Criminally Good

by Valres

When Jaune got turned away from Beacon, he thought he was a failure. He'd wanted to be a Huntsman, he wanted to be strong, to protect his loved ones. That dream was crushed before it was ever given a chance to begin. Now, though, things are different. Thanks to Roman Torchwick, he's found one thing he's good at: crime.

7. Chapter 7

And here we are on a Friday evening with another chapter of Criminally Good.

Enjoy.

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[Chapter 7]

I arrived in the apartment I called home about thirty minutes after Junior had called me with orders to get Neo. I didn't think I was ready for this, but what did I know? I didn't think I'd become a criminal when I was told I couldn't become a Huntsman; I didn't think I'd start a crime war by getting Crocea Mors back; despite that, it all happened.

Life didn't care if I was ready or not.

I glanced about the apartment finding a rather typical scene. Neo was sprawled out on the couch, playing on her scroll without a care in the world. Roman was laid back on his recliner, his hat over his eyes, and his hands behind his head as he did his best to relax.

I glanced down to Neo. "Hey, Neo." She glanced up at me and offered a small wave.

"We've got work to do. Junior's called us in for whatever his plan is." I said, rocking back on my heels slightly as I eyed Neo.

"Well, kid, you're just going to have to tell Junior that he's SOL. Neo and I have some business to attend to that does require her presence." Roman said without moving from his relaxed position.

I sighed and gripped the bridge of my nose. "Really?" I asked hoping that Roman was just messing with me.

"Yes, Jaune. Really." I groaned, my shoulders sagging slightly.

"Oh, come on. You're really going to send me in there alone? With no reliable backup?" I complained, trying to get Roman to relent and let me have Neo for the night.

"You won't be alone, chief. Don't worry so much; Junior likes you too much to just send you to die like that." Roman countered.

"Maybe, but Junior has counted for Neo being there to save my sorry ass if I get in over my head." I countered.

"He might, but he knew when asking for her help that she works for me far before she works for him. He's a big boy, he'll deal with it."

I groaned once again, shaking my head. "Fine, whatever." I started towards my room to get changed. "Say, Roman? What're you doing that needs Neo? A big heist or something?"

Roman waved a dismissive hand at me. "I'll tell you when you're older. Now get, you wouldn't want to annoy Junior more than you already have."

I rolled my eyes. Leave it to Roman to leave me in the dark about what's going on. Sure, he's taken me in, given me a home, trained me, and given me an opportunity, but could it hurt to at least trust me a little? If I were going to turn him in or do something to harm him, I would've done it before now.

I paused for a moment as I stripped off the clothes that I had been wearing all day. Now that I think about it, he has no reason to trust me. I mean, sure I haven't turned him in or done anything to be a detriment to him, but I haven't exactly made strides to earn his trust.

I sighed as I pulled on the new shirt, buttoning it up. How would I even go about earning his trust? I mean, to him I'm still useless. Sure, I'm learning, but I don't stand a chance against anyone with real training; not without a lot of cheating and a bit of luck at least.

I growled lowly to myself as I pulled my jacket on, finishing the whole goon suit. Hell, I've still got to wonder why he took me in at all. What'd he see in me? What was he thinking?

I shook my head as I strapped Crocea Mors to my hip, letting my hand rest comfortably on the hilt. Whatever, I've got more pressing problems to tend to than Roman's reasoning behind picking me up.

As I exited my room, the living area hadn't changed a bit, Neo still fiddling with her scroll, Roman still looking like he was trying to sleep.

"Well, I'm off to hopefully end a gang war, or something." I said with a slight chuckle. It was amusing, I didn't even know what I was being called in to do.

Roman waved a hand in a dismissive nature again. "Knock 'em dead, kid."

I rolled my eyes, glancing down at Neo who had looked up from her scroll. Her gaze was narrowed at me, a small frown on her lips. I arched a brow at that as I met her gaze.

"Something you want to tell me, Neo?" I asked, not quite understanding the look that I was being given.

Neo seemed to think a moment before she shrugged her shoulders and rolled over onto her back and began fiddling with her scroll again.

I shook my head. That was… odd. "Whatever, then. I'll be back later, probably." I said as I made my way out of the door, locking it behind me.

I made my way into the streets of Vale, jamming my hands into my pockets as I ducked into my jacket slightly. It wasn't freezing, just a little nippy, and enough to make me want to keep what warmth I could, well, warm.

That was what, the second time Neo's given me that look? That narrowed eyes and small pout look. She did it right before I left to go looking for the arms dealer, and just now. I shook my head. I don't get it. What is she trying to tell me, if anything at all? I mean, she's not worried about me, right? Why would she care if I come out okay, unless that is that she wants to be the one to knock me around like she already does.

I arrived at the front of Juniors, though it was dark. There were lots of goons standing guard outside, all blatantly armed. There was a 'Sorry, we're closed' sign hanging on the door. I ignored it and pushed in, all of the goons ignoring me.

The club was loud.

Not in the usual way that the club was loud, with bass heavy enough to feel in your bones, and music that sounded like nothing but chaos to me. The club was loud with goons all walking around, all armed, and all more on edge than I've ever seen them. Several looked beaten and bloodied, though well enough to stand. Some were rushing into the back rooms, carrying a box of something.

Junior was stood behind a bar, several goons gathered before him, along with the twins that had harassed me when I had been recovering from a gunshot wound. I walked up and found myself stood behind one of the goons.

Junior nodded to me, glancing around. "Where's Neo?"

I shrugged a shoulder. "Busy. Roman said she's working with him tonight."

Junior shook his head. "Alright, sure." He beckoned me closer, having the goon I was stood behind give up his seat.

Laid on the bar were four rolled up blueprints, one of which was handed to me. I unrolled it and eyed the depiction of a warehouse carefully. "Junior, what exactly am I looking at?"

Junior sighed. "That, Jaune, is one of their warehouses. It's a major supply dump for them. Allegedly where they're keeping a solid supply of dust and weapons near our border. I want you to secure it."

I furrowed my brows at Junior, looking back at the blueprint.

"It should have a fair bit of security. There's going to be one of their lieutenants stationed there. Your ultimate goal is to kill him. Securing the dust and weapons is secondary to striking a blow to their command." Junior continued on, completely ignoring me. "It's up to you how you approach the warehouse. I'll be sending you with a team of my boys, so use that to your advantage."

I nodded slowly.

"Though without Neo, we're short a commander for one of these." Junior sighed and shook his head. "Guess that means I'm running one of 'em myself. Great." Junior looked up at all of us still present. "Well, get to it. We're burning moonlight here." He said waving a dismissive hand.

Rather quickly, everyone dispersed. I found myself sat at one of the booths, pouring over the blueprint to the warehouse. Alright, so it's got one floor, and then a sort of scaffolding up above with what looks to be some offices in the back. The only way that's accessible on the main floor is the sliding panel door. Other than that, twenty feet off the ground there are some windows lining the whole building. I wonder if we could get in that way?

I sighed and looked up. A team of about ten of Junior's goons had gathered before me, all dressed the same as I was, all armed and ready to go. I only recognized once face, and couldn't help the smile that came to my face.

He was already glaring at me. "Don't say it."

My grin only grew. "Don't say what, Not Jerry?"

Not Jerry just groaned and shook his head. "Paul. My name is Paul…" He grumbled to himself.

I chuckled and got up, rolling up the blueprint. "Don't be stupid, your name isn't Paul. It's Not Jerry."

He sighed and shook his head. "I don't know why I even bother." He grumbled again.

I shrugged. "I don't either, Not Jerry. I don't either." I looked over the group gathered who were eyeing me suspiciously. "Well, with that out of the way, we've got a warehouse to hit. Any questions?"

One goon spoke up. "Uh yeah, what the hell is the plan? I'm not sure about the rest of these lunks, but I'm not about to walk into an enemy stronghold without a plan." He said, crossing his arms. His words got nodding and agreement from the rest of his comrades.

I shrugged a shoulder. "Well, there's only one way in that we can access, unless you fancy leaping through a window twenty feet of the ground into the middle of them."

There was murmuring of agreement that a twenty-foot fall would not be a good idea.

"Why don't we cut a hole in the back of the warehouse, sneak in and jump 'em unawares?" A goon called out.

I frowned, rubbing at my chin slightly. "That. That is actually a good idea." I paused for a moment. "Anyone know how thick that wall is? What it's made of, and have the tools to cut through it with them?"

Most of the goons were shaking their heads. I sighed. "While not a bad plan, without more information than what we've got, and more planning, that's not feasible." I thought for a moment. I had spent my share of time in the warehouse district, doing a lot of training with Neo and Roman, as well as the time Ruby and I went shooting.

The walls aren't really that thick, and they were made of just sheet metal, I think. Ruby's rifle cut through it like it was paper. I glanced down at Crocea Mors, an idea coming to mind.

"Well, actually, we might be able to go through with it. That is assuming that these walls are only simple sheet metal, I think my sword should cut through it easily." I shrugged a shoulder. "Though, let's assume that doesn't go to plan. If we have to, we rush in through the front. I would expect them to have sentry guards posted on the scaffolding above, as well as several patrolling the main floor." I began to chew on the inside of my cheek.

"The best thing to do would be to have those of us with ranged weapons up on the scaffolding, gives us the high ground and better chance to catch out those on the floor circling around to catch someone unaware." I paused a moment more as I thought. "Then those of us on the main floor should spread out, though remain within eyesight of someone. Should things go wrong above, if you have someone watching your back, it'll make catching us off guard a lot harder."

"Allegedly, there's a lieutenant of this gang here. I'd expect him to be particularly more dangerous. He'll likely be up in the office if I had to guess. I'll go up and hold him off. Your job is to clear out the warehouse as fast as possible, and then come to assist me."

I looked around at the goons who were all nodding. "Anything else to ask before we go?"

There was no response, so I took that as a 'no' from everyone. I nodded and pushed through the group. "Alright boys, let's show 'em what we're made of." The goons fell into step not far behind me.

As I glanced around, we were one of the last groups to leave, along with Junior's. Neither of the twins were in sight. I could only assume that they rushed off, assuming they could handle whatever came their way. To each their own, I guess. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

The group behind me engaged in some small, quiet, clipped conversation as we made our way into the warehouse district.

This particular section of the district had been abandoned for several years, the Vale government deciding that they didn't need the land for development of just about anything. Looking around, it looked deserted, like it should be. It looked like there hadn't been anyone seriously using the place for years, with many of the warehouses looking on the verge of completely collapsing in on themselves.

I found my hand resting nervously on the hilt of Crocea Mors as I scanned our surroundings. Conversation had stopped, the only sounds to be heard were the series of footsteps as we pushed towards our target, and sirens ringing out in the far distance, getting farther away. Gotta wonder if that's one of our crews.

I shook my head as we approached the warehouse that was our target. Unlike any of the others, there were a pair of guards in their own goon suits stood in front of the door. Neither of them looked to be paying all that close attention to their surroundings, talking with one another in favor of doing their jobs.

I frowned, turning around and ushering my squad of goons backwards. We back tracked for about five minutes, to ensure that we were out of earshot from them. I drew Crocea Mors and stabbed the sword into the wall of one of the warehouses.

Just like I expected, it cut, though with some resistance, and more noise than I'd care for. I sighed and withdrew my sword, looking back to the others. "It was worth a try, though it's too slow and too quiet to be an advantage.

Several of the goons nodded, though Not Jerry piped up. "Well, what if we split the teams in half? Have one team rush in through the front, get everyone's attention while the second team comes in through the back while they're focused on the first team?"

I hummed, nodding slowly. "That, Not Jerry, is a half decent plan." I paused another moment, pulling out the blueprint. I pointed to the stairs that led up to the scaffold second floor. "We'll break in right there, in front of the stairs. Gives us the fastest way up to the lieutenant, and our ranged the best chance to cover you guys on the ground."

I hummed, looking up at most of the guys who would be on the ground team. "Be careful, though. For the first, probably thirty seconds, you'll be surrounded, and without fire support from us." All of the guys who would be on the ground team nodded their understanding. "Alright, then. Let's split up and get to it."

The groups split, leaving me with three others, including Not Jerry. The others made their way towards the main entrance as we snuck around. I glanced back at those who would be accompanying me. "You guys ready?" They all nodded. I laughed nervously and shook my head. "I'm glad someone is…" I trailed off as I drew Crocea Mors.

Around the corner, I heard the sounds of a fight breaking out, before it was quickly ended. Then came the opening of the doors, and gunshots rang out. I took that as my queue to start cutting through the steel, hearing more gunshots in the warehouse.

I had been a bit off in my timing, they were in there alone for nearly a minute before we broke in.

What we found wasn't encouraging.

There were no crates of weapons.

There were no crates of dust.

There were no crates of drugs.

I shook my head and rushed up the stairs, holding my shield out in front of me to block any stray shot that might be coming for me.

We caught the gunners that were on the scaffolding off guard, the guys I had with me making short work of them. Down below, the ground team had no issues finishing off what little resistance they had met.

I narrowed my eyes as I cautiously made my way to the office at the end of the walkway. Something definitely isn't right here.

I pushed the door open, and there was nobody. Just a desk, and a couple of chairs. I looked back at the goons who had joined me in the office. We were down two men, though they were only injured by glancing shots. They'd be fine, probably.

"The hell?" One of the goons asked.

"I thought this was going to be a fight!" Another called out, clearly frustrated.

I frowned, lowering my defense, sheathing Crocea Mors as I looked over the office. It was empty, cleaned of anything important.

"They knew we were coming." I said as I looked around.

"How would they know we were going to hit them? We only decided on this plan this morning." Not Jerry called out.

I frowned, chewing on my cheek. It didn't make sense. They pulled off the main front like this, freely giving ground up without a care in the world. They got all their supplies out, but what did this accomplish for them?

"They knew because someone told them." I said, turning to look back at my group. "What I'm not understanding is why they freely gave this up. They protected their supplies, sure, but they just gave up a fair chunk of land, assuming that this is uniform across the board. What did they gain? Where are they getting something back?"

My scroll rung, and I answered in one ring.

"Jaune here."

"Jaune, good. We're a bust here, they cleared out before we even showed up, only a few guards. Anything on your end?" The voice of Junior questioned, sounding on edge.

"Ditto. Not a damn thing in this warehouse other than a few guards here to keep up appearances."

"So, it was everyone then. Great. Meet back at the Club and we'll discuss the next move." Junior said, cutting off the call before I had a chance to respond.

I looked up to my goons then. "That was the boss. We're headed back to the Club." Everyone nodded, filing out of the room one by one. I hummed quietly as I looked around the empty office. I definitely didn't like how this was panning out for us.

[-/-]

When I returned to the Club, Junior promptly dragged me into his office where the twins were already waiting, looking none to amused with their current predicament. I took a seat in one of the chairs that Junior had in front of his desk, leaning back as I was still lost in thought.

"Just to be clear, nobody found anything? No supplies, no major resistance?" Junior asked, eyeing each of us.

"Like I told you, Junior. We found nothing of importance other than an empty warehouse and a few goons to keep up appearances." I said with a shrug. The twins both agreed with me, saying that they found a whole load of nothing.

Junior growled lowly, starting to pace around his office. "They knew we were coming and relocated their supplies, left these warehouses empty for us to deal with." He said, more or less talking to himself as best I could tell.

I frowned, mostly tuning Junior out as he talked to himself in an attempt to piece together what had happened tonight.

I got called in to do a mission, one that should've led to a major hit to Area 37's leadership. A decent plan by Junior, quick and effective way to massively cripple their organization. Though something went wrong, they weren't there.

Is there a chance Junior's information was bad? I'd doubt it, Junior's whole reputation is built on being the best information broker in Vale. I'm going to say his information was good. So, what happened then?

They weren't there. That's what happened. Though they wanted us to think that they were, that they hadn't moved. They wanted Junior to make a move and gain nothing for it. I was chewing on the inside of my cheek as I thought.

That's the sort of thing that I'd see happen in old strategy games I played a lot of, but they usually make it a trap. The sort of deal where the force who walked into the trap gets surrounded and killed. I narrowed my eyes as I continued to think on it.

In other cases, they'd leave much of their front line open to make a concentrated strike somewhere else, punch through our line and force us to pay dearly for something that cost them nothing. Yet, they haven't made a move like that. Not that we've heard. Why?

I shook my head, glancing about the room. The Malachite twins were looking rather bored, eyeing Junior as he continued to mutter and pace, talking out his own thought process.

"Junior." I spoke up, catching his attention. Junior looked up and eyed me questioningly.

"We found a whole lot of nothing on our missions out into their territory. No Dust, no drugs, no weapons, and no commanders. They were long gone by the time we showed up." I said, getting a nod from all those in the room.

"I'm going to say that your information was good, based almost completely on your reputation. Assuming that's the case, it makes a fair bit of sense that someone let your plans slip. The question is who?"

Junior's frown grew as he made his way to take a seat behind his desk. "You're telling me that I've got a rat somewhere, kid?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Something like that. It's the only way they'd know to clear out; unless your information was bad to start with?"

Junior waved a dismissive hand at that. "Doubt it. Like you said, I don't get called the best information broker in Vale for nothing."

"Alright, with that established, who all knew about this? Other than the four of us in this room, assuming that we're all trustworthy." I said, offering a glance at the twins.

Miltia rolled her eyes at me. "Please, if anything you're the weak link in the room."

Junior hummed as he thought. "No, he's not. Jaune only just learned of the operation's details before we left. He couldn't have been able to tell them what was coming. Not to mention he's the one who started this whole deal."

Junior leaned back in his seat slightly, still thinking. "As far as who all knew, we weren't exactly careful about who overheard. I know definitively that the twins, and your teams knew for sure what the plan was. Other than that, it could've been just about anyone."

I sighed, shaking my head. "Alright, so that's a dud without having us check each and every one of your goons." I glanced up. "Why'd you think this was a good idea to discuss plans of attack where you could be overheard?"

Melanie growled at me, glaring daggers at the back of my head. "Watch who you're talking to."

I turned to meet her gaze. "I know exactly who I'm talking to. Now unless you've got something to add, shut it."

Melanie looked like she was about to retort, though Junior cut her off by raising a hand and speaking up. "He's right, Melanie. We got sloppy, and we paid for it in a failed operation." Junior then rounded on me. "And Jaune, don't antagonize her. We have more important things to worry about."

I rolled my eyes and shrugged a shoulder. "Fine." I grumbled quietly.

Junior was content with that and leaned back in his seat once more. "So, we've got a rat. Anyone know a good exterminator?"

Roman almost instantly came to mind, though he'd likely not want anything to do with this whole fiasco.

The twins were both just as silent as I was, getting a sigh from Junior. "Alright, then. Let's try this: anybody have an idea for how to flush him out?"

"Could always let me and Mel have a look around, start terrorizing some of the goons until one of them spills." Miltia offered, leaning back against a wall with her arms crossed over her chest.

Junior shook his head. "If you do that, he'll get scared and beat it before you ever find him."

Melanie arched a brow. "And that's a bad thing, why exactly? Isn't that what we wanted to happen? Get rid of this rat?"

Junior chuckled darkly and shook his head. "It is. Though not after I find out what made him think stabbing me in the back was a good idea."

The twins both grinned slightly at that.

"So, you want this done subtly." I said, stating the obvious.

"That's the goal, yes." Junior said, resting his chin on his hand as he eyed me. "Got a plan cooking in that head of yours, kid?"

I frowned, shrugging a shoulder. "Eh, it's half baked and unlikely to work."

Junior nodded. "And that would be?"

"Well, you said that only the twins and the teams we went out with were in on the plan, right? Anyone else hearing was a coincidence." Junior nodded at my words. "Right, so with that in mind, our four teams are the best bet for our rat. They'd have known the most of the plan, known the details and been able to get word out to his allies."

"You're suggesting that we start with the teams that we took on the assault with us?" Junior asked.

I nodded. "That I am. It makes the most sense, at least to me."

"And how, exactly, are we going to find the rat if he's in one of these teams?"

I shrugged a shoulder. "Like I said, half baked. I don't know, really. Feed them lies, see what gets back to Area 37, and go from there?"

Junior drummed his fingers against his desk as he thought. "Might work. Tell them we're moving supplies to one of those warehouses we took, each team gets told it's a different warehouse, and then we watch to see which one gets attacked?"

Melanie shook her head. "It works on paper, but what happens if they start talking to one another? They'll see through it damn quick. I'd say that's not much of an option."

I frowned, chewing on the inside of my cheek as I pondered. "What if we tell them we know there's a rat somewhere, that they shouldn't be spreading any information around to keep it sealed up tight?"

Miltia rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, that's just dense. If we tell them that, the guy will clam up, and we'll have accomplished nothing."

I threw my hands up in the air. "At least I'm trying to come up with ideas here."

Junior continued to drum his fingers against the desk as he ignored us. "I've got a whole load of nothing." He glanced around at us hopefully. "Anyone got a bright idea?"

I shook my head, leaning back in the chair as I stared at Junior's desk, trying to come up with something concrete.

The room fell into silence once more as we all started to get lost in thought.

For all of about fifteen seconds.

One of Junior's goons burst into the room, sweating and terribly out of breath. "Junior!" he called, leaning over and trying to catch his breath. "W-we're under attack." The goon called out, still hard of breathing.

Junior nodded calmly. "Where?" He asked, his voice level for the moment.

"Supply depot, right on the front nearing the Faunus slums." He said, coughing violently. "The Faunus are helping them."

Junior nodded. "Right, good. Alert the others and get a move on." He said, dismissing the goon who only nodded and left the four to their own devices again.

"Well. Seems they've sprung their trap." I said humorlessly.

Junior nodded once. "That they have." He met my gaze. "Jaune, I'm sending you up there to take care of it. Take the same team you had. If you encounter one of their leadership, kill or capture them. I don't care which."

I nodded, getting up from my seat to head towards the door. I paused before I left, glancing back over my shoulder at Junior who was clearly showing the stress that was putting on him. "Don't stress it, Junior. I can hold my own."

Junior rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you can, kid. Now scram, I'm not in the business of losing a load of supplies."

I chuckled and turned, pushing out the door.

I was met rather quickly with Not Jerry. "I heard there was an attack. I take it we're being sent?" He asked, almost eagerly.

I chuckled and nodded. Before I could say anything, he said something about getting the others and dashing off. I mentally shrugged and pressed on out the door.

Not Jerry returned a few minutes later, the same team I had been with earlier in tow. Granted, we were down two men, but it was close enough.

I nodded at the man. "Well done, Paul." I said, watching as his face lit up at actually being called his real name.

I took off into a run towards the Faunus slums. I didn't know exactly where I was going, but as I got closer, I figured that the sounds of gunshots and fighting would be enough to guide me the rest of the way there.

After a few minutes of running, I did in fact find my ears guiding me to the sounds of combat. Lots of gunshots. Here's to hoping that we're not too late. I thought to myself as we rounded another corner, making straight towards the sounds of fighting. Odd, there are no sirens. I wonder if that has something to do with this being near the Faunus slums?

I was taken from my thoughts as we reached the end of the block.

A bloodbath was our greetings.

Faunus, and goons from both sides were injured, and blood was in the streets. Cars that had been parked on the street were littered with bullet holes, many with shattered windows and flat tires.

I didn't have much time to look over the scene before bullets started raining down towards me and my team. We all scattered, diving for cover where we could find it.

I found myself crouching down behind a car next to a goon who was now dead, clutching onto his pistol. Shit, buddy. Was all I could think as I saw the bullet hole in his head. I swallowed and took the weapon from his hands, holding it with shaky hands.

I glanced down the street, seeing that we had several goons still crouching behind cars, being held down by gunfire from the other side of the street. I glanced up at the old abandoned buildings that had several of our guys leaning out windows to fire at those who were pressing the attack.

I peeked around the side of the car that was my cover, finding that across the street there were several Area 37 goons in their gray suits pushing forward, trying to rush our pinned down forces. They were gunned down pretty quickly.

Not Jerry joined me in cover behind the car, firing blindly into the street. "Any plans in that head of yours to pull us out of this?" He asked, peeking over the hood of the car for a moment.

"Yeah, about that." I said, ducking slightly as a hail of bullets hit the wall behind me. "We're outnumbered, especially with the Faunus helping them. We're pinned down and spread out." At this point I was thinking out loud. "We need to fall back, let them have the streets with little to no cover. If we can get into the building, we might be able to lure them into traps."

Not Jerry nodded. "Right, so how're we going to do about that? Like you said, we're pretty solidly pinned down here."

I growled lowly, tossing the pistol I had taken aside. "Working on it."

I got up onto one knee and glanced over the street. Area 37 had a small force pushing forward, armed mostly with swords and axes. From behind them, there were several Faunus and other goons firing blindly to keep us pinned down.

If only I had fire Dust, I could improvise another grenade like I did with the police… I trailed off, glancing back at the building. "That's the supply depot, right?" I asked, ducking back down next to Not Jerry.

"It is. Why?"

"I need you to run inside and get me the biggest fire Dust crystal you can find." To his credit, he only nodded and dashed inside, barely avoiding being hit by a barrage of gunfire.

Despite the covering fire that they were getting, Area 37's goons rushing at our line were cut down before they caught those of us in the street out.

Not Jerry returned a moment later, holding a pair of fire Dust crystals in hand. "These are the biggest I could find." He said, passing them to me.

Not quite as big as I was hoping, but big enough. "Good." I said, feeling the weight of them in my hands.

"What'd you need dust for?" He asked, firing blindly over the car once more.

"Improvised explosive. Seeing as I don't have grenades, and I doubt Junior does either, this will have to do." I said, peeking over the rear of the car.

They had stopped sending goons at us, though were still raining bullets down almost constantly. Most of their gunfire was coming from on street level, behind cars and from alleyways.

Now the question is can I throw this far enough to get it to their cover? Another glance, and it looked to me like maybe twenty feet. I'm willing to bet I can.

"Alright, so here's the plan. You've still got bullets, right?" I asked, looking to Not Jerry.

"I do."

"Good. I'm going to throw one of these at the car they're using for cover. I want you to shoot it if it doesn't ignite upon impact with the concrete. Got it?"

Not Jerry frowned for a moment. "I'm not the best shot, but I'll see what I can do."

I sighed. "It'll have to do; we don't have another option."

I took in a deep breath, closing my eyes as I let it out. Alright, let's do this.

I stood up, throwing the crystal as hard as I could at one of the cars they were using as cover. It felt like time slowed down as I watched the crystal soar through the air. Tumbling end over end as it arced over the street. It clattered down about a foot away from the car I had thrown it at.

Time resumed to normal and I threw myself to the concrete. I glanced to Not Jerry and nodded. He peeked out from behind the car and fired several times.

It was the fourth shot that hit, causing a rather sizable explosion of fire, fire which caught the fuel tank of the car, causing that to go up in smoke as well.

Without missing a beat, I scrambled up and threw the other crystal I had been brought at the other car. This time, those who were using it for cover started to scramble away, into the open. Regardless, Not Jerry fired, eventually hitting the crystal and sending it up in flames as well.

I grinned, feeling pleased with myself. I drew Crocea Mors and stepped out from cover, using the shield to cover my chest from any unwanted gunfire. Several of the goons followed suit, joining me as we made our way across the street with gunfire covering us.

Down an alleyway, I saw a large number of goons beating a hasty retreat. The goons that came across the street with me were engaging in fights with others from Area 37.

I narrowed my eyes as I looked around, having Not Jerry stick with me as we pushed down one of the alleyways.

We neared the end of the alley, seeing that it would dump us into a small cross section where several other alleys would meet. From what I could see in the low light, there were several Area 37 goons gathered around. There was one man who stood out, though.

He was of average height, with a stocky build to him. He stood out due to the armor he wore, clearly not just a simple goon, but one of the lieutenants that was here to run this battle.

I glanced to Not Jerry and motioned that we need to back out and get more help. He nodded, and as quietly as we could manage, we started to creep away.

Thankfully, we weren't caught out. We returned to the street, and several goons were finishing up their fights.

"We're not done yet, boys. Up you get." I called out. Most of the goons gave me the look of 'why should we listen to you?'

I sighed, shaking my head. "There's one of their lieutenants back there. Wonder how much Junior would compensate you if you had a hand in taking him down?" That got people moving, and I couldn't help but to smile slightly.

Now with about fifteen goons backing me, we rushed the alleyway. We burst into their little command area. Surveying it now, we were still out numbered by about two to one. Not impossible odds, but not favorable ones either.

None of the goons hesitated getting into fights and opening fire on those who weren't ready. I eyed the commander who only grinned at me. He was young, maybe his early twenties or so. He had short brown hair and completely average, that is to say if you could ignore the tattoos he had on his face, along with the piercings he had in his lips, nose, and eyebrow.

It was not a good look, not on him. Not on anyone, really.

He had a mace in hand as he eyed me with a toothy smile, showing his missing teeth as well.

I took my chance and charged at him, aiming to use my shield to batter him, giving me a way into his defense.

He had other plans, stepping off to the left side of me. He made an attempt to hit my exposed back, though I kept moving for a moment before I skidded to a stop, turning to face him as he was charging at me.

I caught his mace on my shield, still feeling the impact as it clashed onto my shield. I stepped forward, slamming my shield up towards his face, landing a blow that stunned him for a moment. I came into his guard, pulling my shield away to keep his mace occupied.

He followed along right behind his mace, dancing out of my range, circling around me as he made a heavy hit against my mid back, sending me stumbling forward. I growled lowly as I spun back to face him again.

His grin was gone, his face completely impassive. I charged at him once again, and once again, he dodged off to the left, making to swing at my back. This blow landed this time, sending me off balance as I stumbled forward again.

He pressed his attack on me, landing another blow to my back, knocking me down onto the concrete below. He stood over me, bringing his mace high over his head to bash me down. I only grinned slightly and rolled off to one side, his attack missing completely.

I hopped back to my feet, quick to use my sword to slash at him, landing a solid blow on his shoulder. I took a moment to eye the rest of the battle. As it turns out, Area 37's goons are worse trained than Junior's. The battle had turned from favoring them to favoring us.

The lieutenant lunged at me, grabbing the top of my shield as he brought his mace around to hit me in the head. I just barely managed to bring my sword up to catch the blow.

I swept my foot at his ankles, raking his feet out from under him. He went toppling down to the concrete like a sack of potatoes.

I wasn't going to let this opportunity pass, so I delivered a swift kick to his crotch, getting no response from him. I glared at him, slamming my foot down onto his stomach, knocking the air out of him.

He wrapped his hands around my ankle and pulled me down on top of him. Before I had known what was happening, he had flipped me over on my back and was now wailing on me in return.

His knee made impact in my crotch more than once, his fists slamming into my jaw time and time again making me start to see stars.

I growled, summoning what strength I had to throw him off of me, only just barely. I scrambled away from his prone form as he got back to his feet, getting up as he did. I was only slightly faster, likely thanks to not wearing armor. I charged at him again, slashing down towards his head.

My blow didn't land. He had dodged out of the way and was on his feet once again, eyeing me carefully.

He didn't even look winded or phased by any of the hits I had dealt to him. I, on the other hand, was sweating and out of breath as I wearily watched him.

He charged at me once again, and I avoided him, not willing to let him get too close. As he skidded to a stop and turned to me once again, I charged at him in return. Every time he's avoided me, he's gone to the left. I wonder…

As he dodged away, I slammed my shield off to the left, catching him right in the face. I turned as fast as I could and brought my sword down in a slash across his armored chest. I doubted if I did all that much damage, but it was a start.

He gripped the blade of my sword and tried to rip it from my grasp.

As he was doing that, Not Jerry had finished his battle and leveled his pistol at my enemy, unloading several bullets into his back.

That caught him off guard enough for him to slacken his grip on my sword, letting me rip it from his grasp.

Now with Not Jerry helping me, this would be easier I thought.

And it was.

Now with two targets to focus on, he could only do so much. I charged at him, stopping just short as he dodged off to the left again, slicing my sword towards him, glancing his arm with the tip of the blade. I still thought the blade was longer.

Not Jerry followed up, firing several rounds into his side, having the lieutenant turn to face him.

I leapt at him then, attempting to drive my sword into his back. I was stopped by a mix of Aura and armor as he threw me off, sending me into the wall behind me.

I groaned, looking up at him as he came closer.

I grit my teeth and charged at him, aiming to make a slash across his chest.

He didn't dodge, instead, he met my sword with his mace, stepping into my guard and slamming his head up into my nose.

I growled as I had Crocea Mors ripped from my hand, the sword clattering off across the alley.

I didn't let that deter me as I charged once again.

I sent him to the ground with this charge. Without my sword, I held the shield in both hands, and slammed the point of the shield down into his head.

I didn't notice his Aura shatter as I slammed my shield down again.

There was a sickening crack, as well as the feeling of my shield going farther than it should've, and then warm blood seeping out onto my hands.

I blinked as I looked down. I had just bashed his skull in. I had just killed him.

I stared at his unmoving form for a moment, my mind nothing but static.

Not Jerry rested a hand on my shoulder, and I leaned over and wretched violently.

What have I done?

I stayed there for a moment, breathing heavily as I gathered my wits.

I eventually got to my feet, gingerly taking my shield and retrieving my sword. I sheathed the sword and strapped it back to my side.

I looked back to Not Jerry and the few goons who were still standing at the end of this. "We did what we came to do." I said simply.

I didn't wait for anyone's response as I headed back the way we came, leaving that scene behind.

---

Well, that was a thing. Definitely a thing.

Junior's got a rat, and Jaune's killed his first person. At least, directly. This is the first time he's seeing the repercussions for his actions.

Now for the reviews, my favorite bit.

Greer - I'm glad you think so, man. The rest of team RWBY will show up later, and that's something that I've got to wonder. Who will be their other two members? They're down a Yang and a Ruby. If anyone has suggestions, I'll gladly hear them in the reviews.

Engineer - I'm glad you like it man. As far as when they meet, who knows, we may see the greatest cute off that the world has ever seen. Nobody is sure who they want to see him with, I don't think. Well, we do have people firmly in both camps I think, but there's not been a lot of loud voicing of it. I can only say that this is exactly what I wanted, seeing people unsure of which girl he'll decide on.

Caboose - Oh yes. That was actually the scene I wrote that inspired this whole story, so when that comes around it'll be a lot of fun I think.

Guest - Thanks man.

Forest - Well, here's some more. Hope you enjoy.

Exiled Darkness - Welcome back, buddy. But yeah, I feel you about the Lancaster fluff. That's probably why it's my all time favorite ship, they're both so cute. But who knows, it might not look like it, but we're in the early days. Ruby can still steal the show. As far as the protective older sister bit, I feel like it'd be a bit different here seeing as she doesn't get to be around Ruby constantly, she's more concerned for her and all that. You are also right, Jaune is a thug, but they don't know that. Yet.

BookishTen - You can prefer Neo all you like, and I appreciate the question. I have made the decision to keep it unlisted because if I listed it as one or the other, I'd be missing a lot of the readership who might enjoy the story. Even then, it makes you all wonder and question which girl it'll be and I like that.

X3 - I'm glad you liked the Lancaster fluff, I really liked writing it. A nice way to destress and relax. As far as what Yang will say, we dunno. As for Ren, that might happen, seeing as he needs someone with their head on straight who is also male to not make him want to scream in pain and terror. As far as the sword and mechashift, I dunno man, I'll do whatever really comes to mind when that comes about. I have a concept, but I'll take what you're pointing out the issues into account. As far as Pyrrha, who knows. I do have a plan for her. As far as Ruby putting her symbol on it without realizing the implications, that would be rather amusing, adorable, and fun to read and write. I'll take it into consideration. I'm glad you enjoy and are continuing to come back.

Ubivashka- Thank you. As far as another crazy stupid Yang, just keep in mind that Jaune's only met her twice, one which was him out with Ruby late at night in a sketchy part of town, and the second sounds a whole lot like a date. She's got ample reason to be suspicious. There's also the fact that we're only seeing things from Jaune's PoV, so he might see things differently than others do.

Specter - Awesome, I've been being told that it was fine, so that makes me happy. RIP Ren indeed, poor guy. He can handle Nora and that's fine, but leading a completely distant Pyrrha, and Yang to boot? The stress that storm of personality would bring is not something I would wish on my worst enemy. I'm sorry, but also not sorry, Ren. You will be remembered. As far as armor, that is coming real soon. Once we finish with this little gang war that Jaune started.

And with that, I think that's all my reviews for last chapter.

I thank you all for sticking around and supporting this story, it really makes my day.

For anyone who is new, feel free to follow and favorite if you want to support my writing and want to know when I update this story.

And for those who are feeling particularly kind, feel free to drop a review, I do read them all, and respond to them in my next published chapter as you can see above.

Next Update: Monday, April 22nd

Till next time, this is Valres signing off.