The Random Hand of Fate

by TheMightyTeaRex

"Destiny is not set in stone. It only takes one grain of rice to tip a scale, one pebble falling into the sea to start a tidal wave; Every action, no matter how small has an effect on the future. So, tell me... do you believe in destiny?" Real-world SI. First-time fanfic. Rated M for violence, gore, swearing, smut (later on) and alcohol. Warhammer 40K characters in Remnant.

31. Mountain Glenn

First Chapter of the new year, and... boy oh boy, was last week's episode an emotional roller coaster.

What does it say if it both hurts and feels better now that they've at least once addressed Pyrrha for the rest of the group? It really does both sting and relieve. *Sniffles*

But enough about that, let's start the chapter.

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Chapter 31: Mountain Glenn

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"The board is set... the pieces are moving." —Gandalf the White, The Lord of the Rings

---

The evening twilight had long since settled in across the city of Vale, casting the world in violets and blues of many shades between the twinkling lights of the winking street lamps and unwinding homes. Across the city, normal people returned from long days at the store or the office or wherever they claimed to be their workplace, some travelling home to meet with family and settle in for another night of peaceful existence under Remnant's navy-blue night sky; others still were commuting to other parts of the city, looking to liven their night up with friends or even potential partners in the energetic haze of the Vytal Festival's growing celebrations across the city, whether night clubs or fairs. The city, even as the sun sank farther and farther down into the inky darkness of night, glimmered like a yellow-white jewel in a dark blue sea. Raucous laughter, sorrowful crying, screams of delight, cars honking, generators thrumming, animals calling and a thousand other sounds echoed into the night, melding together in the cooling air. This was the heartbeat of a city; the heartbeat of a civilization straining with the desire to expand and prosper under the ever-present threat of a foe older than Humanity itself.

Jacob grimaced as he looked over it from beneath the towering shadow of Beacon Academy. "Eighteen hours, give or take," he said quietly. Eighteen hours and that heartbeat will be enveloped in fear, roaring and the sounds of gunfire. He hugged his arms closer to his torso in discomfort, his mind conjuring images of civilians running from ravenous packs of Beowolves or falling beneath the scything claws of an Ursa. His fingers drummed anxiously on his arm as he found himself pacing again, the grass of Beacon's gardens tickling his heels as he made each stride. He was under the shade of the same tree that he had taken shelter under all those weeks—wasn't it now coming up on two months—ago, hating himself for the slaughter of a boy on the wrong side of the law. The elm tree was now beginning to turn brighter colors, the first hints of fall creeping in on the world. A leaf broke loose, the lime-green waif flowing in the gentle breeze that sauntered in from the sea.

"Try not to think about it," came the voice of Mira at his side. "That's the part that all Guardsmen struggle with the most during an offensive maneuver. Focus on the current moment."

Jacob turned to meet the Guardswoman eye-to-eye, tilting his head down to meet her gaze while she sat at the base of the tree. "I think this might be a smidge different, Ms. Ultramar: It's not like we don't know what's coming."

"True," she said, "considering the footage you provided us. But there's still many other variables to consider."

Jacob nodded. "Eliphas..."

"And other possible agents."

His grimace deepened. "Who do you think is with him, if anyone?"

There was a deep hum of thought. "I doubt there will be anyone outside of Eliphas," replied Titus assuredly. "If there are, I have my doubts that they are a Chaos worshipper of particular note."

"I would say 'never say never', Titus," Jacob said, "but you're also not wrong. But that's the least of my concerns."

"Understandable," Titus replied as he walked up beside him, the Ultramarine still towering over the guy despite no longer being an Astartes. "Vulkan, Gabriel and Logan have mapped out necessary routes out of the identified regions of the city. They're preparing to be within close range of the Breach if and then when it opens up, and they're bringing out all of their best weapons and gear."

Jacob nodded. "Good, good," he said absently. "And the Valkyrie?"

"Ready to buzz the ground when the time comes," Mira said. "Agatha's piloting skills as a Steel Legionnaire is second to none. She's ready to appease the Machine's Spirit's bloodthirst."

Jacob nodded again. "Anyone else we should expect to arrive?"

Titus returned the nod and replied, "Yes. Former Apothecary Pythol of the Red Scorpions arrived at the school's landing bay an hour ago, and Vulkan's bringing him up to speed. I finally received word from Stormseer Sugodai of the White Scars, he is en route from his base on the southern trade trails; he'll be here tomorrow morning."

"And... any word from Dante?"

Titus' eyes flashed with some manner of emotion that Jacob couldn't read. "Dante and his wife are on route, but their airship from Mistral has been delayed for a day. They won't get here until the morning of The Breach."

Jacob grimaced. "At least he'll be here—wait, wife? He got married?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Titus replied.

Jacob's grimace turned into a sly grin. "Who's the lucky Imperial woman who's rolling under the covers with the Lord Commander of the Blood Angels?"

Mira grinned back. "Not Imperial. Remnantine."

Jacob's grin disappeared in surprise. "Wait, he hooked up with a local woman? No kidding?"

The husband and wife nodded their heads in unison. "Before you ask," Mira added, "Pandora is well aware of the truth. He confessed it to her directly before they married."

Jacob shrugged in understanding. "Fair enough, she ought to have known what she was getting before she made a commitment."

Titus nodded. "She's also a Huntsman by trade, but she's been spending a lot of time as a stay-at-home mother the last few years. She just started taking missions after their daughter started attending the Academies."

Jacob gave him a look of surprise. "Really? Is she here with the rest of the Haven students?"

Titus and Mira shared a look that Jacob registered as faintly suspect. "She's here," the Ultramarine said. "You'll know her when you see her."

Jacob nodded, his mind trying to go through the myriad of faces he had seen from Haven; Dante's—or rather Sanguinius'—genes must be far stronger right? Must have blood red eyes, flowing, golden blonde hair, nearly marble skin, goddamn gorgeous to look at... why hadn't he seen her before?

"Well, well," came another feminine voice, "What's with all the old guard sitting out here? Scheming in the shadows?"

Jacob turned and was met with the sight of a girl in a bright yellow and red-striped sweatshirt and black jeans walking their way, her short, platinum-blonde hair still in its usual bob cut. "Talking about tomorrow," Jacob replied to Delia—or Rey, he remembered that she preferred—as she walked up to him. He offered her a handshake that she returned in earnest. "How's your old man doing?"

"Readying up and watching the footage you gave us pretty damn meticulously," the granddaughter of Rogal Dorn commented; Jacob at random only now noticed that her voice was like Emma Watson's, but with an American Midwest accent. "He was powering up the Fist just before I left so it's got that extra kick. Also, never call him 'old man' to his face, or he'll remove it."

Jacob pointed to her and replied, "point taken. Side note, is that the real Fist of Dorn he uses?"

"It is," Mira replied. "That relic now resides here with him, alongside the remains of his Terminator suit."

Jacob's eyes bugged out as he turned his head to lock eyes with the Cadian. "Okay, I know Titus said his armor came through with him, but you didn't say anything about a suit of Terminator armor being here."

Rey scoffed. "What did you think that suit of proto-Cataphractii armor Vulkan has was made from?!"

"He told me it was made with Remnant parts!"

"And the schematics of Indomitus plates!"

"How the hell does that work!?"

"Both of you," Mira said, "calm down. Is this really worth arguing over?"

The two blinked in surprise, realizing that she wasn't far off. Jacob shook his head "Did we seriously just argue about how a suit of Terminator armor was made?"

"Jeez, when you say it like that," she said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Anyway, not important," Jacob replied with a dismissive wave off into the city. "The important thing here is being ready for tomorrow. Penny's already two steps ahead of the game, fortunately for us. She's prepped up with Knight parade routes and in regards to her own situation, she's gotten some hard copy memory drives for her to use if things go south."

"Good," Titus replied. "One less thing to worry about.

"Right," Jacob nodded. "But here's the thing that's got me worried: it's not just team RWBY going out to Mountain Glenn with Oobleck; our party's size is a force double that original size, and backed by some of the best fighters—and one of the worst—in Remnant and the Imperium," he said, pointing to himself at that the mention of 'the worst'. "But opposite of that, the galvanized White Fang, Roman Torchwick and his cohorts, Neopolitan and Eliphas the Inheritor are waiting there with a metric fuck-ton of Grimm out there with them. This is gonna be the first shots fired in what basically will amount to a war."

Silence draped itself across the assembly, everyone letting the situation absorb into their minds. Jacob sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "The people who are caught in the attack zone are going to be in more than just danger... there is more than a good chance of casualties, I won't pretend otherwise. But with everything we know, we can either stop it outright or should that fail keep the damages to a minimum. This will make or break the future and what we might expect from Cinder and Salem: If the Breach goes through, the Council puts Ironwood in charge of security and Atlas gets to flex its military muscles. If we succeed, Ozpin may remain cleared to assume command and Atlas either stands down or reduces its forces in the city. Considering the notion that Cinder is still planning the attack on Vale, we, unfortunately, might have to let the Breach occur and basically stretch ourselves as much as possible to perform damage control."

He grimaced as he met each Imperial's gaze; Mira kept her gaze for all of three seconds before she sighed, rubbing her shoulder in very evident hesitation. Titus' eyes were a storm of emotions, each one small but forming the weakest of thunderclouds within his light blue eyes—hadn't his eyes always been dark brown, or was Jacob imagining things—as he grimaced back. Rey's emotions were the most open, a sour scowl on her face at the idea of letting the enemy into the city.

"Don't think for a moment I like having to say, 'We're going to let the Grimm breach the city'," he said with a sigh. "Fuck it, I'm basically saying that some people will have to die in a day and a half so we can set this whole thing on a path of forward momentum. I sound no better than your average Inquisitor or Arbitrator, honestly. But still... I don't think it's wise to deviate from canon until the moment that Pyrrha goes downstairs to accept Amber's power. After that, it's free game to cut Cinder off at the knees."

Rey spat angrily. "We should be arresting her on the spot," the platinum blonde said. "My cousin is in danger, the city is in danger, and yet we're standing here doing nothing, waiting for them to come and slaughter people like lambs in a butchery!"

"I swear I'm a broken record at this point," Jacob said aloud to himself "If we deviate too far, we risk—"

"What," she said, "your precious intel becoming null and void? The one-in-a-million chance of everyone else dying instead of possibly just Pyrrha and the android girl? Give me a break, we could take her with an arm each tied behind our backs. I've seen her in combat; she's nothing special."

"That's because you haven't seen her go full-Maiden yet," Jacob replied sharply through his teeth. "I have. And let me tell you right now, if her fight with Pyrrha in the show is any indicator, she could wax half of us and not break a sweat."

Rey glowered. "She is half the Fall Maiden that Amber was—is! I meant is!"

"And yet Amber still got batted around like a ball of string," Jacob replied. "All because Cinder was two steps ahead of her and found her weakness!"

"Cinder got lucky!"

"Amber got careless! And because of that carelessness, a lot of people are now on the chopping block!"

"Amber was not careless! Not that you would know that," the Lone Wolf replied back to her contemporary. "You've been lying through your teeth about knowing Amber, and that's how you got into this fucking school in the first place!"

"Delia," Mira barked with the tone a mother gives her child, "this is not the time or place for this kind of discussion!"

The Lysander girl didn't hear her, or at least ignored her. "If anything, I still doubt your allegiances: What would you have to gain from doing all of this tip-toeing around rather than come out and say it to everyone!?"

"Because I can't say what would happen if I did," Jacob roared back at her, "haven't you been listening!? If I had said something, they may have jumped the gun in an attempt to catch her and others would have been caught in the crossfire! Because by comparison to that dinky light show that Amber showed off when she was attacked, Cinder is leagues past her and would have killed—"

CRACK!

He reeled back a few steps as the right side of his face erupted with pain. The sound of bone impacting bone rang in his ears as he involuntarily cupped the assaulted cheek. He looked up to see Rey's fist raised high and her stride picking up, only for Mira to dart into view, grabbing Rey by the arm to hold her back.

"How dare you talk about my blood-cousin like that," the blonde girl roared. "How dare you speak of a granddaughter of Rogal Dorn like that! She is twice-fold the Huntsman you will ever be and you have the gall to say she was weak!?"

"Delia, that's enough," Titus shouted as he joined his wife in holding the fisticuff-wielding Huntress back, "He didn't mean it like that."

Delia struggled against the Cadian and Ultramarine's grips, control still visible in her eyes even in the dim light and poor animation of Volume 2. "I think I was wrong about you, Muller; you're a coward, a snake. It's plain just in your very plans. You don't care about the rest of the city. You only care about what lies within your narrow view." With a huff, she shook Mira's arm loose and turned, beating an angry and hasty retreat back into the Academy.

Jacob sat there, dumbfounded. Considering how much she cared for Pyrrha the first night that he had told them of the truth, he was expecting her to be of the same mind. And yet, that wasn't the biggest thing on his mind. No, it was her other comment—about Amber—that got his attention.

Mira was first to approach him, a look mingled in ire, disappointment and compassion in her eyes. "Are you alright,"

Titus sighed as he watched the junior Imperial Fist walk away. "Forgive her outbursts," he said quietly. "She's stubborn like her father, and as ferocious as her cousins in the Black Templars. But your comments were also uncalled for."

"Well, she is right on both accounts," Jacob said as he massaged his injured cheek. "I won't pretend otherwise."

"If she was right on the latter," the Ultramarine said, "then you wouldn't have told us the plan in the first place; now we can at least control the situation a bit."

"And yet I just openly said that I wanted the Invasion of Vale to go down," the boy replied. "Not exactly Huntsman of the Year material there, Captain."

"Perhaps," he replied with a tired sigh. "That being said, it is a very Imperial decision to make."

Jacob grimaced. "I take it that's a bad thing."

Titus hummed in thought. "I'd say it's... a very human decision, honestly. Now then, considering it is closing in on 7:00, I believe we should turn in for the night; we have a busy day ahead of us."

"Right. So, quick question," Jacob said as he stopped massaging the angry, faint welt on his cheekbone where her fist struck his face. "What did she mean by 'her blood-cousin'?"

Titus and Mira shared a look of hesitation, sighing quietly as they turned back to him. It was Mira who answered him. "Knowing that you don't actually know Amber that much, it's not surprising that you don't know her lineage. Tell me," she said to him, "Does the animated show ever tell her surname?"

Jacob shook his head. Why was that important—unless...

"Does the surname Mendoza ring any bells?"

Again, Jacob shook his head. "I mean, it's a common surname for Latino folk back home, but I can't think of anyone in 40k with a... Latino... name."

As he said that, his mind had begun to remember something. Something involving one of the myriad sons of Dorn that existed in the Imperium. There was a chapter whose members sported the surnames of both Latin and Castillan Spanish. The very first Space Marine Chapter to be put to artwork, they were the chapter whose men adorned the cover of the very first rulebook for 40k, Rogue Trader.

A crimson fist on a dark blue background flashed in his mind. His stomach began to flip like a coin toss, his brain processing their meaning.

"...You're joking with me."

---

"I'm not joking guys, guess who showed up in the mail~!"

"Arf, arf-arf!"

"Oh, my gods, who is this cute pup!?"

"Something that should not be at this school."

"Oh, come on, Blake, he's not mean, he's just a cute little puppy-wuppy, aren't you? Yes, you are, yes you are!"

"I... never imagined Weiss baby-talking something," Nora said as she stifled a giggle.

"Hush, you," Weiss retorted with an angry point at the tiny Valkyrie.

The salt-and-pepper corgi barked again, his stubby tail wagging circles as he stared up at the Mistrali champion. He did a pirouette for her, once, twice, then sat back down in front of her, panting and still wagging his tail joyfully. Pyrrha moved to pick up the adorable little dog, holding him up as one would hold a baby with his belly up and his little paws waving in the air.

"Aww," Pyrrha cooed to the puppy, "aren't you just so sweet? What's his name?"

Yang beamed in delight. "Zwei," she replied.

Yang giggled as she watched her dog and her friend play, the former now lolling his tongue out the side of his mouth in absolute delight as the latter rubbed his tummy with her free hand. The two teams were now standing inside of RWBY's room, the door closed behind them as if they were in the middle of some clandestine meeting. Outside, the morning sun was already fairly high in the sky, casting the Academy in dimmed patches of light and shadow through the light cloud cover. First-year missions would be called up shortly, no doubt about it.

Out of the corner of her vision, she saw Ren pick up one of Zwei's dog food cans as well as the package that they had come in; even she didn't know how her dad was able to do things like that with packages, but she was always delightfully surprised by it, so she never really cared much about it. As for the rest of JNPR, they had suddenly encircled Pyrrha and Zwei, with Jaune cuddled up right beside Pyrrha and Nora right across from them, with Weiss sandwiched right beside Jaune. The salt-and-pepper corgi was now barking happily and waving his paws, his little tongue hoping to give anyone in range doggy kisses.

Yang watched on as Jaune and Pyrrha in particular kept giving the Xiao Long-Rose household's dog all the love he could have imagined. She watched the two play off one another, Jaune scratching Zwei's chin only for Pyrrha to rub his belly, the pup squirming as he was doted upon. Somewhere in the back of Yang's mind, watching the two of them act like this together... well, she wasn't going to pretend that they weren't a cute pair. Yeah, Pyrrha was showing all of the classical signs of a puppy crush, but Jaune was either not interested—how the hell isn't he interested, unless he was in the closet or something—or was oblivious to it. Judging by how often his eyes were darting over to Weiss, it had to be the latter.

She groaned internally. Get a clue, Jaune, you idiot.

"So," Ruby said from her spot in front of the door, "we have the plan all set up?"

Jaune and Pyrrha looked up. "Considering everything's being handed to us on a silver platter," Pyrrha said, "I don't think there's much to really go over."

"Fair enough," Weiss replied. "Granted, we still need to actually get the mission in the first place. Then we should worry about all the other details."

"Although," Blake said from atop of Ruby's makeshift bunkbed, "What are we gonna do about... him." She pointed down at the corgi lounging in Pyrrha's arms.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Five taps in rapid succession. "Shave and a haircut," a voice from the other side, just loud enough to be heard.

Yang nodded to Ruby. Her little sister turned and opened the door, revealing a fully-packed Jacob on the other side. His backpack was fully-loaded, his chainsword hanging loosely at his side and his pistol sticking out of the inside pocket of his jacket. But the most noticeable things about him were the faint bags under his eyes and the untouched, two-day-old stubble he was wearing now. He didn't look as fresh as expected, but he still looked fairly invigorated.

"Morning guys," he said with a small smile. "I take it I'm the late asshole who's out of the loop?"

Yang sighed. "Well," she said, "there's not much to add, really. You got everything you need?"

He nodded as he entered the room. "Actually, come to think of it," he said with a sigh as the smile faltered, "I might be packing this all for naught, if the parameters of that mission are any indicator. We're probably gonna need to be on the move regularly, so at best I probably only need my music and a basic sleeping bag, not counting weapons and ammo."

Yang smirked, thinking just how much he was like Weiss in some instances: Yang had to tell the heiress to not go overboard on packing. "Hey," she said, "at least you tried to be proactive."

"And yet you chastised me for it," replied Weiss.

"Oh, shush," Yang replied absently.

Jacob nodded as he set his backpack down at the foot of her bed. "And who... brought in a dog? I thought pets aren't allowed on campus." He walked up to Pyrrha and Jaune, the duo still playing with the pup as he approached.

"Oh," Yang heard Ruby say before she zoomed in beside their eldest member, "This is Zwei! He's our dog!"

"Oh, really now," he said as he flashed her a bemused grin. He reached out a hand to Zwei, hesitating as the happy-go-lucky corgi turned his head and began to sniff Jacob's hand. His tail stopped wagging, though mainly in concentration by all accounts. Yang found her brow rising in surprise as he sniffed for a few seconds... and then another few seconds. She was immediately confused: Zwei never took much longer than at most two seconds to smell someone out before he let them pet him.

What was different about Jacob?

The sniffing stopped. Zwei's ears poked up. He barked twice.

Yang sighed in relief. Two barks; Zwei liked him, as emphasized by him licking Jacob's fingers.

"Aww," said Jacob, sounding like he was going to start cooing in baby-talk, "Who's a good boy? Who's a happy corgi?"

Yang smiled and laughed as Zwei barked happily, his chin now getting a scratch from Jacob. "Nice to see Zwei's still a good judge of character," she said to Jacob, walking up and ruffling his beaver-pelt hair.

"I take it he doesn't like people of poor conduct," Jacob replied.

Yang scoffed, remembering a myriad of times Zwei had scared off a person who was of ill refute. "You have no idea," she said, coming in beside him and petting Zwei's chin the same as he was.

She heard a small laugh at her side. She turned to see Nora eyeing her with a cocky grin, raising her eyebrows and glancing off to her left... in the direction of Jacob.

Yang felt her eyes shift to red in response, though she only scowled slightly in reply. "Don't go there," she mouthed silently to Nora. Nora responded by making kissy faces with a sly grin attached to the end.

If Yang didn't enjoy their spars and eating competitions, she would have smacked Nora over the head with a thrown gauntlet from Ember Celica.

"I've talked with Titus and Mira," Jacob said with tone addressed to everyone. "The search and destroy mission is pretty much ours in all but name, though Ozpin will need to remove the restrictions on it after we arrive."

"Odd that Professor Ozpin would go through such lengths to send us on this mission," Blake said from her perch on Ruby's bed. Yang was glad to see the bags under her eyes had faded dramatically, and her amber eyes had also become far brighter and livelier.

"I think he's tired of us breaking rules to take the initiative," Jaune muttered exasperantly.

"Not surprising considering it's always us that are in the thick of the firefight," Yang replied back to him.

"Not to mention some of us have history with the Fang," Jacob commented, pointing to himself. Blake immediately cleared her throat, making him wince in revelation.

"So, Uncle Titus and Aunt Mira are on this mission too," Pyrrha said as an aside. "I have to wonder who was the original professor assigned to this mission?"

"Oobleck," Jacob said matter-of-factly. "And he's still on the mission, too."

Yang wasn't alone when her jaw dropped without her permission. Half of the room dropped theirs in respective shock, with the likes of Ruby and Nora both wearing eyes as wide as saucepans.

"Oobleck!? Why's he on a field mission," cried Nora in bafflement.

"Well, he is a licensed Huntsman," Blake replied, only to shrink back at Zwei's happy barking.

Jacob hummed in thought. "As much as I agree with Nora in regards to the idea that he doesn't seem the fieldwork type, He's still a part of the mission, and he's probably aware of our intentions if Ozpin's smart enough to let him know. But it might be smart to assume that his goals out there and our own will match up."

Yang grimaced at that: All this time planning out things in secret and now they were just going with it? "He's never going to let us hunt the White Fang outright," she said with a frown.

Jacob turned and looked at her with his own furrowed brow. "I'm not advocating we blurt out our intentions, but we at least prepare ourselves to move tactfully. And considering the map of Fang and Eightfold Path activity that Titus indicated seeing with Ironwood, there's bound to be someone out there who slips up and leaves a trail for us. Then we can track them down and go from there."

Most of the room nodded in agreement; it was a solid but flexible baseline plan. But something nagged at the back of Yang's mind. Something felt a little too... rehearsed about what he was saying. It was almost like he was expecting to catch someone. But before those thoughts could catch too solid a hold, she banished the thought from her mind with a shake of her head.

Jacob rose a brow at that. "You okay, Yang?"

Yang blinked. "Ah, it's nothing," she replied. "But yeah, guess it sounds like a solid plan to me."

"Right," Ruby said with a smile from the doorway. "Now we just need them to—"

"Will all first-year students please report to the amphitheater," came the voice of Professor Goodwitch over the ceiling-mounted speaker.

"—call... us..."

Yang suppressed a giggle. "Couldn't have timed that better, Ruby."

Jacob, however, chuckled openly, though as Yang turned her head and met his eyes with her own. She was surprised to see both ferocity and apprehension in his eyes, as if he was aware of something and both excited and concerned to meet it in battle. Yang didn't deny that it was a smidge unnerving in the back of her mind.

"Well, you heard the lady, let's move out," he said as he scratched Zwei's chin one last time before making for the door. Nora and Ren were right behind him, with Weiss following suit, then Jaune and then Blake, whom was doing her best attempt at a circus acrobat's retinue to avoid Zwei. Now, there was only Yang, Pyrrha and Ruby in the room.

"Well," Pyrrha said as she scratched Zwei's chin, "he's certainly excited for the mission, even if it isn't... well, 'smiley excited."

Ruby nodded, a look that was halfway between the normal happy smile she wore and... a look of worried thoughtfulness. "I mean, it is our first mission, but... he's been kinda jumpy about the Eightfold Path and the White Fang..."

Yang nodded back in agreement. "We'll keep an eye on him, okay? I'm sure he'll be fine, though; he's been taking things a lot better than before, recently."

"I noticed that yesterday," Pyrrha said as she put Zwei down, letting him run around their feet in a loop. "But... he's been anxious about this, and more than I would expect."

Yang grimaced at her note. She wasn't wrong on any account, and now the worry and doubt had begun to edge in on her mind; was this going as good-natured as most first missions were, or...

She shook her head. "Ah, we'll worry about it when we're on the ground. For now, let's just get to the meeting and get the mission. Come on, Ruby."

Yang noticed that even as she and Pyrrha began to walk out of the room, Ruby hesitated for a second. "Wait," she said, "what about Zwei?"

Yang looked back at her with a wry smile. "He'll be fine," she said. "He's got a can opener, a good bed—four of them technically—to sleep on, and he can run outside and do his business." Sure, even that first part didn't make sense since he was a dog, but he'd been able to do it before by some miracle, so she wasn't worried. With that, she turned and began walking down the hall after the rest of them.

Right at the end of the hall, she turned to see if Ruby was following her. She was surprised to see Ruby jogging after them, a big Beacon Academy backpack on her back. "Sorry," she said. "Had to grab some stuff I thought we'd need."

Yang smiled. "There's my smart sis," she said as she ruffled Ruby's hair. She turned and followed the rest of them down the stairwell, Ruby on her six.

About five minutes later they had arrived in the auditorium, and judging by how crowded it was they were among the last to arrive. Students in Atlas and Haven Academy uniforms stood at various states of attention, while the uniform-less students of Shade stood at relative ease. Out of the Beacon students, only their group of 9 stood in their casual wear rather than their dress uniforms.

Yang scoffed audibly at the stiff and almost regimental Atlas Academy students. Sucks to be them, she thought to herself. Team RWBY and Team JNPR stood shoulder-to-shoulder, with Jacob taking the far opposite side of the group from Yang and Ruby, standing beside Nora and Jaune. He seemed at attention the same way as the Atlesian students.

Yang furrowed her brow in curiosity. Then her ears were assaulted.

There was a very loud feedback from the mic up on the central stage. There, Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch stood at attention, looking out over the student body. "Quiet," Goodwitch called out, "Quiet please. Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin."

Ozpin stepped forwards, adjusting his collar. "Today we stand together, united. Mistral. Atlas. Vacuo. Vale. The four Kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom, but about the very idea of individualism itself."

Yang shifted on her feet. She'd heard a similar speech before, but it never seemed to get old to her.

"We fought for countless reasons, one of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression. And as you are well aware, that was something many could not stand for. As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither were the generations to come."

Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Blake Belladonna. Even her own name, Yang Xiao Long, was Eastern Mistrali for 'Sunny little dragon.' Ozpin wasn't wrong when he said what he had said.

Not of her own make, her mind began to dwell on another name. Jacob Muller. There was no color to be found there, not even a name that made one think of a color. At best there was the Old Mantle word for miller—a name that brought the color green to mind—but that was a stretch at best.

She shook her head free of that thought.

"And it was a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together, united. But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work to uphold it. As first year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional Huntsman or Huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the Kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best. Thank you."

He nodded and stepped back. The crowds began to disperse. Yang spotted Jacob staring down at the ground as if his mind were elsewhere.

"Hey," she asked as she approached him. "You okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah," he said. "Just... thinking, that's all."

Yang wasn't sure what there was to think about. All she did know was that he needed to focus. "Well, come on," she said, "You'll have plenty of time for that on the Bullhead."

"Right, right," he said. "Now, we secure the mission. Probably on the 'Search and Destroy' board." They turned and followed the rest of the group to the mission boards.

They reached the board with ease, most of the rest of the student body taking to simpler missions within the city or other types of a similar demeanor. Only a few other squads were browsing the roster, including... Team CRDL.

Yang rolled her eyes. "Great," she muttered as the nine of them approached, catching Cardin's attention.

"Well, well," he said as he leaned against the pillar next to the screen, "Look who's raring to get kicked back to school with their tails tucked between their legs." He flashed them a villainous smile that made Yang's skin crawl the longer she stared at it. "Granted, knowing how some of you ladies are, that wouldn't be the only thing tucked between—"

Jacob quickened his pace, stepping in front of Yang. "Beat it, Winchester," he hissed through bared teeth, "or you won't have to worry about me being the one to kick your ass."

Half of the group started, including Yang. That was not a usual reaction for Jacob as far as Yang knew, and it was bristling with defensiveness. What was that all about?

Cardin smirked cockily at his bare-bones threat before he shrugged. "Whatever," he said. "Not like you losers will get anything as big as our mission. Come on guys, we've got a plane to catch."

The other three in his team corralled themselves around him as if they were dogs obeying their master. He strode by them, headed for the center of the auditorium. Yang couldn't help but notice Jaune and him share a snarl of mutual hatred as they passed each other.

Nora turned around and continued walking backwards as she gave Jacob a confused look. "What was that all about, Jacob," she asked. "You sounded like you were about to lay him out on the floor."

Yang's curiosity was also beyond remaining silent. "Why'd you step out in front of me," she asked. "I could have kicked him to the curb a lot easier than you could have."

Jacob blinked at their questions as if it hadn't occurred to him. He sighed. "Sorry," he said. "my patience with Winchester's been reaching critical mass as of late. Just was kinda reflexive."

Yang looked up at the rest of the group. Several—including Nora—grew sly smiles. She responded by flipping them the bird. "Come on, guys," she said, "let's not waste any more time, okay?"

Ruby nodded from her spot up at the terminal. She turned around and began scrolling through the list, checking for one particular location, along with eight other pairs of eyes.

"Forever Fall, The Stacked Plateau, Emerald Forest... where is it, where is it," Ruby asked to no one in particular.

Yang saw Jacob's brow crease in confusion. He walked forwards past the rest of them, coming to a stop beside Ruby. "Where the devil is it," he said under his breath as he leaned in beside her, tracing the side with his finger. "You can't be serious... don't tell me it glitched out? Oh my God, I thought I left my computer glitching back home!"

"Well, Mr. Muller, you'll be happy to hear that we do not encounter such glitches in the National Mission Roster."

All nine of them wheeled on their feet, with Yang being last to do so. She was met with the sight of Professor Ozpin standing right behind her, is usual calm and benevolent look on his face as he sported his usual mug—seriously, when isn't he drinking something from that mug?

"Oh, Professor Ozpin," Yang heard Pyrrha say behind her. "We didn't hear you approach, sir."

"My apologies, Ms. Nikos. I have been known to be quite light on my feet when necessity arises," he said with a chuckle. There was a shared laugh amongst them at the comment. "Considering how these missions are supposed to be assigned to singular teams, I am surprised to see you all corralled around a singular console, hunting a particular mission that was deemed too dangerous for first-years if I presume correctly; it seems that the region around the Southeast has been particularly popular as of late, wouldn't you agree?"

Again, they all made a similar noise, though this time it was a series of nervous and guilty hums. The only one to not have such a reaction was Jacob, who gave Ozpin a look that was halfway between humored and nervous.

Ozpin chuckled in his usual bright manner. "As a matter of fact, I see it's highly likely that you nine will find yourselves in the region no matter what mission you sign up for."

Yang chuckled nervously. "Uh... what makes you say that, Professor?"

"Call it a hunch," he replied. "Truth be told, your escapades have not gone unnoticed by myself or some of my colleagues. The docks, the battle at the highway overpass; whether you have been actively hunting the White Fang or luck has been drawing your paths together, I doubt there is any way to fully stop at the very least Team RWBY. I am surprised, however, that you are joining them on this, JNPR."

Jaune stepped forwards, within a few feet of Ozpin; Yang smiled at the memory of the guy being worried if Professor Oz so much as walked in his direction. "We made a promise to ourselves to help our sister team if they ever need us, Professor," he said in a calm but tense voice. "We want to make good on that promise."

For a brief moment, there was a pause. Some pessimistic part of Yang's brain worried that they would be shut down before they even so much as got a chance to sign up for a mission.

Ozpin smiled. "That is the kind of cooperation that gives me hope for the future, Mr. Arc. Test or no test, I was right in letting you join this Academy's student body."

The air around them started to get slightly heavier, as if lead had been added to it. Yang glanced over just as Jaune's eyes went wide and his pallor shifted a tone paler. "Uhh..."

Ozpin chuckled again. "A valiant effort at a forgery, by the by, I never got a chance to thank you for truly testing the computers at their forgery detection."

Jaune began to look as though he'll pass out. "Sir, please, I—"

Ozpin held a hand up. "There's nothing to be concerned about, Jaune. As I said, you've been an exemplary Huntsman-in-training so far, and you have done nothing to warrant expulsion. Now, as for this mission... knowing full well that you will no doubt attempt to make your way there with or without our permission, how about this: rather than wait and have you all breaking the rules... why not we bend them a little?"

Yang saw his Scroll tablet blink to life as he selected a mission. Even backwards she could see what it said: 'Search and Destroy—High Grimm Activity—Sector 5—Mission Start: ASAP'.

Ozpin punched in their team names before punching in another code she couldn't make out. His override code, if she had to venture a guess.

The screen turned green. A checkmark appeared beside the two acronyms.

"And as for Mr. Muller," Ozpin said, "since it seems as though he either cannot or will not leave your side, I have a solution for our policy for Lone Wolves. Despite the school's policies on Lone Wolf missions, we'll simply call his addition... extra security for the mission."

Ruby walked up beside Yang now, wearing that determined smile on her face. "We won't let you down. Thank you, Professor."

"Do not thank me for this," he said, his face losing the lightheartedness it wore not a minute ago. "Teamwork and persistence have carried you far. But you must understand, the things that await you beyond the protection of the Kingdom will not care. Stay close to your Huntsmen at all times, and do exactly as they say. They will be leading you on this mission, and they can have you sent back to Beacon, if they find your skills to be unsatisfactory, regardless of your ties to them. Understood?"

Yang knew that last part was directed at their Invincible Girl. She heard Pyrrha hum in understanding from behind her. The rest of them, including herself, gave him a simple "Yes, sir" in unison.

He nodded and smiled. "I wish you all the best of luck." And with that, he turned away and returned to Glynda's side.

Yang turned, feeling both a new sense of dread and exhilaration. "Well, gang," she said, "we're in. Granted, not with the most positive send-off in the world."

"He's not wrong, though," Blake replied.

"Oh, come on guys," Nora, "We're off on a world-saving mission together with Mr. And Mrs. Ultramar and... Professor Oobleck."

There was silence over the group as they let that last bit sink in.

"Huh," Nora said, "that detail was kind of a party pooper."

"Then we've got something that ought to make that better," she heard a familiar voice say. The lot of them turned their heads and were greeted by the site of Mr. And Mrs. Ultramar walking their way, dressed for fieldwork rather than time in the city. Titus' tan slacks had been replaced by similar-colored cargo pants, and his polo was nowhere to be found, instead replaced by a simple blue t-shirt with his stylized U shaped like an upside-down omega—hey, how did I never notice that—and a dark brown leather satchel at his side that was strung across his broad chest. Mira, on the other hand, wore not much new outside a chestpiece of some kind, some type of plastic or polymer that was fastened over her shoulders and side as if it were the most basic armor belonging to troopers of the Great War. Both sported their weapons on their person, Mira's knife, pistol and rifle visible to all, and Titus' own weapons gleaming in their blues and golds.

Pyrrha walked up to them, though rather than throw herself at them in a hug, she stood proud and at attention, though there was still an air of casualness to her stance. "We're ready whenever you are, guys. Which landing pad is our Bullhead on"

Titus smiled as he looked about them all. For a moment, his eyes focused on one directly over Yang's shoulder. She remembered Jacob had been standing right about where Titus was looking. "Now, who said anything about catching a flight on a Bullhead?"

Pyrrha seemed to alight with excitement, her arms tucking in as if she were a giddy schoolgirl. "We're taking Morning Glory?"

Mira gave them a sly smile. "It's faster and it'll hold twice as many people," she said. "I hope you all have your bags ready, we're meeting at the ship ASAP."

A green blur passed them. The voice of Professor Oobleck rang out, saying, "T-minus 11 minutes to liftoff, students! Move with purpose, quickly now!"

Pyrrha and Jaune were first to start running after Oobleck, followed quickly by Ruby and Weiss with Nora and Ren in tow. Only Blake, Yang herself and Jacob remained, though in various states. Yang and Blake were sharing a look of confusion and intrigue; what other kind of ship could outpace a Bullhead in the sky?

She turned to check on why she didn't see Jacob take off after them.

---

The look on his face was one of both reserved excitement and gut-wrenching terror. Around him the other eleven Huntsmen and Huntresses talked amongst each other in various states of being. Across the way from him was Ruby, practically bouncing up and down in her seat, her harness forsaken in excitement; perhaps it was really just the odd jostle from turbulence. Yang and Titus were talking jovially with Jaune and Pyrrha, while Mira and Weiss made small talk near the front of the transport bay, right next to the door leading to the cockpit. Ren and Blake sat quietly opposite of each other, taking in the advanced technology that sat around them. Nora was on her feet, bouncing back and forth between gears and compartments, taking in every detail in awe and delight.

And Jacob was sitting quietly, his face vacillating between a big, dopey grin and a horror-induced grimace of fear.

Why the grin? Well, he was sitting in the hold of a Valkyrie Gunship, for starters.

An honest-to-Christ Imperial Guard Valkyrie Gunship.

Not some replica made effective by reverse-engineering, but an actual ship forged by the arcane hand of the Adeptus Mechanicus, tested in battles against Orks, Chaos and countless other foes of Mankind, and revitalized with Remnantine technology.

And he was headed to the starting point of The Breach.

Even sitting down, his knees were like jello; if he stood up, he'd probably wobble and fall to the floor in an elated, terrified heap of Huntsman.

Even after 5 minutes of flight this feeling had not changed in severity, neither rising nor falling. His heart was beating with excitement as his eyes glanced over the great war machine of the Imperial Guard, rendered in Poser to his eyes with an unusal amount of detail; dings and scuffs from battle that couldn't be buffed out; the remains of painted names and insignias on overhead compartments; and overhead of the cockpit doorway, a symbol was cast in gold, emeralds and sapphires—a squared frame encircling an eye similarly shaped like the Eye of Horus, cradled in the center of an upside down omega with sharp, angelic wings jutting out from the sides. The Ultramarine and Cadian Gate insignias hybridized; a unified house of the Imperium's poster children.

However, there were some retrofits of note; a very advanced-looking system of wiring and tubing snaked through the ceiling, and the twelve seats in the hold had been given some upholstery, as if it was now made for civilian usage rather than as the military workhorse of the Aeronautica Imperialis.

He felt like if he'd pinch his arm, he would wake up from this surreal dream back to something more mundane. He was tired of feeling like that; it was cool, but too distracting considering what lied ahead of them.

"Mr. Muller," barked the serious but content voice of Professor Oobleck, the beanstalk of a man zipping up to Jacob's left side with the speed of a cartoon character. "You seem uncomfortable. Are you alright?"

Jacob jumped in surprise the second he appeared. "Gah! Jesus, Professor," he said, "I didn't need that mini-heart attack. And... maybe a little. I'm nervous about this mission and how well I'll pull my weight considering... well, my level of skill."

"Doctor, please, Mr. Muller. And furthermore my boy, there's nothing to be worried about," Oobleck commented. "Professor Ultramar has spoken highly of your training sessions with Professor Cain, and considering you've had five-plus months of training as a Huntsman as well as several... encounters in the field. I have little worry for your skill."

Jacob nodded as he assessed Oobleck's words in his mind. It was true, he'd learned more in the last five-odd months about combat training than he had ever dreamed he would, and in the week of training from Ciaphas he had already begun modifying his style to be more Huntsman-like with a tinge of Imperial flair, as opposed to his brutish, novice style. But it would only be out in the field where he would see if his changes bore fruit or not.

He wasn't going to pat himself on the back just yet, though. There was still a long day and subsequent night of combat ahead of them, and it wasn't just Grimm they would be fighting.

But still, He didn't pretend that he hadn't made progress. The question was whether it was enough progress to make a difference.

"Thanks, Oobleck," he said before he turned his attention back to the ground. He was getting too worried to be efficient; too much and he would falter, but not enough would make him reckless. He closed his eyes and began to do Ren's breathing trick that he'd shown him a few weeks ago.

Time passed, though how much was lost on Jacob. His breathing was his focus, trying to calm himself so he wasn't running around like a quivering idiot while he was out there. He focused his mind on things he knew calmed him down; the esplanade music at the Disney parks, the smell of hot tea, the sound of rushing water on the river running directly through the center of his hometown. And yet, it was only partially working. His mind couldn't separate the outside stimuli from the conjurings of his imagination.

He heard Pyrrha laugh, probably at some joke from Yang.

He felt just the tiniest bit of stress leave him.

Even with his eyes closed, he furrowed his brow. ...What on earth...

Yang and Titus laughed in response. Again, it seemed to steal some of that worry. A part of his heart then began to worry that his memories were losing some of their potency.

Worry, worry, all I ever do is worry, he thought to himself. I'm a fucking wreck of a person now that I honestly think about it.

Thunk!

He was jolted by a sudden impact from below.

"Prepare to disembark, people," he heard Mira say. "Anything to report from out there, Agatha?"

He opened his eyes as he heard footfalls and the door to the cockpit slide open. Through it stepped a woman wearing a sand-brown trench coat and dark green fatigues, her black boots surprisingly stark in the bright, clean overhead lights that seemed too clean for Imperial tech. She was a platinum blonde and sported a moderate tan that to Jacob seemed a cognitive dissonance just to think of, but she carried it well. Her features were no different than any of the rest of the women present thanks to Volume 2's animation, but something nagging in the back of Jacob's mind conjured stronger yet softer features, rounded cheeks and a small, short nose coupled with a strong jawline and hard eyes.

Part of him wondered if his imagination was going crazy in his isolation from the viewpoints of the real world. Another part of him wondered if he some part of his own mind could see past the metaphorical filter over his eyes. Regardless, just by her fatigues alone he could tell he was looking at an Armageddon Steel Legionnaire... or at least someone closely related to one.

"Nothing to report," she said with a faint Germanic accent to her words. "Spotted a Beowolf pack about 2 klicks out, headed this direction but at a leisurely stroll at best. You should have plenty of time till they arrive in the area."

"We will be long-gone or else long-prepared when they arrive," Oobleck said.

"Good," Titus said as he took point in front of the Valkyrie's doors. "Huntsmen, prepare yourselves for a trial by fire."

The lights winked out overhead for a second, plunging the cabin into darkness and several of the young Huntsmen and Huntresses into involuntary startled cries. The lights kicked back in, only now a deep red tint; warning lights that the back door was about to drop.

"Courage and honor, Huntsmen," Titus called out as a sharp hiss filled the air.

A crack of blinding sunlight stabbed at Jacob's eyes. He squinted hard as the crack grew bigger and bigger. His eyes strained as if it were natural sunlight, only for the brightness to drop off as the door behind Titus quickly turned into a ramp.

"Let's go, let's go," roared Mira, now brandishing her lasgun and knife. The kids obliged, Jacob pulling up the rear as he chambered Cadia and Titan both, expecting the landing zone to turn hot at the drop of a pin.

The cooled air of the retrofitted Valkyrie gave way to a hot blast of late summer or early fall wind, warning him of the sun outside.

By contrast, the world he stepped out into was a corpse, cold and lifeless.

It was a ruined city, easy to recognize by the towering buildings that sat around them, reaching for the sky like skeletal hands. Concrete structures sat in decay, walls crumbling and glass windows shattered from the elements and other forces that Jacob didn't want to think about. The sidewalk he stepped out onto was cracked and uprooted, angrily breaking as if the earth itself had rebelled against them.

He shook his head as he tried to figure out how he was getting that from the filter over his vision.

The group of eleven Huntsmen and Huntresses stood about on alert, though eight of them stood in downtrodden awe. Jacob himself wore a grim sneer across his face as he looked about, knowing full well that this had once been a city full of life, a chance for the Kingdoms to break loose of their confines, only for the rug to be pulled out from beneath them.

"Welcome to Mountain Glenn, students," said Professor Oobleck, sipping quickly from his mug. "Now, as of this moment, your first mission as Huntsmen and Huntresses have begun. From this point on, you need to do exactly as we say if you are to succeed. Do you understand?"

The nine younger students nodded.

Jacob saw Ruby's pack out of the corner of his eye. A little black nose stuck out from the side, sniffing the air.

"Ruby," said Oobleck with a hint of authority and ire, "I thought I told you to leave your bags at school."

Ruby cringed, only to hold up a lone finger. "But you didn't say that I needed to listen to you yet," she said hesitantly. "So, I didn't."

Ren, Weiss and Blake covered their eyes in various ways as Jaune and Yang both groaned. Pyrrha only rose a brow at Ruby.

Jacob turned to look at Oobleck, smiling as he moved to steal one of Oobleck's lines. "Well, she's not wrong."

Oobleck looked over and reluctantly shrugged at Jacob. "Very well, Ruby, leave your bag here with Professor Ultramar's ship, we'll pick it up on the way back."

"But, I—"

"Young lady, what in the world could be so important in that bag that you would—"

"Bark-bark!"

The eyes of the entire group converged on Ruby, staring at the backpack. Jacob himself grimaced to act in character and in worry that perhaps things would divert in the timeline here.

Out of the top compartment of Ruby's backpack popped Zwei's head, the dog happy as a clam as he looked around at the group. He was panting heavily—no doubt from the heat of the backpack and the weather outside compounding on his corgi fur—though he seemed to hardly care at all.

"You can't be serious," Blake said as she recoiled back a bit.

"Oh my GOD~!" screamed Nora in delight, folding in on herself as Jacob noticed her finger dangerously close to Magnhild's trigger in its grenade launcher form.

"Arf-arf!"

Oobleck stood at his full height, wearing an unreadable look behind his full moon glasses. But the first reaction was from Titus and Mira, whom Jacob noticed had been pinching the bridge of their noses. Titus sighed as he stood to his full height. "We're out here in the middle of one of the most dangerous places on Remnant, hunting down both Grimm and a potential terrorist cell..."

"And you had the bright idea to bring... a dog with you," Mira finished.

Ruby looked like she would die of embarrassment. Jacob did not envy her position. "I.. I..."

"Genius!"

Everyone's heads zipped to Oobleck. The man zipped past Ruby in a blur of khaki and green and scooped up Zwei from her backpack. Before Jacob could process what had happened, he spotted Oobleck spinning in a circle around where he stood. "Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound, making them excellent companions for a hunt such as ours!"

Zwei's face never changed as he was spun about. "Arf-arf!"

Everyone turned to look at Ruby. She was wearing a stunned look that quickly gave way to a proud smile. "I'm a genius," she reiterated, more than likely to herself more than the rest of them.

Jacob smiled. You're not wrong, Ruby, he thought to himself as he locked eyes with Titus and Mira. They both offered him winks and the ghosts of smiles. Nice acting on your parts, guys.

The other seven of their lot were in various degrees of reaction, though it was Blake and Pyrrha who were already in mission mode. "What's the plan, Doctor," asked Pyrrha.

"Ah, excellent," said Oobleck as he stopped, before letting go of Zwei and letting the dog bounce back to the ground. "Straight to the point! I like it! As you've been informed, the southeast area has been marked as a recent hot spot for Grimm activity. Now, there are several possible explanations for this behavior, one of which being... Grimm."

Jacob's eyes went wide as he remembered this part of the show. He wheeled on the spot, mentally two steps ahead of the rest of them sans Titus and Mira, whom were also quick to spin on their heels.

"Wait, what," he heard Ruby ask in confusion. He didn't look back, his eyes scanning the streets for—Aha!

There it was, as plain as the day he had first seen one: a lone Beowolf was walking forwards on all fours, sniffing the ground ahead as if following a trail headed southbound if the late morning sun was any indicator.

"Beowolf on our twelve, or six, or whatever," he said as he leveled Titan and took aim. "Hundred yards out at best guess. Guns out."

There was a cacophony of ringing swords, chambering hammers and transforming weapons as the rest of the group snapped to attention. Nora and Yang took up his flanks, both wearing fierce snarls. Past Nora, he saw Pyrrha enter a kneel, Milo leveled in its rifle form.

Titus' arm and hand entered his vision, thrust out at them as a mark of them to stop. "Hold," he said quietly, holding his Remnant-pattern Bolter aloft. "This is either a scout or the rest of the pack is not far behind them. We need to strategize."

"We might not have enough time to come up with something," Jacob said as the snout of another Beowolf poked out from behind a wall. "Case in point."

"Well, what do we do now," asked Blake, a hint of concern to her voice.

"We hide," said Oobleck, "and we track."

Jacob grimaced, his eyes still trained on the Grimm. "That'll take a long friggin' time," he said through his teeth. Another two of them showed up, following the first. One of them started turning towards them. Jacob's teeth clenched.

The Beowolf looked up, its soulless eyes boring into his.

"And now they've seen us," Oobleck said.

Weiss audibly blanched. "What?!"

"AND NOW THEY'VE SEEN US," Oobleck reiterated, his voice a megaphone in their ears.

"What do we do now," asked Jaune, drawing Crocea Mors from its scabbard.

"We can't run," Pyrrha replied, "And we can't find cover."

Jacob nodded tersely. "And stealth isn't an option anymore," Jacob yelled aloud, his fingers dancing on the gun triggers.

"Agreed," Titus said as he brought the bolter down. "Engage!"

Jacob's ears were assaulted by a thunderous cacophony. Dust rounds screamed around him, slamming into ground or screaming past the Grimm. Several shots, however, slammed into the Beowolves, dropping two of them in the volley; the choice of Dust marked the Grimm killers as Yang and Ren.

"Damn good shooting," Jacob said as he squeezed off another shot, skimming another by the shoulder. The two still standing began charging at them, teeth gleaming in the sunlight.

Just then, another six of them rounded that same corner, stumbling over one another to reach the group. Jacob's smile was short-lived as he redoubled his shots. Another four snapped off from Titan and Cadia each, emptying his magazine as two made purchase in a Beowolf's head. It slumped to the floor, only for another one to trample the corpse into black smoke.

A massive roar of a gun sounded off from his right. Titus' bolter retorted as the Beowolves roared, catching another one in the throat and removing its head from its shoulders with the force of the shell. Turned out that it still fired .75 caliber shells, if the emptied cartridges that spewed from the chamber were any indicator; they were half the width of his hand.

A smaller group of shells joined the bolter shells, originating from Mira's lasgun. She was firing on semi-auto, her Dust shells leaving solid light contrails behind them, as if they were the beam of a lasgun. She shot ahead of the Beowolves, rounds pinging off the concrete ahead of them, slowing their advance. But still they came, now 30 meters out and closing fast.

Jacob hissed beneath his breath. They were not going to get out of the inevitable melee. "Swap to melee," he said as he triggered Cadia's change with a flourish of his wrist. The chainsword shone candy blue in the sun, its features now made more impressive by the golden vines that gently snaked their way across the frame, breaking only at the place where the frame was split for changing. Set in the center, though, split in twain, was a scroll also set in gold, with a phrase etched into it.

"Know no Fear."

"Show us what you've got, students," said Oobleck as he stepped back.

Jacob smirked. "Chaaaarge!"

He rushed forwards, Pyrrha by his side as she rolled and changed Milo back into a sword. Jaune and Yang were right next to her, with Nora bouncing right up beside them. The Grimm were 40 feet out, mere seconds to impact. Ruby zoomed by, Crescent Rose pulled back behind her as she slammed into a Beowolf, slicing it in half with a single swing.

Jacob felt a smile of raw delight as his adrenaline surged, heart thundering in his chest. Even as the Beowolves rushed them, their horrifying faces snarling back at him, the smile couldn't leave his face. He spring-boarded off a pile of scrap as his Aura roared to life, his jump gaining two feet on top of the foot of scrap he had pushed off from. He gunned Cadia as he began dropping back to earth, swinging down at a Beowolf's head.

"Glory to the first man to die!"

---

They had been fighting on and off throughout the day now, clearing out building after building, city square after city square in a hailstorm of bullets and fury. Outside of Oobleck, almost everyone had racked up several Grimm kills over the last few hours, slaughtering packs of Beowolves, Creeps, and even a few miniature Nevermore flocks and even a Lancer that had shown up and started harrying them.

And still, they came in droves.

"Stay close together," Mira shouted, letting her Imperial Guard voice ring loud and ferociously. "This building's looking about ready to collapse any time now. Mr. Muller, anything upstairs?"

There was a thunk and a roar of surprise. "Argh... uh, nothing up here, Ma'am," he said through the crumbling ceiling, "only broken machinery and burnt paper."

Titus frowned at that; he was certain that there had to be a nest around her somewhere. "Alright," he said, turning to his wife, "This building's secure, but no sign of the Fang or Eightfold Path."

Mira nodded before she turned to the nearest student. Naturally, it was Pyrrha. "This block is secured, let Jaune know we're headed out to rendezvous with Oobleck and RWBY."

Pyrrha smiled as she returned the nod. "Understood, Auntie—sorry, Ms. Ultramar."

Titus smiled as he watched them. "Tell you what," he said, "While Oobleck isn't around, we can drop the formalities."

Pyrrha smiled and giggled a bit.

Titus and Mira had opted to act as the secondary wall behind the kids as they attended the mission, giving covering fire if they overextended themselves from the rest of the group with a storm of holy bolter fire and lasgun volleys. So far, it was a resounding success, with both teams RWBY and JNPR holding their own in substantial situations. Titus had personally commended most of them for singular pack-wipes that they had performed, with Ruby's being among the most amusingly-quick of them all. She was a sweet girl and yet ferocious in a fight, not unlike his own goddaughter was. It was strange to look at her and think to himself that she was the daughter of Taiyang Xiao Long and Summer Rose; she was a spitting image of Summer, bearing few of Tai's physical features. She even bore those mighty Silver Eyes that Summer had wielded on the odd occasion, though from what he knew she hadn't unlocked its power yet.

No, he begrudgingly thought to himself, she'll learn its power through the death of my goddaughter. He bristled as he thought that, blasting a Beowolf's head off its shoulders as it tried to attack from his right side.

Everyone turned to look at him, bristling in anticipated attack. He raised a hand to calm them. "It's alright," he said loudly, "just a loner."

Jaune walked up to the Ultramarine, his very demeanor both filled with anticipation and worry, as if he was approaching something that would damn him in an instant. "So, uh, where to next?"

Titus met the boy's eyes with his own. "Oobleck reported nothing of note in this district of the city, and he's busy with talking with Team RWBY about their reasoning for being Huntsmen."

There was a thunk and a grunt of pain as something landed behind them. Titus turned to see Jacob having landed on one knee from dropping through the hole in the roof, his hand balled into a fist as he made impact with the ground. His teeth were gritted in a swallowed cry of pain. "Jesus H. Fuck," he groaned, "I should have jumpstarted my Aura before I did that."

Mira sniggered as she walked up to him. "Three-point landings are not a particularly good method of getting back to ground level, Jacob."

"Fair, but they do look cool, and feel fun... up until flesh meets earth." He tried to stand up, wobbling and clutching his knee. Mira walked up and grabbed his shoulder, helping to steady him. He nodded in silent thanks.

He would have made a good Marine, at least in nature, Titus found himself thinking. Only problem is his age and his physical conditions. "Alright, everyone," he said as he turned back to JNPR, "we meet back up with RWBY."

Pyrrha and Jaune nodded before beginning to walk outside, followed shortly by Ren and Nora. Jacob began to hobble in their direction.

Titus had other plans, though. "Jacob, could we talk for a moment? I have some concerns."

Pyrrha and Jaune turned back to them as Jacob looked back at the Captain. Both read their own separate emotions, with Jaune's eyes reading of confusion and Pyrrha's of worry. Jacob, however, wore a look of grim understanding, only nodding before looking over to them. "I'll be fine, you two. Just let them know we'll be right behind you."

"I'll go with them," Mira offered, letting Jacob assume control of his arm and leg again. "Don't be too long."

"I doubt we will be, Mira," Titus replied as he leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. She replied with a quick return on his lips, sending a chuckle up his throat and a smile across his face.

"Awww," they distantly heard Nora say, "Why can't we be like that, Ren?"

"N-Nora, please," replied the boy, "not in front of the professors!"

Titus' laugh was first out before he was joined by his wife's laughter. "Don't mind us, you two," he said through his chuckle. "Go on, get a move on, that's an order."

A minute later, Mira and JNPR had begun to head back to the main plaza, leaving only Titus and Jacob to wander the streets, headed eastbound for the edge of the city. They walked in moderate silence but for the on and off staccato of bolter and pistols, the revving of a chainsword and the squelching sounds of a knife as long as a Titus' upper arm burying themselves deep in lone Grimm that strayed too far away from their packs.

Titus wiped his blade clean on instinct, knowing full well the Grimm's black blood would evaporate off of it anyhow. He turned and saw Jacob yanking Cadia free of a Creep with a grunt as he used his foot to anchor the beast. The blade was in its saber form, the teeth converged together to make a singular blade. "Excellent work so far, Jacob," said Titus to him. "You're not a half-bad Huntsman."

Jacob spun the blade in his hand before he sheathed it again. "Tell that to Cinder."

Titus grimaced in exasperation. "You're honestly going to compare yourself to a snake like her?"

"I can't pretend like there isn't a power gap, Titus," Jacob said. "Otherwise, I'm no different from anyone outside The Big E who decided to fight Horus that fateful day."

The Ultramarine was not keen on the comparison, especially considering who was listed amongst those names. "Be very careful about saying that, Jacob," he warned. "Even among the Ultramarines, Sanguinius and Ollanius Pius are both seen as heroes of the Imperium."

Jacob let out a tremendous sigh. "That may be," he said, "but they went into a fight thinking they could surmount impossible odds through sheer will; or, at least Sanguinius did. Ollanius... well, mortal against demigod empowered by four Chaos Gods is nearly as one-sided as you can get."

"And yet they both succeeded."

"One. One succeeded," Jacob corrected as he pulled Titan from his side and aimed up about three stories into a building. He squeezed off a shot, the retort of the .380 Dust cartridge echoing in Titus' ears. A Beowolf howled before there was a crashing sound, followed by another. The silhouette of a wolf-like creature slammed into the ground before a blanket of smoke blew from its body, releasing the beast from the ground.

Guilliman's Bones, he's a good shot with that gun. "And which one was that," Titus asked.

Jacob turned back and looked him in the eye, coffee and chocolate brown eyes staring each other down. "Sanguinius wanted Horus to come back to the light," he said. "The Blood Angel though his bond with Horus could break Chaos' spell... suffice it to say, it failed and he wasn't physically enough to go toe-to-toe with the Warmaster."

Titus took a deep breath. "Be glad Dante wasn't around to hear you say that."

Jacob chuckled as snapped the safety back on with Titan. "Fair enough. And as for Ollanius, well... he wanted to buy the Big E time to snap to his senses, and that's what he did. Granted, I imagine some part of him desperately hoped he could land something into Horus... so long as he actually was mortal, not some Perpetual like some people think he was."

Titus' brow furrowed at that word. "Perpetual?"

Jacob shook his head. "It's an Emperor-type thing. It's hard to explain; basics is that a Perpetual tends to not be one to stay dead—or even physically age in some cases—unless the thing that kills them happens to destroy souls."

His brow went the other direction. "Really," he said. "And people believe Ollanius was one of these 'Perpetuals'?"

"A few books from an earlier timeline say that he—"

Thump.

Jacob stopped at the same time as Titus. "Wait. Did you feel that?"

Thump.

Titus nodded. "It's coming from the east," he said. The thumping continued, only now more and more frequently, as if they were...

Footfalls. Giant footfalls, like those of a Titan.

The two followed the steps for several minutes, the thumping increasing in frequency and strength. Titus thumbed the safety of his Remnantine bolter Providence on and off, a nervous tick he despised having developed years ago as a student. With each step, he became more and more assured of what those thunderous footfalls meant, and what exactly heralded them.

Soon enough, he knew exactly what.

"Oh, God," Jacob muttered from his side as they reached a crumbled wall along the edge of the city. Out past the wall laid the unclaimed territories just beyond the mountains, where the sharp ridges became rolling hills covered in the untamed foliage of Vale's forests. Out there, few humans could survive in any semblance of the notion, with only bandits the heavily-armed being the only ones to make a living in those realms. It reminded Titus too much of some of the Feral Worlds he had visited in the past.

But no world had the threat of Grimm by comparison, though Daemons in all honesty were quite close in nature from what he had learned. But, last he checked, no Daemon of the Dark Gods had the size and threat of Goliaths.

There was a humongous herd of them, easily fifteen or more individuals. They were massive in stature, easily standing between three and four stories tall on average alone, sporting tusks that made most commercial buses look shorter by comparison. With each step of their tremendous feet the ground shook just a bit, a thump like the earth's great and terrible heartbeat sounding out in their ears. It was like watching a group of Imperator Titans march to war, not unlike the Second Company's campaign on Signus Iconia when he was just a Neophyte with a sniper rifle.

"Goliaths," he said quietly, holstering Providence and patting the leather scabbard that held his knife. "They'll not trouble us."

Jacob's answer did not echo his reassurance. "They're closer than they were in the show... I think."

Titus glanced over to him. Jacob had his arms crossed and his eyes spoke of hidden worry, watching the Goliath herd traverse the forest, knocking trees over with their sheer weight. "They won't attack the city," Titus said quietly. "Well... at least not now."

Jacob nodded, though his eyes never left the herd. "How long do you think they've been circling Vale like this?"

Titus sighed. "Mira and I spotted the herd on our last trip to Vale. A rough storm forced us to enter from the southeast rather than the direct path."

"And when was your last trip to Vale before you heard about my arrival?"

Titus was silent for a few seconds as he debated with whether or not he would tell Jacob. "Three years ago," he said with a resigned tone to his voice.

Jacob said no reply. He only watched on as one of them turned its head to stare at them. Its red eyes bored into them, forcing an unconscious grimace onto Titus' lips. He hated when the larger Grimm stared at him; it reminded him too much of when a Chaos Daemon would stare at him, like he was some curious new food to try. It was like staring back into a Bloodletter's eyes, so full of malice and hate, but with a Grimm... there was always an underlying intelligence to those eyes, either dormant or well and truly awake.

It was unnerving, even to a seasoned Space Marine such as he.

The Grimm's stare seemed to shift to something just south of them.

Jacob sighed. "It must have spotted Ruby and Oobleck watching them," he said. "Which means Oobleck's probably gonna start interviewing JNPR about what made them Huntsmen in the first place. I mean, he just finished with RWBY, sooo..."

Titus hummed. "He already did," he said as he took a step backwards. "While you were with RWBY dealing with that second Beowolf pack."

Jacob blinked before he pinched the bridge of his nose. "In that case, then... I suppose we should expect that camp's gonna be made soon. Still, we should probably head over."

"Right," Titus replied, turning and beginning to walk away, Jacob mirroring him closely. "We should probably come up with an answer should Oobleck ask you the same question, right?"

Jacob nodded with a hum. "Won't hurt. But I guess some variation of the truth is in order."

Titus' brow rose. "Oh?" he said as he thought, wonder what that means.

"...I guess... well," he said quietly, "I... saw someone I cared for very closely die because no one was there to back her up. She went alone against a threat too great to handle, and she died for it. And... and I don't want that to happen again. Not while I can make that impact."

Titus stopped as he mulled that sentence over in his mind. He studied Jacob very closely, as if he was reading a tactical readout with Sidonus.

This question's been egging at me for so long, he thought to himself, now is as good a time as any to bring it up.

"Jacob," he said quietly, stopping the boy in his tracks. "If I may... you said as far as you knew, my goddaughter—Hell, myself as well—were fictitious back in your version of Terra. I find myself wondering... why is it that you care so much for my goddaughter?"

Jacob turned and stared at Titus with a look that was blank and yet read with many emotions all at once. He said nothing for a few seconds. "...Because she is perfect," he said. "She's kind and sweet, she's an amazing fighter, she's pure as the driven snow... and she deserved a happy ending." Titus noticed him blinking more, and his coffee brown eyes were starting to shimmer a bit. "And she was in love with Jaune and he was starting to figure it out, and then... it was all ended. She was taken from them, from us viewers, without so much as a body to bury or a proper chance to mourn her with the characters."

His voice cracked on the word 'body', and he was fully aware of it if the clearing of his throat was any indicator. "And I have an unimaginable chance to rectify what I feel was a grave injustice... to an angel who deserves a long and happy and exciting life. That's why I'm fighting, Captain Titus."

Titus nodded, his hand tightening on his belt. A lonely pendant rattled beside his hand, the bronze and silver halved bolter shell gleaming at his side.

They sat in silence for a few seconds, not even the wind daring to disturb this peace.

There was a grunt from a building, followed by a roar. An Ursa. Jacob froze, his eyes going wide. Titus noticed his bicep twitching, right where six slight discolorations marked with dents laid.

The bite on his arm, Titus deduced. He still has some residual fear from that attack.

"Don't move," Titus said as the Ursa came into view, about thirty yards out from them. It was on Jacob's 7:00, putting it well out of his line of sight.

Jacob didn't listen entirely. His legs didn't move, but he did reach for Cadia sitting at his waist. The Ursa failed to notice them at first.

Jacob's arm was shaking a smidge. Just enough, Titus realized, that his shot might fail to hit its mark.

"Wait," Titus said quietly. "Breathe. Calm yourself."

Jacob's breath came out shallow and nervous, tinged heavily with worry. Still, he seemed to slowly be getting a better handle on himself as his hand slowly stopped trembling.

"Not yet," Titus said. "Wait for your mind to focus; not on the emotion, but the target. Even if you can't see it, you can still get a feel for it."

Jacob's eyes darted back and forth, a sign of his desperate desire to either dart around or move away. The Ursa sniffed the ground closely; they couldn't see things well if they didn't move. They were in a perfect position to show Jacob what it meant by the new script on his chainsword.

"Do you feel that," Titus asked cautiously. "That urge to run?"

Jacob nodded ever so slightly. "I'm gonna go for the kill," Jacob mouthed. "I'm not running."

Titus grimaced as he nodded. "I've got your back."

The Ursa roared. It had spotted them.

Jacob spun on a dime, pulling Titan out with his other hand. He leveled both pistols and began to fire in a flurry of shots, letting out an audible grunt as he did so.

Damnit, Titus thought as he brought Providence out and leveled it. He's firing too wildly.

He wasn't wrong in his assessment. Several shots made their mark but were at best glancing blows, bouncing off the Ursa's thick hide. The beast surged forwards.

Jacob growled, turning Cadia aside and flicking it into its chainsword form. He fired a volley again with Titan, his shots now hitting their mark more frequently. One Lightning Dust round even managed to land a blow in its leg, slowing it. It was still forty feet out and closing, though.

Jacob stepped forwards, feathering Cadia's trigger. The chainsword purred angrily. The Ursa retorted back with an angry roar.

Titus aimed to strike it with a lethal blow; granted, a .75 caliber slug was lethal no matter where is struck.

Jacob dashed forwards, gunning Cadia as he roared out a battle cry. "Suffer no demons!"

They Ursa stood up, tottering forwards as Jacob got within arm's reach. It swung high, looking to take his head.

He kicked his feet forwards, flopping into a painful-sounding slide as he revved Cadia again. He managed to squeeze beneath its legs, slashing its back leg open with Cadia's spinning teeth. The Ursa stumbled and hit the ground belly-first, kicking up dust as it made impact.

Titus' finger slowly let off the trigger of Providence.

Jacob whipped back onto his feet with a slight stumble, though he still pushed forwards towards the Ursa. The beast was trying to right itself, but the lack of its back paw made it difficult. It only got worse for the creature as Jacob jumped onto its colossal back, shooting it in the back at nearly point-blank range. The beast's attempt to stand up failed as it hit the ground, still alive but very incapacitated. Jacob grunted as he swung Cadia up high, letting it hang in the afternoon sunlight for a second.

"Drop dead, fucker," Jacob said loudly as he swung down. The teeth embedded in the Ursa's snout with a wet sound as it roared its defiance. It shook, but its paralysis from pain and damage made them more like desperate wiggles rather than death throes.

A roar heralded Cadia's teeth revving to life. There was a sickening sound of bone rending to metal teeth as the chainsword began to carve in, making short work of the Ursa's head. No less than five seconds later, the creature jerked suddenly, groaned, and fell still as the grave.

Jacob's breath was ragged, as if he had run a marathon. His arms were trembling, and not from Cadia's revolutions.

Titus sighed as the Ursa's body began to dissolve at its feet. It would be some time before the beast was fully gone, unlike with insectoid Grimm. "Well done, Jacob," he said as he holstered Providence again. "I'd say you've earned your stripes, all things considered."

Jacob only nodded as he slowly yanked Cadia free of the Ursa's head. Even though there was no true flesh or bone, that sickening sound continued as he wrenched it free, a sound that Titus was far too familiar with to say that it was wrong. "I mean... it was kinda young," Jacob said after a second through haggard breathing.

"And yet most Huntsmen students couldn't take an Ursa alone in a fight outside of Ruby, Yang, Jaune or Pyrrha," Titus replied as he walked up and offered a hand down. "That was some good precision on your part. You should be proud."

Jacob hopped down after taking Titus' hand before he turned back to look at the beast. Titus could see the tiniest glimmer of a smile grow on his face. "Yeah," he said. "I guess I should be. It's a victory of some kind."

Titus nodded, smiling a smidge himself. "Good. Pride is not something to fear," he said, "it is something to use and reassure with. Now, it's getting dark, and they've no doubt set up camp by now. Shall we join them?"

---

So the battle begins, and this time with the backup of JNPR and a few more adults. Though, truth be told, things aren't quite the same as the first time around.

Admittedly, I was struggling on where to end this Chapter, but I think this as good a spot as any, and it works, all things considered. Ironically, it ends before the events of the episode it's named after, so... yeah, that wasn't intended.

But in all honesty, that last episode in Volume 6 was... something else. I've watched the scene with Jaune four or five times and it hasn't stopped making me weep like a baby. I hope you guys have seen it, and I hope you guys like it as much as I did.

Anyway, next chapter will see our merry band fall right into the midst of the White Fang and Torchwick's hands... as well as the claws of Chaos.

Reviews, favorites, follows, all of that stuff really help as usual and they help keep the steam going on this story, and as always, I will see you all in the next chapter.

Bye, and Merry Belated Christmas and New Year!