Jaune flexed his mechanical fingers, listening to the soft whir of machinery. Turning his wrist side to side, he marveled at how quickly he had gotten used o his new arm. He grabbed his sword and swung it a few times to get used to the feeling.
"Are you adjusting well?" Ren asked.
Jaune smiled. "Yeah. It's just like normal."
"It was nice of the general to give you that prosthetic," Pyrrha said.
"Are we sure we can trust the general?" Nora asked. "You think he'd at least tell us where Weiss is."
"If the General is working with the angels, then we'll have to deal with him eventually, but that day hasn't come yet. Besides, we've got more important things to worry about right now."
It had been three weeks since Jaune had gotten out of the infirmary. In that time, they had learned where the White Fang were hiding and were preparing their attack. All of them were ready to move out as soon as they heard the order. Every last one of them were itching at the chance to settle the score with Adam and his forces.
Pyrrha's eyes traveled all over Jaune's body. She took in all of his scars, the burns on his skin, his muscles. He had changed quite a bit in such a short time. It was like he was a completely different person.
"Jaune, can I ask you something?" she said.
"What is it?"
"What was it like? You know, being dead?"
"I'm not sure. The last thing I remember is that tiger attacking me. But I do remember something. It was this weird feeling. You know that feeling you get when you're stuck on a test question, but then you figure out the answer? I think I felt something like that."
"What was it you figured out?" Nora asked.
Jaune thought for a moment. "I don't remember."
"Man, even when you're dead you can't do anything right."
Cardin swaggered into the room, that same obnoxious grin on his face. If being the only surviving member of Team CRDL bothered him at all, he didn't let it show.
Pyrrha frowned. "Did you need something, Cardin?"
"I heard that Jaune was up and I wanted to see for myself."
Cardin looked at Jaune and broke out into laughter. "Man, you look like shit."
Jaune feigned offense. "Hey, you get mauled by an electric tiger and see how good you look."
"We both know I wouldn't have gone out like that. Speaking of."
Cardin suddenly swung his mace at Jaune's head. Jaune raised his shield to block and stabbed at Cardin's stomach. Cardin caught the blade in his hand and kicked Jaune's feet out from under him. Jaune sprang back up before Cardin's boot could crush his skull. Cardin swung his mace again, but it was parried by Jaune's shield. In the second that Cardin was off balance, Jaune tackled Cardin to the ground and held a sword to his throat.
Cardin chuckled. "alright, you've still got the moves. Good. I didn't want to kill you by accident."
Pyrrha stood over them tapping her foot impatiently. "Are you done?"
Cardin made a noise of annoyance. "Women. God, I'm bored. When are they gonna give us the green light? We've known where the White Fang are hiding for almost a week now."
Pyrrha sighed. "They need to take time to plan. If we don't do this right, we likely won't get another chance."
"I just wanna get started already. I'm dying to kill something."
Ren pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know, there's more to life than just fighting."
Cardin rolled his eyes. "Like what? Friends? Family? None of those things have ever meant shit to me. Fighting is the only thing that matters as far as I'm concerned."
"You sound like a demon," Pyrrha said.
Cardin laughed. "Maybe I should try and find Yang, wherever the hell she is. Shit, what if we run into her while we're fighting the Fang?"
The entire room went arctic at those words.
Beads of sweat formed on Jaune's forehead. "I didn't think of that. Yang'll jump at the chance to take revenge on the White Fang. What if we have to fight Yang along with the Fang?"
Nora shuddered. "Yang was already a monster, and she's gotta be even stronger now. There's no way we can beat her. And then there's Weiss. There's no way she won't be there too."
"You guys are overthinking things", Ren said. "We have no reason to fight them now. We all have the same goal at the moment."
"But what happens when we don't?" Nora asked. "If we're going to take the artifacts we'll have to fight them eventually."
"I think Ruby's the one who needs to worry," Cardin remarked.
At those words, the room went silent.
XxX
Ruby had never been to Beacon's graveyard before. She had heard of it, but only secondhand. There were stories of students who died during the initiation, during a training lesson, or on a mission. There were others who couldn't take the pressure and committed suicide, and there were those rare few who went insane and needed to be put down. No matter who died or how, they all were buried in the same place.
Ruby traveled through the seemingly endless rows of headstones. The graveyard had grown exponentially in the past few months. Still, she knew exactly where to look.
She continued to walk until she found the grave she was looking for. She sat down and sighed as she read the name on the tombstone.
Blake belladonna
From shadows I was born, to the shadows I shall return.
Somehow seeing her name on that grave made it real. It made no sense, seeing as she saw Blake die, but somehow seeing this made it an undeniable fact.
"Hi, Blake. I hope you're doing okay. Wait, that came out wrong. I wonder where you ended up. I hope it's somewhere nice. It's weird, I have an easier time talking to graves than I do people. I don't know if I ever told you this, but my mother died when I was young. The very first time I spoke to her was in front of her grave. I wonder if you can hear me. I wish you were here, everything's gone wrong since you left us. Weiss and Yang are both gone. I don't know where they are, but I think they're going down a path that there's no coming back from. Oh, I almost forgot, we're about to go and fight the White Fang. I know they used to be your friends, but we can't forgive what they've done. I've been trying to figure out what I should do, and I know now. I'm going to fight. I'll fight to the end to avenge you, and to save Remnant. Well, I don't know what else to say. I think I'll be joining you soon, so save me a seat, okay?"
Ruby could hear footsteps approaching behind her. She saw a familiar looking blonde monkey faunus walking towards Blake's grave. In one hand he was carrying a brown jug of alcohol, in the other a bouquet of flowers.
"Sun!" Ruby shouted. She ran up to him and wrapped him up in a hug. "Where have you been?"
Sun shrugged. "Thought about going home for a bit, then I remembered I don't have a home. Then I went and found a master to help me get stronger. I've been training nonstop since the attack. I finally have some free time so I came to see Blake."
Standing in front of the grave, Sun yanked the cork out of the gourd and poured the contents out over the headstone. He drank the rest before smashing the bottle. He sat cross legged in front of the tombstone and bowed his head.
"I should have been there. I should have been there to help you. What have I even been doing all this time? I'm sorry, Blake, I really am. I spent so much time goofing off that I wasn't strong enough to help you."
Ruby felt like she shouldn't be watching this, like she was intruding on a private moment. But, she stayed.
Sun fell onto his back. "Man, this sucks. You know, I grew up in Vacuo, I should be used to my friends dying. But this hurts too much."
"She was more than a friend to you, wasn't she?" Ruby asked.
Sun let out a sigh. "Yeah. Did I like her because she was another Faunus, or was it because she was the first friend I made in Vale. There was just something about her. She was dark, but she was really bright at the same time. I loved her, but I never got the chance to tell her."
Sun stood up and went to leave. "I hear they're about to send you guys after the White Fang. I want in. When I find the guy who killed Blake, he dies, simple as that."
Ruby nodded. "I feel the same way."
Ruby's scroll suddenly rang. She looked and saw that it was a message from Glynda.
Theater, now
"Looks like we might get our wish."
XxX
Ruby, Sun, and Team JNPR stood in the theater alongside the other remaining students. Glynda stood up on the stage and looked out upon the crowd.
"I would like to thank you all for coming. I understand that many of you have lost something, or someone precious to you, but you have chosen to fight on. I will not lie to you, this battle will not be for any reward, and your names will not be written down in the annals of history. This is not a battle for peace, or justice, or the greater good. This is vengeance, bloody vengeance and nothing more. They took our people from us, so we will take from them. This is a Search and Destroy mission. We will attack the White Fang's headquarters, and we will leave none of them alive. Kill every last one when you find them. Wield your rage, your grief, and your loss as swords, and strike down your enemies! We will triumph!"
The students roared with applause. Glynda shouted to be heard.
"We will depart within the hour. Make any preparations that you need."
The students dispersed. Some of them were nervous about the prospect of another battle, while others could barely contain their excitement. Then there were the ones with an air of grim determination about them. They knew there was a chance they wouldn't come back, and they intended to make the most of it.
XxX
Yang fell to her knees, sweat pouring down her face. She looked up at Mara, who was looking down on her with a large smile.
"Well done, you have become far stronger. I think it's time for you to spread your wings. I saw something interesting a few minutes ago. Your friends are going to attack the White Fang."
Yang's eyes widened. "That's insane. None of them can beat Adam. They're gonna get themselves killed."
Mara chuckled. "Is that what you think, or do you just not want anyone getting to Adam before you?"
Yang's heart seized. A deep, burning rage settled in her stomach. She ground her teeth together as the edges of her hair caught fire.
"That's right. I want Adam's head. No one else is allowed to touch him. I'll kill anyone that tries."
"Very good. It's always better to be honest," Mara said.
Yang looked down at the bloodstained black ribbon tied to her wrist.
"Tell me where to find him. I'll take care of the rest."
Mara opened a portal and tossed Yang in. She waved her off as she watched her fall into the abyss.
"Have fun."
Yang sighed as she plummeted through the infinite darkness. She hit the ground with a thud, leaving a crater in her wake. She got up and shook the kink out of her neck. She sniffed at the air and grimaced. "Yep, this is the inside of a demon's stomach. Now then, I wonder where Adam is."
It was then that she noticed the man in a White Fang uniform staring at her. Yang grinned and wrapped her arm around him, burying his head in her chest.
"Hey, big guy. I'm looking for your boss. Think you could tell me where he is? If you tell me, I'll give you a kiss~"
The man was gripped by a mortal terror. He knew that this girl was a monster beyond comprehension. There was no way out for him.
"H-he's in his chamber. He hasn't left it in days," he managed to sputter. He had already wet himself.
Yang squeezed the man tightly. "Thanks, sweetheart."
She gave the man a quick peck on the cheek. A small spot of flame appeared on the man's face. It quickly spread and engulfed his entire body. The man screamed and flailed helplessly trying to put it out. In seconds, he was reduced to a pile of blackened bones.
Yang laughed. "That was fun. One down, the rest of them to go."
XxX
Weiss stood upon the air. She could see the distortion that marked the White Fang's hideout. Soon, she would have her revenge. She would wipe this stain upon creation from the face of the planet.
Penny knelt beside her. "My lady, are you certain that you do not need assistance?"
Weiss gently placed a hand on Penny's head. "I assure you, I alone will suffice. You are to return to Atlas and assist the general. And while you are there, I need you to procure your father's research. There is something else that I must address after I am done here."
"As you wish, my lady," Penny replied. The air around her exploded as she flew away.
Weiss raised a hand and conjured a sword made of light. With a slash, she opened a hole in the demon's body. The air shimmered, and its grotesque form became visible to all. She flew down into the demon. The stench burned her nose.
"How disgusting. I must finish this quickly."
Blood and other liquids splashed against her bare feet as she walked. She ignored it and kept moving. She could feel several powerful demons in the area. Normally, she would go after them first, but now, she was only after one human.
No, one Faunus.
XxX
Ruby sat at the edge of the bullhead. They were minutes away from their destination. Off in the distance, they could see the writhing green mass that the White Fang were hiding in. Ruby's jaw tightened as she gripped her scythe.
Jaune placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Ruby, we'll be with you the whole way."
Ruby forced out a smile. "Thanks, Jaune."
"We're seconds out!" Glynda shouted.
Ruby and the others stood up. It was time to begin the mission.
"That's a big demon," Ren said.
Nora rolled her eyes. Big was a grave understatement. It was the size of a fortress, a seemingly endless mass of flesh.
Nora's eyes narrowed. "Is that a hole? No, someone cut it. How?"
"I guess we're not the first ones here," Jaune said.
As soon as they were close enough Glynda gave the signal to begin the mission.
Ruby jumped from the plane, speeding towards her destination with the wind whipping against her face.
She landed in complete darkness. With nowhere to go but forward, she raised her weapon and marched into the unkown.