RLNN along with Shae, Gwen, Juno, and Skylar stop in front of a house.
Ruby: This is the place?
Skylar: Yeah, but you all have to promise not to attack once you see who else is in there.
Pyrrha: Why would you need to say something like that?
Nora: Yeah! We're your friends aren't we? Besides, anybody who gets their legs broken has to deserve it.
Skylar: Promise.
Exchanging looks of confusion, the group eventually promises to not jump to any conclusions about what's behind the door.
Skylar opened the door and beckoned them inside.
The inside was well furnished, fancy even. It had a combined living room and kitchen with grey walls adorned by various paintings the like. There were quite a few bedrooms as well.
As they entered the living room the saw a most unlikely sight.
Roman Torchwick, Neopolitan, Nix Carmen, and Lux Daybreak were sitting in the living room watching TV. Roman was first to notice them.
Roman: Hm? Oh! Hey, Skye and various irritatingly familiar children.
Ruby: What the f- ROMAN?!
RLNN reach for their weapons before Roman raises his hands in surrender.
Pyrrha: What's a criminal like you doing here!
Roman: Woah! Hey, I'll have you know I'm a reformed man! Skye, why didn't you tell them yet?
Skylar: Oh sure, I'll tell my friends that I'm living with a criminal who actively made their lives difficult.
Roman: Fair. In my defense, that prick Adam Taurus had a noose around my neck.
Nix: Not that any of that matters.
Everyone's attention turns to Nix as she suddenly speaks without looking away from the TV.
Nix: What's critical to all of our survival...is where a certain Deus ex machina went.
She turns up the TV as a News Reporter speaks. The visage of the Pyramid begins to cast it's near endless shadow over Haven.
Reporter: The mysterious vessel the crashed into Mountain Glenn months ago now nears Haven. What does this mean? Is Haven under it's siege or it's protection? More, tonight at eight.
As the report ended, the room became dimmer. Neo snapped her fingers and pointed towards the sliding glass door that led to the backyard. The group gathered outside and got a clear view of the Pyramid's imposing figure.
|>—>—>—><—<—<—<|
Gryphon shadestepped past the Torch Hammer shot of the last Gate Lord. He reached out to Ahamkara's Demise and the blade shuddered before unearthing itself from a second Vex Gate Lord's chassis and rocketing towards him as he sprinted towards the last Vex in his way.
He leapt towards the Gate Lord and caught the sword, spinning with it's momentum before bringing it down on the colossal Vex's head and cleaving it in two.
There was a moment of silence before a fountain of Vex radiolarian fluid burst from the Gate Lord in a shower.
Sonorous clapping came from behind him as he stood up. Wisps of light were absorbed into the cracks of the blade as he turned around and the symbols along the blade began to shine as he put the blade away.
Gryphon: Sure. Let me fight a horde of Vex and two Gate Lords alone, Efrideet.
Lady Efrideet of the Iron Lords stopped clapping and removed her helmet with a laugh.
Efrideet: Just making sure the "Dragon among Wolves" hadn't gone soft in his time away.
Gryphon: I think you're just lazy.
Efrideet: Shh. Saladin suspects me as it is.
The two chuckle for a moment before Riven appears.
Riven: Got a call coming from Eris.
Riven's she'll expands and Eris' voice comes through not long after.
Eris: Gryphon, Lady Efrideet, how goes the mission?
Gryphon: Done and dusted. The Vex incursion is dealt with.
Efrideet: Yep. Gryphon wiped the floor with them and I was worried for nothing.
Eris: Good. Ikora will be glad to hear it. Gryphon, return to the capital building. The runes required for the portal are complete.
Gryphon's Syncrotron Accelerator arrives and lands near the two Guardians as the call comes to an end.
Gryphon: It was good you seeing again, Ef. I hate that we have to separate again, but I've got some kids across the galaxy that I promised I'd help.
Efrideet: Don't worry, I know better than to get in the way of your commitments. Just come back, okay?
Gryphon: As if I wasn't going to come back. Stay safe, Lady Efrideet.
Gryphon transmatted into his ship as it lifted off and shot towards the sky.
|>—>—>—><—<—<—<|
Skylar stood at the head of the table with everyone else seated. Her arms were crossed and she had a complex expression on as she stood silent. Her silence generated an uncomfortable atmosphere throughout the entire room. Eventually, Ruby spoke.
Ruby: Skylar? What's wrong? You said you had something to tell us?
Skylar took a deep breath and finally spoke.
Skylar: Neo, Roman, and I arrived here about a month ago. At the time, I considered studying at Haven academy to get my license before I noticed something...the school was practically barren. Aside from the Headmaster, Leonardo Lionheart, there was basically no one there. I assumed that it was just the students being sent away in fear of the White Fang until I saw how populated the city still was. So, I went searching for a Huntsman or Huntress to ask why the city hadn't been evacuated because of the White Fang. I didn't find any.
Pyrrha: What?
Ren: No students and no Huntsmen? How is that even possible?
Gwen: It shouldn't be. In times of crisis, Huntsmen and Huntresses are meant to protect their respective academies. They aren't allowed to go looking for jobs in that time.
Shae: Ruby, do you think it was that man? Tyrian? He came from the direction we were heading in.
Skylar: Who?
Pyrrha: We fought a scorpion Faunus who was after Ruby specifically for her silver eyes.
As that sentence ended, Nix cast a glance at Juno, who nodded in response.
Nora: Yeah! He was totally psycho, but Gwen wiped him out for good!
Gwen: Not exactly something to make light of but yes, I did kill him.
Skylar briefly scans Gwen with her eyes before they narrow slightly.
Skylar: Shae mentioned she was ex-Fang, but everything about her screams the discipline of an actual soldier. Just who is this chick they brought with them? Well, thanks for helping us, Gwen.
Gwen: It was the least I could do.
Skylar: So, I think we need to investigate the school. Under cover of night. Find incriminating evidence on the Headmaster.
Everyone WHAAAT?!
Nora: You want to do-
|>—>—>—>???, Argus<—<—<—<|
Male WF Member: A break-in?
Two White Fang guards stand in a dim hallway in front of a dark iron cell mired in shadows.
Female WF: Yeah. I heard those Wolves raided one of our armories near Haven before they even reached the city itself.
Male WF: Tch! Those Wolves! I can't believe Faunus would turn against us, who are fighting for our equality, and side with Humans to fight us!
???: Is it any wonder, really?
A dry female voice spoke through the darkness as a pair of golden orbs make themselves visible in the corner.
???: You destroyed Beacon, a symbol of hope for all the world. You burn human villages indiscriminately. You harass Faunus who don't support you. Are you blind? Ignorant? No. Just plain stupid, I suppose.
Male WF: What?! Shut your mouth, Traitor!
???: I used to believe in the White Fang. No, rather, I believed in someone who believes in the White Fang. I would've followed him to the ends of the earth, but that didn't mean I'd overlook his crimes...his blind hatred.
The female fang member tried to ignore the voices words but glanced at the guard beside her. A steel door opened and let more light in. The guards stiffen up as the figure of Adam Taurus walks over to stand in front of the cell door, a plate of food in hand.
Adam: Leave.
Without a word, both guards practically ran out of the room. Adam drew a silver key from his pocket and unlocked the cell door before walking in slowly .
Adam: Why do you insist on dragging out this pointless resistance, My Love? Just come back to me, Blake. We even upgraded your weapon.
He places the tray on the ground and pushes it to her. Her golden eyes never leave him, carefully watching his every move as he sighs in disappointment and leaves with a word, plunging the room into darkness again.
Mired in the shadow, she slowly closed her eyes and concentrated. She could feel an artificial atmosphere around her body, covering her like a cloak. A cloak of darkness.
Her days listening to Glynda's lectures on Natural Semblance Augmentation had not been without merit. She activated her Semblance, and instead of it splitting off from herself, it rose from the darkness around her. A jagged shadow of herself locked eyes with Blake.
And Blake smiled.
|>—Night, Haven Academy—<|
The halls of Haven Academy are entirely silent. Then, a quiet creak as a sky light opens. Two shadows dropped down from it and landed in the center of the main hall in flawless silence.
Nix (Hushed): I'll look out, you get the door.
Shae (Hushed): Right.
Nix tossed a lock pick to Shae and she stayed low to the ground as she snuck towards the main entrance. She picked the lock and pulled the doors open, revealing the rest of the group. Shae makes a shushing motion with her finger and leads them to Nix in the center of the main hall.
Nix (Hushed): We need to find some evidence on the Headmaster. Spread out and search this room and his office.
Everyone nodded silently and spread out without making too much noise.
Nix rooted through the desk before coming upon a set of four documents with familiar faces on them. She folds the papers up and pockets them with a grimace.
She left the office and looked over the railing to see Lux staring at the marble statue under the stairs to the Headmaster's office. Nix vaults over the railing and shadows coat her feet to silence her landing.
Nix (Hushed): Kinda freaky, huh?
Lux's eyes drift down to the base of the statue before shaking her head. Whatever the feeling in her heart was, it grew as she looked at the woman depicted in the cold marble.
Lux (Hushed): There's something under it.
|>—>—Capital Building, Earth—<—<|
Gryphon entered the bunker and his helmet disappeared. He entered the room housing the portal he would use to return to remnant. The frame of the portal was now littered with hive runes. Eris Morn was putting away her tools until she noticed Gryphon's arrival.
Eris: Ah, there you are.
Gryphon: Indeed I am.
She noticed the sword on his back and squinted.
Eris: You're using that blade again? Even after what you suffered at the hands of that Ahamkara?
Gryphon: I'll need it's power. The monsters and people on that planet are both primitive and powerful.
Eris looks him up and down before sighing quietly.
Eris: The portal is ready. All you need do is give it direction.
He nods and strides over to it before placing his hand on the frame. Some flame pulses from his palm as he closes his eyes on focuses on finding the portal in the Pyramid.
After a minute of searching in pure darkness, his eyes rest on the portal in question and both portals come to life in perfect sync.
He comes back to his senses and looks over the portal once more. He then turns to Eris. A remorseful expression on his face.
Gryphon: It's likely that I'll be gone for a few more months. If you need me, I can come right back.
Eris: No. You shouldn't disregard your prior commitments for my sake. Go, and be careful on your way.
Gryphon: Hmph. Always so nonchalant. What if I end up dead out there?
He can see it, but Eris raises an eyebrow at him.
Eris: Please, I know you're just overselling the strength of your opponent's strength like you always do. If you believed you were in true danger of dying, you'd have asked Ikora and her Hidden for aid.
Gryphon: Oh? And since when did you get so good at reading me?
Eris: Since the moment I met you. Now go, you had children waiting for your help, did you not?
He smiles and gently pulls her into soft hug. Eris, for probably the first time in her life, fails to form a response to the sudden action. He pulls back after a moment.
Gryphon: Be back before you know it.
He passes through the portal and it immediately shuts down behind him. Eris stares at the direction he went in and a red hue crosses her face before vanishing just as quickly.
|>—>—>Haven, Hour before<—<—<|
Summer and Yang were checking their weapons while Raven remained tied up and held in place by Rosetta. Yang carefully looked over her gauntlets as she spoke.
Yang: Hey Rosetta, you were White Fang right? Adam's Second in Command? How long had the Beacon and Haven attacks been in the works?
Rosetta: Since before I was his Second. He said it would, "put a dent in the humans' spirit and force them to listen". He ignored me when I objected because I was inexperienced.
Summer: So he just assumed no one would fight back after that?
Rosetta: A demonstration of power and cunning was what it was supposed to be before. To show that the Faunus could best future huntsmen and huntresses. It eventually devolved into riling up the Grimm and devastating all of Vale to scare the world into compliance and to siege Vale ourselves if that was ignored.
Summer sighed. She had a forlorn expression that Yang and Raven noticed.
Yang: What's wrong?
Summer: I just hope Ruby is far from all of this. Hopefully somewhere in Atlas.
Raven raised an eyebrow and became curious herself, so she activated her semblance. She could see the outlines of Tai, Vernal, and even Shay far in the distance. She looked in the direction of where she assumed Haven was since there were no windows in this giant ship.
She noticed two outlines she had seen before. The girl claiming to be the Fall Maiden and her lackey. They were headed to the academy for certain. She looked further and her eyes sharpened.
She spotted the outlines of both Ruby and Qrow. Had that idiot led her to Haven instead of Atlas?
Raven: Bad news, Summer.
Everyone's gaze focused on Raven.
Raven: Ruby's about to be caught in the center of this shootout between you and the White Fang.