It didn't come home last night.

Honestly with the possession Italy had from start to finish they deserved the win. Just a shame some idiots can't accept that and have to resort to violence against Italian fans and minorities.

Cover Art: Mystery White Flame

Chapter 27

The only one happy to see Atlas was Winter.

She didn't say anything, knowing it would be a bad idea to antagonise them, but she radiated smugness and wouldn't stop smiling like the cat who'd caught the canary. It wasn't a sentiment shared by anyone else.

"Atlas." Ghira Belladonna let out an angry sound. "I never thought I'd see the day they would come here in force. It's the faunus wars all over again."

"Will they attack?" Jaune asked nervously.

"Not much point having a fleet that size if you plan not to. They haven't come to talk diplomacy this time." He closed his eyes, visibly shaking. "I fear for the people of Menagerie. They are innocent, and yet I somehow doubt Atlas will care."

If Atlas were here for the White Fang at all. Jaune didn't believe they were. He looked to Salem desperately, but her face remained impassive. This is our fault, he realised. They're chasing us and we've led them to Menagerie.

"Salem…"

"Yes, my Knight?"

"Can we… Can we talk?"

"We are talking, are we not?"

He cringed. "Privately."

Salem turned and beckoned him to follow, walking past the others, who were too transfixed on the armada out at sea to care. They moved into the corridor adjoining the dining room to the main hallway, then through into a quaint little study room off to the left. Books dotted numerous shelves lined along the walls, while two plush chairs sat before an empty fireplace covered by a metal grill. Rather than sit, Salem moved to the centre of the room and crossed her arms.

"You seek a private audience with your liege. I have granted it. Though I must say your timing needs work-"

"We have to do something about the attack!"

"Or perhaps it does not." Her eyebrows rose and she looked him up and down. "You wish for us to intervene in this battle? That is… unlike you. You're normally all for taking the peaceful approach."

That was a nice way of saying he was normally a coward. Then again, Salem and Tyrian kept dragging him into the worst things. The Nucklelavee, the Argus base, the Grimmlands. Who could blame him being a little anxious? This wouldn't even be happening if Lionheart hadn't sold him out, but it was happening. He was here. Atlas was, too.

"They're chasing us, aren't they?"

"They are." No doubt existed in Salem's voice. "Ozma has his hands in many political circles, Atlas among them, and he certainly wants me dead. I don't know if word of my current condition has reached him or not, but he is pushing the attack in a way he has not for the last thousand years." She tilted her head, tapping a finger to her cheek. "It's almost nostalgic. He's been such a cautious little worm lately. This reminds me of how he used to be."

Jaune only understood the cliff notes. It was all he needed to. "This is all our fault," he said, groaning into his hands. "Kali and Ghira and all the people of Menagerie are in danger because of us."

"They are in danger because of Atlas," Salem countered. "To lead is to take responsibility for many things, good and bad, but one of the first lessons you must master is not to apportion every bit of blame possible to your own actions. Atlas are here for us, yes, but they chose to come here and they have chosen to place these people in harm's way to reach us."

That was… was that Salem's way of trying to comfort him? It helped a little but not enough. Not nearly enough. "We have to do something."

"Do we?"

"Yes!" he shouted, throwing his hands down and staring at her. Salem frightened him, that was only common sense after what she'd done, but in this moment he didn't care. Jaune held his ground. "Maybe Atlas being here isn't our fault but it's still our responsibility! They're here for us! It's not fair to make the people of Menagerie suffer, not after they've been so good to us."

"What, then, do you suggest we do? What is it you want to do?"

Having the question thrown back in his face left him stunned. Jaune's mouth worked but the answer didn't come. "I want… I want…" He clenched his eyes shut, angry at himself and everyone. "I… I don't know. I want to make it so that Menagerie is safe. I want to do something."

"You wish to fight?"

"No. No, I don't…"

"Then do you wish to let Atlas sweep in?"

"No!"

"Then will you fight?"

"I…" He didn't want to – not and cement himself even further in the world's eyes as a bad person. Then again, if the other choice was letting Atlas start an attack on Menagerie, what else was there? Even if they came only for Salem and them, faunus would suffer. Many would fight for their freedom and be killed. Jaune tightened his hands into fists and looked up. "I will fight," he said, wishing desperately that his voice might have been louder and more confident. "But only to protect these people."

Salem's lips tugged into a wide and satisfied smile. It was just a few shades beyond pretty and toward creepy, making him shiver. Her hand reached out, her forefinger curling under his chin and her thumb pressing into the small indent above it and below his lip. Tilting his head up, she stared down into his eyes, her own green-blue sparkling with something unrecognisable.

"The willingness to fight even when you do not want to, so long as it means protecting those who cannot protect themselves." Salem breathed out. It felt like she was talking to herself more than she was to him. "If I didn't know he was out there, hiding away, changed and plotting from the shadows, I would almost say you were standing reincarnated before me."

Unable to move for her hand on his jaw, and wondering why her eyes were becoming more and more lidded, Jaune nervously spoke up. "Um. What are you talking about…?"

Salem blinked, her entire body jolting slightly. Taking him in again, her eyes widened and she all but hopped back, releasing him in a hurry. "I-I meant naught by it!" she proclaimed. "O-Only that you have becoming knightlier of late- I-I mean, you have proven my instincts correct. Ha ha!" The laughter was just a shade forced. "More proof of my immeasurable genius. You have done nothing that I did not predict."

"What…?"

"I am, after all, perfectly capable of planning so far ahead." Maybe it was a result of spending so much time around her, but Jaune was coming to slowly understand her strange mannerisms. Which was why he had the oddest feeling she was blustering wildly to try and hide something. "Your wishes are noble, of course, and who am I to spit on the hospitality shown to us? I will grant your desire, Sir Jaune. For your service in my name, we shall take the fight to Atlas. It is your wish, no?"

Was it? He wasn't sure anymore. But if they drew Atlas away, Menagerie would be safe. In that small way, he could be a better person than he had been.

"It's my wish."

/-/

Though Sienna was by no means happy to see them, all but looking like she wanted to smash her head into a table and knock herself out rather than deal with Salem, she listened and was happy to go along with Salem's plan. Ecstatic, even.

"Hey, if you want to go and throw your lives away like that, don't let me stop you. Take whatever you need."

What they needed was a ship. It was what they'd always needed, and what they could have been away with days before if it hadn't been for Sienna's games. Jaune scowled at the woman as she instructed someone to take them to her own boat. He had half a mind to remind Salem of the treaty and suggest Sienna come with them, but he really didn't want to put up with her.

They were going to sail out and face the Atlas navy. That… didn't feel like much of a plan if he was being honest. Maybe the real plan was to try and break through and escape, then lead Atlas away from Menagerie. He hoped so. Either way, it was much too dangerous a journey for them all to make, and Jaune stepped up toward Terra, Saphron and Adrian on the beach.

"Will you be okay?"

"Kali and Ghira have told us we can stay as long as we want to." Terra said. She held Adrian as Saphron came up to give Jaune a huge hug. "We'll likely stick around until the storm blows over, then see about going home to Argus. If we can't, well, I'm sure your mom would have us in Ansel."

"We'll manage." Saphron said. "You look after yourself as well. Stay safe."

He rubbed her back. "I'll try."

"Sniff. Sniff." The loud snuffling came from behind him and from the last person imaginable. Tyrian Callows, certified nutcase, was standing awkwardly with his nose running and eyes rimmed red. He looked longingly at them and sniffled again.

"Ugh." Terra groaned and held her baby out. "Against my better judgment…"

Tyrian's face lit up. He swept Adrian into his arms and twirled like a ballerina, making the baby giggle. "Shit! Shit!"

Terra and Saphron twitched.

"That's right," Tyrian cooed, dangling his murderous stinger over Adrian's head and watching the baby try to reach for it. He kept yanking it out of reach, making a game of the near-death experience. "Uncle Tyrian has to go away now. I need to do our Goddesses will and slaughter the unbelievers."

Adrian made a motion with one hand. "Stab! Stab!"

"Oh for crying out loud." Terra groaned.

Tyrian wiped a big, fat, crocodile tear away from his eyes. "That's right," he rasped, voice hoarse and choked with emotion. "Stab-stab. I… I…" He choked again, then wailed sadly, clutching Adrian to his face. "Wahhh! Be good for your mommies. Grow up strong and murderous and Uncle Tyrian will see you again one day."

"This is disturbing on so many levels." Jaune deadpanned.

"I think it's heart-warming." Saphron considered her words and tilted her head to the side. "Sort of. In a weird, my son is going to need counselling when he's older, kind of way."

Against all odds, Tyrian was not the only one crying.

Kali dabbed at her wet eyes, clinging to Mercury and squeezing the life out of him. The boy looked lost, afraid and maybe even a little emotionally taxed himself. It was hard to tell with someone Jaune was ninety-five per cent sure was a sociopath.

"Look after yourself," she said. "Make sure you eat well and don't take any stick from anyone. A-And write us letters, okay? Blake never writes, but I want to hear from you."

"I will." Mercury said. "I promise."

"He will be fine." Ghira said, laying one hand on Kali's shoulder and the other on Mercury's. "He was unbowed when his father took his legs and unbowed when he came here." Ghira smiled tightly. "I don't doubt for a second you'll come out of this in one piece."

"Heh. Course I will." Mercury flexed one arm. "I'm a certified badass."

"You damn well are." Ghira gripped his shoulder tightly. "We're proud of you. We both are."

That seemed to throw Mercury for a six, leaving him stood slack-jawed with his eyes wide open. "Y-You are…?"

"Of course we are!" Kali said, wrapping her arms around his neck. Mercury gingerly laid his own on her back, still wide-eyed and confused. That didn't get any better when Kali planted a wet kiss on his cheek. "You're like a son to us."

"I-I am…?"

"And if you see that flighty daughter of ours in Vale, tell her to get in contact, won't you?" Ghira asked. "We don't even know if she's safe or happy and it's been keeping us awake at night."

"That's not fair to either of you." Mercury growled. "I'll find her. And I'll call you when I reach Vale," he promised. "Hell, I'll drag her cowardly ass to the CCT and make her call you as well."

"Jaune!" Salem shouted. "It is time. Move yourself."

The call to arms was for all of them but Salem, as usual, failed to acknowledge the existence of most of them. Sighing, Jaune said his final farewells to Terra and Saphron, then helped pry Adrian out of a clingy and weepy Tyrian's hands and give him back over to his mothers. They walked back together, past a now crying Kali desperately hugging Mercury. The silver-haired boy extricated himself with Ghira's help and followed them, waving backwards the whole time.

"You could stay if you wanted." Jaune offered. "I doubt Salem would even notice."

"Nah." Mercury wiped at his face and looked down at his hand in confusion. There were a few drops of moisture there and he seemed to have no idea what they represented. "Can't stay. You hear how worried they are about their daughter? Bitch won't even call. I need to get to Vale. Can't give her a piece of my mind if I don't."

That was simultaneously the best and worst reason to sail off and fight an entire navy that Jaune had ever heard. "Fair enough."

Sienna's boat was a military vessel that looked to have been stolen from Atlas. It was bigger than the speedboat variant they'd used before, a good thirty metres long with a sleek prow, a central, raised and armoured bunker-like structure for piloting and several guns mounted on the side. Most of them looked to be machine guns of a sort, but there was a large mount with two cannons in front of the structure, with a seat at the back to be swivelled around.

The writing on the side in white paint beside the symbol of the White Fang named it "The Tiger's Pride" – which was a little cringy, but not quite as bad as the `White Fang` or something along that vein. The ship looked like it could house a hundred people, which made their six people, one prisoner/maid and one cat crew a little understaffed.

"You shall sail the ship, Sir Jaune." Salem declared.

"Since when do I know how?"

"We are surrounded on every side. I doubt you could sail us wrong, nor any worse than Tyrian did."

That was a good point. Jaune slid into the captain's quarters and looked at the implements. It didn't look all that difficult to be honest. There was a ship's wheel, a dial measuring speed, a little computer telling him the water depth beneath them, an electronic map and a compass. To his right, attached to the wall, was a circular implement with a lever sticking up from it. He gingerly pushed that forward and heard the engines begin to roar. Wheel for steering, lever for speed, button marked `anchor` for anchor.

"Huh. Looks easy enough."

"Good." Salem pointed ahead. "Now go. Let us take the attack to Atlas!"

/-/

As a person, Qrow should not have been allowed on the ship's bridge, but as a guest and VIP of Ironwood, he had a centre stage view out the control tower toward the island of Menagerie. It looked nice. Quaint and exotic in a way he appreciated. They probably had a banging nightlife and plenty of good booze, none of which he'd have a chance to sample now because Jimmy Compensation had gone for the heavy-handed approach.

"Sir." A naval officer stepped up. "We have a response from Sienna Khan to our missive."

"Oh? Read it out."

"Sir!" He saluted. "The response reads that, and I quote, take the bitch; I hope you all die together. End quote."

Qrow chuckled nervously. "Not at all ominous, huh?"

"Sir!" someone else called out. "We have another vessel on radar. It's coming from Menagerie."

General Ironwood pushed his way to the glass at the front and yanked up a pair of binoculars hanging from a strap around his neck. Qrow did the same with the pair he'd been lent. Focusing ahead, he could make out a sleek, black and white painted ship tearing through the water in their general direction. It looked armed and had a snarling wolf's head painted onto the front.

"It's just the one ship?" Ironwood muttered. "What are they planning?"

"To destroy us all in one big attack?" Qrow offered miserably. He'd seen what happened to that mountain. "If she's on there, it doesn't matter how much or how little firepower they have. She's a walking doomsday weapon."

"It won't matter if she cannot reach us." Ironwood lowered his binoculars. "All ships, I want cannons aimed on their location. On my mark, that ship is to be sent to the bottom of the ocean."

"Hey. Hey! Isn't that a little extreme? What if Winter is on there?"

"Winter is a Specialist and a soldier of Atlas." Ironwood said grimly. "She will understand why this is necessary and is more likely than anyone to survive. We will fish her out the water after."

"Salem will survive as well," Qrow whispered. "She's immortal, remember."

"Immortal or not, she will be easier to deal with stranded in the ocean than on a moving ship. "Or do you really want to have to face her, Callows and every other ally she has gathered along the way?"

Honestly, Qrow didn't want to be here at all. He shrugged and let Ironwood do what he wanted, wondering why Raven hadn't opened a portal yet for her and Ozpin to come through. It really felt like now would have been a good time for it. Come on, Oz. You said I wouldn't have to do this on my own. Where are you and Lionheart?

"Sir! We have multiple signatures showing up on sonar."

"More ships?" Ironwood barked angrily. "Have the White Fang really thrown their lot in with these monsters?"

"No, sir! They're underwater! Sir, t-there are hundreds of them!"

Before their ship, and covering the ground between them and Salem, the water burst upward, long, black, monstrous serpents and other aquatic beasts roaring into the open air.

"Shit!" Qrow cursed. "Grimm!"

It occurred to him in a brief burst of clarity that being surprised about this turn of events was stupid. This was Salem, Queen of the Grimm, and here were Grimm to protect her. No duh. What had he expected? Even so, Qrow stood there, lost for a few seconds.

General Ironwood was less so. "Fire! All cannons fire! Fireee!"

/-/

Jaune cut their speed as the first Grimm crested the water, looking up at the huge monster with fear writ across his face. A fear that was shared by everyone except, predictably, for Salem.

"My Grimm!" she shouted. "They have come to aid us!"

"Um, my Goddess," Tyrian interrupted nervously. "Did you perhaps, in your infinite wisdom, forget the fact that you are now… well… human…? And how the Grimm reacted to that before?"

Salem's hands, still raised, slowly fell.

"Oh…"

A quick, embarrassed cough.

"I… may have…"

The Grimm took one look at them, screeched in fury and lunged forward, bringing its snakelike head down right for Salem. There could be no doubt that it had murder on its mind and not snuggles.

A loud boom in the distance echoed a moment before an explosion did across the back of the sea monster, knocking it out of its attack. It reared and hissed backward, eyeing the Atlesian fleet before turning back to them. Jaune was no expert, but it felt like most Grimm would have gone after the threat. This one looked over their crew and focused on Salem again, hissing and lunging.

Another barrage struck the water around them, casting up great plumes and rocking the ship. One blast hit the Grimm a second time, blowing a hole through the back of its skull. The form sank back into the depths, fading into smoke as it did.

There were many, many more. Hundreds of Grimm in fact, and all of them surrounding their ship. Jaune could tell by the depth metres on his computer, which kept fluctuating wildly as things swam underneath. "They're after us!" he shrieked. "The Grimm are after us!"

"Heathens!" Tyrian roared. "Traitors!"

"SPEED!" Vernal said, definitely more on Jaune's page. "Get us moving!"

Jaune cranked the lever forward and sent the engines roaring to life. The vessel didn't so much lunge as quickly pick up the pace, cresting through the water as more plumes shot upward, shells from the Atlas fleet exploding in the water and creating giant columns. The Grimm were little better, bursting up and trying to catch them, all but ignoring Atlas entirely and going after them. As he thought it, ten more serpents crested the surface around them like the tentacles of some horrible monster of the depths. As one, they all closed in.

/-/

"She's using them as shields!" Ironwood growled, shattering one half of the binoculars in his cybernetic hand. Uncaring, he stared through the other like a telescope. "Damn it! All this time spent on Menagerie wasn't for nothing – she must have been gathering Grimm in preparation for an invasion on Vale!"

It made sense. Sort of. Qrow gulped.

"Focus on the Grimm!" Ironwood ordered to the fleet. "Take them out and she will have no cover to rely on."

"Sir, they're ignoring our ships entirely."

"I don't care! They're shielding her, protecting her, and that's the only thing that matters."

"Actually, sir, it looks like they're attacking the other ship…"

"Nonsense." Ironwood spat. "It's a ruse and nothing else. We can't a gathering of Grimm this large exist so close to Mistral, nor follow her to Vale. I want all ships firing now!"

The orders were passed on and soon the loud boom of cannons firing again and again filled the air. Water shot up everywhere, obscuring vision. Some of it was stained black with Grimm bits, but just as many missed, or the Grimm dodged. It was all Qrow could do to hold onto a railing as their ship rocked and churned in the suddenly choppy water. With how fast everything was going, to say nothing of the explosions, he had no hope of flying over in bird form and landing on Salem's ship. He'd be lucky to even reach it alive, let alone catch up with the speed they were going.

It did look like the Grimm were attacking Salem if he was being honest, but Ironwood had to be right that it was a distraction. They were all but shielding her from Atlas' bombardment, taking shells that would have hit Salem's ship and sunk it. They were giving their lives for her, and it made perfect sense since they knew Salem could control Grimm.

"Keep firing!" Ironwood shouted. "Get aircraft up and out. Bombers, interceptors, anything that can shoot. I want that ship strafed until it's taking on water."

Qrow watched through his binoculars as three glowing shells curled through the air, fired from their own ship and arching down at an incredible angle directly into the path of Salem's. Such accuracy had to be aided by computer tracking, especially at such a distance and with the target moving. One of them had to hit for sure.

At the last second, honestly the last possible second, a whale-Grimm surged up and leapt from the water, literally flying out like it intended to belly-flop onto Salem's ship. It came up, arched through the air, and intercepted the fired shells. The explosion ripped across its back, swatting it back into the water but still causing the shells to explode a harmless distance from their target. Then, Salem's ship began to turn, becoming narrower in Qrow's vision.

"Uh… Jimmy?"

"I'm busy! Fire! Fire all ships! Throw depth charges!"

"James!"

"Get the anti-air down and focused on the Grimm. Rip through them!"

"IRONWOOD!" Qrow yelled. "We have a proble-"

"Damn it, Qrow. I don't have the time."

"SIR!" an officer shouted. "The target ship has changed course. It's coming right at us!"

"WHAT!?" Ironwood roared and pushed his way to the front, hands on the glass. Salem's ship was indeed now surging toward them on a direct course, bringing with them all the Grimm in the ocean. "Why didn't someone warn me!?"

"…" Qrow glared at Ironwood balefully.

"Launch torpedoes! Stop it!"

All along their starboard side, long, tubular rocket launchers sent missiles off with loud "fwooshes". Instead of flying off, they jumped out and splashed into the water, then rushed outward in a trail of visible foam on the surface. It was less a targeted attack and more a wave of torpedoes that would hit anything approaching, the ship included.

Or they would have if the water wasn't literally alive with Grimm. The first exploded not ten metres away from them, the second a few later. Explosions rocked the water, sending up fresh plumes as Grimm intercepted the torpedoes with so much reliability that not a one made it through. And there were still Grimm aplenty lashing against Salem's ship, smashing into its side, denting metal and by all accounts trying to sink it. Grimm that were about to be on them, Qrow reflected, because Salem's ship was about twenty seconds away from ramming straight into them.

"Where the hell is Ozpin!?" Ironwood screeched. "We need reinforcements!"

/-/

"Raven Branwen to the headmaster's office. Raven Branwen to the headmaster's office. This is an emergency call. This is not a drill."

Ruby Rose looked up toward the ceiling of their dorm as the call trailed off. It was the tenth call to have sounded in the last fifteen minutes, and they were getting more and more frequent.

"It sounds like your mom is-"

"Not my mom!" Yang yelled angrily.

"W-Well yeah, I mean your… egg donor…? It sounds like she's missing."

"Couldn't care less right now, Ruby!"

"I'm just saying it sounds like she's needed. Badly. Do you think we should go look for her or something?"

"Ruby!" Yang glared back at her, hair an uncharacteristic mess and face flushed red and sweaty. Her eyes were bright red as well, all signalling her mood. "Kind of busy here!" she growled. "Maybe you can stop talking about my deadbeat mom and start helping me with this deadbeat bird!"

Honestly, Ruby had been trying to keep out of it like Weiss and Blake were.

The bird in question was a wild, black thing that had flown into their room in a hurry twenty minutes ago and didn't seem keen on leaving. Having a bird stuck in your room was a struggle at the best of times, mostly because the poor thing would usually fly around in a panic and risk hurting itself. They'd all had a similar sympathetic reaction to this one, but sympathy had faded quickly, much like Blake and Weiss' efforts to help steer it outside.

"Cawww! Cawww! Cawww!" The bird wheeled between Yang's hands and tried to land on her bunk bed, only to squawk and fly off when Yang tried to grab it. Feathers rained down as it bumped into the ceiling light, hit a wing on the corner of the wall and then dive-bombed Blake.

"Eeek! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!"

"Keep hold of it!"

Blake did not try very hard to keep hold of it. Flapping her book like a weapon, she swatted it away, incidentally into the stack of books keeping up a corner of her bed. Ruby had always meant to find a better way to support their bunks, honestly she had, but they'd just never gotten around to it.

As the bird smashed through the books, she had a moment to see Blake's panicked expression before one quarter of the bunk swung down and clocked her in the face. The rest didn't fall, thankfully not crushing Blake, but she was still knocked flat on her back, dazedly moaning as Yang tumbled off the now uneven bedding and crashed to the floor.

"Kawww! Kawww!" The bird squawked victoriously and tried to land on Ruby's bed, only to go rigid as a white glyph appeared around her body.

"Got you!" Weiss said smugly. "Finally. Now, time to get you outside." Stepping up, Weiss boldly and gently held the bird by its sides. "Come on now. I'm going to help you get free- ow! It pecked me! Ow, stop! Gah! Stupid bird!"

Say what you would about Weiss being a meanie, but she weathered the storm of pecking and scratching and marched over to the window, determined to free the `poor animal` that was so viciously mauling her. Opening it with one hand, she thrust her other out, opening her fingers to send it loose.

"Be free!"

The bird, resplendent in its freedom, pulled an acrobatic loop, tucked its wings in tight to its sides and speared into their room once more, sending a startled Weiss ducking for cover. It squawked, fluttered up and clung to their ceiling light, glaring down on them with beady red eyes.

Ruby giggled nervously. "I guess it doesn't want to be free?"

"That damn thing will be free of its mortal coil if I get my hands on it!" Yang threatened. "Blake. Are you okay?"

"Sir said I, or madam, truly your forgiveness I implore." Blake drawled from under the bunk. "But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, and so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door…"

"You're… not okay…"

"Darkness there and nothing more…"

"As long as you don't go into the light, that's fine. Ruby, for crying out loud, stop watching and get down here. I'm releasing that bird if I have to built it a sodding nest myself!"

"Will Raven Branwen please report to the headmaster's office." The speakers came on again. "This is an emergency. Raven Branwen, report to the headmaster's office immediately."

Up above, the bird on their light eyed the nearby speaker, huffed and made itself comfortable. It didn't look like it was planning to move anytime soon. Groaning, Ruby hopped off her bed, aware that the bird was glaring her way and clearly intended to peck her eyes out if she tried moving it.

"Nice bird? Friendly bird…?"

"Kawwww!"

"Not a friendly bird…"

Poor Raven. I'm sure if she didn't happen to have accidentally gotten herself stuck in Team RWBY's dorm, that she would be eager to open a portal to Qrow and go face Salem. Absolutely the case. No worries there.

And yes, this is Cinder and Atlas both trying to kill Salem off at the same time and getting in each other's way.

Next Chapter: 19th July

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur