It was close to midnight but Jaune Arc couldn't sleep.

The lights and sounds of the city of Argus quietly hummed below him as he stood on the balcony of his sister's downtown home. He watched absently as the cable trolley rolled down the middle of cobblestone paved street, cars passing by on either side of it. There were still plenty of people out and about, mostly unaffected by the dangerous world that continued to spin just outside the wall that barred entrance into the city.

To say Argus was trapped between both land and sea wasn't entirely inaccurate. To enter the city outside of the train, you had to pass through the military checkpoint at the massive wall that blocked the rest of the city off from the rest of Mistral. On the other side of town, blocking off the sea, was the Argus Military base. Despite being located in Mistral, the town of Argus was technically Atlas territory, a hold out from the alliance that the two nations once shared during the Great War. It was the only base of its kind in Remnant, the other nations refusing such installations on their soil.

Jaune could see and hear the Atlesian airships to and from the base flying overhead. It gave him not so pleasant memories of before the Fall when an entire fleet descended on Beacon before the Vytal Festival.

Nora had collapsed onto the couch as soon as they had arrived at Saphron's home and Ren - who helped him escort their exhausted teammate to the guest room upstairs - had been meditating for the past hour or so to replenish his spent aura.

He reached in his pocket for his scroll. There were no new messages.

He dialed Pyrrha.

No answer.

Ruby.

No answer.

Yang.

No answer.

Even Oscar.

No answer.

No matter who he called the dial tone would hang in his ear like the scene in a horror film before the jump scare.

"Come on, guys. Where are you?"

"Can't sleep?" Saphron came out to the balcony with two mugs in her hands. She held one out to her brother. "Hot milk. Your favorite."

"I'm not a kid anymore, Saph." Jaune pouted.

"So you don't want it?"

"I didn't say that." Jaune took the mug as his sister giggled. He blew on it some before taking a sip. The warm liquid slid down his throat and set comfortably in his stomach. He felt his entire body relax almost instantly as the warmth spread through his aching bones. "That hits the spot."

Saphron stood next to him on the balcony and took a sip from her own mug – which was filled with coffee. "Gotta admit, when you told me you were coming this way I was more than a little surprised. I didn't even know you were in the country."

"Sorry about that. It was supposed to be a secret."

"Hunter mission?"

"Something like that…" Jaune's voice trailed off as he took another sip from his mug.

"It's ok. I get it." His sister replied, choosing not to pry further. "Top secret Hunter stuff. Not for my civilian ears."

"Thanks for understanding." Not really knowing where to look, Jaune found his eyes drifting towards the diamond ring on his sister's left hand. "So…you and Terra finally got married?"

"Hm?" Saphron looked at her ring. "Oh yeah. We did. You're now looking at Mrs. Saphron Cotta-Arc!" she smiled wide.

"Congrats. Sorry I couldn't be there to see it."

"Don't worry about it." Saphron waved off. "I know you had your school stuff going on."

"Did anyone show up?"

"A few people. It wasn't that big of a thing."

"What about Mom and Dad?"

Saphron's shoulders dipped just a bit. "…Mom did. You know how Dad can be."

"Yeah..." Jaune noted when he saw the sadness in his sister's eyes. "Is Terra back?"

"No she's still at work. She should be back in the morning though. It's a wonder I was able to put Adrian to sleep. He's usually such a hassle when Terra's not around. Maybe he was happy to see his Uncle Jaune again."

"Yeah…I guess."

"What's up?"

"It's nothing. Since I was here I thought I should at least thank her for helping me get into Beacon, or maybe 'apologize' is the better word."

"Don't worry about it. Terra didn't mind helping you out. She knew how much you wanted to be like Grandpa. Besides that little subterfuge helped her get a job working on the towers, so you can say you're even now."

"Oh really? That's good then I guess." He watched as another streetcar passed below them. "What made you wanna settle here anyway?"

"Terra's from Argus so it seemed like a good spot. Besides, the further away from home the better, right?"

The pair took a sip from their mugs and a short silence fell between them. Jaune never really played favorites when it came to his family, but if he was asked to pick a favorite sibling it would most likely be Saphron. Out of all their siblings, they were the closest in age, so much so that many people thought they were twins, and it would usually be Saphron that would save Jaune from their sisters' constant teasing. She was also the only one who supported his dream to be a Huntsman, the two being engrossed in their grandfather's stories when they were kids. In fact, Saphron wanted to be a Huntress as well, but an accident derailed her chances of getting into Combat School.

Nonetheless, she seemed to bounce back from it well enough; choosing to become a doctor instead to better help Hunters.

Her words about being away from home weren't knew to Jaune. Though he never minded being home that much, in fact he kind of missed it, Saphron was always different. Her need to explore - which she shared with their elder sister Maple - always meant that she would one day leave the nest.

"I heard about the Fall of Beacon." Saphron said finally. "It was hard not to. You wouldn't believe how worried I was. Seriously, I was this close to running out and going to find you myself. Terra had to hold me back."

Jaune chuckled. "I bet you were, but I'm fine. It hasn't been easy, but I think I'm finally starting to manage it."

"You talk to mom or dad? Or the others? I'm surprised our parents let you come all the way out here."

"...They didn't actually. I might have...snuck out." Jaune nervously laughed. "I've written letters home though."

Saphron saw the embarrassed smile on her brother's face and pinched his cheeks. "Look at you! All grown up and sneaking out of the house. You've become such a troublemaker. You're going to make your big sister cry."

"Knock it off." Jaune managed to free his face from his sister's grip, his cheeks now red. "You're worse than grandma." he stopped rubbing his aching face when he noticed Saphron staring at him. "What?"

"When did you get so tall?" she asked, placing her hand on the top of his head to compare their heights.

"Did I really get that much taller?" He had never paid too much attention to it before, but now that he mentioned it he had grown a bit. He used to be the same height as Pyrrha, but he was probably at least an inch or two taller than her now.

"Yeah. I almost have to stand on my tiptoes to look you in the eye. Your hair's gotten a bit longer too." she noted as she flipped the back of his locks. "You should let me cut it. I'm pretty handy with scissors ya know."

"No way." Jaune refused. "I remember the last time you tried to style my hair I had to wear a hat for a month."

"It wasn't that bad." Saphron giggled.

"My nightmares say otherwise." Jaune retorted.

Saphron smiled warmly. "You really have grown up, Johnny."

"Guess that means you can't call me your 'kid brother' anymore."

"No deal." Saphron immediately refused. "You could be twenty feet tall, with hair going down to your butt and you'd still be my adorable little bro. Thems the rules." She started to mess with his hair.

"Fine. Fine. You win." Jaune lightly pushed her away and fixed his tangled locks.

"I always do." Saphron laid her head on his shoulder as they looked out to the city. "I'm glad you're safe. Stay as long as you like."

"Thanks, Saph." He leaned his head on hers. After a few seconds he checked his scroll.

No new messages.

Pyrrha and Ruby stood on the front porch of the farmhouse as the snow continued to fall across the Brunswick Farm.

Not long after their "feast" of vegetables and beans, everyone decided to turn in for the night. No one really wanted to sleep in a place with two dead bodies in the upper room, but they didn't have much of a choice but to tough it out until morning.

As they spread the spare blankets Oscar and Dee had found along the floor, Pyrrha declared that she would keep watch and make sure nothing happened during the night.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked a concerned Ruby.

"I'll be fine. Honestly, since becoming the Fall Maiden I haven't really felt the need to sleep much. I guess all this excess power is keeping me awake."

Though Pyrrha was smiling, Ruby couldn't help feeling even more uneasy. Surely it wasn't normal to go without sleep, even if you were as powerful as Pyrrha now was.

"Don't worry. I'll be sure to wake you all before sunrise."

"Ok…" Ruby's tone was still filled with skepticism and worry, but she decided to acknowledge Pyrrha's decision with a smile. "Good night."

"Rest well."

Ruby went back inside the farmhouse, the snowy air chilling her bones as she closed the door behind her. She walked over to Yang – who was sitting by the fire close to an already snoring Dee – and let her sister wrap a blanket around the both of them.

"She's really gonna stay out there?" The blonde asked.

Ruby nodded. "She said because of the Maiden power she doesn't really sleep much anymore."

"Well that's not weird at all."

"I hope she'll be ok…"

In the study, Maria was looking over the book Oscar had found while searching for blankets. After a little reading it turned out to be the first in a set of diaries written by the head of the household. A man named Bartleby. As she flipped through the pages, an anxious Oscar's feet tapped back and forth along the creaking floorboards as he paced in front of her.

"Would you stop all that wandering around? You're making my head spin."

"S-sorry." Oscar sat down in front of her. "What does it say?"

"Apparently Mister Bartleby and several others founded this place in an attempt to live outside the kingdoms and make their own way. Can't say I blame them. The kingdoms aren't what they used to be…"

Oscar could tell she was alluding to something, but her tone made it clear that she didn't want to be pressed about it. "So what happened to this place? Was it Grimm?"

"Among other things." Maria flipped a page. "It can be hard to sustain yourself without the help of the kingdoms, as useless as they can be. A real shame. Sounds like he was quite the ambitious fellow. Did whatever he could to keep things running. Don't see much of that anymore."

Ruby walked into the room. "Hey guys, Pyrrha's keeping watch so we should get some rest. We're leaving early tomorrow when the storm lets up."

"Alright." Oscar got up from the floor and began to prepare himself for bed. Maria however continued to read. "Miss Maria?"

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine. You kids get some sleep." She moved from the couch to a small seat in the corner of the study. There she turned on the lamp and continued reading the diary.

Realizing there was nothing that could be done about the elderly woman, Ruby simply shrugged her shoulders and returned to the living room.

As the stars twinkled brightly in the night sky, the long journey of the Pequod had finally reached its conclusion. Every Faunus on the ship was cheering as their home came closer and closer into view. Even Sienna Khan couldn't help but let a small smile cross her lips. As Ghira began directing everyone on the upper deck to start the docking procedures, Weiss remained in her room, her sky blue eyes gazing at the faint lights of Menagerie from her window. She placed her hand on her sleeping brother's hand and smiled.

"We've finally arrived. Just wait a little longer, Natsu. We'll get you treated soon."

Blake and Neon entered the room.

"Ready?" Blake asked.

"As I'll ever be I suppose." Weiss nodded.

"Then let's go!" Neon chirped. She glanced over to the bed. "What about Natsu?"

Weiss summoned her knight. "I have that covered."

The trio moved to the upper deck, surprised that Blake's parents, Ilia, and Sienna were all standing on top of the bridge. Kali beckoned the girls to come up. When they reached the top of the bridge, they were astonished to see all of the Faunus looking at them from the dock in the Net. Weiss couldn't believe her eyes. She had never seen so many Faunus in one place before. The sight was overwhelming.

By Blake and Neon's estimation, at least every single faunus on the island had gathered in the Net. The citizens of Kuo Kuana, the denizens from the Cage, and even the normally solitary Faunus from the Aviary had appeared. The police force was there as well. Men, women, and children. Young and old. They were all standing in solidarity, each gazing at the group on top of the ship.

Ghira stepped forward and cleared his throat. "My brothers and sisters of Menagerie…we have returned home!"

The crowd erupted in a chorus of cheers that made Weiss' ears ring. She had never heard something so loud before. This sound even dwarfed the crowd at the Vytal Festival. Ghira continued.

"It was not a long journey, but it was more arduous than any I had ever encountered in my relatively short life. Our force may have been small, but their bravery and spirit more than made up for it. Because of that we were able to secure victory without a single casualty!"

Once again the crowd cheered.

"However, our battle is not yet finished! Though many of our misguided brothers and sisters in the White Fang were apprehended for their crimes, Adam Taurus was able to escape. I have no doubt that he will come back even more ruthless than before."

The crowd booed at the mention of Adam's name.

"When we first began this campaign, our goal was to simply reclaim the White Fang from Adam, but as time went on I realized that we cannot just take back that which was never taken from us. Adam was the product of a broken system. The tragic aftermath of the cruelty shown to him by humans, as well as the anger fostered onto him by his own people."

Sienna looked away bitterly as Ghira spoke these words.

"Though they are not the only ones to blame. I, myself also had a part in this vicious cycle of hate and fear. I was supposed to be a symbol for our people to rally behind, a voice they could count on in times of strife, but instead of upholding the principles that we set I ran away and hid here on this island. Meanwhile our brothers and sisters continued to suffer in foreign lands. There are no words I can say that can atone for those actions."

"Oh, honey…" Kali mused as she rubbed her husband's back.

"But I promise I shall do better! For all of us! My daughter and her friends have reminded me that this is indeed a cause worth fighting for! That we can no longer sit back and let someone else handle our problems! We have to take the initiative! We have to show that we are stronger together than apart! That starts today!"

Once again the crowd was whipped into a spirited frenzy at Ghira's words. Blake was amazed. She had seen lots of her father's speeches on old scroll files, but none had affected her as much as this one. There was a reason he had been the Chieftain for as long as he had. Weiss felt the same way. In fact she nearly shed a tear. Neon on the other hand was balling her eyes out, blowing her nose on a very irritated Sienna's coat.

As Weiss wiped her face, she noticed Ghira reaching his hand to her with a smile. She looked to Blake for some sort of sign as to what to do and received an assuring smile in return. With a loud gulp, the deposed heiress took the large man's hand and in one fluid motion was pulled her up to where he was standing. Her eyes widened as she got a better look at the sea of Faunus before her.

Dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, bears, tigers, lions, fish, bats, reptiles, and so much more. Nearly every animal was represented in some form or fashion, but the one thing that struck Weiss the most was that despite their animalistic traits they were no different from her. They were all human.

"I can see the confusion and skepticism in your faces," Ghira said. "To answer your questions, yes. This young lady is indeed Weiss Schnee; heiress to the Schnee Dust Company."

Weiss felt the need to correct the chieftain on her current status, but she knew now wasn't the time for such a minor detail.

The once raucous crowd had settled into uneasy murmurs and hushed talk after the Chieftain's introduction. Though that quickly changed…

"Why did you bring her here?!"

"Hasn't her family caused enough problems for us?!"

"So of my friends died in those mines!"

"Go back to Atlas!"

That uneasiness morphed into anger and hatred in the blink of an eye. Venom dripped from every single syllable uttered in Weiss' direction, but all she could do was take it. She had no right to say anything back.

They're right. My family is partly to blame for this.

She lowered her head in shame and clenched her fists hard enough for them to start shaking.

Maybe it was a mistake to come here after all. I'll only cause more problems…

As she felt herself fall deeper and deeper into her self-pity, she felt the warmth of hands grasp hers. She looked up, seeing the smiling face of Blake to her left and Neon's wide grin on her right.

"Everyone, please calm down." Blake said to the crowd. "I know this isn't easy for you all to understand. Believe me I get it. I know the horrors that the Schnees and humans like them have brought upon us. I saw it firsthand when I was a part of the White Fang, but believe me when I say that Weiss isn't like her family. She wants to make a serious effort to improve relations between humans and Faunus."

Despite Blake's earnest words, the citizens of Menagerie rightfully remained wary. Many of them had been fooled by "good humans" before. Blake's words were as empty as the sky above.

"I know words alone won't be enough to sway you."

Just then Weiss stepped forward. Her legs were quaking, and her heart was racing. She thought she would pass out any second from all the angered glared focused on her, but she persevered.

"I'm not expecting your forgiveness for what my family has done to you all. I honestly don't even think we deserve it, and I don't expect you all to suddenly be ok with my being here. All I ask is that you allow me the privilege of being a guest on your island. Allow me the chance to earn your trust. I know it might be asking a lot, but please!"

She bowed, sending a wave of shock throughout the crowd. No one really knew how to react to the heiress of the illustrious Schnee family bowing to anyone, let alone a group of Faunus. It was simply unheard of.

"Well?" Ghira spoke up, stepping next to the girls. "Are we going to deny this girl's earnest request? Or will we allow her the opportunity to prove herself?"

Once again a few sparse mutterings could be heard among the crowd, most of them filled with confusion over how to respond to the still bowing Weiss.

"What is your answer?!" Ghira roared.

The entire crowd stiffened, their attention on their chieftain.

"I'll give her the chance."

To everyone's shock, Sienna Khan was the first to step forward. Even Blake and Ghira hadn't expected it.

"I will as well."

Ilia was next to step up.

"So will we."

Next was Saber Rodentia, with the entire Menagerie guard at his back.

"Me too." Said Kali.

"And me!" Chirped Neon.

One by one Weiss watched wide-eyed as everyone gathered began to step forward on her behalf.

Blake smiled at her friend as she fought back tears.

"T-Thank you all so much!"

After the display of solidarity shown by the Faunus in Menagerie, Ghira finished his speech and laid out their plans going forward. They would continue to pursue Adam's group, but they wouldn't force anyone to continue the fight if they didn't want to. Anyone who wanted to stay in the militia would resume their training with Saber, and join the Menagerie Guard. Those that didn't were free to return to their normal lives without fear of persecution or ridicule. In the end, over half of the forces that came to Haven decided to resign from their short lived enlistment.

Once everyone was dismissed for the evening, Saber and his men helped unload the supplies from the boat and take them to a storehouse located in the center of the Net's warehouse district. Natsu had been taken to the local hospital on the island to be treated. It took a little persuading on Ghira's part for him to be given priority over some of the other patients. Weiss was grateful for their genorosity , but it didn't allay her worries. She decided that as soon as she finished unloading the supplies she would stay with her brother.

She summoned her knight to take some of the heavier boxes, leaving less work for the others to do. Judging by the word of thanks she was getting she was already starting to earn points with some of the people on the island.

"This should be the last box. It doesn't seem that heavy. I'll just carry it on my own."

She reached down and gripped the box from the bottom, but when she stood up it wouldn't budge. She tried again, only managing to lift the box a few centimeters from the ground before dropping it on the deck again.

"What are you doing, Princess?"

Ilia came over, having noticed Weiss' struggling.

"Isn't it obvious?" Weiss strained. "I'm trying to lift this Gods forsaken crate."

"Clearly you're not doing a good job of it. Why don't you tell that armor thing of yours to do it for you?"

"There's no need." Weiss refused. "I can do this…myself! Whaa!"

She tumbled forward with the crate in hand, but was saved when Ilia grabbed the other side. Despite her thin frame, she was having far less trouble holding the box.

"Just let me do it." She groaned. "No reason for someone of your status to try and be like us 'lesser folk'."

To Ilia's surprise, Weiss' grip on the box tightened.

"I'm no better than anyone else here." She declared. "I might be a guest on this island, but that doesn't mean I should be treated differently than anyone else. I made myself quite clear earlier about earning the people's trust. Also, I believe I told you before that my name is Weiss."

Ilia smirked. "Whatever you say…Princess Weiss."

Weiss rolled her eyes. Clearly this was the best she was going to get from Illia at this point. However, a small grin crossed her lips as they both carried the crate from the boat.

All was quiet on the Brunswick Farm. Ruby, Yang, Oscar, and Dee were all sleeping peacefully on the floor of the common area of the farmhouse. In the office next to them, Maria had fallen asleep in the seat she was reading in the previous night, the open book face down on her small lap.

In the kitchen, the dull thud of a falling wine bottle against the wooden floor awoke Ruby with a start. The stinging rays of the rising sun in her eyes instantly told her that morning had come. They had overslept.

"Oh no."

"Ruby? What's up?" her big sister groggily asked, still rubbing the last bits of sleep from her eyes.

"Close the window…" Dee groaned as he placed his pillow over his head.

"Get up, you guys." Ruby got up and started pulling away the blankets from the others, earning various groans and jeers from their tired mouths. "We have to get going. Come on."

"Don't be so hasty." Maria warned. "I'm not as young as I look."

Yang rolled her eyes as she folded her and Ruby's blanket.

"Hold on." Ruby counted the heads of everyone in the common room. They were missing someone. "Where's Pyrrha?"

Everyone shrugged their shoulders. Ruby rushed outside.

"Pyrrha?!" To her surprise, the redhead wasn't standing on the front porch like she was last evening. Panic began to set in. "Pyrrha?! Pyrrha, where are you?!"

"Ruby? What's wrong? Why are you yelling?" The Fall Maiden was walking calmly towards the house, the trailer Yang and Dee had spotted in the shed rolling along not far behind her.

Ruby zoomed towards Pyrrha with her semblance, practically knocking her over when she hugged her. "Thank Gods! I was so worried! I thought something happened to you!"

"I'm fine." She replied languidly, patting the girl's head. "What's happening? Are we leaving?"

"Yeah. You were supposed to wake us up before sunrise. What happened?"

"I thought I heard something and went to investigate. Turns out it was just a few forest creatures. Nothing to worry about. I apologize for abandoning my post."

"It's ok. Just as long as you're safe." Ruby was slightly wary of her friend's nonchalant attitude. Pyrrha was usually much more diligent than that, but she chose to ignore it for now. It was likely fatigue from keeping watch, or at least that was what Ruby hoped it was. Everyone seemed a bit out of sorts.

"Here's the bike." Yang announced as she rolled Bumblebee through the snow.

"Great. Let's hook it up." Ruby directed.

Pyrrha pulled the trailer bed over with her semblance, but before she could attach the hitch to the back of Bumblebee one of the trailer's tires blew out. Everyone's mood deflated in a similar fashion.

With an audible groan, Yang fell against the well in the center of the farm and sat on the ground. The snow dampened her pants and chilled her legs, but she didn't care in the slightest. She was too tired to care at this point.

Pyrrha took a seat on the depressed trailer. She felt the same way.

"We should go back to bed." Oscar whined from the farmhouse steps.

"Someone wanna make breakfast?" Dee asked before sipping from a wine bottle.

"Where did you get that?" Oscar asked.

"There's a whole room of it near the kitchen. Want some?"

"…No."

Dee shrugged and took another sip.

"Well aren't you kids full of energy." Maria joked.

"Maybe we're just not meant to go to Atlas." Yang sighed.

"Don't worry." Her sister said. "It's just a flat tire. I'm sure there's another one around here somwhere."

"It's not just the tire. The storms. The crashes. The monsters. It's all…it's all too much, and I'm so tired."

"It seems like all we do is fight to get by." Oscar added, equally as defeated.

"We signed up for this." Ruby sternly reminded them both. "We made this choice together. We can't back out now."

"We were supposed to save the world." Pyrrha argued. "Not delay the inevitable."

"I was wondering last night…" Yang began. "Why are we going to Atlas anyway?"

The group looked to one another for an answer, but none came up.

"Because we have to." Ruby said.

"But why?" her sister asked again. She slowly stood up, her eyes even droopier than before. "Ozpin has no plan remember? He lied to us. Why do we have to do what he wants?"

"Because…" Ruby shrunk under the weight of her sister's questions. She had no rebuttal. If she was being honest she had thought the same thing herself more than once recently.

"Think, Ruby. The relics are underneath giant schools behind large doors that only Maidens can open. We only have Jinn in the first place because the bad guys screwed up. Pyrrha's the Fall Maiden now so Salem can't get Beacon's relic. Ironwood probably has Atlas' relic locked up so tight that it's impossible to get in, and no one is going to Vacuo. We can't reopen the relic door without Raven, and she's probably long gone by now. So what's stopping us from just dropping it in this well in the middle of nowhere or burying it in the ground?"

"We can't do that! The Grimm-"

"Will probably find it eventually, sure. But by the time they do It won't be our problem anymore. For all we know they won't even find it in our lifetime. We won't have to wonder when we'll be done fighting. We can be done now."

Ruby looked to the others for some sort of argument against Yang's statements, but no one said a thing. They just looked at her silently, their eyes glazed over as if they were in some sort of trance. It seemed they were in agreement. She unhooked the Relic of Knowledge from her belt and stared at it, the faint blue light hummed dully in her ears. She wondered what Jinn would say at this moment. Would she even care if they just left her here? She was sealed away for hundreds of years inside of a vault, what difference would a well make?

"I am…tired…"

Ruby dragged her feet to the well and hung her arm over the ominous darkness. Even with the sun overhead it was impossible to see just how far down the well went. For all she knew it could have lead to the center of the planet. Her arm trembled the longer she held onto the relic, as if her mind and body were fighting for control. Drop it? Or don't? she didn't have much time left to choose. Her eyelids were growing heavy, as was the lamp with each passing second. It was starting to slip.

"Whoa kid."

Ruby felt a warming presence steady her hand and a familiar voice in her ear.

"You can't trip up now. You still got a way to go."

"Uncle Qrow…?" Ruby turned her head, but her uncle was nowhere to be found. It wasn't like she expected him to be there, but she couldn't help what she heard and felt.

"What's wrong?" asked her sister. "Are you going to do it or not?"

Ruby took a breath and tightened her grip on the relic. "No. I'm not-"

Suddenly, two blood red dots appeared in the darkness. With a yelp Ruby jerked back in fear, inadvertently dropping the relic down the well in the process.

"No! No! Nonono!" she reached out in vain as the lamp clanked and clacked against the stone down into depths of the well. "I didn't mean to!"

"Ruby, it's ok." Her sister lazily assured.

"No it's not! I saw something down there! It was staring at me!"

Maria's ears slightly perked up.

Ruby frantically looked down the well – Yang now joining her – but there was nothing.

"I don't see anything."

"No! I swear there was something down there! You have to believe me!"

"It's ok, Rubes." Yang placed a hand on her panicking sister's shoulder. "You said you were tired. You were just seeing things. Now let's go and-"

Ruby swatted the blonde's hand away. "What is wrong with you?! We can't leave! We have to get the lamp!" She looked down the well again and fell to her knees with her hands on her head. "Why did I listen to you?! I'm so stupid!"

"All we gotta do is fix this trailer right?" Dee spoke up. "The kid and I can go look for a spare then-"

"I'm not leaving without the lamp!" Ruby shouted.

A silence fell over the group.

"I'll go with you." Pyrrha sighed.

"We'll all go." Yang volunteered. "Dee, you and Oscar can find the stupid tire. We'll get the dumb lamp."

"Yeah yeah. Let's go, kid."

"Alright…"

The boys headed for the shed while Pyrrha lifted herself, Ruby, and Yang into the well using her semblance. As all this was going on Maria sat down on the steps and flipped through the pages of the diary with renewed purpose. Ruby's claims of seeing something in the well had caught her attention. She came to a stop in the middle of the last page she was on before falling asleep and began to read.

"The Huntsman pointed them out to me the other day." She turned the page, gasping as her eyes drawn to an illustration in the bottom corner.

It was a Grimm. The crude, frantic lines that shaped the creature gave the impression that a child had drawn it, but the point was made well enough. It's appearance was sickly and gaunt, its lithe frame looking like it would break apart at the slightest breeze. It's skeletal appearance reminded Maria of a wraith or some other ghost she had heard of before. On the page opposite the drawing was its name:

The Apathy.

A terrified scream from the bottom of the well pulled Maria from the book.

"Oh no."

Oscar and Dee snapped at attention, their languid hazes now seemingly gone.

"Was that Ruby?" the farm boy asked. "She's in trouble!"

"Finish putting on the tire!" Maria ordered. "Train boy, come with me! We're going after the girls!"

"Why? What's-"

"Just hurry, you idiot!"

"Alright! Ok!" Dee grabbed his weapon and followed Maria into the well.

Minutes earlier, Ruby, Pyrrha, and Yang dropped into the sewers below the farm, their ankles and feet covered in dirty water and other gunk. It was much bigger than they thought and seemed to go on forever in both directions. That coupled with the ominous howl of the winds above the well, and the suffocating darkness around them made Ruby more than a little uneasy. Pyrrha and Yang didn't seem to feel the same way.

"Maybe the current washed it away?" Yang guessed.

Ruby ignored her sister and continued searching for the lamp, the flashlight from her scroll only helping a small amount.

"Where is it?"

"Perhaps turn off your light and search for the glow?" Pyrrha suggested.

"O-Ok." Ruby nervously agreed as she and Yang turned off their lights. Arming herself with her rifle in the meantime, she cautiously forged on ahead, the dirty water sloshing beneath her boots. She could feel her socks and leggings becoming damp. She would definitely throw them away along with her booths when they reached Argus.

It was almost impossible to see, her eyes at most managing a couple of feet in front of her as she proceeded forward through the sewer. Ruby couldn't help but shudder with each step she took. It was as if someone – or something – had been watching her the entire time. Perhaps those red eyes she saw earlier. She steeled herself and shook her head to cast away those thoughts. Recovering the relic was more important than her fears.

"Over there." Pyrrha lazily pointed.

Ruby spotted a blue light coming from a nearby tunnel to the right. Her eyes lit up and she ran ahead, leaving her sister and Pyrrha behind to investigate. She rounded the corner, breathing a sigh of relief when she discovered the relic lying in the water. Luckily there was no damage despite being dropped from so high up. No doubt a testament to the God of Light's power.

"Guys, I found-"

A low hiss and hushed whispers quickly caught Ruby's ear. She looked up from where she found the relic, her eyes widening in horror when she saw a large group of gangly, skeletal Grimm standing before her. They reached out to her, their long, dirtied fingernails narrowly scrapping against her face. She screamed.

"Ruby?!" Yang called upon hearing her younger sister's cries, her eyes wide open and alert. Pyrrha returned to normal as well.

The two ran towards the tunnel, catching Ruby as she came out in a panic.

"What happened?!"

Before Ruby could answer her sister, the Grimm came shambling into the main passageway. The silver-eyed huntress immediately began firing at the group. Pyrrha and Yang soon joined in, but their rounds had no effect. The creatures kept coming. Suddenly, one of the monsters let out an ear-splitting roar that almost brought the girls to their knees.

"What's…happening?" Yang implored as she struggled to remain upright.

"My weapons feels…heavy." groaned Pyrrha.

"Run! Now!"

Maria had appeared, following in after hearing Ruby's scream, and called to the girls from the opposite end of the passage with Dee at her side.

"Come on! We gotta move!" yelled the train guard.

The girls managed to force themselves up and follow.

Desperately, the group made their way back towards the entrance of the well, only to be cut off by more of the same gaunt Grimm. Just like before, their scream sapped the party of their strength. It was like being hit with a massive wave of fatigue. Pyrrha tried to summon fire using her Maiden powers, but her body was too weak to retain the power.

As the two groups of Grimm closed in, Ruby spotted a passage to the group's immediate left. "T-This way!"

They made a break for it, passing more Grimm as well as the skeletal remains of Hunters along the way as they took various turns through other tunnels. They had no idea where they were going. All they knew was that they had to find some sort of exit before they succumbed to the creatures. About halfway through the long shaft they were running through, Dee stopped and turned around.

"What are you doing?!" Yang yelled.

"I'll buy you guys some time! Get out of here!"

"What are you talking about, you idiot?! You can't-"

"Just go!" he ordered. "I told you right? You guys are under my protection until we get to Argus."

"But you can't-"

"Yang! We have to hurry!" Her sister called.

"Don't worry." Dee winked. "I'll be right behind you."

"You better." Yang reluctantly left Dee behind and caught up with the others.

Once she was out of sight Dee prepared to face down the monsters as they began flooding the tunnel, completely eclipsing the path to the other side in a mass of black, white, and red. He tightened the grip his mace and pressed the button on the handle. Electricity began to crackle around the spiked ball.

"Come on, Dee. You can't die here. You got a cute girl worrying about you, and sister to go home to." He took a breath, attempting to settle his shaking limbs. "Alright, you ugly bastards! Come get some!"

With a fierce roar, he charged ahead into the monsters.

Yang, Pyrrha, Ruby, and Maria arrived in a small room at the end of the tunnel they had turned into. Inside were large barrels of alcohol similar to the ones in farm house's spare room.

"Where's Dee?!" Ruby shouted.

"He'll catch up!" Yang said, though she could feel that was a lie. "We have to hurry before those things-"

Another wail felled the group, this time forcing them to their knees.

"I can't…go…I…" Yang tried to crawl away, but her strength was draining faster than she expected.

"We have to…keep…going…" Pyrrha tried to fight as well, but soon she collapsed.

Summoning the last bits of her strength, Maria used her cane to propel herself forward a few more feet before she also fell over. Luckily for her it was against a set of stairs.

"An exit! We found it!"

Seeing the stairs lead to the cellar door, Ruby crawled on her hands and knees towards Pyrrha - who was the closest to her. "Come on! We're almost there!"

The sound of metal hitting the stone floor forced Ruby's attention behind her. She watched Yang fall to the ground, the creatures inching ever closer to her.

"Yang…you have to fight it…!"

"It's ok…" The blonde's eyes began to droop, similar to the way they had before they went into the well.

More Grimm entered the chamber.

Ruby turned around, desperately crawling towards her sister. As the one of the Grimm prepared to rake their claws against the motionless blonde's body, Ruby saw visions of Qrow's final moments replay in her mind.

"Support and protect each other. Always."

"Ya~ng!"

With that painful cry, Ruby's silver eyes flashed with a brilliant light. The monsters recoiled in agony as the light washed over them. Yang revived with a gasp, taking her sister's hand and following her over to the stairs.

"What happened?!" Maria asked as Pyrrha ran up the stairs next to her.

The redhead tried to push the doors open, but they wouldn't budge. She started to use her Semblance to break through the metal binding them, but the Grimm once again let out a scream that sapped their strength, this one more powerful than before. It was almost as if it was in response to Ruby's attack.

"N-no!" Pyrrha groaned as she reached for the doors.

Seeing no other option, Maria crawled over to Ruby. Through her goggles she could only see the world in shades of gray, but she knew that light was no accident. That girl had did something, something Maria hadn't witnessed in a long time.

"Ruby…what color are your eyes?"

"S…silver." The girl answered weakly.

Maria gasped. There was still a chance. "Your family and friends, do you cherish them?"

"What?" Ruby tilted her head forward to look at the Grimm, but Maria forced her gaze back onto her.

"Don't focus on them, child. Listen to me. Think closely about your family. Your friends. Think of the painful moments in your life. Sadness. Heartbreak. Tragedy. Whatever it was that caused you pain I want you to recall it. Bring all to the fore. Think of how painful it would be to lose all those you hold dear right before your eyes."

Ruby internalized Maria's words and began to focus. The sounds of the Grimm faded away, replaced by the sound of her own heart beating slowly in her ears. She could feel something bubbling just underneath the surface, but this was a different sensation than before. This was controlled.

She sat up and opened her eyes, unleashing the power hidden within in a flash of vibrant light, only now instead of incapacitating the Grimm it completely eradicated them in the flash of white.

Everyone was in awe as the ashes of the Grimm floated away. Ruby saw a small gleam in the pale light of the chamber. One of the Grimm was holding onto something. She went over to grab it. It was a locket.

The Grimm no longer a threat for the moment, Pyrrha forced open the doors with her Semblance and lead the group out of the sewers. They were surprised where the door had lead them.

"We're back in the house?!" Yang wondered aloud.

The group looked around in confusion. They were in the same basement that Ruby and Pyrrha had found the previous night. The one filled with barrels of alcohol.

"We have to hurry!" Maria reminded. She, Yang, and Ruby made a beeline for the exit, but Pyrrha stayed behind a little longer.

"Go on. I'll catch up."

"Pyrrha, no-"

"Ruby, come on!" Yang grabbed her sister's hand and pulled her out of the basement.

Pyrrha grabbed the wine bottles from the shelves and threw them to the ground, their contents spilling all over the aged stone. The more bottles she broke, the denser the scent of alcohol became, but Pyrrha ignored it and continued her destruction. She could hear the wails of the Grimm before she saw them. They had recovered their numbers and were trudging up the stairs. Soon their red eyes had locked onto the Fall Maiden.

Pyrrha held out her hand as her eyes glowed bright. In an instant, a wave of fire shot from her hand and touched the spilled wine, igniting the Grimm in a blaze. But this didn't stop their advance.

"Pyrrha! Let's go!"

Yang's shout lead the redhead out of the farmhouse. Everyone was waiting for her outside. Once Pyrrha was set on the trailer with Maria, Ruby, and Oscar – who managed to find a pump to inflate the flat tire while they were away – Yang revved up Bumblebee and sped out of the farm gates as fast as she could.

Everyone watched in horror as the flaming Grimm shambled out of the farm house.

You know what you must do.

"Stop." Pyrrha said to Yang.

"Are you crazy? We can't-"

"Just do it! Please."

Yang reluctantly slowed to a stop about halfway from the entrance gates.

"What are you going to do?" Ruby asked.

Pyrrha's eyes lit up. "Make sure they harm no one else." Using every bit of her power, she created a massive flaming javelin. With a defiant yell she flung it into the heart of the Brunswick farm. A massive explosion erupted from the point of the javelin, eradicating the entire area in a torrent of flames. When the dust settled, all that remained were ashes.

The group watched for a few seconds as the farm burned. Once they were satisfied, Yang revved up Bumblebee and continued onward.

"The Apathy. They aren't particularly strong or ferocious Grimm, but they are no less dangerous. Their power lies in their ability to drain your willpower, reducing you to nothing but a husk." Maria explained, recalling what she had read in the journal. "The farm was hemorrhaging money near the end. Bartleby – the head of the estate – wanted to cut down on protection costs from the Hunters he hired, but for that to happen he needed everyone to always stay calm."

"Managed to lure two away from their pack." Oscar read from the journal. "Hike back was miserable, but I managed to get the bastards down in the cellar. Wife thought I was sealing the waterway entrance. Tomorrow I'll tell the truth once these things take the edge off. Right now I'm too tired…"

"On the next page he wrote that he did just that, but not before the rest of the pack arrived to reclaim their missing member. I'm guessing they snuck in through the waterway beneath the estate that Bartleby sealed up the next morning." Maria took the book from Oscar. "His plan worked too well. No one was angry, sad, or scared. They were nothing, and then they were gone."

Maria looked at the diary one last time before handing it over to Pyrrha. The Fall Maiden ignited the book and tossed it into the snow, it slowly burning away as Bumblebee continued onward down the road.

"Ruby…I'm sorry for the things I said. About giving up." Pyrrha apologized.

"Me too." Said Yang. She reached into her pocket, clutching the locket that Ruby had given her once they were away from the farm. Inside was a picture of Dee and his younger sister; a beautiful girl with light brown hair. "We can't quit now…at least not until the relic is safe."

"It's ok, guys. It wasn't your fault." Ruby assured. "I started to feel the same way too. It was those…things. They were infecting us."

"Yeah..." her sister agreed.

"I should have been paying more attention." Maria chided herself. "Everything was right in front of my face, but I ignored it. I was too shocked by the sight of an entire settlement just…withering away like that. I'm too damned old for this."

"Miss Calavera?" Ruby called. "Back at the farm, how did you know so much about the Grimm? And my eyes…how did you know what to say to make them…do that?"

"I've been around for a long time, child. You tend to pick up things along the way."

Ruby could tell immediately that the elderly woman was dodging the question.

"But-" before she could press her further, her scroll started to ring. "It's Jaune!"

Yang brought Bumblebee to a stop and turned to her sister. "What?"

"How was he able to contact us?" Pyrrha wondered. She and the others gathered around Ruby as she answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Ruby?! Thank Gods! I've been trying to call you and Pyrrha for days! I've been checking my scroll for your signal since we got to Argus!"

"Argus? Hold on."

Ruby looked at her Scroll's screen. Above Jaune's picture – which had the caption Vomit Boy underneath it – was a signal meter that had just one bar. She then pointed the device straight ahead towards the path they had been following at the bottom of a hill. It beeped again, the signal growing from one bar to three.

"I'll call you back."

Ruby hung up and Yang drove up the hill, the pure white landscape giving way to patches of earthy browns, yellows, and greens.

When they reached the top of the hill all of the snow was gone, replaced with hard dirt and thin grass. Everyone's eyes opened wide in awe as they gazed upon the landscape. At the end of the path at the bottom of the forest hill was a massive port city protected on one side by a massive wall between two mountains. The setting sun bathed the land in warm oranges and purples, accented by the beauty of the clear blue waters behind the city.

For the first time since stepping foot on the train, Yang smiled wide.

"Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Argus."

Cinder scooped another helping of peas into her mouth as the stars shined just outside the window of Beryl's home.

"Is it good?" the young girl asked with a smile as she sat across from Cinder. "Those vegetables are fresh from the garden."

"Do you always talk this much while eating?" Cinder sniped. Beryl continued to smile.

"It's just been a little while since I've shared a meal with someone. I guess I just felt a little anxious. I apologize."

Cinder finished her meal, and Beryl took away the empty plates. "It was passable." she said.

Beryl chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"Take it however you like."

Another day had passed with Cinder recovering inside the home of this curious stranger. Her strength had returned to the point where she could walk under her own power, and she could start to regain strength in her other senses. If she still had her Maiden abilities, she would have recovered in roughly a day or so, but at the moment she had to play by normal human rules. Excluding her resurrection of course. It was certainly beyond frustrating.

"I have a question for you, girl."

"I told you before to call me Beryl." The girl reminded.

"I'm aware."

Beryl sighed. "What did you want to ask?"

"Why did you save my life?"

"Why?" Beryl stopped cleaning for a moment. She was genuinely confused by this question. "Because you looked to be in trouble. I couldn't just leave you there. Do I need another reason to help someone?"

"In my experience, yes." Cinder answered sternly. "No one does anything without expecting something in return. It's the way this corrupted world of ours works."

"I suppose that's true in a way. My parents always told me that a kindness given is a kindness repaid. So I guess my expectation of you would be to kind to someone else in return."

Cinder couldn't stop her laughter. "What a foolish mantra. Kindness breeds nothing but weakness."

Beryl took this mockery in stride. "You might be right, but even so I will still be kind to people. That's just who I am-"

Without warning, Beryl felt a blade press against her neck. She saw Cinder's reflection in the window as she held the knife, her uncovered eye radiating her intent to kill.

"You're much too naïve." Cinder said hauntingly into Beryl's ear. "I could be a vicious killer. A hardened criminal much worse than those men who have been terrorizing you as of late. I could slit your throat now, leave you bleeding on the floor, and no one would be the wiser. You would be alone as you died. Another worthless life to add to the corpses of Shin'en. How would your kindness save you then?"

Beryl swallowed the lump in her throat, Cinder's glass knife lightly cutting into her neck. "If you were truly what you say you are, then I would have died the moment you woke up."

"Perhaps I was just waiting for a moment like this." Cinder argued. "Biding my time until you let your guard down and I could strike."

"Maybe, but just as I may not know about your past, you don't know mine either. You watch me tend the fields every day. How do you know that the food I gave you wasn't poisoned?"

Cinder's eye narrowed and she pressed the knife further, drawing more blood from a little cut. "You're lying."

"Am I?" Beryl wondered. "You didn't see me eat dinner tonight, did you?"

Cinder's eye widened briefly.

"True, you could slit my throat now and leave me to die, but whose to say the second you step out of that door the poison won't take affect and kill you instantly?"

"I could simply search the house for the antidote."

"But you don't know how long that would take. You would be playing a roulette against the Gods. I don't think you're the type of person to take that kind of risk."

A few more tension-filled seconds passed. Cinder began to chuckle and took a step back, removing the glass knife from Beryl's neck and breaking it into pieces that faded into the air.

"There is no poison, is there?" she asked.

Beryl smiled. "No. There isn't. I don't grow anything that dangerous."

Cinder laughed once again. "You're an interesting girl, Beryl. Not many can casually lie in the face of death like that."

"I knew you weren't going to kill me, but I thank you for the compliment."

"At first I considered you an oddity. Shin'en is a place where lost souls come to rest, or so the legend goes. There is not a person here that hasn't committed some sort of sin, but you didn't seem to fit that criteria. Clearly I was wrong. You've seen what I am capable of, but I wonder what you did to wind up here."

Beryl's smile waivered just a bit. "Who knows? I just want live peacefully along with my brother."

"Things may not always be that simple." Cinder turned Beryl towards her and pressed her hand against her neck, in an instant the girl's cut was healed.

"T-Thank you."

"You're welcome. I see potential in you, Beryl."

"Potential? Potential for what?"

"It's not important now. Though if you want, I can teach you how to defend yourself so those men won't harm you ever again. In return, you can teach me about your garden and horticulture. A kindness given is a kindness repaid, yes?"

"O-ok." Beryl nodded. She had managed to keep her composure before, but something was different in Cinder's eye now. The bloodlust was gone, having been replaced by what Beryl could describe only as "hunger". For some reason it frightened her to her core more than Cinder's earlier threat of death.

"I eagerly await our lessons. Goodnight, Beryl."

"G-Goodnight."

As the two parted ways for the evening, a lone figure watched them from the darkness of the forest.

New chapter! I think I have a habit writing these huge chapters after months long hiatuses. I'll try and get better with them though. Our ragtag group of Hunters has finally arrived at Argus, but not without a cost. It was always the plan to kill Dee, just like in canon, but I wanted to squeeze just a bit more out of his character beforehand. His death will have a small ripple effect that plays out over the course of the volume here and there.

Speaking of Volumes, I recently finished my outline for Volume 7 of this story. Obviously the actual writing of the first chapter is still a long way off, but the initial plan for the volume is still there, and lets just say some things will be VASTLY different. But until then we have to get through Argus. I might have mentioned this before, but everything having to do with Argus was where Volume 6 lost me. I honestly, thought it was awful and killed the momentum the fist half had set up. Was it as bad as V5? God no, but I would be hard pressed to say I liked ANYTHING in V6's second half.

With all that being said, as always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)