Responding to Reviews 101

Pink Pidgeon: Yeah, I just decided to start and finish Jaundice Arc here, because I do want to touch on the Forever Fall trip. Tbh, Meepo still requires quite a bit of skill and I ain't spamming him. I still prefer my good ol' Invoker.

Combat Class

"How did Jaune even end up in Beacon?" Yunero was beginning to question the skill of the Team Leader of JNPR. After all, one with such poor combat skills should have been screened out beforehand, and shouldn't have been able to even get to initiation in the first place. Yet, he had somehow managed to survive intiation, but here he was, getting beaten around by Cardin with little to no effort, whom he had first assumed to the the Team Leader of the weakest team amongst the First Years.

"Jaune Arc's aura is in the red. Cardin Winchester is the winner." Professor Goodwitch sighed, and Yunero could easily guess why. "Class, it's been a few weeks since classes have started. Please refer to your scrolls in the future to keep track in your aura level." Yunero quickly stole a glance at the clock, noticing how there was still roughly fifteen minutes left, which meant that there was going to be either another fight or a quick lecture. As Jaune walked down the stairs, his head dipped in shame, his opponent giving him a shit eating grin. Looking up at the clock, he noted how there was still enough time for another fight. The only question was, who would be called up for another fight? If he remembered correctly, there were a few people left who had yet to be called up to fight for this week, and he happened to be one of the few. Carl hadn't been called up yet either, so it was either Carl or him who would be called up next.

Yunero raised his eyebrow for a second, as he noticed how Professor Goodwitch sighed heavily, as if she didn't want to announce the next matchup. "The last fight of today will be Yunero Jugg against Team RWBY." The reaction was instant, as hushed whispers began to float around, beginning to talk about this was properly going to be against the odds for Yunero. Still, he couldn't help but smile lightly. Finally, the promise of a good fight. He could only hope that Team RWBY could pose some sort of challenge.

However, the outburst from the leader of Team RWBY stopped the whispering. "You can't expect us to fight against Yunero! He's only one person!"

"Miss Rose, as much as I want to agree with you, this matchup was specifically requested by the Headmaster himself during our planning of this class. Now, combatants, please prepare yourselves." That was enough to shut Ruby up, as his four opponents began to prepare for the fight. He quickly felt for his swords on his left side of the waist, unsheathing the first sword to inspect its condition. The first one wasn't the Blackened Edge, that much was clear with the shorter hilt, with a longer orange blade. This was Akakiryu, of a Thousand Faces. It was a sword that could be considered an odachi, due to its length. It was also the sword that was proof of his skills. The other sword however, was still currently the Serrakura, still sheathed. And he wouldn't unsheathe it unless the situation called for it.

Both were still in perfect shape somehow, thankfully. He didn't wear any proper armour, except for bracers to protect his wrists. Really, the most important thing to protect was the wrist, as a swordsman. The wrist was always crucial, especially when it came to sword fighting.

Stepping onto the Arena once more, he watched carefully as Team RWBY stepped onto the stage, analyzing them. Judging by the looks of it, Weiss was going to use dust and the glyphs to back them up along with Ruby with her sniper rounds, while Blake and Yang would probably engage him in melee combat and perform a pincer maneuver. Ruby coulnd't really do melee combat against him, her scythe would only get in the way. Yang would probably be the one that they would assume he would focus, and Blake would be trying to strike at his weak spots from different angles by naking use of her agility while Weiss simply used her dust to make sure that he wasn't going to be able to move as freely. Unfortunately for them, it would take more than that just to bring him down. Unsheathing Akakiryu, he shifted into a different stance from his previous duels, this time holding the sword with his right hand and above his head level, to the right slightly while his left hand was in a more relaxed position, covering his stomach with a gap between his hand and his stomach.

"Do not hold back against me or you will lose."

Yang's POV

The way he stated it, it was with such conviction that she actually shuddered, even if she managed to hide it well. She, Yang Xiao Long, one of the best combatants from Signal Academy, had actually shuddered from a single sentence. How was that even possible? But the way Yunero said it, it was like he was stating it with utter certainty. Like they were really going to lose if they didn't follow his advice. And that stance. She hadn't seen it before, but the way Yunero held himself in that stance was insane. He was so relaxed, given how his legs weren't tense yet, but he looked like he was already ready to strike, just from shifting into stance alone. Blake was right. Yunero was insanely good.

"So, got any plans?" Thankfully, her sister came up with a quick plan, after moments of thinking. For some reason, she felt unsafe engaging without a plan of sorts.

"Yang, you engage him immediately. Try to distract him and make sure he focuses on you. Blake, try to aim for his exposed sides. Weiss, use your glyphs and dust to back them up. Make sure he doesn't get enough space to move. I will use my rifle to help." So she could do her thing at least.

As she readied herself, she still couldn't help but shudder involuntarily, the chilling words from before still hunting her. How did Yunero even manage that? Those questions would have to be put aside for now, as the fight was about to begin.

"The fight will begin in 3."

Her muscles tensed, ready to charge forth.

"2."

Blake unsheated her katana, dual wielding the cleaver portion of Gambol Shroud and her katana.

"1."

Ruby's scythe shifted into its rifle mode, and Myrtenaster's chambers were rotated with a flick of Weiss' hands.

"Begin!" Little that they knew that their plan had already fallen apart, even before the match was started. As the word was called out by Professor Goodwitch, Yang sprung forth with Blake following closely behind, ready to pounce onto the opponent in front of her with a powerful strike. Then she saw Yunero's muscles tense and his posture shifted into a crouch, and he was gone in an instant. The first question that reached her mind was, where? Where did Yunero disappear to? She had expected Yunero to clash with her, after all.

The answer to her question was presented later, as she heard the all too familiar clash of steel against steel. Turning around, she spotted the swordsman clashing against Ruby, having been forced to shift back Crescent Rose into the Scythe form while Weiss was forced to retreat to avoid being cut by Ruby on accident. As much as Yang wanted to assist her little sister, she couldn't risk getting cut by Ruby's scythe on accident. "Weiss, Blake. Can you two try to make him disengage with your rounds?" Nodding their heads, Blake quickly shifted her katana into its pistol form before firing a few rounds, while the heiress immediately spun her weapon's chamber once more, her red dust attacks flying out and landing around Yunero and not hitting Ruby.

Thankfully, it worked as Yunero leapt back a few steps. Time for her to shine. "You're not getting away that easily!" She yelled, a fist raised, ready to pummel down the swordsman. Then, he did something that she would have never thought possible. He redirected himself, by winding up his legs and then pushing them. He actually kicked off the air to redirect himself. The results of it were clear, as Yunero managed stop himself from ascending further, instead descending too fast for Yang, causing her to hit air only. How was that even possible? The amount of leg strength needed to do that kind of thing, it was something that she admittedly didn't have. Good thing was, she was descending from the air at least, but would she be fast enough?

The answer came soon enough, as Yunero once again dashed forth, this time aiming for Weiss. Weiss managed to bring up her rapier to deflect the first attack in time, but Yang could clearly see the surprise etched on the heiress' face. Granted, any normal person would be surprised just at how fast Yunero was moving around. Weiss parried a second blow from Yunero, then went in with a thrust. Her eyes widened when Yunero's free hand crept towards the hilt of his second blade that sat in his other shea- Wait, he had a second blade? How had they not noticed this before? "Weiss! Back!" She yelled, fervently hoping that the heiress would heed her words as Yang herself performed a punch, aiming for his back.

It should have hit. Even if Weiss' thrust had failed after being unable to pull back in time, her punch should have landed at least. With a reverse hand grip, Yunero parried Weiss' thrust with the Serrakura, while his first sword blocked her punch from behind. It did shake a bit, ringing from the blow but other than that, the odachi stayed still, not budging in the slightest. How? She noticed her other two team members taking the chance to attack Yunero, with the Blake using katana part of Gambol Shroud while Ruby had shifted Crescent Rose back to its rifle form, her trigger finger about to pull the trigger. Even if it took significantly more effort than she thought would be needed, they still won. There was no way that Yunero could defend or evade against a few rounds of Ruby's .50 BMG cal bullets and several slashes from Gambol Shroud.

For the third time today, she was proven wrong again, as Yunero used his legs. He performed a round low sweep with his legs, ducking low and forcing Ruby to cancel her shot at the last moment to prevent the risk of hurting Blake, and Blake's slash connected with nothing but the air. The low sweep did not catch her who was able to leap away in time, but caught the heiress off guard and knocked her down. But just as the Schnee fell down, Yunero dashed towards her, swapping the Serrakura's grip from a reverse grip to a normal one handed grip and performed an X attack with his two swords. Then she heard the announcement. "Weiss Schnee is out by Aura Deleption." Impossible. Ice Queen was out just by two strikes?

"And then, there were three."

"I don't believe it. His swords are that powerful?" Ruby muttered, having reached a conclusion quickly, clearly shocked by the outcome as well. Meanwhile, Yunero stood calmly, beside the downed form of Weiss Schnee, tossing the Serrakura into the air with a spin in it before jamming it back into his sheath and shifting back into the stance that he had assumed at the start of the fight. Her jaw would have dropped, if it wasn't for the fact that she was still in combat. Yunero had actually managed to pull that off without injuring himself. It was also a miracle that the sheath hadn't been damaged after that little display.

"I told you four. Come at me with everything you've got, or you will lose."

Blake's POV

Admittedly, this battle was not turning how she expected it to be. How was Yunero managing to outmaneuver the 4 of them? They had her, one of the fastest year one on the team, one of the best Dust Specialists in the first year, a leader who was capable of making crazy but workable plans, and her partner, a powerhouse. So how is it that they were being outmaneuvered like that? They were now down with the person on their team who was no doubt the most precise. Thankfully, Weiss was being moved out of the arena by Professor Goodwitch's semblance, so they wouldn't have to worry too much. But still, for him to eliminate Weiss like that with nothing but two strikes... she had been wrong. He wasn't insanely good. He was a monster. By Oum, what kind of monster was he?

"So what's the plan, Ruby?"

"I..I.." Her stuttering made things clear to the fanus. Clearly, her team leader had not foreseen this, and was unable to come up with a proper plan. None of them had foreseen this, probably.

Her stuttering was interrupted, as Blake's body parried Yunero's sudden blow on reflex. "The enemy is not going to relent it's assault. There is no time to pause." Her eyes flickered towards his hands and his sword as she tried to read his movements. Yet, it was an impossible feat. All she could really do was to attempt to match him blow for blow, making use of her aura to create explosive attacks and whittle away at his aura bar, as he continously performed attacks with his odachi like it was nothing, while easily evading the punches thrown by Yang. Yunero was impossible to read. His movements were too erratic, and his momentum was unstoppable. Almost like a juggernaut. Ruby was unable to help out, with no clear opening to perform a shot with her sniper rifle.

Her partner tried for another punch, but Yunero managed to somehow get back, breaking away from the engagement. "You should have went all out. Now it's time to pay the price."

Nothing could have really prepared Blake for what happened next. "Blade Dance, Secret Technique: Sukaisupuritta." Her sensitive ears picked up on what he was whispering, but it didn't make sense. Yunero performed a diagonal slash with his sword, then he was gone, leaving nothing but an after image behind. How fast was he, to be able to leave a mirror image like that? Then the pain came. 4 times she was struck, and she had a sickening feeling that the others had been struck the same number of times as well by that technique. To the spectators, it would appear as if Yunero had slashed dashed towards and stopped at four different points, quickly performing a slash while leaving an after image at each position he stopped at.

His words almost terrified her, and it only served to confirm the fact that the others had been hit as well. "And then, there were none." The worst part was, the words didn't come from in front of her. There wasn't anyone in front of her anymore, only a slash mark on the ground resembling a semicircle to indicate that Yunero had been there once and had managed to rout them. The words came from behind.

"Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long are out by Aura Deleption. Yunero Jugg wins." With that announcement, she decided on one thing. She needed answers. Answers to how Yunero was this good. No person could be this good, even by fighting Grimm.

Lunch

Clearly, the loss in combat class had dampened the mood of RWBY, as evidenced by the fact that none of them were actually eating or talking as they usually would, but were poking at their food instead. Blake sighed. Just how had Yunero managed to defeat them, and not even look winded in the slightest? It was frustrating, not knowing the answer. Thankfully, even Nora had managed to read the mood, and she was currently stuffing her mouth with food rather than try to regal everyone with her "tales". Her partner was unfortunately nowhere to be seen, perhaps because of the crushing defeat that they had suffered.

Still, thinking on the subject wasn't going to make things better. After all, a loss was still a loss and they had no choice to accept the fact that they been beaten a person of their age. All they could really do was learn from it and grow, nothing more. Good thing the cafeteria had tuna today, and she had somehow worked up an appetite from combat class. Performing those aura explosive parries had only served to make her hungrier after all.

"Ruby. Weiss. Blake. Do you want to know what went wrong?" Her ears perked up, hearing Yunero's offer. Clearly, the offer was too appealing to decline, as Ruby instantly nodded her head and she found herself inclined to agree with her leader. After all, she had come to this school to learn, and learn would be what she would do, even if she was going to learn from a fellow student.

"Why tell us?" Weiss called out, her tone more icy than usual. If Blake had to guess, she was still upset about being taken out of the fight just like that, without any warning.

"It's simple. We are here to learn from our mistakes, not just to learn how to fight."

"Go on, then." The reasoning seemed to have appeased the Heiress for now,given her change in attitude.

"Before the match even began, I already predicted how the four of you were going to try and fight me. You all assumed that I would focus on Yang first, so you wanted Blake to catch me off guard. Weiss would be using her dust attacks to limit my movement, and Ruby would be backing you up with her rifle. Am I right?" Her throat tightened. How had Yunero managed to predict that? And by the sound of it, he had predicted it, even before Ruby had come up with a plan.

"How?"

"It's easy to see based on your team composition. Yang excels in melee to mid range combat and can continously fight on, while Blake is one of the faster first years, which means that you would use her to try and catch me off guard. Weiss is a Dust Specialist, so her attacks can land while not getting in the way of her teammates. Ruby has no choice but to use her rifle to back you up because her scythe would only get in the way." Wow. Yunero had actually just read them like an open book, and he said it was easy. He was indeed, a terrifying monster.

"That's why you went for Ruby first, right? To force us away." Blake realized. Yunero forced Ruby to use her scythe so that they couldn't immediately engage him.

"Yes. I managed to do two things by engaging Ruby. I created space between me and the rest of you, while I also threw your plans into disarray. You, Weiss and Yang may have reacted well, but they overlooked a few things."

"You had two swords. We didn't expect you to be able to dual wield an Odachi and a Katana at the same time. You also used your feet to catch Yang and Weiss off guard while dodging." Blake admitted. Dual wielding was something that she was used to, but to see it on a whole another level was certainly an eye opener. She already had enough trouble dual wielding her cleaver and katana, and to think that one could even dual wield an odachi and a katana at the same time.

Thing was, dual wielding was not as easy as games made them out to be, because of the hand to eye coordination required to constantly act, otherwise you would be not using it to its fullest potential. Dual wielding was hard, and the bigger the difference in length and weight of the weapons used to dual wield, the harder it became since you had to commit to memory how far both weapons could reach and how much force was needed. It was also made even harder by the fact that you always had a dominant and non-dominant hand, which meant that you had to understand the limits of each hand and which weapon would fit which hand. Granted, the cleaver portion of Gambol Shroud was heavier than the katana part, but Yunero took it to the next level. Yunero had used his katana in both a reverse grip AND a normal grip, showing his flexibility with swords.

"Very good, Blake. Because of that, I was not only able to catch you four off guard, but it also opened up a window of opportunity for me to eliminate Weiss. The reason why I went for Weiss is because she can potentially counter my attacks should her dust attacks land." Wait, what? Apparently, the whole table was confused as well. Weiss was Yunero's counter? Clearly, even the Heiress did not expect the words, judging by her frozen body language. Finally, Weiss relaxed before asking Yunero her question.

"How did you manage to eliminate me in two strikes?"

"Skill and practice. It's not about the quality of the swords, but also the way you use it. By making use of the Serrakura's serrated edge, which is perfect for cutting, along with the Akakiryu and your inability to take heavy blows, I managed to perform the most efficient attack that would both allow me to eliminate you and disengage afterwards." Blake had to appreciate how Yunero knew so much of his swords, to the point where he knew how to use it intuitively in the best way possible in the heat of combat.

"What was that technique you performed at the end? You managed to somehow move so fast that you left behind afterimages." She decided to ask another question that had been burning in her mind. After all, how could she not ask about that technique? Something about that technique made it stand out even more than the normal techniques that he used in class, and that was saying a lot considered how even his normal techniques had managed to awe her.

"Sukaisupuritta is a technique my sensei developed after the strongest technique of the Blade Dance. Few know of its true potential and I want to keep it that way." She got an answer, although it was not as detailed as she would have liked it to be. And judging by the way he said Blade Dance, she assumed it was the name for the full set of techniques Yunero had. Honestly, it was quite fitting despite its simple name. Even though the techniques were aggressive, each movement that Yunero had performed hadn't been wasted, each step he took had a purpose and each slash he performed was perfect. Each technique was like a step, like steps in a dance. How fitting.

"But didn't you already show it to everyone? And what does that Sukai thingy even mean?" Somehow, Yunero managed to not even look miffed in the slightest, even after Ruby's two rapid fire questions. If it ever came down to it, Yunero could probably beat everyone with ease in a battle of composure.

"They have no idea what the technique is truly capable of. To most, it only looks like I performed four slashes at different spots. People will assume it is simply aura manipulation which is a half truth, since I incorporated my aura into the attack."

"But you didn't even have your aura until after initiation!" It was a fact that was well known amongst Team RWBY, JNPR and JK. Carl had unlocked the swordsman's aura after initiation, and even Yunero had admitted to it already. So how did someone manage to figure out how to use their aura so fast?

"It is nothing more than the fruits of discipline. As for what Sukaisupuritta means, it means Sky Splitter in Ancient Mistralian." Again, she received nothing more than a vague answer. At least, it was a start.

"What do you mean by-" Whatever question Yang was going to ask was interrupted by a loud laughter, and her gaze quickly found the source of it. The scene that she found herself staring at made her blood boil. CDRL was bullying a fanus student, clearly by the looks of it.

It seemed that even at a prestigious school like Beacon, racism was still a thing. Cardin Winchester then pulled the ears of the poor rabbit fanus that they were bullying, and it was clear that it was painful with the pained expression that the student wore. She would love to act and show Cardin Winchester his place, but she didn't want to risk revealing her identity. Especially when the Schnee Heiress was on her team. "They're real! I told you they were real!" The more Cardin and his team continued to laugh, the more she wanted to act. But she wouldn't have to.

"What a freak!"

Thunk! A knife found itself in the wood just right next to Cardin Winchester's free hand.

Yunero's POV

Maybe he was wrong to do it, but throwing the knife in his hand had been the most logical action to him, even if he'd made sure that it did not hit Cardin at all. Silently, he thanked a certain assassin for giving him the idea of learning how to throw knifes properly. It didn't matter to him anyway. After all, they had disrespected people. Even if they were fanus, they were still people. They were still individuals with a mind and soul.

"You know, for a half breed, you're pretty good yourself." He managed, gasping for breath. It had been far too long since he had been wounded like this by a fellow swordsman. Clearly, his opponent was experiencing the same thing. He made eye contact with his opponent and an accord was made in that instant. Both of them dropped their swords.

"I'll take that as a compliment. My name's Sven. What's yours?" A blood stained hand was extended to him. A hand that was stained with his blood.

"Yunero." He grasped the extended hand, his hand having blood stains of his opponent on it too. Under the mask, he smiled. He might have just found a worthy rival. Suddenly, it seemed as if his pilgrimage would not look so lonely anymore.

Getting off his seat, Yunero began a slow but noticeable pace towards Team Cardinal. He would not stand for this. He could not stand for this. If he watched, he would be spitting on his rival and his legacy. His reputation would mean nothing. And if there was one thing he didn't want to do, it was disrespecting a rival. Especially one as worthy as Sven. "Cardin Winchester. Next time, it won't miss." He greeted, his voice low but ominous.

"What do you think you can do to me? It's nothing more than an empty threat!" So he fancied himself someone who could lord over everyone else? Fine by him. It was a well known fact that Winchester happened to be from some important family that he didn't really care about. Politics had never been his thing anyway. That was what had saved his life in the first place after all.

"It wasn't a threat. It was a promise. One that I intend to fulfill." His voice remained unwavering, as he continued to stare into the eyes of the bully.

"Like you can do it! Come and do it, I dare you!" Cardin Winchester's hand began to reach out towards the fanus' head, clearly intent on grabbing her ears once more. No more.

Grabbing Cardin's hand, he twisted it. Hard. In actual reality, Cardin deserved much worse than this. This was only letting him off light. A sickening crunch was heard, as the entire canteen went silent at that sound. He didn't care. It wasn't much anyway, simply a broken wrist. Nothing more. As he released it, he left one final insult to the team. He pushed Cardin over the table, causing him to flip over and land on one of the chairs. Cardin was weak anyway. To think that he didn't have to use that much of his strength. Probably only 10% at best. Then again, people here relied far too much on their aura to protect and give them strength instead of continously training their body non-stop. If it had been Sven, his hand would no longer be connected to his body anymore.

"Ow! My wrist! You fucking broke it!" Cardin yelled, groaning in pain as one of his teammates helped him up, his right hand hanging uselessly. Good.

"I told you, Cardin Winchester. It was a promise. And I tend to keep my promises."

Headmaster's Office

Ozpin's POV

"Yunero Jugg. Do you realise what you've done?" Glydna's sharp voice cut through his train of thoughts, and Ozpin couldn't help but be slightly impressed that the student didn't even flinch or react in the slightest. Yunero Jugg was undoubtedly a student of immense potential, much like Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc. The only difference was, Yunero Jugg had managed to tap into that well of potential as clearly evidenced by his fight against Team RWBY today.

"I defended a fellow student from bullying."

"You broke a fellow Hunter in training's wrist. Now he cannot lift even his weapon properly for the next few weeks." Glynda corrected.

"I was under the impression that bullying wasn't tolerated here in Beacon." It was strange how calm Yunero was, given how Glynda was almost always able to break students with simply a few words. It was as if Glynda had no effect on him. Well, this was new. It was almost as if Yunero had been in this situation before.

Deciding that the time to intervene was now, he held up a hand. "Relax, Glynda. Yunero Jugg, you are right. Bullying is not tolerated here. Unfortunately, we cannot keep track of every single incident going around school. Yunero. I know that you had good intentions, but it still does not change the fact that you injured a fellow student in training."

"I understand, Headmaster."

"However, I will still have to give a punishment. Yunero Jugg, as punishment for breaking a student's wrist, you will have a week's worth of detention with Professor Goodwitch, starting from tomorrow. You may leave now."

"Noted." Nodding his head, Yunero got up from the seat. However, something about Yunero's tone made him feel that the student had probably not taken his punishment to heart, like he didn't care. Given how he was from outside the Kingdoms with nothing much to his name other than his personal belongings, it was safe to say that he didn't really care about the consequences. After all, people outside the walls lived by a single and simple rule. The strong lived, while the weak died. As simple as that. Consequences like this would have been considered major to those that lived a more sheltered life, but it was nothing to those who lived and died by the rule of strength.

"One more thing, Yunero. I hope this performance doesn't repeat itself again, Yunero. While we try to prevent such things from happening, we still can't be everywhere at once. Even so, it does not give you the right to injure other students, is that clear?"

"Of course, Headmaster." For some reason, Ozpin could almost hear the smirk, like the swordsman didn't care at all. He probably didn't. As soon as Yunero left, Glynda turned to him.

"Are you sure if it was wise to leave him be?" Clearly, Glynda was beginning to have her doubts. Then again, who wouldn't'? He'd made a few decisions that most in his position would call reckless.

"It wouldn't have mattered to him, even if we expelled him. Plus, Yunero's just like Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc. Young yet full of potential. It is better to keep him than to expel him over something he doesn't care. Yunero seems to be motivated to act if something goes against against his moral code only." Ozpin decided to point out the things that he'd seen in Yunero. Yunero might be young, but his eyes held a weariness that was only found in people who've fought for their entire life. People who could not afford the luxury of rest.

"You play a dangerous game here, Ozpin! Sure, Yunero may be able to take on Team RWBY had on and win, but what about Ruby Rose! She's only 15, for Oum's sake! And you intend to send her to the battlefield already? And what about Jaune Arc? His combat skills are subpar, and you expect his leadership skills to pull him through? Forgive me for having my doubts, Ozpin, but I don't see why you are taking such risks! Yunero doesn't even have a background, yet you took the risk by accepting him! At least Blake Belladonna and Carl Karus had something!" Glynda began to rant, letting out all she wanted to say within a single breath without missing a single word.

"I understand your concerns, Glynda. But we need to do something after all, even if it seems dangerous. We can't rest easy after Qrow's message." Ozpin glanced at his second scroll, fiddling with it after receiving the message from Qrow. The words were simple, but they meant a lot of things.

"Queen has pawns and allies." The word pawns were worrying enough. But allies? Honestly, that sent a shudder down his spine. Who could be possibly so powerful that the Queen would consider the person as an ally and not a pawn? After all, she did respect strength too.

"Maybe, but you still took risks! And Ironwood has a secret project that he claims might help turn the tide but refuses to tell us what exactly it is!" Ozpin frowned at that. It was true. Ironwood had told them that he had a project that was ongoing, saying that if it succeeded, it would give them the edge needed. At this point, Ozpin would typically be relieved and dare he say it, elated at such at a prospect. However, there was no further details given out. Nothing on what it was, and why it would help them.

"Indeed. I only wish that Ironwood would not keep us from the dark, but I can only hope that he has legitimate reasons for him to do so."

At the same time, Yunero chose to head to the training room rather than the rooftop. Had he chose to not divert from his normal routine from today, he would have perhaps been able to save Jaune from what would perhaps be Jaune's worst week at Beacon, a week before the trip to Forever Fall. Then again, it was perhaps better for Jaune to weather this storm on his own. After all, no one could really help him but himself. Carl couldn't help but smirk as he left the rooftop through his own means, ignoring the fact that Jaune was still facing Cardin. After all, it would depend on Jaune himself to see if he could pass this trial. If he passed, he would definitely improve by leaps and bounds over the next few years. If not... Let's just say that Jaune couldn't afford to fail or his one shot at being a Hunter would be gone.