I just wanna say first and foremost that it is a true shame that Monty Oum passed away on Sunday. Monty was a man that was so creative and hardworking, coming up with a lot of cool and amazing ideas. It was because of him I got back into writing, the product of which you've been reading. I'm praying for RT and for his wife and family who are going through hard times and I hope you guys do the same. Monty, I never got to meet you but I hope you know you inspired me to get back into writing, you were an amazing man and someone many will miss, rest in peace.

Chapter 11

The Bullhead rocked from sudden turbulence as everyone sat down and looked around, little being said as they took in the recent news. Sanctum, one of the top secondary academies in Vale next to Signal, had been hit with a bomb that had destroyed the entire left wing of the school. Farran and Ruby had immediately ran back to the dance and broke the news, with TV's carrying the message mere seconds later. Pyrrha quickly ran back to the dorm with everyone following suit as they changed into their gear and got on the first airship heading to Mistral. Ruby held his hand and gave him a small smile, which he copied as he looked around at everyone, who were concerned and focused, especially Pyrrha. The airship slowly descended as Farran threw the doors open and got out with everyone.

"Alright," he said as he handed out medical bags to everyone, "As of right now, they have a majority of students accounted for. Official tally is 27 dead, including three professors. 35 are still missing, so priority is them. Split up into groups of two, doesn't matter who is with who. Weapon use is allowed because of large pieces of debris but exercise extreme caution. If you find…" he stopped as he looked to the side, "someone who has passed on, call a medic team to recover the body. Same if they are injured, but apply your basic training. We all have communicators, so keep in touch, questions?" he asked. They all shook their heads and quickly paired off, turning to the carnage before them. Other Hunter's had been dispatched as well to help the local firefighters and policemen as they stepped onto the debris.

"So, who's gonna analyze the bomb?" Ecru asked as he looked down at little particles of blue dust.

"The Council has already sent a team to look at all the footage," Farran said as he overturned some debris and shook his head. He and Ecru moved the debris slowly and kept their ears open for any sound. Over the course of three hours, they had not found anyone but Ruby and Yang had found two alive while Nora and Ren had found one dead. Farran sighed as he heard his radio buzz to life.

"Farran, its Ozpin. The first results from the explosion are showing high traces of multiple types of Dust. The bomb you encountered at the docks only had red dust mixed with explosives."

"Explained how I survived," Ecru said as he shined a light into a dark crevice, "The mix of the different Dust types made this a ten times bigger explosion. Using only red meant a smaller but still powerful explosion."

"Yeah… guys, be careful of any after effects from the multitudes of Dust, copy?" Farran said as he heard audible confirmations from everyone. Ecru turned to say something when Farran sharply swung his hand up to silence him, moving slowly to a large pile as he placed his ear to it and heard a faint cry.

"Ecru!" he yelled as he got out his sword and his partner his axe as they careful struck the debris, cutting it down slowly until the two pushed it to the side. They suddenly heard a louder cry of help as they kept removing pieces quickly to reveal four students, all with different degrees of injury to them. Ecru held his hand out to one who grasped it as Farran got the others up and quickly called for medical teams. All four students were okay and thanked them profoundly as Farran heard a yell over the radio.

"Farran! I need you!" Jaune said as Farran quickly ran to his location and saw a dead student, with Pyrrha collapsed in front of the body crying uncontrollably as Jaune held her. Farran walked over to them, called for a team of medics and placed a hand on Pyrrha. She looked up at him and Farran saw a completely different person: once stoic and kind, now depressed and destroyed by her school's tragic attack. The team came and quickly removed the body and looked over Pyrrha as she started to calm down. Farran rubbed her back slowly as Jaune whispered quietly into her ear, earning slow nods from her as he picked her up, nodded to Farran and walked back to the airship. Farran worked alone, discovering three more bodies and shaking his head in silence as they were removed. Eventually, after a nine hour search, every student and professor had been properly accounted for as they regrouped at the airship.

"Alright, official tally is everyone has been accounted for, 39 dead including five professors. Let's go get some rest," he said as they piled in and sat down, reflecting on everything as Pyrrha slept soundly against Jaune's shoulder.

"So those were test runs, more or less," Ecru said as he looked over the information Glynda had given him. He and his partner were eating lunch with Glynda and Ozpin in his office, only days after the tragedy at Sanctum.

"Sadly," Ozpin said, taking a bite of a sandwich while Farran took a sip from his cup, staying quiet the entire time.

"You okay Farran?" Glynda asked quietly as he nodded and breathed slowly.

"I just… I'm just infuriated in that we haven't been able to track them, stop them… anything."

"I feel the same man," Ecru said as he patted his back.

"That might change," Ozpin said as everyone looked at him as he moved his fingers over his scroll, sending something to everyone who quickly divulged in the information.

"So… they have compounds… if we can end the one here in the mountains…"

"It can put a pause to them Ecru, more importantly-"

"If you two can get in, you can discover where their headquarters are," Glynda said as the two knights nodded at the idea, "First though, you need to find those missing villagers."

Everyone agreed to that as the priority and listened to Ozpin, who detailed hacked information that revealed they were in Atlas being held to be used eventually as ransom. Ecru and Farran made quick plans and got up to set out alone without the teams.

"Why not?" Glynda asked.

"Their education and need for them to be the best Hunter's is way more important to me," Farran said over his shoulder as he and Ecru discussed a plan of attack.

"So, rescue, then the compound?" Ecru asked as they got in the elevator that moved down slowly, with his partner nodding, "And you think it's a good idea to not take them?" Ecru asked and again received a nod from his partner, "Well, hope they don't get mad."

"Same."

"You two remember what happened the last time you went on a mission by yourself? Adam and Neo?" Blake asked the two knights as they stood in RWBY's room with team JNPR, Sun and Neptune.

"We understand, trust us, but you guys need to focus on your education more than anything else," Farran rebutted.

"To be fair, you guys didn't finish your education," Weiss said as Farran stared her down.

"We didn't have a choice Weiss; completely different situations," he answered coldly, earning a pat on his shoulder from his partner as he shook his head.

"Look, you guys will accompany us on the next mission, but for now it's just us two. Understood?" Ecru said calmly as everyone nodded while the two left to pack, with Farran slamming the door to make sure his emotions were known.

"Wow, that was really hurtful Weiss," Sun said as he sat next to Blake.

"I was just saying to make a point."

"What point?"

"I think what Weiss is saying is that why is it fair that they can be Hunters while we are still students… or something like that," Ren said.

"That and shouldn't they have to go back and finish?" Weiss asked.

"Yet, they've gone through a lot more than us," Jaune said as a counter-argument.

"And they can handle themselves in a battle," Ruby said as she turned in her bed slowly, already worrying about the mission.

"Still..."

"You find it unfair because they seem to treat us as kids even though they are only a year older than us," Neptune said in her defense, earning a nod from her as others contemplated what he said. Everyone discussed it as the two knights stood outside the door, listening and shaking their heads, bags set and ready to go.

"Wanna say goodbye?"

"And get involved in that?" Like hell," Ecru said with a chuckle as he walked past Farran. Farran peeked in and looked at Ruby's bed, watching her and smiling to himself as he quickly followed his teammate. They quickly got into the large airship and set their bags down under chairs that they occupied.

"They don't get it that they have a wonderful opportunity… and that we just want to protect them," Farran said, looking out the window to Remnant.

"I wouldn't say that… they just want to go ahead and move on and start their careers as Hunter's. We were the same way man," Ecru began as Farran turned to him to listen, "They're at that age where they want to go out, explore, find a place to call home and get started on protecting the world. Weiss has a point, to an extent: we should have to go and finish as well but we don't have to because of our situation. It's frustrating to see two guys, only a year separating you, being able to go and do things and protect people while you sit at a desk writing papers on the war and Grimm."

"Fair enough," Farran said as Ecru and closed his eyes. He looked down at his Scroll, saw a good luck text from Ruby and smiled as he texted her back and copied his teammate.

They stood on a grassy hill and looked at the small office building surrounded by similar ones as Farran looked through binoculars, calling out guard locations and possible locations of the hostages to his teammate. Ecru drew them on a small notepad and counted the numbers while Farran stood, taking in the night air that surrounded them in the small town outside of the capital of Vale.

"Okay, so, 17 guards and 30 hostages. Airship three minutes away for quick extraction. No sign of any major players. Shall we go friendo?" Ecru asked with a smile as Farran nodded.

"Sounds good. More than likely the hostages are either spread out or in back in the cafeteria, so I say we go through the middle," he said as he looked over the four story building and pointed at the third floor, "I didn't see anyone on the fourth floor. Let's start at the third and head down."

"Sounds good," Ecru said as they moved slowly, trying to not draw attention to themselves as they made their way up a fire escape and onto the top of a building next to it. They crouched low behind a sign and waited for a guard to move before they looked at each other, nodded and backed away from the sign slowly. They dug their boots into the roof and took off, stepping onto the sign and jumping toward the window, crashing through it as they tucked and rolled to avoid injury. They heard confusion and panic as Farran went to the left and Ecru the right, both encountering guards.

Farran ducked under a sword and kicked a pistol out of a guards hand as he drew and swung his sword and connected with two guards. He quickly grabbed a pistol from a guard and shot the lights out, disappearing from a stab with a spear as the other three guards looked around in confusion. Farran suddenly appeared behind one and knocked him out with his hilt while jumping over the tip of the spear, broke it in two with a kick and knocked the guard unconscious as he disappeared and suddenly reappeared in front of the other, knocking him out with a solid punch.

Ecru slammed two into the wall and ran toward another who had his assault rifle drawn and aimed at him. He quickly sent his marbles toward the barrel of the rifle to plug it up as the man pulled the trigger, looking confusedly at the rifle as Ecru slashed at him with his ax, downing him quickly as he turned to see his partner standing in front of the stairway door. They quickly repeated the pattern on the second and first floor as they both sent a man through the doors of the cafeteria as they entered. The cafeteria had a glass ceiling and multiple tables with little areas that would hold food buffet style for workers. They saw at least ten guards, two lieutenants and a familiar man in all white with a black bowler hat, his back to them as he looked over a map of Vale.

"Oh great, the knights… How have you been?" Roman Torchwick asked with a sly grin as he turned around to face the knights. To his right were the villagers, who were tied up and gagged as he walked forward.

"Roman," Farran said as he watched the criminal walk to them, "I wouldn't get to close less you lose a limb."

"Oh, petty threats, I love them."

"Why the bombs Roman?" Ecru asked as he positioned the marbles high above everyone out of sight.

"Why? Well, why not? Whatever it takes to stop you Hunters… That's why you're gonna love the new plan…" Roman said arrogantly and with a grin as Farran formed his rifle and aimed right at Roman's head, "Oh, wow, a rifle, woo for you Farran. By the way, Rayne's doing great."

"What's the new plan?" Farran asked through gritted teeth as he heard a growl and turned behind him to see Grimm.

"Well, what do Grimm love more than anything else?" Roman said as he and the soldiers grabbed onto ropes that were being dropped down, breaking the glass ceiling via weights attached to the ends. They quickly ascended into a waiting airship as Ecru turned and readied his axe. A swarm of Beowolf flowed through the door at the two knights, who cut down as many as they could, retreating to protect the villagers who looked on and screamed into their gags in terror.

Farran punched one in the face as he swung his swords around, slashing two in half as a white alpha jumped on him, knocking a sword away and bared its teeth, growling in the Hunter's face. Ecru threw his axe into one, ducked under a swipe, took his axe out of the dead Beowolf and quickly blasted five away with his shotgun as he turned to the villagers and ran to them as the creatures closed in around them. The Alpha quickly bit into Farran's shoulder hard, digging its teeth deep into his shoulder and wrenched around while positioning its body so that it pinned his arms, causing him to yell in pain as he tried to maneuver his sword to puncture the beast. Meanwhile, Ecru was easily chopping the few Grimm around the villagers into bits as one slashed at his back, leaving red claw marks causing him to yell in pain and spin around to cleave it vertically in two. He quickly formed his shotgun and blasted the one on Farran, which flew back as he quickly formed his rifle and put three more shots into it before falling to one knee.

"Holy hell man," Ecru said as he ran to his partner, blood pouring from his shoulder as local authorities moved into the building, freeing the hostages. Farran grimaced at the pain and slowly applied pressure to the multiple bite marks while Ecru slowly healed what he could via his aura.

"J-job done," Farran said through gritted teeth as he got up slowly with the help of Ecru, his blood staining the ground and his trench coat as they walked out slowly.

They returned to their dorm in the middle of the night as Ecru helped Farran to his bedroom who expressed his pain quietly. The Beowolf had dug its jaw into his shoulder and into the muscles, ripping away skin that neither man had realized until they had gotten on the airship home. As soon as they arrived they immediately went to the infirmary and had him looked over and healed thanks to the nurses.

"I didn't think those things would be there," Ecru said as Farran sat down on his bed, his shoulder bandaged and arm in a sling for precautionary reasons.

"Made sense: they are attracted to places of no hope… those villagers thought they were going to die… instead, it was an ambush for us set by Roman… bastard," Farran said as he tried to move his right arm and looked down at it in the sling. While the nurses had healed him, they wanted to make sure the tendons and other muscles had reformed properly, thus the sling he had for the next few days. Farran shook his head as he heard a knock at the door that Ecru opened to Ruby.

"Hey Ruby. I know you're not here for me, so," Ecru said, eliciting laughter from her as she hugged him and quickly walked over to Farran.

"What happened?" she asked as Farran quickly detailed the mission to her.

"Damn Grimm… damn Torchwick," he said as he tried to pull his shirt off until Ruby stopped him.

"Farran, you shouldn't be moving your arm."

"Baby, I appreciate it, but I want to go to bed," he said with a tired smile as he slipped the sling off slowly and raised his arm, earning a painful groan as Ruby helped slide his shirt off, making her gasp at what she saw. She looked at his flat chest and stomach, taking in the scars, ranging from a small circle near his ribs to a large, inch wide scar across his chest as he looked down.

"Yeah, good old memories," he said sarcastically as he got up and turned around to look for his sleeping shirt. Ruby's eyes widened at the multitudes of other scars running all over his back, the largest being three large lines running down the left side of his back from his shoulder to his waist.

"The hell was that?" she asked as he turned and followed her eyes.

"Oh, Nevermore. Hell of a Grimm that one," he said as he turned to her, shirt in hand.

"You really need to be careful Farran…" she said, trailing off as she followed the scars by pressing her fingers lightly on his chest while Farran watched her, breathing slowly.

"I know I do Ruby but those are old… trust me, I'll be more careful for your sake more than anything," he said with a small smile. She looked up at him with worry as he cupped her cheek with his good arm, leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers. She held him there, her hands pressed on his chest and slowly moving to his back until they heard Ecru clear his throat, causing them to end the tender moment.

"I'm so telling Yang," he said with laughter as Farran ran after him and tackled him, yelling about how he still had a good arm to attack him with while Ruby laughed at the exchange.

Alright, getting near the big battle. Which, by the way, is one of the longest action scenes I wrote. 2 quick notes: the idea of the white Alpha Beowolf came from the RWBY: Grim Eclipse game demo that I got to play because I'm a sponsor on Rooster Teeth. Pretty good, a few bugs, but good game. Also at Rooster Teeth is where you can find the link to donate if you can to Sheena, his wife. Please keep them in your prayers guys. Lastly, thank you guys for the awesome support: Crusaders of Remnant has overtaken Knightfall in the view count, which means you guys must really like it, which is a big plus to see. See you next Monday for Chapter 12.