Disclaimer: Neither dracohalo117 nor Leaf Ranger own RWBY, The Darkness, Witchlade, orArtifacts in any way, shape or form. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and is the creation of Monty Oum…The Darkness, Witchblade and Artifacts, are owned by Top Cow Productions.

Notice: This story, and just about any other story made by dracohalo117 and Leaf Ranger, will be AU, we will not be following canon, we will be extracting elements from canon, but we will not be doing a carbon copy of the canon storyline.

Attention: This story was planned out before the beginning of Volume 3, Volume 3 and beyond was not taken into account in the production of this fanfic. Do not expect characters, concepts or personalities to appear if they occurred in Volume 3.

Also, our sincerest apologies this took so long, admittedly, we've been stuck on this part for almost two months, but sadly, dracohalo117 works multiple jobs and is rarely home, also his laptop has basically died more or less. Leaf Ranger also has his own concerns to deal with as well.

Now without further ado, we bring you 'Overcoming Darkness', enjoy.

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The Kingdom of Atlas was a sight to behold, nearly every inch of Atlas held a unique piece of history that was displayed in the architecture and aesthetics of the Kingdom. Tall towers of stone and metal, fortresses that at one time were battlements, now made into universities and homes. Even the lower income areas had an aesthetic which showed that the masons and architects that built these homes put forth their blood, sweat and tears into the laying of each brick, and carving of each inch of marble.

Even the more modern additions to the Kingdom had an appearance which showed the care that was put into each inch of the architecture to make it stand out like no other.

The only exceptions to this feature of the Kingdom, were the military bases which dotted the Kingdom. Form was replaced with functionality, though insignia's and art pieces decorated the structures, the structures themselves were designed with the sole purpose of function rather over form.

One such base sat in the shadow of the illustrious Atlas academy, which stood out even amongst the other structures of Atlas, its high towers and thick walls, and its unique location made it a sight to behold.

The Academy sat atop a great peak just past the walls of the Kingdom, with the military base sitting at the base of the same peak. Its walls were carved from the mountain itself, and all across its surface were ornate carvings, each telling a great tale of the Kingdom. The incline leading up to the academy accented by towering statues, and a massive staircase carved from the mountain itself.

The military base that sat in its shadow on the other hand, was plain in comparison, and it was on this military base that one General James Ironwood walked along the pathways towards the air field on the base, followed by a man a good three inches taller than him, adorned in Atlesian military garb, a thick black beard upon his face, a pair of black sunglasses, and a thick mane of hair tied back in a ponytail.

James Ironwood was looking at a scroll in his hand, as he was reading off a list as it scrolled down the screen, "Your duties while I am gone will include the day to day routines of this facility along with the other five directly affiliated facilities. Additionally you will be charged with responding to any immediate threat in the manner designated by Atlas protocol." he paused mid step and turned to regard the man behind him, who immediately stopped, moving to an at ease position as James held out the Scroll to him, "Finally, you will be charged with the day to day classes, paperwork and upkeep of Atlas academy, and overlook all relevant resources being diverted to the Preparatory academies, do you understand Lieutenant General Basterson?"

The Lieutenant clicked his heels together and immediately saluted, "Yes, General Ironwood, Sir."

James nodded in approval, though a smile tugged at his lips, "At ease, Robert." he said passing the scroll to Robert.

The now named Robert simply grinned in response as he rested at ease, sliding the scroll into his pocket, "At ease? Where is the uptight James Ironwood I know and loathe?" he began to laugh boisterously, as James joined him in the laugh.

Passing soldiers briefly glanced over to the two laughing CO's, before immediately returning to their duties.

Finally, the two military men stopped laughing, and James smirked at him, "I will be leaving shortly, I am placing my trust in you Robert, however, I have the Vice Admiral and Air Marshal's assisting you until my return."

Robert snorted in response, "And you say you trust me?"

James frowned as a single eyebrow rose up, "Do I need to mention the blizzard incident?"

Robert simply waved it off, "It was one misfire, could have happened to anyone."

James crossed his arms, "That being said, they will be assisting you while I am away."

The Lieutenant General frowned at his commanding officer, "Why are you going to Vale so early? The Vytal Festival isn't for another three months." he then gestured over to the airfield, "And with only a single Bullhead and escort, that isn't your style James."

James glanced over to the airway to his Bullhead, which was being prepared, "The matter requires a level of, delicacy, that my usual methods don't really allow."

Robert's eyebrows noticeably rose, "Must be something pretty delicate for you to not bring your warship."

James rolled his eyes, "It isn't my warship, it belongs to the Atlas military."

The bearded Lieutenant General scoffed in amusement, "Whatever you say James." he looked over at the airfield, and noticed everyone beginning to clear the area, "Well, looks like they are finished prepping your ship, you may want to get going before they decide they don't need you to take off."

James chuckled, "Yeah, I may as well." James clicked his heels together, and saluted Robert, who did the same, "By your leave, Lieutenant General Bastard Son."

Robert glowered at James, "It's Basterson."

James smirked as he turned on his heel, and headed off to the airway, while Robert turned towards the base, grumbling under his breath.

Several minutes later, James finds himself on the airfield, marching towards the waiting Bullhead, being guarded by two Atlas military soldiers, one wearing blue armor and the other wearing red.

James saluted the two soldiers as he ascended the ramp into the Bullhead, as the two soldiers swiftly followed behind him.

A low hiss escaped the hydraulics of the ramp as it began to ascend as the red soldiers foot fully entered the bullhead, swiftly closing behind them.

James looked around at the Bullhead interior, it was clearly designed for officers, given its more luxurious amenities, as well as the lack of uniformity in its design. He chose a single seat in front of a small round table fastened to the floor, as he reached for his seatbelt.

Meanwhile, the two soldiers had taken their own seats, the red one leaning over, "When did we get seatbelts on a Bullhead?"

The blue one snorted as he watched Ironwood fasten their seatbelt, "Take a guess." he gestured to Ironwood.

After the General had fastened his seatbelt he pressed the com on his seat, "We are ready for takeoff."

Up in the cockpit, the pilot nodded his head, "Air control this is Bullhead C137, are we clear?"

The screen in front of the pilot came to life, and another soldier in Atlesian armor nodded, "This is air control to C137, you are clear for takeoff, proceed."

The pilot nodded, "Acknowledged, C137 away."

The Bullhead began its ascent from the airfield, before it began to fly towards the edge of the airfield, over the snowy fields surrounding the Kingdom of Atlas.

The Bullhead swooped low over the icy tundra, as the seemingly endless blizzard of the Kingdom pressed against them, the Bullhead cutting through it like a hot knife through butter.

As the Bullhead passed through the endless snow, the snow billowed and rose, the winds of the ice covered Kingdom pushing up clouds of snow.

As the snow rose and fell, the snow began to part, as a single figure began to pass through the frozen water that clung to its black fur, while its yellow eyes peered forth in the same direction that the Bullhead was taking its flight.

The figure silently pushed its clawed paws through the snow, as it followed in the Bullhead's wake, as two the blistering snow touched winds were parted by more black furred figures with the same yellow eyes.


The light of the rising sun began to wash over the Emerald Forest, the oranges and reds of the sun bouncing off the morning dew dotting the leaves, making the Emerald Forest appear as if diamonds had sprouted from the branches.

Meanwhile, in the dorm room of team JNPR, a certain crimson haired Mistralian rolled over in her bed, her eyes shut as she savored the warmth of her covers.

'Briiiing…Briiiing…Briiiing

Only for her eyes to scrunch, groaning in annoyance as she pulled her arm out from under the covers, and haphazardly reached for the scroll on her desk.

Fumbling with the piece of technology, she looked at the scroll, her squinted eyes staring at the text on the front of her scroll.

'Incoming Call-Mom'

Her squinted eyes looked forward with confusion as she slid her finger across the surface of the scroll, "Hello, mother?" she asked tiredly, awaiting for a response on the other end.

"Hiya big sis!" Pyrrha jolted in bed as the loud voice echoed from the phone, and her eyes went from being barely opened to wide as saucers as her ears rang from the loud noise as her hand shot to the speakers on the scroll, before shooting a nervous and somewhat panicked glance to her teammates.

A breath of relief escaped her lips as she saw they were still asleep, and she turned her gaze to the scroll, showing the nervous face of a girl, she looked to be no older than twelve, and her hair was a soft mahogany color, with onyx colored eyes which seemed to shimmer with child-like innocence, her skin tanned to a bronze color.

The little girl stared back at her, a sheepish grin coming to her face, "Oops, sorry, I was just so excited to hear from you big sis." the girl giggled nervously.

Pyrrha smiled back at the giggling child as she whispered, "It's alright Petra." she beamed back at her younger sister, "It's good to see you too." she said whilst adjusting herself in her bed to get more comfortable, while she rose a single eyebrow "So why do you have Moms scroll?"

Petra grinned back at her sister, "I wanted to say hi to you Pyrrha." she pouted, "After all, you said you'd call us when you got to Beacon but you never did."

Pyrrha chuckled nervously, "I am sorry Petra, a lot came up upon my arrival, I barely had a chance to breathe, let alone make a scroll call." she beamed back at her little sister, as a question passed her lips, "So, how have things been back home?"

Petra grinned in response, "It's been great, we went to the fair yesterday!" she said with a loud squeal, before her gaze suddenly turned harsh, or at least as harsh as she could manage, "Something we weren't able to since last time."

Pyrrha chuckled sheepishly, "True, true…" suddenly, a smirk came to the crimson haired Mistralians lips, "Still, you never had a problem keeping Mr. Puffles." she chuckled as Petra suddenly blushed in embarrassment.

The younger Mistralian stammered as she tried to come up with a response, "W-well, I couldn't j-just get rid of him." she said pouting as she turned away. Before her gaze shifted back to Pyrrha, "So, how is Beacon?"

Pyrrha froze internally at the question, as her sister awaited a response.

Briefly, her gaze shifted back to her sleeping teammates, or more accurately, Jaune.

Her gaze returned to Petra, who now looked at her in confusion, "W-well, it has been nice so far."

Petra tilted her head, "Oh? How so?"

Pyrrha looked around at the dorm, "Well, my partner is nice, and so is my team." she smiled at Petra with the most reassuring grin she could, "The people here seem really nice."

Her younger sister stared back at her, "What are they like? Your team I mean."

Pyrrha bit her lower lip, "Well, my teammate Nora is very rambunctious, but she is brilliant in her own way." she said honestly, "Her partner Ren is hard to read, he seems to be very introverted."

A moment of silence passed as Petra tilted her head, staring at Pyrrha, "What about your partner?" the question was so innocent.

And yet the moment the question reach Pyrrha's ears, her heart began to race, her gaze shifting to her sleeping partner.

What could she say? What could she tell without giving more than she should? He was on the run from his village, he faked his way into Beacon, he could command Grimm?

Pyrrha glanced back at Petra, "Well he is-"

"Petra!" a sudden loud voice echoed in the background, as the young girl froze up, while a hand reached out and grabbed the scroll, "Young lady what did I say about using my scroll?" the voice had a stern tone, and Pyrrha found her spine stiffening as the voice on the other end of the scroll sternly spoke to Petra.

Petra's voice stammered on the other side, "B-but Mom-"

"No buts. You know the rules young lady, now march up to your room and get ready for bed, it is late." the woman spoke sternly on the other end, as a loud groan from Petra sprung forth from the scroll speakers, and the pitter patter of footsteps leaving the vicinity echoed from the speakers.

A loud sigh escaped the womands lips as she brought the scroll up, revealing a woman with similarly tanned skin as Petra, with bronze colored eyes and black, shoulder length hair. Her lips curled into a smile as she looked at Pyrrha, "Hey there sweetheart."

Pyrrha beamed back at the woman, "Hello Mother, it's great to see you." her mother chuckled as she waved her hand to the side.

"Oh for the Gods sake Pyrrha you've been gone less than a week, you can't miss me that terribly already." she spoke with a teasing tone.

Pyrrha playfully rolled her eyes, "Mother, you barely let me leave Mistral until father convinced you."

Pyrrha's mother gasped, "Gaah! Such scandalous words, why, I have never been anything less than supportive of you going to Beacon." she said turning her head with a huff.

Pyrrha could not stop the giggle from escaping her lips as her mother childishly pouted, "Careful mother, if you hold that face for too long it will stay that way." she looked closer at the scroll, "And is that a lying dot I see on your forehead?" a grin spread across her lips as her mother frowned, her gaze returning to look at Pyrrha.

"You are never going to let me live that down, I swear." she grumbled in annoyance as Pyrrha continued to laugh at her expense.

Pyrrha's laughter finally died down, and she smiled at her mother, her gaze turning soft, "It really is great to see you mother."

Her mother sighed as her features shifted, a soft smile touched her cheeks, "Pyrrha, I know you wanted to stretch your wings, but couldn't you have done it here in Mistral?" her smile became sad as her gaze shifted downwards, "I don't like the idea of you being so far away from us."

A soft sigh escaped Pyrrha's lips, "Mother, I know you want to keep me safe, but I have to be able to protect myself." she chuckled softly, "After all, I am training to be a huntress after all."

Her mother snapped her head up, her eyes holding deep concern, "But why couldn't you do that here?" her eyes held a desperate need to know, to understand.

The red haired Mistralian let out a long sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair, "Mother, because of my status in Mistral I wouldn't know a moments peace, even here I was lucky to find a few willing to look past my image. But in Mistral I wouldn't be able to learn anything, not really." her gaze became hard as her mind conjured images of Mistral and the student body of Haven.

She was famous throughout Remnant, but especially in Mistral, she couldn't go anywhere without being recognized, surrounded at all times by fans and people who only saw her image, not her.

Her body shivered as she thought of being surrounded by that at all times, and no doubt those would be the least of her concerns, what if the staff were no different, or worse, what if they were sycophants?

She looked over to Ren, remembering how her lack of genuine skill in team combat could have gotten him badly injured, or worse.

She looked back at her mother, her gaze still holding that same motherly concern, "I can learn more here at Beacon, than I can learn at Haven, this I know." she smiled, "Besides, I already have a team, I can't exactly drop all of them and then go to Haven right?"

Her mothers gaze softened, and an equally soft laugh escaped her lips, "No, I suppose you couldn't." she shook her head, "I just can't help but worry about you my little one."

Pyrrha suddenly burst into a quiet laughter, "Little one, I am the same height as you mother." she chuckled as her mother pouted indignantly.

"Yes ha ha, laugh it up sweetheart." she huffed with a cheekish grin, "You're still my little girl." her eyes closed and a sigh escaped her lips, "I'll let you go now sweetie, it was good to hear from you."

Pyrrha smiled back at her mother, "It was good to hear from you too mother, send father my love."

The black haired Mistralian nodded her head, "I will do so sweetheart, and I'll do the same for your sisters too."

Pyrrha chuckled, "Yes of course, how could I forget." she asked rhetorically as her eyes fluttered, and a yawn escaped her lips.

Pyrrha's mother smiled at her red haired daughter, the lips curving down into a thin lipped expression, "May the God of Protection watch over you my child."

Pyrrha blinked back at her mother, a warm expression gracing her features, "And may the God of Protection give me the strength to watch over others."

Her mother nodded her head, and the scroll went blank as the call ended.

Pyrrha closed her eyes, placing her scroll on her night stand, reaching for the covers to enjoy a few more moments of slee-

'Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep'

Only for her eyes to snap open as the alarm on her scroll went off just as she was about to get comfortable.

'Gods damn it.'


Beacon Academy was one of four major academies in the world of Remnant, its home was Vale, one of the four Kingdoms of Remnant that were still standing after the Great War. The Kingdom of Vale had several preparatory academies; Signal, Siren, Flare and Lantern were just a few, it was these preparatory academies that helped would be huntresses and huntsman to hone their craft and prepare them for the career they had chosen to enter.

Beacon was where the strongest of these trainees went to refine themselves.

Beacon took the unsharpened edges of the swords of those who would rise up to defend the Kingdoms from the Grimm and made them keen, not just physically, but mentally. For Beacon was not just a place of physical empowerment, but mental and spiritual as well.

Beacon's resources were dedicated to ensuring their students had the physical capabilities to not only match the Grimm, but also the mental fortitude and cunning to be able to end a fight as decisively as possible, or whether to avoid one to live another day.

To accommodate this, Beacon had facilities to ensure that they had everything that they needed to ensure that their students were equipped to handle the threat of the Grimm, which included a bunker beneath the school which held the sole purpose of holding Grimm to be fought in a controlled environment, giving the students a chance to fight their sworn foe in relative safety.

The bunker would usually be filled with the sounds of snarls and roars from the dozens upon dozens of Grimm stored down here, but as the Headmaster of Beacon stood with Glynda, Peter and Bartholomew in front of the cage of a Boarbatusk, it was not the roars of this plethora of Grimm echoing in their ears that greeted them.

It was the glowing yellow eyes staring back at them from behind reinforced steel cages and the absolute silence that made even Ozpin unsteady.

Ozpin got down on his knee, staring through the bars into the four glowing eyes of the Boarbatusk before him, as docile as a trained puppy.

"I won't be able to do any practical examinations if the Grimm remain like this." the portly professor mentioned as Ozpin returned to both feet, "I can't tell stories of my past hunts all day, I certainly can't grade my classes on them either." he said softly, his exhaustion clear in his voice.

Ozpin looked towards Peter, "In that case, it seems we will need to adjust our planned lessons, dramatically I might add." his gaze shifted to Bartholomew, "Doctor Oobleck, you will need to assist Peter with planning out additional lessons until we can get this matter resolved."

The bespectacled doctor frowned, looking down towards his thermos strapped to his belt, grumbling under his breath.

Ozpin didn't quite catch what was said, but he could have sworn he heard 'need more coffee'.

As the Doctor grumbled about his lack of coffee, Ozpin turned his attention towards the blonde Professor at his side, "Has there been any news from Professor Peach in regards to the sample Peter brought to her?" by now both Peter and Bart were giving their full attention to Glynda.

"She did manage to send me a preliminary report, however the only thing she was able to gleam from a cursory study is that whatever it was that destroyed the bodies of those, creatures…is that the damage done to the surrounding area matches the type of damage caused by a powerful form of acidic agent. However until she does a more in depth study that is all we can be certain of."

Ozpin's lips curled downwards into a frown, "That gives us a possible explanation on why we have no physical evidence of these creatures on file, but that doesn't tell us how they've remained hidden from us until now."

Oobleck brought his hand to his jaw, massaging his chin idly, "Yes, this is a conundrum, given their sheer size and aggressive behavior, it is liable at least one such creature would have been spotted at some point." he let out a breath and reached for his thermos, "Though it is possible that those that fought them had any claims of them existing dismissed as being a new form of Grimm." he took a sip from his thermos, "After all, if their bodies are being destroyed by something, it wouldn't be that far of a stretch to presume them Grimm of some kind, assuming there were survivors to tell the tale."

Ozpin nodded his head, "Agreed, though perhaps there is somebody who has seen them." he looked back towards Glynda, "Have the Librarian check our archives, see if there is any mention of some humanoid Grimm, go back five years, if nothing turns up keep going from there." as Glynda made a note on her clipboard, he turned to Bart and Peter, "In the meantime, we have a great deal of work to do, the students shall be awakening soon."

Oobleck nodded his head, "Quite right, we shall send a message out noting that Grimm studies are cancelled until further notice." he said while pulling out his scroll, "This will give Peter and I time to work on the adjusted class schedules." he said whilst grabbing Peter by the shoulder as the two of them headed towards the exit.

Ozpin shook his head as he watched them leave, "Ahem…" his gaze suddenly shifting to regard his last remaining colleague, who was looking at him with a concerned gaze.

He regarded her with his full attention, "Was there something you'd like to say Miss Goodwitch?"

Glynda was quiet, her gaze turning to the yellow eyed Boarbatusk, staring at them with those glowing eyes, "Ozpin, I am worried." she looked back at him, "No matter how much we account for variables, this whole situation is just-" she was quiet, unable to find the words.

"Insane?" Ozpin stated, more than asked, "You don't have to mince words with me Glynda, I know exactly how unexpected everything that has happened in the last forty eight hours have been." he gestured to the Boarbatusk, "On one hand, we have a student whose Semblance has rendered Grimm passive to their more aggressive natures and allows him to command them…" he gestured to the school above him, "…we have an unknown creature, or race of creatures which attacked our students with…" he lowered his hand, "…and we may have somebody capable of making forgeries able to fool us, no matter how I looked at Jaune Arc's transcripts, nothing about them implied they were anything less than the legitimate document, they even have the correct seals, signatures and tracking numbers to indicate a legitimate document."

Glynda was quiet, her eyes closing as a heavy sigh escaped her lips, "Things are changing aren't they?"

Ozpin let out a snort of laughter, "Everything changes Glynda, we're just seeing change happen more drastically." he smiled back at her, "But you are right, things are changing." his smile became stiff as it slowly descended into a frown, "Whether they are for better or worse, we will find out in due time."

Glynda nodded her head, "Yes, in due time." she looked over at the Boarbatusk, her gaze thoughtful as she began to speak, "With the Grimm more docile in the area, it would appear we have a bit more time on our schedule to do as we please." she turned her gaze back to Ozpin, "Perhaps we could spend some time in Vale, perhaps this coming end of the week? There is this new coffee shop that we could stop by at." she mentioned with a small smile coming to her lips.

Ozpin was quiet, his breathing steady, until he took a slow but deep breath, "I am afraid that will not be possible, I am expecting a few individuals to arrive by weeks end and I am unable to reschedule the matter."

Glynda lightly bit her lip, so briefly and lightly Ozpin almost did not catch it, "In that case, perhaps we should take a rain check?"

Ozpin was quiet, for longer than an instant, but eventually he did answer, "Yes, a rain check."

Glynda seemed pleased at that response, "We can discuss more at length another time Headmaster." she lightly bowed her head, before turning on her heel, the clicking of her heels on the stone floor fading as she exited the area, leaving Ozpin alone to stare at the lone Boarbatusk.

The white haired headmaster let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping as his eyes dimmed ever so slightly, his free hand reaching to his pocket and grabbing onto a white chain just barely hanging out of the edge of the pocket, slowly pulling it out and with a steady movement of his fingers, placed it and the object it was attached to in his palm.

On the end of the white chain, was a locket made of white stone with gold trimming, a black circle on the front with a name emblazoned on the black circle in white letter which looked to have faded over the years.

Ozpin dragged his fingers along the edge, and flicked open the locket, staring at the pictures inside.

His eyes lit up, a smile coming to his lips as his pupils grew while his irises seemed to dance with a renewed life, and even his shoulders slumped less.

As the moments passed however, an invisible weight seemed to fall onto his shoulders as his eyes began to dim, before he shut the locket and gingerly placed it back into his pocket.


CLIFFHANGER...was not the intended ending, however due to time constraints, and the cursed writers block combined with the worst case of pointless plot bunnies...it was decided that loading this chapter as is was better than letting it linger unnoticed, consider it a transitionary chapter for things to come. The story in its entirety is planned out, but that doesn't mean we have the right words for each scene, or the time to write out each chapter. Both Leaf Ranger and dracohalo117 will continue this story, but we'd prefer to give you something good and worth reading, rather than shoehorn half assed stuff for the sake of a longer chapter.

In the meantime, dracohalo117 recommends these stories!

-The Heroes And The Queen-Robot Overlord

-Journey: Rise of the White Wolf-The White Wulf

-InFamous Salvation-JAYSEN

-A Simple Mission-Leaf Ranger

-Legacy-Greatcow

-Altered Fate-KorKor11

-RWBY: Bloodmoon-Amouren

Please leave any questions, concerns, or flames in the review section.