The others heard Piper's eerie music and rushed faster.
They found the wolf pack. Claw and Emerald already had killed most of them.
The Beowolves dissolved like normal Grimm and left no trace.
"Well, that told us nothing," Piper said, drawing some deep breaths.
"Except that they seem to really want to keep us out of these ruins." Emerald wiped her forehead. "Well...isn't there something about territory in those readings Shine sends us?"
"What's the story of this place?" Royal asked. "Why did it fall? I know more Atlas history than Vale."
"You're asking me? I'm from Mistral," Emerald said.
"My dad didn't really teach." Mercury made a face.
"I know the kingdom was a precursor of Vale's Capital," Weiss said. "But there's not that much we know. You know how when kingdoms fall, the records usually are destroyed? A few people might take books with them, but usually they're just running for their lives...so we don't know a lot. Ozpin might have known."
"It was from before the Great War," Cinder spoke, surprising them. "The Great War happened in basically the same kingdoms as we know them now, but there were other wars before it. There was a Relic here, before it was moved. The Grimm attacked the kingdom because of some stir that was caused probably by Salem's agents. Ozpin moved the Relic before they got it, and then the Vault was under the current Beacon."
"Oh, wait a minute," Weiss said. "I remember that when they told us about Alicia's history with Ozpin, one of them mentioned... Oscar wrote it down in his notes, I think, for his book, that she and Ozpin were in the kingdom we now call Vale. And that was before he put the Relic under the school in the Vault. Are you saying this was here, then?"
"Oh, probably not the actual buildings, but Salem didn't destroy the entire city till later," Cinder said.
"How did you know all that?" Emerald asked. "Did Salem tell you?"
"Of course she did. Do you think she'd have explained why finding the Fall Relic was so important without venting her anger at how Ozpin slipped it through her fingers?" Cinder said airily. "I was quizzed on this practically so I would understand to find it 'under the school.'"
"I didn't know Salem gave you homework." Mercury thought it was funny. "I can see her with, like, some Grimm pointer and a Grimm blackboard, asking, 'And where will you find the Relic?'"
"And she'd probably say, 'Don't disappoint me,'" Emerald got in the spirit of mocking it.
"Oh, and 'I don't like repeating myself,'" Mercury said. "Are you taking notes?"
"You two really think this is funny?" Claw was disgusted. "That witch coached her witch student on how to take down the kingdom of Vale, and apparently it wasn't her first time."
That just made them laugh more.
"It does sound pretty bada-- to say, 'It's not my first time taking down the kingdom of Vale'," Mercury said. "I can just hear Salem saying it almost."
"Actually she said it more like, 'In the past we've nearly gotten our hands on the Relic, but somehow Ozma has evaded us every time'." Cinder imitated Salem's tone pretty well. She was used to it.
"Oh, that gave me a chill," Emerald said. "That was eerily like how she spoke."
"Joke was on her--in the end, the Relics just got walked right to her doorstep, and we never used the d--- things," Mercury said. "All that fuss for nothing."
YOU ARE READING
RWBY Through Worlds (End)
FanfictionCouldn't fit it all in one book so this is the end of the story. Sit tight, it's a real ride. After the author's note, you'll see I wrote an epilogue in the form of a bonus book of extra stuff I wanted to see more of and couldn't fit in the main boo...
