A/N: Standard disclaimer: I own Nothing in this story except my OC.Everything Rwby-related content belongs to Rooster Teeth and respective artists.Everything Honkai-related content belongs to HoYoverse and the respective artists.
Mei-senpai = Thoughts
The scene opened showing Himeko conducting exams for the Valkyries.
"Everything got back to normal when the Valkyrie Tier Examination ended." The scene changed again to show the command center of the Selene. "New missions were set according to the message left in the hub of the Selene. The Valkyries started the search for the 4 gems."
"Well it looks like the search is on." Pyrrha said.
"I wonder why these 4 gems are so important." Yang said.
"Their first destination is Oniyuri under the jurisdiction of the Schicksal Oceania branch." The scene changed showing a teal coloured gem. "The gem of desire awaits them there."
"Wow, that looks pretty." Ruby said.
"It does look pretty." Weiss said.
I can feel the power flowing off that gem, that thing feels dangerous. Ozpin thought.
I wonder if I can use it against the gods Salem thought.
Ruby arrived at Oniyuri and got a call from Himeko.
"Second lieutenant Ruby, I see that you have arrived in Oniyuri. Prepare for a mission briefing." Himeko said.
"Wait, Himeko. Can you tell me about the analysis of that unmanned battleship." Ruby asked.
"Actually I would also like to know about the battleship." Ironwood said.
"Later"
"Mission briefing takes priority, Ruby. Bad news first. A powerful Honkai spike was detected in Oniyuri 1 day ago. The place is now crawling with zombies and Honkai beasts." Himeko said.
"For some reason, attacks happen 1 day before you arrive." Qrow said.
"The Oceania Branch is out of action. The Gem of Desire went missing during the incident." Himeko said.
"Oh that's just great, just what we need , the object that we are looking for is missing." Yang said.
"It happens more times than you think." Qrow said remembering how many missions he had run into this kind of situation.
"The good news. The hyperion is furnished with a sensor capable of locating the gem. Find it and bring it back." Himeko said, ending her report.
"Hold on, aren't we on the Hyperion right now?" Blake asked.
"Yup, it is the same ship that they used. Some of their equipment is still here."
Some of them made plans to explore the ship.
"Himeko, what exactly is the Gem of Desire?" Ruby asked
"Schicksal got hold of 3 powerful Honkai gems 14 years ago, one of which is the Gem of Desire. A covert research program was started 3 years ago to use this Gem and develop weapons capable of fighting a herrscher. The research program failed. The Gem has been kept in the Oceania branch ever since. That's all I know." Himeko explained.
"14 years ago.... So after the 2nd Eruption I presume." Ozpin said.
"Yup."
"They use the Gems to create super weapons. Have they succeeded?" Asked Winter.
"Yes but only in the previous era, all of the weapons come from the previous era like Glynda's Oath of Judah and Tai's Judgement of Shamash. Schicksal has been trying to create their own weapons with the current Herrscher cores but to no avail."
"Then how did the previous era create them?" Weiss asked.
"Now that is a secret that was lost to time. That's why Schicksal is trying to find out how to create them."
"Alrighty. Let's go get that Gem!" Ruby said.
Ruby started to follow the signal but was soon surrounded by fire scythe zombies and scythe zombies. After killing them, Ruby ran into a summoner and ranger.
"There sure are a lot of zombies." Blake said.
"Well the Honkai spike did hit a few towns so it changed many people into zombies." Dr Oobleck said.
As the team tracked the signal, Himeko was asking Glynda about the gems' background.
"Principal, where did the Gem of Desire come from? I can't find any related data from the archives... even those related to A rank Valkyries." Himeko asked.
"So the data of the gems are classified and only seen by selected people." Ironwood said.
"It's probably to prevent people from looking for them like people did for the maidens." Qrow said.
"Curiosity killed the cat. Do you still want to know, Major?" Glynda said.
The Belladonna family felt offended by that statement.
"Of course, my girls are down there fighting for that stupid rock. I need the truth." Himeko said.
"Ahhh, so Uncle Qrow does care for us." Yang said.
"Hey, I always care for you guys all the time." Qrow answered.
"I will tell you about it. It happened 14 years ago. That's when the 4 Gems, including the Gem of Desire, appeared." Glynda explained.
"The thing 14 years ago ? So it's related to the 2nd Herrscher?" Himeko asked
"Yes, the 2nd Herrscher dragged Kuo Kuana into an imaginary space 14 years ago." Glynda said.
"What is an Imaginary space?" Ruby asked.
"Well, the Imaginary space is a void space around the Imaginary tree. The imaginary tree is the origin of life itself, as all universes and bubble worlds are born there. The Imaginary Tree and Sea of Quanta which we are currently in, are counterparts to each other and feed off of each other. Branch worlds of the Imaginary Tree can be consumed by the Honkai and fall into the Sea of Quanta as a Bubble Universe. So since the 2nd Herrscher has control over the void. She can create a space of her own in the imaginary space."
Most of the students were just confused.
All of the adults got an idea of what was going on.
"Wait, so we are technically under the imaginary tree?" Blake asked, trying to understand.
"You could say that."
"5 of our A rank Valkyries were killed in battle. Even Cecilia, our S rank Valkyrie, could not defeat her." Glynda said.
"But we did win, eventually. How did that happen? What does that have to do with the Gem of Desire?" Himeko asked.
"30 minutes after the battle with the 2nd Herrscher started. Cecilia was the only one left standing." Glynda said.
"Yikess, even with 6 A rank Valkyries, the 2nd Herrscher managed to defeat them in 30 minutes." Yang said.
"They are going against a godlike being. I doubt they can do much except delay her." Roman said.
"I planned to put on my battlesuit And fight alongside her... But grampa Otto stopped me." Glynda said
"Grampa Otto? Overseer Otto Apocalypse?" Himeko said. Glynda nodded in agreement.
"He thought I won't do any good. He ordered me to unleash Honkai fissile missiles to attack the 2nd Herrscher."
"Honkai-fissile missiles? What's that?" Ironwood asked.
"They are basically Honkai powered nukes."
"What!!! That's very bad and will probably destroy the whole country." Blake said.
"Well, I think Otto would rather destroy a whole country than let the whole world be destroyed." Yet again it's Otto, he probably did it to remove any evidence of his experiments.
"Honkai fissile missiles? Those things can kill hundreds of Honkai Chariots, but leave the region contaminated." Himeko asked.
"That is even worse. Even after everything dies. People can't even go back to rebuild." Kali said.
"Sadly, that's the price to pay."
"They didn't do anything to the 2nd Herrscher. She moved them to the imaginary space before they exploded." Glynda said.
"Even the strongest weapons used against her, it still didn't do anything to her." Ironwood said.
"But Cecilia grasped the chance. She sacrificed herself to destroy the core of the 2nd Herrscher. Her core fractured into 4 gems." Glynda said.
"That's Mum for you. Always saving everyone." Ruby said, trying not to cry.
Summer noticed this and immediately hugged her and consoled her.
"So the 4 gems were actually the 2nd Herrscher's core." Weiss said.
"I guess the Gem of Desire was part of the 2nd Herrscher's core..."Himeko said.
"Exactly. But there was an accident when we recovered the gems." Glynda said.
"I guess that answers that question." Yang said.
"Did they lose one of the gems while recovering it?" Nora asked.
"No."
"What was that?" Himeko asked.
"My troops found the 2nd Herrscher's core fractured into 4 pieces when they went to recover her body. That's when they appeared with more advanced battleships and technical mechas."
"Hmmmm battleships and mechs.... I wonder who that could be." Qrow said, looking sharply at Ironwood.
"Don't look at me like that, you know I brought them to protect Vale." Ironwood argued.
Qrow rolled his eyes and looked back to the screen.
"That was our first encounter with Atlas, and the 1st Herrscher who led them. The 2nd Herrscher was their aim as well." Glynda explained.
"But Schicksal kept the Gem of Desire. I thought Atlas would have taken it as well." Himeko said.
"Otto managed to deceive them. Schicksal Valkyrie forces were devastated. We had no chance against Atlas. Luckily, Atlas didn't know that the core was broken into 4 pieces. We fooled them. We gave them her corpse and one of the gem fractures. We told them that's all we got, and they brought it.." Glynda explained.
"That sounds like Ozpin, always deceiving others to get his way." Salem said.
Ozpin glared at her, not saying anything.
"So Schicksal has 3 of the Gems while Atlas has 1 of the Gems?" Ren asked.
"Yup."
"Shouldn't the 1st Herrscher be able to sense the other pieces." Weiss asked.
"Yup, but Schicksal managed to keep them away before they arrived."
"That means Atlas took a gem from us." Himeko said.
"Does it bother you?" Glynda asked.
"Of course it does. If the Gem of Desire has Herrscher powers, the gem they took would have the same. One of our girls down there happens to have Herrscher powers." Himeko explained.
"That is concerning. If the gem they have has Herrscher powers. They could do anything with that power." Dr Oobleck said.
"True, but I doubt Atlas will do anything bad with it." Jaune said.
"That might be true, but not everyone from Atlas has the same intentions." Tai said.
"Your guess is correct. The Gem they took was the Gem of Conquest and it has the power of lightning. If Schicksal is working on giving humans Herrscher powers. Atlas must be doing the same thing as well and they probably succeeded already ." Glynda said.
"Sadly, desperate time requires desperate measures." Ironwood said.
"Yea but not human experiments. That is crossing the line." Ozpin said.
"I wonder how many skeletons Atlas has in its cupboard." Neo said.
Probably a whole warehouse full of skeletons.
"Power of lightning..."Himeko said thinking before realizing. "Weiss?"
"Wait, so Weiss was experimented on?" Winter said angry
"Well, not really. It was implanted by her father who thought it was a stigmata."
"Why did her father implant it for?" Ruby asked.
"Because Weiss was kidnapped when she was younger. So to protect her in the future, he implanted the stigmata to protect her not knowing it was a dormant gem of conquest."
"Too bad father would even do anything for our safety unless it involves the company's safety." Weiss said bitterly.
"How did he even get the gem in the first place?" Ghira asked.
"He actually works with Atlas. So he was given the gem and was told it was a stigmata."
"So he was tricked into giving Weiss the gem. He was a pawn." Kali said.
"It's just my speculation, though. If it was Weiss, why would Atlas let her leave? Weiss seems oblivious about Atlas" Glynda wondered. "There are too many questions. We should keep this a secret first."
"Hmmmm, there is definitely too much missing information to confirm anything." Pyrrha said.
"I agree." Blake said.
After a few hours of searching, Ruby received a call from Glynda.
"Ruby-chan, Himeko told me that you're curious about the battleship. I'll tell you the analysis results." Glynda said.
"Aunt Glenni! You're The world's #1 Cutie." Ruby said.
Everyone started to laugh.
"Come on Glynda, you do look cute." Qrow said.
"Qrow, don't make me destroy your flask." Professor Goodwitch threatened
"You would dare." Qrow said.
Qrow then saw a purple aura around his flask and Glynda about to make a crushing motion with her hand.
"WAIT, WAIT OK OK I'm sorry. Please stop." Qrow pleaded.
"Mention this again and I will destroy it."
"What did you say?" Glynda said. "Never mind... analysis showed that the battleship was not fully activated. Only one of the 24 Anti-grav drives were operational. Weapon systems were frozen as well. The fully activated battleship would have leveled Vale in Mantle within 24 hours." Glynda said.
"24 hours!? And that one battleship." Ironwood said.
"And she said leveled, not captured. Such power." Ghira said.
"Wait, it was operating with one engine? How? A ship that size must need more than one drive to even float!" Weiss said.
"Well, one drive is pretty powerful."
"For the sake of comparison, The Hyperion's Honkai reactor has a max output of 1380 HW." Glynda said.
"HW? What's that." Yang asked.
"It stands for Honkai Watts, it's a unit of measure for energy."
"The Selene has an output of 12000 HW." Glynda said.
"Oh my ohm. That is at least 9 times more than the Hyperion." Ruby said.
"that could power all the kingdoms and maybe more." Neo said.
"Wow, the most powerful reactor of Schicksal has an output of 1500 HW." Ruby said.
"There is only one way to build a reactor with an output that exceeds 1500 HW." Glynda said.
"You're talking about.... Herrschers?" Ruby asked
"Correct. In the Oniyuri incident, the 3rd Herrscher delivered a hit amounting to 3200HW against the Hyperion." Glynda said.
"So Herrschers are most likely the key to fully powering the whole ship." Dr Oobleck said.
"But why give them a battleship that requires Herrschers to power it when they don't have Herrschers to use." Jaune said.
"To fully activate the battleship. You would need the power of 4 Herrschers." Glynda said.
"The voice mentioned 4 keys..." Ruby said, thinking to herself.
"Hmmm, I assume the 4 keys mean 4 Herrschers. But why and how are they going to get 4 Herrschers?" Pyrrha asked.
"Well they do have Weiss, and also it has been shown that not all Herrschers are bad. So it is possible." Blake said.
"So they will have to find 3 more. That is going to be hard." Tai said.
Ruby and her team make it to the location on the sensor which was a fountain plaza.
"This is the place indicated by the sensor. But I don't see anything. Perhaps the sensor malfunctioned." Weiss said, looking around.
"Weiss! Wait." Blake said.
"What's the matter, Blake?" Weiss asked.
"Bio-sensors detect vital readings 50 meters to the east." Blake said.
"East... I see it. There is a girl in a wheelchair. This place is dangerous. We should save her." Weiss said after looking to the east.
"Why is there a girl in a wheelchair in the plaza?" Summer asked.
"She was probably trying to escape but was slowed down by the wheelchair." Ironwood said.
"Don't worry. We will save her. Go team RWBY!" Ruby shouted.
"I think it's just RWB since I am not there." Yang said.
Team RWB went to clear the area of zombies and Honkai beasts. With them being more experienced, they managed to kill them more effectively.
"They have definitely improved a lot since their first mission." Tai said.
"I agree." Qrow said.
After killing all of the monsters, an alloy Seraph spawned.
"Is that an alpha Seraph?" Hazel asked.
"Yup, it is tougher, faster and smarter in a way."
However the Seraph did not stand a chance against team RWB and was dealt with ease.
"Target located." Himeko said as they walked towards the girl.
"Target? But I thought we're looking for the Gem of Desire. We only found this girl." Weiss said confused
"I think she has the Gem inside her." Ren said.
"Why would the Gem be inside her?" Ruby asked.
"Let's find out."
"Intel from the Oceania Branch confirmed the girl as the Gem of Desire." Himeko said
"I'm... I'm Amber." the girl said.
All of Ozpin's inner circle and Salem recognized the girl. That's the Fall Maiden!
"Allow me to explain. 3 years ago, the Oceania Branch implanted the Gem of Desire into Amber's calf. The aim was to meld the Gem with her tibia to achieve Herrscher-grade powers." Himeko explained.
"So she was experimented on as well." Winter said.
"What's a tibia? " Nora asked.
"It's the bone found in your calf. The same bone you tend to break when you break someone's legs."
"Ah so that's what it is called." Nora said.
"I guess Amber should be pretty powerful. But she's a girl in a wheelchair." Weiss said.
"Amber was Oceania's best Valkyrie. She might have become the 4th S-rank Valkyrie of this generation. But she still couldn't handle the gem's power." Himeko said.
"Wow. She's that strong." Ruby said.
"But why would she agree to the experiment?" Blake asked.
"Well, she was willing to be used for the experiment as she wanted to help the branch for the greater good."
"I wasn't strong enough to contain the power of the Gem. I lost control of my legs.' Amber said.
"They should have taken out the Gem! Amber shouldn't be stuck in this wheelchair." Weiss said angrily
"Yea, they should have removed it as soon as it went wrong." Ruby said.
"That's actually a bad idea."
"Why?" Weiss asked.
"You will see."
"The Gem of Desire is extremely unstable in every medium, but it stabilized in Amber's body." Himeko explained.
"So Schicksal decided to use Amber's body as a vessel for holding the Gem? That's... evil!!" Weiss said
"I agree." Pyrrha said with disgust.
"No point arguing this here. Bring Amber back to Hyperion." Himeko said.
"We're heading back? But I'm in a wheelchair. I might slow you down..." Amber said.
Before Amber could finish her sentence. Blake interrupted her and said "I can't believe it. The Blake does not believe Amber will slow us down. Project bunny : activate!" Blake activated her robot.
"A robot? It just materialized from thin air!" Amber said in shock.
"Project Bunny, pick up subject Amber. Belladonna will carry you, subject Amber." Blake said.
"Awww, Blake, that's so kind of you." Kali said, hugging her tightly.
"Mummm!"
"What? It can fly!" Amber said.
"Awesome! Blake, can I ride on your robot next time?" Ruby asked.
"For subject Ruby, NO." Blake said.
"Come on Blake." Ruby said.
"Ruby, I don't have a robot you know." Blake said
"Well, you have your clones." Ruby said.
"No."
Team RWB then headed back to the Hyperion protecting Amber and Blake.
"We will be back at the battleship in 4 minutes. Statement proven. Amber didn't slow down the squad." Blake said.
"Blake is so kind today." Weiss said
"I guess the mighty Blake's data center Is corrupted by the "kindness" virus. Ruby teased.
"Come on guys, I am kind you know." Blake said.
"Yea, but are also too antisocial to talk to anyone." Yang said.
"Thank you, Blake." Amber said.
"The Blake is glad to help. The Blake is equipped with armored leg prosthetics. The Blake was wounded and confined to a wheelchair after an experiment. The exoskeleton system restored the Blake's ability to walk." Blake said.
"Blake sympathizes with Amber. That's so nice of her." Kali said.
"I mean I wouldn't want anyone to suffer the same way I did." Blake said.
"Awesome! Does that mean Amber can recover one day. I'll be able to walk and fly like Blake, right?" Amber said.
"Da, The Blake believes it is possible. Once we return to St. Freya High, the Gem can be removed. Subject Amber shall regain the ability to walk." Blake said.
"You're so nice, Blake." Amber said.
"They are kinda like sisters." Ruby said.
"Yea they are." Weiss said.
"Let's hope they can remove the Gem." Ironwood said.
After fighting through many monsters, Blake then called Himeko.
"Blake, what is it? I'm surprised to see you submit a personal request." Himeko asked.
"Major Himeko, the Blake request St. Freya High to remove the Gem from Amber. The removal will restore her walking abilities." Blake requested.
"That's... not possible. We need Amber to keep the Gem stable. We can't keep the Gem if it's taken out." Himeko said.
"So, they are using her as a living container." Summer said.
"I guess they can find another way to keep the Gem stable before they can remove it from Amber." Ozpin said.
"Just throw that stupid gem away! The rock means nothing compared to a girl's happiness." Ruby said angrily.
"Yea! Ruby is right. Just throw it out." Nora said.
"Sadly I don't think it's that easy." Pyrrha said.
"The Gem of Desire is no ordinary rock. It contains enough Honkai to vaporize several cities, and that's what will happen if it goes off." Himeko explained.
"But..." Ruby tried to argue back but Amber interrupted. "It's alright, Ruby. I've accepted my fate. Valkyries must sacrifice themselves for the greater good. It's... my duty..."
"So, if they remove it, the gem might destroy everything." Winter said.
"That's sad to save innocent people, one person has to suffer." Ghira said.
"Many huntsmen think the same about their duty." Qrow said.
Finally, they arrived at the pick up point.
"Hey, Aunt Himeko, is the Hyperion ready?" Ruby said
"Stop calling me that! Kids these days... Stay where you are and get ready to board." Himeko said as she prepared the Hyperion for boarding.
"Amber...Sorry..." Blake said not knowing how to phrase her sentence.
" It's fine, Blake. You did nothing wrong." Amber said.
"Don't beat yourself over. You tried your best especially with the White Fang." Yang said, hugging Blake.
"Going Beacon really did help Blake a lot." Kali said. Ghira nodded in agreement.
"Honkai energy reactions detected." Himeko said as she saw the sensors spiked. "Is it from the Gem of Desire inside Amber? Wait, the readings of Honkai energy are off the charts! 1500 HW... 2000HW... Holy...!! What the hell is going on?!"
"It would seem that a green aura is surrounding her." Penny said.
"What's Amber doing?" Professor Goodwitch asked.
"2000 HW, huh... With this power, I won't need two shots to crush Hyperion... You hypocrites! I hate you... ALL of you! I can't wait to kill ALL of you! HAHAHA..." Amber said insanely as she floated above them.
"Is it the Honkai controlling her?" Ozpin asked.
"Kinda. She actually finally broke and is controlled by her inner hatred."
"She looks terrifying." Jaune said
"Two shots, yikes." Ruby said.
"What Herrscher is Amber?" Salem asked.
"She is the Herrscher of the Wind."
"Her eyes changed to green." Weiss said.
Himeko watched Amber teleport the girls into a field. This Honkai energy level... Amber... you've harnessed the Gem of Desire's power?! Or, are you corrupted by the will of Honkai within it?
"So, there are usually two options: the person with the Gem becomes a human with the Gem powers or becomes a Herrscher?" Dr Oobleck asked.
"Yup."
RWB found themselves in a field, Ruby then saw many zombies in front of her. They quickly killed them. Suddenly, a tornado appeared in front of them. It was Amber. Amber then launched pillars of wind towards them. They evaded pillars going toward them. Blake activated her black hole preventing Amber from flying away. Amber launched wind blades towards them. Despite evading they were still hit by the blades.
"Gezz, those things have very good tracking." Jaune said.
"Something tells me that she is still not familiar with her powers." Tai said.
"Yea." Summer said in agreement.
Amber started to notice that things were going bad, so she retreated for now.
"Amber... has flown away..." Ruby said feeling upset that they could not stop her.
"Report this to HQ. Dispatch S-rank Valkyries to capture her." Himeko said, commanding the crew.
"Blake does not think Amber will hurt anyone." Blake argued.
"We can't afford the risks. She has Herrscher powers. Her mind and ego might have been corrupted by the Honkai." Himeko said.
"It's too big of a risk. They have to capture her or worse kill her." Ironwood said.
"I would have to agree, but I would give them a chance to try." Roman said.
"I trust Amber, too. Back in Kuroyuri, Weiss was also controlled by the Honkai, but she managed to resist it!" Ruby said supporting Blake's request.
"Ruby's right. We can restore Amber if we help her." Weiss said.
Himeko thought for a while. "I'll report this to HQ. The S-rank Valkyrie will be here in 30 minutes. You hear that? You have 30 minutes to do whatever needs to be done." Himeko said, giving them a chance.
"Thank you, Major Himeko!" Blake said.
"Ok, they have 30 minutes to help Amber. I hope they can do it." Professor Goodwitch said.
"I am sure they can do it." Summer said.
After chasing Amber for a while. Himeko called them.
"Two bad news. First: HQ has tagged Amber as the 4th Herrscher. 2nd: The S-rank Valkyrie from the Valean HQ has been deployed to bring her in."
"S-rank Valkyrie? Hah. I would have loved to spar with them in school... but this definitely is not the time to meet them." Ruby said.
"An S-rank? I wonder who it will be?" Winter said.
"I don't think it will be Neo." Roman said.
"They've deployed S-rank Valkyrie Durandal. She's clad in black armor and wields a massive lance. Word is that she's the most powerful S-rank Valkyrie we have." Himeko said
"That sounds impressive to achieve." Ozpin said
"Fun fact Durandal is the youngest S-rank Valkyrie."
"Wow, She must have worked very hard." Pyrrha said.
After they chased her and killed any Honkai in the area. Himeko called them again.
"Another bad news. Schicksal satellites picked up 5 aerial battleships flying across the Pacific. Exact location unknown." Himeko said.
"Aerial battleships? Could that be Atlas?" Weiss said.
"As usual, Atlas knows nothing about stealth." Qrow said.
Ironwood just ignored him.
"Who else? Alright girls, give up your search if you run into Atlas. I'm not losing any of you on this chase." Himeko said.
"Aww, look uncle Qrow looks out for us." Yang said.
"Laugh it up Yang." Qrow said.
"Despite Qrow being kinda unreliable, he does take care of his team." Professor Goodwitch said.
"Ruby-chan! Lemme give you a hand this time! Atlas is on the move? Sounds like a great opportunity to me. Heheh." Glynda said, thinking of a plan.
"Give me a hand? What do you mean, Aunt Glenni?" Ruby said.
"You'll know soon enough." Glynda said with a smug look.
"I know that look, that is the look when she is planning a prank." Professor Port said.
"Wait, Professor Goodwitch plays pranks?" Yang asked in surprise.
"Only if they misbehave." Professor Goodwitch said, staring at the other professors.
After they made it through the abandoned town, Himeko called them to give them an update.
"The S-rank Valkyrie will arrive in Oniyuri in 2 minutes, and Atlas battleships are coming too." Himeko said.
"Dammit! Are we running out of time?" Ruby said in frustration.
"Wow, they travel really fast." Jaune said.
"Don't worry about the S-rank Valkyrie or Atlas." Glynda said.
"Did you manage to stall the S-rank Valkyrie?" Weiss asked hopefully.
"No. I can't do that. But I know where she is." Glynda said
"Could that mean... What?" Ruby asked, still confused.
"That's right. I aired the S-rank's position on a public channel. I'm sure Atlas intercepted my message. They probably went off-course to intercept the Valkyrie." Glynda explained.
"That's...treason!" Ironwood said.
"Only when you are caught."
"I guess that could work but I don't agree with it." Winter said.
"So that's what the explosions are." Ruby said, remembering hearing explosions while they were chasing Amber.
"Selling out one of our own doesn't feel good, but she'll be doing okay. I hope Atlas gave us more time." Glynda said
"All right! It's our turn now!" Ruby said.
After a while, they finally caught up to her.
"Found you! Amber!" Ruby said, calling out to her.
"Why follow me? Do you seek death? I've spared you out of my kindness. You have no idea who you're dealing with." Amber said bitterly
"It's dangerous here! Schicksal deployed an S-rank Valkyrie to capture you. Atlas is coming, too!" Weiss explained.
"S-rank Valkyrie? Those with Herrscher-level powers? I really want to know if I can take on an S-rank myself." Amber said.
"She is being too arrogant. That would probably kill her." Ghira said.
"Hey, that's so arrogant! You'll have to get through me first! I was just careless. Even Herrshers are no match to me if I get serious." Ruby said.
"Ruby, that's equally as bad." Summer said
"Not me." Ruby said.
"I won't upset Blake nor fight you. Stop following me." Amber said as she flew off again.
"She flew away again..." Weiss said
"Hmmm, did you catch that? She briefly took control of her body before the herrscher took over again." Ozpin said.
"Yea, she sounds softer for a while." Ironwood said.
"I wonder what the S-rank is like." Yang asked.
"Oh, there was one part that was missed out, basically it's Glynda making her plan." Shadow said as he pulled out the conversation between Himeko and Glynda.
"I just talked to Durandal." Glynda said.
"And?" Himeko asked.
"I got her coordinates." Glynda said
"Talk about gullible, huh? I guess I can give her a star for honesty." Himeko said.
"Well, honesty is the best policy." Pyrrha said.
"Yea but it's not really the best to give up your coordinates." Ren said.
"Can't help it. We must give Ruby and the girls more time." Glynda said.
"But exposing her location to the enemy? Durandal is supposed to be an ally..." Himeko said.
"Ally? That nagging little brat is definitely no ally of mine! She gave me a really hard time back then!" Glynda said angrily.
"Yikes, I didn't think professor Goodwitch would do anything like that."
"Only if someone cuts my leave then yes." Professor Goodwitch said while glaring at Qrow.
"We'll have to deal with the Atlas anyway. Durandal can soften them up a bit." Glynda said
"But you're giving Atlas quite a bit of advantage by telling them where she is." Himeko said.
"Oh. But Durandal is uber-powered, you know."
"Terrific. I love you, Aunt Glenni! Muuuuuha~~~." Himeko said.
"Professor Goodwitch glared at Qrow, daring him to say it. But Qrow knew to keep silent.
"Stop playing coy and find that Amber. NOW!!" Glynda Yelled.
Back to the present.
"I was really hoping to meet an S-rank Valkyrie." Ruby said.
"You should feel lucky, lazybones! She'll PT you to kingdom come if she was your instructor." Glynda said.
Why does she remind me of Pyrrha? Jaune thought.
"PT? What's that?" Ruby asked.
"PT stands for physical training. And she's really good at that. Of the three S-rank Valkyries of Schicksal, two were naturally talented. Durandal got her's with hard work." Glynda said.
"Wow, so she has to work very hard to get where she is. and she is the youngest." Nora said.
"She must have been very determined and focused." Winter said.
"But it sounds like she is not a very good teacher." Wiess said.
"To be on par with the other two Valkyries, Durandal was expected to put in 10 to 20 times the effort. But the truth was that she put in 100 times the effort." Glynda said.
"100 times?! That's crazy." Yang said.
"It is but it was worth it.' Blake said.
"She is dedicated." Neo said
"Maybe she was super untalented. Did it work for her?" Ruby asked.
"She thinks it did. She now believes that hard work can solve everything." Glynda said.
"Well, she is partially correct. Taking a break will help you look at the problem in a different way." Ironwood said.
"If she knew you flunked your theory test, she'll force you to study 26 hours a day. She'll get you through hundreds of practice questions. You can forget about sleeping." Glynda said.
"That's crazy. There are only 24 hours in a day!" Ruby shouted.
"She kinda sounds like Weiss." Yang said.
"Hey, those study sessions were important so you wouldn't fail your exams." Weiss said.
"I will have to agree 26 hours of studying is a bit too excessive." Dr Oobleck said.
"She sounds like an evil witch. Textbooks are written by the most boring people on earth." Ruby said.
"Yea!" Ruby said.
"Come on Ruby. They are still important for your studies." Weiss said.
"But, it's true, some textbooks are really boring." Blake said
"Oh, you and Aunt Himeko know that S-rank Valkyrie?" Ruby asked.
"Oh... I don't know her very well, but I trained her for a while after she became an A-rank Valkyrie." Glynda said.
"A subordinate and her direct superior? Then you two SHOULD be close!" Ruby said, trying to get more information about the S-rank.
"Hmm... really? But things didn't turn out that way..." Glynda said.
"The way you said it... I'm sure something weird happened between you two." Ruby said.
"Ruby, why so curious?" Summer asked.
"Mum, other me! Although, I think it's because I want to know what the S-ranks are like." Ruby said.
"Nothing weird happened between us two. I told you that she's serious and believes in hard work, right?" Glynda said.
"Yeah." Ruby said.
"She had the nerve to think that superior officers should be serious and believe in hard work, too. Every time I try to take a little break, she will lecture me on and on." Glynda said.
"I can understand being serious and hard working but we all need a break. you can't just work non-stop." Ironwood said.
"We all have to have days off from work so we don't burn out. That's why we don't rob everyday." Roman said high fiving Neo.
"Gosh! I guess I should be thankful that Himeko is a slacker and deadbeat drunk..." Ruby said.
"Hey! I heard that." Qrow said.
"Hey. Ruby, stop thinking out loud." Himeko said.
"Anyway, I found a way to get her off my heels." Glynda said.
"A way? What way?" Ruby said.
"That's a secret. But it has to do with the keyword "Rowland". Once she opens her trap, I'd say the word "Rowland" to shut her up." Glynda said.
"Ah, blackmail, the best way to get someone off your back." Professor Port said.
They continued to follow Amber and dispatch any monsters in the way.
"KYAAA! We're in trouble!" Glynda shouted.
"What's wrong, Glynda?" Ruby asked.
"Durandal messaged me. She sent Atlas packing." Glynda said.
"I guess S-rank Valkyries are indeed powerful." Himeko said.
"Powerful is an understatement. One valkyrie vs 5 battleships. And she won." Winter said in shock.
"I think we could just send one s-rank Valkyrie into the Grimmlands to destroy the grimm." Qrow said.
"Now, that's just rude." Salem said.
"She asked me about the Atlas ambush since I'm the only one who knew her location." Glynda said in panic.
"Let's walk away with the lesson that lying is wrong." Weiss said.
"Think of something smart to say! Quick! Or else!" Glynda said in panic.
"Or else?" Ruby asked.
"Or else... she might not report this, but she'll be here and nag us for a day." Glynda said.
"Yea, I rather got scolded by my superior than get nagged at for a day." Qrow said.
"That is true, I would rather get scolded by my commander than get nagged at by my mother in the past." Ironwood said.
"Oh. I'll avoid your office when she comes by, then." Himeko said.
"Hey, Himeko! I'm not leaving you out of this!" Glynda said.
"Dammit, ran before it's too late!" Qrow shouted to his other self.
"I thought of one, Principal. Tell her there's an Atlas mole in Schicksal." Weiss said.
"We can't do that. It'll create a huge mess in the Schicksal." Glynda said.
"While that might sound like a good idea, it will cause a lot of security issues." Jaune said.
"I agree with Mr Arc. Doing something like that will create distrust and waste of resources searching for the fake mole." Ironwood said.
"Blake thinks that we should tell her that Atlas initiated this Honkai incident to lure and ambush an S-rank Valkyrie. She was marked from the start. Blake thinks this will work." Blake said.
''Good, but the logical flaw is that Atlas would have sent better troops if that's their aim from the start." Glynda said.
"So, they need an explanation with zero logical flaw." Pyrrha said.
"Hey, listen to my brilliant idea! I noticed that Durandal took the Gold Coast Oceanfront Line to get here. We'll tell her that Atlas was on holiday and happened to bump into her." Ruby said.
"That might work. It has no logical flaws." Ren said after thinking about it.
"Yea but it doesn't make any sense either." Weiss said.
"That's the dumbest and most idiotic thing I've ever." Himeko said.
"It actually might work. It has zero logical flaws. Lemme try this. Wait." Glynda said.
"Weiss, 20 Lien says it will work." Yang said.
"You're on." Weiss said.
"How did it go? She's coming to nag us out, right?" Himeko said already giving up.
"She actually bought it. People say she's honest and frank. If you ask me, I think she's just an idiot." Glynda said.
"Rats." Weiss said, handing 20 Lien to Yang.
"I am shocked that that worked." Winter said.
"Sometimes, the craziest things sometimes work the best." Ozpin said.
"I feel Durandal is a very reasonable person. Perhaps we can be friends. Wait, did you just call someone an idiot?" Ruby said.
Finally they caught up with Amber as she got annoyed at their persistence.
"You girls don't know when to give up. I'll have to teach you a lesson!" Amber said.
"Hey, that's my line!" Ruby said.
"Amber, please trust us. You're not yourself. Honkai is misleading you." Weiss said.
"Wait subject Ruby. Blake wants to talk to subject Amber." Blake said.
"No! Stop! I don't want to talk with you, Blake." Amber pleaded.
"It sounds like she doesn't want to hurt Blake." Jaune said.
"She is trying to overpower her other persona." Ozpin said.
"Bronya remembered a younger sister named Penny back in the orphanage. Subject Amber reminds me of her. Penny was strong and kind, like subject Amber. Penny was corrupted by Honkai, but she fought hard and got herself back. Blake endured a lot of pain during the modifications... and still suffers to this day... But there is hope. Blake understands subject Amber's pain. Blake knows subject Amber can overcome this pain. Don't give up. Blake believes in you." Blake said, trying to appeal to Amber's human side.
"Aww, Blake, that was so nice." Kali said. hugging Blake.
"Hmmmm, I always wanted a sister." Penny said.
"I... I trust you, too, Blake..." Amber said as her human side took control." All right! I'll give myself another chance!"
"Great! Amber came back to us." Weiss said.
"They did it!" Ruby said.
Everyone celebrated the success.
"Now they can go back." Pyrrha said.
"Pfew. That was really close. Alright, back to Hyperion." Ruby said." We're all kick-ass Valkyries. If you get controlled by the Honkai again, I'll defeat you in no time."
"You are being too proud Ruby." Weiss said.
"Yea yea."
"Don't worry, subject Amber. Blake will take you home." Blake said
"Blake, can I sit on your robot again? Can I?" Amber said.
"This is just too cute." Ruby said.
"No problem. Project Bunny: activate!" Blake said.
However, suddenly someone broke into their comms.
"Blake, your matushka commands you to recover the 4th Herrscher." a voice said.
"What? Who's that?" Ruby said.
"Hmmm I think it might be Atlas." Ren said.
"That voice... I have heard it before." Ghira said.
"What does matushka mean?" Weiss asked.
"It is the Menagerie version for Mother." Kali said.
"The 4th Herrscher is an important test subject. We can't let Schicksal get hold of her. We must destroy her if we can't get her back." The voice said.
"No... No!!!" Blake refused.
"You rebellious little brat. No matter. You can't fight it. By the highest level of authority: Delay the 4th Herrscher if you can't defeat it. Our main forces will be here shortly. The voice said, controlling Blake by her bio-chip.
"How did she manage to use the bio-chip ?" Blake asked.
"Well, the chip is made by Atlas so they have no problems using it."
"I thought Atlas was beaten?" Yang said.
"It could be that a smaller force was sent out during the ambush." Ironwood said.
"Oh, I know who that is, it's Sienna Khan, The current leader of the white fang." Ghira said.
"I find it funny that the current white fang leader is working for Atlas." Neo said.
"Great, all their hard work just went down the drain." Qrow said.
"By the highest level of authority: Project Bunny, switch to attack mode. Target: 4th Herrscher." Blake said as the chip forced her to obey.
"Stop! Blake! What are you doing?" Ruby said, trying to stop Blake as Blake started attacking Amber.
"Blake? Why did you attack me?" Amber said confusedly. "Everything you told me was a lie, was it? No one... there's no one I can trust..." As she said ,as the Herrscher persona took over.
"Oh no, Amber doesn't know that Blake was controlled. " Ruby said, upset that they have to fight her again.
"They will have to fight her again." Pyrrha said.
After fighting Amber for a while. Amber moved herself away from them panting heavily. "Ugh, you are tenacious."
"Ha! Tenacious is my middle name! I could do this all day!" Ruby said.
"What a pity... I've got no more time for you! All tactical mechas, invisible mode off! Target: the 4th Herrscher!" The voice commanded as the mechas uncloaked and revealed that they had surrounded them.
"Hmmm stealth tech. We never really thought about that for our mechs." Ironwood said.
"They were waiting for them to weaken the Herrscher." Winter said.
"Aargh!" Amber exclaimed as the mechas took her down in a hit.
"No way! One hit and the Herrscher went down!" Weiss said in shock.
"The new tactical mecha is something else! Well, I HAVE TO thank you for wearing her down first. Oh, right, I almost forgot—there is another Herrscher right here. Blake, my sweet daughter, captured the 3rd Herrscher for me." The voice said. As they surrounded them, Blake, who was in her Black Nucleus suit, was behind Weiss.
"Wait, how did they know that Weiss is a Herrscher!" Ruby said.
"They probably have a sensor to find honkai energy which Miss Schnee has alot of." Ozpin said.
"Yes, Matushka." Blake said.
"Weiss! Blake!" Ruby said, trying to warn Weiss.
" Wh-Why?" was the last words of Weiss before she got knocked out.
Before Blake could say anything. Yang hugged Blake." It wasn't your fault, it was not you, and you were controlled." Yang said.
"Thanks Yang." Blake said.
"Weiss Schnee has been apprehended. One target remains. Schicksal troops detected. Approaching high velocity." Blake said as she pointed her cannon at Ruby unable to do anything.
"Humph, guess you got lucky this time. All units... retreat!" The voice said.
Himeko didn't arrive in time. Ruby was the only one she managed to rescue, while both Weiss and Amber were taken by the Atlas troops.
Heart heavy with regret, Ruby had no choice but to return to St. Freya High School and devise a plan to rescue Weiss with the help of Glynda and Himeko.
"Damn, that was rough." Qrow said, drinking another can of beer.
"Come on, Ruby, I know you will come up with a plan." Weiss said, trying to cheer Ruby up as she felt like she failed her team.
"To make it better, let's go to the next chapter."
(A/N: Finally! This chapter is done. I know, I know I am late. I was on holiday for a few weeks, so I didn't do any writing during that time. Since I had access to the 5.8 Beta, I knew the first few chapters were getting revamp, so I waited for the update to release before I continued the chapter . The next one will also take awhile hopefully in 3 weeks time. As always be sure to vote and comment any feedback. Chapter 4 - Betrayal has a Silvery Smile will be coming out next.
Btw don't forget to check out my new story The Irregular in Remnant
Stay tuned and Stay safe,
Shadowolf, Out)