Aw shit, here we go again.

\~/

chapter 31

Qrow had warned them that the assault would only get worse as time wore on. The militia would try their best to keep the civilians calm, but there was only so much that could be done. The sound of gunfire combined with the roars of enraged Grimm took it's toll on the untrained psyche of the average person.

Ruby had known this in advance and still couldn't wrap her mind around just how many Grimm were throwing themselves at Retel. Not even two hours in and she had used more than two-thirds of the ammo stockpile the town had provided. Gods, did she hope the evacuation wouldn't take six hours. She was starting to doubt they could even last the four…

"No, bad Ruby!" She shook the thought from her head and refocused on the task at hand. "You're on a team of super awesome Hunters!" She told herself while her scope slid over Yang and Weiss. They were busy holding off a group of beowolves that must have been fast or smart enough to get past the defense towers.

She felt her heart skip a beat as one of the creatures narrowly missed her sister, the ice dust building around it slowing it down. With barely a twitch, flame dust was ignited in Crescent Rose and the Grimm dropped to the ground. A high caliber projectile lodged in it's head.

She expected to see Yang give a nod or even just continue fighting. Instead Ruby saw her sister desperately waving up to her and pointing down the road. With a slight adjustment, Ruby's scope landed on the defensive tower that Yang was pointing at. Just in time to see an Ursa smash out one of the support beams.

She reacted quickly, Placing the beast's head between her crosshairs and firing. But it was too late, the damage was already done. If she had to guess, the men on the tower must have heard the support snap and panicked. There was no other way such a large number of Grimm would have diverted from their path to begin lunging at the structure, bringing it down in moments.

Ruby opened fire immediately, covering the fleeing militia as best she could. It didn't matter, most were either too injured or just stunned from the sudden collapse. She felt her stomach twist nauseatingly as an alpha Beowulf sank it's jaws into the form of a man desperately trying to crawl away. Blood splattered across the area as the creature shook the man like Zwei might do to a chew toy.

She wanted to close her eyes, pretend like she didn't just watch someone get used like a dog's plaything. She would have done so, had she not caught the flicker of movement at the edge of her scope.

Someone was still alive. Somehow spared injury from the initial fall, the figure desperately began stumbling over debri in an attempt to escape the knightmare he found himself within. The Grimm were quick to follow, drawn by the terror and hungry for flesh.

Focus on what you can do, ignore what you can't. A simple lesson, taught to Hunter's from the very beginning.

She pulled the trigger again and again, forcing herself to cover the fleeing survivor. Ignoring the distant screams of the injured and dying. Ignoring the moisture that threatened to obscure her vision. She ignored what she couldn't change and focused on what she could.

That didn't stop the single treacherous thought form rooting itself firmly in her head.

I'm not strong enough.

\-/

It was such a beautiful night. The sky was clear, the fractured remains of the moon were shining, and the Grimm were absolutely ravenous. The man carelessly walking through the forest couldn't have asked for a better night. His Goddess must truly have been smiling upon him. The thought brought a smile to his face, a small giggle slipping from his lips.

"I will not disappoint you, my Goddess." He mumbled quietly under his breath while doing his best to stem his excitement. And how could he not be excited!? It wasn't everyday you were sent to look after a diety's very own child!

Well… perhaps it was every day. It couldn't be helped when one's Goddess had as many children as his did. That didn't matter though, because this child was special. Unique even among the varied shapes and sizes of it's kin. And this prodigal child's examination had been entrusted unto him!

He felt his joy beginning to bubble over once more but forced it down when movement caught his eye. There, in the distance. A bush rustling ever so slightly with a suspicious patch of something white in it.

"Oh ho? What's this now…?" His target was supposed to be dressed in all white, was this him? No. He wouldn't be hiding, he would be fighting his siblings. This had to be something else, and with the sounds of combat nearby it was easy to assume it was related.

His training held true as he stalked his way closer to the bushes in question, his stomach fluttering with excitement all the while. What could it be? One of his Goddesses children? Or maybe it was something soft and squishy to play with…? Oh how he hoped it was the second one.

Climbing into the trees for a better vantage point, he first noticed the masks on the crouched were the Whitefang doing here? Looking in the direction they were watching, a wide grin spread across his features once more.

"Found you~" He whispered with giddy excitement.

There it danced, amidst the horde of Grimm. It was not a graceful dance filled with slow, deliberate movements. It was one filled with heat and passion, the white knight desperately clawing at the horde in the vain hope of catching it's attention. The waves of darkness crashed ever forward, heedless of the knight's protests, pushing past it's smaller sibling without pause.

The scene was so beautifully tragic it almost brought a tear to his eyes. Oh how he wished he could rush in and help the child learn it's lesson. Teach the child that it needn't attack it's siblings. Show it the true enemies were in the very town it was so desperate to protect.

But he had his orders, to gain information, and he would not disappoint his Goddess. She wanted to learn about her wayward child, so he would learn for her. He would be able to teach her something, he would be of service! The thought was enough for his mirth to overtake him momentarily.

Perhaps the Whitefang would help him? They were helping Cinder with her plans already, why wouldn't they help him? Of course they would, he was a servant to the Queen of Grimm and Goddess of all. No mortal had the right to refuse Salem's will.

They would either help or they would die, so simple even a child would understand.

\-/

The assault had been going on for four hours already. Or had it only been two? Maybe five…? Weiss' brow furrowed, how long had it been since this madness began? Once the Grimm had begun showing up in force, every moment seemed to just blend together. She supposed it didn't really matter, if she could still fight that's what she would do.

For the moment however, she would do her best to get the most out of the break given to her after Ruby joined the melee.

She made her way past the sandbags and guardsmen that acted as a final line of defense. The crowd of civilians was noticeably smaller as Weiss made her way through, though the remaining people looked half as agitated and twice as fearful. Faces downcast, the only audible noise being the sound of not-so-distant gunfire.

She knew she was supposed to feel bad for the people she passed, feel some sort of sympathy for the hardships they were being forced to endure. But she could barely feel anything over the overwhelming exhaustion that weighed upon her.

The constant fighting surrounded by non-stop gunfire was making each movement a slog, each step a chore. Maybe the pounding in her head would settle some if she closed her eyes? Not for long, she just needed a minute to rest.

Closing her eyes only seemed to exaggerate the problem, her body immediately finding a wall to lean on. She wouldn't let sleep take her. She just needed… a… a min-...

"Do you think you have earned the right to rest yet?"

Her eyes snapped open as she jerked forward suddenly, heart pounding in her ears. It took her a second to realize the voice was just a memory and recompose herself.

She wanted to ignore the words and pretend the cruel man who spoke them was wrong. She wanted to but found that she couldn't actually disagree with the meaning behind them. Schnee or not, she was still a huntress. And there was still work to be done. How could she rest when people's lives were on the line? She needed to quickly find something to eat and get back to helping her team.

Stifling a yawn, Weiss made her way to a building at the edge of the evacuation-area that had been converted to suit the militia's needs. Without the manpower needed to defend multiple locations the militia had been forced to use the single building as a makeshift hospital, ammo storage and ration distribution center.

Walking into the building, Weiss found herself surprised at how well it had been organized in so little time. To the left she saw makeshift walls made from tarps in order to keep the medical area separate from the rest. On the right was a small kiosk settup with a pair of militiamen handing out meal replacements. The last area was at the back behind a guarded door with a symbol for ammo plastered on it.

She was going to head to the kiosk immediately so she could hurry back to her team but the noise coming from the medical area gave her pause. The sound of doctors and nurses trying to communicate was barely audible over the combined noise of their patients. Everything from shrill shrieks of pain to the lowest mumblings were present. All in an area no bigger than a classroom.

Those sounds, they reminded her of the battlefield she had just left. So many out there were crying out in pain, amidst the rubble of their shattered towers. Any semblance of training forgotten as pure survival instinct took over. They would try to get away, try to scramble forward with broken bones and torn flesh. Enduring any amount of pain if it meant escaping the death that crept ever closer.

Sometimes they would get away. Her and Yang would arrive in the knick of time, or a nearby tower would notice and offer cover. Sometimes. But not often.

Gods, how she hated those sounds. How she wished she could stop them. Wished she could escape them.

And yet your own father creates those very sounds in every one of his mines. You would turn your back on your family's legacy? Pretend it never happened? Oh how those faunus must feel being forgotten so easily.

No! she wasn't forgetting about anyone nor was she turning her back on anything. She had bigger problems to deal with, she had a horde of Grimm to fight.

Is that why you ran off to Beacon? Because you had "Bigger problems to deal with"?

With a curse to her own thoughts, she turned from the kiosk and made her way to the source of the noise. Upon entering the area she resisted the urge to cover her nose at the smell. It wasn't the worst thing she had smelt but it was obvious the militia was working with limited resources.

What was she doing here? The extent of her medical training was to put pressure on bleeding wounds and not to fall asleep if you might be concussed. What did she think she could accomplish here that the professionals weren't already doing?

She was about to turn to leave when she noticed someone. An older man, his hair just beginning to grey, laying on his back and reaching unsteadily towards the roof. He was mumbling something and with the nurses already occupied with others Weiss approached him. Maybe he just needed something simple like water and if not, she could always help get the doctor's attention.

As she got closer she took note of the several bloody bandages wrapped around his torso, doing very little overall to stem the bleeding. Her first instinct was to call a doctor, as the man's wounds looked to be worsening. But when she looked over she found they were already performing operations and were too busy to come over.

"Please…" Her attention was drawn back by the man's voice, a weak thing but still just barely audible over his rasping breath. "I just… need to hear it…" His hand was reaching towards her though his eyes seemed to stare straight through her. "Just tell me... That we beat them… Tell me she's alive…"

"Tell me my little girl is safe."

Weiss felt her heart wrench at the sight of the man's face twisting in terror. "They can't reach her… They'll kill her…" She grabbed his outreached hand, desperate to ease some of the pain she was being shown. "Please… She's all I have left… Tell me…" his grip began to weaken.

It felt like something broke inside her. Never had she lied before just to spare someone's feelings. She thought of it as a foolish thing to do, something that only encouraged ignorance in those you wished to protect.

She still believed that and even felt the urge to deny the man's wishes. She wanted to tell him she had no way of knowing. She wanted to say if he wanted to see his little girl safe then he would have to get up and do it himself.

She wanted to say these things but found the words dieing in her throat. With his grip so weak and his eyes beginning to glaze over, she gave his hand a squeeze.

"She's just fine." Weiss began, forcing her voice steady even when her expression failed to do so. "You and your comrades bought the town enough time. She evacuated with everyone else…" She found it difficult to continue speaking as she felt her throat tighten.

"...You can rest now… She's safe." She had to look away from the eyes that stared blankly through her. Unseeing and lifeless, they contrasted heavily with the soft, content smile on the man's lips.

She was up in a second and out of the medi-area in a handful more, a new urgency guiding her steps forward. With barely a word she grabbed a meal replacement and headed for the door.

It was impossible for her to know who the man's "little girl" was. Maybe she had passed them once or twice since arriving in town but there was no way to know for sure. At the end of the day it didn't matter. She had told him the town was safe.

And Weiss Schnee would not be made a liar.

\-/

"So I take it you have some questions?" Qrow broke the silence that had descended within the bullhead and glanced sideways to his only passenger. Gregory, for the most part, looked to be deep in thought with just a hint of his regular scowl present. Understandable considering the scene they had just left behind.

Jaune had, for lack of a better term, snapped. But it was... different than how James had described it. The way Qrow understood it Jaune should have been much more focused on the two closest humans, or even the town itself. The boy's savagery could only be compared to that of the Grimm themselves and yet he did not once turn to attack the humans at his back.

"That kid." Gregory spoke at last, pulling Qrow from his thoughts. "He's got one of those semblances, doesn't he? The kind any military would kill to have, right?" He wasn't asking who the kid was or what he could do? Strange, Qrow would have thought those would be the better questions. Maybe he already guessed the information would be classified?

"Jaune's abilities set him apart from his teammate's, this is true." Qrow responded, choosing his words very carefully. " It's also true that should any Military on Remnant learn of his abilities, they would not hesitate to do whatever they could to secure such power. I aim to prevent that." He looked to see if Gregory understood and found the Merc nodding along easily enough.

"I think I get it. Basically you'd rather he be a Huntsman killing Grimm than a soldier killing people." Qrow didn't respond, choosing to let Gregory come to his own conclusions. It wasn't like those conclusions were necessarily wrong, they just weren't the whole truth.

"I assume that means you'll be wanting the recording from my cameras." He said while already reaching for his scroll, surprising Qrow when he simply handed the valuable device over. At the older Huntsman's confused look Gregory shrugged and explained "I got nothing of real value on it. It was always meant to be disposable."

"Still, you've shown Jaune and I nothing but hostility. I'm not criticizing, I understand being uneasy around newcomers, but why be so cooperative now?" His attitude from early on had been annoying sure but at least it was understandable. Call it paranoia but Qrow learned to not accept favors without knowing why the person was willing to give said favors.

"You saved this town. Because of you I don't have to go through the trouble of finding a new place that accepts outsiders. I'm just returning the favor, don't think too hard on it." Qrow wasn't sure he fully believed that but didn't push the subject. There wouldn't have been enough time to make a copy during the fighting, the scroll should be the only evidence of Jaune's true nature.

The remainder of the trip was spent in silence, Qrow busying himself with piloting while Gregory worked on sharpening his knife. It wasn't until the town was in sight that the silence was broken.

"That's a lot more fallen towers then I expected, are you sure the militia is still standing?." Gregory asked while placing a nervous hand on his pistol.

"Worried you gave up your scroll too soon?" Qrow couldn't help but tease with a smirk. "I wouldn't. I helped trained my nieces myself and, from what I've seen, the Schnee girl is about the same level as them. They would have called me if the town had fallen."

"See?" He spoke again as the center of town became visible, showing a group of Militia holding off a dwindling pack of Grimm alongside a colorful trio of Huntresses. "No signs of combat inside the Evac-area, looks like all the civilians got out okay." Was it strange that he felt pride swell in his chest? He didn't think so. The Militia would have failed if it wasn't for the nieces he had personally trained. How could he be anything but proud of them?

"You know, you look like an old man when you stare all wistfully into the distance like that."

"Is it physically impossible for you to not be an asshole for like, five minutes?"

"Fuck off."

"Ya, you're right. That was a stupid question. Of course it's impossible."

The Bullheaded landed a few minutes later and Qrow made his way towards the few remaining Militia, approaching the leader. "I take it the mission was a success?" He said to get the person's attention.

"Yes, sir." Came the professional reply. "Zero civilian casualties, just like you had predicted." They seemed to relax some when Qrow didn't adopt any kind of military stance. "I must say, you Hunters are something else. Never thought I'd see a teenager beat an Ursa to death with their fists."

He wanted to laugh and agree Yang was a terrifying brawler, but he kept himself from being distracted. "How many Militia casualties?" He needed to know the price of their victory. He needed to know if he could even consider it a victory. No, he wouldn't think that way. The civilians all escaped, asking for more would just be greedy.

"twenty percent are confirmed deceased while ten remain in critical condition. Thirty percent were injured but will recover, totalling sixty percent casualties." Qrow nodded but winced internally. Could the town survive with only forty to seventy percent of their defenses? Maybe, but all it would take is some bandits to notice the lax in security for the town to fall.

"You and your men are free to use my bullhead to retreat. I'll send word within the week when the town is safe." and in that time hopefully he could get in touch with some Hunters to help make up for the losses.

"Sir." The person gave a salute and turned to issue the command to the remaining militia. While the soldiers were filling into the bullhead a familiar trio approached Qrow, each with their own set of dark bags under their eyes.

"It's such a beautiful morning, isn't it?" He said with a smile, earning a collective groan for his sarcasm.

"How?!" Weiss was the first to speak, or shout as it were. "How can you look the exact same after four hours of fighting?!"

He chuckled and shrugged "I'm just naturally this beautiful, don't be too jealous."

"Or maybe it's because your scruffy ass always looks like it just went through the dryer."

"Oh? I think a certain blonde haired niece of mine is forgetting just how accessible her shampoos are. What do you think Rube's? Feel like helping your uncle get revenge?" He turned to Ruby, ignoring the yelp from Yang.

"Can't right now…" The little Rose mumbled with unsteady feet and closed eyes. "Brain is too tired to brain at the moment… Please try again later."

Qrow chuckled and made to respond but was interrupted by the trumpeting of a Goliath in the distance. The high pitched noise was followed by a low guttural roar a moment later.

"Shouldn't the Grimm have calmed down with the civilians gone?" Weiss commented while looking in the direction of the sound. Didn't that sound close to where Jaune had been left at? That didn't make sense, Qrow had seen Grimm blatantly ignoring Jaune. How could he be enraging them now?

"Hey Qrow?" Ruby interrupted his thoughts, her eyes open now and scanning the surroundings. "Where's Jaune?" She asked, pinning Qrow with a suspicious look in her eye. Why did it seem like a good idea to leave Jaune on his own again?

He pulled free Gregory's scroll before answering and opened the video-feed of Jaune. The hybrid was facing off against an adult Goliath, completely encircled by smaller Grimm and unarmed. Looking ready to meet the beast head on.

Oh right, that's why he left him alone. Because he couldn't keep up with that brat's wholly different level of insanity.

It was a strange sight, one that Qrow had never seen before and wasn't quite sure what to make of it. If the Grimm weren't going to attack him then why was the Goliath standing in his way? And if they were going to attack why were the surrounding Grimm simply watching? Why was the Goliath stomping it's feet and trumpetting instead of just charging? And why was Jaune following suit with his own warcry?

Were they challenging each other?

"Why do you look confused? What's happening?" Before he could react Ruby used her semblance to snatch the scroll from him. "What the-? Why is Jaune fighting a Goliath by himself?!" She exclaimed in shock. Her wide, innocent eyes narrowingly dangerously a moment later at Qrow. "Uncle Qrow…?"

"To be fair, I tried to tell him to retreat but he wouldn't listen. Even after I told him the town was safe he just kept on swinging." Well, it was less swinging and more lashing out like a madman. But he doubted his niece would appreciate the comparison.

Ruby looked ready to argue further but Yang stopped her with a hand gentle on her shoulder. "Relax Rube's, he's going to be fine. He can handle it, you know what he's like." She tried to reason. "He's different than us, stronger than us. I doubt any Grimm could really hurt him."

Ruby didn't meet her eyes, choosing to instead look downwards with a deep frown. "I wonder…" She began with a mumble. "I wonder if they thought the same thing about mom." Yang's eyes widened slightly as she took a step back, caught off guard by the change in topic.

Qrow took that as his opportunity to step between the sisters, hoping to prevent an argument from starting. "Ruby, I don't think that's a fair comparison. You're mother wa-"

"Was stronger than even you!" The young Rose blurted out with her clenched hands trembling slightly. "I remember hearing you and dad talk about her. About how she was a prodigy, top of her class with a perfect combat record. I heard how she was special, the only one who could do what she could..."

No one could interrupt as a tear splashed against the earth. "She was different, and she still died." She quickly wiped her arm across her face and looked up with red but focused eyes. "Helping someone in need is the right thing to do. It doesn't matter if they're stronger or not."

She didn't wait for a response, instead zipping off in a blur of rose petals before anyone could try to stop her.

"Ruby wait!" Yang tried to give chase but was stopped by Qrow's grip on her shoulder.

"Yang, stop. You won't be able to catch her." The blonde brawler was stronger but no one could beat the little Rose when it came to speed.

"We can't just leave her!" She continued pulling against his grip but the older Huntsman held firm.

"I'm not going to. But you're in no condition to be wandering a Grimm infested forest. Find somewhere safe to get some rest. I'll go bring Ruby back."

"What about Jaune?" Weiss spoke up before Qrow could leave. "She might have overreacted but Ruby wasn't wrong. Jaune shouldn't be left to fight on his own."

Qrow hesitated to answer. Not because he particularly disliked the boy, he actually thought of the kid as incredibly honest if a bit naive. But Jaune had already ignored him once for whatever reason. If the same thing happened again, Ruby's safety would take priority and the hybrid would be left to the horde once more.

"I'll do my best."

\~/

Tried to push a bit further with developing team RASY and each member. I'm also confident most people will know who the "mysterious man" Is despite me not using his name. Sorry for the wait on this one, I've got no real excuse. Just been feeling tired lately. unfortunately I doubt my timing will get any better but at least the length is increasing right? I hope that helps some. As always I would love to hear what anyone thinks of how things are progressing and I hope you all enjoy your Morning/Evening.

SomberFlight, I believe their's been a bit of a misunderstanding because of my poor explanation. I realize that most fully armored soldiers only had to hold something like thirty to fifty pounds (or fiteen to twenty five KG) spread around their body and retainted the ability to run, jump and otherwise move freely. I was not trying to insinuate that Jaune should not have been able to run. I was trying to make it sound like Jaune dispatch that Grimm like Qrow or Ruby might have, which usually has more flips and spins. While i think you could move relatively freely in armor I also believe it would restrict movement to a large enough degree that flipping through the air like we see the Hunters often do would not be feasible in full armor. It's kind of my headcanon as to why I never saw full armored people in the show but maybe i didn't get far enough. Side note; after rereading that section you were talking about I notice i also made some grammatical errors. Sorry and thanks for not ripping me open for that.

IROCK108, Glad you enjoyed it! The encouragement really helps to keep my going even when feeling tired so thank ya kindly!