Alright, new chapter. I have decided what Mae's Semblance will be. I'll reveal it in the next chapter because I still need to work out some other applications for it. That's it I believe.

I don't own RWBY. Rooster Teeth does.

SDC Mines

Jaune groaned as he sat up, coughing. His entire body was covered with ash and dust as his eyes struggled to adjust in the inky darkness of the collapsed mine. He fumbled around for his weapon or something he could use as a light source when he heard a groan of pain next to him. His body reacted on instinct and formed a glowing blade made of pure aura. His eyes adjusted to the sudden glow of light and he saw the groaning form of the Bull Faunus. Jaune sighed in relief. He was alive at least.

As Jaune leaned against a rock to catch his breath, he felt movement within his hoodie and looked down. He saw Nyx's head pop out of the top of his hoodie. The Grimm pup climbed out and shook her entire body, getting the dust off. She let out a cute sneeze as she sat on her haunches and looked at Jaune, her tongue sticking out.

"Hey, girl! I almost forgot about you," Jaune said as he released the aura sphere he had been using for light, causing it to float next to him. He picked up Nyx and began to stroke her soft fur as his blue eyes traveled across the entire cavern.

"We're not getting out the way we came any time soon," Jaune said. He pulled out his scroll and let out a breath of disappointment when he saw it.

No signal.

His eyes reluctantly drifted towards the tunnel that led deeper into the mines. "Deeper it is."

As he grabbed his scythes and stood, he heard the slight breaths of the bull faunus. He looked back at him. The faunus's visor was broken and a streak of blood trickled from a wound on his forehead and onto the cave floor. Jaune saw the man's foot was bent awkwardly, meaning his ankle was either broken or twisted. The man's katana lay in pieces on the floor.

Nyx growled at the bull faunus as Jaune approached him. She barked frantically at him as he reached down to grab the body.

"We can't just leave him here. It's not right," Jaune said.

Nyx barked once more, hopping off her master's shoulder and biting on his pant leg.

"Nyx, we can't leave him," Jaune said firmly.

Nyx whined as she tried to tug on Jaune's leg. However, her pleas went undeterred as Jaune slung the man's arm over his shoulder and helping him to his feet. He manifested several aura arms to support the man as he began to walk.

"I really hope we don't run into anything down there," Jaune said as he moved forward.

Nyx sniffed the air then whined, hopping up to Jaune's shoulder.

"Yeah, me too," Jaune said.

Jaune formed an aura ball and let it float in front of him. With one hand wrapped tightly around his scythes in their sword form, Jaune made his way deeper into the mines.

Kinrin

"Okay, okay, round them up!" a man in white uniform said as members of the White Fang were being loaded onto prison trucks.

"You humans and your arrogance. You'll get what's coming to you!" a deer faunus said as she was loaded onto the truck.

"Yeah, yeah, tell that to the judge," the officer said. The sounds of engines approaching caught the officer's attention as he looked towards the air.

A small fleet of bullheads approached the town from the north could be seen.

"Give me a pair of binoculars," the officer said to one of the soldiers. The soldier nodded and placed a pair in the officer's hand. He looked through them and saw an emblem that resembled a spear in the middle of a shield on the aircraft. His eyes widened as he took off the binoculars and shoved them into his subordinate's arms.

"Get them ready! Reinforcements from Atlas are here!" the officer yelled. The troops scrambled to load in all the faunus perpetrators as the bullheads began to land in the middle of the now-empty warzone.

The largest one, which the officer assumed was the head, opened its doors. The clacking of boots could be heard as a woman with white hair stepped out. A bang framed the right side of her face while the rest of her hair was styled in a bun. A rapier-cutlass hybrid lay in its sheathe, strapped to her waist as she walked out onto the mine, or what was left of it.

"Shit is that…?" one of the soldiers said.

"No fucking way!"

"It is her! See, I told you!"

Her icy gaze set its sights on the surviving soldiers, sending an icy wind washing over them. Chills ran down their spines as she stood there, an imposing aura being emitted from her like an imposing queen.

"S- Specialist Schnee! We did not know that General Ironwood would send you to here of all places! We were expecting more people from the SDC!" the officer said, attempting to put on a face.

"Officer, my father is a businessman. Not a general and thus, he has no experience in military affairs. It was in the Council's best interest to send me after receiving word that one of our biggest dust mines was attacked by the White Fang," Winter said, her words cut sharply through the man's bravado.

"Well, we have this all handle-"

"Do you know? Does collapsing the entire mine and losing several billion lien worth of dust that we could use to power Mantle and Atlas sound like handling it?" Winter asked as she glanced at the collapsed mine entrance.

"R- Rest assured Specialist Schnee! We will have the mine cleared out and normal operations going by the end of this week," the officer said.

"Yes, I believe so. You… You surprise me, Officer," Winter said, staring at the damaged equipment.

"Oh really? Thank you, Ma'am! I've… um never been praised by a Hunter of Atlas. I've been a very big fan of your work so you prai-!"

"I have never been so surprised at how utterly disgraceful you handled this situation. Officer, as of right now, I am assuming temporary command of this mine. This mine is now government property," Winter said.

"W- Wait! You can't do that! Mr. Schnee owns the -EEK!" the officer's eyes trailed down as a thin blade of ice embedded itself into the concrete all the way to its hilt.

"I don't care what that man says. Right now, he can't do anything so you will listen to me. Are. We. Clear?" Winter said, his eyes boring into the man's very soul.

"Y- Yes, Specialist Schnee!" the officer squeaked.

"Good, now begin clearing out the mine's entrance," Winter said.

"YES MA'AM!" the soldiers from both the SDC and Atlas immediately got to work as Winter watched. Her vigil over them was broken when her scroll started to go off. She took her scroll out of her pocket and smiled upon seeing the Caller ID.

Vert Arc

She swiped to answer her call.

"Hello?" Winter said.

"Hey, Winter! Um, I know that this is weird but I just arrived in town for a book signing that I had scheduled here and everyone seems to be in mass panic. There are bodies on the street and I just saw your bullhead land… is there a chance that we can meet up so I know what the hell is going on?" Vert's voice said from her scroll.

"Um, sure? Just let me leave someone in charge okay?" Winter said. She placed her hand on the muted her voice. "YOU OVER THERE WITH THE MY SMALL EQUINE TATTOO! YES, YOU! COME HERE!"

The soldier in question ran over to Winter and saluted.

"Um, yes Ma'am?" the soldier asked.

"You're in charge. I was just contacted and I need to meet up with someone in town," Winter said.

"Um, of course, Ma'am! It would be an honor!" he said.

"Good," Winter said as she walked away, following the path out of the mines and to Kinrin.

"That's it, Arc! One step at a time!" Jaune chanted to himself as he walked deeper and deeper into the mine. He had often sent Nyx ahead to scout as she could always make her way back to him via scent but he had no such trait. So far, Jaune had taken three lefts and two rights at every fork.

"I think we're doing well!" Jaune said, grinning at Nyx. "Air's getting a little thin heavy though."

Nyx tilted her head in a confused manner and continued to walk. As the two walked, Jaune felt a sharp pain in his back that forced him to drop the bull faunus. He felt a force slam into his chest and fell on his back.

"What?" Jaune looked up and saw a glove covered fist slam into his face.

Nyx roared and pounced on the bull faunus, sinking her teeth into his already injured leg. The faunus cried out in pain as he rolled off Jaune. With blurring vision, he looked at Nyx, who kept her maw around his injured foot and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. With all of his strength, he tore off the Beowolf pup and threw her against the wall.

When he turned around, a violet hand grabbed him and pinned him to a wall. A blade was pressed up against his throat as the flaming violet eyes of its owner glared into his very soul.

"Now," Jaune said as he applied slightly more force on the man's throat. "Let's just calm down."

The faunus glared at him before nodding begrudgingly. Jaune slightly loosened his grip around the faunus but did not let him go for the anticipation of another attack.

"Who are you?" Jaune asked,

"I don't have to tell you anything, human," the faunus said.

"I'm being nice here. I could have left you back there to die but didn't. The least you can do to show that you're grateful is to tell me your name," Jaune said.

The faunus looked slightly shocked at his statement but it faded quickly as the glare came back. He snarled before muttering the name.

"What?" Jaune asked.

"Adam. My name is Adam," he said.

"See, that wasn't so hard. We can get along for the time being. Name's Jaune by the way," Jaune said.

"Where are we?" Adam asked.

"We're in the mines. The SDC blew the entrance and trapped both of us in here," Jaune said.

Adam growled at the mention of the name.

"Yeah, I don't like them either," Jaune said as he let Adam drop to the ground.

"So why are you in here?" Adam said as he rubbed his sore arm. His entire body was on high alert as his gaze traveled to Nyx, who bared her fangs and snarled at him.

"Helping people. Saving them. The family business and whatnot. I was just helping the miners get out of here until you showed up," Jaune said.

"Typical human. Can't let your livestock and beasts of burden die," Adam said, looking at Jaune in disgust.

"Not everyone is like that you know," Jaune said as he held his hand out to help Adam to his feet. Adam slapped his hand and struggled to stand. Pain coursed through him, forcing him to fall.

"Are you okay?" Jaune asked as he held his hand out again.

"I have a fucking broken ankle," Adam said as he begrudgingly grabbed Jaune's hand. Jaune helped him to his feet and supported him.

"Yeah, sorry," Jaune said as he looked at Adam.

"Let's just get out of here. The more I spend time with a disgusting human like you, the more I feel like I'll vomit," Adam said.

"Yeah, you're welcome," Jaune said as they walked. Nyx walked next to them, her scarlet eyes never leaving Adam's form. Adam glared at the grimm pup as they walked, his blue eyes brimming with hatred for both Jaune and Nyx.

Jaune held out his hand and conjured another ball of violet light, lighting up the darkness. The three made their way further into the mines. Abandoned pieces of equipment littered the tunnels while large crystals of dust that gave off faint traces of light.

"Nyx," Jaune said as they came to another fork in the mine. Nyx barked in response and ran down one of the tunnels.

As Adam and Jaune waited, Jaune tried to initiate small talk with the bull Faunus that he was supporting.

"So," Jaune said. "Where are you from?"

"None of your business," Adam said.

"Why do you wear a mask?" Jaune asked.

"I… don't want to talk about it," Adam said.

"Did humans do it to you?" Jaune asked tentatively.

Adam remained silent and Jaune took his silence as a yes. He sighed. The two were not the greatest when it came to small talk. But it wasn't like Jaune could blame the man, he was forced to swallow his pride to accept his help.

"Why are you helping me?" Adam asked.

"I already said why," Jaune said.

Adam remained silent for a few seconds before speaking up. "You didn't. You told me why you were down here… not why you saved me or why you saved the faunus. Humans would never do anything for a faunus," Adam said. "To you, my race is nothing more than second class citizens and slaves."

"Not all humans are like that," Jaune said once more.

"Yeah, I heard you the first time but… that's all just a sad lie humans like to tell themselves," Adam said. The sound of barking made the two look towards the tunnel where Nyx came bounding back to them. She barked several times as she arrived.

"Dead end?" Jaune asked.

Nyx barked.

"Looks like we're going that way then," Jaune said as he began to direct Adam to the tunnel to the right.

"I've never seen a hunter with a dog as a partner before," Adam said as he looked at Nyx.

"Yeah, I adopted her," Jaune said. As the three continued their walk, the less equipment they saw. It seems like people didn't make their way down this tunnel. Dust crystals began to appear in larger quantities than ever. A growl echoed suddenly throughout the tunnels, forcing Jaune to go on guard. His hand made its way to Sol and Luna as he began to look for the source of the noise.

"Do you have food?"

Jaune and Nyx turned to Adam, who was clutching his stomach with his other arm. Jaune sighed in relief as he made his way towards the tunnel wall. He set Adam down and began to dig through his jacket pockets. His eyes lit up when he pulled out two tangerines. He handed one to Adam, who silently took it and began to peel the fruit. Jaune sat next to him and began to eat, placing Sol and Luna next to him. The entire time he ate, he noticed that Adam had been eyeing his weapon closely.

Nyx's whining caught Jaune's attention as his eyes drifted over to her. She was looking between him and his tangerine, her tongue lolling out of her mouth. She barked and Jaune chuckled, tearing off a piece and throwing it to her. Nyx jumped up and caught the piece in her mouth, tearing it apart and swallowing it.

As Jaune was busy feeding Nyx, Adam took this opportunity. He lunged for Sol and Luna, hoping to use the weapon to rid himself of Jaune. Unfortunately for him, Nyx roared and Jaune quickly turned and summoned an aura tendril that knocked Adam back into the wall. The faunus groaned as his vision swam. He had hit his head in the process.

"That was a stupid move," Jaune said as he leveled Sol and Luna in their sword form at Adam. The faunus glared at him as Jaune kept the blade pointed at his head.

"Well?" Adam said. "What are you waiting for!? Kill me!"

Jaune was taken aback by his words and his grip on Sol and Luna loosened. His arm wavered as he tried to keep the blade pointed at Adam.

"You can't even do it… you're a coward," Adam sneered. Jaune glared and sent an aura blade at Adam, embedding it into the wall next to his head. Adam looked with wide eyes at the blade that had just nearly impaled him through the head and saw the furious eyes of Jaune boring into his soul.

"I have tried to be nice to you while we worked together to get out of here but now I see that it was a stupid choice. From now on, you'll be bound so we can keep a closer eye on you," Jaune said as he formed an aura chain and willed it to wrap around Adam. The bull faunus struggled as the chains grew tighter and tighter with each passing loop. Adam growled at Jaune as Jaune willed the chains to levitate in response to his will, carrying Adam into the air.

"Come on," Jaune said to Nyx as he began to walk.

Kinrin

Maria waited alongside as she sat on a chair next to Mae. A bear faunus, whose face bore some resemblance to the faunus that Jaune had saved on their first day here, had burst into the medical facility carrying the young fox faunus. When she asked him where Jaune was, he said that he had run off to the mines to try and get as many of the faunus workers out. Maria sighed. That boy was going to be the death of her.

"Ugh."

Maria looked down and saw Mae had begun to stir in the bed. Mae slowly opened her golden eyes, her eyelids fluttering as she drew in a heavy breath. The young girl slowly sat up, feeling the wires that were attached to her.

"Hey, hey!" a voice said from her right. She turned and saw Maria looking at her with a worried gaze. "Lay back down. You were hurt pretty bad."

Mae nodded and laid back down. She looked around the room and noticed the lack of Jaune and Nyx's presence.

"Where's Jaune?" Mae asked, looking at her other guardian.

"Jaune… he's," Maria began. "He went off to the mines to try and save as many faunus as he could. I haven't heard from him in a couple of hours. Just try and get some rest. I'm sure he'll be back soon."

Mae nodded and went back to sleep or at least tried to. Fear and worry gripped the young faunus's heart. Worry for Jaune. She had become attached to the young hunter in training. He was kind to her and never judged her for her extra features that even her fellow faunus discriminated against her for. He had defended her like an older sibling did their younger ones. He treated her like she was his family and in a way, Mae viewed him as a member of her family, alongside Maria. She gripped her sheets tightly as she tried to force herself to sleep.

"Please be safe Jaune," the young girl whispered as sleep was finally granted to her.

Winter walked through the town and arrived at one of the only buildings that wasn't burned or riddled with bullet holes. Opening the door, she walked inside and saw several people there, some injured, some perfectly fine. The food staff were all working frantically to make as much food as possible for the injured and the people assisting them. Her arrival had frozen the entire establishment as the citizens, faunus and human alike, all turned to look at her. Her blue eyes gazed out upon the sea of faces and she had spotted who she was looking for. Seated at the back corner was a head of familiar blonde hair.

Winter made her way across the restaurant, ignoring the glares that some of the faunus had sent her. She didn't care. She was used to it. A perk that came with her family name. Even the faunus that had worked for the Atlesian Military glared at her sometimes. It was one of the many things that made Winter regret ever being born a Schnee. That, her father, and a lack of friends save for the woman who she took a seat across from.

Vert Arc. The second daughter of the Arc Family and the older sister of the now-deceased Jaune Arc. She sat there, wearing a green coat and a white blouse with a tan skirt. A serene smile that usually present on her face was no longer there. Instead, her face was marred with a frown and worry swam within the sapphire pools that were her eyes.

"Vert," Winter said, tapping the table to catch her attention.

"Huh? Oh, Winter, you're here," Vert said, smiling. "I'm sorry. I have a lot on my mind."

"Uh-huh," Winter said as she leaned back in her seat. "What did you call me here for? I was busy, dealing with a debacle back at the mines."

"Um, that's actually why I called you here," Vert said. "I, um, need to tell you something."

Winter quirked an eyebrow at her best friend's nervousness. A waiter appeared by their table and whipped out a notepad. "Um, may I take your orders?"

"One Cherry Pie for her and a coffee for me," Vert said, without looking at the waiter. The waiter nodded, taking their orders before walking away.

"I'm not that hungry Vert," Winter said.

"You're going to be here for a bit," Vert said, her eyes flashing yellow. Winter gulped. Despite Vert not being a hunter, her parents, unlike her younger siblings, had trained her and her older sister to defend themselves and thus, she had a fair grasp of how combat was as well as her semblance. But an accident with the Grimm had forced her parents to make her stop her training and Winter suspected that that was one of the reasons her siblings weren't trained like she was.

"Fine. What is it?" Winter asked.

"Do you remember the funeral that we had for my brother?" she asked.

"Yes, I was there. Then I had to leave because General Ironwood called me back to Atlas to break in some new hunters," Winter said.

"Well, he's not dead," Vert said.

"Vert, I know it's hard to lose someone you love but you can't keep denying the fact that he'-!"

Vert slammed her palms on the table and glared at her, green aura sending pulses of killing intent all over the eatery.

"He's not dead!" Vert hissed.

Winter shrank in her chair as her friend glared at her with all her fury.

"Okay, okay. He's not dead… but are you sure?" Winter asked hesitantly, trying not to piss Vert off any further.

Vert sighed and pulled out her scroll. She opened it and pointed to several calls from Jaune as well as several calls she made to him that he missed.

"He also came to the dorm room your mother and my family were staying at," Vert said.

"Wait… mom? She knows that he's alive too?" Winter asked.

"Yes," Vert said.

"Okay, okay… this is crazy but let's say I believe it," Winter said. "What do you want me to do? Track him down?"

"No, we know where he is because his girlfriend back at Beacon updates us on his location whenever they call each other which is every night. Adorable right? Maybe I can use that scene in the next installment of Ninjas of Love. Anyway, she said that she called Jaune because this ended up on the news," Vert said. "He wouldn't answer. She called my parents and mom called me since I was headed here for a book signing. She told me to call Jaune so I did and now he won't answer. At first, I thought he was sleeping or training but when we arrived in town and saw what was happening, my calls became more desperate and he still wouldn't answer. I was about to head down to the mines when I saw your Bullhead coming here. Thank Oum for that right?"

"Okay, okay. So you want me to look for Jaune down at the mines, right?" Winter asked.

Vert nodded in response to her friend's question.

"Um, Vert, the mines are collapsed. It'll take a few days to get all the rubble cleared out of the antechamber without bringing down the whole cave down," Winter said.

Vert's eyes widened at her answer.

"T- Then how about looking for other entrances? It's a cave right. It's bound to have other points of entry!" she said.

"Hmmm," Winter said, placing a hand on her chin.

"Please Winter! I can't lose him again! What would you do if it was Weiss or Whitley who was trapped down there?" Vert asked, tears pooling around her eyes as she begged her friend.

Winter sighed in defeat. Vert had a point. If the situation was reversed, she would be the one begging Vert to go and look for her siblings.

"Fine," Winter said. "I'll leave a majority of the troops I brought and have the rest look for Jaune. To be clear, I'm still looking for the same scrawny blonde right?"

"Yes," Vert said.

"That should make things easy," Winter said.

"Oh, Winter," Vert said.

"What is it?" she asked.

"One of the Faunus here said that they heard that Adam Taurus was in the mines when it collapsed. What if he's trapped down there with Jaune?" Vert asked.

"Then, I'll arrest him and keep him from killing your brother," Winter said. "Or kill Adam Taurus if he tries anything."

"Thanks, Winty," Vert said.

"Don't call me that," Winter said, her cheeks turning red.

"Aw, but I always call you Winty, Winty," Vert said.

"We're not kids anymore Vert! Or should I call you Greeny?" Winter said.

"Please do!" Vert said.

"You're impossible," Winter said.

"I know but you love me for it!" Vert replied cheekily. Winter blushed at her words and opted to turn her attention to her pie which had just arrived.

Jaune groaned as they walked further and further into the cave system. Yes, a cave system. He had realized that they had long since left the actual mining tunnels and stumbled upon a massive cave system. The lack of equipment and lighting were clues that he was no longer within the mines as well as the abundance of animals. Nyx had pounced on one of the bats that flew by and was currently carrying it in her mouth. Adam had ceased his struggles and went quiet, opting instead to glare holes into the back of Jaune's head.

On top of that, he had felt a presence a few hundred? Or was it a thousand? Anyway, Jaune had felt a presence a while back.

Keeping his hand wrapped tightly around Sol and Luna, Jaune kept an eye on his surroundings.

"When are we going to get out of here? At this rate, we'll reach Remnant's core before we even find a way out," Jaune said. As he lamented his luck and possible fate, he felt it. Air. His blue eyes grew wide with hope as he licked his dusty fingers and held it up. Lo and behold, there it was. A light breeze within the cavern.

"Nyx, I think we just found the way out," Jaune said. Nyx barked happily with the bat carcass still in her mouth. Jaune ran, stopping to check if the wind was still there. As he ran, the wind grew stronger and stronger until Jaune no longer had to raise his finger to detect the direction of where it was coming from. It was there. It was right in front of him.

"Come on! Come o-!"

A loud crashing noise echoed throughout the chamber as Jaune, Nyx, and Adam were blasted into a wall, sending dust and rubble everywhere. Jaune's Aura Chains dispersed as Adam found himself able to move. The pain in his ankle had ebbed to the point where he could walk without support. He looked at Jaune, who was struggling to get to his feet and to whatever had hit them. There in the shadows was a pair of massive red eyes. The cavern shook as whatever it was that had attacked them made its way to them.

Adam looked back at Jaune, who was looking at him for help and noticed that he was pinned under a boulder. A roar alerted him to how close the thing was and looked down at Jaune.

"If these circumstances were different, I would leave you but… I'm grateful to you for saving me despite you being human and me being faunus, thus I'm… honor-bound to at least help you out of this," Adam said as he limped towards the boulder and began to try and push him off. Jaune smiled at his actions and manifested his aura to help.

"Hurry!" Jaune said as his aura arms struggled to move the boulder.

"What do you think I'm doing human!" Adam said as he pressed his shoulder against the boulder.

"ARGH!" Jaune roared as he pushed with all his might. The boulder rolled off him and he was able to stand. He pulled out his scroll, which had miraculously survived and saw that a good chunk of his aura had been depleted. At least, 60% of it was gone.

"Shit," Jaune said underneath his breath as he watched their attacker get close.

"Okay, now what?" Adam asked. Nyx barked in agreement, for once finding the Faunus's question to be valid.

"Um, we run," Jaune said.

"I can't run," Adam said.

"Well, I'll help you," Jaune said.

A hissing screech broke through the tunnels as a massive serpentine grimm shot out from the shadows. The beast, like all Grimm, had bony features all over its body. Its back had a row of spiky bones running to its tail. Its head was surrounded by five skeletal protrusions that had a thin web of flesh that connected each spike. Its eyes were a blood-red while a massive black forked tongue slipped out of its mouth, tasting the air. A rattling noise could be heard as the serpent looked around.

"Shit," Adam whispered as he, Jaune, and Nyx hid behind some of the rubble.

"What is that thing?" Jaune asked.

"A Basilisk. We must have stumbled upon its nest," Adam said.

"Like those snakes that can kill people by looking at them?" Jaune asked.

"Yes, only these don't do that. These can breathe a paralyzing gas on their prey," Adam said.

"We have to get out of here," Jaune said.

"That thing probably knows we're here because of our scent," Adam said.

"Okay, what do we do then?" Jaune asked.

"Hmm," Adam said as he looked around. He picked up a rock and gripped it tightly in his hand. He turned to Jaune and Nyx, who were peeking over the rock, eyeing the legendary Grimm.

"Psst!" Adam said. The two turned around and looked at him.

"I'll throw this rock and while he's distracted. We make a run for it," Adam said.

"Okay, but why are you referring to it as he? What if it's a she?" Jaune asked.

"Are you seriously asking me if I'm assuming the snake's gender right now?" Adam asked.

"Yes?" Jaune answered.

"Whatever, on the count of three. One! Two! Three!" Adam said as he threw the stone. The stone impacted one of the stalagmites, catching the Basilisk's attention.

"Go!" Adam hissed as Jaune formed aura arms to grab both Adam and Nyx and began to make a beeline in the direction of the breeze.

"We're gonna make it!" Jaune said as he kept running. He looked back and his face paled when he saw that the Basilisk had spotted them. The Grimm roared and began to chase after them.

"Ah shit," Adam said as he saw the Grimm. Nyx whimpered as Jaune picked up the pace, running as fast as he could. He looked forward and saw a small light.

"There!" Jaune said, pointing. "I can see a tunnel entrance!"

"Then run faster!" Adam said. "That thing is gaining on us!"

Jaune nodded and increased his speed as hard as he could. The snake was gaining ground quickly as the hissing grew louder and louder. The mouth of the cave was almost upon them. The light of the sun was beginning to grow brighter and brighter the closer they got to the entrance. Suddenly, Jaune tripped on a rock and fell. His aura arms dispelled as they were sent forward, launching Nyx and Adam forward away from Jaune in the process.

Jaune groaned as he looked up and saw the Basilisk getting closer and closer. He turned to Adam, who looked between him and the exit.

"No! ADAM, HELP ME!" Jaune cried out. Adam closed his eyes and looked away.

"No," he simply said as he limped as fast as he could towards the exit. Nyx barked and yipped at Adam to come back but froze when she heard the basilisk's roar.

Jaune looked up at the crimson eyes of the massive serpentine grimm. Its maw was open, baring its thousands of curved fangs. Its saliva fell out of its mouth and onto Jaune and the cave floor. The saliva that hit Jaune felt like acid, as it began to burn through his body and aura.

Jaune gulped as he looked at the snake. He tried to reach for Sol and Luna and noticed they weren't there. His eyes darted frantically around the cave in the little light that the exit provided and saw them a ways away from him.

The basilisk roared and lunged with the full intent of eating Jaune alive. As it was about to close its jaws around Jaune, the head was knocked off course by Nyx, who had transformed back into her full Beowolf form. The basilisk's head crashed against the cavern wall. The beast hissed at Nyx while Nyx snarled back at it.

Jaune opened his eyes and saw Nyx, in her adult form. A violet glow surrounded his hands.

"Did I just…?" he asked as he looked at Nyx. Nyx barked happily and wagged her tail as she saw Jaune slowly stand.

The basilisk hissed and swung its tail at Nyx, sending her flying and crashing into a stalagmite.

"NYX!" Jaune screamed as she struggled to stand. A roar alerted him as he saw the Basilisk lunge at him again. He raised his arms in defense as his eyes glowed violet. The Basilisk halted mid-lunge as its eyes shimmered violet. It shook its head violently as its eyes kept glowing before pausing and looking at Jaune. The beast's eyes widened at what it saw, recognizing the power that came from him.

Jaune, sensing nothing, lowered his arms slightly and saw the Basilisk looking at him. The beast kept its eye on him as Jaune lowered his arms slowly.

"Are you not going to attack me?" Jaune asked.

The basilisk shook its head.

Jaune was confused. It responded? The only grimm that ever responded to Jaune's words in such a manner was Nyx. The rest simply didn't do anything or waited for his commands.

"Why?" Jaune asked.

"Because you are Lord."

Jaune jumped when he heard a female voice talk inside his head.

"Who said that?" Jaune asked, frantically looking around.

Me.

"Where are you?" Jaune said.

"In front of you, Lord."

Jaune's eyes widened slowly as he faced the Basilisk. Her head was lowered as if she was bowing to him.

"Why are you calling me Lord?" Jaune asked.

"Because you are Lord", the Basilisk said.

"What does that even mean?" Jaune asked, as he slowly made his way towards his weapon.

"I do not know, Lord," the Basilisk said.

"Will you let me leave?" Jaune asked. The Basilisk nodded.

"Then you may go," Jaune said, his eyes flashing purple. The Basilisk nodded and slithered back deeper into the cave.

"Let's go, Nyx. Before it changes its mind," Jaune said as he looked at the fully grown Grimm in front of him.

Nyx tilted her head and barked in response.

"Oh right," Jaune said. He focused, remembering what he felt when he saw his glowing hands. A violet light began to shimmer around his hand as he placed it upon Nyx's snout. The Grimm glowed brightly before returning to her cub form. Jaune reached down and picked her up, placing her in his hoodie and began to limp out of the cave. As he made it out, he spotted boot prints that he assumed were from Adam.

Jaune clenched his fist. The bastard abandoned him to face the Basilisk alone. If his powers hadn't activated on time, Jaune would have been eaten.

"I swear if I find that bastard, I'm going to beat his face in," Jaune muttered.

He pulled out his scroll and saw that he had one bar of signal. Deciding that it was better than nothing, Jaune opened it and called Maria.

Reviews:

Right, so this will be a thing every now and then.

WearyCurmudgeon: I believe that cutting Pyrrha's hair to above her shoulder blades is a reasonable cut. I know some people don't want me to cut her hair but it is a detriment in combat since people can just grab it. Then again, team RWBY's hair has some sort of plot armor since people never grab it. But still, I will keep it long enough for Jaune to play with when they're together, which will be soon.

IHateGenericCereal: We'll just have to wait and see won't we? ;)

Patriot-112: Thank you. And Jaune doesn't know since Adam, in this chapter, considers that talking to humans unless necessary is beneath him.

Yes, Adam is an asshole. Even after Jaune saved him and gave him food, at the end, when there was a massive grimm that almost ate Jaune, Adam turned tail and ran, leaving Jaune to his fate. Honor-bound, my ass. Now, you might be wondering why the Basilisk didn't fall immediately to Jaune and obey him like the Taijitu and Nyx. This Grimm is old and won't fall to Jaune's natural aura. He has to use his powers to gain control of them otherwise, they'll treat him like any other hunter and try to kill him. This is for older Grimm only so for all of you who are hoping that during the Battle of Beacon that the Dragon Grimm just doesn't attack Jaune and treats him like a friend, yeah, no. Where would the fun be if that's all there was to it? And yes, older, more intelligent grimm are capable of conveying their thoughts to Jaune. It was something that I had planned since the beginning. Jaune being able to listen to the thoughts of Grimm as a form of communication because Jaune can understand Nyx just fine even if she just barks all the time. I guess that's it!