So Thats How It Is

"Salem can't be killed…you all heard her too, right?" Yang asked.

"Yeah. Like, I heard it too." Jared said, crossing his arms. "I spent years hanging out here for what? To face an enemy I can't kill. I thought the Vashta Nerada was bad. But this…"

Team RWBY and Jared all angrily glare at Ozpin, whose head is still down. Ozpin looks up, with tears streaming down his face. Qrow Branwen just looks away.

"I…" Ozpin said.

"There was so much you hadn't told us! How could you think that was okay?!" Yang said, enraged.

Oz doesn't say anything, he just hangs his head back down in shame.

"Professor…" Ruby said, while Oz looks up at her. "What is your plan to defeat Salem?"

"I...don't have one…" Ozpin said, sadly.

Suddenly, Qrow punches Ozpin in the face, sending him into a nearby tree trunk.

"No plan…" Jared said, crossing his arms. "I always have plans. Same with the Doctor. How could you not have one for Salem?"

"No one wanted me…I was cursed...I gave my life to you because you gave me a place in this world...I thought I was finally doing some good…" Qrow said, looking at Ozpin.

"But, you are!" Ozpin said, tearfully.

"Meeting you...was the worst luck of my life…"

Oz stares back in disbelief upon hearing Qrow say that, before looking down dejected, "Maybe you're right…"

Ozpin's eyes glow as control is transferred back to Oscar Pine. He holds his cheek in pain from the effects of Qrow's punch.

"What happened?" Ruby asked.

"He's...gone." Oscar said, sadly.

"That bastard! Tell him we're not done yet!" Yang said, angrily.

"I'm scared of the Silence. And now I'm even more scared of Salem! Like I want to give him a piece of my mind!" Jared said, walking up to Oscar.

"No, this is different. He's gone. It...it's like he's locked himself deep inside my head. Our head?" Oscar asked, grunting as he held his head in pain. "I hate this! I want it to stop!"

"He just left us?" Weiss asked.

"What are we gonna do now?" Blake asked.

Yang and Jared growl in anger.

"How the fuck am I supposed to know?!" Jared exclaimed. "This is beyond what I know of Remnant! The only thing I know is the Silence."

"Enough! We need to get move on. It'll be dark before we know it, and every one of you is spewing negativity!" Maria said, helping Oscar up with her cane. "There's a trail over there, trails usually lead somewhere."

"Lady, I don't know who you think you are but…" Yang said.

"You can't tell us what to do. Okay. There is no way you're able to." Jared said, looking at Maria. "I don't know you."

"No buts! I understand that you're upset." Maria said, slamming her cane. "Honestly, I'm still coming to terms with the fact that this is humanity's second time around. But, if we don't move, we die. And I'll be damned if I've lived this long just to die out here in the cold!"

"She's right. Come on." Ruby said.

Everyone grabs their belongings and whatever Dust they can carry with them. Maria sits on Bumblebee as Yang walks her bike. Ruby walks over to Oscar with Jared and she hands over the handle of his cane.

"I'm just going to be another one of his lives, aren't I?" Oscar asked, grabbing the cane.

"Of course not. You're your own person." Ruby said, putting her hand on Oscar's.

"Same software, different case." Jared said, looking at Oscar and his cane. "Your cane may be the same. But you're still Oscar. You really are your own person. The memories are the same too, mostly."

"Don't lie to him, Ruby, Jared." Qrow said, drinking from his flask. "We're better than that…"

Ruby, Oscar, and Jared look down sadly before walking to join the others.

The Land of Darkness…

Five Nevermores are perched on a rocky outcropping with large purple crystals. They fly away when an airship flies by them heading towards a large purple structure in the distance. The airship lowers down to an outcropping that serves as a dock, and Hazel Rainart, Mercury Black, and Emerald Sustrai hop out. As they proceed forward, they notice Tyrian Callows leaning against the entrance at the bottom of the stairs. His scorpion tail now has a spiked, metal tip covering it from where it was cut off.

"Welcome back, welcome back! I do hope you missed us as much as we missed you." Tyrian said, laughing.

Emerald and Mercury glare at Tyrian.

"Let's go." Hazel said.

The three proceed forward past Tyrian.

"Speaking of which, where is our Fall Maiden?" Tyrian asked.

Emerald stops upon hearing this, prompting Tyrian to giggle, causing Emerald to growl.

"Emerald, come on." Mercury said.

"Don't tell me something happened to her?" Tyrian asked, in a mocking tone.

Tyrian laughs.

Emerald turns around and draws her weapons at Tyrian, "I will cut off more than just your tail."

Tyrian chuckles as he slowly walks toward Emerald, "Careful, little girl. Cinder isn't here to protect you anymore."

Tyrian gets close to Emerald's face, causing her to back away. Tyrian intentionally cuts his cheek with the blade of Emerald's weapon. Emerald has a disturbed expression on her face upon seeing this, and Mercury steps up to hold Emerald's shoulder and scare Tyrian away from her.

"Back off, freak." Mercury said, glaring at Tyrian.

"Oh, don't misunderstand, I am in mourning just as you. Because it appears you've failed our Queen, and that is a tragedy." Tyrian said.

A moment later, Tyrian drops his sympathetic facade and starts to laugh maniacally. Mercury looks back at him in disgust while Emerald has a fearful expression on her face. The two of them and Hazel turn around to proceed up the stairs as Tyrian continues laughing.

Meeting room...

Salem opens her eyes and glares at her subordinates. Tyrian and Arthur Watts are seen fearfully sitting at the table while Hazel, Emerald and Mercury are kneeling at the other end of the room.

"I would like you to explain to me...how it is you failed so spectacularly?" Salem asked.

"The Faunus Militia split our forces…" Hazel said.

"Stop." Salem said, while Hazel remains silent with a fearful expression on his face. "Let me rephrase the question...who is responsible for your defeat?"

Emerald and Mercury stay kneeling as Hazel stands up to give his answer. Salem listens intently.

"I take full responsibility." Hazel said, sadly.

Suddenly, Salem flips the table over, knocking Tyrian off his chair. Watts hastily stands up from his seat and backs away.

"But that wouldn't be fair now, would it?! We all know who's truly to blame…" Salem said, angered.

Salem walks forward and menacingly holds her hand out in front of her.

"I don't��" Hazel said.

Salem motions her hand, and a glyph with her symbol appears underneath Hazel. Multiple Grimm arms come out from it and grab Hazel, forcing him down on all fours and suffocating him.

"Emerald…" Salem said, looking over to Emerald, who is still staring down with a fearful expression. "I want you to tell me whose fault this was." She slowly walks over to Emerald as she breathes heavily. "Now."

"Cinder! We failed because of Cinder…" Emerald said, closing her eyes in fear.

"That's right." Salem said, placing a hand on Emerald's shoulder. "I want you to understand that failure. I want you to understand why Cinder must be left to toil in her isolation until she redeems herself."

Salem walks away from Emerald. Both her and Mercury look up in surprise.

"You mean…" Mercury said, his eyes widening.

"She's alive?" Emerald asked.

"You're joking, how could you know that?" Watts asked.

"Are you questioning our divine savior?!" Tyrian exclaimed.

"I…" Watts said, reels back.

Salem looks over to Watts and glares at him.

"Of course not, forgive me." Watts said, chuckling nervously.

Salem proceeds to address her subordinates, "It's important not to lose sight of what drives us: Love, justice, reverence...but the moment you put your desires before my own...they will be lost to you."

Salem releases Hazel from her grasp and walks back to the other side of the room. Hazel catches his breath.

"This isn't a threat, this is simply the truth. The path to your desires is only found...through me." Salem said, turning her head to glare back at them.

Hazel stands back up, Tyrian lets out a small chuckles, and Watts straigtens his coat. Salem looks outside the window and watches the Nevermores fly before looking down.

"And so we must press on." Salem said, turning around to face her subjects. "The sword under Vacuo's academy, Shade…"

"Ma'am." Hazel said, and everyone looks at him. "I have...more to report."

Salem glares at Hazel for interrupting her, and has the Grimm arms ready under him. Hazel looks down at them in fear before explaining himself.

"Qrow and the children are taking the lamp to Atlas." Hazel said.

"Not if I can help it." Tyrian said, laughing.

"And they're being led...by Ozpin."

At this, everyone slowly looks toward Salem with fearful expressions on their faces and Mercury notices the windows starting to crack.

"So soon?" Tyrian asked.

"He's the only man with a chance of getting through to Ironwood. If that happens…" Watts said, while he suddenly stops as he and everyone else notice the windows cracking.

They then look at Salem, and dark smoke emanates from her.

"Leave…" Salem said, furious.

"Your Grace, I can…" Tyrian said.

Salem glares at Tyrian, causing him to reel back. Emerald looks on in fear before Hazel puts a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on." Hazel said.

Everyone quickly proceeds to exit the room as the windows start to crack even more. Emerald takes one last look behind her as the doors close. Salem, left alone, seethes with anger before calming herself down. Everything is seemingly quiet, but then all of a sudden, Salem yells out in rage and the windows shatter violently.

The snow…

Team RWBY, Jared, Qrow, Oscar and Maria proceed on the trail.

The snow starts to pick up even more.

"Doesn't look like this is gonna let up." Qrow said, sighing.

"Man. This is giving me Route 216 vibes. So slow…" Jared said, wearing his hoodie and jeans. "It's like I'm trekking all the way to Snowpoint City! Why didn't I pack a winter coat?"

"Because you were somewhere warmer before you came back here…" Blake said, looking over at Jared. "Just wanna get this stupid Relic to Atlas."

"Let's hope we don't have to walk all the way there." Weiss said.

"I thought trails led somewhere." Yang said, sarcastically.

Yang looked over at Maria.

"Do you have nothing better to do than to harass a defenseless old lady?" Maria asked.

"Everyone, quiet. Do you hear that?" Ruby asked.

Everyone stops in their tracks. A metallic squeaking can be heard. A large farm can be seen, one of the front gates swings back and forth with the wind. A large sign above the entrance reads 'BRUNSWICK FARMS'. Everyone arrives at the gate.

"Well, at least one good thing happened today." Blake said.

"It looks abandoned." Weiss said.

"It's still better than this." Ruby said.

"I hope this is nice and comfortable." Jared said, grabbing Ruby's hand. "We need a break from all the walking."

"Come on, I think we could all use some rest." Qrow said.

Everyone proceeds through the farm's gates, with Qrow being the last to enter. The snow starts to pick up even more as the gate is heard closing with a metallic clang.