Author's Note:

Dolor is another one of The Baz's OCs, so that's pretty cool.

As per the usual, leave a review! Yes, even you, current reader. What do you think about the first scene, and about the mother-daughter relationship.

And to the person who asked a question about the worm of last chapter without an account, I really don't know. I think I was remembering bits and pieces of some story my dad used to tell.

Adam Taurus could hardly bare the monotony any longer. He had been locked up in his cell for weeks now, and he was starting to go insane. There were voices on the edge of his mind, and although he couldn't quite be sure what they said, he was sure that they were speaking to him.

He heard the soldiers guarding his cell speak sometimes. They tried to keep their voices hushed, but he hadn't heard anything else for a very long time. Even through the metal walls and small shatter-resistant glass pane, he could hear their voices.

Something bad had happened. He wasn't sure what it was, but something very bad had even the soldiers worried. HE knew that he had to do something, but he didn't know what was going on. No one had told him anything. No one had even spoken directly to him in a week. It was like he had simply been shunted aside, forgotten.

He wasn't going to take it anymore. This was the problem with society. Dissenting voices were simply locked away, and other problems were what got the attention. He had only wanted fair rights for his people, and he had been forced into a cell for it.

He was going insane, he knew it. He had to be. It was the only way he could explain the anger that set his body on fire. It had grown steadily over his imprisonment, made worse by the dreams that he had about the injustices he and other Faunus had suffered, all at the hands of humans. The very name of the race felt sour in his thoughts. A bunch of good-for-nothing leeches, that's what they were. Living off of the backs of good, honest people. He hadn't formed the White Fang, but he had joined in an attempt to make a difference. Now it was time for something else.

He was barely able to stand in the meager conditions that had been given to him, but he straightened his back as best he could, twitching slightly as the voices in his ears became louder.

"Fight."

It was what he wanted. A good, clean fight between the Faunus and the humans. Something like that had never happened before, because humans had never played fair. They always cheated, taking advantage of others and laying deceit at every corner. It was about time that someone put them in their place, and show them what it was like to be the targets of an extermination campaign.

"Kill."

He didn't know if the words came from his own lips, or from his simple imagination. Regardless of their source, they were right. He needed to kill, to show what it was like, and there was only one way to do that. He needed to get out of this damned cell.

Without thinking, his fist hit the metal door, causing a loud thud to emanate from the other side, and a stab of pain in his knuckles. That wouldn't stop him, though. He had to get out, it was the only option left to him.

He drew his fist back, using what little space he could, and struck the door again with as much power as he could muster. As he did this, the voices in his head seemed to grow louder. He started to make out names, places, and times. They were trying to tell him what had happened, and he wanted to listen. They were still not loud enough to understand, though.

He tried again to hit the door, and this time one of the voices that responded as quite decidedly not from his head. "Hey, quiet down in there! There's no point, you're not going to get out."

That wasn't true. Even if he had to beat himself to a bloody pulp to get out, he would do just that. A wry smile worked across his face, the first of its kind in a long time, inspired by the thought of blood. It would be good to spill that of his enemies once he was free. The first to go would be whoever was outside his cell. They deserved every bit of what he was going to do to them. Nothing less.

Again, he hit the door, with his knee this time. He was able to get more power out of his legs, given the small space, but his body had grown weaker than he would've liked to admit over the time spent rotting. His aura, though, his spirit, was still unbreakable. It hurt to an extreme degree, but he wasn't about to stop.

Again his kneecap impacted the metal door flatly, transferring all of the power he was able to muster. But again his limb only bounced off, making a mockery of his strength. A faint sound from the other side of the door made its way to his ears, and he grit his teeth when he heard the laughter of the man outside. How lucky he was to be on the other side of the metal, while Adam was trapped inside. There would be a different laugh, if their situations were reversed.

With a new zeal, he continued pounding on the door, now letting the anger he felt drive him even more. His voice lifted into a stream of curses, threats, and promises as he continued to pound his body against the door, doing his best to break it. He was going to show humanity what happened when you locked a Faunus up like an animal. He was going to be just the animal they feared he was.

Some small part of him was aware that the guards outside were looking in through the window, and probably calling for something to subdue him. He had been subdued for far too long, though. He was going to be free now, and their corpses would be the things locked up in the cells. No human would escape his wrath. All of them had to pay, because all were guilty. It didn't matter what kind of person they were, it was simply that they existed.

A few more guards approached the door, and Adam's body slowed. It wasn't that he was afraid, or even hesitant, but that he felt too heavy to move. One of the voices, disembodied, but echoing his thoughts in an eerie manner, said, "Yes. Annihilate them."

The previous voices had been strange, intrusive things. More like thoughts than anything else. But this, that he was hearing now, was certainly real. It sounded like there was someone inside of his head, speaking to him as if they were having a normal conversation. He wondered if he could talk back.

"How?" It didn't matter who the voice was, or if it was even real. All he needed to do was escape.

The voice responded, deep words resonating around his head with power he had never known. "Kill them. Rend them piece by piece, until nothing remains. Then you will be able to serve our goals."

Adam raised an eyebrow to himself, some modicum of sense returning to his brain. "Our goals? Who is "our" in all this?"

The voice responded again, rising as if he had said something offensive. "You dare question me? You are but a maggot before my might!" Adam was forced to put his hands to his ears in a desperate attempt to block out the sheer volume, but it did nothing to help. "Do you wish to end your enemies or don't you? Serve me, and you will be the great blade that cleaves them in two! Falter, and survive off of their fetid bodies, maggot!"

The mental assault seemed to come to an end, and Adam straightened back up. It was hard to think, not only because of the noise, but because of the anger that filled his veins as well. This thing was right, it didn't matter who it was, or why it wanted him. All that mattered was that it wanted to help him kill. He couldn't do that from inside the cell, however, and it was becoming increasingly clear that he would need more than his mortal strength to break free.

"Fine! If you want me, than help me!"

The only answer he received from this was a deep chuckle, then for his blood to begin boiling. At first he felt pain from the blood being lit, then as it coursed through his body, he felt more anger. His voice lifted into a throat-ripping cry, and again he threw his strength at the door.

This time, his results were much better. The metal dented from his strikes, and his aura absorbed the whole of the shock. He struck almost faster than he ever had before, lading at least ten blows before the guards even he time to react. He didn't pay attention to them, though. He was focused on the container that kept him trapped.

The door started to creek as its hinges were put under far more stress than they had been designed for, and a few cracks in the glass started to appear. He didn't let himself become lax. That wouldn't free him. What would free him was the killing of those guards.

The door now had a large depression in it, metal almost splitting to reveal the outside world. He focused his efforts on the sides of the door, and it wasn't long before the thing was forced off.

With a prolonged groan, the metal started to be torn from the wall. Chunks of wall and ceiling matter fell to the floor of the cramped cell, and Adam strained to push it away.

With one final, mighty blow, he kicked the door away, and it exploded from its place, revealing to those outside the raw amount of power that Adam held. He was, at least to their eyes, burning. It wasn't simply a bright light, but instead appeared to be actual flame engulfing his body. They didn't know how he had been set ablaze, but they didn't want to find out.

Their weapons were already leveled on the door, and when it was blown off of its place, it collided with two of the men, striking them to the ground with such force that they were knocked out cold. The remaining three guards opened fire immediately, rifles sending rounds of dust at the man as quickly as they could.

Adam brought a hand in front of his face, shielding it from the hail of bullets, and charged forward. All the lethargy he had feared he would have was gone, replaced only by unspent energy. He moved almost faster than he ever had before, and lunged out at the closest man.

A strong jab connected with the man's nose, and Adam could fell the bone shift under the force of his knuckles. The guard went limp, crumpling to the ground like a ragdoll, before he turned to the other two. Both had started to step back fearfully, still firing away at him. One, the man further away from Adam, was starting to reach for his radio to signal what had happened. Adam knew that he could not allow this, and leaped off the ground, climbing at least six feet into the air before coming down directly on top of the man. He didn't recall ever being able to punch directly through body armor before, but as he withdrew his hand from the warm and wet hole that had appeared in the man's gut, his smile widened. He didn't much mind being able to do that. It would make everything easier for the future, he was sure.

The man fell to the ground, trying to cover the hole with his hands, but it was no use. Blood poured out of the wound, and was soon accompanied by organs never meant to see the light of day. Adam had no time to observe however, and finished him off with a quick stomp to the neck, severing his brain from his body. His jailors deserved no less.

He turned to the last man, who immediately started to plead with him. He dropped his firearm, signifying that he did not want to fight, and put his hands meekly over his head.

When Adam's fist met the side of his skull, the bone cracked and shattered in some places, and some amount of brain matter and spinal fluid were forced out. If he wasn't dead by the time his body hit the floor, it would not take long for his body to cease function.

Adam's fists worked without end, fingers curling and uncurling repeatedly, and breathe heavy in his chest. It felt good to be free, but he felt no relief from his anger.

At some point during the short battle, an alarm had started to sound, and red flashing lights indicated the utmost danger. This was a sign that more would be coming, and that he had to hurry. He had tread these halls before, but that had been with Cinder's little minion, Neo. That was when they had been trying to sneak their way through, and Adam had been shocked when she had killed even a single guard.

Not anymore.

Now he saw the reason for killing, and all of the good it could do. What was it that Blake used to say about the things they did? "Minor evils for a greater good." What he did was no different. What were a few human lives in the face of all the Faunus lives they had ruined?

A light squeak from behind him brought his attention back to the scene, and he turned to find a small girl, a child, looking at him with wide, shocked eyes. She had curly orange hair beneath a large pink bow that sat atop her head. Her skin was pale, and her face bore more than a few freckles. Her green eyes were almost brilliant in the dim red of the alarms.

Of all the things he saw about her, though, he didn't see anything remotely Faunus. It was clear that she was nothing but filth, and that he would be scraping her off the bottoms of his boots before long. She looked like she was still in shock from what she saw, and Adam intended to take full advantage of the situation.

She was about twenty feet away from him, so he wouldn't be able to catch her immediately. He hoped that she wasn't a fast runner, that would only be irritating. His sprint took him towards her, and she started to move. Surprising to him, she didn't start to run, but rather bent her legs, ready to jump. If she wanted to actually fight him, that was fine. Soon she would be splattered on the walls, just like the other humans had. Just as he got within range, his fingers almost brushing the front of her shirt, she lifted into the air.

It was such a precise movement that Adam immediately doubted that she was the little girl she seemed. There had to be something else beneath that skin, and he was going to find it.

She soared over him, barely an inch of space between them the whole time, before landing solidly behind Adam. He noted the ground crack beneath her feet, and his hatred deepened. It was almost impossible to stop on a dime from the speed he had been holding, but his legs tensed, and he did it, bringing his arms down and spinning in an attempt to sweep her legs out from under her.

What they met instead was the bottom of her shoe, as his attempt was blocked. He barely had any time to react to the knee that impacted the bridge of his nose, forcibly sending him sprawling. The blow didn't do any real damage though, and Adam was back on his feet within seconds.

By this time, the girl had changed. Perhaps not in any physical way, but there was undoubtable something off. Her pupils had narrowed, her expression was angry, and a large number of strangely shaped glowing green swords floated behind her back, angled towards him. He had never seen anything like it. More human trickery, of course. It was a clever trick to make the warden of a jail appear to be a small child. That way, escapees would be less likely to harm them. He wasn't going to let the trick work.

Adam charged again, but this time it seemed that it was not a wise decision. Four of the blades rocketed towards him, and he found their paths quite unavoidable. He was forced to only brace himself, and continue to try and push through.

When the four blades did hit, they ground against his aura, which had practically solidified around him by this point, and made it more difficult to advance. His shield was too strong for them to break through, and the pain wasn't about to stop him. He drew a fist back as he approached, ready to separate the little brat's head from her shoulders.

As he came within striking distance a second time, though, several things happened in the same second that made his victory impossible. First, one of the blades that encircled the girl rushed up from the side, and rammed right into his ribs. This knocked him off the path he'd had, and made contact impossible.

Second, the girl was snatched away before he could touch her. He didn't see well who it was that grabbed her, but he saw the white suit, and thought it rang a few bells. He would've guessed it was General Ironwood, but someone like that probably wouldn't risk their life for a little girl.

Third, from somewhere off to the side, there was the distinctive sound of somebody firing a grenade at them. It must've been an organized effort, because the man and the girl would be just outside of the blast when it hit.

Adam did his best to turn and swat the grenade out of the air, but it was too late, and the small grey cylinder hit the ground before exploding at his feet. He was thrown up into the air, and smashed through even the wall of the building before coming down on a mixture of grass and pieces of concrete. The grass felt good. It had been a long time since he had touched grass.

Although he would've liked to stay, and slaughter every single one of those disgusting people, the small, somewhat sane voice in his head told him to make a retreat. He knew he didn't have much in the way of other options, so he was forced to obey.

As the outlaw ran, Ironwood commanded his men to give chase, and do whatever was necessary to catch the man. He watched tensely as the man ran across the compound before jumping the wall that surrounded it.

With cold, calculating eyes, he tried to think of what they could do to catch that monster. He'd mutilated three men, and caused major damage to another two. Not just that, but he had gone after Penny. What kind of sick person would go after a little girl like Penny?

He sighed. Perhaps it was his fault. It was obvious that the effects of being locked up for so long were not easy to handle. He should have spoken more to the man, rather than leaving him in that cell. But there was nothing to be done about it now, he had broken free, and he had gained a huge amount of power. It was going to be Ironwood's new objective to put the man down before he could cause any more trouble. Perhaps that was what he should have done the first day he was brought in.

He shook his head, and let out a heavy sigh, and pulled Penny closer around his waist. She wasn't looking at the wall Adam had jumped over, but rather back at the corpses he had left behind. Ironwood remembered the last time she had been confronted with the idea or mortality, and felt an instinctual need to pull her away from the grizzly scene. He didn't, though, knowing that she would probably want to inspect them. While it might've been in her better interests to keep her away, Ironwood was feeling a little too melancholy to stop her. She was a child, and needed to explore the world anyways. A terrible place to start, maybe, but still something.

Penny slowly separated herself from him, and walked softly over to the corpses. Her body shook slightly, and she looked like she was on the edge of some kind of breakdown, but she didn't look like she was in danger. Ironwood kept a close eye on her, and followed a few steps behind.

When she got to them, she got down on her knees, and started to check the bodies. Two that she focused on specifically were the men who had been hit by the door. Ironwood hadn't had high hopes for the men, but Penny looked back at him and said with large, damp eyes, "He's still alive. We can help him."

He felt his heart break a little more than it already was. He had seen injuries like that before, the man's entire abdomen was crushed. There was no hope for the man. No surgery would be able to save his life. If they tried, it would only make the last few hours of the man's life full of pain and anguish. The kindest thing that they would be able to do for him was end it now, before he woke up.

Penny wouldn't understand that, though. There was no way she could. She had never seen suffering so intense that death would be better. And Ironwood never wanted her to.

He stepped forward and nodded, putting his hands on Penny's shoulder and saying, "Yes, we'll do what we can for him." After he said this, he motioned towards several of the soldiers, indicating to them to bring a medic as soon as they could. They all set off, speaking into their radios, and the chaos of what had just happened started to come into full swing.

Several Bullheads soared low through the sky, going out into the city to search for the escapee. Ironwood looked up, watching them go. He wished them the best on their mission, he really did, but he couldn't bring himself to genuinely believe that they would succeed. It was all just too much. He needed a break, and perhaps some of the tonic he had been saving.

Something wrapped around his waist, and he looked down to find Penny's arms, her hands with a thin veneer of blood that had wiped off on his white suit. There was nothing to be done about it, though. He would have to take Penny to wash up.

When Adam finally shook off his pursuers by slipping under a manhole cover and hiding, he took a few minutes to calm his nerves. Still, he was an enclosed space, and made him nothing but uncomfortable. Luckily he had plenty to distract him from his newfound claustrophobia, and this distraction took the form of an angry voice in his head.

He started the discussion in what seemed to him to be a perfectly logical way to do it. "If you want me to help you, you're going to have to tell me more about yourself. I won't just blindly follow."

The response he got was immediate and piercing, loud enough to completely rob him of his sense of balance. Without any hope of staying upright, he tumbled over onto the hard stone, hitting his head on the concrete and getting slightly wet as he did so. The fire had seemed to die down, and his rage had somewhat subsided.

"Maggots demand answers! The strong earn them. Which are you? Are you not deserving of my power?" It seemed completely unreasonable, but there was nothing Adam could do but accept its unfair deal. If he wanted to keep the power that he had gained, he was going to have to play by its rules.

"Can I at least get a name? How else am I supposed to address you…" he hesitated, before tying his luck by finishing, "…Lord."

The voice responded again, saying, "Do not seek to grovel at my feet like a spineless worm! I am not that wretch Cramus! If you are to serve me, you will be strong! Do not talk about what you want, take it!" The voice sounded very angry, but Adam was starting to think that was its default sound. He was starting to get angry too. He had never liked being shouted at, and by a voice in his own head was even worse.

He clenched his jaw tightly, and responded in a terse fashion, "Fine. What is it I have to do to show you I'm worth the time to talk to me?"

The answer he received was similar to the thoughts that had permeated his cell while he was imprisoned. "Kill."

Adam grinned. He had been planning on it anyways, so why not make a friend in the process? His fists closed tightly as he started to think about humans again, and everything that they had ever done. Maybe if he could get ahold of the White Fang again, they would be able to aid in his quest. Any proud Faunus would.

Summer's features were sharper than her daughter's, but they both shared silvery-grey eyes, and pale skin. Summer was about a head taller than her daughter, and possessed the same general physique. Both were somewhat wiry, and both were embraced in a tight hug with the other, as if trying to make up for all the years they had lost.

Yang stood beside them, a large smile on her face, obviously very pleased with the results of their mission. The Death Knights busied themselves scanning their weapons and armor meticulously for faults of any kind, even though they knew they would find none.

Naze was positioned a few feet away, watching the pair reunite. It was an uncommon sight to see such affection given to the undead, but not unheard of. What he knew was that the scene wouldn't last forever, and that the two would be forced to split up again. Summer couldn't fulfill her duty with her daughters at her side, and they couldn't serve as huntresses at the side of their mother. It wasn't his concern, but he did start to feel the stirrings of his humanity again.

He would've cursed, but it wasn't a strong stirring. It was one that he could easily smash down, and he did so without hesitation. He had no desire to feel anything. Instead, he started to think about what lay ahead. Demons were going to spring from Menagerie soon, and where they would go he didn't know. It would make the most sense to attack either Vale, or his own necropolis. Defenses would have to be readied in both areas soon.

If they did come for him, he would make sure to destroy them. The powers that they held would certainly be able to at least match the demons, if not overpower them. It would be important that no Arch-demon be brought into the world, though. If one did, it would make things significantly harder. Not even Naze could rightly hope to stand up to a being of such might. At least, not in a straight fight. If he was allowed time to prepare tricks and traps, it was possible that he defeat it. If he were able to kill one, it would open up almost boundless opportunities to research. Potential for large gain came at potential for large loss, however, and if he did pursue such an action, he faced the prospect of his body being destroyed. It had been many thousands of years since the last time he had been "killed."

His phylactery had never fallen into danger, though, and always served to bring him back. He had fortified it against nearly every threat imaginable.

The others in his service had no such insurance, and could be vulnerable to a demon's soul-stealing abilities. It would be harder to pull a soul out of a living subject than a dead one, but the dead could conjure wards and protections more easily to defend themselves.

He pulled himself back to the icy mountain, turning his attention to the smoldering corpse of the giant worm. There was a considerable amount of damage to its musculature and mouth, but it was nothing that was beyond repair. The advantages of having a monster like that on his side would be obvious. It wouldn't be the most bizarre corpse to grace his servitude. He wondered if there were more of them in the mountains. If so, it might be a worthwhile investment to "procure" a few more.

He didn't know if it was a simple creature, a vestige of the age he had missed, or if it was a kind of Grimm that had simply never been found. It would be important to halt its decay if it was, as he had observed the rapid deterioration that Grimm corpses underwent.

He started to approach, leaving Ruby, Yang, and their mother, to their personal business while he examined the thing. He was sure that they would appreciate his leave.

As he approached the massive corpse, he started to study it more closely. Its hardened shell of armor didn't seem to melt quite as quickly as regular water should've, and he found it logical to attribute that to the slime the creature exuded. Experimentally, he sliced a portion of its armor away, and found dark black skin beneath. He didn't found no plates of bone characteristic of the Grimm, but figured that it would make sense for it to lack them. The beast's eyes were odd, but nothing very interesting. Perhaps it was a Grimm, perhaps it wasn't. It didn't matter too much. He would have the corpse extracted, studied, and reanimated.

Back at the main group, all three of the Rose family were glad Naze had left. They didn't dislike him, his presence was simply rather stifling. When Ruby and Summer let their holds on each other fade, summer put her arm around Ruby's shoulder, pulling her close and doing the same with Yang.

Neither of the girls were sure what they had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't this. Summer looked the same as she had any day when she was alive, her body had frozen so fast that no changes could take place. Every bit of the beauty they remembered had survived, and this extended almost even to her clothes. Her cape she wore was white, completely colorless, and created a sharp contrast with Ruby's attire. Instead of the black and red dress that Ruby wore, she had most of her body covered in dyed grey light leather armor. Various belts and small pouches containing a variety of items littered her chest, well organized in several small rows.

Ruby noted with particular interest that she didn't carry ammunition. Her mother's weapon had disappeared with her, and she had caught only glimpses of the thing so far.

The handle of the scythe extended a few feet over her shoulders before ending in a wicked looking head, sharpened not on the inside, but both edges. It lacked most of the mechanical parts that gave Crescent Rose its characteristic appearance, and seemed to be much simpler overall in its use.

Summer noted Ruby's staring, and smiled down at her. "Oh, I bet you want to see this." Ruby smiled and nodded like a dog, excitedly stepping in front of her mother. She continued speaking as she reached up and drew the thing from its place on her back. "I showed you how it worked once, when you were a baby, but I don't think you remember that, do you?"

Ruby shook her head, and Summer shrugged. "It doesn't matter much. Made you giggle harder than I've ever seen, that's for sure." Ruby strained her brain trying to remember, but she couldn't.

Her mother brought the instrument forth, and held it out for Ruby to see. The blade was as sharp as a razor, probably sharper than even Crescent Rose's, and about as wide. It was weighted strangely, with most of the mass being evenly distributed, instead of being top heavy like Ruby had learned to use scythes. A few small triggers lined the metal pole that served as the body, but Ruby couldn't find any place that a projectile would fire from.

The urge to pull one of the triggers suddenly became very strong, but Ruby knew that she shouldn't. Not without asking what they did first. Even so, she let her hand drift out towards one as she looked up at her mother's face again. "Mom, what do these do?"

Summer smiled, and said, "Those trigger the pressurization inside of the hilt to launch the head. Different triggers launch at different speeds and directions."

Ruby raised an eyebrow, and looked up at her mother again. "Launch the head? What do you mean?"

Again, Summer smiled, hefted the weapon back into her arms, and held it in roughly the same way Ruby held Crescent Rose while firing. She pulled the trigger, and an explosive hiss broke through the air as the double-sided scythe head rocketed away, a long silvery chain connecting the two.

Ruby's jaw dropped, and her head filled to the brim with questions. How did it work? What kind of dust did it use? Could the chain retract just as easily? How much weight would it support? She shook her head, trying to order her thoughts, but her mother wasn't done with her demonstration yet.

She adjusted her grip slightly, and pulled a finger, activating another trigger. The chain tensed immediately, and the head that had fallen to the snow started to drag back towards them. Summer ran with it, making the chain retreat back into the pole faster than before, as well as speeding her own steps up. As she neared the head again she jumped into the air, stopping the head from coming any closer. While airborne, she tucked herself into a ball, sending her body spinning quickly. The head of her scythe became a blurred wheel of destruction around her. As she came back towards the earth, she unfurled herself and placed her legs back under her. The head of the scythe hit the ice, accompanied by the sound of ice being sundered apart. The ground shook as the ice briefly shifted itself to compensate for the damage that Summer had done.

Ruby's jaw dropped again, and she didn't know what to say. She had never seen moves like that. She suddenly felt as though her own mode of combat, using Crescent Rose to fling herself around, wasn't quite as good as it used to be.

Her mother started to walk back, and Ruby felt like she had seen something amazing. It was probably a simple move to her mother, but Ruby thought that was one of the most devastating attacks she had ever seen. With so much force behind it, there was no armor that would be able to stop it. She could probably even pound through a person's aura with a single strike like that.

It was no wonder her mother used to be held in such esteem. She only wished that there wouldn't be too much vitriol from the fact that she was undead now. She would hate her mother to be spurned for such a small thing. She had always done nothing but serve the greater good. Even as a baby, Ruby had been inspired by her.

When her mother returned, she still had a bright smile on her face. Ruby started to praise her move, but she waved it off, saying, "It was nothing compared to that shot you took into that worm. I know I wouldn't have been able to make it."

Her spirits were lifted even further by this praise, and soon Ruby started to feel faint. Her body was exhausted from the energy she had used to fight the worm, and all of the getting excited she was doing didn't help matters at all. It was only minutes before she started to have trouble keeping her eyes open, and wobbling unsteadily on her feet.

Summer laughed after a particularly dramatic sway backwards, and said, "Maybe its time that you go to bed, Ruby."

Her daughter sighed. It was clear she didn't want to, she was loving every second she spent with her mother, but that didn't change the fact that she needed to rest. Summer knew from firsthand experience that getting exhausted like that was not a good thing to do under any circumstances.

She looked to Yang, and motioned for her to pick Ruby up. Yang smiled and did so, scooping Ruby up in her arms like a baby. Ruby voiced a few indignant objections, then quieted down when Yang pulled her hood over her head.

The two undead members of the family smiled to each other, and Ruby started to relax in Yang's arms. At this rate, she would fall asleep before they even returned home. Ruby spoke up again, saying, "I can walk by myself, I don't need any help!" A particularly harsh wind whipped across the frozen surface of the mountain, and Yang felt Ruby start to shiver in her arms as she pulled her cloak tighter. She pulled her sister tighter in her arms before remembering that she didn't have any body heat to share with Ruby. It would still be good to shield her from the wind, though.

Yang and Summer both looked at one another, wanting to return home. Summer wanted to meet her children' friends. Ruby and Yang had told her much about the Faunus Blake, and the heiress Weiss. It was hard to believe that her daughters had somehow befriended a Schnee, but they had. It was a testament to their own abilities, if nothing else. Summer had heard a lot about both of them, and was looking forward to meeting them. She hoped that they were just as her daughters had made them sound.

One of the four Death Knights approached from their own group, and spoke to Summer in an official tone. "I am to escort you back to the rune. Are you ready to depart?"

Summer looked slightly surprised, then nodded. "Yes, we should go. Is Naze going to be alright?"

The Death Knight nodded, and motioned towards the bottom of the mountain, starting to walk. Yang and Summer followed, looking out over the land they could see from their high place. In the distance, Atlas spanned a wide area across the coast, but that was barely visible at all. The only thing that revealed it through the clouds and distance that separated them was the multitude of glittering lights. Neither Ruby nor Yang had ever been to Atlas. They'd never had the opportunity.

They wouldn't have it now either, unfortunately. Summer had liked Atlas, though it was a little too stuffy for her tastes. The technology was nice, but there was simply an air about it that she had never found herself fond of. Thankfully, Ruby didn't seem too heartbroken about it. She simply stared into the distance.

The trip down the mountain was much easier than it had been up, and the ground was so steep in some places that it was a challenge not to slide down. Luckily enough, Yang and Summer were nimble enough to keep from losing control of their descent, and the Knight was dexterous enough to keep his armor from impeding his movement.

The rest of the trip down passed without too much issue. The air grew warmer as they came down, and Ruby stopped shivering, starting to snore peacefully. Summer walked alongside Yang, watching Ruby with a strange, peaceful expression on her face. Yang had never seen that kind of look before. It seemed to be a kind of motherly thing that she was feeling.

Yang shifted Ruby's weight in her arms, and held her sister out to her mother, hoping that Summer would take her. Summer looked first down at Ruby, then up at Yang with wide eyes. Yang nodded wordlessly, and again offered her sister over.

Summer put her arms around her little girl gently, and took her from Yang. Yang watched the way that she held Ruby, rocking her gently and putting their faces close. It was immediately obvious that she had gone into her own little world, where she and Ruby were the only things that she had to worry about.

It made Yang happy to see. Not only was her mother happy, but Ruby would finally have the opportunity to ask all of the questions that she had over the years that neither their father nor her sister could answer.

When they reached the base of the mountain, where the rune was that took them there, Summer turned to Yang, then looked to the runes. Two were on the ground, not one. One lead to the ziggurat, and one to Beacon. Both remembered which one was which, but Summer didn't want to return to the ziggurat. She wanted to go and see the world that her children lived in.

Maybe, if she was lucky, she would see a few of her old teachers. She didn't know if any were still around. She was sure that she would see some of her old classmates, though. She wondered how people would react to her coming back. Many would be surprised, she was sure, but there were others who could've guessed she would be back simply by observing what was happening.

Maybe she would have to pay a few visits around town. She would like to see a few of her old friends' faces when they saw their long-gone friend.

She made up her mind as to what she would do, and stepped with Yang onto the rune that would take them to Vale. Her daughters were obviously happy about this, and it was only a few seconds before their location changed in a bright flash.

As Naze continued to study the corpse, something else started to fill the area. His three remaining Death Knights were around him, and readying themselves for whatever was coming. Naze recognized the feeling in the air, though. It wasn't just any demon, it was one that he had spoken with before.

The demon's power started to coalesce around him, but it wasn't a large enough amount to worry him. Demon Lords had many powers, and if it was taking action against him, he was sure it would be in a much more aggressive form.

Gradually, a shape started to form out of light bent out of the sky. It was shifting constantly, and impossible to assign a real form. A fine imitation of the thing he had seen in his own home.

From this light, thousands of ethereal voice emanated, speaking what sounded like a warning. "Lich, I come with news." If Naze had eyebrows, they would have raised. The demon continued, saying "The last of the players has found a piece. Dolor, the Lord of hate and blood, has chosen a servant. It would be the recommendation of this demon that you eliminate his champion with utmost haste. His have a way of being rather volatile."

Naze stared at the demon for a few moments before letting his gaze fall back to the worm's corpse. "Why tell me this, Timor? If you are as uninterested in this world as you've said, there is no reason to share this knowledge."

The light shook slightly as it seemed to consider its answer. After a short while it responded, saying, "I am uninterested in the world, but not in the exploits of my competitors. Now, with so little power here, it is difficult to maintain a presence, so listen. His name is Adam Taurus, and he was one of the former leaders of the White Fang. In a fight he will be difficult to overcome, but his soul is not free of fear; he cares about one called "Blake Belladonna" and is deathly afraid of hurting her. That should make him much easier to deal with."

Naze nodded. "I've interacted with him before. I understand the danger he poses, but perhaps immediate destruction is not the only fate that awaits him." The structure of a plan started to form in his mind, and he looked back up at Timor, watching to gauge its reaction. "Perhaps his capabilities could be harnessed. If he cares so much for her, then it would be a simple task to set him against Cramus, no? It would only take him believing that she had been converted or possessed."

The light laughed with millions of throats before speaking. "An ingenious ploy, but you would likely have to pacify him. Dolor does not easy let the fires of rage die easy."

Naze had expected that. As he finished his examination of the worm, he said, "Very well, the matter will be addressed."

He started to turn, but before could so much as move, the demon said, "Wait. What's that you have there?" Naze didn't know what the demon referred to, so he didn't respond. "Could that be a little shred of a soul I see? Ha, I didn't think you'd be one to hold on to such a thing."

Naze knew that the demon was trying to get under his skin now, and he wasn't about to let it work. It was a mistake that had unfortunately been with him for an eternity.

Without another word, Naze started to leave. From behind him, he heard Timor say, "I think I was right to pick you, Lich. You could prove useful yet."