Well, that took a while. I got the first third done in a week, and the last third was cranked out in about 3 hours. The middle... ugh. That took me forever to get through. And you know what, I'm still not really happy with it. Still, I had to get this out before you guys started going into retirement, so here it is.

I'm going to be honest with you guys, I hate writing. Not this specifically, just writing. And I hated doing it long before I started fanfiction, so I genuinely have no idea what possessed me to be an author here. When I started writing this stuff, though, I honestly enjoyed it. For a while now, most of it has been more of a chore than fun, but the ending to this was actually enjoyable. For the first time in a while, I liked what I was doing, and I hope that sets a trend for the rest of this.

Now don't worry about me giving up on any of my stories. One of the things I hate most is going back on a promise I intended to keep (I lie to people too, so I can't say all promises), and I'm very hard on myself when I do because I also detest hypocrites! So, yes, if I give up any of these it'll be bothering me a hell of a lot longer than you'll remember the fic existed. I don't plan to let that happen.

Anyway, it's a little shorter than some previous ones, I believe, but the plot is picking up and I can't wait to reach the point where I can start killing people off left and right!

Enjoy!

(Chapter 20)

The White Fang were getting smarter, though that didn't say much. They'd seen their comrades get cut down by the intruders, and knew better than to take them lightly. That said, they couldn't let them get away with their attack, so they chose to hold position around the server room, and steadily grew in numbers as more and more arrived. Blake was just finishing the file transfer when they decided to make their push.

Yanking out the thumb drive, the cat faunus shouted to her allies that it was time to leave. While three of the White Fang groups charged in only to find an empty room, the last one's cries for assistance echoed through the long hallways. Sloppily charging through their lines, rather than taking the time to eliminate them all, the infiltration group made their way to a nearby elevator.

Blake hit the call button, and all four of them prepared to hold out against any pursuers. The team prepared a hasty firing line, Neo opened her parasol for cover, and they waited. Though the enemy was still regrouping and weighing their options, Blake didn't drop her guard for a moment- so when a startled gasp came from the now-opening elevator, she whipped around with her pistol at the ready.

The moment she looked in their magenta eyes, she froze in shock. "Oh my dust, is that really you?"

"Maybe it's some kind of massive Grimm!"

Ruby sighed. 'No, Yang, there are almost no Grimm left, I really doubt one that big managed to hide.' She'd been carefully trying to get a look at whatever was attacking the White Fang from the main entrance. Yang had used every second to come up with increasingly strange or terrifying possibilities.

Before her sister could move on to the realm of bad science fiction ideas, Ruby used her semblance to dash against the main building's wall. The smooth surface of its exterior pressed against her back as she edged her way toward the corner. When she finally made it there, she inhaled deeply, then peeked around the side.

She was met with a field of destruction. Burning vehicles and White Fang bodies littered the area. The closest squad was firing at something in front of them, but their bodies blacked the actual target. That was, however, until one of them cried out "scatter!" and they all dove to the ground. A woman with long, orange hair stood in the distance. She was clad in a white t-shirt, dark blue shorts, and pink running shoes, all of which had singe marks and dirt stains on them. Her turquoise eyes were lit up gleefully as she fired a bulky grey weapon at the formation of soldiers.

"Is that- "

The ground around the squadron erupted in pink explosions. "Yep. That's Nora." six of the fleeing White Fang hopped into a truck, and beelined for the main gate in their getaway vehicle. In response, Nora positioned herself between them and the exit, and smiled menacingly. Magnhild shifted into its massive war hammer form, and its wielder brought it back as the White Fang vehicle desperately tried to swerve out of her way. With a joyful "batter up!", Nora slammed her weapon into it, sending the whole thing flying across the compound. It bounced twice, flipping over and over as is hurdled away from her, before suddenly halting.

'Uh…. What?' Ruby thought. The whole truck floated a few feet off the ground, then suddenly dropped straight down as a voice called from behind it. "Watch what you're doing, Nora."

"Heh, sorry Pyr!"

Sure enough, the red-haired woman stepped out from behind the destroyed vehicle. She casually turned her head toward the hammer-wielder, a look of annoyance on her face. She wore a dark red coat over a yellow T-shirt, and brown pants. Across her back and at her hips were a variety of sheaths, all clearly from different places. Some were brown leather with gold bands, others sported designs in the fabric that covered them, some were simple loops that the weapon would hang from. 'Where did she get all of those?' Ruby wondered.

As she strode from the wreck, the half dozen soldiers clambered out, still disoriented from the crash. Pyrrha turned her head when she heard their groaning, and the White Fang hastily reached for their swords. The six of them took up a variety of stances, and stood their ground.

The Mistralian woman raised her right hand, as if waving them off, and pulled her arm back against her body. An unseen force yanked the weapons from their hands, and sent them to lazily circle about the huntress. The extremists fled in panic, but Pyrrha shot her hand forward and returned the weapons to their owners.

"Holy shit…." Was all Yang could think of.

"Yeah, I'm with you. What happened to her?" Although the girl was a fair distance away, Pyrrha's head turned when Ruby spoke. The redhead pulled back around the corner, and shuffled a few feet back. As she did so, one of the faunus's sabers flew past the corner. "That was too-" a second one broke through the stone building, having imbedded itself through the wall, "close…."

"Think it's time to let 'em know who we are, sis?" Yang asked.

Ruby nodded. "I'd rather not get killed by a friend, if I can avoid it." She leapt out of cover, yanked down her hood. "Wait! Pyrrha, Nora, stop!" The two huntresses looked ready to kill her, but at the sound of their names, they paused.

"Why do you know our names?" The valkyrie asked suspiciously. "Who are you?" Ruby stiffened. They didn't recognize her. How could they not remember her? They'd been such close friends!

"Uh, Rubes, it's a while. You kind of look… different. It's been years, your hair's longer and darker, you've grown bigger, you basically have no red left in your outfit. Oh, and your eyes have gone from 'I'm cute' to 'I'm going to kill you.'"

'Well, there's one thing I'd never mess with.' Reaching behind her slowly, making sure not to seem threatening, she called back, "Would this jog your memory?" Pulling the weapon from her back, Ruby unfurled her pride and joy to its full form.

Nora's eyes shot wide open. "Oh my Dust! Pyrrha, it's Ruby! That's her scythe, and she's got the silver eyes! I know her cape's a different color, but that's so totally her still, and I can still kind of see red in her hair! I wonder if her hair just got darker, or if she just dyed it and it's faded? Is that how it works? I wouldn't know, I never dyed my hair, would it last that long? Ren's had that pink stripe so long I don't even realize it's there. I never asked him if it's natural. Do you think it is? I mean, I've seen people with some weird hair colors, and I'm pretty sure it's natural, but it's just one part. I really like it! Do you like Ren's hair?" Turning back to her old friend, Nora continued rambling. "Oh my Dust! Ruby, I didn't mean to leave you out of the conversation!"

Ruby sighed. "Nora, it's-"

"Do you like Ren's hair, Ruby? I mean, you probably haven't seen it in forever, but it's still totally awesome! He grew it out, but kept the pink hair the same length, so it's sometimes hard to see! Do you think I should dye my hair?"

"Nora, enough." The hammer-wielder withered under Pyrrha's annoyed glare. "So, Ruby, where have you been? We haven't heard about your team in years. Last news was that you died outside the Grimm barriers." Pyrrha's voice was uncomfortably monotonous, like she didn't really care about the conversation.

"I've been on my own for a while. We tried to defend a town, and… well, it's hard to explain. I thought my team was dead, and I just went off to a cabin in the woods south of Vale. I didn't do much until recently, but I got roped into trying to bring down the White Fang. Now I've found out that I've still got a chance to save my team…." At this, Pyrrha seemed to focus on her for the first time. Her intense stare caused Ruby to trail off, but she motioned the reaper to continue.

"Well, turns out my other aura saved them, and kept them in a coma. We're up here looking for Weiss."

"And who is it you have with you?"

Ruby scrunched up her face and mentally listed the companions she came north with. "There's Ozpin and his nephew, Miss Goodwitch, Qrow – he's my uncle – a guy named Hunter, Blake, some assassin the White Fang betrayed, our dog… oh, and Yang says 'hi'."

As Blake stepped out into the sunlight, she looked around at the forms gathered in the center of the compound. Hunter had landed the jet nearby, and the rest of their group had come together by it. Mixed in, she picked out Pyrrha and Nora standing on the edge of the group as Ozpin spoke to everyone. Noticing the arrival of their infiltration team, plus Ren, he waved them over.

"Ah, Blake, I was just explaining our current situation. While they managed to set off the alarm, Pyrrha has informed me that Ren was meant to shut down their communications center to prevent reinforcements from being called in. Given that you aren't running, I imagine he was successful in his task." Ren nodded once, but stayed quiet otherwise.

"I cannot help but notice one notable absence. Pyrrha, where is Jaune?" All eyes turned to the redhead.

"He's gone."

The entire group, apart from Ren and Nora, waited for her to continue- she did not. The silence quickly became unbearable, most shuffling awkwardly and looking at the ground. "Well, then I suppose we should focus on the task at hand. Miss Belladonna, the flash drive, if you would." Taking the drive from her hand, he plugged it into his scroll. A window containing the files she had extracted appeared, and Ozpin read the various file names.

"I suppose we should start looking through these." As he copied the files to his scroll, he divided the group into teams meant to scour the information for anything relevant. "Ruby and Blake, you two- er, three, excuse me Miss Xiao Long- will obviously look through the file on your teammate's family. Qrow, Neo, and you three," he said, gesturing at the remnants of JNPR, "I want you to look over the White Fang Central Command file. I will look over their high value targets. Glynda, Hunter, and Marvin, you three need to see if there's anything important in that Grimm file."

As everyone broke up into their groups, each one quickly made their own discoveries. "We might have Weiss's location," Ruby cheered, before her eyes widened, "which means the White Fang might have her location! Professor Ozpin, we need to get going now!"

"I'm afraid I won't be able to join you," he replied, noticeably stiff, "there's something I must attend to immediately. I won't need the ship, so you may-"

"Hold it." Qrow interjected. "I think we'll be needing that ship if those girls don't need to get off the continent. Apparently, the White Fang's central command base in Vale, as well as numerous surrounding bases, went silent recently. That means it's totally undefended right now, but we'll have to move fast if we're going to find anything before they move in to secure it. Neo and I are best suited to this sort of thing, so if anyone left in JNPR knows how to fly they can take you in one of these airships."

Pyrrha raised her hand. "I can get us there."

"Good," Glynda said, "Because the White Fang have monitored some strange behavior from the Grimm. From the look of it, they have all be moving into a large cave system, one that hasn't ever been explored due to the concentration of Grimm. With such a large number of them converging on one location… something doesn't feel right about this. Marvin, Hunter, and I can search for the cause together."

Ozpin nodded. "Yes, it is probably for the best that I go alone, in this case. It seems we have made our decisions, then. Take whatever transportation you need from this base, better in our hands than the White Fang's. Good luck to all of you, return to Beacon when you've found what you're looking for."

The four parties dispersed, and set off in pursuit of their own objectives. "Isn't it a bad idea to split up so much?"

'We don't have much of a choice, Yang. There are only so many of us. We've just gotta trust the others know what they're doing. Now, let's go find Weiss.'

'Climbing. Higher, the entrance is higher. Slipping means death, but it can't be helped. The entrance must be reached. Mistress would be displeased. Can't let Lady Salem down. Won't let Lady Salem down. Failure means punishment. Punishment worse than death. Must go higher.'

The humanoid Grimm hooked its fingers onto the ledge and pulled. Instead of supporting its weight, the stone came loose and fell. Lupen pressed himself against the cliff face, trying to be as small a target as possible for the falling debris. A few pebbles bounced off the bone plating on his shoulders, but nothing more. Reaching up again, he tried his luck with the next handhold over. This one did not give way.

'So close, do not fail now. Success will prove yourself. You must prove yourself. The lady has been generous. You've been spared twice. Even the mistress cannot forgive you again. Must go higher.'

Heaving himself over the edge, Lupen gave himself no time to rest before returning to the treacherous climb. The mountain was tall, so very tall, but it had to be. Such a large being could only be hidden in so many places. Continuing the ascent, the Grimm found itself below a large overhang.

'This is it. Last obstacle. Can't fail now, must succeed, must please mistress. Free servant and return to army. Next target dangerous, but must not fail. Cannot fail.'

Jamming his razor-sharp claws into the rock, the beast hung from the overhang and slowly tried to reach the edge. Just as he grasped the rim, his other hand slipped. Left hanging by a single arm, the Grimm growled ferociously in pain as it struggled to keep its grip. Lupen pulled with all his might, and managed to get his other arm over as well. Having pulled himself to safety above the precipice, the creature finally took a moment to catch its breath.

'Aches. Hurts all over. Pain. Cannot rest, cannot sleep. Must wake the servant, must make Lady Salem proud. Move.'

Its goal clear in its mind, Salem's minion approached the pile of boulders. He could feel a slight breeze as wind flowed into the collapsed tunnel. Climbing atop the pile, he called upon all his strength in order to dislodge one of the rocks. Having shifted it enough to create a small hole, the Grimm slipped inside. It was dark, but he did not fear it. His night vision was superb, and something about it felt… right. It was comforting, welcoming.

'Deeper, now. Find the servant, wake the servant. He has duties to fulfill, the mistress does not like waiting. Must please Lady Salem.'

It did not take long to find the cavern. It was colossal, but almost all of it was filled by his target. Lupen crawled up the massive Grimm's side, then followed the spines on its back all the way to its head. Crawling past an eye the size of his torso, the faithful servant perched upon the Grimm's head. Placing a single, claw-tipped finger against a central point on its forehead where several red lines joined together, Lupen spoke in a deep growl. "The lady needs you, ancient one. Wake and serve your mistress. Your time has finally come again."

From his finger, the red lines shone crimson red, and the patterns across its gigantic head lit up. Then, at long last, the monster's six orange eyes crept open. "Come now, you must go to her. She has plans for you. She has plans for all of us. Serve our lady."

As the great beast stirred, Lupen rushed to its back. He would never make it to the exit before the ancient servant broke free of its pen, so he instead gripped onto a boney spine on its back. With a shriek that reverberated across the mountains, and down to the sea, the wyvern cracked open the mountaintop, and burst into the brilliant moonlight.

'Fear. I can smell their fear.' Lupen thought as he looked down at the walled city where the land met the water. 'They are right to be afraid. Today may not be their reckoning, but the mistress will return with this servant. And they shall come down upon Vale in all their glory, and all their horror.'

'Lady Salem will be pleased.'

And there we go. That was fun.

Anyway, sorry for the long-ass delay (I still can't believe that fucking file pulled a fucking magic act on me and vanished), I hope it was somewhat worth it! So yeah, the gang's splitting up to search for clues, they have a semi-anthropomorphic dog with them that's unusually intelligent, and I'm getting sued by Scooby Doo.

Please remember to leave a review! I figure if you're this far in, either you're already following the story, or you won't be doing it any time soon. Also, if you're a guest who'd like to leave a review: While that's always welcome, too, I encourage you to set up an account so that I can actually respond to you and have a conversation. That's one of my favorite parts of this, and I'd love to get to interact with you guys more!

That's all from me! See you next time you glorious bastards!