Chapter 55: Black Sheep

While Scarlet had Watts working on the new project. Neo was already on her way to Vacuo, as she had taken a airship. However, Neo wasn't too sure how she'd hold her own against Ruby and the others if they noticed her. Despite Neo being the new Fall Maiden.

Neo sat in the airship as she piloted towards Vacuo, she had noticed that the sandstorm had died down. Usually it would be blasting like crazy making it hard to see, but the mute just shrugged as it made her job a lot easier, question was. How far could she get without getting spotting by Shade's headmaster.

Back at Shade, Ruby and co had gotten settled into a dorm room. But, Ruby was wondering around Shade academy, trying to clear her head of the deaths of her family and friends. Velvet sprung up behind Ruby as the Faunus touched Ruby's shoulder.

Ruby spun around startled as she saw Velvet. "Oh, hi Vel.."

"Are you okay? You seem down in the dumps." Velvet said as her ears lowered a little. "Are you still thinking about those we've lost?"

Ruby was silent as she didn't say much to the Faunus as she looked down at her feet, she was kicking a bit of sand and rocks with her left foot. Velvet looked at Ruby still as she seemed worried for her friend.

"Ruby." Velvet spoke up. "Dwelling about the past, isn't going to help our problem with what's going on now..." She looked away from her as she looked up at the sky. "When me and my team left Vale to come here to Shade, we all thought that we lost everything...friends, loved ones...trust."

Ruby kept looking down as she listened to velvet speak. Neo's airship landed on the outskirts of Shade as no one had noticed, the mute got off the ship as she threw a hood over her head as she started to make her way to the academy.

Velvet looked over to Ruby for a moment. "I have a question...what did you mean by me, Coco and Ilia being maidens? Aren't they fairy tails?"

Ruby lifted her head up a little. "Not just fairy tails Velvet...they're real, Scarlet was the Fall maiden after Cinder was. Nora was the Summer Maiden after Vest was, and you can guess pretty much figure out the rest."

"So." Velvet said. "Who was, spring and winter?"

"Raven and Penny, but..." Ruby said as she looks away. "Her, Raven and Nora are gone. Meaning you and the other two are maidens, but...we're not certain which one you three have."

~~~

Neo had sneaked into the academy as she noticed Ruby and three others. Velvet, Coco and Ilia. Neo cocked an eyebrow up wondering why Ruby was with those three. So she listened in to their conversation.

"So.." Coco said crossing her arms. "Me, Ilia and Velvet are the three new maidens. What good is that going to do us against Scarlet?"

Ruby was about to say something but let out a sigh. "You're right on that part Coco. But, we have to protect the sword of destruction at all cost. I don't know if Scarlet's on her way here as we speak, but right now. Diamond, Deity and Sera are all in the dorm room thinking and trying to figure out the best way we can sneak the sword out of Vacuo." She looked over to Velvet and Ilia. "My guess is, Velvet is Spring...Ilia is Summer, and Coco is Winter."

Neo's eyes widen over hearing them, she wanted to inform Scarlet about the new maidens. But she didn't want to get caught so soon, she needed to find the sword.

"How can you tell?" Ilia asked curiously.

"It's easy....I think?" Ruby said as she rubs her chin. "Uh...lets see." She ponders for a moment as she closed her eyes. "Oh I got it, close your eyes you should see the previous maidens showing you how to use the powers...I might be wrong."

"If you think that works, then sure...we'll try it." Ilia said.

Neo heard this as she smirked, she started to walk away from the area as she glanced around for any way to get into the vault area for the relic, but she knew that she'd need the summer maiden to unlock the passage.

"So, do we just...do that now or?" Coco asked as she lowered her sunglasses. "I'm down to do it now, but we're in the middle of the hallway."

"We can go to the dorm room. Make it easier since it'll be quiet." Ruby said as she looked at the three. "But we can't go to the dorm room me and the other three are staying at."

"We can go to ours." Velvet said. "Fox and Yatsuhashi are helping with training."

Ruby would nod her head. "Alright, I'll go with you three. Just in case something comes up."

"Alright sure." Velvet said.

~~~

Neo entered Theodore's office. The headmaster wasn't anywhere to be seen, the mute glanced around the office as she began checking for any hidden switches, or a map layout of the academy. Hoping she'd find out where the vault was at, she started to throw books off the bookshelf, making the office a mess.

Eventually, Neo had stumbled upon a do not push button. Right under Theodore's desk, the mute smirks as she pressed the button as she waited to see what would happen. Luckily for her it wasn't any hidden turrets hidden in the office, but what she had seen was much more than what she'd bargained for.

A holographic display of the vault under Shade had appeared as it seemed to be hidden away like every other vault. But since Neo was the Fall maiden, she could easily blast her way to the vault. And wait until the alarms went off, but she had noticed one thing about the passage. It was guarded by automatic turrets. Neo rolled her eyes as she took a picture of it and sent it to Scarlet, with a text soon after. 'Should I proceed to blast my way into the vault?'

Neo scanned the display more as she had gotten a text back from Scarlet soon after. 'Not yet, keep a low profile...me and Watts have a special surprise for my dear sister and her friends.' Neo read the text as she nods her head, she would then hear footsteps as she quickly closed the display of the vault. She soon quickly made her exit as she shattered into glass.

A/N:[I can't take credit for Deity, Vest, Sera or Diamond's character. Credit for them goes to my friends on Discord and DeltaJGemstone]