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.

40. Of Pawns and Queens

...Hey, guys... Been a while, huh?

Yeah, this year's been really fucking weird. Between the authoritarian lockdowns, the election fraud shenanigans here in the States, my really busy semester in my Secondary Ed. program... yeah, it's been 5 months since I updated this sucker.

I am so damn sorry.

To be honest, it's mainly me that's to blame. Part of it is I keep writing these humongous chapters and I keep burning myself out; +15,000 words per chapter is both easy to fill with things and a lot harder simply because of how much is going on. Hell, it's all the more daunting knowing I'm not done with V3 and I have plans for as far forward as V7 timeframe-even some stuff in V8!

I fear this thing wearing me out too much, but I have at least some manner of obligation to you guys, especially since I keep failing to deliver on my deadline promises.

Regardless, I finally cranked out this chapter over the last few weeks and I hope you guys enjoy it. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and God bless us all.

---

Chapter 40: Of Pawns and Queens

---

"Schemes are like fruit; they require a certain ripening."—Tyrion Lannister, A Clash of Kings

---

"So… where did you two disappear to last night?"

"Ruby!"

"Weiss, it's a legitimate question!"

Blake sighed. "It was just a meeting with Professor Ozpin," she said. "He saw us out in the courtyard and wanted to see… see if I was okay." Her stomach twisted as she felt their eyes on her, begging for her bluff to work.

"Yeah, that part I get," asked Yang from her bed, "I'm more curious about why."

Blake swallowed hard. She hadn't considered an excuse for that one. "I… I had been remembering something from… before I was here," she said again, filtering the sentence through a tone of regret she conjured.

She was amazed by how effective her ruse was. "Oh," said Yang. "Sorry."

Blake swallowed hard as she tried to bury herself in her novel. She'd finally gotten a chance to pick up Love in the Shadows after having finished Ninjas of Love, but the Tournament and the aftermath of the Breach had taken her reading time away from her. Now, she was having a hard time focusing on it now…

Now knowing what she did.

She hadn't slept the night before, her mind running in circles. What she had seen the day before had shattered her conceptions of the world around her. Even glancing at the rest of them felt odd. By technicalities, they were all as fictitious as Serena and her ninja lover… and yet they weren't, were they? The night had been long and filled with her thoughts racing against her with regards to… well, everything; her every choice now sat in a limbo where it had mattered and hadn't all at once. Too many that were in a mind-numbing state of flux now weighed on her.

She sighed. "It's alright," she said. "I was the one who got emotional."

"Blake," Yang said as she sat down on the edge of Blake's bed, "you know you can talk to us."

Blake swallowed a lump in her throat. Definitely not this time, she thought to herself.

"It's okay," she said with a fake smile. "He… he's good at talking through mental stuff, he was… comforting."

Blake watched a flash of… something in Yang's eyes before she offered a smile back. "That's good to hear," she said. "Funny how much you two seem to bounce off one another a lot more recently."

Blake clenched hard to avoid wincing. "Yeah, we've, uh… started sharing some of the books we've been reading."

Yang smirked. "Oh, really? What's the newest one?"

Blake was about to reply with a holdover title, only for Weiss to step in. "Yang," she said, "that's enough, she does not need to be badgered!"

Yang shrugged innocently. "Just curious," she said as she stood up. "I've seen him with a couple of books every so often, just not recently."

Blake nodded. "Yeah," she said. "It was a… sci-fi novel. Not particularly my taste, but it… sure sounds interesting."

Yang seemed satisfied with that answer as she turned back to work on tuning her gauntlets again. Across the way, Ruby had returned to adjusting Crescent Rose's recoil dampening on her bed, saying something about reducing it for "pogo jumps." Blake had an idea what it meant and it sounded somewhat funny to imagine.

Her mind wandered back to the previous night. Was that also a predetermined path for her? Was Ruby written to be like this? Did she come to this on—

She shook her head. Damnit Blake, knock it off, she thought to herself. You're not a pawn, you're a person, none of this was predestined… this all just follows a similar pattern he knows… that's all.

She grimaced as she put her book down gently. This was throwing her off, all of this. It was to be expected, but she couldn't help but feel like they were all just pieces on a board. Jacob started looking less like a good-natured guy and more like a novice chess player expecting the enemy to make the exact mistake twice; he saw a predetermined path to a victory he wanted, but it balanced on the edge of a knife and it was determined by whether or not the city of Vale would be invaded successfully by this… Salem, was it?

Another thought—one that was very tempting—flashed in her mind. Maybe… maybe if we have more people in the loop, we can save more people. We can actually win and stop this invasion and not even have to deal with the danger to everyone else…

She hesitated. Or it could backfire, she mused to herself, remembering a botched raid she did with Adam a few years ago on an SDC depot. Too many people trying to go at it all at once, too many of her friends arrested and jailed; Blake had taken that lesson to heart without hesitation. But that was a raid on an SDC depot, this was a full-scale invasion that needed to be repelled, right?

Blake didn't want to dwell on it any further. She looked over at her Scroll, wondering if there was any news about the borders of the Kingdom, or perhaps some arrests of White Fang operatives, or anything that she could slip away and look into, maybe… she had to do something about all this madness.

She grimaced. So much for not dwelling on it.

The Scroll's clock ticked to 8:00. Just then, a duo of stomachs growled, and Blake was slightly ashamed to admit her stomach was one of those two.

Yang looked down at her stomach. "Yeah, I was thinking we were kinda late to breakfast," she said. "We have another day to tune our gear for the next round, it can wait."

"Aw, but I never leave Crescent Rose unbuilt," Ruby pouted. "I can't just leave her in pieces!"

"The fact you baby that thing so much worries me sometimes," Weiss dryly said. "It'll be there when we get back," she said as she grabbed Ruby by her hood and began to pull her towards the door.

"But, but, but…!"

Blake smirked at the ironic echo as both disappeared through the doorway, though it didn't last long. She stood up and followed them as Yang joined her.

Blake turned to look at JNPR's door for a second as she remembered what was said about Cinder and Pyrrha. "Are JNPR still in," she blurted out before she could compose her sentence differently.

Yang nodded. "Heard their door open and close an hour ago," she said. "And Nora humming about pancakes, too."

Blake hummed. "Probably still at the cafeteria if Nora's appetite is holding," she said.

Yang turned to look at her with a quizzical look. "You want to talk to them or something?"

"Yeah," she said aloud as another thought flickered in the back of her mind.

The walk towards the cafeteria was filled with idle chat between Weiss and Yang in particular, though Blake didn't pay much mind to it; it was mostly discussion over the matches for the day, with SSSN's battle against NDGO being the most talked about. Weiss had a clear favorite as she gushed over Neptune, as opposed to Yang who seemed to believe NDGO was going to secure the victory with ease.

"I mean, as much as I like the boys," Yang replied as they walked through the doors into the cafeteria, "they're not that good. NDGO's got field training under their belts, and enough of it to even mop us off the field."

"They are only a year older than us," Weiss replied, "it can't be that much."

"You heard about that SDC mine that got cleared of Taijitu?"

Weiss blanched. "Wait, that was them?"

Yang nodded, eliciting a look of surprise from Weiss. "Can't be," she muttered, "They must have had some aid from SDC security details, or local Vacuan militias…"

Blake began to tune them out again as she looked out over the lulling crowds. She spotted JNPR in the distance at their usual table, fresh plates of food in front of them. At his usual spot sat Jacob, having grabbed a plate that was mainly loaded with meats and a sizeable waffle that was drawing the ire of Nora. She studied him from afar; even at the distance she was at she could see bags under his eyes despite the smile he was wearing—a fake smile, meant to keep up his public appearance. Blake knew how that went.

"Wow, line must have been long if they only just got their breakfast," Yang said.

"Yeah," Blake said as they approached. Ruby waved to JNPR, getting a wave back from Jaune.

"Huy guyfs," Nora said through a mouthful of pancake, swallowing it with ease like a constrictor. "Late morning?"

"A little," Yang said as she sat down across from Nora, Blake and Ruby flanking her with Weiss sitting on the other side of Ruby. "Is the line that long?"

Pyrrha shook her head as she finished a sausage. "Not at all," she said, "we were talking with CFVY about their match today and we kind of got wrapped up in it."

Blake nodded blindly as she watched Pyrrha, her mind wandering to what Jacob had revealed the previous day. Why was it that Pyrrha was slated for death by the hand of fate? Why her, someone so good-natured that Blake doubted she could ever bring another person to harm purposefully? She was a good warrior, yes, but she wasn't some larger-than-life, destined character from a movie…

Then again, how many people who were larger-than-life that surrounded her…

"Hey, you okay, Blake?"

Blake blinked hard as she realized Jaune was talking to her. "Huh? Oh, uhm, yes," she said as she looked around the table, noticing that everyone was watching her with worried looks.

Her gaze locked with Jacob's for a second and lingered. They were worried but focused on her like a hawk's eyes, watching her with a baited plea underneath it all.

"I'm okay," she said quietly. "I had just had a memory about... Adam…"

The group nodded quietly. "If you need to talk, don't hesitate to," Nora said with a warm smile.

She nodded as she settled into her seat. Jacob also seemed to settle into his chair. "Thanks… it was just a… an episode of me remembering one of the few times when the Fang felt like family," she lied, wanting to sink deeper into her chair.

"And if you don't want to talk about it," added Ren said in his usual, councilor-esque voice, "You have no reason to share with us."

Blake watched Nora give him a disapproving look. Blake in turn took a deep breath as she tried to compose herself; this was no different than when she had been hiding her Faunus ears… the scale of importance was greater, sure, but the same principles applied. She just needed to stay calm until they could talk again and fine-tune what needed to be done.

She suppressed a wince as she realized she would have to talk with Titus and the other adults again to give them the debrief on the White Fang. The idea of meeting them again was gut-wrenching to her. She was still trying to process their double-lives, ones so different from her own, so grandiose-sounding just on paper that she felt like a mole hill next to a mountain. Staring into their eyes last night… they all bared a terrible weight in their eyes, the same she saw in her dad's when he talked about the early days of the White Fang that echoed with bad memories… what had they seen in that world they were from? Jacob had only spoken a little of the world with the miniatures, but what was it like? Was it some kind of high-adventure realm like the swashbuckler tales of Truman Blutarch? Some grim, grizzly place like the old Vale pulps?

"…fifty Lien on SSSN," said Nora, pulling Blake from her thoughts. "You guys in?"

Weiss made a disgusted sound. "As if I would bet on their assured victory," she said. "Schnees never gamble, anyway."

Yang's hand slammed on the table, making most everyone jump in surprise. "I'll match that for NDGO," she said. "Jacob, how about you?"

He shook his head. "I'm staying out of this," he said. "This is your argument."

Blake watched as Yang smirked deviously. "Chicken."

He stared at her and smirked. "The word you're looking for is 'frugal', Ms. Xiao Long," he replied.

Yang retorted by clucking at him as if to double down on her comment. Blake found herself caught up in the chuckles around the table as Jacob seemed to ponder his options. For a moment, things felt no different than from the night before… and yet Blake couldn't forget it all.

Finally, Jacob sighed and threw back his head. "Peer pressure, my one great weakness," he said dramatically. "Fine, "I'll put it on NDGO."

Blake giggled as Yang's smile dropped. "Hey, you were supposed to line my pockets, not side with me!"

The whole table erupted into laughter as Jacob gave her a playful shrug. Again, that feeling that nothing had changed, when in reality a lot had changed in the last 24 hours. Part of Blake's mind felt uncomfortable with the paradoxical truth of the moment.

Pyrrha was first to recover. "Perhaps I should even the odds? I'm not one for gambling myself, but I'd be remiss to have Nora shoulder this on her own."

"I'll match that in favor of SSSN," came the accented voice of Velvet as she walked up to the table., flanked by Coco.

"Hey, Velvet," Blake said, feeling a smile creep across her face. "How have you guys been doing?"

Coco smiled as she stepped up to the table and flashed a few Lien bills. "Pretty good all things considered," she said. "That little break hit the spot just right after that mess with the train."

Blake felt her good mood evaporate at the mention of the Breach. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jacob's smile drop too.

"With all of that field experience, you should have plenty of skill to deal with Team LILY," said Pyrrha.

Coco smirked. "The freshies from Atlas? They aren't as good as they think. Some cool gimmicks, I'll admit... Still, we've got this one locked down I think," Coco added. "No need to bet on this fight, those rooting for Team LILY should go ahead and hand us the cash now."

Everyone else snickered at her confidence, even Velvet getting in a giggle. Blake, on the other hand, was too busy pondering how that fight was supposed to go in that "original timeline" that Jacob mentioned.

Coco's smile dropped, though only faintly. "Ah, it won't matter," she said. "We've got this. Besides, they're coordinated, but I've spent enough time whipping everyone into shape."

"I'd say we have this victory already," Velvet said. "And I'm not usually one to say one way or another on these types of things."

Blake bit back a hard grimace.

"I have no doubt about it," Pyrrha said.

"Thanks, Pyr," Coco said with a smirk and flashing a wink from over the top of her sunglasses. "Don't you two go fooling around while our match is going on, 'kay?"

Blake watched as both Jaune and Pyrrha grew red, though Pyrrha was looking as red as her hair as she tried to hide behind her bangs. Nora and Yang were biting back laughter at that.

Blake, by comparison, was chuckling though her mind was elsewhere… specifically focused on Pyrrha. The future that was laid out before her… Blake hated that someone like her had to walk it. Pyrrha was trying so hard to be treated as normal as the rest of them, and yet she kept being thrown on a pedestal at every turn. She didn't have a larger-than-life personality, she was strong, sure, but by not much more than the rest of them… why did the Universe keep throwing her in the spotlight?

If those people at… "Rooster Teeth" really did control Remnant, rather than simply see into their world, then they were cruel bastards, all of them.

She blinked as she realized she had spaced out again, though this time she was awakened by her growling stomach. "We, uh, probably should get breakfast," Blake said with a sheepish grin to Velvet."

"Oh, sorry," she replied, "We'll wait," she said as she pointed to the next table over, where Yatsuhashi and Fox had already claimed seats.

Blake nodded as she stood up and began to walk for the line. She took a deep breath; existential panic could come later, but breakfast couldn't. More meditative breaths buried those thoughts, though they were never fully out of sight.

Blake let the previous grimace out. It was going to be a long day…

---

Logan let out a sigh as he finished cradled his face in annoyance. "By Morkai, you have to be kidding me," he growled under his breath. "What a start to the day…"

"He was here when the nurses were fixing him up last night," replied the Atlesian officer as they stared at the empty bed. "We had guards posted at both exits into the main stadium…"

Logan was silent as he studied the sight before him. Where once had sat the densest, most trigger-happy Dark Angel of the whole First Legion, now there was an unkempt bed and scattered medicines, tools and other bric-a-brac scattered on the floor around it.

"Were there any injured," Logan asked.

The officer shook his head. "They reported nothing unusual all night," he said.

Logan doubted that, or otherwise Asmodai had some Raven Guard in his geneseed. He stepped closer and leaned down, looking for any blood or dirt or anything that could have told him where he went.

In the back of his mind, he wondered why Asmodai had decided to flee like this. On the one hand, the Dark Angels were notorious for fleeing a battlefield without warning in pursuit of something else—Logan now knew it was simply a case of them being too paranoid about their past. But this made absolutely no sense; There was no reason for him to flee now… unless he had taken their reveal as a moment of shame.

Logan growled under his breath. Honor through cowardly acts… the Dark Angels had a backwards sense of honor by the standards of a Vlka Fenryka.

Outside, the din of the gathering crowds was beginning to grow. It was barely noticeable, but Logan was quick to realize he probably didn't have enough time to get in a detailed investigation before he was needed elsewhere; Hells, he was already playing hooky on poor Vulkan as they were supposed to meet and begin scouting out possible defensive locations for the Invasion. As much as Vulkan was understanding, Logan was always loathe to not be there when his teammates needed him.

For a second, Logan found himself remembering back to when they had first met up at Beacon, both no older than 18 and fighting their way through the then-more-dangerous Emerald Forest. He remembered how they were both shocked to see another Imperial on this planet, how they both were shocked even more when a boy in Ultramarine colors and iconography stumbled out of the foliage, only to have a Blood Raven follow behind him… and the horde of Beowolves that followed behind them.

The Great Wolf shook his thoughts loose. Now wasn't the time for nostalgia. "Has Theodore said anything, any communiques between them?"

"We're checking now," the Atlesian officer said. "But so far nothing."

Logan hummed in thought. "Strange he would do this…"

"Maybe he was just pissed off and decided to head home," said a lieutenant that was also present. "He seemed like a sore loser."

Logan suppressed a chuckle, but failed to hide the smirk. "Perhaps," he said. "Though after talking with him yesterday I don't think that was the case…"

Something buzzed at his side. Logan looked down to see his Scroll lighting up like an electric taser. He was quick to answer, not even looking at who it was as he said, "Hello, Grimnar speaking, who is this?"

"Logan, it's Vulkan," came the Forgefather's voice over the line.

Logan winced. "Ah, Vulkan, sorry 'bout that," he said, "was checking in on Asmodai… we have a problem."

"He's gone, isn't he?"

"You are too good at reading me."

"Team leaders have to be good at that," he reminded the Great Wolf. "Any sign of where?"

"Not even a hair follicle or a footprint. I've got Atlas' security detail looking for him."

"He's a Dark Angel, he'll only be found if he wants to be found."

"But he's also in the most densely-populated city on Remnant."

"Implying he would have a harder time disappearing here than on a Hive World in the middle of crusade?"

Logan bit his tongue as he remembered the Donatus Campaign in the 600s of M.41. Logan's first and only introduction to Asmodai had ended in failure as the Dark Angel and his cohort from the 4th Company mysteriously disappeared from the northern front, allowing the Death Guard to sweep across the planet. It stung hard, and The Rout had taken it as a personal offense, The Great Wolf himself holding it as a grave insult.

"We can cover it with the others when we're done," Vulkan said. "For now, we should get back to prepping up. I already have some ideas in mind involving 8th Avenue in the Commercial District."

"Right, right," he said quietly as he turned to look back at the bed.

"We should also talk about Jacob's… offer."

Logan felt his stomach hitch. "Agreed. We'll talk more when I get there," he said, wanting to avoid the conversation while he could. "See you there."

And with that, he hung up and began to walk out into the hallway, taking a deep breath as he began to leave the site for the security detail to cover. He was silent as the discussion from the night before began to return to him. The boy's macabre offer, punctuated by the silent presentation of his firearm, something not unlike what he had seen many commissars do to Guardsmen who had fled from battle and returned to their front—in hindsight it alarmed him how frequent that was. But where that instance oozed with angry malice, Jacob wore a look that was solemn and guilty while he had been offering it.

It had left Logan with an ill feeling in his stomach for the rest of the night; even his dreams of Fenris, the first he had in years, were tinged with a grim melancholy, refusing to let him spend a night in peace; the sight of the Aett in shambles, the great mountain shattered by arcane magics… the Rout broken before him…

He had spent the early morning downing pot after pot of coffee, and he only now could feel it wearing off as he entered the main hallways of the Arena. Those dreams that mingled with memories… he hated to dwell upon them for too long.

As he exited the tunnels beneath the Arena stands and out onto the landing platforms, the winds howled against his ears, sending his long hair whipping around his head; autumn had arrived, heralded by foul winds and a nipping chill that fought counter to the last days of blistering sunshine. He huffed as his long hair whipped into his eyes, forcing him to brush it back with his hand as he strode towards the shuttles. Some days he wished he was back to being bald; he had wanted to shave it back, but at the same time he had missed having his locks of hair back, even as silver was beginning to appear in his hair and beard.

Logan was silent as he boarded the outgoing shuttle, grabbing one of the rails to hold on. A few others entered the hold, mostly maintenance workers returning from a morning shift.

One figure did grab his attention, though; someone in a dark green cloak, about the height of the Arc boy if not taller stepped aboard and took a spot near the front of the transport. They were hunched over a bit, a visible tension across their body despite concealing it beneath the cloak.

It was a poor disguise.

Logan let out a sigh as he assessed the sight before him. He never left the Arena… he's looking suspicious purposefully, he deduced. He wants me to approach.

Logan shifted as the doors closed and the transport lurched up and tilted, heralding its descent back towards the ground. The Great Wolf processed the situation quietly; There were six other people on board besides himself and the Dark Angel, but they had congregated along the left-hand side of the transport, chatting about their plans for the afternoon. Logan stood right of the median near the back, where Asmodai was standing in the front right corner; it was a small ship, the interior maybe about 25 feet long and 10 feet across. If Logan struck up a conversation, it would not be a very private one unless the whispered.

Logan shifted on his feet. He decided to hold there, to wait until the ground where they may speak more easily amidst the crowds.

For five minutes, there was a dead silence between the two as the civilians took dominion of the hold with their idle chat. The shuttle settled and began to open the doors quietly, letting the civilians exit with the dull roar of the crowds to overtake their conversation.

Asmodai stood up and began to leave, Logan following the motion. The Great Wolf watched the Dark Angel walk out into the crowd, never losing sight of him as he followed into the throngs of tourists. The myriad civilians around them made the walk difficult but not impossible; Logan seemed to have an effect on people as he approached, many halting or ducking out of his way as if he were still an Astartes. It had its moments where it was handy and moments where it was off-putting.

He followed the hood away from the landing pads as he seemed to lead him into the fairgrounds. A bold move, but understandable if he wanted to avoid James' paranoid security efforts in the city; out here, it was just the humanoid robots and some patrols of Atlesian soldiers rather than the armies of drones that were starting to appear.

Logan watched as Asmodai rounded a corner and disappeared into a tent designated as an employee breakroom. Here's where the situation would reach its climax.

As he entered the tent, he was met with a blur of gold reaching for him. Instinct kicked in as he leaned to his left and reached back for Morkai on his back. He swung hard, muscle memory directing him to take the attacker's head of at the shoulder. Instead, he met open air as the attacker ducked and drew back.

Logan felt his senses realign as he backed off and let his axe drop. Morkai's heated blade set the air alight in the arc it had traveled, the temperature in the room having spiked as a result.

Logan let out a growl opposite of Asmodai's sigh. "Didn't Azrael ever tell you to never swing at a Wolf," the old man grumbled.

"Yet you tailed me knowing my suspicions," Asmodai bit back. "And here I thought the sons of the Wolf King had more brains then their father."

"Curb your tongue, whelp," Logan growled back, his patience already worn thin. "You will not mock Leman Russ in my presence."

Asmodai waved him off dismissively. "At the very least you took my hint."

"Though I wonder what the Lion would think of you skulking away like a Night Lord."

Asmodai visibly bristled as he turned back. Before he could reply, Logan asked, "Alright, this is pointless at the moment; why in the Emperor's name did you decide to drag me out to the middle of the damn fairgrounds for?"

Asmodai grimaced, visibly processing an answer. "You really haven't clued in, have you? None of you have…"

Logan felt the hair on his back stand on end. "Stop speaking in riddles," he said in a whisper.

A huff. "Have you not yet sniffed out the trail, Wolf," he said with a snide tone. "Eliphas, Khârn, that fool Nemeroth… All from different, rival factions of the Traitor Legions. Only one faction of the Traitors has ever been able to force them into alliance."

A chill ran up his spine. "The Black Legion," he muttered.

A small gust of wind rustled the tent around them.

"How? Who?"

Asmodai's face turned dark. "My brothers and I know that it is someone powerful," he said. "But we have yet to gleam his identity. Whoever this bastard son of Horus is, he is clever and charismatic... or forceful enough to cow a brute like Khârn."

Logan began to run through the list of known Lords of the Black Legion before he picked up on something Asmodai said. "Your brothers?"

Asmodai stiffened. "Azrael always said I ran my mouth," he muttered to presumably himself.

Logan wheeled on him. "What others? Are there more Dark Angels here on Remnant? How many? Where are you based out of? Answer me, Chaplain!"

Asmodai raised his crozius dangerously. "Stay your hand, Wolf," he said contemptuously. "My secrets are mine to keep. Be grateful you know the sons of the First Legion are here and that I have not killed you for that knowledge."

The Great Wolf suppressed his snarl. "More secrets," he growled.

The two stood for a brief minute in silence, sizing each other up. Logan had only met Asmodai once during the early days of the 13th Black Crusade, standing by Azrael's side like a loyal but vicious guard dog. Even now he had a rigidness to him that felt unnatural, as if he were more machine than Astartes.

Logan huffed. "Why tell me this," he asked.

Asmodai shifted. "We stand upon a crossroad in this world's history," he said. "Things are in motion that none of us can halt. We would be wise to take advantage of every piece of knowledge our enemy fails to hide."

"You sound like a Rune Priest," Logan mused. "Or a Culexus Assassin."

"The Emperor demands of us even here," he said. "The Dark Powers are preparing for something, and it will spell doom for us all I fear."

"That doesn't answer my question. Nor does it answer another question I just thought of."

Asmodai shifted again. "What would that be," he asked warningly.

"Why in the name of the Lion and the Wolf are you a Huntsman in Vacuo?"

Asmodai seemed to take a minute to process that. "I am but the First Legion's eyes," he said quietly. "I am of the right age. My brethren and I decided that it was time to learn the ways of this world's daemonhunters."

"You're an infiltrator. You're entrenching yourself so you can track them down and see where you and your brothers were. Though my knowing complicates the mission," he said.

"Now that our shame is known by other servants of the Imperium, my brothers will fear our loyalty is lacking," he said. "It will take all of my training as a Chaplain to aid us through this crisis."

Logan cocked a brow. "That implies you will tell them," he countered. "And even then, I would counter that many know the great secrets of the Rout and yet we never fear being branded."

Asmodai snorted. "Your Legion did not betray its Father, mongrel," he said curtly.

Logan grimaced, a flash of blood and brass sewn into a wolf's pelt echoing in his memories. He banished the memory of a brotherhood betrayed to the pits of the Erlking. "Wallow in your self-pity all you wish," he said, "but I refused to let it define my kin, not then in the Imperium and not now on Remnant."

Asmodai seemed to roll his eyes under his hood.

"Again, though," Logan continued, "You didn't answer why you're telling me this, rather than informing before the rest of our Imperial brethren when last we spoke."

Asmodai sighed. "You are within the inner echelons of this world's leaders, are you not," he asked with clear rhetorical tone. "Be a good dog and give this metaphorical bone to your masters."

The Great Wolf felt his temper flare. "Well, well, a Dark Angel wanting to help something other than himself? That's new," Logan snidely quipped.

"It matters not if others are saved so much as the enemy is destroyed. And yet you trusted Azrael enough with the defense of Kasr Tyrok just before your pack of mutts left," Asmodai venomously retorted. "My reasons are my own and I owe no explanation to a cur like you."

"I knew they were in capable hands with Azrael," Logan countered. "One of the few of your brethren I can say openly I'd be willing to trust. You I did not—and still do not."

A heavy silence again. "I leave this information with you," Asmodai eventually said, "to do with as you wish. I care not." He turned and took a few steps towards the entrance. "I will say that it is strange to see you alive after seeing your body on that funeral pyre. And here I had thought I had seen the last of you. Do not follow me."

Logan felt a horrible chill down his spine. He deigned not to reply as the Dark Angel stepped out into the fairgrounds. The tent flapped only once and Asmodai disappeared.

Logan stood in silence as he processed what he had heard. The organization they had seen prior was not coincidental, nor was it simply based on the Ruinous Powers carving up hunting grounds. Cinder Fall could not have the kind of pull to organize them like this; Traitor Astartes were even more proud and vain, and they would never take orders from her…

Unless she was acting on the orders of someone far stronger.

"Morkai's teeth, why didn't I think of it sooner," he growled as he followed Asmodai back out and pulled his Scroll out, dialing Vulkan's number quickly.

"Emperor's Grace, Logan," He'Stan said, "What's taking you so long? Are you alright?"

"I just finished talking with Asmodai."

A pause. "He was waiting for you."

"Followed him to the fairgrounds," Logan continued. "He was expecting me to follow. He had intel from… from he and his Brothers."

"Brothers? The First Legion is here?"

"More or less, but he wouldn't tell me the details. But we have a bigger problem."

Another pause as Logan exited into the city. "What kind of problem?"

---

"The kind of problem that's not that much of a problem."

"…I'm sorry, Sun, I'm a little lost on what you mean by that."

"I mean that it's not that big, but it still is kinda a problem," the monkey Faunus said as he scratched the back of his head. His tail gently whipped back and forth worriedly in compliment to his sheepish grin, giving him that 'caught trickster' look.

Jacob cocked his brow. "What exactly is it that we're talking about here, Sun," he asked in deadpan as he began to pace. Under the cloudless morning sky, the sun was beating down on his head, ironically cooking his head despite the chilly breeze of the Arena's exterior. Overhead, the clock chimed to signal it had transitioned to 1:00 PM. Sun and his team were up for their match against NDGO in about a half-hour after the intense fight between CRDL and Team IVRY; Jacob had no shame in admitting that despite the four assholes losing in that match, they had at least made in entertaining, all the better for Jacob's sense of schadenfreude.

"I mean, everyone's started calling you the school matchmaker," he said with a shrug. "And… well…"

Jacob started putting the details together. "Oh… Blake, right?"

He nodded as a small blush crossed his face. "Yeah."

"When did you realize you were into her?"

"…After the Breach," he began, "I went to check up on her when I heard she was hurt. While you and Pyrrha were out cold, she and I talked… she told me a lot about her time in the Fang, I told her about my time in Vacuo… and…"

"You found you liked being around her?"

Sun nodded silently. This was unusual to see from Wukong, and it was freaking Jacob out a little.

"And the problem is you want my help to… express this to her?"

He shuffled uncomfortably, his tail twitching nervously. "Yeah… I mean, you got Pyrrha and Jaune together."

Jacob shrugged. "That was a match written in the stars," he said dismissively, tapping Sun's shoulder to follow him into the Arena. "I didn't even need to actually help for those two to get together. Besides, I don't think you need my help in getting her to like you." His memories of her blushing at him being a dork reinforced his statement.

"I mean, I don't wanna force her into getting with me," he said, raising his hands defensively. "I just… I really like being with her, and I wanna tell her that. But… you know how she is."

"Laser-focused," Jacob answered, thinking to last night and that morning. "She does tend to get OCD about stuff, I won't pretend that isn't a problem."

"Right, exactly," Sun said. "so… what would you suggest?"

Jacob shrugged again. "Honestly… be yourself, for starters," he said. "But more than that…I don't know, show that you care about her. Any man can flirt, but she knows you're willing to help, that you're there to help her."

"And you don't think that's gonna put me in the friend zone," Sun asked in deadpan.

Jacob smirked. "You gotta give it time," he said. "She's only been out of her last relationship for 6 months, and it's kinda still haunting her… and the rest of us."

Sun grimaced and nodded as they turned and began to walk towards the team locker rooms. "Right, the terrorist psycho. She's… kinda still thinking about him, isn't she?"

"She sketched his face in her notebook," Jacob said, remembering the day of the food fight in-canon. "And she's been saying that he's the one most likely leading the White Fang that are working here."

Sun swallowed. "you don't think he'll go after her, do you," he asked.

Memories of her and Yang's fight with Adam echoed in Jacob's mind. "I hope not," he said with a small sigh. "What she told me about him last night, he'd mop the floor with all of us."

Sun went silent as they traversed the halls, the low din of the crowd above making a faint buzzing sound in the tunnels. It was closing in on the time for their match, and Jacob had figured that the rest of SSSN was already in their locker room getting their gear ready.

"So," Sun eventually said, "how's it going with Yang?"

Jacob looked over at him. "Hasn't gone anywhere," he said. "It was a one-time peck, no more, no less."

Sun let out a sound like a laugh disguised as a hum. "Really?"

"Really."

"You're not interested in her at all?"

"I didn't say that," Jacob said, "but I think she and I are not that compatible. She's the carefree party girl, I'm the worry-wart bookworm."

"That's not what I saw at the Dance," Sun replied.

"That was the high off of getting Pyrrha and Jaune together," he said. "Also, note that I took over as unofficial DJ and didn't dance."

"Still, you got into the thick of it once you had the greenlight."

"And stayed out of it before," Jacob countered. "Yang needs a partner that's on equal levels of energy as her, not someone who she has to drag along. Not good for a relationship if the two members aren't on the same wavelength."

Sun went silent, a visible thoughtfulness across his face. "Blake's not exactly high-energy," he said hesitantly.

"True," Jacob said. "If you really are committed to romancing her, you might want to consider that part."

Sun said nothing more as they entered the room, met with the sight of Scarlet and Neptune arguing. Sage stood back against a locker, his massive buster sword slung on his back and gleaming under the fluorescent lights.

"She's the fastest member of the team, she takes top priority," Scarlet said to Sage, Jacob unsure of who he was talking about.

"That green-haired girl's got something up her sleeve," said Neptune. "We should focus her down instead."

Strategizing without me," Sun said aloud with a joking hurt tone, grabbing their attention. "And here I thought we were a team!"

"There you are," said Neptune in audible relief. "We thought you had gotten stuck in at a buffet."

"Or Blake's legs," joked Sage. Sun replied with a smirking flip-off, his face taking on a pink tinge.

"Alright, alright, break it up you guys," Jacob said with his own smirk, "you're supposed to be getting ready for the match, not ribbing each other."

"And you're here why," asked Scarlet curiously.

"Giving Sun some moral support," he half-lied, patting the Monkey Faunus' shoulder hard. "I'm sure you guys have got it, though. I'll leave you guys to it."

He turned and walked back towards the door, turning and looking over his shoulder to give Sun a quick thumbs up for moral support before he was out of sight. "You guys got this," he said. "I'll say hi to Blake for you!"

Sun made a sound of mild shock as the rest of the boys began to chuckle, the closing door shutting out their conversation as Jacob entered back into the main hallway. The faint din of the crowds above made Jacob's walk back to the Contestant seats noisy, enough that he found himself for once having a hard time thinking to himself. His mind had swapped back into mission mode, the scenes of Pyrrha being offered the Maiden powers running through his mind. This time, though, he began to imagine how the current situation might play out with so many new variables; would Dante successfully sway her from taking the power, or was it only going to make her jump at it all the quicker? Could Titus and Mira talk her out of it? Vulkan? Would they even try at all?

Jacob sighed. I'm getting myself worked up, he thought to himself. It will be fine… they know what to do here… almost all of them have centuries of tactical acumen under their belts, they're gonna be able to figure this out better than me.

His step faltered as he began to process that. Then why do they turn to me so often for a strategy, he pondered. Is it because of what I know? Or do they actually value what little I can bring to the table? No, no, it has to be the former… I'm no strategist! Hell, that idea to be the one to of Amber… what if it backfires? Why do I have to keep coming up with such dumb fucking ideas?!

Jacob shook his head as he reassessed the plan. True, the plan could backfire, with Cinder getting the Maiden powers without so much as a sweat broken, but it could also work if they could get Amber to look at Pyrrha for even a minute. But what if the Power being incomplete caused Pyrrha any harm? What if it was unstable in her? How would Ozpin and Ironwood react? Shock? Would they shoot him on the spot? Would Cinder stop him.

He came upon the main door to the outside, his mind making a note that this was the same doorway that Ruby escaped through in her attempt to reach Penny during PvP. That was another thing to worry about; Penny was in on it, sure, but Emerald was still a threat to Pyrrha with those illusions. How would he deal with that; he can't just force a bag over her head or he'll get attacked by Mercury and Cinder. Shine a light in her eye? He didn't have a laser pointer, though Yang still had hers, much to Blake's annoyance. Maybe that could do the trick.

As he exited into the crowds, the thought of Blake crossed his mind. Adam followed shortly after, and the image of Yang sans one arm as well. That was even more worrying now; Blake knew a lot more now, and that meant she might throw herself at Adam in an attempt to keep Yang from getting hurt. But she was also a cunning one, generally at least; she was smart enough to form a plan, and with him they could formulate a plan to keep both Yang and herself safe while making sure they weren't just sidelined; Yang would never allow herself to sit out a fight like this where so many were in danger, especially her team and her sister. Jacob couldn't deny how much he admired her protectiveness and her strength, how she was willing to jump headfirst into danger for others. An admirable trait for a beautiful woman like her—

"No, no, stop it," he said as he entered the stands, spotting RWBY, JNPR and several of the Imperials in their seats about a hundred feet away. "Not like she's gonna even remotely like you after the truth comes out."

As he said that, he saw Yang and Ruby both wave at him. He could just make out Ruby yelling, "Come on, the match is about to start!"

"Coming," he called back as he squeezed past the other teams. "Just had to give Sun some encouraging words."

Nora smirked with a look of amused confusion across her face. "Wait, what? Wukong needed encouragement?"

"Well, he and Neptune," Jacob said as he sat down beside Ruby. Across the row from him sat Blake on the farthest right flank, visibly pondering things to herself as she only spared a brief glimpse in Jacob's direction.

"I'm sure Monkey Boy's got it under control," Yang said with a dismissive shrug. "Besides, he'd better if we're gonna go toe-to-toe with him in the doubles round!"

Jacob nodded quietly. "Yeah, I think he's okay," he said as he looked back out over the arena.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," came the voice of Oobleck overhead, "please return to your seats, you do not want to miss this next matchup!"

The crowd began to get rowdy. Jacob shifted as he leaned back to talk to JNPR. "Here we go," he said to Jaune. "Who do you think has got this fight?"

"Sun and Company," Nora piped in.

"Team NDGO clearly has an advantage," added Weiss, an air of ironclad certainty in her tone. "I looked up some of their history at Shade Academy earlier. They have a reputation for being unusually disciplined fighters… even a little cruel at times. "

Jacob nodded. "They sound like they're strong," he said, "but I doubt they've got a chance against SSSN. And I doubt you really think that."

Weiss cocked an eyebrow at him. "What makes you so sure?"

"Neptune's on SSSN," he said matter-of-factly, giving her a coy flex of his eyebrows in suggestion.

She blushed hard at that, realizing she had been played. "Oh, you… Aargh!"

"Don't go throwing things," he said snarkily, channeling his inner Jack Sparrow voice as the arena rose up and the shields around the battlefield flared to life. His attention briefly flitted to Pyrrha, watching her closely to see if Ozpin had sprung his question early. Her eyes were still bright with excitement, her back and shoulders straight but relaxed… so far, it appeared everything was on-track. She and her mom were talking back and forth in small spurts, trying to finish a conversation but clearly not wanting to miss the start of the match.

"And now," began Port overhead, "for introductions! Hailing from the sandy shores of Vacuo and Shade Academy, give a warm welcome to the mighty amazons of Shade… Team NDGO!"

From the far side of the battlefield he saw the walk out, the crowds cheering them on. All four of them dismissive of the crowds, though he could just make out the smiles on their faces. They were more focused on the entry spot where SSSN was supposed to come out, giving them a predatory air.

"Oh, they're goners," Yang said in a deadpan tone.

"I should have put a bet on SSSN, then," Jacob said in reply.

"What, and give me Lien for free? Might as well hand them over now."

He smirked at her, fishing out his wallet and plucking the Lien from it. "Oh, yeah? Wanna put it down now?"

She smirked back and parroted him. "Deal. Loser hands their money back."

She reached over her sister's viewpoint with an open hand, and before Ruby could protest, Jacob met with a handshake, swapping cash. in the other hand.

"Team NDGO of Shade is certainly a crowd favorite, but these lovely ladies are going against some of the toughest, testosterone-filled teammates we've seen so far! I'm of course talking about... Team SSSN!"

The audience seemed to turn into an army of girls crushing at a boyband concert. Shrill screams of ladies rose up across the arena as several dozens of boards began to flash among the first few rows. Jacob even managed to spot the four posters of the boys the show had presented, complete with Sun's abs rather than his face on the lead poster. He pointed to it, catching Ruby and Yang's attention; both snickered at the sight.

"Sun Wukong and his team are certainly a force to be reckoned with, and although he'll be representing the Mistral Academy of Haven, I'm sure his friends and family back in Vacuo will be cheering him along!"

As the crowd continued to cheer the teams as they walked up towards the center of the field, Jacob leaned back, trying to relax as he processed the situation. He glanced again at Blake; she wore a pensive, thoughtful face, looking the way he was feeling at that moment. It made him nervous to ponder if she was thinking of revealing the truth, though a part of him was in agreement; it would be so easier to just spill the beans and have everyone on the same page.

And yet, no good deed went unpunished in fictional worlds, especially under pretenses where knowledge of the future was in effect… he couldn't shake the horrible thought that it could lead to disaster. Sure, back on Earth, anything could happen and lead anywhere, choices mattering some with the aid of luck in some cases. But in fictitious worlds, people danced to the tune of that world's grander design; where real life was wild and unpredictable, fiction was linear and easy to determine based purely on what kept happening in the world. The world of Remnant loved to echo the stories characters were based on; even if a character was a play on that baseline they seemed to be destined for an echo of that character's fate.

He glanced over to Jaune, his stomach knotting a bit. Need to keep an eye out on that too, he thought. Joan did burn at the stake and all…

"And now," called Port, "It's time to determine the battlefield!"

"Good luck, Neptune," called out Weiss, grabbing everyone's attention. She glanced around and blushed hard, shifting in her seat.

Jacob smirked. "I think he's flirting with them," he said, remembering canon.

"No, he's not," Weiss said, only to stop as they all saw him flash finger guns at the ladies. Weiss made an indignant sound.

"You can beat him after he's done in there," Jacob said in deadpan as several of the Imperials let out a collective chuckle.

Around the arena, holoscreens began to flash with colors, spinning like the wheels on a slot machine; just like in canon, two wheels spun at each corner, waiting to determine what terrain was about to show up.

The first stopped, a symbol of a light blue wave rolling from left to right with a stylized palm tree in the middle.

"And there it is," Jacob muttered under his breath as NDGO's half of the arena rose up and revealed a coastal terrain, sandy beaches, a fake beached sailing ship and deep water closer to the edge. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Neptune visibly stiffen.

"Hey, look," Yang said, pointing directly at SSSN.

Ruby leaned forwards. "What's up with Neptune," she asked.

"I don't know," Jacob lied. "Looks like he's seen a ghost."

The second panel stopped, though the result was something a little different from what Jacob had expected: light brown waves with dark grey spikes jutting out.

The biome plate rose up behind SSSN, revealing the arena in question; it was a desert zone, the entire area covered in pale dunes that looked like they belonged in the Mojave. The thing that really caught his attention, though, were the masses of tall, hexagonal spires of black rock that jutted out in places throughout the dunes.

Jacob hummed. He remembered it was a desert in canon, but the rock structures were different, more akin to the stuff he'd seen before in Monument Valley.

"Alright, homefield advantage," he could hear the violet-haired girl call out.

"Don't get too cocky, that's my turf too," called out Sun, a hint of hesitation in his voice as he tried to nudge Neptune out of his stupor.

"Interesting use of basalt spires," muttered Mira muttered behind him. "what do they expect the contestants to use them for since there so isolated…"

"With the biomes set, it's time to battle! Contestants, get ready in ten, nine, eight…"

The crowd began to count down with him as RWBY and JNPR began to mutter amongst themselves. Jacob leaned in among them quietly and threw out the suggestion, "I think… Neptune might be afraid of water."

Weiss looked over at him. "What? That can't be," she said, "his name is Old Valish for the ocean."

Jacob shrugged as the crowd called the final numbers. "What irony that is, then," he said as the klaxon to start blared overhead.

Neptune zipped backwards with comedic speed, rigid as a wooden beam as he scaled the tallest basalt peak.

Sage spun hard and looked up. He raised his voice, shouting loudly, "Neptune, what are you doing!?"

"Just, uh, taking a height advantage," Neptune said loud enough to be heard by the front rows as he drew his rifle with a visible shake.

"Way off from the fight," retorted Sun.

"They'd never expect it!"

Yang and Ruby both began snickering as Jacob rolled his eyes. "This can't end well," he said in deadpan as the two teams began to fight. Immediately, though, he noticed that the flow of the fight was different from canon; both teams stuck fairly close to one another, loosely fighting as individuals but not really spreading out—save for Neptune, obviously. Sun had engaged with the red-headed girl—he couldn't remember any of NDGO's names—and seemed to be matching her despite it being a battle of gun-chaku and rapier. Scarlet and Sage were back-to-back, trying to hold off the blonde's staff and the violet-haired one's longsword.

"Boy, stop fooling around," roared Dante, clearly addressing Neptune as the black-haired girl rushed at him, the glint of throwing daggers rushing at him.

Neptune seemed to snap out of his stupor just as the daggers flew towards him. He ducked back, the daggers sailing into the sky behind him. He righted himself and began to put out a withering volley of Ice Dust, forcing the girl back.

The crowd began to pick up as NDGO visibly began to force SSSN back to the ocean half of the arena. Neptune continued to lay down fire, trying to pin down the brunette girl as she repaid him in kind with her own staccatos of throwing knives from her side. Jacob noticed that she was leading his aim around, putting his back to the ocean terrain.

Sun and the others, by contrast, were openly retreating back to the ship, mounting the simulated wreck. Sun climbed the mast with deft speed, the violet-haired girl following him as she used her sword to stab and vault up after him. Sage went at the girl with the staff on ground level, Scarlet launching off the hull and getting an uncanny amount of distance down the beach head from his launch point as the redhead followed him.

Jacob hummed in thought; that practically looked like flight in the back of his mind. He couldn't help but wonder if Scarlet was not just an expy of Captain Hook, but also of his archenemy.

Sage struggled as he and the blonde exchanged a whirlwind of blows back and forth. Around them, the very air was beginning to visibly swirl as sand began to kick up from the beach. He wracked his memory for what the blonde's power was in the show—

Oh. Tornadoes.

"Sage, get out of there," he called out too late as Sage was buffeted by harsh winds, throwing him back. The blonde capitalized on the new situation, lunging forwards and striking Sage with a flurry of staff strikes. After a few seconds of her attacking and him fumbling to get his buster sword in between them, she finished with a thrust square in the jaw. Sage sailed backwards, harshly crashing through the shipwreck. The crowd audibly groaned at the harsh impact.

"That'll set him back," said Titus.

"Oof, quite the uppercut from Ms. Gayl," commented Port.

Jacob glanced back at Neptune. The poor guy was sprinting around, desperately trying to hold his ground and not get near the water. He was strafing astride the edge of the beach, firing at the brunette as she ducked and weaved through his shots; she was forcing him to waste his ammo in his desperation.

Fast movement behind them caught all of the kids' attention, as well as Jacob. Mira was up on her feet, cupping her mouth with her hands as she roared, "Quit panicking, you half-wit! Ammo discipline, ammo discipline!"

Jacob glanced over at Titus, who in turn was watching Mira with a half-smile of exasperation and bemusement at his Cadian wife's rage.

Mira turned to look at them, her cheeks tinging with embarrassed tones of pink. "Sorry," she said, sitting back down. "I get angry when I see someone with an automatic weapon being lead-fingered."

Jacob offered a sympathetic shrug. "I get that," he said as he turned back just in time to be spooked by something slamming into the forcefield directly in front of them. After a second, Jacob realized it was Scarlet, his face scrunched up into a pained scowl as he slowly slid down the forcefield. The overhead klaxon alerted that Scarlet was now out of the fight as Oobleck commented, "And with Ms. Ember's pyrokinetic blast, Mr. David is out of the fight!"

Jacob winced as he looked up at the board. Only now did he see the girls' names, making him feel all the stupider; Nebula Violette at 47% of her Aura, Dew Gayl at 55%, Gwen Darcy at 80%, Octavia Ember at 68%. With Scarlet out and the other three somewhere around 50% of their Aura on average, this fight was becoming more and more one-sided.

He looked up just in time to see Sun engage in a duel on the mast of the shipwreck with the violet-haired girl, Nebula, his gun-chucks popping free as he let off a hailstorm of fire. She began to block his shots, unable to attack back as he spun Jingu and Ruyi and flipped around on the mast to try to throw her off their perch. She blocked high and he ducked low, sweeping the leg far faster and with more grace than he had any right to do. Jacob heard Nebula yell as she faceplanted onto the mast and tumbled off with a scream, crashing through the layers of wood with harsh thuds that splintered wood and rag-dolled her all the way down. Jacob watched her Aura drop with each impact; he counted three hard impacts, and each one made him wince hard in kind.

Her last impact before the ground was a smack against the head so hard the inertia from the rest of her body sent her spinning into the dirt ten feet below her. Jacob hissed as he watched her Aura drop hard to 15%. The way she hit that beam and then the ground, had it not been for her Aura that would have shattered her neck like glass, or at least her jaw. He was not surprised when she struggled to stand upright in the sand, looking like she was browning out.

Sun looked pained watching that. "Sorry," Jacob could hear him say before leaping away towards Neptune and the other girl, Gwen.

Sage, by contrast, was getting kicked around hard by the blonde, Dew. His buster sword was powerful, of that there was no mistake, but even Jacob knew that big swords tended to have a harder time hitting their target, and Dew was taking full advantage of that, especially since her staff was far lighter and faster to strike with. She continued to summon tornadoes around him, smirking as she almost casually jabbed at him from the outside. Sage tried to use his sword like a colossal shield, trying to move to parry her jabs as he was forced to stay inside the tornado. Even then, the way his jacket was whipping around him, Jacob new all she needed was a few more strong tornadoes to add to the system and she could easily pull him off his feet.

"Get out of there, Sage," cried Ruby, bouncing out of her seat and onto her feet.

"Come on, Neptune," called Jaune, "Stop mucking around over there!"

Jaune was certainly right in calling it that; Gwen, the black-haired brunette, had finally closed the distance to Neptune, forcing him to backstep closer and closer to the water's edge. Sun lunged in to try to give his partner some backup but he was quickly cut off by Octavia, who swung hard with a decapitating strike. Sun ducked and backpedaled hard, drawing his gunchucks into their staff form as he was forced into a melee with her.

Neptune was now right on the edge of the beach, the shockwaves of Gwen's attacks kicking up small waves as he ducked and weaved. Jacob could see Neptune's eyes as he glanced over his shoulder, terror etched into his eyes.

"Come on, Neptune," he called out, "Show some fucking backbone and kick her ass!"

Neptune had clearly not heard him, though clearly the fear had given him a second wind as he pushed her back and changed the rifle into its guandao form. They exchanged melee blows, the girl swinging her daggers in a backhanded reverse-grip style that seemed like battle ballet with how she pirouetted around the battlefield; she was just inside his strike range, giving her all the opportunity to wail on him with an elegant but brutal barrage.

Jacob looked up at the holoscreen. Neptune's Aura chipped away at an alarming speed, , dipping from around 45% to 20% in the span of five seconds of uncontested strikes.

"Breaks the boys, NDGO," roared Yang triumphantly as Sage was thrown aside by a colossal tornado. His Aura dipped hard, teetering on the edge of disqualification. Sage stood up just in time to roll out of a plunging strike from Dew, now pulling his momentum into an off-balance but full-speed uppercut.

The hit connected hard and Jacob jumped to his feet with a cheer that echoed around the arena. Dew Gayl flew hard through the shipwreck body and landed right next to her partner in a heap. A klaxon sounded again.

Oobleck chimed in. "With a spectacular display of strength and speed, Sage takes out Dew Gayl! This battle is swinging back and forth with no guarantee of who will come out the victor, I'm practically up out of my seat in anticipation!"

Jacob smirked. "You boys got it," he roared, "finish them off!"

Sun called out to Neptune and Sage, saying something he couldn't hear over the din of battle as he and Octavia dueled. Sage groggily rushed forwards to aid Neptune, only for Gwen to notice. With a flashy and dizzying spin, she launched a volley of daggers and caught Sage square in the chest before Jaco could even muster a syllable. Sage tumbled back and went limp as the klaxon blared again.

"And just like that Sage is out too, courtesy of a blistering barrage of blades!"

Now the whole of RWBY, JNPR and several of the present Imperials were letting fly a volley of cheers, jeers and other retorts to the fight at hand. Jacob leaned back, feeling a mounting sense of nervousness; the fight did not go this way in canon, and his stomach with knotting itself in worry now.

"Neptune," he heard Sun roar over his fight, "do something!"

Neptune looked back and forth between the two girls, only having a few seconds as Gwen launched at him. He ducked under her volley and rolled hard, opening up with a volley as he came out of the roll. Gwen had hard a moment to process what happened as she was peppered with bullets, sending her backwards into the water.

Jacob smirked. "Hello, opportunity…"

Sun saw it as well, spinning his staff and catching Octavia square in the jaw. He kicked out as she stumbled back, sending her flying into her teammate.

Sun jumped back. "Neptune, trident, now!"

"But-!"

"DO IT!"

Neptune flinched as he saw the ladies struggling to get up. With visible pain etched into his face, he began to change the rifle into its spear form and chucked it forwards as soon as the haft was complete. The prongs finished unfolding just as it hit the water.

Jacob smiled as he saw the electrical prongs spring to life, voltage visibly coursing through the water in the time it took an eye to blink. The two remaining girls, still calf-deep in the water, had only a half-second to react before their bodies were wracked with electrical currents. Both screamed over the din of the crowd as they began to seize and shake, more violently than Jacob remembered in the cartoon. Overhead, their Auras plummeted hard, collapsing into the danger zone.

Sun jumped forwards and knocked the staff over, letting his tail catch it as he pulled it free of the water and tossed it aside. The Lightning Dust in it seemed to shudder and finally fall silent as the two ladies crawled to shore, visibly shaken.

The klaxon flared overhead, sounding NDGO's defeat. The crowd was screaming SSSN's name now, even though Sun was obviously trying to help the ladies back onto their feet.

"An electrifying finale! And with that double knockout, team SSSN moves on to the doubles round," Oobleck exuberantly cried out.

He turned to look at the rest of the group, all of them also cheering SSSN's victory save for Yang.

"Looks like the dorks made it to the next round," Yang said, taking out a Lien bill from her jacket pocket and handing it to Jacob. He took it silently as he watched the two boys wave to the crowds rather than do their silly dance; a shame, that, he got a fair laugh out of their silly celebratory dance.

Still, he did crack a smile as Sun turned and flashed a flirting smile and a wink, pointing with both hands directly at Blake. Blake shifted, blushing hard and smiling faintly, though he could still see that storm of thought in her mind that held the vast majority of her attention.

"Emphasis on dork," she said, her faint smile growing a little larger as she looked back at him.

Neptune also turned and flashed a grin, clearing intended for Weiss.

Weiss made a flustered sound halfway between a stutter and groan. "Oh, I hate how suave he is," she said.

"Now all he need do is get you roses and candy and his romancing will be complete," added Dante with a chuckle. JNPR, Ruby and the adults all laughed at that as Weiss' porcelain features turned a shade of pink.

For a moment, Jacob's smirk was genuine, though it was tinged with its own worry as something crossed his mind. There was a small thought bouncing around inside of his head.

Just then, he heard several Scrolls buzz to life around him. He saw Pyrrha reach into her skirt-pocket and fish it out at the same time as her parents, Titus and Mira.

He saw Titus flash a glance at him, giving a tiny nod that most wouldn't have picked up on.

Ozpin, Jacob realized, nodding back.

"What is it," asked Nora.

"It's Professor Ozpin," Pyrrha said in confusion. "He wants to meet with me?"

"And several of," Dante added with a faux-confusion.

"Is something wrong," asked Ren.

"No clue," Mira added. "We'll tell you when we get back," she said as she stood up and began to leave.

"But CFVY's up next against Team LILY," Ruby added. "You guys are gonna miss the match!"

Pyrrha offered her a smile. "It'll be okay, Ruby," she said. "You can tell us after we get back."

Dante nodded, his patricianly features looking weighed down by the knowledge of the truth. "Indeed," he said as he stood up, taking Pandora's hand in his. "We'll be back soon."

"Do you want us to come with," asked Jaune, Nora and Ren visibly ready to go beside him.

"No," Dante said, "He asked only for us."

Pyrrha offered Jaune a weak smile. "We'll be back soon," she said as she patted his shoulder before pulling him into a hug.

Jacob nodded as he turned back to the arena, his mind still perseverating on one single thought as he heard the four of them leave. Across the way, he spotted Cinder and Emerald, the two of them seemingly looking in his general direction; he could swear that Cinder's eyes were either on him… or on Pyrrha.

His stomach roiled as he let out a small shiver.

Different course of events, he thought, but the same outcome…

---

"…I hope I haven't done something wrong."

She could feel the hesitation from all four adults around her. It was off-putting seeing them all like this, especially her mother. Even the warm smile she offered as she replied, "I don't think so, honey," felt a little off.

Pyrrha suppressed a small shudder. She cleared her throat as she looked up at the ceiling, waiting for the elevator to Ozpin's office. She couldn't help but wonder—and worry a little—on what had spurred on the sudden summons. Was she in trouble for something? Had the media come for her? Was her kiss with Jaune yesterday causing a problem?

She backpedaled to the middle option, feeling her stomach knot up in terror. Ozpin had been so sure that the paparazzi wouldn't hound her, but was this a request for an interview from the media? He had summoned both her and the four people who were her guardians, meaning this was something that involved needing their input too.

She stood quietly and brought her hands around to grip them together. She shifted her back and rolled her neck, feeling her ponytail brush her back.

"You're doing your interview stance," Pandora said.

Pyrrha blinked as she realized that her mom was right; she had dropped back into that stance she was used to taking. She cleared her throat as she blushed, feeling a bit stupid and a little horrified with herself.

She saw her dad study her out of the corner of his eye. "Expecting something," he said, offering her a smile.

Pyrrha replied with a weak chuckle. "Just… reflex at this point."

Dante nodded. "I'm just curious since I…"

Pyrrha watched the sentence die in his throat and on his face. A visible discomfort seemed to permeate him, and this distant look echoed in his eyes.

She cleared her throat again as she remembered all of the interviews she could. She hated that she only remembered a handful where he was there with her and her mom.

The elevator rang as the doors opened. She walked forwards with the four of them, entering into the cramped space. The tension followed them in even as Pyrrha tried to leave those thoughts behind.

She turned to look at her godparents. Uncle Titus wore a stalwart face, contrasting Mira's comforting smile. Even then, though, Pyrrha could read her eyes and the visible storm of thought that echoed within them.

The ride up was quiet and made Pyrrha's stomach twist with worry. She rubbed her arm sheepishly, watching them all.

"Are you sure I'm not in trouble," she asked her dad.

He looked down at her, offering a gentle smile. "If you are, I'll raise hell about it," he said.

Pyrrha gave back a faint smile as the doors opened. She was surprised to see that Professor Ozpin was not alone in his office; Professor Angelos, Mr. He'Stan, even that one gentleman who had save Blake. She also saw Glyna and General Ironwood near Ozpin's desk, as well as a taller, lanky man who seemed to hunch—isn't he Ruby and Yang's uncle—with a brooding face.

Pyrrha felt her stomach drop as she processed the scene.

I am far from being in trouble, she quickly deduced as she stepped out with an almost robotic stiffness. This is something else.

"Ah, good," Ozpin said as he approached them. "Apologies for taking you all from the matches. I figured the next few matches wouldn't get in the way since they weren't any of your peers, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha glanced around the room, all eyes on her. For the first time in ages, she felt that dreadful sensation of clamming up in her chest, that feeling of wanting to stay hunched in on herself.

She fought back the stage fright and took Ozpin's hand as he offered it. "No, no, it's quite alright, Professor," she said. "I was worried when you called me up here with my parents and my godparents… though I see we're not the only ones here."

She glanced over to them. The forgemaster was silent and stoic, same as Mr. Angelos, but the brief second that she locked eyes with Mr. He'stan almost made her do a double-take. His eyes seemed to be alight with a focus, his eyes a powerful and focused red not unlike Yang's when she got angry. But even behind them she saw the gears moving in his head… and something else that felt a lot like when she met her father's gaze at times. It sent a small shiver down her back.

"Please," Ozpin said, leading her back to his desk. "I wanted to congratulate you on that first battle in the tournament. Team BRNZ are considered some of Headmaster Theodore's best fighters, yet you and Jaune both were able to lead your team to decisive victory. I'm sure your parents are proud."

Pyrrha offered a smile, though she knew this was only pleasantries. "I wouldn't have gotten this far at Beacon without them," she said.

"Looks to me like the other way around," the lanky man said as he pulled out a flask and took a quick sip from it.

Pyrrha turned, giving him a confused look. "Uhm, I don't believe we've formally met… you're Ruby and Yang's uncle, correct?"

He nodded. "Qrow's the name," he said, "And that's about all you're getting out of me."

Pyrrha blinked, taken aback by his bluntness and bristly demeanor. Ozpin put up a hand to Qrow and replied, "Qrow is trusted friend of ours," he said. "Apologies for his curtness. Although, I would also like to congratulate you on your blossoming romance, although I am surprised it wasn't Jaune who initiated—no offense meant, of course."

Pyrrha felt her cheeks heat up and didn't doubt that her face looked more pink than usual. "Well," she said, "I uhm… I honestly don't know what came over me when I did that… I hear the tabloids are all over it."

Ozpin smirked. "You do not want to know how many interviewers and paparazzi I've had to beat off with threats of litigation," he said. Pyrrha couldn't help but chuckle at that, the Headmaster joining in. "But the press is not actually why I called you up here," he added.

Pyrrha took a small breath as her smile dropped away. "I… had a feeling about that," she said. "Why did you ask for us, Professor? Have I done something wrong?"

"Not at all," he said, taking a sip from his mug. "Forgive me for the oddity of this question, but… what is your favorite fairytale from your youth?"

Pyrrha only tangentially noticed the feeling of many eyes converging on her, though she was preoccupied with processing the question. "I… I'm sorry?"

"Fairytales," he said with a warm smile. "Stories from your youth to inspire you. Surely you remember some of them?"

Pyrrha rattled the question around in her head, trying to figure out what was he trying to get at. "Well, there's The Girl in the Tower," she began, "The Shallow Sea, The Tale of the Two Brothers… Dad told me stories of his own—The Angel and the Desert Tribes is one I remember a lot."

Ozpin nodded. "Perhaps the Story of the Seasons?"

Pyrrha smiled instinctively. "Of course! Mom used to read me that one a lot when I was little," she said, remembering back.

"I don't think either of us got tired of that one," she heard her mom say.

Ozpin nodded as he swiveled his chair aside, staring north towards Forever Fall Forest. "An old, callous hermit who was plagued by grief and destruction by a Grimm living in his woods was visited by a group of maidens traveling through his lands," he began with an odd, wistful tone to his voice. "The first approaches his home, pale as a ghost but still carrying a warm smile on her face. She approaches him and sympathizes with his reclusiveness, but offers that he could use that time to meditate, to learn and grow wise rather than simply exist. The next one, lively and strong, youngest of them all, brings him a bounty of flowers and fruits, bringing the garden he had forsaken back to life with a little effort and a generous smile. The third, a maiden of sunshine hair and a smile warms his cold heart with her hopeful and offers him a choice to join them outside in the sun, to which he agrees and takes her offer. The fourth, wild of heart and fiery-eyed, loyal to her oaths as a lady-knight, offers to slay the Grimm so that he may never fear for his life again, and does so post-haste, then moving to help repair damage done to his land during the fight. When the day is over, they sit down to a meal that the hermit, now warmed and touched by their generosity, had prepared for them, and he offers that they are welcomed at his home anytime they wish."

He paused for a second, locking eyes with Pyrrha as he turned back." Of course, as it is in all fairytales, he turned out to in fact be a wizard, whose magic had been stymied by his cold, emotionless state. He offers them a piece of his magic, control over the elements in particular."

Pyrrha smiled and nodded. "The first he grants control over ice and snow, and she becomes the Maiden of Winter. The second maiden he grants power over the earth, the Spring Maiden. The third he gives power over wind, making her the Summer Maiden."

Ozpin nodded. "and the fourth he grants command over fire," he said, "making her the Fall Maiden. And as they left, they promised to use their powers to better the world around him with his gifts." He leaned back and offered a small smile. "Would you believe me if I told you that story has been around since I was a boy," he said with a playful smirk.

Pyrrha smirked. "Professor, you aren't that old," she countered.

She saw that same flicker in his eyes as her dad. She felt ice in her veins for a second, driving away the good memories of snuggling under the covers as her mom read her that fairytale.

"Well… would you believe me if I told you it was true?"

Pyrrha stopped, her mind processing it. "I… I beg your pardon," she asked with a weak smile, hoping he was joking.

"What if I were to tell you that there are indeed four Maidens in this world with such powers that are beyond anything normal Huntsmen and Huntress can do… with Dust, with Semblances or even the combination of the two."

Pyrrha blinked as she turned to look around the room. Her parents were studying Ozpin closely, her mom's eyes glinting with that feeling of discomfort.

"It's always unbelievable the first time they hear it," said Ruby's uncle.

Pyrrha felt the terrified twisting of her stomach. "You're… you're serious," she asked.

Ozpin gave her a look. "Do I look like I am joking with you, Pyrrha," he asked in a serious tone.

She swallowed hard. "And… why are you… why are you telling me this?"

Ozpin was silent for a second, seeming to compose himself. He let out a long, slow breath. "We are telling you, Pyrrha," he began, "because we believe that you are the best candidate… to receive the mantle of the Fall Maiden."

Pyrrha felt her heart grow icy in her chest. Her eyes went wide as the idea processed in her head, only for her mind to note something he said. "We?"

She looked around at all of the adults around her. She noticed Glynda and General Ironwood were watching her intently, the former's eyes tinged with a worry. Mr. He'Stan seemed to have a melancholy look on his face, one she was worried to find echoed on her godparents' faces.

She finally turned to meet the gaze of her parents. Shock filled her as she saw now surprise in their eyes, though there was clear worry too. Still, they weren't shocked like she was…

"What… what is this," she said, standing up to face them all. "Who… who are you?"

"The same people you've known since you came here," Glynda said, "And the same friends and family you've known all your life."

"It's just… there is more to us than being Huntsmen or teachers," Aunt Mira said with a look of apologetic worry on her face.

"We are but the most recent arbiters of a secret organization," said Ironwood, "dedicated to protecting the world through The Maidens."

"Please, Ms. Nikos," she heard Ozpin say, "Walk with me." She saw him walk past and head towards the elevator.

Pyrrha hesitated. "Where… are we going," she asked as she turned to look at her parents, still wearing their worried faces.

"The Vault," replied Ozpin. "Deep below the school… there we can explain and you can see for yourself."

Pyrrha felt her mother's hand take her own, giving her that familiar reassuring squeeze. Pyrrha strode forwards, following him into the elevator. Her mother entered with her, Glynda and General Ironwood following with and Mr. Branwen crowding the elevator to its maximum capacity.

Her father stopped, stepping back next to Aunt Mira and Uncle Titus. "We'll be right down," he said. "We'll take the next one."

Pyrrha nodded as the doors closed, seeing the people all giving each other glances aside as the doors finished closing, setting them in the dim green light of the elevator.

She wondered what her father would say to the others while they waited… the fact that he wasn't surprised stuck with her. As for her mother, though…

"…Mom," she began quietly.

Her mother glanced over at her, visibly uncomfortable. "Yes, honey?"

"Did… did you know this was going to happen?"

Pandora shook her head gently. "Never in my wildest dreams," she said.

"But you knew about this," Pyrrha asked further.

"Your father had told me some of it," she said. "But… we promised to not get too involved like your aunt and uncle were. For your sake."

Pyrrha nodded silently, though she couldn't pretend that a little cloud of doubt began to form in the back of her mind.

The ride down was long and quiet, save for the sound of mechanical pieces whirring and rumbling as they traveled down, significantly farther than what she recalled was the ground floor.

Finally, they came to a stop. The doors opened and the sight outside took Pyrrha's breath. A massive, cathedral-like passageway laid before them, bathed in faint green light that gave it a feeling of being made of emeralds. Towering columns rose into black nothingness where she could just make out the ceiling, while braziers lit with green-yellow flames reached forwards for what she presumed to be the length of the campus's main causeway.

How could they build this in secret, she wondered as she stepped out with her mother at her side.

She turned and met the worried gaze of Glynda. "I'm sure you both have questions," she said.

"Maybe a few," Pyrrha said as she continued to look around.

"Definitely a few," her mother added.

As they walked down the long corridor, Pyrrha cleared her throat. "You said I was the best candidate to receive the mantle of the Maiden," she said. "What do you mean by that?"

"The Maidens have been around since the earliest days of civilization," Glynda began, dropping back to match Pyrrha and her mom's pace. "But just like the seasons themselves, they change and fade with time. Maidens are not immortal, and will die just as we do; no two summers are quite the same, and no two Summer Maidens are quite the same."

"That said," Ruby's uncle cut in, "There's a few things that are uniform about the Maidens. A lot of stupid and convoluted rules, at that…"

"Qrow…"

"Just saying," he said as he took a swig from a flask.

"What does he mean," asked Pandora.

Glynda paused for a second. "When a Maiden does die, she will often pick a candidate to grant the power to—almost always a young girl of your age, though there have been instances of younger and older girls being chosen."

"The cut-off point seems to be about age thirty," Ironwood added.

"Right. The previous Maiden will attempt to keep her heir on her mind as she passes, and in turn the power will usually go to her."

"Some Maidens have even said that they feel the presence of their predecessor," Qrow said offhandedly. "Almost like an afterimage that comes with the powers."

Pyrrha nodded, still trying to process everything. "And… where do I come into play in this?"

"Every so often," Qrow continued, "Someone makes a go for the powers when a Maiden is at her most vulnerable. Usually it either succeeds and our organization has to track them down, or they fail and things go on as normal, albeit with everyone being a little jumpier."

Pyrrha began to put the pieces together in her mind, nodding in understanding. "Something happened to the current Fall Maiden," she asked.

The group was silent before Ozpin let out a sigh. "Yes… she was attacked en route to Vale."

Pyrrha and her mom shared a nervous glance at one another. "Not selling me on this particularly well," her mom replied.

"Normally the Maidens are well-trained and kept isolated from the public eye for their own safety," Ironwood said. "The current Maiden was not one for that kind of life… we had to go the extra mile to make sure she was safe. Obviously... it wasn't enough."

Pyrrha swallowed hard as the end of the hallway came into view. There was a colossal machine built into the wall, a plethora of wires, tubes, whirring pistons and lights from monitors that Pyrrha could hardly read. Vials of liquids ran through tubes leading down to a large capsule, the inside of it glowing faintly with a red light that bled through the glass top of the capsule.

A life support machine. A wall of life support machines.

Pyrrha stepped closer, hugging her arms close to herself. She saw the woman inside, maybe a half-decade older than she was and maybe her height. She could tell the woman was naturally strong in physique despite her litheness, but as of now she was anorexic and almost spindly. Her skin was more than likely a Southern Vacuan tan but was paler than normal, adding to the look of weakness. She looked as if she were barely clinging to life.

"The Fall Maiden," Pyrrha mumbled somberly.

"Amber Mendoza. Only twenty-six years old."

Pyrrha turned and saw that her father and some of the others had caught up with them. There was a visible concern in his eyes as his gaze locked on the Fall Maiden.

Pyrrha stepped closer and reached out to the glass, only to feel a spike of fear and back away. "Is… is she—"

"She's alive," Ironwood said as he stepped up next to her. "We're using state-of-the-art Atlesian life support systems to keep her going… but she is fading."

Pyrrha looked up at Ironwood and was surprised to see his face was downcast, the hardness of his gaze that she was used to had also softened. It was uncannily similar to the look her father gave her.

"But more than that," Qrow added, "There's a complication."

Pandora turned to the rest of the group. "Complication?"

"Her attacker… did something to her. Crazy as it sounds, some of the power was stolen from her by her attacker."

Pyrrha looked at him with confusion. "What do you mean 'some of the power'?"

"They were somehow draining her of power when I found her, I got her out of there and interrupted whatever the hell it was they were doing," Qrow said as he took another swig of liquor. "But, yeah, there's precedence for the power getting split like this before, and it never ends well."

Pyrrha was silent as she stared back down at the gaunt girl before her. "And you want me to take the other half… but why?"

"The power will attempt to complete itself in this condition," Ozpin said. "If—when—Amber dies, the power will return to the other half of itself."

"…And her assailant."

"Exactly."

Pyrrha muddled this around in her mind for a good minute. She shared a glance with her parents, both watching with attentive worry all the while. The other adults in the room stared at her with chilling, calculatory focus on her.

All eyes were on her. The possible candidate to inherit this power.

"If her power is so significant," she began, asking quietly, "why have you kept her and the power secret? If she is so important… why not let the world know?"

Ironwood cleared his throat. "You must understand that, as far as we know, the Maidens were common knowledge a thousand years or less ago," he said.

"How do you think legends and fairytales get started," Qrow added. "They were real once upon a time, only for time to twist them, make them bigger, twist the hero and the villain, so on and so forth. But when people started getting hold of the power for their own selfish means, the consequences were catastrophic."

"And thus the earliest incarnations of our organization moved the Maiden—correction, the Maidens, plural—from the public eye, letting them fade into myth, for their safety and for the world's."

Pyrrha grimaced as she realized her heart was hammering in her chest. But it wasn't solely because the idea terrified her. A part of her realized what it meant.

Her mind dredged up old memories of a much younger her crying over the broken body of a woman no older than Amber was. A promise made through tears and sobs…

She felt her shoulders tense up at that memory.

"Celly!"

She took a deep breath. Something even stronger… a shield to protect.

"Pyrrha… Your destiny… I know it will be great..."

"I'll do it," she said quietly.

She let her words hang in the air, letting her own decision percolate in her mind. "What needs to be done to pass on her powers?"

The room was silent as she looked up. She saw the fear in her parents' eyes, the gnawing worry etched into their faces. Uncle Titus and his cohorts seemed equally worried, though their eyes echoed with a resolute nature. Ozpin and Glynda wore tired, worried looks, though the most unnerving to Pyrrha was Ironwood's unreadable face.

Pyrrha felt her confusion grow as they remained silent. "What is it?"

Ozpin stepped closer. "The truth of the matter is," he began, "It is unfortunately more complicated than you might first presume."

"What do you mean, Professor?"

Ozpin paused. "Due to the condition of the powers," he said, "we cannot simply… well, take her off her life support with you on her mind. That said, though, General Ironwood has a possible solution."

"Over the last five years, Atlas' Research and Development team has been working on understanding the nature of Aura, and with it the soul—how it works, how it creates Semblances, how it protects us. We've made a number of breakthroughs in the science of Aura, even creating synthetic Auras for some. And now… now we believe we have the means to capture and transfer the whole of one's Aura—the whole of one's soul."

"Capture it and cram it into containers or objects," Qrow interjected.

Pyrrha felt a thought click into place as she was reminded of the other ginger in their group. Penny, she thought quietly to herself.

"Or, in your case…"

Pyrrha didn't register it at first, her mind digressing back from that runaway thought. A second later, she noticed all eyes were on her, save for her parents who were looking at the four ringleaders of the moment with looks bordering on incredulity.

It clicked in her mind and sent a horrified chill down her spine. "That's—"

"Classified," answered Ironwood.

"Wrong," came the disgusted tone of her mother.

"You will not cram another soul into my daughter," he said. "I had a feeling this was where that was going."

Pyrrha looked up in confusion. "Isn't it… no different from an Aura share?"

"Not exactly," Qrow said. "You'd get all of her soul, not just a temporary boost. Basically, there'd be two souls sharing a body… and the question is what that might do to you since Amber's soul and Aura is leagues past your own thanks to the Maiden powers."

Pyrrha felt a terrified chill down her spine. She thought back to that book Blake had been reading, about a man with two souls—Blake had said the character seemed to grapple with his very being, but all she could remember was that it was two minds occupying one body.

But if Amber was the far more powerful soul of the two of them…

The thought of another soul wearing her body made her stomach roil in nauseated terror, not helped by the brief slip of her imagination to the sight of someone wearing her body turning Jaune down and abandoning Ren and Nora. She couldn't suppress the deep breath and the tensing of her shoulders at the thought; even the compromise of the impossible idea of the two souls merging into one couldn't soothe the sudden existential crisis.

She felt her father's hand take her own in a reassuring grip. Still, it did not help.

Ozpin sighed. "I wish we had more time to determine what would happen… but I fear that we are running short on time."

"That is no excuse to possibly kill my goddaughter," Uncle Titus said with that warning tone of his.

"And what would you propose, Titus," Ironwood said, rounding on him. "We have few options left, and of all of them this may prove the safest."

"You have no idea what doing that to a person could lead to," Vulkan replied.

"I agree with Vulkan. I knew about the life support aspect, but this is tampering with things few if any could possibly understand," added Blake's savior, Mr. Tsagaan.

"And do you have another idea, Sugodai," countered Qrow.

The man shrugged. "Ride out and find Ms. Mendoza's attacker, kill her and send the maiden powers back."

"I doubt that will work," Ironwood said, "this is our opportunity and we need to act now."

"Enough, out of the both of you," Ozpin said in a quiet by powerful tone. Both men seemed to return to the conversation at hand. "Ms. Nikos has enough to be worried about… we need to give her time to think, but we unfortunately cannot wait for long."

Pyrrha looked up to Ozpin, her mind still processing things. "W-what did you mean by that, sir?"

He was quiet. "I fear Amber's attacker is setting up to take the rest of the powers soon," he said. "Perhaps some time even before the Festival is over… if Amber even survives that long, that is."

Pyrrha nodded. "I… I need some… time to think," she said quietly as her parents both flanked her.

"Of course," Ozpin said. "But we will need a decision eventually, Pyrrha..."

Pyrrha saw her parents glance at one another out of the corner of their eyes. "We'll make it easy on you, Ozpin," her dad said. "The answer is no."

Pyrrha tensed up. "Dad…"

"Please, Dante, see reason. I want Pyrrha to have a say in this," Ozpin said, "and you know as well as the rest of us what danger comes from letting the Maiden powers fall into less scrupulous hands."

"Find someone else," he said. "Or have one of Ironwood's gearheads build a robot to house her like he did with the ginger girl."

Ironwood visibly bristled. "How did you know—"

"The robot, Penny she calls herself? She blends in as well as a black horse in the desert," he replied. "My point stands; I will not risk my daughter."

Pyrrha turned. "Dad," she asked, "please… this isn't just your decision."

Her dad looked down at her with a look that seemed entirely anxious. Before he could say a word, her mom had taken his other hand along with Pyrrha's.

"We'll talk about it over the next few days," she said before turning to Ozpin. "But you will have a final answer."

Ozpin nodded. "I understand. But if you can, Pyrrha, please refrain from speaking openly about this to anyone outside of who is present here."

Pyrrha swallowed hard. "Not even my team?"

He shook his head. "Not yet, though the time will come. For now, though, I ask that you play it safe."

She felt the weight of the decision crushing her now, gripping her parents' hands tightly in reply. "I understand," she said nonetheless.

"Excellent… now, then, I believe we are still wanted back on the surface. We will remain here for a minute to… discuss things," Ozpin said as he gave Ironwood a look.

The group collectively nodded and parted, giving Pyrrha and her family enough space to walk back into the hallway. Pyrrha could only muster up enough courage to just glance behind her, seeing her godparents following with her and her parents.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the group reconvene, their mumbling becoming drowned out by distance.

Time blipped by as they found themselves at the elevator, all five entering without a word as the elevator ascended back to the ground floor.

Pyrrha cupped her face with her hands and suppressed a heave of worry halfway back up.

Oh, gods… what have I walked into…

---

"A 'right proper mess' is what I would call it."

"You mean how an Ork would call it."

"Do the semantics matter all that much when your subordinates are such fucking idiots," countered Khârn as he gestured to the mess of White Fang trainees heaped around them, most dead or injured grievously.

Eliphas brushed a bit of Faunus brain matter off of his shoulder. "You must remember these are mortals that have lived a fraction of your lifespan," he said as he walked closer, the crunching of deep red leaves sounding like shattering glass under his power-armored being. "They are far more fragile than the slave trainees we are used to."

"That is no excuse for them to be so pathetic," Khârn growled, unceremoniously picking up a deer Faunus girl by her legs as she struggled to stay awake, a large gash in her side. "A Guardsman from a backwater world can fight better than these curs."

Eliphas gave his own growl of annoyance. "Why must I be stuck with a boneheaded imbecile like you," he said. "Did I anger Khorne greatly before I arrived, thus he tortures me so?"

"Would you prefer to be with that twit Nemeroth," Khârn quipped back, throwing the girl at a pair of cowering medics that had come to save as many of the trainees as possible. "I'm sure you two could figure out the nuances of reading the bones of a Bloodletter together; or perhaps you would enjoy conversing about the delights of possession?"

Eliphas didn't bother to retort back at his sarcasm, turning his attention elsewhere—specifically to the tall boy approaching them. Oh, good, he thought to himself. The child has come to complain about our training again?

"What did you do to my men!?"

"Stay yourself, Taurus," Eliphas warned. "If you seek an answer, it was not I who did this; Khârn's training is something few mortals can hope to match, even in his diminished state."

"All of these Faunus were under my command," Adam fumed, getting in Eliphas' face—a brave move, if not foolish under normal circumstances.

"I only have one hundred men I could muster from the rest of the White Fang divisions, and you killed five of them! Five I have served with for years as friends and comrades in arms! How dare you!"

Before Eliphas could answer, he heard a low rumbling sound behind him, not unlike a revving, daemon-possessed engine. Khârn was laughing.

"Such camaraderie," he began. "I did not take one so full of fire as you for being sentimental."

"Khârn, behave yourself," Eliphas chided. "As for you, Mr. Taurus, the other ten who are injured remain alive, though they are lucky to only have such wounds and not join the others in death.

"They won't be ready for the invasion," he said, his tone and subsequent anger having simmered some. Beneath the red leaves of Forever Fall Forest, Taurus was a shadow that seemed to partially blend into the red-topped trees, even with the camps of beige tents that surrounded the training grounds. "I need everyone I can muster; I don't have your endless supply of psychopaths."

"And you will have them," Khârn replied, pulling the scratched and dinged form of the Primarch's chainaxe free from a tree stump. "But first they must pass muster; If they are to fight not only Huntsmen but also Loyalist dogs… their training must be thorough."

Adam seemed to simmer in frustration, even as he nodded for the medics to hurry and take the survivors to the medical tent. Eliphas could practically see the fury ebbing around him, contained by a mental discipline that belonged to older men. Still, though, there was the anger of a young man, an idealogue driven by persecution of both himself and his people—something Eliphas knew he could use to his advantage.

"Were it not for the fact Fall asked me to take you in for the moment, I'd kill you right here and now."

Khârn's laugh now became a barking reverb through the vox-grill of his helmet. "You wish, boy! I have slain things that would make you weep tears of blood; to me, you are nothing."

Adam growled and reached for his sword. Eliphas brought his hand up, wordlessly asking to hold and not strike. "First you lead my reconnaissance agents to the slaughter in the tunnels, then you have the nerve to offer me a place in your little cult of demon-worshippers… Both of you tread on thin ice. I would suggest you either cease or leave."

Eliphas hummed quietly. "Of course," he said. "After all, we are all of the same cause in the end. I will see to it that Khârn does not get out of hand from here on." Though Eliphas knew that he and Khârn could both break this spindly boy like a twig under a Mastodon's treads, diplomacy was the better option here; better to seem reasonable than purely domineering.

"Good," said Adam as he seemed to untense himself. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to planning… as well as look into making some graves for my comrades."

Adam turned without another word and began to walk away, his footfalls only being drowned out as Khârn walked up beside the Inheritor.

"A shame he does not wish to be enlightened," Eliphas said, reaching over to pick a shard of something free from the Eye of Horus in his chest plate; the bio-scanners in his helmet determined it was a shard of bone from one of the Faunus killed—judging by the curvature it must have been a fragment of the snake Faunus' ribcage. For what Eliphas hated of the brutal simplicity of Khârn's butchery, he could not deny his impress with how his chest had beautifully exploded from the raw power of his strike with Gorechild.

"The Blood God chooses his champions with care, preacher," Khârn replied. "Do not think that simply because he is wrath given purpose that he is not without sense like my bastard brothers and I."

"Oh, never would I sully the Blood God's name like that," Eliphas said in disgust. "I simply see that the boy is of the right breed of fury for His needs. After all—"

"Master! Their Lord and Ladyship request your presence," came the voice of Yrtruvian. "They have word from the Maiden of Ozpin's next move!"

Eliphas and Khârn shared a look and a faint nod before they began the walk back to their tents. Mortals scrambled away from them as their footfalls echoed through the forest, some watching with scorn and hatred, while others looked on in terror.

Terror… ahh, sweet terror. Eliphas missed that terror; that existential dread that humans had upon seeing the demigods of war marching, as if their gods had come to earth. He still remembered the distant days of Horus' civil war, when he and his brothers marched against the Ultramarines; the terror etched in the eyes of the people of Kronus during the Shadow Crusade, when his Father still walked among The Enlightened and Eliphas himself vied for His favor as well as The Gods' Favor. How he towered over the mortals, their bodies seized up with such terror and fear that his sacrifices to The Pantheon were practically child's play, no harder than polishing his crozius. Terror, that moment of dawning reality where the faithful first find Enlightenment, where the succor of rage in defiance takes hold…

Eliphas afforded himself a smile as he and Khârn entered the war tent made for them. There, in the center, sat a lone Seer, a Grimm of cephalopodic form and unnatural quiet, already larger than the normal ones of its kind. Across the way sat Nemeroth, now kneeling before it as though it were a shrine. In his Terminator armor he towered over the creature, the ridiculous horns on his gorget threatening to poke holes into the top of the tent.

Eliphas walked up to the Seer and waved his hand, letting slip ancient rites in the Colchisian tongue. The creature responded to his password with a shudder as it the center of the seer grew brighter. Eliphas backed away and took a knee, though Khârn remained standing in his usual defiance. the film of the Seer's head opened, letting in a smoke that let seemed to stay in one general place, coalescing in one spot

A few seconds later, Her pale visage graced their presence, no different from a mirage… or a holotable feed.

"Ah, Lord Eliphas," Salem said with a courteous bow and a tiny, porcelain smile, her voice echoey as if being channeled down a long corridor. "I apologize if I was… interrupting anything."

He bowed his head, letting a faint smile cross his face. "My Lady," he said. "Has there been a change in the plans?"

"Indeed, there has," she said, the smile dropping. "Cinder has just reported to me that there is a hiccup in the plan; Ozpin is moving to counter the transfer of the Maiden powers."

Eliphas cared little of the sorceries of this world; these "Maidens" were little more than pale reflections of psykers to him. Still, they were integral to The Plan, much to his chagrin. "Are we to marshal our troops now, then? Many of our Cults are not in position quite yet, I fear."

She shook her head. "Not quite," she said. "But this may provide us an opportunity to preemptively strike. While the invasion remains key, we may yet have a chance to gain the Maiden powers early, if not possibly scare off their candidate…"

Khârn let out a small huff. "A chance for bloodshed. Consider my interest piqued," he said.

"Not quite, Betrayer," she said somewhat dismissively, "I have someone else in mind."

Eliphas swore he could hear a growl under the World Eater's helmet; all the more amusing. "Would that be me, My Lady," he asked genuinely. "I doubt you would send this bumbler Nemeroth for a mission such as this."

"Stow your tongue, Word Bearer," hissed Nemeroth. "Your Grace, I shall splatter this wench's corpse across the firmament with my bare hands if need be—simply give the order and I shall do so."

"That will be enough of that, thin-blooded sorcerer."

Eliphas felt the blood in his veins turn to ice. Salem stepped away, fading into smoke as darkness crept over the room—whether it was the presence of Him or the weather, Eliphas dared not question at that moment.

A towering form barely came into view, obscured by the smoke though it was clear his colossal size; Terminator armor like his was easy to recognize, and as such was all the easier to take note of.

"My Lord," Eliphas said as he bowed his head.

"F-forgive me, Sir," Nemeroth begged. "I merely wish to make up for my failings before!"

'You will have your day in the sun. For now, though, you will remain and ready the cults here."

"But, Lordship—!"

From the mist came the sharpened form of a razor-sharp claw, followed swiftly by the rest of the gauntlet. Its wicked blade glinted dangerously, untold murder ebbing off of it as if it were wreathed in the very notion of murder. The twin bolter barrels forged into the top of the gauntlet glared with malicious intent, belt-fed and always ready to purge a mortal of their soul. Even in its current spectral form, the great claw commanded authority through its ten-thousand-year legacy of murder and betrayal.

"You WILL remain here."

Nemeroth bowed his head. "Yes, My Lord."

The talon slinked back into the shadows. "None of you can accomplish this so readily. You have all been seen, and thus will draw their attention. I have dispatched another of Us to your aid—he shall arrive soon."

"Try right now," came a thick-accented voice as a form lumbered into the tent. Eliphas turned and was met with the sight of a man in Astartes power armor adorned with wolf pelts and sigils in a runic language etched across the chest plate. His head was shorn, save for a long, red-brown beard and a mohawk of similar color, and a pair of long scars crawled down the length of his temple, pale as the skin of a cadaver. On his power pack sat several spokes, each adorned with human skulls as other bones hung as talismans from his belt.

Only a second later did Eliphas notice the red, snarling, chaos-tainted Wolf sigil etched onto his right shoulder pad.

Khârn leapt to his feet. "Space Wolf!"

The newcomer flashed Khârn a challenging grin. "Ah, one of Angron's mutilated dogs… funny, I thought I smelled failure in here—perhaps that was the stench of Nucerian whores that still ebbs off you cretins—"

The string of insults ended with a fist in the face, courtesy of Khârn. The newcomer reeled back, drawing a sword of ice-wreathed steel that drove the heat in the air away from it, drawing it into a blade-lock with Gorechild.

"ENOUGH!"

Both Astartes stopped, the traitor Space Wolf wearing a look of excited goading across his face.

Salem stepped back out of the mist. "Boys, boys, calm yourselves," she warned. "This is not the time for your old rivalries."

"Indeed. Vulfrik Banehowl is to act as the one who will attempt this mission, with your aid. You will provide him with what knowledge you and Cinder know."

Eliphas looked back, his shock hidden behind Lorgar's helm. "Banehowl? So it is true, then: The Great Insulter did die at the hands of the Grimnar boy."

Vulfrik Banehowl gave him a snarl. "Never speak that name aloud to me again, Word Bearer," he said, "Or I will rip out your oh-so-precious preacher's tongue." He turned his attention back to the Seer and the other end of the conversation. "It shall be done, My Lord. The Maiden's powers shall soon be Cinder's."

"Good. My protégé will need all the help she can. See to it her ascension is completed."

He nodded and turned to walk out the door, leaving Khârn and Eliphas to recompose themselves.

"As for you three," Salem added, stepping in next to the figure clad in Terminator armor, "I want those armies ready to march in two weeks. We are to strike at the end of the Vytal Festival once Cinder has seen to her part of the plan. When they all think the worst has passed and their guard is let down, then we shall strike."

Eliphas nodded. "By your command, My Lady, and by My Lord's graces."

Salem nodded back. "Good. Oh, and… one more thing."

Eliphas looked back up at them. "Yes, Your Grace?"

The looming figure in Terminator armor shifted forwards. The claw reached out again, pointing back behind Eliphas.

"The Faunus boy. Taurus, was it?"

"What of him, My Lord?"

The claw shifted. "When we are done here… bring him to me."

Eliphas did not want to question it, only daring a brief glance aside at Khârn. "It will be done, My Lord."

Without another word, the Talon of Horus slinked back into the mist and both forms disappeared as the Seer closed its head again.

Eliphas quickly returned to his feet. "Come, brothers," he said, walking back out into the fading twilight, "We have much to prepare for… and a future Maiden to destroy."

---

And scene.

Again, I hope this next time around I won't leave you guys hanging as long as I did this last time, but I cannot make any guarantees. I hope you guys can forgive me for that.

I'm sure some people already recognize who the traitor Space Wolf is supposed to be a play on-I couldn't think of a better option than a Norsca hero and I decided to go with Warhammer Fantasy Battle's most famous Norseman.

Next chapter, we see a glimpse of the doubles round of the Festival as we skip forwards a few days, while Pyrrha and her family grapple with this new existential crisis, all the while Jacob and the other Imperials start to realize this mission is gonna be a lot harder than they all presume.

Until next time, you all stay safe and stay awesome and I will see you in the next chapter. Bye!