Disclaimer: I do not own anything of RoosterTeeth's. All rights belong to them.

A/N: Welcome, my beautifuls! So, I initially published this story earlier, but I wanted the first chapter to actually be a chapter rather than a World of Remnant. So yeah, I republished it. This chapter was supposed to be longer, but I feel as though this is a good introduction to my series. I also may later "rewrite" RWBY with Team NHTR (pronounced nature) making an appearance. Well, I hope all of you enjoy!

Ten months before the fall

Complete and utter silence was what the announcement brought. Stares of complete and utter disbelief landed upon her, wondering if the plan that she had just informed the four huntresses was actually true. All they could do was give her questioning looks. "Have I not made myself clear?" the one sitting down spoke up once more to both break the silence and to clarify that she was indeed speaking from one hundred percent genuinity. Still, the vague noises of the technology continued to turn about them as her warriors were frozen in their place.

"Beacon will fall. There is no doubt about it. Even if Clandestine has remained neutral and at peace since its founding, can we really go about that peace knowing that our fellow men are being caused torment while we live in harmony? We, as huntsmen, have a duty to fulfill - a duty to protect humanity from its end, a duty to prove the brothers that they were correct in creating us, that we as a creation should remain. We must stand together, even if our own brothers and sisters led us to make the decisions we have. The faunus and humans joined together to fight against their common enemy once, and we must follow in those same footsteps now."

Yet still, the four remained in silence. She knew that they would be against the idea. All of them had faced the sins of man after all. They had not become huntresses to help humanity but to keep themselves from danger. The most common reason that huntsmen sought out a life in Clandestine was to avoid the evils that had wronged them, and there was no argument for why they were wrong to do so. Dying to monsters for a chance of freedom was better than dying to one's own kind for selfishness. To the people of Clandestine, there was no other way to go. Why fight for the ones who had caused them suffering?

"Men are not perfect, yes, but that doesn't mean that we should turn our backs on them. It is true that they have wronged each and every one of us to the point of no return, but we would be the same as the ones who have wronged us if we do not assist. We may not directly have the blood upon our hands, but we may as well if we don't at least try to step in. My orders will not change. The four of you shall leave in two weeks time. If none of you have any questions or comments, then I do not want to waste any more of your time." The quietude never ceased in the few minutes after the statement. "Alright then, you are dismissed. Please take the rest of the night off. I want you all well rested and relaxed for the trip to Vacuo. With that, enjoy the rest of your day."

The tall woman smiled softly, the stray, silver hairs that she had let hang loose from her bun bounced as she opened the door and made her leave. Four pairs of eyes had never left her until she was out of sight. After they could not follow her any longer, they looked into the nothingness around them.

"The four of you will make your way to Vacuo. While Vale may be a lost cause, Vacuo is not, and out of all the remaining relics the sword is the most dangerous to humanity. You shall go there, explain the situation to the Shade headmistress, and act as professors until the time comes that you shall fight."

The words played through their heads simultaneously. It was as if what she had said was on a broken record, but to them a broken record would be a much better situation than this one. At least you can cease listening to a broken record. In this, they had no choice, had to listen, and had to follow orders. It was almost unfair. Out of all of the potential teams she could have sent, she chose them, and she had not given them a choice as she normally offered. No, she barely gave them a chance to speak except for at the end. No time to argue, no time to debate, no time to decline. Nothing, absolutely nothing was given to them as a choice. It was an order through and through as if they were in the damn military.

"I need a fucking drink," the straw blonde stated before exiting the room, high heels clacking as she just about stomped out.

"You know what. I'm not one to do so, but I think I do too," the blunette agreed before following her teammate. And with that, two were left - the leader and the scapegoat. All they could do was stand in silence until one finally sat down, finally saying something that was related to the task that they had forcefully been handed, the life-threatening mission that had pretty much been thrown at them without a moment's notice.

"She...is sending us to Vacuo. She…," the leader trailed off. She didn't want to believe that after the fight that each one of them had to take place in to even arrive in Clandestine it would all be pretty much null and void now that they were being sent back to the kingdoms. "Tremaine, how...do you feel about this?"

"Honestly?" the red-eyed warrior began. "I have no idea. How are we supposed to feel about this? After everything we have done and gone through - after everything they did to us - she wants us to help dig their asses out of the mess that doesn't involve us in any way, shape, or form. It's disgusting. Sure, some are innocent, but they are few and far between. And now we get to risk our lives to save them. For what? To whom do we owe this honor of helping out the ones who abused us, experimented on us, sacrificed us, and lynched us? They can decompose in the darkest and deepest pits of the Dark God's abode for all I care. But what do my thoughts matter? What do any of our thoughts matter? We have to go, and it's bullshit."

Although her voice was calm, it held deep loathing within, and anyone who knew her would know the reasons she had for hating man. It was not like her to use such language, but she did when she thought necessary. The whole thing was almost frightening. Seeing such stress coming from the group was not exactly normal. They had trained and trained to help keep their emotions in check, and at this moment all of their facades were being discarded like pieces of trash. Those facades were the same as the ones that allowed them to venture to Clandestine, and it would normally take a lot more than one order to make the four - anyone from Clandestine in all actuality - to let their guard down.

"I...guess you are right. Maybe we should join Hel and River for a drink to get our minds off of things. What do you think?" Pink eyes looked up at the other woman in the room.

"I think that sounds nice right about now. They're probably at The Cottage," Tremaine replied after a moment of hesitation. She was still unsure of how or even what to feel, but maybe a drink would help get her mind off of it or even just allow her to collect her thoughts in a more organized manner.

"Mm," Nilah nodded, before standing up from her seat. "Maybe we just need to think more positively about this. It may be the only thing to keep us from the grimm when we start our voyage to Vacuo. The grimm around these parts can smell any hint of negative emotion even if it's just a tinge of jealousy. They certainly are dangerous. Perhaps the grimm near the main kingdoms will be like a breath of fresh air compared to what we're used to dealing with."

"That's too bad. I must admit that I enjoy the challenge sometimes," the scapegoat chuckled, trying her best to lighten the mood. Nilah was right. There was no way they would survive even a mile out of Clandestine with that kind of attitude. They had to keep their morale high for their sake and the people of Clandestine.

Her leader smirked in amusement. "I hate to agree, but I do." Then, silence came once more as Nilah grabbed the keys to her cart, and they made their way to The Cottage in the woods about four miles out. It was close to the edge but still far enough inside the bubble that there was no need to worry about grimm, which was probably a good thing for a bar. One wouldn't want a horde of grimm tearing up the place, because someone drunkenly made fun of another drunk's mother or made a sexual joke about a sibling.

Soon, they could see the pub slowly coming into better view, and luckily it didn't seem all that busy. "I feel like it has been quite awhile since the four of us went and got drinks. I remember the first time we came here together! You and Hel showed those assholes who kept hitting on River a more deadly use of darts!"

"Look, we're the only ones who can tease River like that. She is a pure cinnamon roll who must be protected at all costs, and those guys did not seem like the type who were worthy of her affection. They're lucky that Hel wasn't aiming for the front instead of the back. That was her initial plan until I told her that we shouldn't let them know what hit them. As a former author, it makes for a better story when there is mystery added in," the short one giggled, remembering that day with fondness in her heart. It had been almost five years ago, right after River had arrived in Clandestine and had been assigned a spot in their odd, little family thing they had going on. They were a team sure, but the stories they shared of their experiences brought them to a bond closer than just teammates.

With one more turn, they were there, parking next to Hel's jeep and making their way inside. As they had assumed from the lack of vehicles out front, the place was pretty much empty except for the few regulars who seemed to always be there. Looking to the bar, Tremaine pointed in the direction of the two women talking to the waitress behind the counter. Well, River was talking to the waitress; Hel was drinking a martini.

"You two left before we could rain on your parade," the woman announced. "I'm almost offended that you didn't give us a chance to invite ourselves to the party. Don't you agree, Nile?"

Nilah laughed at the other's mocking tone. "You have a point, Maine."

"Hey, I never intended for the lot of you to follow me. I'm not exactly the type to enjoy crowds, but since you two are here I might as well buy the first round to get it started. Maybe we'll wake up tomorrow and forget everything that happened today or better not wake up at all. That sounds nice, doesn't it? Not having to deal with this shit world and all of its shit problems and shit people."

"But then, who else would be sent to Vacuo?" River questioned.

"Not us, and that's all that matters. I just don't understand why it had to be us of all the teams here. Why not pick four who are less - how shall I say?"

"Clinically insane, crazy, brash, stupid, spiteful towards the kingdoms - would you like for me to keep going?" the leader snickered as her teammates couldn't help but nod in agreement. The remaining teammates sat down next to them as Hel waved to the waitress to grab her attention, ordering a round of shots for the lot of them before ordering some food as well. "Feeling generous today?"

"More like done with everything."

"Fair enough."

The four of them then remained silent until their first round was presented to them. With Nilah counting down as she always did, they downed the drinks simultaneously with either audible sighs or grunts of discomfort afterward. This was going to be a long two weeks until their departure.

"Are you sure about this, Lady Clair? Not only are we sending some of our elite huntsmen to Vacuo, but you decided that the ones to be sent would be team NHTR? What if any one of them is recognized? What if one of them meets someone from their past? What if River-" the green-haired male began before being cut off by his superior.

"That's enough. I have faith in them, and it is not as if I hadn't thought of the idea of one of them being recognized. Of course, I have. However, that is another reason why Vacuo was my final choice."

"Another reason? I thought you said that the only reason you had for sending them there was that the relic being guarded was the most dangerous of the three remaining."

"Well, that may be correct, but all of the relics have immense power that could easily mean the end for humanity. However," Clair paused, turning her head to look out the window at the darkening horizon. "Vacuo is a bit special when compared to the other kingdoms. There is technically no government or stability in place. They have a council, yes, but the council seems to be more focused on the school as the people of Vacuo have a mutual respect for one another."

"But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, my adorable, little pup, NHTR from our Clandestine has a way with hating humans as well as getting rid of them. The lack of government means that they will have no limits or guidelines to follow, no loopholes to seek and exploit, and especially no reason to hide. It will be their time to shine."

"And you think that they will enjoy this?"

"I know they won't. Those girls have experienced torment that nobody could even fathom. It is why I didn't give them a choice. They wouldn't have agreed to it. They risked their lives to come here, and now I am sending them back. Nobody would be happy with that. I, myself, would be enraged, but that does not mean that I can simply allow this opportunity to go to waste. Even with their hatred, there is nobody here better for the job. I care not whether they will hold a grudge against me in the end. We cannot allow her to get those relics."

The young man with the straggly, green hair simply gazed at the queen. There was nothing that anybody could do at this point. She had made her decision. Was it a tactful decision? Most definitely. Was it moral? That was arguable. The leader of Clandestine, Clair Soloman, had always given a choice to her warriors, but this was the first time she hadn't. This was the first time she had gone against her own ethics and chosen to throw them aside for the good of the world - a world in which most of her people, if not all of them, despised.

Was this the effect of desperation? Could she truly cause even the strongest huntsmen's force of the hands? How powerful was she? What had they found that caused this reaction from their leader, who had taken down a leviathan with only a staff in her inventory? And if it had been so mind-numbingly terrifying, why did she think that anyone could stop her?