Amadeus paced around the forest, trudging like a fuming brute. He wiped the blood from his face and pulled on his hair. The battle had passed, but his eyes still burned red. Any sound was like to set him off like a bomb.

"Garnet!" barked Amadeus.

Ruby yelped, "Yes sir?"

"Are you able to walk, Garnet?"

"Her name is: Ruby," interrupted Yang.

Amadeus spat, "Answer the question. Can you walk?"

"You know what? I think it's time you answer a few of our questions," demanded Yang, clenching her fists.

Amadeus brushed his hand over his revolver, "You sure you want to go again?"

"Last time you tricked me," Yang brought up her fists, "Let's see how you handle a fair fight."

"I can walk! I can walk!"

Ruby pushed herself up and quickly tumbled back down. Her legs trembled. There were no visible wounds. The trashing she took wasn't severe, but her body refused to obey.

Amadeus pointed to Blake and Yang, "You two will have to carry her. Head down the mountain to the first outpost we encountered. Use the equipment and signal for evacuation. The way should mostly be clear but to be safe, stay off the animal trails."

Yang grabbed his shoulder, "Hold it!"

"What?" said Amadeus, tired from arguing.

"Where will you be going?" Blake asked in her monotone.

"To kill that damn bitch. Once and for all."

"Alone? You're insane," said Weiss, "And what was that thing anyway? I've never seen a grimm like that."

"Doesn't matter. Head down the mountain."

"No way!" Yang blocked his path, "We're getting some answers."

Amadeus rolled his eyes, "I don't have time for this."

Yang threw a pair of punches. The hunter weaved past the strikes and countered with a knee to the stomach. He drove the barrel of his revolver into the back of Yang's head. His glare challenged the others. They meekly refused.

"Get off of me," grumbled Yang.

"Don't make me do something you'll regret," said Amadeus releasing her from the pin, ''Now head down the mountain."

"We're not leaving."

"Fine," Amadeus relented, "Your funeral."

Blake aimed her pistol, "Hold it. What was that thing?"

"It was a hunter, now it's a monster. And before you ask, it was because of the damn bitch. And if you keep going up the mountain you'll end up just like her."

"That song," Ruby whispered to Blake.

"Wait, Ozpin knew what we were getting in to," said Weiss, "Which means he had to have known about that thing."

Amadeus scoffed, "So he screwed you too. Damn that man."

"So he sent us to die," said Weiss, "And with this jackass to boot."

"I'm no fan of you either Ice Queen," Amadeus crossed his arms, "This is par for the course for the old man. He sent the last mission here to their deaths too."

"I'm guessing you were part of it."

"With about thirty militia. And they bought it too."

"So you knew about the White Fang!"

"I had no idea those filthy faunis terrorists were here. Based on those damn recordings it looks like they showed up after the evacuation. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

Amadeus descended back into the bunker. A cold wind blew through the woods. The leaves rustled with the shivering branches. Not a word passed between the girls for moments, then minutes.

"So what do we do now?" asked Ruby.

"I say we head home. The White Fang is done here. Their base is in ruins, the people are dead, and whatever they were researching never got off the ground," Weiss leaned up against a tree, "And as for that monster, Amadeus said he'd deal with it. And we should let him."

"We should kill that monster," said Blake.

"Are you kidding me?!" protested Weiss.

"Weiss does kind of have a point," Yang admitted, "No point sticking around if we're not needed."

"You don't understand. If Amadeus fails and if the White Fang return they'll restart their twisted project and –"

"End up the exact same way as last time," said Weiss, "And if the hunter succeeds there'll be nothing to restart the project on. We win both ways."

Yang tilted her head, "She has you there."

"We can't count on that," protested Blake, losing ground, "There's too much at stake."

"What could they use this song for anyway?" asked Yang.

"Uhh… did you see that thing we fought?" asked Ruby.

Weiss waved it off, "A one in a million occurrence. The best I can think of is using for recruitment and they don't need a subliminal song to do that."

"You humans give us enough reason," said Blake under her breath.

"I heard that."

The air grew colder and the shadows darker. Howls and growls began calling. The beastly kin were shuffling to their grounds.

"We can figure this out tomorrow," said Ruby, "Head back down into the bunker. We'll rest here tonight. Oh, and close the hatch. We don't want it coming back any time soon."

"Ruby, you agree with me right?" asked Blake with pleading eyes, "We can't let that go. There are too many risks."

"I don't know, Blake," Ruby fussed with Crescent Rose, "Part of me wants to, and part of me doesn't. We'll solve it tomorrow."

"Alright. Tomorrow."

The fire crackled. Its deep orange glow was a sunstone in the darkness. Olivia walked out of the shadows and sat beside the warmth. The bright exuberance and jovial smile had disappeared, hidden behind a thousand yard stare. Olivia drove her singing swords into the earth. She undid the straps and buckles, her armour clanked as it hit the ground.

"Damn it, Ozpin. You've done it again," Olivia sighed and wiped her face, "Head down the mountain. Signal Beacon and get the hell out of here. I'll handle the rest from here."

"What did you mean we knew what we signed up for?" asked Ren, "We were assigned."

"Great, conscripts. Ozpin promised that this mission would be different. That no-one would go in blind. And that we'd have the advantage," Olivia laid on the ground, "I knew he was a damn snake, but I went and did it anyway. For him."

"You knew what that was? You knew this was going to happen!" said Phyrra angrily.

"Ugh… that damn shade of red again. Of course I knew. And you were supposed to know too. But that bastard apparently left out a few of the details during your briefing."

"What was that?"

"Wasn't it obvious?"

"I don't have time for your jokes," demanded Phyrra.

"Calm down, Phyrra. It might be close by. And we don't want it coming back," said Jaune trying to defuse the situation.

Olivia scowled at Phyrra, "It once was a hunter. Just like me. Now it's the servant of a damn monster."

"A hunter? Impossible," said Nora, "I didn't see much, but that was a grimm for sure."

"Yeah, the bitch'll do that to you."

"Who?"

"The monster I mentioned before. Damn thing snares you and makes you one of its own. And once that happens," Olivia covered her eyes, "There's no coming back."

"Grimm can do that?" fretted Jaune, "I thought they were just mindless beasts."

"So did the people here."

"Wait, how does it snare you?" asked Ren.

"Ha. You couldn't stop it even if I told you," Olivia glanced at Phyrra's angry expression, "If you really want to know, it's a song. I don't exactly know how it works, but if you hear it, you're hers."

"There has to be a way to –"

"There isn't. His solution was to strip the thing of her little minions using those wonderful speakers of ours and that damn scream. After that we'd hit her hard and fast before she had a chance to utter a note."

"Well that plan has gone out the window," Jaune lamented, "What's the next step then?"

"I said it already. You head home, it's my show from here on out."

"That's unacceptable! You're walking into your death," said Jaune.

"Follow my orders," said Olivia, "You're all liabilities. If you don't get killed, you'll get snared. Then my life gets much more difficult."

"We're not liabilities," protested Jaune, "Ozpin sent us because we were the best fit for the job. We have to be. And we can help. We can do it. I mean Phyrra alone –"

"Is the Untouchable Queen," Olivia rolled her eyes, "I've heard of her, who hasn't. It doesn't make a difference. Ha, Untouchable Queen. That title belongs to someone else."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say that was a shot against me," said Phyrra.

"Perhaps," Olivia closed her eyes, "I'm going to sleep. Bother me in the morning if you want to keep on going. Otherwise, I suggest you start the climb down."

The team continued to badger the huntress with questions and accusations. Olivia was silent as a stone. Occasionally there'd be a muttering of 'sweet colours', 'prickly sounds', which could only be distracting reactions to the verbal bombardment. A cold night descended quickly. The team sat around the fire and soon fell into slumber. Jaune took the first watch. The forest was silent with only the crackle of the dying fire to accompany his hoarse breaths.

I wonder if she'd still be willing to teach me.

"What's on your mind?" asked Olivia half awake, "Don't look surprised. I am a professional after all. Come on, tell me."

"Well, I was wondering if you could give me another lesson."

Olivia smirked, "In what? I have a lot to teach you."

"Uhh… how about we continue from the last lesson. The movement parts!"

Olivia stood up and took her position, "Alright, show me what you can do. But this time, I want to you try and force me back toward that tree."

"You're teaching me to lead?"

"Not exactly," Olivia took the first step, "I'll take it easy on you for the first bout. And I want you to hit me. Actually hit me. With everything you've got."

"Are you serious –"

Olivia stepped past her opponent. Her leg swept across the forest floor. The wind rushed out of him when a hard chop crashed into his chest. Dust covered him when he hit the ground.

Jauen shook off the daze, "I though you said you were going easy."

"I did. If I went all in, you'd have some cracked ribs," Olivia retook her stance, "Shall we go again?"

The rounds were done in seconds. Olivia snaked around Jaune's strikes. Her steps were graceful and light. Her strikes were furious and hard. Again and again Jaune found himself at the huntress' mercy. Despite what she said, it didn't seem like she was holding back at all. And if she was, it was only to keep from permanent harm. Olivia's eyes lost their kind lustre, instead becoming enraged, burning red.

"Huagh!" grunted Jaune as Olivia's attack hurled him back.

"Had enough?" asked Olivia pacing around him, "Still think you can take on that beast?"

"One more."

Olivia knocked him down with even more force. Armour clanked and gonged. The dead may as well have woken from the cacophony.

"The bastard won't hold back like me. You won't stand a chance."

"One more."

Olivia punched him so hard he spun, "You're nowhere near my level. What makes you think you can be of help to me?"

"We can take you on," said Nora getting to her feet, "Ren and I are unstoppable!"

Olivia smirked, "I doubt that. You're good, but you're nothing like me. I wish he were here. I could count on him."

"Then how about taking me on," Phyrra stood proudly with spear in hand, "I bet I'm on your level."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you've been wanting to do this for a long time," Olivia laughed, "Alright. But let's make this interesting. If I win, you head down the mountain and go home."

Phyrra scowled, "And if I win?"

The huntress smirked, "You can have Jaune."

"What!?" exclaimed the team.

"Or more accurately, I'll just stop having my way with him. What do you say?"

"Phyrra, whatever she's talking about… it didn't happen."

"God, I hate you," grumbled Phyrra.

"Your colour shows it. Now, let's dance."

The two women circled around each other like wolves. Olivia twirled her swords to a song of her choosing. Phyrra raised her shield and levelled her spear like heroes of old.

SNAP!

The two warriors charged at each other with unrelenting force. Olivia's blades sang a low tune. The fangs sank into Phyrra's shield. Sparks flew as the metal clashed. Phyrra, not one to let the opponent take charge, thrust her spear. The bronze tip narrowly missed Olivia's ear. The huntress giggled as she swept under Phyrra. The Untouchable Queen spun, whipping her spear as she went. Olivia slipped under the point and slashed at Phyrra's leg. Phyrra dropped her shield. The sword pivoted in the ground. Olivia brought the hilt of the sword up with great speed.

Olivia smirked as the strike was about to find its mark. Phyrra swung her spear to parry. She leaned to try and dodge. The hilt passed over Phyrra's spear hand. And missed, barely, but missed. Phyrra countered, bringing her shield to bear. The huntress rolled with the flow of the fight. After that little bout the two found themselves exactly where they began.

"Have we proven ourselves?" Phyrra asked, half taunting.

"Not even close."

Olivia surged forward again. Her swords sang a higher note. The steel bit through Phyrra's shield, carving a deep slice in the outer layer of the shield. Phyrra's spear shifted into its sword form. She slashed at Olivia's face. The huntress took a small step back. The tip of Phyrra's sword past by harmlessly. Olivia trust forward. Her swords sliced through the rim of the shield and drove precariously close to Phyrra's heart. Phyrra spun in a panic. Olivia's sword miraculously missed its target once more. Phyrra followed up with a heavy strike of her pommel. Olivia's breastplate gonged from the strike. The huntress grimaced at the cheap hit.

"I see how it is," growled Olivia.

Olivia's eyes, once serene as the ocean deep, burned like wildfire. She unleashed a flurry of strikes, each one missing but drawing closer and closer. Her swords sang its highest note. Sparks splashed against the shield as the sword began its vicious slice. Phyrra hurled her shield aside. The bronze saucer flew across the battlefield and bounced off a nearby tree. Olivia ducked beneath the shield. Phyrra brough her sword down. Olivia parried. The swords clanged. Olivia's grip loosened. Her sword spun off and stabbed into the earth.

The huntress spun around Phyrra and brought her armoured arm to bear. Phyrra slashed up, cutting through the leather straps. The armour fell to the ground, her arm swung harmlessly over. Olivia followed with a swift thrust from her sword. The tip of her blade scraped across Phyrra's armour. Olivia smirked at abolishing Phyrra's moniker. Phyrra retaliated with a stab of her own. The trust was wide, but Olivia seemed to be forced to take two steps back. As the blade retracted, the bindings of Olivia's breast plate were undone. Olivia's breasts were undefended. Phyrra's blade continued its relentless flurry. The two blades clashed briefly. Thrusts and slashes missed and soared. Olivia's bindings came undone. Her greaves and vambraces tumbled to the ground. Phyrra smiled at her small victories.

In what seemed to be a desperate measure, Olivia hurled herself back as Phyrra slashed downward heavily. As Phyrra's sword crashed into the ground, Olivia landed meters away. With Phyrra's back exposed and recoiling from the heavy strike, Olivia hurled her sword. The blade resonated as it tumbled through the air. Phyrra raised her empty hand to feebly block the coming attack. The blade tumbled over Phyrra, just missing by centimeters, and embedding itself in a trunk.

"This is over," declared Phyrra.

"It's not over until the fat lady sings," Olivia raised her fists, "So how about a tune?"

"Phyrra, I think we've proven our point," said Jaune.

"Stay out of this, boy," ordered Olivia, "She wants to prove she can stand by me then she has to go all the way. Speaking of, that's something you and I should do some time."

Phyrra snarled, "Why you little – fine, we'll end this right now."

Phyrra flourished her blade and charged. She raised her sword high in the air. Olivia took a half step back and lowered slightly. Phyrra brought her sword down. Olivia grabbed Phyrra's wrist and pulled both of them down. Phyrra pushed her second hand toward Olivia's ankle. Olivia didn't budge. The leg which Phyrra hoped to shift sprang into action. Olivia swept and spun like a dancer. With a graceful pull she threw Phyrra over her. The red haired maiden hit the ground hard. Before she came to her senses her sword drove into the ground beside her head, cutting off a section of her long red hair.

The two were entwined. Amid the throw Oliva maneuvered herself on top of Phyrra. One hand gripped the maiden's neck, the other had forced Phyrra into driving the sword. Should she have willed it, Olivia could have had Phyrra's head. The novice lay stunned at the sudden turn. She stared into Olivia's eyes. The furious red slowly subsided and released the blue tide once more.

"You head down the mountain at first light," said Olivia getting off her prey, "So Jaune, how about we make good on that little wager."

"But you said if you won, we'd just head home," protested Jaune, "That had nothing to do with me."

Olivia eyed Jaune, then Phyrra, "Heh, heh, heh. So that's how it is. Good night."

Olivia took her place by the fire and drifted off to sleep. JNPR sat stunned by Phyrra's defeat. The maiden covered her face and grumbled.

"Looks like I've still got a way to go," she muttered, "Sorry everyone."

"It's alright, Phyrra," Jaune reassured, "It was a close fight."

"If we all attacked we could've beat her," said Nora, "Ow, what was –"

Ren pressed a finger to his lips and Nora became silent.

"Let's get some rest," said Phyrra, "It's a long way down the mountain."

Ruby couldn't sleep. Echoes of the enthralling song plagued her dreams. The sight of the huntress turned grimm chased her in the darkness. Yang and the others were tucked away in a corner sleeping on each other.

"Ah! God damn it," cursed Amadeus down the hall.

Sleepless nights went by faster with company. Ruby made her way down the hall back to the room with all the recording equipment. Amadeus sat at the console with his headphones plugged in. Damaged circuits were jury rigged together. Rudimentary switches and buttons funnelled sounds into his ears. The hunter removed his headphones, letting a pool of blood free. He wiped his face with a dry hand and sighed.

"Not even close," he muttered, "I have to keep going."

"What are you doing?" asked Ruby.

"Nothing you can help with," Amadeus dismissed, "Leave me be."

Ruby reached for his headphones, "I don't know, there must be something I can do."

Amadeus snapped and grabber her wrist, "Don't. Listen. To that."

"It's that song, isn't it?"

Amadeus nodded.

"Why are you listening to it? Doesn't it hypnotise people?"

"It doesn't affect me," said Amadeus, "I'm trying to find a solution for it."

"A solution?"

"Harmony, I guess would be a better word. Now go."

"But you're bleeding. You should stop."

"I've bled over this for two years. Another night won't stop me."

Two years.

"When dawn comes you head down the mountain."

"The White Fang wanted something from that song," said Ruby, "We need to know what it was."

"Not much you can do with it. Anyone who hears it gets trapped. Maybe one in ten thousand might be fine, but they'll end up just like this," Amadeus pointed to the blood pouring out of his ears, "Whatever they were after was a lost cause. If they try again, they'll end up exactly the same way as the last bunch."

"There has to be more behind this," said Ruby, "We're going to find out. Up the mountain."

"Hmph. Your funeral."

"We're a tough bunch. We can make it."

"For a day, maybe two. But as you go higher and higher, you start meeting more and more of her little toys. And if you meet her again. You don't stand a chance in hell."

"We gave you a good fight."

"I was holding back. You need harmony if you want to take on those monsters."

"We're one of the best teams in Beacon!"

"You're the best group of individuals. When you fight each of you likes to move and attack when you want to. 'Now is the best time for me to strike', 'I should hold back now', 'So and so's got this'," said Amadeus still mixing sounds, "That's what goes through your head doesn't it? Don't deny it. Your fighting says so. In our little skirmish you only did what you thought was best, not what was best for someone else."

"We have team attacks and –"

"A pre-set choreographed attack. That's just a cheap trick when times get tough. Anyone worth half their salt sees right through it."

"What's the difference?"

Amadeus looked into Ruby's eyes then let out a sigh, "You know how they say a weapon is an extension of you? Having harmony means your team becomes an extension. Every strike, every step, every breath is yours and yours is theirs. It sounds like… sounds like… an orchestra. Feels like the eye of a storm. Every single part supporting the other while taking the stage on its own."

"Wow."

"Sadly your team doesn't have it," Amadeus put his headphones back on, "Ack! Damn that song! Maybe some heavy piano with deep drums would fix it. Sonuvva!"

Ruby wandered back down the hallway to the makeshift bedroom. She played back the fight with the abomination over and over again. Then the fight with Amadeus. His smooth movements following and leading the flow of battle. All the while his ominous words about harmony and team work kept clawing at the back of her mind. She remembered every stumble, every speedy strike and volley. To her the battle was a series of flashes. If what the hunter said was true, then a true hero would see everything as a smooth slow motion.

"Ruby, you're awake," said a stirring Weiss, "What's up?"

"I think we should go home," said Ruby defeated.

"I'm glad you see things my way," Weiss yawned, "Something else is bothering you. I can tell. If it's about Amadues, don't worry about it. He made his choice."

"No, it's not about him," Ruby curled up, "I was thinking about us."

"Us?" Weiss suddenly perked up, "What about us?"

"Do we… have… you know… harmony?"

"Harmony? Like are we compatible?" Weiss fiddled with her fingers.

"Kind of… I mean like are we're extensions of each other?"

"I'm not sure if we've come that far, but I think with some effort we could do it," Weiss smiled softly.

"What about Blake and Yang?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow, "I guess they kind of fit but what they say about opposites attracting isn't always true. That could be said about you and me also, I suppose."

Ruby looked up and sighed, "So, there's no harmony in this team. We're just a bunch of individuals running headlong into the mountain."

"Oh, you meant the team, us."

"Of course I meant the team. What did you think I meant?"

"Oh nothing," Weiss rolled her eyes, "Where did you get this silly idea we needed harmony?"

"Amadeus. We were talking and he was saying we didn't stand a chance against him because we didn't have harmony."

"What a load of poppycock," said Weiss, "The reason we lost was because he used cheap, dirty tricks. We work together just fine."

"If you say so."

The rest of the night dragged on slowly. Ruby barely caught a wink of sleep. Her mind abuzz with everything that happened. Morning came, but beneath the cold ground of the earth it was impossible to tell. The team sat in the room waiting for the promised verdict.

Ruby took a deep breath, "We're headed home."

"Are you kidding me!" Blake protested, "The White Fang –"

"Can't do anything," said Ruby, "I was talking with Amadeus. Even if they restarted this project, they wouldn't be able to control it."

Blake crossed her arms, "This is connected to that damn train, the break in, and Torchwick. You know it. We should stay and search for more clues."

"What's with the sudden obsession?" asked Yang, "You've always been passionate about this stuff, but this is getting ridiculous."

"God knows I hate those filthy faunis," said Weiss, "But even I see a lost cause in this."

"It's not just the White Fang," said Ruby, "We don't stand a chance against that monster. Even though it was our assignment."

"I'm going to disagree with you there," Yang held up her hand, "I think we'd be fine taking down that thing. In fact I'm fired up to go another round."

"You're insane. Even Amadeus the most experienced asshole out of all of us had a hard time standing his ground," said Weiss, "And that was with Ruby's assistance."

"I wasn't much help in the first place," Ruby admitted.

"We could avoid it," said Blake, "We just need to stay alert."

"She won't be the only thing you'll find up there," said Amadeus, "And the grimm up there aren't like the more senseless beasts we fought down here. Listen to Garnet and go home."

"Where are you going?" Weiss put a hand on her hip.

"I'm going to kill that thing," he said harshly.

Dried blood covered the sides of his face. Heavy bags hung from his eyes, encircled with deep dark rings. Bright red veins popped out of his eyes. Sweat and grease plastered his skin.

"You look like hell," said Yang.

Amadeus took a couple of his white pills, "I feel fine."

The hunter left without another word. Blake continued to resist but time wore her down. Eventually she conceded and the team decided to return to Beacon. Dishevelled, dejected, and defeated.

"Everyone ready to go?" asked Jaune, grabbing his shield.

"Ready!" chimed Nora.

"Good to go," Phyrra put a hand on Jaune shoulder, "All things considered, this is the right choice."

"Stay off the main trails and keep your eyes open," said Olivia strapping her armour back on, "Good luck. I'll see you on the other side."

"You can still come with us," said Jaune.

Olivia patted Jaune's head and messed his hair. She smiled warmly and giggled.

"Thanks for the concern," she said warmly, "But I need to finish this, or die trying."