'I do not own RWBY. It was created by Monty Oum, and is owned by Roosterteeth.'

Note: (sighs deeply) Welcome back ladies and gentlemen! I'm so sorry for the long time without any updates for this story, and for the lack of updates in general. Really, I can't attribute this to anything other than school taking away small portions of my time. The smaller portions of time left over, I find, are not long enough to actually type up a chapter.

But luckily, it's Thanksgiving today up here in Canada, and that means I have more than enough time to get a chapter out! As we go further into the year and I acclimatise myself back into school, updates will easily become more consistent. Please, have a happy Thanksgiving for me… As someone who just had two stories breach one thousand followers (with this one having 1000 exactly at the time of me writing this) I think I know what I'll be giving thanks for.

In the end, I suppose it all worked out rather well. I suppose, in celebration for getting one thousand followers, we finally get to see Salem after so long don't we? Even better timed, is the fact that the RWBY Volume 5 trailer came out today and looks fantastic.

Really, I suppose I just can't be any better can I?

Criminal Mastermind!

Chapter XXV

Nearly screaming as he felt himself falling, Jaune shot upwards. Feeling his world spin before rotating back to its normal axis, Jaune found he was blind to the world, everything before his eyes was black darkness. Breathing heavily, Jaune collapsed backwards onto his be-

His bed?

With his head still slightly spinning, and ribcage constantly expanding and contracting so as to get as much air as possible, Jaune closed his eyes scrunching them tight before opening them again looking upwards. Sure enough, everything in front was black.

Feeling something pressing against his face like a oddly warm caress, Jaune banished the suffocating feeling coming along with it and moved his hands up to his face. It was difficult, considering that the movement itself hurt and that he could barely feel his arms.

Carefully reaching towards his eyes, where Jaune was expecting the softness and warmness of flesh against his fingertips, all he felt was a rough feeling. Shaking his head, he noticed the same feeling against his nose and forehead as he moved.

A bag? Just what had he been up to lately?

With the circulation now returned to his arms, his fingers grabbed the cloth making up the bag and pulled it up over his face. Wincing at the br- Jaune's eyebrow instinctively raised at the intricate mural work on the ceiling.

While he'd been expecting a bright light like from every T.V. show he's seen ever, there was nothing. In the room, rather than bright light there was something akin to light, without being light. As though the light came from nowhere and lit the room, without being there.

Bending his body upwards and running his hands down the silky smooth sheets, he took in the crimson red of them, while turning back and looking at the matching pillowcases. Taking a closer look around the room he began in, he noticed the irregularities which meant he definitely wasn't in Kansa- Vale anymore.

The room was semi-circular. About half a circle, the entire room was oddly shaped yet at the same time worked well. In front of him, as well as around him during the entire curved portion of the apparent tower, was a large set of glass windows embeded in lovely stone arches. Each one was about four feet wide, and eight feet tall before moving on two feet and starting the next one.

Pressed against the flat wall to his back was the large four poster king-sized bed he found himself in, as well as a few other things. To his left, was a large double door in a dark wood matching his surroundings of grey stone rather well. To his right, directly beside the bed was a small bedside table, before there was a wardrobe and a dresser.

Sighing, Jaune took the bag which had been over his head and placed it in his hands looking at it. "Just where the hell am I?"

Tossing it onto the floor away from his bed, he stepped out onto the dark wooden floor before padding over to the wardrobe. Sadly, Jaune noticed he was dressed in nothing but his boxers, meaning a couple things.

Either:

a.) He undressed himself before getting into that large bed there and passing out with a bag on his head.

Or

b.) He'd somehow managed to be kidnapped, stripped of most of his worldly possessions bar for a pair of boxer shorts, and now was being kept in a tower like some sort of Rapunzel with shorter hair and no boobs.

Guess which option seemed more likely to Jaune at that moment… Walking along the floor of the room, he noticed that from up close there was an outline of a torch on the stonework in between every window, and at the top where there would be a flickering torch was instead a purple crystal.

Barely glancing at it as he walked by, he was instead captivated by what he saw out of the window. Something he wasn't sure was terrifying, or amazing, or even a mix in between.

Outside his window, stretching far into the horizon towards what he had no doubt equated to somewhere near 'forever', was a large wasteland. No… To call it a wasteland would be a rude and inaccurate judgement of the space…

Surrounding him, or rather the entirety of him, was a large rocky landscape stretching onwards forever, fading into the pinkish-redish fog coming from nowhere. Some of them jutted up and outwards, like deformed hands reaching towards the stars and others seemed as flat platforms, angled as they might be.

This of course must've led to a large amount of crevices and canyons, many of which he could see from his high viewpoint. But what was the nicest, or rather one of the most confusing things, was the fact that stretching upwards and outwards in all sorts of different ways was a large variety of crystals.

Shaped like some dust formations he used to see back in school, the purple crystals were lighter at the base darkening towards a near back at the top, while a very select few at a higher elevation were shaded red dully glowing.

This stretched on endlessly. Yet even then, the oddest part was none of this.

The oddest part, was how close the moon was, and how much light it radiated.

By itself, the moon of Remnant already did not give off much light. According to the few astrologists willing to go public with their findings, this was due to the shattered surface of the moon always seen stretching across it not reflecting back as much of the sun's light back onto Remnant.

But here it was another story. It was as though a veil of light surrounded the moon, even as it looked far closer than it should've. If Jaune was correct, as he not often was, then this could very well possibly be the thing radiating the same odd light from before.

Taking a step back from the window, Jaune walked over the the wardrobe to look for something, anything he could use to escape, or at the very least, use to take someone hostage should the need arise.

"I may be captured, but if Roman's taught me anything, it's to never give up unless she says the safeword!" Jaune said, his voice in the chamber seeming awfully lonely. Reaching up and grabbing the back of his head, he ran his fingers through his hair before reaching in and opening the wardrobe.

Inside, he found something which, while not necessarily bad, wasn't quite in his taste. Reaching in and grabbing the hanger, he placed it out on the bed and took a step back with his eyebrow raised.

'Huh… It may not quite be my style, but I think I could definitely learn to wear this… Assuming of course that it's mine, and not some sort of cruel trick from my captors to convince me that I'm safe when I'm really not.'

Noticing the absence of socks, he went over to the dresser and pulled open the top drawer nodding at what he found inside. Tossing the socks on the bed, and placing the cordovan loafers onto the ground beside the bed, he was ready to get changed.

'Oh… It seems as though my captors forgot to give me new underwear. God damn it those bastards! Clean undies are a right for every man! And woman! Of course, I doubt a woman would be wearing men's underpants, but if they do even then it's their right! By god, what animals have I fallen prey to? Now the big question… Go commando in what might possibly be someone else's pair of pants… Or wear my two-or-so day old underwear?'

Deciding on the second option so as to not run into the same crusty crap stains he had when stealing the security guards car, Jaune got clothed. At least, as well clothed as he could with the full sized mirror and complete outfit he was taking apart to weaponise.

Now dressed in an odd assortment of nod-clashing but still clashing colours, he stood there in front of the mirror straightening himself out.

On his feet he wore a pair of deep red loafers, which were nicely soled against his feet and felt extremely soft to the touch while at the same time supporting his arches nicely, and on his legs was a pair of nice grey cotton trousers.

Tucked into the trousers was a deep yellow shirt, to the point it looked golden without actually being that lame glossy thread so many party boys liked to use whenever they went out. The silk ran smooth against his skin, allowing for good transferring of heat when both too hot, and too cold.

He had to praise the design of the shirt, or whoever wore it. Silk was known to help with the removal of arrows should it ever go through a silk vest, allowing for a nice teasing out rather than the rough tearing of a barbed arrowhead in the middle of combat.

Wrapped around the rest of his torso was a deep red vest the same colour as his shoes with golden buttons twice layered. What for, he had no idea, he simply knew that there was two layers.

Underneath the vest was a simple black necktie which stood out nicely against the rest of the uniform.

Tugging on the grey overcoat with it's yellow linings, Jaune pressed down the collar before straightening everything out, smoothing out the wrinkles and the like. Taking the yellow socks in hand, he tucked one into his right trouser pocket, and another he kept up his left sleeve.

It was almost a crime in and of itself to disrespect such a nice pair of shoes by using them without socks on, but he figured they would forgive him should the socks save his life.

Walking back around the room, Jaune made his way to the dark coloured door, gently pushing against it before realizing that he should be pulling. Tugging against the knob, it swung open silently and he saw the other half of the tower.

Noting nothing specific bar for a small living room area to the left pressed against the wall, and the staircase in front of him which went down, he stepped down the staircase quickly.

He didn't know how far he went down… Five, maybe four flights now? The only reason he was able to tell he was actually going anywhere was due to the windows changing their view every time. It was as though every floor was the same, and that wasn't even disorienting… Who cares about some uniformist who likes the same landing for every set of stairs in this place?

Finally coming to the last door, he noticed the distinct lack of further staircase, and realized there was no doorway out. Or at least, none which looked as though it would go directly out of the castle-like tower he found himself inside of. There was however, a door.

Steeling his nerves, Jaune proceeded in walking up to the large twelve foot double door, Jaune pushed it open expecting to see some sort of ornate throne room, a large dining hall like from the game 'Groundrim' or even a stupidly expensive and large bathroom for giants!

What he wasn't expecting oddly enough, was a hallway.

Stepping into it, he noticed how it was lit in the exact same way as the room he woke up in, and in the staircase he just traversed. Built into the sides, in between the windows were the various carvings, and engravings, and every once and awhile he saw a new painting or mural of some sort of grimm chowing down on something or other.

Walking forwards, Jaune continued onwards. He could feel the darkness pooled where the light didn't touch reaching out to him, as his very shadow seems to have abandoned him. He passed doors on the left of him, while to his right was more windows showing the same land he'd seen before, all while the moon cast down it's eerie light. At the end of the hallway, Jaune noticed how there was a turn to the left, hustling over there, he felt no curiosity or even compulsion to go into the other doors. He simply felt as though he needed to continue.

Turning the corner, he was greeted with a massive door. Huge by all accounts, an odd number to measure, too odd, and even while attempting to comprehend its size, Jaune felt himself boggled.

Made of a dark black wood, it had a story itself carved into the surface. A perfect masterpiece by all accounts. He couldn't comprehend was it was trying to even say, or show, but he knew it was there. At the center, he saw the moon. That at least, he knew.

But the second he took a step towards it, he felt his entire mind be stabbed with a jolt of pain which went away a second after it appeared. So short, it could've considered to be a hallucination. Of course… That would be considered just a freak occurance if not for the whispers.

"Continue on your path…"

The whispers encroached on him completely pressing down on his mind from all directions. Taking another step forwards, he felt more pressure coming down between his ears, like going particularly deep in a pool.

Jaune felt the visions take hold, as he continued onwards… Trusting the voice.

"Do it! Take the prize!"

Jaune saw himself in third person, and somehow from first person at the same time, from when he must've been just barely twelve. He was thrown back to that body, the smell, the feeling of the air on his skin, the sounds of the farmer's market around him. In front of him, reaching out was his hand, towards a single apple too far to reach.

"Don't let them leave you! Don't let them think you're worthless!"

He was thrown even further backwards, when in reality it was just barely a week. He could see them, or what it seemed like, as the picture snapped and a family of blondes of all shapes and sizes in front of him all rushed towards him to look at the camera in hand.

Jaune remembered taking the photo, but he didn't remember their faces. He knew that they wouldn't… The person taking the picture, the person behind the camera's lens is never remembered.

"Do not let them forget who they left behind!"

Jaune felt himself, even farther after that. Seeing himself stumbled down that very same alleyway, Jaune knew what would happen next. As the rain poured down onto the cobblestones, and Jaune's younger self pressed his back against the stone work of the building, hoping for any refuge from the rain, he heard as some splashes came from one side.

Looking upwards from the ground where his gaze had been fixated, the younger Jaune looked towards the splashing footsteps as they stepped into a puddle and a loud cursing noise came from the side.

A smile briefly lit up his face, even as the pressure increased tenfold. He was there. Jaune was at the doorway, pushing it open, feeling as the large wood gave way before him as his white aura crackled to life around his hands, before flickering and all rushing upwards.

He didn't know it, but his eyes were glowing white hot as he stepped inwards.

Behind the door, was a large hall. A place large enough to look around, and a place large enough to comprehend even while it seemed incomprehensible. Stepping inwards, his footsteps echoed against the stonework floor and reverberated around the room.

On the floor, was four interlocked circles in golden inlay, each of which looked to be more expensive than a house. In the center of each circle was a single circle slab of the same purple crystal he'd seen outside, seemingly having developed gravity fields of their own as they drew his eyes towards them.

Looking down the large hallway, he saw a large set of steps going upwards. While it was a large set of steps, there was only maybe five, but even then there was a perfect stone slab in the middle, in which there was a throne, jagged and twisted looking. The crystals which it was made of seemed to resonate with each breath in the room, growing darker before he noticed a flicker in the top and some white sparks fizzled down the inside.

Seated on the throne, draped in robes as dark as night, with skin as white as snow, was a single woman who radiated pure and terrifying beauty. Standing up as she saw him notice her, she took a single step forwards…

Or rather… Glided forwards would be a closer word for what she was doing. Rather than step, she flowed across a pool of darkness, completely graceful even as her red eyes drank him in, and her curls bobbed.

Taking a step down until there was only four to go, she stood there, observing him until he gulped and fiddled with his cuffs.

"Where am I?" He asked, voice nearly breaking near the end. She took another step forwards, and despite the fact that she seemingly glided, there was still the noise of a heel making contact with stone.

Noticing her perfect hourglass figure, and briefly imagining whether her snow-white skin went down all of those amazing legs, Jaune recomposed himself. No matter how much cleavage she may show now, Jaune has still seen Winter near naked. That was good enough for him.

"Who are you?" He asked, watching as she took yet another step closer, and then another. He himself took a few strides forwards, hand prepared to whip out the sock and garrote her should the situation arise for it.

She may be a god in terms of beauty, and as scary as a Goliath in terms of fear, but he would go down fighting or not at all. Looking her down in the eyes, he noticed how she took yet another step forwards, apparently liking what he saw, while unbeknownst to him, his eyes burned white with aura.

"What do you want from me! Answer me now!" Jaune demanded, shouting and striding forwards not caring as it reverberated around the room and all the crystals flickered with white lightning and black power.

Yet still, the woman took yet another step forwards, and he noticed the red veins pulsing under the white skin of her face, adding colour to it which was oddly nice, but at the same time as out of place as anything he might've seen before.

Stepping forwards in preparation to strangle her, Jaune felt the darkness wrapping around his limbs. He felt his entire being screaming at him to run, to do anything, to die just anything to get away but he didn't know why! Why must he run!?

She took another step forwards, before raising her arms.

"You are in my domain… The grimmlands." The woman's voice came out, silky and smooth, caressing him like a lover's whisper before she took another step forwards, the terrain going forgotten.

As she raised her arms yet again, every crystal seemed to grow lighter in colour as darkness pooled around her feet, and went up her sides, adding to the darkness of her dress. "I am Salem… Queen of this domain…"

Taking another step forwards, he watched as she stood closer and closer, until her right hand reached upwards, cupping the side of his face. Trailing down his cheeks, her hand left tingling sensations every nerve they touched, and Jaune could feel the smoothness and the cold radiating from it, while at the same time knowing that she should be warm.

Eventually, her hand moved down far enough that she had his chin held in three of her fingers, as she pushed it slightly upwards, her blood red fingernails shining in the light.

"What I would like from you, if for you to join me… Rogue…"

~o0o~ Criminal Mastermind! ~o0o~

Note: Done! Wow, this actually went on for around about a thousand words than I was planning for today. The best part is, I didn't run myself into the ground doing it!

Now, I'd just like to say thank you. On this Thanksgiving, I'd like to say that I'm thankful for everyone of of you. When I started writing, I was expecting very few people to like my ideas, very much less follow and be as supportive as you have. Yet here I am, in a fandom of over twenty thousand stories, with two of them in the one hundred and fifty.

I can't possibly describe how thankful I am in any human language.

So please. Go, leave a review… Be thankful for something, or everything you have. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving (even if you're not Canadian) and I hope you all know I love you :)

Review Responses:

Hisea Ori: Okay…

GoodguysRoverated: That would be a good assumption.

Kidwithnokeyboard: How are you typing with no keyboard? (I'll keep up the good work! I promise!)

Chaos Snow Kitsune: That is correct, yes. Thanks for clarification about the squirrel.

DuplicateUserName: You're correct. Not Neo.

desdelor97: Good to know you'll be here 'till the end mate!

Locked Simulant: Yup! Watched the second one when it came out, fantastic movie!
theawsomest5: I do write these to make people smile :)

SolidShinji104: That is correct, yes.

R-king 93: Does he even need to get out of it though?

BrokenLifeCycle: I'd say that yes, it is possible.

NyaNyaKittyFace: That's what I was going for! His umbrella was lost in Mozambique, enough said.

Benthino: Haha, you're correct there!

Aizzec: Is it because of the helmets truly? Or because of their screwed up clone brains?

FateBurn: Why thank you!

salomjesus3: Thanks for the review!

TalonIbnLaAhad: Yup! Raven smut coming soon, now that I have my confidence and mojo back, it'll be worked on.

michmech: That's what I was going for!
SeaZZor: Thank you!

X3runner: Headlines in one-two chapters.

Mystic Koolaid: Thank you!

Mysterious Mr. E: No Cinder, she's next chapter.

The 10th Wand: Haha, possibly!

Frank Horrigan: A cloud of Panzers? As in the tank?

That guy: Yup! The accent would've been too sexual though.

LL: Pfft, sue for sexual harassment? I think Winter's going to do a lot worse than sue.

yesboss21: I've read 'Professor Arc'. Also, yes. I do believe this is the most followed !Crime Jaune story. (Nevermind, second most. Coeur robbed me of the spot. I love the guy, but he just had to encroach on my one territory didn't he?)

MrWhitecoal: Semblance? I have it planned, but not soon no.

Alright, we're done with review responses! Once again, thanks to all of you. It means a lot that you all smile at my stuff :) Now, I should be able to return to a more consistent schedule as long as I keep everything more or less normal. You guys should get a chapter next Monday, and all my other stories should also be able to be updated this week! Yay! Hopefully every week after that too! (Of course Destiny 2 is coming out for PC, and I pre-ordered so… We'll see!)

Have a nice night :)

-DragonManMax