Awakening the Dragon

Chapter 7 – A Haven No More


Raven and Oscar walked down the steps of the governor's mansion. The front was clear, so they had ample room to talk, though Raven didn't really care for that at the moment. She wasn't one to rush into something completely blind, but she didn't have much choice. "Oscar, you're coming with me."

Oscar chuckled. "Is that an order?"

"Yes. We talked about what I found out earlier, and Owain himself confirmed it," Raven said. Though if she really didn't care about Cinder. Her biggest concern was saving her daughter.

"The former Fall Maiden," He said, quoting Owain. He sighed. "They've probably managed to implant the power elsewhere. Not too long ago, Ruby had called me earlier asking if Qrow or Jaune contacted me and where they were last. I get the feeling that that had something to do with it."

"Then what are we waiting for? The longer we wait, the longer Yang and Ruby are in danger!" Raven said. What were the odds they'd steal her power too? When she fought Cinder, she proved she was capable of stealing in the midst of combat, though she needed to take advantage of a blind spot. In that case, all she had to do was keep her eyes peeled and ensure that nothing touched her.

"I know," Oscar said. He paused. "I suppose it's convenient though."

"What?" Raven asked, confused.

"I'll tell you when we rescue the others. We can't continue to hide and act in secret." Oscar walked forward, back facing Raven. "We have to take drastic measures to stop Owain from destroying the relic. I can't guess why he'd want that, so we just have to assume something bad will happen if he did." He looked back at her. "I'm ready."

Raven nodded. Hang on Yang! She gripped the hilt of her sword and swung it outward; a dark portal opening up from the cut in the air. She jumped through, assuming Oscar would follow.


Jaune and Nora—with Yang being piggybacked—ran down a corridor. They quickly spun around the corner and found an empty chamber that looked like it had been a storage room of some sort, a rather large one at that. "Let's catch our breath and recharge a little," He said. No one had been following them, though he had no doubt that they'd swarm them once they figured out a plan to get the crystal back. How much time did that give them? The dust-tuned were the biggest threat, though without them he wouldn't need much aura.

Nora put Yang down against the wall. "How's your aura?"

"It's making good progress. I should have enough to recharge you faster." To be frank, right now he was only needed for his semblance. If he could keep Nora's aura up, they'd have a shot to get out of here. The only concern was how they were going to get out. He turned to look at Yang, her head tilting to the side, arms placed on her lap as she slept soundly. "How is she?"

Nora turned back to Yang. "She's sound asleep. That red electricity faded." Nora looked concerned.

He'd never seen anything like that before, certainly not from Yang. The moments before Yang destroyed the machine, she had taken severe hits and knowing how her semblance worked, he assumed that it had something to do with it, though he couldn't be sure. He watched her aura flicker before—after he had used his semblance on her—and he could have sworn it flickered again later. He looked at Nora's concerned expression as she opened and closed her fist. "What is it?" Jaune said.

"That wasn't normal electricity," Nora said. "It didn't charge me up. It just…hurt."

He looked up at Nora. That's strange. He thought. "Yeah, it hurt me too." Though that's a problem for another time. Jaune looked at Yang again. "Either way, let's rest up a bit before we g—" He gripped his sword reflexively—crystal in his left hand—as a dark portal opened up beside Yang; he loosened his grip. Raven and Oscar stepped from out of it. "Raven? Oscar?"

Raven sheathed her sword and knelt beside Yang. "What happened? Is she alright?"

"How did you know we we—" Jaune coughed. "She's just exhausted. Really exhausted, but fine." He wondered if he should tell her about the red electricity as she sighed in relief, though he pushed the thought aside, as they had other concerns. They had to find the others and get out with the crystal.

"What happened here? And what is that you're holding?" Oscar said.

Jaune looked down at the large orange crystal in his hand. I have an idea… "It was the power source to this thing Yang called a Templar. A ridiculously strong machine that she said was a variant of the Atlesian Paladin."

"An Atlesian Paladin?" Raven said. She looked at Oscar. "You really need to have a chat with Ironwood."

Ironwood got namedropped again. He couldn't deny that something was going on with him. A machine that could generate aura… "What's up with him, anyway?" Jaune said.

"I don't know. What I do know is that Alexis is still in contact with James, which worries me. Now that you mention that you fought a variant of a machine James oversaw the creation of, I'm even more worried." Oscar said. "As for that crystal…"

Jaune looked down at it again. "Yeah…it's probably what you're thinking." There was a part of him that was glad. If they could only get the power from out of the crystal, they could find another worthy host for it. Their struggles with Cinder, his struggles with Cinder were over as they had given her a chance, though seeing her again had opened up old wounds. He looked over at Raven.

She checked Yang and wasn't pushed away by the red electricity, which proved Nora right about it having faded. "What about the others? Where's Ruby? And Qrow?" Raven asked.

"The rest of us split up. Qrow is…we don't know, same with Ren. The scientists here injected them with something. Qrow is with Ruby, and Ren is with Mercury." Jaune said.

"Alright, I'll go get them." Raven said, as she stood up and slashed into the air, creating another portal. She jumped through it as it closed behind her.

"Jaune, did you find anything out about this place, anything that could help?" Oscar said.

"Yeah, the people here are definitely working with the New Dawn, though they planned to kill the governor," Jaune said.

"Yeah, this scientist said he was going to use the machine we fought to kill him after he took us down," Nora said.

Oscar put his fingers on his chin. "That's strange…a split within the New Dawn perhaps?"

"Not sure, though they definitely have a grudge against him. When we were captured, the scientists even asked us if we were sent by Owain, though we didn't think anything of it at the time." Nora said.

Certainly seemed like it. Here they thought that the governor led the New Dawn though they only had evidence that he was probably one of its benefactors, like this Albus person. Perhaps they found something out about their supporters they didn't like. He wasn't sure if that made Owain an ally or an enemy at this point. "Oscar, did you find anything out about the governor recently?"

"Raven and I found out that he was ignorant of the maidens and why they could open the vaults. We exchanged information and now he knows why, and in exchange he told us that he wants to destroy the Gift of Destruction."

"What?" Jaune said. "Destroy it? Why?" Why destroy it? And here he thought evil people like him all wanted power. Why would he want to destroy the sword?

"Not sure, he never gave an answer. Though there was something else," Oscar said as he walked toward Yang.

"What?" Nora asked.

"He mentioned certain key information—if revealed—would jeopardize his mission." Oscar said.

"So we have a line of attack then?" Jaune asked. Find this information, whatever it is, and use it against him. Though that seemed too easy. Before Oscar could respond though he intended to learn more. "Would you say—from your meetings with him—that he'd be the type of person who'd lead us astray? Give us a false lead, to make it easier for him to win?"

"No. I don't think he's that type of person. The Berserker was not one to use deceit or trickery. She was…fierce, overpowering…absolute. She didn't need to deceive. At least from what I remember of his memories." He turned around to face Jaune again. "Whatever this information is has to be something devastating to him. Something that even his nature as the Berserker wouldn't be able to mitigate. We have to find out what it is, and I think I have an idea."

That surprised him. "Really? What is it?"

"I'll tell you once everyone arrives," Oscar said.

Another portal opened up, and everyone else came through, the last person being Raven.

"Yang!" Ruby said, wasting no time to rush over to her sister.

"She's fine, just exhausted," Jaune said. He looked over at Cinder who fixated on him, or rather, the crystal he was holding. Damn it.

"Is that?" Emerald said.

"Most likely," Jaune said. He never once doubted their decision to spare her. Their times traveling together had made him believe in Ruby's idealism, that there was a better way, that they didn't need to destroy and kill to defeat evil or save the world. That had made them different. It was Ruby's idealism that protected them from Salem's venom, her power, the way she would twist peoples' souls. It's what ultimately led them to victory. And now…

"We should be careful with that," Oscar said. They all turned to look at him. "We won't know who the next Fall Maiden will be."

Jaune looked over at Cinder again who had looked away solemnly. He sighed. "Well, if they managed to extract it, then they should still have the machine they did it with somewhere here." He turned to Cinder. "Was the machine a wolf-looking machine?" He should let the power flow into someone else. Someone who wouldn't misuse it. Someone…better.

She shook her head. He noticed the scars on her body. She twitched here and there and every time her face scrunched up in pain if only for a moment.

"Then we go and find it!" Jaune sighed again. If Pyrrha and my positions were reversed, and I'd been the one that died…

"Jaune?" Nora said.

How did he know that whoever would get the power would use it for good? Salem's gone, but the evil within peoples' hearts didn't come from her. No, if it did, she would never had been so powerful. How did he know? He looked at Cinder again, and it seemed like she was agreeing with him as her face bore that look of defeat, a look that screamed Do it, I deserve it. He found himself thinking that he should just slam the crystal into the ground right now.

Oscar looked over to Jaune. "We'll talk about this more when we get the—"

"We use it and give Cinder back her powers," Jaune interjected, staring directly at Cinder.

Cinder jerked her face over at him, looking shocked. "Why?"

"Honestly, at this point, you're the most experienced with the power. It'd be best if you had it. And…" He sighed again. "It would be weird if anyone else was the Fall Maiden at this point." He noticed Ruby smiling in the corner. In fact, everyone was surprised by what he said, Cinder most of all. "Alright, alright, let's not make a big deal of it!" Suddenly, he felt something he thought he'd never feel from what he just did. A weight lifting off his shoulders. An act of kindness goes a long way, he remembered his mother saying. The very thing—she would always say—that distinguished good from evil. Though in this case, it was him throwing out a hope into the universe, a hope he wished might turn into something.

Qrow and Ren began to cough erratically. Oh thank goodness, they woke up! Jaune thought, relieved as he kept his sight away from Cinder. Ren opened his eyes.

"Ren!" Nora yelled, rushing over to him.

"Nora?" Ren strained to talk. "Wha—" He coughed again.

"You were injected with something, don't strain yourself!" Nora said.

Qrow coughed some more and came to as well. "Uncle Qrow!" Ruby said. Like Ren he opened his eyes and slowly started to show healthier signs of movement.

"What are you doing here?" Qrow said to Ruby.

"We came to rescue you," She said.

"Well, good timing." He coughed again. "A little later, and well, not sure what would have happened."

"Good timing, indeed," Oscar said. "Now that the two of you are awake, do you think you can retain a plan or two?"

Qrow and Ren nodded.

"Alright then!" Oscar walked over to a spot and turned to face all of them. "Things have changed. Raven and I have discovered a way to defeat Owain, a path that might not force us to overcome his overwhelming power."

"Like?" Qrow said.

"Raven, when Yang wakes up, make sure to tell her everything," Oscar said. Raven nodded as he turned back to the group. "As soon as we leave here, we need to secure the Gift of Knowledge. We need to ask Jinn what Owain is hiding."

Ruby stood up. "There's something else."

"Like what?" Oscar said.

"When we were captured. One of the scientists asked Yang and I to help. They told us there was a split within the New Dawn. Those loyal to Owain—people drawn to his strength—and those loyal to the ideals of Alexis. They planned to attack Owain with the machines they've created," Ruby said.

"Yeah, one of them even said that all they need are the maidens," Nora said. "Right after they apparently decided they no longer want Yang or Ruby's help."

"Oscar, you think that explains James' contact with Alexis?" Raven said.

"What?" Qrow asked, surprised.

"We found out that James and Alexis have been in close contact. About what I can't say, except that Alexis is able to make requests of James in short order, with apparently little pushback. It's how we received a request from Owain himself to visit him," Oscar said. "Now that you've told us this information, it's certain possible. Knowing James, he probably doesn't really care about the ideals of the New Dawn, but perhaps he feels that he could leverage the splinter within the New Dawn to take down Owain—a goal we share."

Raven scoffed and crossed her arms. "You're too trusting."

Oscar smiled. "For now, let's get Cinder her powers back and visit Haven as soon as possible."

"We need someone to stay here and guard Qrow and Ren, while the rest of us find the machine," Raven said.

"Well, you should stay here then, since you can port us should the two of them get attacked," Ruby said.

Raven nodded.

"I'm staying here too," Nora said.

"Alright, then It'll be me, Ruby, Mercury, Emerald, and Cinder then. Oscar? You coming?" Jaune said.

Oscar nodded. "Little crowded, but considering we'll be traveling with the crystal, it sounds like a good plan."

"Any ideas where to look?" Mercury said.

"I should be able to recognize the place as we draw near," Cinder said, more confidently than before.

"We can do this systematically. Go down each path, making note of any "landmarks" so to speak. I do believe this was covered in your training at the academy," Jaune said.

They all nodded, save for Cinder's group. They rushed out and went down each path, checked every room, made note of any unique features, and moved on to the next path. Eventually they were driven down a tunnel surrounded by rock rather than by the usual material. They were underground, that much he knew already, but from what he could tell they had been moving further west—away from where the Patient Grounds were—and closer to where they originally got caught. Considering that's near where we first got messed with, this might be where they did the same to Cinder, He thought.

He took the lead, looking over to Cinder who seemed to have a similar thought as she scanned the area with more focus than before. They reached another part of the fortress, this one still bearing similar architectural features, though this place was colored dark gray and blue. Most of the walls and tiles were dark gray, with secondary features like crevices and decorations were colored blue. Just like the armored guys. This definitely provided further evidence that they were headed in the right direction. Even more as he noticed the more heavy spread of scientific equipment and non-militaristic technology. It seemed more…medical.

As they reached an open room they stopped. He looked around. There were biohazard signs placed directly on the windows of doors to rooms, though most of them had normal plates to the side marked with numbers that obviously indicated the room, though none of them said anything about what they were for. The place was empty, and he assumed it had evacuated per the alarm from earlier. Most of the personnel probably took the opportunity to flee when they heard the soldiers were supposed to gather.

"Here," Cinder said, facing a room off to the side. It had been closed by a set of double doors that held a sign above it—much like an emergency room in a hospital—that read Surgery Room.

"That's where they put you?" Emerald asked.

Cinder nodded. She walked up to the doors though shied just short of opening it.

"We should check for traps, though I don't think we'll find any—" Ruby's words were cut short as they all heard footsteps coming from behind them.

Jaune turned around to notice a red-haired woman with intricate armor that bore the New Dawn's colors. It was a sleek design. She stepped closer to them, having taken one final step before stopping. She was unarmed. "Who are you?"

"The name's Raye, Raye Amaranth. I'm here to reclaim that crystal in your hands, cutie-pie!" She said as she pointed toward the crystal.

Jaune immediately pulled out his shield to his freehand and got into a guarded fighting stance, making sure to keep the crystal covered by his shield. Mercury and Oscar stepped forward in front of him.

That immediately sent her into a flight toward them as Ruby moved over to Jaune to help him protect the crystal, while Oscar and Mercury intercepted Raye.

"I've got this!" Mercury yelled. "Go! Restore Cinder's powers!"

Everyone but Oscar, Ruby, and Mercury rushed through the doors. Before Jaune himself rushed through them, he took one final look at the three of them before following everyone else.


Mercury threw a roundhouse kick aimed at the woman's head. She ducked as she threw a punch at his face—one he knocked to the side as he kicked her in the stomach, then the arm, then the head, and then in the chest in a rapid succession. No way I'm gonna be dead weight, here! He thought.

She took all the hits in stride, returning with her own succession of punches. As they exchanged blows—a punch here, a kick there; blocking, parrying, two auras colliding—Mercury noticed her lack of kicks. He deflected another two punches, quickly countering with a spinning roundhouse kick. Her style was graceful—like a monk—and she only used her legs to block or parry and she did so elegantly. He kicked at her head, but she pushed it aside with her own kick and pivoted into a fist at his chest, pushing him back. She's good, he thought. He glared at her smirk. Though not very humble. He returned with his own smirk.

The others must have figured out what he was going for as he could tell from the corner of his eye that Oscar and Ruby had moved into a guarded position close by, ready to assist at any time. He strafed around in a circle as Raye did the same. He charged at her with a feint in a form of a kick, one she didn't fall for as she punched him backward, a blow he blocked with his arms. He charged again, igniting his lower legs with fire dust, as he kicked at her head, side, leg, and chest as she dodged each one. She kept the smirk on her face as he threw another two roundhouse kicks, a front kick, and then an upward kick—which this time connected—knocking her into the air. He bolted into the air under her and kicked her in the back higher, and then spun around and kicked her into the ground—crashing below and obscuring the battlefield with the dust and debris.

He landed on the ground on guard, waiting for her to charge. "Surely you can do better than that!" He yelled. Yellow electricity flowed from out of the cloud as it clearly swerved around the shape of a body as it suddenly vanished.

"Mercury! Behind you!" Oscar yelled, but it came a split second too late as he was knocked forward through the wall and into the next room, breaking through tables and scientific equipment. He quickly caught his bearings and charged back to the group only to find Oscar exchanging blows with her. Raye was clearing being enhanced by the electricity as her movements were unnaturally agile and was even able to match Oscar's. He moved toward her backside, hoping to get in a few blows in, but she pivoted sideways at an angle, catching both him and Oscar within her field of view. She still had that grin on her face.

"What do you think?" Mercury said to Oscar. "Dust? Like Hazel?" He kept his guard up.

"Possibly, though I can't see where she would have dust on her. There's nothing on her armor, and no entry wounds anywhere," Oscar said, keeping himself in the position of a fencer's guard.

"Keep analyzing her, then!" Mercury charged at Raye again into an axe kick. He unleashed a succession of kicks—a front kick into another axe kick, into a side kick, as he pivoted into a roundhouse kick, and then into a spin kick—each blow being blocked, though she grunted at each one, as flames sparked away from the blows with each impact. He pushed himself, tried to increase the speed of his kicks. He didn't have room here to unleash a barrage of dust attacks.

It made no difference as she parried and blocked each one, the flames around his leg clearly doing nothing except being a nuisance. He grunted as he put more force into each blow. He began gaining ground as each attack started to push her back, however that didn't last as she ducked under his roundhouse and elbowed him backward, crashing against the wall to the left of the doors to the surgery room.

"I've still got this!" He yelled, moving back into a fighting stance.

"Sure, but…" Ruby said.

"No!" He grunted and charged Raye again, still keeping that infuriating smirk on her face.


Ghira finished putting away the last file and sighed. According to the reports, grimm activity has suddenly shot up again, all over the place, yet for whatever reason they're unusually docile. Some of the reports suggested behavior similar to migration, though that's unlikely. Why would they migrate? Had Salem still been around, it would be a possibility, certainly one that they would have to consider since that would imply a change in tactics from Salem herself, though that wasn't the case. So what was causing this strange behavior, whatever it was?

"Maybe you should rest," Kali said, walking over with some freshly prepared tea.

He grabbed a cup of tea. "Thank you dear." He took a sip. As always, the flavor was just right, with the exact temperature he preferred.

"Anything?" She asked.

"No, though many of our huntsmen and huntresses have been getting reports of strange grimm activity. Some of them think they're acting intelligently, though not aggressively, oddly," He said, taking another sip, and placing the cup down. "I might send a message to the other headmasters to see if they've received similar reports." If the others report the same activity, then it would definitely be a cause for concern, and he would have to initiate a few expeditions at Haven to gather more information. Any time the grimm did anything unusual was a call for him do something about it.

"And after, you should rest, you've been up all night," She said.

"Of course, dear. I'll do just that," He replied, smiling. He looked at his watch. She was right. It was early in the morning. He looked out of the window, noting the still darkened skies, though it was hard to tell if it was nighttime due to the storm clouds that were often in the skies above Upper Mistral, rather than here. Strange storm, He thought.

The room vibrated slightly, but enough to feel it. Ghira furrowed his brow, stood up, and walked toward the window, looking outside of it. Airships bearing the colors and crest of the New Dawn landed, though only two of them. He looked off to the side and noticed another ship which had also been landed though it seemed it had been there already.

A knock came at the door.

"Yes, come in!" Ghira said.

Sage Ayana walked in. "Headmaster, the governor's spokesman has come asking for your presence."

"Alexis?" Ghira asked. "Did he say why?"

"No, sir."

Ghira sighed. "Well, let's see what the man wants," he said to his wife. He walked out of his office and down to the courtyard, around the courtyard, and to the back of it, and arrived at one of the academy's landing zones. Kali walked beside him, along with Sage. He looked up. Hopefully it doesn't rain, he thought. He hated being in the rain. He hated being wet in general.

Alexis combed his short gray hair back and strode forward—spotless New Dawn uniform and all—as he extended his hand. "Mr. Belladonna, good to meet you in person. I'm glad to have this opportunity to speak with the father of the High Leader of the White Fang!"

Ghira shook his hand, as Alexis then shook his wife's hand. "Likewise! You've been making quite the ruckus these days and most likely many enemies!" He wondered how Blake was doing. Alexis was clearly playing politics, though he was surprised that he would be so quick to defend the White Fang. We've come a long way, he thought.

Alexis laughed a little. "Such is the life of politics." He was accompanied by two New Dawn fighters covered head to tow in white and gold armor, both of them armed with rifles, along with greatswords on their backs. Behind him were simply the three airships, though he had no idea what was inside, and that made him a little uncomfortable.

"So what brings you here?" Ghira asked. What would a man like this want with him? He had ideas, one of which he hoped was just an unreasonable concern.

Alexis clasped his hands behind his back. "I come here at the behest of our governor." He paused and looked to the side, then turned back to him. "He wishes to know how things are going with the grimm."

Oh is that all? "Well, of course! I'm happy to say that things have been going better than usual. Though in regard to Anima, the grimm seem to be migrating, though where I cannot say."

"Migrating? Any idea why?" Alexis asked.

"No, unfortunately." Ghira paused. Maybe I can get some information about that, here. "I understand that you have a history with James. Has he been in contact with you lately? Perhaps he made mention of odd grimm behavior? I'd imagine that might be important information for the governor," Ghira said.

"No, I haven't spoken to the General in six years I'm afraid. Ever since I left Atlas all those years ago, I've refrained from contacting my old friend," Alexis said.

"Oh? I heard that there were agents working with Salem that had been a part of Atlas. I assume that had something to do with it?" Ghira said. As he recalled, Arthur Watts was one of them, but there were others, some higher up the ranks of the military.

"Indeed it did. I worked with James for years, and to find out that humanity's greatest enemy had our own working with her frustrated me to no end. The worst was that the General was aware of it but didn't consider it a problem. Of course, it's much more complicated than that, but let's just say that it was the straw that broke the camel's back," Alexis said.

"I understand." He coughed. "Is there anything else our governor wants that I can help with?" Ghira said.

"There is. It's difficult for me to ask, but understand that the world is changing, and Mistral is surrounded by many enemies. Which is why the governor wishes for me to request of you the Gift of Knowledge," Alexis said, his face turning stern, hands still clasped behind his back.

The request shocked him. It was precisely the thing he hoped would be an unreasonable concern, but of course it was foolish to think so. "Is that so? And this is a request from the man himself?"

"It is I'm afraid," Alexis said.

"And if I refuse?" Ghira said. Silly question. Alexis was a military man, though he hoped the political side of him would be in control here.

"Are you refusing?" Alexis said.

"I'm the headmaster of this academy. One of the primary purposes of the academies is to protect the relics. I cannot just hand it over," He said.

Alexis held up a finger. "Correction, one of the primary purposes of the academies was to protect the relics from Salem, who's no longer around."

"Because Salem would have abused the relics for her own gain. I cannot allow for the relics to be used as such, especially not for political purposes. Haven Academy may be in Mistral, but it's politically neutral. I understand you originate from Atlas, but Haven Academy and the Mistral Military are not combined," Ghira said.

Alexis sighed. "I understand. Though unfortunately, I must confess. The request was rhetorical."

"Excuse me?" Ghira didn't like where this was headed. He had other concerns to be worrying about, he didn't need politics to be one of them.

Alexis nodded to the fighter on his left. The man then lifted his hand to his ear and spoke. "The headmaster has refused."

"What's this about?" Ghira asked. "What do you intend to do?" Be reasonable, Alexis.

"Me? Nothing," Alexis said.

Ghira's eyes shifted to the side of Alexis' head as he noticed a man cloaked in a dark armored garb with a reverse-horned helmet—long blond hair coming out the bottom of it—strode forward, armed with his weapon at his left side.

"Understand that I didn't have much choice. The governor doesn't actually make requests. I came here hoping you'd hand over the relic so that things wouldn't escalate," Alexis said.

"Damn you!" Ghira yelled. "So what's going to happen now? You're going to force me to hand over the relic? Is that what it's come to?"

"You knew this was an inevitability. The relics are no longer truly secret anymore, and practically anyone with power these days is aware of them. The days of political neutrality within the academies is at an end. Please, Ghira. For your family, for your daughter, be smart," Alexis said.

The man reached them, stopping several feet behind Alexis though still within earshot. "Ghira Belladonna I assume? And beside you is your wife, Kali Belladonna?" The man said.

"You're the governor, then? Owain Helios?" Ghira said. "Kali inform the school," He said to her quietly.

She nodded and ran back into the academy.

"You intend to put up a resistance?" Owain said.

"It's my job as headmaster," He said. This isn't good, this really isn't good! He thought.

Owain put his hand on the hilt of his blade, clearly prepared to draw it. "How good of a fighter are you?"

"My lord, if I may, do we have to resort to violence? If we attack, a lot of people on both sides are going to die. We don't need to engage in such a risk; we don't have the troops to take an entire academy of trained huntsmen!" Alexis said.

"So be it. Such is the nature of conflict. Though I think that's more of a concern for you and your own," Owain said, hand still held on the hilt.

"Ghira, you understand what's going to happen here if you don't hand over the relic, so please, hand it over." Alexis was more insistent this time, aggressive, as if in a hurry.

"I can't. The relic was placed back into the vault some time ago and without the Spring Maiden, I couldn't give it to you even I wanted to," He said. I need to buy time, He thought.

"Then we secure the academy. Alexis, command your forces to seize every building they can. Kill anyone who resists," Owain said, returning to his stride toward him.

"Yes sir," Alexis said, clearly reluctant.

"Alexis, you don't seem willing to do this. Disobey his command and help me!" Ghira pleaded. "Whatever you need of the relic, I and the students at this school can assist. It doesn't have to get violent!"

"By all means, Colonel. Do as he says. Follow your conscience. I'll cut you down, but regardless. Don't let that stop you," Owain said. The guards beside him balked at that.

"I've heard of your maliciousness, "governor" and to think I'd given you the benefit of the doubt!" Ghira said.

"Step aside, old man. You don't need to die today. Forego your duty, and tell me the location of the vault," Owain said, not stopping.

He felt a chill go down his spine as every fiber of his being commanded him to run. What is this feeling? He thought as he began to sweat, unable to stop himself from taking a few steps back, trying to create space between himself and Owain. "Why? What do you want from the relic?"

"Such an object has the power to be a bit of a nuisance to me, and I'd rather not deprive my dear girl the joy of a proper challenge. Things are quite the bore when they're accomplished so easily," Owain said, still closing the gap between them.

"What?" He said. He clenched his fists. He couldn't stay here. He could practically feel the bloodlust oozing from this man, this monster. He broke into a sprint—followed by Sage—back to the headmaster's building. I have to inform them! An alarm went off at the school. She did it! Hopefully this helps! He couldn't shake the feeling he got from the governor. The strange terror that seemed to emanate from his entire being. "Did you feel that, Mr. Ayana?"

"I did," Sage said, clearly knowing what he was referring to.

"Are you ready to do your duty?" Ghira asked.

"I am," Sage said firmly, as they continued their sprint.

"Good!" As soon as he reached his office again, he found several huntsmen and huntresses there waiting for him. "Glad you all were available. Go out into the school and defend every place you can!"

"Yes sir!" They all said.

"What about us?" Kali said.

"I'm not sure. We need to help defend the academy. Save as many people as we can. Owain can't get to the vault nor open it even if he had the watch. We can afford to leave it undefended."

She nodded and ran off. Suddenly, gunfire went off all around him, all coming from outside of the building. He ran out of the office and out of the building into the courtyard as quickly as he could. The battle had broken out there as he noticed that his students clearly had the advantage, however unnecessary the violence was.

Most of the fallen already were primarily comprised of the New Dawn, in which there were a surprising number of them, though he spoke too soon as he noticed the airships flying overhead, dropping more troops and robots down into the courtyard, and firing off salvos of missiles into the school grounds, blowing through many of the rooftops.

A group of soldiers broke free from a huntsman and barreled straight toward him. He charged them quickly, punching one of them backward, clawed through another's armor, terrifying him straight to the ground, then slammed the heads of the last two together. "Run!" He yelled at the man on the ground as the soldier did just that. He noticed his wife running toward him out of the corner of his eye.

"Most of the students are waking up from the alarm and have been told over the coms in their buildings to prepare to defend the school!" She said.

"Kali I need you to get to my office and get the watch, then call for assistance!"

She nodded. "You two! With me!" She yelled to two huntsmen—Neptune and Scarlet—as they both wasted no time in following her.

Another group of soldiers charged at him and Sage as Sage quickly spun around with his greatsword, creating a wave of force that knocked them back, either killing or knocking them out. Up above, two gigantic machines that looked like Atlesian paladins dropped from the airships, though up close they were clearly different. He noted the markings on the lower part of the chassis that read T-103, though he had no idea what it meant. The two machines raised both of their arm cannons and fired directly into the huntsmen and huntresses, the firepower notable enough to create large explosions wherever they landed, forcing many of his students back, creating a path for the New Dawn. The twin machines turned back to himself and Sage as they moved toward them.

Sage charged them, dodging gunfire from the two of them as he swung his greatsword down hard atop one of their heads, causing its aura to flicker. Though that shouldn't be possible. A machine with aura? "Sage! To me!" Sage turned his head to Ghira and then jumped back to him. "Let's be careful with these two."

Before they could do anything else, the one that was hit aimed its cannons at them, firing off a salvo of missiles at them, forcing them back. The other one fired its own salvo at a group of students fighting off soldiers over at the entrance to the courtyard. Though he couldn't be certain, many of them wouldn't have been able to get away from the surprise attack. He clenched his teeth, trying to find cover. He found it behind some debris which came from one of the attacked buildings, as Sage followed him there. The machine which attacked them moved forward, firing off a barrage of bullets at other students. He had to get in there, though he'd be throwing his life away. "Sage! Ready? We launch an attack at its cannons. Get in, deplete its aura, destroy its cannons, then get out!"

He nodded, then the both of them charged at the machine as Sage jumped into the air for a massive swing as Ghira charged in with a heavy fist, one he threw as hard as he can as their attacks combined shattered its aura. "Now!" Ghira yelled, as Sage landed atop its left cannon and stabbed his greatsword right into the middle of it, expelling electricity outward. Ghira himself leaped atop the other one as it flailed about, trying to knock them off. He sank both his claws into the cannon and with an immense heave he pulled out the plating from the cannon and swiped into the innards of the cannon—fire and electricity flying out everywhere—as he leaped off back onto the ground, along with Sage who had pulled out his greatsword and landed beside him.

"Good work! Now the next one!" Ghira looked over to the one they had dealt with as it had to rely on its brute force without its cannons, something he trusted his students to be able to handle, as they rushed to the other one though before they could reach it, one of the airships dropped another machine, one that looked like a wolf marked T-106 on the lower right side of its belly. Another one? He thought, anxiously, as it roared loudly, forcing him and Sage to cover their ears. After a few seconds, the roar faded.

A blinding flicker of light followed by a deafening crackle of thunder exploded in the air. Another flash of lightning and another sound of thunder rang into his ears. The soldiers turned around, some of the huntsmen and huntresses doing the same, many of them backing away from the center path. Owain walked into the courtyard, sword drawn. "Everyone! Don't underestimate him, but don't hold back! Ignore the fear! It's a trick!" He yelled in an attempt to rally them, now ignoring the wolf-like machine which last he checked simply stood there, strafing, gauging.

One of the huntsman charged Owain though was cut through in an instant, their aura doing nothing to protect them. Owain stepped over the body, as if avoiding a pile of crap on the floor. Another charged, and another cut down huntsman. Then two huntresses charged, each of them landing a solid hit on him though the attacks did nothing to slow down his stride before he cut one of them down, then the other. "Is this all the strength these so called "huntsmen and huntresses" can muster?" Owain yelled, still striding forward, causing the others to continue backing away. "Don't flee. Those who fight have no right to fear death. Many of you joined this academy for the sole purpose of vanquishing the evil of the world! Why then, do you back away? Why do you flee in the very presence of that which you are sworn to destroy?"

The stress of his role as headmaster collided with him like a weight threatening to drown him beneath the stones he stood on as he had to make a choice. A choice that felt like it wouldn't make a difference against what seemed to be an abomination. He shook his head. Stop it! You don't need to command anything heroic, simply hold till help arrives!


Weiss tried to keep her focus on the meeting, forcing herself to stop worrying about Winter, wherever she may be. She had to rush back to Atlas from the party at Percy's insistence. She already missed one meeting and he didn't want her to miss another. She appreciated his concern over her job as president, but sometimes it was rather frustrating. She spun her chair around, facing back toward the table she sat at to force her focus on the executives of her company.

"Jen," Her father said. "The quarterly report?"

"Our profits this quarter so far have rose by twenty-one percent. We have the White Fang to thank for that. That and the political turmoil over in Mistral," Jen said.

"What of the yearly reports on our dust yields?" Wilson said.

Jen shifted through the papers, though she clearly reviewed them already. Her brow furrowed. "All reports are consistent across the board. Our dust yields have dropped by twenty-three percent."

"Twenty-three?" Wilson replied.

"Yes, though I should note that this is one percent higher from last year," Jen said, having placed the papers down.

"You've mentioned this every year as I recall?" Weiss said. She wasn't certain, but as she remembered it, every year they had discussed a decline in their mines' dust yields and they could never figure out the cause.

"Yes, Ms. Schnee. The first drop happened five years ago; that is when we first obtained data indicating a three percent decline in our dust yields, though we made nothing of it at the time. Such fluctuations are not abnormal so naturally it never became much of an issue. Though now…" Jen put her elbows on the table and clasped her hands.

"Three percent was the first year, five years ago. What about every year after that?" Wilson said.

Jen picked up the sheets and skimmed them. "Four percent the following year, five percent the one after, then another five percent, and finally six percent. A slight but steady increase year-by-year."

Her father propped his elbows on the table, covering his mouth with the sides of his hands. "Any idea what's causing it?"

"I've consulted with our research teams, our QA teams, and our supervisors, and none of them have any suggestions, though our researchers did propose a number of untested hypotheses," Jen said.

"What about the war that's going on? Well…cold war, rather," father said.

Wilson coughed. "Yes, as I do recall, the White Fang has asked for more shipments of dust, and as far as I can tell, this New Dawn hasn't exactly been skipping out on their dust needs. Maybe they've been hitting our mines? We have expanded further outward these last few years, perhaps the timing isn't coincidental."

Wilson never trusted the White Fang, and he's still a traditionalist when it comes to faunus rights... "I don't think the White Fang has been hitting our mines, though I can't say the same about the New Dawn. Regardless of my relationship with their High Leader, if they intended to procure dust via unethical means like theft, I don't see why they'd try to contact us directly."

Father looked at her and nodded. "I agree; besides, they've been consistent and in the last few years they have been a reliable client. I'm not a military man, but I don't see any strategic or tactical advantage in stealing from us while providing us with a consistent stream of profit. Especially since, as I've mentioned earlier, they've been a boost to said profits."

"Is it only us that's suffered a decline in dust yields?" Whitley asked, sitting across from father.

"I wouldn't know, nor do I think our competition would be inclined to let us know," John said, sitting across from her.

"No, but based on the stock market, we should be able to deduce if anyone else is also suffering from a decline, right? Atlesian law may not require specific things to be reported in our reporting, but the shareholders should still act on information they're receiving from the company," Whitley retorted.

John rubbed his chin. "Good point. Do we know if the stock market has shown any signs of such?"

"Hard to tell. There are many things that would overlap in terms of causes when it comes to stock market activity. Though if every company shows similar behavior all of a sudden, especially one timed within the last five years, I'd say it's a start," Jen said.

"Couldn't we just get information from people working with our competitors?" Wilson said.

"I don't think they'd be willing to give us that information. Unless…" Weiss said. She had an idea all of a sudden. Even though she was president, she was still a legendary huntress. Maybe if she asked them directly if they've suffered from a similar decline. But should she? Would that be dishonest? Would that be abusing her reputation? All for her company? She looked to them, and they all waited for details. People who deferred to her, even her brother and father of all people!

"Weiss, what is it?" father said.

"I could be the one to request the information personally. Not as president of the SDC however. If every company is suffering from a decline in dust yields, then that could be a sign of something bigger going on," Weiss said.

"You're not suggesting that environmental nonsense, are you?" Wilson said. "We've been hounded by those extremists for years. Don't tell me you've started listening to them!"

"Not really," Weiss said. She was telling the truth too. Though now that he brought up the concerns of environmentalists… Time to play politics. Let's see how you handle this, Wilson! She thought. "The environmentalists have strong support within the Atlesian council, having two seats representing them. They're also heavily supported worldwide, and its been hurting our reputation." Don't claim credit, Weiss, "If I were to acquire evidence that goes against their claims, then wouldn't that hurt their attempts to paint us as a company hellbent on mining the world dry?" She looked over to her father, who smiled slyly. Though the smile was not a proud one, she did get the feeling he was feeling proud.

Wilson coughed. "Well…Ms. Schnee, I'm quite impressed! That sounds like an excellent course of action!"


Raven walked back and forth, arms crossed, keeping a gaze on her daughter who still slept against the wall as if she were safe at home. Whatever she did must have been crazy if she was this exhausted. "What happened in that fight with the Templar?" She asked Nora.

"Well, we were able to damage it quite a bit. Even destroyed it several times, though it simply regenerated itself each time," Nora said.

"It could regenerate?" Ren asked.

"Yeah, it had crazy speed, lots of strength, and could use magic which was obviously thanks to the crystal. No matter how many times we damaged it, it simply got back up and healed itself. When Yang completely shattered it into pieces with the help of Jaune's semblance, it still put itself back together. Then it powered up and overwhelmed us until Yang went ballistic and broke it again long enough for Jaune to take the crystal. That stopped its regeneration," Nora said.

"Ballistic?" Raven said.

Nora nodded. "Her semblance. She kept getting hit, and it looked like she was about to die, then, well, she just destroyed it all of a sudden with a punch, then just kept punching it nonstop, even after it was destroyed." Nora looked over to Yang. "Then when I went to pick her up after she went to sleep, I was shocked by red electricity."

"Red electricity?" Qrow asked. "Like actual electricity? Did it charge you up?"

Nora shook her head. "No, it just hurt. It's gone now, but well. She's been asleep ever since."

Raven looked back to her daughter. Seems like you went all out then, didn't you? Though she never heard of Yang generating electricity of any kind without dust. Perhaps her semblance was changing, evolving. It happened to people from time to time, so maybe it was happening to her. If that's the case, then she would need to help her get the hang of its changes. They were going to need it.


A sense of relief washed over her as they activated the machine, following the steps the scientists performed when they did this to her. Jaune of all people placed the crystal in the center of the device, causing energy to be pulled forth from the crystal. Emerald flipped a switch, and the energy shot into her. A sensation, a familiar, lovely, wonderful, happy, powerful feeling rushed over her as—You who have lived in wretchedness…a woman's voice said. It startled her. That was never there before. Was it?

"Cinder?" Jaune asked.

She shook her head, snapping out of it. "What?" She looked down at her hand, summoning forth a wisp of flame. Her sister. Her real sister. The companion that had been with her all these years. She breathed a breath of relief and smiled. The pain was still there but was much, much weaker than before. "I'm fine. It worked."

Emerald sighed in relief. Em…she thought.

"We should probably see if the others are alright," Cinder said. You who rejected the light, the voice said again. She balked at that and looked up and around.

"Cinder?" Em said. "What is it?"

"It's nothing," Cinder said. She couldn't deal with that right now. They were still in this place and needed to get out before she lost her powers again. "Come on!" She rushed out of the doors and back into the previous room where she saw Mercury holding his own—though barely—against Raye. They both stopped as the rest of them reentered the room. She could tell based on Raye's expression that she realized they had given her back her powers.

"This isn't good," Raye said as she turned to Mercury. "Looks like I can't keep messing around here." Raye sped off down the corridor, as fast as she could.

"Hey!" Mercury yelled. "You can't just run away!"

"Leave her," Oscar said. He turned to Cinder. "Did it work?"

Cinder nodded and grinned.

Mercury let out a sigh of relief. "Looks like everything is back to normal then? Let's get back to the others and get the hell out of here."

They all nodded as Oscar took out his scroll and put it up to his ear. "Yes? Hello? Kali?" He said. Loud sounds coming from the other end even she could hear despite the scroll not being on speaker. "What?" He yelled. "Alright, I understand. We'll be there as soon as possible. Don't do anything crazy! If you need to retreat, then retreat, don't make any unnecessary sacrifices," he said, hanging up shortly after. "We've got a problem. A big problem."

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

"Owain has attacked Haven," He said, his expression deeply concerned.