Ch. 17 – Detour

I do not own RWBY, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P.) nor do I own any media that may appear in the story. I only own the OCs, Enjoy! Remember to Favorite, Follow, and leave a Review. Before I begin, I just want to give a shout out to Bobbyax1; your review made my week and made me feel proud of all my hard work, so I wanted to say thank you. – Nightmare.

"So, how've you been Phantom?" Carmine asked as he sat back down in the captain's chair, Phantom leaned against the console and stared out into the night covered sea, the flood lights shimmered off the waves that rippled in front of the battleship. "Well Titan, you remember the fight against the Iron Hammer, right?" Phantom asked, Carmine shuddered "How could I forget, that behemoth tore through a forest like it was nothing. It was fortunate that Harlequin had her 35th Bombing Regiment come in to save our ass. Mercs stick together." Carmine said as he recounted the events from the past.

"Well, they broke down the components of the Iron Hammer and ultimately the 184th Militia stored the blueprints deep in a vault." Phantom said, Carmine nodded as he adjusted some switches. "How's your leg been?" Carmine asked, Phantom reached down and rubbed the side of his leg "Eh, it tingles when it gets cold, but other than that, Bubba did a great job fixing it up." Phantom said as he sat down in a chair.

"Sorry again about that, I was just so pissed." Carmine said as he apologized to the masked man, Phantom shook his head "Don't feel sorry, we kidnapped you and it was a just reaction. You were ultimately justified in, hell, I should apologize to you." Phantom said as twisted back and forth in his chair. "Oh, I found the files you wanted me to get for you." Phantom said as he pulled out a folder labeled 'confidential'. Carmine took the file and examined it, he read the name to himself; 'Zaffre, Sapphire'. He had to keep himself from tearing up as he stared at the name, "I got it from the hospital back in Vale." Phantom said as Carmine read 'Medical File: Deceased' that was stamped on the front of the folder.

He opened the folder and flipped through the documents "Carmine, be careful. You might see something, you don't want to." Phantom warned the rifleman, Carmine nodded as he flipped to the autopsy report. '19-year-old female brought into ER with arrow to the chest. Surgeon attempted to remove arrow, but arrow shattered, and arrowhead shattered and splintered into left ventricle and right atrium. Patient succumbed to wounds within minutes, boyfriend needed to be physically removed from ER. Autopsy revealed glass shards in right atrium and left ventricle, patient was three weeks pregnant.' Carmine's heart dropped when he read the last part.

His face went cold white as the folder dropped to the ground, Phantom shot up out of his chair "Carmine? Are you alright?" Phantom asked as Carmine stared out the window in silence. Phantom picked the folder up and read the paper, his face went pale as he read the same line that Carmine had read.

"Carmine, I'm so, so sorry." Phantom said as he sat down and dropped his head as Carmine remained silent. "I was going to be a father." Carmine said in a deadpan tone, he looked up at the ceiling and chuckled lightly to himself. Carmine got up and walked out onto the deck of the ship, he looked up into the night sky "Sweetheart, we were going to be a family? I knew you very excited for a reason, but I wish I caught on sooner." Carmine said out loud as he gazed into the night sky. He felt a warm embrace as he stood in the cold night air, he smiled as the smell of pineapple and coconut filled his nose, he smiled as the memory of Sapphire filled his mind.

Carmine turned around and walked back onto the command deck, Phantom was standing in the middle of the room "You okay?" Phantom asked concerned, Carmine nodded "Yeah, I just had to talk to her, I could feel her warmth and I could smell her scent around me." Carmine said as he sat down in the captain's chair.

"So, where are y'all off to now?" Phantom asked, Carmine scratched his chin and looked out over the dark sea. "Well, we got to get to Atlas, so we're sailing there." Carmine said, Phantom shook his head "You won't get there easily, Atlas shut their borders." Phantom explained, Carmine rubbed his head "Well shit." Carmine sighed.

"You could try Argus, but you won't be able to sail there since this ship is still registered as 'stolen' or 'missing', you'll have to go there via train." Phantom explained, he pulled up the holo-map and pointed to a train station. "Here, you'll have to take the Argus Limited to Argus." Phantom said as he marked a nearby port.

"Argus is home of the largest military base outside of Atlas itself, that's why this ship shouldn't get anywhere near it." A voice said from behind the two men, Carmine turned around to see Qrow standing in the doorway. "So, what should we do?" Carmine asked as he pulled back the lever on the control board.

"What about that airship of yours?" Qrow asked, but Carmine shook his head "I think it's low on dust and needs to be refilled." Carmine said as he propped his feet up, Phantom snapped his fingers as he thought of an idea. "Alright, so we stop at this depot near the train station and you lead them on the train, leave behind two of your people as a skeleton crew. Y'all head to Argus and we'll dock near Argus until you get there and let them know what's up." Phantom said, Carmine scratched his chin in thought.

"Man, that seems like a lot more hassle than it should be, but whatever." Carmine said as he stood up and grabbed the wheel, he pushed the throttle forward slowly as he navigated toward the nearest port. "Hey, you go rest, I'll navigate." Phantom said as he grabbed the wheel, Carmine nodded before he walked back to the captain's quarters.

He unclipped his gear and sat them on the floor next to the door, he pulled off his hoodie and tossed it to the floor followed by his tactical belt, he climbed into bed between his two ladies and got under the covers. He wrapped his arms around Blake's waist while Weiss held onto his chest, he nuzzled into her neck as he slipped into a deep sleep.

*The Next Day*

The sound of fog horns woke Blake, Carmine, and Weiss up, Carmine climbed out of bed and stretched as Blake and Weiss climbed out after him. Blake kissed him on the lips before she disappeared to the bathroom, Carmine threw his gear back on and left for the bridge. Phantom leaned against the wall while Qrow drank from his flask "We're docked and there's a transport waiting to take you guys to the station." Phantom said as Carmine walked over to a microphone, he pressed a button and activated all the speakers on the ship.

"All hands report to the bridge, I repeat, all hands report to the bridge." Carmine said before he released the button. After couple minutes, every person on the ship was standing in the bridge "We're here, what's up?" Laurel asked as Carmine paced back and forth, he turned and looked at the people standing in front of him.

"First off, I want to introduce you all to Phantom." Carmine said as he gestured the man in the back, Phantom nodded to them "Don't worry guys, I defected a long time ago." Phantom said as he tried to quell the tension in the room. "Secondly, we're going to a train station to go to Argus." Carmine said as he pointed to the holo-map. Laurel raised his hand "Why don't we take the Valor there?" Laurel asked, Carmine shook his head "This ship is still registered as stolen or missing, so it wouldn't be good to roll up with this stolen ship. I'm sure they would treat us as hostile, so Phantom is going to take it for us to Argus while we take the train there, after we reach Argus, I'll inform them that the ship is in my possession now and I'll present my credentials to the military. We'll have the Valor dock, restock munitions, fill up on dust on the airship, and get access through the Atlas lockdown." Carmine explained, he accessed the map "So, Verde and Cobalt will stay back on the ship while we go on foot. So, go stock up and get ready, we leave in an hour." Carmine said before he dismissed everyone.

Carmine walked into the armory and grabbed a box of .308, he started loading thirty round magazines that he placed into the magazine holders on his IBA. He grabbed boxes of 4.6×30mm, 5.7x28mm, .500 Magnum, and .12 Gauge shells off a shelf, he filled up magazine after magazine that he placed in the pouches on his side and on his tactical belt, he slid shells into loops on his shoulders and chest. He picked up his Ithaca 37 off the table but put it down when he saw a Kel-Tec KSG on a rack, he picked it off the rack and loaded fourteen shells into the shotgun.

Laurel took the shotgun and hooked it to the clip on his back, he collapsed the stock on the shotgun and tightened the strap of the clip. "Damn dude, you are armed for the apocalypse." Celadon said as he slapped a fresh magazine into his G36. Carmine looked down at his weapons "Let's see: SCAR-H, MP7, FN Five – Seven, Kel-Tec, .500 Magnum, and my Ka-Bar as well as a few hand grenades and a few sticks of C4. Yeah, basically I am." Carmine said as he slipped on his boots and laced them up.

Regalia loaded her Honey Badger and UMP – 45 with .300 AAC Blackout rounds and .45 ACP, she slapped the mags into the SMGs and put spare mags in a bag. Laurel loaded 12 Gauge slug dust rounds into his Stryker, he placed it on his back before he grabbed a P227 and slapped a fresh mag into the pistol, he put the handgun into a holster and clipped the strap closed.

Yang loaded shotgun shells into her gauntlets, Ruby loaded .338 Lapua Magnum rounds into her scythe, Nora loaded .40mm dust grenades into her launcher, Ren loaded 9mm rounds into his SMGs, and Blake loaded her sword pistol with .40 caliber rounds. Carmine looked at Sun "You loading up?" Carmine asked but Sun shook his head "I'll be heading back to Vacuo with my team." Sun said as he placed his AK-103 on the table, Carmine nodded as he understood what Sun was saying.

Carmine led everyone out of the armory and back to the bridge "Alright Phantom, we're taking off now, stay in contact and let me know what is going on." Carmine said as he shook his hand, he walked up to Verde and whispered into his ear "Don't let him out of your sight." Carmine said, Verde nodded subtly as they walked out of the door on to the deck. "Do you trust Phantom?" Laurel asked, Carmine looked down at the steel deck of the ship.

"Honestly yes, but I trust him like I trust a bee. If he stings me, he will die." Carmine said as they walked down the ramp to the concrete dock below where a large van waited, Carmine turned around and watched as his backed out of dock slowly, the fog horn blared loudly as it backed out into the ocean and turned. The twin thrusters in the rear kicked up a massive wave as it was thrown into gear and pulled away from the port.

"Godspeed, you beautiful bastard." Carmine said before he turned around and climbed into the van. Qrow got into the driver seat and drove down the road, Carmine pulled out his scroll and displayed a map of mistral that showed their current location and he marked the location of the train station. He sat back and closed his eyes as he exhaled slowly, after twenty minutes of driving, they arrived at station. They all got out of the vehicle and walked inside, team RWBY and JNR sat down on a bench, a couple hours passed while they all got situated with some getting food or clothing from the stores.

Qrow deposited a letter while Carmine scoped out the area, he looked around until he noticed that Blake, Sun, and Ilia were missing. He jogged up a staircase to find Blake and Ilia talking, Carmine walked up next to Blake and wrapped his arm around her waist "I still don't feel like I deserve the freedom you and your family granted me." Ilia said as she held her arm.

"Well, you're going to have to get over it, Ilia. Saving Haven had a huge impact on how Faunus are seen in Mistral. Now it's up to you all to take the progress and keep running with it." Blake said as Carmine let go of her, Ilia smiled "Right. The White Fang may have been a failure, but with your father starting up a new movement, I've got more faith than ever before." Ilia said before she hugged Blake "Thank you, Blake, for everything. I wish you didn't have to go." Ilia said as she started to get choked up.

"I know, but my team needs me. We're going to track down the people responsible for the attack on Haven and the fall of Beacon. I also got to make sure this big lug doesn't get himself killed." Blake said as he patted Carmine on the chest. Ilia giggled "Always trying to save the world." Ilia said, Blake rolled her eyes "More than you realize." Blake said giggling, Ilia rubbed the back of her neck.

"Hey, I know your parents already saw you off, but where's-?" Ilia asked before Sun popped in out of nowhere "Sun? Oh, he's right here!" Sun said as he referred to himself in the third person. Neptune popped out from behind Sun's back "He definitely overslept and absolutely almost missed this." Neptune said, Carmine looked at Sun "You fell asleep that fast?" Carmine asked, Sun shook his head "Pssh, what? No." Sun said as he tried to make an excuse, Neptune shook his head "Totally." Neptune said.

"Hey, Blake." Neptune said to Blake before he turned to Sun "Now would you hurry up? Need I remind you we have our own trip to plan?" Neptune said as he scolded the blonde-haired man, he looked up and saw Ilia standing there. "Oh, I didn't know Ilia was gonna be here. I'll, uh, I'll give you two a moment. Hey, almost didn't see you there, 'cause, you know, the camouflage?" Neptune said to Ilia, Carmine facepalmed and sighed.

"Neptune. Just go." Carmine said, Neptune walked away with his hands raised. "So, you're really going to Vacuo?" Blake asked, Sun nodded "That's right! Seeing you reunited with the rest of Team RWBY really made me realize something - I'm like the worst team leader ever. Me and the boys were cool with a little hiatus, but we gotta make up for lost time. Shade Academy's not dealing with any problems like Haven right now. Plus, that means I can show the guys around my old stomping grounds!" Sun said ecstatically.

Carmine looked up at him "Be on the lookout for cloaked black figures with steel masks and red eyes, those are Reapers and if you encounter any of them, be very careful and don't be afraid to kill on sight. I know it might be against who you are, but it'll be kill or be killed with them." Carmine warned, Sun nodded. Blake looked up at him "I have to admit, I think I was kind of getting used to having you around." Blake said solemnly.

"I go where I'm needed!" Sun said as he stood proudly, he looked down at Blake and smiled "And... you don't need me anymore. He's back and he can protect you far better than I ever could." Sun said as he gestured to Carmine. She smiled "Well, when you say it like that." Blake said as Carmine leaned against a rail.

"Look... despite the drama and the fighting and the numerous attempts on my life, I had a lot of fun! But you're with who you're supposed to be now." Sun said before he looked at Carmine who was playing with the filter on his gas mask. Blake smiled "Sun... I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you enough. I'm still-" Blake started to say but Sun cut her off.

"You're still working a lot of things out, I know. But you can do it with them. And in the future, who knows? I've got a feeling you haven't seen the last of me." Sun said as they looked down at Team RWBY, JNR, and CRCL.

"I certainly hope not." Blake said before she kissed him on the cheek, Sun felt his cheek but immediately looked up at Carmine who shot him a thumbs up. Neptune and Sun walked down the stairs "I don't know, man. It just feels like you're letting her go." Neptune said as they descended the stairs. "It was never about that, Brainiac. She's with him and I'm happy for her, besides, now that your leader's back and hardened from battle, I've gotta focus all my time into getting you boys ready for the wastelands!" Sun said to the water phobic.

"Pssh, he doesn't deserve her. She should be with you." Neptune said to Sun, but Sun immediately grabbed his collar "Don't you ever say that again, that man has pulled our asses out of the fire more times than I can count, he has been through so much that, yeah, he deserves her. He deserves both of them." Sun said before he let Neptune go.

Carmine jogged down the stairs "Wukong!" Carmine yelled, Sun turned around shaken "Yes?" He asked a little on edge, Carmine smirked "I expect you to come back in one piece, you are still a member of the Wolf Pack after all." Carmine said as he tossed him his dog tags, Sun caught them and smiled "I won't let you down, sir." Sun said with a salute, Carmine gave him one back.

Carmine picked Blake up suddenly and caused her to yelp in surprise, he carried her down the stairs and sat her down. Weiss puffed out her cheeks "Lucky." She said playfully, Ruby suddenly zipped by in a flash of red and petals. "Whoa, where's the fire?" Carmine asked as Ruby stood there humming and bouncing in place. "And…?" Yang asked, Ruby whipped out a brown bag "Ahh!" Ruby squealed in happiness, Weiss rolled her eyes "What an absolute waste of time." Weiss said, Carmine looked at her "You want me to get you something?" He asked which caused her to light up and smile.

"What did you get me?" Yang asked, Ruby shook her head "You'll have to wait and see!" Ruby said in a singsong style. Regalia walked up carrying a baseball bat on her shoulder "What's up losers." Regalia said, Carmine tilted his head confused "Where'd you get the bat?" Carmine asked, Regalia lowered her bat and sat down on a bench.

"I asked my mom to bring this because I left it at home when we came to Atlas to get you." Regalia said as she handed the bat to Carmine who examined it, it was a steel bat that had a shotgun slide that encompassed the bat, he cocked the slide and examined the port on the side before he closed it and handed it back to Regalia.

"Oh, I can't believe we're taking the train to Argus! The beautiful northern coastline... You really think it's too early for beach season?" Nora said ecstatically "Unfortunately, but we will be one step closer to Atlas." Ren said as he held an imaginary beach ball in his hands. Weiss sighed "Well, I'm glad you're all excited. But I don't think you appreciate the trouble I went through to leave Atlas." She said slightly dejectedly, Ruby perked up "I know you're worried, Weiss, but trust us. Team RWBY won't leave your side for a second! I promise." She said happily.

"No one's gotta be worried with us around." A man said as two men walked up, Carmine looked at the two men and raised an eyebrow "And what boot were you scrapped off, shit stain?" Carmine asked which caused the man to growl in anger. "Aaaand you are?" Nora asked, the two introduced themselves "Why Dee and Dudley of course. The Argus Limited's very own Huntsmen. We'll be keeping everyone safe as we pass through Grimm territory." Dee said, Dudley smirked "But for a generous tip, we can make sure your passenger car gets extra special attention should things get dangerous." Dudley said with a wink.

"Oh wow, we're so fortunate. Thank goodness for you guys! Shit bag." Carmine said sarcastically, Qrow walked up "Yeah, I got a tip for ya." Qrow said as approached the group. "Buzz off. Looks like Mistral's really scraping the bottom of the barrel these days." Qrow said, Dee and Dudley got defensive "Hey! You're talking to a—" Dee started to say, but Qrow cut them off "A professional Huntsman, right. Well, it seems one of you heroes left the staff entrance to the caboose wide open." Qrow said as he held up his huntsman's license.

"It'd be a shame to lose your job before it even started." Carmine said, Dee and Dudley looked at him "And who are you." Dee asked unamused, Carmine took a step forward "Ever heard of Wolf Pack?" Carmine asked, Dee and Dudley looked at each other "Yeah. Don't tell me you-" Dee started to say, but Carmine cut him off and rolled up his sleeve to reveal the Beowolf tattoo on his arm.

Dee and Dudley looked terrified "Uh… Come on dummy, let's go." Dee said as the two of them walked away. "Douche canoes." Carmine said as he leaned back against a pillar. "You know sometimes the burden of saving the world feels overwhelming. But then people like that come along and make me grateful that it's our jobs and theirs." Oscar said as he watched the two guys walk away.

The entire group agreed before they heard the boarding call for the Argus Limited, they made their way to the train, but a clerk stopped Carmine in his tracks "Sir, I'm going to need you to disarm yourself." The clerk said, Carmine rolled up his sleeve and revealed his tattoo "I think this is my pass." Carmine said, the clerk took a step back. "Uhh, so sorry sir." The clerk said before he ushered Carmine through.

"God damn right." Carmine said as he followed everyone onto the train, his gear clanging against his body. He walked into the passenger car and walked into the room with the rest of his team, Regalia sat her bat in the corner against the wall and laid down on one of the beds. Carmine placed his bag in cabinet and shut before he walked out of the car, he poked his head back in "I'm going to go check on everyone." Carmine said before he disappeared down the hall.

Carmine walked down the hall and poked his head into the room "Hey guys, you all good?" Carmine said, Weiss looked up from her book and smiled "Hey babe." Weiss said, Blake turned around from the window and gazed at the rifleman "Hey sweetheart, yeah, we're all good here." Blake said as she walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek.

Carmine started to leave, but Weiss cleared her throat "I think you're forgetting something, mister." Weiss said playfully as she walked over and kissed him on the other cheek. He lightly held her chin with his finger and thumb, he leaned in and kissed her on the lips then Blake before he started to walk down the hall. He grabbed the handle of a door and went to open it, but he was flung to the ground when the train jolted from an extreme force, the force caused Carmine to accidentally rip the door off its hinges.

"Smooth. Get up and grab your team." Qrow said as he ran to Team RWBY's cabin and rallied them. Carmine got up and ran back to his cabin to find his team loading up "Already on it, sir." Regalia said as she cocked her shotgun bat. Carmine pulled on his gas mask and tested the purge filter before he pulled his hood over his head and ran out of the train car and climbed up to the roof. Carmine pulled out his SCAR-H and pulled back the bolt as a fireball whizzed over his head, he looked up in time to see a group of Grimm Manticore that were engaged with the dude bros, Dee and Dudley. Celadon, Laurel, and Regalia climbed up behind him and accessed the situation "What do you want to do, sir?" Celadon asked as the wind blew against them with extreme force.

"What we always do, kick ass and take names." Carmine said before he charged head first into combat, he converted the rifle into its melee form and quickly lopped off a small Manticore's head which caused it to explode into black smoke. "Thought you boys were professionals." Carmine said through his gas mask, Dudley looked at Dee with a deadpan look "I told you it was him." Dudley said, Dee simply flipped him off.

Dee lifted his mace and charged it before he charged toward a large Sphinx Grimm that had landed on the train, the Sphinx let out a loud roar as a Manticore swooped down and picked up Dee in its talons. "Dee!" Dudley yelled as Dee was carried down to the forest floor where he was promptly murderfied. "Mourn later, if we don't kill these fucksticks, there will be more corpses than just him." Carmine said as he converted his sword back into its rifle form. Team RWBY and JNR had climbed to the top of the train.

"What's the plan, Ruby?" Blake asked, Ruby extended her scythe "Don't let anyone else die." Ruby said before everyone charged into battle, Carmine dashed forward and charged his right fist and decked a Manticore in the face. The Supernova detonated and eviscerated the Grimm, the Sphinx charged forward as Qrow engaged it with his scythe that he converted into a large sword and slashed at the Grimm behemoth.

Carmine sprinted forward with his SCAR and dumped into the Sphinx's face, but the Grimm slapped him back. Carmine flew and tumbled across the roof of the train, he pushed himself up slowly and punched the train roof "Come on Carmine, you took on the Iron Hammer, this Grimm ain't shit." Carmine said to himself as he readied himself.

Carmine pulled out two wireless earbuds and placed them in his ear, he clicked on his scroll and hit play. Carmine bobbed his head along with the guitar riffs that opened the song.

Shoot to Thrill – AC/DC (Fuck Yeah!)

Carmine sprinted forward again and dug into train roof as he picked up speed, he threw his shoulder into the face of a Manticore that had reared up in front of Blake and pumped four rounds into its chest, the Grimm quickly dissipated.

All you women who want a man of the street, don't know which way you wanna turn. Just keep coming and put your hand out to me, cause I'm the one who's gonna make you burn. I'm gonna take you down, Down, down, down. So, don't you fool around I'm gonna pull it pull it, pull the trigger!

Carmine sprinted forward and converted his rifle back into its sword form, he plunged the blade into the neck of a Manticore and withdrew his MP7 before he unloaded on another Grimm.

Shoot to thrill play to kill, too many women too many pills, yeah. Shoot to thrill play to kill, I got my gun at the ready gonna fire at will!

Carmine converted the SMG into its Bowie Knife form and plunged it into the head of another Manticore. He pulled his sword out and converted it back to its rifle form before he continued down the line of train cars, he turned around to see Dudley running toward the front of the train. With the press of a few buttons, the trains defenses came to life and started to engage the Grimm, the Manticore exploded as round after round hit them.

I'm like evil I get under your skin, just like a bomb that's ready to blow. Cause I'm illegal, I got everything that all you women might need to know. I'm gonna take you down, yeah down, down, down. So, don't you fool around, I'm gonna pull it, pull it, pull the trigger.

Carmine placed his rifle on his back as a Manticore landed in front of him and roared loudly, he quickly reached into his grenade pouch and pulled one out, pulled the pin, and shoved it down the Grimm's throat, he leaped back as the grenade detonated and evaporated the Grimm. He quickly pulled out rifle again as fireball flew past him, he looked back to see his team was were tearing through their Grimm like paper.

Suddenly, the Sphinx and the remaining Manticore flew away from the train cars "What the fuck?" Carmine asked himself as he removed his ear buds. "TUNNEL!" Oscar yelled, Carmine looked ahead and saw a stone wall approaching rapidly. "Shit! Run!" Carmine yelled as he ran toward the end of one of the train cars and leaped down, Team RWBY and JNR followed along with Qrow and Oscar. Dudley wasn't fast enough and got his arm caught between the train and the stone wall, the sound of bone snapping echoed through the train as Dudley dropped to the ground and writhed in agony.

Qrow picked him up by the collar and slammed him against the wall "I said, turn those damn things off!" Qrow yelled, Dudley held his arm in pain "Those things are keeping us alive!" Dudley said as he held his arm. Carmine leaned against the wall and peered out the window "Yeah chief, I'm gonna stop you right there. Those guns are loud and spoiler alert, Grimm are attracted to that shit. Also, I think we've racked up a bigger body count than those guns." Carmine said before he checked his ammo levels.

"I'm the one they hired for this job, okay?! I'm in charge here!" Dudley said, Qrow groaned and dropped Dudley to the ground. "Look, if you bozos had been doing your job instead of shaking down passengers, maybe we wouldn't be in this—" Qrow started to say before Ruby stopped him. "Please just shut off the turrets." Ruby pleaded as Jaune and Regalia walked up to Dudley, the pair began to heal his arm, the combined Aura glowing pink on his arm.

"Trust us, we know what we're doing." Jaune said as they healed his arm, Regalia nodded in affirmation "And if we don't, we'll just wing it." Regalia said with a chuckle. Dudley looked at everyone and sighed "Fine." He said as he moved his now healed arm.

"Ren, could you use your Semblance to mask everyone on this train? With the guns off and emotions hidden, they might lose track of us!" Nora asked, Ren rubbed his chin in thought. "Hm, I never attempted to affect this many people." Ren said as he wondered if he could do it. "Well, you've never had Jaune and Regalia's help before." Ruby said, Weiss nodded in agreement "Yeah, they could amplify your aura." Weiss said as Ren weighed his options.

"Yeah, that's an alright plan." Qrow said as he looked through the grated window, Nora rubbed Ren's arm "Don't look so worried, Ren. You can totally do this!" Nora said as she encouraged the long-haired man, Ozpin took over Oscar's body and cleared their throat "I'm afraid there's one complication... The Grimm are also attracted to this." Ozpin said as he gestured to the relic that was attached to his hip. "That explains why that Grimm was chasing us when we left Haven." Carmine said as he looked out the window again.

"Yeah, sorry about that Mr. Sable." Ozpin apologized, Dudley looked down at the relic "What's that?" Dudley asked but Carmine and Qrow both snapped at him "None of your business!" The two men yelled. "Oz, are you serious?" Qrow asked the spirit man, Yang cut in "Why wouldn't you tell us that?!" Yang yelled as she was bewildered by the whole thing. "It doesn't matter right now." Ruby said as she cut off Ozpin, Yang crossed her arms in disbelief.

"Every second we're on board this train, we're putting everyone else in danger. Get the passengers to the front cars, you'll still mask the emotions and kill the turrets... we just can't come with you. If we cut the back cars with us and the Relic on them, we can deal with the Grimm. You just make sure the rest of the train makes it safely to Argus." Ruby said, Jaune walked over to her and looked at her.

"Only if you'll promise you'll meet us there." Jaune said as everyone got ready, Ruby nodded "Promise." She said, Carmine snapped his fingers "Wolf Pack, rally up!" Carmine yelled as JNR started to evacuate the passengers to the front of the train along with Dudley, Carmine ran through the train cars before he ran back "We're clear. Celadon, post up in the back with Charon. Laurel and Regalia on me. Ready when you are, Ruby." Carmine said as he ejected a spent shell from his SCAR.

They climbed up to the roof after the train left the tunnel, Carmine looked back as Team RWBY climbed out onto the roof "Blake, pull the pin!" Carmine yelled as he focused his rifle on the pursuing Grimm, Blake leaped down in between the train cars and decoupled the train cars. "Now!" Ruby yelled as the rest of the train slipped away, Carmine looked back in time to watch the train turn grey as it slipped into the snow storm.

The Sphinx returned and attacked Qrow, he pulled out his sword and blocked the large talon. Carmine dumped the rest of the magazine into the head of the Sphinx before a Manticore rammed into him. Carmine flew backwards but stabbed his sword into the roof of the train to stop himself "Don't get careless, bro." Laurel said as he dumped two shell into a Manticore and killed it, the black smoke dissipated in the wind.

Carmine pulled himself back up and converted his weapon back into its rifle, he dropped the empty magazine and slapped a fresh one in, a Grimm landed and roared in front of Carmine, but he put three rounds into the Grimm's neck. The Grimm dissipated quickly before Carmine ran through the black smoke, Carmine placed his rifle on his back and withdrew his KSG.

He cocked the shotgun and dashed forward before he dumped a round into the chest of a Grimm, the Grimm stepped back before it took a shotgun blast to the face from Yang. "Nice job, Blonde Fury." Carmine said as he cocked the slide and ejected a spent shell. Yang chuckled "Not bad yourself, War Beast." Yang said as she cocked her gauntlet, Carmine chuckled "Huh, that's a new one." Carmine said before he fired down range.

Qrow struggled against the Sphinx, Team RWBY and CRL rushed to help him, loud shots rang out from within the train car as Celadon blew Manticores out of the sky with Charon. Carmine replaced the shotgun to his back and withdrew his SCAR before he dumped on the Sphinx, he converted the rifle into its sword form before he plunged the blade into the side of the Grimm.

The Grimm roared before it bit at Carmine "We need to ground it" Ruby yelled as Carmine pulled his weapon from the side of the Grimm, Blake leaped forward "On it! Yang!" She said as she yelled to blonde fury. Blake threw her sword toward the Grimm and wrapped the ribbon around its torso as it spun around full circle, Yang punched the blade into the roof of the train car and pinned the Sphinx to the roof.

Weiss formed glyphs and froze the Sphinx's wings to the roof, Qrow, Ruby, and Carmine opened fire at the ice and shattered the frozen wings. Qrow and Ruby readied their scythes as the Sphinx's mouth started to swell with fire, the duo spun together with their scythes and bisected the Grimm. The Grimm dissipated, but not before it launched the fireball out and it raced out across the rails, the fireball it the rail and destroyed it instantly. Carmine turned around and looked down the line "SHIT! Brace for impact!" Carmine yelled, Weiss activated her glyph and held everyone in place as the train cars derailed.

The train cars flew through the sky and crashed into snowy hillside, Team RWBY was sent flying into the snow along with Qrow and Oscar. Regalia, Laurel, and Celadon tumbled down an embankment while Carmine was sent flying into a boulder, he impacted the boulder and a red aura flashed over his body before it shattered. A piece of metal rebar impaled Carmine in the calf, he cried on in pain before a metal door slammed into him.

"Carmine!" A voice yelled in a distorted tone, Carmine faded in and out of consciousness as light seemed to fade. Carmine opened his eyes and found himself in a cozy cabin "Hey you." A delicate voice called to him, Carmine turned around and gazed at the person in front of him. The sunlight came through the window and gleamed off his crimson visor, his eyes adjusted to the light and he focused on the person.

"Sapphire?" He asked as his eyes focused on the black-haired vixen, a little girl ran past him and grabbed on to the woman's leg. The little girl looked up at the woman "Mommy, who is that?" She asked, the woman placed her hand on the girls head "Robin, this is Carmine. He's your father." The woman said, Carmine backed up and fell onto a couch "Who… Who are you?" Carmine asked confused.

"It's good to see you too, sweetheart. The others are here too." Sapphire said as five guys walked in, Carmine looked up to see Onyx, Crimson, Nightshade, Keppel, and Grullo standing in the doorway. "Where am I? Who are you?" Carmine asked confused as he stood up and reached for his gun, but found it wasn't there.

"You know who we are, dumbass. But it's not your time." Onyx said as he walked up and hugged Carmine, he closed his eyes and reopened them, he looked up into the snow filled sky and was surrounded by snow. Regalia had been performing CPR on Carmine and was now using her semblance to heal him "Dude, you fucking died." Laurel said as he felt Carmine's neck. Blake, Weiss, and Yang were gathered around him as his eyes focused.

"I… I died?" Carmine said confused, Laurel nodded as he removed his hand from Carmine's neck and pulled on his gloves again. Carmine's face went pale as he realized what just happened "What's wrong?" Blake asked as she held Carmine's hand, Carmine sighed as a tear rolled down his cheek "My family." Carmine said as Blake held his hand to her chest.

A/N: Wooooo! Feels good to be back! Leave a review and let me know what you thought of the chapter, also let me know what Carmine's Scar and MP7 should be named, I'm leaning toward Alpha and Omega but thought I'd ask the readers. Remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review, and as always, this is Nightmare 6-4, signing off.