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.

28. The Hunt

Hey guys! The long awaited chapter is finally done! I apologize for the wait, I have been looking into getting a new computer with all the issues this one has been giving me recently. I also finally took the time to watch Volume 7 of RWBY, which I loved! Yet another reason why I went back through this chapter and changed the names of a few things, such as Ironwood's weapons, the name of some of the new Grimm types, etc. I promise I won't be borrowing any ideas from Volume 7, everything I have written since the end of Volume 6, including anything going forward will be my own. Of course, there are some ideas I had already that seem to coincide with the plot here and there.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy, and thanks so much for all the kind reviews and messages. I really appreciate reading them. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

"Speech"

Thoughts

---

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Hunt

(Two Months Later)

Slade opened his eyes to find himself staring into an endless void of space. It was pitch black, and no matter where he looked he couldn't find any wall to guide him out.

Where the hell am I? he wondered.

Between answered a familiar voice.

Slade's scrunched his eyebrows, surprised to hear a voice not belonging to Salem.

"Hello?" he called, meeting silence.

Slade felt an intense wave of heat blast his back, turning around he found himself staring at the city of Atlas collapsed atop the remains of Mantle, both burning intensely.

"No... This isn't real"

Not yet... but there are many things that will come to pass, whether you're prepared for them or not The voice spoke.

"Who are you? Why're you showing me this?"

I am someone you know quite well... as for what you see, I have no control over such things. I am merely a passenger.

"Great, another vague answer" Slade sighed "Can you at least tell me something that makes sense?"

Perhaps, but I do not believe you will like what I have to say

Slade crossed his arms grumbling as he turned away from the burning cities, he stared in shock. Before him laid the corpses of Atlesian Soldiers and civilians alike, as well as those of his friends. Nora, Ren, Jaune, Qrow, Weiss, Blake, Ruby, Oscar, and Yang all lie lifeless.

"No... No, no, no" he rushed to Yang's side "This isn't real, it cannot be real"

Reality isn't always what it seems. This is but one future that may come to pass. It can be stopped, changed, adjusted even. But if nothing is done, this will come before long.

"How do I stop it?"

I wish I knew... there is only one person who can tell you that.

"Jinn? You're suggesting I use the last question to ask how to stop this?" he asked surprised.

You could, but knowing the answer could speed this along instead of forestalling it. I am suggesting you use the relic to speak with someone who deals in transactions.

"I don't understand. Who could I speak to using the relic other than Jinn?"

No one, not normally anyway. But you're not normal, you could say you have a special connection to these relics.

"What kind of connection?"

Take the relic, speak with Jinn, but do not ask her a question. Command her instead, use your connection... Find me..."

"Find you? How am I supposed to find you if I don't even know who you are?"

I believe you'll find a way dear Brother... you always do.

"Elise?"

Slade's eyes snapped open as he sat upright, a hand on his shoulder stopped him from getting up too far.

"Whoa, easy, Kiddo. It was just a bad dream" he soothed.

"Qrow? Where's-"

"Yang is asleep just like everyone else" he frowned "I know whatever you just saw must've been pretty horrible. But nothing has happened"

"How did you know I was having a nightmare?" he asked curiously.

Qrow removed his hand from Slade's shoulder "You were talking in your sleep, and you seemed troubled. Ruby does the same thing when she's having nightmares"

Slade smiled lightly "Thanks, Qrow"

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked sitting on his own bed.

"I'm not even sure I would know where to begin" he shook his head "I'm still trying to make sense of it myself"

"What do you mean? Do you think it was another one of your visions?"

"Not exactly, no... at least, I don't think it was"

"Well... if you want to talk about it. I'm here" he smiled lightly.

"I know. Thank you"

"C'mon. We should try and get some sleep, those kids aren't going to learn anything if we're not training them" he chuckled.

"You've got that right" Slade laughed.

They both got comfortable in their own beds once more and slowly drifted off to sleep. Slade however, was unable to shake the uneasy feeling his sister's voice caused him.

---

Ruby twirled through the air over Slade's kick. Catching herself on her hands, she kicked both her legs toward his chest, Slade used his forearms to block the strike, sliding back several inches from the force. Ruby pushed herself to her feet and spun with a second kick for his head, Slade ducked away from it, catching her boot in his right hand, flipping her onto her back.

"You're learning quickly, Ruby. But you're still not anticipating-" Slade was interrupted by her sweeping his legs out from under him, slamming him down onto his back with one hand planted on his chest, her opposite prepared to strike.

"What was that about anticipating?" she smirked.

"Touché" he laughed.

Ruby giggled "Thanks" she lifted herself up and offered her hand to him, he accepted "I'm only learning so fast because you and Qrow are such great teachers"

"You give yourself too little credit, after all, a teacher can only teach if the student is willing to learn" he smiled.

"Well then it's a good thing Ruby loves learning how to fight better" Qrow chuckled as he approached "Why don't you take a break, I can start teaching-"

"Qrow!" Winter called as she entered the room.

Looking to his left, he watched as she approached "Ice Queen" he greeted.

She scoffed at the nickname "Drunk" she spat.

"Always nice to see you two getting along" Slade chuckled.

Winter rolled her eyes "General Ironwood wants to see us"

"Us?" Qrow asked surprised "As in-" he pointed between himself and her.

"Yes, us" she sighed impatiently "Stroud will remain training the students"

Qrow sighed "Looks like you're not getting that break quite yet, kiddo"

"That's alright" Slade wore a small smirk "You two love birds have fun"

"Ugh" Winter groaned as she turned away "You two are insufferable"

"Yeah, it was nice seeing you too" Slade waved after her.

"I better not keep James waiting" Qrow sighed once more "Sorry about leaving you like this-"

"Don't be" Slade waved his hand dismissively "Go see what Ironwood wants. We'll be fine until you get back"

"Heh" Qrow smirked "That'll be the day" he placed his hands into his pockets and followed behind Winter "Catch you kids later"

"Bye Uncle Qrow" Ruby waved lightly.

"Shall we?" Slade asked getting back into a combat stance.

"Ready when you are" Ruby followed suit.

Qrow picked up his pace to catch up with Winter in the hall "So, what does Jimmy want this time?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't tell you anyway" Winter sighed.

"Protocol, right" Qrow rolled his eyes.

"Why the General insists on working with you, I will never know"

"My irresistibly roguish charm"

"Ugh"

Qrow laughed.

They arrived at the door to Ironwood's office, Winter gave a crisp knock "Try and behave yourself, will you?"

"Come in!"

"No promises" Qrow smirked.

Winter opened the door "You requested our presence General"

"I did" he looked up from his desk "We have him"

"Who?" Qrow asked.

"Tyrian Callows" he smiled triumphantly.

"One of our scouting teams found him poking around some old ruins northwest of Atlas"

"You're certain?" Winter asked surprised.

"We have visual confirmation. I ordered the team to maintain visual and await reinforcements"

"We're the reinforcements then" Qrow smirked "I'm ready"

"Good, because the rest of your team will not be going"

"What!? Why!?" Qrow shouted incredulously.

"As much as I would love to say they're ready, the reality is they're not" Ironwood sighed "I need Slade to remain behind to keep training them. For when the time comes, they need to be ready. You and Winter have far more experience hunting down dangerous criminals than any of them, with the possible exception of Slade. I trust you both to get the job done"

Qrow grumbled.

"On our own, Sir?" Winter asked.

"No, Schnee. Tyrian has proven time and time again that he can easily handle one or two experienced huntsmen. I will be sending one of my best teams to assist you... Both of you will be in command of them"

"Both of us!?" Winter asked surprised, Qrow laughed loudly "With all due respect, Sir. I do not believe-"

"This is not up for debate, Specialist" he shut her down immediately.

"Yes... yes, Sir" she relented.

"Good" His head shifted at the knock sounding from the door "Enter" he called. Six Huntsmen entered the room.

"Castle Squad reporting" The woman in front saluted followed by the rest of her team.

"At ease, Castle" Ironwood smiled "These will be the Huntsmen accompanying you on your mission today"

"Seriously?" Qrow asked, Winter elbowed him in the side "What?"

"Pleasure to meet you, Sir" the Huntress in charge of the team saluted quickly "I'm Phoenix" she had a pale complexion with dark red hair that faded to orange before becoming a bright yellow at the tips, matching her eyes. She wore black Atlas armor, matching the rest of her squad with the exception of the red paint on her shoulder, marking her as their superior. A thin blade was sheathed on her back.

"Phoenix?" Winter asked surprised "Never heard that kind of name before"

"It's not my real name, Ma'am. Code names are given to all squad members so we're not compromising our identities over communications" she explained.

"Code names?" Qrow looked back at Ironwood.

"They're a special operations team, Qrow. Comes with the territory" he gestured toward them. Allow me to introduce them to you"

Ironwood cleared his throat "Phoenix, she is the squad leader of Castle squad. Her Semblance allows her to ignite anything she touches" he gestured to the next member.

He had a dark complexion with deep brown eyes and a dark black beard on his face, no hair on his head and a long rifle on his back. "Shadow, second in command for the team provides over-watch, he excels at stealth. His Semblance allows him to blend in with his environment.

The next was a woman with bright blue hair and white eyes accompanying a pale complexion. She had a Katana sheathed at each of her sides and a pistol on her back. The next was a man with silver hair and blue eyes along with a pale complexion and a hatchet on his hip. "The twins Sentinel and Wolf provide combat support and small arms expertise. Their Semblances compliment each other well, Wolf can make himself completely silent and enhance his own senses at the same time while Sentinel can switch between different types of vision such as heat detection.

The next was a small brown haired man much shorter than the others, with a pale complexion and green eyes. He a rifle on his back and a knife on his left hip "Echo's Semblance can sense terrain through vibrations"

The last member was a large, burly man with a massive hammer on his back and a helmet covering his face completely "Finally, Brave's Semblance can increase his physical strength through absorbing damage he sustains during combat, and before you ask. No, he doesn't take off his helmet. Not when anyone is around anyway"

"Will the scouting team remain with us for this mission, Sir?" Winter asked.

"They've been instructed to assist you however they can. I leave that judgement to the both of you" he answered curtly.

Qrow cleared his throat "Do you know the mission, Phoenix?"

"Our mission is to assist you in the capture or termination of a dangerous criminal. We have yet to be briefed on his identity" she answered.

Qrow looked to Ironwood with a raised eyebrow "They know what they need to know, Qrow. We already know someone is feeding information to our enemies, the last thing we need is for your target to know you're coming"

"So how many people know who we're going after?"

"Just the three of us" he answered gesturing between himself, Qrow and Winter "I would like to keep it that way"

"Does that mean we cannot tell the others?" Winter asked curiously.

"They only need to know you're going on a mission. Details are on a need to know basis, and right know it's better they don't"

"After we were upfront with you about everything, you want to start keeping secrets from them?" Qrow asked annoyed.

"I appreciate their honesty, Qrow. But this isn't about whether I trust them or not, it's about not trusting the one who's been feeding Intel to our enemies"

Winter stepped forward "Castle. You're dismissed, make sure you have finished any last minute preparations you need to do, then meet us in the hangar" she ordered.

"Yes, Ma'am" Phoenix saluted, then led her team out of the office.

"Guess I shouldn't be surprised you're okay with keeping people in the dark" Qrow rolled his eyes.

Winter turned a glared at him "I don't like keeping this from Weiss anymore than you like keeping it from your nieces, Branwen" she growled "Unfortunately, General Ironwood is right. The fewer people who know about this, the less likely for our target to know we're coming" she turned away from him "Don't be late" she exited the room.

"Well..." Qrow crossed his arms "I suppose I earned that"

Ironwood chuckled "You certainly did. I wouldn't keep her waiting any longer than necessary"

"Right" Qrow sighed heading for the door, he was stopped by Ironwood's hand on his arm "James?" he quirked his eyebrow questioningly.

"I'm sending you both because I trust the both of you to do what needs to be done to handle him... but I need you to do something for me"

"What is it?"

"Protect Winter" he answered. Qrow pulled himself from his grip.

"You don't need to convince me to do that, James. I don't intend to let him hurt any of them"

"I don't doubt that, Qrow. But I am asking you, even if it means abandoning the others. Keep Winter safe"

Qrow's eyes widened in shock "You want me to protect her over the others?"

"I do. But don't tell her that" he sighed heavily "I didn't even want to send her on this mission to begin with, but it's important that Slade remains here to protect Ruby and Oscar"

"Winter could stay and protect them just as well as he can-"

"I don't doubt her capability in a fight, Qrow. But Neopolitan is working with Cinder Fall. Slade knows them both better than she does, and that's not even mentioning that other man who was after Ruby who we still haven't identified yet"

"Then why send her at all? We have six other Huntsmen coming with me, why not just keep her here if you're so worried?"

"Because we need this mission to succeed, and Winter is one of the few people left who I truly trust"

"That's why you want me to keep her safe" Qrow sighed "Alright, I promise I will keep her safe. But I have no intention of abandoning the others no matter what happens"

"I trust your judgement Qrow, just keep what I said in mind" Ironwood sat down at his desk "I know you're going to tell Slade about your mission, just don't tell him everything alright? It's important we keep this compartmentalized"

"I know" Qrow sighed "This is gonna be a fun talk"

---

"You've really come a long way, Ruby" Slade commented as they exited the training room.

"Thanks" she grinned happily "Yang's been trying to convince me to learn hand-to-hand for awhile now, but you and Ozpin were the only ones patient enough to teach me"

Slade laughed "I can see how Yang could be... impatient"

"She's always been like that" Ruby laughed "I love her, but sometimes she can be..." she pondered for a moment.

"Challenging?" Slade asked.

"That's a good word. It's her temper that tends to make her that way though"

"We all have imperfections, I for instance, drink far too much"

Ruby giggled "I suppose you're right-oof" Ruby looked up at the wall she seemed to bump into "Uncle Qrow!" she smiled brightly.

"Hey kiddos" he smiled back.

"What did Ironwood want?" Slade asked curiously.

Qrow's face turned serious "Winter and I are going on a mission"

"A mission?" Ruby asked surprised "Without us?"

"I'm not really aloud to talk about it more than that, but yes. You're all staying here while we're gone"

"They're sending just the two of you?" Slade's eyebrow rose questioningly.

"Not exactly, we've got an entire team of Huntsmen coming with us"

"Oh, well that's good"

"Since when did you start taking orders from Ironwood about keeping secrets?" Slade winked, alerting him he was joking.

Qrow chuckled "Honestly, I'm not a big fan it either. But I wouldn't even be doing it if I didn't agree with him"

"Don't worry, Qrow" Slade punched him in the shoulder playfully "If you think it's important we don't know, we trust you. Just don't make a habit of it" he smirked.

"Ya, we might just have to tell Yang on you if you do" Ruby threatened jokingly.

"Ugh" Qrow groaned "Don't even joke about that"

The three laughed loudly but were interrupted by "Qrow!" Winter shouted "We're ready to depart, you have two minutes before we leave you behind!" she turned on her heel and made her way back down the hall.

"Sounds like you shouldn't keep her waiting, Uncle Qrow. She sounds upset"

"Can't wait" he groaned out following quickly behind her.

"Have fun!" Slade called after him.

"Wish we could've gone with them" Ruby sighed.

"If they needed us, we'll be there" Slade assured her.

"I know... it's just... I am a full fledged Huntress now. I thought maybe we'd get to go on more missions, but..."

"Ironwood is just worried because we keep being targeted by Salem's forces. I imagine the last thing he needs on his conscious is more kids getting killed on his watch"

"Kids?" Ruby asked surprised.

"Don't be so shocked, Ruby. We may all be Huntsmen now, but compared to Ironwood we're still just kids to him" he laughed "Then again, he's just some old guy to us"

Ruby laughed "Thanks, Slade. You always know what to say to make me feel better"

"Being a team leader teaches you that kind of thing" Slade chuckled "Sometimes the rest of the team just doesn't know when they need to do the same for their leader" he winked, earning a small smile in return.

"I'm here!" Oscar shouted rushing down the hallway toward them "I'm sorry I overslept-"

"You're late" Slade crossed his arms "You know the punishment for tardiness"

Oscar sighed "an extra hour of training" he grumbled.

"No complaining" Slade turned to lead him back into the training room "We're behind schedule as it is"

Ruby gave Oscar an apologetic look "Did you get what we need?"

"Yeah, Weiss and Blake are handling everything" he smiled "Did you tell Slade?"

"He already knew, I'm guessing Qrow told him"

"Today, Oscar!" Slade shouted.

"Sorry, gotta run" Oscar rushed into the training room. Ruby giggled to herself.

Qrow entered the hangar finding dozens of technicians and other Atlas personnel working diligently. Looking through the two dozen parked airships, he found the one Winter and Castle Squad were waiting beside. He quickly made his way toward the team, not wishing to provoke Winter anymore than necessary.

"Do you make a habit out of making people wait on you, Branwen?" Winter asked impatiently.

"No. I do it just for you" he replied with a snarky tone and a forced smile.

Winter suppressed a groan "You're insufferable" she whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

"And you're exhausting" he shot back barely above a whisper.

---

"I'm just saying, Yang-"

"It's not the same thing, Blake. At least you know Sun likes you" Yang interjected.

The two girls exited the academy dinning area, making their way through the academy halls.

"Yang" Blake whined "How're you ever going to know if he likes you if you never say anything?"

"I have said something!" she proclaimed loudly "I've dropped several hints, he has ignored all of them"

"He hasn't ignored them, Yang" Ren cut in, grabbing their attention as JNPR approached them "He just didn't understand them"

"Ren is right" Jaune chimed in "Slade is a guy, we don't really pick up on those sort of things when women are the ones giving them" he laughed.

"Do you have any idea how long Pyrrha was dropping hints to Jaune before he caught on?" Nora jabbed him in the side with her elbow "Almost a year!"

"To be fair... I never picked up on Pyrrha's hints. She had to kiss me for me to catch on" Jaune pointed out.

"If I have to kiss Slade on the lips for him to understand I like him, then he's never going to know"

"C'mon, Yang. I bet there's an easier way to figure out if he likes you or not. For sure anyway, we all know he likes-hey!" Blake shouted as a soldier pushed past her, glaring all the while.

"Watch where you're going!" Yang shouted after her.

"Ya, you don't see us knocking you around!" Nora added.

"It's alright guys" Blake quieted them "I am used to it, especially here in Atlas" she sighed.

"That's not the point! Just because you're used to it doesn't mean we should just let everyone be rude to you" Yang argued.

Once the soldier was out of sight, she changed from the soldiers uniform and into a janitors within the blind spot of the cameras. Her black hair changed to a bright blonde, and her dark brown eyes changed to a bright blue, the rifle in her hand changed into a mop.

Neo quickly made her way through the halls only stopping once outside the desired room. She removed a small device from her pocket and plugged it into the bottom of her scroll. Tapping the screen a few times, the keypad flashed green unlocking the door. Locking it behind her, she turned on the flashlight on her scroll as she transitioned into her normal appearance.

Neo made her way through the dark room, passing by several filing cabinets before stopping on an unmarked one. Her brow furrowed but she ignored it nonetheless. She searched through the cabinets labeled M and W before becoming frustrated. She crossed her arms in annoyance, turning back toward the unlabeled filing cabinet she opened it, sifting through dozens of empty files until she came upon one filled to the brim.

Neo removed the file and opened it up, reading through the first few lines before smiling.

---

Qrow watched the clouds whiz past them as the airship soared higher and higher.

"May I ask why exactly we're going so high?" Qrow quirked his eyebrow.

Winter gave a light nod "We're getting as high as we can so we can use the clouds for cover. We'll be dropping from the airship into the scouting team's camp, hopefully our target won't see us coming that way" she explained.

"Who is our target exactly?" Phoenix asked.

"Tyrian Callows" Winter answered, earning shocked expressions from the group.

"We're hunting a guy who hunts Huntsmen for fun?" Shadow asked.

"We're hunting Mr. Callows because General Ironwood has ordered it" Winter glared "There's a reason he sent 8 seasoned Huntsmen to hunt him down"

"Not so seasoned in your case" Wolf laughed.

"Age is in experience" Qrow piped in "I don't think Ironwood would've placed her in charge if he didn't trust in her abilities. Do you?"

"Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir"

"So our job is to capture or terminate Callows. Do we have a plan for that?" Sentinel asked curiously.

"We'll know more once we make contact with the scouting team. For now, our plan is to get a better picture of the situation before we engage. The last thing we need is to walk right into a trap"

"So the plan is not to engage until necessary?" Brave asked "That's boring"

"We'll have our hands full with this one, believe me" Qrow assured them.

"No more time for talking, we're here" Winter opened the side door of the airship "Pilot! Get back to Atlas for refuel then make your way back. We don't need to be stranded out here with a prisoner and no ride home"

"Yes, Ma'am" Winter leapt from the airship.

"You heard the lady!" Qrow shouted "It's showtime" he leapt from the airship, followed by Castle Squad. Winter used her glyphs to slow her descent, she landed gracefully in the center of the scouting camp.

"Specialist Schnee!" the man in charge saluted, surprised by her entrance.

"Sergeant" she greeted in kind "One moment" she used her glyphs to catch the rest of her team, slowing their fall until they landed on the ground around her.

"Thanks for the catch" Qrow brushed the snow off his shoulder.

"Wouldn't do us any good to have you break something on the way down, then I would have to carry your drunken ass around everywhere"

"Aw, so you do care. I'm touched"

"Is it just me, or are they flirting?" Echo whispered to Wolf.

"They're definitely flirting" he snickered.

"Sergeant, do you have a location on the target?" Winter asked.

"Yes, Ma'am" he gestured for them to follow "We've been watching him for the past two days now. He seems awfully intrigued with these ruins" they approached a cliffside with two soldiers looking through binoculars laying on their stomachs.

"He's still inside, Sir" one of the soldiers said as she stood "Only leaves every so often and takes a look around. Doesn't seem to do anything more before heading back inside"

"Good work, Son" the sergeant smiled before turning back toward Winter "Do you want us to back you up, or provide over-watch, Ma'am?"

"You're equipped for combat?" Winter asked.

"Yes, Ma'am. Just say the word, me and my boys will get your six"

"Good" Winter turned to Qrow "I'll take half the squad and cover the west side while you take the east side. Shadow will remain here to provide over-watch"

Qrow looked unconvinced "I'm not sure that's the right play yet" he turned to the sergeant "Have you spotted any nearby Grimm activity while you've been watching him?"

"No, Sir. Actually quite alarmingly so"

"You mean you haven't seen any?" Qrow was surprised.

"None, Sir"

"That is concerning" Winter sighed "What do you think, Qrow?"

"I think I need to do a bit of scouting to make sure Tyrian isn't planning anything. We don't want to be taken by surprise"

"Agreed. Phoenix, you'll take charge of the second half of the squad while Qrow is absent. I want us in position and ready to strike. Callows cannot be allowed to get away"

"Yes, Ma'am" Phoenix turned to her squad "Echo, Brave. You're with me" they saluted and followed behind her while Shadow removed the rifle from his back and got into a prone position overlooking the ruins.

"Sergeant, you and your men will come with us and provide fire support" Winter barked.

"Yes, Ma'am! You heard the lady! Get your gear together and be ready to move, on the double, boys!" they quickly gathered up what little gear wasn't on their person and fell in behind Winter as she led Sentinel and Wolf down the opposite side of the mountain.

"She may be young, but she sure knows how to get people moving" Shadow chuckled, turning his head back toward Qrow "Don't you agree?" he was surprised to find Qrow had vanished without a word "Typical" he huffed.

Qrow in corvid form soared over the snow covered peak searching desperately for any sign of the Grimm, after several minutes he found a small ledge on the opposite side of the ruins from Shadow's position. Landing on it he changed back into human out over the snowy landscape, he could faintly see dark clouds circling around the outskirts of the kingdom by the sea.

"Unusually stormy coast" he noted to himself.

"Qrow, we're in position. Have you found anything?" Winter asked through his earpiece.

"Nothing yet, give me another minute. Something doesn't feel right" he looked over the edge down into the trees below, hoping to spot the faintest glimpse of Grimm, but nothing could be seen. I don't like this. Grimm don't just disappear he thought to himself.

"Wolf says he can hear something that might be underground or in a cave somewhere. Keep an eye out"

"Got it"

Qrow's attention was brought to the mountainside when a gleaming light caught his eye.

Leaping down onto the thin ledge, he felt a draft against his hand as he bent down to pick up the shinning object. It was a broken combat knife, standard issue among the Atlas military. Following the draft, he found a boulder blocking the air from coming out completely.

"Think I found something, Winter. I'm going to investigate"

"Be careful"

"Right" he placed Harbinger into the small opening and used it to knock the boulder aside. Placing Harbinger on his back, he entered into the small cavern. As he went further inside, the place seemed to have it's own natural lighting. Qrow noted this as strange but didn't focus on it too much. Once he made it far enough inside he found a man, stark naked on the ground.

"Hey!" Qrow called as he approached "You still kicking?" he received no reply, the man didn't even flinch.

Qrow sighed and flipped the man over, and was shocked at what he found. He remembered the sergeant in charge of the scouting team had his ID on his chest, but his helmet covered his face. The face on the ID was the same as the man in front of him now. Looking past the body he found two others in the same condition as him.

"No..." Qrow checked the other two bodies and came to the same conclusion "No wonder they didn't have much gear, because they're not the scouting team!" he stood abruptly "Winter! Winter, can you hear me?!"

Static was all that answered him "Dammit! It's an ambush" a low growl caught his attention, turning toward the direction he had found the first body, he silently approached the edge of the cavern floor and found hundreds of Grimm beneath him, none of them seemed to pay him any mind, but an Alpha Megoliath in the center turned it's head toward him.

"That's not good..." Qrow gulped and slowly took a step back away from the edge. He stopped when he heard a footstep behind him. Qrow twirled around just in time to catch the man by the arm, knife in hand inches away from his stomach.

The man wore black combat gear similar to that of Atlas military personnel, and a second assailant wore the same with a matching knife. Qrow flipped the man over his shoulder, wrenching the knife from his hand and used it to slice across the second man's chest before he had a chance to react. Qrow embedded it into his chest, killing him before turning back to his original attacker.

"Wait, wait-" the man started but was interrupted as Qrow used his boot to push him over the ledge into the army of Grimm below. He could hear his screams as he rushed toward the exit of the cave.

"Winter-!" suddenly a loud crash shook the mountain, knocking Qrow onto his back barely managing to catch himself on the ledge. Qrow fell as the ground broke beneath him, barely catching himself using Harbinger to slide down the side of the mountain until he stopped.

"Grimm!" Phoenix's voice shouted through the comms "We need backup, here!"

"Fall back to our position, Phoenix. We'll cover you" Winter shouted.

"I've got your back, Specialist. Get them out of there" Shadow said following the sound of several gunshots echoing through the valley.

Qrow pulled himself up onto his blade, and balanced on it, watching as Grimm littered the sky.

"Winter? Can you hear me?"

"I read you Qrow, we have a problem-urgh!"

"Winter!"

"Qrow! We need you back here now! It was a trap, there's Grimm everywhere!"

"Don't trust the scout team, they're-"

"We know!" Brave's voice shouted "They've been taken care of"

"Watch your right!" Echo shouted.

"There's too many of them, we need to retreat" Sentinel added.

"Shadow, make a path through the Grimm. We need to get a vantage point" Phoenix commanded, but received no answer.

"Shadow? Do you read-argh!" Wolf yelled.

"Wraaaagh!" Brave bellowed.

"Fall back! Fall back! Get inside the ruins!" Winter shouted.

"That's where Tyrian is!" Qrow shouted.

"We don't have any choice, Qrow. We're being overrun. We need to move"

"Then get inside, I'll meet you there!" Qrow changed into corvid form and rushed toward the ruins as quick as he could.

---

Ironwood sat at his desk tapping his fingers impatiently on the desk. Ironwood stood from his desk and paced back and forth for several minutes. His scroll chimed grabbing his attention. He picked up the device and answered the call.

"Winter"

"General, we're in position. Do we have permission to engage"

"Permission granted. Do what's necessary to remove him as a threat. Capture him alive if possible, I'd like to interrogate him"

"Understood, General. Once Qrow has-scouting run-ceed"

"Schnee, you're breaking up. Repeat"

"Gen-? Can y-me?" was all he heard before the line went dead.

"Dammit!" Ironwood tossed the scroll onto his desk. He began pacing once more for a few moments before stopping. He returned to his desk and picked up his scroll, tapping his fingers on the screen a few times before placing it down once more. He let out a deep sigh.

Moments later a crisp knock could be heard from the door "Enter"

Penny entered the room "You wanted to see me, General?"

"Yes, thank you for coming so quickly"

"You did say it was urgent"

"I did" he flicked his hand across the screen of his scroll twice "I sent Winter and Qrow on a mission, I just lost contact with them"

Penny quickly blinked three times "Received... you want me to go get them"

"I do, I want you to make sure they're unharmed. It could be nothing, but considering who their target is... I don't want to leave anything to chance"

"I understand" she turned to leave.

"And Penny" he called stopping her at the door "Keep this between us for now. I don't want anymore people than necessary to know about this"

"Yes, Sir" she exited the room quickly.

Ironwood sighed deeply "Damn it" he stood "I had nearly forgotten-" his scroll chimed "Ironwood speaking"

"You're supposed to be here, James" Jacques spoke in a condescending manner.

"Apologies, Councilor. I merely am running a bit late, I will be there in but a moment"

"Well, it's a good thing we've got all day to wait" Jacques' sneer could be heard through the scroll.

Ironwood exited his office and motioned for both the guards outside to follow behind him "Quite" he ended the call and sighed "Keep pace, I'm running late as it is" he ordered, increasing his speed.

"Sir" they matched his speed.

The group passed by a janitor mopping the floor, she stopped and stood at attention as they passed, earning a small smile from Ironwood. Turning to watch them as they continued down the hall, she smiled. Her uniform changed into an Atlas soldier, her hair changing to a deep black and her eyes from blue to chocolate, the mop became a rifle. She skipped lightly to catch up to them before falling in behind the two soldiers.

---

Winter knelt behind a fallen tree, Sentinel and Wolf falling in behind her "Wolf, Sentinel"

"We're on it" Sentinel replied, her eyes gleamed for a few seconds "He's alone. No other heat signatures detected. Could still be Grimm inside"

Wolf had his eyes closed, a look of confusion on his face "Wolf?" Winter asked curiously.

"There doesn't seem to be any Grimm inside, it's took quiet... but there's something else"

"What is it?" Sentinel asked concerned.

"I... I don't know. It's like it's blocked... or buried"

"Buried?" Winter asked "Where?"

"It sounds like it's coming from back the way we came"

"It's probably just some animals digging a hole somewhere. Could even be in a cave"

"More like a pack of wolves" Wolf pondered "But for it to be loud enough for me to hear, there'd have to too many to count"

"I don't like it" Winter placed her index finger to her left ear "Qrow, we're in position. Have you found anything?"

"Nothing yet, give me another minute. Something doesn't feel right" came his reply.

"Wolf says he can hear something that might be underground or in a cave somewhere. Keep an eye out"

"Got it"

"Sergeant" she called him forward.

"Specialist?"

"I want you and your men to start heading back to Shadow's position, make sure he has back up if something sneaks up on us"

"Yes, Ma'am"

"Think I found something, Winter. I'm going to investigate" Qrow alerted.

"Be careful"

"Right"

Winter removed her scroll from her pocket and tapped the screen a few times, Ironwood's face flashing onto the screen "Winter"

"General, we're in position. Do we have permission to engage"

"Permission granted. Do what's necessary to remove him as a threat. Capture him alive if possible, I'd like to interrogate him"

"Understood, General. Once Qrow has returned from his scouting run, we'll proceed"

"Schnee-up. Peat?" his voice crackled through.

"General? Can you hear me?" she asked. Her scroll had a red notification on the screen that read "Connection lost" she shook her head lightly "I don't like this. Sentinel, keep an eye on Callows"

Winter stood and walked a few paces away from them "Shadow, do you see anything we don't?" Winter asked but received no reply "Shadow?" a gunshot rang out through the valley. Winter twisted around to find one of the Atlas soldiers dropped onto the ground while the other two had their weapons aimed at her. A second shot pierced through the second soldier's chest, dropping him onto the ground.

Winter leapt forward, blocking the bullets the remaining soldier fired with her blade, the second one emerging into her open hand, she stabbed her assailant through the chest, slamming him into the ground.

"What the hell?" Sentinel asked shocked.

Winter kicked his helmet off, and looked down at his ID "Impostor" Winter growled "Nice shooting, Shadow"

"Just doing my job, Ma'am" came his reply "What happened?"

"It seems our scouting team was replaced by someone who wanted us dead" she answered "We need to abort the mission, this is a trap-"

"Ma'am!" Sentinel called.

"What is it?"

"It's Callows... he's... waving at us?" she answered confused.

Winter removed her binoculars from her pack and looked through them toward the ruins. She found Tyrian waving right at them, a malicious grin on his face and his chest convulsing lightly, indicating laughter.

"Qrow, we need to abort the mission. Now" she received static in response "Qrow! Do you read?"

"Winter-!" Qrow's voice shouted just before the ground shook violently a hole tore through the mountainside as an Alpha Megoliath came charging through the wall.

"Grimm!" Phoenix's voice shouted through the comms "We need backup, here!"

"Fall back to our position, Phoenix. We'll cover you" Winter shouted.

"I've got your back, Specialist. Get them out of there" Shadow alerted them, firing his rifle, taking down as many Grimm as he could.

Sabyrs and Teryxes came swarming out of the cave around the Megoliath advancing right toward Winter's team as they made their way right to Phoenix's. They all engaged the Grimm but were quickly being pushed back.

"Winter? Can you hear me?"

"I read you Qrow, we have a problem-urgh!" Winter was knocked over by a Sabyr.

"Winter!" Qrow shouted as Phoenix plunged her blade into the Sabyr's head. Brave picked Winter up with one hand and slammed his hammer down on another Sabyr charging toward him.

"Qrow! We need you back here now! It was a trap, there's Grimm everywhere!"

"Don't trust the scout team, they're-"

"We know!" Brave slammed his boot into the head of a downed Teryx crushing it beneath his weight "They've been taken care of"

"Watch your right!" Echo shouted shooting a Teryx in the head as it swooped toward Winter, it crashed to the ground behind her.

Sentinel decapitated two Sabyr's simultaneously with her Katanas "There's too many of them, we need to retreat"

"Shadow, make a path through the Grimm. We need to get to a vantage point" Phoenix commanded, but received no answer.

"Shadow? Do you read-argh!" Wolf yelled as a Sabyr leapt atop him, he slammed his hatched into the side of it's head, killing it instantly.

"Wraaaagh!" Brave bellowed as he slammed his hammer into the side of an approaching Sabyr, launching it back into a line of them charging forward.

Winter looked around, desperately trying to find a path of escape, but the only one she could find was only temporary "Fall back! Fall back! Get inside the ruins!" she shouted.

"That's where Tyrian is!" Qrow argued.

"We don't have any choice, Qrow. We're being overrun. We need to move"

"Then get inside, I'll meet you there!"

Winter used her glyphs to launch them all toward the ruins as fast as she could, they rushed through the collapsed archways and made it inside.

"Sentinel! Wolf!" Phoenix shouted.

"It's empty!" Wolf shouted back.

"He's right, I don't see Tyrian anywhere in here"

"He escaped" Brave growled.

"Wait..." Winter held up her hand. She looked out around the corner of the ruins and found the Grimm waiting just beyond the ruins. They remained perfectly still "Why have they stopped?" she wondered aloud.

"Ma'am?" Echo asked.

"Get inside, we need a foothold for when they attack. Qrow is coming as fast as he can" they rushed deeper into the ruins, once they made it to a dead end they stopped, each of them choosing a position to stand for when the Grimm come rushing in.

"There's so many of them" Brave pointed out "Do we really think we can take all of them?"

"We've never been defeated before" Phoenix assured him with a small smile "We just need to wait for General Ironwood to send help. He'll know something is wrong when we lost contact"

"We've never had Grimm that strategized before either" Wolf sighed.

"It is unlike them to have such an ambush prepared. Surely this, Tyrian guy doesn't have control over them does he?" Sentinel asked.

"No, he doesn't. But we fell for his trap all the same" Winter turned toward them "We're in a bad situation, we can all see that. But we're Huntsmen. We do not give up at the first sign of trouble... General Ironwood will not abandon us, we just need to hold out until he arrives-" Winter was interrupted when a man came soaring into the opening, they all turned weapons ready. Shadow's body slid to a stop, a large hole in his chest with a purple substance around the wounds.

"Shadow" Phoenix rushed to his side, checking for a pulse. She looked up at Winter and shook her head.

"Winter Schnee" Tyrian's voice echoed into the room "You and your friends have no way out, the Grimm surround you at every angle, your friend is dead. You will not live long enough to be able to call for help. But don't worry..." he manic laughter echoed through the ruins "At least you will all die among friends, many of my victims don't get that luxury"

"Echo. Can you sense him?" Phoenix asked.

"Let me see" he approached the entryway and placed his hand onto the wall, listening for any vibrations that might give him away. Echo gasped, standing up just in time for Tyrian's tale to impale him through the chest, pulling him out of the entryway. Winter unsheathed her blade as he grinned sadistically at them.

"Stay behind me" she ordered.

Tyrian leapt backward out of sight, Sentinel activated her Semblance but was dismayed when she couldn't find him.

"I can't sense him either" Wolf looked around fearfully.

"That shouldn't be possible. How is that possible?" Phoenix asked.

"I don't know" Winter sighed "We'd received a report some time ago that he could teleport. We've never been able to confirm it, but it's a possibility"

"That would explain it" Wolf nodded in understanding.

"Be on the lookout, we don't want him to get the drop on us"

They remained perfectly still and silent, allowing for Wolf to use his Semblance to hunt for him. After several moments of silence he shouted "Above us!"

They all leapt away from the center of the room as Tyrian crashed into the ground, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake. Tyrian leapt out of the dust cloud right at Winter. She deflected his wrist blades with both of her own blades. Tyrian quickly turned to Sentinel as she attacked with her Katanas, blocking them both with his wrist blades, laughing all the while.

Tyrian kicked Sentinel in the chest, knocking her back as he flipped around and deflected attacks from both Brave and Wolf simultaneously with his wrist blades. He continued to block their strikes, interchanging between them as he deflected their attacks. Tyrian's eyes drifted toward his left as Sentinel, Winter and Phoenix all struck in unison.

Tyrian spun on his heel, his coat flying off as his tail emerged and masterfully deflected all of their attacks with his wrist blades and tail at blinding speed. Tyrian refocused his assault on Winter, forcing her on the defensive with a flurry of strikes. Castle Squad charged him from behind, forcing Tyrian to relent. Flipping over Phoenix's blade he caught himself on his right hand and deflected all attacks from his assailants using only his left wrist blades and his tail to defend himself. He kicked Brave in the face with both his heels, one after the other, knocking his helmet clean off.

Brave growled, his fang like teeth barring at him. Brave had bright yellow reptilian eyes and green scales covering his entire head.

"Ooo, a fellow Faunus" he chuckled "And an ugly one" his tail embedded itself into the ground as Winter narrowly dodged the strike. Landing on part of a collapsed archway, she summoned a Beowulf. It launched itself at Tyrian, he leapt away catching himself on one of the pillars, his tail wrapped around it. He swung around it and launched himself back at the Beowulf slamming into it and destroying it in a single strike. Brave was the only member of Castle Squad that didn't leap distance himself from Tyrian.

Brave roared in anger and charged right for him. Tyrian grinned and blocked his strikes, despite Brave's semblance making him significantly stronger every time Tyrian hit him. Leaning back under a ferocious swing of Brave's hammer, Tyrian's tail struck right into his neck "Surprise!" he laughed removing it. Brave grabbed his throat in agony and collapsed, succumbing to his wound.

"Oh... so sad" he laughed.

Winter growled, embedding her blades into the ground a glyph forming around her, a swarm of miniature nevermores came soaring out at him. Tyrian grinned and used his wrist blades to destroy each of them. Wolf charged him from behind, Tyrian's tail wrapped itself around his neck before he could react and slammed him into the ground with tremendous force, snapping his neck in the process.

"No!" Sentinel shouted firing her pistol at him. Tyrian blocked each of the rounds fired, then rolled forward dodging Phoenix's strike. He wrapped his legs around Sentinel's neck and launched her into a nearby wall, firing several rounds from his vambraces into her chest. A pillar collapsed onto her body, crushing her beneath it.

Phoenix and Winter leapt at Tyrian from opposite sides, striking in unison. Tyrian easily blocked with his wrist blades and transitioned between offensive and defensive between their attacks, forcing each of them back. Tyrian slammed the side of his tail into Winter's chest, throwing her back into a pillar. It collapsed atop of her, she managed to stop it with a glyph just in time, then summoned a Beowulf to catch it.

Tyrian unleashed a whirlwind of strikes against Phoenix, using his tail and both of his wrist blades "Winter!"

"I'm trying" she called back, picking herself up off the ground.

"I can't... keep up-" his tail pierced her chest, he swung her around and launched her body right at Winter.

"Dammit!" Winter caught Phoenix, she could barely breathe.

"I told you" Tyrian laughed "All of you are going to die here. Even you" he pointed right at Winter.

Winter was filled with rage at the deaths of those under her command "I won't go down easy" she summoned four Beowolves.

"No, I didn't expect you would" he grinned "That's what'll make this so fun"

The first charged right toward him, Tyrian used his tail to push it's right arm to his right and rolled over it's back. Slamming his boot into the second one's chest, threw it back into the third and fourth. Twisting around, he dropped onto his knees and stabbed the Beowulf with his wrist blade. Turning back toward Winter, his tail threw a large piece of rubble it picked up and slammed it into the second, destroying it as well.

The third charged forward, Tyrian ducked beneath it's strike and impaled it's head on his tail, launching it backward with it's own momentum. Winter used her glyphs to propel herself forward as he turned back toward her. Tyrian stepped aside, wrapping his arm underneath her right and flipping backward, tossing Winter into the air. Tyrian leapt toward her only to be caught by his tail by the final Beowulf. It pulled him back toward it, he fired several rounds into it's chest, destroying it.

Winter caught herself on her hands and flipped backward, sliding to a stop. Tyrian leapt forward faster than she could react, using her blade she barely managed to deflect his tail into her shoulder instead of her chest.

"Aurgh!" she fell to her knees as she cried out. Tyrian removed his tail from her shoulder.

"Well now, you're faster than I thought" he chuckled "But not fast enough" his grin grew as he stepped closer, his tail hovering over his shoulder.

Winter fell onto her side, quickly losing strength from the amount of poison in her system "You killed all of them"

"And it was so easy too" he laughed "Next time, Ironwood should really send his best. I must say I was surprised Branwen didn't join you. He and I have a bit of a score to settle"

"Maybe he just didn't think you were worth the effort" she choked out.

"Oh I doubt that, but I do know an attempt to offend when I see one" he chuckled "Nice try" his tail primed to strike "Any last words?"

"I have a few" she smiled, surprising Tyrian "You're not as smart as you think you are"

Tyrian's tail lunged toward her but only the sound of metal clanging on metal reverberated throughout the room. Tyrian's eyes widened in shock when he saw the familiar weapon embedded between him and Winter. Qrow grabbed him by the back of his tail and pulled hard, slamming him onto the ground, knocking him backward "You" he growled.

Qrow removed Harbinger from the ground "Yeah, me" he smirked "Didn't think I would pass up the chance to pay you back for that scar you left me did you?"

"Oh, Qrow" he chuckled "I couldn't wait to see you again. In fact, I was pretty disappointed you weren't there in Atlas when I paid Stroud a visit"

"We all have our disappointments. Mine is that I didn't get to kill you last time"

"Well? Now is your chance" he held both of his hands out, begging him to attack.

"Be careful, Qrow" Winter coughed out "He's fast"

"Save your strength, Winter. I know first hand how bad that poison is"

Tyrian laughed "Branwen, always playing the hero. You're so predictable"

"Salem does like to leave quite a mess you know. It always seems to lead me to you recently" Tyrian leapt back into the darkness keeping himself out of Qrow's sight "I already know you're here, running isn't going to help you. Let me guess, you're expecting to catch me by surprise" he twisted around and blocked Tyrian's tale from behind him.

Tyrian leapt from the shadows and removed tossed his cloak into Qrow's face. Qrow sliced through it and blocked his wrist blades with Harbinger. "You'll have to do better than that"

Tyrian stepped back and thrust his tail at Qrow, he easily blocked the attack with a smirk. Tyrian growled, unleashing a flurry of attacks at Qrow. Tyrian managed to knock Harbinger from his hands.

"Oh no, now I am in trouble" Qrow feigned concern.

Tyrian sliced his right hand toward Qrow's chest, forcing him to take a step back. Swinging his tail toward his face, Qrow ducked beneath the strike then hopped over a kick for his legs before ducking under another strike from his wrist blades. Stepping back, he found Tyrian's tail, inches from his face.

"Time to die, Branwen"

Qrow ducked just in time to dodge his tail and caught both his hands by the wrists and planted his boot onto his tail. Qrow slammed his head into Tyrian's knocking him back a few steps, holding his nose painfully. Qrow rolled over Harbinger, catching the handle in his right hand and blocking his tail from behind his back.

"Shall we?" Qrow asked, a confident smirk on his face.

I need to get Winter out of here, but there's no where to go. Think, Branwen, think!

Qrow matched Tyrian's strikes with his own easily keeping up with his assault. Tyrian kicked Qrow in the chest, throwing him into a nearby collapsed pillar. Lunging toward Qrow, he sliced his blades toward his head as Qrow managed to duck beneath them, leaving marks on the stone pillar's base. Qrow rolled around Tyrian then flipped backward over his tail swinging at his back.

"We already know about Salem's spy inside our ranks, Tyrian. No matter what happens here, Salem will not win"

"She will win. She always wins. And you're going to die here!"

Tyrian continued to force Qrow to defend against his relentless assault, twirling and flipping through the air as he struck. Tyrian's tail wrapped around his wrist, knocking Harbinger from his grasp, and kicked his left shin, knocking him to his knees. Tyrian's tail lunged right for him. Qrow caught his tail between his hands, barely managing to keep it from embedding in his chest.

Not good

"I told you,Qrow" he laughed "You're going to die!" Qrow pulled his tail back, knocking Qrow forward onto his hands and thrust it back for his chest.

Damn... Qrow thought when he realized he wouldn't be fast enough to catch it again.

---

Slade sat on a bench overlooking the city of Atlas, his gauntlets were opened up. Using a small rag in his opposite hand, he was cleaning the inside of it. Slade had a lit cigar in his mouth and looked up briefly when he noticed the fiery tempered blonde standing at the other end of the bench.

"Hey" she waved.

"Hey yourself" he smiled lightly.

She returned his smile with one of her own "Do you mind?" she gestured to the open seat next to him.

"By all means" his gauntlet shut as he moved to give her space. Tossing the rag into his opposite hand, his right gauntlet opened in a similar manner with a flourish of his wrist.

"Thanks" she sat down and let out a sigh of relief.

"Just coming out to enjoy the weather? Or did you need me for something?" he asked curiously.

"Just wanted to talk, I take it your free" she had a playful smile, already knowing his answer.

"Sure, just checking my weapons. Can never be too careful"

"Especially these days" Yang agreed.

Slade chuckled "You know, before I thought I had seen everything Atlas had to offer when they started introducing those mechanical soldiers tromping around town. Penny showed me just how wrong I was... never thought I would befriend an artificial person... makes me kinda wish I had Ironwood's resources sooner"

Yang laughed "Yeah, the new digs are a nice touch. Not to mention the arm" she held it up for only a moment, gauging his reaction. She lowered it when she noticed no change.

"I'm still not sure telling him everything was the right call, Ozpin kept his secrets from him for a reason"

"Ozpin kept secrets from everyone, not just Ironwood. Ruby is trying to be better than that" Yang's nostrils flared in anger.

"Relax, Yang" he held up his hand "Just saying my opinion on the matter. I can't exactly doubt Ruby's judgement now can I? Her team is still kicking, not to mention she led the remains of Jaune's team to Mistral mostly on her own"

"What happened to your team-"

"Wasn't my fault, I know. I've heard it before" Slade waved her off dismissively, his gauntlet closing as he finished cleaning it "Point is, I wasn't the best person to be leading that team, despite what Ozpin and Qrow might think. Ruby on the other hand is a natural leader, she inspired me anyway, and that's not something to sniff at"

"Ruby was what made you come back in Haven?" Yang cocked her head questioningly.

"Well, there were some other things" he laughed "A certain blonde might've gotten in my head more than I would've liked to admit. And seeing Qrow again, with people who looked genuinely happy... it reminded me of why I wanted to become a Huntsman in the first place"

"Why was that?"

"To keep people who couldn't defend themselves safe from people like Salem. To stop from what happened to me and my family from happening to anyone else" he shook his head "Sometimes things seem easier in your head than they really are"

"I know the feeling. I was gonna travel the world, righting wrongs and having fun while I was at it" she laughed "Gods I was so naive back then"

"We all are when we're young or inexperienced" Slade assured her "Despite that, I'd say you got most of your dream fulfilled"

"Yeah, I guess I did. Traveling from Vale to Mistral and then to Atlas. I have seen a lot now"

"I'm sure you'll see far more before we're finished. Besides, Salem isn't going to go down easy. But that won't stop us from kicking her back into her hole every time she comes crawling out"

"I like that idea!" Yang laughed, she turned toward him "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what do you wanna know?"

"You walked away from being a Huntsman and tried being a Bounty Hunter. All the while you were still helping people the most you could... I gotta wonder, why work with someone like Torchwick? He can't have fooled you into thinking he cared when you first met"

"No, you're right. I could see right through him, he saw me fight and just wanted someone to work as his muscle. After the fiasco of a robbery that Ruby thwarted, I imagine he was just looking to fill the ranks so to speak" he paused, collecting his thoughts. Slade put out his cigar tossing it into the trash bin across between the two benches.

"Maybe it was my drunkenness or maybe it was because I just didn't care, but I agreed to work with him. I imagine he figured he would convince me to work with him full time, but no matter how many times I helped him out of tight spots, I refused to do anything I didn't expressly agree with" he laughed "Roman stopped trying to convince me before long. I think it might've been Neo who actually convinced him. She's always had a kinder heart than anyone in her position could be expected to have. Saved my life enough times"

"The way you talk about Neo, were you two ever... close?"

"Yes, but not in the way that you're asking. She and I shared some things about ourselves when Roman wasn't around. Things neither of us had talked about before or since... Besides, I always got the impression she and Roman had a thing going on between them. Never asked, didn't want to know" he laughed. Slade removed the zippo lighter from his pocket before continuing "Despite all his faults, Roman was a better person than people give him credit for, I know he was scared of Salem... but he was a good guy at heart. He cared for his friends at least"

"How do you know he really cared? He could've just fooled you into thinking-"

"I get where you're coming from" Slade stopped her "I thought the same thing at first, when he started acting like we were friends instead of associates. Neo and I were close, having actually worked in the field together so to speak. Roman was always just the guy who paid me for a target, made me feel like a hit-man sometimes. Thankfully he didn't usually ask me to kill them. I can count on one hand how many times he asked me to do that" Slade chuckled "He didn't like that talk"

"I can imagine" Yang crossed her arms with a knowing smirk "You can be pretty hard headed once you've made up your mind about something"

"It's part of my charm" Slade put the lighter back into his pocket "Anyway, I knew Roman wasn't just yanking me around when he put himself between me and Cinder during a very heated argument. Roman was afraid of Cinder, much more afraid of her than he was of me. But he still stood up to her, even she was surprised" he laughed at the memory "That's when I knew he wasn't just brown nosing"

"So you really cared for him"

"I did... do" he sighed "And now he's dead too. Shows you just how helpless we all are sometimes... you can't save someone from themselves"

"You're still going to try and help Neo though, right?"

"Not at the cost of any of you, but yes. If I can help her, I will. I don't plan on giving up on her just because Cinder has her confused"

Yang smiled "Your a good man, Slade"

"Ah, don't get all sappy on my now" he laughed standing up from the bench.

"Aw, don't shy away from me now. Things were just getting fun" she laughed with him.

"After my horrendous display on the dance floor, I'm surprised you'd still want to associate with me"

"Well the bright side to partnering with a bad dancer, I'll always look good"

"Well it wouldn't matter if your partner was the sun, you'd still outshine everyone else" Yang looked shocked for a moment, she grinned crossing her arms over her chest.

"Is that right?"

"Wait... I didn't mean... I mean you are... Can we talk about something else now?" Slade asked nervously.

Yang giggled "Sure"

Slade leaned against the railing "I... I want to thank you for coming after me in that bar back in Mistral. I know I didn't want to hear it, but I needed to hear what you had to say. It helped me a lot, moving past what happened to my team and Roman. Ozpin was right about one thing I don't let myself process grief as much as I should"

"Well, here's to hoping you don't need to again. At least not anytime soon"

Slade chuckled "I'll drink to that"

"Or anything else for that matter"

"Are you saying I have a drinking problem?"

"No, but I am not NOT saying it"

"Clever"

"I do try" she smiled.

"Whatever happens from here on out, whether it's the Salem, the Grimm, or whatever else comes at us. I plan on sticking around"

"You really think there's something out there worse than Salem?" Yang asked, cocking her eyebrow.

"What can I say?" Slade shrugged "After everything I have seen, I like to expect the worst. You never know, there's always that chance I could be pleasantly surprised... or unpleasantly in some cases"

"You know we couldn't do this without you, Slade. We may not always say it, but without you and Qrow training us... we'd have some real trouble fighting back against Salem"

"I don't think so, I think you could do just fine without me. Not as stylishly of course. Qrow may think he has style, but let's be honest. He steals it from me"

"Isn't he older than you? Doesn't that mean you stole it from him?"

"Shh! Not so loud, you want the whole city to know my deepest secret? Then where would I be" They both laughed.

"You really think we're up for this? Fighting Salem?"

"I'm not sure anyone is really prepared for fighting someone like Salem, she's the immovable object and the unstoppable force all in one package. Best we can do, is give it everything we have. Hope it's enough"

"Suppose you're right about that"

"I'm still trying to figure out how to keep myself prepared for this mission. Stopping Salem and keeping the world safe is a much bigger task now that we know the truth"

"I would've thought you were good at preparing for hard missions after taking down McLaren"

"Sure, but that was quick compared to this. I got the equipment and intel I needed and took her down, on my own I might add. Now I have a team, and we know the full truth about Salem now. I think I preferred the blind optimism I had back in Beacon"

"Honestly, Slade. I know you're holding something back every time you talk about this. What do you really think our chances are of stopping Salem?"

"Honestly?" Slade pondered silently for a minute.

"Yes, honestly. I want to know what you think the odds of us living through this are"

"Well then. Honestly, Salem killed my family and my team once. And they killed your friend too. All that's done is piss us off and made us fight all the harder. Though admittedly with some stumbling along the way, some of us more than others" he sighed "Salem isn't someone we can kill, she's got one of the Maidens on her side now and a near unlimited army of Grimm. That's not even mentioning the fact she's been able to convince people like the White Fang and whoever these people are working with her in Atlas, and the fact she converted Lionheart to her cause and has a spy hiding right beneath our noses"

Slade stood up straight "People are going to die, there's no way around that. Fight or don't, we're going to lose people... might even have to deal with some friends becoming enemies if what Ozpin believes is true"

Yang's head hung at this admission though she knew he was right "Of course, I know this isn't what anyone wants to hear. It's enough to drive people away. Don't worry, I don't plan on spreading it around. regardless, I am in this for the long haul this time. Win or lose, I plan on facing Salem until the end. Whether that's next week, next year, or until old age comes calling. I will push back until they day I die, that's a promise" Yang smiled at him, he unconsciously smiled in return.

"Do you ever regret becoming a Huntsman? Throwing the Bounty Hunting gig away?"

"No, not for a minute. I never would've gotten to know all of you if I didn't. Besides, I don't think I am that good of a Huntsman anyway. Not so good at the following orders part" he laughed "Never saw the point in being polite about things if rude and honest get the job done and keep people safe. Sometimes the people who're giving the orders are wrong, if I follow a bad order and get people killed it's still my fault, because I could choose. I'm not a gun that doesn't get to decided when or who I kill"

"You're not the only one here who thinks that way"

"I know" Slade grinned "That's why we all get along so well. And one of the many reasons why Winter and I don't"

"She does seem to be riding you and Qrow pretty hard"

"I don't blame her, if I was in her place I wouldn't trust me either. Qrow on the other hand... well, I've seen enough of the two of them to know what's going on there"

"Huh?" Yang looked confused.

"If you haven't figured it out yet, I won't say anything. It's not really my place to be spreading any rumors anyhow"

"Fair" Yang huffed "Don't think I am going to let you off that easily though"

"You already know how hard it is to get a secret out of me, Yang. I wouldn't advise going down this road" he laughed "But hey, do what you like"

"I gotta ask, how exactly do you prepare for missions? I mean drinking and smoking obviously, but is that all there is to it?"

"Violence mostly, when I was in charge of SHDW I ran them hard. But I knew what pent up stress could do on a mission, never wanted a personal issue to get in the way while in the field. Ruby runs things a bit looser than I do but we both agree to have few restrictions when it comes to stress relief on the job"

"How so?"

"Well for instance, Ruby coddles you all a bit more than I would, but she gets results. Who am I to complain? She understands that the most important thing about working on a team, is teamwork. If you don't trust the guy next to you, then the mission is already doomed to fail. I never wanted to wind my team up too much before a job, so I made sure they were able to work out their problems beforehand"

"What did you do?"

"Nothing fancy, some sparring, set up a shooting range, even ran them through some combat scenarios a time or two"

"You made your team fight each other before going on a mission? Isn't that a bit risky?"

"You misunderstand. It was supervised, Glynda wouldn't have allowed unscheduled sparring anyway, and there's no way any of us would've risked an injury before a mission, that could put everyone at risk. It was a good way to settle grudges without anyone getting hurt too. I imagine you all had some issues back at Beacon a time or two. Weiss comes to mind" he chuckled.

"Ugh, you have no idea. She was worse than Winter"

"Sparring would've made it easier for you to work out problems with her back then. Willow wasn't really a people person, and even less so when that someone has authority over her. She and I had many a shouting match during the first two years"

"Sounds like you had your own Weiss" Yang laughed.

Slade smiled "I remember, before this one missing: We were about to go after a Goliath, extremely risky for second years. But we didn't care, it was going to be a fun one. Least that's what I kept saying" he shook his head "Anyway, Willow and I had been at each others throats for days now, and nothing was working. Hazel suggested we settle it in a sparring match"

"Can I assume you took her down gently?" Yang grinned.

"Actually, she was a stronger fighter than I was at the time. I was more flexible than she was, but I excel at close range combat, whereas she is long range. fifteen minutes straight of fighting, she took me down hard. Was the first time I had lost a match that year, but on the bright side we came to a bit of an understanding. She never would've been able to take me without her rifle, but the same could be said for me if I am forced long range. Well, I've brushed up on my weapons training since then, but the point remains"

Yang pondered something for a few moments, she looked nervous but decided to speak her mind anyway "You know, we-" Slade and Yang's scrolls began ringing loudly "Both of us?"

"That can't be good" Slade sighed, they both answered.

"Penny, what's wrong?" Yang asked. The screen of their scrolls shifted to display the images of those in the call, the rest of team RWBY and JNPR along with Oscar and Maria were in the call.

"We have a mission, meet me in the hangar. Qrow and Winter are in trouble" she answered.

"What!?" Yang, Ruby and Weiss shouted with concern. Slade and Yang moved inside the academy and rushed through the halls "Tell us everything"

"First off you should know that General Ironwood asked me to keep this to myself. So I would ask you at least try and keep this between us until we have them safe"she explained.

Slade was a tad surprised she was going against an order, but remained silent "Qrow and Winter were sent with a full team of Huntsmen after Tyrian Callows. General Ironwood just lost contact with them a few minutes ago. He asked me to get them out of trouble, and I am asking you to help me"

"Despite being told not to" Slade smirked "Have I ever told you how much I like you, Penny?"

"Not recently, but I do appreciate the compliment" she answered, Slade and Yang shook their heads.

They arrived in the hangar just after Ruby and Oscar came to a stop in front of Penny "What's the plan?" Oscar asked.

"Pack in to the airship and save our friends?" Jaune asked as he entered with Ren and Nora, Blake and Weiss not far behind.

"More or less" Penny agreed "The priority is to get them out and back here safely, but Tyrian was their target. We should expect more trouble than just him"

"Considering Qrow was able to at least match Tyrian last time we fought, with a whole team to back him up this time..." Ren left the sentence unfinished.

"He'd have to have backup too" Nora finished for him.

"Then we shouldn't waste time" Weiss pointed out.

"Ya, they need our help" Ruby agreed.

"That's all well and good, Ruby. But aside from the fact we need a plan... you and Oscar are staying here"

"What!?" everyone shouted in response.

Slade winced from their volume "I know, I know. I don't like it either, but we need someone running interference with Ironwood and the last thing we need in this situation is Ruby and Oscar bringing not only themselves but the relic right to him" he gestured to the lamp on Oscar's hip.

"Well... that makes sense, but why us?" Oscar asked.

"Because we're already going in to rescue two of our friends, the last thing we need is to be distracted keeping you two away from Tyrian at the same time"

Ruby saw the sense in his words, but she didn't want to admit it "You said it was going to take all of us to beat Salem, so we should all go-"

They were interrupted when a loud smack echoed behind them, turning toward the parked airship, they found the pilot soaring out the back sliding to a stop on the ground.

"We gonna sit here all day and argue about rescuing them, or are we going to get going?" Maria asked impatiently tapping her cane on the floor. She turned and made her way toward the pilot seat.

Slade turned back toward Ruby and Oscar as the others all boarded "This isn't up for discussion, Ruby. I promise, the next mission we get. Both of you are coming along. Fair?"

"Fine, but you better bring them both back" Ruby sighed in defeat.

"You know I will" Slade smiled trying to reassure her. Slade turned and quickly boarded the airship behind the others.

"They're gonna be alright, Ruby" Oscar placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I hope you're right" she sighed "We need to make sure Ironwood doesn't find out" she grabbed the arm of the unconscious pilot "Help me hide him"

"R-right" Oscar moved to the other side.

"Man he is heavy" Ruby groaned from the exertion.

The airship door closed behind Slade as he entered "What's the plan?" Jaune asked looking toward Slade.

"What're you looking at me for, you're the idea guy" Slade punched him in the shoulder playfully.

"Maybe, but you're the one with more experience leading teams, and you've been training us. You know better than anyone how best to utilize our skillets"

"Fair enough" Slade sighed "Alright..." he sat in the seat in the center the group forming a circle around him "We're going to split into two teams. One team is going to recover any wounded, and ensure we don't miss anyone, the other is going to provide backup to anyone still engaging Tyrian"

"Sounds good, who's on recovery?" Weiss asked.

"Jaune you'll be healing anyone we have wounded once they're aboard, naturally that makes you in charge of the recovery team. Weiss, you can use your summoning and use it to move the wounded back to the ship. Ren, you're going to keep them hidden from Tyrian while they work" Slade explained "Yang, Blake and Nora will be with me keeping Tyrian busy until we're all set to go. Penny, I want you providing support to both teams on a need by need basis. You can scan to find life signs once we arrive so we don't waste time. Any questions? Good" Slade stood from his place "Let's go kick some ass"

---

Ironwood walked through the halls, passing right by the hangar. Making his way through the hallway, he found Ruby and Oscar standing next to a door left ajar.

"Oh, hey General" Oscar waved.

"Ironwood!" Ruby turned surprised "Didn't see you coming" she waved trying to act innocent.

"Why do I get the feeling you're doing something you're not supposed to be doing?" he asked coming to a stop.

"Oh, well... that's easy... it's because..." Ruby was trying to come up with something.

"It has to do with that thing we talked about before, remember?" Oscar chimed in, trying to help.

"Huh?" Ruby looked confused.

"Thing?" Ironwood asked cocking his eyebrow.

"Ya, didn't anybody tell you?" Oscar moved closer and whispered something in his ear.

"Ah!" he chuckled lightly "Yes, I recall Winter saying something about that. Complaining more than informing, but she just doesn't want to admit she is looking forward to it"

"Oh!" Ruby caught on "Ya, we were just doing something about the thing" she winked at him.

"I hear you loud and clear" he winked back "Mind me asking what it has to do with a utility closet?"

"Uh, well-"

"General, please" Pietro called as he entered the room "You really mustn't delay any longer. Councilman Schnee isn't the only one getting impatient now"

Ironwood sighed "You're right, I shouldn't keep them waiting" he shook his head, looking right at Ruby he smiled "We're going to have to continue this conversation later" he continued walking past them.

"Bye, General" Oscar waved calmly. One of the guards at the back, turned her head and glared at Ruby, if looks could kill she would've just killed Ruby. Her head turned back forward as she marched in step with the other two guards.

Ruby let out a sigh of relief "Whew. I thought we were caught for sure"

"You're not a very good liar, Ruby"

"I panicked!"

"Children, please" Pietro sighed ushering them away from the door, he closed it quickly "You're covering for Penny, and doing quite a bad job of it"

"How-"

"Do I know? Because I pay attention, Mr. Pine" he sighed "The important thing is, we don't talk here. Too many places someone could be listening" he gestured for them to follow behind him "We'll speak in my office. Better chance we're not overheard there" he quickly led toward his office.

"What's Ironwood late for?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Council meeting" Pietro answered "Given the fact that James holds 2 seats on the Atlas council, Jacques is inclined to make trouble for him whenever he can"

"That sounds like how Weiss described her dad" Oscar noted.

"Winter isn't his biggest fan either, especially after her mother... well... no use talking about that now"

"Weiss has never mentioned her mother now that I think about it" Ruby wore a thoughtful expression.

Pietro sighed "I can only imagine why"

An heavy silence settled over them. Oscar decided to be the one to break it "That guard behind Ironwood really didn't seem to like you, Ruby"

Ruby's face lit up with emotion "I know! I don't even know what I did, maybe she suspected something"

"With your skill at deception, one can only speculate" came Pietro's sarcastic reply. Ruby stuck her tongue out at him.

"She could've been jealous" Oscar offered "General Ironwood does know you by name"

"Maybe, but I don't think so. She actually reminds me of the waitress just before Neo... attacked..." she stopped a look of realization adorned her face "Oh no..."

"Ruby?" Oscar asked concerned.

"We have to warn Ironwood!" she shouted "Doctor, tell the guards to sound the alarm. Neo is in the academy" she bolted in the direction they came from, Oscar following close behind.

"Ms. Rose!" Pietro shouted after her "How do-ah hell" he brought out his scroll and started calling the security office.

Oscar started catching up to Ruby "Don't wait on me, go!" she used her Semblance and flew down the halls at blinding speed.

---

A single gunshot rang out through the ruins, Tyrian cried in pain as the bullet pierced his shoulder. His tail embedded into the ground beside Qrow, looking to his left, he smirked when he saw Winter leaning against her sword, embedded in the ground for balance, Sentinel's pistol in hand.

Qrow stood, punching Tyrian in the face twice then flipping over his retracting tail, he kicked him in the chest, sending him flying backward. Tyrian flipped backward, sliding to a stop using his wrist blades, sparking against the floor as he stopped.

"How're you holding up, Winter?" Qrow asked scooping up Harbinger into his hands.

"Adrenaline is making my heart pump too fast, damn poison is spreading. I can barely feel my arms"

"We need a plan, I won't be able to take him on my own. Best I can hope for is matching his speed right now"

"Have you got one?" Winter asked hopeful.

"No good ones" Qrow huffed.

Winter collapsed onto her knees "There's not much I can do for you in this condition" she coughed out.

"Planning on escaping are we?" Tyrian laughed "That's not going to happen, sorry. I just can't let you go" he rushed forward. Qrow prepared to block but was surprised to find Tyrian soaring away from him as a broken pillar slammed into his side.

Blake and Yang leapt from the shadows and landed in front of him. Slade and Nora followed shortly afterward, smiling triumphantly.

"Nice shot" Nora punched him in the arm.

"I am to please. Jaune"

"I'm on it" Jaune grabbed Winter, slinging her arm over his shoulder and lifting her up into his arms with his hand under her knees. Weiss grabbed her weapons and followed quickly behind him.

"Penny, check the bodies"

"Right" Penny soared through the air overhead, quickly searching each Huntsman for vital signs.

Tyrian pushed the broken rubble off him and stood with an annoyed groan "Can't you see we're busy here?"

"Aw, I don't think he likes surprises" Yang taunted, earning a growl from him.

Tyrian leapt forward, striking right at Yang. Blake caught his arm with the ribbon on the end of Gambol Shroud's hilt, pinning his right arm to the ground. Nora slammed Magnhild into his tail, pinning it to the ground while Slade used the cable fired from his gauntlet over the top of his tail to tie it around and keep it pinned so Nora didn't have to keep all the weight for herself.

Tyrian snarled, slicing his left arm in anger, Slade used his Semblance to force his left arm still while they had him. Tyrian kicked at Nora, forcing her to block with the handle of her weapon, giving him a bit of wiggle room.

"His legs, Yang!" Blake called.

"I got em" Yang wrapped her metal arm around both of his legs to keep him from attacking. Tyrian shouted in anger, headbutting Yang, she released her grip on his legs. Tyrian slammed his heels into Blake's chest, throwing her backward, twisting to his left he forced his tail out from under Magnhild, pulling Slade up over his head and slamming him into the ground, releasing his hold on his arm using his Semblance.

Ren leapt overhead firing his weapons at Tyrian. He blocked with his tail and kicked Nora across the face, tossing her into Yang as she stood back up. Maria crashed the airship through the ruin walls, facing him down. Tyrian grinned just before the airship guns started firing. Tyrian rushed away, ducking behind some rubble for cover.

"Everyone out" Slade groaned standing back up.

"No! We can't let him get away!" Qrow shouted.

"We don't have time, Qrow" Yang stopped him, holding him back "Winter is going to die if we don't get her medical attention" Qrow reluctantly relented as Maria landed the airship.

"You're not getting away so easily!" Tyrian shouted rushing them.

Slade put himself between them, barely managing to block his attacks. Tyrian slammed his tail into Slade's chest from below, throwing him up into a collapsed archway above him. Slade collided with the ground and a large brick shattered over his chest. Tyrian wrapped his tail around Slade's midsection and tossed him backward, he slid to a stop against a collapsed pillar.

"Slade!" Yang lunged toward them only to be sent flying backward by Tyrian's tail smacking her across the face, knocking her right into Qrow. They both fell onto their backs.

"Time to say goodnight" Tyrian laughed "She is really looking forward to meeting you in person"

"I'll take a rain check" Slade launched Tyrian up into the archway with his Semblance and quickly got to his feet, using his Semblance once more Tyrian was sent flying across the room.

Slade quickly rushed into the airship with Yang and Qrow just ahead of him.

"I'm not letting you get away!" Tyrian leapt for the airship as it ascended, a large slab of rubble threw him across the room.

"Nice, he didn't even see it coming" Yang grinned.

"That wasn't me" Slade wore a confused expression as the airship accelerated out of the ruins.

"What?" Yang looked back, trying to see who it could've been.

Tyrian stood up and glared in the direction of the attack, a familiar raven flew out the same way they did "Didn't realize everyone was invited to this party" he glowered.

"Where are the others?" Qrow asked looking around frantically.

"They're all dead" Penny looked down dejectedly "Winter is the only one with life signs"

Qrow sighed deeply "Dammit" he collapsed onto the nearby seat.

"It's not your fault, Uncle Qrow" Yang sat down next to him.

"Thanks, Firecracker" he moved back, giving her enough room to rest her head against his shoulder "What about, Winter?"

Jaune was still healing her "She passed out when we got her back here, from the blood loss I think"

Slade grabbed her arm and placed two of his fingers on her wrist "I can barely feel her pulse, and she's very pale"

"There's nothing I can do about that. Much as I wish I could, blood doesn't just appear from nowhere"

"No, but the poison in her system isn't going to matter if her heart doesn't have any blood to pump. We need to keep her alive long enough for her to get antivenom in her system"

"Considering how long it was in my system, we have more than enough time to reach Atlas before that happens" Qrow pointed out.

Slade opened the compartment beneath the back of the copilot seat, he quickly pick up a large case of medical supplies "Weiss, what's her blood type?"

Weiss looked up surprised "Her blood type... O-, same as our father" she answered as he opened the case.

"Anybody here have that blood type?" Slade asked.

"Ruby does" Qrow answered.

Slade sighed "No one else?" he received silent looks "Alright then" Slade removed his coat, tossing it at Qrow "Nora, come here" he handed her the end of a line of tubing.

"What do I do with this?"

"I haven't exactly done this before, but we need to replace the blood she lost if he's going to last long enough to get to Atlas" He connected the other side of the split end into a saline bag, forcing some of it into the line. He then connected the opposite end of the line into the back of Winter's wrist "I need you to connect it into mine. We don't exactly have a blood bag with us"

"What?" Yang asked "You're going to just give Winter blood, while you're still awake?"

"Well it's not ideal, Yang. But no one else here can give her blood, and we just need to get her enough to replace what she's lost"

"So why am I the one doing this?" Nora asked.

"Well, because I don't want to chance myself missing my own vein" Slade answered "That and everyone else would be too concerned about hurting me, I need you to-ow!"

"Done"

"That's not-you know I..." Slade sighed, the line filling with his blood as it transferred over to Winter "Thanks"

"Your welcome" Nora smiled brightly.

"Does it hurt?" Yang asked concerned.

"Only when I think about it" Slade joked, leaning back he looked up at Jaune "Keep an eye on her, let me know when I can take this thing out of my arm"

"Got it, I can already see some of her color coming back" he noted looking at her arm.

"Maria!" Qrow called "Can't this thing go any faster?"

"Not unless you feel like getting out and pushing" she called back.

---

Ironwood pushed open the doors, entering the room with Jacques and the other councilors waiting in their seats "Apologies for my tardiness" he took his seat at the head of the table "I was coordinating a mission of great importance and simply lost track of time-"

Jacques snarled "Lost track of time? General, we've been here for nearly an hour already and nothing has even begun to be discussed"

"As I said, I was coordinating a mission. I imagine running your own business takes up much of your time as well. But unlike you I cannot push off meetings simply because I am busy, missions must be handled with care, Councilor Schnee"

Harris sighed deeply "We do not doubt your busy schedule, General. But I believe we have more important things to discuss"

Dr. Watts stood beside Jacques at the opposite end of the table, his gaze shifted to the disguised Neo as she took a place on the opposite side of him. His brow furrowed, but he chose not to comment on her presence.

"May I ask why Arthur is here?" Ironwood folded his hands in front of himself.

"He's been updating us on the security situation while we were waiting for you" Rawlings answered.

"Thank you" he nodded to him with a small smile.

"Think nothing of it, General"

"It's been two months since we last spoke of the supposed "infiltrator" within the academy. Might I ask, has anything turned up?" Jacques inquired.

Ironwood shifted uncomfortably in his seat "At the moment we don't have anything concrete-"

"You're telling me, that out of all the soldiers and Huntsmen you have at your disposal, you've turned up nothing?"

"I'm trying-"

"Try HARDER"

"Specialist Schnee is currently on a mission related to that matter. When she returns, hopefully we will have concrete proof"

"Ah, that explains my daughter's absence. Perhaps I should bring my wife next time we meet, to congratulate her" Jacques sneered, earning a glare from Ironwood.

"Your wife has no place in this room, nor does your posturing" Rawlings chastised.

"I am a member of this council just as much as the rest of you, I see no reason why only one of us at this table should be able to choose who does and doesn't belong in this room-"

"Anyone who must parade their position as a talking point is not worthy of that position at all" Ironwood growled "Make sure you take that to heart, Schnee"

"I-"

"Gentlemen, please" Harris groaned "We've more important things to discuss"

"Agreed, we can leave this pettiness until after this meeting is adjourned-" Ironwood began, until he was interrupted by Ruby bursting through the door.

"General!" she shouted rushing to his side.

"What now!?" Jacques shouted angrily.

Ruby pulled Crescent Rose out and aimed it right at the soldier beside Jacques "Neopolitan, put your hands up and surrender"

Ironwood stood up, motioning for the two soldiers at his back to surround her "You're certain it's her, Ruby?" he asked removing Due Process from their holsters.

"It's her"

"Get behind me, councilors" Watts ordered removing his revolver and aiming it at Neo. Jacques, Rawlings and Harris all quickly moved away from her. A loud alarm began blaring just before a dozen Atlas soldiers burst through the door.

"Neopolitan, drop the weapon and put your hands over your head" Ironwood ordered.

Neo smiled as a soldier grabbed her by the shoulder. She grabbed his arm and slammed her knee into his face, then kicked the other soldier's gun from his hand. Twirling back around she kicked the first soldier across the face, throwing him over the table. She grabbed the second by the back of his neck as she returned to her normal appearance flipping him over her shoulder, she opened Hush, using it to block the rounds fired by Ironwood and his soldiers.

"Stop her!" Ironwood shouted.

Ruby moved around the table as Watts approached from the opposite side. Neo closed Hush and flipped sideways onto the table, kicking Ruby across the face with both legs. Twisting toward Watts, she wrapped her leg around his neck, slamming him into the table. Planting her hands on the table, she flipped herself back over the head and slid beneath it using her momentum. Sweeping Hush for Ironwood's legs, she knocked him onto his back.

Neo reached into his coat and removed his scroll, connecting a small plug into the bottom. The screen displayed a black queen chess piece, she smirked and rushed toward the soldiers firing at her with Hush opened in front of her, blocking the bullets. She leapt up over their heads and placed Hush over her shoulder, protecting herself from incoming bullets as she made her way out of the room.

"Don't let her get away!" Ironwood ordered getting to his feet and chasing after her, Ruby not far behind.

"Neo, stop!" Oscar yelled as he rounded the corner.

Neo made it to a nearby window and smashed right through it, opening Hush as she descended. Landing safely on the ground, she ran as fast as she could through the crowds of people on the sidewalk. Ironwood followed with Oscar and Ruby leaping out right behind him. Ruby used her Semblance to move them to the ground safely.

A flatbed truck with a large green shipping container on the back of it passed right by them, Neo leapt on it giving a curt wave as it accelerated away from them.

"Dammit!" Ironwood yelled, looking to his right he saw an Atlas military vehicle speeding down the street. He waved it down, and quickly got in the passenger seat. Ruby and Oscar got in the back "Follow that truck!"

The truck made it's way onto the freeway, a Atlas truck parked in the middle of the road with a few soldiers aiming their weapons at the truck. Neo leapt onto an oil tanker as it turned off onto the unblocked lane.

"There!" Ironwood pointed "Stop the vehicle" they stopped on the overpass overlooking the road the tanker was driving on. Ironwood removed Due Process, ready to fire as he exited the vehicle. Neo gave a small wave as he fired, leaning over the edge she let herself drop off the tanker and rolled as she landed on the back of a large truck. Hooking the end of Hush to the roof, she stopper herself from falling off.

"Dammit!"

The truck slammed on the brakes as it reached a roadblock, Neo rolled off the side of the truck, catching herself by opening Hush and bouncing off the road over the car ahead of her.

Ironwood leapt over the side of the overpass and landed right in front of Neo, she feigned being afraid, and waved Ironwood's scroll in front of him. He grabbed it from her hand and caught her by the throat with his metal hand. Pushing her onto her front, she shattered into glass. He looked up and tried to find her, but didn't find any trace of her. Ruby and Oscar landed right behind him.

"I lost her" he sighed.

"Who knows how long we've been chasing one of her illusions" Oscar crossed his arms.

"Why did she take your scroll just to give it back?" Ruby asked curiously.

"I don't know, once Pietro has taken a look at it, we'll know more" at that moment his scroll chimed, indicating a call. Looking at the screen his eyes shot open in disbelief "Qrow!" he answered.

"Hey, James"

"It is good to hear your voice. When I lost contact with Winter, I thought-"

"We can talk about that later, we're coming in to land. Winter is hurt, but she should be stable for now, thanks to Jaune"

"Jaune? Why the hell-actually, I don't care. We can talk about it after you've landed. We had our own crisis here as well"

"Just make sure there's a medical team waiting for us when we land"

"Will do" Ironwood ended the call and begun another "I want a medical team in the academy hangar ASAP, we have an injured Huntress coming in" turning back toward Ruby and Oscar he narrowed his eyes "You're not going to like this talk we're about to have"

Ruby and Oscar rubbed the nape of their necks sheepishly "Would it help to point out I was the one who figured out Neo was here?" she asked innocently. Ironwood just glared "Alright, that's the tone we're going for here. Got it"

---

That's it for now guys! Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it. I will be working on the next chapter as much as possible, hopefully won't be as long of a wait. Hope everyone had a fun Halloween!