Here we are at Chapter 102. Now that the gang are working with Ironwood, let's see how they handle themselves in the coldest continent on Remnant. I do not own RWBY or Tales of Berseria. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 102. Enjoy.

Chapter 102: Snow Drift

Velvet has her eyes closed as she focuses her Maiden powers, flowing ice around her body in a white void. To the side, Summer Rose watches her progress.

"Very good. You're becoming more accustomed to it. As time goes on, it'll feel more like second nature to you," Summer says.

Velvet changes the ice to wind and makes it flow around her arms before cupping it in her hands as it dissipates, "Tell me, what do you know about the current Winter Maiden," she asks.

"Well, as Qrow said before, she's rather old. The oldest Maiden to ever live. As such, her connection and control of her Maiden powers far outclasses yours. She's had a long time to master that power. However, because of her age, it is only a matter of time before she passes and the Winter Maiden's power moves on to the next host. If I were to suggest something; you should try and meet the Winter Maiden. While I have been able to help you somewhat, learning from an actual Maiden would be far more beneficial for you in learning how to master your power," Summer explains.

"Assuming Ironwood would even let me near her," Velvet notes.

"Perhaps if you could explain your situation to him, he might be inclined to allow you an audience with her. A few meetings with her shouldn't make you the last person in her final thoughts when she passes on," Summer says.

"I still think that's a convoluted way of passing the power on to someone. It may end up with someone who doesn't want anything to do with the responsibility like the previous Spring Maiden, or to someone who might use it for their own personal gain like Cinder Fall or Raven Branwen. Must it always be like this?" Velvet asks.

"Unfortunately, I have no control over that. These powers and the rules behind them came long before you and I were even a thought," Summer replies.

Velvet sighs, "It can never be simple for me," she mutters.

"...It's time for me to go. Continue with your training on your own time and be careful while in Solitas. It's not the cold that you must be worried about, or even the Grimm. For Atlas and Mantle, the most dangerous beings are the people within them," Summer says before everything goes white.

Velvet finds herself awake, with a sleeping Ruby snuggled up against her like usual.

"I hate it when she does that," Velvet notes before going back to sleep.

…

Later that morning, Velvet, Jaune, Ruby, and Qrow meet up with Clover in Ironwood's office to discuss their first mission in Atlas to help with preparations for the Amnity tower. The mission will be taking place at an old abandoned Dust mine that once belonged to the SDC before it collapsed.

"Alright, gather around. Our mission today is to secure the launch site for the Amnity communications tower. The designated area is an abandoned Dust mine. Since its closure, the Grimm have moved in. The good news is all that Dust that wasn't excavated is still down there. The science team says they'll need it for the first phase of the launch. We've got Atlas military huntsmen dealing with the Grimm around the surrounding tundra. They're keeping those Grimm from becoming a problem for us. However, the bad news is that there's one Grimm that's becoming a serious problem as of late. We've gotten reports of a powerful Geist that's a managed to survive longer than all the other Grimm and has evaded destruction. It's also responsible for killing some of our people. After we increased our numbers, the Geist was smart enough to retreat deep into the mine itself. This means that it's old, intelligent, and very dangerous. This Geist is our primary target," Clover explains, showing an image of the Geist using ice to create a larger body.

"Is there anything we should know about the mine besides what could be lurking within it?" Velvet asks.

"Well, the mine itself was a labyrinth back in the day. There's all sorts of tunnels and chambers the Geist can use to move around or hide from us. So, if we're gonna take it out, we're gonna have to split into groups and corner it. Now, General Ironwood said that you've all seen your fair share of combat. I trust him with my life, so tomorrow, I'll be trusting you all as well. Alright, go finish getting ready. We'll be heading out shortly. Dismissed," Clover finishes the briefing.

Because the team will be working in Solitas, which isn't exactly known for warm sunshine, Ironwood had new combat gear made for everyone to keep them warm while working here, following their specifications on what to make for them. He also had their weapons upgraded and or repaired. In one room, Velvet opens a box to find her new attire ready for her. It takes a few minutes, but she gets her new outfit on. Deciding to change things up a bit, Velvet has her long hair tied back in a long braid with a white ribbon tied at the end; the braid reaching her calves. She is wearing black leather skin-tight shorts and white boots that go past her knees, meeting the shorts. The boots have metal sections at the feet for her foot blades. The foot blades have been modified to pivot and rotate, adjusting their position and granting Velvet an increased range of attacks with her foot blades. She has on a dark red belt around her waist. She has on a black buttoned-up shirt that wraps around her neck, with a red section in the center, and a short black tie around her neck. She has on her red pendant from before, and a black open trench coat around her shirt with white edging, and splits into three tails. The right sleeve goes under her gauntlet, with a black fingerless glove to go with it. On her rear waist is a black pouch for her Dust crystals. On the back of the trench coat s a pair of silver chains connected just above the rear waist. The trench coat falls off her shoulders slightly, and the sleeves have a pair of white lines running down the sleeves. The left sleeve has been rolled up past her elbow for her wrappings for her demon claw. Her gauntlet blade has been modified to where it can now become segmented as it extends its length, becoming a chain-sword.

"I think this will work," Velvet notes as she swings her sword around in its chain-sword form.

"Wow, your weapon is so awesome," she hears and looks back to see Ruby in her new outfit. "So, what do you think?" she asks, taking a pose.

Velvet looks her up and down for a moment, "I think the new hair is a bit much," she says, earning a pout from Ruby. Velvet chuckles, "I'm just kidding. You look like a true huntress," he says.

"Thanks Velvet... I, uh, really like your new outfit. I'm really liking the boots and the white accents," Ruby says.

"New place, new look I guess," Velvet replies and offers Ruby a hand which she takes, pulling her in close. "You really do look great, Ruby. If only we had some time to ourselves," she notes.

"We can always wait for when we do. This new mission is just getting started," Ruby says and leans up to kiss Velvet, which she eagerly returns.

The couple leave to meet up with the others, finding them all in new outfits.

Yang whistles, "Wooo, looking good there, Velvet. You really pull that look off," she says, only for Weiss to glare at her. "I-I-I mean, not much as you with yours Weiss. I'm just saying. You look amazing, though. Truly. I really like what you've done with your hair, too!" Yang blabbers to save her skin.

"Nice save," Blake mutters, strapping her sword onto her back.

Velvet notices that Blake cut her hair, "You cut your hair. It looks good," she notes.

"Thanks. I'm surprised you didn't cut yours with how long it is. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Though I do like how you braided it up," Blake compliments her.

"Thanks, Blake," Velvet replies.

"Alright guys, let's go. We've got a mission to complete," Ruby says.

…

Later on, the group are in their airships with the Ace Ops, flying in to the mission area. It doesn't take long for them to reach their destination, seeing the site for the abandoned Dust mine down below them.

"Alright, gang, you all know the mission parameters here. Get in there, find and destroy the target, and secure the mine without damaging it more than it already is. Let's get this done and get back home safe. Make it happen people!" Clover calls out over the comms as the airships open up their side doors.

"Let's go, team!' Ruby cheers before she and her team jump out of the airship.

Ruby laughs as she uses her semblance to fly through the air towards the ground. When she gets close, she pulls out her scythe and fires off a few rounds beneath her feet to slow her safely to the ground. Weiss uses her glyphs and a summon of her Armas Gigas' sword to slide down to the ground. Blake uses her repaired katana in its chain-scythe form to wrap around some pipes from the facility, swinging around as she gets close to the ground. Yang smirks and falls straight to the ground, firing off a shot from her right gauntlet to bounce her up before hitting the ground in style. Finally, Velvet activates her demon claw, creating a fire arte in it to propel her through the air and then slow her descent so she lands right next to her teammates and deactivates her claw.

"Reminds me of the good old days, right Velvet?" Yang asks.

"Really? All I remember is Ozpin suddenly shooting me up into the air with a smile on his face," Velvet deadpans.

"...He was smiling when he did the same thing to us, too," Ruby remembers.

The girls cringe a bit, thinking that Ozpin actually liked doing that to new students at Beacon. But, getting back on track, they look up to see Harriet, Marrow, and Melina land in front of them, with Harriet rolling along the ground, Marrow using his boomerang to propel him up as soon as he hits the ground to make a safe landing, and Melina using the air Dust crystals on her tonfas to stop herself from hitting the ground and land gracefully on her feet.

"Heh, not bad... for a group of kids," Melina smirks.

Velvet rolls her eyes and looks up, seeing Team JNR along with Elm and Vine land at a different area of the mine, but she can't quite see where Qrow and Clover landed.

"This is Alpha squad. LZ's clear, proceeding on foot. You've all got upgraded scrolls now, so make sure you use them to keep an eye out for you and your teammates' aura levels and t keep communications running smoothly. Keep your eyes and ears open. The target is somewhere here, but we don't know it's exact location, so stay sharp. I want an update as soon as you spot the target. Alpha out," she hears Clover explain over the comms.

Marrow glances back at them, "Man, I did not come all the way out here to play babysitter," he complains.

"Why not? I mean, we already babysit you, don't we?" Harriet says, making Melina chuckle a bit, while Marrow groans in annoyance.

Ruby holds her arms together as a chilly breeze flows by, "Oooh, it's freezing out here!" she notes.

"Solitas is the northernmost continent on Remnant. It's cold all year round. If it wasn't for aura and heating systems, no one could survive out here. You'd freeze to death in a matter of hours," Weiss explains.

"You doing okay out here, Velvet?" Yang asks.

"I'm fine. I'm a demon, so the cold doesn't affect me as much as it does a normal human. I'll be fine," Velvet says.

"It makes me feel better about leaving Oscar behind back in Atlas," Blake says.

Yang sighs, "Yeah... can we talk about that again?" she asks.

Ruby glances back to make sure the Ace Ops members are out of hearing range.

"What about it?" Ruby asks.

"Are you sure it's okay that we didn't tell Ironwood what we learned right away? About Ozpin and Salem? Or even Jinn?" Yang asks.

"We will tell him, but... I just don't know if spilling our guts right off the bat is the right idea," Ruby says.

"We wouldn't want a repeat of what happened with Lionheart. I don't think Ironwood would buckle and join her, but he doesn't have a good track record of making wise decisions," Velvet adds.

"Velvet's right. We need to play it safe for now. Let's just play along for a while until we have more information. Until we know for sure that we can trust Ironwood," Weiss agrees.

"Look, I know it's not ideal. Let's just focus on this mission for now and worry about that later," Ruby suggests and the others nod in agreement.

They move further into the main entrance and begin to see old mining cars and equipment that got left behind when the mine collapsed. As they move forward, Weiss notices the SDC symbol on some of the mine cars. Weiss looks solemnly at them.

"Hey, you okay?" Yang asks her girlfriend.

"Yes... I'm fine. I just remember this accident... and how furious my father was after it happened. How many innocent people, both human and Faunus, suffered because of my father Because of my complacency in all of it?" she wonders sadly.

Yang holds her close for a moment and lifts her chin, "You're not your father. He only cares about himself. You care about others. No matter what others think or what they call you, I know that beneath that cold exterior is a big, warm heart," Yang cheers her up.

Weiss smiles a bit, "Thanks, Yang," she says and kisses her cheek in return.

"If you two are done with the lovey-dovey stuff, we need to keep moving," Marrow berates them.

"Back off, Marrow," Velvet warns him, stepping in between them. "Maybe you should take your own advice and focus on the mission rather than berating two people trying to comfort each other," Velvet defends her friends.

"Marrow, come on," Melina calls out.

Marrow grunts and moves forward.

"Alpha here. Give me an update," Clover calls out over the comms.

"Nothing so far on our end. We're moving deeper into the mine," Harriet replies.

"Keep me posted. Over," Clover says.

They move past all the old equipment, but as they get further in, the ground starts shaking beneath their feet. A few seconds later, the Geist Grimm they had been searching for suddenly bursts through the right wall, already encased in ice and rock for a new body. The entrance causes parts of the ceiling to collapse. The Geist Grimm leaves its rocky shell and retreats further in as the group get separated from the falling debris, leaving Velvet and Melina on one side and the rest on the other.

"Velvet, are you okay?!" Ruby yells.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Is everyone safe on that side?!" Velvet yells back.

"We're all okay!" Ruby says.

"Alpha, this is Bravo. Target spotted, but it caused a cave in and separated some of our party members. We're moving in through a different route. Velvet, Melina, find a way on your end to the center of the mine. That's likely where the target is heading," Harriet calls out to them.

"Roger that. We'll meet you there. Let's go Velvet," Melina says and moves on ahead.

"Ruby, I'll meet up with you soon. Be careful," Velvet says and heads further in.

Velvet and Melina move through an ice tunnel in the mine, looking for a way back to their allies while keeping an eye out for the Geist. During this time, Melina makes light conversation with Velvet.

"So, you seeing anyone right now?" Melina asks right out of the gate.

"Yes. And no, I have no intention of leaving them," Velvet retorts.

"It's the girl in the red hood, isn't it. Ruby, right?" Melina asks.

"Yes, and let me make this clear: try anything with her or hurt her in any way, and I'll leave nothing of your rotting corpse behind," Velvet warns her and walks on ahead.

"Ooh., feisty," Melina mutters with a smirk.

As they move further in, Centinel Grimm sprout out of the walls, ceiling, and the ground in front of them.

"Great, more annoyances," Velvet mutters as she activates her arm blade.

"This should be fun," Melina notes as she readies her tonfas.

Velvet makes the first move as she charges at the Centinels, swinging her blade clean through one. She follows it up by jumping into the air with her foot blades spinning, slicing through two more that pop out of the walls. When she lands, she sees one come from her side up above, only for Melina to smash its skull in with her left tonfa. Melina smirks as she twirls her tonfas around, batting away two more Centinels. The fire Dust crystals in her weapons glow and with each hit, the Centinels get hit by blasts of fire. One Centinel attacks her rear, but Melina just stands there as the Centinel flies right through her, literally.

"What the-," Velvet mutters.

"Cool, huh. My semblance allows things to phase through me. Comes in pretty handy when fighting an enemy," Melina explains.

Velvet watches as the remaining Centinels regroup and attack again, but Velvet activates her demon claw and sends out a powerful fire arte that consumes them all in flames, leaving only one left. Velvet engages her arm blade's chain-sword form, swinging it around to wrap around the lone Centinel before pulling hard on her weapon. This causes it to rip the Centinel in pieces, ending the fight.

"Well, I guess that's that. Let's move on. We should be able to find the others further in," Melina says.

A few minutes later, they reach the heart of the mine, a large open chamber filled with abandoned equipment... and Dust crystals littered all over the place. Velvet sees Ruby's group and is relieved to find them okay. She looks around at all of the Dust crystals, feeling like she's stuck inside a giant powder keg.

"Everyone, stay on guard. This room is filled with highly volatile Dust energy. Triggering it could ruin the launch site," Vine calls out.

"And blast us to kingdom come. Man, how is that always second with you?" Marrow calls out over the comms.

"Where is the Geist?" Melina wonders.

Velvet looks around, only to hear a slight noise above, and looks up. In the center of the ceiling, she sees the Geist Grimm hanging on the ceiling. It moves its head and falls to the ground, now wearing a large body made of ice, rock, and Dust crystals.

"That's not good," Velvet mutters.

The Ace Ops members move forth, leaving the others behind.

"Elm!" Vine calls out while using his semblance to hold onto the Grimm's left leg.

Elm uses her semblance to keep her feet in place when she gets close and latches onto the same leg.

"Vine!" Elm yells

Vine jumps over the Geist, landing on a mine car railway, and uses his semblance to grab and pull the Grimm's right arm.

"Marrow!" Vine yells.

Marrow comes in, and throws his boomerang, going at the exposed Grimm arm between the debris, and slices it off, taking out one of its arms. However, Marrow notices a Dust crystal in the air and begins falling, while he catches his boomerang.

"Harriet!" he calls out.

Harriet runs through the area and around the Geist to jump into the air to catch the Dust crystal. The Ace Ops turn their attention back to the Geist. The Geist focus in on Elm.

"Melina!" Elm yells.

Melina reaches her just before the Grimm can smash her into the ground and uses her semblance on both of them to cause the rock arm to phase through and hit the ground, leaving them unscathed. Melina runs up the arm and deals a blow to the Geist's face, staggering it. This gives Vine the chance to grab onto the remaining arm and pull it aside. Elm jumps up and smashes her hammer onto it to pin it to the ground. Marrow makes his move and throws his boomerang to slice off the other arm. Melina comes in again and lands another blow to the body, but this causes another Dust crystal to fly off. Luckily, Clover and Qrow arrive just in time with the former catching it.

"Oh, what would you guys do without me," Clover says and takes out his fishing rod weapon to jump into the fray.

He runs to the Geist and jumps up into the air, right in front of the Grimm's face. Swinging his fishing hook at it, he pulls the line, making the hook wrap around the Geist's head, and then yanks hard, pulling the Grimm out of its rubble body. Melina jumps into the air and gives it a fire-enhanced punch to the face, killing it. However, with the Geist gone, the remnants of its ice and rock body fall apart, causing several Dust crystals to fall. The Ace Ops move, with Vine using his semblance to grab two, Elm catching one before it hits the ground, Melina using the wind Dust crystals in her weapons to propel her forth to catch another, and Clover and Marrow catching two more in mid-air. However, Clover notices one last Dust crystal about to hit the ground.

"Harriet!" Clover yells, and Harriet races forth to catch it.

Harriet runs as fast as she can to try and catch it, but just before the Dust crystal hits the ground, Ruby flies in and catches it, holding it in her arms as she lands on the ground.

Harriet walks over to help Ruby up, "I thought you said your semblance was like mine," she notes.

"It... is?" Ruby replies, confused.

"I've seen other speed semblances before. That... was a little different. I think there's more going on than you think," Harriet notes.

"Wait until she sees what she can do with her eyes," Yang mutters, causing Weiss to smile and Blake to giggle a bit.

Velvet rejoins her girlfriend, "You okay, Ruby?" she asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm glad you're okay, Velvet," Ruby says and the pair hold hands.

Clover holsters his weapon as Qrow lands next to him, "Lucky catch, huh," Qrow says.

"No... I'd chalk that one up to talent. Atlas control, this is Clover. Mission accomplished," Clover says as the others celebrate their victory.

And that's the chapter. Now we've seen Melina in action and Velvet's new upgrades. What do you think of her new outfit? The mission at the mine goes well, but will the rest of the plan be the same? Velvet deals with Melina's advances, but will she get her to understand that she's off limits? Until then, please Read and Review.