Chapter 14: Know Your Enemies

Sahrra Airport, Oasis

As Summer stepped out of the terminal, she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, Team HTHR standing near the restrooms. They were talking to each other excitedly, likely about the rather unprecedented match that had just occurred. "Hey Heather," she greeted her friend, running over to them with Tai, Raven and Qrow right behind her.

"Hello, Summer." Heather smiled. "You did really well during your match today. It looks the boys and I have a lot to live up to if we want to win this year."

"Aw, c'mon, don't say that. We're all on the same side, aren't we?" Tai replied.

Regal shrugged apathetically. "'Win'. Heh. Yeah, right. As if any of us are gonna be winning with those monsters in the competition," he muttered bitterly.

Herman sighed. "Seriously. Guess we might as well give up now, huh?"

"Yeah, are we not gonna talk about how much bullshit that was?" said Qrow angrily. "The giant bird that girl used - is that even allowed in the tournament?"

"...There's no rule strictly forbidding it," Heather admitted. "Unfortunately, that sort of tactic is perfectly legal."

Qrow stamped his foot in frustration. "Well, dammit. Can't believe any team would have something like that up their sleeve - basically an instant win button. It's fucking ridiculous."

"Still, the rules are the rules," said Raven, though she didn't seem very happy about it. "I suppose all we can do - all anyone can do - is find some way around it. There must be some hole in their strategy than we can exploit."

"If you can call that a strategy," Tai muttered.

"I could have respected that if they had actually had skills of their own," said Torrence gruffly, "but their performance was just disgraceful."

Heather nodded, narrowing her brow suspiciously. "...Yes, it really was. Say, what was their leader's name again…?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm sure we'll find a way," said Summer, conviction in her voice. Though her teammates had been reluctant at first, eventually they'd all decided, as a group, to send Summer and Raven to the doubles round. Qrow had asked if she was sure about five times before he'd glumly given up his spot. "We'll definitely beat Team PLSM, one way or another."

"...Speaking of which," said Tai, nodding his head to the right. Sure enough, Psycha, along with Locke, Storm and Moss, was making her way towards the Beacon students. Several people stopped to stare at her or whisper to their companions as she passed.

"Well now," said Psycha smugly. "I suppose that was a very valuable lesson for all of you. If you're conspiring together to try figuring out how to defeat us, you should know that you're all wasting your time. Or have you not learned-."

"We've learned something, all right," Tai spat. "You're barely even Huntsmen. If it weren't for that bird of yours, I bet you wouldn't even have made it to the tournament!"

"But we did. So what's your point, huh?" asked Storm aggressively, looking ready to punch someone right then and there. His hair began to stand up, and electricity emanated from his gauntlets.

Tension was filling the area they were standing in. Everyone was waiting for the first blow to be thrown. Suddenly, Heather broke the silence. "So I was right," she said. "Psycha Osmov, former student of Dusk Academy. I didn't think it would be you until I saw that match."

"...Is that so?" Psycha scowled. "Sure, I went to that peasants' school. So what? I remember you, Heather Fox - that obnoxious know-it-all brat who was always the best at everything, even though I was a year older. How's it feel knowing you're going to lose to me, hmm?"

"Oh, that's right. We were in the same class because you'd been held back a year on account of your failing grades," said Heather coolly. "And the only reason you graduated at all was because of your father's money."

"...What?" Summer was taken aback by what Heather was saying. Psycha and her team were glaring furiously at the purple-haired Huntress.

"And that's not all," Heather continued. "I'd heard, back in our first year at Beacon, that a group of students in Shade Academy had failed their initiation. It wasn't until months later that they'd been allowed to form a team, and Shade's headmaster, Thane, got quite a bit of backlash accusing him of accepting bribery. That was you and your friends, wasn't it?"

"C-c'mon!" Locke protested, waving his hands around in denial. "We're the best Huntsmen in the world - how could we ever fail that super-duper easy initiation?"

Raven nodded her head slowly. "Hmm, I did hear about that back then. That would explain why I'd never heard of you people in the records. After all, you wouldn't be officially recognized as Huntsmen of Shade."

"...It doesn't matter if we're not 'official'," Moss protested.

"Yeah!" Storm yelled indignantly. "So what if we flunked that stupid test? We're still gonna win!"

"Ahhaha, b-but we didn't actually fail, alright?" Locke said desperately.

"Can you idiots shut the hell up?" Psycha snapped.

Summer watched the four of them, feeling her disgust for Team PLSM grow even stronger. So these people weren't even real Huntsmen at all. They were cheaters! And yet they still felt qualified to talk down to everyone they met.

"...Hmph. Say what you want about us. It won't change a damn thing. As long as I have Bubble, there's no one who can stop me," said Psycha, looking visibly shaken.

"That's the big metal bird you used, right?" Summer asked. "Where did you even get it?"

"Not your business," she replied brusquely.

"I assume her father made it for her - Professor Osmov. I've heard he's quite the famous inventor here in Vacuo," said Heather. "He greatly values his craft - likely more than his own daughter, if today is any indication."

"Why you little bitch…." snarled Psycha, before stopping herself. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. "You think you know everything, don't you? But I can tell that you're just as much of a screw-up as you say I am!"

Heather frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean! You kept skipping classes in your last year back at Dusk. They said you got sick with some big illness that kept you in bed for entire weeks. And when you were in class you were either having a migraine or throwing up. It was pathetic! Your grades were ruined, and I'm sure you would have flunked out…" Psycha flashed her a venomous grin, intending to make her next words sting. "...But I suppose the teachers took pity on you since your mom had just died."

Heather recoiled. "I-"

Psycha threw her head back and laughed. "Well, I'll be seeing you all later...in the arena, if you're unlucky enough." Her composure had completely returned. Without waiting for Heather to respond, she turned and walked away haughtily, gesturing for her teammates to follow.

"..." Watching them leave, Teams STRQ and HTHR were quiet.

Finally, Qrow spoke. "What a bunch of fucking tools," he said, summing up the thoughts of everyone present.

"Yeah. You can say that again." Herman was glaring at the place where Team PLSM had stood. He looked uncharacteristically agitated, and his fists were clenched, shaking in anger. "...Hey. Heather. C'mon, let's head to Shade, alright? Our match is tomorrow, and we could use some last-minute training." His voice didn't have an ounce of drowsiness in it.

"...Okay." Heather nodded, still looking shaken. She turned to Summer and her team. "We'll see you later, alright?" She turned and walked away.

"Uh, Heather?" Regal asked hesitantly as the four of them wandered into the crowd. "What did that Psycha girl mean by…?"

Torrence shook his head. "Forget it, Regal. I doubt she wants to talk about it."

"I guess now we know what we're in for, huh?" Tai muttered as Team HTHR walked out of sight. "We might as well start hitting the gym again for this...though I'm starting to think it might not help at this point."

"Nothing else we can do, right?" said Qrow.

Raven crossed her arms thoughtfully. "Hmm, well if it's training you're thinking of, I know a place outside of the city that might be of use to us. Then, when the evening comes, we can return for dinner if we all make it out."

Summer nodded. Anything to take Psycha off her mind was welcome at this point. "Alright. I'm down...wait." She frowned. "What do you mean by 'if'?"

Ruins of Solomon, Solito Desert

Sitting in the sand under the scorching-hot sun, Summer shifted uncomfortably as her rear began to heat up. In her hands she held a large fishing pole, it's curved hook hanging over a large sand pit. "I don't know if this was a good idea…" she muttered to herself. Somewhere off in the distance, her teammates were sitting in different locations, holding out their own fishing poles.

Team STRQ had followed Raven's directions and left the Oasis district, taking a long, tiring trek across the desert plains of Vacuo that had lasted at least an hour. The difference between the comfort of Oasis and the harsh conditions of the rest of the Kingdom had become quite apparent as they walked.

After nearly collapsing several times and Qrow's constant complaints of "Are we there yet?!", the four of them had reached some strange ruins, which appeared to be that of a large temple. Plates of obsidian, silver, and other unidentifiable metals were strewn in the sand. Several of the structures that were still standing had scriptures of some ancient language, which were being slowly weathered away by the eons. There was something hauntingly beautiful about it all.

"Whoa. What is this place?" Tai asked, looking at the ruins in awe.

"The Ruins of Solomon - the remains of some civilization long past, or so they say," explained Raven. "The area has largely been abandoned in recent years because of Grimm infestations, but Huntsmen sometimes make their way here for some free exercise."

"How many come back?" Qrow asked darkly.

"Most of them," his sister replied. And that had been that.

The main attraction of the ruins was that a nest of rare, dangerous Grimm was located somewhere underneath the sand, and could be lured out with bait. Considering the Grimm's lack of need for feeding, it was debatable how effective that method really was. Still, Team STRQ had split up to try taking down the Grimm by themselves.

"Hm-hm-hmmm…" Summer hummed to herself, trying to ease her boredom. Nothing had been biting for half an hour now, and she starting to think this was all a wild goose chase. Maybe we should just rejoin Heather's team and do some sparring… As that thought entered her mind, she felt a sudden tug on her string. "Huh?" She glanced up.

A grotesque, long black limb had grasped onto the hook of her fishing rod, and after a moment began dragging it, along with Summer, into the pit. Yelling in panic, she pulled on her rod in an attempt to pull the rod back. A loud, demonic hiss was coming from somewhere within the whirlpool of sand. With a screech, the monster gave up its fight and emerged fully, revealing itself as a large antlion-like Grimm, with multiple black pincer-like limbs.

Instinctively, Summer yelped in fear. She threw the fishing pole to the side, before aiming her bow and firing an explosive arrow into the Grimm's mouth. The monster opened its gaping maw and swallowed the projectile in curiosity, before recoiling in pain as it detonated inside its body. Screeching, it lunged at her with its two sharp mandibles, its maw dripping with saliva.

Summer leapt out of the way, transforming her bow into its blade form. She swung her blade at the beast's left mandible, but it bounced harmlessly off the limb. Damn! She thought, frustrated. Glancing at the creature, she saw that the joints where the mandibles branched off from the maw looked more fragile than the rest of the body. She turned her weapon back into a bow and began firing arrows at them.

Directly in front of her, one of the monster's gnarly limbs jutted out of the sand, striking her in the abdomen. "Ugh!" Summer yelled, stumbling back several paces. Several more limbs began emerging from the sand, trying to hit her. Summer desperately ran away from the beast, trying to get out the limbs' range, while occasionally turning to fire more arrows.

A long limb burst out of the ground ahead of her, flying toward her face. Yelling, Summer ducked, turning Phoenix Heart into blades and slicing the limb in two. A crimson redness enveloped the area where it had been cut, as it disintegrated into nothing.

As the antlion screamed in pain, it opened its maw wide, and Summer took the opportunity to fill it with more explosive arrows from her bow. One arrow struck its right mandible, causing the savage limb to hang loosely from the creature's mouth. Changing to gunblade form, Summer fired a stream of pellets from the barrel in her blade, impacting the brittle joint and severing the mandible. The monster screamed again as a grisly black fluid spilled from where its limb had once been.

As the beast lunged at her again, Summer leapt up and grabbed onto its remaining mandible, hanging on precariously. The antlion lifted its head back up, and she saw the ground getting farther and farther away. "Ah-agh…" she stammered. Grunting, she made her way across the limb as the creature swung its head around to shake her off. Finally, she reached the joint, right next to its gaping wide mouth. At the angle she was at, one wrong move would cause her to fall directly into its maw.

"Hrahh!" Brushing away her fear, Summer plunged her blade directly into the joint, releasing a stream of black fluid. As the beast writhed in agony, Summer nearly lost her grip. Finally, with a grunt, she retracted the blade with enough force to sever the limb, timing her fall to land onto the beast itself.

Quickly, she gripped both of her swords and drove them into its head. She held onto them, keeping her balance as the monster's movements continued. From their barrels, she fired rounds directly into where its skull would be. The antlion screeched as it excreted the black fluid from its maw. Its struggles slowly became weaker, and once she felt it was safe enough, Summer drew her blades out of the antlion's body and leapt off. She turned her weapon into a bow midair and fired an explosive arrow at the ground to break her fall.

As Summer landed she turned back, watching as the antlion Grimm sank back into the vortex of sand, its body already fading away as it descended into the abyss. Whew. Summer took a moment to regain her composure, before appreciating the fact that she'd just taken down a large Grimm all by herself. And I didn't mess up the landing this time, she thought proudly.

"Hey, nice job Summer!" Tai was waving at her from near the temple entrance. The Branwen twins were with him. Eagerly, Summer grabbed her fishing pole and ran over to him. "I saw you finish that sucker off - you did great!" he said.

"Thanks," Summer smiled. "What about you guys? Any luck with the fishing?"

"Nah," grumbled Qrow. "We couldn't get any of 'em to bite. So we just all gave up and decided we might as well explore this place while we can. And of course the moment we come looking for you, you've taken down one on your own."

"Now now, Brother," said Raven. "Cheer up. Perhaps we'll find some more Grimm inside that we can fight."

The grand doors to the ruined structure opened with a simple push. Cautiously, the four Huntsmen made their way inside. The interior turned out to be little better than the outside - rubble was strewn everywhere, and bizarre-looking artifacts lay in ruins on the floor. They found a large chamber that looked like it had once been used for religious sermons, with rows of benches lined up neatly and covered in dust and cobwebs, and a wrecked slab of marble that had once been a pulpit stood at the back of the room.

"...Creepy," Qrow muttered, and Summer nodded in agreement. It was like walking through one of those 'ghost towns' that people always talked about on TV. At one point in history, this place had been crawling with life and activity. It was more than a little eerie to think about.

A loud *bump* from the upper floor caught everyone's attention. The four of them glanced suspiciously at the ceiling. "The hell was that?" Qrow asked.

"Could be Grimm," suggested Tai. "Either way, only one way to find out!" He rushed for the staircase, and his teammates ran after him. On the second floor, there were several more nondescript rooms, some of which had old tapestries lying torn and faded on the floor. Wandering around for a few minutes, the team found a spacious room with large, stained-glass windows that were still intact after eons of isolation. The windows depicted two deity-like figures, one coloured black and the other white, with a halo of light surrounding them. They were standing above a mass of people reaching up to them in apparent worship.

Occupying the centre of the room was a strange cylindrical mechanism. A man, appearing to be in his late fifties, was examining the large device. "So they existed even out here in the desert," he muttered to himself, fascinated. "Well, I suppose it might not have been a desert back then…"

Suddenly, he seemed to notice he wasn't alone. "Hm? Who's there?" The man turned around, and Summer saw that he was a dark-haired, middle-aged man, with scarlet eyes and large, round spectacles. He held a wooden cane in his hands. "...Ah."

Qrow blinked, looking at the man in disbelief. "U...Uncle Luka?!" he gasped. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Surprised, Summer stared blankly at the short, middle-aged figure. This man was Luka? She certainly hadn't expected him to look so...weak.

"Qrow! Raven! It's been too long!" Luka Branwen smiled amicably, limping toward them excitedly. "I was planning on doing some research in Vacuo while the Oasis was open to the public, but I didn't think I'd run into you two here! How have you been?"

Reaching out his arms, he warmly embraced his niece and nephew. "...We've been doing just fine, Uncle," said Raven with a smile on her face, patting Luka on the back. "We won our first match of the tournament earlier this morning."

"The first of many, I would hope," said Luka proudly. "Ah, well, I was busy with work, so I couldn't watch it all, but I knew you two would win! And these are your teammates, hmm?" He nodded at Tai and Summer.

"Hey! Nice to meet you," Tai grinned, waving at him. "Name's Taiyang Xiao Long. I'm Raven's b-"

"He's Sis' partner," Qrow finished for him. "And that girl in the white hood with the bow is my partner, Summer." He pointed at her. "We told you about them, right?"

"Indeed you did," Luka confirmed. "I can tell from the looks of you two that you are both fine Huntsmen. To be honest, I was a little skeptical when Raven announced she and Qrow were going to enroll in Beacon. Not that I doubted their skills - quite the contrary, I feared no one at the Academy would be able to match up to them. Thankfully, it seems my fears were unfounded."

Tai laughed uncomfortably at Luka's praise, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "Ahaha...aww hey, thanks Mr. B!"

Luka turned back toward the strange mechanism. "Hmm...anyway," he murmured. "I wanted to investigate the Ruins of Solomon because I thought it might hold the key to my next archeological discovery. Judging from this, it seems my hunch was right."

"What were you looking for?" Summer asked.

"This." Luka gestured toward the device. Walking closer to get a better look, Summer saw a spherical socket in the center of the machine, where it seemed something was meant to placed. There were a myriad of wires and circuits jutting out from the edges, which looked more technological than anything else in the temple. "A sort of ritual device that was used in ancient times...though their purpose is unknown, researchers have found machines of similar structures all around Remnant. I've heard they may well date all the way back to the Age of the Two Brothers!"

"The Two Brothers..." Summer murmured. "Wait, you mean those two gods from those fairy tales? The ones that created humanity and the Grimm?"

"...You can't possibly think they're real," said Raven incredulously.

"Well, all fairy tales started from somewhere - and some of them may well be real," her uncle replied. "You've all seen the scriptures recorded on the temple walls, haven't you? It's a bit hard to read after all these years, but translated into the modern language, one can piece part of the story together. It seems like these ruins were one of many temples humanity built to worship the Brother of Light, back when the two gods still lived amongst men. Whatever this machine was, it appears to be some sort of...conduit through which people would receive the god's' gifts." Luka paused. "I presume you know of the Forsaken Lands?"

The four of them nodded. "I thought so. Well, if these texts can be taken at face value, this mysterious 'magic' that people from the Forsaken use may well have found their origin from the Two Brothers. During the ancient times, the people who were able to fully utilize these gifts - whether it be advanced technology, knowledge, or inhuman abilities - formed a grand Kingdom of their own, separate from the rest of the world." Now rambling excitedly, the archeologist seemed to be talking to himself, ignoring everyone else. "There's no scripture hinting at what became of that civilization, or if it even still exists...but it was known as Eden."

"Eden, huh?" said Tai. "Well, that sounds interesting…" he frowned. "But uh, Mister - um, or is it Professor Branwen-?"

"Luka is fine," he replied graciously.

"Um, Luka, how'd you even get all the way out here to these ruins? Without getting eaten up by the antlion Grimm outside?"

"...Grimm? Here?" Luka's eyes widened in surprise. "I-I certainly didn't know anything about that. I simply walked all the way here. Goodness, it seems I caught a lucky break. I'll have to hire an escort for myself next time."

Summer laughed nervously. "Y-you really should count your blessings. How about we escort you back to the city? We'll keep you safe from the monsters, don't you worry."

"That sounds like a splendid idea," Luka smiled. "My research here is done for the day, so I'll gladly accept your offer."

With that, the four Huntsmen, surrounding the old archeologist, made their way out of the Ruins of Solomon, keeping guard while watching for approaching Grimm. Thankfully, they managed to reach the central grounds of the desert after only a couple encounters with some Creeps and Beowolves. They made their way towards the city in the distance, walking as fast as they could without accidentally stepping into a stray sand pit. Along the way, Luka happily chatted with Qrow and Raven, asking about how they were doing in school, and sharing stories about them with their teammates.

As they walked, Summer felt her doubt in Raven grow. She had made her uncle out to be some horrible monster who had destroyed her family and hometown, someone she was dedicating her life to secretly getting revenge on. But there was nothing about Luka Branwen that suggested any sort of malice. He just seemed like a nice, studious person.

It was sundown by the time they entered the Oasis. "I can't thank you all enough for your help," said Luka as they reached the entrance to their hotel. "Qrow, Raven, if you ever want to catch up some more, you can find me at the museum over in the East End. Ha, I'm formally recognized as one of their staff, can you believe it?" He smiled sheepishly.

"We will," said Raven politely. "Well, good evening, uncle. I hope to see you again soon." She turned and walked into the hotel, with Qrow and Tai behind her. Summer was about to follow them, but she heard Luka say, "Er, wait. Could I speak to you for a moment, young lady?"

"Huh?" Summer turned around. "Um, what is it?"

"Well, it's just...how do I put this…?" Luka muttered, looking down awkwardly. "You...you have silver eyes, don't you?"

Summer frowned. "My...eyes? Y-yeah, they're silver, which I know is pretty rare…"

"Rare. I suppose you can say that. Has…" the archeologist frowned at her through his glasses. "Has your headmaster, er, told you yet? About what your eyes actually are…?"

"My eyes are what?" Summer asked, confused. "What does Ozpin have to do with this?"

Luka shook his head quickly. "O-oh, then it seems he hasn'- ahem! Never mind that. That was all I wanted to ask you, honestly. Though…" he smiled at her. "You really do seem like a capable warrior, Miss Rose. I was speaking with Argent the other day, and he seemed to heap quite a bit of praise on you."

"...Argent - you mean General Fox? Is he in Vacuo?" Summer was surprised.

"Certainly. With the construction of the Soulcage, collaborations between Vacuo and Atlas are more frequent than they've ever been. It's no surprise the general himself would show up to witness the festival. Especially with his own daughter participating - who I've heard you're on good terms with. Although…" his voice dropped, and his gaze turned uncertain. "What?" Summer asked curiously.

"Honestly, I wasn't sure if old Argent would actually agree to come back to Vacuo after what happened. Granted, it's been four years, but still…" Luka sighed. "Oh, you didn't know? Four years ago, his wife sadly...passed away...while visiting the Kingdom."

Summer stared at him in surprise. Suddenly, Psycha's words from earlier came back into her mind. The teachers took pity on you since your mom had just died, she'd said to Heather.

"Terrible tragedy, it was," Luka continued quietly. "Argent and his wife, Briar, came to Vacuo to visit their daughter, who was attending Dusk Academy at the time. Unfortunately, the same day they arrived, a thief broke into Shade, killing several staff members in an attempt to steal...something. Briar, a Huntress herself, tried to stop them, but she tragically lost her life. The assassin managed to escape, and was never seen again."

"Th-that's awful," Summer muttered. She suddenly thought about General Fox, and how distraught he must have felt about his daughter also becoming a Huntress. He might have feared that she would meet her mother's fate.

"It really was," Luka sighed. "And the timing couldn't be worse - it happened barely a year after that disastrous Ouroboros Project fiasco, too. To think Argent would lose another loved one so soon aft-"

Suddenly, he stopped himself. "A-ahh," he muttered. "I-I might have said too much. My apologies, I really shouldn't reveal so much about my friend's life. It's a tad disrespectful of me." He hastily turned around and began limping away. "A-anyway, good night, Miss Rose. Perhaps we'll meet again."

"...Wait." Summer spoke the word without thinking. "Hmm? What is it?" Luka glanced back at her.

"..." Summer took a deep breath. No turning back now, I guess. "Have you, um, heard of a village called 'Valhalla' before?"

If she was hoping for some startled or telling reaction, she was swiftly disappointed. Luka simply blinked in surprise, and said: "Oh. I suppose Raven or Qrow told you about it, hmm?"

"Y-yeah. It was destroyed, wasn't it? And you all lost everyone and…"

"Yes, indeed we did." Luka closed his eyes solemnly. "I'm not surprised neither of them like to talk about that incident - it must bring back terrible memories. I remember my brother Thoron and all the others quite fondly, you see. And it was truly devastating to me when I knew that I'd lost them all forever."

If Raven is telling the truth, you were the one who killed them, Summer thought, but her bravery was gone now. She couldn't bring herself to question him further. Or was she afraid of the answers that she might receive?

"Anyway, I really must be on my way now. Good night, Miss Rose." Giving a courteous bow, Luka limped away. He stopped after a few paces, and turned his gaze toward the tall, sleek buildings in the distance.

"This city really is beautiful, isn't it?" he murmured. "And yet it was built among the ashes of the worst war Remnant had ever seen. People speak tales of gods, and of Grimm, but history has shown that the greatest and most terrible events have always come about through human effort alone. I find that very fascinating." With that, Luka turned the corner, moving out of her sight.

Summer stared ahead of her, blinking. "..."

Luka Branwen was...certainly nothing like what she'd expected him to be. And what exactly had he been talking about? Her silver eyes? Argent losing 'another loved one'? The 'Ouroboros Project'? I've heard of that somewhere before…

And then there was Ozpin. What did he mean by that? she wondered. What in the world had the headmaster not told her…?

"Hey Summer! What's taking you so long?" Qrow's yell interrupted her thoughts. "C'mon, we're about to get some dinner!"

"O...okay!" Confused thoughts still swirling around in her head, Summer turned around and walked inside.