Begin Chapter…

Beacon Academy, Auditorium…

My eyes scoured from left then right, searching for my target in the rather spacious room. The shift in the air around me was the only warning I received before my body unconsciously turned with my right arm curling up to block a blow from an ethereal-like being. I countered the strike with two shots at its chest, and swiftly jumped away when I noticed the being made of light started to deform. A small burst of warmth spewed from where the spectral form had been. Exploding clones, huh? Rapid taps entered my eardrums, and I suddenly became aware of a second form of light identical to the first charging at me. So, he can make more… I mused absentmindedly, dodging its jab of its staff before it too exploded.

I was not given any time to gather my wits as I evaded a red-armored fist that came my way. Stepping back from the outstretching appendage, I raised my pistol to shoot at the origin of the clones, however, a slim yellow appendage wrapped itself around my wrist. I made no small effort to free my hand, but the vice-like grip on my arm halted any attempts I made. Seeing that I could do nothing with my restrained hand, I promptly maneuvered the other to attack. It did not have any success because the moment I performed the action, the yellow appendage harshly pulled me forward. The force of the tug caused me to stumble toward the combatant as he released his hold then jumped to my blindspot. Not bad...

I speedily rotated around with my arm shooting forward, dragging my black-coloured sickle through the air at the staff-wielding opponent. Steel hit steel, and he retaliated the action with a mere flick of his wrist as I immediately put as much distance as I could to avoid the gunfire he began to unleash on me. After reaching an acceptable amount of space in the vacant room, I raised my second weapon at him before pulling the trigger.

One. A 'spear of lightning' flew straight at the blond's chest until he swung his chained-shotguns, negating the Dust by his own projectiles. I didn't let up on my assault as I pulled the trigger once more.

Two. The 'bullet' landed not at the man, but the ground where he last stood. My eyes instantly located him at the side darting to me, attempting to renew his advantage in close-quarters combat. Let's try this, then...

Three. I fired for the last time, directing the Dust bullet at his general area, then detached my chain from the pommel. Tossing Enkidu above my head, I reached into my bag to grab four dirks before letting it loose at the defending Faunus. He dodged the first two as it landed a fair distance behind him before snatching the third to slug back at the last. Metal clangs echoed the lit room as my two knives clattered onto the polished floor.

Although we were in battle, he quirked an eyebrow at the small blades. A second later, a wave of heat was expelled from the first pair of dirks, forcing my adversary to lunge towards me. Wrong… I shielded myself as another second passed, and sounds akin to shattering glass registered in my mind, signifying that the second pair of blades disintegrated, engulfing the room with light. The rapid thuds from my opponent stopped, and I knew he'd been stunned from the flare. The brief flash ended, and I promptly lifted my hand to grab the falling gun, then pointed it at the immobilized teen.

Grey-eyes revealed itself as he rapidly blinked to rid the sudden exposure of light. Once he did, the blond gave a short glance at me, then sighed resignedly, waving his arm in defeat. I nodded, and proceeded to disassemble my weapons. He's good… Speed, strength, and reaction time are all great…

"Alright, what now?" My mental evaluation of the Monkey-Type Faunus ceased when he spoke, "You got a handle on my skill set, right?"

I crossed my arms, frowning slightly as I resumed my silent assessment. Factoring in the use of Aura, Semblance, and even his Faunus traits will make him the perfect heavy-assaulter… And with a bit more combat experience, he could very well be around an A-Ranked Mercenary…

"Yeah, you're good to go."

I gave him a faint nod when I felt a strong vibration originating from my pocket. Reaching into my pants, I pulled out my Scroll to see a message that garnered no delay.

My office.

What is it, now? My lips curled further down in thought as I whirled to the exit. Ah, right… I chanced a glimpse of the grey-eyed teen, and beckoned him to follow me. It'd be a good time to introduce him to Ozpin as an official member of my team…

Beacon Academy, Headmaster's Office…

I made only one step before I became fully aware of two individuals in addition to the person who contacted me. I slowly looked around the room until it landed at a middle-aged man garbed in a white overcoat and white pants, and boots. This man is dangerous… I instantly concluded that the man in front of me was a threat when he gave a brief glance in my way. It wasn't the action itself that caused me to perceive him as threat. No, it was the same uneasy feeling together with the cold shiver that went down my spine when I had met Ozpin.

Blue-orbs that shined in intellect and experience made contact with mine until I diverted to stare at the third occupant of the room. A young blond woman with sharp green-eyes dressed in a white, long-sleeved shirt with a black skirt, and matching black boots. My sixth sense still remained, warning me to stay wary of the three people. I soon crushed the feeling when I recalled that two of them were my employer and allies at the moment.

I gave the trio a dip of my head in greeting, then focused on the man who called for my presence. It must be related to that man… I shot the black and grey-haired man an observing look as he spoke softly with the Beacon faculty. The quiet conversation seemed to have gotten rather heated when Glynda scowled before marching out of the room. The professor's frown softened when she passed by me, her head tilting down then up as she went by. This must be something very troubling if Miss Goodwitch's reaction was any indication…

"Ah, Faith," A man with silver-haired and brown eyes waved with the unnamed man stood by his side, "Who's that?"

He smiled knowingly, most likely realizing why Sun Wukong's here. Said man shifted nervously while I pointed my digit at him.

"Sun Wukong's joining my team."

"I see," Ozpin murmured, his calm gaze switched to the blond, then nodding, "We'll skip the formalities," He said, standing up to walk towards us, "For now, thank you and welcome to Avalon."

"Err, no… I mean thanks for having me, I guess?"

"Avalon..?"

I repeated in bemusement after Sun's quizzical statement, tilting my head at the name. Many scholars believed it to be the ultimate paradise for those who've been able to enter its lands… A mere fairy tale about a legendary island that protects all who enters it, and grants salvation to them. The supposed ultimate fortress considered to reside the domain of the Fae. An untouchable island... An unreachable utopia…

"I'd like to think it's fitting for your team to be named after the 'absolute defense' from the legends, wouldn't you think so?"

The Headmaster of Beacon smiled shrewdly before drinking his coffee. Kind of contradicting… Considering that my team is more akin to a sword than a shield... I rubbed my neck, then sighed in acceptance to the name.

"What did you call me for?" Ozpin's attention went to the taller man behind him, and back at the newest member of Avalon. So, this only involves me... "Sun, I'll leave Blake to you," I said, noticing my employer's somewhat subtle actions with the small change in the tension around us, "Team RWBY's been quiet since this morning… They're probably up to something at the moment."

Especially with what Velvet had told us the other night… When Velvet decided to join my team, she had told us that there's a place recruiting for new members which corresponded with the intel Blake gathered during her search for me. Blake gained a dark look when she heard that, though it vanished just as soon as it had appeared. Nobody may have noticed the near imperceptible shift in her form, but I wasn't her partner for years to be oblivious to the change, and I know she's going to do something about it. It'll be better if she has back-up should anything crop up...

"... I get it."

Understanding the meaning and intent in my words, Sun complied with a reluctant pause. He turned, proceeding to go assist with whatever they're preparing to do.

"Are you sure he's qualified?"

Knowing exactly what he meant by 'qualified', I merely motioned my head to affirm at his question. I leaned my back against the wall next to the door, preparing to elaborate my motives of requesting his help.

"More than qualified, Sun Wukong is the ideal fighter for my squad," I began to reason with my first point, "I specialize in assassination, and reconnaissance. I can't fight toe-to-toe against Aura-augmented opponents without having info about them beforehand or variables that I can manipulate."

It was how I had even a chance to defeat Sun in the first place because of my intensive background checks on him. Sun's thoroughly centered in close-range combat, added with the aid of his Semblance, and Aura, he'd every right to win in our bout. But, that's only if he could get in range. As long as you kept him at a certain distance, then he'll only be limited to his Semblance. If it were a completely blind run, then I held no doubt I would be the one to lose.

The short fight with Jack is another good example of that. I was barely able to evade most of her attack on reflex alone. Of course, the young girl could be holding back for her own entertainment. In any case, this reinforces my statement of gathering any information regarding anyone I come across so that I can better prepare myself against them, and appealing for someone skilled in close-combat.

"Fair enough," Ozpin acquiesced, then raised a query about the former White Fang member, "Then, Miss Belladonna?"

"Blake is much like me and while more proficient in physical conflict, she's not built for long-term, and consecutive battles. She's agile, and very skilled, but those won't matter if there is not enough power behind those attacks," I claimed, matter-of-factly, mentally reviewing prior experiences with my partner's method of combat, "Velvet is primarily in the support-role, her knowledge in Dust and Aura-based moves would help tremendously in more than a few situations," I explained in regarding the second latest member of Avalon, "Not to mention her aptitude for Mech Armor and the like."

"I see. In other words, all you really needed was a combat specialist for actual confrontation," He summarized, scanning through documents of their descriptions before approving over my selection of members, "You got most of your bases covered. Good work."

"So, what did you need?"

I inquired impassively to the two older gentlemen in front of me, brushing off his comment in favor for wondering why I'm here. The first one to speak was not my client, but the other male in the room.

"You're the infamous 'Distorted Paladin', eh?" Instead of answering my question, he neutrally raised his own. I adopted a shrewd gaze at him, then slowly inclined my head. He smiled cordially, "It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm-"

"-James Ironwood. Headmaster in the Hunter Training District in Atlas and the current military leader," I interjected, folding my arms over my chest, "Also a member of the Board of Directors in Academy City, and their prime sponsor in Mech Armor Research."

"... You've certainly did your homework," I casually shrugged to his dry comment, "Alright Oz, I'll take him," My confusion seemed apparent as he chuckled while Ozpin sighed in dismay, "You're currently working with Oz, yes?" I mutely nodded, "Then, you should be aware of the 'Queen,' and the recent happenings," I was involved in it, "I've brought… precautions for it, but this guy's been saying that 'this is a time of peace' and that we should be 'celebrating it'," I nodded again, agreeing to the Beacon Headmaster's words. It's true. If they don't actually show that we're in good terms with the other Kingdoms, then tensions will rise between them until someone makes a move, "Ozpin also said that this matter should be handled tactfully…"

"... I see."

The pieces of the reason he's in Vale and why I'm here despite being on leave clicked in. Why did James Ironwood, a famous and highly-influential Headmaster, come here in person during the Vytal Festivals? Because he knows that Cinder Fall is connected in the recent troubles here. What did he do to respond to that information? Bring a miniature army stored inside several air carriers as a way of challenging whatever the 'Queen' has in plan. Why is Ozpin disgruntled at these turn of events? The abrupt show of power from another Kingdom would bring negative reactions from the citizens of Vale. Where did the 'Distorted Paladin' fit into all of this? To 'tactfully' manage the sudden increase of visitors in Vale and Beacon Academy.

"That's correct," At this point of the conversation, Mister Ironwood's expression changed from being light-hearted into a more serious one as he affirmed to what I thought he's implying, "Since it's come this, I wanted to at least have somethi- someone to watch over things," He made a gesture directed at me, "I heard from Oz that you're on leave because of… an incident recently, right?"

My mind wandered over said incident, mangled bodies of meat and death appeared followed by a shakened brown-eyed girl with ears not unlike those of a rabbit, then finally… I quickly banished the line of thought to confirm what the General said.

"Yes."

"Then, would you consider taking this request of mine during your break?" He formally asked, "Could you watch over things during the Vytal Festival?"

I heard a resigned exhale behind him and I looked beyond the large man to see Ozpin leaning on the wall near the window with a cup on hand, observing us in detached silence. I narrowed my eyes, nodding to accept the task. My well-being doesn't matter if there's potential harm in Vale, Ozpin... The grey-haired man merely bowed his head in disappointment of my decision.

"I'll get my team ready in a few days."

Mister Ironwood smiled approvingly, greatly contrasting my employer's as I spun on my heel, and marched out of the office. Blake and Sun are out… Which means Velvet and I are the only ones available at the moment. Hmm… This could be a good time to check up on everyone too...

Beacon Academy, Weapons Lab…

"Miss Scarlatina," A pale girl with long, brown-hair didn't respond to my call, "Scarlatina?" I called again, stepping closer to her back as she sat stock still. Relapse… I concluded after taking a glimpse of her unfocused brown-crystals staring deeply at her customized Scroll, "Velvet…" I softly said her name, gently shaking her shoulder until her haunting eyes instantly snapped to me in alarm like something terrifying appeared. Her rattled pupils then regained clarity a second later, "Are you okay?"

"A-ah… Hi, Faith…"

Velvet greeted almost inaudibly, passing me a pained smile. I wordlessly stared at her distressed features. Maybe, I shouldn't have let her join… She's too kind for this work… Though I say that, Blake's pretty much identical in that aspect, yet she knew and resolved herself for this… Velvet may have done the same, but…

"Are you alright, Velvet?"

Concern bled into my tone when I asked again while she looked down in thought. Velvet bit her lip, before looking at me with an expression of grim and resolution.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

She's practically forced, head first, into this 'world'... It wouldn't be unusual if she starts to hesitate in her decision to join. Even so, when I considered the woman in front of me for a moment, I saw the same flare that burned radiantly like it did back then. Hazel-crystals sharpened itself resembling to that of daggers ready to swiftly cut through any obstacle in their path. Perhaps I was wrong to assume that she wasn't ready for this 'world'… Perhaps Velvet has some steel in her after all...

"... If you need to talk, then I'm here for that."

Though these thoughts appeared in my mind, I will not take any chances… I'll make certain that she won't endure any unnecessary grief… Velvet's smile turned more genuine as she acknowledged my statement.

"Thank you. I'm okay," I simply bobbed my head, and she returned back to her Scroll, scanning through the projected images before her, "So, is there anything you need?"

I paused, giving a serious reconsideration for involving her. Maybe it'd be good if I do this alone instead after all… It's a simple guard mission anyway, plus she needs to rest for a bit longer… I looked at the exhausted expression of my teammate which further cemented my decision. Yes, I'll work on my own for this mission… I shouldn't involve any of them for this task…

"No, it's no-"

"-Found you!"

I was cut off from my sentence by a victorious declaration. I tore my sight away from the Rabbit-Type Faunus to the speaker, and blinked owlishly at the appearance of a wild-blonde with vivid lilac eyes. She sauntered towards us with a wicked grin, and I absently noted that she donned a cream-coloured combat outfit with articles of black clothing wrapped comfortably around on her limbs. Again, my attention diverted to the young man behind her. It was the same man that had been with Sun the other day. The dark-tanned teenager was garbed in a maroon-jacket, and grey jeans with notable pieces of black armor strapped on his thighs. Hmm… I suppose RWBY isn't the only ones doing something… I mentally mused, after studying the bright blue-haired man as he smiled pleasantly while his dark blue-eyes stared off to the side.

"Something wrong, Yang?"

I calmly asked, amending my gaze back to her at the same time of pondering why she's looking for me. Wait, how'd they even get in here in the first place? I don't recall our class taking the exams yet. It should be scheduled sometime this week for those who want to use the place though. Velvet, and the rest of my team have access to the lab because it's part of the agreement with Ozpin... The older blond student didn't say anything until after she grabbed my arm, and started to drag my being with her.

"Sorry! I'm gonna borrow him for a bit!"

Yang shouted to the confused brunette as I myself became increasingly puzzled to my cousin's actions. However, I managed to compose myself enough to leave some parting words for the brown-eyed Faunus.

"Get some rest, and be careful!"

City of Vale, The Three Cubs…

I stiffly stood in front of the inner gates of the club. To be more specific, it's the club belonging to my comrade's. I sighed, dispelling the guilty emotions that overcame when I remembered what I have done. I wounded him, quite severely too, and it was only a few days since it happened…

There's a reason for why I almost killed him, and I still don't think it was worth it. There were plants in his clubs. They keep watch of Hei, and they'll report to their leaders, regardless if its important or not. Hei Xiong said as much, plus he mentioned he couldn't find who's responsible. Then, what's the next best option? Search for the seeds, and exterminate them. And, the only way to do that is if they found something so incredibly urgent that they must report to them immediately. Like one of their enemies trying to kill Hei.

If they saw the 'Paladin' attempting to silence their source of intel, then they could only assume that Junior has officially betrayed him. They'd no longer be suspicious of their latest member of their organization. He nearly died for the sake of not letting his employers catch whiff of our dealings…

I thought that was the end of his plan, but it was slightly more complicated than I presumed. Not like it hasn't already… I thought pessimistically, still staring at the double doors while I waited for the two to get here. Once they've confirmed that the 'Distorted Paladin' and Junior are now enemies, it's likely the spies would leave to contact their boss, or at the very least, hide, and message them. The moment they did though, Miltia and Melanie would swiftly weed them out. It's why I didn't see the twins when I had struck their charge. They're busy crafting runes, and setting traps to capture them.

After the purge is finished, Hei would send his own plants to feed them misinformation about our dealings. I can imagine him grinning maliciously at that part. Hei did not like being forced to work against his will, and he'll be damned to let them do as they wished. He can be pretty vindictive if he needed to... Of course, I didn't know about the full plan until a little while later. All he conveyed to me was to trust him…

"Hey, you doing alright?"

A sudden, melodious voice entered my head, its tone of concern bleeding in it. Without showing any emotion, I simply turned to the speaker, and found Ruby Rose's sister staring down at me. Her features were set into an unusually worried expression as she laid a hand on my shoulder.

"Hei should be recovering somewhere in the building… with the twins managing the club."

I calmly whispered, nodding to her question, then clipping the familiar white mask onto my face. I gestured my cousin to go first, fastening my bag at the same time.

"She's a Hell of a woman, ain't she?"

Someone commented dazedly, and I spotted a tall tanned man, Neptune if I remembered correctly, sporting a charmed smile while his eyes trailed after her. On one hand, from what I could glean about him by our first encounter is that he's remarkably laid-back... He did not seem troubled at all, in fact, he carried himself with a great deal of confidence wherever he goes… And he's prone to flirt with almost any girl we pass by… Without any real amount of success…

"I'll cheer to that."

On the other hand, while Neptune tends to flirt, and stray sometimes, he showed subtle signs of seriousness when we spoke. The unconscious tensing of his shoulder along with the gleam in his indigo-orbs gave away his intentions. The blue-eyed man was wary of me, most likely recalling the interaction between me and Sun when I behested for him to speak with me in private. He must've deemed it suspicious, and surmised to stay on guard around me.

Nevertheless, the small cautiousness appeared to have lessened a bit after we conversed on the way down from Beacon. The exchange was nothing more than simple small-talk; Getting acquainted with each other as well as collect additional information through it. I suppressed an amused smirk which threatened to appear on my face when I looked back on that particular bout, ignoring that my mask covered my visage. It was like a battle. We fought each other, using various subjects as our battleground with words as our weapons and knowledge as our ammunition. With every sentence uttered, we'd counter, and we slowly grew to respect one another. If nothing else, I'll commend him for his knowledge in the culinary arts…

We both nodded, then ambled along after the blonde when we're met with dozens of projectile-based instruments pointed at us, more precisely, at a posing Yang while a screeching noise reverberated throughout the room. She lowered her arms, seemingly staring at something beyond the multiple armaments before the screeches stopped.

"So, this is the usual friendly welcome, right?"

"More or less," I affirmed nonchalantly, stepping ahead of my cousin, "Where's Miltia and Melanie? I need to speak with them."

Since Hei got rid of the White Fang's scouts, these gunmen should be purely his men… Which means they should recognize Hei's old business partner… My assumption was correct when one of the bodyguards lowered his weapon, and moved up to face me.

"Paladin, we didn't expect you'd be with her," The formal-suited stated apologetically with a slight bow, motioning for the others to cease their hostilities. Must be a higher-ranked watchman… Hei always did like using the hierarchy-type of system... It'd make it more efficient in terms of organization by handing out orders to your trusted subordinates, and them to their own, "At any rate, if you're here to see the Mistresses, they're helping with the Boss's paperwork in his office."

"I see. Thank you, Guardsman."

I acknowledged his notification with an inclination of my head, I silently marched to my comrade's private quarters.

"'Paladin', eh?" I heard someone teasingly inquired behind me, her tone brimming with amusement, "Who'd knew such a cute little man like you can gain such recognition from these guys?"

I felt something curled itself around my neck as a small weight leaned against me. I rolled my eyes when I saw Yang's grinning features next to mine.

"Compared to me, they recognized you instantly," I retorted dryly, approaching the office doors, "What'd you do to them? Repeatedly punch their balls?"

I mean really, the hired muscle looked like they ate something extremely sour the moment they saw her. No wait, who'd present themselves, with the brightest grin they could produce I might add, in front of dozens of armed agents in the first place..? Hmm… Okay, maybe Yang would actually do that… At my question, Yang's smile simply grew wider, and I dutifully ignored the shiver travelling down my spine from the mirth that danced in her violet-crystals.

"Well, now that you men-"

"-Ahh, nevermind, please forget I said anything…"

I interrupted, exasperation clearly hinted in my voice despite the built-in changer in my mask. The blonde pouted, visibly put out from being unable to vocally detailing her activities last time she was here.

"You're no fun, you know that?" She sighed airily, before immediately brightening up, "Meh, I could always tell you about it when we get back to Beacon!"

Wonderful… Hold on… My fist stopped centimeters away from hitting the door. Aria mentioned she hangs around Yang… And the Pendragon Heiress has a slight tendency to imitate those she 'likes'... Which means, Aria could possibly inherit some of Yang's.. traits… Wait, wait, it might not even be only Yang… The notion caused the hair at the back of my neck to stand as well as an intense shudder that went down my body. I've gotta run damage control when I get back…

Mentally vowing to assess the amount of damage Yang might've unknowingly, or knowingly, created, I resumed to knock at the door just as soon as my hand halted.

"Miltia, Melanie? It's Paladin."

I picked up rapid thumps from the other side of the door, before coming into view with a pair of frantic green-orbs. My field of vision expanded to the space beyond her, and the owner of those optical organs. The room itself was clean like it did the other day, though there were a few papers scattered around on the furniture. I, then, concentrated on the person facing me when she hastily grabbed my hand.

"Faith! Thank goodness!"

A girl with short-black hair wearing a red dress stood as she jerked my limb forward. I was promptly led into the room until the young female stopped me in front of a tied prostrating man with another towering above him. His appearance suggested that he may be around his early-twenties. He had curly orange-hair, and his body was average in height and weight. However, taking a closer inspection, he appeared to be a bit bony. His chest was left bare with marks lined in scarlet in addition to scars that were recently healed. The man's eyes looked dull, like he has nothing left to live for… Must be one of the moles… The rational part of brain squashed any empathy I had for him when I inferred that he's a member of Cinder's group.

He laughed even as he endured a barrage of thundering punches. He continued to laugh mockingly even as he took a heavy rain of kicks to his face, and abdomen from the formal dressed man.

"Come on! Kill me! Come on, you son of a bitch!"

I coldly stared at the jeering man, unfazed of the cruel treatment pinned on him, then suddenly realizing what he's trying to do. That guy… He's trying to get himself killed…

"Hei!" I rushed toward him, grabbing his upraised outstretched arms, "Stop!"

"Come on already! Do it! Kill me!"

Mustering as much strength as I possibly can, I forced compliance onto him via holding back his punches. My influence appear to gradually have an effect on him as the hits lose fractions of its energy.

"Fa.. ith..?" I nodded, cautiously removing my mask to confirm he's unsure question. Hei's berserked eyes lost some of its insanity as they widened, before he whirled to the side. He briskly walked to where I saw another girl identical to the first except having longer black-hair clothed in a white dress, leaning unresponsively against a miniature bar, "How is she?"

The girl clad in red studiously examined her look-alike with an anxious frown until she sighed in relief. The tension in her body evaporated like a drop of water landing on hot metal as she slumped down next to her white-attired twin.

"She's fine. It's just a few scratches."

"What happened? Hei never went berserk until now."

The only time Hei goes mad is when he receives a great mental shock... I edged closer to the three, and noticed how injured she looked as well as the destruction around surrounding her. Multiple lacerations, that could be mistaken as severe wounds, marred her face and body while the broken bottles of alcohol were scattered all over the bar. To the average person, they'd deemed this as a scene coming out of bloody horror movie. So, that's how it went…

"I…"

"Melanie went to check him… but," Miltia spoke faintly while gathering Aura into her hands, then placing them on her sister's cuts, "Dolon… he did something, and she suddenly crashed into the shelves… unmoving..."

"I see…" I knelt next to the soft-speaking girl, stopping her from saying any more she didn't need to, "Yang, if you want Torchwick…"

I glanced at the unusually quiet blond, gesturing to the still cackling informant. She nodded solemnly, her lilac-eyes averting to Miltia before starting towards the immobilized man.

"Hey, need help?"

Fingerless-gloved hands appeared by Miltia's side with the owner giving a helpful expression at her. As I thought, Neptune's reliable if he needed to be… Aura began to generate in his hands as her head motioned gratefully for the extra aid.

"Thank you…"

My eyes panned from the duo to Hei who stared listlessly at the unconscious twin. I sighed, standing up before tapping his shoulder. Blinking, his grey-irises regained its former gleam as he slowly shifted his gaze to me. I inclined my chin to the other side of the room in order to speak with him.

Agreeing to my request, he rose from his kneeling position, seeing that Melanie was left in capable hands, "I should've kept my cool," Fixing his disheveled form, my old comrade scolded himself, "Goddamn rookie mistake, fuck!"

He glared balefully at the spy, muttering curses under his breath.

"You couldn't have anticipated he had something like that in his sleeves," I responded calmly in contrast to his upset, "You couldn't have known he planned this."

Although it's somewhat uncommon now, I've heard prisoners would use their interrogators emotion to end themselves back in the war. It's fairly effective strategy if you were out of pills, and had a good grasp on your captives emotions.

"No, I knew Dolon would do something like this, but I should've taken safety-measures," Hei countered, "I should've checked if the little shit had anything else on em."

"What exactly happened?"

"I don't know. Melanie went to check up on him, and when we arrived she was just laying there."

"Who is he?"

At my question, the information broker furrowed his brows in uncertainty. Hei didn't speak, debating whether he'd divulge on this particular matter.

"... Dolon is- was my protege," He reluctantly started after the pause, "He's also one of people involved with your disappearance…"

Ah, I see… I gave the captive a thoughtful look. He's one of the surviving 'Predators'…

"The-"

My sentence was cut off when I felt my Scroll vibrate from my pocket. Raising the multi-purpose device, I heard a deep-pitched voice yelling for assistance.

"-Uh, is anyone there!? We need some help here-"

The call was interrupted by distorted sounds with an occasional crash. I looked to Yang as she nodded before darting out of the room followed by Neptune.

"Where are you, Blake?"

"Yang! We're heading to the highways-"

"-A big robot's on us! Hurry the Hell up!"

I sighed helplessly after Sun's interjection, then stared at my old comrade. He smirk knowingly, and motioned me to go with them.

"We'll talk when you're done…" I dipped my chin in acquiescence, making my way out of the club, "Oh, and," I paused at the doorway, giving him my attention, "Tell Blake, I said 'Hi'."

Hei's lips shifted slightly, but it was enough for me to feel the utter dread that will come when I see him later tonight. First, the new mission… Then, this mess… Now, a battle… And later… How unfortunate of me…

Without another word out of my mouth, I merely continued out of building, and towards a silver bike. Strapping a black collar around my neck, I tapped my ear twice as I spun around to the highway.

"Velvet, think you can spare some time?"

If we can't beat a MA without another MA, then what can? Someone well-versed in its field...

City of Vale, Highways…

Play Joint - Mami Kawada

That… Is completely different than I assumed it was going to be… I mused solemnly, marveling the Mech on the other side of the lane. Compared to the Mech Armors I saw in one of the White Fang's bases, this particular man-made steel was slimmer and lighter than its predecessors, and it freely showed off its agility as it ran after its targets. It also seemed to possess a higher capacity of weaponry stored underneath its metal.

"Velvet, what can you make of that?"

"T-that's a new model..! I need time to look for the schematics!"

She replied to my grim question as I scanned the wreckage behind it. The Armor's strength is rather concerning as well… We need to isolate that thing before it can do any more damage… From the corner of my eye, I spotted a white-haired girl hopping from Glyph to Glyph, striving to get ahead of the machine.

"Weiss!"

The heiress whirled around as I closed in before snatching her arm, then swerving my bike around to catch her.

"You're late!"

Weiss complained after settling onto my back. I didn't reply as I was too absorbed in evading the many vehicles in my path. Damn, we need to get off the roads… Weiss can't use her Dust in this situation. Dust requires an enormous amount of concentration, and a stable field to work its full potential.

"You still remember what I showed you?"

I inquired, unsheathing Enkidu from my sleeves before attaching two barrel-like frames on it. I turned my head far enough so that I could barely take a glimpse of my former charge's visage. She held a confused expression and looked at me inanely until her blue-crystals noticed the 'rifle' I had on my palms. Realization sparked in her eyes before she reached for Enkidu, then rotated to the menacing steel.

I quelled the urge to smile in pride when I felt a series of suppressed recoils along with the gunshots that followed after it. So, she does remember…

"We need to get that thing off the highway!"

"Yeah, I know!" I scanned across the roads, and mentally listed what could be used against our foe. Explosives? We could use it to break a part of the road… No, the pedestrians will get caught in the blast, not to mention those that'll fall after it's made… Glyphs? Weiss could propel the Mech over the ledge. Not possible… The mass is too much for it… Wait… How is it able to keep up with us in the first place? It may be less bulky than the older models, but it shouldn't be this fast... I glanced at the MA's legs, and found the reason for its speed. The joints has no armor plating, allowing more flexibility at the cost for less defence… If that's the case… How would a concentrated electrical blast affect its mobility? "Weiss, get ready."

"What?"

I warned, and she looked at me quizzically before following my line of sight. Understanding flashed through her eyes, and handed my instrument back as she grabbed her own. My bike accelerated further away from our pursuer until we've gotten far enough. I abruptly pivoted to a stop, and aimed Enkidu at the joint connecting its leg to its waist.

I am a living Weapon...

Steady… I ordered my arm to still itself as the steel rampaged towards us. Each step it took shook the ground under us. Breathe in… Out… The rapid beatings of my heart slowed, and with it, my perception of time followed in suit. The display of my enemy's movement stopped like it was paused in a video with four marks placed over the metal beast's links of its limbs.

Born from the pits of Hell...

My gaze steeled as my fingers finally pulled the trigger just before the scene in front of me resumed its normal speed. A burst of lightning spewed forth at my intended mark. My aim went true when it struck the left leg joint, then tumbled forward. As it slid toward us, Weiss moved in front of me with a Glyph projected at the side of the ledge. The white-haired princess gracefully twirled, and I quickly felt a drop in temperature when she impaled her sword on the ground. A land of ice sprouted between us and the Armor from her blade as it slipped until being propelled off the side of the edge by her Glyph.

"As skilled as ever."

I tiredly praised, the adrenaline pumping in my body wearing off as I leaned on my bike while staring at my former charge. She smirked proudly, then curtsied elegantly as though she were the main performer on stage.

"What you expect anything less?" She asked rhetorically, and I responded with a wordless shrug, "Well, you're not so bad now either."

"I am humbling grateful for those words, Princess."

"Yes, yes, be thankful, smartass…"

This time, I let my lips curl up at Weiss' casual waving of her hand while she averted her sight. I also didn't plan on voicing out anything regarding the pink hue sprinkled on her cheeks as her eyes looked down below us. Coupling that with the small smile she adorned on her features would make any man breathless. It's cute, but I don't want to die just because I told her that…

Our short respite was interrupted when repeated mechanical noises reached our ears. My face settled back into a mask, void of any emotions.

"Velvet, got anything yet?"

I shared a glance with the Huntress-in-training before jumping down to confront the Mech Armor while I communicated with my Faunus teammate. A quick succession of taps registered in my head until she finally spoke in triumph.

"It's the Altesian Paladin-290! It's the newest line of MA's from Atlas with the Schnee Dust Company's funding."

Velvet relayed the information she found as I walked near the border with Enkidu on hand. The Schnee helped make this..? What the Hell? How'd the White Fang get this? No, never mind that, we have to deal with this first… I thought, fixing the rifle frame on my shoulder while my steeled gaze scanned for an opening in the fight between RWBY and it.

"What else?"

"E-eh, it's…" Velvet trailed off, murmuring incomprehensibly into the mouthpiece, "Compressed military grade steel… multi-locking system… electric-based Dust projectiles…" Black-orbs narrowed when I saw the machine's arm torn apart. It seems my shot didn't do that much damage… That or it has a better OS… But, with enough cutting power can it sever the links… "Found one! There's a cooling system on the Armor's back! If you can cause enough damage, there'll be an emergency self-eject!"

"Ah, good work."

I gave my appreciation, then proceeded to find the weakness in time to see Yang rising from a broken pillar. My senses picked up a huge spike of energy originating from the blonde. Aura? Not really… Aura feels artificial in a way… This feels… normal..? Like its natural for this increase of energy… My analysis ended when I caught movement near her before she was sent in the air by its leg. I unconsciously moved, directing Enkidu at the designated mark before shooting just as Yang swung by via a black chain.

The Mech crashed into a pillar when the expected eject went off as it abruptly collapsed with the hatch hissed open.

"Hmm… they're pretty good…" A pleasant-toned voice commented next to me and I took action on pure reflex. My muscles tightened as I hoisted Enkidu to my hip. At the same time, my legs pushed off the ground away from the speaker. I squeezed the rifle frame's trigger twice, and she simply tilted her body from the 'bullets', "That wasn't very nice," I responded her perturbed remark with a measured stare, "A pleasure to meet you again, Mister Paladin."

Cheery, mismatched-eyes greeted me when she bowed in a polite manner. Locks of brown and pink with streaks of white gently drooped to the sides of her face after she straightened her posture.

"Neo…" I warily regarded the girl before me, carefully sliding out another hilt from my sleeves. The girl's smile after glancing at the subtle movement, "You're a part of them too? I thought you quit."

"Mmm, I wouldn't really consider being a member of their little group," She smiled ruefully, rounding an intricately decorated pink umbrella behind her, "I'm just helping Roman for a bit. He called me, and asked if he wanted to meet our old friend," She motioned to me with her free-hand, "Said you were in town."

"Oh? So, what about Jack? Isn't she Roman's right hand?"

Neopolitan doesn't seem too caring about the White Fang… Hopefully, I can get some information if that's the case…

"Ah, the psycho?" The multi-colour haired girl scowled, and the sight of it did not match her at all in my honest opinion. Neo's frown was eventually replaced with her lazy-grin, "Meh, doesn't really involve me, I'm just here to get that guy out of here."

I glanced at the after mentioned guy who continued to taunt, and smoothly dodge every attack set on him.

"You know what they're trying to do, don't you?"

I asked, hesitant to actually fight her. I knew she felt the same because her regretful smile seemed to reflect what she thought.

"I had thought you change to our side. I had thought you would be on our side," She whispered, her heterochromatic eyes held genuine sadness that we were on opposite sides. She finally shook her head, and jerked her umbrella over her shoulder, "Apologies Faith, but we're doing what we think is right."

I see… That's certainly true… I can't blame them for what they believe in… Even so… Black-crystals hardened themselves into black-steel as I clipped on a frame. I'll fight for what I believe in as well. I flicked the frame out to reveal my much accustomed sickle, expressing my intent to fight.

Wordless silence between two statues of manifested wills lasted for only a second before I struck, flinging my curved blade at her. The predicted feeling of steel meeting flesh didn't register in my mind. I had already known what the outcome was. When the tip of steep hit, my ears only picked up the sounds of shattering glass, then a roar of an engine off in the distance. Relaxing my stance, I went about on recalling my sickle, then detaching my frames with my line of sight staring off at a retreating Bullhead. It's useless trying to shoot something of that magnitude…

"You heard all that, didn't you?"

I questioned aloud at noone, trekking towards my bike. No one replied for a moment before I heard a timid affirmative.

"Yes…"

"Well, it doesn't matter if you did."

I gave a low mutter, observing the passing wreckage caused by Roman. No one appeared to have survived the aftermath… I grit my teeth. No, of course they wouldn't… The sight of a fiery gore was fully displayed on my sides. Crackles, and snaps repeated in my head like a damned record as I gaze forward. Crushed bodies and limbs that were bent unnaturally was under every car I came across like they were twisted portraits until it all blurred away as I go.

This should be normal for me… I should be used to this already… 'You can't save everybody'. I know that! I know that, and I should be focusing how to prevent all this… I should be protecting them… I should've protected them… I could've protected them…

?, ?...

He numbly stood, blankly looking at the Crimson Moon without regarding the Darkness that was oozing towards him, eager to devour him whole once more. His broken, and marked form becoming steadily engulfed by the abyss.

I stood, uncaring to the same ooze that came at me. All I did was stare at him while I let my person be consumed by the cold, and suffocating Dark.

How many times did he see this scene? Is he regretting this? Why would he regret protecting? Wasn't this his dream? How many times did he repeat this? How many times did that man kill? How many times must he kill his own allies to protect?

Nobody could answer these questions. Not a single sound registered in my head, only those of the sickeningly growls, and moans originating from the Darkness before I was submerged in it.

The Three Cubs, Information Broker's Office…

I crossed my arms, letting my back hit the wall with a thud as I stared at Hei's former student being interrogated by Blake. I guess heading into White Fang territory left a deeper impression than I imagined… I have to do something about that…

"U-umm, Why are you there?"

I blinked, pushing my thoughts into the back of my head in favor for answering Velvet's question.

"One of the living 'Predators' were caught. Is something wrong?"

"... W-what's their name?"

I didn't receive a response for a moment, but I when did, she asked with a tone of trepidation. I replied, despite the confusion I had for her odd inquiry.

"Dolon… Again, why?"

A small pause filled the line between us until she finally spoke, the trepidation in her voice replaced with fear, and vulnerability.

"He's the one I killed…"

… What?

End Chapter...

A/n: So… Is this better than the last chapter? Cuz I sure as Hell think it is. Mostly because of the length, and partly because of the added detailing I'm trying out. Tell me what you readers think!

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll be grateful for anything you think should get better! Well, I'll see next chap!