//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Training & A Meeting of Equals (Part 1) // Story: Sunset Huntress: A New Beginning // by Wind Typhoon //------------------------------// Chapter 10: Training & A Meeting of Equals (Part 1) Two days had passed since Sunset meet up with Cinder and she was not in a good mood about the information she knew. At the moment, Sunset in the simulation room getting ready to run a simulation of some Beowolf Grimm to let out her anger on. The simulation room was a room where other students could run against Grimm in various types of challenges, which is why most students call the simulations 'VR Missions'. "Might as well do it anyway. I haven't had a chance to really try out my Solar Dividers in an actual fight." Sunset thought as she set up the simulation. "You know, it isn't safe to run something like this by yourself." she heard Ozpin say from the doorway. Sunset sighed as she mentally tried to think of an excuse. "That being said, I had a feeling that you would try something like this." Ozpin said as he walked into the simulation room. "Why is that Headmaster?" Sunset asked in an obviously irritated tone. "There are several reasons that I could say, one of which is your mood at the moment. However, I'm more looking to address the main ones that has been on my mind." Ozpin said as he reached the console that Sunset was at. Sunset thought for a moment about what he could be talking about and thought of a few things. "What are you wanting to discuss?" Sunset asked curiously. "Tell me, what is your relationship with Cinder Fall?" Ozpin asked calmly. Sunset then simply sighed as she looked down and was about to make up a lie when she assumed something. "How long have you know about me and Cinder?" Sunset asked in a tired voice. "Let's just say that I have people who can let me in on certain information." Ozpin said before he took a sip of coffee. Sunset was going to ask more but just decided to let it go an more onto another topic. "So, what do you want since you know my identity?" Sunset asked. "All I ask is that you try to not cause too much trouble if people know who you are." Ozpin told Sunset. Sunset then just looked at Ozpin with a somewhat confused look. "That's it? No information about the White Fang or it's command structure? No tips to any potential operations? Just to stay out of trouble?" Sunset asked. Ozpin stayed silent for a moment as he eyed the golden gauntlet on Sunset's right arm. "Just one thing for my own knowledge. Where did you get that gauntlet of yours?" Sunset asked. Sunset then looked at the gauntlet and brought her right arm up. "I'm going to be honest, I actually don't know where this thing came from." Sunset told Ozpin. Ozpin then looked at Sunset skeptically as if he didn't believe her. "I'm telling the truth. Although I've had this thing for the past two years, I don't know where it comes from or even how I got it." Sunset said as she put her arm down. "Very well, seeing as you aren't in position to be lying to me, I'll believe you. Now then, shouldn't you be starting up the simulation?" Ozpin told Sunset. "You're going to watch how I fight?" Sunset asked. "I always like to see how my students fight, be it in the field or a simulation." Ozpin said as he took a seat in a nearby chair. Sunset simply nodded as she hit a few keys and started up the simulation before using the nearby door to enter the main simulation room. After Sunset entered a robotic voice echoed in the room. "Please stand in the center of the room to begin." the voice said. Sunset did as the voice said and stood in the center of the large room. As she waited for the simulation to start up, she took a look over her weapons. The Solar Dividers were a pair of twin blades with red tinted blades, the red coming from the fire dust that she made the blades from, and a half-protector on the front of each one that had half of her cutie mark, or as the people of Remnant know them as Symbols. At that moment, Sunset gave a small grin. "It's been a while since I've battled seriously." Sunset thought as the simulation loaded in the forest clearing she had chosen as the stage. After a few moments, the voice came back and spoke once more. "Simulation Start! Time Limit 4 Minutes!" When the voice said that, Sunset immediately heard rustling from her right and rolled forward to avoid a Beowolf Grimm that lunged at her. Sunset then looked around and saw several Beowolfs surrounding her. There was no movement for a few seconds before a few of the Beowolfs charged at her. Thinking quickly Sunset ran forward to one of the charging ones and slashed at it with one of her swords. When the sword made contact with the Beowolf, a small amount of fire came from the wound which didn't seem to bother it much. Sunset then rolled to the side to quickly avoid the claw swipe of the Beowolf and snapped her fingers as she did so. The small fire from the cut the suddenly exploded which made a hold in the Beowolf that killed it. Sunset the quickly tossed one of the swords at another charging Beowolf which it impaled and killed. She then quickly jumped up in the air and landed behind two other Beowolfs near the one that she had impaled. The two Beowolfs then decided to attack her, but Sunset managed to avoid their attacks. She then quickly made a pulling motion with the left hand, which made a faint rope of fire appear. The rope the pulled the other Solar Divider, which was on the ground since the Grimm had disappeared, to Sunset. Sunset then used an opening to cut one on the Beowolfs in half and jumped up to grab her other blade before landing. Sunset then blocked one of the Grimm's claws with one of her blades before turning around and making an X on his chest. Nothing happened for a moment before fire erupted from the wounds, killing the Beowolf. Sunset then turned back to see about 5 other Beowolfs behind her. "Might as well use the secondary mode to my weapon. It's good to use my dual swords again, but I know that I can rely on the secondary mode of my weapon." Sunset thought before smiling. Sunset then quickly combined the two swords at the hilts where it became one dual sword. Sunset then ran forward with her blade in hand and threw it at one of the Grimm, the dame string of fire from before being attached to the handle of the blade. Sunset swung the blade at one of the Beowolfs, slicing it clean in two before the blade started to come back to her. However, one of the Grimm cut the string of fire and cause the Solar Divider to be embedded in a tree guarded by a few of the Beowolfs. Before Sunset could react, she felt a claw scratch her and knock her back as one of the Beowolfs hit her very hard. Sunset's body rolled onto the ground behind her before stopping with her face to the ground. As she got up, she smiled to the Grimm in front of her before laughing out loud. "It's been a while since I had an actual fight." Sunset said as one of the Beowolf charged at her. The Beowolf was then knocked back with some burned off fur. The Beowolfs turned back and saw Sunset with a flaming fist out stretched. "Now then, I think it's time you learn why I got the nickname Solar Flare." Sunset said as her fist turned back to normal and she ran at the Beowolfs. The Beowolfs did the same and the one that Sunset had attacked was leading them. Sunset simply responded by sliding under the claw swipe and using her Semblance to deliver a flaming kick to its stomach. The Beowolf staggered back and two more jumped onto Sunset, pining her to the ground. The clone then exploded and sent the two Beowolfs away with chard fur under them. The real Sunset, who had made it a few feet away from the clone, was currently running towards her sword with the remaining two Beowolf after her. Thinking quickly, she channeled some fire into one of the boots and formed a spell circle under it. "Hope this works." Sunset thought as she stopped and turned around. One of the two Beowolfs took a chance and charged forward to get a hit on her. Sunset then jumped in the air and kicked the Beowolf in the face with the spell circle. A small explosion came from the kick which propelled her towards the sword and killed the Beowolf she kicked. Sunset then rolled as she landed next to her sword, which she quickly grabbed. Seeing the remaining Beowolf still a fair distance away, she used her semblance to conjure a flaming string between the two tips of her sword. She then drew back on her newly formed bow and conjured an arrow made of fire. She let the string go and the flaming arrow flew right in between the eyes of the Beowolf, killing it. "Well, that just leaves those three." Sunset said to herself as she turned to face the three remaining Beowolfs. Just as she was about to charge, a voice came up again. "One minute remaining!" After she heard that, Sunset chuckled a bit to herself. "Well then, guess I should end this quickly." Sunset said as she charged forward with her sword in one hand. Sunset immediately conjured a fireball in her other hand and launched it forward towards the Grimm. The three Beowolfs tried to dodge, but Sunset snapped her fingers and created a ring of fire around the three, trapping them in an area. The fireball impacted with one of the Beowolfs, engulfing it in fire and severely burning. Sunset jumped over the wall of fire and fired several arrows down at the Beowolfs, not hitting any of them but able to graze them a lot. As soon as Sunset landed, she instantly put her sword in the ground, closed her eyes, and began to chant something as a Glyph appeared underneath her. "Oh winds of flame, I summon thee to burn my enemies and absorb them into your flaming abyss!" Sunset chanted. After she finished the chant, a tornado of flames surrounded the area. The tornado sent winds of fire towards the Beowolfs, which prevented them from moving. Sunset then opened her eyes to reveal them both being lit a blaze before taking her weapon from the ground. The weapon was then immediately engulfed in fire, extending both ends of the twin sword. "Phoenix End!" Sunset then spun around and sliced all the Beowolfs in half with her extended Solar Divider. The tornado was also cut in half and dissipated, leaving dancing embers around Sunset as the simulation ended. "Simulation Clear!" After the simulation speaker said that, Sunset separated her weapon and put it on two sheaths she was wearing on her back. She then walked to the exit and opened it to see Ozpin relaxing in one of the observation chairs. "so, what did you think?" Sunset asked. Ozpin was silent for a moment as he thought about what he saw. "I must admit, I had high hopes for your fighting prowess. However, that is beyond my expectations." Ozpin told Sunset. That made Sunset smile a little as she knew how hard it was to get Ozpin's attention on something combat related. "If I may ask thought, what exactly is your semblance?" Ozpin asked curiously. Sunset immediately sighed as she thought of the best way to explain this when she heard her Scroll vibrate. "Do you mind?" Sunset questioned. Ozpin simply gestured for her to go ahead and she picked up her Scroll. When she looked at it, she saw that she had a message from Tempest. "Hey Sunset, sorry about the last minute notice, but I need to change the meeting location. I would like you to meet me at the coordinates listed below instead of in front of the school. Again sorry about this. Tempest." Below the message, was a set of coordinated that she recognized immediately. "Do you have somewhere to be?" Ozpin asked curiously. "Um, yes I do. I would like to talk to you about my abilities another time though." Sunset said as she gathered up her things. "Very well, but I would actually like for you to relay a message to Tempest for me." Ozpin requested. Sunset was rushing to get out of there, but stopped when she heard Tempest's name. "I'll tell her, what is it?" Sunset asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice. "Just that me and the General would like to meet her after lunch in my office." Ozpin said before her got up off the chair and left the room. Sunset stood there for a moment before she just sighed and left the room. As Sunset walked down the hallway, she thought about a few things. "That was very close, I did not want to talk with Ozpin right now. I need to think of a convincing story to give him before I'm able to. Still, it may prove useful to tell him some things." Sunset thought. After a moment, her train of thought was broken as she felt an overwhelming sensation overcome her, making her lean against a wall. "Wh-What is the feeling?" Sunset questioned to herself. Almost as if it felt her distress, the sensation left almost as fast it came in. When Sunset felt it was good to stand upright, she did and felt nothing abnormal about her body. "That feeling, it felt just like the one on that day." Sunset thought as she remembered that day. She remembered the little things, but there was one thing above all else that she remembered. The feeling of being trapped in an endless circle of death. "Sunset, are you ok?" a voice asked, breaking Sunset's train of thought. Sunset turned around and saw Phaze standing right behind her. "Oh Phaze, I'm all right. I just thought I felt something." Sunset lied, trying to hide her distress. "Really, what did you feel?" Phaze questioned. Sunset sighed and massaged her head, knowing she wouldn't be getting out of this situation. "Well, if I would have to describe the feeling, it felt like a burning sensation." Sunset described, telling part of the truth about what she had felt. "A burning sensation?" Phaze asked. Sunset then decided to not hide anything and explain everything in full to her. "Have you heard about the mythical Phoenix?" Sunset asked. Phaze went quiet for a moment as she thought about the question.. "I might have heard about the creature before, but I could use a refresher the basics." Phaze said. "Well, if you just want to talk about the basics, then I can easily tell you that. The Phoenix is a mythical creature from legends of old. Supposedly, it is an immortal fire bird that is said to have the power to give life to those that have died. At least, that's how legends of old described it." Sunset explained. Phaze simply nodded as she started to recall the information herself. "I remember that information now. My grandmother used to tell me about old stories like that." Phaze said. Sunset simply nodded in response as she got ready for the next question. "But if you don't mind me asking, what does this have to do with the feeling you mentioned earlier?" Phaze asked. "It's a long story, but it was like I was being burned alive and given life at the same time." Sunset explained, hoping that would stave off Phaze's curiosity. Phaze then looked behind her to see if anyone was there before saying anything else. "I have a question of my own to ask now." Phaze said. "Go ahead and ask." Sunset said, letting her ask the question to end the conversation. "Are you a Touched?" Phaze asked. Sunset let the question process for a moment before being a bit confused. "What's a Touched?" Sunset responded in a confused tone. "A Touched is a human or a Faunus who has been granted the power of a Grimm." Phaze explained. "Really?" Sunset said out of genuine surprise. "Do you want to know more?" Phaze asked. "No, it's fine. But to answer your earlier question, it's a private matter." Sunset said despite wanting to learn about the Touched. "Ok, well, I'll see you later then." Phaze said as she walked past Sunset. "Wait a second, have you seen Tempest at all today?" Sunset inquired. Phaze stopped for a moment as she thought about that question. "Only after I woke up, but I did run into Palom and Porom earlier and they said that Tempest had gone off on her bike." Phaze told Sunset. "Ok, I wanted to know that because I needed to speak with her about something." Sunset lied. "Oh, should I let her know?" Phaze said as she pulled out her Scroll. "It's fine, I can go look for her myself." Sunset said before waving goodbye to Phaze and walking down the hall as normal. Phaze simply waved goodbye and smiled as Sunset walked away. As soon as Sunset turned the corner, Phaze let out a sight as she put her back to the wall and slid onto the floor. "Wow, I didn't think I would be able to do it, but I was able to get the information necessary." Phaze said to herself as she breathed heavily. A glow from the right arm caught her attention and she turned to see some of the markings on her right arm glow a faint blue. "She definitely has one of them in her, but there is something else about her that is different from other Touched. It almost feels as if it doesn't belong here." Phaze said as she begun to think about things. Phaze then shook her head and got up off the floor. "Best not to dwell on that, I have enough data to finish my project now." Phaze thought as she walked back to her room. [hl] After walking to the front of Beacon, she saw Cinder waiting there already. Sunset also noticed that she seemed on edge about something. As Sunset got closer, Cinder turned around to see who it was. "Oh, it's just you Sunset." Cinder said as she breathed. "Nice to see you too. You seem a bit on edge." Sunset said, a bit worried for Cinder. "A little worried, just nervous to talk with this Tempest girl." Cinder told Sunset. "Well, you're going to have to wait a little longer." Sunset commented. "Why's that?" Cinder asked curiously. Sunset simply took out her Scroll and showed the message to Cinder. After a few moments of silence, Cinder spoke up. "That certainly was last minute of her. I wonder why she needed to change the location?" Cinder said. "I don't know, but there is something going on here and I don't like it." Sunset told Cinder. Cinder stayed quiet for a moment as she thought of several possibilities that could cause the change in location. "What if she has a condition similar to yours?" Cinder asked. Sunset then looked at Cinder with a confused look before Cinder pointing to her gauntlet. "You think she's like me?" Sunset asked as she held her upper arm. "That's what makes the most sense to me, especially considering that she's at Emerald Central Command." Cinder told Sunset. "So it is where I thought it was. How would she know about that place though?" Sunset said as she walked forward to the entrance, Cinder following close behind. "I don't know, but it would be best to ask her ourselves." Cinder told Sunset. Just as they left the front gate, a bike drove up in front of them fairly quickly. "Why do people have to drive so fast?" Sunset said with her eyes closed, fixing her hair a bit. Cinder stayed quiet for a moment as she looked the direction the bike went towards. "That bike had no driver." Cinder told Sunset Sunset then turned to Cinder to tell her that there was no way that could be true and saw a very familiar looking bike backing up towards them. "I know that bike." Sunset said as she ran forward. When she got up to it, the bike stopped and a screen came from the side of it. "This is Tempest's bike. What is it doing here and how did it get here?" Sunset said as she looked over the bike. As she did, Cinder walked up next Sunset and was looking at the bike as well. "This bike feels familiar to me, but why?" Cinder thought to herself. Almost as if responding to her question, a voice came from the bike's speaker. "A pleasure to see you two again, Miss Sunset and Miss Cinder." the voice greeted. Cinder and Sunset the quickly looked at each other as they recognized the voice. "Zephyr!?" the two exclaimed. "The one and only at your service. However, I don't plan on dwelling on introductions." Zephyr told the two. "Did something happen to Joker?" Cinder asked quickly. "Yes, something has happened to both Tempest and Joker." Zephyr told the two. "Hold on Zephyr, you're part of Tempest's bike right? Then why are you telling us about Joker?" Sunset asked. "Let's just say that it would be easier for you to hear it from her mouth." Zephyr said. Sunset decided to leave it at that as a compartment on the side of the bike opened up and revealed two helmets. "Enough talk, we should get going." Zephyr said as Sunset grabbed the helmets and the compartment closed. "Where are we going?" Sunset asked as she handed Cinder a helmet and got on the bike. "The western of town, it's the closest place to Emerald Central Command." Zephyr told Sunset. Cinder put on the helmet and got on the bike as well, before Sunset nodded and they took off towards their destination. [hl] After riding for about 10 minutes, Sunset and Cinder arrived at their destination at the edge of the Emerald Forest. "So, this is the place?" Sunset asked Zephyr as she took off her helmet. "Yep, just keep walking straight and you'll end up at Emerald Command." Zephyr said. "Isn't it Emerald Central Command?" Cinder asked. "It is, but you know how Joker gets when naming things and that's how Tempest says them as well." Zephyr said before moving to a safe position out of view from the road. A thought entered Sunset's mind for a moment as she thought about that, then stopped as she dismissed the idea and walked forward with Cinder close behind her. "It's been a while since I've seen Joker now that I think about it." Cinder commented. "You've always mentioned her to being one of your closest allies, but I've never meet her myself. Mind telling me a bit about her?" Sunset said. Cinder thought about that for a moment and decided to tell her some of the history they've had together. "Very well then, but I'm only giving the short version because there is a lot that had happened." Cinder said. Sunset went silent as she let Cinder proceed with her story. "Joker, also known as Ace, was an interesting soldier from the rest of the White Fang. She joined about the same time I became one of the High Council, which was roughly five years ago. Joker was a interesting because she was a Pegasus Faunus, a very rare Faunus that is known for their flying capabilities and fast reflexes. I was the leader of her first operation and I was more that impressed with the abilities she wielded." "I was so impressed that I ended up keeping a close eye on her for the next few months. During my observations, I saw that she was a one of the more unique members of the White Fang. Her skill was unparalleled at the time, with her being able to lead some of our best into battle during the Fang Massacre. We lost some of our best soldiers and many friends that day, but when Joker was put in charge, we were able to push back in a very unexpected way. Some even speculate that she could be the same Pegasus Faunus that lead the Fang Uprising, the event that got the White Fang started. Her skill eventually got her into the High Council and she has been doing her own thing ever since." After Cinder went silent, Sunset let the information sit in her head for a moment. "What was she like?" Sunset asked. "Well, it's not that easy to pin down what her personality is, because it's just something you have to experience." Cinder told Sunset. Sunset was about to say something, but just sighed and let it be. "We should be getting there soon. Emerald Central Command is where the Fang Rising took place." Cinder told Sunset. Sunset simply nodded before a thought popped into her head that caused her to stop in her tracks. "Do you think Tempest chose this place because she knew about the Fang Rising?" Sunset asked Cinder. That question cause Cinder to stop for a moment and consider the possibility. "It never occurred to me that it was a possibility. We made sure to take care of everyone there, but I never thought about anyone surviving." Cinder said as she thought about things. "How long has the White Fang been around?" Sunset questioned. "I would say around 50 years, though what we know is only what we've heard of through songs and stories." Cinder told Sunset. "Then it's possible that Tempest is the family member of a survivor." Sunset proposed. Cinder simply nodded in response to that question. "Anyway, we should get going. I'm interested to see what Tempest knows." Cinder said, a smile forming on her lips. Sunset simply responded by walking forward with Cinder following right behind her. [hl] After a few minutes of walking, the two ended up in front of the ruins of Emerald Central Command. The place was very big, having an outer wall for defense, a big main building in the center of the facility, and several towers on the side made for lookouts and other things. Being the place of the Fang Uprising, the outer wall was destroyed in some places, the towers were half destroyed with some of the walls having holes, and the center facility was in a complete state of disarray. "So, this is the place?" Sunset asked as she looked at her Scroll. "Yep, I never thought I would get to see it for myself." Cinder said as she closed her eyes. Sunset stayed quiet as they approached the compound. As they got cup to a hole in the wall, Sunset noticed some activity a bit away from them. Concentrating on the figures in the distance, she could make them out to be Grimm. "Cinder, are those Grimm?" Sunset asked as she pointed in the direction of them. Cinder looked in that direction and noticed them approaching. Cinder said nothing as the two of them reached for their weapons. As the Grimm got closer however, Sunset saw that they were white instead of black. "Calmed Grimm, a rare sight indeed." Cinder commented calmly. "Calmed Grimm?" Sunset asked having never heard of them before. "Calmed Grimm are special in that they are a peaceful type of Grimm. They have no desire for conflict at all." Cinder explained. "It's a bit weird hearing that from someone who is part of a violent group." Sunset told Cinder. Cinder simply responded by lightly punching Sunset on the shoulder before walking forward. "Come on, I felt something coming from that tower." Cinder said as she walked towards the southern ruined structure. Sunset followed and kept an eye out for anyone that might be in the area. As the two got closer to the tower, the two heard something falling right above them and jumped back so they wouldn't get hit. They then head the flapping of wings and a female Pegasus Faunus landed in front of them with her head looking at the ground. The girl had snow white hair, white eyes, and looked very physically fit. She wore a dark blue jacket, a dark gray shirt with a white ace of spade, white fingerless gloves, blue jeans, and white sneakers. Sunset got a little nervous when she felt a very familiar power coming from the girl. The girl then looked up and stared directly at Sunset. "Who are you?" Sunset asked with a hand nearing her weapon. The girl was about to answer when Cinder walked walk next to Sunset and put a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down Sunset, she's a friend." Cinder said. Sunset took her hand away from her weapon, but still looked a little tense. The girl then smiled and shook her head. "So, you're the friend that Sunset wanted to bring?" the girl questioned with a smile. "Well, I was wondering where that Tempest girl got her information from." Cinder said as she walked up to Ace. The two stood there for a moment before they hugged each other. "It's been too long Cinder." the girl told her old friend. "I could say the same to you Ace." Cinder responded. Sunset then sighed as she wondered something. Ace noticed this and walked up to Sunset after their hug was finished. "You must be Sunset, Tempest has told me a lot about you." Ace said with a smile. "Nice to meet you, Ace." Sunset said. Ace then extended a hand, which Sunset shook. As she did, Sunset felt calmer for some reason. "Now you see why a lot of people like Ace. We don't know what causes it, but she emanates an aura of calmness." Cinder chimed in as they finished their handshake. "It's true, even I'm not sure what causes it." Ace said for a moment. When Ace said that, a thought popped up in Sunset's mind. "Hey, if you don't mind me asking, where is Tempest?" Sunset asked cautiously. Ace went quiet for a moment as she thought about what to say. "That's a bit complicated to explain, but I take it that you saw those Calmed Grimm earlier?" Ace questioned. "Yes we did." Cinder said. "Well, Tempest was actually the one who did The Calming on those Grimm." Ace explained. "Calming?" Sunset asked. "It's a process in which a regular wild Grimm can be converted to Calmed Grimm. It does take a lot out of a person however, so I imagine that Tempest is resting at the moment." Cinder clarified. "Wait, so can any Grimm become a Calmed Grimm?" Sunset questioned. "Not exactly, the Grimm that can be turned need to have a hint of white fur on them or have blue eyes. Even then, you need a special type of Dust to fully Calm them." Ace told Sunset as she walked up to one of the containers. "Why do you need to use the dust?" Sunset asked. Ace stayed quiet for a moment as she thought about that. "To be honest, I'm not sure myself. Tempest thinks that it might be some form of ancient magic, but I don't know myself." Ace said. "That actually brings up a good question. How do you and Tempest know each other?" Cinder inquired. Ace said nothing as she thought about how to answer that, her back still to Sunset and Cinder. As Ace was thinking, Sunset noticed that Tempest's Frost Edges were on her back. "Why does she have Tempest's weapon with her?" Sunset thought as Ace turned around. "Well, I guess I should start from the beginning for that one. Before that though, I suggest we get somewhere more comfortable." Ace said as she brought out an ornate whistle. The whistle was made of white wood and had holes in it to let out sound. "What is that?" Cinder asked. In response, Ace blew on the whistle and let a harmonious sound ring out. After a few seconds of silence, the flapping of very big wings could be heard in the distance. Sunset then got very tense as she assumed a big Grimm was coming and thought about something. "What did you call?" Sunset questioned as she got ready for anything. "Don't worry, I just called a friend." Ace said as one of her eyes glowed blue for a moment. After a few seconds a Nevermore Grimm landed in the field in front of the ruined command center. After the dust cleared from the landing, Cinder and Sunset noticed that it was a calmed Grimm. "Like I said, don't worry." Ace said before she walked forward. As soon as she walked up, they heard the calmed Grimm speak in a series of growls and grunts with Ace doing the same. Cinder and Sunset stayed behind a wall, out f sight for the both of them. "I didn't think that Ace knew how to speak the Grimm's language." Cinder said as she watched the exchange. Sunset simply nodded as she remember what Cinder was talking about "If I recall correctly, you told me about the Grimm language when I caught you talking to a Grimm a few months after I became your student." Sunset commented. "You're right, that is when I first told you about it." Cinder said with a sigh. "I can kind of understand what they're saying, but I know you can understand everything. What exactly are they saying?" Sunset said. Cinder went quiet for a moment as she listened to what they were talking about. "From what I can hear, it sounds like the two of them are old friends and Ace wants to take us to her home." Cinder told Sunset, summarizing the best she could. Sunset was about to say something else, but saw Ace walk back towards them. "Ok, come on. We're going somewhere very private." Ace told the two of them. "Well, what about Tempest? Are we just going to leave her here?" Sunset asked. Ace simply sighed and stayed silent for a moment before answering. "It's complicated, but Tempest is coming with us. However, I would like her to be the one to explain that." Ace said as she turned around. Sunset was about to ask what she meant by that, but she could swear that when Ace turned around, she saw Tempest right next to Ace. Sunset shook her head when she saw that and just walked forward. When he two of them got up to the Calmed Nevermore, they noticed that it was about half the size of a regular Nevermore. "Wow, so this is what a calmed Grimm Nevermore looks like." Cinder said as she looked at the body of it. "Quick introduction for you two, this is my friend Mia." Ace introduced. When Ace introduced her, Mia took a wing and made a slight bow to the two of them. "A pleasure to meet you two." Mia said politely. Sunset and Cinder were both surprised that Mia spoke to them in their own language. "Surprised that she speaks our language? I wouldn't be surprised considering not many Calmed Grimm know our language." Ace commented. "Ace here taught me how to speak like you do as a 'just in case' as she like to call it." Mia told the two. "Well, I certainly will say that it's surprising." Cinder said. Sunset simply nodded in response as she just noticed the collar around Mia's neck. "What's the collar for?" Sunset asked. "Oh, this is for you two to come with us." Ace said as she walked up to Sunset. As the two stood there, Sunset saw Ace was wearing Tempest's brace. Before she could comment on it, she felt Ace wrap her arms around her waist. "What are you doing?" Sunset asked. In response, Ace took to the air with Sunset in her grasp. "Wow, you're kind of heavy." Ace said as she struggled a little bit. Sunset tried her best not to move a lot as Ace lifted her in the air above Mia. On the other side of the collar, the side that was on the back of Mia's neck, Sunset saw a small capsule that had two seats in it and a clear plastic window. Ace flew down to the capsule and hovered a few feet next to the capsule. "Can you reach it from here?" Ace asked. Sunset responded by reaching her arm out and barely grabbed one of the seats. "I can reach it." Sunset said as she reached her other arm out. Once Sunset had both arms grabbing the seat, Ace brought Sunset closer before she let go. Sunset acted quickly and dragged herself into the seat. "Never do that again." Sunset said, still shaking from the feeling of being up in the air. "Yeah, I should have stopped her sooner, but I wanted to see your reaction." Cinder said as she climbed into the pod and got into the empty seat. "You know I will find a way to get back at you." Sunset said, making a mental note of this. Cinder simply rolled her eyes at the comment and strapped herself into the seat. As Sunset did the same, Ace flew in front of them. "Just thought I should let you two know that I'm going to be closing the window so you two don't have to deal with the wind." Ace said as she reached up and closed the window. Ace then flew in front of Mia and gave a thumbs up, signaling that they were ready to go. Mia then spread her wings and took to the sky with Tempest following close behind. "Wherever we are going, I have the feeling that this just the start of something bigger. After all, if I felt her power again after two years of nothing, then something is going on." Sunset thought as they left the base. Unknown to all of them, there was someone on top of Emerald Central Command watching the four of them leave. "What do you think? Should I follow them?" the person asked, talking into a communicator. "Negative Eta, leave them for now. We'll introduce ourselves when the time comes." a voice said on the other end. The person known as Eta simply nodded before putting away the binoculars and teleporting away.