AN: Sorry for the long delay. It's been a hectic month and things are only going to get more hectic from here on out, so don't expect anything immediate (like in a week or two). Still, I am grateful all the support and reviews I've received after I posted this story. I hope what I've written is just as good.

Once again, a big shout out to SubtleSaber, who helped look over this chapter. Really appreciate it, man!

She let out a scream as her feet slipped on the cliff. The ground beneath her was gone, and gravity pulled her down. Anxiety and fear gripped her heart when her body began to fall and pass by the tip of the cliff. She held out her arms to grab something, anything!

Something grabbed her instead. In an instant, the young girl found herself yanked back up, and her feet was on the cliff-side again. However, her relief was short-lived. She found a gray metal hand, larger than her own, wrapped around her wrist.

Looking up, her emerald eyes widen upon meeting glowing yellow slits that stared through a brown mask. It was the same strange brown mask of the even stranger and metallic figure that appeared before her, the same one she had been running from moments ago. But why?

Her savior, kneeling before her, cut through her thoughts. "Do me a favor," he said with irritation, despite lacking a mouth, "when I ask for directions, don't fall a cliff. You understand?"

Heart still pounding, she nodded. The metal grip unfurled, and she held her wrist close to the soft red fabric of her night dress. She could feel the hard thump-thump against her breastbone while she took deep breaths to calm herself.

The silver legs clinked together as they stood straight, and their owner's metallic form almost gleamed in the white moonlight. "You have a name?" the electronic voice entered the girl's ears.

"P-Pyrrha," she managed to answer, perturbed by… well everything about the thing in front of her.

"Okay, Pyrrha," and the pair of metal arms crossed over the strangely marked chest, "mind explaining what you're doing up here?"

After some hesitation, Pyrrha replied in a barely audible voice, "I… I was just thinking."

"Really?" The sarcasm was thick anyone could have cut a butter knife through it.

Pyrrha answered it with silence and a glance away from the glaring yellow eyes. Soon enough, she glanced back and questioned, "W-what are you doing up here?"

Now, her questioner hesitated. "… I was just trying to figure out where I am," he gave his honest, yet not humble, answer. "I don't suppose you'd know?"

That one, Pyrrha had no trouble answering. "You're in Mistral."

"Mistral?" her tall and metallic counterpart echoed. "That's what this place is called?"

Pyrrha nodded. "We're not too far from the main city. Usually, we stay close to our homes, so we don't get attacked by Grimm."

"Grimm? What are those?"

Now, the young redhead was surprised at the hints of confusion on the brown mask. "You don't know?" A shook of the brown mask confirmed it. "How about Faunus? Vale? Atlas?"

"None of those words ring a bell," was the deadpan response.

The answer had almost entirely replaced Pyrrha's fear with curiosity. "So... what do you know?" she dared to ask.

"Aside from waking up with a headache, not much."

Again, there was a hint of surprise for the twelve-year-old. "You don't even know your name?"

"No," the masked one told Pyrrha without flinching.

The answer was unexpected. Pyrrha thought he was some kind of robot from Atlas, given his metallic body. The strange design, the brown color, and especially the mask threw Pyrrha off. She was more thrown off he did not even know about himself.

"There is something, though," the other's voice cut through her thoughts once more.

Pyrrha looked at the glowing eyes, which seemed distant while their owner was in thought. Staying silent, she listened to the stranger. "I keep getting something repeated in my head," he admitted. "... 'Poe.' Yeah, I think that's it."

"Is that your name?" Pyrrha asked.

The silver shoulders shrugged at the question. "Maybe. What do you think of it?"

"It sounds... nice," Pyrrha commented hesitantly. To be honest, a name like 'Poe' would work better for a big and huggable fellow, and she certainly would not describe a tall, brown-not to mention brooding-robot as huggable.

He certainly thought so, too. The thinned glare and the furrowed ridges on the mask proved it. In the end, he reluctantly said, "Better than nothing, I guess."

Pyrrha would have let out a sigh of relief, when the newly-named 'Poe' spoke up, "I suppose you know a way out of here."

Pyrrha pointed at the array of trees and other plants behind the metal giant, the same one the pair of them ran through... when she was running from him. "There's a path through the mountain. It's how I came up here."

"Good, we'll get going." Seeing Pyrrha's confusion on the "we," Poe explained, "I'll need someone to guide me. Besides, I'm not going to leave you here by yourself. Do you want to be stuck up here and get eaten by those Grimm or whatever they're called?"

"Um, I guess not," Pyrrha said, unsure of the sudden bit of kindness from her newfound frien-

"Don't get too comfortable," Poe said bluntly. "Just because we're traveling together doesn't make us friends. Now, come on."

Correction: not a friend. Still, as Pyrrha walked over, something swelled in her throat until she said in a meager whisper, "Thank you."

"What?" came from a surprised Poe.

Realizing she was heard, Pyrrha swallowed and looked up. "Thank you... for saving me."

The yellow eyes continued to stare at the girl. It was a little disconcerting how there was silence and no snarky comment. Then, he quietly replied, "You're welcome."

No more was said. Poe's metal feet stamped away on the ground, and Pyrrha tried to keep up as best as she could. They went into the forest, and the shadows of the trees fell over them, hiding Pyrrha's slight smile from her companion.

Ruby Rose couldn't help but smile as she took a seat atop dry sand. It wasn't just because sand grains tickle her bare soles, instead of cold, slimy sand. No, it was because she had an opportunity given to no other ten-year-old on Remnant: she met an alien! And Ruby even got to name her!

… and so did Yang. At first, her dear, big sibling wanted to protect her from the "big, nasty alien," but she had put that aside, if by a little bit. Otherwise, Yang wouldn't let said alien be with her, let alone near her little sister. Speaking of which, Yang plopped herself on Ruby's right. "Ah, finally!" she sighed in relief, enjoying the dry sand as much as Ruby did, "it so nice to get away from that place!"

Ruby smiled at her sister. After walking in wet sand and cold waters, the two of them took off their soaked shoes and put them off to the side. Barefooted, the sisters were free to enjoy what the beaches had to offer. Of course, there were other things, too.

"Incredible..." said another voice.

Ruby turned and saw the blue-clad form of Gail sitting down. Taking a spot on the left, Gail managed to tower the two children, even when she sat cross-legged and hunched forward. Ruby studied the mask for a bit as Gail stared back at the horizon in awe and spoke through it. "It looks so spectacular." Gail uttered in astonishment.

Yang leaned back on her arms. "Yeah, that's one way to describe it."

Ruby silently agreed as she looked to the horizon. Across the waters were a thin line of bright lights from the Kingdom of Vale. They casted a glow below too, sending blotches of yellow light on the rippling waters in the far distance. They were almost like stars, in a way.

Ruby's thoughts trailed to her newfound friend. 'Is she really from out there? If so, what's it like?' her head wondered with many other questions as she looked at the twinkling stars high in the sky...

… and then, a growl from below brought her back to Remnant.

Ruby grasped her stomach and gave a sheepish smile upon seeing Gail's eyes on her. "What was that?" Gail asked.

"Uh, my stomach?" Ruby laughed nervously.

"Don't tell me you're hungry already?" Yang sighed in faux exasperation. "I thought you already ate a snack before we left."

Ruby frowned again, this time trying to think of something to sooth her empty tummy. "Wait, I have something!" Ruby exclaimed and immediately reached into her pockets. She knew she had it in there…

"Aha!" Ruby proclaimed, holding out a dry and well-preserved chocolate chip cookie.

Gail stared at the cookie like it was some kind of glowing meteorite. "What is it?"

"It's a cookie," Ruby answered matter-of-factly. "It's something you're supposed to eat. It's really good, and it gives you strength!"

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Yang butted in.

Ruby did not let it bother her as she munched on the cookie, eating it in a few bites and taking out another. "Where did you get those, anyway?" came from Yang, who tilted her head a little. "You know dad tries his hardest to hide those from you."

Ruby wiped the crumbs off her face and waggled her finger. "Ah, ah, that would be telling!"

As the little Rose resumed her meal, she heard Gail comment, "I guess you two have interesting lives here."

"Guess you can say that," Yang said. "Not much really happens on Patch, though. If you want to want to see the good stuff, you should see Vale. I've been there a few times, so I can show you a couple places."

Ruby noticed the strange expression on Gail's mask. "Patch? That's where we are?" she inquired, and Ruby, along with Yang, nodded. "Then, where Vale?"

"You see that there," Yang pointed to the distant lights, "that's the Kingdom of Vale."

The word seemed to have some recognition because Gail faced her mask back to the lights, the ridges raised. "That's a kingdom?" Gail said, a little too enthusiastically than Ruby expected.

"Well, just the coast, but beyond that, there's a whole city." Yang turned to Gail with a wide smile. "You really should see it. There are a lot things to do and tons of people to meet!"

Swallowing another bite, Ruby frowned. "Too many people," she muttered, which was meant for her ears alone.

"Why's that?" asked Gail, who unfortunately heard it.

Ruby wanted to hide under her hood. Yet finding those orange glowing orbs on her, she froze in place and stammered to think of an answer. "W-well… you see…"

Before she could finish, Ruby yelped as her tiny body was pulled close to her sister's. "Ruby's always been shy," said a teasing Yang as she kept an arm wrapped around her kin. "She can barely talk to anyone without hiding under her hood!"

"Yaaaang!" Ruby whined again and wrenched herself free.

"What? It's true," her beloved sister calmly parried the glare aimed at her. "You know what dad says."

"I know, I know, but I'm doing better!"

"I don't think an alien counts."

Ruby pursed her lips in dismay, but a distant giggle caught her and her sister's attention. "So Ruby," Gail said, "what is it you do if you don't talk to people?"

When she turned around, coming face-to-mask with Gail, Ruby tried her best not to be embarrassed. "Well, I... I like... weapons..." she almost whispered.

Gail heard it and said with a inflexion of interest, "Well, that explains why you were trying to look at my trident earlier."

A small blush threatened to creep across Ruby's rosy cheeks. She already could hear "nerd," or "weirdo," as she had been called by other kids. Gail, however, gave a surprising proposal: "How about this? If…" she paused for a moment, eyes trailing to Ruby's hand, "... if I can get one of those cookies, you can hold onto my trident."

Ruby was astounded, then conflicted by the offer. To hold a weapon, an alien weapon, would be incredible. Yet, it would be at the expense of one of her delicious, soft cookies. Cookie, or cool weapon? So hard to choose…

"Are you sure?" Yang's voice was almost distant, but the concern was there.

"It won't be for very long, and I'll be here in case if anything goes wrong," Gail told her sister, then pulled out the trident and held it out.

For a split second, Ruby's eyes lit up like fireworks. They trailed down the long, black rod and took in every detail. She swore the short, silver blades were shining with a magnificent brilliance. That was enough to persuade Ruby, who stood up on her feet. "Here!" she said after taking out another cookie.

Thus, the exchange was made. The emptiness of the cookie in Ruby's hands was quickly replaced by the intense weight of the trident. Gail still held onto the weapon, making sure it did not fall onto the sand, and said, "Now, I'll help you hold it up, then I'll let go, okay?"

After Ruby nodded, Gail tilted the trident upwards. Ruby did her part too, using both hands to heft up the trident until its blades were pointed to the sky. Once that was accomplished, Gail loosened her grip and trailed her hand down the rod over Ruby's tiny hands to keep a firm grip on the pole of the trident.

For Ruby, she was surprised by Gail's touch. There was the cool surface, but there was something else beneath. It felt strangely warm. Almost alive.

"I'm letting go now," Ruby heard Gail's voice.

Reality sank back in, and so did full the weight of the trident. Gail's grip was gone, and the alien weapon rocked back and forth in Ruby's hands as she did her best to hold onto it. Her silver eyes stared up to the bladed end, and already, Ruby could see an older version of herself standing tall and proud, wielding the magnificent trident in hand to fight off evil. With that image in mind, Ruby tried to lift the trident up.

The action was the same as lifting a heavy dumbbell. Too heavy to carry, the trident tilted forwards. Ruby quickly heaved to put it back in place and yelled while doing so, "Woah! Woooaah!"

"Ruby!" she heard Yang.

"Don't worry Yang! I got this!" Ruby proclaimed, trying again to lift the trident off the sandy beach.

Reality crushed her fantasy. The weight of the trident fell back, and Ruby, still holding on it, could do little to stop it. "Ruby, be careful!" Yang yelled, but it came too late.

"WAAAH!" Ruby screamed as her balance gave way and the trident fell backwards into the sand…

A resounding THUD rang out as a massive shovel of silver struck the earth. The hulking metal was almost claw-like, its blunt teeth tearing through chunks of rock. It was attached to a large arm, black in color and metallic. The arm's owner, whose mask was as black as the rest of his body, swung his other arm and the shovel attached to it thudded with the rock as well.

He stopped momentarily. Staring through the mask, his yellow eyes took a quick glance at the small burrow he had dug in the crater wall. It was not that deep, so the mask bearer resumed his digging. As he did, a voice came out from behind, "What are you doing?"

"Digging," replied the hulking figure in his slow, deep voice as he shoveled more dirt out of the way.

"Why?"

Slowly, he turned his massive torso to his questioner-Blake was her name, his only companion in this trap of a crater. She was a small thing, barely coming up to his legs-but perhaps, everyone would look small to him. In what little moonlight there was, the pinkish and almost pale face looked perplexed and a bit suspicious. The two feline ears atop her head twitched ever so slightly, a sign of fear, if the masked one had to guess.

Calmly, he replied with a poignant gesture to the crater's walls surrounding them, "Those walls are took steep for me to climb. If we're getting out of here, our way is through the rock, not up it."

With that said, he went back to his digging. Blake was not done as she asked, "How do you where we're going?"

Again, he turned to face Blake and said playfully, "You're quite curious, aren't you?" Blake's narrow slits for pupils glared, but the black mask bearer was unaffected as he had an idea to make both parties happy. "A question for another question. Deal?" he proposed.

Blake pondered it, then gave a hesitant nod. Satisfied, he turned back to the hole he dug and while he shoveled more gravel, answered, "I can feel the earth."

"... Feel the earth?"

He said nothing more on the subject and dug some more. "My turn," he grunted while doing so, "is there anyone else around?"

"... no, it's just me."

He did not turn around, but he commented mirthfully, "You must be brave bring out here alone."

"I can take care of myself!" Even though he faced the rock, he could feel Blake glaring daggers into his back. "My turn: where do you come from?"

"Another place, I believe. As for where…" Another thud echoed whilst he dug through more earth. "... I don't know."

"Are there others like you?"

He paused for a second, recalling the other strange lights that fell with him. "Unsure," was his response, continuing on with his task. "Now, is there civilization nearby?"

"Yes, there's a small settlement, just on top of us," Blake answered, and he heard her footsteps trail behind. "But it's empty. If there was anyone here, they're long gone."

"But why would they leave?"

"That two questions."

"You asked two questions before," he quipped. "Now, why would anyone want to leave?"

Blake thinned her mouth, then explained, "I don't know. There are lots of dangerous things outside the kingdoms. But people need to live somehow."

After he shoveled aside more rubble, the black mask went back to Blake, an eye ridge raised. "'People?'" he echoed.

"Humans. That's what we call them," she clarified.

"Humans," he repeated the word. What an interesting word… "And are they like you?"

Blake drew her gaze away from the black mask. "Not all of them," she barely whispered.

It was not a straight answer, but he caught on to Blake's answer quickly. He knew nothing of where he was-or anything about himself, as he told Blake earlier-but he knew there was something else behind her tone... something painful. "Your turn," he said, hoping to change the subject.

After a moment, Blake asked, "... How are you feeling… being a place you don't know?"

"Quite strange, but I suppose it could be worse." His shovels tore away at more earth. Now, the tunnel went further down to the point there was barely any light. "You said something about kingdoms?"

"There are four of them: Vale, Atlas, Mistral, and Vacuo. We're outside of them right now," Blake's voice almost echoed off the walls of the makeshift tunnel. "So, how do you 'feel the earth?' Does it have something to do with your mask?"

"That's two questions," he said through the thud of his claw-like tools tearing through more rock.

"You asked two more earlier," Blake retorted, almost cheekily.

If his mask had a mouth, he would have smiled. "I am not sure… It's as if the earth is telling me what direction to shovel," he explained, now digging his way slightly upwards. "As for my mask, I don't know if it's that or something else…"

There was nothing from Blake, so he assumed the answer was satisfactory. So, as the duo went further into the makeshift tunnel, they went back and forth with their questions and answers in perhaps what was their most interesting and thought-provoking conversation.

"I don't get it, why can't I be Lee?"

"Because his name's Lee."

"I thought it was Ren."

"It's pronounced Lie Ren," said the boy, whose name was the subject of their argument. There was a poignant look in his eye that he directed to both sides involved.

Glowing eyes stared at the boy. "Then why not say the full name?"

The arguing, orange-haired girl, called Nora-or was it Valkyrie?-said, "Because it sounds sooooo boring… No offense, Ren."

For one so tall, and maybe even imposing to some, the metal "man" could only stare down and scratch his green mask with a metal finger. The two 'kids' standing at his feet were certainly an odd pair, not that he was complaining. He enjoyed their company so far, and they were the only other sapient beings he knew, but when he said he had no memory and proposed using 'Lee' for his nameless self, he did not expect to be in a debate-over a name, no less!

"I still don't get why I can't be Lee," he told the other two.

Nora opened her mouth, but the boy, Ren, who sat beside his friend, cut in calmly, "Nora, it's alright."

With a pout, which the mask bearer admitted was a bit adorable, Nora gave in. "Oh alright," she said before looking at the green mask staring back at her. "Why do you want to be called Lee, anyway?"

There was no immediate answer. 'Lee' stood there staring for a few seconds, trying to peer into his mind as best as he could. 'Lee, Lee…' he pondered, knowing there was a hint of familiarity to it.

Le… wa...

"Dunno, just liked it," he answered.

Stares were on him, until Nora spoke up. "Okay, 'Lee,'" she playfully jeered the name back, "what are you planning to do now?"

"Dunno, never really gave much thought," 'Lee' shrugged. His eyes caught Ren and noticed something was wrong. "Hey, somethin' the matter?" The only answer was the boy's nervous and shifting body movement. It was more than enough, so Lee assured him, "Hey, don't be scared. I ain't gonna hurt you or your friend."

"I know," Ren said stoically, unlike the calmness he exhibited to Nora.

Nora joined in and jumped in front of her friend, surprising Lee how her attitude could easily turn a one-eighty. "C'mon Ren, he's not that scary," Nora told her friend. "He can boop you too, if it makes you feel better."

Ren's pink face almost paled. "No, it's good," he said before he pointed a finger in Lee's direction. "It's just those…"

Lee's glowing eyes blinked. "What? What is it?"

Looking herself, Nora added, "Oh yeah, I forgot you had blades sticking out of the back."

"I have what sticking out my back?!"

With widened eyes, Lee turned his head over his shoulders. Like he heard, he had a pair of silver blades protruding from his back. What were they doing there?

His hands reached and held out the blades in front. A sliver of white moonlight glinted off the straight metal and trailed up the curved tip. "Niiiiiice," Lee heard Nora. "Looks like something that a Huntsman would use! I bet you could slice up Grimm with those things!"

Now, Lee's orange eyes darted to Nora. He had already been told about the four kingdoms, at least what the two littles one knew, even the tiniest bits of these dark monsters. "Slice up Grimm? Is that what you… humans do?" Lee asked, pausing to recall what his new friends were.

"Some," Ren explained. "Huntsmen usually use their weapons to fight Grimm. Sometimes they help with police and-"

"And they get to smash stuff!" Nora gleefully shouted, and her friend sighed.

"Yes, that too, Nora."

Lee's metal brow rose in interest. "Really?" he said with a glance at his blades in his hands and the black blades on his forearms.

A thought in mind, Lee swung his swords. One direction, then the other. Right, left, up, and finally stabbing downwards to the ground. Again, Lee repeated the motion-right, left, up, and down. Again, and again, Lee swung, swiping at the air and avoiding the kids.

The blades whooshed once more, and this time, there was something. It was a slight tingle running through his arms that made Lee stopped in place. His amber eyes gazed at the weapons curiously.

"What is it?" he heard Ren.

"Not sure," Lee replied and stretched out his arms for another swing of his swords.

Suddenly, a sudden gust pushed from underneath his metal feet. "WHOOOOOOAAAA!" he cried out as he thrown upwards.

Before Lee knew it, he was five feet off the ground.

Then, seven feet.

Then, twelve feet.

Lee tumbled around in the air and barely caught the surprised looks of his friends down below. That was the last thing on Lee's mind, since it seemed like he was going nowhere but up.

Then, it was over after his swords came out of his hands. Lee halted in mid-air for a millisecond before he fell. He came crashing face-down into the ground with a loud thud, right between his swords.

Ren and Nora's feet ran on the ground. "Are you alright?" asked the former.

Lee raised his dirt-covered mask and looked at them. "What just happened?"

Nora answered, "You just flew into the air!"

"I did?!" The thought sprung Lee onto his feet, and his eyes widened with excitement. "Boy, that was something!"

"Aren't you hurt?" came from a disbelieving Ren.

"I'm fine, really!" Truth be told, there were slight aches, but they could barely hold in Lee's excitement. "But how did I do that?"

"It's those fans there!" Nora pointed to the black blades on Lee's green arms.

Lee looked for himself. It was the first time he really looked at his arm blades, and now he noticed the fans in them. If Nora was right, he could have been flying, like he had been a second ago. However, the fans were steady like they had never moved. Maybe it was missing something...

An idea sparked in Lee's mind, and if he had a mouth, he would have grinned. "I got an idea," he said, scooping up his swords from the ground.

Before anyone could say anything, Lee began to run. His metal feet trampled on the grass. Every step pumped energy into his legs with more energy, and that energy, that power, kept growing and ran up Lee's back and into his arms. It grew and grew, and the fans in his arm blades spun faster and faster, telling Lee to stretch out his arms.

Not a moment later, he jumped.

A pair of blue-clad feet jumped into the air, surprised by the sudden chirp from behind. After landing, the boy with the blue-clad feet turned to see it was just a small cricket. He let out a sigh in relief and peeked behind the tree to get a good look at the figure up ahead.

Said figure walked through the forest, standing tall and strong. He, the boy guessed it was a he, had his back turned, so his watcher could not get a good view of his head. What the boy could see, however, only increased his curiosity as he spotted gold and red armor.

'Come on, Jaune,' the boy thought. 'You can do this. Just follow this big guy around the forest for a while. After that, head back to camp before anyone notices you're gone… or before the Grimm finds you… or...'

Then, the boy's shoulders sagged down. "My parents are going to kill me," he mumbled to himself.

Jaune Arc could only lament on what punishment his parents would give him. Probably something humiliating. After all, he left his sleeping parents and seven sisters at camp, in only his baby blue pajamas, all just to find a falling meteor. And for all his bluster, he immediately had weak knees when he saw where the meteor had landed. Trees were covered in black ash, lush and green grass was turned barren, and something, or someone, was lying in the center of it all. Yet, when that someone stood and left, Jaune followed behind him.

Born into the Arc family, Jaune had been told of his warrior heritage. He heard of his great-grandfather, a soldier in the Great War eighty years ago, and of his grandfather and father, both Huntsmen who had fought the Creatures of Grimm. The many tales of heroism had greatly inspired the young Arc, who saw the same greatness in the figure ahead.

Tall and proud, the figure was like a warrior, covered red and golden armor and sported a pair of blades on his back. The large board he carried under one arm was like a shield one would used to protect the innocent. Like a shining knight out of a fairy tale.

And said knight stopped and turned around to Jaune's direction.

Jaune hid behind the tree, just before he could be spotted. He barely caught a glimpse of strange blue eyes, and while hiding behind a thick trunk of wood, he felt them staring into him. Not long after, Jaune heard a voice, powerful and almost electronic.

"I know you're out there!"

Jaune clasped both hands over his mouth, so he would not scream or yell. The only noise that came out were his muffled huff and puffs. His body shook a bit, and a bit of sweat fell from his scraggly blonde hair. He tried to think of a way to get out of this situation, but his mind end up blank.

Let it be said that Jaune Arc was not a coward… Well, not a big one anyway…

"Stop hiding and show yourself!" the voice shouted again, a little louder than before.

'Come on, come on, think!' Jaune told himself.

His first idea was to hide elsewhere. There plenty of trees around, but if Jaune tried to go to another, he would be spotted, and he doubt he would fast enough to outrun his soon-to-be pursuer. There had to be something else.

"I know you've been following me since I got here!" the voice continued. "Now, show yourself!"

Jaune did not budge from his spot. He kept his back to the tree, listening to the roaring voice. In spite of his rising fear, he kept still.

"You want to know what I am, don't you?! You want to know why I'm here?! Well, you won't be finding that out from me!"

For a brief moment, Jaune had a hint of curiosity. 'What did he mean by that?' he thought as his fear slightly waned...

"I won't ask again! If you won't come out, then I'll have you come out!"

… and it was back to normal.

'Stay calm, stay calm,' Jaune told himself, keeping his hands over his mouth. 'Just be quiet, and he'll go away. Just don't make a sound... no matter what...'

Then, a slight growl made him freeze in an instant. Jaune slowly turned his head and was greeted with a pair of red eyes glowing in the darkness. On Remnant, there were only one kind of creature whose eyes glowed red, and Jaune's fears were made true when a Beowolf, a Creature of Grimm, revealed its dark furry head and white mask.

A frightful yelp left Jaune's mouth as he jumped back from his hiding spot. The dark creature bared its teeth while it slowly approached the young Arc, revealing the massive, furry, and hunched frame. Jaune, sitting there and too afraid to move, could only watch as the monster came closer and closer, its human-like claws scratching at the earth and bestial throat releasing a dark growl. It leaned over and snarled, like how a predator would before the kill.

"Hey!"

The Grimm turned and it face connected with a large board of silver metal and red flame patterns. The blow forced the monster back, and Jaune was surprised to see the red and golden figure coming in between him and the Grimm. Again, the figure swung his board, and the Grimm was forced back some more. It snapped its jaw forward, only to be met with the aboard once more.

Jaune watched slack jawed as the very same person who had been calling to him, was saving him. He saw hands, clearly metal, grab the short end of the board and flail it at the Beowolf. Back and back it went, with only a few times to bite at its attacker. Loud bangs echoed before Jaune's savior jumped and whammed his board over the Beowolf's head.

The creature hit the ground, and taking the advantage, the mysterious hero jabbed the board into the Grimm's face with a sickening crunch, which was so loud Jaune winced when he heard it.

The Grimm lying motionless on the ground, Jaune turned his gaping expression to his rescuer. The figure turned around, revealing the metallic exterior, from the golden armor to the red body parts sewn into it. One arm held onto the clean and stainless board, which had been used to kill the Grimm. Through the strange red mask, blue glowing eyes stared down.

"So now, you finally show yourself," said the metal man with free fist resting on his hip.

As humorous as the words sounded, Jaune could barely give a reply. He was too shocked to even say thank you, what with the events of the past few minutes playing in his head. Jaune was brought out of it when his rescuer asked, "Are there more of those things out there?"

After a moment, Jaune nodded. He heard tales. Beowolves, like any canine, would most definitely come in packs. If there was one, no doubt more would coming very soon, and they would be after the one who killed their brethren.

"We need to go, then," said the masked one, who came closer. "Come on!"

Before Jaune could register it, his savior reached out with his free arm and wrapped around his waist. Jaune could only understand he was being carried away to safety as he unceremoniously dangled off the side of his rescuer, who ran further and further into the forest.

A small huff left through the white mask and disappeared into the blizzard as its owner walked through the heavy snow. For an environment that would freeze a regular person to death, it was nothing to this traveler. His mask let him see through the heavy snowfall, his white shins pushed the snow aside like it was nothing, and however cold the wind was, it merely bounced off the masked one's white and golden armor as he continued on.

Another visible breath disappeared into the blizzard, and the white mask glanced down. His left eye caught sight of the little one he carried with him. A round, maskless face, shuffled atop the body in his arms, the weird lids opening and closing over a pair of blue irises.

"Come on, stay with me," he said from behind his mask in a stern, yet calm voice.

The little one groaned in response, much to his dismay. He had found this one awhile back, calling out for someone else and left lying in the snow. She, he assumed was a she, was not as durable, not with her fleshy, almost pale skin, so he took it upon himself to get her to safety.

The scope embedded in the white mask had spotted a settlement of some kind quite a distance away. The girl was most likely trying to get back to it, but she ended up going away from her target. It was good thing she had help, or else...

He shook the morbid thought away and turned his attention to his journey. Last he checked, he was a few miles off from his destination, and that had been before he found the little one. There might be just enough time to get her to someplace warm, if he was quick.

So, he quickened his pace. The howl of the cold wind swirled around him, and his white mask kept focused on the target. What he had been searching for faded in and out every now again in the snow, but he would always recapture the site.

He heard the little one mumble. "Cold… so, cold…"

"It will be alright," he told her. "We're not too far now!"

His feet stepped through snow that piled up to his white shins as he traveled up a hill. A steep hill, he soon learned as he trailed up to the top. Another step, and he would be a little more closer.

Then, the young one shifted in his arms, again. This time, it was sudden and unnatural. He he looked back down at the girl. Something was wrong, he realized. She was shivering more than before, and even with those furs on her body, he swore she was somehow getting warmer.

It was true seeing the small one's flushed face. Again, he heard her, this time struggling to be heard, "No… not yet…"

His metal arms felt stiff. Worry gripped his eyes. He knew he had to get her to safety, now more than ever.

'Why? It's pointless,' something from his mind had told him. 'You can't carry her through this storm forever. She may not last another second. Even she sees-'

He cut off that thought. There was no way that was true. She wouldn't be giving up if she was still talking. She could still make it, if he was quick about his rescue. Maybe if he could slide down instead of walking up and down hills, he could...

If his hands weren't full, he would have slapped his mask. 'Of course, it would be that simple,' he chastised himself, and his lens focused on the terrain. Hills and slopes were all over the place, perfect for what he had in mind.

He positioned the child, so she was resting against his shoulder while he still wrapped one arm around her. His free arm reached down to his back and tossed a pair of large blades. The blades did not look regular, as each one had a crystalline ice-like pattern framed inside. Another thing that made them irregular was that they could used for transportation, as the blades' owner had found out after he landed in this strange wasteland.

Placing each foot onto a blade, which automatically fastened with a click, the white being pulled out another tool, a dark rod with a white spear tip. "Hang on tight," he whispered to the barely conscious girl in his other arm.

He stabbed his spear into the ground and pushed off, letting gravity do the rest. The skis left deep lines in the snow as they and their owner slid down went down the hill and onwards. He went up and down, pushing and prodding against the snow with his spear to direct his movement. The scope in his mask guided him through the snow and pinpointed where he needed to strike at.

The spear stabbed at the ground, and the masked skier made a sharp right turn around a large rock. He bent his knees and jumped over another one, before the snow was crunched by his weight. More snow splattered off to side, while he came down another hill, and a rush of momentary excitement brushed against his mask. He felt the rising acceleration made him, and his tag along, instantly go up hills that would have taken several steps.

Eventually, he slid down another snowy hill and came to a stop. Standing there, he once again focused his right eye through the scope. He saw strange man-made structures settled in a mountain, along with big boxes hanging from long descending wires almost completely covered in snow. Still, it was something, and better yet, the masked figure recognized it.

'There it is!' he thought, recognizing the destination and taking a step forward towards it.

Suddenly, his lone blue eye caught something off to the side. A tiny flash growing bigger and heading towards him.

He quickly stepped to the right, and a gleaming blur of metal swung at where he once stood. The metal flew passed him and so did the body holding it. The body landed its two feet in the snow, while the masked readied his stance and kept his scope on his would be his attacker.

Said attacker turned around to face him. She, he guessed it was a she, was tall, though not as tall as him, and the white coat she wore held tightly to her body to protect it from the cold. Her gloved hand held onto the hilt of a curved saber made out of entirely silver. Her stance was ready for battle, and her body language-the clenched fist on the saber, the knees bent for an anticipated lunge, and the other arm kept off to the side-all but shouted her intentions.

Then, there was the face. It was similar, if not identical, to the girl he had been carrying. The white top was tied into a bun, and the face held similar delicate features. However, this one glared with a ferocity that could melt snow. The attacker's light blue eyes shone as she gave her demand in three, simple words:

"Let. Weiss. Go!"