Volume Three, Chapter One: Ambush

re:Bound

A Fanfiction by Allison Illuminated

Chapter Publish Date: 2/3/18

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY, and I am not affiliated with Rooster Teeth in any way.

Trigger Warnings: This work will contain imagery of violence, major character death, bullying, discrimination, abuse, racism, and depression alongside non-graphic mentions of rape, underage sex, and sexual abuse.

There is no reflection in the dark.

Rearrange the pieces – this is a new game. The chessboard is falling, a dust shop window shattered in the dark, black and white illusions melting into the sky. Run and catch the jagged edge, or don't; the blood has already soaked into the depths and twisted humanity's vision too far to ever truly see. Funny how the world seems to melt away, so focused on the receding sky that they never notice the twisting depths below. And when they hit bottom, jolted rudely awake-

In these shadows, aura is the only light of Fall.

Darkness was slow to the open clearing. Dusk had long since fallen, tendrils of spring mist curling around clover leaves in an ephemeral gesture of protection. No, it would do no good, nothing to stop festering claws from crushing the budding plants underfoot as the Grimm pushed through the tangled brambles and into the meadow.

The Beowulves halted as the alpha paused mid-stride, its mask rising to face the full moon in confusion. A single crimson petal drifted down to earth, wafting along with the warm breeze before dissipating against the grass underfoot. The Alpha narrowed its beady red eyes, turning back to the path ahead. Flinching, a surprised growl was the last sound to escape its throat as a cloud of petals shot towards the pack.

Ruby yelled as she kicked off of the old oak from which she had silently been watching the pack, spiraling into a cloud of rose petals. Using her semblance, the cloud split into thirds, swirling tighter and tighter around the Alpha's hulking frame. Before the Grimm could react, she had carried it into the sky, reforming and drawing Rising Thorn. Her silver eyes glowed in the moonlight, tattered red fabric billowing out into the sky.

Metal met black ichor, and a single gunshot sent them hurtling towards the ground.

Smoke blew away from the huntress-in-training, her hood falling away from her head to reveal her raven black hair. Rising to her feet, she pulled her naginata out of the grassy dirt and spun into a ready position. Stunned, the pack of Beowulves stared at her before snapping out of their stupor and charging her.

Neo?

I'm on my way.

The corner of her mouth tilted upwards into a self-assured smirk, then Ruby sprung into action.

Hands flying apart, she yanked both triggers at once. Aura exploded into red rage as she catapulted into the leading Grimm's mask and cut a deadly dust-fueled swathe through the pack. The mass recoiled in momentary panic and tried to regroup, but there was no leader to guide them and no master to save them now.

Rising Thorn collapsed in on itself as Ruby spun the blade around to rest on her shoulder just as the dusteel covering slid over. The collapsible barrel slid outwards as the scope popped up, the hilt's thin plates sliding together to form the receiver. She took a deep breath, tensing as the front sight clicked into place. Reaching up, she cocked the extended magazine.

There was no need for her sights. The enemy was in every direction, and she was shooting to kill.

Semblance powered, her finger jammed against the trigger. The clearing burst into explosive gunfire as lines of Grimm were mowed down with unearthly shrieks of pain. One clip, then two, reloading faster than her eyes could register, the monsters faded into nothingness. Smoke and mist twisted together, settling into a tranquil miasma that skimmed the forest floor.

Deep breath in. Shuddering sigh out.

The tremors had been faint while the small fry had surrounded her, and now she looked up at one of the biggest Ursa she had ever seen. Stark spikes jutted through its crusty fur, a faint trail of hellish anger leaking from the corner of its mouth. Rearing back on its hind legs, the Grimm roared, sending Ruby's cloak wavering behind her as she took careful aim.

Gunfire collided uselessly with the Ursa's matted fur. Ruby paced back, letting Rising Thorn fall to her side and extend back into her naginata as it matched her steps. Breath for breath, wary against the stars, she pushed against the rancid stench and-

The Ursa burst towards her, lunging out with a reckless swipe. Ruby burst to one side, backflipping under a log as the beast tore through the trees around them. Firing a gauntlet blast to her side, she used her momentum to pull into a tight spiral, vaulting over it with the butt of her shaft and raking her blade down its other flank.

Screeching, the Grimm rolled toward her. Her semblance let her dive away from the jagged shards of bone only to be knocked to the ground by its muscular hindleg. She bounced against the dewy grass, her aura flickering around her as her shoulder jammed painfully against a rock. Scraping her hand against the dirt, she slid into a three-point landing. Gathering her aura around her, she met the Ursa's charge with a head-on lunge, twisting past its reckless swipe and sinking her blade into its shoulder. Reversing her trajectory against its collarbone, she activated her fire dust and yanked her weapon away with a chunk of black flesh.

Incensed, it charged her with depredatory furor, its wound painting the ground below black with blood. Darting in and out of its claws, she tore at its chest to little avail. The Ursa slowly pushed her onto the defensive, circling inwards with a single-minded focus on its prey. Turning too late to dodge a blow, Ruby brought Rising Thorn up in a two-hand grip to block the downwards crush of its forelegs. The overwhelming strength of the Grimm weighed down on her – she only had a moment to act.

She blinked, and red flecks of aura speckled her silver eyes.

This ends now.

Slamming down on where Ruby had been, the beast shrieked in pain as her blade sunk into its neck. She lost her grip on her weapon as the Ursa thrashed about, going to the ground before the Grimm. Her smirk never left her face as it rose to its full height, her weapon slowly letting its lifeforce leak from its neck.

Bringing her hands down to her sides, she cocked her gauntlets and shot into motion.

Disoriented and in pain, the Ursa couldn't keep pace with her as she circled around it, faster and faster, pushing her semblance to its max. Finally, she found her chance and fell in on the beast. Explosive punches ripped into the Ursa's side, and it collapsed as Ruby flipped onto its bony fur. Ripping Rising Thorn out of its neck, she pinned down the head and sent her blade through the Ursa's eye.

Neo leaned against a tree as she sank into a cloud of black mist, crossing her arms. What happened to you needing my help?

Who ever said I needed your help? Stooping down, she picked up her weapon, transformed it, and slipped the rifle back under her cloak. Maybe I just wanted to show off Rising Thorn.

Oh, will you ever shut up about your weapon? Laughing, she pushed off of the tree and walked up to Ruby, reaching out and wiping a stray bit of dirt from her forehead. We've sparred every day in the last three months since you've gotten her, and you're still not over how cool it is.

But it is! Ruby protested, earning herself a flick from Neo.

Only you, Rose. C'mon, our watch is over, let's head back to camp.

She nodded, giving the clearing one last wary glance. There were so many of them… and so close to Vale, too.

Don't dwell on it. Neo slipped her hand in Ruby's and pulled her away. If we worry about it too much, it'll only attract more Grimm, and that's the last thing we need right now.

The campfire blazed, sparks drifting into the warm April air. Weiss nodded to Yang as she deposited a pile of logs by the fire. "Thank you, that should be enough to last the night."

Yang sat down next to Blake and shrugged. "No big deal. You'd probably get crushed under all the weight anyway, and I'd never make Blake do it."

"Hey! I'll have you know I could carry heavy stuff if I wanted to!" she said indignantly as her teammate burst out laughing. Blake leaned against her shoulder, and Weiss smiled at the couple as she tossed one of the logs onto the fire.

"You'd never make me do it, huh?" Blake said as Yang pulled her sleeping bag closer.

"'Course not, Kitty Cat."

"Y'know, I still don't get why she gets to call you that and I don't."

Dane's muscle top showed off his leopard fur as he collapsed lazily onto his own sleeping back. Yang rolled her eyes at him, kicking him lightly with her foot. "That's because you're an asshole, Dane, and I'm her girlfriend."

The faunus laughed, crossing his arms behind his head. "Guilty as charged, Blondie. If I didn't know better, I'd think we were paired up on this mission just for your lovely team to bask in my wit."

Weiss snorted, eliciting a laugh from Blake. "Oh, get over yourself. You know we're happy to be paired up with Team BLVE, especially considering how many Grimm are around."

It had been three months since the dance, and WBYR and BLVE had been assigned to a joint first combat mission to investigate a hotspot of Grimm activity near Vale. It was only April, but the semester felt like it had flashed by to Weiss. Training, slowly coaxing Ruby out of her shell, watching Jaune and Pyrrha as well as Blake and Yang getting closer…

She glanced over to Emmy and Merc, who were quietly talking apart from the campfire. "What's up with them anyway?"

Dane leaned in towards the fire, and WBY followed his lead. "Don't let them know I told you this, but Emmy and Merc are kinda… antisocial. Like, really really awkward."

"Ri-ight, so you've decided to grace us with your presence," Blake quipped, Yang nudging her slightly.

"What can I say, you guys are interesting." Dane flashed them his teeth, which were a little too pointy for Weiss' liking. "'sides, that's why we're in Vale in the first place, right? Inter-team bonding?"

"Something like that, yeah." Weiss leaned back and picked up her scroll as it buzzed. "Ruby and Violet are on their way back."

"Are you guys excited for the Vytal Festival?" Dane asked as she leaned back and traced the constellations with her finger.

Yang and Blake exchanged a glance, and Blake's left ear twitched as she leaned further into Yang's embrace. "Actually, we're not going to be fighting in the tournament."

Dane blinked, a mask of stunned shock coming across his face. "What?"

"Oh, come on, you're a faunus." Blake's expression darkened. "You must know about the protests and the riots. You've seen all of the coverage on the killings. There's no way you don't know about the march."

"Well, yeah, but I didn't think you would be attending the March for Faunus Rights over participating in the most prestigious combat tournament on Remnant," he said, a bit flustered.

Her eyes narrowed at Dane, and Weiss shot Blake a glance. "Calm down, we're on a mission and we don't want to attract Grimm. Dane, we're not just attending this protest. Blake's parents are speaking there, and we've been assigned to help some professional huntsmen secure the event on her request. Practically all of Vale will either be at the tournament or the protest, so we volunteered."

Dane quirked an eyebrow, and Blake glared at him. "Don't you care about this at all? We both knew Tukson, how can you not want to attend this march?"

"I've seen plenty of racism in my life," he growled, his fur rippling as he flexed his arm. "And I am doing my part fighting against it. I'm not blind. Things are changing in Vale for us, and this protest will bring that to a head."

"I don't get it, Cat Boy." Dane hissed at Yang as she stared at him coolly. "If you care so much about this protest, why aren't you going?"

"Yang. Blake. Dane. If you don't chill out, we will be fighting Beowulves for the rest of the night," Weiss snapped, shutting them up for a moment.

Dane took a deep breath, shooting a glace at Emmy and Merc behind him. "I've been driven out of the huntsmen academies once. I won't give up this opportunity, and I intend to fight in this tournament, one way or another."

Driven out? Weiss didn't get a chance to ask him what he had meant by that before Ruby shot into the clearing and tossed herself onto her sleeping bag. "We're back!"

"We noticed!" Merc called as Emmy punched him lightly in the arm.

Weiss stared at her partner – how could she possibly be okay getting dirt on her bedroll like that? "Ruby, you're filthy."

Her partner pulled herself into a sitting position as she grumbled, "Well, I was fine until the fucking Ursa showed up."

Weiss poked her as Violet slipped out from the trees and sat beside Ruby. "Language. I'm not sure if Dane can handle it."

Ruby stuck her tongue out, before glancing at Violet for long enough to make everyone else uncomfortable. Weiss, used to their weirdness, poked her again. Ruby snapped away from her cousin and frowned. "There were even more tonight then there were this morning. I took down three packs of Beowulves, a couple of Boarbatusks, and an Ursa Major, and N- Violet ran into a lot of Grimm too."

"It feels so wrong." Blake shook her head, Yang squeezing her shoulder for comfort. "We're barely five miles from Vale's wall. There shouldn't be any Grimm her, let alone in this concentration. Something's happening out here – I just wish we knew what."

Violet tossed Ruby her scroll, and Ruby looked down and said, "Violet says that it's not worth worrying over, but the sooner Emmy, Merc, and Dane start their watch, the better."

"We just need to wait for- and never mind! Here's the egomaniac himself."

"Students! Sitting around the merry campfire after a hearty fight, how quaint!" Professor Port bellowed as he strode out of the woods. Ruby pulled a face and turned to Violet again, the two losing themselves in their own world again. Seriously, could they be any more obvious about it? It's almost like they're asking for the rest of BLVE to find out.

Getting to her feet and setting aside her endless question about the thinly veiled secret, Weiss nodded to the professor. "Professor Port, if you're back, we're ready to switch the watch and go to bed."

"Wonderful!" he exclaimed, his mustache twitching excitedly. "The Grimm are certainly excitable tonight, so do be careful. I assume you've done an exemplary job keeping the camp in order, Ms. Schnee?"

"Of course, sir," Weiss said, a hint of pride creeping into her voice. She would never forget Port's advice that night he had found her crying in the library, and was glad the professor thought she had improved.

"We'll start out watch right away," Mercury said as he and Emmy rose to their feet. "You can count on us. Dane, come."

"Fuck you too, Merc!" Dane snapped back, before jumping as Weiss poked his fur. "What was that, Ice Queen?"

"Well, that was for cursing. I'm not about to only scold Ruby for that, you know. And this-" Weiss kicked his ankle with her heel. "-is for calling me Ice Queen."

Dane smirked at her as he got to his feet. "Would you prefer if I called you Snow Angel?"

"Why-" He laughed as he ran into the woods after his teammates, leaving Weiss standing watching him go with clenched fists. "Come back here, you insolent brat!"

"Oh Weiss?"

"What?!"

Yang grinned at her. "If you don't cool down, you might attract the Grimm, and we wouldn't want that, now would we?"

Weiss gawked at her, before sitting back down on her sleeping bag in a huff. "I don't even know why I bother with the lot of you. This is a combat mission, we are in a Grimm infested forest, and-"

"Breathe, Weiss." Blake let go of Yang, and she walked to her side and sat down next to her. "You're doing a great job leading us, so it's okay if you relax a bit."

She met her best friend's eyes, taking a deep breath and smoothing out her combat skirt. "Thank you, Yang."

"Anytime."

Professor Port cleared his throat. "Well then, unless you'd like me to regale you with my dashing tales of-"

"Thanks, but no thanks Professor," Blake said as Yang sat back at her side. "You might scare us so much that the Grimm would come."

"Why, but of course! The creatures of Grimm are-" His speech was interrupted as Yang burst out laughing. "You jest, of course. In that case, I, Professor Port-"

"We know who you are, Professor," Ruby said, causing her entire team to stare at her.

Port blinked, scratching his mustache in brief confusion. "Oh. Right. I, um- Away to the tent!"

Yang shook her head as he squeezed through the tent flap. "So, Rubes, what's the occasion?"

"Did you say you fought an Ursa Major?" Weiss asked over her teammate, and Ruby nodded. "Alone?"

Violet nodded with an exasperated sigh as Ruby laughed nervously. "Um, yeah. Ne- Violet was going to help me but she didn't get there fast enough."

A scroll flew at Weiss, and she caught it and read the written text aloud. "'She killed an eight foot tall Ursa in less than two minutes by punching it in the side and stabbing it in the eye.' Y'know, Ruby, sometimes I wonder if you even need the rest of us."

"Violet's a good teacher," Ruby said, flushing as she pressed her hand to the scar on her side – the same place she had come in with the massive wound the morning she had snapped. Weiss had made a point of not asking Ruby about that day since she had learned of the secret's existence, but it was hard to stop herself sometimes. "Besides, having a team is nice."

"This is just our first mission, too," Blake offered. "This is what the next two years of our life is going to be like."

"Yeah, Team WBYR is sticking together!" Yang cheered, earning a genuine smile from Weiss.

"Don't worry, Ruby. None of us are going anywhere."

"I just don't get it! How can those stupid kids be so happy all the time?!"

Mercury jumped back as Emerald took an angry swipe at a nearby bush with her weapon. "Woah, chill out, we're done with them. Just forget about it, okay?"

"I don't mind them," Dane said with a nonchalant shrug, earning himself a glare from Emerald.

"And you!" she exclaimed, narrowing her red eyes. "You were supposed to tell us all of your orders. Did Adam tell you to spy on them, huh?"

"Has it ever occurred to you that some people talk because they, oh, I don't know, actually enjoy other people's company?" he snarked back.

The moon was hidden beyond the foliage as Mercury followed the map on his scroll to the agreed rendezvous spot. "Can you shut up and let me navigate in peace?" he called back to them, but they were too deep in their argument to notice.

"You can't seriously like them, can you?"

"They're nice kids with their heart in the right place," he said. "It's a pity they're in our way, I think I'd have them stick around otherwise. Unlike you, I have the capacity to form real friendships, so how about you go bitch at Mercury instead of bothering me?"

Emerald's hand shot to the hilt of her other sickle. "Listen, mutt-"

"Leopard, actually," Dane said blandly, keeping his voice even from years of practice. "Kinda hard to mistake it, I do have spots after all. Now, I'm not sure how your mom fucked a gemstone, but I'm sure we could repeat the process with you-"

"Alright, I have an idea," Mercury growled as he turned to face his bickering teammates. "How about you listen to your leader and shut the fuck up for five minutes so we don't get lost in this forest?"

"Yes, si-"

Dane flew backward into a tree as Mercury kicked him in the face. "I told you, shut up!"

He groaned as he picked himself up off the ground, growling as Emerald stuck her tongue out at him. Falling into a single file line, they picked their way through the underbrush, killing small Grimm along the way with contemptuous ease. Finally, they made it to the location, a small secluded depression where two men were waiting.

Dane ran forwards and fell to his knee before Adam, fully aware of Mercury and Emerald staring daggers into his back. "Adam, sir."

"So this is the… Dane I understand to be so essential to our plans." Dane rose as his commander gave him the gesture, and turned with deep foreboding to the cloaked man beside him. His deep raspy voice sent shivers down Dane's spine, and he did his best not to let it show. "I was expecting more, although given his commander I'm not entirely surprised."

Dane bit back a retort as Adam stepped forwards. "I am the high commander of Vale's faunus! You will show me more respect than that!"

"I will respect who I please," the man snarled. "I am a far more powerful faunus than you could ever hope to be. You hardly cling to your control of one-fifth of an unstable insurgent group!"

Adam and Dane both winced as Emerald scoffed and stepped forwards. "Harkan. Where is Cinder?"

"I must admit, Mercury, I wasn't entirely sure you knew how to read a map, but I suppose you showed me wrong."

Every head in the clearing turned as Cinder Fall strode into the clearing. A thin trail of fire streamed from her eyes, and her tight red dress left Dane furiously staring at a nearby tree. He was, far and away, the least important person in this clearing and he knew it.

"Cinder!" Emerald exclaimed, starting forwards to hug her.

The Fall Maiden stopped her with a gesture, meeting Harkan's gaze. "Are you prepared?"

"Our… surprise is waiting at my command. The Rose intercepted some of my Beowulf, but not all of them. I can smell them," he snarled, his tone shifting as an inhuman hunger flickered through his eyes. "It would be so easy… Let me slaughter the students. Their blood is waiting to be spilled."

"Our goal is not to kill them, yet," Cinder snapped. Dane didn't miss the faint flicker of revulsion that disappeared into flames a moment later. Huh, so Fire Bitch is human. Shocker.

"And what exactly is our goal here?" Adam hissed.

A hacking laugh rolled through the clearing, Harkan's impossible white face pitched to the sky. "Fear. They will fear the power amassing at their gates. They will fear that a team of nine hunters on an easy mission is sent home early. Most importantly, Ozpin will learn to fear me once more, and then I will feed."

Cinder nodded. "I came to collect Mercury and Emerald. You will not reveal yourself until their airlift has arrived. Dane will return to the students, and I believe you have business in Vale Adam?"

Adam nodded and looked to him. "Do not fail your brothers and sisters in the White Fang."

Dane nodded, then two fingers rested under his chin and tilted his head upwards. Cinder Fall smoldered – there was no other way he could think to describe her. "Ever since the plans have changed, we have put a great deal of faith in you, Dane Lilac. You would do well to remember that."

"I was promised revenge," he growled back, unwilling to budge as the hot fingertips below his chin slowly began to burn his skin.

"And you'll get it," Cinder said, dropping her fingers and turning away. "Launch the assault. I expect you'll have three minutes to make it back to the camp before their help arrives. As far as you know, Mercury and Emerald were separated from you by an overwhelmingly powerful Grimm and slaughtered, their bodies desecrated beyond retrieval."

"Understo-"

Dane jumped back and reached for his weapon as a Beowulf slunk out from the underbrush. Surprisingly, it made no move to attack – it wasn't until it walked up to Harkan that he understood.

Turning on his heel, he set off in a dead sprint back from the way he had come.

A lone howl rang split the sky, and the forest began to shake.

She's so beautiful.

Blake sat by the fading firelight, watching Yang as she peacefully slept. Stress made her insomnia worse, and on a mission, she had plenty of it. Her girlfriend's long blonde hair drifted across her sleeping bag even as she brushed it out of her face. She sighed in contemplative admiration, reflecting on the whirlwind of the last three months of her life.

Being with Yang was everything she could have hoped for, but at the same time, it felt no different than the time she had known her partner before they had gotten together. Yang, as it turned out, knew everything about Vale, and they had gone on a whirlwind tour of all the best restaurants and nightclubs in the city. Even as she had watched the video of the soldiers assaulting her go viral, her time with Yang had been the best of her life so far. She couldn't remember being so happy with, well, everything since the last time she had been to Menagerie.

God, my parents are arriving this week. Are they going to like Yang? Should we take them to meet Tai? Tai likes me, that's a good sign, right?

Ironic, how nothing in her struggle for faunus rights worked until she stopped fighting for it. One moment they had nothing, and now the mess that had started with Tukson's shooting had spiraled into a full out movement. It hadn't really struck Blake how momentous the march was going to be until March, when her father had told her the true reason for their visit – he had been invited to give a speech as the former leader of the White Fang.

I was looking forward to the tournament, but this is more important. We're going to be protecting tens of thousands of faunus, and we have to be ready.

But for now…

Blake shuffled her sleeping bag closer to Yang's; she wasn't anywhere close to sleepy, but she craved the physical contact and her partner's warmth. The forest seemed to growl around her, restless under the starry- No, I think the forest is actually growling.

"Wake up!" Blake screamed, jumping to her feet and ripping Gambol Shroud out of its sheath. A huge Grimm burst out of the woods headed straight for the campfire. Letting her instincts take control, Blake launched herself at the beast, then made a shadow clone at the last second possible. It roared as its paw was covered with thick eyes, skidding to stop just short of the sleeping bag as she rose to her feet.

Yang screamed as she woke up to find a black paw inches from her head, exploding out of bed as Ruby and Neo made a dash for their weapons. Weiss was already standing with Myrtenaster cocked and ready, staring at the monster in horror. "What is that thing?"

"That, huntresses, is a Beringel. Get away from it and call for help! If a Grimm of that size and rarity is here, then something is deeply wrong here!" Port drew his ax as Weiss, Yang, and Blake all sprinted behind the veteran hunter, Yang fumbling with her scroll as Weiss aimed her rapier at the Grimm. "Miss Rose! Get back here!"

"Ruby, what are you doing?" Yang yelled as Ruby and Neo flew at the Beringel with their respective blades. Turning faster than should have been possible for a creature of its size, the Grimm swatted through where they had been. Ruby's triple cloud of rose petals reformed as Neo's sword sunk into the Beringel's neck and Ruby's naginata cut and lodged in its shoulder, right as it rolled backward, nearly crushing her underneath.

"We can fight this!" Ruby yelled as Neo collided with a tree, sinking to the ground before slowly getting to her feet.

Weiss' response was drowned out by a chorus of Beowulf howls. Dane burst into the clearing with wild eyes, his weapon clutched in his grip. "There's a horde coming, we have to go!"

"They can have an airship here in three minutes," Yang said as the first of the Beowulves burst from the trees. "Ruby, we need your cover fire! Get over here!"

Ruby was far more occupied with keeping the Beringel away from Neo, desperately fending off its blunt swings as the dazed girl behind her rose. Just as she was about to stumble over her, a fireball crashed into the beast and bowled it over three smaller Grimm, which were dropping like flies under the combined fire from her three teammates and Dane.

Professor Port stooped down and helped Neo up, then turned to Ruby. All traces of grandiose had disappeared from his face. "Miss Rose. When I tell you to run, you run!"

Gulping, Ruby grabbed Neo and sprinted to her teammate's side. "Weiss, get ammo ready!" Transforming Rising Thorn, she took aim at the approaching swarm of Grimm and pulled the trigger.

"Ruby, you're an idiot! Sometimes you actually need to follow orders!" Weiss yelled, holding out three extra clips as Ruby started mowing down Grimm and reloading at superhuman speeds.

Yang had her scroll pressed to her ear again as Blake shot the Beowulves that had tried to circle around their back. "Are you okay?" she asked urgently.

Letting her scroll drop, Yang nodded. "We have to move! They can't land an airship here, we have to go to the nearest clearing! Follow me! Professor!"

"Go ahead! I've got this under control!" Port shouted back, rolling under a wild swipe and launching another fireball into the Grimm's chest.

"I'll find the best spot!" Ruby yelled and vanished in a cloud of petals, leaving an entire flank uncovered.

"Ruby, you can't just leave, you have to cover for us!" Weiss screeched as she and Dane went back to back to stop the Grimm from reaching Neo, who was still dazed in the center of their tight circle. "Where are Emerald and Mercury?"

Dane's back went rigid. "We got split up. When I found them, their bodies were barely recognizable. They died. My teammates are dead."

Weiss' head spun, and Blake and Yang both gasped in horror as the implications of his statements. Ruby reappeared in the circle and picked up Neo. "Follow me!"

Professor Port broke off from engaging the Beringel and sprinted after them as Ruby ran through the forest towards an open clearing. It smashed through trees after them, bellowing as smaller Grimm raced past it and nipped at their heels.

A floodlight shone down on the clearing, and Ruby shot into the aircraft with Neo as it landed and the doors opened. The rest of her team and Dane came racing in after her, and Port came stumbling in the rear.

"Where did the Grimm go?" Yang called as the engines started to pick up again.

"No, who's that?" Weiss asked, watching as a black cloaked man stepped from the edge of the forest into the clearing.

Ruby screamed as his cloak fell away, revealing a stark white face and a massive broadsword that the man slowly drew as they lifted off the ground. "He's here! We have to move! We have to get out of here!"

"He?"

"Harkan! He's the one that attacked me in Forever Fall!"

"What?! Go faster!"

The transport kicked up to max speed as Harkan lifted his sword up and plunged it into the ground. The earth seemed to seize beneath him before exploding outwards into an expanding sphere of eerie blue light. Blake's eyes widened – the energy was moving faster than them. "Weiss, can your glyphs move us faster?"

Weiss nodded, thrusting the tip of her rapier into the metal floor and creating a massive gravity glyph holding all seven of them in place. Pointing back to the expanding sphere of blue, she ricocheted the aircraft faster and faster as the energy picked up speed. The wings rattled dangerously as the hull groaned under the increased pressure. "What is that?"

"I don't know, but it's bad!" Ruby yelled back as Weiss slumped. "Can you keep going?"

"No, I only have enough left to hold the gravity glyph! This will have to be enough."

The blue gained on them, starting to peter out yet gaining speed. Finally, it faded away, the tail of the bullhead barely clearing the energy's final reach. Weiss collapsed to the floor in exhaustion, and everyone cried out in alarm as they were thrown against the back wall of the passenger compartment, the open door sliding shut with a hiss.

Yang and Port ran to Weiss' side as the plane leveled out and began slowing to a reasonable speed. "Miss Schnee, are you okay?" he asked, tapping her shoulder.

Her eyes blinked open groggily, and she slurred, "I'm okay, talk to Dane."

Yang stayed by her leader's side as everybody else in the plane turned to Dane. "Mr. Lilac. What happened on your watch, and where are Ms. Silver and Mr. Blaise?"

A deeply disturbed and haunted look was plastered across his face as he murmured, "We were separated. I found their bodies. They're dead."

"Dead?" Ruby whispered before her eyes widened. "Harkan- His semblance, he has the power to destroy electronics. What if that blast-"

"EMP, electromagnetic pulse. He was trying to blow out aircraft out of the sky." Professor Port closed his eyes and bowed his head. "We are all lucky to be alive right now, children. Let us not forget that, not when that- that thing has just claimed two young hunters."

"We- we're just going to leave their bodies out there for the Grimm?" Blake asked, sending a ripple through the muted shock that hung over the room.

"There was nothing left to salvage," Dane muttered. "They're just… gone. My team. Gone. Left me here alone."

Ruby let out a strangled half sob and hugged Violet, who was staring blankly at the wall before her. Blake watched her, the horrified feeling in her gut twisting as she knew the true implications of the gesture. Running across the interior, she threw her arms around the bonded girls and whispered, "It's okay, you're still here, he didn't get you."

"No, it's not! It's not okay! Emmy and Merc are d-dead!" Ruby whispered. "He was here. He was here for us."

Cinder found Harkan watching the sky with a malicious smirk. "The plan?"

"Went off without a hitch."

"And they are alive?"

Harkan nodded. "Tell your master she did well. You are an adequate pawn for her plans."

Biting back a shriek of rage, she bowed stiffly. "We will be ready when the day comes."

"Oh, of that I have no doubt. I… Well, I have been ready for this for a very long time. Do not disappoint me, Miss Fall. I think you'll find I don't take it kindly, and you..." Harkan grinned eerily at her. "I've never tasted a maiden's powers before, have I?"

A crow took flight and spiraled away from the branches of a nearby tree, but all Cinder could hear was Harkan's hollow laughter, shaking her to her core.

[A/N] Welcome to Volume Three! This is the darkest volume of the show, and, well, you've read the last two volume of this fic, and this is going to be a tad darker.

As it's the start of the volume, I want to make this volume even better than the past two. Because of that, you should take a moment to write out any CONCRIT you have for my writing, my style, or this story in general. I know I'm not perfect, and your feedback is the best way to improve new chapters! Please help me make this story a better reading experience for you and everyone else! :)

Here's the question – What's one specific thing I could improve on in re:Bound?

To any and all of you who take the time to answer, I'm deeply grateful.

Other than that, thank you for the amazing reception on the finale last week, and I can't wait to keep moving forward with you guys! (also, remember that I have a tumblr with writing advice and a bit of fanart – link on my profile)

Signing out, Allie

[Edit 2/11/18] Grammar

Estimated Update Day: 2/10/17