FINAAAAALLLLSSSSSS... have actually been going pretty well. Three down, two to go, I should be home some time next week. Fun times.

If you wish to support me and my college tuition, please check out my P a treon for future chapter summaries, story ideas and more: p a Treon.(c om) (backslash) themaster4444

Beta-ed by xenosaiyan

Fennec Albain did not like feeling helpless.

Granted that was not a unique opinion by any stretch. No being on Remnant liked being helpless. Everyone liked to imagine that were in control of their own destiny, forging their path through the tumultuous expanse of the world. But for Fennec, one who was helpless might as well not have been alive, for all the good they did for themselves and their loved ones. He and Corsac had been helpless on the streets of Mantle, persecuted, belittled, and beaten whenever a gang of drunk humans wanted to feel better about themselves. It was why they'd joined the White Fang, why they'd worked tirelessly to climb the ranks when Sienna Khan's reign ushered in a more violent era. And when that era had begun to stagnate, when humanity had begun to disregard the White Fang as just another terrorist group, instead of the wrath of the faunus upon a world that refused to give them their due, they had followed the changing wind and quietly thrown their support behind the leader that would guide their race to salvation.

But everything had gone wrong. Brother Adam's human allies had turned on him and Sienna had crushed his uprising. Even now the High Leader purged the ranks of the White Fang, either through blood or ideological conversion. With the Blood-Soaked Bull banished to Atlas and unable to counteract her influence, the tiger faunus' force of will was quickly restoring her followers' faith. A task made even easier with the mysterious Hazel Rainart at her back.

Now, where once he and his brother would have been the most valued lieutenants in the Fang, they were scrambling to hide their involvement, caught between Ghira Belladonna and their old mad enforcer of all people. Any moment, either of the two men could decide that the Albains had betrayed them, or had outlived their usefulness, or even just would look better without their heads, and that would be the end of them. A situation completely outside their control. Helpless.

Until now.

"And Sister Ilia is sure that this monkey faunus' camp is where Lady Blake is?" he asked his brother, just to make sure.

Corsac nodded, swirling his drink and moving to take a seat in their private quarters of the Menagerie White Fang headquarters. "She didn't see the lady, she couldn't risk being seen and having him move, but she was able to confirm that the boy was in contact with our errant Belladonna. As such, even if she isn't there at the moment, taking him will eventually lead us to her. Sister Ilia was wise to come to us with this information first."

"Yes, she is devoted to the cause," Fennec concurred. He'd been a bit unsure what to expect when the third wheel of Brother Adam and Lady Blake's renowned team was sent to their care, but the young Amitola had proven herself time and again, this newest mission only the latest in her long line of successes. Why, if she was a tad less squeamish about the more unfortunate aspects of their crusade then the younger Albain might have gone so far as to call her the perfect operative. "So, what now? She was guarding Kali when the chase started, so the Chieftain will expect an update. Should we send her along to them?"

"Hmm… yes. But perhaps we should do a bit more. Set our sights a tad… higher."

Fennec scowled, leaning back in his chair. "Whatever gets Tyrian off this island the fastest is high enough for me. However, devoted he is to this new goddess of his, I doubt he's truly forgiven us for his final mission."

Corsac shrugged. "Perhaps he has. Callows has always thrown all he has into whatever cause he chose to serve, as long as he was still able to… indulge himself. If this Queen of his truly has his loyalty, he may not care anything for the time before he came into her service. He may really just be here to retrieve Lady Blake."

"So? What if he is? How does that change our situation?"

"It doesn't. But it does provide an opportunity," Corsac declared, sipping from his drink. "Tyrian may be devoted but he is also impulsive to the extreme. He will take Lady Blake to this 'goddess' of his… but what do you think he would do to anyone he discovered to be working against that objective?"

Fennec's eyes widened, finally seeing what his brother was suggesting. A cunning grin spread over his face. "I imagine they would meet a tragic fate. And on a completely unrelated note, if our dear Chieftain were to suddenly be found… unfit to perform his duties, we would be the next logical choice to take over the post. Provided Lady Kali has no desire for the position of course."

"Or similarly indisposed as her husband," Corsac smiled. "We would have to leave the White Fang of course, follow wise Ghira's example. High Leader Khan would have to do without us."

Fennec almost wanted to laugh. It was so simple! Their instinctual terror of Tyrian must have been the reason they hadn't realized the opportunity months ago! After all, the simple fact of the matter was that Ghira did not like them, and liked Adam Taurus even less. If High Leader Khan revealed to him that they had supported the Blood-Soaked Bull, no amount of favor would keep the Chieftain of Menagerie from leaving them to their fate. But if one of them was the chieftain…

Well, it would hardly win the White Fang any popularity if they went against the official heads of the faunus world. High Leader Khan would be forced to let their previous errors in allegiance go and work with them as equal allies in the fight to liberate their people.

"If we are in agreement brother, I will send Sister Ilia to the chieftain with the boy's location at once," Corsac declared. "Then we can call Brother Tyrian and inform him of the ruinous deception we've discovered."

"Just a moment, brother," Fennec called. "If we send Ilia to tell the Belladonnas of the camp, she will demand to go with them. And that means she is more than likely to get caught up in the unpleasantness to follow."

Corsac shrugged. "Indeed. She has served the cause faithfully and will do so in death as well. After all, when a sacrifice must be made, one rarely gets a bargain as good as one pawn for two kings."

Fennec thought about it for a moment. Sister Ilia was a good soul, one who had suffered greatly and yet pressed on in spite of it, striving to ensure the humans would pay for all they had done to their people. Losing her would be a tremendous loss to the cause. But, if it was a choice between her, and being helpless once again…

Then it really was no choice at all.

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"And this one is a beautiful romance novel."

"Like one of Blake's?"

"Eh, it focuses more on the romance and the characters than the… consummation."

"Oh, so not like Blake's."

"No, not really. So, do you want to try it?"

Ruby sighed. "I'm sorry, Levy. Romance novels just aren't my thing. The characters go on and on about how much they love each other, but they don't actually do anything."

"Which ones were you reading? That's only the bad ones," Weiss insisted. She leaned over the Guildhall table and plucked the book from Levy's hands, a hungry grin on her face that had nothing to do with the lunch that Mirajane had just brought to their table

The partners, Wendy, Carla, and Erza had sat down for a meal with half of Team Shadow Gear (apparently Jet and Droy had taken a job on their own to prove themselves or something). Since it was the midday rush, the wait had turned out to be quite a while. To pass the time Gajeel and Wendy had started up a game of checkers (which, based on how often he was slamming his head into the table, the Iron Dragon Slayer was losing) while Erza and Pantherlily engaged in a friendly duel, their swords flashing faster than most could see.

As for Ruby and Weiss, they'd taken advantage of Blake still being away on her job to finally break their teammate's monopoly on Fairy Tail's preeminent bookworm's library. Unfortunately, while Weiss snatched up each new suggestion with glee ("it's literature from another world! How can we not read it all?"), Ruby found Levy's tastes and her own didn't particularly match up.

The bluenette frowned. "If you don't like that one, Ruby, I think I have some adventure novels you might like."

"Nah, that's alright," the red hooded girl assured her. "I guess I'm just looking for a certain kind of book."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Certain kind of… oh my gods. Ruby, we have the chance to read the greatest world of literature this dimension has to offer and you're seriously looking for comics?"

"I… actually yeah. I couldn't put my finger on it, but comics sound pretty good right now. Thanks, Weiss!"

"Ugh! You're welcome, dolt."

Levy cocked her head to the side. "Comics? Like, superheroes? They have those on your world too?"

"Yeah! They're awesome!" Ruby squealed. "There's Captain Vale, Major Atlas, the Animalist, Sailor Shattered Moon, Disgruntled Dirk, the Road Warrior of Vacuo…"

"Low brow entertainment for the lowest common denominator," Weiss sneered.

Ruby whirled on her partner. "What? You don't like comics?! Since when?"

"Since every single one decided to make a carbon copy of my family's company a bad guy!"

"What? That's ridiculous. I mean sure, there's the Snow Dust Company, the Sch-neh Dust Company, the Schne Dust Company—wow, I don't know how I never noticed that."

"Exactly! It's blatant libel!" Weiss protested. "My father may be a horrid piece of filth, but I searched the entire mansion for secret doomsday lasers a dozen times and never found anything!"

"Duh," Gajeel scoffed. "They're secret."

"King me."

"Damnit!"

Ruby chuckled and turned back to Levy. "So, what superheroes do you guys have?"

"Magnolia has only one superhero!" Erza interjected loudly, instantly beside the table, Pantherlily blinking as he was suddenly swinging at dust. The Queen of the Fairies didn't notice, merely standing ramrod straight and grinning into the distance. "She is stronger than a rampaging Vulcan. Faster than a speeding train. Able to leap Kardia Cathedral in a single bound! Her heart is as pure as her costume is purple, for she is the graceful sentinel, the watchful maiden. She is Fairy Woman!"

"Wow," Ruby murmured, her eyes twinkling in awe. "A real live superhero! What's she like?"

"No one knows," Erza informed her apprentice. "She appears throughout Magnolia town to give help to any honest souls that require it and annihilate any who act in evil's name. And then, she vanishes like the wind."

"Awesome!" Ruby exclaimed. "Do you think she'd let me be her sidekick?"

Weiss sighed. "Ruby, Fairy Woman is literally just Er—"

Mira strode in and stopped Weiss from finishing her sentence. "Let them have this."

"But it is obviously—"

"Some things hold more power because they are believed in than because they are true," the barmaid insisted.

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Wait, so Fairy Woman isn't real?"

"Of course, she's real!" Erza insisted. She stared over to Mira, who just smiled happily and nodded. The Queen of the Fairies pumped her fist.

"That's amazing!" Ruby cheered. "Does she have a comic?"

Erza's face immediately plummeted. "Uh…"

She snatched Levy by the shoulders and dashed away with the bookworm. "One moment, we'll go write—I mean, find one!"

"What?" Levy wailed. "I can't write! That's Lu's job!"

"Of course you can, shrimp!" Gajeel called, running after them. "You can make it a crossover with Fairy Man!"

"And Fairy Boy!" Pantherlily yelled, following his partner.

Ruby raised an eyebrow as the gaggle of wizards charged away, throwing tables and chairs aside as they went. Pretty soon, the charge provided a spark for the latest Fairy Tail brawl. With Natsu and Yang still away, Gray and Juvia dominated the chaos, icy water sweeping away the competition.

At least, for the moment.

"Aw yeah," Ruby grinned, drawing Crescent Rose from her back. "This is gonna be—ow! Ow! Ow!"

"You can join in the carnage later, Ruby," Weiss commanded, pinching her partner's ear as she dragged her back to the booth, Mira casually deflecting any errant attack that came near them. "Our lunch just arrived, and you are not going into a fight on an empty stomach."

"But Weiss—"

"No buts! Now eat your vegetables."

Ruby frowned, but put away her scythe for a fork, picking at the Brussel sprouts Yang had made sure Weiss had made sure she'd ordered. It so wasn't fair! She was team leader! Why could they make her eat vegetables?

"Hey, Mira, you can do transformation magic, right?" the red hooded girl inquired. "Can you use it to transform these things into something tasty?"

"Ruby!"

"What? They'll still be the same thing. They'll just taste better."

"That's… actually a very good point," Weiss muttered, turning to the barmaid herself. "Could you do that? Change their taste to something else while maintaining their nutritional value?"

Mira chuckled, backhanding one of Evergreen's Fairy Machine Guns' without ever turning away from them. "That's something produce companies have been working on for years now. I've been called in as a consultant from time to time, but they're still working on it."

"Consultant? I didn't realize you were that skilled in it, Mira," Weiss admitted. "I mean, I knew you were powerful and that you know many types of magic, but I didn't think you focused on any particular area beyond your Take Over."

"For a while, I didn't," Mira replied. "But after I stopped going on jobs after what happened to Lisanna, Master took me under his wing directly."

"Gramps is one of the Ten Wizard Saints, right?" Ruby said. "He must know a lot of magics."

"More than most of the others. He helped me understand my Take-Over when I first came to the guild, and since I had the time, we paid special attention to the parent transformation magics."

"And now you're one of the top experts on it in the kingdom," Weiss whistled. "That is truly spectacular. The academic rigors and technique practice you must have put into it—"

"Can you transform into someone for us?" Ruby begged. "Like, uh, Yang! Do Yang!"

"Ruby, why would she—"

There was a puff of smoke, and suddenly it might as well have been Yang standing there in Mira's clothes, shooting them her usual shining grin. "Hey, Rubes! You better eat your vegetables if you want to grow big and strong like me!"

"Big and strong?" Wendy muttered, her eyes flickering between her chest and that of Mira- Yang.

"I'll eat them eventually, gosh! I already drink milk isn't that enough—oh!" Ruby's eyes lit up, bursting into streams of rose petals as she circled her guildmate. Long, luscious golden curls. Toned, bulging muscles. Shapely, supple hips that she'd seen way too many boys and girls stare at for way too long. Even the mole in her armpit that no one else knew about was there. "This is awesome! Oh, do me! Do me!"

A puff of smoke later and she was staring into her own silver eyes.

"Just so you know, I'm not sharing my cookies with you," Mira-Ruby grinned. "You have to eat your vegetables before you get any of your own."

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

Weiss ignored her kneeling partner and leaned into Mira. "Fascinating," she muttered, carefully examining the wizard's face. "Is it difficult to get the details of the face just right?"

"Not really. The higher-level techniques involve altering your clothes, or changing your form entirely," Mira explained. "But with changing into another person, it just means you have to picture them in your mind. Other than that, it's not very difficult, the simple stuff barely even uses any magic power. You could even move around the features as long as you're careful with the picture in your head. Like this."

Her cheeks bloated to utterly ridiculous size and her nose grew out into a tree branch. Ruby and Wendy burst out into giggles and even Weiss had to suppress a chuckle.

Mira grinned and slowly pulled the face's features back to normal. But when they reached a certain point, the cheeks just a bit wide and the nose a tad too stout, Ruby's smile vanished.

"Hey, Mira," she muttered. "Can you keep it like that? Just for a second?"

The Take-Over mage raised an eyebrow but did as she asked. "Is something wrong? I can drop it if you want?"

"No, that's not it," Ruby assured her. "It's just, well, when you're like that, you kind of look like my mom."

"Your mother?" Wendy said.

Wendy raised an eyebrow. "I know Yang said you two looked alike, but I didn't think she meant that much."

Ruby groaned. "Tell me about it. It got really weird the last time dad went drinking with Uncle Qrow. Yang had to hit them both over the head to snap them out of it."

Mira turned back to normal and smiled sadly at the red hooded girl. "I take it your mother has passed?"

"It's the life of a huntress. You go on a mission and you might not come back," Ruby noted, her tone unusually matter-of-fact. "I was really young when it happened. Honestly, I remember Yang raising me more than her. But, the memories I do have of her… are really good. Little things, like her baking, or her cloak, or just a bedtime story. Enough to know that she loved me."

The rest of the group did their best to smile at her story, but their melancholy slipped through, Weiss and Wendy even looking away. Ruby supposed it made sense. Between her, her partner, and the Sky Dragon Slayer, all of them were separated from their moms somehow. And Mira…

… turned towards the brawl?

"Elfman!" she shouted over the chaos. "Throw me the jar!"

"The manly jar?"

"No, the other one!"

"Got it!"

A moment later, a pastel blue jar with dark green floral soared through the chaos of the guildhall, just barely veering through a storm of Alzack and Bisca's gunfire. Mira lifted her hand and plucked it out of the air. She removed the lid and extended the container towards Ruby, revealing dozens of cookies within.

"Your mom isn't the only one who liked to bake," the she-devil grinned. "I don't think Yang will complain if you have one before lunch."

Ruby squealed and snatched up a chocolate chip from the top of the pile. She shoved it past her lips and the delicious confection melted in her mouth.

"Mmmmm…" she sighed. "It's even better than Yang's. Where'd you learn to make them like this?"

"Trial and error," Mira said, extending the jar towards Wendy and Weiss when they edged closer. "Master wouldn't let me drink after what happened to Lisanna. A bit hypocritical of him, but he was right that baking was a far better way to deal with my feelings."

Ruby nodded. "Having seen the drinking way in action, I agree."

"Seconded," Weiss chimed, biting into an oatmeal raisin.

"You never mentioned Master helping you like that before," Wendy noted. "Is that how you came to manage the guild?"

Mira nodded. "Before I came here, I had to be Elfman and Lisanna's caretaker as well as their sister, not an easy task when I couldn't control my magic and everyone thought I was a demon. But by letting us join Fairy Tail, Master took us in as his children. He became our father in every way that matters. And when I thought Lisanna was gone because of me, he knew the pain I was feeling, and helped me through it. As parents… we can only do our best to take care of the ones we love. As long as we do everything in our power to take care of them and protect them, then there's nothing else to be done. We have to move forward, however we can."

"Hey, you brats! Stop breaking the guildhall!"

They all glanced towards the floor of the hall, the formerly chaotic brawl now frozen in its tracks as an enormous giant cast a towering shadow over the combative wizards.

"Can't a man enjoy a midday drink in peace anymore without his children making a mess of the place!" Master Makarov complained. "For gods' sake, Natsu isn't even here!"

Ruby, Wendy, and Mira giggled at that, while Weiss and Carla merely sighed.

"After all, there's so much we still have left in the world. And as impossible as it seemed at the time, I got Lisanna back," Mira mused. "The future can always be better. We just have to work to see it."

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"…and then I ate the whole chicken!" Nora finished, a wide grin beaming from her face. "True story."

"That's disgusting," Carla declared.

"How did you even get the Beowolf to sing?" Wendy inquired, raising a curious eyebrow. "Do Beowolves sing? I haven't seen many."

"I don't… think they do," Ruby answered, not entirely sure herself.

The group had arrived in the town of Higanbana, a rather large village with a popular inn, which in turn allowed the settlement to pay for enough protection to ward off most Grimm. Safety bred travelers, which bred more revenue, which bred more protection, and the cycle continued. It was a cynical take on Remnant's way of life. But if people were safe, who were they to complain? At least they'd have a night out of the rain.

After a satisfying dinner at the tavern across the street, they'd split up for the night, Uncle Qrow booking a room at the bar to keep his semblance from affecting them while they slept. Though there was a strange increase in the density of the ethernano over there, almost like with Cinder at Beacon Tower. Ruby had suggested staying close just in case, but her uncle had just sighed and assured her that it was nothing to worry about. Just a "bitch of a bird".

Ruby wondered how a bird could be a 'bitch'? Wasn't that a female dog?

Nonetheless, they had acquiesced to his command and moved on to the inn. There, they'd booked two rooms, one for the boys and one for the girls, and headed up to sleep.

Well, it was intended to be sleep. Nora had quickly taken to quizzing Wendy and Carla for more stories about Fairy Tail, recounting her and Ren's past in return, scurrying through the Grimm infested countryside and stowing aboard cargo conveys for food. The girls were quickly pulled into the outlandish tales, staying up far later than they should have.

But Ruby could feel Jaune's magic firing off in the courtyard, so it wasn't like they were the only ones doing it.

"We barely made it out of those mountains alive," Nora said. She plopped back on her bed and sighed. "Would have been really nice to be able to turn invisible back then."

"Well, you can do more than turn invisible," Wendy pointed out. "Your magic is Light Refraction. If you can figure out which frequencies you want to reflect and which ones you don't—"

"Frequencies?"

The Sky Dragon Slayer cringed. "Most light contains all colors within it. Our eyes see based on which color within that light is reflected off an object. So by controlling which light gets refracted around you, you can make yourself invisible, but you can do so much more. If you can isolate which frequencies are refracted at any given moment, you can control what everyone around you sees, like the First Master's illusions."

"I could make my enemies' clothes invisible, but keep their bodies not invisible," Nora muttered conspiratorially, a maniac look in her eye. "Let's see them try to fight me when they're naked! Muhahahahaha… oh, but what if they're hot?"

Ruby shrugged. "Think about Ren instead?"

Nora's cheeks immediately went beet-red. "Wha—wha—what?! No! That's just… no. Ren and I aren't like that. We're not together. Well, we're partners, so we're together, but not together-together."

"But you'd like to be."

"Who told you that?!"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Nora, if I can figure it out, you're not being subtle about it."

The hammer-wielder sat back on her bed, crossed her arms over her chest, and pouted. "Apparently too subtle for him to notice."

"Yes, he does seem to be rather selectively oblivious to your romantic affections," Carla said, slipping into her tiny nightgown. "You could always just tell him outright. He's in the next room."

Nora glanced away, uncharacteristically subdued. "No, that would… we've got a job to do. Ren… he isn't one to distract himself from what needs to be done. It's the only reason we survived long enough to get to Beacon."

"Friends aren't a distraction. They're what gives us the strength to get through these things," Wendy assured her. "And even if he doesn't reciprocate what you feel for him, you'll still be friends, right?"

"This is probably the closest thing we'll get to downtime before we reach Haven," Ruby mentioned, stifling a yawn. "You're not gonna get a better chance."

"Well… maybe I should…" Nora muttered, before leaping to her feet. "I need to brush my teeth!"

She proceeded to dash into the room's attached bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Fortunately, she'd had the presence of mind to moderate her strength, otherwise they'd have to pay for any damage to the door.

The door creaked open and Nora ran out, snatching her bag off her bed. "Forgot my toothbrush."

She rushed back in and a long crack sprouted down the center of the door.

Ruby sighed. "So close."

"Yeah," Wendy said. "She really shouldn't keep her feelings bottled up like that. I know there's a time and place but keeping them bottled up won't help anyone."

"What? Oh yeah, that too," Ruby remarked, trying to hide that she had been referring to their budget. But, given Wendy was talking about romance, might as well see if she'd missed anything good. "So, did any of the obvious guild couples finally get together?"

Carla shrugged. "Some of them. Elfman and Evergreen still argue just as much as ever, but they are going on dates and from what Lisanna and Bixlow have told us from their 'chaperoning', they seem to be going well. Gajeel and Levy have a child on the way—"

"What?!" Ruby squealed, planting herself in the Exceed's face. "Is it a boy or a girl? Did the White Witch affect the pregnancy? Are they alright?"

"Um, most likely," Carla replied. "Her magic was mind control. I doubt it would affect a fetus."

"Oh, well that's good," Ruby said, leaning back on her bed. "So, what about the others? Gray and Juvia? Natsu and Lucy? Erza and Siegrain?"

"Jellal."

"Jellal, right. Are those two actually fiancées now?"

Wendy's cheeks suddenly went bright red, her eyes nervously flickering about. "Um, well, I don't know if they decided on that, but they did spend the night together right before we left for Guiltina."

"Natsu swore they were having a fight without him," Carla facepalmed, shaking her head.

"Really? Would those two things really sound similar?" Ruby said, before shrugging. "What about the others?"

"Gray and Juvia are… something," Wendy muttered. "But Natsu and Lucy are still just friends."

"Darn," Ruby declared. "Yang ain't gonna be happy about that."

"Probably," the Sky Dragon Slayer replied. "Do you think she'll catch up with us soon?"

"I… I don't know," Ruby admitted. "Yang's… well, Yang, but losing her arm… that's a big thing, isn't it? That's not just something you can walk off."

"She seemed alright to me."

"Yeah, that's what worries me," Ruby frowned. "We've been going through town after town, and they're all either struggling to survive or already ruins. At the Fall, Cinder somehow tricked Pyrrha into killing Penny, and Yang lost a part of herself. And Pyrrha's response was to run off to a fight she knew she couldn't win. I don't think Yang… should be alright. The world seems too dark for that."

Wendy hopped over to her and embraced the silver-eyed girl. "The world can be a dark place. It can be horrible and cruel. And Remnant is certainly more treacherous than Earthland was most of the time. But I don't think that means good things can't happen. I wasn't there for most of the Fall of Beacon, but for all the horror that must have gone on there, for all that I don't know where the others are… we are together again. And whatever Salem, or the White Witch, of the Grimm throw at us, together we can make through. Just like Yang will make it through whatever she is going through. Your dad's there to help her after all."

Ruby smiled and returned her friend's hug, squeezing her lithe form tight.

However, for all that a hug was a gesture of companionship and love, it was also a way to hide one's face. And Ruby could not maintain her grin once Wendy could no longer see hers.

It was true that she had been reunited with her friend on Beacon Tower. But if she hadn't hit the sphere with that Fairy Glitter, it was quite likely that she, Pyrrha, and Weiss wouldn't have survived the night. What would have become of Yang if she'd woken up missing both her arm and her sister? What would have become of Jaune, who even now was training to be the best he could be, if he'd lost his partner that night? It was because she had her friends that she was strong. But it had only been luck that her friends had been with her that night.

How long until they didn't get lucky when it counted?

She shook her head and chased such thoughts from her mind. They would not help her. Whatever Yang was dealing with, she'd conquer it and meet them at Haven. Blake would do the same with her powers. They'd get Weiss from Atlas, and all the other members of the strongest team that were on Remnant. They would stop Salem and find a way to get the others back to Fairy Tail.

Their eternal adventure wouldn't become a tragedy.

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Jaune panted hard, taking in as much oxygen and ethernano as he could with each breath. Three golden ankhs hummed before him, their soft glow filling the dark of the night.

It was amazing, the feeling he'd had when he'd first done it. Sure he might not have his semblance yet, but the rush of pure comfort that ran through him when he conjured the first shining symbol, when he'd realized that he'd succeeded at accessing magic, that he was a wizard, it was a euphoria he'd never forget.

But it was short-lived. After all, he, Ren, and Nora weren't as strong as Team RWBY, and from they'd told them about the fight at the tower, Cinder had thrown Ruby around like a rag doll. No matter how good he felt about his progress, he had a long way to go and he wasn't likely to get there with pure power. A lot of his headway at Beacon had come from the fact that his aura was simply unnaturally vast, giving him the raw strength to make good use of the limited training Pyrrha had been able to give him. His origin might have been decent, but it wasn't that large. If he wanted to help his friends, he needed another way.

Fortunately, thinking about his training, about those cool nights on the rooftop, had gotten thinking about Pyrrha. He had… a lot of complicated feelings about what happened at the tower, specifically the kiss and being sent away, but his partner was his partner. She was amazing, as a person and especially as a combatant. She wasn't the strongest like Yang or Nora, or the fastest like Ruby, but whenever any of them had to pick who was the best among the Beacon first-years, or even the school as a whole, she was always the name that came up. She had access to a truckload of raw power with her semblance, but she never needed it. She was careful, cunning, crafty. She could take on entire teams at once because she understood the battlefield and how to make its flow work for her. She guided a foe where she wanted them to go, whittling their strength down bit by bit until she unleashed her final blow.

Wendy had said that his strength might not lie in killing. What if that was what he could do? His shields could protect his friends, support them, but if he used them right, then maybe he could do what Pyrrha did, control the battlefield so his friends could focus on defeating their foes.

But to do that he'd need more than three of them. If he could just manage his ethernano better, create four and then five, and so on, then he'd be able to—

- get a towel thrown in his face.

He swiped the brown cloth off his face, his ankhs disappearing without his concentration. He spied Ren, stoically staring at him from the edge of the inn's stable.

"You looked like you needed it," he said.

Jaune rolled his eyes but wiped the towel across his sweaty forehead. "Thanks. You should head back in. Get some sleep."

"I'll go in when you do," Ren answered.

"I'll be out here for a while. You need to get to bed."

"So do you."

"I will when I get this right," Jaune told him. "I need to train harder."

"Part of training is knowing when to rest. You'll only burn yourself out if you push too hard," Ren pointed out. He strode over and placed a firm hand on his leader's shoulder. "You need to pace yourself. We have magic. We can learn more about how to use it as we go…"

The green-robed huntsman trailed off; his eyes narrowed.

"What is it?" Jaune inquired. "Do you sense something?"

"Yes." Ren whirled around towards the nearby woods, drawing Stormflower in his hands. "We're being watched."

Jaune drew Crocea Mors, the sword twinkling in the moonlight while his shield covered his teammate. "Show yourself!"

For a moment, there was nothing, the night still at his shout. The only noise was the flutter of distant birds escaping from the treetops.

Then, he spoke, like a rush of warmth carried on his words.

"Put down your weapons. I mean you no harm."

Jaune shared a look with Ren and neither one did so.

"Step into the light," Jaune commanded.

And so, he did, emerging from the shadows like a ghost. He was clothed in a black cloak, hints of a dark vest with orange lining visible underneath. His arms were coated in crimson scales and a pair of curved horns protruded from beneath the hood that hid his face.

"I am unarmed, I assure you," the man said, flailing out his coat to show there was nothing on his belt or up his long sleeves. "I was waiting for my partner to finish his meal in the tavern when I saw that light of yours. That is a wonderful power you have, young huntsman."

"Um, thank you," Jaune replied. He knew people didn't necessarily need a weapon to be dangerous, but he didn't sense any magic from this guy. He could be just suppressing it though. There was no telling if this was a trick to get them to lower their guard. "But, young huntsman? Pardon me, but you don't look that much older than us."

The figure chuckled. "I do look that way, don't I?"

Well, that was cryptic as hell.

"If there something we can help you with, sir?" Ren inquired, Stormflower lowered, but not stowed away. "If you're feeling anxious about Grimm, rest assured, we are more than capable of handling any that might attack."

"Really?" the figure said, more curious than frightened. "Are you sure? There's a Nuckelavee that's been raiding the countryside for years now. Every huntsman that's gone after it… well, there's a reason I stopped in this village. Despite its disdain for people who look like me."

That made Jaune wince, his gaze flickering to the figure's scaled arms and horns. The frontier may have been much friendlier to faunus, but Higanbana's wealth attracted many from the capital who were… less tolerant. The guy was probably used to people pointing weapons at him out of suspicion. The thought was enough to shame the huntsman into finally sheathing Crocea Mors.

He was about to apologize for their distrust when he felt a spark of magic behind him. He glanced back, thinking maybe they'd somehow be flanked, but instead he found Ren's fists clenched tight around Stormflower, cracks of white light leaking onto his pistols.

"Ren," he whispered to his friend, rousing him from his stupor. The green-robed man glanced to his leader before his eyes darted to his weapons. He dissipated his magic before it could do any lasting damage, but it did not calm Jaune's nerves. What had triggered Ren of all people to lose control of his power, even for an instant?

"I assure you," Ren growled, finally stowing his weapons. "If that monster comes here, we will bury it."

The figure tilted his head to the side. "Interesting."

He turned away so that his side was facing the boys and glanced up at the shattered moon, the moonlight revealing a slim smile painted across the lower half of his face.

"Is that your purpose?" he asked. "To destroy the Grimm? To ensure they never hurt another innocent person?"

"We are huntsmen," Ren declared. "That is our duty."

"Well, kind of," Jaune said, at the same time. His teammate turned to him at his answer and raised an eyebrow. "I mean, yeah, a huntsman's job is to kill Grimm when called to, but I wouldn't say it's our 'purpose'."

The cloaked figure's smile fell, though the frown that replaced it didn't seem displeased. More surprised. Like Jaune had said the grass wasn't just green.

"Really?" he muttered. "If I may ask, what do you believe the purpose of a huntsman is?"

"Um… well…" Jaune reached back through his memory, thinking back on all the lessons he'd learned since he'd first set out for Beacon with nothing but his family sword and some fake transcripts.

"Everyone needs a little push from time to time."

"You can't be a failure now. It's not just about you anymore."

"What's more important to you? Killing Grimm or protecting people?"

"A huntsman's purpose is to protect people," he declared. "To shield others, and make sure they can live their lives as if the Grimm weren't there at all."

The figure hummed. "Intriguing. Some would say that not destroying your enemies first makes you weak."

"It doesn't," Jaune said. "The people we care about are what make us strong."

A deep, rich chuckle escaped from under the hood. "You're not wrong. Some of the strongest people I've ever met have drawn strength from their friends. But such bonds, however powerful, must be protected. And if all that considerable energy is spent keeping others safe, what progress can be made on other endeavors?"

"Why would they need to work on anything else? Their purpose is to protect people," Jaune said. "The people they protect, they can work on whatever else needs to be done."

"So, protecting the world is a job for the strong, while building it is left to the weak. That doesn't seem like a way to make a world worth protecting," the figure mused sadly. "Nor does it seem fair to the strong to be left with nothing but strength."

"The bonds we form are their own reward," Jaune answered. "And fair or not, it doesn't make the war we fight any less necessary."

"Wars end. The Grimm do not."

"Well, yeah. But there's nothing we can do about that."

The figure smirked. "You'd think so. Have a good night, young huntsmen. We shall see how your purpose serves you."

With that ominous remark, the cloaked figure departed into the night.

"Well, that was weird," Jaune stated. "Did he ever mention his name?"

"I don't think so," Ren said. "We can ask Qrow if he saw this partner of his at the bar tomorrow."

"Yeah, sure," Jaune turned to his friend. "Hey, are you okay, bud? You seemed pretty freaked when he mentioned that Grimm."

Ren whirled around, marching back towards the inn. "It's nothing. Let's go to bed."

Jaune frowned. A mysterious stranger asking philosophy questions in the dead of night and his stoic teammate acting far more unsettled than he was used to. Yeah, he'd say that was a good enough reason to give training a rest.

He followed after Ren, more sure of who he was and yet far less sure of the world he was fighting for.

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"So, we're not taking them now?" his partner clarified, still chewing on his scaled snack from the tavern. "Why? Just because we found out Raven Branwen is the Spring Maiden? Salem specifically told us to wait on her."

The Ophiuchus rolled his eyes at his petulant partner. He might have stood a head taller than him now with a massive buster sword draped over his back, but he could still be so simple-minded. But, that did come in handy when he needed to play the loud drunk to listen in on the Branwen twins' conversation, especially when he had smelt the vestiges of a maiden's power coming out of the female. He had to give the bandit credit, she smothered her abundant ethernano better than anyone the demon had ever seen, he doubted anyone without his nose would have caught the whiffs of spring in the air. It was no wonder her brother hadn't been able to realize what his sister had become.

"It's not just Branwen," he explained to his partner. "I want to see what the rest of this lot are capable of, test their mettle a bit. We'll still need a couple of candidates after Team RWBY ascends and fighting me is hardly a fair test."

"Salem wants Ruby and Wendy. The others can wait," his partner reminded him. "It's not like you to play fast and loose with her orders."

The Ophiuchus sighed. "Salem is my friend. I am going to help her accomplish her mission. But, she named me the guardian of the Gates not only because of my power, but because she trusts me to make the best call possible. If we take Ruby and Wendy now, we'll have them, but nothing else. If we wait, we'll know where they are and be able to take them at our leisure, along with any other fairies they'll inevitably attract. I already heard Ruby mention that Yang on her way to join up with them."

His partner finished eating and tossed the leftover bones away. "I guess your hearing is spot on. Do you want me to hit them now?"

"No," he said. "No, let them sleep. I want to see them fresh. Though… how fast can you get to Kuroyuri?"

His partner shrugged. "At full speed? A day? Day and a half? Why?"

The Ophiuchus grinned. "A test must be more than physical. And one those young huntsmen had a very interesting reaction when I mentioned the Nuckelavee around there."

"That thing? Ruby and Wendy would kill it in a second."

"Indeed. But that's what you'll be there for."

His partner cocked an eyebrow, his fingers brushing the hilt of his buster sword. A moment later, a wide smirk blossomed across his face.

"Sounds fun."

RWBYRWBYRWBYRWBYFTFTFTFT

After his encounter at the fishmonger, Sun knew he needed to tell Blake that her parents were now aware they were on the island as soon as she got back from training. He expected a tongue lashing for his carelessness, a frantic rush to move the camp, and maybe an extra reprimand for not getting the trout. Not a conversation he was looking forward to, but one he knew he could handle.

What he did not know if he could handle was the chameleon faunus and Blake's mom walking out the trees towards their campfire. Followed by a six-and-a-half-foot tall wall of bricks disguised as a cat faunus.

"Where is she?" the person he could only assume to be Blake's very, very scary dad demanded, marching into the camp and hefting Sun up by his jacket. "Where is my daughter?"

"Daughter? What daughter?" Sun rambled, his panic talking for him. "I don't know your daughter. I don't even know you! Nice to meet you, I'm Sun Wukong!"

"Don't play games with me!"

"Ghira!" Blake's mom called out (what had the fishmonger called her? Kali?), both men immediately looking to her. "We won't find her by threatening her friend. Let him go."

"I have to advise against that," the chameleon faunus, Ilia said. "He's slippery and he's fast. He could run."

"And we only have his word that he's Blake's friend," Ghira growled.

Kali sighed. "At least put him down."

The towering panther faunus scowled, but he did set Sun back on his feet. Though, his rather firm grip on the young huntsman's shoulders made it clear that he would not be getting any leeway. It was suddenly very clear where Blake got her 'passionate' responses.

Sun's eyes darted between the three intruders, the campfire's well-fueled flames illuminating the dead of night. He noted the Grimm mask hanging at Ilia's belt but dismissed it rather quickly. Even if she was part of the White Fang, she had brought Blake's parents instead of a squad of goons, so apparently, she really did care about her like she'd claimed.

And, since it was only supposed to be half an hour before Blake came back from training, would it really do any harm if she found friends and family waiting for her? Sun hadn't exactly sought them out, so maybe the encounter would do her some good, undoing a bit of the gloom she submerged herself in every day, show her she wasn't the monster she thought she was.

But no, he couldn't make the choice to talk to her family for her.

"Look, I appreciate that you're all worried about Blake. I would be too in this situation," he said. "But she is in a very delicate place right now, and if she finds you waiting here to ambush her, she is not going to react well. Leave, and I will tell her that you were here and strongly encourage her to talk to—"

"Or you'll tell her nothing to keep her under your thrall," Ghira snarled, his grip getting tighter. "I don't think so, boy. I've watched my daughter get gaslit once, I won't let it happen again."

"I don't know what that means!" Sun protested.

"Listen, Sun, was it?" Kali intervened, placing a calming hand on her husband's arm. "Please try to think about this from our perspective. The only proof we have that our daughter survived the Fall of Beacon is your word and that of Tyrian Callows. The latter is clearly unhinged, and though you seem like a nice boy, we don't know you."

"I was at the Vytal Festival."

"Yes, you fought quite well," Kali complimented, before fixing him with a serious expression. "But that isn't proof that you're Blake's friend. If you know where she is, please tell us, or at least let us wait here until she returns."

"That is not the best plan," Sun replied, glancing at Ghira's hands and Ilia's fingers brushing against her whip. "If you're really set on keeping me in your sights, we should go into the settlement. You guys radiating way too much negativity."

"Our patrols put the nearest Grimm pack at miles away," Ghira dismissed.

"And if any stragglers do show up, we can handle them," Ilia proclaimed, patting her weapon.

At that moment, a hellish shriek ripped across the desert, the fire flickering from the deafening roar. The palm trees trembled as if a great wind had tried to tear them from the ground.

Ghira immediately let go of Sun, pushing Kali behind him and turning out to the open sand. Ilia and Sun fell in on either side of him, all three of them carefully eyeing the ground.

"What was that?" Ghira muttered.

"Not sure," Ilia confessed. "Didn't sound like a Deathstalker."

"No," Sun gulped, Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang shivering in his palms. "We drew her in."

"Her?" Kali piqued.

Any further conversation was cut off when the dunes before them collapsed inward. A giant trench cut across the landscape as sand churned and piled atop it, stampeding towards the camp like a living sandstorm. Just as it reached the site, a towering black blur erupted from beneath the desert.

Take Over: Grimm Soul's Deathstalker form was leaner than the Griffon state Blake had unleashed at Beacon, but no less dangerous. It wasn't bulging with muscle, but much of its body was covered in thick bone armor that could take a blow from Magnhild without cracking. The somewhat cumbersome main body served as a launching platform for the two main pincer arms, the six insectoid appendages beneath them, and, most dangerously, the glowing amber stinger looming over her back. Whatever her face looked like; it was concealed underneath a skull mask with eight sickly yellow eyes.

Sun clapped his hands together, a pair of light clones leaping out from his body and into Blake's path. She smashed through them like a house of cards, but it did give him time to tackle her parents out of the way, Ilia dashing off on her own.

Blake landed amidst the campfire, sweeping the flickering kindling aside, a soft blaze of heat radiating off her tail. A menacing chatter clicked behind her mask, her face looming towards them.

"What in the world…" Kali muttered, eyes wide.

"Super-Grimm…" Ilia murmured, glancing over to Sun in disbelief, horrendous realization dawning over her.

Unfortunately, Ghira wasn't nearly so shocked. Unknown species or not, he had been fighting Grimm long enough to know that you needed to kill them before they got the chance to kill you. And with his wife present, he was in full force protective mode.

"Get Kali out of here!" he commanded, jumping up from under Sun and unknowingly charging his daughter. He crouched low, his feet light and his arms curled, ready to catch the stinger as soon as it lashed out and use his strength to subdue the beast.

However, Blake was much faster than a normal Deathstalker. Her stinger shot out like a bullet, crashing into her father's chest before he could react and slamming him to the ground.

Sun summoned more clones and pushed the downed faunus out of the way, unleashing a volley of dust bullets from his guns, Ilia joining in with rapid lashes of her whip. Blake pulled her pincer arms close to her body, shielding it from the scattered sparks.

"I know you're in there, Blake!" Sun called. "I know you don't want to hurt us! These are your parents! I'm your friend! And I'm pretty sure Ilia is something to you, right?"

"Also friend."

"She is also your fri—agh!"

His desperate speech was cut off when Blake charged forward through their barrage, her pincer arms lancing forward and catching both of them in a vice grip. The claws squeezed tight, their auras crackling under the strain. He and Ilia both gasped for breath as their weapons tumbled from their limp hands.

Fortunately, Ghira chose that moment to return the favor. He ran up behind Blake and squeezed her stinger and her arms into her chest in a tight embrace. He bent over backwards and suplexed his daughter into the sand, forcing her to drop her friends before they popped like grapes.

But it wasn't nearly enough. Blake's form dissipated into a shadow clone and her real form reappeared looming over her father, her stinger primed and ready. Ghira barely had time to gasp before the venomous appendage thrust downward, obliterating a solid chunk of his aura. Sun staggered back to his feet, but the wizard was launching a new attack every second, her father's defense shattered in the blink of an eye.

"Blake!"

All eyes, even Blake's eight, whirled to the shout. Kali Belladonna, doing everything in her power to hide her trembles, looked upon her lost daughter with equal parts love and terror. She gulped but still managed to speak.

"Blake, sweetie, is that really you—"

Too late. The pseudo-Deathstalker's attention may have been diverted, but whatever message the elder cat faunus had been about to deliver did not come fast enough to stall its rampage, not with so much negativity in the air. Blake appeared at her mother's side and her tail struck her like a thunderbolt.

Kali soared into a palm tree, a loud smack echoing out from the impact. But unlike the others, her combat experience was insufficient, and her aura crumbled away completely, her right arm clutched to her side, likely broken. And Blake already had a pincer reared back for a follow-up strike.

Sun dashed forward, pushing all his battered strength into his feet and ordering his remaining clones to attack for however much time they could buy. Ilia leapt at Blake's back with her whip but was swiftly put down by the stinger's superior reach and power.

In all, they delayed maybe a second, enough for Sun to charge at the side of Blake's mask, his nunchucks spinning rapidly to build up as much power as possible. Even as he did, he hoped for a miracle. Despite his admission to his friend, he'd never stopped doing the breathing exercises she'd taught him, never stopped attempting to take in ethernano. Intellectually, he knew it was stupid, that magic simply wasn't something he could do.

But Neptune had always been the intellectual one. He thought with his gut, acted with his gut. And it was with his gut, his will, and with every ounce of his gumption, that he prayed for a miracle, for some spark of magic to help him protect someone who did not deserve to die at the hands of someone who did not want to kill her.

However, nothing came. No spark appeared to light his darkest night. His nunchuck sailed towards Blake unaided and he soon found himself shoulder checked, cast aside and unable to help as his friend prepared to strike down her own mother.

"No!" Ilia screamed.

"Kali!" Ghira roared, already running despite his lack of aura.

But none of them would get there fast enough.

Blake's pincer streaked for Kali's neck, soon to be dyed in her blood.

"Sand Buster!"

A typhoon of sand erupted from the darkness, its thunderous gale sweeping across the clearing and ramming into Blake's side. She quickly escaped the assault with a shadow clone, but the swirling wind surrounding the blast still threw her into the open desert. Sun and the others were also struck by the byproduct, blow away from the dead remnants of the campfire.

And out of the dead of night, a slow, oddly cheerful clapping emanated from the darkness, a pair of gleeful yellow eyes glowing amidst the tree line, a scorpion tail rising behind them.

"Well, well, well. What felicity! What fortune! Truly, destiny smiles on our Queen's will, doesn't it, Lady Blake?"

The scorpion faunus, who Sun could only assume to be the Tyrian Callows the others were so scared of, merrily strolled across the wrecked campsite, a serene smile plastered across his face.

Blake lowered herself into a fighting crouch, but did not charge, threatening chitters clicking from behind her mask.

That alone frightened Sun. When in Grimm form, Blake had not hesitated to attack anything previously, even Yang and Adam Taurus. She'd just taken down her father, him, and Ilia while running on pure negativity hunting instinct. Now, those same instincts had her cowering before this new combatant.

How powerful was he to merit such caution?

"Still caught within Seram's madness, I see," Tyrian noted with a sigh. He quickly recovered his spirits however, his tongue flicking over his lips. "No matter. The Queen is with you in your curse, my lady. She will aid you from within. Whereas I shall aid you from without."

The scorpion faunus threw off his brown overcoat and slotted out a pair of pincer blades on each wrist. He let out a bone-chilling laugh and leapt towards Blake, who let out a ferocious shriek and charged him right back, both their stingers streaking forward for the first strike.

Despite having been saved from certain doom, Sun couldn't help but think that no matter who won this battle, they were in deep, deep trouble.

Huh. I just gave Tyrian a Big Damn Heroes moment... I'm not sure how to feel about that.

Regardless, the Albains' scheming seems to have backfired, with their alerting Tyrian leading to him arriving just in the nick of time. Where things will go from here, who can say?

Meanwhile, in the past, Ruby and Weiss bond with Mira and hear tell of the great mysterious hero Fairy Woman. And in the present, Jaune and Ren meet the Ophiuchus doing a Yoda impression. I loved being able to quote his first sequence with Luke on Dagobah. Just a lot of fun, as well as being able to show Jaune's work ethic doesn't disappear just because he doesn't have the trauma of Pyrrha's death, plus his bond with Ren.

And the Ophiuchus sends his partner to prepare an exam for our heroes. With any luck, they'll do better I am on mine.

An extra huge thank you to my patrons: ArcherMcMuffin, Gregg Tracton, Keith Traction, Annaya Chan, Nora Okonus, Paula mandel, KefkaesqueXIII, Christian Howard, and SanyaBane.

Thank you for Reading! I hope you enjoy what comes next!

Go Forth and Conquer!