RWBY: The Legend of the White Wolf
"I will not fear the night, nor the creatures that lurk beyond my sight. I will find the power that dwells inside and forge my weapon from the Light. I will use its power to face my way through Demons and Blights. To make my way home from Darkness this Night" Jaune Arc. Survivor. The White Wolf.
Chapter VII – Witch Hunt
The Sun was shining over the forest as a cloaked boy and his wolf companion walked through the forest. His feet crunching the dirt beneath his feet as he continued to walk the beaten path while the small wolf pup followed alongside his master.
It had been a week since Jaune had made it off the mountains since he sent the Data from the fort and escaped a giant avalanche while being chased by homicidal madmen.
All things considered, he was going all right so far.
After getting off the mountains – which took him a day and a half – the boy finally managed to make it to Badge Town. And just like he feared, the town had been completely deserted. He wasn't surprised at that, a little annoyed but not surprised, as he knew that it was more than likely a certainty that the village would be gone.
Strangely there were no bodies to be found, not even signs of a battle. It was almost like they all just packed up and left.
Which of course meant no Scrolls, and it looked like Bandits had picked it clean.
When he searched the Mayor's office in the town hall he learned from the documents left behind that in case the Edge ever fell to the Grimm, they had a plan to evacuate the citizens and move to their sister town a few days away. A place called Riverdale.
Apparently, that's where the citizens of Badge Town were planning to migrate and then further West to Vale with what remained of the Iron Wolves as guards.
It made sense seeing as their only line of defence had been wiped out, they had to evacuate the town to avoid further bloodshed. And if there were no bodies here, then it was reasonable to assume that the Iron Wolves had managed to make it to Badge Town and help the citizens evacuate.
Jaune felt some relief in that, as he hoped that Griswald and his men were okay.
So now, Jaune was on his way to Riverdale, a small settlement that was famous for its beautiful scenery and its large stretch of river, that surrounded the whole town like a moat. Where hopefully the town was still alive, and he could use their COMM's relay to contact Beacon. But Riverdale was a week and a half away on foot, and Jaune had to be careful travelling the forests. Especially at night as the Grimm were everywhere.
So, he had to stop and rest in a defendable position every so often in order to make it there alive. Along the way, he practised more with his semblance and techniques as he tried to refine them more.
He found that creating soul sabre's initial stage – which he dubbed Proto Sabre – was quicker to summon in a pinch but lacked clear form and was vulnerable to shattering easier. Whereas creating a more coherent structure like his old sword, took more concentration, but was physically tougher then Proto-Soul and could deal more damage.
But it did need a little more of his aura to stabilise the construct. Not that it would affect his now massive reserves.
The best part about all these techniques he was creating, was that Aura weighed nothing. So, he didn't have to worry about any of his 'weapons' throwing him off balance.
He had a few runs in with some stray Grimm, but nothing he couldn't handle now. Plus, it gave him a chance to get used to his grandfather's sword/rifle Merveilleuse and how to shoot a gun properly. Currently, they were just a few miles outside Riverdale as Jaune and Fenrir walked along the dirt road. A small whistle exiting Jaune's mouth as he walked along the road.
"Country Roads~ Take me home~ to the place~ I belong~ West of Mistral~ Mountain Mama~ Take me home~" Fenrir looked up at the human who chuckled.
"Ah, it's just an old song my mum used to sing. She used to it play all the time on the ride to Shion. Got that song stuck in my head." He shook his head at the fond memory he had of his family road trips. He stopped as he tried to read the map in his hands.
"Okay, so we got off the mountain here…and the fort was over here…and Badge Town was back that way" he pointed to the map and then looked around. "Which means Riverdale should be…that way!" he pointed and furled up the map.
"Come on boy, let's keep going. I don't want to know if there are any of those White Fang guys chasing after us…" he sighed as he looked to the sky.
"You know something boy…when I get back, I'm going to apologise to my mum and dad for…everything…for making them worry…for making them think I'm dead and putting them through so much grief…and I've got to apologise to my team for not being a better leader, a better partner…and a better friend." He shook his head as the Wolf listened.
"But I'm not saying this to beat myself. This whole experience has made me realise I'm stronger than I thought I was…and that maybe I do deserve to be at Beacon…I just had to survive half a year in a Grimm infested forest before I realised that." He smiled then shook his head.
"Come on boy, the town should be just this way." The pair nodded as they continued onward to their destination. The fresh smell of Autumn in the air as the trees slowly changed from green to orange and brown. A gentle wind blowing through the trees as the leaves fluttered and drifted off into the sky.
He smiled as he caught one of the leaves in his hand before it drifted away. He continued on until he stopped as he heard the sound of water in the distance. He looked up as small stacks of smoke drifted in the air. Fear clenched his heart as he feared the worst.
"Oh no…"
He bolted towards the smoke as Fenrir followed quickly behind him. He ran to the top of a small hill, as he feared to come across the same state of destruction and death, he had seen too many times this month.
But felt his heart soared as he gazed down into a large settlement of Riverdale surrounded by a large body of water. The small stacks of smoking were merely the smoke that drifted from the chimneys of the many homes and business that existed in the town.
"Oh, thank the gods!" he breathed a sigh of relief. He chuckled a little as he shook his head. "It's just the chimneys." He chuckled before he looked back to the Wolf.
"Come on boy, we're almost there. I just need to get to a terminal or a phone and we're good as gone," he walked towards the bridge as he felt that his journey had finally come to an end…
Mayor's Office – Riverdale
"I'm sorry, young man. But the CCT Network is currently down for maintenance."
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" Jaune yelled as he fell back on his chair and slammed his head into the floor. His feet dangling in the air in a rather comical fashion.
The Mayor – an elderly looking man – and his assistant – a young squirrel Faunus – stared in shock at the sudden display from the young man. While Fenrir just relaxed on the couch as it curled itself on the soft cushion.
"Uh, young man…are you okay?"
"I'm fine just…questioning every decision in my life and wondering what I did to deserve this?" he groaned on the floor.
To clarify, when Jaune went into town the first thing he did was head over to the town hall, where Huntsman and Huntresses usually gathered at the Mission Board, to retrieve missions or use the emergency contact function to contact the nearest Kingdom. But when Jaune went to use it, the whole board was shut down.
Confused, he asked to speak to the Mayor to know why the mission board wasn't working. Which was when he found out that it wasn't just the board that down, but the whole CCT Network was currently offline and as you can probably guess…
He was not happy about it.
Jaune got back up with his chair as he looked at the mayor with a clearly annoyed look on his face.
"Now…can you explain what you mean when you say the CCT is down? Why the heck is it down?" he stressed as the mayor coughed into his hand and readdressed himself.
"Uh, well…The CCT Network is currently offline for maintenance purposes. By order of the Kingdoms of Atlas, Vacuo and Vale. It's supposed to be a system update to improve security across the Network. They've estimated that the system will be down for at least three days."
"Three days!? I have wait three days to make a phone call!?" he fell into his seat as he rubbed his hand over his face.
"Um, sir? Are you okay?" the assistant asked as Jaune shook his head.
"No, I'm fine. I've just been sort of…lost, for a while now and only just got back to civilization. I came to use your Mission Boards because I lost my Scroll five months ago. But when I found out the Mission Board was down, I was hoping you would be able to provide me with a scroll I could use to contact my friends in Vale. I tried asking some of the people here, but…they're not very trusting." The Mayor nodded.
"Yes, most people here have learnt to be a little wary of strangers wandering into town. I'm sorry to hear about that son. You must have been through quite an ordeal," Jaune scoffed at that.
"You have no idea."
"I can issue you a new scroll, but the Network is still down, so you won't be able to upload your profile until it's back up. But at least you'll have access to the short burst frequency." Jaune hung his head but nodded.
"Yeah I figured, thanks"
"But…" his head shot back up as he looked to the man. "We do have a supply transport from Vale arriving two days from now. You could book yourself passage onto the transport and it can take you back to Vale…but I'm assuming you don't have money, correct?" Jaune nodded.
"Looking at your weapon and from what you've told me, you're a Huntsman, correct?"
"Huntsman in training really,"
"Doesn't matter my boy. What matters is that you know how to fight. So, in return for us paying for your passage, can you help us with perimeter defence? We already have a huntsman team here to help defend us. But I suppose an extra hand won't hurt?" Jaune thought then nodded.
"Yeah, I suppose we can come to that arrangement." The mayor nodded as he shook the boy's hand.
"Thank you, young man. The Team is currently on patrol at the moment, but once they get back, I'll introduce you to them." Jaune nodded.
"Thank you, but uh…can I use a shower? I haven't had one in months, not by choice." The man nodded but brushed his hand on his pants anyway.
"Sure, there's a spare house just down the road next to the one we're loaning to the Huntsmen, but I'm sure they won't mind a neighbour." He gave the boy a key as he nods and walked out of the office.
Fenrir hoping off the couch as he shook his fur and then followed after him.
While walking Jaune felt some relief that things were finally looking up. Though he did wonder why it was that the CCT Network was mysteriously down for maintenance. A small voice in the back of his head suggesting it had something to do with the Data he sent a week and a half ago.
But that couldn't have been it, he thought, and just chalked it up to coincidence. He walked into the spare home as he looked around. It was small but had a rather cosy feeling to it with basic furniture and a holo-projector.
The small Wolf Pup instantly walking in as it got up on the couch and curled itself up before falling asleep.
Jaune smiled as he closed the door, put down his rifle, bow and all his other equipment down near the couch, unlatched his cloak and rested it on the rack. He walked over to the bathroom and opened the door as he stared at the most beautiful sight, he had ever seen in the past five months…
…A Toilet…with Real Toilet Paper…
"Oh, thank the Gods…no more leaves." he praised to the ceiling before he closed the door.
Beacon Academy – One Week Ago
Ozpin's fingers were laced together as he stared at the footage over and over again. The same video message left by the man – named Tukson – and the White Fang's plan to invade the school during the Vytal Festival. But his eye was constantly staring at the black-haired woman as she held a ball of fire in her hands. Most would have assumed she was using some form of dust to manipulate the flames.
But Ozpin knew better. That was no Dust, that was the power he gifted centuries ago.
That was the Fall Maiden.
"Well…I did not expect that." Ozpin turned to the man as Qrow leaned over his desk to look at his screen. After receiving the three days ago, Ozpin immediately sent a recall signal to Qrow, ordering him to return to Beacon. Mostly to see if he was the one to supply the info to them, he was surprised when he found out that Qrow was not the one who sent it.
"Are we sure that this intel is accurate?" he turned to Goodwitch as she too observed the footage. "It could be a fake?" Ironwood shook his head.
"I've had my analyst review the footage over a dozen times now. What we are seeing is unaltered footage of the Fall Maiden's power. Which means that woman, is the same one that attacked Amber." He pointed to the black-haired woman.
"Can we confirm it's her?" she asked as Qrow nodded.
"Yeah, I reckon that's her. I never saw her face, but she has similar features to the one who attacked Amber."
"Besides I know Dust manipulation…that is not Dust…that's magic, she's the one." Ozpin interrupted as he gazed at the flames. Ironwood shook his head as he looked at the stolen schematics.
"How the hell did the White Fang get access to this intel? Only those with top levels clearance of the Military should have access to this. All of these are on the projects I worked on, or currently working on. Who the hell has been leaking Atlas secrets? Do we have a location on the man that gathered this?" Ozpin nodded.
"We did, his name was Tukson, he owned a bookstore here in Vale called Tukson Book Trade," Qrow answered as he took a swig of his flask.
"Was?" Glynda asked as Ozpin pressed a few keys on his desk as his body appeared on the holo-screen.
"He's dead." The others stared at this as the man laced his fingers.
"The Police found his body an hour after I received this message, he's been dead for about two weeks now, from what the coroner tells us. The sign was displayed as closed and the shutters were down, so no one reported it. The police searched his store and found almost nothing, except for some evidence of electronic hardware having been there. It looked like the place had been scrubbed." He shook his head.
"Standard procedure, get rid of the evidence. So, if this man didn't send us the Data…then who did?" Ironwood asked the collective group as many of them were unsure themselves.
"How could we have let this slip by us? A White Fang Intelligence agent in Vale? How did we miss that?" Glynda asked as the Headmaster pondered this.
"…Because it's not what we were looking for." Qrow answered as he narrowed his eyes at the photograph of the dead store owner. "We never considered that she would reach out to the White Fang because we were too focused on finding Ambers Attacker and a new host for the Fall Maidens power." Ozpin shook his head.
"It's just like her to use others for her own gain. Do we have a clue as to her identity?" Glynda narrowed her gaze at the woman
"I've seen her before…." She opened her scroll as she searched through her device until she stopped at a particular picture. "Here she is." She pressed a few keys as her image appeared on a hologram. "Her name is Cinder Fall…and she's a student, from Haven Academy."
Ozpin stared at her 'student ID' as her smirking face vexed something inside him and those with him. It was like they were looking at the devil himself.
"…Isn't' she a little old to be posing as a student? Must have some real delusions about her age if she thinks she's a teenager." Qrow quipped.
"Her files say she's from Haven Academy?" Ironwood said as he observed her. "But how could someone like her make it into the system? Surely they would have noticed something odd in her transcript papers?" Glynda pulled up her papers that were supplied mandatorily by every Academy for the Vytal Festival.
"I'm not sure, but her transcripts look to be in order." Ozpin narrowed his eyes.
"Almost too in order…" Ozpin commented as he read over her transcripts. "From a first glance these do look like ordinary legitimate transcripts, even has corresponding signatures from the previous teaching staff at from any one of the starter Academies." He typed a few keys as he pulled up another transcript.
"But…when you've worked long enough in the education system, you can practically tell forgery just by looking at it. Any self-respecting Teacher would have instantly been able to recognise the forgery…but for this to slip by…someone had to purposely overlook it." Qrow raised an eyebrow at this.
"How can you be so sure, Oz?" Glynda and Ozpin shared a glance at each other as they both thought about another student with similar transcripts.
"Call it…a Headmasters intuition. But if her transcripts are faked, then its only right to assume that the rest of her team is the same." Glynda pulled up the rest of the files as they display Mercury Black, Emerald Sustrai and a girl with black hair and green eyes.
"Looks like we caught a whole barrel of spies here," Qrow surmised as he looked at the files.
"But the fact of the matter is, someone from Haven Academy allowed these transcripts to be verified and allowed her, and her team, to pose as students. Which means there is a high possibility, that there is an agent of Salem in Haven Academy." Ozpin spoke gravely, while Ironwood looked almost shocked and insulted at the notion.
"You can't be serious Oz? Who or why would anyone willing want to work for her?" Ozpin shook his head.
"There are many reasons why they would join her…and I have felt the sting of betrayal too many times." He muttered the last part to himself.
"But it is clear that Salem's reach extends further than I anticipated. If she has managed to plant an agent with the Academies and is using the White Fang for her own purposes…then I fear the Relics are no longer as safe as I hoped they would be." A grave silence washed over them as they all feared the outcome of such an event.
"…Shit…well what do we do? Do we act on this?" Qrow asked as they looked at him.
"Are you serious, Qrow? You want us to act on this?! We still don't even know who sent it!? There was no corresponding Huntsman ID and as far as I know we don't have any other operative in the field!" he gestured to the screens as the send data only had the general Transponder Frequency and no Huntsman ID which was only given out to graduates.
"This could all be a trap!"
"Right now, we have actual intel on our enemies, and that's hard to come by. I should know because I've been out there, lurking in the shadows looking for them. In five months, I hadn't found squat on her new associates, no names, no identity, not even a clue as to who this fake maiden is! It's almost like they don't even exist!" He pointed to the screen.
"But then suddenly we get this golden opportunity to take her down and prevent this 'Invasion' they've got planned and we're going to what, wait? Well, I say we can't waste it…I say we should go for it."
"Are you insane Qrow? We still have no idea if this intel is even legitimate or a hoax by the enemy to lure us into a trap. We need to tread with caution and discreet about this." Qrow chuckled at that.
"Seriously? You're talking about being Cautious and Discreet, now? Remind me, which one of us brought a fleet and basically announced his arrival to the whole of Vale?" he got up to the man's face. "And according to these files, your little tin army is part of her plan. So, I think we are passed being stealthy at this point." Ironwood growled as he got up in his ace.
"I have no idea how or why she has access to those specs. But I can assure that my arrival was to instil hope into the people of this Kingdom. Hope that is drastically needed."
"You call may it hope, but all I see is just arrogance."
"…If you were one of my men, I'd have you shot!" he growled as Qrow smirked.
"If I were one of your men…I'd shoot myself!"
"Qrow!" Ozpin's voice silences the two of them as Qrow steps back.
"Despite what the world thinks, we're not just Teachers, or Generals, or Headmasters. The people in this room, the leaders of the other two academies, we're the ones that keep this world safe from the evils no one even knows about. Why we meet behind closed doors, why we work in the shadows. You're only here because Ozpin wanted you here. He made you a part of this inner circle and opened your eyes to the real fight that's in front of us."
"And I am grateful."
"Oh, well, you've got a really funny way of showing it. Do you... do you honestly think, they're scared of your little ships? Remember I've been out there, and I've seen the things she's made, and let me tell you - they are fear. The longer we wait…the more time she has to spread that fear."
"And fear will bring the Grimm…" Ozpin spoke as he laced his finger and he pondered.
"…Before us lies a unique opportunity, one that we have not had in some time. We can either take the risk and face the consequences, whatever they may be…or we do nothing and suffer for it later." He sighed heavily as he massaged the bridge of his nose.
He thought a lot about his life, the many choices he made. The many mistakes he made that always led to his defeat. Every one of his stratagems, every one of his fallen Generals, every one of his friends lost to his fear and cowardice...every student he had sacrificed in the coming war.
In a strange moment, he thought about the young Arc who perished under his watch. In how his last moments were not of hesitation, but of bravery and self-sacrifice.
The True Essence of a Warrior
"…It is a gamble…but I believe we should act upon it." This almost stunned the gathered teachers as the man stood up to his height.
"I have been…complacent for far too long. I've allowed her to extend her reach, while mine has shortened over the years. While we do not know if this person who sent us this data is on our side, or hers, we cannot afford to let it slip by. Then if this intel is correct, we will track this person down and offer him our aid." He turned to Qrow.
"Qrow, I want you to tail this woman and see where she leads. If we can catch her in one place with her co-conspirators, then we have a greater chance of taking down her group." Qrow nodded at this.
"General, have your men ready to act when Qrow gives the signal. If this intel is correct, then it is possible that she may have a way to turn Atlas Tech against us. Bring only your men, and leave the Knights deactivated on the ship." The General looked downtrodden but nodded.
"Miss Goodwitch. When this is over, I need you to see if you can somehow arrange a message to be sent to the High Leader of the White Fang." She looked confused at that request.
"It would appear that there are those amongst her organization that wish to keep her in the dark. Adam Taurus is a known criminal and extremist. If what this Tukson man says is true…then he may plan to assassinate the White Fang leader and take her place. That cannot be allowed to happen."
"I will try headmaster, but I don't see how I will be able to get a message to the White Fang, especially because I'm human." He thought about it for a moment before he got an idea.
"Have Miss Belladonna meet me in my office when this is over. Her father may be able to provide some help in that department." Ironwood was confused this time.
"What does Miss Belladonna have to do with the White Fang," Ozpin smirked.
"Let's just say that she may know of a way to get a hold of someone important. Now, let's prepare for our assault." He grabbed his cane as he stood before the gathered Huntsman and deployed it.
"It's time to go Witch Hunting"
Warehouse District – South of Vale
Loud machinery sounded throughout the abandoned Warehouse as men dressed in dark clothes with red beasts on the back moved large shipments of crates from one end to the other. Shipping crates full of dust, weapons and vehicles all procured from raids on Atlas Supplies Transports.
In the middle of I all was Roman Torchwick as he supervised the whole operation.
"Hey! Careful with that you morons! That is highly explosive material you're moving there!" he pointed to one of the men that accidentally knocked the corner of the shelf. "Do you want to become the fireworks for the Festival?" they shook their heads. "Then be more careful!"
He shook his head. "Bunch of dumb animals" he pulled out a cigar and felt around for his lighter. Only to remember a little thief took it.
"I see you're getting along well?"
Roman turned to see Cinder and her lackeys – Emerald and Mercury – as they strolled their way across the warehouse. Acting as if they owned the place. He scoffed as he shook his head.
"Other than the stink eye they cast me ever two seconds, yeah, we're getting along just peachy. Oh, and you brought the kids, how thoughtful dear! Hey champs, ready to spend a fun weekend with your pop?" he mocked as Emerald blanched and Mercury had a slight twitch in his eye.
"What have I told you about making us think about you reproducing?" Emerald said with a glare as Roman smirked.
"Consider it payback for stealing my lighter you little brat, which reminds me…" he held out a hand. "Smoking's bad for kids, hand it over."
Emerald scoffed as she held up the lighter and twirled it in her fingers. "As if I'm going to give back-"
"Emerald…" a quick glance from Cinder was all she needed as she reluctantly handed the lighter back to the man, who smirked and lighted up a cigar. "Roman, how goes the preparations for Phase 2?"
He gestured around him. "Going swimmingly, we should have the rest of the supplies transported to Mount Glenn by the end of the week. So long as we continue using the tunnel systems, we should be fine."
A small crow landed on the edge of the building as it peered into the room before his form shifted into a man and a scroll began to record..
"We also sent that clean-up crew to Tukson's place, we made it look like a robbery after your little hit squad there took the big guy out." He pointed to Emerald and Mercury as the Silver-haired boy smirked and crossed his arms.
"Well somebody had to do your job." Cinder turned and glared at the two.
"May I remind you two that you're not supposed to be making a scene? If the authorities find out you had a hand in Tukson's death, it may jeopardise the mission." Both of them nodded.
"Yes, Cinder" they replied as Roman sent them a mocking grin.
"And you, make sure all this is sent to Mount Glenn by the time of the Vytal Festival. Our troops need all the supplies they can get…" she turned to leave before Roman called her out.
"You know it would go a lot faster if you weren't pretending to be a student." He complained as he gestured to the crates. "Here I am busting my ass off making sure this stuff gets to your little hideouts, while you're trying to relive your youthful days in high school which, let's face it, are long behind you."
For a moment there was a faint twitch in Cinders brow as Emerald moved for her weapon but was halted by Cinder.
"So, if you want me to speed things up, it would help if you told me the rest of your 'brilliant plan' because so far all I'm getting is the sense of moving from one place to another." Cinder smirked as she walked towards the man.
"I'm going to ignore that little comment on my age and remind you that we have plans for you. Otherwise…" a ball of flames appeared in her hand as she threw it a crate of medical supplies as it burst into the flames.
"I'd have reduced you to ash by now." Roman swallowed his fear as she strolled over to him.
"Our cover in the school is necessary to gain access to the CCT tower, without it your part becomes invalid. As does your life." She got up close as she held the flame to his face. "As I told you before, you'll know what you need when you need to know. Follow the plan and obey my orders, that is all. Can you do that?" Roman glared a little before smirking.
"As you wish, dear."
Outside the window, Qrow switched to communications mode as Ozpin's face appeared on the screen as he held it to his ear.
"Hey Oz, the intel was solid. She is the one working with the White Fang and Roman Torchwick. And it sounds like those two kids are responsible for the guy's death." He flipped the scroll back to broadcast mode as he filmed the warehouse and the large hole dug into the floor.
High above near the Atlas Warship, on board, a troop transport, General Ironwood, Glynda Goodwitch, Penny Polendina and Ozpin watched the monitor as it displayed the coordinates of Qrow's position.
"Not only that, but it seems they've been using the underground tunnels to transport their stolen goods from Vale to Mount Glenn. Clever little bastards,"
His voice came over the speaker as Ozpin nodded. "Indeed, no one would have thought to check the abandoned tunnels, since they were sealed off years ago." He watched the footage as they loaded the crates into the hole and onto the train.
"And now we know how they've been getting in and out of the city."
"We have confirmation, they're all gathered and now we have the evidence…I believe it's time to move in." Ironwood suggested as Ozpin nodded. Ironwood then turned to Penny as she was seated on the shuttle.
"Penny I want you to capture anyone trying to escape and only engage with the targets with extreme caution. Understood?" She nodded as she followed the man's orders.
"Hey Jimmy, you sure it's wise to bring a kid with us?"
"Penny is…different and is ready for this kind of situation. She can handle herself." Said girl looked to the man and smiled.
"I am combat ready!" she saluted as Qrow raised an eyebrow.
"Qrow…it's time," Ozpin said as the man on the other end nodded and pulled out his blade.
"All right Jimmy…send in the troops."
Ironwood nodded as he pressed a button on the intercom. "All troops deploy, surrounded the building and make sure no one escapes." The troop commander nodded as he gestured to his men in the drop ships.
"Understood General. All right men! Let's hunt us some traitors!"
The Warship shone searchlights on the warehouse as everyone in the building looked around in shock. "What!?" Cinder yelled as loud thumps hit the metal roof before sparks ignited from the metal as several circular cuts carved their way into the steel.
Meanwhile, several troops surrounded the building as some of them planted breaching charges. they stood back before the front doors burst open as a whole squad of Atlas troops marched into the area. Guns raised and laser sights pointed as nearly everyone in the vicinity aimed their weapon at each other.
The troop commander, a man with a red strip across his arm stood before them as he aimed his gun at the humans.
"Cinder Fall! Emerald Sustrai! Mercury Black! And Roman Torchwick! By order of the Kingdoms of Atlas and Vale! You are hereby charged with suspicion of treason against the four Kingdoms!"
Emerald and Mercury flinched back in shock while Cinder seethed at the gathered men.
"What is the meaning of this!?"
"It's quite simple, Miss Fall if that even Is your real name," Ozpin spoke as he, Goodwitch and Ironwood walked into the warehouse. "You're under arrest for conspiring against the four Kingdoms and stealing something that doesn't rightfully belong to you…" she backed up slightly as she stared at the Emerald Wizard.
"Now, I'm going to ask nicely, all of you, to drop your weapons and hand yourself over to the authorities. I promise you'll be treated fairly by the Laws of the four Kingdoms." Cinder regained her composure as she scoffed.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. We're just helpless students being held against our will by these White Fang terrorists." Most of them looked in shock while Emerald and Mercury tried to play innocent themselves.
"Cut the crap," Qrow jumped down into the warehouse and held up his scroll, showing her interacting with the White Fang.
"We know you're working with them. And we know you're not students of Haven. We know whom you work for…and what you really are…thief." Cinder sneered at this as her eyes flickered for a moment before she turned to Ozpin.
"You have a lot of nerve, Ozpin, more so then you've had in the past years. What brought this on?" Ozpin narrowed his gaze.
"Let's just say one of you slipped up and lead us right to you," Qrow remarked as Cinder flinched and then looked to her cohorts, trying to determine which one of them had slipped up and exposed them.
"So how about you listen to the man and come along peacefully. Otherwise…" his sword deployed into its scythe form as all their guns clicked.
Cinder felt her form shake as she glared at all the soldiers around her. This wasn't possible, she thought, there was no way they could've discovered her so quickly. There was no way they could've known that she was the one that attacked Amber and stole half her powers…unless…she looked to her cohorts as doubt seeped in.
Unless one of them…betrayed her.
One of the White Fang grunts got impatient as he grabbed his rifle, yelled "For Adam and the White Fang!" and fired.
That was the proverbial match lighting the powder keg as gunfire rained in the warehouse. Atlas troops shooting with precision while the White Fang fired sporadically and randomly.
Emerald screamed as she was tackled out of the way by Mercury while Cinder summoned her bow and arrow and fired at the troops.
Qrow already speeding towards her as his scythe became a sword and he clashed with her bow. She snarled at him before the glass melted and she held two swords in her hands. But before she could attack, Ozpin was quick on her as he sped to her side and unleashed a flurry of jabs into her side and sent her flying.
"Cinder!" Emerald yelled as she drew her weapons and charged at the man, only to be halted in mid-air as Glynda suspended her with her Semblance. Mercury came flying at her, only to have Ironwood block his leg with his right arm as the two metals resonated from the impact.
"I see, so you have prosthetics too? You must have been trained very well." Ironwood said as he was all too familiar with an artificial prosthesis. Mercury cursed as he raised his other foot to shoot the man, only for the Headmaster to blast him away with his revolver.
"But I'm not some defenceless store owner, child!" He commented as he rolled his shoulders.
"I am both a Headmaster and a proud soldier of Atlas, and I will show you what that means!" Mercury growled as he ran forward and fought the man.
Cinder managed to peel herself off the wall as she faced two of the combatants, Ozpin and Qrow as the two drew their weapons on her. The two charging at her as they clashed in a show of sparks and glass. Cinder was a powerful foe, but she was only half of what she could be. She was not ready to face Ozpin, let alone his second-hand Qrow by herself.
She was outnumbered and outmatched.
Emerald growled as she activated her semblance and managed to free herself from Goodwitch's telekinesis. Glynda watched her disappear as she searched for the woman, not realising she was right in front of her. She managed to shoot at her while making it appear like she was disappearing and reappearing before her, greatly confusing the woman.
Penny, who had already capture several White Fang Members looked towards the two as quickly decided to help.
Emerald drew back her weapons as she was determined to kill the Headmistress while her gaze was distracted. Only for several blades to halt her on her tracks as thin wires connecting the blades forced her to step back. Penny stood before Glynda as she shook her head and the illusion faded.
"Miss Goodwitch are you all right?" she asked as the woman nodded.
"I'm fine Miss Polendina. I lost track of her for a moment, she must have some kind of invisibility Semblance?" she wondered as Penny secretly scanned the woman in front of them.
"I do not believe so, Miss Goodwitch. I am detecting unusual activity around her eyes though. I believe she is using them to alter your perception?" she analysed as Emerald growled at her trick being discovered.
"How do you?"
"I am combat ready ma'am. I do not believe her ability will be able to fool me. Allow me to fight with you?" Glynda looked at the orange-haired girl hesitantly before she nodded.
"Very well, Miss Polendina." She aimed her crop at the girl as her semblance picked up loose stones and crates. "Let us teach her a lesson!" she ordered as Penny nodded and deployed several more swords from her 'backpack'.
"Yes ma'am!" she launched her blades at Emerald who cursed and tried her best to deflect them.
But she could not predict her ability to manipulate the blades, nor could she fool Penny's cybernetic eyes with her Semblance. It seemed Fate thought it was a good idea to have Ironwood bring Penny along for a field test.
Mercury continued to try and kick the man, who only held his guard and shot at the boy. His aura flickering as the headmaster slowly widdled down his aura. He reloaded his revolver as the man glared at the struggling boy.
"Surrender son, there's no point in this," Mercury growled as shot back up.
"Don't call me son!" he roared as he fired round after round and spinning it in the air before launching them at the man.
Ironwood defended himself against the shots with his metal arm, as Mercury tried to catch him off guard, but was a shock when Ironwood grabbed him by the leg and threw him against the metal crates.
Emerald was swinging her blades left and right, as she parried them against Penny's seemingly floating blades. But she was struggling as not only was she up against someone who was 'immune' to her Semblance. A barrage of stones blasted against her as she was flung across the room.
She was also up against the Vice Headmistress of Beacon Academy. She tried to once again induce a hallucination within the headmistress, only for it to be ineffective by Penny.
"Miss Goodwitch, I am detecting another alteration in her eyes. She is using her Semblance again! Adjust your attack by 12 cm's to the right" Goodwitch nodded as she redirected her attack and struck the girl in the chest with a volley of stones.
"Gah!" she screamed as she slammed into the wall.
Goodwitch gave the orange haired girl a nod as she smiled in appreciation.
Meanwhile, Roman watched from the safety of his hidey-hole as his 'clients' were being thrashed around by the teaching staff and the Atlas Military. Roman was a survivor and he believed that joining up with Cinders posse would be a good investment for him in the long run.
But seeing as how she was getting her end kicked and he had Neo on another assignment at the moment.
"I believe it's time for our partnership to come to an end?" he quietly tried to sneak away, only for several laser sights to aim themselves at his chest.
"Don't move!" three of the soldiers surrounded him as he held his hands up.
"…Crap."
Cinder was starting to lose her cool as she was double-teamed by Qrow and Ozpin. Ozpin has years of experience in nearly every form of combat, while Qrow had his quick speed and large scythe made it difficult to use her abilities at their max.
Even if she had the full set of Maiden powers.
She managed to parry Qrow's blade, only to have Ozpin strike her across the face with his cane. She launched shards of glass at the Headmaster, only for him to project a forcefield that blocked her attack. She cursed and quickly moved out of the way as Qrow's blade cleaved past her head and severed a few strands of her dark hair.
She screamed as she unleashed a torrent of fire at the man, only for him to evade and shift his form into a bird, as he flew around her and back into his human. But before she could strike him, Ozpin sped fast to her and delivered numerous blows with his cane. Forcing her back and slamming her against the wall with her allies.
Cinder looked around as the White Fang, those that remained, were quickly surrendering to the Atlas Troops. Roman was on his knees as well as the Atlas Soldiers held him captive. Large mechanised tanks secured the rest of the building as she was completely surrounded by the teachers of Beacon and the Headmaster of Atlas.
"It's over, Miss Fall. Surrender." Ozpin offered one last time as he and the others aimed their weapons at them.
It was all falling apart, the years of patience, the careful planning and consideration she went to in order to prepare herself for the invasion of Beacon and the reclamation of the Fall Maidens power. But something happened she, nor Salem, could've possibly predicted. Something they overlooked that had jeopardised their operation Vale.
Something she would most likely be blamed for…and that brought her fear.
She looked over to Roman as she knew that any chance for a proper escape would require sacrifice, one she was willing to force upon the thief.
Seeing no other option, Cinder screamed in rage as she unleashed all the power she had in her soul and launched a power powerful fireball at the group, hoping to incinerate them all. But Ozpin was lucky to use what power he had left and shielded them from the blast.
"Now! Escape!" she ordered to Emerald and Mercury as she pointed to the hole. Both of them nodded as they ran for the hole. She quickly summoned her bow and launched an arrow at the thief, who gazed in shock as it sped towards him.
Luckily for the thief, Glynda managed to avert the arrow just enough to miss his heart and struck him in the shoulder. But didn't mean he wasn't in pain.
"Argh! You bitch!" he yelled as Cinder cursed and attempted to escape.
Penny, however, was ordered to capture anyone trying to escape and launched her blade at Cinder, wrapping her left arm. The Wires going taut as Penny attempted to halt her escape.
"You are not going anywhere!" Penny yelled as she pulled tighter with her enhanced strength.
Cinder snarled as she looked at the girl and her arm as she, in a desperate plea for escape, summoned a blade of glass…and severed her own arm.
"GAH!" she screamed as her arm flung back towards the girl, while blood sputtered from her wound.
"Cinder!" Emerald yelled as she quickly ran to the woman and helped her to her feet. "Mercury! The crates!" she ordered as the boy nodded and fired at the Dust crates, causing them to ignite.
"Everybody out!" Qrow yelled as they ran out of the warehouse.
A large explosion ignited the night as all across Vale, people stared in confusion at the large plume of ice, lightning and fire that danced across the sky. Especially a team of first-year students as they looked out from their dorm rooms.
Smoked permeated the air as the Atlas Troops and Teachers recovered from the blast. The warehouse in complete shambles and the hole they used to escape was buried under rubble and metal. Ozpin glared through the wreckage as their one chance to reclaim the Fall Maiden had just slipped through their fingers.
The teachers and the Atlas troops were attempting to remove the wreckage, while also loading the prisoners on the transports. "She got away, by the time we get this clear, she'll be long gone." Ironwood surmised as he looked upon the wreckage.
"At least we managed to halt her operations. And seeing as the Intel was correct about her, then Mount Glenn is another one of her staging grounds." Glynda said as looked to the mountains.
"I'll dispatch troops immediately to apprehend them. I doubt she'll be there though, now that she knows that we're on to her." Ironwood said as Ozpin nodded.
"But the problem still remains that she said she needed access to the CCT tower. If that is the case, then it's more than likely she has a plan to hack into our systems. Which means…" Ozpin stated as Ironwood quickly realised.
"Which means they found a vulnerability in CCT Network. This is not good Ozpin." He nodded.
"Indeed, contact the Headmaster in Vacuo. We need to have the CCT Network temporarily shut down to rectify this issue, as well search our ranks for any more of her subordinates."
"Then shouldn't we also notify Leo?" Glynda asked as Ozpin shook his head.
"Due to the evidence, I have a grave suspicion about the Headmaster of Haven…one that I hope is not true." The others looked shocked but nodded in understanding.
"I'll report to the Atlas Council and convince them to have the CCT Network temporarily shut down for 'maintenance purposes' it will mean that surrounding locations will not be able to contact the Kingdoms for support for a short while." Ozpin nodded.
"A sacrifice that needs to be made. Qrow, I need you to look into our mysterious benefactor, find out who he or she is and see if they have any more intel, they can share with us." Qrow nodded.
"Glynda, you and I must convince the Vale council that the Vytal Festival must be postponed until we are certain that the White Fang has no more surprises. Then we must enlist help from Miss Belladonna for assistance regarding the White Fang." She nodded.
"Understood Headmaster."
"This has been a victory, a small one, but a victory nonetheless. But we must now be more vigilant the ever, in the likely chance that…the enemy…will strike again."
They nodded as the man stood before them, hope swelling in their chest as for the forest time in a long time, Ozpin felt hope in winning the war.
Meanwhile, Cinder was leaning on Emerald for support as her blood trailed behind them in the dark tunnels. She snarled and hissed in pain as her stump ached.
She was angry, furious and scared of what will happen to her now that she failed her mistress. She needed to know who had ratted her out…
And whom she would have to blame when Salem finds out.
Riverdale – Present Date
Jaune sighed in relief as he stepped out of the shower. His clothes all cleaned up and his hair mattered with water as he brushed it off with a towel. His body feeling much more refreshed as all the grime, dirt and stress that clung to his body for the past five months washed away down the drain.
Fenrir looked up curiously as Jaune smiled. "I tell you, boy, there is nothing better than a hot shower after five months in a Grimm infested forest!" he smiled as Fenrir merely stared then went back to sleep.
Jaune chuckled as he patted the small wolf. His new scroll beeped as Jaune felt hope that the CCT was back up, only to find it was the short-range burst.
He opened the text as he read the message from the Mayor. "Huntsman Team has returned from Patrol, sent them your way. Hope you get along?" Jaune read before a knock sounded at the door. "Well whoever they are, I hope they're friendly."
Jaune walked over as he opened the door.
Several sets of eyes widened as each of them stared at one another before they all yelled.
"Jaune!?" / "CFVY!?"
And Scene. Well here is Chapter VII of Legend of the White Wolf. So, what do you think? Guess you didn't expect the unexpected arrival of Team CFVY, huh? I remember watching in Vol.2 that they were out on a mission before the Dance and Vytal Festival. So, I figured I might as well add it into the story.
Also, I believe Penny would've been immune to Emeralds Semblance, as she had robot eyes and not organic ones. Just saying.
Whether or not this means Jaune will make it back to Beacon soon remains to be seen.
But, now that the Intel has done its work, Cinder will have trouble trying to reclaim the Fall Maidens power. And now that they know their faces, Ozpin is willing to move more swiftly. And even suspects a traitor within the Inner Circle. I hope this is going well, this is my most ambitious story yet. I am still working on Remnant Knight and Restart, I've just hit a few roadblocks. And I just can't seem to stop with this one.
Seriously I can't stop, Help!
Anyway, now that Jaune has teamed up with CFVY, he must now help them defend Riverdale until the Transport ship arrives and takes him back to Vale and his friends. But some plans have a nasty habit of changing. Find out next time in…
Chapter VIII: Riverdale Raid
