Lifeblood

I don't own RWBY, despite my deepest, most fervent dreams.

Chapter 6: White Out

Cinder walked up the crystalline steps, and saw the long, flowing black cloak with red designs. She followed it to the very top, before kneeling to the woman wearing it.

The woman standing before her could have been very beautiful, but she held several horrifying features. Her skin was pale, deathly pale, the color that one would expect from a corpse. Her pure white hair was tied into a bun, with six protrusions with ornaments dangling from the ends. Black-and-purple veins snaked grotesquely across her face to her eyes, which were orbs of red on black sclerae. Her face was impassive, but if one gazed into her eyes, they could see the cold ruthlessness within them, a deep abyss that sucked in all who saw it.

"I have returned from the mission, Mother." Cinder spoke in hushed tones.

"I can see. Tell me, why is it that the power I sense within you is incomplete?" Her voice held no emotion, free from anger or displeasure.

"There was a... complication." Cinder hesitated for a moment. "Our source proved useful in tracking the Maiden and we had attacked her as planned. But she was with another."

"What difference does one other Huntsman make against you, child?"

"He was no ordinary Huntsman, Mother. He bore the insignia of the Arc family."

"Is that all?" Now she her voice seemed carry a touch of boredom, and Cinder knew she needed to explain carefully. "That family hasn't been a threat for decades."

"There is more. When I fought him, his mind seemed to be corrupted. Forgive me, but when he showed such signs, I sensed your power residing within him."

"My power?"

"To be more accurate, I could feel it in his blade."

The woman said nothing for a few moments before a strange sound bubbled up from her mouth. It took several moments for Cinder to realize that she was chuckling.

"Marvelous. That is fantastic news. I really should not have been so quick to dismiss the disturbance I felt. Simply wonderful."

She turned to the still kneeling Cinder. "I have a secondary task to give you. Find the boy, the one who wields my sword. Do not kill him, not yet. Watch him, and do so carefully. He may very well be another asset for our cause."

"Yes, Mother. Is there anything else you require?"

"No. You may continue your primary mission as you have been." With that, she turned her back on Cinder again, signalling the end of their discussion.

"Very well. I shall take my leave then." Cinder rose, and keeping her head bowed, backed away and stepped down the crystal steps.

Once Cinder was out of sight, the woman laughed once more. "An interesting turn of events. Even I failed to predict this." She gazed across the desolate, crystalline landscape below. "To think that there is still one left."

"I wonder, Ozpin. How long can you keep my knight from me?"

A well dressed, black and silver haired man, wearing a white overcoat, a gray undercoat and a red tie stood impatiently in an elevator. His arms were crossed, one gloved finger tapping against his arm. His name was James Ironwood, the current headmaster of Atlas Huntsman Academy, as well as the General of the Atlesian military.

The elevator dinged, the doors slid open, and he walked into Ozpin's office. Ozpin, Qrow, Glynda and Jacques were already inside, and he could see that he had walked into a heated debate.

James cut to the chase. "What happened?"

"Autumn was attacked." was Qrow's blunt answer.

"What?! How exactly-"

"We do not know all the details at this time." Glynda spoke up. "What information we know now is only what Qrow was able to discern."

"Which is?"

"Not a lot. From what I saw, Amber was ambushed by three assailants. I don't have a very good description. I was focused on getting them to safety."

"Them?" James questioned. "She was attacked with her team?" That was a ludicrous idea. Amber's team contained some of the finest young Huntsmen in Remnant. The idea that they were defeated by a mere three assailants was laughable.

"No. She was with my son." Jacques voice was subdued, but James could still hear the inflections of anger.

"Your son?" James' confusion only grew. "What reason would your son have to be with Ms. Stone?"

"They knew each other from a previous engagement."

"I checked the Huntsmen depot." Qrow cut in. "Amber had just finished a mission in the Grimmlands and was on her way back to Vale and stopped at a town for the night. It just so happens, that Jaune, Jacques' kid, was assigned a low-level mission near that same town."

"You're thinking that they met up and decided to complete the journey home together." James finished off the deduction. "I believe I understand. So how are their conditions at the moment?"

The mood in the room grew even more serious. Ozpin decided to speak. "The young Mr. Arc is stable. His injuries were quite severe, and he is still unconscious, but thankfully, his prodigious Aura has sped up his recovery. Ms. Stone, however," He let out a sigh. "her case is more complicated."

"Then simplify it."

"... We conducted an analysis, and based on our findings and what Qrow saw," he paused for a second, finding the words difficult. "We believe that a portion Amber's Maiden powers was stolen."

Silence. James merely stood there, blinking his eyes several times and shaking his head, his stoic composure taken away by one sentence. "How... Is that even possible?"

"Yesterday, I would have said no. But after recent events, the lines between what is possible and what isn't are becoming more unclear." Ozpin muttered, his arms on his desk, his fingers interlocked in front of his face.

"I believe that the real question now is, what do we do?" Glynda raised the question. "Amber is currently comatose, with no sign that she will wake up soon. Half of her powers now belong to someone who will undoubtedly try to obtain the rest of them for herself, and should Amber die, the assailant will receive them anyway. So, what now?"

James decided to speak up. "We find the attackers first. Bring the fight to them."

"And how do you propose to locate them?" Ozpin asked.

James turned to Jacques, who had remained silent all this time. "Your son, he engaged them in combat as well. Perhaps he could provide a description. We send the details to Huntsmen stations around Remnant, and then-"

"Then what, Jimmy?" Qrow interjected. "Do that, and our enemies will burrow so far underground they might as well not exist anymore. Anyone that has the skill and resources to attack a Maiden can surely pull off that much."

"I agree." Ozpin said. "It would be counterproductive to display their faces so publicly. But I do think it would be prudent to try and get a description and alert the other Maidens. If they see this attack as a failure, they may try again."

"That brings me to another issue." Glynda spoke once again. "How did they know that Amber was the Fall Maiden, much less that she was the ideal one to attack?"

Seeing a questioning look from them she pressed on. "Amber, despite her considerable talents, is still the youngest Maiden, and by far the least experienced. Compared to the others, she would be relatively easier to defeat. I don't think that it was mere chance that she was targeted.

"As well as that, only a handful of people even know of the existence of the Maidens, much less their identities, and nearly a third of them are in this room. So, I ask once more, where did they get this information?"

"... Are you implying that we have a spy in our midst?" James asked quietly after a moment of silence.

"I am saying it outright. Someone is leaking our secrets to the enemy."

Jaune was really starting to hate this room. He was starting to notice things about this room that he never considered last time. The blandness of the walls, the grating sound of the machines, the cloying scent of disinfectant, all of it contributed to his newfound dislike for hospital rooms. But not as much as the fact that he had no clue as to why he was still here.

By the time he woke up hours ago, he had no injuries, he felt no pain, and according to his Scroll his Aura had fully replenished, but the staff were adamant in keeping him there. At least they let him have his stuff back, but Scroll games can only amuse you for so long.

Add all that to the fact that he was worried sick about Amber. Every time he asked about her the staff would either feign ignorance and/or change the subject. It was driving him up the wall, and his mind had turned to conjuring various scenarios to explain what happened to her, and he had been sorely tempted to start drinking from his flask to take the edge off.

The doorknob turned, and in came Qrow, looking surprisingly sober. "Well, kid, congratulations. You managed to land yourself in here twice before even enrolling. I'm sure that breaks some kind of record."

Jaune's eye twitched. Okay maybe not so sober "Gee, thanks. Do you have any idea why they're keeping me here? They have a nurse coming in every 10 minutes to make sure I don't walk out on them."

"I'm sure it's nothing." Qrow pulled up a chair next to him.

"Where's Mom and Dad?"

"Isabelle's still on her way. Jackie's still talking to Ozpin." He was silent for a while, before reaching for a fork on Jaune was given for lunch on the bedside table. "Kid, tone down your Aura for a second, and give me your hand."

"Wha? Oh, hell, I'm gonna regret this." Jaune griped but complied, not as if it would do much anyway. As expected, Qrow jammed the fork an inch into Jaune's palm, before yanking it out roughly.

"Agh! Damn it, what was the point of that?" He was just about to heal it but, Qrow stopped him, and squeezed his had to let a pool of blood form in his hand.

"Go ahead," He gestured to his palm. "Try moving it."

Jaune looked at him as if he was insane, but slight understanding came to his face. He held his hand over the blood, and focused his Aura on the red liquid. He reached out with his Aura, and felt a slight resonance. Building on it, he imposed his will on it, and slowly, it rose, and formed a small crimson marble floating over his hand.

"Whoa..." Jaune breathed out in amazement.

"Indeed. Looks like I was right, it is freaky lookin'."

"How did you...?"

"I was the one that found you and Amber. You're welcome, by the way. If I didn't come when I did, then things could've turned out ugly, even if you were still kickin'"

"I see..." Jaune said absent-mindedly, still enamored by the little red ball floating in his hand.

"Jaune." Seeing that he wasn't paying much attention, he repeated himself with more force. "Jaune! Do you remember what happened to you and Amber?"

"Not really. Last thing I remember was fighting someone, and I was in a pretty tight spot, and Amber was in trouble... " Jaune hesitated for only a fraction of a second, but Qrow still caught it. "I guess I must have been knocked out after that." That was another reason he was so agitated, the fact that he could not remember the conclusion of that battle.

"...Looks like there was some memory loss. Do you think you can give a description of the attackers?"

"I only got a good look at two of them. The third, I couldn't tell you. She was the one that Amber was fighting." Jaune said frustratedly. "How is Amber? No-one's telling me anything."

"Well, she's alive, but barely. Whatever the attackers did to her left her in a coma. That's one more thing I wanted to talk to you about." Qrow's gaze turned to Jaune, his eyes deadly serious. "You can't tell anyone about what happened to Amber."

"What? Why? Shouldn't her family or team-mates-"

"Amber has no family left, and her team already knows, and so do your parents, but no-one else can. Not your sisters, not Ruby or Yang, no-one. Amber was involved in... something dangerous, and this attack cannot be made public."

"What exactly was she involved in?"

"You don't need to know, kid." Seeing Jaune about to protest, he continued on. "There's no argument about this, Jaune." Jaune flinched upon hearing Qrow call him by name. "This is an order. I don't like it but telling you the whole story won't change anything."

"Then what can you tell me?!" Jaune was getting tired of this. "I nearly died, and had watched a friend nearly die as well! And you can't even tell me why because I don't need to fucking know?!"

"Kid, calm down!"

"Don't tell me to calm down! Tell me what the he-"

"Son." The two of them turned to the door, which had opened without their notice. Jacques stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, Crocea Mors strapped to his back in crude wrappings. "Qrow, do you mind?"

"...Sure. See ya later kid." He rose from his chair and began to walk. Just before exiting, he stepped right next to Jacques. He spoke in a low voice. "Tell him now, or I will." before walking out.

Jacques sat in the empty seat. The father and son didn't speak for a while, before Jacques finally broke the silence. "I heard part of your conversation with Qrow. I understand that you're frustrated," Jaune scoffed, "but believe me, you are not ready to know the full situation."

"And why the hell not?"

"Because you are not strong enough!"

Jaune recoiled in shock before it quickly turned to anger. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"Exactly what you heard. You said it yourself, you nearly died, and let me guess, you didn't even stand a chance against your enemy?" Jaune's silence was answer enough, and so he continued ruthlessly. "There you go. Knowledge is power, Jaune, and this knowledge is something that you are not ready to wield." He hated that he had to speak to his son like this, but it was the truth, plain and simple.

"I guarantee you that the ones you face are merely pawns in this game. The forces responsible for Amber's condition wield powers that even I have trouble understanding. To tell you everything would only endanger you."

"So, what, I'm just supposed to forget that a friend is lying in a coma-"

"I never said that. Never forget what happened during that battle. Use it. Use it like fuel to drive yourself forward. I said that you aren't strong enough, I didn't say you never will be. Train, learn, improve because believe me, this is just the beginning."

Jaune could only clench his fists in his lap. He couldn't say anything to argue, because in the end, his father was right. He was still too weak. This fight had made that brutally clear to him. He remembered that feeling of helplessness, and uselessness, when the silver-haired one had him pinned to the ground, Amber screaming just a few feet away.

Now he had a new nightmare to be afraid of.

"There's something else." His father's voice made him raise his head.

"You have something else to make me feel worse?"

"Jaune, I know you didn't tell Qrow everything about that battle." Jaune looked away, hiding his face. "Son, look at me." He met Jaune's gaze, and at that moment, Jaune felt like a child again, helpless before the power behind that gaze. "What happened in that fight?"

"...I was in bad shape, Dad. My Aura was gone, my shield was broken, I thought I was pretty much done for. One of them had me pinned, the other two were doing... something to Amber. I don't know what, but I knew they were going to hurt her.

"I was desperate, trying to think of some way to help, then I heard it."

"Heard what?"

"A voice, I think it was a woman's voice, but I've heard it before. When you first gave me Crocea Mors... I heard it then, but it wasn't as clear as this."

"What did the voice say to you?"

"It... She asked me if I wanted to save Amber, if I wanted more power."

"And you accepted."

"Of course! I told you, I was desperate, I thought we were going to die. I was willing to do anything at that point."

"I'm not judging your choice, son. You did what you had to do in a hopeless situation." Jacques sighed.

"...Dad, do you know what happened to me out there?"

Jacques fell into silence once more, to the point where Jaune thought he'd never get an answer, but his next words only added to his confusion.

"Jaune, do you know the Tale of the Nameless Knights?"

"Wha- What does that have to do wi-"

"Just answer the question Jaune."

Jaune continued to stare at his father, searching his face for the slightest hint of his intentions, but he gave up pretty quickly.

Sighing, he replied. "Of course I do. They're in every other picture book and ballad made in Remnant:

Before the time of Remnant, before the time of the Grimm, humans and Faunus dominated the world. Without the fear of Grimm, they were able to build mighty empires and great castles.

But it wasn't all great. The various kingdoms and empires were in a constant state of war, over resources, beliefs, land, anything became a reason to fight. It became so severe that soon every kingdom declared war on everyone else. People were lost, entire cities destroyed.

However, just when all hope seemed to be lost, a shining light descended oto the fields of battle. They held no banners, nor did they wear anything of their country, if they even had one. These namelss knights rode fearlessly into battle, each one with a strength of a hundred men. They wielded their shining swords with unparalleled skill and power.

Soon, the armies of the world lay defeated, the nameless knights standing victorious. Looking upon the leaders of the world, one of the knights plunged his sword into the earth, making the ground shake, as if the world itself was trembling. The already damaged empires crumbled to ruin, and once the dust had settled, the knights had disappeared.

Faced with their ravaged world, the leaders had no excuse for their people. They understood that peace would be the only way to rebuild their world, and protect their people. And so, once again, mankind began to flourish, under a united banner.

"That's pretty much the gist of it. Still, what does all this have to do with-" Jaune stopped himself, and thought about the story he told. He stared at the sword, still wrapped in his father's hands. "You cannot be serious."

"I realize that it sounds-"

"Crazy? Stupid? Delusional? All of the above?"

"I was going to say 'far-fetched' but those work too." Jacques said wryly. "I always said that Crocea had been in our family for generations, but that's quite misleading. In truth, it is so much older."

"You expect me to believe that Crocea is some magical sword of legend?!"

"Just look at the evidence, Jaune." his father countered. "You said that your Aura was depleted. You had already sustained serious injury. And yet somehow you mustered the Aura to activate your Semblance and were able to fend off a superior opponent, one who very well may be on the level of a highly-ranked Huntsman!"

Jaune was once again rendered speechless. His father was right. He didn't realize that Qrow didn't reach then then. How had he survived? He thought that it was just adrenaline, but only Aura could allow use of a Semblance.

"But...but you've used this sword for years. You've never said anything about it having powers!"

"Because I have never fought a war, son." he said quietly. "Think back to that story. The knights appeared in a time of war, and disappeared once it was over. It has been the belief of our family that Crocea's capabilities only manifest in wartime.

Your great-grandfather was an example of this. He was one of the most feared warriors on the battlefield. They said that he was as strong as a mountain, as fast as lightning. Sound familiar?"

Jaune could only make strangled noises in an attempt to form words. "Vale isn't at war with anyone! Nor are any of the kingdoms."

"Just because you can't see something, Jaune, does not mean it isn't there." He said sharply. "I've already told you of the forces at work here. So far, those powers are invisible, but soon their machinations can be seen as well as felt by everyone."

Jacques gave Jaune the sword, resting it on his lap. "Believe what you want. I've told you what I know. But mark my words, son. Crocea Mors has been awakened, and has chosen you. This war will come whether you believe in it or not, so I suggest you take my words to heart."

He was about to exit, but Jaune stopped him. "Dad, just one more thing." His voice was weak, showing no sign of the anger and fervor from before. "The voice... who was it?"

Jacques stood still, not turning around to face him. "I'm sorry, son. I don't know."

"There's our target."

Five figures sood on top of a snow-capped cliff, overlooking a wide clearing. Their 'target', barely visible through the vicious blizzard winds, was a single-storey, well-constructed steel building. The walls were bare, with very little windows on the outer walls. The roof was flat, with lights stationed at the perimeter, making it clear that it served as a landing pad for Bullheads. A large symbol was painted on the roof, partially covered by the snow, but still unmistakeable. A spear pointing upwards through a circular shield,

The symbol of Atlas, and more importantly, the Atlesian military.

"I trust that everyone is clear on the plan." It wasn't a question.

"Let's make this clear, woman." A hulking man spoke with a gruff voice. "I'm here because Taurus wanted me here. I don't take orders from a human."

"I understand perfectly, Lieutenant." Cinder replied, disregarding the blatant disrespect. "I wouldn't dream of trying to control you like an animal. All I ask for is some trust and co-operation."

"I'll never trust you."

"Then I suppose I'll have to settle for co-operation."

"Do we really have to do this in this get-up? I feel like I'm going to a costume party." Mercury whined.

"Of course. We want to make this a believable performance after all." She whipped out her Scroll and checked the time. "Let's begin. Neo, if you would."

"Sir, movement spotted near the southern entrance." reported a technician.

"What? Here?" Commander Steel was on alert. This base was literally in the middle of nowhere. Huntsmen rarely came here, and civilians don't even the base exists. The only sign of movement here, was almost always Grimm "Show me the security feeds, and arm the defense systems."

All around the base, the anti-Grimm turrets whirred to life, and searchlights flodded the area with light, seeking the forest for possible threats.

Steel looked at the camera feeds, trained eyes darting between the screens. "There! Zoom in on that." He pointed to a humanoid figure on the grainy screen, which magnification revealed to be a young, dark-haired woman. She was noticeably limping, and despite the bad video quality, it was clear she was exhausted.

"Ah, hell, it's a civilian. Send someone out to assist her, but keep the defenses up on the off chance she's hostile."

"More movement, sir! This time at the northern end of the base!"

"More?!" Two civilian wanderers is not a coincidence. Are we under attack? No, no-one would be stupid enough to attack a fortified base with so few people, and they're too conspicuous to be spies. i don't like this. "I want them detained!"

"Sir?"

"You heard. I want to know who they are, why they're here and how they know of this place. Also, contact Officer Watch and tell him to be on alert with that civilian."

Officer Watch opened the gates, and ran through the four-foot deep snow, catching the young woman just as she stumbled.

"Miss, are you alright?" he heard no response, and he saw that the woman had passed out, and his eyes widened in alarm when he saw a large, red stain on our stomach. "Oh, shit." He picked her up in a princess carry, and made his way into the base as quickly as possible, trying not to jostle her too much.

Once inside, he contacted base control. "This is Officer Watch. I need a medic here ASAP. Civilian severely wounded."

"Roger that, sending a medic immediately."

Watch turned back to the woman with the first aid kit in hope of stopping the bleeding. He pulled back the woman's cloak to start patching up the wound, before pausing to look at his hands, which he noted were completely dry. What the hell...?

His thoughts were brutally interrupted when a long, slender blade swiftly pierced his throat, and was just as swiftly yanked out. He fell to his knees, clutching his neck, his throat rapidly filling with warm blood.

Officer Watch died, drowning in his own blood, staring at a pair of pink and chocolate-brown eyes.

Cinder stood in her White Fang uniform, unfazed by the freezing temperatures. To her left and slightly behind her was the Lieutenant. Both of them stood just outside the range of the cameras.

"You never said how you were getting us inside."

Cinder smirked. "Allow me to demonstrate." At a leisurely pace, she walked towards the large steel doors, seemingly without a care in the world.

As soon as she got within fifty feet of the walls, half a dozen turrets and as many cameras swiveled to face her.

"Halt! You are in a restricted area. Identify yourself, or you will be shot."

Cinder said nothing, merely summoning several Dust crystals with a wave of her hand. With a push of her mind, the crystals flew at the turrets, exploding in a burst of white flame, completely disabling them, but she took care to leave the cameras intact. She wanted them to see this.

She continued walking towards the doors, extending her arm, palm outwards. Her hand began to glow with power, placing it against the steel entrance. Within seconds, the metal began to melt, and soon the great barricade has been reduced to molten slag, leaving a gaping hole well able to allow entry.

Cinder turned to the Lieutenant, who had walked up beside her and was rendered speechless by the display. "Shall we?"

The Lieutenant wasn't the only one stunned into silence.

What the fuck did I just see... Commander Steel had seen his fair share of crazy in his long time in the military. Repeated exposure to Huntsmen Semblances would guarantee that, but this was something else. His shock was quickly displaced by pure discipline and he began to bark out orders.

"I want every squad in that block to converge at the entry point with instructions to shoot on sight!" He would be taking no chances with these people.

"Sir! We've lost the camera feeds around the south entrance!"

"What! Contact Watch and find out what the fuck is-"

"This is Officer Brass! We have a security breach, I repeat, we have a security breach! Officer Watch is dead, and the doors are wide open. No sign of the civilian."

"Roger that, Brass. Initiate lockdown procedures and report to your station." Steel ended the transmission and stomped over to the radio system. "This is Base Commander Steel. Base security compromised, number of hostiles unknown."

"I got a visual on the targets! Two in Block C, running towards Block A. Oh, hell."

"What is it?!"

The technician turned the screen displaying two figures clad in black clothing, donning white masks. "It's the White Fang!"

"Damn it all to hell... Personnel in Block C, be on the lookout for two White Fang members! All others, stay alert in the case of additional hostiles!"

Switching off the tannoy, he turned to another tech. "Activate the AK-130s."

Emerald and Mercury sprinted through the halls, not even bothering to hide from the cameras. A loud klaxon was blaring, spinning red lights illuminating the walls. Their heavy cloaks were abandoned upon entering the building, revealing the standard White Fang uniform.

"How long do you think it'll take for them to find us?" Mercury asked, just as they rounded a corner, and came face-to-face with a squad of Atlesian military, decked out in full combat gear, complete with helmets and body armor, along with several Atlesian drones. Every single one of them was pointing a rifle straight at them.

"You just had to ask didn't you?"

"White Fang! You are surrounded! Hands on your heads and drop to your knees!" A soldier in the front shouted.

"Ah, don't be like that, Em. This is where the fun starts." Mercury's face shifted to an expression of excitement and bloodlust.

"I SAID ON YOUR KNEES!"

Mercury crouched down on one knee, as did Emerald. The soldiers advanced slowly, and warily. Just as they were only five feet away, Mercury made his move. A burst of wind erupted from beneath his feet, and he was launched him straight above the surprised soldiers. He slammed his foot into the face of the soldier who spoke, the impact killing him instantly.

Mercury landed in the middle of the soldiers, a perfect position as now their rifles are useless unless they want to risk friendly fire. He readily took advantage of their disorientation, killing two more, before jumping back to avoid a hastily drawn sword. Ducking down, a sweeping kick send another soldier tumbling before a kick to his chest sent him sprawling into a comrade.

Another soldier started to swing at Mercury's back, but he was pulled back by a green sickle hooked around his neck. Before he could even react, the sickle was pulled , wrenching his head back in a burst of arterial spray. Her newly-repaired kusarigama flashed through the air, slicing through limbs with horrifying ease.

Within seconds, the entire squad was dead.

"Well, that was underwhelming." Mercury remarked.

The two of them resumed their run through the base, soon coming to a junction, two hallways going in opposite directions. "Alright, you know the plan. Keep them off my back so I can do my job."

"Don't worry, Em. I'm not an amateur." But Emerald had already run down the halls. "Now that's just rude."

"We've lost contact with Squad 7!"

Damn it, looks like these terrorists aren't really just dumb grunts. Could they be rogue Huntsmen?. "Where are those ones headed?"

"They've split up, sir! One of them has continued towards Block A, the other is headed to the server room!"

"The server room?" They must be planning to disable our comms before we call for reinforcements. "Send Squad 3 to intercept the attacker going to Block A, and Squad 6 to surround the one in the server room. Alert the techs in there of the situation."

"Contact HQ immediately and report our situation. Request reinforcements now!"

Emerald crouched underneath the vents on the wall next to the door outside the server room, using a small mirror to see inside. There were three men inside, all armed, their rifles locked, loaded and trained at the entry points.

This could get tricky... Emerald scanned the room, carefully noting every one of their positions. Focusing on the one furthest from her, she activated her Semblance.

Mind-based Semblances were tricky to work with. Emerald's Semblance in particular required considerable skill and mental fortitude to fully master. It required her to project a scenario of her own design into the target's mind, while at the same time making sure the scenario is from their perspective. As well as that, she must constantly adjust and adapt the illusion to the target's movements and reactions.

And it's not just a visual illusion. Emerald's Semblance allows for her to change and manipulate every possible sense in whatever way she desires. Sight, smell, sound, taste, touch, all of it falls under her control. Her only limitations were her imagination and her own mental strength.

Inside the room, Technician Bell's vision became blurry for a second, but the sensation passed just as quickly and was promptly dismissed.

Without warning, the door to the room burst open, and in a blink of an eye, one of his fellow techs had been shot in the head, the terrorist standing over his body.. Reacting quickly he shot straight in front of him, but he missed the intruder completely. The attacker disappeared from his field of vision and a sharp blade was held to his neck from behind. His remaining comrade swung his pistol towards him.

"No, wait! Don't shoo- AGH!" His stomach exploded in pain, and he the metallic taste of blood flooded his mouth. He crumpled to the floor, just in time to see his the tip of a green blade burst from his comrade's throat.

Emerald removed her blade from the man's neck, and flicked away the blood before holstering her weapons. She made her way to the computer, stepping over the bleeding bodies as she did so. I was wrong, that was ridiculously easy.

Seating herself in front of the screen, she saw that a message was being sent to Headquartes. Perfect timing. She inserted her Scroll into the computer terminal. A few seconds later, a holographic image of a black queen chess piece appeared on the screen, along with a dialogue box on the Scroll.

[Device Sychronization Complete]

[Accessing Cross Continental Trasmit System Database]

[Firewall Detected]

[Firewall Disabled]

[Full Access Granted]

[Installing Worm]

[Transferring Files]

[Obscuring Digital Footprint]

[Complete]

It was all done in under a minute. Emerald smirked. It seems their new friend was a clever one. She removed the Scroll from the terminal, and reached into her bag to retrieve a small rectangular block with a Scroll attached which she placed on top of the computer. She typed out a quick message on her Scroll to before packing up and getting ready to leave.

Emerald made her way to the door, but was stopped by a low, groaning noise behind her. "Ah, hell." She drew her pistol and pressed it to Technician Bell's head. "You know, if you had kept your mouth shut, you could've lived just a bit longer."

BANG!

Neo walked at a sedate pace through the halls, her disguise abandoned, her ever-present parasol twirling in her hands, and a large burlap sack she had obtained earlier hanging on her shoulders. She was feeling rather lazy today, and had resorted to teleporting away when encountering the soldiers until she got to her destination. Leave the dirty work to those street rats.

A few more jumps later and she found her target, a heavily locked and bolted door decorated with imposing warning symbols, the most prominent of which was a black lightning bolt on a field of yellow.

With a swing of her parasol, she cut the locks on the door and pushed her way in. Huh, no guards. Makes this almost too easy. She perused the whirring machines, cables encased in metal tubes snaking around the room. Which one I wonder... Ah, when in doubt. Neo shrugged and rummaged through her bag and removed several blocks, all of which she stuck to the machines with duct tape.

A small vibration alerted her to a new message. She flipped out her scroll, and the smile on her face grew upon reading it. She resumed her work at a faster pace, occasionally stopping to ensure that she was indeed alone, though she doubted anyone knew she was here.

When she had finished, she reviewed her work and, satisfied with its quality, began to exit the room, while fiddling with her Scroll. Just before she vanished from the room, she pressed the 'Send' button.

An oppressing shockwave could be felt shaking the entire base.

"Status report! Where did that explosion come from?!" Commander Steel bellowed, once had regained his bearings, and the tremors had ceased.

"Sensors indicate the origin was in Block B, sir!"

"How the hell did they get to -" Steel was cut off by another noise, not as loud, but just as alarming. All around them, lights began to flicker and extinguish. The whirring of the computers died down to nothing. Within seconds, the room was enveloped in darkness, only a scant amount of light provided by Scrolls.

"They must have hit the generators, sir."

What the hell?! That's on the opposite end of the base! "What about our back-up generator?"

"It'll take two minutes to activate, and even then it'll only be for the most basic functions. Right now, all of our weapon systems are down, our cameras, the drones, everything."

"The comms?"

"Currently non-operational."

"When the generators kick in, radio that back-up, I want them here, NOW!"

The Lieutenant was having a great time. The recent blackout did nothing to hamper his movements. He swung his trusted chainsaw, Shadow Fang, like a man possessed, slashing through the soldiers' body armor and meager Auras with ease. Their bullets were easily blocked and deflected and their sword skills were mediocre at best. He would never admit it, but he was very eager to commence this mission, despite forcing him to be allies with humans.

The Atlesian military was a top target of the White Fang. They had been responsible for the deaths of many of his brethren, either through negligence or direct participation. They were also known to guard many of the Schnee Dust mines, turning a blind eye to the suffering and pain his people were put through for the sake of profit.

He swung Fang, the spinning teeth shredding through a soldier's flesh like paper. He moved his head to the side to avoid an incoming stab, before lunging forward, grasping the soldier's face before slamming him into another, their skulls cracking on collision. He felt a painful impact on his shoulder, but he recovered quickly and swung wildly at the shooter.

His saw clanged against a sword. Growling, he used one hand to push on the blade away and used the other to punch the soldier in the chest, making his chest cave in, causing him to cough up blood. Kicking him to the ground, he searched for another opponent, but failed to find any left.

"Lieutenant."

He forced himself to cease his rampage and turned to Cinder, whose hands were bathed in fire, illuminating the hallway with flickering lights. "What do you want, woman?"

"I merely wished to inform you that the central command station of this base is right down this hall. I assumed that you would want to take care of the commander with your own hands. Was I wrong?"

God, I hate this condescending bitch. "Just show me the way."

They came to another set of steel doors. The Lieutenant looked to Cinder with an expectant look, to which she only smiled, and rest her hand on the door.

Once again the doors began to glow and spark, melting rapidly to form an opening. However , before the hole was even half a foot wide, the door was bombarded from within. Bullets and globs of molten steel flew towards Cinder, and in an instant she was enveloped in smoke.

Soon, the barrage ceased. The Lieutenant blocked the onslaught with his saw and attempted to spot the woman through the smoke, but he was stunned to see her completely unharmed, not one mark on her. On the ground around her were deformed bullets and charred shrapnel.

He could've sworn that one of Cinder's eyes glowed, before an explosion erupted in the room. Taking the opportunity, he jumped headfirst through the newly-enlarged hole, making a wide swing upon landing. He took advantage of the dim lights and smoke filled air to hack at his enemies, their blindness making them easy prey.

He swung his chainsword downwards to finish off a wounded soldier, but was blocked by a large broadsword, a meter-and-a-half long, almost twice as large as standard issue. "I don't think so, you Faunus scum."

Looking through the smoke, he eyed his opponent. A tall man, fairly old, if his grey hair was any indication. Judging by the commendations on his uniform, it was clear that he was the man in charge. He read a name on his lapel : STEEL

He pushed on his roaring chainsaw, his strength overpowering the other man, forcing Steel to break the clash and leap away. The Lieutenant briefly turned back to Cinder, who was watching in amusement. "Stay out of my way," he snarled. "This one's mine."

Not waiting for a response, he charged straight through, ignoring the other soldiers, leaving them to Cinder and focusing on the commander. He swung Shadow Fang furiously, but it seemed that age had not dulled the commander's skills. Every feral strike was skilfully parried, a smart move considering the Lieutenant's obvious strength advantage. For every blow he landed, Steel retaliated with three.

He hacked his chainsaw too wide, allowing Steel to lunge inside his defense and thrust towards his neck. He only narrowly avoided the stab, the blade unable to pierce his shoulder thanks to his Aura. He managed to land a punch to Steel's jaw, but the man barely flinched. He swung Fang towards him, but Steel had already moved to his side, causng his blade to embed itself into a computer terminal.

Steel charged at him, resulting in him losing his grip on Shadow Fang. Now weaponless, he was forced to frantically duck and weave the commander's slashes. Taking a chance, he clapped his hands together, just as Steel slashed downwards, catching the long blade mid-swing.

Wrenching the captured blade towards him, he kicked Steel's face with massive force, making him fly into a wall, his body being covered with web-like patterns of light. Gripping his newly-acquired sword, the Lieutenant made to attack him, but Steel quickly unholstered his pistol and opened fire on him. The bullets clanged against the sword, but a few shots breached the defense, exploding on impact.

Despite the volley of gunfire, he pressed on, but not even his enhanced eyes could penetrate the thick smoke and blinding flashes. His temporary blindness allowed Steel to rush at him. Still sightless, the Lieutenant began to swing the sword, but his wrist was firmly grabbed by Steel, which was quickly followed by a hard punch landing squarely on his chest.

He was sent sprawling to the ground, and before he could even think of getting up, a knee planted itself on his sternum, once again knocking the air from his lungs. Another foot jammed into his wrist, forcing him to release the sword. He looked up to see Steel on top of him, brandishing a long tactical knife. He raised it, and plunged it down-

Just as a black arrow pierced clean through his forearm. The shock and the pain stopped Steel in his tracks, an opening that the Lieutenant eagerly took advantage of. He pushed off the commander, and quickly gripped his throat in his right hand, reversing their position. He pressed his knees to Steel's shoulders to prevent him from stabbing him, and added his left hand to the commander's throat. Putting his thumbs together, he pushed.

Commander Steel writhed and thrashed in agony, spitting out silent curses at him, as his face turned red, and his eyes became bloodshot. Steel's legs kicked out in chaos, and his arms wriggled frantically underneath the hold, but it was futile. His struggling slowly ceased, and after the last choked, mangled rasp left his body, he became still.

Breathing hard, the Lieutenant released his hold on the man's throat and stood, before glaring at Cinder. "I told you not to intervene!"

` "It looked to me that you were having some trouble and needed some assistance."

"I had that handled." He could barely restrain himself from shouting. "You had no right to interfere with my battle!"

Cinder's eyes flashed dangerously before she spoke once more, gesturing to their surroundings. "You should be grateful, Lieutenant. After all, if it weren't for me, who knows how many of these soldiers would've got in the way of you fight." She stepped closer to him, her eyes blazing.

"And let me remind you that this was our operation, and it was only through my... generosity that you were allowed to take part."

He snarled, but said nothing more to argue.

Cinder turned away, signalling the end of their discussion. "Let us finish up here. The others should be finished securing our escape route by now.

Captain Fernico was speaking into a radio in his position as a pilot of the Airship. "Base Command, two Bullheads and one Airship incoming. Requesting permission to land, code Alpha-Mike-Zero-Seven. Over."

"..."

` "...I repeat, two Bullheads and one Airship requesting landing clearance, code Alpha-Mike-Zero-Seven , Base Command, please respond."

` "..."

"Tch. Nothing. Alright, everyone proceed with extreme caution. We don't know how much of the facility has been taken by the White Fang." Behind the man, the soldiers were gearing up, double-checking their equipment, and adjusting their armor. "Our objective is the elimination of said terrorists. And if that is not possible, the evacuation of the men inside."

The aircraft landed on the roof, and the soldiers began to file out once the doors of the plane opened. Before even half of them had disembarked, a deafening crash pierced the frigid air, and everyone turned to see the escorting Bullheads with their engines flaming. They flew jaggedly downwards, attempting to land, but they both lost control. One swerved into the surrounding tree-line, while the other slammed into the northern end of the base.

The soldiers stood in stunned silence, before Fernico resumed yelling out orders. "Get inside the facility, now and find whatever, or whoever brought down those ships!" He stuck his head back in the craft and addressed the co-pilot. "Fly away, but maintain radio distance. Keep an eye out for any incoming attacks, got it?"

Once the last soldier had exited, the doors closed behind him, and unexpectedly the ship rose into the air and began to fly off.

"You really should've retreated and waited for more soldiers, old man." Fernico tuned to see a White Fang member spinning on his hands, his legs kicking out to fire silver projectiles. The rounds were orbiting him as he spun, giving the image of a cyclone. With a grunt, the silver wisps were launched towards the soldiers, the concussive force pushing them back with bone breaking force.

A few soldiers who managed to evade the bombardment rushed the terrorist, swords drawn, but were incapacitated almost instantly. Fernico stood and spit out the blood in his mouth. He rallied his men and ordered them to aim their rifles towards the enemy. "FIRE AT WI-"

Military grade Dust-infused bullets tore holes through the soldiers, their armor and their small Auras doing absolutely nothing to defend them.

Mercury crouched down, occasionally jumping to avoid the bullets that came in his direction. Once the ship landed once more, he banged on the doors. The hatch hissed open, and he stormed in. He reached the cockpit to see Neo in the pilot's seat, the co-pilot lying on the floor with his throat slit. "What the fuck, Neo?! A little warning you coulda killed me!"

The mute girl only put her hands to her mouth in a sarcastic show of shock and remorse. Mercury only scoffed and shook his head, having accepted that arguing was useless with this girl.

"Did you place the signal jammer?" Neo nodded in response. Every Atlesian military vehicle was equipped with a device linked directly to the CCTS which allowed for precise navigation. It also meant that the position of every vehicle was traceable through the CCTS.

"Very well done, you two." Cinder said, stepping into the cockpit. "Where's Emerald?"

"I think that's her coming up now."

Sure enough, Emerald stepped through the snow into the cockpit, her uniform spattered with blood. "Sorry, I'm late. There were a few persistent stragglers."

"You are forgiven. I trust that your objective was completed without much hassle?"

"Oh yeah. The toy our new friend gave us worked like a charm. Why is the Lieutenant sulking in the back?"

"I do believe he is dissatisfied with the mission. He'll get over it. Now it's time for us to take our leave. Has everyone left their parting gifts?"

Neo perked up and vanished from her seat, only to reappear seconds later and gave them a thumbs-up.

Cinder narrowed her eyes, but didn't see the need to have Neo elaborate. "Very well, let's be off." she said pressing a key on her Scroll.

The Airship slowly elevated, the landing gear retracting and the wings shifting. They rose higher into the sky. Once they were high enough, their 'parting gifts' were revealed.

All around the facility, numerous bombs packed with concentrated Fire Dust detonated at once. The base was consumed by flame, the roof burst upwards in a pillar of fire. Bodies could be seen flying through the air alongside rubble and shards of metal.

The explosions finally stopped, and the dust settled, revealing a burning base, white snow stained with ash and blood, and slightly far from the site, a white flag depicting a red wolf.

OK, my longest chapter yet, but unfortunately I've learned that longer isn't necessarily better. Still, I hope you've all enjoyed it. We've seen a glimpse of the origins of Crocea Mors, but the more astute of you have probably realized that the story was a highly abridged version, so safe to say I haven't given you the full picture. (duh!)

I've also introduced Salem into my fic. To be honest, I thought I was going to have to design another OC for her role, but when I first saw her, I knew her character design would be perfect for what I had in mind.

Now, Easter holidays have come, so I shall resolve to write as much as possible (while trying to maintain quality, of course). I shall also use this time to try and draw a profile picture, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that one. Stay tuned!

Love it? Hate it? Click on the button below if you feel like sharing your opinions!