Sorry for the delay! so much stuff happenin these days. Either way, I hope you enjoy!

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Chapter 32

Find. Move. Kill.

There was no other thought in his head, everything falling away to make room for his single desire. He could not think of how long it had been, nor just how many he had slain. None of it mattered. Nothing else mattered but the destruction of the monster's around him that threatened what was at his back. Threatening what was his.

Find. Move. Kill.

His foot crashed down upon an Ursa's head, crushing it's skull while his eyes were already finding his next target. Pulling a dagger free from his dwindling supply beneath his cloak, he leapt from the dying Ursa onto the back of a Deathstalker. His dagger struck out before the beast's stinger could dislodge him, finding purchase deep within one of the creature's many eyes.

Find. Move. Kill.

He kept repeating the words in his head like a mantra, using the simple checklist to keep his mind focused on the task at hand. He couldn't allow himself to be distracted by the pounding in his head, nor the burning in his body. To be distracted was to allow more Grimm to slip past. To be distracted was to put further risk on his team. His friends.

Jaune could not accept such a fate. So he would continue to find the Grimm and move fast enough to keep them from escaping his reach. All before killing the beasts swiftly and brutally. He was vaguely aware of the damage his body was sustaining but couldn't find it in himself to care. His body would recover, the others might not.

So caught up in his assault was Jaune that he hadn't realized the Grimm had stopped their frenzied charge until after they had him surrounded. Though they gnashed their teeth and growled dangerously none of the beasts continued the attack. Even the younger, dumber Grimm that could never resist a human in front of them simply growled lowly and glared.

The negativity had all but disappeared at this point but Jaune's anger refused to calm. These monsters, these lower lifeforms, had been intent on devouring every soul they came across. Did they think he would forgive them just because they stopped their charge?

"What's the matter, run out of people to eat?! No more lives to destroy!?" He shouted with rage tearing at his throat. "Are you sure you can't find a single person left?!"

"What about my team? My Friends! The ones' protecting the town, why not try to take them!?" He wasn't even sure what he was saying anymore, his rage wiping reason from his mind. "Do you hold back because they escaped? Or is it because they've already fallen…" His gaze trailed downwards as the thought began circulating in his mind.

Had he been calmer, he might have realised how little sense he was making. It was impossible for the Grimm to sense a small group of Hunters from so far away. The creature's current lack of fury could not be taken as evidence of R-SY's destruction. Jaune just couldn't see this.

"Am I alone again…?" He raised his hand to his face, the extremity shaking like a leaf. "Did you take them from me?" His head snapped up to the Grimm. "Did you kill my friends!?" He took a step forward and every Grimm in front of him took a step back. "IF YOU TOUCHED THEM-!"

JAUNE!

"WHAT?!"

Turn around.

He did so without thinking and immediately found his eyes locked onto two blood red orbs belonging to the largest Grimm in the area. The Goliath's massive bulk made it easily visible over it's smaller brethren, though Jaune barely noticed it's size. His attention was taken completely by the defiant stare of the beast, a stare that he swore he could feel in his mind.

As the creature began approaching an almost painful sensation began worming it's way from his gut into every part of his being. Like pins and needles swimming through his veins before finally settling uncomfortably in the back of his head just as the beast stopped barely five meters away.

Jaune had no time to think about what was happening before the Goliath let loose a deafening sound from it's trunk. So loud was it that many of the surrounding Grimm were left immobile, swiping useless at their ears. It did something else entirely for Jaune.

Like a torrent of fire the sensation in his head exploded outwards, reaching for his limbs and stomach before tearing it's way out his throat in a vicious howl. He wasn't sure when or even why he had pounced but there he was, seemingly flying towards the beast with a clawed gauntlet ready to rip and tear.

The goliath moved faster than it's size suggested it could, using one of it's massive tusks to catch Jaune's cloak and pin it to the ground. The instant he hit the ground he jammed a hand into the earth, using the extra leverage to tear the fabric like material and continue his forward rush.

Not a single thought could make it's way through the blazing inferno that burned within his mind. Only the all consuming need to destroy was felt as he clawed his way up the monster's flank, ignoring the desperate battering of it's trunk. The blunt trauma did little if anything to deter him and any grapples from the trunk were met with a vice-like grip capable of crushing the appendage.

The beast dropped to it's side in a desperate attempt to dislodge the ferocious attacker by grinding it into the dirt. Jaune barely felt it, even as his armor began to falter and crack beneath the beast immense weight he refused to give an inch. He wouldn't fail. Doubt in Whitback's strength was non-existent, he needed only direct it to prove it's superiority.

The moment the beast stood back up Jaune continued up it's body, tearing chunks of blackened flesh with every movement. The Goliath's own movements became more erratic as Jaune got closer to it's face, closer to those cursed orbs that dared to threaten him. That dared to challenge him.

A cry of triumph echoed from the clearing just before being drowned out by the beast's trumpet of agony. Black ichor splashed across the dirt as Jaune's gauntlet dug deeper into the Goliath's eye socket. A grin spread ear to ear under his cracked helm even as the beast caught his left arm with it's trunk.

The beast didn't hesitate to fling him across the clearing and into a wall of smaller Grimm, killing some on the landing. none of them mattered though. His attention was still razor focused on the only creature foolish enough to challenge him, none of the others would dare get in the way. It didn't even matter that his left arm was now laying limp at his side, the muscles finally succumbing to Jaune's reckless use.

"Is that all you got?!" He challenged further, unsure why he was speaking to a creature of Grimm but ultimately not caring enough to question it. All he cared for in that moment was the heady feeling in his head. A feeling like he could take on the world. Like he was invincible. Unstoppable. Unbreakable.

"Come on!" He taunted, confident he could take whatever the Goliath could give. At this point there was no way it could win a battle of attrition with the wounds already sustained. It would have to attack if it wanted to win, and he would be ready for it.

The beast stood there, glaring with it's remaining eye and panting heavily. He matched the glare with his own, causing his boiling temper to worsen. "Didn't you hear me!? I told you to COME ON!" He took a step forward, smashing his foot down hard enough to crack rock beneath. The Goliath stomped it's on foot in turn, just as it… turned to run…?

He stared dumbly ahead, caught off guard by the sudden retreat. He felt caught somewhere between being happy that he had beat it, and furious that such a coward would dare challenge him to begin with. In the end he settled on 'too exhausted to care'.

He was almost surprised when he noticed the surrounding Grimm remaining where they were. Every one of the creature's were facing him and yet not a single red eye met his own. No longer did they snarl or growl. They just stood there, looking at him while avoiding his gaze.

All Jaune could do was stare as the surreal calm that enveloped the Grimm seemed to infuse him as well. The whole situation almost felt like a dream, the numb feeling suffusing his body only working to support that theory. Well isn't that strange…

"Yea…" He had to agree with Whitback, nodding his head slowly. He tried to think why they would be acting so calm, or why some of them were slowly approaching, but his thoughts felt like they were swimming through honey.

Jaune, we need material. Please stop resisting my control. Was he resisting? He looked down at his working hand, still as stone. He did not feel like he was resisting. Turning to look at his limp hand, he had to concede that material was needed.

He looked around at the Grimm, silenting debating which he should break down, when something tickled at the back of his head. This feeling… It meant someone with aura was nearby… right? His thoughts still felt muddled but the way the Grimm became restless and began sniffing at the air seemed to confirm the suspicion.

It's a Hunter, and it's moving fast. Jaune we need to-. A figure suddenly burst from the treeline, interrupting Whitback with a flurry of rose petals. Dirt and stone was kicked up as a massive scythe found purchase a foot from where Jaune stood, it's wielder panting heavily.

"Jaune, are you alright?!" That familiar voice, even panicked, caused a wave of relief to come crashing down within Jaune. He felt his knees wobble underneath him, threatening to give out any second. She was alive and breathing, his first friend had survived the horde.

He was not alone.

\-/

"Your arm!" Ruby cried out suddenly, fear wrenching at her gut. The limb looked like it had been ripped from it's socket and brutally twisted around. A black liquid dripped steadily from the mangled limb, disintegrating before hitting the ground.

She realized her mistake a moment later and tried to clamp down on the emotion's building inside her. But it was too late. Where her aura drew their attention, her fear was what drove the younger Grimm to recklessly charge with no thought to personal safety.

The short distance mixed with the inhuman speed the Grimm moved at would have spelled trouble for ninety percent of trainee's. To Ruby, whose semblance allowed her to regularly move at mach 1, they might as well have been moving in slow motion.

In the first half-second she counted how many had charged and how long it would take for each to reach her. In the second half-second she readied her scythe, deciding fleeing wasn't immediately possible. The third half-second came as the closest Grimm leapt forward, claws outstretched and begging to pierce tender flesh.

In her mind's eye she saw her scythe's blade biting into the first Grimm, taking it's head off before directing the momentum to strike the second. She may need to rely on her semblance some but she was confident she could carve a path for her injured friend.

The first Grimm pounced and a loud smash could be heard throughout the forest as the creature was instantly taught how foolish it's actions were. The blow that struck was powerful enough to kick up a spray of dirt and rock, causing the other Grimm to pause and second guess their charge.

Ruby found herself second guessing as well, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her. They weren't, she knew what she saw. She just wasn't sure how Jaune could move so fast with such heavy injuries.

"No…" He spoke in a hushed growl while black mist hissed from the cracks in his armor. "You can't have her." Each word reverberated within Ruby's skull, causing her heart to beat faster and faster. "I won't lose someone right in front of me. Not again." She felt her knee's quiver as the pure rage in his voice set alight a primal fear within her.

It seemed the Grimm felt it too, the few that had charged not only stopping but had also begun stepping back. Jaune stood motionless, except for the slight movements of his head as he glared down any other Grimm that dared step forward.

They were listening to him, she realized. The Grimm, which she was taught were mindless monsters of destruction, were actually heeding Jaune's warning. Were they doing so because he was Grimm?

No, it wasn't just because he was Grimm. It couldn't be. Why listen to him and not any of the other Grimm around? She could see how many of them were still eyeing her, wishing for nothing but a chance to tear her apart. They all wanted her dead and yet none of them stepped forward.

It wasn't because he was Grimm. It was because he was stronger than them. They were afraid of him.

There was a deep silence in the clearing where Ruby could hear nothing but the pounding in her chest. The Grimm glared and Jaune glared back, refusing to budge an inch. Then, without warning, the Grimm began moving back to the valley they came from. It couldn't have been longer than two minutes before they were completely alone in the clearing, watching the last of the Grimm walk off into the distance.

Ruby was still trying to process what she had just witnessed when Jaune turned to her, suddenly looking incredibly unsteady on his feet. "I-is it…" He spoke, his voice just above a whisper and raspy as could be. "Is it finally over…?" ? He couldn't even finish his sentence before falling forward limply.

Ruby moved to catch her friend without thinking and nearly lifted him right off his feet. "What the…?" she muttered out loud in confusion. Jaune normally weighed many times more than any human, and yet now he was lighter than her own slight frame? Something had to be wrong.

"Jaune…?" she tried to get a response but he didn't reply, just kept leaning limply against her. "Jaune?!" She tried again, struggling to control the panic in her voice as her friend remained unresponsive.

"Come on Jaune, wake up!" She laid him down, her breath starting to come on out in short pants as her thoughts began to race. "No no no, this isn't right. Y-you're stronger than this! you… you can't... die." She felt the burning behind her eyes worsen as her vision blurred, the pain in her chest threatening to explode.

"Well now, would you look at that." a new voice caused Ruby to look up, finding several men dressed in white clothing wearing Grimm masks. The one who spoke was the only one who didn't wear a mask, showing off a toothy grin. He was also the only one not armed with heavy automatic rifles or grenade launchers.

"A Huntress crying over the body of a Grimm. Oh my, how scandalous." The unarmed man spoke with his smile only getting bigger. "Such a naughty girl, what would your parents say?" A giggle slipped from his lips as he laughed at his own joke.

Ruby wasn't sure what was happening with the armed White-Fang extremists contrasting with the overly cheerful man speaking. The man's smile and attitude was so out of place she wasn't entirely convinced she wasn't just hallucinating from exhaustion.

"What do you want?" She called out to the merry man. She was sure she could already guess what, or who, they were here for but if she could delay them she would. She didn't have the ammo or the energy to fight her way out, the seconds the conversation bought would help give her time to think of a plan.

"What do I want? Hmm…" The merry man scratched at his chin while he started moving closer. "That is a wonderful question. Ya know, I can't quite seem to remember. Memory can be such a fickle thing, don't you think?" He laughed to himself and turned to one of his armed comrades without giving Ruby a chance to answer.

"What do you think, Georgy? Do you remember why we're here?" The White-Fang member who had been addressed turned to look at the merry man. His mask covered most of what he was thinking but the hesitance gave Ruby the feeling he didn't want to answer.

Eventually the White fang turned and motioned towards Ruby. "We're here for the abomination." The man spoke with a gruff voice that hinted at years of hardships. The merry man's smile grew even larger as he clapped his hands together gleefully before spinning back to Ruby.

"That's right! We're here for that beautiful abomination you are so desperately trying to protect!" Most of the surrounding White fang turned to look strangely at the merry man but kept their firearms locked on Jaune. "As thanks for such noble work, I will allow you to leave here without a problem." He spoke flippantly while taking another step forward.

There was a loud thunk as Crescent Rose bit into the earth between that merry Man and Jaune. "Stay back!" Ruby tried to command, doing her best to keep the exhaustion from her voice. She quickly peeked at the several gunmen to see if they had reacted to the sudden movement before finally resting a glare at the Merry man. "You won't touch him."

"Ohhh that glare…" He visibly shivered with the grin on his face growing ever wider. "I see such intensity in those eyes…" He stopped suddenly, his eyes locking with Ruby's. "Those eyes…" He trailed off, his eyes almost seeming to glaze over. "Eyes… Of burning silver…"

The atmosphere changed suddenly, so noticeably that even the surrounding whitefang started looking around nervously. "Silver eyes…" The merry man's grin finally fell, twisting into a hideous scowl. "Eyes of the murderers. Monsters!" His voice kept rising, his anger burning brighter by the second as blades expanded from his gauntlets.

Ruby felt her heart race as the not-so-merry man continued to shout and curse at her, his rage so potent she could almost taste it. He crouched suddenly while discarding his overcoat, revealing his faunus heritage in the form of a scorpion's tail.

Just before the chaos broke loose a loud caw could be heard throughout the clearing. A moment later Qrow seemingly appeared out of nowhere, tackling the enraged merry man before he had the chance to pounce.

The surrounding White fang; two grenadiers and three riflemen, reacted quickly to the sudden intrusion. One of the grenadiers and two riflemen focused their attention to Qrow while the remainder took aim at Jaune and Ruby.

A 40mm grenade was launched into the air, followed by several rounds from a high caliber machine gun. With barely a second to process what was coming, Ruby made a decision. five rifle rounds smacked against Ruby's already weakened aura while she swung her scythe, angling it ever so slightly to deflect the incoming explosive projectile.

She moved forward with her semblance before the grenadier could get off another shot, swatting his weapon away. Without pause, she spun around the disarmed faunus and used her momentum to send the back of her scythe towards the three attackers focusing on Qrow.

a Grenadier and Rifleman were sent flying in a crumpled heap, knocked unconscious by the sudden impact. Quickly deciding that the unarmed Faunus was no longer a threat, Ruby moved to take down the two remaining riflemen before they could gain their bearings.

Even in her current state, the fanatics were no match for the huntress in training. In a haze of rose petals, two more fools were added to the pile of unconscious White Fang. Satisfied with her work, Ruby turned back to the remaining faunus and immediately felt panic grip her chest.

The man had given up his attack on Ruby, instead choosing to charge at Jaune's unconscious form. What he was planning to do without his weapon was unclear, but Ruby wasn't about to risk her best friend to find out.

She thought to charge him with her scythe but the fanatic was already too close to Jaune, she wouldn't make it in time. Thinking quickly, she grabbed one of the discard assault rifles that laid close to her.

While it was incredibly different from what she was used to, the rifle was still a firearm. Ruby didn't require even a full second to take aim before several chunks of metal were streaking through the air. Contact was made and Ruby fully expected the Faunus to be at least mildly stunned by the surprise attack.

She did not expect the figure to drop like a sack of bricks, blood splattering forward and staining her unconscious partner.

"W-what…?" Her mind went blank, falling into a state of shock as she tried to comprehend what she had just witnessed. "No… Aura…?" Her eye's trailed from the unmoving Faunus to the gun in her hands, her mind desperately trying to grasp at anything but the unforgiving truth staring unmoving in front of her.

"Ruby!" She nearly jumped at Qrow's voice just before something hard smashed into her flank, sending her flying over Jaune's and the faunus' body. "I'll tear those silver eyes straight out of your skull!" The not-so-merry man screamed from where he had struck Ruby, preparing to pounce once more before Qrow could intercept.

With her mind still reeling, all she could think to do was to cover herself as the madman leapt once more. Bladed gauntlets flew towards her, coming within inches of her face before abruptly stopping. "AHH!" the mad-man suddenly let out a pained scream while turning away from Ruby.

Had Qrow stopped him? A quick glance to her side showed her uncle was too far to have interfered. "You're a lot sturdier than most Grimm, aren't you? Oh you're mother will be so proud to hear that." The mad-mad spoke surprisingly calmly considering the black tendrils haphazardly wrapped around his tail.

"...can't… have… her…" The source of the tendrils spoke, the voice distorted and broken, but powerful nonetheless. Ruby wasn't sure why the faunus she had shot was speaking with Jaune's voice, nor did she understand why it had tendrils protruding from it's body.

"She's… mine!" The faunus corpse twitched and the mad-man yelped loudly, his scorpion's tail beginning to blacken from where the tendril's held. Without a moment's hesitation the mad-man hacked downwards with his clawed gauntlet, severing the tail before the tar-like substance could spread further.

The mad-man leapt back, putting distance between him and Jaune's "puppet". Qrow moved between her and the mad-man a moment later. "If he's still awake I suppose that means I'm officially outnumbered." the mad-man spoke quietly while looking down at his severed tail.

"Such a shame, I was so looking forward to killing another one of you demons!" His face suddenly twisted as he glared at Ruby before returning to normal as he looked back to Jaune. "It was a pleasure meeting you, child of Grimm. I hope our next meeting goes just as well." With a deep bow, the mad-mad turned and ran faster than expected of someone who had just lost a limb.

A part of her debated chasing after him but it was quickly overruled by the worry she felt. "Jaune?" She took a step towards Jaune's body, unsure if she should be addressing the still standing Faunus corpse or not.

"Ruby, wait." Qrow stopped her, moving between her and Jaune's puppet. The thing twitched at the Huntsman's movements, looking towards him for a long while. Qrow didn't budge, keeping his scythe at the ready but saying nothing more.

The puppet twitched once more before turning from the living Hunters and moving towards the unconscious White-fang. The tendrils that connected the puppet to Jaune's body bulged suddenly as the puppet made it to the first faunus. Ruby felt her stomach turn at the strange gurgling sound emanating from the puppet as it digested the extremist.

It didn't take long for the clearing to be completely cleaned of body's. The puppet seemed to take one more look around before returning to Jaune's body and sitting down. "We should go get the others." Qrow spoke while finally sheathing his weapon.

"Wait, what?" Ruby's attention snapped to her uncle. "We can't just leave him here alone, what if there's more White-fang!?"

"I'm not saying to leave him alone." Qrow pointed out. "But we don't know how long he's going to be here. One of us needs to show Yang and Weiss how to get here as well as grab some camping supplies."

"So why don't you get them." She felt an unexpected rush of frustration grow within her chest. "You've already left him alone once, shouldn't be too hard to do again." She hadn't meant to sound so angry but she was well beyond tired and felt little remorse for her words.

It was his fault Jaune was left alone to begin with, she wasn't about to let it happen again.

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Well this took me a little while huh? Sorry about that, like before I'll leave the reason below this if anybody's curious why. I honestly don't have a whole lot to say about this chapter, I think it turned out rather well. I do think that I changed how tyrion acts, making him a bit more of the gentlemanly madman type. oddly enough i hadn't really planned on making tyrion any different from canon but as i wrote things seemed to work out this way. Sorry if it's unrecognizable from the canon character but my goal is to make an interesting and consistent story. Hope It's not too bad! As per usually I'm always open to suggestion, reviews and comments of any kind! (aside from very toxic one's which thankfully I don't believe i have got yet.) I wish you all a good day/evening!

HavocAutomatic, Oh you got no idea how surprised I was when i made that update thinking I finally breached the filter setting i usually use! Got a good laugh out of it though so silver lining. Thank you for the compliment! Hopefully I can keep the quality up!

TheSlySage, You're right! I don't remember exactly how Blake left Adam behind in canon but i do remember it being relatively close to the start of beacon and it being on a train. The train "accident" i made in chapter one is not actually the same one that got her to leave the Fang in canon, It was one that i had made up from scratch. I had also thought of it as kind of the "start" to the white-Fang's aggressive protest (I dont remember at all when the protest turned violent in canon, that's my B.). Hope the changes made sense given the context! Also makes me happy to hear someone enjoying this like i enjoy other stories. Once i find a good one it's so hard not to just binge it in a day or two! lol. Thanks for the vote of confidence! hope to keep you interested!

SomberFlight, Ah it's no worry's, not like I wasn't at least a little guilty of using the "Armor weighs you down" Trope. I find you're veyr much correct that it's used much to often in fiction, not even jsut fanfiction but often times in anime and the like it's used in a similarly encumbering way. Thank's for the feedback! It's added to my knowledge and will hopefully help me write better in the future! Hope you continue to enjoy!

Grannster10, Oh i seriously debated it for a little bit. Thought to maybe have Jaune stick around the crime scene a bit longer but things worked out a different way. That isn't to say their's no hope for such a mixing, it just might not happen in the way you think ;). (my way of saying you're comment gave me an idea that I'll hopfully remember and be able to use) Thank's for the suggestion!

bennet001, That make me so happy to hear! It's a major help to know people are enjoying my work! I hope this chapter was a good follow up to all the buildup! I admit every time i put out a new chapter I worry it doesn't do the previous one justice, here's hoping you're questions were answered in a satisfying way! Please let me know if not! I'd be happy to either incorporate any answers i may have forgotten into the next chapter or to just straight up answer them if need be. (no worries if you're busy, life is kind of crazy these days.) Thanks again for the confidence boost! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

God of crossovers, Essentially yea, lol. I loved Prototype's abilities and ever since i first play it i've wanted to make my own story with them! Of course I made some minor changes to how it worked but you can assume for the most part it'll be the same. (though I might change more, I'll only do so if i believe it make's sense to do so.)

Reason for lateness: So I realize most people are going through a tough time with this pandemic stuff going on, most probably have it worse than me but It doesn't change how i feel. Currently I'm on medical leave from work due to panic attack's. I feel like that should mean I'm updating more but my will to write kind of dwindles as my depression kicks in. That being said I still plan on continuing this project until it's completion, just might take me some time. I'm sorry again for the wait my nonsense causes and i thank you for your patience.