Chapter 32. Oh gosh this is so rushed. I hate army dammit, it messes up my schedule. I apologize in advance, as chapters are gonna come out at SNAIL PACE.

'I guess this is what we trained for.' Yang said to herself, adjusting her gauntlets. The girls paused inside the train car, letting their eyes adjust to the light. Weiss pulled a cartridge of dust out of her waist-pouch, handing it to the ribbon-haired girl.

'Here, this should help.' She said, and Blake accepted it obligingly. She slid it into Gambol Shroud, cocking the weapon and cycling briefly through the dust crystals inside. She returned the weapon to her back, stalking down the corridor. They kept their eyes peeled, double-checking every corner and every shadow for enemies. They started slightly as someone dropped down from the ceiling, and Yang growled in aggression.

Neo straightened languidly, one hand on her hip, her parasol dangling lightly from the other. She smirked, her eye colors flicking back and forth, and Yang scowled at her. The blonde girl stepped forward, squaring up to the much smaller girl, balling her hands into fists at her side.

'You two go on ahead, this one's mine.' She hissed, extending Ember Celica. The other two girls nodded, slipping past the new arrival. Neo stepped forward as they approached, raising her parasol to intercept them, and was forced to backflip out of the way as a fireball crashed into the floor where she had been standing. Neo smirked back at the girl, unconcerned with the two that had gotten past, spinning her parasol lazily as the blonde approached her. They squared up, and Yang stared down at the diminutive girl. Neo blinked, her eyes changing color again, the smirk never leaving her face.

Above The Train

Jaye crashed into the floor, bashing his knees into the roof of the train once more. He swore as the stinging pain jolted through his legs, and he was sure his knees would be completely bruised over by the time they were done here. He rolled out of the way as a massive robot arm crashed into the roof where he'd been kneeling, scrambling to his feet and swinging wildly at the joints of the mech he was fighting. Ruby, Jaye and Doctor Oobleck were currently engaged in combat with numerous units of the prototype mecha suits that Torchwick had gotten his hands on, and they were proving difficult targets to deal with. Jaye swore as his sword glanced off the metal plating again, doing no damage to the machine. His weapons and skills were next to useless in situation like this.

'Dammit! I can't figure out a way past this.' He thought to himself. Ironically, the fact that he was such a good assassin was hindering him here, as his weaponry and skills had been developed to fight people, not creatures or mechs. His ability to deal damage with pinpoint accuracy was doing him no good, as he lacked the destructive power to penetrate the thick, reinforced armor plating. He threw ice at their feet, and one of the mechs slipped off the roof, scrambling desperately at the side of the car to regain its position. The others waded over the ice, crashing through it easily, and Jaye swore again as they opened fire. He raised a wall of ice, ducking behind it as bullets began to rain into its surface, and he clutched his hands to his head, searching desperately for a way out.

A miniature explosion sounded, and one of the mechs went flying off the roof, tumbling into the rails with a resounding crash. Jaye peeked over his ice wall at his two team members, and Ruby grinned at him, slashing at the knee joints of one of the mechs, taking a sizeable chunk out of its armor. Once more, her scythe was proving a useful weapon to have around.

'Thanks guys. You're a pretty good fighter Doctor Oobleck.' He complimented, and Doctor Oobleck shrugged.

'Do remember that I am, in fact, a licensed huntsman.' He said, tipping his hat and charging the rest of the mechs. 'You two! Go on ahead!'

Ruby turned back to the Doctor, pleading her case, but he cut her off with a look.

'Don't worry Ruby, it's time I taught them a lesson.' He declared, and Jaye nodded to him. Grinning at the Doctor for the first time, he grabbed Ruby by the arm and charged down the train roof. They skidded to a halt as they neared the end, and Jaye grimaced at the sight. In front of them, blocking their path, stood a man clad in red, a katana and wakizashi dangling listlessly from his fingers. Jaye's scowl turned into a snarl as he unsheathed his weapon.

'What are you doing here Damian.' Jaye spat, and the red-clad man laughed, a sharp and coarse laugh that chilled Ruby to the bone. He stood, smiling easily, beckoning the two on.

'Why wouldn't I be here? Why do you think I came to assassinate you so many weeks ago?' He said nonchalantly, spinning his blades in his hands. Jaye's expression darkened further as Damian took a step forward, and he raised his blade to meet him.

'So the Faction IS in on this. Thanks for clearing that up.' He spat, levelling Excalibur with the blood-red man's face. Damian grinned a white, glimmering grin, his dark spiky hair waving in the wind of the tunnel.

'You'd be pretty stupid to NOT realize we're a part of this. How else could someone like Torchwick get ahold of goods like those mechs you just fought?' He grinned wider, his sharp features reminiscent of a snake, his white grin creating the image of a cobra ready to strike. Jaye's eyes flicked to Ruby, his mind racing, trying to find a way to get her to safety before the ensuing dual happened. His thoughts were interrupted by Damian's voice.

'Either way, you're not getting to the control room. My associates are down inside ensuring your teammates won't get through. Torchwick seems to be especially concerned about this "Blake" character, but personally I think he's an idiot.' He said, resting his katana on his shoulder. 'You're a much bigger threat.'

'So what? They hired you to kill me?' Jaye spat, glaring at his former teammate, and Damian laughed aloud, almost doubling over.

'No, of course not. Practically no one outside the Faction knows your face, and the ones that DO are a little too dead to be of any concern. They know your codename of course, Niefelheim, but they have no idea who YOU are. To Torchwick, Jaye Ryder is just another ex-member of the Faction turned to the righteous path. No one of concern. Of course, I know better.' He said, leering at the two, and Jaye set himself protectively in front of Ruby. Damian paced around the roof, stopping at the very edge, staring down at the tracks.

'But still, contract or not.' He murmured, whirling around. Jaye raised his blade to the ready and flinched as Damian's sword crashed into his with astounding force. He skidded back slightly, pushing Ruby back with his free hand and grasping the handle of his blade. Pushing back, he strained against the red-clad man, and Damian peered over the interlock of steel.

'I'D KILL YOU ANYWAY.' He howled, a mad glint in his eye, and Jaye shoved him away. Damian slid across the roof, digging a blade into it to slow his movement, and Jaye seized the opportunity to draw Caliburn. The two darted towards each other, weapons clashing, and Ruby dashed around them, heading for the front of the train. Damian turned to her, rushing after the girl, but Jaye cut in front of him, stopping his movement.

'Your fight is with me!' He yelled, kicking Damian in the gut and pushing him back. The red-clad assassin threw back with a flurry of blows, taking advantage of his greater speed to blitz Jaye. Jaye grimaced as he felt a few of the strokes connect, and his Aura shield fizzed in response. Knocking the man back, he loosed a mixture of sword strikes and kicks into his body, and Damian found himself being pushed to the edge of the roof. Swinging his blade down, Jaye felt his shoulder jar as his blade crashed into Damian's, and they fought for dominance on the edge of the train car. He pushed hard, and felt Damian topple backwards. He swore as the man grabbed his collar, hanging off him to prevent his fall onto the deadly tracks below. Damian struck back with his wakizashi, and Jaye met it with Excalibur. He glared at Damian and spun on the spot, gripping the man's arm and throwing him over his head in an improvised Sode Tsurikomi Goshi. Damian crashed into the roof and spun on his back, sweeping Jaye's legs out from under him. The two flipped to their feet and struck back with their blades without missing a beat.

Ducking a sword strike, Jaye spun into a tornado kick to spinning hook kick combination, slashing at the end, and caught Damian off guard with a spinning back kick follow-up. Damian tanked the blow, using Jaye's recovery window to throw an elbow into his head. Jaye crashed to the ground, swiping at Damian's ankles with his sword. Damian evaded them easily, springing back out of reach. Putting his back to the front of the train, Damian jumped as Jaye scrambled to his feet. Jaye cried out in shock as Damian suddenly hurtled towards him, crossing his swords to block the blow. The katana smashed into them, the impact somehow blasting Jaye off his feet. He flipped fully before smashing face down into the roof, gasping in pain as the shock ran through his body. He rolled aside as a katana jammed into the metal where his head had been, and ducked another slash. Leaping into the air, Damian stretched his leg out in a flying back kick, and Jaye crossed his forearms to block the blow. He frowned slightly as a flash of red appeared in front of Damian's foot, and he was once more blasted completely off his feet, spinning wildly through the air before crashing into the cold steel roof. He wheezed as he got to his feet, clutching his forearms where he'd blocked the blow.

'How is he so strong?! I should be able to easily block his blows!' He thought, and glared as Damian grinned devilishly at him again. He ducked a flying sword strike, and narrowly ducked under another aerial kick, and his eyes widened as he realized what was going on. Damian was attacking to push past him and get to the other side of the train, where his back would be facing the front. Then when he threw attacks from that direction, he would leap into the air and form a platform beneath him, freezing him in midair. But since they were on a moving train, Jaye would keep moving while Damian was grounded in the air, and it would be like Jaye was hurtling at the speed of a train into Damian's attacks. By facing down Jaye in that manner, his attacks from that side of the train would have the power of the train's movement itself. Jaye cried out again as Damian's kick connected once more, and he went flying into the roof once again. He swore as he realized the damage that had already been done, his realization coming too late, and his aura, already low from his battle with the mechs, had been nearly depleted just to save him from those attacks. He could only take a few more blows before its protection would fail, and that would spell his doom.

The sealed doors of the entrance to Vale loomed ahead, closing in on them rapidly as the train continued to pick up speed. The rest of the girls clambered out of the train car behind them, having finished their battles, and charged up to meet them. They formed a line in front of Jaye, standing against the red-clad man. They stared him down, and Damian afforded a cursory glance behind him. He grinned at the massive metal doors, and laughed as they crept closer, sheathing his blades. He turned his gaze back to Jaye, and Yang raised her fists in challenge.

'Looks like our time is up Jay bird. Hope you had as much fun as I did.' He said, snapping his fingers, a portal opening behind them far down the tracks. He laughed, grinning at the team standing before him.

'I hope you survive this. It'll be boring if you don't.' He said, grinning as the portal shot towards him. He backflipped in the air, kicking off a pad and spinning into line with the portal. The portal passed over him, and they both vanished without a trace. Jaye swore at the no-longer-present asshole, whirling around to face the impending doors. He glanced across the girls, and Yang turned desperately to Jaye.

'What do we do?!' She pleaded, and Jaye stared at her, shaking his head. Nothing he'd trained for had prepared him for this. He was completely and utterly lost.

'I don't know.' He murmured, and Yang's face turned to despair. They returned their gaze to the impending wall and braced for impact. Spinning on the spot, Weiss jammed Myrtenaster into the ground before them, cocooning them in ice, and Jaye simply stood, bracing, as they crashed through the doors. He felt the impact, felt himself fly through the air, his aura fortification fizzing out, and cried out as he hit the ground. He slammed into something sharp and jagged, and he grit his teeth against the pain. Ears ringing, head spinning, he tried in vain to get to his feet.

Then everything went black.

'Jaye! Jaye wake up!' A muffled voice broke through the darkness as he felt himself being jostled back and forth. He shook his head, trying to clear it, and felt a stab of pain as he tried to do so. Ironically, that helped wake him up, and he slowly dragged himself back into consciousness. His vision swam, Yang's face barely distinguishable as she continued to shake him.

'Jaye! Wake up! We need you!' She yelled, shaking him furiously. Jaye groaned as he attempted to decipher her words. It was like his ears were filled with cotton.

'The grimm are pouring into the city!' She yelled, pulling him upright. He promptly dropped back down again, and she caught him around the waist, dragging him back up. 'We need to protect the civilians!'

Jaye wheezed, slamming his hand down onto a nearby fragment to steady himself. Yang turned back to the battle, surveying the damage. Team JNPR had entered the battle, as well as Sun and Neptune, while Weiss, Blake and Ruby had already jumped into the fray, and Yang was intent on joining them. She glanced back at Jaye, who was still in no condition to fight, and he waved her off.

'Go.' He mumbled, waving his hand at her. 'I'll be fine in a bit. Just need a minute.'

Yang nodded her thanks, running down the street to engage the beasts. Jaye watched her leave, and watched as she dived headfirst into a pack, vanishing in between the teeth and claws. Once he was sure she'd gone, he instantly collapsed against the rock, clutching his midriff. He grasped at his side, peeling his shirt up, and groaned as he felt it stick to his skin, the dark red viscous liquid staining his black shirt even darker. He placed a palm over it to stem the blood flow and cursed as a jolt of pain rocketed through him.

'Ah fuck.' He swore, and flinched as a gust of wind blew over him, ruffling his hair. He glanced up at the source, eyes widening as a massive ship breached the horizon above him. It crept out over the rooftops, its silver plating glinting in the sunlight, and an army of smaller ships poured out around it. They surrounded the grimm, bullets pouring out over the horde, and the girls dived for cover. Their initial gun run over, the ships opened their rear hatches, mechanized atlas troopers leaping down from them. They scoured the streets, shooting and suppressing grimm, giving the girls a chance to recover.

An Ursa was knocked off its feet by a flying kick, and Mercury appeared, grinning, with Emerald and Cinder in tow. They dived into battle, and Jaye frowned at the three. They seemed to be on their side, at least for now, but Jaye couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't what they seemed. A bark resounded from the crater, and Zwei dived out form the hole, promptly headbutting a nearby grimm to the ground, barking in glee. Another gust of wind chafed Jaye, and he glanced p at the newly arrived airship. In the hanger stood Professor Port, as well as a group he recognized from before their trip. The girl in gaudy, expensive clothes stood at the front, with the bunny-eared girl and her other teammates behind. She leaned over the edge of the airship, grinning down at the unfolding battle, and took a flying leap off the edge. Hitting the ground with a resounding crash, the four members promptly engaged in battle. The tall armored boy, Yatsuhashi, drew his blade, slamming it into the ground. The ensuing shockwave blew the surrounding grimm off their feet tumbling them over the area. Jaye swore as rubble hurtled towards him, ducking for cover as numerous pieces flew his way, and he swore as a pebble hit him in the forehead. He ducked again as an Ursa Major spike crashed into the concrete where his head had been, and he glared at the dark-skinned fighter who had exploded the grimm. The gaudy clothed girl stepped forward a wide grin on her face.

'Nice hustle fox.' She complimented, running her hand over the boy's ass in appreciation. 'Good job.'

Jaye stared, a little stunned by the role reversal, and blinked in surprise as she proceeded to bore down on a massive grimm, pushing up her sunglasses.

'You just destroyed my favorite clothing store.' She declared, spitting at the beast. 'Prepare to die.'

The beast snarled, swinging its massive claws at her. She swatted the paw aside with her handbag and kicked it square between the legs. The beast bounced off its feet for a moment, hands clutched to its groin, and Jaye raised an eyebrow at the rather unorthodox area of attack. She fought off numerous more grimm, and the bunny-eared girl stepped in to help, pulling a box off the back of her waist. The girl held a hand out, stopping her.

'Hey, you spent all semester building that up! Don't waste it here.' She admonished, and the faunus girl nodded, stepping back out of reach. The gaudy-clothed girl raised her handbag, and it opened to reveal a massive barrel. It extended from the bag, a cylindrical magazine popping out from the bottom, and she proceeded to mow down the grimm with it. The bullets poured out like rain over the grimm, even taking out numerous aerial grimm as well. Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck joined in the battle as well, mowing down a horde of grimm in a matter of minutes. Jaye started as the cement block he was crouched behind flew into the air, following its path back to the breach in the city. The bits of cement slammed back into place in the previously destroyed area, reforming the road and the face of a nearby shophouse, and he realized that professor Goodwitch must have arrived. The hole finally sealed, the rest of the teams proceeded to clean up the remaining grimm, and Jaye leaned against a nearby street lamp for support. The concrete no longer in the way, the faunus girl, Velvet's, eyes alighted on Jaye. She ran over to him, eyes filled with concern, and Jaye flinched away as she arrived.

'Are you okay?' She asked, reaching out for his shirt, and Jaye attempted weakly to swat her hands away. Ignoring his attempts to get rid of her, she peeled the stained red mess away from his side, gasping at the jagged hole just beneath his ribs. She placed her hands over it, pushing down on it and relieving Jaye of his exertion. He groaned in pain, leaning his head against the lamp post, and glanced down at the brown haired girl.

'Thanks.' He murmured, and Velvet smiled widely at him, her ears wiggling in glee.

'No problem. You helped me before, so I'm just returning the favor!' She said, and Jaye rolled his eyes.

'I just did that on impulse. You don't have to think anything of it.'

'But either way you helped me. That was very nice of you, and I can't possibly bear to see someone like that get hurt.'

'…Do what you want I guess.'

'That I will.' She said, and giggled at Jaye's scowling face. The two glanced up as the medics arrived, and Velvet obligingly let them take over. She waved at the brooding boy as she left, bowing slightly to him as she regrouped with her team, and Jaye watched them as they loaded themselves onto an airship and flew back towards Beacon. He grinned as a boatload of cussing erupted from a nearby airship, and laughed as Torchwick was loaded, noisily, onto an Atlas airship, presumably to be taken off to prison.

Having finished treating his wound, Jaye promptly cussed out the medics as they attempted to load him into an ambulance and opted instead to jump onto an airship with his team instead. Yang nudged him as they took off, grinning at the boy.

'You sly bastard. After all that talk about working things out with me, you go ahead and start on another girl already? And Velvet too!' She cried, placing a hand over her heart in mock horror. 'I can see the appeal though. She's gorgeous, and those bunny ears are a cuteness overload.'

Jaye rolled his eyes, shoving the blonde, and she retaliated by kissing him on the cheek. He turned away from her, rolling his eyes as he felt her grin into the back of his head.

'You can't beat me at this game little boy; I know your weakness! It's a critical hit bargain sale with me!' She giggled, kissing him again, and Ruby made a retching sound at the couple, grabbing at Weiss for support. The white-haired heiress neatly evaded her, pushing her face into the wall of the airship.

On The Edge Of Beacon's Airship Platform

'Well, we did it.' Yang murmured, gazing out at the sunset cresting the horizon, her boots thudding dully into the metal platform beneath her, hanging dangerously over the edge of the platform.

'We did it.' Blake echoed, smiling at the blonde girl, and Weiss raised a finger in the air.

'If we don't get extra credit for that, I'm going to be seriously disappointed.' She said, and Yang rolled her eyes.

'Weiss, a two-headed snake literally crushed a bakery. I wouldn't count on it.' She said, and Ruby twiddled her thumbs, staring into her lap.

'Plus, I mean, we didn't solve everything. A lot of people were hurt, and we still don't even know why they did this, or who that mystery girl was.' She bemoaned, anxiousness clear on her face. Weiss watched the girl quietly, shaking her head.

'Well, not every story has a neat and tidy ending.' She consoled the girl, and Blake nodded in agreement.

'We might not have all of the answers, but we do have a lot of dangerous people behind bars. And I think that's something we can be proud of.' She agreed, and Ruby smiled, nodding in assent.

'Yeah! And if anyone tries something like this again, we'll be there to stop them.' She grinned at her teammates, and Jaye rolled his eyes at the girl. He glanced back at the sunset in the distance, feeling the warmth of the sun on his face, and smiled despite himself. Yang dropped down across the floor, yawning.

'Yay. Teamwork, camaraderie, good guys, go team, alright good job.' She muttered tiredly, waving her arms in the air. 'So, what now?'

'I'd suggest training for the tournament, but...I think we have that covered at this point.' Weiss said, touching a finger to her chin, and Jaye shrugged nonchalantly, dropping down across the platform as well, and Blake scratched her ears quizzically.

'So then…' She pondered, and Ruby cocked her head to the side.

'Uh…time for bed?' She broached, and the five team members chorused in assent, gathering themselves off the platform and making their way back to the dormitories.

'I'm going to sleep forever.' Yang groaned, and Jaye yawned in response.

'Seconded.'

And now comes the Vytal Festival! Heads up guys, we're getting close to the fall of Beacon. And for the record, I don't really plan on writing close to script for volume four! So after this, I'm going to do my best to churn out an original story arc to wrap up at least some of Jaye's problems.