A/N: Alright, so I've finalized my decision. As soon as I get to the point where they can easily separate, I will continue with this fic following the lives of the Freelancers, and the Grey Syndicate will involve the lives of team CHRM, so if you're interested in that fic, go ahead and follow them both.

It will be a few chapters before I can successfully separate, because I've worked ahead a few chapters, but I will be sure to make it quick, update every other day or so, to end your suffering for those of you who care not for Colt as much as the awesomeness that is Cold State (York X Winter).

Also, feel free to check out the new forum link was in last chapter's description!

Disclaimer: I don't own the shows.

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Emerald Forest

Hunter

When I landed, I ran towards the ruins, immediately using a compass I had purchased the day before. My eyes scanned the trees for Grimm, and signs of another person. I was, of course, aiming to partner up with Colt, although Rowan would make a good partner as well.

"Alright, Hunter." I told myself as I jogged towards the objective, "You've got this. Hopefully I don't get stuck with some pubescent idiot who drools over any girl."

Indeed, I'd met a few of those recluses that hardly even knew what a girl looked like, except for the naughty things they did when no one looked. I rolled my eyes as I cleared my head, then I rounded a large tree and smacked right into a person. We fell to the ground, and I looked up, meeting eyes with the Vacuoan Wildsman, Mark. He shot me a grin as he stood and slid his elephant gun onto his back. "Hey, there, partner. Hunter, right?"

"I guess we are, and yes, it's Hunter." I told him. "Fancy running into you here."

He chuckled at my pun and helped me to my feet, "If we have any luck, maybe we'll get the Shadow Hunter on our team as well."

"Shadow Hunter?"

"You know him as Colt Silver."

I nodded. "Yeah, it would be good to have him or Rowan on our team. Why don't you just call him Colt instead of 'Shadow Hunter'?" I asked, saying the codename forebodingly and wiggling my fingers. He smiled.

"It is our way of showing respect to a fellow Wildsman, Hunter." He told me.

"'Our'?"

"The Wildsmen are not all heathens." He told me. "We live by conquest, even in isolation. Even though we hide from the rest of the world, we always have to watch our backs for Grimm or attacking Wildsmen. To meet another and live is very rare, especially on the Silver Peaks."

"Is that the name of his mountain?"

Mark nodded as we walked. "He had traps set for man and Grimm alike, and heads mounted on pikes to ward off them both.

"How did he mount Grimm heads? They disappear after being killed." I protested.

"He found a powder mix that preserves them, much like salt. In fact, I think that's one of the ingredients." He told me. "Haven't you ever seen the necklace he wears around his neck?"

I shook my head, and he nodded. "Well, that's where he keeps all his personal trophies. He has claws and teeth of Grimm and wildlife, and the personal effects of a killed Wildsman, usually custom rings, the odd tooth, or a bullet or crystal kept inside the blade. He has many of them, and many necklaces."

"So, you would say he's a murderer?"

"He only killed when he had no other choice. Usually he scared off the Wildsmen, and left most of the people he encountered on his jobs alive. He didn't want a reputation that would warrant a large bounty on his head."

I nodded as I pushed a branch out of the way, allowing Mark to pass before continuing.

"So, what chess piece do you think we should grab?" My new partner asked, and I shrugged.

"Perhaps a knight?"

He grinned. "I could go for that." He told me, and we advanced onward, eager to complete our initiation.

The only opposition we met on the way was a wandering Ursa, and Mark took it out with his elephant gun quickly, the powerful weapon tearing through the exposed skin on the head and killing it.

We entered the clearing and a few students had already arrived, seeming to wait for something. I recognized Golem, his towering from next to a tall Amazonian woman with black hair with a red streak running on the locks of hair framing her face. I hoped they were highlights, not blood, but I reserved judgement.

Mark and I advanced towards the remaining relics, then, just before examining them, we heard a screech from behind us, one I recognized as a Deathstalker, and immediately turned in time to see an armored man riding a Deathstalker firing a shotgun into its head again and again until, after six shots, he slid a drum onto the side port of the pump-action and began firing again, the drum loading new shells into the chamber automatically.

After three more shots, the Deathstalker finally fell to the ground, dead, and the knight stepped off as if departing from an escalator, sliding new rounds into the drum before it disappeared from his person, underneath the trench coat I recognized and was trying to place, then reloaded the shotgun before sliding it into a hidden pocket on the interior of the coat.

"Glad you could make it, Shadow Hunter." Mark said as the armored knight approached us, Rowan jogging to catch up from a few yards away.

"Colt!?" I asked, now recognizing the coat and the single patch of skin exposed on the helmet.

"Hey, Hunter." He greeted, though his voice was masked by a speech changer. Then, he waved his fingers and the armor started dripping out of place and towards his left arm, disappearing into nothingness.

"Wicked armor, Colt." I told him, and he shot me a grin.

"Alright, then, let's see what we have to choose from." Colt said, then stepped towards the pillars inside the ruins. There were eight pillars, and all held a card, like those found in gambling.

0ooooooooooooooooooooooo0

Song: Victory – Two Steps from Hell

Colt

I seemed to gravitate towards a pillar, almost as if it was calling to me, and I looked upon a single black spade, with flames rising to the top. I beckoned Rowan over, and pointed at it. "This one." I told him, and he nodded. I tucked the card into my outer right pocket. Then suddenly, I felt my gut tighten, and it seemed to get a lot colder. I slowly grabbed my blade, then turned to look at the forest around me.

"What did you grab, Rowan?" I heard Hunter ask as I scanned the trees, ears straining to hear any sound, which was sort of hard with all of the initiates present talking.

"We grabbed the ace of Spades."

"We grabbed the two of spades, with some black mist rising from it."

"Shh, listen!" I yelled to everyone, hand gripping my blade as I heard the sound of Grimm, including the cry of two Nevermores, the hissing of King Taijitu, and then hiss-clicking of Deathstalkers, along with the howls and roars of Beowolves and Ursai.

"We need to move." I ordered, "Weapons out, get ready."

To emphasize, my armor once again began to seep on, sliding underneath my belt and trench coat, and my Uzis started to harden in my hand.

"Hunter, take care of those Nevermores. Mark, you're on Ursa Duty. Rowan, take care of the first Deathstalker you see." I told them, then turned to the other six that were currently at the ruins. "Golem, I need you to take care of any Taijitu you meet with your partner, and the rest of you help me with the Beowolves."

The pairs nodded, and I lifted the two guns in both hands, aiming as the first wave of Beowolves howled as broke through the trees. I waited until the wall was thick and coming fast, then stepped to the front of the group and opened fire, the bullets tearing into the Grimm along with the hail behind me from the other students. Hunter and another girl were taking shots at the Nevermores above, and another had joined. All were the size of horses, and I cursed as my chain gun ran dry.

My eyepiece warned me that my gauntlet's energy reserves were running low, and I cursed myself for not wearing my cloak instead of the trench coat. I ran down the last of the battery by sending the Uzis back into the Void and calling my chain out from it, then rolled up my sleeve to expose the solar panel so the gauntlet could charge.

I looked up as a Nevermore fell from the sky, only to see a fourth join the fight. This one had a wingspan as large as a semi-truck, and was huge. I knew that it would take a lot of bullets to bring her down, and I sighed, knowing what I would have to do.

As the Nevermore circled, prepping to fire a volley of feathers, I took my Spring Bow, I activated it and pulled the special arrow from my quiver, attaching the retracting cable mechanism to my right gauntlet, then took aim with the powerful bow and fired, while also using my telekinesis to guide the arrow into the Grimm's wing, then pressed the button to set the barbs and start retracting.

"Hey, Rowan?"

"Yeah?"

I sighed. "In case I forget to say it later, 'ow'."

With that the cable jerked my arm out of its socket, and I cursed in pain as I sailed up towards the giant bird. As soon as I was close enough, it swiped, but I grabbed its leg as it struck, pulling myself up and barely missing the talons. I climbed the bird onto its back and popped my arm back into its socket with another muttered curse, then swung my chain around its neck, pulling with all my might against its mighty throat. It cawed in a croak, and it flailed mid-air, trying to shake me loose. I almost lost my hold, but I persevered, cutting of the Nevermore's air supply until it passed out. Then, the fall would kill it.

I hoped sincerely that it wouldn't kill me as well.

Finally, the Nevermore stopped flapping its wings, and we started to descend. I continued to hold on tightly, making sure it wouldn't be able to save itself at the last possible second, then prayed I wouldn't die.

I finally allowed my chain to wrap around my arm, then jumped from the Nevermore, falling towards the quickly approaching ground in full spread eagle, hoping it would slow me down for what I was about to do. I guesstimated I was about twenty to thirty feet above the ground.

It slowed my fall, if only slightly, until I landed, rolling into a crouch and stopping myself by planting an arm on the ground. Immediate pain filed my legs and back, and I was sure I'd broken something, my Aura the only thing saving me from worse, or death.

I tried to stand, and succeeded to stumble and fall to the ground, everything going black.

"Colt!"

"We need to get to the rendezvous point!" I heard someone say, struggling to fight for consciousness.

"I will carry him." Golem's deep voice sounded, then everything faded and I slipped into the land that lies between dead and living, pain and numbness.

0ooooooooooooooooooo0

Beacon Infirmary

Ruby

I bursted in to see Colt awake and standing from his bed, shirt missing from his body and pulling on a pair of boots. In a flurry of rose petals I tackled him to the bed as he groaned in pain and surprise, the numerous bruises sending waves of pain to his mind until he relaxed into the kiss, wrapping me in a tight embrace.

When he broke it off, he pulled me into a hug as tears streamed down my face. "I was so worried!"

Colt chuckled. "I'm fine, Ruby, really. My Aura's started to heal the broken bones, should be done in three days once I get some food in my system. And boy, am I starving."

I pulled away from his chest. "I'm glad you're okay."

"I've been through worse and pulled through." He told me with a weak grin.

"The announcement of the teams was postponed until tomorrow, I'll be sure to record it for you."

"Actually, Ozpin approved me to be there as long as I return to bedrest as soon as we're done."

After he said that, a nurse stepped inside and said my time was up. Colt leaned down and kissed my cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ruby."

"See ya'." I blushed and shot out of the hospital, eager for Colt to get well soon.

0oooooooooooooooo0

Somewhere in Vale

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"You see that new video of the initiates at Beacon?" The White Fang member who spoke first asked his friend as they pushed a crate along the floor of the warehouse.

"No, but I heard about it. Pretty awesome, right?"

"That's the one. Ranks pretty close to beheading that Nevermore back a couple months ago." The men pushed the crate outside the building, and the second shivered as the cold winter air bit into him. He drew his coat around him, cursing at the weather.

"And what video is this?" Mercury Black asked from behind as the Faunus began to pull his Scroll from his pocket.

Fear crossed over their faces before the man offered the Scroll to the young man dressed in black and gray.

The teen pulled the device into his vision as he saw clips of an armored initiate take down multiple sorts of Grimm, including a Deathstalker and Nevermore, and his eyes widened, then turned to run, dashing off back into the building.

"Hey, that's my Scroll!"

"I'll give it back later, she needs to see this!" Mercury told them, and left them scratching their heads.