"Fortunate doesn't begin to cover it. He won't suspect a thing, I have everything well in hand-" her eyes widened when she caught sight of Slade standing at the door.

He cocked his brow "Am I interrupting something?"

She cleared her throat, composing herself "Apologies, you surprised me. I was merely receiving an update from Pietro"

"The counter signal?" he asked.

"About to be up and running, along with citywide communications"

He nodded in acknowledgement "That's good to hear. Where's the General?"

"Not here, last I saw him was just after Yang escaped"

He rubbed his eyelids "I see"

Winter tilted her head "What was it you needed?" she wondered.

"I think it's time we figure out if I can open the vault"

Winter frowned "Are you certain that's wise. Letting Elise take control could kill you"

"Elise doesn't possess the Winter Maiden's power, Winter. She has kept it and the Fall Maiden's power separate from her own. Still, it's possible the process may not work at all, or it might prove fatal. We won't know for certain unless we try"

"You shouldn't be so quick to sacrifice yourself needlessly, Slade. There are people who care about you, people who don't want to see you hurt. People who would be devastated were something to happen to you"

Slade sighed "I know, but without the Relics, I don't know how we're going to win this. Ruby and the others refuse to work with James, and he doesn't seem to have the answers anymore than we do. If I could just talk to Oz, maybe things would be more clear... but that's simply not possible right now"

Winter rubbed her chin thoughtfully "And what if it were?"

"Excuse me?"

"Communications are nearly restored. Assuming Ruby and the others treated him correctly, he should be capable of speaking to you, right?"

"Perhaps" he turned away from Winter "When you were speaking with Dr. Polendina, what did you mean when you said 'he wouldn't suspect a thing'?"

She paled "I was discussing interrogation tactics" she cleared her throat "Arthur still hasn't given me anything useful, I was hoping to-"

"Arthur Watts is dead"

She froze "He's... dead? How?"

"James shot him"

Her eyes widened "That's... why would he do that? Was he trying to escape?"

Slade shook his head "He was defenseless, on his knees, and he shot him in the back"

"I... I can't believe he'd... he's completely lost it"

"He believed he was protecting us, protecting Atlas"

"How could executing a defenseless prisoner protect anyone!?" she demanded.

Slade sighed "Salem's plan was to eliminate the council, we assumed it was to leave the city without a leader, but Arthur claimed he wasn't meant to kill James, because James was meant to kill me"

Winter pondered his words "She wanted to pit us against the General, maybe even turn the city against him"

"Which would serve to only further feed his paranoia, making him irrational, unpredictable"

"Salem wanted to cripple our defense from the inside while she destroyed us from the outside. But if that's true, then why would she relent in the middle of the battle?"

Slade shrugged "Perhaps she genuinely didn't believe she could best our forces with her own, or perhaps she was made to believe we were still a unified front because of my survival. Regardless, she has been moving pieces around the board, she's not letting Atlas go without a fight"

Winter nodded "That still doesn't explain why Ironwood would kill Arthur, why only him?"

"He intended to execute them all. I stopped him before he could do anything more. thankfully"

"But why? What reason could he possibly have?"

"He believed Salem might've wanted them all here, wanted them to attack us from within when the time was right"

She sighed "These proactive measures he's taken are... brutal, to say the least"

"I know, which is why we need to use the Relics now. The longer we wait, the worse he'll get. If the Relics cannot save Atlas... honestly, I don't know what he'll do"

"Nor do I"

"Regardless, we're better off without Watts making trouble"

"You cannot seriously be condoning this, he was unarmed, defenseless"

"And one of Salem's most effective operatives. I'm not saying it was right, but it was certainly deserved. James is afraid, afraid of failing like he did in Vale. With so many people depending on him, can you really blame him?"

"We're all afraid, Slade. He needs to control himself"

"He needs help" he stressed "The loss of Beacon changed him, he's just trying to make sure that doesn't happen again"

"I know... I know" she sighed "But he won't even listen to Ozpin anymore"

"Considering everything he kept from us, I can't exactly blame him"

"And you? He won't listen to you either. He just shuts you down everytime you question anything he says"

"What do you propose? Lock him up? He's our friend, Winter"

"And if we want to still have any friends left to appreciate by this time tomorrow, maybe we can't do things his way anymore"

"I-"

"Slade, do you read me?"

His hand reached up to his earpiece "Loud and clear, General"

"Good. Meet me in the vault, it's time we save Atlas"

Slade frowned "Understood, Sir. I'll meet you there as soon as possible" his hand lowered "Time's up, Winter. We've got a job to do"

She nodded "I've never backed down from my duty to this kingdom, don't think I'll start now" she declared.

Slade smiled "Good, then we're on the same page"

She smiled back "And if the Relics aren't the answer?"

He turned away, moving toward the door "I will do what is necessary to make sure Yang is safe, you know that"

"I see" she frowned as he left the room "Pietro"

"Yes, Specialist?"

"Is the signal ready?"

"Yes, Specialist. I was about to deploy it-"

"Hold off. I'm coming to you"

"Ma'am?"

"I need to get a message to Ruby, it can't wait"

"Of course! I'll get everything prepared right away"

---

Ruby stood at the bottom of a hastily constructed stage from two shipping containers. She nervously shifted from one foot to the next, unsure of what to do or what to say. The others had all gone out to the airship crashed outside the city, hoping to scrounge up what weapons they could. Only Oscar remained behind, still recovering from his injury for the most part. Radcliff had been busy gathering the civilians and Huntsmen together, approaching the two young Huntsmen through the crowd.

"Are you ready, Ms. Rose?"

"What about the others? Shouldn't we wait until they get back?"

"That won't be necessary" Qrow's voice called from behind as he approached.

"Uncle Qrow! Where are the others?"

"Not far behind, I'm sorry, kiddo... the wreckage was completely picked clean. There was nothing left"

"Chimera probably ransacked the thing while we were busy fighting amongst ourselves up in Atlas" Oscar pointed out.

Ruby sighed "Just like Salem wanted us to"

Qrow sighed "Yeah, guess so"

Oscar frowned "Then we do what we can with what we have"

It's all we can do Ozpin agreed.

Moments later, the sound of an airship soaring overhead could be heard, dust and dirt kicking up as the Manta became visible once more, Neo's Semblance deactivating. Ruby watched all of her friends exit the ship, none of them carrying more than a couple of weapons between them. She frowned at the sight, unsure of how inspiring a speech she could make without anything to arm the people in Mantle. Yang approached her with a sullen look on her face.

"Sorry, Ruby. we couldn't find anything"

She sighed "It's okay, we should've expected this"

"Without weapons, we can't ask these people to fight against these Grimm" Ren noted.

"We don't have a choice, they don't have a choice. These Grimm are coming whether they're armed or not" Blake argued.

"True, but that doesn't change the fact they're helpless" Jaune debated.

"We're Huntsmen, we protect them. It's what we're supposed to do" Weiss added.

"And it's what we're going to do, so let's get this speech over with and see who we have to work with" Qrow offered.

"Father" Catalina called as she approached them.

"Catalina, thank goodness. I've been worried ever since you left" he looked at the bags in her hands in surprise "What is this?"

She smiled "Donations, from that friend I mentioned" she dropped them in front of him, opening them up to show the weapons stored inside.

"Woah! Those look just like the weapons Chimera use" Ruby grinned.

"Seems he was preparing" Qrow noted "These from those 'scarecrows' you mentioned?" he asked Ren.

"There's at least twice the number of weapons here. Could he have gotten these from the airship?" he wondered.

"Impossible, no one could've made it out there without a Semblance like Neo's. Not alone, through all those Grimm and soldiers?" Blake debated.

"Wherever he got 'em, we'll take 'em!" Nora declared.

"I'm with Nora, as long as we got them, who cares how. We need these, Mantle needs this" Yang agreed.

"It'll have to be enough" Penny smiled at Ruby "You ready?"

She nodded "This isn't how we planned this, but this is where we're at. We can't worry about Atlas, not anymore. We came here to protect these people, and that means keeping the Grimm from breaking through. We stop Salem one step at a time"

"Damn right" Yang pounded her fists together.

"We'll have to trust the others can keep Atlas secure on their own. I know Winter won't back down from a fight" Weiss added.

"Neither will Slade. But Ironwood hasn't been himself, he-" Yang started.

"One step at a time, firecracker. One step at a time" Qrow reminded.

She rolled her eyes "Right, right. Got it" she gave a thumbs up "Mind on the task at hand and all that jazz"

Jaune picked up the two duffle bags "While Ruby's onstage, we should get ready to hand these out. Any volunteers need to be armed and ready for a fight"

Qrow took one from him "Then let's get started.

Neo looked at Ruby and gestured to the stage, she nodded in return "Let's do this" she rushed up onto the stage, a microphone waiting there for her.

Jaune turned to Penny "We need an eye in the sky, Penny. If the Grimm start moving in, we'll be ready"

She nodded "Right away" she soared away.

He turned to the others "Everyone not handing out weapons, form a perimeter. No surprises, not this time"

"Right!" they all agreed in unison.

Ruby tentatively took the microphone in her hand "Uh... hi" she gave a timid wave, the microphone crackling a bit as she spoke "My name is Ruby Rose. I'm a Huntress, like some of you, not all of you, though... obviously" she cleared her throat.

Qrow smacked his palm against his forehead "Come on, Ruby" he mumbled.

"As you know, we're currently surrounded by a massive army of Grimm, bigger than anything anyone has seen in the history of Remnant as we know it. That army, is controlled not by criminals like the White Fang or Chimera, the soldiers that have tried to kill us in these very streets, in your former homes. No, they're led by one thing, the desire to destroy us. We have not been fighting for our freedom to express ourselves as we once did. Back then, the kingdoms fought each other, but today we fight against an enemy of all mankind. Today, it doesn't matter if you're from Vale or Vacuo, Human or Faunus, Huntress or waitress. They're here for all of us, and we need to stand and fight if we want to see another sunrise. The Grimm aren't afraid, aren't angry, they don't reason, they're here for one thing, us"

"She's good" Catalina whispered to her father, he gently hushed her.

"When I look at each of you, I see the fear that threatens to swallow me whole everytime I even think about that army out there, everytime I look to the sky and see that" she gestured to the massive Grimm "But today is not the day we will let fear take us, no, I believe that we will stand against these threats for the good of all, for the good of humanity, for our freedom to live, to love, to laugh. We are fighting for not just Atlas or Mantle, not for one kingdom, or all kingdoms, not for human, or Faunus. Today, we're fighting for all of Remnant! Because if we fail here tonight, you can guarantee this army of evil will destroy the rest of the world. But we're not going to let that happen, we're going to stand and fight!"

The crowd, while frightened, seemed to be taking in her words and nodding along. Many of them looked ready, but most were terrified "Come on, kid. Bring it home" Qrow whispered with a smile.

"I will not ask you to fight alone, I will not ask you to fight with nothing. We have weapons for you, for any of you who is ready to protect your homes, your families, yourselves. This is the moment in a fairytale where the hero would have all the answers, where the hero would save the day, but this fairytale is real, and we all are the heroes the rest of Remnant will tell their children about for generations to come. But only if we fight together! We can't be afraid, not today! Because today, we are the heroes of our fairytale! And heroes don't let fear stop them from fighting against the villains" she cried, pumping her fist into the air.

By this point, the crowd was cheering her on, applauding her every word. No longer did the fear in their eyes consume them. They were ready, they needed to be ready. Jaune and Qrow were already handing out weapons to any who would accept them. Though some needed to be shown how to use them, many of them had at least some experience "Fight for Mantle! For Atlas! For Remnant! But most of all, fight for you!" she shouted.

A loud ping rang out through the crater, a large holographic image on several walls suddenly appeared, as well as on every Scroll they had "Atlas, Mantle, this is Specialist Winter Schnee. I have a message you all need to hear"

"Winter?" Weiss breathed out in surprise.

"General Ironwood didn't evacuate military forces from Mantle to secure Atlas, he chose to abandon the city to the Grimm rather than lose them both. But after the Grimm retreated, he refused to send more aid. Without a council to stop him, all his decisions have been beyond reproach. I am here to say, I am done letting people die. If we fight against ourselves, the Grimm will destroy us, all of us. Chimera are the ones responsible for bringing the Grimm to our kingdom, they're the ones in the streets, the ones who forced you to gun down your neighbors, they're the ones who've been controlling innocents"

The crowd in Mantle was shocked, but didn't quite understand what she meant "She's not telling them about Salem at least" Ren whispered.

"No kidding" Nora replied.

"Chimera invented a chip capable of controlling beings once implanted in their brain. Luckily, we've developed a countermeasure with the help of Dr. Pietro Polendina. No longer do we have to fear anyone under Chimera's control unwillingly fighting against us. They sought to turn us against each other, and they don't work alone, they've allied themselves with those responsible for the Fall of Beacon, and I'm not referring to the White Fang. Criminals like Tyrian Callows and Cinder Fall are responsible for many of the tragedies we've suffered in this kingdom and beyond. But we will not let ourselves turn against each other, we will stand united and fight against them. All of us, together"

"What's she doing?" Radcliff wondered.

"To that end, I am countermanding General Ironwood's orders. All available military personnel not required to secure Atlas are to report to Mantle immediately to evacuate everyone we can to Atlas. I want the fleet focused on securing the city from anything that comes our way. Mantle, do not fear, we will not abandon you this night"

Those in the crater started cheering loudly, dozens of airships already visible from Atlas, soaring down toward them, ready to get those unable to fight out. Ruby grinned, she didn't know what was going on up there with Ironwood, but clearly Winter was taking control of the situation. Before they had time to celebrate, an alarm started blaring around them, the ground shaking violently. Ruby's team assembled ahead of the crowd, quickly forming a wall with the remaining Huntsmen in the crater.

"Ruby, the Apathy have broken through. They're heading right towards the crater!" Penny reported.

"Can you slow them down?"

"I can try-ah!"

"Penny? Penny, are you alright?"

"I'm okay! But we've got incoming!"

Ruby looked to the wall and saw hundreds of aerial Grimm soaring toward them, a Wyvern tailing the fleet of Grimm "That's not good"

An explosion tore through the air close to the wall, a plume of smoke rising from the impact zone "Looks like the Grimm are setting off those traps" Jaune pointed out.

"That won't stop them for long, might not even slow them down" Qrow added.

Ruby nodded, turning back toward the crowd "Alright, everyone who can fight take your weapons and form a defensive perimeter around the evacuation area. Huntsmen, we're going to keep the pressure off them, target the big ones first. The Apathy are coming from the southern wall, do not engage at close range. Long range fighters only!" she called out orders without hesitation.

Radcliff picked up a weapon "You heard the lady, defensive positions! Now!"

Ruby led her and Jaune's team to the southern wall to intercept the Grimm with several Huntsmen following right behind them. They reached the wall just in time to find a Megoliath smashing through the wall, before they could engage, a loud shriek tore through the air, all of them dropping onto their hands and knees. Ruby's eyes shimmered, unleashing a powerful blast of energy, reinvigorating those around her as well as destroying the smaller Grimm that followed right behind the Megoliath. As for the massive Grimm, it was petrified, trapped in its stone form. Nora rushed forward with Magnhild ready to strike, leaping into the air. A Lightning Dust infused Glyph formed behind her, activating her Semblance and increasing her strength just before striking, smashing straight through the stone and crushing its head to the ground from the force of the strike. Behind the dissolving corpse of the Megoliath, Grimm poured inside, several Apathy clearly visible behind them.

Yang launched herself forward with Ember Celica, slamming her fist into the Ursa closest to her with a powerful uppercut, throwing it up into the air. Before it could fall back to the ground, Oscar leapt overhead and slammed his cane down into its head simultaneously with Yang's metal fist striking a second time from below. Qrow twisted around his niece, slicing his scythe through two Sabyrs horizontally as they leapt toward him. Nora spun Magnhild into a horizontal strike to a Boarbatusk as it spun toward her, sending it flying back into the Grimm behind it, knocking several over. Ren fired skyward into two Teryxes as they descended toward the group, only to find themselves trapped together by the ribbon of Gambol Shroud. Jaune leapt skyward into a spinning slice for their throats, beheading them both with a single motion. Ren leapt up onto his shield, propelling himself off it into a third Teryx, impaling the blades of StormFlower into its wings, slicing each of them off and kicking it down to the ground. Weiss began using her Semblance to summon Arma Gigas while Yang and Oscar stood guard over her, both of them keeping several Grimm from reaching her with perfectly timed coordinated attacks.

Yang spun Oscar by his arm, allowing him to kick three Grimm across their faces, only to have Yang slam her fists into them moments later. Oscar rolled over her shoulder, looping his arm in hers, allowing her to flip over him into a devastating kick onto the top of a Sabyr's head. Ruby spun Crescent Rose in her hand expertly, launching it around the backside of a Goliath as it pushed through, the blade slicing through its back legs, causing it to roar in anguish and fall forward. Catching Crescent Rose in her right hand, she impaled the beast through its eye, killing it instantly. An Ursa rounded the dissolving corpse and leapt into Ruby, slicing through her midsection with its claws, only for her to shatter into glass, leaving the creature confused. Before it could react, Neo looped the handle of Hush around its neck and flipped it into the air, delivering a powerful kick to its back, sending it flying back into the Grimm. Another scream tore through the air, causing all of them to slump to the ground. Before Ruby could use her eyes once more, she was knocked over by a Sabyr, forcing her to hold it back with Crescent Rose with what little strength she had left.

"Ruby, no..." Yang forced out, desperately trying to get to her feet.

Several gunshots rang out, the Sabyr going limp as it dissolved into the air. Ruby blinked in surprise, looking up just in time to watch a Goliath stomp its foot down onto her. Before she was able to react, its heel stopped over her face, a hand holding it in place. She followed the arm of her rescuer. Her eyes widened as a man she didn't recognize lifted the Goliath with both hands by one leg. Once it was up, he slammed the creature down onto the Apathy nearby, destroying it and several other Grimm in the process. He lifted a rifle from the ground and fired into the horde of Grimm bearing down on them.

"On your feet, Ms. Rose!" he shouted.

She recognized his synthesized voice immediately "Sable?" she asked in shock.

"Now, Ms. Rose!" he shouted back.

He moved forward, firing into several more Grimm, dropping them with precise shots to their heads. Beowolves and Sabyrs swarmed to him, but were unable to reach him as he took each of them down. An Alpha Beowolf leapt around a shot and growled as a second charged for him. Sable pulled the empty magazine out and threw it into the face of the charging Grimm, stunning it long enough for him to reload. However, the Alpha would not leave him be, leaping toward him while he was unarmed. Harbinger hooked around its neck from behind, slicing right through it. Sable grabbed the stunned Beowolf by the neck and threw it back into another line of charging Grimm. At that moment, airships from Atlas arrived, firing down into the encroaching Grimm army, relieving some of the pressure from the crater.

Qrow smiled up at them "You really pulled through, Ice Queen"

Sable fired into a Sabyr approaching Qrow from behind "Nice to see not everyone in Atlas has their head up their ass"

Qrow smirked "Speaking of, what the hell are you doing here? Don't you work for Salem?" he asked as he fired toward the Grimm.

Sable took aim and started taking shots as well "Control chip must've gotten damaged in the crash. I'm my own man again, Branwen!" he shouted with delight "Well, more or less" he removed the cloth around his face, revealing himself to Qrow.

"Oh... that's... a lot to take in"

"Tell me about it, you don't have to see it everyday at least"

"As nice as this reunion is, we're still outnumbered!" Weiss called.

"She's right, Salem's bringing everything down on us now. She's probably doing the same to Atlas"

"Nowhere is safe, yeah, I got the memo" Sable reloaded once more "Focus on what's going on here, let Schnee handle Atlas"

"You worked for Salem, give us something, anything! What's she planning?" Jaune demanded.

"Anything I know you'd already know. Besides, she didn't exactly hold me in her inner circle. I was just the guy she called to take out the trash. No offense, Ms. Rose"

"Offense very much taken" she replied childishly.

"Ms. Schnee, we'll cover you. Get that suit of armor out here as soon as you can" Sable called.

"Yeah, working on it" she snapped.

He turned to Qrow "I'll target the Apathy, they have no effect on me. Biggest concern is that Wyvern, you're gonna need her eyes to take that thing down" he pointed to Ruby.

Ruby nodded "I'll have Penny keep the Grimm off the transports, we need to get everyone to Atlas as fast as we can"

"Agreed. As soon as the city is evacuated, we come up with a plan to stop that thing" he pointed to the gargantuan Grimm "So long as that's still in the air, more Grimm will keep coming until we can't fight anymore"

"Do you know what's going on up there?" Yang asked "Slade's still up there with Ironwood"

"Not a clue. Slade knows how to take care of himself, don't worry about him. He'll pull through" the Wyvern drew close, reaching the outskirts of the city "Let's make sure we do the same"

---

Slade stood in the center of the elevator as it descended to the vault beneath Atlas Academy, Scroll in his hand, a picture of him and Yang on her newly constructed Bumblebee just outside these very walls. He wished so desperately that he was down in Mantle with her now, instead of being stuck up in the clouds. But this is where he believed he needed to be, for Ironwood, for himself, but more importantly, for her. If he didn't pull James back from the edge, he wasn't sure anyone would, and that made him dangerous, despite everything he'd said to Winter, he understood the threat he posed to both Atlas and Remnant as a whole in his current condition. But he was also one of the few people he had truly come to believe in, working alongside him, both of them sharing secrets with the other. Sure, they didn't have the best start, but he never lied to him, not like Ozpin did. And unlike Leonardo, he wouldn't back down from his fear...

"That might be his downfall, Slade" Elise warned as she moved into view, leaning her shoulder against the glass with her arms crossed.

"Do you always have to break my train of thought?" he asked.

"You know I am right. Like it or not, Ironwood's consumed by fear and paranoia, and he doesn't think anyone else knows what's right, what's the best call. That's why he liked having Winter around, she never questioned him and always backed him up"

"Not today she didn't" he remined her.

"One lapse in judgement doesn't change-"

"Anything? I agree, the James I know will see the truth of the matter. If the Relics aren't the solution, we'll figure another one out ourselves. Just like we always do"

Elise offered him a sympathetic look "I know what you're feeling, Slade. I can see you're in pain, watching him devolve like this. But you can't always help everyone, sometimes, you have to learn when to let go, to cut your losses. Sometimes... sometimes you can't save everyone"

"Doesn't mean I can't try, he would do the same for me"

"A month ago, yeah, maybe... but now, I'm not so sure... he didn't seem bothered by the idea this could kill you at all"

"Then I guess it's a good thing I'm the one making the decisions at the end of the day. Unless of course, you want to take over my body again"

"That was a one time thing, and it was necessary, to keep the vault from being opened without you. We needed-"

"Did we need, Elise? The girl I knew, my sister, wouldn't have put me at risk like that. You want to cast aspersions at James, take a look in the mirror. You've changed from the person I remember"

"I... I know, Slade. Being a Maiden wasn't my choice, not really. Ozpin told me all about it, but I didn't know what I was agreeing to, not really. And then when you found out Salem's immortality, I guess it just hit me harder than I thought"

"It hit all of us hard, Elise"

She shook her head "You seemed worse off before hearing the truth. I expected you to react like I did, like Qrow did. But you just rolled with it"

"I had to, they needed to get out of the snow, to get to Argus. If Qrow wasn't going to be that person, then I had to be"

"That simple, huh?"

"That simple"

Elise tilted her head "Okay then"

He blinked and she was gone, he let out a sigh of relief, glad their debate had ceased. The elevator came to a halt, the door opening to reveal the Vault of the Winter Maiden. Before him was a platform with large pale blue crystalline framing the edges. On the edges of the main area of the platform were four white pedestals decorated with marble columns, with a brazier atop each of them containing a blue flame. At the end of the platform, a white marble stairway leading up to a massive crystalline structure with the vault door at the front. The door had a rectangular pattern on its surface. Ironwood stood at the top of the stairs, gazing upon the door, his hands folded behind his back. Slade stepped out of the elevator, making his way over to him, ascending the stairs.

"James" he greeted.

"I was getting worried. For a moment I thought I was going to have to drag you down here myself" he joked with a small smile.

Slade smiled back "I don't run from my problems, James. Not anymore"

He nodded "Good, because the Relics are just behind that door, just out of reach"

"Knowledge and Creation, both in the same place"

"I am... I'm sorry for how I acted earlier, I realize I was... more aggressive with you than I should've been"

"You were just trying to protect Atlas, I understand. You don't need to apologize"

"Hmm" was his only response.

"James, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"If I can't open the door, or the Relics can't solve this, do-"

"This will work, Slade. It has to"

"And if it doesn't-"

"It will"

"If it were impossible, if the Relics and this vault didn't exist. Would you do what Ruby is doing? Would you fight for Mantle?"

Ironwood turned toward him "It will work, Slade. I know it will"

"How?" Ironwood stared at him in silence, giving no answer "Yeah, that's what worries me" he sighed "Alright, let's get this over with"

"The faster we do this, the faster we end this"

"Right" Slade approached the door, standing before the grand gate, his hand raising toward it.

"I don't like this" Elise chirped in his ear.

You don't have to...

"This isn't what Mom would've wanted for you, what Dad would've wanted. They sacrificed their lives and Mal's as well, so that you could live a full life. Now you want to just throw it away for the chance to ask a question?"

You didn't offer me much choice when you stole the Maiden's power from Winter

"Please, Slade... reconsider. I'm begging you, make someone else the Maiden, have them open it themselves. We have time to-"

Time's up, deal with it

Slade's hand stopped just before the gate, Ironwood's hand on his wrist, stopping him "What? What is it?" he asked surprised.

"I... just in case this goes poorly, if this does... kill you. I want you to know that I am sorry for everything, for failing you in Vale, for making you lie to the others, for making you keep secrets for me, and worst of all, for putting this burden on you to begin with. If I could do it all again... I'd have told you everything from the start, I'd be the friend you've been to me, the friend you deserved. I would change everything, for you, for Ruby, for Oz... everyone"

Slade smiled "It's never too late to start"

He smiled back "Thank you, Slade. For everything" he released him.

"You're welcome, for everything"

He placed his hand onto the gate, a surge of energy coursing through him. He grit his teeth, expecting to feel pain, or well, anything really. Looking up at the gate, his eyes flashed light blue igniting with a matching flame, the patterns in the door did the same from top to bottom. His eyes returned to their usual emerald as the flames died off. The door segmented by the pattern, each piece folding away into the frame, exposing the inside to both of them. In stark contrast to the vast desert of the Spring Vault, the Winter Vault resembled a lush and open meadow of greenery with yellow, blue, and white flowers, as well as three stone circles leading from the door to the Staff of Creation and the Lamp of Knowledge hovering between two stone pillars.

"So, this is what the vault looks like" Slade mused.

"Not what you were expecting?" Ironwood asked.

"No, but considering all the sand in my boots back at Haven, I'll take this"

He chuckled in amusement "Come on, Slade. We have a job to do"

"Yeah, yeah, fine, don't let me see the sights or any-" their Scrolls chirped "-thing"

"Atlas, Mantle, this is Specialist Winter Schnee. I have a message you all need to hear"

"Winter?" Ironwood asked looking down at her image "What's she doing?" Slade shrugged.

"General Ironwood didn't evacuate military forces from Mantle to secure Atlas, he chose to abandon the city to the Grimm rather than lose them both. But after the Grimm retreated, he refused to send more aid. Without a council to stop him, all his decisions have been beyond reproach. I am here to say, I am done letting people die. If we fight against ourselves, the Grimm will destroy us, all of us"

The more she spoke, the angrier Ironwood became, a look of pure rage overtaking him, his hand began shaking, the screen on his Scroll cracking as his grip tightened. He screamed in rage, smashing his Scroll into the stone beneath him. Slade watched him with concern, but remained silent, not wishing to provoke him further.

"She's going against Ironwood, I didn't think she had it in her" Elise laughed "I'm impressed"

"She released Yang from her cell" Slade concluded.

"We..." Ironwood took a breath, stopping himself from shouting "We will deal with her later, Slade. We need to use the Relics, now"

"Right" he pocketed the device, then followed right behind Ironwood.

Ironwood took a moment to examine the Lamp before clearly stating "Jinn"

Cyan mist unfurled from the Lamp, the grass around them froze in place, no longer swaying in the gentle breeze. Looking down at his Scroll, Slade saw Winter's message had frozen as well. They both looked up to see Jinn materialize, stretching her arms with a long yawn, then settling into a relaxed position. She offered a smile to the two men before her, propping her head up on her palm.

"Why, hello again. Do you have a question for me?" she asked looking directly at Slade.

His eyes darted to Ironwood "You sure you want do this?"

"That's not really a question for me" Jinn replied.

"I... I..." Ironwood closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

Jinn smiled in amusement "You don't want to waste your last question on something you already know the answer to"

His eyes snapped open "You... you-"

"Yes, I know. I know everything" she flipped upside down "Well, perhaps not everything. I don't know the future, but I do know what an action will cause. Such as, using little Ambrosius over there" she pointed to the Staff "And before you ask and waste your question, that would be the name of the Staff's resident, like myself"

"I wasn't going to ask" Slade replied.

"Mmm, yes, you were"

"Was not"

"You were"

"I-"

"Enough" Ironwood interjected "We did not come here to make stupid jokes with the Relic"

"You didn't but he was enjoying himself" Jinn replied before Slade could.

"You're both no fun"

Jinn leaned down to Ironwood, stopping inches from his face "I can tell you don't really want to waste your question, besides, why waste it when Ambrosius can tell you all about what he can do right now. All you need do, is ask"

"You'd direct me to the Staff rather than use your question?" Her eyebrow cocked "Right, don't answer that"

She leaned back "I won't, for your sake. You need all the help you can get"

He fixed her with a questioning look "You say that as if you were speaking directly to me and not the kingdom as a whole"

"I was" she crossed her arms "I won't be answering any questions for you today, but allow me to offer you a piece of advice James Ironwood" a deep frown set in on her face "Listen to those close to you, sometimes an outside perspective sees things more clearly. If you don't, well... let's just say his vision of your failure will happen sooner than you think"

He blinked "I thought you can't see the future"

"I can't, seeing your present is more than enough for me"

He grunted, but gave no response "Thank you, Jinn. You've been a great help"

She smiled down at Slade "You're welcome, Slade Stroud. Do be careful with your words to Ambrosius, he is a literal sort" she offered before vanishing.

"To that end, I am countermanding General Ironwood's orders. All available military personnel not required to secure Atlas are to report to Mantle immediately to evacuate everyone we can to Atlas. I want the fleet focused on securing the city from anything that comes our way. Mantle, do not fear, we will not abandon you this night" Winter's message finished playing.

Slade looked to Ironwood "James, what's the plan?"

"We stick to the plan. If the Staff will tell us what we need to know, then it shall do so"

He reached for the Staff, taking it into his hand, as he did so, time slowed to a crawl once more, eventually stopping. Cyan smoke billowed from the jewel topping the Staff as the two looked on in anticipation. A muscular figure took form before them, flexing gratefully. His skin matched Jinn's own, glowing and smoking in the same manner, his ears were long and pointed as well. He had short spiky blue hair a lighter shade than his skin tied back into a ponytail leading all the way down to his thighs, and the sclerae of his eyes were dark blue with lighter blue irises. He appeared nude like Jinn and wore only gold accessories, stud earrings, a gold ring for his ponytail, bracers on his wrists with chains dangling from them like shackles, vine-like ornaments on his right thigh and the lower end of his left leg, and an ankle bracelet on his right, as well as chains around his torso, crossing his chest. Where the chains met formed a pointed gold jewel resembling the very same jewel at the tip of the Staff.

"Ah! It seems someone has come to engage my creative wiles! All I'll-Oh, Brothers, it's you again" he deflated upon seeing Ironwood.

"I see you remember me"

"Yes, I remember quite well. Though you're much older than last time I saw you. Finally get tired of your floating city?" he scoffed "No, no, let me guess. You want me to make it higher, this altitude isn't enough for you-" he stopped when he looked at Slade "Oh, now you are curious!"

"Me?" Slade asked in surprise.

Ambrosius snapped his fingers, conjuring a jeweler's loupe, inspecting him "You've got four souls in one body! However did you manage that?"

"With my help" Elise answered, stepping out from behind Slade.

"A soul without a body still capable of retaining your sense of self! That's amazing!" he smiled down at her.

"You can see her?" Slade asked.

"Of course I can see her, do you think I'm blind?" he asked, clearly offended by the notion.

Ironwood tilted his head "Elise?"

"What do you think?" he turned his head toward her "Do you mind, we're a little busy here"

"Time's stopped, what's the rush?!" Ambrosius asked "We can just relax and talk for a bit, can't we? I have so many questions"

"Then talk to Jinn, she loves questions" Slade replied "We need answers from you"

He drooped "Ugh, speaking of Jinn. She's the polymath, not me. I'm an artist!" he gestured grandly to himself.

"Why ask her when we can get them from you. I need to know what rules you have for the Staff's use, what limitations you have" Ironwood demanded.

Ambrosius sighed in disappointment "Very well" he cleared his throat "I can create anything exactly as you describe so long as you can give me precise details, only one creation is allowed to exist at any one time, and last but not least, I cannot resurrect the dead or destroy anything as it would be against my purpose. And no, there is no limit on what I can create. Happy?" he finished in a bored tone.

"Exactly as we describe? That's very specific wording" Slade pointed out.

"It was worded precisely for a precise reason. Obviously" he drawled.

"Then if I were to have you create a barrier around Atlas to stop Salem and the Grimm from harming it, you could do that"

"Yeah, easily. I would just need some instructions and then poof! No more Grimm in or out of the city"

Ironwood smiled "Then I-"

"But the city would fall, wouldn't it"

"Yes"

"And be destroyed by the impact"

"Duh, the barrier was for Grimm not seismic events" he looked at Elise "Do they ever listen?"

She smiled "Oh, he understood, the other one didn't"

"Which one?"

"The beard"

"Ah" he turned to look at Ironwood "You want to make a barrier that can protect this city from everything?"

"I do"

"And you're aware that everything would entail the ground, the ocean, the vacuum of space"

"Excuse me?"

He groaned "I am saying, if you create a barrier to protect against everything, then it'll fall right through the ground, right through the ocean floor, out into the cold of space. The city will be fine, but the people inside, not so much"

"Then we create an artificial atmosphere, like we have already to account for the altitude. We-"

"Ah, ah, ah!" he wagged his finger "You get the barrier or the atmosphere, but not both"

"So that's what Oz meant" Ironwood mumbled "Then how do I save Atlas from Salem, how do I stop the city from being destroyed and losing my people"

"Isn't it obvious? Anything you do with the staff will result in one of those two outcomes. Saving Atlas with the Staff is impossible"

Ironwood's eyes widened "Anything I do would... fail..."

"Yeah, sounds about right. Anything you create now, would destroy Atlas" Ambrosius explained clearly.

"No... no, no, no..." he turned away, his hands reaching up to his hair "No, no, no, no, this can't be right, I can't be wrong, I needed this to work..." he ranted to himself.

"Is he gonna be alright?" Ambrosius asked.

"Unlikely" Elise answered.

"James" Slade called.

"It has to work... I can't fail... not again... no..."

"James, we can figure this out. Pietro's got the counter signal up, and Winter's restarted evacuations. Salem isn't going to let that go without a fight"

"What does it matter if we can't use the Staff? Even if everyone from Mantle were up here, we can't use the Staff or we'd lose Atlas"

"Then we come up with another solution, together"

"I..." Ironwood's gaze shifted to the ground, unsure of himself.

"James?" Slade asked concerned.

He straightened "If we use the Staff to fight Salem, then Atlas is lost... but what if we moved Atlas higher? Our artificial gravity would sustain the city and its people" he concluded "We do that, and we might just survive this"

"Survive, sure. But that would abandon everyone else, the other kingdoms, Remnant, millions of people left to die by her hand. How can you even suggest-"

"What does any of it matter if she still wins!" Ironwood shouted.

"James, take a deep breath and listen to me-"

"No! I am tired of listening! Everytime I stop, everytime I choose to listen to someone else Salem wins! Salem cannot get the Relics, she cannot be allowed to win!"

"You're not thinking straight! You're just afraid of failing-"

"No! I am doing what's right! Even if Salem gets the other three Relics and destroys all of Remnant, if we go high enough, she'll never reach us"

"She makes portals James, she could use the Relic of Destruction, she could survive on her own because she's immortal! Have you forgotten!"

"Uh oh... this seems like it's getting out of hand" Ambrosius winced at the sight.

"I told him this wouldn't end well"

Ironwood was shouting now "I have sacrificed everything for Atlas! I would die a thousand times if it meant Salem lost, but nothing we do against her will ever matter! She cannot be stopped and she cannot be killed. She is coming, and she will win if we do nothing!"

"We're not doing nothing! We're just not running away! We're all afraid, James. That doesn't mean we can just run-"

"That's rich coming from you! All you've ever done is run, all you've ever done is hide instead of facing your problems head on, like I have! Maybe if you weren't such a coward, things might've been different! We might've been better prepared if you weren't keeping secrets from me!"

"You wanna talk about secrets, James?! You kept vital intel from Ozpin which directly resulted in the destruction of Beacon, you threatened me and Neo if I told anyone I was working for you, hell, you wouldn't even tell Winter she was the Winter Maiden! Oh, and let's not forget your Semblance, how can we forget that?! For someone who demands trust and loyalty, you sure as hell pick and choose when you afford those to anyone!"

"I am looking at the big picture!"

"The big picture?! You think you're the only one who knows what is right! You demand we follow your orders without question, but you never gave Oz that level of loyalty and trust. You constantly questioned and undermined him in Vale! You honestly believe you're right even when you're wrong!"

"I'm not wrong!"

"No, you've been wrong from the start! You condemn me and Ozpin for keeping secrets but do exactly the same thing when it's convenient for you! We're Huntsmen, we're supposed to protect people!"

"You're only a Huntsman because I made you one! You-grk!" Ironwood froze, restricted by Slade's Semblance.

"No, James! You are going to let me finish. You always seek to control because you think you always know what's right. You get frustrated whenever anyone disagrees with you, like everyone is supposed to agree with you from the start. That's not how leadership works, James. But you wouldn't know that because you surround yourself with people who back you up even when you're dead wrong and they know it! You never even suspected Watts was a traitor until after Beacon fell because he always told you exactly what you wanted to hear from him, because you can see 'the big picture'. You might as well post that on your walls to remind everybody how lucky we are to have you to protect us"

"I like this though, Slade's finally standing up to him" Elise smirked.

"You call it protection, but it's a collar. Everytime someone steps out of line, you give 'em a shock to put 'em back in line, right? You want everything done your way because you don't trust anyone else to do it. That the only right way, is your way. And when everything goes wrong, it's because we didn't listen to you. No one single person wins a war, James. Not you, not me, not even Oz. Wars are not won by strength or power, they are won with cooperation, teamwork. Four Relics, four Maidens, four kingdoms, four members to a team. None of these are accidents, James. Ozpin understands that alone we're weak, but together, we can be strong"

He released Ironwood from his Semblance "Slade, I order you... to get out of my way"

"I stood by you through everything, James. Even when people turned against you, when it was clear to me your Semblance was not responsible... even now... all I have ever done is support you. Yet still you seek to control"

"Step aside... now" Ironwood reached for his weapons.

"You want to fight me?" Slade's hand rested on Defiance "Your shame and your fear are getting the better of you, James"

"Shame? I have no shame, I am proud of Atlas, proud of what I have achieved-"

"Pride is not the counterpoint to shame, James. The only cure for that is to look inward and decide for yourself who you are and what you want to be. Trust me, I know from experience"

"You don't know anything" he removed Due Process from their holsters.

"Okay, I'm just gonna go let you two figure this out between you" Ambrosius vanished with a plume of cyan mist.

"If you do this, James... people are going to die. People I care about, people you care about... our friends"

"I gave them every chance to stand with me, but all of you have chosen to stand against me instead, after everything I've done for you. I have never wavered in my duty, and I won't start now. For the last time, Slade. I order you to stand down"

Slade removed Defiance from his holster "Please, don't make me do this"

"Walk... away..."

Slade inhaled deeply "I told Yang I would do anything to protect her" his wrist blades emerged with a swing of his arms out in front of him "I don't break my promises"

Ironwood's gaze hardened "You made me a promise too"

"And despite everything, I'm keeping both my promises. You asked me to stop you if your Semblance ever made you go too far... well, this is it"

Ironwood aimed toward Slade "So be it" the two men fired their weapons.

---

That's all for now guys! Hopefully it won't be as long of a wait next time around, and that the issues with the site are fixed! On a side note, for anyone unaware, apparently Rooster Teeth is shutting down and RWBY is possibly being sold to someone else for future development. I don't know what this means for Volume 10, but whatever happens, I hope the show continues on to see a bright future. As for me, I will continue writing these fics (Don't know exactly what I plan to do next yet) for as long as I am still enjoying it. The amazing feedback I get is immensely appreciated, for those of you who regularly tell me how you're enjoying each chapter, I want to thank you guys! Until next time!