Chapter 5: Nothing Else Matters

False Remnant #10,435,793: City of Vale

Weiss

Two months had passed, and Weiss found herself in the streets of Vale. Team RWBY had been sent on a reconnaissance mission into the city. Alone. Weiss noted that this was a strange order for Ozpin to issue, as most recon missions had two to four teams present just to be safe. Not today. Only team RWBY skulked the streets of Vale in the dead of night. Under the cover of darkness the four of them stealthily made their way between buildings, carefully avoiding the now abundant Grimm that infested the urban environments.

But Weiss didn't care. No, nothing really mattered at this point. She just wished that the Master Units had already grown to full strength at this point so that she could begin hunting them. Huh. There's a thought, she echoed mentally. Maybe this time, once they're done growing, I'll leave Beacon. I'll hunt them on my own. That way I don't have to wait.

"Weiss," Ruby whispered.

"Huh?" she replied quietly. "What is it?"

"You okay? I asked you if we were clear down that street."

"Oh. Sorry, I spaced out. Lemme check." She peered around the corner, Myrtenaster in her left hand and Ouroboros tucked away in her shirt. Twenty or so Beowolves roamed about, seeking out human flesh to devour. Weiss rolled her eyes at the sight. Filthy animals. "Pack of Beowolves. No go."

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked again. "It's not like you to space out like that."

Shit, she thought before coming up with a decent half lie. "I've just...been under a lot of stress lately."

"Take care of yourself. I need my best friend in top shape."

Weiss strained against herself, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. I liked her better when she couldn't die either. "I'm fine, Ruby." She tightened her grip on Myrtenaster. "Let's go." Turning down another nearby alley, the team stealthily made their way back to the awaiting extraction; Roman Torchwick's bullhead.

"Hello, ladies," he said suavely. "I noticed a lack of gunfire. Good work." Weiss hated Torchwick. Specifically this variant of him. In several of her lives he'd been warned by Ruby and given a chance to flee or join them, and in those times he turned out alright. This version of Roman was never warned by Ruby. No, after the city fell to Grimm he fled to Beacon and smooth talked his way to working for Ozpin on the condition that he be given food, resources, and shelter.

This Roman was still a con man. "The city's overrun. We can't reclaim any resources just yet," Weiss stated flatly.

"Shame. Well, I guess this trip was a waste a fuel." He shrugged, climbing back into the pilot's seat of his bullhead. "Let's not keep the big man waiting. All aboard."

False Remnant #55,437, City of Vale

Approximately Three Years after the Longest Night: Three months after mission start.

Penny

The flash of rainbow flame and space tearing popping sounded as Penny and Rose "walked" into the alleyway of. They'd become accustomed to the sensation of Shifting between realities, and were now capable of moving as freely as though it were an ordinary Shift; the sickening disorientation was long gone from them.

The two immortal women stood in the shade of the alley for a moment as they got their bearings. "Vale," Penny said calmly. "I don't hear any Grimm."

"Could we have arrived to a world before the comet?" Rose asked.

"Possibly, but not likely. I also don't hear the sounds of life. This city is empty."

"So, the Longest Night is over. Weiss is probably not here."

"Most likely not, but we have to be thorough." The pair strode out of the alley and into the empty street beyond. Grass and vegetation had long since began to break through the asphalt, automobiles were strewn about and covered in rust, the concrete of buildings was beginning to crumble; nature was reclaiming its lost territory from mankind. Penny looked around sadly. "I've lost count of them already," she whispered. "And I still can't get used to it."

"How long have we been traversing the Labyrinthus?"

"About three months. I could give you the exact time, if you'd like." Penny gave a coy, humorous smile as she spoke.

"Three months will do," Rose said with a shudder. "Three months...and we've seen more suffering in that time than I could have ever imagined."

"Such is the Longest Night. I remember how I was supposed to die in one of them. Ruby told me everything she remembered."

"That...must have been uncomfortable to listen to."

"If anything, it made me self conscious of living. It was strange, talking to someone who'd already seen me die. Now I know how she felt. I've talked to Ruby on several of these worlds now, but in my world she died a grandmother."

Rose nodded, the two of them carefully walking down the streets of Vale, keeping an eye out for possible Grimm. "This must be hard on you."

"Not as hard as you'd think," Penny said with a smile. "I've got you to keep me company, after all."

Rose returned the smile. "Well, I'm glad that I can-" she paused; the sound of metal scraping metal caught her ears. The two women got low and found cover behind two separate cars. Rose drew her twin pistols and turned the safety off.

"Rose," Penny whispered. "Use your eyes. What do you see?"

Letting magical energy well up from within, bringing it into her eyes, she activated the Oculus spell; her once brown eyes now glowed an eerie purple, and the black pupil was now in the shape of a four pointed star, like a compass rose. Rising her head above the car in front of her, she used her enhanced vision to scout about. "There," she whispered back. "Storefront, about ten windows on the right. The rollup door is moving. Something's bumped it."

Penny nodded. "Move slowly. I'm right behind you."

Pointing the two semi-automatic handguns forward, Rose quietly made her way closer and closer to the building in question. The closer she got, she began to hear the sounds of someone, or worse, something, rummaging about the place. The garage style door, commonly used for closing stores after hours, was somewhat ajar. With roughly a gap of two feet, there was just enough room for someone to crawl underneath. Rose motioned towards it so that Penny would understand that she meant to do just that.

Rose crouched and gently slid underneath the metal door, careful not to jostle it. The store, an old electronic shop, was dark. A normal human would have trouble seeing in this dense darkness, but her Oculus gave her perfect low light vision. The shelves were damaged and falling off, and much of the store's products were either missing or falling apart from mildewed cardboard and aged electronics. The air was stale and old, and there was no immediate evidence of a disturbance beyond the obvious until she saw the shine of a flashlight swipe through her vision in the back of the store, just around a corner.

The Shifter made her way carefully through the rubbish, overly conscious of all the little things that would make a sound if she were to accidentally bump into them.

"You think these will work?" came a low female voice.

"I don't know. It's worth a shot," replied a calm, soothing male voice.

"Damn it, I'm not an engineer! I don't know what the hell we're doing!"

"We have to try."

"Whatever. It'll be dark soon. Let's grab what we can and go."

The sound of objects being forced into bags came then, and Rose took a flanking position around the corner, waiting for whoever was here. A few moments later, the pair she'd heard rounded the corner and passed her without noticing her, their flashlights pointed at the ground. The woman was about Rose's height, but somewhat bulkier in build. Her hair was a shining gold, and a yellow scarf adorned her neck. The man that followed behind her was taller, and wore a green tunic. His jet black hair was marred by a single segment of pink hair. She recognized him from her months in the Labyrinthus; Lie Ren.

Without thinking, she turned the safety of her pistols on, making an audible clicking sound. Ren's guns were drawn almost instantly as he turned to face where she stood. "Who's there!?" he asked loudly.

"Whoa, calm down!" Rose said reassuringly. "Same team, same team."

The store's door was ripped open by Penny, casting the bright light of the sun upon them. "Everyone calm down," she said. "We're not here to fight." She looked Ren and the woman up and down. "Good to see you too still alive here."

The woman turned and gave Penny a confused look. "Who's the girl, Penny? I thought you were back at the settlement."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Oh, this is awkward."

"What is? What settlement, Yang?" Penny asked, slightly confused.

"What do you mean 'what settlement?'" Yang replied, also confused.

Rose sighed. "You're still alive on this Remnant. So, now there are two of you."

"Uh oh."

"Two of her?" Ren asked, still pointing his guns at Rose. "What are you talking about. Who are you."

"I'm Rose. I'm a friend. See?" She holstered her guns. "If I had been a baddie, I would have shot you in the dark."

"She raises a good point, Ren," Yang added. "Penny, what's going on."

"I...I guess that can be answered in a more secure spot. Where is this settlement?"

False Remnant #10,435,793: Beacon

Weiss

Weiss strolled down the halls of Beacon, having given Ruby some arbitrary excuse for her sudden escapade. She was heading for his office; Ozpin. "That bastard thinks he's so high and mighty," she muttered to herself.

"You seem upset," Ouroboros said from within her shirt. "Why are you angry with Ozpin?"

"Because of what he is. Who he is. How he never does anything."

"You were perfectly calm until a few moments ago. What is the real reason you're upset?"

"It's been a few months, Ourboros. Cerberus has to be out there. The fact that we haven't seen him yet is pissing me off. I'm just taking it out on that silver haired prick."

"I see," he said calmly, trying to bring her down. "And what do you intend to do about this...issue."

"What Yang usually does at this point in the timeline. I'm going to tell him to send us to the Emerald Forest. That's where he usually comes from. If he's been born by now, then he might still be weak enough for me to destroy."

"You're getting impatient. What if Nidhogg were to arrive soon?"

"So? What if Callisto the Great Bear were to come? Scorpius the Master Deathstalker? Or, how about Calydonian? What I'd give to roast that monster of a pig."

"Yes, I understand you want to kill all of the Master Units. But, Nidhogg is the strongest of us all. You know this. He's classified as a Nevermore, but he's more of a black dragon. A single exhale of his breath can level a city."

"Oh, I know. Once he destroyed Atlas. Well, more than once, I suppose."

"He's far too powerful. You'll be weak after defeating Cerberus. If you can defeat him."

"I know for a fact that you are actually stronger than Cerberus. The fact that I haven't killed him yet irritates me."

She felt Ouroboros flick his tongue in arbitrary thought. "I am?"

"Yeah. And you sort of fell in my lap. Hadn't seen you before, so I decided to try and kill you. I succeeded, clearly, but I died of my injuries not long after. Never made it home, actually. I fell to the dirt and died; mixture of blood loss and your venom."

The snake's head poked out of her shirt and looked at her curiously. "I killed you?"

"Not before I killed you," she said with a smile. "No hard feelings. I feel like we get along just fine now."

"I suppose I should be proud of something in my existence then. I took down the witch."

"Don't get full of yourself. You weren't the first to kill me, and you weren't the last either. I've died plenty of times. I got careless. That's all."

"So you say."

"Get back in my shirt. We're at the elevator." He did as he was told, and Weiss entered the lift and rose to meet the headmaster himself. She didn't even bother to knock. When she found that the door was closed, she looked around to see if anyone was around to see her. When she saw that she was alone, she touched the handle with her bare hand and closed her eyes. Moments later, the brass was frozen solid and she kicked the door in, shattering the frozen metal.

"How did you-?"

"Not now," she whispered as she entered.

Ozpin sipped his coffee in silence as he turned to greet her. "Did you use...never mind. How you got into my locked office doesn't matter. You wouldn't be barging into someone's private sanctum unless it was urgent or important at the very least. What do you want, Ms. Schnee?"

"Give me the fuel and resources to go into the Emerald Forest."

Ozpin arched an eyebrow. "Not one to ask nicely anymore, are you?"

"You know who and what I am, Ozpin, just as I know who and what you are. Don't fuck with me."

"Clearly. Millions of lifetimes. I'm not surprised you learned how to access something that shouldn't be accessible here anymore. Not since I siphoned off the Cauldron and turned that raw energy into the semblances we see today. Tell me; how does it feel to be a native citizen of Remnant and to use true magic?"

Weiss smiled. "While I'm sure it doesn't compare to your status as a pseudo immortal and nearly god like powers, I'm still quite happy with what I can do. Summoning the base elements without Dust is useful for a lot. Like opening locked doors. Now, about the Emerald Forest."

Ozpin sipped his coffee. "Tell me. What do you expect to find in the forest? The Grimm have all but abandoned it for the city."

"Not all of them."

"Oh?"

"There should be a Cerberus in there, drawing Grimm from beyond our borders to gather his strength. I intend to destroy it."

The headmaster smiled. "And how does Ouroboros feel about this?"

The snake poked his out and looked into Ozpin's eyes. "I haven't a choice, Old One." He licked at the air and tilted his head. "I have latent memories of you...passed down through the memories of fallen Grimm, dating to the last Ouroboros. Trust me when I say that this witch scares me far more than you do."

"That's enough, Ouroboros. I'm not fond of flattery." She stared deep into Ozpin's eyes, sizing him up. "Will you give me what I want?"

He sipped his coffee. "You have twelve hours. Starting now. Go alone."

She smiled, feigning offence. "But professor, what would you do if I were to be killed?"

"Don't toy with me, Weiss," he said seriously, using her first name; an act he had never done with anyone at Beacon before. "I know death if of no consequence to you. I think you expect to die. And should you fail, I will go myself and destroy this Cerberus with my own hands. If you succeed and die anyway, then I wish you luck on your future hunts on other Remnants. But, I will not allow you to cause the deaths of any of my students because of your reckless quest to entertain yourself." She was almost shocked by his statement. "Because I figured that much out. You aren't here to help anymore, are you? You're bored. Millions of lives lived, and you're simply bored. So go. Kill it or be killed by it, it makes no difference to either of us. Just don't get anyone else killed."

She laughed. "You don't know how much I love hearing you say that, Ozpin. Don't worry. I intended to fight it alone anyway." She gave a coy smile. "Well, not alone, I suppose. Let's go, Ouroboros. We have a bullhead to catch."

She entered the elevator and left Ozpin to sit alone in thought. He adjusted his glasses and finished his coffee. "She's lived too long," he muttered. "She's lost sight of the reason for living. God help anyone who is close to her."

He pulled out one of his antique clocks and stared at it. It was one in the afternoon. He stared and stared at the minute and hour hands, watching time tick by.

She had twelve hours.

Song: Nothing Else Matters - Metallica

Author's Note

I have a date tomorrow. I should be in bed. But fuck it, I figured out how to finish this damn chapter and I just had to write the damn thing.

So, next time it's Weiss VS Cerberus. I think it'll be fun. Oh, and we see Penny and Rose again. Yay.

Side note: This story has evolved from when I started it all those months ago. In fact, when I decided to make this a trilogy and tie it all up with Observer, I wasn't really sure what to write at all. So I treated it like Dungeons and Dragons; I created a lot of smaller plot hooks that, if interesting enough to me, I could tug on and tie together. Now? Well, I've done a lot of tugging, and as you've seen there are a lot of sublots going on at once, but I have plans to bring them all together.

Fear not. The end is in sight. Well, not "in sight" as in almost here, but I mean I have a pretty good idea on what I'm doing now. Which never happens. Like, when I started The Longest Night almost 3 years ago, I did not expect this at all. Hell, I didn't know how that story was going to end until I wrote chapter 12 or so. Same with Eternity Rising.

But all that matters is that I have fun with it, and it seems that there are a few of you who enjoyed these stories enough to stick with me after all this time. So, thank you very much.

Please, leave a review or PM me. I like to know how you guys feel about my work. Believe it or not, your feedback does shape the story and how it flows, so it is very helpful.

Fun Fact: I got a promotion at my job! I still have no free time, and the fact that I have a date tomorrow amazes me. Though, I expect nothing out of said date. We're great friends, and it's more of an obligation than anything, but we're going to have fun anyway. I guess that's two facts, isn't it?

Fun Fact #3: I can't count very well. I suck at math!

Till Next Time!