Hiya, so I have a new chapter for y'all

a whole lot later than planned actually lol
either way, I hope it's good!

Something about this bugged me while writing
But I just couldn't pinpoint where or what it was

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY

Chapter 17: Animus Vox

There were many times that Jaune could say he was afraid. But almost all the times were in the past, when he was a novice and a cheat in his beginning days of Beacon. Afraid of letting his friends know he actually lied to get into the, arguably, best Hunter Academy in Remnant; afraid of letting his family down, despite how accepting of his possible failure; afraid of pretty much everything. But ever since coming back, ever since seeing his friends die before his very eyes and the aspirations to fix Remnant came crashing down around him – almost nothing phased him.

He remembered facing the Nuckelavee Grimm for the first time in Kuroyuri, the terror he felt – how he was certain he would die. His thoughts of facing Tyrian for the first time – seeing how he beat Ruby around like a rag doll, and himself. The terror some of the Greater Grimm he'd faced in Solitas and the Wilds of Sanus lived up to their names, terrifying him until he could feel no terror. He'd practically seen it all in the future past; terrorists, murderers, rapists, slavers, demons, monsters – gods.

But these newcomers; these people, took Adam Taurus down with a single bullet and threw him into a portal, similar to that of the portals used by Salem to get around Remnant. One bullet. It didn't just tear through his aura either – it ripped through Adam's body as if his aura was non-existent. They took him down with a single shot when his own bullets, Blake's bullets or anyone's bullets did absolutely nothing but fuel his semblance and make him angrier.

It was a unanimous decision, one that echoed with Sun's own words.

These beings scared the shit out of him.

Jaune stared at the woman in front of him. Her antlers were large – larger than any normal deer Faunus would have. It almost seemed to take the shape of a cult priestess's headdress. Her clothing consisted of a long, thick leather and cotton trench coat with tapered coattails. Around her waist, a utility belt of black leather held a small pouch and bandoliers, along with Dust vials to fill her revolvers. Beneath her trench coat, a thin undergarment was seen, almost like a deep V-neck shirt. Over her shoulders, pauldrons were strapped with thick leather straps holding it all together. Her skin was a deathly pale with those same markings that he'd seen Salem had.

But unlike Salem, Jaune could sense her aura, her soul. She looked like Grimm and even exuded a negativity similar. Her teeth were a pearly white but her gums were rotten. But while most of her appearance was that of a walking corpse rather than a woman – her eyes were what really caught his attention. Green as emeralds but drenched in a darkness. She was evil, without a doubt, but he just could not believe what he saw. She was a creation he'd never seen before, standing right in front of him.

Her companions were no better. But he could tell she was the stronger of the three present. The presence she had when she first arrived sent ripples of shock through his system. Her entrance was that of a queen who knew her worth. But even then, he felt sick to his stomach – just from this show alone, he could tell she was stronger than he was at the moment. That was a fact he couldn't deny. Looking to Blake for a statement on how to proceed, a remark, something. She was as silent as usual, but instead of introverted-ness or enjoyment of silence – Blake was mortified.

Yang reflected her partner's sentiment, actually faltering her stance and started to back away. She immediately froze when she saw Jaune's eyes staring at her own through his helmet visor. Finding the courage she needed; Yang steadied her stance and bent her knees slightly, preparing to stand with the Arc. She was still terrified, absolutely so, but his calming aura and steady bulwark of a presence eased her enough to want to continue fighting.

Pyrrha gazed upon Jaune's figure, enamored and honestly inspired by his strength. Swinging Milo against Akouo, switching it into the rifle configuration, she planted her feet. The red sash she wore waved in the wind, along with her flowing crimson cascade of hair. A terrible feeling rested in her chest, staring at the antlered woman across from them. Her skin was a deathly pale but her eyes are what sent shivers up and down Pyrrha's spine; they were the same colors as her own. If it weren't for her deathly appearance, the spartan would have thought she could be her Faunus sister. Hair as crimson, eyes as green; Pyrrha felt she was gazing upon a mirror image of herself.

Sun, his eyes danced between the fighters gathered. Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang were connected into their bo-staff configuration, slung over his shoulders. Unlike the huntsmen and huntresses bending their knees, preparing to strike, he stood upright, staff wielded confidently and tail swishing about behind him. The Faunus of the trio in front of them scared him, the lanky man with a strange rifle-sword made him uncomfortable but the hunchback fighter is the one who truly terrified him. The hunchback had such a debilitation, it was almost as if he were a ninety-degree angle. His arms hung down like vines and branches of overgrown trees. His hair had fallen, covering much of his face and blew in the winds like willow leaves. The image alone made him uneasy, but the fact had blades coming from his gauntlets simply made it more difficult to face.

But then, Blake, she stared at everyone present, still shaken up by Adam's blood on her face. She didn't know how to act – having never seen Adam get hurt before. She shook in her boots, feeling powerful winds blow from the bay, blowing against her cat ears that nestled at the top of her scalp. Dark locks of hair waved in the growing breath of nature. These freaks came out of nowhere and stole her kill – something she wasn't going to take kindly. They destroyed his aura and punctured his body with a single bullet. She didn't even know such technology even existed. Trailing her golden-amber eyes to the boy beside her, Jaune was doing his best to seem unfazed, but Blake knew it. The way he trembled in his armor and took his steps; it was painfully obvious he was terrified.

Jaune suddenly raised his shield, catching a few gasps of surprised. Blake looked at the Arc as he began to start pacing around the trio. She scowled and drew Gambol Shroud in its katana configuration and began to pace with Jaune. Soon, Pyrrha, Yang and Sun followed suit, creating alternating orbits around the trio. No words were shared as weapons were poised, ready to strike.

"So, you're the King of Vale?" The antlered woman spoke, a smile spreading across her face. "You're everything I hoped you'd be."

Jaune scowled, knowing she was just trying to rile him. "What do you want from me?"

"Do you really need to ask?" She said, doing what she can to hold her cackle.

"I like to be informed."

"Then you'd best have some paper nearby." She snarled. "I hear notes are helpful."

"Funny…" Jaune deadpanned, gripping his sword. "We won't hesitate to attack."

The woman smiled darkly, releasing the cackle she held. "By all means, don't! Show me what you can do, King!"

Jaune glared at her, his semblances gathering together. Suddenly, his left eye turned a sapphire-emerald while his right eye turned a sapphire-amber. Charging ahead, his armor and blade glowed a bright marvelous white. Jumping over the hunchback, he brought his weapon down, smashing the sword into the woman's daggers. Taking it as a command, the rest of his friends charged ahead, Blake and Yang taking the hunchback while Pyrrha and Sun attacked the rifle-sword man.

The Arc spun wildly, his shield catching every dagger strike and jab. Landing on his feet, the woman charged ahead, her antlers actually sharpened and carved into points at the ends. She crashed against his shield, blasting back a few feet, even leaving a few indentations upon the bulwark. Despite it, she wasn't dazed, in fact, it only seemed to make her smile with a maniacal tinge. Flipping her revolvers around, she channeled aura into the weapon and fired off a few shots.

The bullets moved at incredible speeds, hitting Jaune every time. Luckily for him, he'd left a shadow clone at the just the perfect moment. Just as the bullet was felt tapping against his aura shield, he'd back away, dodging just in the nick of time. Once his shadow clones were spent, the woman seemed to have used up her Dust vial's ammunition. Flicking the revolver cylinders open, empty, steaming Dust vials slipped out, shattering as they hit the concrete.

He burst forward taking her weakness as a sign. Swinging his blade around, he struck at the woman, bringing his blade against her skin. Much to his surprise though; she blocked the blade with her gauntlets, sparking at the contact. Jaune kicked forward, bashing his foot against her guard, but she simply brought her knee up to block his attacks. Drawing his sword back, he took the chance for another strike, in conjunction with his kicks and shield bashes. Nothing could connect. Not only was she incredibly fast, but her perception was incredible. Whatever Salem did to her; it worked wonders.

Looking over to his friends, Pyrrha ducked under the tall man's nodachi, surprise spread across her face. The man's weapon was completely unaffected by her polarity and it left her at a loss. She did her best to weave around the man while Sun took her place, unlatching Ruyi and Jingu Bang from each other. He swung the nunchaku with professional speed, bashing the weapon and pulling the triggers. Each strike knocked the man back a little and each consecutive shot did some damage to the man's clothing – but nothing to his body or aura. Even with speed such as his, the attacks were too slow.

Spying the battle between the girls of RWBY – they weren't faring any better. Every punch Yang made against his armor, her fist would either slide off or completely be deflected. The man always followed up with a pair of kicks and a quick strike aimed at their abdomen. Yang was absorbing the attacks and channeling her semblance, but Jaune knew the dangers of letting her use it for too long – she begins to lose herself and her sensibility. Beside her, Blake was sweating a storm, barely able to keep up the fight. Her moves were sluggish and her eyes were slowly beginning to shut, worrying him.

It wasn't surprising at least. He and Blake have been fighting for the last few hours – battling the White Fang and battling the strongest of their faction – even Adam Taurus himself. They fought for a long time. Every muscle was used, every bit of their aura was siphoned for their semblances and in the end, Blake was finally starting to feel the fatigue of doing something like this for so long. While he himself could last and insanely ridiculous long time (her words; not his), she didn't have the aura to keep it up. It was only a matter of time now before she just completely collapses on herself.

Channeling one of his semblances, a green orb of energy sparked around him with green lightning bolts sparking from his body. The sphere grew and absorbed bullets and Dust shots from the woman's revolvers. The attacks bounced off of him and his new shield. Building his aura into his body and arms, his legs and body began to glow once more, adding to his confidence and strength. The woman in front of him was unfazed and almost seemed excited that he'd unleash his power.

"This is the end for you."

Cardin collapsed to the floor, sweat pouring down his face. He leaned his head against the wall behind him with steam growing off of his chest and gouged breastplate. Behind him, the concrete and steel wall had dented, forming a massive spider-webbing crack. One would wonder what had happened but it was quite evident. Steam glowed off of his armor and even rose from between the cracks. He groaned in pain as his aura slowly began to heal his wounds. Twenty feet in front of him, his mace laid lazily, missing a few spikes. While his original mace was destroyed in the Forever Fall, he thankfully had a spare sitting in his locker in the armory.

His vision began to blur as pain took hold of him and blood found its way to crawl from his open mouth. He took slow, heaving breaths, phantom pains from his dance with death a few weeks back had surfaced. His arms were numb and lacked the vambraces that were supposed to protect him. He clenched his teeth, shutting his eyes with anger growing in his body. His friends and team were away, in their dorm studying or probably asleep. It was a late night after all. Worse yet, Jaune and Blake were still missing.

His indigo eyes glared at the training drones staring at him with empty eyes that glowed orange. Leaning back once again, he sighed a simple command and the machines shut down, backing away from the teenager. As they powered down, he released the breath he didn't know he was holding, letting relief ripple through his body. For a moment, the thought of getting up and taking a much-needed shower flittered through his mind but given the rapidly increasing pain, it didn't seem like a good idea at the moment.

Eyes trailed to the ceiling, eyeing the shattered moon above, peering between window panes. It was then, his thoughts landed on his friends. His team was making progress in team attacks and sync in combat. Their grades were rising at a steady rate and every professor they had was impressed for once. Training with Jaune and Pyrrha had amazing fruit to bear, with he himself growing in leaps and bounds. Despite his wounds that would open up – despite the healing Jaune had done – Cardin only went forward.

Sadly, Pyrrha was so worried for their friends, despite never putting off a day, she told him that training would be put on hold until further notice. She had to look for Jaune and Blake. RWBY, CNDR, JNPR and even NDGO of all the teams, had joined in the city-wide search. Cardin sighed, pushing his head into the giant dent his body created. He groaned in pain as his muscles turned tender from the pressure. He hissed when he tried to wiggle his shoulders from the wall. Blake ran because of something and Jaune followed. They were gone for three days – the entire weekend.

Clenching his fists as feeling slowly began to return – he cursed at himself. Indigo eyes locking with the mace sitting silently. His friends could be in danger, especially with the White Fang running about! He wanted to get up, he wanted to move but his legs were number than the arms that hung against his sides like noodles. His anger grew within his chest as he tried to force himself to move. Even with all the determination in the world; there was no way he was set to move any time soon. The difficulty he'd set the drones to might have been exaggerated levels of Jaune and Pyrrha.

A foolish move to healthy students – it was downright suicidal for someone still healing like Cardin. The risk of him opening the stitches and cuts were too high if he were to fight the sparing bots. Yet, he did. He beat down a few of them – fifteen exactly – but he was quickly swarmed without much preparation. He was slow, he was bulky and he especially felt something wrong. The drones bashed him with extreme prejudice and carved into his armor with their fists designed to simulate Grimm claws and swings. The power behind each hit seeped away at his aura, eating away at the invisible force-field.

He cried out, clenching his teeth as he moved to stretch. If he hadn't felt real pain, he probably would have roared out. Nevertheless, Nurse Peridot would scream his ears off if she ever learned of this incident. He was certain at least one of his wounds had opened. The sweat trickling down his skin and face made it difficult to tell. With a powerful sigh, he stared at the ceiling, alone and exhausted.

"Cardin?" An accented voice echoed in the seemingly empty training room. "Are you here?"

"V-Velvet!" He whimpered in the wall. "What are you doing here?"

Footsteps echoed in the room as the Faunus dashed across the floor. She came to a skidding halt, her bunny ears bouncing as she came to a stop. "C-Cardin?!"

"I-I'm fine, bun." He smirked, blood trickling from the corner of his lips. "Just a mistake made with…"

"Shut up." She glared. Reaching to her small pouch at the base of her spine, she whipped out her scroll and began to text away. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! You could have opened your wounds and bled to death!"

Cardin watched her, his mouth open to speak, but the words were stuck in his throat. She went on her accented tirade, slowly ascending from scary and demanding to cute and actually adorable. Her rabbit ears and cute angry face didn't help. His indigo eyes watched her as she put her scroll away and continued ranting to the Winchester. Her lips moved rapidly as her words left her mouth; even her foot began to tap against the floor as her frustration grew.

"Velvet…"

She didn't hear him over her anger. Once more, he called her name, trying to get her attention. "Velvet."

"Gods, woman!" Cardin shouted with a laugh. "Listen…I'm fine. My aura is already fixing me up, no need to get all worked up, bun. Didn't know you cared so much."

Suddenly, from the far side of the training room, a series of students appeared running over to them. Cardin's eyes focused and found none other than the rest of team CFVY and CRDL. The six students were in their pajamas and nightwear. They gasped together and charged ahead, their feet and sandals clapping against the wooden training floor.

"Yatsu, Sky." Velvet called them. "You have the strength to pull Cardin from the wall."

With a simple nod, the two teens walked past the rabbit Faunus and wrapped their hands around his shoulders. A quick countdown and a few grunts later, they yanked the boy from the wall, heaving as they did so. Cardin collapsed to the ground, using the two teens as supports while his legs slowly regained sensation.

"Idiot." Velvet hit his chest with a soft punch.

The Winchester gave her a crooked smile. "I've got to get better somehow, y'know."

Now, they eight students were eating in the cafeteria for late-night dinner. They talked about training and progression through the leaderboards of the first years. Coco told them of her latest shopping spree, much to their dismay, and Yatsuhashi even offered to help CRDL with their training should they need a helping hand. Unsurprisingly, some students came into the cafeteria with books and scrolls, most likely preparing to crunch in studying before their tests came.

Cardin leaned into the table, laying his head against his arms. Ignoring the pain in his chest, the boy stared at his friends. Dove had a deep scar carved into his face from his jaw to his hairline on the opposite side. Sky no longer slicked his hair back and let it fall naturally and Russel looked pretty much the same – the god-awful color almost glowing neon in the night. Coco pushed her glasses up, crossing her arms over her chest, listening to a story coming from Russel. Yatsuhashi was silent, but interested. Fox, the blind huntsman laughed and smiled with the boys of CRDL.

But then his eyes landed on Velvet. She giggled, covering her face with a hand. She smiled, her teeth so white, they almost brightened the entire room. Looking at her face, Cardin felt a blush form on his face, the heat and warmth taking over his body. A part of him wanted to look away but he couldn't bring himself to. Her long brown hair flowed down her back, waving in the air conditioning. Her rabbit ears tilted and bounced with each laugh and giggle shaking her body. Her chocolate brown eyes met his and almost sent explosions of excitement through Cardin's chest.

It was then that he did look away. He shut his indigo eyes, feeling a pain in his heart and a heat behind his eyes. Clenching his fists, he sighed softly to himself. Memories of his past and the things he'd done to Faunus and people who supported them burning in his heart. Finally opening his eyes, Velvet was staring at him with a worried expression, eying his form longer than most would consider decent. When he met her gaze, she broke this time, turning her attention to their friends.

"Hey guys!" A voice came from behind the students.

At another table, a large group of students, Beacon and Shade, were gathered around one another with the bright light of a scroll illuminating the assembly. Cardin raised a brow and immediately rose to his feet, sensing something wrong. Looking to his team, they nodded their heads and rose with him, following at his heels. Velvet and Coco got up as well, following after Cardin. When they arrived to the massive group, their eyes widened at the sight.

A news report was seen on the scroll. Fighting was exploding through the docks of Vale. Gunfire, corpses and surprisingly, teams RWBY, JNPR, Clair and Doré and even Nebula from NDGO. The large group of students were fighting against White Fang operatives and were leading troops and police officers in the conflict. The news report went on, explaining how it was a weapon's deal gone wrong and the White Fang ended up involved.

"Cardin…" Sky looked to his leader.

"Get your weapons and armor." He ordered without another breath.

Ruby collapsed against the concrete, sighing in relief. The White Fang were surrendering, throwing their weapons to the ground. Roman Torchwick had done the same with his companion following suit. She gasped, trying to catch her breath as the power she'd awakened began to die out. Ren had collapsed to a knee, catching his own breath, dropping Stormflower beside his knees. Nebula put a hand on his shoulder and Nora had done the same, while reaching over to put a caring hand on Ruby's shoulder.

Silver eyes met turquoise and the two shared a victorious smile. Pride glowed between the four students as officers and soldiers ran back and forth, arresting the White Fang who surrendered and piling the dead. Even though the area was still considered a warzone, paramedics and a fleet of ambulances had arrived. Men and women were whisked away. The wounded Faunus of the White Fang were handcuffed to their stretchers as they too were whisked away to an ICU in one of the many hospitals in Vale.

Gunfire had died down and the stress they were feeling had disappeared as well. Torchwick was pushed forward by both the Cyan armored woman who'd removed her helmet to reveal piercing green eyes and crimson hair, similar to Pyrrha's and Rosemary, the eldest Arc sister, had both Clair and Doré in powerful arm headlocks with a beaming smile spread across her face. Rosemary was raving about what was to come, the incredible story thus far to tell and didn't seem to mind the embarrassed looks her dear sisters had. Lumière and Foncé were both sheathed, dangling and dancing against Doré's hips and Joyeuse was sheathed, bouncing against Clair's back. Much to their discomfort, Rosemary didn't let up and simply held the girls tighter.

Ruby smiled wistfully at the interaction, reminded of Yang and her beaming personality that was only rivalled by her incredible strength. The girls were released as troops marched and ran about the docks with portable gun turrets and utility workers, probably engineers of this army, moved fire hoses and road blocks. Fires were slowly put out and gun placements were set up, aiming at the sea. Others, the police especially, were bagging, tagging and confiscating every weapon the White Fang used for investigation. Anyone who supplied the White Fang will be blacklisted and will be hunted down with extreme prejudice.

"Are you okay, Ruby?" A voice as sharp as blades entered her ears.

Ruby didn't even look back. "I'm doing fine, Weiss…I'm just trying to catch my breath."

"That's good." Her voice took a caring tone. "You scared me a little back there…"

"I scared me too." She said, a slight solemnity taking over. "I don't know what happened, Weiss. One second I'm having a nervous breakdown, the next, everything around me became clear. Now I've never needed glasses but now I'm sure I'll never need them. Ever. I guess the milk I've been drinking really did help me grow up."

The response was so innocent, so…Ruby, that Weiss couldn't help but start giggling. Ruby finally looked to her white-haired partner with a heated, yet playful, glare. The girl didn't say a thing though, taking in the sound of her friend giggling for once. Nora giggled as well, holding a hand to her face and slapping her knee. Ren and Nebula shared a look before shrugging and smiling with the rest of them. It was silent on the docks, aside from the blaring sirens of police LAV's (Light Armored Vehicle) and the rushing waves against the coast.

"I wonder where the others are…?" Ruby downcasted. "They've been gone a while."

Rosemary knelt beside the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. Jaune and Blake are exceptional fighters, some of the best I've ever seen. They're fine…they're probably held up with dealing with Adam Taurus."

If Ruby was exhausted, she immediately sobered up. Her silver eyes were twinkling with awe and admiration hearing Rosemary's words. When the two locked eyes, her exhaustion disappeared immediately. Ruby shot to her feet, dragging Crescent Rose with her and ecstatically clasped Rosemary's hand, shaking it with glee.

"You're Rosemary Arc!" She bellowed. "I've heard so much about you from Jaune! He said you killed a Goliath Grimm with your fists once! How is that possible?!"

Weiss quickly wrapped her hands around the girl's mouth and forced her to heel. Ruby collapsed onto the concrete with a dust covered crash, toppling over Weiss in the process. Nora burst into laughter, falling over, using Ren as a crutch. The boy simply shook his head, the smile never once faltering. Ruby and Weiss suddenly degraded into a long bout of words and fancier words from Weiss before the two finally ran out of breath. A series of paramedics soon swarmed the group of students with blankets and cups of ice cold water for them.

Ruby smiled and took the fabric, letting it slide over her shoulders, wrapping around her like a protective shield. The others nodded their heads in acceptance, sighing in the warmth provided. Soon enough, Doré and Clair joined them, leaning against one of the overturned shipping crates for support. They shared their experience during the fight, trying to end the silence, sharing what their semblances are and what their weapons can do when channeling their semblances or aura. It was a calming scene, conversation and a well-deserved breather.

Nora went on to describe her side of a story, whilst Nebula and Ren corrected her and each other. The others laughed appropriately and listened intently. As the story continued, a loud rumbling shook them from the tale. All eyes and heads trailed to the sky to see a series of Bullheads floating in, spotlights blaring at the groups. It was then that Ruby fully realized the destruction they'd caused and the attention that came with it.

Behind the police and army barricade, there were cameras, flashlights and people with microphones, recorders and notepads. Her eyes were wide with fright, imagining what her father must be thinking if he saw the news report. The Rose gazed to the large crowd gathered of both news reports and cameramen, but also, civilians that were driven out of their apartments because of the White Fang incursion. She could only imagine how angry they must have felt. There were shouts and yells coming from the mob of people wanting to know what was happening, then there were others who were just there to be there.

She could see some teenagers and some of the couples they'd passed by fighting through the crowd to get a better look at the destruction. It was like looking at a car crash – it was terrible but one just couldn't look away. Ruby hid in her blanket, feeling embarrassment and a searing blush grow on her face. But Weiss and Rosemary rested caring hands on her shoulders, immediately calming her down. She still hid her face into her blanket out of sheer convenience. Ren and Nora stared in awe of the people gathered, as did the rest of Jaune's soldiers.

Soldiers were cheered for and the police were thanked for fighting off the White Fang. An entire armored convoy of busses and LAV's arrived to transport the sixty-something White Fang who surrendered and allowed themselves to be arrested. Police and soldiers pushed them along, their handcuffs and chains dangling and singing as they shuffled along. Reporters could be heard, yelling over the VTOL engines of the Bullheads roaring above. They spoke of a miraculous victory against the White Fang and other embellished details.

One of the Bullheads reared around, lowering once a large group of White Fang operatives were moved. It powered down to allow it to land. Once it was secured, the side doors hissed and swung up to reveal people Ruby wouldn't have expected to see. Her heart jumped into her throat and nearly jumped out of her mouth and plopped onto the concrete. Her silver eyes widened like plates, nearly popping from her head. Weiss beside her felt the same, shivering in terror of what was to come.

"P-Professor O-Ozpin?!" She nearly cried.

The bespectacled man sighed and smiled softly, cane clapping against the concrete. He was flanked by both Professors Goodwitch and Port. The three professors were battle ready and Goodwitch seemed far angrier than she usually did. Marching ahead, she came to a halt, her cold green eyes landed upon the boy and girls she'd come to care for deeply. Nora had a cheeky blush on her face, Ren couldn't meet her eyes. Weiss bit her lip, staring at the wet concrete and Ruby simply shrugged, smiling at the professor. While the four Beacon kids expected an earful that would probably rip them new eardrums, what they got surprised them.

She knelt to meet them face to face and gave them each a soft hug. She was trembling slightly, and pulled away, looking at the four students with a harsh, stern glare. "Where is the rest of your teams? When they get back to Beacon, they'll get it for sure."

Behind the professor, the rest of teams CNDR and NDGO had arrived, a burning chakram for Aruna that seemed large enough to swing around her body like a hula-hoop, while Nyanza wielded a double-headed axe with light green accents that seemed to grow in the night. The rest of the girls of NDGO had their weapons already drawn and glowing with aura and Dust. But they weren't the only ones who had come. Teams CFVY and CRDL had arrived as well, sweat on their foreheads and cheeks. Weiss's eyes widened as she gazed upon her idols and friends.

"Ruby!" Russel called, running up to the girl. "Are you okay?!"

Dove ran up to the group, his scar stretching across his face visible even at night. "Oum, what did you guys get yourselves into?"

Russel shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "And why is it always RWBY and JNPR?"

"I'm inclined to agree with Russel here." Coco pushed her shades up. "This isn't the first time we've come to help your teams out of a shitty situation."

Goodwitch turned her harsh gaze to the fashionista. "Language, Miss Adel."

"But where're Jaune and the rest of your teams?" Cardin asked with a worried look. "We saw them on the news report fighting that one guy with a red sword."

Ruby opened her mouth to speak but a powerful thud silenced the gathered students. Simmons looked up and was joined by his fellow red, Grif and the blue, Tucker. Carolina had jogged up to the group sighing in defeat. Beside them, the Malachite twins violently pushed Roman and Neo along with their wrists bound in handcuffs. Soldiers ran about securing positions with machineguns and turrets hanging over their shoulders, or resting against them.

As the weapons were placed, aiming into the waters of the bay, another thud was heard, silencing everything once again. Not many could place what that sound was. Not even Ruby. It was so loud, terrifying and honestly, worrying. It was so loud, so deep and worst of all, foreboding. It carried with it fear. Ruby could feel it permeate the battlefield. She tensed but quickly felt Rosemary's hand tighten on her shoulder like another caring older sister. Weiss helped the little red riding hood to her feet. Nebula slipped her blanket from her shoulders and pulled Ren to his feet.

Rosemary looked at the children and sighed to herself. It was almost like the old times, when she'd be in charge of five other children when her father and step-mother were busy working in the council-chambers. Except now, she was filled with a deep worry. Any of these kids could die; given what they've just witnessed in the last few hours – she was afraid. Not for herself – no, she was afraid for the children. But seeing the professors from Beacon and even the headmaster himself, helped ease her mind.

The thud appeared again, louder and closer than before. Cardin gave a shout and CRDL quickly spread out, facing the direction the thud was coming from. Coco gave a command as well, her combat tote turning into a minigun. Ruby held back, eyes now shimmering, catching Rosemary's attention and surprise. The little girl swung Crescent Rose around and jammed the head of the scythe into the concrete with the sniper barrel aimed towards the direction of the thud. Weiss held her usual stance, taking a spot next to Fox Alistair and next to Octavia Ember.

Ren held Stormflower out while Nebula and Nora flanked him on either side. At the rear next to Ruby, Velvet had taken position, hand resting on her own combat tote and Nebula with her crossbow had taken position on the opposite end. At the front of the formation of students, CRDL had taken positions with Yatsuhashi, Dew and Gwen in between them. Cardin's mace glowed orange as he channeled both his semblance and aura into the weapon. Beside him, Gwen, the throwing weapons mistress, flipped knives between her fingers in anticipation. Beside him, Russel gave him a worried look.

Team CNDR rushed to the front as well, Clair and Doré taking the spots beside Cardin, spreading the formation longer. Rosemary held in the rear, her SMG's being matched by Carolina's as the cyan armored woman took her place. Nyanza and Aruna both went to the far ends of the formation, weapons poised and ready to strike. Reds and Blues took up formations with different groups along the docks, giving more depth to their rank and file. Infantry taking a hint, followed suit as well; taking positions behind Weiss's ice constructs and moving to shield any of the civilians present from the threat emerging.

His worried look disappeared when another thud was heard, now sounding awfully familiar. A man rested his hand on the green-haired boy and continued walking past him. The students felt shivers shake their bodies as the man they revered as the wisest among huntsmen walked to face the incoming threat first. The thuds grew numerous as did the volume. It was so powerful, it even reverberated in their chests, echoing against their feet and upon their bones.

Then…they saw it.

In a blast of orange colors, reds and yellows, a beautiful, busty blonde-haired bombshell flew through the docks and landed in the clearing, kicking up dust and debris. When the smoke settled Cardin nearly dropped his mace finding her terrified expression to be one of the scariest things he's ever witnessed. She whipped around, shooting her fists forward in quick succession, firing off explosive shots from Ember Celica.

Quickly following after her, a fiery ball of energy came in with a blond-haired Faunus with a bo-staff. Pyrrha jumped forward, rolling against the concrete, all the while dodging Dust-shots and the same aura piercing bullets. The projectiles ricocheted off the concrete and bounced against the steel shipping crates, bouncing around until they embedded into the scenery around them. Pyrrha once more, shot ahead and found a proper firing position, resting Milo in its rifle configuration against the curve of Akouo. Taking off quick shots, she rolled back, dodging a concentrated aura blast that almost seemed like a rocket.

Sun had connected with his opponent, causing a few of the students present to cry out his name, shouting for him to retreat. He twirled his staff around, bashing the shotgun barrel ends against the sword of his opponent. The weapon sung but didn't waver, the arms were struck but there was no sugar. He could commit but no prize. Sun jumped back, back-flipping as he did, dodging several well timed, barely missed, strikes from the lanky corpse-man. Just as he was about to make another move to strike, a glyph appeared on the lanky man, freezing him in place.

The Faunus quickly took this as his chance to escape and hopped off the crate, watching as the lanky man was blasted off. Turning his attention to the group of huntsmen and huntresses, he saw Professor Goodwitch with her riding crop raised, glowing in her tight grip. Whipping her crop down, Sun dropped to the concrete below and disconnected his bo-staff, breaking it into shot-gun-nun chucks. Flipping the weapon about, he – like Yang and Pyrrha, took pot shots into the general direction of their opponents.

But just as those three made it back, a loud howling shout was heard. Coming from behind the stacked crates, Blake and Jaune could be seen making a mad dash from the behind the docks. On their tail, a hunchback with incredible speed chased after them, plowing through steel shipping crates and creating deep impact craters within the thick concrete of the docks. Blake jumped forward, with the help of her shadow clones and quickly motioned for Jaune to do the same.

Much to the surprise of everyone present to witness, Jaune created clones of himself and each one threw him further in an almost perfect form as Blake. Except hers disappeared in a black light while his disappeared in a white light. Just as the hunchback was about to snag him, Glynda Goodwitch once again, came to the rescue, using her glyphs and telekinesis, the hunchback was thrown to where it came from at incredible speeds. Weiss charged forward with Goodwitch and the two created a temporary barrier that shielded off the area to give those running a well-deserved breather.

Jaune took deep heaving breaths and reached up, tossing his helmet away. His blond hair clung to his face, dripping sweat and massive beads of perspiration. Beside him, Blake's cat ears twitched and bent, showing her slow recovery. Everyone stared at him with wide eyes. A heavy feeling had landed upon the docks and every man and women present. The students nearly dropped their weapons with their jaws. He stared at everyone, meeting eyes with his sisters and his friends. What he didn't expect was a pair of arms to grab him.

In his surprise, lips pressed against his, shutting his voice in his throat.

It wasn't Blake.

He came to from the surprise to find Pyrrha had grabbed him and kissed him. Despite the red faces of his sisters and the slightly angry expression from Yang, the spartan didn't let up. After a while, she pulled back when she could hear shouting and explosions coming from the other side of the docks. The barrier it seems, blocked off any way they could jump over the barrier. Pyrrha's face was as red as her hair, her green eyes tilted down to the concrete below her. He wanted to kiss her again, but there was a battle – a life-or-death kind of battle just waiting to be concluded. Taking a deep breath, he turned from Pyrrha and locked his sapphire eyes with Blake's golden-amber – surprised to see she wasn't angry.

"Okay…t-that was unexpected…" Jaune started. "I-I…uhm…a-anyway, three new players have arrived – players I haven't even considered. Do not take them lightly. They are nothing like the White Fang we faced here tonight. In fact, I fear they could wipe the floor with all of us if we spread ourselves too thin and give them too much leg room."

"Jauney." Doré's voice came from the crowd of gathered students. "What the hell is going on here?!"

"I will explain everything when the battle is over, sis." Jaune frowned. "I promise this to all of you. An explanation is in order if we survive this. In fact, I'll answer any question you may have if we survive this night."

Without another word, Jaune strode to the front of the formations and stood next to Ozpin, surprising enough of the students. Before they could voice their confusion and perhaps, worry, they were given looks from Blake and Rosemary that quickly silenced their thoughts. Jaune drew Crocea Mors and gripped the blade tightly.

Suddenly, his eyes changed color – his right eye turning a mixture of red and blue while his left eye turned into a sweet sensation of green, amber and indigo. His sword suddenly began to glow a crimson color, channeling Cardin's explosion semblance into the sword. His shield glowed as well, gathering the semblance into a single point in his bulwark. Swinging his weapon about, he twirled it through the air and much to the surprise of everyone, the metal caught on fire, igniting into a beautiful multi-colored flame.

"How long did you know?" Jaune spoke without looking to Ozpin.

The man hummed to himself, staring at the breaking barrier. "Since you woke up in your dining area, embraced by your youngest sisters four months ago. It is rare to find another with a time semblance, so when I do…I could say I felt a disturbance in the force…of time that is. You've travelled a long way, Your Grace. From a scraggly boy with almost no talent with a sword to a master in almost any weapon you lift and use along with several semblances in your arsenal – mine included."

"What can I say, Professor – I got the luck of the draw…" Jaune nodded, lifting his shield. His hair caught fire and his armor began to glow once again. His blade was crimson while his shield glowed a pale white. "Not looking forward to this, but damn…I can't wait."

"Are you prepared, Mr. Arc?" Glynda asked with a caring tone.

"I am…" Jaune responded.

"Ready yourselves!"

Next chapter (Since my mind is running out of epic fights)
The aftermath of the fight between JNPR, RWBY, CRDL, NDGO, CNDR, CFVY and Ozpin's group
against team RRGE and the rest of the White Fang invasion and of course
The EXPLANATIONS and Revelations for Jaune to give to his friends

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Ja ne!

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