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Morning came very fast. Elias and Dee packed their bags in the living room. They put food, water, and tools inside.
The mission would take at least a few weeks. They couldn't come back home early. It was a long trip.
Neo stood by the front door. She crossed her arms tight. She frowned at their big bags.
"We have to go now,"
Dee said. She zipped up her bag.
"I know you want to come."
Neo shook her head. She pointed at herself, then pointed at the door.
"You can't come,"
Elias told her. He put on his heavy jacket.
"It's too far. It's too dangerous. You have school here in Atlas."
Neo rolled her eyes. She moved her hands fast. She used sign language to talk to them.
*I won't get in trouble,*
Neo signed. She looked very serious.
*I will stay home. I will do my homework.*
"Are you sure?"
Dee asked. She squinted her eyes at her daughter.
"Because last time we left, you painted the neighbor's dog pink."
Neo waved her hand in the air.
*That was an accident,*
she signed.
"Right,"
Elias sighed.
"What about Winter? You have training with her this week. You can't skip it."
Neo paused. She made a disgusted face. Winter Schnee was very strict. Neo didn't like her at all.
*I promise to be nice to Winter,*
Neo signed slowly.
*I won't prank her. I won't mock her hair.*
Elias looked at Dee. Dee looked at Elias. They both doubted she would be nice. Winter and Neo always fought.
"I don't believe you,"
Dee laughed.
"But try your best. Don't blow up the academy while we are gone."
*I won't,*
Neo promised. She gave a small, fake smile.
Summer walked down the stairs. She carried her own small bag. She wore her white cloak. She smiled at Neo.
"We will be back soon,"
Summer said gently.
"Be good for your parents."
Neo just stared at her. She gave a small nod. Then she turned around and walked back upstairs without another word.
"She's a good kid,"
Summer said.
"Just a little quiet."
"She's a handful,"
Dee smiled.
"But we love her. Are you ready for this trip?"
"I'm ready,"
Summer nodded.
"Let's go."
They walked out into the cold Atlas morning. They took a private transport ship. The city faded behind them. The sky turned gray and cloudy.
The ship flew for hours. They left the safe zones. They entered the wild parts of the world.
Elias checked his gear in silence. Dee drank some water from a canteen. Summer looked out the small window.
"We are getting close,"
Summer said after a long time.
"The pilot says he can't go any further. The Grimm will spot the engines. We have to walk the rest of the way."
"That's fine,"
Elias said.
"Walking is quieter. We won't attract a crowd."
The ship landed on a flat, ugly rock. The metal doors opened. Cold, dry wind hit their faces instantly.
They stepped out. The ship lifted off and flew away fast. The pilot didn't want to stay here for even one minute.
They were in the western dead lands now.
It was a very bad place. The ground was black and cracked. There were no trees. There were no animals. There was no water.
No huntsman would ever come here. It was completely infested with Grimm. Everyone in the world knew that. It was a death trap.
"It's so ugly,"
Dee said. She looked around at the empty rocks.
"It's just dust and shadows."
"It's never empty here,"
Summer warned her. She pulled her white hood up.
"The Grimm are always watching. They hide in the caves. They wait for heat and sound."
"What's the plan?"
Elias asked.
"I will scout ahead,"
Summer explained.
"My semblance lets me move very fast. I can break my body apart into rose petals. I can fly over the ground. They won't even hear my footsteps. I can check the area without starting a fight."
"We should stick together,"
Dee argued.
"That was the deal we made. We are your backup."
"You are my backup,"
Summer smiled at her new friend.
"If I get in trouble, you jump in and help me. But if we all go out there together, we make too much noise. I need to see what Salem is doing. I need to see her army first."
Elias nodded slowly.
"We will stay right behind you. We will keep our distance. If you need us, just yell."
"I will,"
Summer promised.
Summer closed her eyes. She took a deep breath. She used her semblance.
Her body turned into a bright cloud of white and red rose petals. She shot forward like a bullet.
She moved across the dead lands. The wind carried her over the sharp rocks. She stayed very low to the ground.
She looked for the Grimm. It didn't take long to find them.
There was a horde of them in a small, dark valley. Beowolves paced back and forth, sniffing the air. Ursa majors slept on the dark rocks. Giant Nevermores sat on high cliffs, looking down.
Summer stopped on a high ridge. She turned back into a human. She hid behind a large boulder.
She looked down at the valley. She frowned.
This was a horde, yes. But it was completely normal here. The dead lands always had this many Grimm.
She didn't find anything suspicious at all. They were just acting like normal monsters. They didn't have a plan. They didn't march in lines.
"This doesn't make sense,"
Summer whispered to herself.
Ironwood said Salem was moving her forces here. He said they were gathering for a big reason. Ozpin thought it was the start of a war.
But this wasn't an army. It was just a regular pack of wild beasts.
If Salem were to control them, their number should be astronomical compared to this manageable size.
There should be tens of thousands of them. There should be ancient, giant Grimm. There should be generals leading them into battle.
But there was nothing. Just empty rocks and mindless, wandering beasts.
"The intel was wrong,"
Summer thought.
"Ozpin was wrong. Ironwood was wrong. Salem isn't even here."
She felt a huge wave of relief wash over her. It wasn't a trap. It wasn't a suicide mission. It was just a simple mistake. Someone gave them bad information.
Summer smiled. She thought about going back home to her daughters. She thought about hugging Ruby and Yang.
Because she felt safe, she let her guard down.
She stood up from behind the heavy boulder. She turned around to wave at Elias and Dee. They were probably hiding nearby in the rocks.
She relaxed her shoulders. She dropped her hands to her sides. She didn't look at the valley anymore.
Then, she heard a sound.
It was a sharp crack. It sounded like thunder. But it came from far away.
A sniper.
Summer's eyes went wide. She didn't have time to move. She didn't have time to use her semblance again.
A red dust bullet flew through the air. It was aiming right at her chest. It moved much faster than sound.
She froze. Death was an inch away. She couldn't dodge it.
Suddenly, the air rushed past her face. A dark blur stepped right in front of her.
It was Elias.
He appeared out of nowhere. He didn't even look stressed. He didn't look worried.
He raised his hand. His palm was open.
The red dust bullet hit his bare hand.
*Clang.*
It sounded like heavy metal hitting a thick iron wall. The bullet flattened instantly. It bounced off his skin and fell into the dirt.
It didn't even leave a tiny scratch on him.
Elias lowered his hand. He looked at the smoking dust bullet on the ground.
"They use fire dust here,"
Elias said calmly.
"Good to know."
Summer fell backward onto the ground. She couldn't breathe. Her heart hammered inside her chest.
She looked at the flat bullet. Then she looked up at Elias.
She was completely surprised. She was a master Huntress. She knew speed. She fought the fastest people in the world.
But she didn't see him move. He crossed the distance in a split second.
And he deflected a heavy sniper dust bullet with his bare hand. He did it as if it was absolutely nothing. He didn't even use a weapon.
"How..."
Summer gasped. She pointed at his hand.
"How did you do that?"
Dee stepped out from behind another rock. She walked over and offered Summer a hand.
"We told you,"
Dee smiled softly.
"We never fail. And my husband is very fast."
Summer took Dee's hand. She stood up on shaky legs. She stared at Elias.
"That wasn't just fast,"
Summer breathed out.
"That was impossible. Aura can't stop a sniper bullet like that without breaking. It should have taken your arm off."
"My aura is very thick,"
Elias lied smoothly. He didn't want to explain his real power to her yet.
"Are you hurt?"
"No,"
Summer shook her head. She brushed the dirt off her white cloak.
"I'm fine. You saved my life. Thank you."
"You're welcome,"
Elias said.
"But someone is shooting at us right now."
"I know,"
Summer said. She pulled her weapon out. It was a white sniper-scythe.
"And it isn't a Grimm. Grimm don't use guns."
"No, they don't,"
Dee agreed. She pulled her own weapon from her back.
"It looks like we found Salem's secret after all. The horde was just a distraction. They wanted you to look at the monsters so the sniper could shoot you."
Summer's hands stopped shaking. The fear was completely gone. She felt safe with them. They really were the best in the world.
"They missed,"
Summer said. Her silver eyes locked onto the distant hills.
"What do we do now?"
"Now,"
Elias said. He cracked his knuckles loudly.
"We go say hello to the sniper. Stay behind me. I'll catch the rest of the bullets."