Ember Legacy, Volume 2

Chapter 20: The Road Not Taken

Mountain Glenn

Cinder's Lair

"They say dragons never truly die. No matter how many times you kill them."

~ Suzanne G. Rogers, Jon Hansen and the Dragon Clan of Yden

Pyrrha glanced behind her worriedly as the Lizardmen forces began to warily approach. They seemed hesitant to engage the shrunken party, perhaps waiting upon the expiration of a certain wounded brunette.

"Blake," she called out anxiously. "Is she alright?"

The redhead started at the muted scream that was torn from Ruby's throat. "I don't know," the Cat Faunus replied, her voice laden with concern. "Ren just pulled the bolt out, but the poison is already in her…"

Letting a low growl fill her chest, the redheaded Knight faced her opponents once more. The use of poison was a despicable and cowardly act, and specifically targeting her friend and companion with Dragonsbane, the one thing guaranteed to bring her low, was simply unconscionable.

"I believe we should show these scum what it means to mess with us," Weiss stated in a tight, controlled tone.

"Indeed," Pyrrha agreed, her own voice full of fury by this point. "Blake?"

The Faunus Rogue stepped up on the other side of Pyrrha. Her bow and quiver had been left behind, instead filling her hands with daggers. "Let's do this," she snarled hotly.

She didn't bother with a warcry or any other formal warning of the engagement of hostilities, merely surging forward with her companions on either side of her. A cold blast of ice pushed past her face as Weiss froze several Lizardmen on that flank into solid blocks of ice, while Blake leapt high over the heads of her opponents, coming down in a whirl to slice viciously into muscle and tendon.

Pyrrha had her own hands full, however. She aptly blocked a pair of strikes from the side, twisting her shield Akouo to entangle the two swordsmen, while Milo whistled out and across, slashing through the throats of another couple of enemies. While the mortally wounded creatures fell, she spun, reversing her grip on her sword to eviscerate both of the first pair.

Spinning back to her feet, she allowed one leg to shoot to the side, sending an incautious opponent stumbling away and into the sharp point of Weiss' rapier. The redhead turned the kick into a step forward, bashing her shield into one cold-blooded creature's face while her sword darted out to impale another who was swinging a greatsword overhead.

She was forced to retreat as three spear-wielding Lizardmen thrust at her in concert, but such distractions were minor at best. Grinning viciously, her sword flashed out to sever the heads of two of the spears while her shield caught the blade of the third. Once inside their guard, she made quick work of them.

Just then a sharp pain echoed through her head as a guttural voice spoke rhythmically. Out of the corner of her eye she spied a robed Lizardman twisting his claws in a complicated pattern.

Wonderful, a spellcaster. Well, she knew how to deal with those easily enough.

Gritting her teeth against the agony of the mental attack, she charged forward and slammed into her tormenter. The Mage broke off his attack as his concentration was also broken, and then he was left lying in a pool of his own blood in short order.

But the distraction had been enough to give her opponents the advantage. She was nearly swarmed under, the growling beastly humanoids, their scaly skin glistening and hot, clawing and striking at her from all sides.

And were she alone, she might have fallen right there and then. But a respite was quickly delivered as some of her attackers were sent howling in pain away from a furiously slashing Cat Faunus, while others staggered to the side as they slowly immolated from within.

Pyrrha winced slightly at the latter. No matter how many times she saw her friend do that, she was very glad that the Elven Mage was on their side. It was a ghastly way to go out.

Another of the towering reptilian humanoids rushed at her, slashing his dual swords with considerable agility. She twisted to the side, deflecting one with her shield as Milo battered the other away, but before she could perform a counterattack she felt a sharp burn in her left arm, rendering that appendage useless.

Growling in irritation, the Knight backpedaled to gain some distance from her opponent while looking over at the crossbow bolt sticking from her upper arm, having pierced straight through both armor and aura. Blast it, must have severed a muscle… With her good hand, still clutching her sword, she managed to undo the straps holding her shield in place so that it might drop to the ground. The dual-wielding Lizardman grinned widely as he pursued her across the blood-stained floor.

If he thought the redheaded woman was now easy prey, she was more than willing to disabuse him of that notion.

Unencumbered by a shield she could no longer raise, Pyrrha met the creature's charge with a resounding clash of metal. Her sword flew about furiously, striking and counterstriking, easily able to block any attack sent her way. She deftly twisted Milo in her grip, disarming the Lizardman of one of his swords, while allowing the other to skitter off of her armor. The redhead leaned in, smashing her elbow into his face to stun him before flipping her sword in her hands, reversing her grip to impale the taller reptilian humanoid, ripping to the side as she leaned forward to ensure a mortal wound.

Breathing heavily, the Knight paused to see how her companions were faring. Blake was still flinging herself among their enemy without caution, her raven-colored tail and tresses streaming behind her as she deftly slipped inside the Lizardmen's guard to eviscerate and dismember. Meanwhile, Weiss was fighting with far more control, employing precise slashes with her rapier and decisive spears of ice flung to impale the foes arrayed against her.

Pyrrha took one long step forward to slice through the abdomen of an opponent trying to sneak up behind the platinum-haired Elf. She then stepped to the side, her injured arm facing the Mage as the pair of them paused to catch their breath.

"Are you well?" Weiss asked worriedly, glancing at her bloodied arm with the bolt still protruding from it.

"Well enough," the redhead replied calmly. "Not many left in any case."

The mismatched adventurers, one tall and armored while the other diminutive and skirted, observed the third member of their combat team as she continued to slaughter all those who tried to stand against her.

"Granted," Weiss mused, "I don't think Blake will leave many for us."

"Indeed," Pyrrha smirked slightly. "But we should not allow her all the fun."

"True enough. Shall we?"

"Yes, we shall. After you."

"Why thank you, gracious Knight," the Elf grinned before speeding towards the flank of the wavering line of Lizardmen.

With so few opponents left, Pyrrha tried to pace herself so as not to exacerbate the blood loss from her wound. As it was, she was beginning to feel a bit light-headed, but shook it off as she waded forward, sword flashing in the torchlight. One opponent's head went sailing off to the side while another defender's sword dropped to the floor, followed by first his arm and then his lifeless body. The Faunus Rogue was beginning to tire, her violent onslaught slowing as she resorted to more stabs and thrusts, fewer spinning slashes. The Mistralian Knight of Artemis drifted in Blake's direction to provide support, standing side by side as their opposition began to wilt.

The Cat Faunus' amber eyes darted over towards her, taking in her appearance. "You're injured," she noted flatly, twisting to the side to avoid a spear thrust.

"Everyone feels the need to make a thing about it," Pyrrha sighed, blocking a sword strike before looping her blade around to disarm her opponent, deftly thrusting through the taller creature's heart.

"I suppose you do tend to sustain your fair share of injuries," Blake deadpanned. She somersaulted backwards as a greataxe descended to where she'd just been crouched. With impressive dexterity, she reversed her action to come up standing on the haft of the axe, slashing outwards to slice through the wielder's throat before hopping backwards once more. "We should be used to it by now," she continued with a very small smirk.

"A common enough occurrence," Weiss agreed, clashing with another sword-bearing Lizardman.

Pyrrha sighed, spinning around to eviscerate one of the creatures who had tried to flank them. "I cannot believe you are both making fun of me in the middle of combat," she lamented mildly.

"It is only because we love you, dear," the Elven Mage giggled, hopping back as a spearman tried to advance on her. With an irritated flick of her free hand, the reptilian humanoid burst into flames.

"Yes," the redheaded Knight smiled, surveying the now-still room. "I certainly feel the love."

Blake, though, only had eyes for the back of the room where Ruby lay, Ren still crouched over her still form. There was an incredible amount of blood pooling underneath them.

"Oum," the Faunus Rogue choked out before darting forward, both Pyrrha and Weiss on her heels.

"It looks worse than it really is," the Cleric stated as they approached, his eyes closed in concentration. "I believe I have removed most of the Dragonsbane, but her injury is extensive."

"And if we are at the top of the lair," Weiss added, "then the Orb is nearby, likely adding to her vulnerability."

"Of course," Pyrrha exclaimed, turning back around to survey the room. Unfortunately, the motion jarred her wound once more, and now that she wasn't hyped up on adrenaline, an involuntary gasp of pain was torn from her throat.

Ren cracked an eye open briefly at the sound. "Weiss, I have a potion in my belt pouch, blue label. Blake, you will need to remove the bolt first. Please hurry, any longer and she will require my services, which I cannot provide anytime soon."

Blake nodded rapidly as she turned to Pyrrha, her amber eyes shining with concern for both of her friends. "You should bite down on something," she stated softly, placing a gentle hand on Pyrrha's good shoulder.

The redheaded Knight sighed wearily, slipping a spare shield strap out of her pouch. "Allow me to sit, please."

"I think that would be wise."

Propped up against the wall, Pyrrha laid her sword by her side, blade reversed as she gripped the hilt tightly. The strip of leather was already clenched in between her teeth as her face was set in grim determination.

"Ready?" the Faunus girl murmured.

As soon as she nodded, Blake pulled with all of her might. A hoarse scream was torn from her throat, muffled by the leather strap, and her vision was filled with red. Blinking rapidly past the tears of pain, she noted with some dismay that her blood was now covering the Cat Faunus, who was desperately pressing at her arm beneath the armor plate to try and staunch the increased blood flow.

"Weiss!" the frantic Rogue called out.

"Here," a soft voice interjected as the white-clad Mage knelt at her side, heedless of the bloody ground. "Pyrrha, give me the strap…"

The Knight spat the leather from her mouth, gasping at the pain that coursed through her body. Every nerve ending seemed aflame as she closed her eyes, tears streaming down unabated as she tried not to scream again. Dimly, she lamented the number of rends her beautiful armor now bore, from the great gap across her upper chest to her left shoulder spaulder, and now a rather large hole punched into her left rerebrace. Strange the things I will latch onto to distract myself...

And then a bottle was pressed to her lips, cool and refreshing liquid pouring down her throat. She gulped greedily at the elixir as the pain quickly receded, and her emerald eyes opened once more.

The empty potion bottle was removed, and she smiled wanly at the concerned faces of her companions.

"Girls," she sighed. "I do believe I am done with being wounded so."

Weiss smiled. "You do tend to attract your fair share of wounds."

"For a master swordswoman," Blake added with a smirk, "one would think you capable of dodging better." She raised her hands defensively as the redhead shot her a mock glare. "And by no means was that an offer to duel."

Pyrrha snickered softly, turning her head to check on her arm. It was now functional, though it twinged a bit as she flexed her muscles. Her aura would do the rest of the work, given enough time.

And then her gaze drifted up to observe where Ruby still lay, breathing shallowly. "I don't believe there is anything we can do for her right now," she stated quietly. "Perhaps we can locate the Orb in the meantime."

"Right," Blake responded levelly, standing up and offering a helping hand. "I suppose the activity would help."

The three of them stood in the center of the room, their gazes sharp and probing. Chests of various types, colors, and sizes lined the walls, while a long bookcase along the far wall had numerous scrolls and tomes lining the shelves.

"Most of the Lizardmen are piled up in one location," Pyrrha observed, her emerald eyes narrowed. "In front of those three chests."

"Likely where the good stuff is stored," Blake agreed. Her Faunus ears flickered while the fingers of her right hand rapped out an irregular tattoo against her thigh. "No offense, girls, but I think you should all stand back by Ruby while I check for traps."

"Are you that uncertain of your skill?" the platinum-haired Elf inquired curiously.

"Not at all," Blake smirked. "But any trap set by a Dragon…"

"Oum," the redhead breathed. "Yes, better safe than sorry."

Weiss paused to grip the Faunus Rogue's arm. "Be careful," she whispered, her caution answered with a simple nod.

Pyrrha felt particularly helpless as she stood by with her recovered shield in hand, sword sheathed at her side. While Weiss balanced her gaze between Blake and Ruby, the redheaded Knight couldn't seem to tear her gaze away from the raven-haired woman. In any case, it served as an able distraction from her worry over Jeanne.

She will be fine, she is with Yang… She has a Gold Dragon looking out for her, for Oum's sake…

With an irritated huff of air, Pyrrha pushed her despondent thoughts aside to focus on the Cat Faunus, who seemed in no hurry to examine the chests up close. She meandered in a wide circle, examining the chest on the right first. It was a light wood, medium-sized container with iron bindings and a simple-looking hasp lock on the front.

"Out of curiosity," Pyrrha called out softly as Blake crouched down, still several feet away, to examine her target from a new angle. "Why that one first?"

Blake shrugged, not moving her eyes from the scrutiny she was engaged in. "Superficially, it seemed the easiest. I'm using it as a test."

"A test?"

"I can gauge the lethality of the others by how bad the traps on this one is."

The redhead shared a glance with the Elf at her side. "Are they all trapped?" she returned hesitantly.

Blake gave a low chuckle. "Oh, yes, that much is certain. Here, can you assist me with something please?"

"Of course," Pyrrha stated, striding forward while slinging her shield across her back. Her arm twinged slightly at the motion, but she pushed it aside. "What may I help with?"

"Can you grab one of the bodies and drop it right over there?"

She peered towards where the Rogue pointed, one of the large stone tiles that looked similar to all the others that lined the floor of the room, save for that this one was directly in front of the chest Blake was examining. "Er… certainly…"

With a slight grunt of effort, Pyrrha began to drag the nearest body over. Fortunately, it was missing both a head and an arm, making it slightly lighter. If such a thing could be said for a seven-foot, three-hundred-pound reptilian humanoid.

She groaned as she shifted her weight under the body, hefting it up and onto her shoulders before sending it at the tile with a heave. As soon as it hit, several sharpened spear shafts from previously-concealed holes in the ground burst upwards, only to slowly retract once more.

Pyrrha let out a surprised squawk as she stumbled backwards to land on her rear.

"Well, that's good," Blake murmured, not fazed in the slightest. "No poison. I suppose it'd get expensive replacing the help that accidentally triggered that…"

"Yes, fortunate indeed," the redhead breathed, shaking her head. "Er, what's next?"

"I'd like to try it once more, but this time we'd need to get back in a hurry," Blake mused, turning towards the chest in the center. It was flat-topped and oaken in color, bound with brass and with an inset locking mechanism. "The tile directly in front of that one. I should help you, though…"

"Girls," a light voice sounded from behind them. "I have this."

Weiss smirked at them as she twirled her finger, raising a corpse up on a glowing white glyph.

"Handy, that," the Faunus Rogue returned her smirk. "Okay, let's get back some…"

Pyrrha and Blake stepped behind the Mage as she sent the floating body forward. As soon as it was above the tile, she dispelled the glyph, allowing it to drop to the floor.

And the corpse exploded into fiery ash.

Weiss turned to the others, her pale blue eyes wide with shock. "Was that… expected?"

"Eh," Blake shrugged. "More or less."

The Elf pinched the bridge of her nose in consternation. "This is going to take all bloody day, isn't it?"

"Not at all!" Blake replied with muted cheer, stalking forward. "We got the big ones out of the way. Next up are the sneaky ones, like venomous spiders, collapsing ceilings, poison darts, revolving blades, gas… Oooh, this one time there was a trap door, led right down into a water-filled cavern filled with crocodiles of all things. Can you imagine?"

The Faunus woman turned, her smile fading away at the looks of unmitigated horror on her friends' faces. "Guys, relax!" she murmured reassuringly. "I've got this!"

"Right," Weiss whispered, inching backwards. "Still, you don't mind if I just… er… watch our rear for ambushes and the like, do you?"

"Not at all," Blake chuckled lightly. "Oh, Pyrrha, if you don't feel the need to… guard the rear… I believe I noticed a secret door over by the bookshelf. Pull on the wall sconce to the left of the shelf."

The redhead shook her head bemusedly as she walked over. "Full of surprises," she murmured.

The iron ring didn't look much different from the matching ones on the walls, some holding torches and others not, However, once she looked more closely, she could, in fact, see faint scratches around the base.

With a determined glint in her eye, she drew her sword and gave the ring a tug.

The wall directly in front of her rumbled backwards before sliding to the side. Before her lay a dark tunnel that seemed to stretch out for a bit before making a turn.

"Seems clear," she called out.

At a loud click from behind her, she turned partially to see Blake with her head hovering over the now-open pale wood chest. "Ooooh, this is nice," Blake giggled.

"Anything good?" Weiss asked humorously.

"Well… a few baubles and trinkets… a bag of gems… Mmm, this looks important…" As she talked, she sat several items to the side, including the small bag that clinked as it was set down, a necklace made up of multicolored beads, and a sheathed dagger. "A rather large bag filled with… oh, poo, just common copper pieces, not even gold lien."

"Did you seriously just say, 'oh, poo'?" Weiss snickered, drawing closer now that the imminent possibility of quick expiration had passed.

"Hush," Blake replied absentmindedly. "Okay, this looks… Here, Weiss, what do you make of this?"

She set a plain silver ring into the Elf's hand, who closed her fist around it and shut her eyes, concentrating.

"Er… medium-level enchantment… no, wait, it's medium but with numerous charges… Oh!" Her eyes flew open as a wide grin spread across her face. "It's a Ring of Invisibility!"

"Dibs," Blake called out tersely as she snatched the ring back out of Weiss' now-open palm before she could even react.

"Really?' Pyrrha snickered.

"I'm a Rogue," the Faunus replied loftily. "Who else would have a use for a ring that would make them invisible?"

"I daresay any number of us could find a use for it," Weiss pouted slightly.

"True," the raven-haired girl conceded with a smirk. "But… now I have it."

"I imagine you didn't work overmuch in a team when you were, er… thieving, did you?" Pyrrha grinned.

"Not terribly often, no." Blake sighed as she stood up, brushing her black leather pants off. "Right, well that's all the usable stuff from there. Let's take it back by Ruby, and then I can work on the middle one."

"What about the one on the left?" Pyrrha asked curiously as she picked up the bag of gems.

"It's fake," the Rogue replied nonchalantly. "Actually, I think it's just one big trap."

Weiss glanced nervously over her shoulder at the innocuous-looking small golden chest. "Er, what would happen if you were to open it?"

"No idea." Blake shrugged as she set the dagger and necklace down. "Likely something really, really bad. So, Weiss, can you see what those two are while I work?"

"Certainly," the Mage responded, shaking off her unease. She picked up the necklace first, holding it in her hands again with her eyes closed as the Faunus Rogue headed back towards the other chest.

Pyrrha looked over at where Ren was still bent over Ruby. The brunette looked a bit healthier now, and the blood seemed to have stopped flowing. "Ren?" she called out softly. "Is there anything at all we can do? A potion, perhaps?"

The half-Elf Cleric shook his head slowly without opening his eyes. "Healing potions don't work on Dragons," he replied simply.

"Oh," she murmured, disappointed. The redhead turned next to regard Blake, who seemed to be crouched over the chest and mumbling to herself.

"Weiss," she began curiously. "What is she doing?"

"Apparently, talking to the chest," Weiss replied levelly. "Like it's a petulant toddler, of all things. Alright, this is an interesting necklace. Protection of some sort, I believe elemental. Since the beads are warm-colored, reds and oranges and the like, I'm going to assume either mere heat or fire itself."

"That is quite impressive that you can do that," Pyrrha remarked as the Elf placed the necklace to the side.

She blushed lightly in response. "Er, thank you. It's a bit of a talent of mine."

"You could go into business with Blake, help her evaluate her stolen goods."

Weiss paused with the dagger in hand. "Hmm," she mused thoughtfully. "I wonder how much lien would be in that?"

Pyrrha giggled lightly. "I suppose you would have to ask her."

"I suppose so… remind me to bring that up with her, please."

"Of course."

"Now, this dagger… minor enchantment only, I'm afraid… Oh!" Weiss held the dagger up by the handle and slipped the sheath from the blade. She examined it closely, as if searching for something.

"There has to be a phrase here…" Her murmurs were cut off at a startled yelp from Blake. Both of their heads whipped around to see the chagrined Faunus shaking her hand out while grinning ruefully.

"Sorry, I'm fine!" she called out. "Caught the edge of a shock trap. That would have really smarted if I got it full-on!"

"On second thought," Weiss mumbled, "forget I said anything about working with her."

"Yes, dear," Pyrrha murmured humorously. "You were looking for a phrase of some sort?"

"There should be one, yes…"

"What about on the sheath there?"

Weiss sighed as she looked at the small leather scabbard in her other hand. "Yes, that would be it, thank you Pyrrha… Oh, well, that's simple. Lumos."

At the spoken word, the dagger began to glow softly with a white light.

"Very nice," Pyrrha smiled appreciatively. "Er… how do you turn it off?"

Weiss chewed briefly on her bottom lip before repeating "Lumos" once more, and the illumination faded away.

"Is it warm to the touch?" the redhead inquired.

"No, not at all. This is fairly useful, if somewhat minor."

"Well, just don't let Blake get at it first."

"She can't seem to help herself sometimes, can she?" Weiss sighed bemusedly.

"I suppose not." Pyrrha settled back, her eyes now focused back on the Rogue who seemed to be crouched in front of the lock now. The platinum-haired Elf shifted over so that she was next to her.

"They're all going to be fine," the Elven Mage whispered softly.

"Yes," Pyrrha murmured. "Yes, they will be."

She felt Weiss' small hand creep over to rest atop hers on the ground, and she smiled, turning her hand over to share a reassuring grip.

"As will Ruby," the redhead added.

"Of course," Weiss replied with forced nonchalance. "She got us this far, she will not allow anything so mundane to stop her."

"Indeed."

On the other side of the room, Blake suddenly froze, her tools clattering to the floor. "Oops."

"Blake?" the redhead called out anxiously, releasing Weiss' hand to begin levering herself up. "What is wrong?"

"Er…" The Cat Faunus turned with a hesitant smile. "I… might have triggered another trap."

Weiss had gotten to her feet as well by this point. "Should we run or come help?" she inquired nervously.

"Neither… yet… Ren, by any chance do you still have that potion for removing poisons?"

Ren cracked an eyelid open curiously. "I do. It would not have had an effect on Ruby."

"Good, good… Weiss, be a dear and grab that, please… Pyrrha, stand in front of the others with your shield up, if you don't mind?"

"You are being awfully calm about this," Pyrrha stated, slipping her shield from around her back. "And that worries me. What is this trap you have triggered?"

"Well, you see…" Blake gave them a slightly too-wide grin. "As soon as I remove my hand from here, I expect to be hit with poison gas. Hopefully just a small amount, allow it to dispel before approaching me, if you would. But I do believe there are darts as well behind the chest that I just now noticed, so as soon as I fall over from the gas, they will shoot out into the room."

"Can you not hold your breath?" Pyrrha asked nervously.

"No, I can smell it still in its inert form, I recognize the type, it's ingested through the skin." Blake smiled wanly. "It's fairly lethal after fifteen minutes or so."

"That's… awfully specific," Weiss commented, her eyes wide as she clutched the bottle of sickly-looking liquid to her chest. "Are you certain?"

"Oh, yes, quite certain. So, then… er… Wish me luck?"

Her friends nodded at her solemnly. Blake took a deep breath and threw herself backwards. A puff of greenish gas shot out after her, engulfing her form as she tried to roll backwards to no avail. Pyrrha was forced to avert her gaze as several whistling sounds made her duck, the clattering of the darts against her shield and the wall making quite the racket.

Quickly the redhead stood back up, glancing around. She'd managed to protect the others from the projectiles, which was a good thing as even she could see the gleam of poison on the tips.

And then she spied the raven-haired Faunus, huddled in a tight ball on the floor, unmoving.

"Oum," she breathed, looking up at the ceiling. The green gas was already being wafted away by unseen currents into what looked to be a slit in the ceiling, so she rushed forward, Weiss on her heels.

"Blake?" she called out anxiously, trying to roll her friend over. The Faunus seemed to be rigidly locked into a fetal position, her arms wrapped around her stomach and face screwed up in pain.

"Pyrrha, pry her mouth open," Weiss instructed hurriedly. The redhead quickly complied, shifting the balled-up Cat Faunus up and slowly pulling her lips and jaw apart.

"Come on, sweetie," Pyrrha coaxed quietly as she worked. "Just a little more… Weiss, is that enough?"

"It will have to be," the Elf stated, reaching across with the unstoppered vial. She upended it and let it trickle down the Faunus' throat.

Blake began to swallow convulsively before coughing slightly. Gradually the limbs around her body began to relax, swallowing the potion down all the while.

Eventually, her face screwed up in distaste, though she gently took the bottle from Weiss and upended it entirely. As she finished swallowing, her tongue stuck out.

"Oum's balls, that tastes awful!" Blake groaned.

"Language!" Ren called out absentmindedly.

"Oh, whatever," the raven-haired woman sighed, rolling onto all fours. "Gah. Seriously, it's like I just drank straight from a Goblin's diarrhetic ass."

"How… poetic," Pyrrha grinned, getting back to her feet. "Are you well now?"

"I will be," she sighed, accepting a hand up. "Thanks for that, by the way. Alright, so let's see what my near-death experience gave us, shall we?"

She made her way back over the the chest, weaving slightly. Pyrrha stepped forward, wrapping an arm around her in support while Weiss walked behind.

The three of them stopped at the now-open chest, peering within at the single object nestled on a black velvet cushion.

"Well," Blake murmured.

"Indeed," Pyrrha breathed.

The Elf nodded slowly. "I suppose that's it, then? Er… I thought it'd be bigger."

"It's just as well, really," the redheaded Knight murmured thoughtfully, tilting her head to regard the fist-sized opaque blue orb. "Easier to transport."

The three of them stood consideringly for almost a full minute.

"So, who's going to try touching it first?" Weiss finally broke in quietly.

The Faunus Rogue shook her head. "Already almost died, that's my allotment for the hour."

"Oh, very well," Pyrrha sighed, reaching in and plucking the Orb of Azure out of its container. It was heavier than she expected it to be, but warm to the touch. The blue color seemed to swirl as she held it, going from a sky blue to that of the ocean.

"Are you well?" Weiss quickly interjected. "Do you feel lightheaded? Any voices speaking to you? Do you feel the urge to strike out at anyone? Abject depression? Unusual hubris?"

"No, Weiss," she laughed. "I feel just fine, it doesn't seem to be affecting me at all."

"Good, good," the Mage murmured, leaning in to peer closely at the colors swirling about. "If you do feel a change, please let me know immediately."

"Especially the striking out thing," Blake smirked. "I'd rather get out of range before you do any of that."

"I'll be sure to let you know," the Knight replied humorously. "So, we have what we came for. Should we linger any longer?"

"We really should be going, if it's safe to move Ruby," Weiss opined. "We don't know if more reinforcements are on the way."

"But… but…" Blake looked around the room, her eyes wide with despair. "All these chests! Who knows what may be in them?"

"Who knows what the next trap will do to you," the Elf retorted evenly. "Come on, Blake."

"Oh, fine," she grumbled mildly. "Hey, can I at least look at the bookshelf while you prep Ruby?"

"Are you certain you don't wish to 'prep' her yourself?" Pyrrha asked with a smirk.

The Cat Faunus stared at her, tail swishing as her mouth opened and closed in an admirable impression of a goldfish.

"I… You…" With a huff, Blake turned around and stalked over to the shelves, her nose in the air.

Pyrrha and Weiss shared a quiet giggle as they headed back towards the Cleric and his patient. "Nice one," the Elf snickered.

"Why thank you, dear."

"You don't have to be so smug about it!" Blake called back irritably from across the room.

In short order they had their supplies repacked, with their new loot tucked into Ruby's satchel that Weiss looped around her shoulders, while Pyrrha carefully gathered the now-bandaged Ruby up in her arms, bending with her knees as she stood.

"She's surprisingly light," the redhead murmured.

Ren nodded, walking alongside and keeping in contact with Ruby's shoulder. "Hard to remember at times who she really is," the half-Elf murmured.

Weiss carried the Rogue's bow and quiver over to her. "Would you like these?" she asked archly.

"Oh, thank you," Blake replied distractedly as she rifled through the shelf. "Here, trade you."

She handed the Mage a thick book in exchange for her gear. Weiss frowned at it before she cracked open the spine, and then her pale blue eyes grew wide.

"This… is a spellbook."

"Yes, it is," Blake agreed smugly.

"I don't... " Her fingers flew as she skimmed through the pages. "Half of these are far beyond my skill level."

"Well, then, I suppose that gives you some room to grow, hmm?"

Pyrrha smiled as the pair exchanged a warm hug. "Thank you," Weiss murmured.

Blake just shrugged good-naturedly as she stuffed a set of scrolls into her pack. "Eh, I owe you several times now."

"Well, by all means, consider any debt whatsoever repaid with interest."

The Faunus Rogue grinned slightly before turning towards the others. She rested a hand on Ruby's limp arm, brow furrowing momentarily. "Right," she finally murmured. "I'll take point."

"And I'll guard the rear," Weiss replied, drawing her rapier.

Pyrrha smiled and nodded at the two of them as they headed towards what was hopefully the exit tunnel.

They strode along for some time. A few doors along the way were investigated, one of them being a rather opulent bedroom, but they didn't investigate further. Right now, escape was primarily on their minds.

After five minutes of walking, Ruby stirred fitfully in Pyrrha's arms. "Blake?" the brunette whispered weakly.

The Faunus woman quickly stopped in her tracks, slipping her bow back over her shoulder before leaning in and cupping Ruby's face gently. "I'm here," she murmured softly.

"I'm cold," the Silver complained quietly. "Never been cold before."

"Yes, well… you lost a lot of blood," Blake replied, her amber eyes shining with worry.

"Yeah," Ruby sighed. "That sucked." And then she stilled again, never having opened her eyes.

Blake drew in a quick breath before spinning around and resuming their trek, while Pyrrha and Weiss shared a worried glance.

"She'll be okay," Ren reassured them all. "If she regained consciousness, the worst is past. Now she just needs the time to heal." With a weary sigh, the Cleric finally removed his blood-stained hand. "Certainly the presence of the Orb is blocking a more rapid recovery, but she will recover."

Blake nodded without turning around. "Thanks, Ren," she called over her shoulder softly.

A slender hand came up to rest on Ren's shoulder. "You're a good friend," Weiss added warmly.

The Cleric nodded and gave them a somewhat bashful smile. "It is nothing you all would not have done for me."

"Hey," Blake suddenly called out. "I think I smell fresh air up ahead."

"Thank Oum," Pyrrha and Ren sighed at the same time, causing them to share another grin.

Sure enough, around the next bend was a stone doorway with a lever next to it. After assuring them it was untrapped, Blake gave it a pull, causing the door to slide down.

And they stepped out into the fresh air for the first time in seemingly forever, though only half a day had passed.

"Well," Weiss sighed, plopping down next to a boulder. "Now how do we find the others?"

Pyrrha gently laid Ruby down, using her satchel that Weiss placed on the ground for a pillow. "I suppose we could leave two of us up here to watch over Ruby, while the other pair work their way back down to the entrance." She squinted her emerald green eyes against the setting sunlight. "It's a fair distance down, but we could reach it well before the sunlight diminishes appreciatively."

"I don't like us splitting up," Blake disagreed mildly.

"Well, no, I don't either, but-"

Her response was cut off by a large explosion that seemed to come from the other side of the mountain's peak where they resided.

"Oh, now what," Blake growled, notching an arrow irritably.

Pyrrha slipped her weapon into her hands while Weiss did the same, spreading out for battle while Ren stood protectively over Ruby with his staff in hand. But then they paused at the high-pitched sound of wild cheering.

The four of them gave a start as an enormous shape soared past them, the ear-shattering sound seemingly coming from its back.

"Well, I'll be a son of an Orc," Pyrrha murmured, grinning widely.

As Yang wheeled around once more, the forms of an ecstatic Nora, hefting Magnhild overhead victoriously, and a rather green-looking Jeanne could be seen clinging to her back. The Gold Dragon quickly spotted them, diving forward to land in a crunch of stone where her feet found purchase.

"REN DID YOU SEE THAT I WAS FLYING AND oh no what's wrong with Ruby?"

The Orange-haired hammer-wielder's enthusiasm quickly waned as she hurried over to hug Ren, glancing around him at the prone form of the brunette. Pyrrha stepped forward to greet Jeanne, but the blonde warrior quickly lurched to the side and violently emptied her stomach.

"Oh, yeah," Nora mentioned casually. "Jeanne gets flying sickness."

"I noticed that, thank you," Pyrrha murmured with a half smile. It faded as Yang changed into her Human form and hurried over, panic written across her face.

"What happened?" she practically yelled as she approached.

Weiss was wisely waiting by the injured brunette, calmly halting Yang in mid-tirade with a gentle hand on her chest. "She was poisoned by a Dragonsbane bolt. Ren got it out of her, but she lost a lot of blood. She's recovering, though."

Ren stepped forward with a reassuring smile, Nora still clinging to him tightly. "She will indeed recover if given time. I'm afraid the Orb might be hindering her, though."

"Okay, yeah," Yang nodded rapidly, her eyes finally fading from crimson back to lilac. "Thanks, Ren, everyone." She turned to Weiss, wrapping her up in a tight hug. "Hey, you."

"Hey, yourself," Weiss murmured against her chest. "Did you have fun without me?"

"Well, I did get to punch a Hellhound in the snout."

"Oh, good, then the day wasn't a total loss."

"Speaking of which," Jeanne chimed in, staggering over to join the group. "Did we get it?"

"We did," Pyrrha replied. She and her squire shared a brief, warm smile, though the blonde ended hers with a groan as she clutched at her stomach.

"So, no flying on Dragonback anytime soon, Jeanne?" the Faunus Rogue asked mischievously.

"No," Jeanne answered solemnly. "Never again, as Oum is my witness."

"Least we know it's not just horses, eh, Jeanne?" Yang grinned.

The armored girl shot her a mock glare. "Yes, thank you, Yang. Though I can ride horses just fine, it's the lancing that… vexes me."

Just before the Gold could retort, she froze, head tilted to the side and eyes flashing back to crimson.

"What?" Weiss asked anxiously, scanning the horizon. "Trouble?"

"I think…" Yang began hesitantly before her face broke out into a wide grin. "Nope, just the opposite." She turned to face towards the west, in the direction of the setting sun, and pointed. Two silhouettes were approaching, evenly matched in size, and growing larger by the minute.

"Yang?"

The fellowship turned to regard the brunette who was struggling to sit up, looking around blearily. "What's… Who's headed our way?"

"Hey, sis," Yang replied cheerfully, bending down to help Ruby into a sitting position against the boulder. "Uncle Qrow is on the way, along with an old friend of mine."

Before long a pair of Dragons soared overhead. One was an inky black, the other a bronze color that glinted in the light of the setting sun. Yang was grinning widely as she stepped towards where the pair of leviathans landed.

The Onyx one changed into a raven-haired man, lean and with crimson eyes, while the Bronze turned into a woman taller than Yang. Her short dark-brown hair had a longer lock on the right side of her face that was dyed in a gradient from orange to bronze, and she wore odd-looking colored lenses over her eyes.

"Nice of you to join the party, Old Wyrm," Yang laughed as she hugged the man tightly. "And you!" she exclaimed, facing the smirking woman next. "Oum, it's been decades, Coco! What the fuck are you doing out here?"

"Heard you found that sister of yours," the other girl returned with a grin, her voice low and brimming with confidence. "And so I came to see what other trouble you were getting yourself into."

"Well, it's good to see you," Yang laughed, wrapping her up in a hug as well before turning to the others. "Okay, so quick introductions. For those who haven't met him yet, this is my Uncle Qrow, And this here is Coco, we were hatchlings together." She quickly passed around introductions for the rest of the group while Qrow strode over to crouch next to Ruby.

"Well, hey there, kiddo," he rasped with a small grin. "You were lookin' a bit better the last time I saw you."

"Felt better, too," the brunette grinned weakly. "That Dragonsbane is nasty stuff."

"I try to avoid it, myself."

"So what are you guys doing here, really?' Yang interjected curiously.

"Well, firecracker," Qrow sighed as he returned to his feet. "I come with a summons."

The blonde's jovial face instantly closed off as she tensed up. "For who?"

The raven-haired man wouldn't meet his niece's gaze. "You and Ruby both."

"Um, excuse me?" Ruby called out hesitantly. "Summons from whom? And to go where?"

Qrow finally looked up at the blonde. "Still haven't told her?"

"That's your job," Yang growled softly. "I found her, I'm protecting her. Period."

Ruby groaned as she tried to lever herself up. Pyrrha and Blake were there in a flash to help her to her feet, where she stood swaying slightly.

"Okay, somebody start talking,' Ruby declared firmly, though she had to squint her eyes shut while her equilibrium returned.

Qrow and Yang just stared at each other, almost sullenly.

"Oh for Oum's sake," Coco sighed, pushing past the pair of reluctant Dragons. "Okay, so, Ruby honey. You're being summoned by the Silver Matriarch."

Ruby stared back at her in shock, while Nora raised a hand hesitantly. "Um, excuse me? For those of us non-Dragons, or, well, not fully Dragons, um… What's a Silver Matriarch?"

Coco turned to regard the orange-haired warrior, a slow smile crossing her face. "Huh. Well, look at you. Didn't know when I started out this morning that I'd find kin."

"Kin?" Nora squealed, bouncing on her toes.

"Yup. Definitely Bronze in your heritage, and pretty damn sure it's my line. Maybe great-granddad Oriff, he was always a ladies' man, liked socializing with the Humans… Anyways, to answer your question, the Silver Matriarch is the leader of the Silver Dragons. We're a matriarchal race, each line has their own Matriarch that resides in their own Hold or Aerie. Now," Coco continued, turning back to face Ruby again. "You want to know why you've been summoned."

"Um, yeah, that'd be nice too," Ruby agreed, somewhat perplexed. Neither Qrow nor Yang seemed to be giving anything away.

The Bronze Dragon regarded her levelly. "Because you're her granddaughter."

The silence on the mountaintop likely would have befitted a monastery.

"I'm… what?" Ruby finally sputtered, her legs giving out. The women to each side of her carefully lowered her back to the ground.

"Granddaughter," Coco repeated patiently. "Your mom, Summer, was the daughter of the Matriarch."

"Holy freaking Ogre balls, Ruby," Nora breathed. "You're a princess!"

"I'm… wait, what?" The brunette shook her head wildly. "No, I'm not… Am I?"

"Eh," the Bronze shrugged. "Technically… sure."

Blake cleared her throat gently. "Er… I know this has been a bit of a shock and all… but what about our quest?"

"Right, we just retrieved the Orb of Azure," Weiss added.

"Yes, and I can feel the thing," Qrow finally muttered. "Makes my skin crawl."

"It's not so bad," Coco shrugged once more, strolling around the group and inspecting them closely.

"Alright," Ruby sighed. "So, we gotta go… wherever, to see… the Matriarch. What for, exactly?"

"Well, for you, Ruby," the Onyx began, "she wants to meet you. And likely get you to resume the duties that your mom neglected."

"What duties?"

"Well… mostly ceremonial stuff, learning about the race, politics…"

"Wait, so all that boring crap like a Human princess?" Ruby exclaimed. "And I suppose this means I'd have to stay in the Hold?"

"More than likely, yeah," Qrow sighed, looking at the ground. "And before you say it, yes, you've got to go. You can't refuse a direct summons… but once you're there, you could make a case against what is expected of you."

Ruby nodded slowly, her silver eyes darting about to land on each of the fellowship. They lingered on Blake, then Yang, and finally Weiss.

"Okay," she murmured. "Um, can I see the Orb really quick?"

Weiss nodded, slipping it from her pack to place in her hands.

"So there it is," Ruby whispered, her silver eyes watery. She gave herself a shake, looking up with determination.

"Here's what we're going to do. Pyrrha, Jeanne, Nora, and Ren. You four take the Orb back towards Vale. Try to hook up with Nebula and the others on the way."

Ruby's gaze shifted over towards the other half of the fellowship next. "If Yang and I have to return, we'll bring some support with us to help make our case. Dragons have always been friendly with the Elves, and many have soft spots for the Faunus as well. Plus, I can't change, so I'll need to ride, and I have the feeling I'm going to need help…"

"Yeah, you can ride on my back, Ruby," Qrow interjected. "So who wants to-"

"I'll ride with her," Blake interrupted firmly, before quickly flattening her Faunus ears in embarrassment. "Er, if that's alright."

"'Course it is, Blakey," the brunette grinned tiredly. "Yang, Weiss can ride on your back, right?"

"Hmm?" Her sister shook her head suddenly as if to clear a fog away. "Oh, yeah, sure thing."

Pyrrha looked with concern at the way the blonde was refusing to meet Weiss' eyes, as well as the knowing and slightly sad glance Qrow passed her way.

"Okay, then. Pyrrha?"

The redhead accepted the Orb from Ruby, slipping it into her pack before leaning down to enfold the brunette in a warm hug. "This is for the best," the Knight murmured. "You will heal faster without the Orb around."

"Yeah, I know," Ruby sighed regretfully. "I just hate leaving you guys alone…"

"Maybe I can help with that," Coco spoke up suddenly, leaning against another rock outcropping. "Been awhile since I've been out in Remnant, I think I'll stick with these four, see 'em to Vale safely."

"Thanks, Coco," the Gold grinned halfheartedly.

Their goodbyes lasted a good ten minutes as each of them passed around tight hugs, some of them tearful, even. Pyrrha and Weiss redistributed the treasure they had retrieved alongside the Orb, sending the dagger and necklace along with those travelling on foot. Blake was fairly adamant about retaining ownership of her new Ring of Invisibility, claiming something about 'possession' and some percentage of 'laws' that none of the group quite followed. But before long, Yang was winging her way off to the west with Weiss perched behind her neck, and Blake was holding Ruby tight against her chest on the back of the smaller Onyx Dragon alongside.

The five remaining waited for the figures to drift behind the next mountain range before Pyrrha turned to them with a brave smile.

"Very well, then," she stated firmly. "Let us be on our way."

Coco gave them a grin as they began their trek down the mountain. "Just promise me I'll get to actually see some action while we travel."

With a soft snort, Jeanne shook her head amusedly, blonde tresses swinging behind her in their twin ponytails. "With this group, that's never in doubt."

"Amen, sister," Nora giggled.

"Although," Ren murmured, using his staff as a walking stick as he picked his way through the rocks. "We could, on occasion, use perhaps a bit less excitement."

"Now Ren," Pyrrha grinned at the half-Elf, "where would the fun be in that?"

A/N: Whew! Man, this one really got away from me! And that finishes up the second volume! I got the fellowship back together again, only to break them up once more. The next volume will be done somewhat differently as we switch between each group of adventurers, JNPR and Coco for one chapter and then RWBY (with Qrow) in the next.

Oh, and another secret is revealed! This is one of the ones (like Nora's) that the subject didn't even know about. Yang's is kind of hinted at here, as it has to do with their trip back to the Silver Dragon Hold. And that will actually be the last secret within the fellowship!

One last note, regarding the various traps Blake described, including the trapdoor to the crocodile-filled pool. Just one thing to say about that: "Wrong lever, Kronk!"

Hugs to my valiant Betas, KellyConnely and PandaAnimeLover, and much love to all of my courageous readers and reviewers! Phoenix Commander, bankerrtx01, RatedRSuperStar87, carpenter656, Reaper Whisper, RedWing36, djprizoch, FoxyFoxation, kaiju62, FlyntCoalRWBY, Boombox94, FourNails1341, TacoKing23, djjohns94, and OneManOneBand, hugs! (And apologies if I didn't get the chance to respond to your review, I tried to get to as many as I could but work continues to kick my butt…)

Stay shiny!