Welcome back one and all! I've been blown away by the support on my stories recently, so thanks to all of you for that. College is hitting me and hitting me hard, but I'm keeping up with writing as best I can. I don't have much else to say, other than when I look back at this document, I made the original draft on the 30th of June. Yeah. Suffice to say, both this chapter and the ones preceding it have gone through a lot of changes since then. Anyways, time for story!

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A woman in a red dress lined with fluorescent orange stalked towards a warehouse on the shady side of Vale. The orange ornamentation shimmered subtly as she flickered between the quiet streets. Hair as black as charcoal sheathed a vicious, pale face with eyes reminiscent of embers. A boy with steel gray hair, a matching jacket, and black slacks with a gray bandana tucked into the waistband trailed on her left. On her right was a girl with mint-green hair, medium-brown skin, and striking red eyes, wearing an olive crop top, white crop top vest with a window, white shorts, and high-heeled pumps. The few who crossed their path stayed far away from the trio. Only the one with green hair had visible weapons, two revolvers with wicked blades slotted under the barrel, but all three carried themselves with certainty.

Cinder almost wished someone would've stopped them. It might have been entertaining, if only for a moment before Mercury or Emerald disposed of any intruder's ability to eat without the aid of a feeding tube. She loathed that she even had to make this visit, but Roman was proving incapable of completing a simple task alone. She'd just have to properly motivate him.

They reached their target, and slipped in through a side entrance. Emerald hit the lights, and with a faint hum-buzz they flickered into life, illuminating a giant room piled with crates, boxes, shipping containers, and barrels of Dust. The supplies in this room represented a statistically significant fraction of the Dust coming into Vale.

It was still behind schedule. Cinder prowled forward, and found her first reluctant collaborator, Roman Torchwick, taking a long drag from a cigar next to Neo. Honestly, the girl was probably more of a martial threat than Roman himself, but time and time again she'd proven loyal to Roman over everything else. A shame. Cinder could have used that level of skill and dedication.

Neo made a theatrical bow as Cinder approached, then rose to her full, though still diminutive, height. She then raised a single finger on both hands. Cinder rolled her eyes at the display. "Roman, can't you bring your dog to heel?"

"Nah. Tried before. She's a wild one I tell you. She'll break right out of a steel cage with her bare hands."

Neo shot Roman a pout.

Cinder placed a hand on her hip. "If our formal greetings are concluded, I did have a reason for this visit."

"What? No. You mean to tell me this wasn't a social call? I didn't even doll myself up."

"Cease with the levity, Roman. You know why I'm here."

Roman tapped the end of his cane on his chin. "Ah. I got it. You're her to deliver your thanks for stealing all the pretty little merchandise in this room for you."

Cinder glared. "No, actually. I came to inquire as to why you're behind quota."

Roman tilted his head down at her. "Lady, I don't know if you've been paying attention, but this isn't exactly a cakewalk. VPD's getting on our ass more than ever and you want my- quite skilled- but unquestionably small group of associates to steal enough Dust to make old General Ironwood blush."

"Then find ways of acquiring more."

"That ain't as easy as you make it sound, sister. We're already running ourselves ragged to keep up this pace, and we're gonna get caught if we're not careful."

"I don't quite think you comprehend Roman." Cinder spat. She raised a palm towards him, and a flame burst into being in front of her open hand.

"This isn't a request. It's an order. That said, I recognize that such a task is quite taxing for one of your skill and intellect, so I've seen fit to find a... partner of sorts for our little venture."

Roman sneered, but didn't get a word out before a man dropped from the ceiling, landing quietly on his feet next to Cinder.

Roman startled, jolting backwards and nearly dropping his cigar. "Shit!"

The man just grimaced at Roman from behind a red and white mask. Adam looked on edge, ready to strike out at any one of them in a heartbeat.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Adam Taurus, an esteemed and veteran member of the White Fang."

"How did you get in here?" Roman shouted

Neo pointed her parasol at an open roof window.

Roman looked up and his eyes went even wider.

"Just long have you been up there, kid?"

Neo waved her hand up and down with a grin.

"You knew he was in here?!"

Neo made an 'O' with her mouth, then covered it with her hand, before breaking into an innocent smile and rapping her knuckles on her head.

Adam's expression was hard to read past the mask, but his sneer was unmistakable. "That's not important. Get to the point. I'm not a man who appreciates his time being wasted."

"I'd hardly call ya a man, kid. But if you're looking for details, you want her." He pointed his cane at Cinder.

She smiled. "Indeed. We'd like your help collecting a large quantity of Dust by liberating it from the hands of the SDC and their ilk."

Adam sucked in a deep breath. "And why should I work with you? The Fang doesn't need handouts, and we don't run errands."

"Because, Adam, I believe we have common goals- and common enemies."

The man's tangible rage dulled but a fraction.

"The SDC, the VPD, the Council- they've all been making your life difficult, and contributing to the violence and oppression used to keep your people docile."

Adam whipped his sword from his sheathe. The blade tickled Cinder's throat. In a heartbeat Emerald's guns were drawn, pointed squarely at Adam's torso.

"You call us docile? Push me and you'll find out how wrong you are. You presume to win me over with flowery words and use me for your own gain. I won't accept it."

Cinder patently ignored the sword pressing into her jugular. "Not at all, Adam. You are not a man of words. You're a man of action."

His voice was dangerously calm. "Then show me something worth more than a silver tongue, or I'll cut it out. My patience wears thin."

Cinder leaned forward, and whispered into Adam's ear. Roman flicked his lighter off and on as he watched Adam go rigid, then slowly lower his sword and place it back in the sheathe. "Prove it." He commanded, the anger seemingly buried as quickly as it'd arisen.

"In but a moment," Cinder cooed.

"Roman, dear?"

"Yep."

"Do make sure not to miss a quota again. I have little tolerance for failure, and neither, I suspect, does Adam."

Roman couldn't read much more than disgust from the sidelong glance the redhead shot his way, but could guess that crossing him would be a risky venture on a good day, and with Cinder beside him? He'd have to have a death wish.

He held his nerve. "Yeah, yeah. That all you need from me boss?"

She nodded.

"Then if it's all the same to you, I've got an ungodly amount of heists to plan."

Roman turned and stomped out the side door at the rear of the warehouse. Roman was many things, but never did he claim to be a good man. He stole, lied, cheated, and had killed on occasion. Even he knew that Cinder was bad, bad news. He'd have asked what he'd gotten himself into this time, but then he'd never had a choice. Cinder had sought him out personally, and made it pretty clear that hers was an offer he couldn't refuse. He still had no idea what she even wanted all the damn Dust for, and she'd demanded so much of it for herself that they were barely turning a profit. It was ghastly- he, the premier gentleman thief of Vale, reduced to a common gangster busting up corner stores for Dust vials and pocket change.

Neo wrapped an arm around his back and looked up to him with wide eyes and a frown.

Cinder was definitely bad news, but he couldn't get away from her. She'd tracked him back to his damned headquarters before he'd heard a whisper about her. None of his inquiries had uncovered anything about her besides anecdotal evidence she lived in Mistral a decade ago. She didn't exist on paper. He wasn't as worried about her punk companions- he could take them one on one, and Neo could probably take both. But something about her confidence, the way she retained composure and control even with a sword at her neck- it scared him more than he was willing to admit. It never felt like she was showing all her cards. He'd only tried to call her bluff once, when they first met. That had ended with him pleading for his life, his safehouse in flames, and ten trusted men dead. He suspected that's why she didn't much care about him insulting her.

They both knew that if he stepped too far out of line, he'd be dead in a heartbeat.

Roman Torchwick was many things, but he was not an idiot. Not only would she kill him in a moment if he turned on her, she'd throw him to the wolves the moment he wasn't useful anymore.

Put that together, and Roman knew that he was living on borrowed time. Try as he might, he still couldn't find a way to stop the clock.

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Blake pored over the news article a third time. She was, to put it lightly, starting to get worried. One White Fang attack was chance. Two was coincidence. Three was a pattern, and this was the fifth that matched Adam's modus operandi. They'd begun to garner serious media attention, and for good reason. From what she could gather, there'd been two ambushes of VPD officers, a Dust store arson attack, the brutal murder of a VPD detective on the bad side of town, and a pipe bomb intercepted by the Vale Mail Service that had been earmarked for a Councilor's office. The wider White Fang had denied responsibility for the attacks, but the fact that White Fang sigils had been left at each crime scene meant most people weren't buying it. The worst part was that Blake knew the truth. Her parents would never authorize this, but Adam insisted on leaving the Fang emblem at every attack. He believed it would "Force those ignorant fools to drop their half-measures and finally join this war."

She was snapped out of it by an unfortunately familiar sound. Velvet was whimpering. Blake looked up from her scroll to see Cardin holding the girl by the ear, again. Blake pocketed her scroll and clenched her fists. She wanted so badly the push the kid's face in, but doing that here would just get her detention and it evidently wouldn't stop Cardin from being a jackass. It hadn't even been a week since Nora stood up to him.

"Blake?" Ruby queried weakly. Blake remembered where she was- standing in the hallway with the rest of her team, quite obviously glaring daggers and looking ready to strangle someone. Blake waved it off. "Sorry, it's just- Cardin again." Ruby looked over to the giant and frowned. She stood, and stalked towards him. Blake called after her, but Ruby didn't stop.

She wasn't making an attempt at stealth, and so Cardin saw her coming well in advance. He released the girl and lounged against the wall. Velvet took the chance to scarper.

Cardin spoke first. "You know, if you're just here to complain and then run away, could you do us all a favor and piss off? I don't know if you noticed, but I'm trying to enjoy my free time here."

Ruby spoke up, a slight shake in her voice. "Cardin, c-cut the bravado. This isn't right and you know it."

"Maybe I'll consider your opinion when you can speak without a stutter, little girl. Go cry to mommy."

Ruby's eyes and voice turned to cold steel, her bouncing nerves freezing in an instant.

"My mom's dead."

Even Cardin took pause at that one, and the hall fell silent.

"She was a huntress. Went here actually. I barely got to know her before she died. She went out like a hero, putting her life on the line to protect innocent people, like a Hunter should."

Ruby stepped towards Cardin.

"That's why I think you're so pathetic Cardin. Have you forgotten where we are? We're at Beacon. Maybe I was mistaken, but I'm pretty sure we're supposed to be learning how to be hunters. I don't remember where along the line they taught us that protecting people involved lording your power over other them like a sad, petty king. Did I miss that class? Can you point to it in the curriculum? Because otherwise, I might just have to believe that you're someone who enjoys hurting people for no other reason than personal amusement."

Cardin's mouth was agape, but he quickly regained his composure and stood tall, glaring down at her.

"You. Me. Arena. Now." He spat. His eyes promised retribution.

Ruby looked into them and met his gaze, resolute and unflinching.

They turned towards the arena.

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The turnout for the spar was pretty monumental for how quickly it'd been set up. The seats were nearly packed. Maybe it shouldn't have surprised Ruby-Cardin had a reputation for being a jerk, and their confrontation had been pretty public. Ruby took a deep breath to subdue the nervous tremors. This match took place in the same arena as the fight between RWBY and JNPR, but today it held only two combatants- her and Cardin. Everyone wanted to see him get knocked down a peg, and thus far he'd been undefeated in spars. Granted, so had Ruby, (minus the draw with Weiss) but neither of them had yet faced Pyrrha or Yang, widely regarded as the scariest and second scariest opponents for one on one fights, respectively, so being undefeated didn't mean much.

People wanted her to win this. That shot an anxious shiver through her soul, but it was easily quelled. She wasn't doing this for the audience anyways. She was doing it because it sucked to see Velvet get hurt, and because Cardin had made it personal by bringing up her mom- all the times he'd made fun of Ruby in class were just icing on the cake.

Goodwitch was officiating, and she was as hard to read as ever, shifting between subtle grins and frowns. Ruby planted the end of Crescent Rose on the cobblestones, looked to Goodwitch, and nodded. Cardin did the same, hefting his mace in a low, one-handed grip on his right side. They stared each other down for five long seconds, then the horn sounded. Cardin took a step forward.

Crescent Rose slashed across his back as a blur of red moved around him.

Cardin's eyes went wide, and he turned on his heel with a weighty swipe of his mace, but Ruby merely stepped back and hooked the top of Crescent Rose around his knee, then fired it. The blade bit into armor, and the force knocked Cardin's legs out from under him. He fell to the ground with a mighty clang, and before he could even gather his senses another bullet slammed home into his breastplate. Cardin rolled to the side and stumbled to his feet, then charged Ruby head on, raising The Executioner high.

Ruby fired twice, one shot pinging off the weapon and the other striking his left forearm before Ruby spun her scythe up to intercept. She didn't stop the blow, but quick footwork left her with a graze to the side of the head and a sore shoulder rather than a mace to the skull. Ruby stepped back and shifted her weapon to rifle form, waiting for Cardin's move. When he swung for her ribs, Ruby shot straight up in the air in a crimson bolt. She popped out of her semblance to land a headshot in midair. Cardin spun with a wild swing, meant to bat her aside, but she let the blow bounce off the side of her rifle, landed deftly, and fired twice more into Cardin's chest at point blank range.

The horn sounded again.

Cardin's head snapped to the aura meters in disbelief. Ruby was just as surprised- the match was over. She hadn't even had to reload, and she'd only really been hit once. Cardin turned back to her with wild eyes, and the hand gripping his mace squeezed so tight that it was turning white. Just as she thought he'd press the attack anyways, he tore himself away and stomped wordlessly over to the door. Ruby would later swear up and down she caught a smile on Goodwitch's face before the woman turned away and exited the officiator's stand.

Not long after Cardin left, the cheering started.

Ruby suddenly became very aware of the crowd all around her, and felt heat rushing to her cheeks as she placed her weapon on her back and searched the crowd for her team. Ah, there they were- and Yang and Nora were both screaming their lungs out. She waved awkwardly at the crowd, and then made for the doors. Cardin was already storming off down the hall, so Ruby headed the opposite direction, to get up to the stands. She awkwardly pushed through the crowd as half a dozen random people complimented her or patted her on the back, until she spotted Weiss' stark white ponytail through the clump of people. "Guys!"

Ruby was positively beaming, and her positivity was infectious. Blake was smiling wide and laughing along as Yang showered her sister in compliments and Nora waxed nostalgic about Ruby's awesomeness- knowing Nora, by tonight the story would be that Ruby had knocked Cardin out in one blow. Still, Blake kept an eye out. She didn't think it was paranoid to be on the lookout for retaliation from Cardin- he was clearly the petty type, and Ruby'd made him look like a fool in front of everyone. Blake noticed the student coming up behind Ruby first. It was a girl with short brown hair in a beret, gold-rimmed sunglasses, a brown shirt, and black pants and cincher.

"You wouldn't happen to be the girl that beat up Cardin, would you?"

Ruby gulped silently, and turned to face her. "Um, yep."

The mystery girl broke into a wide smile. "Good. About time someone put that idiot on his ass."

She placed a hand on her hip, and one on her chest. "I'm Coco. Vel's my teammate, and I hear that you lot stood up for her when he was being a pathetic douchebag again?"

Ruby relaxed at the girl's casual tone. "Yeah. I mean, Nora did it first- I only got involved when he kept bullying her, and I may have gone a little overboard..."

"Bullshit." Coco snorted. "He deserved it. I just wish Vel would stand up for herself. She's nice to everyone, but sometimes she's too quiet for her own good. Thanks for the entertainment. Tell you what, I'm in a generous mood. You ever need some advice, or just someone to bitch to, stop by team CFVY's dorm. It's on the house." Coco flicked off a faux salute, and sauntered out the door.

"Well she's certainly a character." Weiss said.

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The girls of team RWBY began to settle in to a routine. Blake was warming up to her friends, and even though she still spaced out, she was slowly but surely beginning to actually contribute to conversations on her own. Weiss' icy façade had fallen away remarkably quickly after the duel with Ruby, and while she was still a stickler for rules, studying, and grammar, she was also actually helping her teammates and developing her own dry humor. Ruby grappled with her anxiety, but was ultimately able to overcome it when it counted, and Yang remained unflappable as ever. The victory over Cardin faded into memory quickly, save Ruby's opponents in sparring class becoming even warier of the little red reaper. They hung out with JNPR whenever they found the time, and, thanks to Weiss' badgering, even kept up-just barely-on their homework.

The next two weeks passed in a blur of study, class, homework, and any free time filled to the brim with spars, games, and the occasional movie or tv show.

On the Wednesday of their third week of class, the students got their first school trip outside the walls since initiation. As part of their survival class, they were to head into the Forever Fall forest and collect sap from the local trees. Forever Fall was the only forest in Vale that could produce large amounts of Red Sap. Red Sap was a material typically restricted to Hunters because of the danger inherent to its use, but potentially very powerful in the right hands. The reason it was in such demand was that it naturally acted as short range Grimm bait. It was therefore highly coveted, because it was one of very few reliable ways to distract or redirect Grimm from attacks.

It also meant that Forever Fall naturally attracted nearby Grimm, making it a prime spot for testing the students' mettle.

The expedition was quite sizeable, including many members of staff and the entire freshman student population of Beacon. The students had been split into groups, each led by a staff member, and teams RWBY, JNPR, and CRDL had all ended up with Ms. Goodwitch.

Cardin had been shooting Ruby dirty looks all day, but he hadn't approached them, so Ruby'd been content to leave it be. In all honesty, thus far the trip had been pretty calm for what it was- JNPR and RWBY had stuck together, and so they'd mostly been tapping trees, with the occasional halt to dispatch a small group of Beowulves. It was mostly quiet between those moments, save the occasional sound of gunfire in the distance. The teams had been rotating members between guard and collection duty. Currently, Ren was gathering the last of the sap they needed while the others watched the surrounding trees for movement. Their path through the forest had lead them to a clearing on the verge of a cliff. They would have already finished and headed back to the extraction point, but Nora had drunk a jar of the sap because it apparently tasted sweet, and promptly had to fend off a nest's worth of rapier wasps drawn to the liquid she'd spilled on her shirt. They would have made Nora collect the last bottle, but nobody trusted her not to drink it as well.

Ruby perched atop a lonely tree in the middle of the clearing, scanning the treeline with her scope. Jaune leaned against the trunk below her.

"You know you don't have to provide sniper support."

Ruby frowned down at Jaune. "Having another set of eyes never hurts."

"No, but sometimes it's overkill. We've only got three directions to cover, and eight of us. The most dangerous thing we've run into a single mature Beowulf, and Yang crushed it in two hits."

"Still. I like to play it safe."

"I know Rubes. I'm just messing with ya. Besides, I won't be complaining when you inevitably save me from my own stupidity."

She snorted.

"Hey! I got a laugh. Just you wait, I'll win Weiss over any day now."

Ruby snorted louder.

Yang and Pyrrha idly pored over the southern treeline for what seemed the thousandth time. Yang liked to think it was because any Beowulf in their right mind would immediately turn and run seeing what was in front of them. Pyrrha and Yang were unequivocally considered the strongest and second strongest fighters in their year. Pyrrha's loss in their training spar had poured even more fuel onto the girl's raging competitive flame, and people had quickly learned that her victories were not flukes. Pyrrha was the ultimate jack of all trades, with the training, experience, and tools to handle and then counter almost any range, fighting style, or weapon you could think of. She was like quicksilver- lethal, quick, and impossible to pin down.

Where Pyrrha won through adaptation, Yang won through endurance and power. Her aura was one of the largest and most durable out of the freshman class, and combined with the tools to get in close and a relentless style to match, few could hold up. Her worst showing this year was the practice spar with JNPR, where she still knocked out two opponents before falling.

Thus far, they had yet to face each other in a spar. Yang was itching for the chance to try her hand against the invincible girl.

"How ya doin golden girl?"

"Not bad. Wouldn't that be a better nickname for you though?"

Yang snorted. "Bullshit. Everyone knows you're the queen around here girl. I'm the random brute barbarian."

"My armor's bronze, not golden. Doesn't your hair actually glow gold when you use your semblance?"

Yang grinned. "I prefer the term neon yellow. But while we're on the topic of sparring, how would you like to face off against me? One on one."

Pyrrha's smirk was just barely visible. "Is that an invitation?"

"Absolutely, girl."

The smirk widened. "Then I'd be happy to oblige."

Blake and Ren were nestled into the woods on the western approach. Blake watched the treeline as Ren knelt to finish filling the last bottle of sap JNPR needed.

Ren was recounting how they'd come to Beacon. "Nora and I have been travelling together for years now. We spent most of our time in Mistral, but we hopped a boat here about a year and a half back. We both wanted to be Hunters, and we weren't exactly swimming in cash, so we just went to the closest Hunter school. What about you?"

"Hm. I used to travel a lot. I've been to all four kingdoms actually- and Argus, and Menagerie. I learned most of what I knew about survival from my time on the road. Eventually, I got tired of everything, and I decided to leave the traveling behind me and try to do something productive with my life in Vale. That was about a year ago. I decided I wanted to be a Hunter around that time too, and since I couldn't really go to another kingdom I went for Beacon."

"You've come quite far as a Hunter for only one year's training" Ren offered.

An annoying mixture of pride and guilt welled up inside her. "Thanks. I sort of buried myself in training when I realized Beacon was where I wanted to go. I didn't have a ton of money, so I needed to make sure I'd pass the trials without transcripts."

Ren glanced off into the canopy. "Nora and I were much the same, actually. We spent most of our life savings on our equipment alone. We never had the money to settle down anywhere, much less attend pre-hunter school. We were self-taught all the way."

"Hm. Me too."

Ren showed the slightest grin. "I guess we have more in common than we realized."

Blake smiled again, and it felt a little less forced. The inner darkness receded a fraction, and she dared to wonder if she and Ren might be approaching something like friendship.

Weiss was stuck with Nora, and the dual task of watching for Grimm and keeping Nora from running off to find them. Perhaps that was a bit overdramatic- the girl's optimism was extreme, but in such a way that you couldn't help but find it endearing. Still, there was no denying she was itching for action. Something rustled in the trees, and Weiss instinctively reached out for Nora, pushing down the barrel of her grenade launcher before she could launch a 40 millimeter at the small bird hopping between the branches.

Nora whined. "C'mon Weiss. Just one explosion."

"No!"

"But I'm boreeeeeed!"

"I don't care. That's no excuse to shoot bombs into the woods. Besides, aren't those grenades expensive?"

Nora stroked her chin, deep in thought. "I guess you're right. I should save these babies for special occasions. What about you though?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow.

Nora pushed on. "Aren't you worried about Dust cooooooost... Yeah, nevermind. Stupid question."

Weiss snickered and rolled her eyes.

"I mean come on though. Even you've gotta admit this is boring Weiss. You can't be polite and posh all the time."

Weiss considered it. "I suppose I can admit that it isn't exactly what I had in mind for our first outing. It's been pedestrian honestly. Even if our teams weren't together, a few small packs of Beowulves are hardly a threat."

"I know, right?! Give us a few of those Nevermore again, make it interesting."

Weiss smiled. "I don't know if I'd go that far. Still, you're not wrong that it'd be more exciting."

They turned at the sound of shattering glass. Weiss was just fast enough to catch a glimpse of something dropping from the lonely tree in the middle of the clearing with a shriek, then landing with a thump and a groan. Ruby stumbled to her feet, covered in Red Sap.

Jaune helped her to her feet. "Ruby! Are you ok?"

She accepted the hand as he pulled her up. "Yeah, I'm fine. It wasn't that big of a drop but..."

Jaune inspected the sap, and heard a crunch from underfoot as he shifted his weight. He looked down to find shards of glass at the base of the tree.

"Wait- did someone throw a jar of sap at you?"

"I guess. I didn't see it until it was about to hit, and I freaked out."

"But why would..." Jaune trailed off. He placed a hand on his sword hilt as he scanned the treeline. Ruby put it together but a moment later, and called out to the group. "Look alive! We might have inbound!" The chatter between the teams died off as they faced the woods. Sure enough, about thirty seconds later a roar echoed out from the western woods, and shapes darted towards them through the trees all around the clearing. Ren and Blake pulled back from the woods into the more defensible open ground, and Jaune broke off to join them as Ruby reclaimed her perch. She glanced over the woods and caught a flash of silvery armor through the canopy, along with part of a golden bird insignia. Cardin. That answered who'd thrown the sap then. But Cardin was quickly fleeing the scene, and the growls of oncoming Grimm made it clear she had more imminent threats to worry about. She scoped in on a Grimm through a small hole in the leaves and took first blood.

Gunfire rang out from all around the little clearing- pistols, rifles, and the occasional grenade sending loud booms echoing through the crimson forest.

The Grimm fell like chaff to Yang and Pyrrha, and Weiss and Nora were a little harder pressed but still holding. Most of the Grimm had come from due west, crashing into Jaune, Blake, and Ren. Ruby's head was on a swivel as she picked off the biggest Grimm from afar, hoping that killing the smartest of the horde would even the odds. The creatures barely seemed to notice. Worse, the center was failing. Blake and Ren were fine fighters, but both preferred hit-and-run tactics to holding a line, and Jaune was the weakest fighter they had. They needed help. Ruby was about to hop down and rush over when she saw something that made her heart skip a beat, and a fearful yet familiar tremor flared up inside her. She yelled out to her friends. "Blake, Ren, you've got an Ursa coming! A big one!" Not waiting for a response, Ruby sighted and began to pour fire into the creature. Rounds sparked off of thick bone plate or left barely a scratch on the resilient fur. Ruby grimaced.

She watched as it barreled towards her friends. Jaune stood in the way and for a moment it looked like he planned to tank the charge, but at the last moment he stepped aside and scored a shallow but long slash across the Grimm's side. It ignored him entirely, and beelined for her.

Right. Still covered in Grimm bait.

She emptied the last of the magazine, slammed a fresh one home, and leapt clear of the tree just as the Ursa swiped for the trunk and snapped it in half like a toothpick. She launched herself forwards and caught the thing's jaw with her blade, toppling it onto its back. She took the brief opening and landed two clean shots into its soft underbelly before a massive paw reached for her legs and she was forced to pull back. The Grimm rolled over and stood, then pounced forward with its maw aimed for her forearm. She slammed Crescent Rose into its head, but the creature barely noticed, and clamped its' jaw down on her arm. Her thoughts began to shiver. She cried out as she released one hand from her weapon and shifted it to rifle form, then fired a round into the Grimm's back at point blank range. It refused to yield, and in fact began thrashing its head side to side, lifting her off her feet and shaking her entire bodyweight around like a ragdoll. Her weapon was sent flying from her grip. She tried to use her semblance, but even still the creature's death grip would not yield. Nervous tremors had overflowed into panicky jitters. She grabbed one of the spare rounds on her hip and jammed it towards the Ursa's eyes.

Finally, on the third try, she connected. The round sank into cursed flesh, and the eye squelched and turned from fiery red to dull maroon. The creature tossed its head once more and threw her clear, and Ruby landed in a heap on the bloodred leaves. She scrambled for her weapon and then opened fire, barely able to control the recoil as she poured shot into the face of the monster. It made for another charge, and Ruby flicked her weapon back into scythe form and stared it down. A trail of leaves fluttered up into the air behind it it shook the earth with its bounding assault. Ruby waited, forcing down her trembling mind. Then, a few feet from contact, she spun to the side and brought her weapon down on the creature's spine with all her might, firing off a shot to add to the force of the blow. Finally, something gave way. Bone plate cracked and the blade bit deep into flesh, rupturing something deep inside the beast. She shoved it away and plunged the tip of the scythe into its skull before it could even think about a final attack. She reloaded and took a look around her. Most of the Beowulves were dealt with, and she only picked off a few more before the woods were left quiet.

RWBY and JNPR met around the shattered tree in the middle of the clearing. "Anyone hurt?" Jaune asked.

"Nothing we can't sleep off." Blake said.

"Fine here, blondie." called Yang.

"Not unless you mean the Grimm. In which case we need a morgue." Nora added.

Ruby smiled. "Alright then. Teams RWBY and JNPR, it appears that we've finished collecting our sap. I for one would very much like to leave now, considering the big fight and the icky sap currently in my clothes. Any objections?"

"Uh, yeah actually. What the heck happened Ruby? Why are you covered in sap? Don't tell me you tried to eat it." Yang teased.

"I dunno. I guess someone threw it at me. I was just sitting in the tree, next thing you know, wham, glass jar to the face." Ruby forced a laugh, and cursed at how fake it sounded, even to her.

"Alright, what aren't ya telling me Rubes?"

"What do you mean?" Gahhh! Why can't I be a better liar?!

"Ruby, you suck at lying. Just tell me." Yang ordered.

"Fine! It was Cardin."

Yang's smile took on an edge. "Oh my. Did you hear that Nora? It was Cardin. I think we have some legs to break."

"Yay!" Nora cheered.

"No!" Ruby said.

"No?" Yang asked.

"This has gone far enough. I never should've had that stupid fight with him. I don't want to make this even worse."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Ruby, I'm hardly worried about that. You realize you wiped the floor with him, right? He's the strongest guy on his team, and there's four of them and eight of us, including yours truly and Pyrrha freaking Nikos."

The redhead blushed as Yang continued. "Besides, he's not gonna stop at this anyways. Cardin is absolutely the kind of guy to hold a grudge. When he doesn't like someone, he goes all in."

"Was that supposed to be a card pun?" Ruby asked, appalled.

"Maybe, but that's not the point. He pretty much tried to get you killed. What do you want me to do, not beat him to a pulp after he beaned you with a glass jar and covered you in Red Sap in the middle of the woods?"

"Yep."

"Why would I do that?" Yang asked.

"Because I asked nicely." Ruby stated.

"That's not gonna..." Yang trailed off as Ruby clasped her hands and looked up at her.

"Ruby, you can't just..." Ruby's eyes started to water as she pouted and Yang's heart sank.

"Ugh. I can't believe I'm saying this, but fine. I won't break Cardin's legs."

"Yay! You're the best sis." Yang grumbled and patted Ruby's head.

"What about me? I still wanna break his legs." Whined Nora.

"Jaune, can you please tell her not to break Cardin's legs?"

His eyes went wide. "Me!? What am I supposed to do!?"

"I dunno." Ruby shrugged. "Buuuut... If you do it I might speed up that little project of yours."

That seemed to motivate him. Jaune looked over to Ren. "Ren, you know what you need to do."

Ren nodded gravely, and turned to the girl in pink. "Nora, you can't break Cardin's legs."

"But why?"

"Because, I'll be very disappointed in you."

Nora froze.

"Cardin's being a bully, and we're supposed to be the better people and walk away."

"But-but legs!"

"No but. We do not get to disregard out principles because of violent desires."

Nora pouted, and pointed at Ruby. "You- you monster! You've turned Renny against me! Attacked me with the one enemy I can't defeat! I'm helpless. Well played Ruby, but I will have my vengeance!"

They laughed it off. Nora was being theatrical.

Probably.

/-/

The teams gracefully slipped back through the trees to the extraction point. The trip was uneventful- they encountered less than a dozen Grimm total on the way. JNPR and RWBY exited the woods chatting and giggling, but came back to Goodwitch watching over a crowd of teens, looking even more stern than usual. There were uneasy whispers moving through the crowd. Their expedition was nearing their departure time, but this was a different level of nervous. Blake was sure of it. As they got closer, Blake heard words that made her blood run cold.

-Did you hear? -

-White Fang-

-how many?!-

She pulled her scroll and checked the news. It confirmed her fears. She called her friends over as she pulled up the article.

White Fang massacre at Vale docks- 23 dead.

The Fang had hit a Atlesian Navy transport carrying unknown cargo, killed the entire crew, and then stolen several large containers via Bullhead extraction. Any fledgling hope that it was a coincidence was dashed as she scrolled through the pictures. There was a man in a proper suit, with an ornate white mask and fiery red hair. Red on white. Blake froze as her breath grew shallow.

Adam's back.

/-/

Say what you want about Adam, he certainly knows how to make an entrance. Cardin might be an asshole, but there's bigger fish to fry. As always, comments and critiques are very much welcome. For now, Janus out.