Heart's Embers

by SugarLoaf12

It's been fifteen months hasn't it? Living from day to day, moving from place to place. Looking for the next payday, the next target... the next fight. I thought living outside their war would be easier. But sometimes knowing... is all it takes to leave you wondering "What if" I think back to why I left and I know I made the right choice... Ozpin be damned.

20. Confrontation

Alright guys, I've got another chapter for you all! My computer crashed while typing up this chapter, unfortunately losing me half of it. But it's all back now! It has put me back a bit, but not to worry, I am working on the next chapter as much as I am able.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

"Speech"

Thoughts

---

Chapter Twenty: Confrontation

Slade entered the run down apartment with a groan "Damn that hurts" he removed his coat tossing it onto the counter. The apartment was completely empty save for a few weapons littering the floor. Slade sat down against the wall and began bandaging up his left side, he stopped upon hearing his scroll ring, he fetched it from his coat and continued bandaging with his opposite hand.

"General-"

"YOU BLEW UP A WAREHOUSE!" he screamed through the device.

"Yeah an empty one, and I also just took down about two dozen criminals and the corrupt politician using his connections in the council to clear things for Dragon that couldn't normally be brought through security" Slade answered with a groan as he finished bandaging up his wound.

"You were supposed to be discreet! I hired you-"

"You hired me to get you The Dragon. That's what I'm doing. I warned you things were going to get messy-argh!" he groaned as he tightened the bandage "I've stayed still for too long"

"What do you mean?"

"Qrow was there, at the warehouse. Him and a Huntsman he kept calling Tai"

"Qrow and Tai Yang? What're they doing in Atlas?"

"I don't know about Tai Yang, General, but Qrow has been hunting me ever since I left Vale. Ozpin may have sent him after me, I don't know, but I have no idea why he's been after me all these months" Slade explained "I can only guess he's trying to convince me to come back with Ozpin, but if not..."

"Did... did you hurt them? Do they know it's you?"

"I didn't stick around to fight them if that's what you mean. But yeah, I'm sure Qrow knows by now, which means Ozpin probably does too. I didn't engage them, but they're the reason I had to resort to explosives to make sure I wasn't followed. Don't worry, nothing more than a few bruises on each of them, my Semblance was able to make sure of that"

"What's your next move? Have you found anything out about Torchwick's Dust robberies or why he's doing them?"

"Yeah, I already knew about that mostly before you arrested him this morning"

Ironwood remained silent "Slade-"

"I know, General. He attacked Vale with an army of Grimm, I understand you had to arrest him. But when all of this is said and done, I want what you promised me"

"You'll have it. Now, tell me what you know"

"Roman and Neo are working for Cinder Fall. She was responsible for the disappearances at Foxworth seven years ago, she was there when Malachite died and she hired Raven Branwen to capture the Maidens; yes I know about them, and was working with Hunter and Cole when they infiltrated Beacon five years ago, among other things, she's been a pain in my ass"

"So she's been fairly busy, she was most likely the same person who just attacked the CCTS tower. I'd be willing to bet she's not alone"

"More than likely" Slade sighed "She's usually accompanied by Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black, check for those three names among the students. If you can't find anything I will see what I can do about photos"

"Thank you, Slade... but you never answered my question. What's your next move?"

"Someone attacked my business this morning" Slade answered with a smirk "The Dragon must've finally had enough of me messing with his things. I'm gonna go watch one of my worker bees and see if I can't get any honey"

"You plan on capturing the ones attacking his old business"

"No, I plan on luring out The Dragon's biggest players and taking them down. They're the ones who'd make anyone who speaks out against him disappear. I find them, I find him" Slade explained.

"That makes sense, what about Qrow?"

"He's sure to be watching as well, he just can't help himself" Slade answered.

"Just don't do anything-" Slade hung up the scroll as he slung his coat on over his shoulders "Alright, Qrow. Let's find out just how much you know"

---

Qrow sighed in exasperation as he and Tai Yang sat at the same table in the café once again, picking at his food but not actively eating.

"Qrow" Tai sighed "You've been picking at that same piece of bacon for the past five minutes"

"I'm not exactly hungry, Tai. I can't snarf down an entire meal every hour like Ruby" he chuckled, his face returned to the deep frown he's worn since the previous day.

"I know you're still upset about being right about this Slade guy being the hotshot taking over the Atlas criminal enterprise, but come on! We don't even know the full facts around why he's doing what he is, and you're acting like he shot an old lady in the middle of the street" Tai explained exasperated as he shoved another pancake into his mouth "You said the kid was a good guy for as long as you've known him right, what could've-" he swallowed the food in his mouth "What could've possibly changed in the past six to eight months that would've caused him to become a cold blooded killer huh? Does it make sense to you?" he asked trying to cheer him up.

"He's been working with criminals ever since he left Beacon. Became Torchwick's enforcer after only a few weeks away, his reputation as a Bounty Hunter has always been a bit... contradictive"

"How so?" Tai shoved more eggs in his mouth, never looking up from his plate.

"There were stories about how he saved entire towns from Grimm or bandit attacks before any Huntsmen could be called to assist them, and then there were tales about his ruthlessness in other cities when it came to dealing with criminals. Those same cities would have plenty of people telling the exact opposite stories about how he incarcerated an entire gang without firing a shot. The things I heard were so unhelpful because I couldn't figure out which ones I could believe. Made tracking him down a lot harder, he never stayed in one place for long"

"Maybe he knew you were hunting him"

"Hunting? Really, Tai. You don't think that's a bit of an overstatement?"

"Considering you've been "On a top secret mission" for the past six months and Slade just so happened to have left Vale around the same time, yeah I wouldn't say so"

Qrow shook his head with a sigh "Maybe you're right"

"How was everything?" the waitress asked as she approached their table.

"Absolutely delicious! Please send my compliments to the chef!" Tai answered enthusiastically.

"It's very good, thank you" Qrow answered taking a bite of his bacon finally.

"I'm so glad to hear it, I will be sure to pass it on to our wonderful cook. Here's that drink you ordered" she placed a glass on the table with a bottle of beer next to it.

"This early, Qrow?" Tai asked with a sigh "You don't think you're overdoing it?"

"I didn't order a drink" Qrow replied confused.

"That man over by the bar said-oh" she turned to find the man in question was no longer present "He must've taken off... well not to worry, the drink and your meal have already been paid for. I have your receipt right here" she handed it to Qrow, he looked bewildered.

"Paid for?" Tai asked surprised.

"Mhmm" she nodded her head "Such a nice young man he was, and a looker too" she blushed lightly "Anyway, I'll just be on my way. Have a good day gentlemen" she strode off back to the kitchen.

"Okay, now I am concerned" Tai struggled to see if he could find anyone he recognized outside the café.

Qrow was looking the receipt over, flipping it the word "Left" was written on it "Left?" Qrow asked aloud.

"Qrow" Tai got his attention "I think I know who paid for our meal"

Qrow looked left to see Slade was standing there with his hood down and only his sunglasses on to cover his eyes. He gave a half wave and smirked at their shocked reactions.

"Found him" Qrow breathed as he stood up to rush after him. Slade rolled his eyes and pushed his sunglasses up on his face before bolting away. Tai looked between his remaining food and Qrow as his friend rushed out the door, sighing he downed everything on his plate in under a few seconds and followed behind Qrow.

"Nice day for a run" Slade chuckled ducking into an alleyway, Qrow turned into bird form and followed finding him quickly climbing the wall and to the rooftop. Transforming back as he arrived on the rooftop with Slade he called out to him "Slade!"

Slade never stopped, leaping over the edge of the building onto another. Tai finally caught up with Qrow "C'mon, old man. We're gonna let him get away" he leapt over the gap and roughly rolled into the landing followed shortly by Qrow.

Slade ran to the edge of the roof facing the street "He's got nowhere to go" Tai smirked. Slade never slowed down and leapt through the air, he narrowly caught himself on the edge of an open window, pulling himself inside and using his Semblance to open the opposite window at the other end of the apartment before leaping out of it.

"So much for that!" Qrow groaned transforming into his bird form, following through the building as Tai made his way down and across the street through the alley to see Slade scaling the nearby building as Qrow caught up to him. Returning to his human form as he reached the roof, he held Harbinger ready in his hand as Slade made it up to the rooftop. Tai Yang was the one staring back at Qrow instead of Slade, causing them both to be confused "Tai? Where did he go?"

"I thought he was up here with you!" Tai shouted in annoyance "I saw him climb up here just before you made it up here"

"That doesn't make any sense, how could he have just disappeared-" a blade struck the ground between them, causing them both to drop into combat stances. They both turn to see Slade standing on the building above them, only a few stories higher then them.

"It's been a long time, Qrow" Slade spoke, his hood and mask both covering him now "Haven't seen you since I left Vale"

Qrow and Tai Yang stood ready for a fight, the way Slade was standing, it seemed he was expecting one "Yeah, it has been a long time hasn't it. I almost didn't recognize the boy I knew in that video of you massacring people inside a heavily populated restaurant in broad daylight!" Qrow shouted angrily.

"Possibly because I am no longer a boy, nor am I the person you knew back at Beacon. You and I both know I didn't hurt anyone who wasn't scum anyway, so what's the problem?" Slade asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Killing criminals who attack you is one thing, Slade. Killing criminals while they're civilians in the line of fire isn't how we do things! You didn't learn that from us"

"As I said, Qrow... I am not the boy you knew" Slade scoffed.

"I'll take the front and you take the rear?" Tai whispered placing his two gauntlets on, getting ready for a fight. The gauntlets looked similar to Slade's but had a clear gun placement on each of them and no blades to be seen, his were a dark brown color.

"Yeah, be careful"

"Right" Tai rushed forward as Qrow circled around behind the rooftop. Leaping up to Slade, Tai fired a few shots from his gauntlets. Slade backhand sprung away from the shots as Qrow got behind him.

"Gotcha!" Qrow yelled just before Slade landed on his feet, he passed right through the ground using his Semblance surprising both his attackers.

"I knew he could slip through objects after watching his fights at the Vytal Festival, but to move through the solid ground like that, and so effortlessly..." Tai wondered aloud.

"He's definitely more proficient with his Semblance than he used to be, but he never relied on it much before. Always said it was a crutch" Qrow pondered.

"He didn't seem to need it when taking down those men yesterday, despite being severely outnumbered" Tai pointed out.

"You're right of course, keep an eye out. I doubt he just decided to-" Slade reemerged from the rooftop behind him. Qrow swung Harbinger around at Slade as his top half had managed to poke through, Harbinger passed right through Slade's head. He grabbed Qrow by the hand holding his weapon over his shoulder. The rest of his body came out from the roof as he pulled Qrow to his right, shifting his arm back around his head as he did. Qrow stumbled and Tai fired a round from his gauntlet at Slade as he pulled his arm back to strike Qrow. Using his Semblance he passed right through the bullet as it passed through his head and slammed his fist into Qrow's face. Slade leapt away as Qrow struck the ground.

"I have no desire to fight you, though I can't say I didn't expect one" he sighed. Qrow leapt back to Tai and held Harbinger ready in front of him.

"He dematerializes his body at the moment of an attack in order to protect himself, but not his whole body, just the portion being attacked" Tai analyzed aloud to Qrow, gaging by the bruise on his cheek.

"Yeah, the only time you'd be able to hit him is if you caught him off guard, or he elected not to use his Semblance and you get a good shot in" Qrow quietly explained.

"We'll attack one after the other, and get him when he rematerializes" Tai suggested.

"It's gonna have to be perfectly timed. Slade's used to people using that kind of attack to trip him up. He's well guarded against it"

"But has he ever faced two seasoned Huntsmen like us?" Tai smirked with a cocky glint in his eye.

"Maybe not, but that's no reason to underestimate him"

"Whispering amongst yourselves will not make your next attempt to capture me go any better for you" Slade chuckled.

"C'mon!" Qrow charged with Tai close behind.

Tai Yang fired both his gauntlets at Slade, he easily deflected them with his own gauntlets. Qrow leapt toward him and swung Harbinger down at Slade, he stepped through Qrow as he struck using his Semblance and turned to strike him in the back.

Gotcha! Tai pulled his fist back and slammed it into Slade's back, but found he passed right through him and had actually struck Qrow. Slade spun around and slammed his heel into Tai's back throwing him over Qrow as they both fell.

"I tried to warn you" he sighed shaking his head.

"Dammit" Tai groaned standing back up, Qrow used Harbinger to stand himself back up quickly "He feigned an attack and I fell for it"

"Told you he was used to this sort of tactic"

"Why don't I make things easier on you guys" Slade shrugged "I won't use my Semblance, but I'm not surrendering to you"

"We just want to talk" Qrow replied.

"Then talk, I wasn't the one who attacked. If anything you should be thanking me for paying your bill"

"We attacked because we know you're not going to come quietly" Qrow replied as Harbinger changed into scythe form.

"How do you know? You didn't even ask"

"Ozpin wants to have a word with you, in person" Tai Yang replied.

Slade's eyes visibly twitched at the mention of his name "You're right, I would never have come quietly for that"

"We figured as much" Qrow sighed "Then I suppose we're going to have to use force"

"Well you'll have a greater chance now that I am not going to use my Semblance on either of you" Slade smirked beneath his mask.

Qrow rushed forward, swinging Harbinger for his legs. Slade leaned back and caught himself on his hands as his legs cleared the strike then tucked them into his chest as Qrow swung Harbinger back around and rolled away from his next strike as he slammed Harbinger's blade form down onto the ground he was on. Slade then sprung back onto his hands as Qrow spun Harbinger in scythe form behind his back expertly and struck once more, releasing his grip on the weapon, it skated toward Slade as he did multiple handsprings backward away from it, narrowly avoiding the blade. Qrow caught Harbinger in his hand as it became it's blade form once more and fired a round at Slade, who promptly deflected it with his gauntlet and fired his opposite one back at Qrow. Qrow spun his blade to block the rounds fired at him as Tai rushed toward him.

Tai swung his fist at Slade's head as he shifted away from it, spinning with his movement, he kicked for Tai's face as he ducked back from the strike. Tai pulled his arm back as he avoided the attack and struck toward his chest, Slade blocked using both his gauntlets and slid back several inches from the force of the strike. Tai flip-kicked through the air and slammed his foot down onto Slade's arms as he blocked the strike. Slade pushed back hard, causing Tai to flip backward and slammed his fist into Tai's chest, throwing him onto his back, sliding several feet away from him.

Qrow rushed toward Slade and swung Harbinger down on him. Slade slid to the left of the weapon and leapt up, sliding over Qrow's back and spinning to kick him in the face as he turned toward Slade, pushing him to the right, landing on his chest. Qrow swung Harbinger toward Slade from his place on the ground, Slade flipped over the blade as Qrow stood and kicked Harbinger away from him with his right heel then twisted around and used his left heel to push Qrow toward the edge of the roof.

Tai struck Slade across the face as he straightened his stance, throwing his sunglasses from his face and dropping his hood down. Slade used his left hand to push Tai's second strike away from him, twisted around and slammed his elbow toward his face, meeting his open palm instead. Slade twisted again swung his left leg toward his face, Tai ducked back from it as Slade moved with the strike and used his right leg to catch him off guard. Tai placed both of his hands up and blocked the kick to his face, Slade using the same leg, shifted it to the right side of Tai and struck again twice meeting Tai's gauntlets both times. Dropping his leg down, he swung his right fist toward Tai as he pushed it aside with his left hand.

Slade punched with his left fist, meeting Tai's open palm and then again with his right fist. Tai caught Slade by his wrist and using his open hand, thrusted his elbow toward his face. Slade narrowly caught it mere inches from his face "Caught you off balance!" Tai smirked, he swept his leg up behind Slade's right, causing him to fall onto his back. Planting his hands on the ground behind him, he rolled backward away from Tai as he slammed his heel down onto the rooftop where he previously laid.

"Not bad for an old man" Slade chuckled putting his hands up defensively.

"Not too bad yourself, kid" Tai smirked back at him.

"Why're you doing this, Slade?" Qrow asked standing beside Tai "I don't understand why you'd want anything to do with the criminals here. Dust, drugs, guns, and who knows what else. You've never been interested in peddling this crap"

"You're not asking quite the right question Qrow" Slade smirked removing his mask "Who hired me would be the better question. One I'm not going to answer, but a better question nonetheless" Qrow growled charging Slade with Harbinger in scythe form.

Slade planted his arm onto the huge vent next to him and slammed his heels into Harbinger as he struck with it, throwing him off balance. Slade then stepped onto Harbinger as he lifted it back up, pushing it down as he used the force of his kick to flip forward, hooking the end of his wrist-blade as it unsheathed from the bottom of his right gauntlet between the segmented parts of the scythe. Sliding around Qrow, he pulled his right arm back, wrenching Harbinger from Qrow's grip and causing him to flip forward. Slade twisted and slammed his heel into Qrow's back, throwing him across the edge of the rooftop.

Tai swung his right fist at Slade followed by his left as he blocked both strikes with his left gauntlet. Tai flipped forward, kicking town at Slade as he cartwheeled to his left. Tai struck for Slade who matched his punch with his own, their fist's connecting with each other. Tai swung his left leg up toward Slade, he ducked beneath it and twisted away with his right hand planted on the ground. Slade and Tai rushed toward each other, thrusting their opposite elbows at each other and using their free hands to block the other's strike.

"Fighting defensively now?" Tai asked, surprised by his seamless change from offensive tactics to more defensive "Guess Beacon taught you well after-" Slade swept his left leg out from under him dropping Tai over the edge of the roof to the sidewalk below where Qrow struggled to get up, his Aura sparking lightly. Tai managed to lessen his injuries as he fell, catching himself on his hands and getting himself standing upright with the same motion. The bystanders looked on in confusion.

"Qrow? You alight?" Tai asked concerned.

"Yeah" he groaned, holding his left shoulder painfully.

Slade leapt down into the center of the street with his sunglasses in hand, turning slowly to face Qrow and Tai Yang "You both look like you could use a break" he smirked "I'd love to stay and chat but I have an appointment I simply cannot miss"

"Wait!" Qrow called after him, struggling to follow.

"I've got him!" Tai yelled back as he rushed toward Slade.

Slade twisted around his arms as he tried to grab him from behind. Kicking the back of his leg, Tai fell down to his knees before Slade slammed his heel into Tai's face, throwing him onto his back. Slade removed Defiance from its holster and fired a single shot into his right leg.

"Argh!" Tai garbed his leg in pain.

"I cannot believe you would try and make me late after I told you I had an appointment. Don't you know I like to be punctual!" Slade holstered Defiance "Stay down this time" he turned to leave, placing his hood on over his face and his sunglasses over his eyes.

"Tai!" Qrow called out as a truck rounded the corner going way too fast "Tai, move!" Qrow grabbed him and helped him to his feet, but neither of them were fast enough to move out of the way of the truck desperately trying to stop, the tires screeching as he slammed on the brakes. The truck suddenly stopped dead in it's tracks just a few feet away from them. Qrow watched in shock as Slade stood in front of them, his hands on both sides of the front of the truck as it tilted up into the air. Slade appeared to be struggling as he gently set it down onto the road.

Slade adjusted his coat and turned toward the two of them "Go home. I don't need you getting in my way. Next time, I won't be so cordial" he turned away from them and promptly left.

"Thank you" Tai called after him.

Slade hesitated for a second, but nonetheless continued away from the pair without a word.

"I'm so sorry!" the driver shouted out the window "Are you both alright?"

"Yeah!" Qrow called "What happened?"

"I don't know! I lost control of the car suddenly, the brakes weren't responding" he explained stepping out.

"I heard the brakes, what do you mean they weren't responding?" Tai asked confused.

"All I can say is I wasn't the one slamming the brakes when they started working" he shrugged, Qrow laughed lightly.

"What's so funny?" Tai asked confused.

"My bad luck is what caused the brakes to go as you've no doubt figured out already, but Slade's Semblance was the only thing that could've stopped that car enough for him to catch it without hurting the driver" he explained.

"Awful nice of him to make sure we didn't just get flattened, wouldn't you say?" Tai asked Qrow.

"Yeah... maybe there's something left of the kid I knew in there after all"

---

"The bullet didn't hit anything vital, and the wound is clean through. Stay off of it for a few days as much as possible and clean it every morning and every night. You should be fine Mr. Xiao Long" the doctor listed off.

"Thanks, Doc" Qrow nodded to him.

"That shoulder should be looked at too, Mr. Branwen. It could be broken, or need to be reset"

"I'm fine, thank you. It's nothing I haven't dealt with before"

"Well whatever it is you're both doing here, I suggest you both head back home as soon as it's done. Vale's going to be under some scrutiny for awhile after what happened"

"Huh?" Tai asked confused "Did something happen?"

"Roman Torchwick drove a train from Mountain Glenn to Vale and destroyed the tunnel roof so Grimm would follow behind it and attack the city. Ruby and Yang were part of the team sent to stop him with Bartholomew as the Huntsman they were shadowing. Beacon students all showed up to fight against the Grimm and protect the people. Ironwood's forces were one of the reasons it was handled so quickly, now he is in charge of security for all of Vale during the Vytal Festival. Torchwick is incarcerated now by the way" Qrow explained.

"How did you hear about that and not-Oz" he answered his own question.

"Oz" Qrow chuckled "You should head back home, Tai. Take care of that injury"

"And leave you to fight this guy by yourself? He showed us both up today. What're you gonna do on your own?"

"I was sloppy today, let him get to me. I was fighting angry instead of focusing. I won't make that mistake with him again. You on the other hand won't be much help to me with that leg until it heals. The way Slade moves, he won't be in the city anymore by the time it does. I need to move against him now if I hope to have a chance of bringing him in"

"You're not worried about what's going on in Vale?" Tai asked.

"The girls know how to take care of themselves, and I trust Ozpin to keep a lid on things despite what James is doing. If Ozpin needs me back, I will come back. Simple as that"

Tai looked unsure "Alright, I trust you. Just don't get yourself killed alright"

"I won't. Ruby would be pretty upset with me if I didn't come back to see her become a full fledged Huntress after all. Yang would probably beat me to a pulp if I didn't show" he smirked.

"Only if I didn't get to you first"

---

"Do you know who I am?! Do you have any idea what you're doing!?" yelled Mahony as he propped himself up against a nearby car, he had bruises covering his face and arms and was stripped of his suit save for his boxers.

"Yeah, we know exactly who you are" the man up front laughed as the two thugs backed away from the man.

"Then you know who I work for, and who you're screwing with"

"Yeah, yeah, Mahony. We know who protects ya, but The Dragon you see, wants what's his back. So, we're sending your boss a message" he smirked igniting the end of a Molotov Cocktail. Suddenly the bottle exploded in his hand igniting the man causing him to scream in anguish as he fell to the ground, burning.

"Alright" Slade smashed onto the roof of the car Mahony was leaning against "What's the message?" the second thug ran in fear, Slade used his gauntlet's grappling hook to grab the man from behind and wrapped it around his legs causing him to trip.

"A simple one really" four heavily armed Huntsmen dropped into the alleyway "Want to guess what it might be?" one of them was a redhead with her hair pulled back into a ponytail and solid red armor plating covering her from head to toe, stopping just below her eyes and two glowing red blades in her hands. The other three wore the same armor but with different variations of color and armoring. The man to her left had a double edged blade and green armor covering everything but his eyes so none of his face was showing. To the left of him was a man covered completely in armor with no skin showing and no weapon in hand, his armor was solid blue, and to the far right was much larger than the other three and wore matching armor to the second but painted purple. They all rushed toward Slade, prepared to attack.

"I have a few ideas" Slade answered, smirking underneath his mask as he watched a crow land on a nearby street light. Mahony took off running into the street to get away from the fight. Slade began firing from both of his gauntlets, all of his bullets were blocked or deflected by their armor. The girl leapt onto the car stabbing both her blades down as Slade slid backward away from her.

Slade jumped onto the hood and then pushed off away from her as she gave chase continuing to fire as he slid to a stop, then flipped forward over her again away from the large man rushing toward him from behind. Slade slid on his knees underneath the man's blade as he sliced for his chest and again for his head as he passed. Slade fired while leaning back as he slid to a stop. The man lunged forward as Slade flipped backward on one hand away then rolled forward beneath the second strike, his back now facing the attacker.

Twisting around, Slade kicked the man in the face causing him to stumble away from him. Then he ducked beneath the girl leaping toward him with her blades before turning around and firing a single shot from his revolver which packed a considerably larger punch. Slade leapt into the air as the man swung his blade toward him again and landed on the man's back, kicking him in the back of the head as he leapt off. Slade easily slid away from the attackers as they struck before leaping up onto a fire escape nearby.

"Any of you worthless trash know who I am?" Slade asked firing his revolver down on them.

"You're our target" one of them answered.

"That's a no then"

The man completely covered in armor used his Semblance to fire an energy blast from his chest up at Slade destroying the fire escape. Slade leapt off as it exploded, throwing him to the ground as he lost his grip on Defiance. He was grabbed by the large man by the leg as he rolled before he was thrown into the nearby pillar holding up the monorail track.

"Ow" Slade groaned looking up at them "So, all this power and all you do is kill people for money? Here I thought you were supposed to be Huntsmen"

"From what I hear we have that in common, Slade Stroud" the large man chuckled as he lifted Slade by his chest.

"You heard wrong" Slade tossed several shards of red Dust from his vest onto the man, firing his gauntlet into one of them, causing them to explode knocking him back. Slade was sliced across the chest by the double edged blade, only managing to scratch his armor. Using his wrist blades he deflected the attack directed at his face by the girl's swords kicking her in the chest and throwing her back.

Slade slid back away from the double edged blade and punched him in the face twice before ducking under another and kicking him in the face again. Slade rolled backward away from the man coming to a crouching position as they encircled him.

"And here I thought you'd put up more of a fight" the big man said disappointed.

"The real fight hasn't even started yet" he chuckled "I'm just staling, after all"

"Huh? Staling? For what-" the man with the double edged sword asked but was shot twice in the arm. They all looked up to see Qrow land between them and Slade. The big one rushed Qrow. Using Harbinger in it's scythe form he pulled his arm toward him as he stuck and kicked him in the face before spinning and returning Harbinger to it's blade form he slammed it into his chest, pushing him backward.

"The hell were you watching for so long for?" Slade asked standing back up straight.

"Shut up and fight" Qrow replied.

"Fight I can do, shutting up? Might be a bit more difficult"

The big one and the girl attacked them, Qrow caught the big man's attack between his blade and arm as Slade caught both of the girls arms. They both struck their opponents in the face before twisting around and striking the opposite opponents as well. Qrow blocked the double edged blade with his own as Slade engaged the man with the chest laser. Twisting around he caught the laser Slade dodged with his blade and reflected it into the large man's chest. Slade jumped up and kicked both of his boots into his chest before rolling away. Slade managed to block the strike from Qrow's opponent as he rushed over and shoulder bashed Slade's opponent. Qrow leapt away as the big man attacked him being followed by his partner with the laser. Slade kicked his opponent in the face before blocking the blades from the girl and kneeing her in the chest and bashing his fist into her face, dropping her onto her knees.

Qrow blocked a kick to his chest and kicked the man in his chest as he backed away, the big man lifting the car over his head. Qrow twisted around and struck the man in the face with Harbinger throwing him past the one holding the car. He threw the car at Qrow, he leapt up through the open door and came out the other side unharmed, he placed a small device on the man's shoulder. It sent an electric shock through his body rendering him unconscious.

"That's just bad luck" Slade chuckled as he stepped back away from a kick from the laser man dropping toward him. Slade slammed his fist into his face and delivered several more before twisting around and kicking him in the face, throwing him onto his back. Rushing forward and leaping onto the pillar nearby, he pushed off and kicked for the girls face, she easily dodged it. Slade grabbed her right arm and twisted it behind her back striking the back of her neck with the side of his hand, pulling her back by her head, he bashed his head into hers knocking her unconscious. Slade turned to see Qrow fighting the last one standing. Qrow ducked under the man's attack and kicked him in the abdomen then punched him in the face. Twisting around he slammed Harbinger into his double edged blade breaking it in half and shattering the blades. Slade grabbed him from behind and slammed him down into the ground knocking him unconscious.

"You know, Qrow. It's been awhile since I've watched you work" Slade smirked removing his mask. Qrow turned and stared at Slade, he took a deep sigh.

"I-"

"Look out!" Slade pushed Qrow aside as the laser man fired once more, knocking Slade to the ground.

Qrow rushed forward to have the man kick him in the chest and then flip-kicked him in the face, throwing him onto his back. The man rushed over to Slade and pinned him to the ground with his arms and legs.

"Awful close aren't we? You afraid you might miss me?"

"The Dragon wants your head mounted on his wall, I plan on delivering. That means I don't need your body, just your head"

"Kinky. At least buy me dinner first"

"Say goodbye"

"Let him go" Qrow ordered aiming his weapon at him "And step away"

"Ha!" he lifted Slade up and used him as a human shield "What're you going to do now?" he laughed.

Slade's right wrist blade sprung out while his left hand grabbed the man's scroll from his belt "I'm no damsel in distress" Passing right through him using his Semblance, he stabbed through the man's armor and pinned him to the wall before headbutting him unconscious.

"Just be happy I didn't kill any of them. They're hired killers" he said turning back to Qrow.

"What does that make you?"

"I'm making the world a safer place to live in" Slade answered turning away "More than any Huntsmen ever did"

"You're stealing territory and illegal business from The Dragon and killing anyone who gets in your way"

"I've killed a few people, I'll admit that. Nothing less than what you yourself have done on missions for Ozpin, you can't honestly tell me you've never killed anyone on the job before. I've made sure it's never been any civilians or innocent people. Hell sometimes I've been able to scare young people away from a life of crime"

"You're becoming a crime lord"

"Yes, because that's what this job requires me to do. Once I find out who the Dragon is, I bring him in and everyone who's ever worked for him in this city down"

"Tell me what happened... let me help you, Slade"

Slade's eyes widened in shock "Help me? Is that why you've been chasing after me, all this time? Because you think I need your help? Qrow, I am sorry to tell you, but if you're looking to change me into being the person I was when I attended Beacon, it's too late. There is no changing me back into that ignorant boy who jumped to every time Ozpin called, I am done with that"

"Then tell me at least why you're doing this? Do you really think you've been doing good things as a hired gun?"

"I know not everything I've done since I left Beacon was for the best, but I've left that all behind. I am helping people now, crime has never been lower in Atlas, and once I'm finished with Dragon, I will be coming for others like him. Adam Taurus, Raven Branwen, people who prey on the weak!"

"Why? What do you get out of it?"

"You're still asking the wrong question, Qrow. This has nothing with what I stand to gain"

"Then what does it have to do with?"

"Think about it, Qrow. Maybe you'll even come up with the answer yourself, but I'll tell you this... if you still believe your sister can be saved. Make sure you get to her before I do. Because I can't promise you I will have the restraint to let her live" Slade threw down a smoke bomb and disappeared from sight before Qrow managed to figure out where he went.

"Dammit!" he cursed.

---

Qrow stood on a rooftop overlooking the city of Atlas "I can't believe it's come to this" he sighed.

"Nothing ever goes to plan when it comes to him does it?" Ozpin said from behind Qrow catching him off guard.

"Oz? What're you doing here? You should be back in Vale"

"Is that any way to greet a friend?" Ozpin smiled "I'm here because Slade's here, I want to make sure we handle things correctly with him this time" he explained stepping to the edge of the building beside him "Besides, I think Glynda and James can handle things for a few days while I am away. It's not exactly like I have a lot of say in matters anymore"

"I'm sorry about that, Oz. But I don't think you being here is going to make things better. He thinks what he is doing is making the world safer, Oz"

"He may be right, he's been taking far more criminals off the streets around Remnant than any of our Huntsmen have in double the time. He's making progress"

"It's not about whether or not he's accomplishing good things, it's why he's doing it. You can always do the right thing for the wrong reasons, just as you can do the wrong thing for the right reasons"

"I know, but in this particular case... Slade's always seen things in shades of grey. He's been able to see past someone's actions and find their intentions... that's one of the reasons I was looking forward to him becoming a Huntsmen, I was hoping he might have some insight into why Salem is the way she is, why she does what she does"

"You mean you don't know?" Qrow asked surprised.

"I have a general idea as I am aware of what she wanted before, but the Salem of today is not the same Salem I met all those years ago. Something changed her and I had hoped it was something physical, something she couldn't help... but now... I need to know"

"And Slade was your best bet at doing that" Qrow sighed "I guess having her in his head all this time certainly would've given him some insight into her motives"

"I certainly hope so... what did you learn from him so far?"

"He's after the crime lord known as The Dragon. No one knows who he is, but he's got connections in this city. Anyone who speaks out against him disappears, and anyone untouchable enough not to disappear ends up being hunted down by his personal Bounty Hunters. Four Huntsmen who secretly work for him... not anymore though"

"They're dead?" Ozpin asked.

"In Atlas police custody" Qrow answered "They were after Slade, even found out who he was. But I stepped in to help him, we took them down pretty easily. It was almost like the old days for a second" he smiled lightly "But then he flipped, it's hard to tell which Slade you're gonna get"

"Salem wouldn't have been a good influence on him, he might see everything he's doing as the right thing because she's coloring his view. I don't know..."

"We can't know for certain unless we get him back to Vale and take a good look at him, get him some help"

"We will, Qrow" he placed his hand onto his shoulder "We will" Qrow looked to Ozpin and allowed a small smile.

"Thanks, Oz-" his scroll started ringing, he looked at the caller ID "Answer Me?" he read aloud confused.

"Put it on speaker" Ozpin offered, Qrow nodded doing so.

"Meet me in the alley behind the police station on the west side of town"

"Slade? What's this about-" Qrow tried to ask.

"Meet me there" Slade answered ending the call.

"I didn't know Slade knew how to hack communications" Ozpin looked surprised "He must've learned a thing or two from Mr. Torchwick"

"He's still in custody right?"

"Aboard Ironwood's airship, why?"

"I might be able to use that to my advantage. He considers Torchwick a friend, I've seen what he does for his friends"

"You think you can convince him to come back with you" Ozpin smirked.

"Yeah, we'll see how that goes. I'm gonna go meet Slade, what're you gonna do?" Qrow asked curiously.

"I'll be close by, if you need help, you need only call"

"Thanks, Oz"

---

"Amaranth McLaren" Slade said aloud as he stared down at her office window, she appeared to be arguing with someone but he couldn't tell who "Good thing I planted this earlier" he smirked activating the scroll hidden inside her desk. She was a tall woman with a pale complexion, brown eyes and bright red hair.

"He killed him!? My right hand man!" Amaranth yelled angrily.

"Yes, Ma'am. He entered the restaurant and took down over two dozen men and killed him, I suppose he found out about his connection to you. There are two Huntsmen in the city who seem to be hunting him" her assistant replied calmly.

"Her right hand?" Slade smirked "Looks like I've found my Dragon"

"Damn it! DAMN IT!" she yelled standing up coming face to face with the man in front of her.

"Previously he was enlisting anyone under our province to come work for him, now he just seems to be... incarcerating or killing them"

"Great, so now we've got someone who wants to destroy my business instead of running it?"

"No, Ma'am. He's still taking huge cuts from off the streets. But he's also eliminating the competition. He's coming after you"

"He doesn't even know who I am" McLaren sighed "Arugh!" she threw her large desk out of the way and walked past her assistant "You want to tell me why this guy isn't dead?"

"We're trying, Ma'am. We sent your "cleaners" to take care of him"

"Cleaners" she scoffed as she punched one of her guards in the face angrily "Guess they're gonna need a new name, all they did was make a bigger mess" she punched a second in the gut dropping him to his knees "Why haven't the other Huntsmen wiped this smear off the face of the world? Why is Ironwood letting him run amuck around town!"

"Maybe he doesn't want to, Ma'am. Ironwood doesn't know your identity, maybe he's letting you war it out. He could be waiting-"

"To take on the winner?" she asked before punching the third guard in the face "What do you think this is!? A tournament?!" she punched the fourth and final guard in the face angrily.

"I'm just saying-"

"You're an idiot, and you don't know Ironwood. He wouldn't just let this lunatic run wild, he's been trying to catch me for years and he doesn't even know who I am or what I look like. He can't catch him either!" she approached her window overlooking the city "Unless... it's something else"

"I wouldn't think too much about it" Slade's voice came through the scroll in the overturned desk surprising them "I'm just after you, Dragon" he laughed.

"How does he know that? How does he know where we are?" her assistant asked.

"Because he's right there" McLaren answered staring out the window at him on the opposite rooftop, he had a rocket launcher on his shoulder. Slade waved with his free hand. She turned and rushed out the door quickly.

"Wow, she sure can move when she really wants to" Slade fired the rocket launcher through the window, obliterating her office and giving him an easy way in. The door to the room went flying off smashing into the emergency exit, blocking McLaren's path out. Slade dropped into the room and slowly approached her as the fire moved from his path.

"It's time to end this, McLaren. I'm brining you in"

"Bringing me in? What're you supposed to be?"

"I'm a Bounty Hunter, there's a Bounty on your head. It's really a simple concept, I don't see why people keep blowing it out of proportion"

"Bounty Hunter's don't come after me, boy. They know what happens to people who oppose me"

"Well I'm not just any Bounty Hunter" Slade smirked "And you're not just any target. I couldn't start asking around for you because anyone willing to talk would either disappear or lead me into a trap. So I had to take over your business, take away your income and make you desperate. Desperate enough to use those connections of yours to send your people after me, the ones who make people disappear. So I did, and they led me back here to you. You may have thought you covered your tracks, and yeah, you covered enough to prevent me from arresting you, but I have enough evidence in that recording to put you away for a long time, and I have Ironwood's authority on this, so you won't be getting out of it" Slade explained.

she processed the information, her hair lighting up like it was on fire "You've made a big mistake coming after me"

"The five million I'm being paid will more than make up for any trouble you give me" Slade chuckled "Now are you gonna let me arrest you or are you gonna fight back?" McLaren's assistant suddenly went flying against the wall from Slade's Semblance, knocking him out "I would advise you surrender, because you really don't want to make me mad right now, It's been a rough week"

"Tell me about it" McLaren rushed toward Slade and swung her fist toward him, Slade used his wrist blade to sever her arm "Augh... ngh... ah..." she fell onto her chest in pain.

"Yeah, go ahead, you take a minute" Slade smirked, his smirk vanished when he noticed her arm slowly burning through the floor looking more like molten metal than a human arm "That's... new" Slade cocked his eyebrow.

Amaranth stood back up as her arm regenerated "You've just made the Dragon angry" she growled as her entire body seemed to hold a fire just beneath the surface of her skin, her eyes blazing red. She roared at him, her fiery breath igniting the floor between them

"Oh boy, The Dragon breathes fire! The Dragon breathes fire!" Slade rushed her blocking her strike with his left arm and punching her in the face with his right. She grabbed his right arm causing him to backhand her with his left as she punched him in the gut then the shoulder afterward. Slade grabbed her by the back of the head and forced it down toward the nearby table, McLaren grabbed the table and it began to melt at her touch, keeping her head off of it as Slade struggled against her strength. She pulled herself out of his grip and swung with her left and as he matched it with his right, their fists clashing into each other, bending McLaren's arm painfully as the bone snapped "Augh!" she groaned then realigned the bone to heal almost instantaneously.

McLaren charged Slade, grabbing him from around the waist and throwing him through the nearby elevator door onto the top of the elevator two floors down. She leapt onto the elevator with him, landing on his chest and pulling her arm back to strike.

"Goodbye" Slade passed through the elevator using his Semblance before coming back up through it forcefully slamming into her. Slade smashed through to the rooftop flipping Amaranth onto her chest as he landed. She stood up straight with a smile on her face.

"I see you have a powerful Semblance too, y'know we could work together you and I. I do need a new personal Bounty Hunter-"

Slade removed Defiance from it's holster and fired, she slid to the left then rolled to the right to dodge his bullets and punched for his abdomen as she came up from her roll. She passed through Slade, turning around she struck again, passing right through him. Slade grabbed her by her shoulders and threw her into a large air vent behind her and fired his gun at her face once more. She managed to dodge and grab his arm twisting it back toward him as it fired, Slade narrowly dodged the bullet, bending backward over the edge of the roof. Slade came back up and grabbed her head slamming it down into his rising knee before backhanding her.

McLaren grabbed Slade's arm and sliced her's through it just as he used his Semblance to pass through her arm, she managed to cut his gauntlet from his arm with her speed and smacked him across the face with it pushing him back toward the edge of the roof. She punched Slade in the abdomen dropping him onto his knee, Slade's remaining wrist blade came out as he struck for her throat, she caught his arm.

"So here we are, on the roof. I bet you didn't expect it to end for you like this? In the arms of a beautiful woman-"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not really looking for a relationship right now, honey. And trust me, there's far too much crazy in that little head for you to be worth-"

"Enough!" she pulled her fist back to strike.

"Bye now" Slade waved passing through her.

"What!?" she was sent over the edge of the roof by a kick to her back.

"No!" she screamed as she fell. Slade fired the grappling hook out of his gauntlet into her back "I'd get that fire thing under control if you don't want to fall" he called down to her as several Atlas bullheads surrounded the building. Slade took the line out of his gauntlet and tied it to the metal bar next to him "Have fun in prison McLaren! I'm gonna go enjoy my five million" he smirked. Slade's gauntlet came soaring back to him with his Semblance and fit on perfectly as always, he removed his scroll from his pocket and dialed a number.

"Slade?"

"Amaranth McLaren is currently being detained by Atlas authorities. Congratulations on finally catching the infamous Dragon"

"Councilwoman McLaren? You're sure?"

"I have a lot of compelling evidence, and that was before she breathed fire at me. I guess I understand the name now"

"That's... an interesting Semblance"

"Not exactly what I would've called it. I have forwarded you the names of everyone working for McLaren prior to my takeover. Feel free to detain them and their men" Slade smirked.

Ironwood chuckled "You have been busy"

"Have you notified Ozpin about Cinder yet?" He asked ignoring his previous statement.

"I will, but he's not here right now. I'll be sure to tell him upon his return"

"Tell him immediately, he needs to know something is coming"

"I will. What do you plan on doing?"

"I have a meeting to attend" Slade answered "Transfer the funds to my account and get started drawing up those pardons. Torchwick, Neo and I are gonna be needing them before too long"

"Considering the level of destruction you've shown in my city, yes. Yes you will"

---

Qrow stood in the alleyway waiting impatiently "Where the hell is he?" he took a sip from his flask "It's not like him to be late"

"Hello" Slade called from behind him "I'm glad you could make it"

"You did call me to meet you here"

"I couldn't have you getting in the way of me capturing the Dragon. I wouldn't get a second chance at that. Besides, I wanted to talk with you anyway, see if you could really "Help me" like you said"

"I want to help you, Slade. I've always wanted to help you, I've never done anything to harm you since the day we met"

"Yet instead of letting me go and live my own life, free of Ozpin and Salem's endless war. You decided to chase me across Remnant for months, and for what? Because you think I need help?"

"Slade I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not telling you about Elise or about Salem when you needed to know, I'm sorry I didn't tell you more about Hunter and Cole when your team was sent after them and I am sorry for not convincing Ozpin to trust you more. I know you only left because you felt after everything you've done and everyone you lost, he still questioned your commitment"

"Yeah, he did. But those weren't the only reasons I left, Qrow. I didn't want to be a part of Ozpin's war anymore, being tricked with tales of heroism and glory just to fight and die against Salem's forces instead. That's the main reason I left all that behind"

"You left being a Huntsmen behind because you think it forces you to be against Salem?" Qrow asked surprised "I hate to break it to you, Slade. But Salem will consider you an enemy as long as you're not working for her"

"Yeah...Nobody knows that better than me" Slade threw five throwing knives at Qrow, they were easily deflected by Harbinger.

Qrow used his blade to throw the nearby dumpster at Slade, he leapt over it pushing himself off the wall. Qrow swung his blade at Slade from below, Slade planted his boots onto the blade and pushed off of it making it up to the roof in a single bound quickly followed by Qrow in crow form. Qrow transformed back into human form, tackling Slade. Slade stabbed his combat knife into his cloak trapping Qrow from moving to attack him. Slade punched Qrow in the face twice before he got free, tearing his cloak as he did and delivered a brutal punch to Slade's face.

Slade rolled away from him snatching up his knife as he did. Charging back toward Qrow, Slade rolled onto Qrow's back as he swung Harbinger for his legs. He elbowed the back of his head as he rolled over him. Slade lunged for his face getting caught between Harbinger and Qrow, he dropped the blade and caught it with his opposite hand, slicing Qrow's abdomen and hand causing him to drop Harbinger. Kicking the weapon away, he sliced the left side of Qrow's throat but not deep enough to hurt him more than a scratch. Slade grabbed Qrow and threw him across the roof to another building and followed after him, landing at the opposite end. Qrow barely managed to catch Harbinger in his grip as he flew.

"I don't want to fight you, Slade"

"All evidence to the contrary" Slade smirked beneath his mask.

The statue towering over Qrow suddenly exploded at the base, dropping it toward him. Qrow rolled out of the way as Slade charged, grabbing him from behind and placing his combat knife over his throat "Tell me, what bothers you more; that I could be like this because of Salem's influence or because of you and Ozpin's?" Qrow grabbed Slade's shoulders, flipping him over him. Slade landed on his feet and twisted around, struggling for control of the knife.

"You're ruling over Atlas through intimidation and fear, you're just another criminal"

"I've done what this city needs, the criminals are all being put away as we speak. Only the petty criminals remain and they're the ones the authorities can handle. Can you say you've done the same?"

Qrow stabbed Slade's blade into the ground and kicked him away. Rushing toward him, Slade grabbed Qrow and wrapped the grappling hook from his gauntlet around him before firing the other end to the opposite rooftop allowing it to pull him toward it, slamming Qrow's back into the edge. Slade attacked Qrow as he untangled himself, pinning him to the ground. Slade unleashed a flurry of punches into Qrow's face. After several brutal punches, Qrow caught his fist in his hand and freed his other hand from beneath Slade's boot, bashing it into his face. Qrow pinned him to the roof and removed Slade's gauntlets tossing them aside as Slade fought him all the way. Finally managing to kick him off, he stood back up only to be kicked in the chest by Qrow through the window of a nearby apartment building ending up in the bathroom.

Qrow kicked Slade in the chest as he turned around as he soared into the building behind Slade, throwing him through the ceramic bathtub, breaking it "enough, Slade. It's over!" Qrow growled.

Slade stood up and lunged for him, Qrow grabbed his arm lifted it up and slammed his shoulder into his chest knocking him into the wall. Slade bounced off the wall back into Qrow's fist in his gut, grabbing him by the face he slammed it into the opposite wall. Slade removed a sharp broken piece of tile from the wall and swung it toward Qrow. Qrow wrenched it from his hand with an upward strike then punched him in the face throwing him onto his back. Slade caught himself on his hands and pushed himself back to his feet swinging his fist at Qrow as he stepped aside. Smashing the tile wall with his fist he received a punch to the gut from Qrow before he wrapped his arm around his neck and swung him around, knocking him headfirst into the sink and toilet smashing both of them.

Slade got himself back up and got both of Qrow's fists slamming into the side of his head, then another punch to his gut followed by a knee to his face and a headbutt before being pinned to the wall. Qrow pulled his fist back and slammed it into Slade's chest throwing him back through the wall into the empty apartment Slade had been using as a safehouse. Smashing through the wall he rolled into the opposite wall before falling onto his chest as his Aura sparked.

"Ow"

"I know I failed you, so many times, Slade" Qrow slowly walked toward him "I was trying to save them, your brother, your parents, your sister, your team... I'm trying to save you now. I won't fail you again"

Slade rolled over aiming Defiance at Qrow "Is that what you think this is about? That you let them die? That you and Ozpin couldn't save them?" Slade asked as he stood back up never lowering his weapon "I don't know what clouds your judgement worse... your guilt or your Semblance making you believe everything bad that happens in this world is your fault!" They remained silent for a long time "Qrow... I forgive you, for not being able to save them, the people I cared about. I couldn't save them either, no matter how strong I got, everyone I care about ends up dead. That's why I left, that's why I work alone. So why? Tell me why you think you can "Save me" from who I am today... what makes you think I need to be saved!?"

Qrow silently stared "Because I'm the one that hurt you" a voice spoke from behind Slade.

Slade lowered his gun and scoffed "For once we agree on something" he turned toward Ozpin standing in the doorway and aimed Defiance at him.

What the hell is Ozpin doing here? He should be back in Vale with Ironwood

"This is quite the reunion isn't it?" Salem asked as she appeared in the room. Slade and Ozpin's attention shifted to her, Qrow took no notice "Look at the boy! You did good, we did good!" she laughed gesturing between herself and Ozpin "He chose to leave himself you know? I didn't force him, hell I only ever mentioned working for me! But, I guess the kiddies don't always do what you'd hoped-"

"You. Out" Slade growled.

"Slade, he's only here to help-" Qrow interjected.

"He's not talking about me" Ozpin sighed "Salem's here, in his mind. We can both see her"

"That's right!" Salem laughed "Poor old Qrow doesn't even know just how badly I've affected Slade over the years, always whispering in his ear. He's been blocking me out all this time so I couldn't see or hear from his point of view, but oh can he ever hear me" she grinned.

"I said out!" Slade yelled, she suddenly vanished from view, he shook his head as she continued speaking to him.

"Slade, let me help you. I promised to find a way to separate you from Salem and I will, but I can't do that if you won't let me help you"

"Help me? You can't even help yourself" Slade scoffed "You don't even know..." he stopped himself "You should focus on what matters Ozpin, not me. Your students at Beacon believe in you, it's about time you show them why"

"What do you mean?" Ozpin asked confused "How? What would I be proving it from?"

C'mon, Slade. Stop holding back and use your Semblance, you can put down Qrow and Ozpin at the same time! Two birds with one stone! Salem ranted in his head.

I don't work for you, Salem. You should've figured that out by now Slade replied. Salem tried to argue with him but couldn't get out anything before Slade muzzled her It's my brain you're occupying Salem, I make the rules here, not you

Now that he had silenced Salem, he returned his attention to Ozpin "Y'know Ozpin" Slade chuckled "You've always told me to focus on what I want to achieve and eventually it'll happen. You wanna know what I want right now?" Slade closed the distance between them "I want you... dead!" he pointed Defiance under his chin ready to fire. Ozpin headbutted Slade, sliding him back toward Qrow "Oh" he laughed "You're not so hesitant to fight me anymore are you? Tell me... do you want me dead as much as I want you dead?"

Qrow grabbed Slade's weapon and forced it away from him "Slade, listen to me! I can help you!"

"There's no helping me!" Slade yelled kicking him into the wall. Turning back toward Ozpin, he found himself in the same position as before with him.

"Salem's poisoning your mind, Slade! Tempting you to do things you wouldn't normally do, I know what it's like!" Ozpin tried to reason.

"Don't pretend to understand! You don't know why I do anything anymore!" he fired Defiance forcing it out of Ozpin's grip, he twisted around, kicking Ozpin's cane as he attacked him, sliding him back slightly.

Qrow grabbed him from behind, knocking Defiance from his grip "You're a Huntsman, Slade! You've always been a Huntsman! Think about what you're doing!"

"Don't call me that! That's not what I am!" Slade flipped Qrow over his shoulder "Do you even know what Salem did to me at Beacon? The games she played in my head? This... This is a mercy compared to what she put me through! What she's been putting me through all these years!" he slammed his fist down into Qrow's chest, only to find Ozpin's cane blocking the attack once again.

Growling, Slade swung his fist for Ozpin. Ozpin blocked it with his right arm and smacked him with his cane across his face stumbling him back, Ozpin pinned him to the wall with his cane across his chest "You don't have to be what she made you, Slade! You're better than her!"

"Stop! Stop talking to me! I don't want to hear it!" Slade pushed Ozpin's cane away and tackled him to the ground as Qrow was painfully pulling himself to his feet. Slade was brutally beating Ozpin into the ground "You... did... this... to... me!" Qrow tackled him off of Ozpin.

"Slade listen to-"

"That's enough Qrow" Ozpin said standing back up "let him go" Qrow hesitantly did as he was told.

"You could've helped me Ozpin, instead you left me in the hospital for over a year! With her stuck in my head!" Slade picked up Defiance and aimed it right at Ozpin once Qrow had released him.

"It's not too late, Slade. We can fix this... together" Ozpin extended his hand toward him.

Slade stared at him in utter disbelief "No... we can't... I am done wasting time..." Slade removed a detonator from his pocket "Hope you're prepared for what comes next!" he took his armor off to reveal a suicide vest.

Finally! Salem laughed in his head.

"Slade, no!" Qrow yelled as he pushed the detonator. Ozpin grabbed Qrow and slammed his cane into the floor brining a energy shield around them as the explosion tore through the building. As the rubble settled, he lowered the shield and looked around frantically for any sign Slade survived. He found nothing but the armor plating lying on the ground in front of him "Slade..." Qrow dropped onto his knees in disbelief "He's... really gone isn't he?"

"I don't sense him anymore... I don't sense anything" Ozpin sighed "I... I don't know why he would've done this... killing himself doesn't make any sense"

"You mean, he might still be alive?" Qrow asked hopeful.

"I won't rule out the possibility, his mastery over his Semblance would allow him to pass through the explosion unharmed if he desired. I don't know... I think he's still out there"

"Then we need to start looking-"

"Qrow"

"I'm not so delusional to think he can come back from this, Oz. But someone has to stop him, before he hurts someone who's not a criminal. Salem's affected him more than I thought... the best thing I can do for him now, is make sure he doesn't become something worse before it's too late"

Ozpin smiled down at Qrow "Maybe you're right... I don't know. I won't stop you, but maybe you should come back to Vale with me first. Visit your nieces... they miss you, you know"

"I know, but I can't let Slade get away. If I lose him now, I may never get another chance like this"

"Then go" Ozpin sighed "But if I call for you, if I need you-"

"I'll be there"

---

(Several Weeks Later)

Qrow entered the tavern tiredly, he had found proof Slade was still alive and tracked him through the Solitas countryside and into central Sanus, somewhere on the border between the kingdom of Vale and Vacuo.

"Are there any rooms still available tonight?" Qrow asked approaching the bar.

"Why yes, that'll be-"

"Just charge me and tell me my room number" Qrow interrupted handing her his card.

"Of course, that'll be the second room on the left once you're up the stairs" she handed him the key.

"Thank you" She started running his card in the computer system.

"In other news, several local charities across the four kingdoms have received anonymous donations from a "concerned citizen" reports say they received these donations with a letter from this mysterious benefactor, asking them to use it well. It's been reported the total donated so far is just under nine million. Local authorities looked into the source of these donations and traced some of the funds back to several crime lords that were arrested in Atlas last month. They swear up and down it was the Huntsman who duped them into working for him when he was hunting the previously unknown "Dragon" now known as previous councilwoman McLaren. The newscaster reported "Just who is this mysterious Huntsman they were tricked by? Is he even a Huntsman at all? Where has he gone? Well, listeners... I doubt we've seen the last of him, and wherever he is, if he's listening. The world thanks you for what you've been doing" Qrow listened with a small smile on his face.

"Maybe he's not totally wrong..."

"Is there anything else I can do for you tonight?" she asked handing him his card back.

"No thanks, I've got it covered" he held up his flask.

Qrow walked upstairs and into his room, he didn't stay up for very long, exhausted as he was. Qrow crashed onto the bed and fell asleep within a few minutes. Unbeknownst to him, Slade watched him through the window from the rooftop of a nearby building in town. Slade removed his scroll from his coat and made a call.

"Slade? I wasn't expecting to hear from you. After the explosion in Atlas, I thought-"

"That I was dead?" Slade chuckled "That was kind of the intention, General"

"You did that?" Ironwood sighed "You blew up a building so I'd think you were dead?"

"No, General. I blew myself up and an empty building so Qrow and Ozpin would think I was dead. Didn't work, but I made an effort"

"Ozpin seemed pretty upset when he returned, he hardly let me get a word out to him before disappearing to his office"

"Yeah, I figured he'd be upset about me not coming back. He and Qrow were there in Atlas the night I blew the building"

"So McLaren didn't send anyone to pay you back for arresting her? She named you when we brought her in"

"Yeah it wasn't her, but my "Death" certainly helped in getting me out of Atlas without having to deal with anyone coming to pay me back for my work there"

"Slade... why are you calling? This doesn't sound like a social call"

"It isn't" Slade smirked "I'm just checking to see what Ozpin is doing about Cinder and her infiltrators" Ironwood remained silent "General" Slade groaned.

"Cinder, Emerald, Mercury and Neo are here as a team from Haven Academy. I can't be sure Leonardo doesn't have someone in that school working with them somehow. I've notified him of the possibility and he said he'd look into it. Until I hear back from him, I won't take another action unless absolutely necessary. We have to be careful how we handle this-"

"Exactly why Ozpin should be made aware of the situation!" Slade argued "How's he supposed to combat something like this without the proper knowledge, General"

"Ozpin has proven himself to be incompetent of making the right calls when it matters. I was placed in charge of security for the Vytal Festival for a reason"

"Cinder's no doubt mixed up with something bad for the festival, General. Ozpin needs to be made aware so he can keep on top of them, if he fails to stop them even with the information necessary to counteract them, then I'll believe his incompetence"

"He's gotten your family killed on multiple occasions, you team too. How is it you can still believe he knows what's best?"

"I don't believe he knows what's best. I just believe he knows better than you do" Slade answered.

"Then why don't you enlighten me with everything you know? Perhaps we can stop Cinder's plans before this goes any further"

"Only if you agree to tell Ozpin"

"Fine" Ironwood sighed "What is it you know?"

"Cinder's the strongest of the bunch from what I can tell. She's a master at Dust manipulation and seems to have the ability to produce fire from her hands. I don't know when she got this ability but it's not her Semblance, that much I can tell. Beyond that she's a master tactician, don't underestimate her or her plans. Emerald's Semblance is individual mental hallucinations; The ability to modify the sensory information in a person's head while their brain is processing it. She can make one or more see and hear things that aren't necessarily there. In other words, instead of generating an illusion that everyone nearby can see, she causes her target to hallucinate"

"They both sound pretty dangerous, and Cinder is defiantly the infiltrator from the night of the dance" Ironwood deduced.

"Yeah, Emerald's the one I would take down first if it came to a fight, but even without her Semblance she's a formidable fighter. Mercury doesn't have a Semblance to my knowledge, but he is a very acrobatic and agile fighter. He relies on quickly overpowering his opponent with complex kicks that showed a mastery or near-mastery of martial arts. His experience and skill with his leg-based fighting style is aggressive and effective enough to drive any fighter of high caliber into a defensive position. He also possesses great speed and strength due to a pair of robotic legs, though he focuses mainly on kicks he's quite capable at using his hands in combat as well for defensive purposes as well as offensive. Mercury is observant, tactical and analytical; he notices and deduces the capabilities and limits of an opponents abilities after a single use more often than not. He's able to take in his surroundings and use them to his advantage easily, making him far more formidable than someone his age might appear, for defense he relies on quick reflexes to counter and block his opponents attacks and is capable of getting around the defense of his opponents using these reflexes. The best option to fight him is with overwhelming force and numbers" Slade explained.

"Sounds like you've seen his abilities first hand" Ironwood pointed out.

"We've had a disagreement or two in the past, certainly not as violent as some of them with Cinder have gotten for me" Slade admitted "As for Neo..." he hesitated.

"Yes, what of her abilities?" Slade remained silent, pondering if he should tell him too much about her "Slade?"

He sighed "Neo's Semblance allows her to create physical illusions that can be seen by everyone. Her illusions are perfect enough to pass as real and shatter like glass when she dispels them or someone breaks them. Neo is skilled enough to use them as misdirection during a fight, casting an illusion of herself that the opponent thinks is the real person and attacking from their blind spots. Her illusions are not limited to images of herself or others, as she can also change the appearance of her outfit or the color of her hair, eyes, and skin" he explained "Despite this, she also has proven herself to be a highly skilled combatant, she was able to keep up with me in a fight shortly after we met seemingly playing with me without getting more than a glancing hit. She has incredible reflexes and speed, easily able to dodge nearly any attack with ease even when she's fighting one handed. She is very acrobatic and exceptionally skilled in hand-to-hand combat, relying on her agility to dodge and misdirect enemy movements and attacks, before retaliating with her own kick-based attacks. She's the one I'd be most concerned about getting into a fight with unless one of them has been hiding something"

"This will help us immensely, Slade. Thank you-"

"I'm sure Ozpin will greatly appreciate the intel as well... right, General?"

"I get it, Slade" Ironwood sighed.

"Good, because if you don't tell him then I'll tell Qrow and he'll make sure Ozpin knows"

"You will do no such thing if you plan on ever getting those pardons" Ironwood threatened.

"I've held up my end of the bargain, General. Don't you pull this on me now, I don't take kindly to blackmail"

"And I don't take kindly to threats, Stroud. Now do as you're told and let me do my job. You can expect your pardons once I've arrested Cinder and her coconspirators"

"I suppose we'll see then"

"That we shall. Goodbye" Ironwood hung up.

"Shit!" Slade punched the wall next to him "Shit!" he began pacing around the roof "If I tell Qrow, Ironwood will know it was me when he goes back and he'll keep Roman and Neo locked up for good, hell he'll probably have Huntsmen around the world gunning for me" Slade sighed "But if I don't say anything and Ironwood fails to stop the attack and people get killed, I'll never be able to forgive myself... Qrow's family is there and they'll no doubt be in the tournament like I was" he shook his head "Dammit, Slade!"

---

Qrow awakened as the sun pierced through the open window, he groaned and covered his head with the pillow. The vase on the counter to his left suddenly shattered to pieces. Qrow leapt from the bed and hid against the wall next to the open blinds, taking a quick glance out with Harbinger in hand he noticed the street to be empty, not a person in sight.

"The hell?" he wondered standing up, he checked around quickly to see there really was no one near the building. Checking the vase, he found it on the floor "Idiot" he cursed himself "I must've knocked it over in my sleep and woke myself up-" he stopped upon trying to take a sip from his flask, an small folded piece of paper fell out of the cap when he opened it. He picked it up and looked the paper over "Qrow Branwen" he read aloud "Somebody knew I was here" he checked around the building one more time for good measure. Quickly closing the blinds to keep anyone from seeing in, he unfolded the paper.

Qrow

You need to head back to Beacon and keep your family safe. Salem's forces have infiltrated the school. The Vytal Festival Tournament is going to be the battleground for their big reveal. Ozpin needs to know the Relic is in danger, the school is in danger. The City of Vale will soon be littered with Grimm just like a few weeks ago. Heed this warning before it is too late, show this to Ozpin. Tell no one. They have ears everywhere and sometimes your friends may not be what they seem. Remember that. I can't say more, too many people I care about could get hurt if someone other than you finds this. Keep it close, and destroy it once you've no longer any need for it.

-concerned citizen

Qrow quickly placed the letter into his pocket "I need to call Oz" he stopped just before making the call "No... I can't be sure" he stuffed the device back in with the letter "I'm sorry, Slade. But I have something I need to take care of... I promise I won't abandon you, I just need to make sure my family is safe. I know you'd understand" he sighed. Little did he know, Slade heard every word.

"I know, old friend... I know" Slade whispered just outside the building, out of sight.

---

Ironwood is waiting with his arms crossed in Ozpin's office while Winter is impatiently pacing about. Suddenly, a smirking Qrow, accompanied by Goodwitch and Ozpin, arrive in the elevator.

"What were you thinking!?" Winter shouted angrily.

"If you were one of my men, I would have you shot!" Ironwood threatened.

Qrow pulls out his flask as the three enter the room "If I was one of your men, I'd shoot myself" came his snarky reply.

"While I wouldn't condone his behavior, retaliating like you did certainly didn't help the situation" Goodwitch pointed out.

"He was drunk!" Winter argued.

"He's always drunk!" the four turn to Qrow to see him drinking from a flask. His eyes widen when he notices them staring, and he holds the flask out to the side, looking at it awkwardly before grimacing.

Ozpin stared at Qrow in shock, then sighs and sits down "Qrow, why are you here?"

"You've been out of contact for weeks! You can't just go dark like that in the field!" Ironwood yelled.

"I'm not one of your special operatives, Jimmy!" Qrow replied in a bored tone.

"General" Winter corrected.

"Whatever. You sent me to get Intel on our enemy, and I'm telling you, our enemy is here"

Ironwood leans against Ozpin's desk "We know"

"Oh! Oh, you know! Well, thank goodness I'm out there risking my life to keep you all informed!"

Ironwood exhales "Qrow-"

"Communication's a two-way street, pal. You see this?" he pulls out his scroll and points to it "That's the SEND button"

"They had reason to assume you'd been compromised" Winter revealed.

"And I have reason to assume you don't need to be here" he points to Winter "Seriously, who invited her?"

after a moment of silence, without looking at her. Ironwood spoke up "Schnee, we'll discuss this incident back at my ship"

Winter looked back at him surprised surprised "But, Sir!"

"Winter. Leave"

Winter salutes Ironwood "Yes, Sir" she turns on her heel and gives the winking Qrow a dirty look as she exits via the elevator.

Ironwood gestures to Qrow "Go on"

"Your little infiltrator isn't just another pawn. They're the one responsible for Autumn's condition" he takes a drink from his flask once more.

"What?" Glynda asked.

"Despite what the world thinks, we're not just teachers, or generals, or headmasters. The people in this room, the leaders of the other two academies, we're the ones that keep the world safe from the evils no one even knows about!" Qrow gets up in Ironwood's face "It's why we meet behind closed doors, why we work in the shadows. So you tell me, James, when you brought your army to Vale, did you think you were being discreet, or did you just not give a damn!?"

Ironwood stares down at Qrow as he places his Scroll on Ozpin's desk "Discreet wasn't working" the center of the room projects a hologram of Vale, Beacon Academy, the Amity Colosseum and Ironwood's fleet of Atlesian Airships, which he gestures to "I'm here because this is what was necessary"

"You're here because Ozpin wanted you here! He made you a part of this inner circle and opened your eyes to the real fight that's in front of us!"

"And I am grateful"

"Oh, well, you've got a real funny way of showing it"

"The people of Vale needed someone to protect them; someone who would act. When they look to the sky and see my fleet, they feel safe, and our enemies will feel our strength"

Qrow starts laughing "You... You think they're scared of your little ships? I've been out there and I've seen the things she's made, and let me tell you... they are fear"

Ozpin stands up "And fear will bring the Grimm. A guardian is a symbol of comfort. But an army is a symbol of conflict. There's an energy in the air now, a question in the back of everyone's minds..." he gestures to the display "If this is the size of our defenses, then what is it we're expecting to fight?"

Ironwood glares at them before sighing and walking forward, picking up his Scroll just as it flashes with the image of a Black Queen "So then, what would you suggest we do?"

"I suggest we find our guardian" Ozpin answered.

"That's an idea I can get behind" Qrow agreed.

"Then make the preparations. I have matters that need attending to... call me when you have need of me" Ironwood exited through the elevator. After a long moment of silence Glynda finally spoke up.

"I don't trust him"

"Me neither" Qrow sighed "I'm worried about his ability to see what's right from wrong"

"James has never steered us wrong before. I have my faith in him, but blind faith is how one makes mistakes. Keep an eye on him" Ozpin ordered turning to Glynda.

"Of course, Professor" she quickly left the room, leaving Qrow and Ozpin alone.

"Oz" Qrow called.

"What're you really doing back here, Qrow? You and I both know you weren't out gathering intel on our enemies"

"Yeah well, it's been a good cover for the majority of this year. I returned because I have important news"

"What kind of news?" Ozpin asked "Why didn't you just call me?" Qrow handed him the letter he found earlier, making a gesture to be silent.

"I think someone knows about it" Qrow answered as Ozpin unfolded the letter. He quickly read over it and looked up at Qrow in surprise.

"I see" he cocked his eyebrow questioningly "We should make sure it's handled properly then shouldn't we" Ozpin placed his scroll onto the desk and pressed a few buttons. The desk was suddenly jolted with a surge of electricity, coursing through the entire room "We have less than a minute before the backup power kicks on"

"That letter was in my flask, I couldn't chance calling you"

"Someone left you this as a warning, someone working with Salem?"

"I can't be sure, but whoever it is. They want us to win just as badly as we do"

"Agreed. Keep an eye on the students, see if you can find any with strange backgrounds. I want to know who's infiltrated my school and what they plan to do. Restrict your search to students actively participating in the tournament, anyone who makes it far is bound to be tied up in all of this-"

"Emergency power restored... secondary power restored... primary power restored" his desk chimed.

"What was that all about?" Qrow asked.

"I'm unsure. Probably just a power surge, I'll have a technician take a look later. For now you should head out and spend some time with your nieces. Prepare them for what's in store with the tournament?"

"Sounds like a good idea. I sure could've used some advice before my first tournament fight" he nodded as he headed for the door.

"I'll be sure to get rid of that tab you owe" Ozpin added referring to the letter still in his hand "Wouldn't want the owner to get behind on payments now would we? You could get them into big trouble with your habit"

"Yeah" Qrow agreed "Thanks, Oz"

Ozpin quietly left his office not long after Qrow and silently tore the letter apart in his hand into as many tiny shreds as he could. Ozpin added the paper to a trashcan as the janitor was just about to take the bag, not noticing the additional paper.

---

That's all for now guys, hope you all liked it. Next chapter will be coming as soon as possible.