This chapter is out a little earlier than recent updates due to having some free time and more motivation. I'm moving away from the slice of life into actually plot at last. Sometimes, this story feels a little slow, but a lot of stuff has happened and it takes a little time for people to get around, learning about each other, and discover what the opposing forces are doing. I think I'm going to wait for a good spot to end the chapter, season, volume, whatever you want to call it to submit the updated list of ship names. I figured it would be like an intermission type chapter since it's getting kind of long. Might have to remove a few to make space for the better ones. Who knows, maybe the next few chapters will inspire some new ones. Let's get viewer responses out of the way and then onto the main story. I am sorry I didn't expand on drunk Touma. It seems a lot of you would have liked to see that.

ChancePluto: Making a character drunk is kind of lazy writing. It's got to be at the right time for maximum effect. The vomit scene was sort of the end result. Maybe another time, like when he goes to visit the twins.

WinkinsLite: Qrow's and Touma's conversation was a lot of fun to write. Two misfortunate people from different worlds can understand each other.

Awardedall: Well, that's going to have to wait a few chapters. They kind of got split up.

Grendel3130: That's… pretty interesting.

Ahsoei: Kind of? It's a little different then the game, since I only have a very brief understanding of that game. Of course, Glynda. Beacon's resident babysitter.

guerilla sam: Yeah, they shouldn't stick together too much.

TheLastSterling: Obviously, Touma redeems Roman and he acts as their chaperone on dangerous missions for a four man team. No, completely separate.

Jujudude: Thanks.

Guest: Sorry, I have no set schedule. Some weeks I can pump out words, others I barely write.

Gamecubenut: Been debating how exactly that would work. You will have to find out.

Guest: Last Order could give that excuse, but knowing how and actually doing it is completely different. Her size compared to the others would also affect the outcome. Accelerator wasn't there when Neo got the device. She's also a professional. Accelerator might have a chance to notice Cinder. It's a bluff vs sense motive check.

Fernandamichelleraya: Not Qrow's fault. It's not his office. Jaune always acted as the glue between people. He helped Ruby come out of her shell. He helped Pyrrha interact with the rest of the team. It's what he does. I feel a little bad for Jaune. Helping his crush get with another man. At least this way, Arkos can move out. I have a lot of fun with Qrow. He's a complicated character. He's a professional and skilled, but likes to drink and make fun of people.

DD soul: Manly fist bumps.

Mr. X: 1) Maybe. 2) I had to look that up, but yes. 3) Sadly, yes. I couldn't find a canon character to fill that spot that would work except Bartholomew. Didn't want to use him again.

vietnamese guy: It will be good while it last. She is pretty… insert Yang here… smoking!

Guest: I doubt it. Too many characters already. Don't want to throw a bunch more into Remnant. Aleister wouldn't let that happen anymore.

WiliamZ0: Eh, I need a kick in the butt sometimes. He's the son Qrow always wanted with Summer. I don't hate Index, I just don't like her as a romantic partner. Too easy. If he's getting drunk, he has to be surrounded by girls. Both missions happen at the same time and will be split up. A lot easier on me to focus on a smaller group. I'm going to make sure to note that name issue. Glynda could clean up that mess in an instant. Maiden vs IB? Sounds fun. Roman's a good guy. Accelerator will let him go.

JumpingToaster: If another character does show up, it will be much later in the story. Most likely, it would be a small group to help get them back home. Oh god, Mikoto getting lectured about shocking people. Hunters are scrutinized a lot because they have powers normal civilians don't have. Abuse of Aura could get them locked up. There is Emerald and her Semblance. I'll hit certain points in canon, like the dance, but a lot of it will be completely new. Nora would own Mikoto. Pyrrha might actually like leaning how to maximize her magnetism.

Kingofclubs8129: Touma would love the hot older woman. Now, how to turn her good would be the question.

Guest: Can't have the dragon king show up ALL the time. Rarely, but makes a spectacular entrance. People seem to be divided in half on Mikoto. They either want her, or don't want her.

Guest: Touma just has to convince Tai that he would be a good partner for Ruby.

TheCasualReader: That episode WROTE the ending of this story. I now know exactly how it will all end.

CyrusDiamon: Thanks.

LL: Cinder wouldn't be afraid to show some skin. Blake and Ruby… not so much. Cinder? Mikoto wouldn't go for the kill and Cinder has a lot more combat experience. Touma might even… lose an arm.

AMTT94: Watching RWBY helps a lot with the inside jokes. Awakening could happen, depend how I want to have the healing affect him in the long run. Maybe he just needs the right kind of push. Penny will return, her fate though is uncertain. He will tell them a little, but he's not the most talkative. I plan to have Touma and someone talk a bit about that. Touma's not really one to know about politics. He did tell Blake about Skill-Out. Culture would be fun. "Hey, you know cat girls are huge in Japan?" Aiwass would troll them like that. Probably tell them he wants cake and make them get him tons for no reason.

Kami: That's cool. They are kind of different.

Guest13: You will have to wait and see.

Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.


"We're going on a mission! We're going on a mission!" Nora sung while skipping around the rest of the Team JNPR and Accelerator as they waited for Eliza and the Bullhead. Monday had finally arrived and the sun was just beginning to rise.

"We've been on one before." Ren pointed out plainly.

"Yeah, but this one is to help a friend too!" Nora gestured to Accelerator. "Huh." She put a finger to her cheek in thought. "Since we are gathering information, doesn't that mean we are spies?" Her eyes widened. "Ooo! We need code names!"

"What were you thinking?" Ren asked, humoring her.

"I'll be… Sloth Queen!" Nora declared. "And you will be Pancake Lord. Jauney will be… Blood Jaune. Striking fear into all of our enemies!"

"Isn't that too close to my name?" Jaune protested. "My name's actually in there."

"True," Nora conceded. "That defeats the purpose of code names. Fearless Leader won't work, as we don't want the enemy to know who is in charge."

"What about me?" Pyrrha asked. Nora went silent for a moment.

"Titania."

"Titania?" Pyrrha repeated. "How did you come up with that?"

"I don't know, you just seem like a Titania."

"Best not to ask." Ren advised.

"And Accelerator is Sky Bomber." Nora finished. Accelerator actually looked over at them at this, earning chuckles from Jaune and Pyrrha.

"I'm going to regret asking this," Accelerator muttered. "Why?"

"Because you're part of our group, silly!" Nora walked over and touched her finger to his nose. "Boop!"

She was probably the only one in the world besides Last Order who had to guts to try something like that.

"I think he was referring to the name." Pyrrha explained.

"Oh!" Nora laughed. "That's because during the Breach he flew down from the sky and blew everything up."

Accelerator blinked, shrugged, and looked back down at his Scroll.

He had more important things to worry about than Team JNPR's shenanigans. They were a little annoying, but he found out he didn't mind them as much as he used to. Nora always seemed to be trying to include him as one of her friends.

"I think he likes it." Ren pointed out with a small chuckle.


"Okay, Team RWBY plus T," Ruby announced, standing in front of the others. "As you know, we have an important mission led by the coolest uncle ever-…"

"Where is he anyways?" Blake asked.

"Recovering from a hangover, most likely." Weiss sniffed indignantly.

"Probably," Yang agreed and laughed. "That's our Uncle."

"It wasn't a compliment." Weiss huffed. "How that ruffian could be a Hunter is beyond me."

"From what I can recall, he's pretty skilled." The group turned to look at Touma. "He took on around… like fifty Grimm without breaking a sweat. I think? Wasn't exactly all there."

"I'm still curious as to how you managed to end up in that situation." Blake commented. "You didn't seem like a drinker like one of our teammates."

Her eyes darted to Yang, who didn't miss it.

"What's that look supposed to mean?"

No one answered, though Weiss did roll her eyes.

"Yeah!" Ruby exclaimed as she bolted in front of him before pushed a finger into his chest. "So, mister, tell us how you and Uncle Qrow met. He only told us that you two partied and you couldn't hold your alcohol."

"She's wanted to question you about that all day yesterday." Yang explained when Touma looked surprised. "However, with you having a hangover that morning and then the incident at lunch…"


Even Neo didn't mess with him Sunday morning, when he was stuck in bed with a massive hangover.

Touma had alcohol a few times, but that was the first time he had ever gotten that smashed. Remnant's alcohol must be stronger than his world's to affect Hunters. That or it was just Qrow's specific stash. Either way, he had been out of it. It wasn't until nearly 11am that he finally dragged himself out of bed and down to the cafeteria. The others joined him soon after with Neo typically poking his cheek to see how bad he still was.

This was when the problem started.

Nora tossed a pea at Yang, who flicked it back at her. It bounced off Nora's forehead and rebounded into Neo's eye. Not taking that lying down, Neo flipped her pudding, not at Nora, but Yang. The dessert got into her hair and everyone froze. Yang's hair began to stand on end, flames began to form, and her eyes flashed crimson.

Things went downhill rapidly from there.

Everyone scrambled away as Yang flipped the table to get at Neo. Touma was the closest to react and, as the table was flipping over, he knocked his plate of pasta with his elbow. That single nudge added to the force of the spinning table, caused the dish to fly through the air and land in the lap of a certain girl with a brand new outfit. Marinara sauce covered everything.

Coco Adel was not happy.

Beacon's last food fight was nothing compared to this one.


"I still want to know how Coco set up her gun to shoot green beans like bullets." Touma muttered.

"Beacon teaches us to be prepared for anything." Weiss stated matter-of-factly. "And I suppose our last food fight caused some people to take precautions with us around."

"Goodwitch looked like she was going to pop a blood vessel." Yang said with a laugh, thought it wasn't funny at the time. The doors to the cafeteria had slammed open and the professor stepped in. The fight had died instantly.

"I was pretty sure she we were about to get a year's worth of detention." Blake stated.

"We probably were," Weiss agreed. "If we didn't have this important mission coming up."

"Jaune and I were able to convince Goodwitch our teams were jumpy about them." Ruby bragged again for the dozenth time. "And things just spiraled out of control from nerves."

It ended with them cleaning up the cafeteria again, under Glynda's direct supervision. That had taken pretty much the entire day and then they had to finish packing and get to bed. Waking up early wasn't something any of them liked, except maybe Ruby.

"I've come up with worse excuses to my teachers." Touma added. "Mine isn't as strict as Professor Goodwitch, but she has the uncanny ability to make us feel guilty if we do something wrong. I miss class way more than I should due to… various circumstances."

"Like falling into another dimension?" Blake asked, her lips twitching.

"I'm glad it's summer break or I would be so screwed when I get back." Touma sighed.

"If you get back." Yang pointed out.

"YANG!" Ruby, Weiss, and Blake snapped.

"Geez, I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Touma brushed off her apology. "We already know it may be impossible to go back and I'm sure some people back home are looking for me. For all I know, they discovered the magic that sent us here."

"Still, it was insensitive," Weiss said. Yang gaped at her silently and then gestured at her in disbelief to Blake, who was not smirking at her partner.

"So will you finally tell me how you know our uncle?" Ruby asked, hastily changing the subject.

"Well…" Touma paused as he racked his brain. He promised Qrow he wouldn't mention the misunderstanding at the bar. Kind of. Close enough for him. "He heard about my situation from Ozpin and wanted to check it out for himself." He shrugged. "We moved to the edge of the forest away from anyone listening in and I guess there was a rockslide of some kind? Part of the cliff gave way and attracted some Grimm. That was the party he was talking about."

The only one who looked like they knew he was hiding something was Blake, and all she did was raise an eyebrow.

"Wait, how did you get drunk then?" Weiss interjected.

"Before he attacked the Grimm he tossed me the flask and said I could use a drink." This was true, just a slightly different order of events. "We talked about a few things."

"Luuucky!" Ruby moaned in jealousy. "He normally never lets anyone touch his flask."

"Ruby kept trying to get at it when she was little…. Well littler than she is now-…" Yang started to say.

"Hey!"

"And we finally got tired of keeping an eye on her, so we filled it up with milk," Yang continued. "For years she thought that's why he was so strong."

"Hmph." Ruby crossed her arms grumpily.

"I still want to know what you two talked about that warranted him bringing a civilian on a mission." Weiss thought out loud. "No offense," she added quickly, looking at Touma. "I don't see why he wouldn't be fine with just asking you specifics about this man, Wellen's power. Did he suggest it for the laughs?"

"I wouldn't put him past him." Yang added reasonably, which didn't improve Weiss's opinion of Qrow.

"None taken," Touma reassured her. "I didn't expect him to take me either." This was actually a lie, he had a good idea why Qrow wanted him there. If Touma negated his bad luck every day, Qrow could spend time with his nieces without risking his Semblance kicking in. "As I said, we only talked about a few things before the Grimm showed up."

"What was he asking you about?" Blake prompted.

"Er… I think he just wanted to verify what I told Ozpin." Touma made up quickly. It was kind of true, though it went in a vastly different direction. "He's actually surprisingly sharp for being drunk. I could smell the alcohol on him when we met."

"He's pretty amazing," Ruby agreed. "I told you he taught me how to use the scythe, remember?" A huge grin was plastered on her face at the memory. "He even teaches at Signal, Yang's and my previous school before Beacon."

"That guy… a teacher?!" Disbelief was etched upon Weiss's face.

"Hunters come in all shapes and sizes," Yang said with a laugh and put her arm around Ruby. "You should know that, Weiss Cream."

"Agh, don't say that insufferable nickname when we arrive at Relotem. We want them to at least think we are professional."

"How could a group of brats make so much noise?!" An annoyed voice interrupted their conversation. Everyone turned to see Qrow walking towards them. His hands were in his pocket, his sword on his back, and leaning forward slightly. "I could hear you babbling from across the courtyard." His eyes darted toward their packs on the ground. "At least you're packed. Load up and let's get going. Time's a wastin'."

As he talked, the Bullhead landed.

"I can't wait!" Ruby cheered, grabbing her back and virtually skipping with excitement. "My first mission with Uncle Qrow! I've been dreaming of this day!"

"Yeah, yeah, Squirt," Qrow muttered affectionately. "Get going; daylight's burning."

Blake and Weiss grabbed their bags without another word, while Yang high fived Qrow before following them. Touma hesitated a moment and opened his mouth to ask Qrow if it was a smart idea to bring him along. Instead, he felt a hand press into his back and Qrow shoved him.

"Get going. We can talk later."

"Sure thing."

The two guys followed the girls into the back of the Bullhead. As everyone started fastening themselves in, Qrow walked up and opened the door to the pilot's cabin to have a quick word. Less than a minute later, the Bullhead began to rumble as the engines powered up. Qrow exited the cabin, plopped down in his seat, and looked at the others.

"Okay, brats, listen up." The amount of respect for them made Weiss's eyes narrow, but no one else reacted to it. Ruby and Yang knew him the best, Blake didn't care, and Touma's brief encounter was enough for him to realize he just liked being a dick. "When we land, the plan is to meet up with the mayor, go through the boring process of introducing ourselves, blah, blah, blah. After that, we will talk with a few people who might have information on where to start looking. Besides that, only give out information on a need to know. Our priority is to investigate and if needed eliminate the new Grimm, not cause a panic. All the stuff we talked about in Oz's office, keep it to yourself. Any questions?"

"I got one!" Weiss stated immediately.

"None, great."

"W-what?!" Weiss stammered indignantly while Yang and Ruby tried to hide their laughter.

"This is my first time with you guys officially." Touma pointed out. He wasn't counting the time he rescued Blake, the time he rescued Ruby, or the time he sealed off the breach long enough for support to come. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

"Excellent question," Qrow agreed. "Glad at least one of you brats is thinking ahead." Weiss was looking absolutely livid, while Yang and Ruby were desperately trying and failing to stifle their laughter. The corner of Blake's mouth was twitching upwards. "From what I know, your hand keeps Grimm away at a certain point, but they seem attracted to your presence. However, based on Barty's report about Mt. Glenn, being in one place too long creates a stacking affect that slowly pushes the Grimm away. No idea why, so don't waste my time. The best course of action will be to have two groups. Group One will be with me. We will be the scouting team. Group Two will be stationed at the city. Kid," he pointed to Touma. "Group Two. If Group One does something stupid and rile up the Grimm, your power might prevent them from invading."

"I don't think it would be that quick," Admitted Touma. "But sure."

"Need someone else to stay back," Qrow continued. "The village is mostly Faunus, so having Ice Queen stay won't be the best choice."

"Hey!"

"I'll stay behind," Blake volunteered, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Yang. Ruby wants to go with both her uncle and Touma. This way, she won't have to make that tough decision. Weiss can't stay behind. While I'm sure she can keep her composure, the SDC really has a bad reputation with Faunus. She was guilty of the same thing at first. I'm going to have to put up with Yang, even if I point it out this way she can go with Ruby and Qrow.

"The rest of you will be with me then." Qrow confirmed. "Communications will be spotty, but call in if you two run into trouble." He leaned back in the chair after taking a swig from his flask. "We got half a day to kill, so I'm taking a nap. Don't wake me unless this Bullhead's going down."

"Waah!" Ruby exclaimed. "You can't sleep yet. You got to tell me all about your adventures and I got stories to tell you about Beacon!"

"In a bit," Qrow muttered. "Not use to waking up this early with a hangover."

"Are you sure we're going to be okay with this guy?" Weiss asked the others.

"He's just like this," Yang answered again. "His skills are real and Ozpin trusts him. Give him a chance."

"I've been trying," Weiss huffed. "It's just every action of his is so insufferable. I asked Winter about him last night and it was the first time I heard such a… colorful vocabulary from her."

"You were kind of insufferable when we first met," Blake reminded her. "Then Ruby tore down your walls."

"Same could be said about you." Weiss retorted and Blake grew quiet. Yang frowned at Weiss, who looked slightly guilty. A quick cough interrupted them and the three turned to Touma, who was looking away embarrassed. He didn't want to listen in on something that was obviously personal.

"Right…" Yang quickly changed the subject. "So, Touma, you excited to join us?"

"Excited may not be the exact word." Touma admitted. "Just worried about what Wellen Fischer is planning. I'm not an expert on his magic. All I know is it focuses around water and ice."

"Then if we encounter this man," Weiss muttered. "I should avoid using Ice Dust." She rubbed her chin. "We really should talk about what this Grimm could be or the…rituals being perform." She looked over at Qrow, who was snoring slightly with Ruby pushing against his arm. "Our chaperone doesn't seem to care much."

"He's transforming them somehow," Blake agreed. "The questions are why and how."

"From what I experienced with magicians," Touma explained. "Magic is based on a set of beliefs. Normally, a friend of mine who specializes in it usually explains the specifics. There are rules and laws centered on using magic. Accelerator and I interrupted a large ritual that would have engulfed a city. I think I touched a main component during the fight and that's what flung us here."

"You said he was trying to become a god, right?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah. He might be trying to do that here too. Rules might be different on Remnant."

"So he's testing the waters?" Yang asked and everyone stared at her, even Ruby. "You all suck."

"It might help if we knew more about the Grimm," Blake commented. "People can't even agree on their history."

"All I know is they are supernatural." Touma said with a shrug. "That and what you and Ozpin have all told me. My hand wouldn't work otherwise. Dust and Aura too."

"It doesn't work on Faunus either," Blake added softly. "I wish that information could be spread around."

"Probably wouldn't change some people's minds," Weiss admitted. "There are some very hardcore conservatives back home who don't like them at all."

Blake pressed her lips together tightly to avoid saying anything rash. She knew Weiss wasn't like some of the other members of her family, and she did accept her. The issue was Weiss looked at a lot of things from a business standpoint, rather than an ethical one. Wages for Faunus only increased at the SDC because of pressure from outside groups. Even then, they were usually given the most dangerous jobs. Some businesses didn't even hire Faunus, which eventually forced them to work there.

"Same thing back home," Touma agreed. "There are some people who just look down at others and it's hard to change their minds. Doesn't mean we stop trying."

"Right." Blake actually smiled and Yang took notice.

"So while we are trampling through the forest," Yang accused, though her tone was one of amusement, not jealousy. "You two are going to stay in town and get cozy, talking about how to improve life? Maybe some hands on activities?"

"You caught us," Blake confirmed and turned to Touma. "I told you she would find out."

"It was the only way we could get some alone time with Neo always around." Touma pointed out.

The Bullhead went silent.

"What?!" Ruby, Weiss, and Yang shouted, causing Qrow to stir.

"Obviously, it's…" Blake trailed off when Touma looked away and covered his mouth to stop the laughter, but he failed miserably. The corners of Blake's mouth also twitched and she involuntarily let out a chuckle.

"That was a joke?" Ruby asked, sounding relieved.

"Wha…? How….? You got me." Yang relented. "Did you plan that ahead of time?"

"Blake mentioned you would say something like that at some point." Touma confessed. "I was just supposed to play along."

Blake nodded smugly at Yang.

It felt good giving a Yang a taste of her own medicine.

"Nearly gave me a heart attack there," Weiss muttered and then flushed before quickly adding. "Not that you're a bad person, Touma. Blake just takes time to warm up to people."

"What about you?!" Ruby cried out.

"WHY ARE YOU ALL SO LOUD!?" Qrow thundered.


"Why does it have to be flying?" Jaune moaned.

"Hunter with motion sickness," Eliza commented, highly amused. "Never thought I would see the day. Better suck it up and get over it. Bullheads are the optimal way to travel for a lot of missions. Trains can't go everywhere."

"I… know…hck."

"When we arrive, we are going to make a quick stop and check in with local security." Eliza addressed everyone else.

"Why?" Accelerator asked. "Wasn't the point to keep everything on the down low?"

"We are and that is why we are following standard protocol." Eliza explained. "Whenever a normal civilian goes on extended trips outside the normal Kingdom boundaries, you notify the nearest settlement so they can register your departure. Any of you know why?"

"I do," Pyrrha answered. "They want to know who leaves that way, if…they don't come back, it's easier to contact family and the official records department. If someone leaves without registering, no one would know if they are in or outside the kingdom. People can go missing without Grimm being responsible."

"It's not pleasant," Eliza admitted. "But it limits missing person reports. People who sneak out can draw more attention if they return injured. How do you think a town would react if a bunch of identified people came out of the Wilds without being registered."

"Wanted criminals or individuals doing illegal or at least questionable things." Ren guessed.

"Precisely. It's suspicious and there will be investigations and higher levels of scrutiny."

"But our mission is top secret, right?" Nora protested. "So we can't tell them why we are going out there."

"Of course not." Eliza smiled. "Our cover story is that I'm investigating a lead on some possible ruins. Since the trip is short, it was the perfect opportunity for a beacon assignment. You four have your first mission protecting me." She patted a gun on her hip. "Though, I've pretty capable in a scrap myself." Her eyes fell onto Accelerator. "I said it before, I'm not sure what all we are going to find down there. Could be a waste of time. I'm hoping at the very least we get acquire Merlot Industry documents on where other labs are located."

"Figures," Accelerator huffed. "Nothing is ever easy. It's when things are going smoothly you know everything is beginning to unravel."

"Kind of cynical, aren't you?" Eliza asked and raised an eyebrow.

"Realist, lady. I know how the world works. Remnant is not much different from Earth."

"He's just worried about leaving Last Order with Neo." Nora reassured Eliza.

"Ah, I have heard about those two. A former criminal and a little girl trapped in a world with monsters."

"She's adjusted fairly well." Pyrrha said. "I don't think she's seen a Grimm besides in pictures."

"And I'm going to keep it that way." Accelerator muttered curtly.

"And I'm going to try to help you all get home," Eliza told him. "So no need to get snappy at me." Accelerator turned away. He never apologized, but he at least looked like he regretted his actions. Or, at the very least, as close to regretful as someone like him could seem. "So tell me about yourselves," she said looking at each other. "We're going to be stuck with each other for a bit, so might as well get to know each other. I've told you a little about me already, but I'm also married with two kids, one boy and one girl, age eight and fourteen."

"Ren and I are both are only the children of our families." Nora volunteered. "Are your kids cute?"

"Adorable," Eliza laughed. "I should have brought pictures."

"I'm an only child too," Pyrrha said. "Having a big family sounds lovely."

"…it's not all fun and games!" Jaune called out weekly from his corner.

"And our Fearless Leader has seven sisters." Nora informed Eliza.

"Seven?! His mother must have been busy."

"Don't want to imagine that right now!" Jaune was already green enough.

Accelerator tuned them out after that.

The conversation there didn't concern him. Instead, the most prominent thought on his mind was how the brat was after being put under the watchful eye of Glynda. He had no idea how good she was with children and then immediately disregarded the fact. Anyone was probably better than him in that regard. Without the Kiharas or Academy City after the girl, she was probably the safest she's ever been. Unless the Grimm actually managed to swarm Beacon, there wasn't much opportunity for her to get injured. Accelerator was also suspicious about Ozpin. There was something... off about him that he couldn't place. He didn't seem evil per se, but he definitely knew more than he let on.

Then there was Neo.

Accelerator still didn't completely trust her. His threat seemed to work and she never involved Last Order in any of her revenge pranks against Yang or Blake. For the most part, she really seemed to be trying to escape from crime. Her personality was just annoying to a lot of people. Accelerator could actually relate to this. Due to his past and what he had gone through, he understood wanting to change, but also the difficulty in actually doing so. Being isolated most of his life once his ability developed caused him to never have the opportunity to interact normally with other kids. With only adults who always had ulterior motives around him, he naturally developed an untrusting personality. It's why, while he knew Jaune's team didn't have any reason to betray him, he was still emotionally distant and guarded.

Maybe I should try to be a little open and see where that goes?

"Hey Accelerator!" Nora called out, jolting him back to his surroundings.

"What?"

"145 times 23?"

"3335," Accelerator replied automatically and then scowled slightly. "Why are you asking me math problems?"

They must have changed topics while he was zoned out.

"Told you," Nora said smugly to Eliza. "He's some kind of genius. He already understands Dust from what Weiss mentioned."

"That is impressive." Eliza admitted.

"From what he and Last Order told us," Ren explained. "The abilities, while similar on the outside to our Semblances in terms of providing some kind of power, are different fundamentally. Which is to be expected. They have to calculate advanced mathematical formulas to use their abilities, while ours is more on an instinctual basis."

"Pretty much," Accelerator confirmed and it was hard for him to follow his own advice. This was a chance for him to be a little more open. "Academy City uses a variety of drugs, surgeries, and even music to stimulate the brain's development. Even a weak ability still takes calculations normal people would find tedious..."

Eliza turned out to be deeply interested in how his ability worked. While Accelerator could explain it in basic terminology for Academy City, it was much more difficult to explain it to someone from an entirely different world. Their knowledge was on Dust and Aura, less on biological brain functions. There were completely difficult rules on operations. Remnant, while having their own power suits and automated defense systems, were far behind Academy City's standards. Normally he found explaining stuff like this to be tedious. This time was different. Maybe it was because he honestly knew these five people in front of him weren't just pretending to be interested. They had no stake in his future, yet they were willing to help him.

It felt… pleasant. Something he wasn't used to.

"We'll be landing in five," Eliza suddenly announced, after she finished speaking to the pilot. "Seatbelts."

"Huh?" Accelerator was surprised. The ride was supposed to be around four hours. We're here already?

"Finally," Nora agreed and stretched her arms. "I can finally get up and walk around. I hate being cramped up in these small spaces."

"Finally." Jaune agreed, in a completely different tone. He was leaning up against the wall. His eyes were closed and his face was slightly green. Nora's voice was excited and full toned, while Jaune's was merely a whisper. Motion sickness was bad for him, but at least he wasn't throwing up everywhere.

"I have to admit," Pyrrha added. "Even though I knew this would be a long flight, I was getting a little stir crazy."

"I usually take the time to practice meditation." Ren told the others. "It helps quiet your nerves and pass the time. It might help with your motion sickness, Jaune."

"I'll try it… next time…"

"Enjoy flying while you can, kids," Eliza warned. "We have a good day of hiking once we leave town. Then plenty of Grimm once we get into the forest area. Good place to hide a lab, now that I think about it. Close enough to where it is accessible, but in an area people won't accidentally discover it."

While the others made conversation, Accelerator was still figuring out where the time went.

I don't normally space out like that, he thought. I was just explaining abilities to a group who were ignorant of them. Shit. Was I really enjoying myself? He looked at the others and when Nora caught his eye, she smiled sincerely at him. That girl is always unusually happy for some reason. The others are at least somewhat normal. His eyes fell on Ren for a moment. Except him. I can never figure out what runs through his head, but the sugar rush girl is always clinging to him. He buckled up just to have something to do with his hands. It wasn't like he needed to. His mind continued to debate on why he seemed to act differently around these guys than back home.

His eyes widened ever so slightly.

Was this what it was like having friends?

Being a loner all his life, if this turned out to be the reason, there was no wonder he wasn't sure what was going on.

The Bullhead finally landed and their group departed. Nora rushed out and was, surprisingly, followed by Jaune.

"It feels so great to stretch my legs." Nora said as the others stepped onto the platform. She put her hand above her eyes like a visor and looked around. "Wow, this place is busy."

"Sweet land," Jaune muttered and the green was already disappearing from his face. "Flying, it always has to be flying." Pyrrha laughed softly and looked around. Nora was right. Sure, it was the middle of the day, but there was a lot of activity for being a town near the edge of the kingdom.

Town might not be the right word here.

It was more like a fortress.

High metal walls surrounded the entire village and all the buildings were arranged in layers of outlined square formations. It was too far away to be sure, but there seemed to be guns mounted on them. The platform they were on was near the middle of the city and was relatively small. At full occupancy, they could probably only hold half a dozen Bullheads lined up together. There were only three, theirs and two others, but the platform already felt full. One of the Bullheads was unloading crates of supplies, while the other seemed to be parked and not in use at the time. Two dozen people were unloading the crates or shouting at someone else about something. The people they could see around the buildings were going about their business. They at least seemed happy, unlike the workers.

As Team JNPR plus two grabbed their own gear from the vehicle, a man descended upon them. The man was easily in his sixty, bald, with dirty grey hair in the back. He was rather short, kind of pudgy, and wore a cheap black suit with a red tie. He seemed pleasant enough and his smile was completely sincere when he saw them, though his eyes were primarily focused on Eliza. There had to be history between the two of them.

"Eliza! It's been ages!"

"Martin, how have things been?"

"Same ol', same ol'." When Martin laughed, he seemed to jiggle. "Only one Beowolf sighting in the last two weeks and it was removed without issue. Might be an optimist, but maybe we finally cleared out all the Grimm in this area."

"I hope so," Eliza agreed. "It would make our job much easier." She turned to the kids. "Everyone, this is my close friend, Martin. He's the current mayor and a strong supporter of hands on approach to learning. Ozpin and I had to get him to agree to authorize this excursion."

Everyone introduced themselves except for Accelerator, who Jaune introduced.

"You know I would only say no if there was a serious Grimm threat." Martin said. "With how quiet it is, now would be the perfect time for some scouting parties." He smiled at everyone else. "Good to meet you. Students of beacon on your first quest?"

"Actually our-…" Nora started to say and Ren instantly pressed a hand over her mouth.

"Yes," Jaune lied. "We are supposed to act as bodyguards for Eliza while she investigated the possibility of a new dig site."

He had made the mistake of calling her Mrs. Anthurium early on. She promptly smacked him upside the head for it.

That name made her feel old, she had explained.

"We all have had contact with Grimm," Ren added. "So there shouldn't be an issue. It's more for students to get a variety of experience in different fields."

"I agree completely." Martin nodded enthusiastically. "It's good to see Beacon still insists on a quality education."

"What's up with the city?" Nora asked suddenly. "It's a lot more uniformed than Vale or other places I've seen."

"Protection and space limitations." Pyrrha explained. "Outposts on the border tend to be more heavily guarded and harder to expand as they grow due to Grimm attacks and longer supply runs."

"You know your stuff, lass." Martin complimented and Pyrrha blushed. "Each row of buildings act as a makeshift wall in case the outer one gets breached. There are only four main roads leading out from the center square and there is a gate that will be shut at each row. There's an underground shelter in the middle as the final defense, but luckily it has never come to that. The one time the outer wall was breached was during an expansion attempt. The most we worry about now is from Nevermores and occasional Griffins."

"What kind of food do you guys have out here?" Nora inquired. "Like, do you have some special cuisine?"

Martin raised an eye at Eliza, who was laughing.

"Yeah, she has her priorities in order."

"Sorry," Martin apologized. "We get mostly dried food out here, so every individual has their own ways of cooking. Lots of spices though, so you can make something taste like just about anything. My wife makes a mean chili though. How about when you finish your mission and return, I'll have her make you a batch."

"You're the best!" Nora cheered.

"That would be most kind." Ren added.

"Thank you, sir." Pyrrha and Jaune said together.

"I'll give you a quick tour," Martin volunteered. "Eliza's been here a couple times already, but it gives us a chance to catch up."

"Have the Grimm really been that quiet?" Jaune asked, as they left the noisy docks. "Not that I'm worried, I've tackled a lot of Grimm before…"

"Ever since the Breach was repelled," Martin replied and the kids glanced at each other. "Grimm activity had been dying. Maybe they migrated to Mt. Glenn for some reason and then were wiped out without a chance to return. Either way, good news for us, as we wanted to expand a little more. We get a lot of migrants looking to start over. Human and Faunus."

"Is there a lot of fighting between them?" Pyrrha asked.

"Rarely, but it does happen." Martin shrugged. "We put it out quickly though. It's rough enough out here without people at each other's throats. You're more likely to see a couple drunks get into a fist fight. Alcohol is plentiful here."

Eliza's footsteps slowed for a fraction of a second. It wasn't long enough for most people to catch it. Only Ren and Accelerator's heads twitched slightly.

"Oh, really?" Now even Jaune and Pyrrha could tell something was up. Eliza was trying to keep her voice calm. Jaune recognized the tone as the one his mother used on his dad when she said he didn't have to get her anything. "That's interesting. Can you tell me who they were?"

"Think it was some kind of hired mercenary group." Martin answered.

"Mercenary group?" Jaune asked nervously.

"You see those types now and then." Martin elaborated. "Some wealthy patron thinks, 'Oh, let's see if there's something valuable when Grimm activity is down.' Mostly it's just a waste of money, but new Dust veins have been discovered along with ruins. I take it you were told about a possible location from someone who did this?"

The last question was addressed at Eliza.

"Yes, that's why I wanted to get here quickly." Eliza lied and then glanced at the kids out of the corner of her eye. "I bet someone I know opened their big mouth. What did they look like?"

"The group was mostly Faunus," Martin recalled and cross his arms as he thought back to this morning. "The head person was a human. Orange hair, dressed all in blue… name was… Ray Teal. Really cocky sort of guy, so I'm pretty sure he funded the expedition. The others were armed with basic rifles, so typical mercenary escort. Paper work passed and they went on their way."

"I see." Eliza paused for a moment. "Looks like we have competition then and they have half a day head start on us." She clapped her hands together. "Looks like we are leaving early. Hope everyone is ready for a long brutal hike while getting some fresh air."

This is going to suck, Accelerator thought. His ability exhausted him the more it was used, so he couldn't use it the entire trip. He would have to use it slightly to maintain long term. It would allow someone with his weak body to keep up with the others. As much as he hated to say it, his pack was much smaller than the others and Nora was carrying over half his supplies. Ren was a prime suspect of suggesting it without him knowing.

"You've always had that competitive streak." Martin sighed. "Fine, I'll push your paperwork through and vouch for you all." Eliza beamed at him as she handed over a folder with their papers. "Give me thirty minutes and you can head out the east gate."

"Thanks a lot. You've been a big help."

"Anything for you." He waved and waddled off down the road toward a large building in the city center.

"What's with the change of plans?" Nora asked.

"It's something to do with the group arriving here, isn't it?" Ren asked. "You told us the information was kept secret except for a very select group."

"That's what worries me." Eliza agreed.

"They could be here for a different reason," Pyrrha suggested reasonably. "Coincidences happen."

"Martin even said groups came by occasionally." Jaune added.

"Being optimistic doesn't mean being blind." Accelerator said, his first words since they landed. Then he suddenly jabbed his thumb at Eliza. "From her expression, there's more to do with this."

"Keen eye," She complimented him. "Yeah, I received some bad news this morning. One of my colleagues went missing over the weekend."

"Missing?" Jaune, Pyrrha, and Nora parroted.

"No idea what happened to him. Office was a mess, but that's actually usual for him. It will take time to see if anything was taken."

"This guy was involved in our mission." Ren guessed and Eliza nodded.

"Well, then." Accelerator grinned and flexed his fingers. "They can help us find the place, but if they think they are leaving with the information… they couldn't be more wrong."

"Yeah!" Nora agreed, thrusting her fist up in the air.

Jaune was pretty sure someone was going to end up with broken legs.


"Welcome to Relotem, brats," Qrow announced as they exited the Bullhead. "Try not to draw too much attention with all your chattering."

"I expected… more." Weiss admitted, looking around.

"You know not every city can be as fancy as your mansion." Yang teased.

"I know that," Weiss snapped. "Cities back home at the borders are much more heavily defended. This place looks like it could fall to a medium size Grimm attack."

There wasn't much to be argued. The city had a wooden wall, most likely fashioned from the trees of the surrounding forest. It seemed sturdy enough, but Grimm were strong. A large one might be able to knock it down if given the chance. Some wooden platforms and ladders were set up periodically around the wall. Gunners would be able to shoot over the walls if Grimm approached. The buildings within the wall were scattered haphazardly all over everyone noticed as they made their way through the city. Besides the landing platform, a few anti-air guns, everything was pretty basic. From the path they were taking, it looked like Qrow was leading them to the slightly bigger building right in the middle of town.

"You expect a village way out here to have access to mines and steel mills, princess?" Qrow asked. "They are lucky to have a single Dust mine nearby for energy needs. I heard it's a challenge every time they go down there to get a week's worth of Dust." He gestured to the walls. "Past those, there's a short expanse of flat terrain and then a sudden drop. Natural protection against most Grimm. The hard rock prevents any subterranean ones from popping up either. They only have to worry about an air raid and that's why they sprung for the materials to make those. Vale does give a stipend to cities on the border for security."

"I was told the government tries to keep people in certain areas." Touma said, remembering something Roman taught him early on. "So why do they give money to these settlements?"

"Because overpopulation has already been an issue." Weiss explained. "There's only so much land that's livable without the constant threat of Grimm invasions. While it's not encouraged to go out and create your own settlement, people will go out on their own anyways."

"It's not always their choice." Blake muttered and Yang nudged her.

"Patch was founded that way." Ruby pipped up. "It used to be just a few people who wanted to get away from the big city. And due to the lack of Grimm it grew over time."

"That's the reason the subsidies exist," Weiss continued triumphantly. "While many cities break down once the Grimm find them or the people move away after giving up, some settlements do survive. At that point, the Kingdom decides if it's worth sending money and supplies to keep the city operating. If it is, they also help people interested in moving there to settle. The Kingdom gains more territory and people find homes. It's a win-win for everyone."

"Except for people forced here with no other options." Blake muttered softly.

Only Touma, who was right by her, heard those words. He frowned at them. The White Fang taught him there were many circumstances that led Faunus to flee certain regions. While he didn't agree with their methods, he understood why they were angry.

"So where are we heading?" Ruby asked, scooting up next to her uncle.

"To the chief, mayor, whatever his title is." Qrow replied. "Need to figure out if there's any other information before we head out tomorrow."

"Is it my imagination or is every staring at us?" At Ruby's words, everyone except Qrow started looking around. Some of the residents quickly diverted their eyes, while others did not. A few even sneered at them.

"Not the friendliest of people." Yang muttered.

"Out here, everyone is pretty much out for themselves." Qrow explained. "Don't cause any fights, Firecracker, regardless what they try to start. Things can get out of hand quickly and they might expel you from the village."

"You mean on the next Bullhead out, right?" Touma tried to clarify. Qrow responded with a shrug.

"Great." Weiss added under her breath.

This is actually a pretty standard welcome, Blake thought. Her time traveling with the White Fang brought her to several of these types of townships. At least they aren't throwing stuff at us or yelling slurs. A few of the cities had not been welcoming to Faunus. It's caused by them not liking outsiders. The best bet is to do what Qrow suggested. Don't antagonize them. Weiss is going to get recognized soon enough, if she hasn't already. She took a deep breath. "Weiss, I suggest not going anywhere alone."

Weiss turned in surprise before nodding.

"I wasn't planning to." Touma frowned and moved forward slightly so he was on Weiss's right side. Yang was already on her left and Blake was behind her. Qrow and Ruby were leading the way. Blake smiled at his action.

I'm glad he's willing to help out, but this might actually hurt her reputation in the long run if they think we are her bodyguards. She didn't say anything out loud though. None of the onlookers were making threatening gestures, so maybe it was working out.

"We're here," Qrow announced and knocked on the wooden door. "Let me do the introduction, brats. Just stand there and try to look professional."

"You're one to talk," Weiss huffed. "I'm always professional."

"Except when you're yelling at Ruby." Yang pointed out.

"Yeah!" Ruby agreed.

"I have never yelled at-…"

"37 times to date." Blake interjected.

"…-if she didn't deserve it."

"Nice catch."

"You just expected way too much of me when-…" Ruby tried to protest.

"What did I just tell you brats?!" Qrow scolded.

"Come in already!" A gruff voiced called out. "You're making too much damn noise."

Qrow pushed the door open and a Faunus looked up from behind an oak desk. The desk looked in good shape, if a little old. A pile of papers cluttered one side and an empty plate was on the other. The rest of the floor was pretty bare, besides the pillars supporting the second floor, a few filing cabinets, and a TV. The man had shaggy grey hair and was wearing a plaited brown shirt. He stood up as they filed in and brushed his hair back. He was maybe around forty and had a fierce expression on his face. A large grey wolf tail flickered back and forth ever so slightly.

"You the Hunters from Beacon?" He asked, skipping the pleasantries.

"Yep. Good guess."

"Don't get many visitors besides supply drops."

"Names Qrow Branwen, these are the brats. None of their names are important."

"Hey!" Several indignant cries protested.

"Names Remus Argenti." He stuck out a hand and shook Qrow's. "Take care of our Grimm problem and you might make the citizens here start respecting Hunters again."

"Huh?" Ruby was shocked. "But… Hunters and Huntresses work tirelessly against the Grimm. Why would they not respect us?"

Remus raised an eyebrow.

"They rarely come to our aid," He explained. "And when they do, there's always a large fee involved. The only reason we could request your presence was because having students reduces the cost tremendously." He gestured out the window. "Not sure if you could tell, but we are hardly wealthy. We're used to taking care of problems ourselves."

"Until this Grimm showed up." Qrow added and Remus scowled.

"That… thing isn't normal. If you aren't careful, it's going to tear you apart… like it did to some of my best men." He suddenly slammed a hand on his desk in anger and then rubbed his face as he calmed down. "I don't know if it's a mutation or a new type of Grimm. Whatever it is, basic dust rounds don't work on it at all. It took a point blank armor piercing bullet and was merely pushed back. There are two people in our medical bay and part of a third."

Qrow frowned as Ruby and Yang looked horrified. Blake fidgeted in her seat while Touma's hand shook in anger. Weiss was the most composed out of all of them.

"Can you give us all the information you have on this Grimm?" She asked. "What you tried, possible weaknesses, any unusual behavior?"

For the first time Remus looked directly at her and his lip curled.

"A Schnee…"

Blake gritted her teeth while Yang and Touma stepped forward. Ruby's eyes widened. Qrow had to throw out a hand to stop anything from going out of hand. Weiss didn't miss a beat though.

"My name has nothing to do with the job Beacon assigned me. If you want this problem dealt with, we need to cooperate."

There was a moment of tense silent.

"You're right," Remus admitted. "My job is to run and protect this village. Your job is to defeat the Grimm. If you complete your job, then I have nothing to complain about. I'll make sure no one who has… less positive experience with your family… won't do anything... rash."

"I appreciate it." Weiss replied, keeping a calm demeanor.

"Now, now," Qrow interrupted. "We both have the same objective, so there's no need to argue about little things. We plan to talk to some of the witnesses first, get an idea of what we are facing. Can you provide us with a map of the surrounding and a possible place to lodge? We might be here a couple days."

"I'll have my assistant make you a copy of our maps." Remus assured him. "Witnesses are at the med bay. They might be able to give you more information than I can. For lodging, we don't have an inn, but there's an abandoned house you can use. Nothing fancy, but it should be large enough to accommodate you."

He explained where the building was briefly.

"I've been in worse," Qrow countered. "You at least have a bar, right?"

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby cried out.

"Of course." Remus actually laughed. "Alcohol is one of the few pleasures we get here."

"Great, it's about to receive a large boon." Qrow turned to the kids. "Let's go, we have witnesses to interview."

"Don't cause trouble," Remus growled. "Last thing we need is a rogue drunk hunter ending up in a ditch."

"Oh, that's happened… four times?" Yang said, thinking hard.

"Shut it," Qrow snapped before leading the way out. "Med tent, med tent… probably should have asked him where it was."

"The building with a big red cross on it?" Blake suggested.

"Finally, one of you made yourselves useful."

"Hey!" Yang, Ruby, and Weiss cried out indignantly. Touma tried to hold back a laugh and Blake rolled her eyes. They marched toward the building and were let inside by a female Faunus with a horse mane. Qrow explained why they were here and she pointed to a room on the left.

"Only two people returned from the last excursion," She informed them. "One's still unconscious, but Lenard is awake. Do try to keep this brief; he needs to rest."

"Gotcha." Qrow waved the kids after him and the filed into the room. "Lenard?" The blonde Faunus on the bed looked at him a nodded. A lion's tail stuck out of the sheets to his side. "We're the Hunters who are going to take care of the Grimm problem and we had a few questions."

"You might as well pack your bags and leave then." The man muttered. "That… thing isn't going to die."

"That tough?"

"Tough doesn't begin to describe it!" He took a deep breath. "Listen, I'm no stranger to killing Grimm. Out here, you either learn how or you better be damn good at building. We don't have the luxury to house slackers. We left with five and returned with two, though I was the lucky one. You should see the other." His hand balled into a fist. "None of our weapons worked on it."

"Was it some kind of armor?" Weiss asked. "Or was it fast enough to circle around?"

"Armor." There was a flicker of recognition in Lenard's eyes when he glanced at her. "Dust rifles did nothing but irritate it. Shoot… it took anti-armor rounds we save for Goliaths point blank and was only knocked back. I told the chief all this, but he insists we need to get rid of it so we can access the mine. He's not wrong… there's just no way we can kill it without an entire battalion."

"It has to have some weakness," Ruby protested. "Like a kink in the armor, the face, back, somewhere?"

"We didn't find it then. We unloaded into it from all sides. Ayson was the lucky one. He died almost instantly when he was cut in half… the others…"

The man's face went green.

"We don't need those details." Qrow interjected. Ruby and Yang looked away, while Weiss bit her lip. Blake shifted uncomfortably and Touma froze. "Anything else you can tell us?"

"It's faster, stronger, and smarter than an ordinary or even an Alpha Beowolf."

"What about special… abilities?" Touma asked after a short pause and he was aware of all eyes on him. "Like ice or something? I mean, it looked like it had icicles coming out of its back and frost over its body from the picture we saw."

It was hard to ask about something like this without sounding like he knew more than he could let on.

"Sharp one." Lenard held up his hand. "Almost got frostbite here when it touched me. Bark on the trees had frozen over where it has cut into them with its claws. That's how we tracked it down."

"That would be something worth noting." Qrow pointed out annoyed.

"So maybe fire would work on it." Weiss muttered rubbing her chin.

"Or pure force," Yang suggested and pounded her fist into her hand. "We're going to take that Grimm down before it gets anyone else."

"I wish you luck." Lenard said weakly and then diverted his eyes.

"There's… something else, isn't there?" Ruby asked uncertainly. That look she had, it was the exact same look Yang showed her sometimes when she wouldn't tell Ruby why certain jokes were funny.

"Well…"

"Spill it," Qrow snapped. "We can't go in there blind if it's as deadly as you made it out to be."

"Promise you won't judge me?"

"We promise." Ruby swore, as she stepped on Yang's foot to prevent her from speaking up.

"Sure, seen enough that it probably won't surprise me." Qrow added. Lenard looked uncertain and hesitated for a moment.

"That Grimm… it can talk."

The silence in the room lengthened.

"What?!"

Just like that, it was broken by several cries of disbelief.

"Figured you wouldn't believe me."

"It's not that we don't believe you," Blake corrected, her eyes staring at him intently. "You don't have a reason to lie. We are trying to process this piece of information."

"A Grimm that can talk?" Weiss was flabbergasted. "That's never happened in history. Are you absolutely sure? You need to be."

"I'm sure." Lenard nodded. "Didn't say much. 'Weaklings, all of you.' That's all it said after killing three of us and then left."

"Well… fuck!"

"Uncle Qrow!"

"Sorry, Squirt."

"Is there anything else?" Yang asked. "Does it carry weapons, flies, maybe tap dances?"

"Not that I know of." There was the shadow of a smile on his face. "Sorry I can't be any more use to you." He leaned forward. "Kill that thing. I lost a good friend to it. I don't want to lose anymore."

"That's what we plan to do," Qrow agreed. "Good luck on recovering. Hope your friend in the next room gets better."

"Me too."

"So-…" Weiss started to say the moment they left the medical building.

"Shush," Qrow interrupted her and put a finger over her mouth. "Wait till we aren't out in the open." Weiss glared at him, but did as she was told. The six of them made their way through the building until they stopped in front of an unlocked two story… house? It was pretty run down. Qrow walked up, pushed the door open and stepped inside. "Hey, doesn't look like the roof leaks at least."

"We have to stay here?" Weiss asked dejectedly, looking around.

The first floor was divided in half. An old kitchen unit was on one side with a table and some chairs. There was no dishwasher, just a sink and a stove. No other appliances were seen. The other half had an old moth eaten couch and rug. A dirty fireplace was in front of the couch. Everything was covered with a thin layer of dust, and not the energy kind.

"Looks like there's a small bedroom upstairs." Qrow reported looking up the stairs in the back. "The girls can sleep there and the kid and I can fight for the couch. Loser gets a sleeping bag."

"Sure you're up to fighting him, old man?" Yang asked. "He might kick your butt."

"Eh, give me enough alcohol and I can sleep anywhere."

"I can vouch to that!" Ruby agreed. "Like the time we found you passed out halfway into the oven."

"Oven, really?" Touma kept looking back and forth between Qrow and Ruby.

"Dad was trying to figure out how he did that for days." Yang added with a laugh.

"New rule," Qrow growled. "No more talking about my past. Tell stories about yourself if you want to pass the time." Everyone threw their packs down in the room and began dusting off the furniture so they could start planning for their fight against this new Grimm.

"What do you think?" Blake asked.

"Me?" Touma asked surprised, turning toward her. He hadn't noticed her moving right next to him.

"I'm interested in your opinion too," Qrow added. "You have the most knowledge about that Wellen Fischer. After hearing all this, do you think he's involved?"

"He has to be," Touma agreed. "He's manipulated water to be able to block bullets easily enough and Grimm have blood, which is mostly water. If he hardened it on the surface I could see it acting as armor."

"What about the talking part?" Ruby asked.

"That… I have no idea." Touma shrugged. "He must have figured out how to use Grimm as components to his spells."

"That's troubling." Weiss muttered.

You have no idea, brats. Qrow took a swig from his flask. He's allied with Salem and the last thing we need is for her to have more of these. He put the flask away before addressing everyone. "Plan hasn't changed. First thing tomorrow, Group 1 will set out, while Group 2 watches the village. The CCT is spotty out here at best, so switch your scrolls to short range communication and make sure they are charged." He flipped a light switch. "At least the lights work."

"What are we going to do the rest of the day?" Yang asked.

"Walk around, see if anyone else knows anything," Qrow answered. "Don't cause trouble and rest up. Could be a long day. We passed a small general store a little ways back. You can get food there if you're hungry." He tossed a few Lien to Touma. "Don't let my nieces hold the money. They would spend it on junk food."

"No we wouldn't!" Ruby and Yang cried out.

"Yes, you would." Blake contradicted.

"What are you going to do?" Weiss asked suspiciously.

"I'm going to be doing the most important thing." Qrow answered with a smirk.

"Which is?"

"Hitting the bar."


While Team RWBY, Touma, and Qrow made their way toward their lodging, a Faunus was watching them from her window. She had snake-like pupils and her long brown hair was streaked with strips of green. Normally, Hunters wouldn't draw her attention, but a Schnee was recognized anywhere. That was what drew her attention to the group. Her eyes than traveled over to Blake and Touma, two people she recognized. A hiss escaped her lips and she picked up her Scroll. On it appeared an image of Faunus garbed in the outfit worn by the White Fang.

"Send Adam a message. I found the Belladonna girl and she's with Torchwick's pupil."


Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish to ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter. All mistakes are SilverFang88's fault.

SF88: Fuck you, Dark.

DB: Come on, you can be more creative than that. Talk to the readers a little more. Tell them all about those death flags you like to point out.

SF88: Eliza dies at the end of this arc. There, you lot have now been spoiled.

DB: Ass.