Important Note on Troll in Reviews:

There is a worthless little troll in the reviews spamming guest reviews by the hundreds and writing other reviewer's names into the "name" slot to try and frame them for it. Their goal is to try and incite flames and such against the person they are framing. Please do the correct thing and ignore all guest reviews that go around flaming or telling you read "Name"'s story instead. That's their main troll angle, trying to make it look like they're helping out a "friend" when in reality it's just someone else they're trolling.

I'd normally like to not even acknowledge the worm, but several readers ARE being fooled so I have to step in. Honestly, no matter how angry, insulting or petty a review seems to you, just ignore it. Focus on the story.

For those wondering, no I can't disable guest reviews. I can only set them to moderate and then it auto-accepts them after a certain time elapses, and I can't spend all my time working through the troll's spam denying them one by one or I'd never get any work done.

Edit: Similarly, I have never and will never flame people in reviews. If you see such a review from me, it is fake.


Chapter 3


Jaune spat out mud and pushed himself up. Mud lay caked and encrusted over his arms and hands, up the side of his face and further, down his body and to his legs. Those wobbled as he stood, favouring one over the other and clutching a wooden training knife in one hand. Across from him, Adam drew a wooden sword back and chambered it against his shoulder.

"Again," he barked.

Ignoring the pain, Jaune charged in, feet slapping through the mud as he covered the distance and pushed his aura to the fore. He swung down, only to curse internally as Adam ignored the attack and lunged through it, intent on using the longer range of his weapon to overpower it. Twisting, he was able to roll past it, up the length of Adam's blade. His free hand snapped down onto Adam's wrist, locking the weapon in place.

His eyes lit up, glowing three colours in a bright medley. The knife came down toward Adam's now unprotected neck, aura having failed them both. Victory.

Adam caught his knife hand and stopped it an inch away, grinned and kicked Jaune's legs out from under him. He hit the mud with a wet splat.

A wooden blade gently tapped his forehead.

"Better." Despite the situation, Adam's tone held some mirth. He stepped back, allowing Jaune to push himself up. "You kept your aura up until the last second just like I said and only used your Semblance when you saw an opportunity. We just need to work on you being able to take advantage of them."

Jaune panted for breath. "I'm hopeless."

"You're far from that. You're improving."

"Not fast enough."

"How long do you think it takes to learn to fight?" Adam rolled his eyes and tossed his wooden sword aside. Most training in the White Fang took place with cold steel, but with Jaune's Semblance removing aura, that wasn't safe for them. "A knife is a simple weapon but teaching you to use a sword would take years. The better half of a decade. We – and you – don't have that time." He crossed his arms. "Besides, you'll be best off using firearms. Blake is helping you with that."

"Then why do this at all?"

"Because you never know when you might have to deal with a huntsman up close. I'd rather you be prepared for every possibility."

Preparation. Adam spoke of it often. To hear the man go on, he'd be prepared for his own funeral. You had to be prepared for an ambush gunline. A huntsman. An army of Grimm. It was probably what had kept this group of faunus safe for so long but covered in mud and bruises he wasn't feeling all that charitable.

"You asked for this," Adam reminded him.

"I know. I know." He needed the strength to save his family. "I just don't know what use I'll be in melee combat."

"Not much of one directly but that's fine. We already have Blake and I for strong melee combatants. What we need is support – support you can provide. I'm going to have Blake shadow you for our first few missions."

Jaune looked up, surprised. "Is that a good idea? My Semblance would weaken her. I should be with people who just use guns. Preferably those without aura."

"Don't think so binary. Take five men with guns and what happens when you go up against ten soldiers? Twenty? Thirty? There are times when your Semblance will be the most useful thing ever, but other times where it'll be a liability. Your strength is in letting any idiot with a gun fight evenly with someone with twenty years' training. It's useless facing more people with more guns. At least, it is if that's what you're relying on. You're anti-quality, not anti-quantity. Do you know who is the latter?"

"You and Blake."

"That's right. You'll need someone with you for those times where you're outnumbered by chaff. Dropping everyone's aura there will get you and your team mowed down in a hail of bullets. Blake can wade through the storm and dispatch them all. Or, if it's someone too strong for her, you drop their aura and the team shoots them."

That was why Adam was the teacher and he the student. For all that he'd killed a single Atlas Soldier and broken out the facility, he was still just a regular sixteen-year-old. Adam was used to this. Used to planning and thinking ahead.

The lessons and the training focused around that. Adam made no secret that he'd be expected to kill. Either out of respect for his intelligence or because he didn't think it necessary. Jaune liked to think it was the former. Aside from teaching him to fight and having Blake train him in firearms, Adam took the time to impart wisdom on how to use his Semblance. Namely, on some of the mistakes he'd made before.

Don't switch it on and off constantly. Small bursts. Ideally, he'd only use his Semblance for the fraction of a second it took for a bullet to strike a target and then his aura would be up again to protect from a counterattack. The perfect offence and defence. That was the theory. In practice, that kind of fine control was far outside his capabilities. Adam always assured him it would be unless he trained, hence their current practice.

He still couldn't activate or de-activate it that quickly, but he'd managed to get it down to a few seconds. Quick enough to use in the midst of combat. Or sparring. Adam made it abundantly clear that everything they learned here would pale in comparison to real action. Another reason Blake would be keeping an eye on him, no doubt.

"Training is over for now," Adam said. "Go spend some time with your sister."

"Have you found anything?"

"Not yet. It's going to take time, Jaune. Our first responsibility is getting these people to the boats. We'll focus on dealing with Atlas and finding your family after."

Chastised, Jaune nodded. He hadn't meant to suggest everyone else was less important. Adam seemed to recognise that and didn't tell him off further, simply nodding once and walking away, barking out orders for something or another. He was always busy. Always working. Jaune turned and walked back into the section of camp which formed the interior.

The White Fang organised their camps in circles – and it was camps since they kept moving, ever onward toward the shore. The civilians rescued from the Schnee mines sat at the centre while the more combat focused White Fang camped in a circle around them. To protect from Grimm, Blake had explained. Or from SDC Huntsmen come to `reclaim` their stock.

In Vale, in Ansel, they'd known little about faunus and the White Fang. Only that they existed. Walking through the interior camp now, he saw people going to and fro. Perfectly human but for the tails, ears or other features that marked them different. His eyes followed a girl Lavender's age as she walked by with a pot of water. There, on the small of her exposed back, a perfectly square symbol had been burned into her skin.

Property of the SDC

Jaune tore his eyes away, scowling fiercely. They weren't his people but Lavender and he had been living among the White Fang for two weeks now and it'd begun to feel like it. She'd made some friends among the faunus here, once they all realised he and his sister weren't dangerous. They were still a little wary around him but Lavender being confined to a wheelchair looked so much less threatening.

Luckily, she wouldn't be for long. Adam's medics had discovered she wasn't disabled, merely weak from lack of exercise. After some physiotherapy and rest, she'd be back on her feet again. The relief at the time had been crushing.

Pulling the tent flap back, he was surprised to see Lavender wasn't alone. Ilia flinched, looking up from the floor and to him with wide, nervous eyes. He didn't know why, given that nothing looked out of place. There were cards arrayed on the floor between Ilia and Lavender, who was out her wheelchair and sat on a cushion.

"Jaune!" she greeted happily, smile splitting her face in two. "How was training?"

"Good." He grinned back, hoping the bruises didn't stand out. "I lost, but that's probably to be expected. Is Ilia teaching you a new game?"

"Poker! It's fun."

"You'll have to teach me." He pulled off the White Fang uniform top Adam had lent him, exchanging it for a towel that he dipped in a small pail of water. It was collected from a stream and brought to a central pot that anyone could come and take from, both for drinking and bathing. He used the wet towel to wipe his arms and chest down. "Thank you for keeping her company, Ilia."

Ilia flushed and looked away. "No problem."

Was she embarrassed by him showing his chest? When he'd asked that question to Adam, the man had burst out laughing and hadn't stopped for several minutes, before amusedly telling him he didn't need to worry about himself around her. It was one of the few times he'd ever seen Adam genuinely smile. No. That wasn't true. He often smiled at and with Blake, especially later in the evenings when the two would sit together by the fire.

Jaune wasn't blind to what was going on there.

"Adam is strong," Ilia whispered. "He doesn't expect you to beat him. Only to be able to endure him."

"That's the feeling I got."

"Why?" Lavender asked nervously.

Jaune and Ilia exchanged quick glances. Both were in agreement. "Self-defence."

"So your brother can protect himself and you," Ilia echoed. "It's best he knows how."

"I'm not doing anything dangerous," he told her, sitting down next to her and hiding his guilt by pulling her in for a one-armed hug. "But I don't want us going back to that place. Adam is helping teach me how to survive."

"Hmmm. I'm glad."

Jaune touched the cards. "Teach me how to play."

They played a few rounds, Lavender boldly showing him the rules with Ilia only having to clarify a few results, mostly in terms of what hands were stronger. Once he had the basics down, he quickly burned through and lost his `chips`, in this case some pebbles, to Lavender. He rewarded her with a kiss on the cheek and accepted Ilia's help carrying a tired younger sister into bed.

"I shouldn't be sleepy," she complained.

"You're still recovering," Ilia said. "Give it a little longer and you'll be staying up late again."

Tucking her in, they waited for her to fall asleep before Ilia jerked her head toward the tent flap. Jaune followed her outside, letting the material fall shut behind. The camp was still active and remained so all night, but the overall noise had quietened as the later hours came in.

"Thanks for looking after her."

"It's no chore. I like her."

Even if we're human? He didn't say it. Doing so would be like accusing Ilia of being racist, and she clearly didn't care given how gentle she was with Lav. To be honest, not as many people here as he would have thought did. Oh, there were some, but even most of the fighting White Fang saw him and Lavender as abused humans in need of a home. The mask he wore around his neck and over his chest helped.

"Do you think it's right for me to lie to her?"

"Yes." Her answer was immediate. "She would only worry."

"It feels wrong…"

"Wrong is not coming back to her alive. Trust Blake. Trust…" Ilia sighed. "You can trust Adam. You're useful, so he'll move all of Remnant to keep you in one piece."

"What about you?"

"You can rely on me, but I won't be joining the next attack. Adam wants me back in Menagerie with the refugees. Someone has to go with them." Ilia looked upset at the fact it would be her but resigned all the same. "You never know with Grimm in the water. It was either me, Blake or Adam and they're too important to leave."

"Ah. I guess we'll be saying goodbye."

"Yeah…"

They stood awkwardly outside his tent.

"I'll look after Lavender," Ilia rushed out. "You have my word."

"I'll look after myself, then. For her sake."

"Yes. You do that." Ilia smiled briefly. "Once we have the civilians on the ships and away, it's going to be back to action. You'll need to be ready for it. Adam… He's teaching you to fight, but you realise what's going to really happen. Don't you?"

"I'm going to kill people…"

"Yes. Or be responsible for it. Same thing."

He nodded. If he used his Semblance to drop people's aura and they were killed by the White Fang, he wouldn't try and claim that wasn't his fault. It was a line he didn't want to cross, but one he'd have to in order to have Adam help him. Dad always said only we can decide where the lines lay. I guess mine are worse than his.

"Don't be afraid to tell someone if you're not," Ilia said. "I won't be there for it, but you…" She looked around, almost as though she were making sure no one heard her. "If you need to talk to someone, talk to Blake. Not Adam. Adam won't understand."

"And Blake will? Aren't they together?"

Ilia grimaced. "They are, but Blake doesn't like the violence. She's not afraid to use it, but she doesn't like it. She's confided that in me a few times. Don't tell Adam," she requested of him. "He'd only be angry."

"I won't say a word."

For now they would stay a happy family. Though he knew it wouldn't last...

/-/

That moment came sooner than he could have ever wished.

"You're not coming?"

Lavender's face ripped his heart in two. The tears in her eyes, the way her lips parted, forming a small `O` as she realised he wasn't stepping on the boat with so many other faunus. It tore into him. Ilia was beside her, one hand on Lavender's shoulder.

"I have to find the others," he said. "They're still trapped."

"I… I…" Lavender hiccupped suddenly, tears trickling down her cheeks. He knew she wanted to tell him to come anyway, but to do so was to also tell him to leave the rest of their siblings to their deaths.

Jaune leapt up and onto the boat, quickly wrapping his arms around her. Lavender collapsed into his chest, sobbing. He ran a hand over her hair, pressing his lips down into her scalp as his own tears flowed freely.

"It won't be forever," he promised her. "I'll come back. I just need to find the others and get them out, then we'll be a family again. You can help with that. I'm going to need somewhere safe to send them. They'll need looking after and comforting. If you can do that for me, you'll be helping me save them all."

Lavender's face rubbed up and down his chest as she nodded. The grey White Fang uniform turned damp against his skin. Lavender wore one as well, though hers somehow looked less intimidating. Her fingers clung to him and he was thankful that Adam and the others remained silent, allowing him his moment.

"Is that okay, Lav?"

"Y-Yes…" Sniffling, she pulled back, face red and streaked with tears. "B-But I want you to call. T-Talk to me. Please don't forget me."

"I won't. I promise. I'm going to find them and then I'll come to Menagerie." He pressed his forehead against hers. "We'll all live there. You, me, mom and all the others. Make sure you find a big home for us, okay? And get it ready, because I'm going to be sending our sisters along the second I find them."

It wasn't as easy as that. Lavender cried and he did as well. They clung to one another, the two weeks together hardly enough to make up for months apart. The fact he was sending her off on her own was a dagger to his chest, but he couldn't go with her. Not when it meant leaving everyone else to suffer.

When she eventually let go of him, Ilia was there, taking Lavender in her arms from behind but letting her keep watching him as he hopped back, splashing down into the shallow water. His eyes burned as he stepped back, keeping them locked onto Lavender's as the boat's motors whirred to life, slowly taking the vessel out to sea.

A hand touched his shoulder from behind. "She will be safe," Blake promised. "I spoke to my parents. They're going to look after her – and I'll give you their number. If you find a CCT or a signal booster, you can call them and speak to her whenever you want."

"Thank you." He wiped an arm over his eyes. "She'll be safe."

"Safer than us," Adam said. "Safer than you. It's not too late," he said gruffly. "I can call them back and you can follow. I don't care for someone who won't fight; who will be a liability. You can go with her, set up home in Menagerie and forget all about this."

Jaune watched Lavender go, watched her wave her hand desperately. He brought his own up, smiling through his tears as he waved goodbye. For now. They'd meet again. They had to. Letting his hand fall, he turned his back on her, facing Adam and the remnants of the White Fang, those looking to fight. Ready to kill.

Waiting for him.

The cold, porcelain mask settled over his features, hiding the tears and turning his face into a snarling visage. It was the only answer he could give and the only one Adam would accept. The faunus nodded. Blake donned her own and they all stood masked and hidden, weapons at the ready.

"We've done good work here today," Adam said loudly. "Because of us, innocent people will live peaceful lives in Menagerie. The war is not yet over, however." He drew Wilt, pointing it upward. "It's time we remind Atlas of that fact!"

"Hah!" the White Fang cried.

Jaune's voice rose with them.

/-/

"Mrs and Mrs Cotta-Arc."

The two women looked up at him as he entered the room, eyes narrowing dangerously. Ironwood nodded back politely, stepping in and taking a seat opposite them at the small interview table. A baby was sat in the blonde's lap, faced pressed into her bosom. The other woman, darker of skin and hair, watched him fiercely.

Neither looked afraid for their safety, only that of their child.

Telling. More than they may have thought.

"Why are we here?" the girl known as Terra demanded. "We've been whisked away from our home with no explanation by what look like special forces. I want a lawyer."

"You won't need one, Mrs Cotta-Arc."

"I. Want. A. Lawyer."

"You are not in any legal trouble," Ironwood said, trying again. He would have smiled but couldn't find it in himself to do so. A long-distance discussion with Ozpin had yielded no results. Ozpin knew, of course, but he had thought the Arc family fallen. He both looked and sounded as surprised as Ironwood himself. Though his old friend had promised aid, they both knew it meant little.

This was Atlas' problem and there wasn't much Beacon could do about it.

"You have been brought here for your own protection," he continued. "As we have reason to believe your lives may be in danger."

"In danger of what?" Saphron asked nervously, clutching her son to her chest.

"Tell me first," Ironwood said. "And please answer truthfully. Do you have huntsman training?"

"N-No. My father did but I never learned."

"And you?" he asked Terra. The girl shook her head. "Have either of you an unlocked aura?" This prompted a different reaction. Terra shook her head but Saphron bit her lip. Something he noticed. "You are not in any trouble with us," he assured them. Her. "There's no laws against aura and it's certainly not something to be ashamed of."

"I have my aura," Saphron whispered. "Dad unlocked it a long time ago. We were out fishing and Grimm appeared. He refused to take the risk and unlocked mine before he fought them off."

"Do you have a Semblance, Mrs Cotta-Arc?"

"I don't see why this is important."

"Please," he insisted. "This is important. Do you have a Semblance?"

Saphron looked down. "Yes. It's useless, though. I can harden my skin. I used it to protect me against the Grimm."

And there they had it. The reason she had been allowed to remain. Ironwood had suspected it but found little pleasure in being right. Sighing, he leant forward, running a hand down his face and cutting the women off before they could speak. They'd likely seen him on the television before, always calm and in control. He wasn't always that way. One of the main times he wasn't was when a young officer died and he had to deliver news to bereaved parents. Technically, this was the opposite, and yet it felt just as bad.

"I have some distressing news for you, Mrs Cotta-Arc."

/-/

Ironwood stood outside the door, all too able to hear the loud wailing and crying within but doing his best to pretend otherwise. The two soldiers had stepped out as well, now guarding the room from the outside to grant the unfortunate woman and her wife some time alone. Through the visor of one, he could see the soldier had his eyes closed, trying to block it out. He would have normally rebuked a guard not being at attention, but let it go this one time.

This. This was never easy.

"Their home was untouched," Winter reported to him, tone-faced despite the noise. "After bringing them here I had the Ace-Ops run over the place with a fine comb. No listening or surveillance devise beyond simple home security on their part. It appears they were let go entirely."

"Surplus to requirements. The girl already had her Semblance unlocked."

"The son would have been a target…"

"Yes. They either did not realise or were not interested in him for now. Perhaps they wanted to wait until he was older, or to see if their current Subjects would yield results. I won't take the risk either way. I want them both set up and made a part of my staff. Mrs Terra Cotta-Arc has experience in engineering. Fine her a role on our comms team. The other… station her on maternity leave, but close. Keep them together."

"Sir." Winter saluted.

It might be too much paranoia on his part but such was a risk he wouldn't take for now. One witness had already been silenced; Ironwood refused to believe the quick declaration of suicide from the Military Police. He'd seen men take their own lives and the facts didn't add up. Of course, he couldn't intervene in an investigation. The very purpose of the MP was to be above and beyond his interference.

Someone is covering this up. We only know of Subject 000 and Subject 003, which means the rest are still unaccounted for. The group behind it were therefore still active. They'll be running damage control. Let's see them try and kill these two on my watch.

"Make sure they're guarded at all times," he said. "I want our full staff vetted. I want to know who they worked for before, what their qualifications are and how long they've been working with us. A full sweep, Winter. I don't want any chances here. Have there been any other…" He grimaced. "Suicides?"

"None I've had reported so far. Captain Harrison's medical records came back. His blood alcohol level was off the charts."

"Are they using that as an excuse?"

"Yes. But with all due respect, sir, with that much in his system I'd be surprised he could even pull the trigger. He was drinking to forget something." Winter closed her eyes. "Or to prepare for something…"

He knew he was dead, then. Knew he was going to be silenced. To not even try and escape spoke volumes of who they were up against. Whether he'd earned the position through favours or not, the man was a soldier; he was trained to fight. General Ironwood sighed angrily, hand clenching and unclenching at his side.

"Look after our visitors," he told Winter. "Offer them the positions and make it clear they must accept. If not for their safety, then to help locate their missing family members. If anyone you don't recognise tries to approach them, subdue them. Violently, if needs be."

Winter saluted. "Sir."

"General Ironwood!" a panicked voice cried. "General Ironwood!" Marrow, a member of the Ace-Ops, came rushing around the corner, skidding on the floor before righting himself and hurrying forward. He came to a stop with a lurch and panted, hands on knees. "General Ironwood. C-Clover said to find you, sir. Big news."

"What is it?" Ironwood growled as Marrow tried to salute. "At ease. What's the news?"

"An attack, sir. The White Fang are attacking."

"Now? Of all times? Where?"

"An outpost by the eastern coast. They cover the ocean nearby to monitor traffic in and out. They were attacked without warning and all Bullheads have been recalled. It'll be over by now," he said sadly. "But we caught footage. Clover says you need to see it."

Swearing, Ironwood sprinted down the corridor to the Ace-Ops' quarters. Pushing through the door, he received nods from Clover and Vine. The two women of the team were leaned over their own terminals watching something. Clover motioned for Ironwood to join him.

"Hit re-wind, Vine. Show the General what you found."

"As you say, sir." Vine drew the recording back. From the snippets, Ironwood could see gunfire, smoke and explosions. The knowledge the outpost had already been destroyed filtered through, making him grind his teeth together. Vine stopped it. "Here. This is what you need to see."

Ironwood leaned in as the man pressed play. The footage showed the outer perimeter of the base and the main gate, which was half-open. Soldiers knelt behind barricades and some fired from an APC parked in the entranceway. The defensive cordon remained strong in the face of the assault. This was no lightly defended dust convoy from the SDC, but a military outpost.

They were holding.

"Here it comes," Clover whispered.

Several faunus stepped out from cover on the screen. One, he recognised easily as Adam Taurus. For all that the man wore a mask, his name and hair and outfit were too distinctive to go unknown. A dangerous man by all accounts, second only to Sienna Khan. The other was a girl with black hair and a mask, while the third.

The third sported rough blonde hair a shade not dissimilar to the young woman he'd broken terrible news to not ten minutes before. Ironwood's stomach tensed. Blonde hair isn't uncommon, he told himself. Even then, he knew his optimism wasn't warranted.

The three approached through a hail of fire, Adam taking the lead and defending the other two as they sprinted from cover to cover, using aura to block weapon fire and taking cover behind an anti-tank bollard. Close enough to throw a grenade if they wished. Eight, maybe ten metres from his judging. Ironwood's hands gripped the table's edge as he waited, every muscle in his body clenched.

It was so innocent to watch. So casual.

There was no grand display. No great motion. In one moment, the protracted fire fight was fast-paced and fearsome. The Atlas soldiers had shifted their focus to the closer threat, pinning down Adam Taurus since he was obviously the greater threat. The fire for a moment turned away from the faunus off-screen in the treeline.

And then suddenly, without explanation, his soldiers died. Bullets found armour and tore through it, rupturing flesh and snapping his men and women back. They fell like leaves, collapsing behind their barricades as the faunus gunfire found its mark. In a matter of seconds, it was over. Adam, the girl and the blonde stepped out of cover and into the scene of a massacre. The White Fang from the treeline advances, entering the outpost and checking bodies as Adam Taurus moved on and the blonde boy fell to his knees, ripping off his mask and throwing up into the mud.

The footage was grainy but there was no doubting the face. Not when he had been looking at reports and pictures of it for the last week.

"Who else has seen this footage?"

"It's been forwarded on to everyone of Captain rank or higher, sir, as per protocol." Clover stood tall, eyes closed in disappointment. "I'm sorry. I was unable to put a censor on it before that happened. By now, everyone has seen it."

Which meant the council would have seen it, and the Military Police and the officers. The news would trickle down to the rank and file as it so often did, and then the media. By morning, the news would be out.

And Jaune Arc would be a wanted man.


This isn't the last we'll see of Lavender for those wanting more of her. We're in the first arc of the story which marks the White Fang arc, but there are more to come, along with a time skip at some point since, as noted, Jaune is sixteen now and the story isn't yet at the time of Beacon. Which I guess should be obvious seeing as Blake is still here.

Anyway, while Jaune's first action happened not from his PoV, the fallout of it will be from him. I only summarised this one because Jaune's involvement will be his least in the story. He's barely able to defend himself right now, so Adam and Blake simply delivered him within range to use his Semblance.

Making the first step on his descent oh so easy...

He didn't even have to pull the trigger himself.


Next Chapter: 24th February

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur