Author's Notes
*Crawls out of the inscrutable Black Space*
Happy New Year! Quite the riot, 2021, am I right? My mom loves a phrase. "The beast stumbles." She uses it to refer to the inevitable fall of great powers across history. Guess what she has been saying?
Anyhow, this chapter took a while to release, didn't it? There are two reasons for that.
1) One of the scenes in this chapter was added last minute and had me stumped for a while.
2) Second, and most importantly…
I posted last chapter on the 24th. On the 25th a game was released, Omori. It's a surreal, psychological horror RPG in the vein of Earthbound. Like if Earthbound and Yume Nikki had a baby. This is a game whose KS campaign I backed back in 2014 and I've been keeping a passive eye on it since. It finally released after six years and it took all my time between the 25th and the 28th.
It hit hard. You know this indescribable feeling of emptiness you feel after finishing a piece of media that just… overwhelms you? It happened to me with Omori. After I finished the game, I was left in a state of "…What now?"
Then it hit me! This is partially the reason I write/read fanfic. To fill that void the official material leaves. So, I wrote. I spent a week writing an Omori fanfic. A one shot. Originally it was meant to be a one shot for another franchise, just in time for New Year. But that didn't happen. Cannot say I regret it.
It's not available in FFnet because the Omori category doesn't exist. I'm doing the due diligence to get it created, but it's a process and one of FFnet weaknesses as a platform. So in the meantime, it is posted in AO3. The fic is called Time, Wounds, and Scars. If you played Omori, you might be interested in giving it a look. If not… play Omori if you can stomach the topics it broaches.
So yeah, that's the reason this chapter is late. Read, review, follow, fav, and comment.
Chapter 36: Zeno
Time ticked as the group of students waited patiently in front of the elevator to Ozpin's office. The Headmaster had asked to meet first the two Huntsmen that were assigned to assist them. Mytyl didn't know for sure what to make of that. There were multiple possible explanations to why the Headmaster decided to tackle it like this. Maybe he wanted to save them the pressure of reporting in front of professional Huntsmen. Or perhaps he knew something about the Huntsmen's temperament that would impact their briefing. They did have two ex-White Fang among them. Some people wouldn't be as forgiving of that little detail.
Whatever the case, it gave her time to collect her thoughts. As a team Leader, she will be expected to serve as the spokesperson for KVKC. At least for the most part. GV would undoubtedly be questioned for any insider information he might possess. And with Pantera present for their part of the fight, it was a coin toss whether Ozpin valued seniority or being a Beacon student more, which would decide if she and Jaune would need to do most of the talking or not.
'…being in the same team as her… don't you consider it a bit… distasteful?'
The words made her shiver. She knew about her similarities to this Cyan. And she brushed them off. GV didn't hide this fact. Not entirely at least. He was understandably reluctant to divulge them, and she wasn't holding that against him. Yet a part of her couldn't shake off Moniqa's words.
Moniqa was the second person to point out the similarities, and her initial impression that GV might be exaggerating them out of grief suddenly became less plausible. It didn't help she had no image to place on the departed girl, so she was left to trust the words of her partner and his previous associate.
She looked at GV. He was patiently waiting in a corner, keeping to himself. She couldn't even begin to decipher what was he thinking at the moment.
'I'm not getting anywhere on that front without talking to him.'
Bringing up the topic to him was a daunting task. One she should be able to easily ignore yet couldn't
She needed a distraction. She took note of the other students instead. Jaune had been going up and down providing whatever assistance he could with his massive Aura reserves and Semblance. From minimizing the backlash of Kohaku's little stunt with GV, to kickstarting Weiss's and Yang's depleted Aura, he was making sure nobody had any outstanding injury. Even after making the rounds, he was making sure Blake had a dartboard she could throw her conspiracies at, lest she made a run for it in an attempt to find the Fang again.
Mytyl couldn't help but smile at the goof.
Ren and Nora kept to themselves. Mainly because Ren was busy fretting over Stormflower and Nora only had eyes for her man. Whether she admitted it or not.
Team Rupee consisted of Ruby and Pyrrha hovering worriedly over Weiss and Yang. She was surprised by how shaken Pyrrha looked. Relatively speaking. The champion was good for her age and could probably give a fight to even the fourth-year students. But there was bound to be opponents that could stand their ground against her and even overpower her. GV was proof of that. But finding that in a real fight, where failing could mean death, seemed to have rattled her a bit.
'And with Weiss and Yang losing their Aura during the fight… wait, something is not adding up.'
That was a point worth bringing up with Ozpin.
Haven's contingent, alongside Kohaku, were making small talk among themselves. Seemed like Team Phantasmagoria was grilling the first-years in regard to their first big mission. She supposed this was, technically, their first official mission.
Finally…
"You have that face."
Copen joined her by the piece of wall she had claimed as hers to lean however she liked. Standing up with arms crossed was a favorite.
"What face?"
"The 'I'm trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces' face."
She snorted. "What an awfully specific face. How does it look?"
"Like it does on Dad and me. We both inherited it from him, it seems. Care to share what's bugging you?"
She tightened the hold on herself. "I… what Moniqa said to GV, about he and I sharing a team being distasteful… it bothers me."
"How do you know this Moniqa?"
"Met her yesterday, while I was in Vale. I don't think she realized I was GV's partner at the time."
Copen hummed. "If she realized shortly after, it would explain the increased security and the trap. Why does she care about you and Volt sharing a team?"
She opened her mouth to answer but froze. They hadn't told Copen or Kohaku about Cyan.
"I… cannot say. I don't think it's my place to say," she admitted, looking intently at the floor. "It doesn't matter. I know I shouldn't be bothered by her words. I know and can understand why she said them. But… something's off. I know it shouldn't bother me, but it does. More than I care to admit."
"What about them bothers you, specifically?"
She frowned. She hadn't thought about what specifically bugs her, more preoccupied with keeping her mind off the matter. But now that Copen was bringing up the subject and offering a helping hand, she was faced with the question. Why was she so troubled by Moniqa's words? What about them cause a reaction in her when normally she would ignore them?
Her silenced stretched as she mulled over the question. Thankfully, Copen was content with letting her untangle her thoughts before speaking out.
The ping of the elevator caught their attention, indicating its descent. Mytyl gave a silent thanks to the opportune timing. It saved her from Copen looking further and finding out the other thing that bothered her.
"…how much of your team is in Beacon by their own merit…"
She shook away those thoughts for now. Time to face the limelight. Pushing herself off the wall, Mytyl walked towards the door along with everyone else. Unconsciously, the five team leaders present took upon themselves to be in the frontlines, ready to speak up if requested.
With another ping, the doors opened, revealing both Huntsmen that assisted Team RWPY, as well as Miss Goodwitch.
"I've forwarded the codes to your rooms in the visitors' wing. You should have access to them until Monday noon."
"Thanks, Glynda," one of the men nodded. His and his companion's eyes turned to RWPY. Specifically, Ruby. "Your turn, kid. But if you can talk like you fight, that shouldn't be much a problem."
"T-thanks!" Ruby stuttered at the unexpected praise.
That got a chuckle from the men. Sparing one last glance at Team RWPY, they both continued their way.
"They were nice," Ruby commented once the two men were out of sight.
"I suppose they were skilled," Weiss conceded. But a scowl adorned her face as she looked with suspicion towards where the Huntsmen disappeared. "Don't really like how they gave you and Yang some looks."
"They did?" Ruby asked in surprise. Not being the most adept at social cues, she missed the glances. Or to be more precise, any subtext or ulterior motive in them.
Yang nodded. "Yeah, they did. But I don't think they were lecherous. Or at least not like the looks boys have given me before."
Miss Goodwitch interrupted with a polite cough. "Miss Xiao Long is probably correct. Considering those two are an item, I doubt any ill intention or interest whatsoever. More likely than not, your appearances caught their attention. To put it bluntly…" She gave Yang a stern look, communicating she will not tolerate an overreaction to her next words. "…you two are not the first students to come to Beacon wearing those faces, so to speak. You will catch the attention of older Hunters here and there out of recognition."
Ruby oohed in understanding
"They knew Summer?" Yang asked. In turn, Glynda didn't miss how the girl pointedly omitted the other woman she was referring to. She was happy to oblige and keep Raven out of the conversation.
"Knew her or knew of her," Goodwitch clarified. "I don't presume to know the relationship network of all Hunters. However, Team Stark had a reputation. Still do. As you progress in your career, you'll discover that exceptional Huntsmen and Huntresses become known figures, even if only among certain circles."
Yang nodded. However, her fists clenching didn't go unnoticed by a few of them, Copen included.
"But we have more important things to discuss." Goodwitch roved her eyes over the eighteen assembled students and scowled. "I hope I don't need to tell you how impractical it would be to house all of you for a meeting. Team leaders come with me. Ms. Belladonna, Mr. Volt, Ms. Schnee, and Mr. Kamizono, your presence is also solicited."
Yang was the first to raise a complain. "What!? We were also part of this mission. Why are we being excluded?"
The flat stared Goodwitch sent her way immediately snuffed Yang's ire. "Because, Ms. Xiao Long, running a debriefing with nine people is hard enough as it is. Doubling that number unnecessarily is wasteful."
"Too many cooks in the kitchen spoils the stew," Asroc said.
"Hey!" Jaune pointed finger guns at Asroc.
"Well put, Mr. Pygmalion."
"And our presence?" Weiss asked, gesturing at herself and Copen. Blake and GV, being ex-Fang, could be easily explained.
"You and Mr. Kamizono are being summoned by the Headmaster. I do not know why, but if he believes your presence is required, so be it."
She turned to walk towards the elevator but was stopped.
"Excuse me," Pantera spoke up, waiting for Ms. Goodwitch to give her attention. "I wish to bring Teseo with me. Something happened during the raid and I believe it would be beneficial if he's there to explain himself."
Goodwitch stared between Pantera and Teseo for a few seconds, before nodding. "Very well, Ms. Zonda. Mr. Serial? Come."
"We'll be waiting right here," Yang told Ruby, still troubled about not being present for the debrief.
"You don't have to wait for us," Ruby responded, stepping into the elevator. "Why don't you and Pyrrha go to the dorms' kitchen and prepare some chocolate for our triumphant return?"
Mytyl perked at that. "That's a great idea! Kohaku!"
"I'll make sure Asroc prepares one of his peerless concoctions," the brunette assured her.
The door closed. Pantera chuckled. "Kohaku knows how to play right into Asroc's weakness."
"100 Persuasion," Teseo agreed.
-o-
Ten students stood in front of Ozpin and Glynda in two rows. The team leaders – Ruby, Jaune, Mytyl, Pantera, and Sun – occupied the frontline, recognizing their role as their teams' representatives. Behind them, the other five waited patiently, ready to speak up if spoken too.
Ozpin frowned a bit. He didn't enjoy sending kids to an actual mission like this, but in the end his hands were tied. He searched for Ms. Belladonna. Subsequently, he was saddened upon recognizing the expression on her face; she wasn't satisfied with the mission's results.
When Mr. Volt had told him about Ms. Belladonna's… obsession, he was faced with an impossible decision: accept the mission and mitigate the damage; or throw the cat faunus either out of Beacon or into a prison cell. He could, technically, turn a blind eye to their vigilantism and deal with it after the facts, but that ran the risk of things going far beyond what he could reasonably sweep under the rug. Regardless of whatever political capital he held, Ozpin had no illusions about being able to justify a second district in Vale going up in flames for the second time in a year.
He couldn't keep Belladonna grounded indefinitely. The faculty was not there to play jailor to any one student. If she wanted to get out of Beacon and into Vale, there were many ways she could manage that. The best he could do was make it difficult for her, but that wasn't a real solution.
So, he decided to greenlight the mission. Between PTGA's experience as second-years and whatever Hunters he could spare, he hoped to do preemptive damage control. And it seemed to have worked, given the apparent lack of collateral damage. At least this time they didn't have to rebuild an entire district…
He internally sighed. Belladonna's face promised this wasn't over. And that was a problem. He would need to see if Mr. Volt and Mr. Arc, between both of them, could hammer some restraint and/or sense into the girl. Otherwise, he might really be forced deal an unpleasant ultimatum.
His eyes shifted in the direction of Beacon's dockyard, where James's flagship hovered like an eyesore.
"Professor?"
"We're waiting for one last guest, Miss Rose. Please wait patiently."
His console chimed, indicating someone requesting access to his office.
"Come in," Ozpin said to the console, simultaneously informing the Hunters-in-training and Glynda to prepare. Sooner than any of them wanted, the doors opened.
"Ozpin, I hope you have a good explanation for why you sent what amounts to a small platoon of students to a White Fang rally and why my men are picking up the pieces of a Paladin as we speak."
"And I hope you have a good explanation as to why what amounts to a small platoon of students had to fight a Paladin in the streets of Vale in the first place," Ozpin fired back, not in the mood for James's sass.
"G-general Ironwood?" Weiss stuttered, surprised by the sudden appearance of the head of both Atlas Academy and Atlas Military.
"Oh, Weiss," James said, finally paying attention to the individual students rather than the group as a whole. "Copen, Mytyl," he continued, acknowledging the Kamizono twins with a nod, who returned it in kind.
His eyes settled on one final person. "You're… Miss Frost?"
Pantera half-suppressed a giggle. "Miss Zonda, actually. But it was a good guess, General. I am indeed Tenjian's sister. Just not by blood, so we opted not to change our last names."
"I see… my apologies for misnaming."
"Huh… who is he?"
It was a testament to how much Weiss had grown that she didn't pick up Ruby and throw her off the tower through one of the windows. Instead she opted to use words.
"Ruby! That's General James Ironwood! Headmaster of Atlas Academy AND General of the Atlas Military."
"Oooooh… you three are on a first name basis with a Headmaster!?"
Ironwood couldn't help but chuckle upon seeing Weiss have a metaphorical aneurysm. It reminded him of a much younger Winter, back when the Specialist was but a lowly cadet.
"Perish the thought, Miss Rose. It's just that I am on a first name basis with their fathers… for better or for worse…"
Weiss deflated at that. She had no doubts who the 'for worse' was on that sentence. Mytyl and Copen sent her a silent apology, realizing the same.
"…I have a bad habit of referring to their children by their first name," Ironwood continued explaining. "So, I apologize for that, too. I assure you; my casual use of your names speaks highly of you. Dresden and Winter have nothing but praises to say when they speak. Perhaps too much praise, in the case of Dresden…"
"Hahaha, that does sound like dad," Mytyl said cheerfully. "You can call me Mytyl if you want, General. Miss Kamizono is my aunt. Makes me feel old."
"You know who I am?"
"RUBY!"
"Direct to the point, huh…" James mused with amusement, causing Ruby to blush. Weiss was glaring at her leader. "I've met your uncle. He keeps a clear divide between work and family, but he has mentioned you once or twice. But I believe we're eating away precious time with pleasantries. Am I correct to assume this is a debriefing?"
Ozpin nodded. "You are, General. Miss Rose, I already got debriefed on yours and your teams' actions during the fight. But would you mind going over them quickly? I would like to compare."
Ruby nodded and stepped forward. Mentally, she went over what happened the today's events
-o-
"Boss. It's quiet… too quiet."
Ruby didn't like the sound of that. After Junior and Mytyl's message, they decided to make their way to the section of the industrial district were GV and the others were. Between knowledge that one of the higher-ups in Vacuo was MIA and a faunus spotted in Vale matched the description of a dangerous White Fang operative, the group had decided not to wait for either GV or Kohaku to ask them for reinforcement. Instead, they'll join Kohaku and her team.
"Is it me or is it eerily quiet?"
Ruby scowled at Yang's observation. Now that she mentioned it… "M-maybe they all went home for the night?"
"Unlikely," Copen answered. "A considerable amount of Vale's physical labor consist of faunus. And with most faunus having night vision…"
"There should be at least a few working the night shift," Asroc finished. "In other words, tonight in particular they are avoiding this area."
Most likely at behest of the White Fang. She reached for Crescent Rose. Not to deploy it, but to assure herself the weapon was still there if worst comes to shove.
Content with the knowledge that her trusty scythe remained in place; Ruby's attention went back to the surroundings. Warehouses, factories, and offices lined the wide streets of the industrial district, occasionally broken by lots with trucks and heavy machinery.
"Left next turn," Lola announced. "Should take us through a pedestrian road."
Ruby felt a bit of envy towards Copen. Having a combat assistance like Lola or Lumen was so cool. Having to consult a map would have been beyond bothersome.
"Upon reaching the corner, they encountered a fence.
"Ooops," Lola's synthetized voice sheepishly said. "Guess the map isn't updated to account for privatization."
"Should still connect to the other street," Asroc said, intruding into the property by leaping over the fence with a running start.
Looking at Yang, her sister shrugged and followed along with Nora. Copen used his boots to fly above the fence. Guess they were doing this. A Semblance-enhanced leap had her joining the rest of the group.
The pedestrian road, now an open-air storage space apparently, was littered with crates covered with tarps. The land was probably bought by one of the factories on either side. With how valuable space is inside the walls, someone probably figured an extra road was unnecessary.
They quickly made their way through the crates. And stopped when they heard a heavy thud in front of them.
"Yo."
Following the voice, Ruby's eyes landed on a figure crouching on top of a tall pile of wooden boxes, greeting them with a two-fingered salute and an easygoing grin.
Luckily there was enough light to make out the man's details. His skin was tanned, and he was dressed in a black bodysuit with blue and black pants and a zipped, form-fitting, long-sleeved, high-collared, blue jacket. The jacket didn't cover the stomach, so Ruby could see his muscles outlined in his bodysuit. She was reminded of the blue long coat and crop top GV wore. In fact, she was now wondering if what GV wore was actually a uniform.
A black harness was strapped around his shoulders, an insignia resembling a stylized quill emblazoned on the shoulder straps. Both his boots and gloves where black with neon light blue strips. To her eyes, they obviously suggested some Dust functionality. The same strips were present in his harness. She spied what appeared to be a collapsible assault rifle, gray and light brownish-green in color. From her position, she couldn't figure out more than that.
The entire ensemble was clearly Hunter-inspired. But by far his most remarkable feature was the tuft of red feathers crowning his swept-back brown hair. Ruby could feel pit of ice forming in her stomach.
"Can we help you?" Yang asked, tensing at the man's sudden appearance.
"You actually can," he announced genially. "You see, me and my friends are holding a very important business meeting and we need this entire side of the district closed and free from civilians. So, if you'd be so kind as to evacuate the premises, that'd be great."
Yang deployed Ember Celica. "Yeah, about that. You see, we're Hunters, so we're not exactly civilians. If you allow us to take a quick look around and make sure nothing untoward is happening, we'll gladly let you and your friends continue with your meeting."
The man laughed. Not an evil laughed that ironically would have put Ruby at ease. But a hearty laugh that would have you also chuckling along with any other time. Here, right now, it was unnerving.
"Glad to see that sense of humor is a Sanus thing and not restricted to Vacuo. And here I was dreading Beacon's brat would be unable to play along." He jumped off the crate, landing on the ground into a crouch with practiced eased and slowly rising to his full height, cracking his knuckles. Only a bit shorter than Copen, Ruby guessed. "You all seem like nice kids. I'd hate to beat you up."
Asroc scoffed. "Please, you cannot be much older than any of us except Ruby."
"Was that really necessary?" Ruby muttered.
"Heh. Fair enough." The faunus in front of them conceded. "But I was referring more to experience. There is a world of difference between learning how to kill Grimm in a classroom and fighting humans."
"You like to hear yourself talk, don't you?" Copen said.
The man shrugged. "The longer I stall, the less time you have before my reinforcement arrives."
That was all the permission Yang needed. Ignoring Ruby's crying her name, the blonde rushed the arrogant faunus, the recoil from Ember Celica launching her at full speed. Cocking her fist back, Yang put all her strength behind her punch, aiming to wipe the smirk off his face.
Ruby had expected him to dodge or redirect Yang's attack. At the very least she expected him to get hit and be all bark and no bite. What she was not expecting was for him to catch Yang's punch with his palm. Primarily because the guy must have seen the gauntlets and expect some gun mechanism in them. While she was a bit surprised by how easily he weathered Yang's strength, her sister didn't allow that to stop her on her tracks. The instant Yang saw Aura shine in his hand, she unloaded a shot from Ember Celica, safe in the knowledge that she wouldn't be blowing up his hand unless he allowed it.
*Clink*
"Wha-"
"My turn."
Fast. That was the only thought that passed through Ruby's mind as a fist connected with her sister's midriff at blinding speed and sent her flying back, beyond where she and the rest were witnessing the exchange and into a collection of crates.
"Yang!" Ruby rushed to help her sister, who groaned in pain as she laid in a pile of canned food.
Regaining her bearings, Yang took Ruby's hand and rose to her feet. Ruby could see the punch had left Yang disoriented. She still managed to send a red-eyed glare at the faunus man.
'Yang's Semblance. Did he charge it with one punch?'
"You hit hard." The red-crested faunus shook the hand that stopped Yang's punch. At his feet laid the pellets Ember Celica discharged, having fallen harmlessly to the ground. Worst of all, his compliment seemed genuine.
"Oh, I can hit harder, smart ass," Yang gritted through her teeth, the telltale fire from her Semblance beginning burn on her hair. "How about a taste?"
"Pass. I'll just take your word for it."
"You know, women don't like men that wimp out at the first sign of trouble."
If Yang was hoping to rile him up, it didn't work. The faunus laughed. "Men don't like women who think the world bends backward to see them walk down the street." He shined a grin. "In other words, it's not me. It's you. Sorry, but you're not my type."
…
Upon not hearing Yang's comeback, all the students swiveled to see if she was alright. Yang stood with a blank face; no decipherable emotion apparent in her expression.
"If all I needed to shut you up was saying you weren't pretty…" Copen muttered.
"GV and the others are waiting," Ruby said. "Let's defeat him and get going. He cannot fight all five of us."
Right? She was a bit relieved seeing his grin dimming a little. Seems like the threat of all of them ganging on him was enough for him to take this seriously. Reaching to his back, he unclipped his rifle from its magnetic holster. With a clear view of it, Ruby could make a better assessment.
"Assault rifle. Capable of firing from magazine or individual bullets. Single, continuous, and burst fire. Extendable serrated blade under the barrel." Ruby eyes narrowed. "Has a handgun attached to its side. Can fire from both guns at the same time. And both are design to allow heavy recoil for mobility."
"Well, well, well," the faunus said with a tinge of surprise. "Seems like that Beacon tuition is paying itself." His rifle extended to its full length. With a quick wipe of his hand, he detached the handgun Ruby inferred existed. "Color me surprised. Must admit I wasn't expecting you to dissect my weapon so well. Honestly, my bets were placed on the Kamizono kid figuring it out."
All students prepared their weapon. Nora's Magnhild extended to its full length. Copen deployed Aix Gear while changing his stance, ready to rocket forward. Yang kept reign of her Semblance, making sure it didn't burn before she could close the distance and deliver a punch. Asroc pulled two disks that extended into a pair of chakrams from underneath his jacket, letting the weapon hang idly on his wrists while he adjusted his cap with one hand.
Ruby, knowing full well how intimidating her precious Crescent Rose was, decided to unveil it with a flourish; whipping the compacted weapon from her back and twirling it as it unfolds, letting the end of the scythe to impale the floor with a heavy thud.
It was a coin flip if the sight of her weapon had the desired effect, but at the very least it got a complimentary low whistle from the man. "Now THAT is a weapon. A war scythe that's also a sniper rifle. Completely custom made from the looks of it. No recoil mitigation on scythe mode, so one shot from that baby will send it flying at things that need to be cut down."
…Maybe he wasn't that bad.
"Oi!" Yang exclaimed. "Stop going after my sister!"
"Yang!" Ruby shrieked.
"I'm ogling the weapon. Also, men don't like jealous girls either."
"She's fifteen!" Yang completely missed the point.
"Fifteen and in Beacon already? While wielding that? You truly are special." The faunus continued his praises, completely unaffected by the scathing glare Yang sent his way. He brought a hand to his chest. "A woman after my own heart. Too bad there's still like four years left before the age difference stops being weird. You are just my type."
"I'm going to kill him." Yang stated as a matter of facts.
"You set him up," Copen muttered.
Ruby silently agreed. "Yang, Nora, attack head on. Copen, you and I do hit-and-run. Asroc… not sure what you can do, but how does support sounds?"
"I'll manage," the pale blond said. "Plan's solid."
"Good to me," Yang growled. Rather than closing the distance, she cocked Ember Celica and fired repeatedly at the faunus. The man raised both his gun and fired in kind, strafing behind a crate and breaking line of sight. Taking the opening, Ruby and Copen both used their speed to close the distance – Ruby with her Semblance and Copen ricocheting from a nearby wall.
As soon a she sped pass the crate and saw the faunus kneeling behind it, Ruby swung her scythe, aiming to cleave his Aura with a well place hit to the arm. Just in case. But the red-crested faunus's reaction time proved fast enough, blocking Crescent Rose by the shaft with the arm holding the handgun and Copen's kick with the rifle.
Pushing both her and Copen back, he fired at Copen with the pistol before the white-haired boy could take advantage of the 'X' sigil that now rested on the assault rifle. At the same time, said assault rifle was brought to defend against her follow up attack, as she twirled the scythe above her head and brought the shaft into a downward angled sweep at his feet.
The crate the faunus had hidden behind burst into splinters, courtesy of Nora, who followed up with her own swing from Magnhild. Rather than risk blocking the hammer, the faunus used the angled Crescent Rose as a makeshift ramp, dodging the ginger's swing in the process. Ruby was unprepared for it and her knees buckled at the unexpected added weight. It wasn't for long, as the faunus jumped at the end of the scythe, dodging the chakrams Asroc sent his way. One burst of his rifle served the dual purpose of both maintaining pressure on Copen and sending him to the ground thanks to the recoil.
His handgun fired behind him, giving the momentum needed to bring it forth with immense force. With no time to bring Crescent Rose around, she used her Semblance to create some distance and allow the attack to whiff. But not before she good a glimpse at the underside of the gun.
She reappeared a few steps back. "He has a hidden blade on the grip of his gun!"
The faunus clicked his tongue. Though not with as much dislike as one might have guessed. "Geez Red, let a man have his secrets."
"How about this for a secret," Yang yelled, her hair shrouded in fire as she went to unleash the full might of her Semblance. Close by Nora went for the assist, making sure the faunus escaped route was blocked.
The ground erupted into a cloud of dust and debris as the faunus aimed both his weapons at the floor and fired. Both of his attackers missed as the faunus took to the air, landing on top of a tower of crates, promptly batting away both the shots Copen sent his way and Asroc's chakram.
Ruby's eyes widened. The recoil and sheer force behind his weapons to manage that jump had to be insane. She hadn't expected for them to have that much power.
A lull descended upon the battlefield as an explosion was heard on the distance, a plume of smoke rising in that direction.
"That wasn't me, so it has to be Geevees," the faunus said, no longer smiling cockily as his eyes focused on the plume of smoke.
"Sir!"
The smirk came back. "Finally! My reinforcement."
Not good. Bullets rained upon Ruby as she took refuge behind a crate, along Yang, while everyone else took cover a few steps away, effectively forming a shootout between them and the Fang.
"I count four additional White Fang," Asroc said, daring a peek above his cover, then flinching as a bullet pinged off the crate. "I shouldn't have left my gun with Teseo," he muttered.
Nora fired a grenade, only for the projectile to be shot midway to its intended target. "And they got some skill," she added.
"They're not dressed as common grunts. Seems to be the Vacuo contingent," Copen noted. "Looks like the infiltration was a bust. We need to break through."
Hearing a pause in the shooting, Ruby took the opportunity to send her own volley of bullets, as well as get a better idea of where the White Fang were stationed. She returned to cover as soon as the enemy began firing again.
"We cannot lead them to GV and the rest," Ruby said. "Copen, you can outrun them. We'll distr-"
A powerful gunshot drowned all sound and Ruby's words came to an agonizing stop as the red-crested faunus leapt above her cover, seemingly propelled by the recoil of his firearms. She was too surprised to react properly. Two shots, one from each of his guns, were sent to her friends. While missing their target, they still hit the floor and caused a disproportionately large amount of splash damage, more akin to a frag grenade going off.
With everyone else properly distracted, he brought his handgun up, firing and using the recoil to push himself to the ground. The rifle fired back, propelling him towards Ruby, the hidden dagger in his handgun popping from underneath the grip, ready to strike. She hadn't been expecting him to break through their line and go for melee. As such, she wasn't ready to dodge or block with her scythe. She crossed her arms and prepared to let her Aura tank as much damage as possible.
The bite of the blade never came. Instead, a new imposing figure appeared in front of her, blocking the dagger with a hard-light Dust shield, followed by a massive battle-axe forcing the faunus to retreat out of range as the weapon crushed the floor where he once stood. The faunus wasn't safe yet, forced to block with his arm a powerful kicked from a second figure.
Confusion only lasted a few seconds as Ruby remembered GV mentioning they had reinforcement in the form of licensed Hunters. She let out a sigh of relief. "You're Beacon's reinforcement."
The man turned to see Ruby and the first thing that stood out was the patches of scale scattered across his skin. A faunus.
"Ozpin filled us in. We'll take care of the commander. You deal with the others."
Ruby nodded. Something didn't sit right with how the red-crested faunus was fighting, so she was more than glad to leave him to the actual Hunters. They were in way over their head. Still, she was the team leader among the present students., and they had to both deal with the suppressing bullet storm raining their way and assist GV and the others.
"Copen, break through and meet with the others."
"I want to go!" Nora yelled over the sound of gunshots. Of course she wanted to go. Ruby was pretty sure a certain dark-haired boy was on her mind.
"I would appreciate meeting with my team too," Asroc said. "Not like I'm much help at the moment…"
"Can you get through without them following you?"
Copen took both Nora's and Asroc's hands – much to the latter consternation – and smirked. "I can work something out. Watch and learn, Ruby." He looked at his pod. "Lola, Aura Burst."
Ruby looked with intrigue as Lola transformed to mimic her appearance. Her Semblance was a good, easy way to quickly flee the battlefield. But how would that allow Nora and-
In a burst of 'X' sigils that Copen's mimicry created, Copen, Lola, and the two Hunters-in-training holding his hands disappeared. A red, pink, and brown wraith quickly made its way across the storage area and pass the White Fang, dodging bullets in its way and leaving sigils of the same color that soon faded into nothing. By the time the Fang realized what just happened, they were well out of sight.
"…Rubes… did you know your Semblance can pick up others and take them for the ride?"
Ruby just barely registered Yang's question, taken by surprise herself. No. No she didn't. Copen, a man of his word, did indeed teach her something new.
Ruby flinched back into cover as a new wave of bullets rained upon them. Seems like the Fang realized the folly of trying to catch up to Copen.
There were four Fang members attacking them plus the guy fighting the two professional Huntsmen. She didn't like those odds. She quickly came to a decision, reaching for her scroll and pressing the first number she found that would work.
The call connected. "We received Kohaku's message. We're on our-"
"NO!" Ruby yelled through the scroll. "We got cut on our way there. They had Fang members ready for reinforcement and we're pinned down."
"Ruby! Incoming!"
She spared a glance at what Yang was looking at. Her eyes widened. Without thinking, she took her sister's hand and used her Semblance, whisking them away from the Dust grenade that obliterated where they just a few seconds ago. The first thing she noticed: using her Semblance on others was more costly. Not cripplingly so, but enough for her to feel disoriented at the unexpected Aura drain. Second thing: she still had a scroll call.
"Copen, Nora, and Asroc broke through. Yang and I stuck around to help the two Huntsmen Ozpin assigned to this. Send Weiss and Pyrrha our way. The rest of you find another route. I'm out."
Hanging up, Ruby set her focus back to the shootout. The two Huntsmen were keeping the red-crested faunus busy, putting into perspective how much he had been playing with them.
"We need to close the distance," Yang said beside her. Ruby nodded. Hunters were trained first and foremost in melee combat. There were exceptions like GV and Coco, but given the absence of any vital organ in the Grimm, their resilience – all but guaranteeing sooner or later a Grimm will breach the distance - and their sheer numbers, melee combat was the de facto method of dealing with Grimm.
It wasn't necessarily ideal against human and faunus opponents, but it was where Hunters excelled.
She took Yang's hand. "Get ready." Activating her Semblance, Ruby left the cover, taking Yang for the ride. Weaving through the hail of bullets, she quickly made it to the enemy line. The hadn't expected such a bold move, so when Ruby dropped her Semblance, scythe swinging, and gauntlets punching in Yang's case, it took the White Fang a few seconds to reorient themselves. But the damage was done, as Ruby and Yang set the battle's tempo.
Ruby realized soon enough this was an uphill battle. These Fang were not completely hopeless at close range and quickly switched to mass-produced gunblades and revolver daggers. That was a nasty surprise. Mechashift weapons were a staple of Hunters. Individually, these White Fang were not quite on their level, but still good enough to properly wield the more complicated weaponry. Good enough for a two against one disadvantage to be decisive.
Dropping low and sliding between her opponents, Ruby tried to sweep them off their feet with her scythe. One of them didn't react in time, but the other jumped over her attack. She blocked the sword swung down at her, grunting at the force. Twisting Crescent Rose, the opposing blade was knocked to the side, giving Ruby a point blank shot with her sniper. The sheer force of the high-caliber bullet sent the Fang flying back, Aura absorbing the damage but definitely taking a nasty hit. Without forgetting about the enemy behind her, she twirled Crescent Rose 180 degrees, so that the sniper was now pointing at the other Fang member. Lucky for them, they managed to dodge in time.
The recoil sent her flying at the opponent she hit with the sniper. She brought her scythe down, hoping to put all the weight of Crescent Rose behind the attack and shatter her opponent's Aura. But the White Fang member reacted quicker than she anticipated. Rather than try and block the attack – setting themselves up to give the back to Crescent Rose's blade – they retreated beyond her range.
And were greeted with one of their comrades barreling through them. Courtesy of Yang and a well-placed throw. Immediately afterward, Yang turned and crossed her arms, using her gauntlets to block a volley of bullets from her second opponent. Ruby joined her sister, providing cover fire to force the White Fang shooting to dodge and break the stream of bullets.
The deafening sound of an explosion halted both Huntresses and the White Fang. One of the Huntsmen sent to help them was pushing himself of a newly made indent on the wall, the other Hunstman protecting his partner.
The red-crested faunus stood atop a stack of crates a few meters away; his carefree and genial demeanor gone, replaced by a steely and determined gaze. He was serious now.
"Go help the captain," one of the White Fang members shouted to his comrade. "We'll deal with the two Huntresses."
Ruby tried to stop them, but was forced to disengage as the hail of bullets resumed. Yang had once more closed the distance, but was having trouble netting a clean hit on her opponent.
Then the most angelic voice this side of Vale sang music to her ears.
"Freezerburn!"
In an instant, a thin sheet of ice covered the ground below. With no further prompt, Yang activated what little charge she had of her Semblance and punch the ice, evaporating it and creating a smokescreen.
"Weiss! Pyrrha! You're here!"
"We are? Would have never guessed." Weiss snarked as she joined her dolt of a leader along with Pyrrha. "What's the situation."
"These are no chumps," Yang joined them "And their leader seems to be some big shot from Vacuo."
"The two Huntsmen with us are having trouble dealing with him," Ruby explained. "Pyrrha, go help them. Between Weiss, Yang, and me, we can handle things here."
Pyrrha nodded and made her way to the fight happening a short distance away.
"Weiss Schnee…" one of the White Fang commented out loud. The remaining two tense alongside with Weiss. "You two deal with the other two. I'll deal with the Schnee."
"As if," Weiss challenged. And lunged, not giving the Fang time to prepare. She hadn't expected the grunt to block her attack, but she recovered quickly and duck under the counter, switching her revolver chamber to fire Dust and sending a fireball at her opponent, scoring a hit.
Ruby trust Weiss to handle herself and focused on her opponent. They were better than anticipated, but not to an unsurmountable degree. Truth be told, she was more worried about Pyrrha. But she couldn't worry about that now. She had her own fight to focus on.
-o-
With surprisingly little stutter, she went over the events, from what they learned from Junior – even if the details regarding who their information broker was were kept vague – right up to the end of the battle by the industrial district, where she was sent to locate the infiltration team.
Ozpin made a note of the increase in air traffic south of Vale before moving to the next point of interest. "A mysterious bird faunus with a red crest of feathers… and you fought him. How would you rank his skills?" he asked.
"Strong. Our information suggested probably as skilled as a third to fourth-year, but he was definitely stronger than that. I didn't really see them fight, but from my understanding it took Pyrrha and a professional Huntsman to hold him at bay."
Ozpin nodded. They knew the Fang had strong fighters, people like Adam Taurus and Sienna Khan, who could comfortably prove a challenge to experienced Hunters. But the Vacuo branch was a mystery in many ways, easily evading the authorities in the inhospitable desert.
Which brought up their own informant on that sect. "Mr. Volt?"
"Zeno Picchio," GV was quick to answer. "Moniqa outed herself as second-in-command, so that means Zeno is probably third. Brilliant engineer. The modified Paladin we fought was most likely tinkered by him… and on short notice, if I have to hazard a guess."
"Fighting capabilities?" Ironwood asked eagerly. He would later berate Ozpin for keeping a defector of the elusive Vacuo White Fang from him, but right now he would take whatever he could get for free and without having to twist Ozpin's arm.
"He's highly skilled and strong. But mostly skilled. I've only seen him lost when someone overwhelms him with sheer power. My Semblance, copious amounts of explosive, numbers; that sort of things. But if he knows what to expect from a fight, more likely than not he prepares a counter in advance."
"Hence the lightning rod for the mech," Copen deduced. GV nodded.
"Anything else? Semblances? Weapons?" Ironwood pushed.
"James!" Ozpin stopped the general from pushing. "We have other things to discuss other than the minutia. Mr. Volt is probably well aware of this Zeno's capabilities. We can discuss it at our leisure on a later date."
GV nodded, confirming they could. Seeing sense, James relented and silently agreed.
"Thanks, Ms. Rose. Anything else?"
"Actually," Mytyl interrupted. "Yang and Weiss got their Aura shattered during the fight. Why didn't the Fang finish them up? Or kidnapped a Schnee that was right there?"
Weiss tensed. Admittedly, the same thought crossed her mind.
"I-I don't know," Ruby answered. "It was towards the end of the fight. Maybe they didn't have time?"
Ozpin hummed. "Mr. Volt?"
"Quill's orders regarding Hunters and the Schnee, at least when I was in the Fang, are as follow: avoid confronting Hunters if possible. Subdue if a fight is necessary. Kill if unavoidable. It does them no favors to make blatant enemies of the Academies and the Kingdoms. Killing a Hunter is just plain bad rep.
"As for the Schnee," he looked at Weiss, a silent apology on his eyes told her she wouldn't necessarily like his response. "If Jacques is present: abandon mission. Capture him. If not possible to capture, kill him. If Winter is present: abandon mission, kill her on sight. She's too dangerous to capture. For Willow, Weiss, and Whitley: secondary objective, capture alive only. Proceed to request ransom… and when that probably fails, keep as prisoners indefinitely until a use for them is figured out.
The silence in the room was palpable.
"That is… surprisingly lenient, all things considered."
Weiss gaped at Ironwood. "That's lenient?"
"The other factions would kill any Schnee, regardless of who they are," Ozpin explained. "They would prefer to capture you to make an example but failing that they would not hesitate in killing you. The fact they only really care about Jacques and Winter means that their hatred is not as blind as it's the case for the other factions. They recognize you, your brother, and your mother have little say on the matters of the SDC."
"And Winter?"
"She has stepped on the Fang's toes several times," Ironwood informed with a frown on his face. "It's likely their gripe with her is more personal in nature."
Weiss trembled in equal part anger and horror. She nodded in understanding.
"Carrying on," Ozpin said. "Mr. Wukong. You were the team leader present for the rally. Please tell us the events that transpired.
Nodding, Sun proceeded to recall the events on the rally: their perception of the audience, the appearance of Roman and Moniqa, the reveal of the Paladin, and their escape.
James eyes focused on Teseo, who was prepared for exactly that and quickly answered the general's unspoken question. "My Semblance allows me to digitize objects. I can return the Paladin as soon as it's convenient for you, Sir."
James nodded. "The sooner, the better." At least that was good news. The picture Mr. Wukong painted worried him. And he could tell Ozpin and Glynda shared his worry. The White Fang was gaining ground fast. And Vacuo's Fang's and Torchwick's presence painted something else was occurring behind the curtains.
"Ms. Zonda, Mr. Arc, Ms. Kamizono, I believe is your turn to elaborate on the fight on your end."
The three leaders looked at each other and nodded. There wasn't much to reveal on their end other than the big fighters' combat skills, as well as the mysterious Semblance that aided their escape. There were the few details regarding the Fang's goal in Vale at the end.
Ironwood hummed to himself. "The Vytal Festival… cannot say I'm surprised. Are you surprised, Ozpin?"
Ozpin ignored him. "I believe we can mark this mission as a success. The information you provided us will go a long way in ensuring we're better prepared against any eventuality. Rest assure your success here will go to your record."
"Success?" Blake asked. "The White Fang escaped!"
Ozpin gaze hardened. "Is that the only thing you see, Miss Belladonna? Because I see four and a half teams of first and second years students, with no business doing such a mission, successfully gathering information of an elusive and dangerous extremist faction of a militant organization and successfully retrieving and disabling highly dangerous military equipment with minimal collateral damage that didn't require reconstructing an entire district. I would call that a success even on a bad day."
Noting the blatant subtext in Ozpin's address to Blake, Jaune quickly interfered to deflect attention from his partner. "So… if I may ask, Professor: What now?"
Goodwitch answered. "Now, Mr. Arc, we take the information you gathered and plan our next step while you carry one with your studies. Or do I need to remind you the semester is barely a week in?"
"What!?" Blake exclaimed; her voice raised. "But the White Fang is still out there! And they're more dangerous than before!"
"Is that so?" Ozpin quickly interrupted Blake, leaning forward and resting his hands on top of his desk, fingers laced. "Can I assume this means you didn't tell us everything and you do, in fact, know the current exact location of the White Fang, saving us the public relation disaster that would be to mobilize law enforcements to comb through every single building owned by suspected sympathizers? I'm sure the bulk of the faunus population in Vale would appreciate that."
Blake had no response to that. Everyone else winced at what was happening. GV's warning that Ozpin wasn't happy with Blake's insistence of taking matters into her own hands was become self-evident.
"Make no mistake, Miss Belladonna," Glynda spoke. "Despite what you may think, we are not doing nothing. You might have lucked out finding a White Fang rally happening this very day, but luck makes for a poor course of action. We are looking into the matter and the information you provided will be useful. But 'south of Vale' is hardly enough to mobilize our forces."
Ozpin continued. "Also note this is Vale, not Atlas." – Ironwood sighed, knowing instantly where this was going – "The White Fang is, officially, an activist group. And truth be told, most of the Fang are indeed activists working for the betterment of faunus everywhere. It is only a minority that uses violence as a tool. And a minority within that minority that uses violence actively rather than in self-defense. I will concede your findings suggest Vale's faction is radicalizing along the lines of Atlas's and Vacuo's, but we are unsure of how far reaching the scope of this radicalization is. If we act rashly, all we'll achieve is pushing the faunus teetering on the edge towards siding with the White Fang."
He leaned back. "You will stand down and let us deal with this. Should we require your help, you'll be informed. But for now, you are dismissed. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and make sure to dedicate yourselves to your studies, so that you're prepared when your time to fight comes."
Most of the students nodded. Blake didn't, refusing to meet the eyes of the three adults in the room.
Ozpin sighed. "Mr. Arc, Mr. Volt. A word, if you will. Everyone else carry on. I won't hold them for long."
"Mr. Serial," Ironwood spoke. "We'll deal with the Paladin tomorrow. I'll have someone come and pick up you and your team in the morning."
With that final dismissal, everyone but Jaune and GV entered the elevator and descended. Blake was the first out, fuming as she stalked towards the dorms.
"One of you might want to do something about that," Pantera told the Beacon students.
"I'll text Ren and Nora to be ready to receive her," Mytyl informed, taking out her scroll. "Go ahead. I'll wait for Jaune and GV and meet you at the dorms."
"Yes!" Sun exclaimed cheerfully. "Kohaku promised us chocolate and I don't know about you, but I could use the comfort food and company."
"Chocolate!" Ruby cheered and attempted speed towards the dorm, only to be grabbed by her hood, courtesy of Weiss. "Ack!"
"The lot of you go ahead. There's a matter Ruby and I must discuss with Mytyl."
Ruby looked at Weiss with confusion. "There is?"
"There is," Weiss nodded. "And to be frank? I rather we discuss it away from Yang's sisterly ears and save us the trouble of dealing with her."
Pantera shrugged. "Fine by me. Teseo, Sun, let's go. Asroc's culinary expertise is beckoning us."
With the Haven students on their way, Weiss turned towards the last interloper. "Copen?"
"You might have accounted for Yang's sisterly ears, but not for my brotherly ones. Unless Mytyl insists, I'm staying. I promise to keep a cool head."
Mytyl made no moves to dismiss Copen. Weiss nodded. Honestly? She had a good idea of how things will play and didn't see any reason for Copen to vehemently come to his sister's aid. Unlike Yang, who might not be satisfied with the probable resolution.
She was willing to play mediator, so Weiss prompted Mytyl to start.
"Mytyl, you have something to say to Ruby, don't you?"
The lavender-haired twin shuffled in place, bracing herself. Raising her crimson eyes to meet Ruby's vibrant silver ones, she took a deep breath and apologized.
"Ruby, sorry for yesterday. I allowed myself to lose control and hurt you. It was an accident and I didn't mean to. Please forgive me."
Ruby remained quiet for a few seconds while Mytyl shifted nervously and Copen looked at the exchange with veiled interest. Then she gave Mytyl a small smile.
"Apology accepted."
Mytyl sighed in relief.
"On one condition."
Then froze.
"What did you do to me, exactly?"
Copen walked forward to shield his sister. "She doesn't have to ans-"
"Copen! Let her fight her own battles."
Copen glared at Weiss and was about to disagree when Mytyl gently pushed his back.
"It's ok," she said softly. "I hurt Ruby and she deserves to know what happened." She looked at Ruby. "Please understand I don't feel comfortable revealing everything. I will tell you what I told Weiss and I ask you to keep it to yourself. That includes not telling Yang, Pyrrha, or anybody else."
Ruby nodded.
"You probably guessed it… but I used my Semblance on you. Or to be more specific, a side effect of my Semblance."
Ruby raise a brow. "A… side effect…?"
"Kind of like how you can generate petals without actually moving. I can amplify emotions. I latched to a speck of fear in you and amplify that."
Ruby tilted her head. "But… I don't fear you."
"Yes, you do. An itty-bitty bit."
"Don't talk to me like a kid. I don't."
"Ruby… please don't make me explain how you do feel some miniscule degree of apprehension towards me."
Weiss hid a snicker. Copen looked at Mytyl with renewed interest.
"Go ahead, sis. I am curious why Ruby feels dread around you."
Mytyl glared at him. "Copen, you're not an idiot. I know you know."
"I know you know I know. I still want to hear it from your mouth."
Mytyl pouted. "…Fine. Ruby, one word. Jaune."
Ruby slowly opened her mouth in comprehension. "Ooooooh… wait, I'm wasn't even aware of my feelings regarding that and you scared me into running away! And that's a side effect!? What is your Semblance?"
Weiss brought a hand to her chin in thought. "Now that you mention it… it is a pretty strong ability by itself. If you can amplify even the slightest trace of emotions, you're practically guaranteed to turn any fight into a frantic mouse-and-cat chase with your opponent terrified of you."
"Or a fight with my opponent trying desperately to kill the big, bad witch attacking them," Mytyl pointed out. "At any rate, you have seen what happens when I slip. There's no way to use it without crippling myself."
Ruby frowned. "My uncle has told me stories of some pretty ridiculous Semblances with no negative effects. Why is yours so harmful to yourself?"
Mytyl remained silence for a few seconds. "Jaune and GV are taking their time."
"Mytyl…"
"It has to do with the specifics of how exactly her Semblance works," Copen said.
"I rather not go into specifics," Mytyl added.
"Very well. I'm satisfied. Thanks for trusting me. Consider yourself apologized." Ruby said with a smile. Just in time for the elevator to Ozpin's office to chime and indicate it was descending.
"Hopefully there's some chocolate left," Mytyl said.
"Yang definitely save us some."
"Remember not to tell Yang," Weiss warned Ruby. "I don't think she would be satisfied with Mytyl's half-explanations."
Ruby herself wasn't completely satisfied but was willing to let it go for the sake of their friendship. Yang however…
"That does sounds like Yang."
-o-
Ozpin remained silent as he sent Jaune and GV on their way.
"Think they'll be able to reign in Ms. Belladonna's obsession?"
"Either they do, Glynda, or we rename Team Juneberry to Team Junior."
"I'm partial to Team Javelin."
Glynda stared impassively at both Ozpin and James. "What colors are Junior and Javelin, anyways?"
Both Headmasters shared a look.
"I'm thinking sky blue."
"Light brown."
"…I'm ending this conversation. If we have to expel Belladonna, we're renaming to Team Anvil. Do you think the White Fang's actions are being influenced by the Queen?"
"It's possible," Ozpin conceded, "the timing is awfully convenient and Torchwick's affiliation could be engineered by her agents, if he isn't an agent himself. This Moniqa does claim the Fang are the mastermind behind this, but she has no reason to tell the truth. There's always the possibility of it all being a coincidence. Faunus and human relations have been at a boiling point for decades now. It was a matter of time before some of them decided enough is enough and opted for a more violent approach. You can only step over an entire race for so long."
"Does not make their actions right," James pointed out.
"Does not make their extremist actions right," Ozpin corrected. "Truth be told, I wouldn't lose a single night of sleep if they got their hands on someone likes Jacques. Hell, they can declare war on the kingdoms, and I wouldn't be fazed. Took their time, in fact. The problem lies with how the Fang's radical elements target anyone tangentially related and overextend in the attacks."
"And the fear they cause?" James asked.
"You reap what you sow. Our job is to prevent the forces of Grimm from sowing fear. But if we plant fear ourselves? There's only so much we can do."
James sighed. The topic of faunus and the prejudice embedded in the system was always exhausting and not helped when the threat of the Grimm loomed constantly in the background. Ozpin had a point. He tried within the power granted to him as a general, but his influence has its limits and was constantly being fought by a system that actively antagonized social progress.
"So is up in the air whether the Fang is being manipulated into doing the Queen's bidding or if this is just a natural progression of their fight," Glynda summarized.
"Or both," Ozpin said. "It's not unreasonable to believe she saw the writing on the wall and just decided to capitalize on the faunus's struggle."
"This 'Moniqa' Mr. Volt mentioned… do you believe she is one of her agents? She is young enough…"
Ozpin shook his head at Glynda's question. "I doubt it. Mr. Volt vouches for her presence in the Fang for years. And Qrow's account of the people that attacked Amber does not match what we know about Moniqa Grau. Again, not impossible, but unlikely.
"We must focus on what we can do now. James, scan the south of Vale. Look into air traffic logs and figure out if there's any inconsistencies and what do they mean."
James nodded in agreement.
"Glynda, keep an eye on Team JNBR. Hopefully today's events will keep Ms. Belladonna pacified enough for Mr. Arc to work on a solution. But just in case, remind Mr. Arc of the consequences of failing to keep his partner reigned in.
"I'll contact Qrow and ask him to keep an ear on the ground. He should be somewhere in Sanus, so he can either check for Fang activity in Vale or figure out what's the status of the Fang in Vacuo. I'll also ask Theodore to relay any information he has and keep a lookout."
With the orders issued, Glynda and James gave their goodbyes and left Ozpin to his own thoughts. While he said the possibility of Salem not being involved with the Fang existed, he didn't put any real weight to it.
'Divided we fall, and the Fang is too good an opportunity for her to let pass.'
The question was just how deep her influence went.
-o-
The metal door of the warehouse creaked as it slid open.
"Cannot believe we escaped that," Roman muttered, pushing pass the faunus that opened the door. On his back he carried Neo, who exhausted her entire Aura pool hiding their group. Over a dozen of faunus plus three humans. They were lucky Neo was effectively full by the time they made their escape. It took all she had just to get to an entrance to the sewers and what little she recovered to hide them most of the way to the safehouse after they resurfaced. Their distraction did its job well, even if Roman would have liked some warning ahead of time.
Speaking of…
"For the records, I hate bugs!"
Several of the Fang muttered in agreement.
Moniqa also agreed. "I know, Roman. Trust me, I'm as thrilled about our escape as you." The frustration she radiated was palpable. Literally. Once everyone was inside, the doors closed behind them and the lights were turned on. Just enough to allow some visibility to Roman and Moniqa. Neo was peacefully resting on Roman's back.
"Boss?" The meek sound of a man came from one of the staircases leading to the warehouse's offices. Roman recognized the voice.
"Perry!" the thief said lively. He never would have thought he would be glad of seeing what amounted to one of his terrorist secretaries, but here he was. "Glad you could make it! Here, help me drag sleeping beauty to the office."
"Ummm, Boss. There's something you should know… someone is waiting for you at the office."
Roman stared at Perry. He wasn't arrested, so there's that. But he was clearly on edge. Which meant.
"Crap," he sulked, then turned to Moniqa. "Come on, Nikki. We have an impromptu date."
Moniqa also sighed. She gave a sign for the Fang to relax while she followed Roman and Perry. Soon enough, Perry opened the door to the office overseeing the warehouse's ground level and invited them in.
Once more, Roman sighed in exhaustion.
Cinder.
She was sitting behind the desk, swirling a cup of wine with disinterest. She didn't even bother to look at them. It was all a game to get in their heads. But Roman was not in the mood of playing. Behind the pyromaniac were her two lackeys, standing in attention like the good mooks they were.
Thankfully, Roman's side was not lacking in reinforcement. Deery was currently fidgeting next to the door, trying her best not to faint in fear. Not helpful, but it was the thought that counts. Infinitely more helpful was the mountain of a man Moniqa brought with her and the Vacuo White Fang. He stood with his arms crossed and with his sight on Cinder, not moving a single muscle. For all intents and purposes, he was a rock sculpture with a chiseled grimace.
"Deery, Perry, you can go," Roman ordered as he walked to the sofa, trusting Moniqa won't let him die in a fit of lunacy on Cinder's part. The two White Fang grunts were more than happy to comply, quickly making themselves scarce.
Roman placed Neo on the furniture, careful not to wake her up. Or at least hope that Cinder believed Neo was sleeping rather than playing possum.
"Tough night?" Cinder asked with faked sympathy.
"The toughest. I counted fourteen brats and the two most annoying bots this side of Atlas. Among them was Moniqa's science fair project. I'm telling you; they are a pest."
"Then you should exterminate them."
"I'm not equipped or trained for that job. I'm a thief first and fighter fifth or so. One or two brats I can handle. More is beyond my paygrade."
Mercury snorted behind Cinder. "So instead you let yourself be bullied around by schoolkids while your henchgirl takes a nap?"
Roman glared at the boy, but it was Moniqa who answered. "Better than going against orders and risk everything to please your mistress."
Emerald flared at the word. "Now listen here-"
Moniqa interrupted. "Tell me, Carrera, how is dear old Tukson doing?"
"Apprehended and paying his due to the cause."
"So you see," Moniqa mockingly said to Emerald and Mercury, "your macaroni art project for mommy-dearest was neither needed nor appreciated."
Both of Cinder's followers got into their fighting stances.
"Enough!"
And were stopped by Cinder's command. "Nikki, dear, I ask you not to play with my subordinates or talk about me like that. It's... disgusting." Chastised, both Emerald and Mercury retreated back to the back and remained quiet; Emerald in flustered anger and Mercury in annoyance. Cinder placed her cup on the table and glared at Roman. "Back on topic, you lost the toys I gracefully gifted you."
"We made a calculated risk and it didn't pan out entirely, Cindy," Moniqa stepped up to talk. "Our main goal was to bolster the ranks of the Fang and we did. During the upcoming month we will whip both new and old recruits into fighting shape. And you'll have your foot soldiers."
"Make sure you do. Onto other subjects, I see you called for reinforcements." Cinder's eyes veered towards the immovable man. "Since he's still here, I assume he's trustworthy."
"Carrera is a relatively recent recruit, but he's as good as your average Hunter and absolutely loyal to the cause. I can personally vouch for that. It allowed us to focus on our little lost wolf while he finished working with the new blood."
Cinder hummed. "Pity he's too old."
"What?" Both Moniqa and Roman asked. Even Carrera raised a brow.
"My original plan was for Neo to take the fourth spot in my infiltration team to Beacon. But with the CCT being taken care of by your boss, it would be best if all four of us could arrive at Beacon at the same time to reduce suspicions. However, one downside is that her Semblance is too useful to tie to Beacon so carelessly. Since you were kind to bring reinforcements, I figured I might find someone relatively unknown among the Fang capable of holding their ground at a Hunter Academy."
"I didn't bring reinforcement for you to pick the flavor you like-"
"I already cleared it with your boss," Cinder interrupted. "Said he already had someone in mind who would be here, but that I can pick whoever I want if I think it would work." Cinder smirked. "Maybe you want that spot, Nikki."
Moniqa scoffed. "With Gun in Beacon? Sure… if you want to remain inconspicuous for the grand total of three seconds it takes for me to get out of the Bullhead."
"Pity. But I'm guessing you brought more of your Quills with you. I doubt your boss had either you or him in mind."
Moniqa reigned her temper. Cinder was making a point of bringing attention to her position in relation to him. What was with everyone's sudden interest in her love life? Or lack of it?
Thankfully, a knock on the door saved her from further fuming. Everyone in the room looked at the door, then at each other. Where they expecting someone?
Another knock.
"Carrera," Moniqa ordered.
Nodding, Carrera went to open the door, fist clenching in preparation for anything. Even Cinder and her lackeys tensed. With one final nod towards Moniqa, he opened the door.
And was subsequently patted on his chest by a happy-go-lucky man a whole foot shorter.
"Carrera! My man! Glad to see you're in once piece! Looking hella' good."
"Zeno…" Moniqa growled, radiating her anger for all to feel.
Zeno was unfazed. "Moniqa! Long time, no see. You look ravishing!" He pointed finger guns at her and winked.
"Are those your last words? Honestly, I'm flattered, but it won't save you."
Despite the threats, the bird faunus laughed. "I see you didn't appreciate my extraction plan. You gave me no time to work with, Moniqa. Honestly, it was a stroke of luck a sympathizer to the cause was in the city for the festival."
He finally looked at the rest of the room, acknowledging their audience. And specifically, Cinder. "Though I'm guessing a White Fang member that's officially registered as a Haven student being in the right place at the right time is anything but a coincidence."
"So he went that far…" Cinder muttered, not sure if she should be pleased her job was made much easier, or mad that she was receiving assistance that far exceeded what she was comfortable with. "And you are?"
Zeno bowed theatrically. "Zeno Picchio, demolitionist extraordinaire, at your service. You must be, and I quote, 'Cindy'."
Cindy refrained from immolating him. Attacking allies like that was more trouble than it's worth.
"What kept you from assisting us out there?" Moniqa asked.
The question sobered up Zeno, whose smile left his face as gave Moniqa his undivided attention. "GV made some interesting friends at Beacon. I was held by a team containing Weiss Schnee and Pyrrha Nikos. The men with me were unable to keep them all occupied, so you faced some reinforcements, didn't you?"
Moniqa nodded.
"We managed to take the Schnee and her blonde teammate out of the battle, but between Nikos, the other redhead, and the two Huntsmen with them, that was a battle we had no business winning. And we didn't, but hopefully we delayed them long enough."
Carrera interrupted. "And you weren't able to retrieve the Schnee?"
Zeno shook his head. "Not worth it. Take the Schnee and we'll have a manhunt on our hand. I doubt that's on our best interest at the moment. Especially for just Weiss Schnee."
"You fought Pyrrha Nikos?" Cinder asked, her interest suddenly piqued.
"Sure did. Nasty piece of work that one. Had to play at a distance. With that Semblance of her, no wonder she's called the Invincible Girl. Not that she needs her Semblance. Her skills are razor sharp as it is."
That got Cinder to stand up abruptly. "You know her Semblance!?"
Zeno nodded. "If not the details, enough to make educated guesses. It was interfering with my own. She is able to control metals to some degree. She's subtle about it, so I imagine it'll be hard for most people to notice. Don't know if it's subtlety by choice or limitation, though."
This... this was gold. Cinder couldn't believe her luck. Right here, in front of her, was someone who fought one of the prime candidates to enact her plan. A public figure. An idol. That just needed one push to fall and drag the goodwill of all Remnant with her. She was annoyed at Roman's consistent inability to deal with some Beacon brats, but if his fights granted her information on the students like Nikos, she could endure it.
Out of curiosity, Cinder had to ask. "I'm guessing I cannot have you as a member of my infiltration team?"
Zeno smiled apologetically. "Sorry. GV would rat me out the second I step on Beacon. Not to mention the team I fought. I don't bother much with the mask."
She narrowed her eyes. "You only have one single member that could fit in my team, don't you?"
"Yep." Zeno pulled his scroll from his pockets and sent a message. Shortly after a new man joined them.
"You… called?" The man said with a singsong tilt to his words.
A tone Moniqa recognized.
"You!"
The man raised his hands in surrender. "Guilty as charge. Sorry for the escape plan, but it was the only thing I could think of when I was asked to play the part."
Mercury snapped his fingers and pointed at the man. "Holy shit. I knew I recognized you from somewhere!"
Everyone in room turned to look at Mercury.
"You… do?" Emerald asked.
"Old associate of your father?" Cinder inquired.
Mercury shook his head and waved one hand in negative. "Nah. Nothing like that. He's an actor! Mostly small films, but he has had a role in one or two big movies. Hey, don't look at me like that. I don't spend all my time being hired muscle and tweaking my evil schemes."
The attention went back to the man, who didn't deny the claim. He just smiled. Looking at him carefully, they could see it. Standing at almost the same height as Carrera and with a lean muscular build, the man looked the part of a model. Healthy looking skin, long dark green hair in a half-knot that shined in the low light, red eyes that glimmered like rubies, a pleasant approachable smile; he was handsome. The kind of handsome that turns heads and opens doors wherever you go. To compound that, the long sleeved white shirt he wore was fitted for his body and of a rich material. The black slacks and brown dressing shoes make the attire look casual but not ill-fitted. The only two items out of place were the gold-trimmed black jacket around his waist – and it still looked like it would be a smart sport jacket if it was worn properly – and the sport tape wrapped around his hands.
"Dude, can I get your autograph?"
The 'dude' smiled cheekily and winked at Mercury. "Even better, you get to be my teammate, or so I heard."
"Neat!"
"Moniqa," Cinder spoke, remaining stoic despite the events. "Explain."
Moniqa sighed and looked at Zeno and his shit-eating grin. "Zeno. Explain."
"Allow me to introduce professional actor, aspiring Huntsman, new White Fang recruit, and future member of Team C-B-G-E, pronounced Cabbage, Stratos Gula!"
…
Everyone just stared at Zeno. Emerald and Roman with a gaping mouth, Neo – still resting on the couch – with one open eye and an arched brow, Moniqa with a palm on her face, Carrera and Cinder refusing to emote lest they show weakness, and Mercury…
"I actually dig the name."
"We are not naming ourselves Team Cabbage," Cinder said through gritted teeth.
"So you're a sympathizer to the cause, but one that rather work from the limelight," Moniqa clarified, with Stratos confirming.
"I am a legitimate Haven student, but enrolled under special circumstances, so I don't have a team." Stratos theatrically brought a hand to his chest. "I get to participate on the festival, help the Fang, and you get a better cover-up story. Win-win, right?"
"And when the other shoe drops?" Mercury asked. Cinder did nothing to stop him.
At the question, the green-hair lamented out, an edge of indignation and anger selling the act. "I cannot believe the teammates they paired me with are characters of so nefarious nature! I am as much a victim as any of you. I bled fighting for the protection of Beacon Academy. Me! A faunus. So do not dare paint me and every one of us who fought with the same brush! Maybe if you weren't busy slandering my name due to my heritage, we wouldn't have reached a point where some individuals believe this atrocity to be necessary!"
He looked at the audience, a wide smirk adorning his face. "So, you think they'll buy it?"
Mercury, Zeno, and Roman applauded politely. Emerald rolled her eyes. "A bit ham-fisted."
"Haha, I have time to work on the delivery. So, we have a deal?"
Cinder considered the offer. If what Stratos says is true and there is a paper trail marking him as a special case in Haven, then being placed on a three-man team would bring a speck of legitimacy to their team. Coupled with the fake backstory they have in place, anyone who looks closely should be satisfied with the coverup. All while freeing Neo to continue her work with Roman as well as minimizing the chance of someone recognizing the girl in Beacon.
It was a good offer. And yet…
"I accept," she said before overthinking it. "With that out of the way, the only preparation left is Mount Glenn. Roman, Nikki, make sure the Fang is ready by then. Remember, first week of October, after most students leave for their missions."
She turned towards Stratos. "We'll arrive at Beacon with the last batch of foreign students. The less time we spend there, the better. Be ready by then."
"Aye aye," Stratos sent a lazy salute.
With her orders given, Cinder walked across the room and through the door, leaving the members of the Fang behind while Emerald and Mercury followed.
"Always a pleasure to deal with her," Roman grumbled, plopping on the sofa next to Neo, who proceeded to drop her legs on top of him.
"Makes you wonder why the boss associates with someone like her, doesn't it?" Zeno said with a carefree smile.
"Not for us to ponder," Moniqa responded. "You still have business outside the city, right?"
"Yep. Boss-man still wants us to visit a few mining sites scattered in northern Vale, so it shouldn't interfere with your duties in Mount Glenn. Carrera and I will be leaving tomorrow. You can keep the other guys we brought as extra muscle."
"And Stratos?"
"Perish the thought," Stratos assured her. "I have a shooting in Vale. That and the tournament are my excuse for being here. If you need me, I'll be around. But do keep in mind I have to remain unseen."
Moniqa nodded. Soon all the pieces would be in place and it will be a matter of getting the ball rolling.
-o-
"Man, I should have insisted on signing my legs."
"Oh, shut up. Why are you obsessed about him?"
"Hey, just because your only hobby is brown-nosing Cinder, doesn't mean I have similarly tasteless hobbies."
"Why you… are you going to let him speak to u- to you like that?"
Cinder has been ignoring her quarreling underlings, but if they insisted on her interference.
"I have no time or patience for your squabbles. If you have time to argue like kids, you have time to be productive."
Mercury shrugged. "Not much to do. You told us to keep a low profile. Why do you look so sour, anyways? We got a pretty good deal with that Stratos guy, didn't we?"
Cinder stopped. Was her discomfort for the offer showing? After some thought, she decided there was some worth in having Emerald and Mercury keep two extra pairs of eyes on their fourth member.
"The man who sent Stratos our way has his own agenda. Do not drop your guard around our fourth teammate. His goals might not align with ours."
Not completely. She doubted the main overarching goal was in danger. She continued walking at a quicker pace, leaving her underlings lagging behind as she muttered to herself.
"Just what are you playing at, Demerzel?"
-o-
"You have a sword!?"
"Not so loud." GV winced in pain as Ruby all but screamed into his ear.
"You never told me you had a sword! Is this how much you value our friendship? This is treason!"
"You never asked!"
With the glaring exception of Blake and Jaune – the latter having a talk with the former in the dorm's common room and keeping her company through her self-imposed hardships – the rest of the students watched with interest, from the kitchen, the back and forth between GV and Ruby, enjoying the impromptu late night snack that Asroc concocted. With the hard part already done, they were left to go over the details of their night. At some point it was mentioned how GV summoned a sword out of nowhere and the rest was history.
"Show me your sword!"
"Oh my…" Pyrrha muttered, much to the chagrin of Yang.
"I suppose it takes all kind of love to color our world. Though even I admit I wasn't expecting to meet a weapon-philiac.
"Seriously, Pantera. It's not always a 'love' thing."
"It might be in this case," Yang lamented, disarming Gibril's argument. "She has been like this since she was little. I don't think she's aware of the double meaning behind her words."
"Please, GV. PLEASE! I even let you touch mine!" She whipped out Crescent Rose.
"Outstanding."
As much as Yang hated it, she had to agree with Copen on this. It was a sight to behold how many double-entendre Ruby could pull without meaning to.
"It's not that I don't want show you" – DAMNT IT, GV – "it's just that hard-light Dust is not cheap, so I rather not use it outside real battles unless I have to."
In one bite, Weiss finished the biscuit she had been content with nibbling and quickly slid into the conversation between electric boy and the weapon-maniac. "If it's Dust you're worried about, I'll be happy to supply you with some for your showcase."
Ruby stared with starry-eyes at Weiss. "My partner-"
"Don't get the wrong idea, Ruby. I'm just interested on a purely professional level. As the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, it is my duty to evaluate possible new applications of Dust. And a sword of solid electricity more than meets the minimum requirements to capture my curiosity." She turned to address GV. "Go ahead. You will be compensated for any Dust spent."
After a second of thought, GV shrugged. Holding his right wrist with his left hand, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the small Dust dispenser he kept under his sleeves. Pushing both his Aura and Semblance, he willed the lightning Dust to react and take shape, the mixed-in hard-light Dust providing the structural integrity needed to maintain the form.
Everyone watched with interest as an ethereal electric blue blade came into existence, resting on top of the back of GV's hand with not hilt to hold it.
Ruby squealed lowly and breathed out, "That is so cool! Can I touch your sword?"
Yang groaned.
Concentrating further, GV made the sword's intense light recede, along with the spark of electricity that dance on its surface. "As long as you keep your Aura up, it shouldn't harm you beyond a trivial drain."
With the go ahead, Ruby reverently slid her hand across the blade, only hesitating at the initial sting upon contact. She could see her Aura lightly straining against the sword, but GV's lowered output made it a non-issue. "What's his name?"
"You already assigned it a gender?" – Ruby laughed sheepishly at GV's observation – "Luxcalibur."
Weiss joined Ruby in inspecting the sword. "It's a hard-light construct, not dissimilar to the Schnee summons, but with electric properties. Does the electricity come from your Semblance?"
"Partially. I use lightning Dust too. My Semblance allows me to trigger and control the lightning generated by the Dust. I shape it into a sword and the hard-light Dust ensures it keeps the shape and give it physical properties. I just need to supply a steady stream of electricity to keep the lightning Dust active and keep the sword from losing structural integrity."
With each piece of information, Weiss's gaze became sharper and focused. "How did you come up with this?"
"…I didn't. My former mentor did. His Semblance is similar to mine. I have more finesse than him, so I am able to create more intricate shapes and keep them going for longer with less Dust."
"How much Dust do you need?"
Pulling the Dust dispenser on his sleeves, GV showed her the vial. "This vial can hold enough for around eight Luxcalibur. Three if I use the giant finisher version of it."
"That's about the same amount of Dust expected to create a construct of this size. But… you said it has lightning Dust mixed into it, right? At what ratio?"
"It's a bit more complicated than just mixing it, since I have to prep the lightning Dust beforehand to prevent it from detonating the hard-light, but it's around five parts lightning to one part hard-light. Otherwise it would be prohibitively expensive."
Now it was Weiss's turn to have her eyes shine with all the intensity of Ruby's in a weapon store. She grabbed GV by the arms, shaking the boy. "That's incredible! How much?"
"Huh?"
"How much for you to teach me the process and patent it? You'll receive a more than fair cut of the SDC's earning, of course." Weiss began to mutter with herself. "And why stop at lightning? If the process can be recreated with other types of Dust, we can have a whole line of hard-light products with the properties of other Dust."
"Is GV's sword really a big deal?" Nora asked out loud, deciding to bring the conversation out of the GV-Ruby-Weiss-sword love square.
"Don't you see it?" Weiss asked back. "What do you think is the most limiting factor when using hard-light?"
"Its cost," Ren answered. "due to its synthetic nature, hard-light Dust is extremely costly to manufacture, since it isn't as simple as mining and refining natural-occurring Dust or mixing two types of Dust like with Ice Dust."
"Exactly. And Gun Volt just engineered a way to produce a hard-light construct at one-sixth the cost!"
"But using his Semblance," Copen warned. "Semblances are finicky at the best of time. There is no guaranteed you'll be able to reproduce the results."
"You bring a fair point," Weiss conceded. "But we need to do further inquiries into the matter to determine if that's the case here. Even if we need to adjust the formula to make it five parts hard-light, that still is a substantial improvement given the current costs. Not to mention other possible applications, like consolidating systems that use multiple types of Dust into one single unit.
"Volt!" – GV straightened at Weiss's command – "I know you and the SDC haven't look eye to eye, but it would be my honor if I can enlist your aid in this endeavor. I believe it would be beneficial not only to both of us, but to Remnant as a whole. What do you say?"
GV snorted. "No need to be so formal, Weiss. I'm sure we can work something out." He scowled. "Though I'll be honest with you… that probably includes ensuring your father is kept as far away as possible. And make the cost reflect on prices to the consumer"
"That… might be tricky," Weiss admitted, "but not impossible. Father likes to keep tabs on me and my siblings, but he doesn't particularly care about the specifics of our R&D department as long as there's a net profit. Most of our revenue comes from selling raw and processed Dust, anyways. If I keep some distance myself, all of this should fly under his radar. As for the cost, you already know the process and can sell it to the rest of the market. The SDC will be unable to monopolize it and keep the savings at a manufacturing level."
"GV! What else can you do with the sword."
Mytyl remained content as GV proceeded to move the sword around him while Ruby watched with childlike wonder.
"Feeling better, sis?"
"A bit. Like some weight has been lifted."
"Hmmm."
She looked at Copen and saw the face he accused her of having earlier in the night. "What are you thinking?"
"You mentioned not knowing why you're bothered before. There's something I want to check. I think I'll arrange a meeting with Dad soon."
"You think it has to do with my surgery?" – Copen nodded. She sighed – "You don't have to," Mytyl assured him. "I appreciate it, but you don't need to fight my battles. Or to look into Dad's witchcraft."
Copen remained silence for a few seconds before answering. "I know," he said reluctantly. "But this is something I don't think you would have thought of. And if it's bothering you that much, I want to help."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"I'll just pick what I need from Dad and give it to you. Won't even look at it myself."
Her eyes widened. "That's… very considerate of you." She smiled. "Thanks Copen. You have grown up a bit."
"I prefer the term 'bullied into acceptance'."
"Haha, same difference. Thanks, either way." She looked towards Weiss, who was double teaming GV with Ruby. "Should we try and nab a piece of the business pie Weiss is cooking?"
Copen nodded. "Probably for the best." He looked at his sister. "Just remember you're not alone. If nothing else, tonight proved this bunch is willing to jump into the mouth of the beast for their friends."
Mytyl eagerly nodded. She dreamed of having a group of friends like this back in Atlas. Coming to Beacon proved to be the right course of action.
Author's Notes
Another chapter, another author's note. This is an exposition heavy chapter, wrapping up the mid-Volume 2 climax and introducing new players to the table.
It's also LOOONGGGL Let's go over stuff. RUNDOWN!
Ruby retelling: This wasn't originally part of the script. But I figured I've shafted the RWBY portion of this fic too much, so I went over what happened on their end. I skipped Pyrrha's vs. Zeno's fight because it would have been mostly Zeno keeping his distance. That and I was becoming fatigue from writing action.
Two Shades of Huntsmen: Originally, the two Huntsmen that helped team RWBY were faceless nobodies. And honestly, they still are nobodies, but they have faces now. Care to guess who they are based on?
Not gonna play games: they are based on the Warrior and Shinobi from Inti Create's Dragon Marked for Death. Since the characters in DMfD are from the dragon clan or something, I made them into reptile Faunus.
Michiru!: Her continuous avoidance of the subject won't come back to bite her.
Blake, Blake, Belladonna Blake: She got away with half the stuff she did in Volume 1-3 by sheer virtue of being a protagonist. So, let me make it clear she's walking in thin ice.
Worldbuilding: People in an industry might or might not know people important in that industry. I decided STRQ are good enough to be known in Hunter circles.
Racism: Is hard to write. You just have to look at RWBY. Still, I hope I'm doing an ok job. Cannot say I can speak from experience, since while I'm not white, I'm not black either and I haven't really lived long enough in a white-dominant city to feel its effect.
Zeno: This biggest player out of the characters introduced in this chapter. Canonically we don't know much about Zeno (besides his personality) other than he is supposedly strong and he had to lose to Pantera/Zonda offscreen to make a point about how powerful she is (before she was 'defeated' by Copen in a cutscene). So I have to take some artistic liberties with this guy.
Fun fact: Zeno's fighting style is based on Rufus Shinra in Final Fantasy VII Remake, where the man is basically a RWBY character in Midgar.
Carrera: Plays a minor role. Appearing originally in 'Chapter 34: Hello, GV', I decided to make him a Fang member this time around. Since his Septima would make him the third character to have a 'magnetism' Semblance, I instead opted to switch it around, taking one peculiarity of his Septima to define his Semblance. Stay tune!
Stratos: This one is more interesting. Canonically, Stratos is a shell of his former self, driven mad by the experiments Sumeragi subjected him. All we know about his former self is that he was handsome and popular. Since this is overall a happier world for most ASG characters, I opted to write a successful Stratos that coasts mostly by his good looks. I made him a movie star! A faunus movie star! Anyways, this means he will be extremely OOC since I basically have to create how he was before driven mad.
Team Cabbage: Cinder has no taste. Team Cabbage is an awesome name!
He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named: It got to the point that it was becoming silly how I evaded saying his name. So fuck it! We all know who's the leader of Vacuo's White Fang at this point. Might as well drop the charades
*Uses the last name I gave him*
GODAMNIT!
Last scene: Last scene was added just to have Ruby react to Luxcalibur. I wanted that interaction. Everything else is just dressing in the background. For the most part.
Reviews
mega-dark: Hope you enjoyed the Holidays.
I agree, Zonda would definitely best Neo with a bit more experience under her belt. And that's in this fic. Canonically Zonda would wipe the floor with Neo.
And I know what you meant with Mytyl. But I cannot confirm nor deny anything. :v
