Hey folks!

I know it's been a while, but things should be getting back on track either now or very soon! I'm going for a bulk upload today, in the hopes of building publicity for my !NEW YOUTUBE VIDEO! all about writing fanfiction. I worked very hard on it, so please check it out at watch?v=5Xa2xEQS8xw& (just put this after the usual URL and you'll be fine). Otherwise, today is my !18TH BIRTHDAY! and this is the start of a brand new story with an almost totally unique cast of characters set in Atlas a few years before the start of the show. It starts much like the show: a set of Trailers...

RWBY: Underworld

Trailer 1: "Crimson"

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"With the application of courage, there is nothing that is unachievable. Those that cast you down merely cannot see that luck never comes to those who never try."

A faunus boy stumbled through the twisting maze of Mantle's underbelly, clutching a knife to his chest with his sweat-soaked palms. His brown hair fell in front of his eyes, obscuring his vision as he raced to escape his pursuers. If only he could explain it to Mandible himself, then maybe he would call them off – maybe, he could survive! A stone settling in his gut, he was too preoccupied to notice the man in front of him before he slammed into them.

"The hell?"

Stopped in his tracks, the boy looked up hastily. With dawning horror, he noticed the white coat, the green eyes, the red hair – the hat.

Roman Torchwick, Kingpin of Vale, stared down in amusement at the terrified child.

"And what's got you running so fast, kid?"

"I- I- sorry, I need to go-"

"Not so fast." Roman chuckled at his own joke, grabbing the boy by arm. "You're running from something aren't you?"

The boy tried to pull away, even brandishing his knife, but it was no use – Torchwick was too strong. He heard his pursuers arriving behind him, and he slumped in defeat. It was too late.

Roman heard them coming too, eyes flicking down the alley. "Well, what do we have here?"

The footsteps came to a stop. The boy brushed his hair out of his eyes to look at the newcomers – his soon to be murderers.

Jawbone stopped before them, his dark skin speckled with green scales and his slit eyes shifting behind his dreads as his hand went to his scabbard. An assortment of his followers stopped behind him – Hat-trick with his knives and black'n'red fedora, Poizzon with his darts as well as three others that the boy couldn't recognise. Jawbone stepped forward with a grin that could have been described as shark-like was he not a Gator-faunus.

"Well well well, looks like some meat for us boys! Not fresh though – no, this guy's been around for a while." His followers laughed as Jawbone postured dramatically. "Roman Torchwick, on our turf? What could this be?"

Roman grinned confidently. "Just taking a look-see at the neighbouring properties. Being nosy and all, y'know how it is. Though, I was under the impression that this particular 'turf' belonged to the Blood-Skulls."

Jawbone was glaring in an instant. "We are the Blood-Skulls."

"I thought that the Blood-Skulls were Mandible's lot-"

"I work for Mandible." Jawbone brandished his crude blade, made from an old lawnmower. "They call me Jawbone, and I run this sector. Now, we're only after the kid. You ain't any more a part of this as you want to be, Torchwick – tread lightly."

Roman glanced down at the boy before shoving him to the side. The kid landed awkwardly in the mouth of another alley, dazed from the force and knife lost. He turned back to Jawbone.

"What do you need the kid for? Seems pretty harmless to me."

Jawbone huffed. "He stole something from the boss. I don't ask questions, I just do as I'm told."

The boy's heart sank. So it was Mandible that had sent out the hit. With his options exhausted, he sat back and waited to die.

It seemed the universe had some more luck in store for him today. He opened his eyes at the odd sensation of a cane – a different one this time – prodding his face. At first, it looked like Torchwick – white shirt, red hair – but the eyes seemed to glow gold in the dim light of Mantle's dark alleyways and a pair of fox ears shot from the top of the head alertly. The face looked older than him, but still young; maybe 11 or 12. The red-haired boy smiled and spoke with an exotic* accent and a voice too deep for his age.

"Sounds like you have something interesting, friend. Want to share?"

The boy nodded vigorously, reaching into his pocket to retrieve the paper he had taken. Any chance to be rid of it would be welcome. The red-haired faunus took it and handed him a small stack of lien.

"Buy yourself something nice, lad - and if you want to be safe after all this is over, look for me. I might have a place for you." With a wave, the older boy dismissed the other. He ran into the alley and was gone in an instant as the red-haired faunus inspected his prize.

Roman was still sassing Jawbone.

"I still don't see what this kid could have possibly stolen from your boss. It's not like you'd be in charge of anything important."

Jawbone growled in frustration. "It wasn't your business before you let the kid get away!"

"Now, let's not-"

"Gentlemen."

Both stared in surprise at the interruption, the red-haired faunus stepping out of the shadows. A revolver sat at his hip – in his hand, he carried a medical cane. Jawbone stared boorishly.

"Who the fuck are you?"

The faunus chuckled, pushing his hair back over his head. "The name's Crimson. I just so happen to be starting a little… business venture here in Mantle. Once I heard the two of you talking, I couldn't resist taking a peek."

Roman looked him up and down disinterestedly. "Look, kid, I've enough fans as it is, but it's dangerous out here-"

"I'll be honest with you, Roman – can I call you Roman? – but I know that it's dangerous out here. I live here." Crimson gestured with his metallic cane. "I'm just taking interest in… local politics."

Jawbone growled menacingly. "Look, pipsqueak, get lost! There's a little rat out here who stole somethin' that belongs to us, and I'm gonna-"

"Would you be talking about this old thing?" Crimson waved the slip of paper out in front of him, smiling coyly. "Took it off the poor kid's hands. Poor lad looked scared half to death!"

Jawbone pointed his lawnmower sword towards Crimson with a grimace. "You hand that over to me now, kid, and I won't hurt ya."

Crimson looked at the slip of paper before surreptitiously sliding it into his pocket. "How about I say… No?"

And with that, the street was filled with action.

Jawbone launched himself at the boy, who dodged faster than Roman had ever seen in someone of that age; not even Neo had been that skilled when he'd found her. The kid parried each of Jawbone's strikes with his medical cane, the sound of metal striking metal filling the alley. Hat-trick and Poizzon ran at Roman, but Poizzon was knocked away by the strike of a rapier. From nowhere, a small girl weaved into the fray and started cutting into Poizzon's aura. Two of the other men came to help him, while a third followed Hat-trick to Roman. Roman had no difficulty fighting off the two men at once, blocking their strikes with his cane. With a few quick shots of his cane the unknown man fell away, aura shattered. Hat-trick attacked him again with renewed vigour.

Poizzon fell to the floor unceremoniously from Neo's kick as she turned to take on the two other attackers. The first was easy – a pirouette and a backflip managed to conceal enough jabs of her rapier that the man went down. The second caught her off guard, her rapier flying from her hand as she rolled after it. She took up the rapier again, looking up to see her assailant bearing down on her with big, strong, deadly arms.

Jawbone's body flew into the other attacker, sending the both of them into the air. Neo looked over in surprise to see Crimson waltzing towards her.

"You looked like you could handle it, but I decided to help anyway."

Neo huffed before, with a start, she realised something. She reached up to the top of her head as she squared up with the boy, reached over above his head on the same plane and found her hand hovering an inch above it.

He looked up, unimpressed and bemused. "Yes, you are taller than me. Most everyone is taller than me. Weren't we in the middle of something?"

Neo's eyes nearly sparkled as she gave a silent giggle.

"Asa matter o' fact, we were in the middle of something," said Jawbone as he clambered to his feet. "Now I hope you kids like hell, cause it's where I'll send ya!"

"Not so fast, Croc-goblin."

A few shots of Roman's cane, and Hat-trick was thrown at Jawbone's last accomplice, both riddled with bullet-holes. He swaggered on over, giving a cheeky grin to anyone that would look.

Neo looked at Roman with disapproval and began to sign.

"Croc-goblin? Really?"

"You'll get it when your older, Neo."

"I already get the joke. Was 'Croc-goblin' the best you could do?"

Well, what were you thinking of instead-"

Their impromptu conversation was cut short by a gun shot. Jawbone fell, dead, as Crimson walked out from behind him to Hat-trick's body. As Roman and Neo silently watched, he picked up Hat-trick's fedora and slid it onto his own head.

"It'll need some earholes, but… Hey look Roman! Matching hats!" He gave a silly smile as he cocked the new-found headgear.

"Nice, kid, but I've already got one small, murderous child. Kinda stocked up, to be honest. No more room in this freaked family dynamic."

Crimson gave another chuckle, holstering his pistol. "Wasn't my intention to join the party, Roman. Just to invite you to mine."

Roman's eyebrow twitched as he fought off confusion. "Oh?"

Crimson nodded, turning away and starting back into the shadows of Mistral's underbelly. "I though an acquaintance might do well for me, what with how much I've got planned."

Roman strained his eyes to follow the boy's shrinking form. "And what was your name again, pipsqueak?"

Crimson stopped for a moment, smirking back with those two, glowing gold eyes.

"I told you; the name's Crimson."

C R S L

TEAM CAROUSEL

Well, wasn't that a start!

Setting us off with some recognisable and some new characters to ease us in to the new story - we've got Roman and Neo and Fighting, Oh My!

I hope you guys enjoyed this new beginning - as well as the video I linked, if you decided to watch it.

Either way, make sure to check out my !NEW PATRE0N! and Kofi at /xaosdiscordial for both.

Thanks you for reading, and see you dreckly!