Once more I return! I have enlisted in the US Army National Guard and will be shipping out on August 23rd. Any of you who also read The Blind Huntsman already know, but just in case I'll essentially be copying and pasting what I said there into the bottom AN.

Beta: CrowSkull

YBWR

Chapter 18- Succeed the Mantle

Neopolitan, the well-renowned master criminal of Vale rubbed her temples and groaned in frustration as she looked down at a map of the old subway tunnels of Mountain Glenn. It was perfectly marked with everything she needed to know in order to ship a large amount of the dust that she had been acquiring for Mister Glenn Warlock, aka her slave-driving boss whom she certainly curses about when he's not around. The map was simple, the plan was relatively simple as well, all she needed to do was get the stupid Blue Revolt members to listen to her orders and everything would be fine. But nooo, they just had to be stupid idiots who like to play the pride card and question her orders now of all times. Not that she'd been able to ever truly control them lately anyhow, they were always prideful little shits, always finding ways to irritate her. She wondered if they were doing it on purpose from time to time, but surely not, right? That would just be cruel, she didn't think she deserved that amount of torture either. Sure, she got her hands dirty from time to time and maybe she spent more time enjoying it than she really should have. But that didn't mean that they had to mess with her because of that, right?

Neo signed preemptively, which made her wonder if it was due to what she was just thinking or because of the two sets of footsteps she heard behind her cueing her off to the pair of other idiots that she really didn't enjoy working with either. Slowly, she spun around and leaned against her planning table, the table that she had reserved just for planning things out and only for planning things out. It was one of her favorite tables, she had it painted pink, brown, and white just because she thought it'd make the table look cuter.

"Well, well, well, look at what the abusive and absent parents dragged in," Neo mocked as Glenn's two little gremlins walked toward her. "I am right about that, right? I mean, it's hard to forget the boy who got into trouble stealing a few of my boy's stuff just by pointing a finger at them." She added, looking to Marrow who merely shrugged at her in response. "Or the girl with the robot arms. Y'know I never really got into your background but I always sort of assumed that your parents didn't love you. Which one hit you more? Because I wanna say mom but my gut is saying daddy issues."

"Fuck off, Neo," Harriet snarled.

"Daddy issues it is then," Neo laughed. "C'mon, I have those two, you're not special here."

"If this is one of those "Back in my day" type of lectures, then you can save it, Polly," Marrow interrupted, reaching into his coat pocket and throwing a lock of grayish silver hair out on the floor in front of the master criminal.

Neo looked at the lock of hair and wondered for a moment what it was supposed to mean. "The hell is that supposed to be? And why did you throw it on my freshly cleaned concrete floor?"

"While you were sitting around here thinking your brains out your ears," Harriet said. "We went out to deal with a business you were supposed to handle weeks ago. Cordovan's dead, just in case you weren't able to figure it out quickly."

"Cordovan- The hell!?" Neo snapped. "I was going to take care of that! I had this whole elaborate plan and everything!"

"Yeah, and that elaborate plan of yours was going to mean jackshit in a few days." Marrow pointed out. "She had a ticket to Mistral and a letter from the leader of the Spider Clan. She was this close to getting halfway across the world and decent protection. If we hadn't stepped in, she would have definitely gotten away."

"That's not the point you stinking dog!" Neo exclaimed. "I already knew what she was trying to do! I knew what Bullhead she was taking, what she was packing, and the day and time that she was leaving! I even had one of my boys who knows how to pilot a Bullhead kill the original pilot, take his place, and then kill the bitch in transit and bitch the Bullhead to make it look like an accident!" Frustrated, Neo moaned loudly into her hands and shook her head. "Do you have any idea how long I've been planning that? How long I had to be patient!? I'm usually never patient!"

"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore," Harriet said. "She's been dealt with, I beat her to death myself."

"Oh yeah, and I bet you're oh so proud about beating a poor defenseless old lady to death," Neo snapped back, pointing her parasol toward Harriet's bionic fists which were still covered in dried blood. "I'm surprised no one reported you when you walked out of that place. It's a bit of a hike from there back to here, so are you sure you weren't followed by anyone?"

"C'mon Neo, don't insult me." Marrow interjected. "I'm a professional at stuff like this, I would know if we were being followed."

"That so?" Marrow yelped and jumped back when he heard Neo's voice in his right ear instead of ahead of him. The original Neo broke into glass shards and she appeared again beside him. When he jumped away from her, he realized that she had stolen something right out of his pocket, a thick wad of Lien he had stolen from Cordovan's cash register.

"Really? You stole her money from all the things she had in that ammunition store of hers?" Neo said with a roll of her eyes, dropping the money on the floor and making Marrow pick it back up himself. "You could have taken a few mags of prime huntsmen to grade ammo for that boomerang gun thingie of yours, or a few grenades, or something with more value than money. Do you have any idea how much of this stuff you can get just by bumping into a few people on the road? Amateurs, really, you're both amateurs."

"Ugh, you just keep complaining again and again," Harriet snapped. "Is there anything you won't bitch about? We did you a favor. Or would you rather Glenn come and talk to you about why you almost let a Blue Revolt deserter escape Vale and gain protection from a rival gang of yours?"

"First off, the Spider Clan are not a rival gang," Neo almost appeared offended by the very notion of the idea. "Second off, I had it handled! Seriously, I would have been so better off if I-" Neo stopped when she heard an elevator ding from above her. It wasn't a conventional elevator with a shaft, doors, walls, and a ceiling. But more of a lift that took people up to and down from the roof of the building, usually used for construction, but now more used for entering and exiting this particular warehouse. Neo found herself gulping nervously and letting her hands rest against her hips as she looked up at the tall blonde-haired man with glaring green eyes who had been the main reason why she was stuck doing stuff like this in the first place. His eyes flashed a brighter green, with some small flames igniting from his eyes as the elevator touched down on their floor. Glenn Warlock calmly stepped off of the lift and began walking toward where she, Harriet, and Marrow were all standing.

"Care to finish that sentence Neopolitan?" Glenn asked, almost challenging her to finish what she was saying.

Neo shut her eyes and sighed. "No, I don't think I care enough to do so." She said. "You're back early though, I thought you'd continue working on your ultimate master plan you keep going on about Beacon and shit."

"I was able to think fast," Glenn said, stepping in between Neo and the other two. All three of them backed away, giving the man more space as he turned to look at them all. "But it has come to my attention that there was a job I specifically gave you to do that was not completed by you. It has interrupted the schedule of what I had planned, so I hope you have a good reason for it."

"Hah!" Harriet cackled, showing Neo a smug smirk.

"Not that you two are out of the water completely," Glenn continued, making Harriet and Marrow both tense up and stand at attention due to his commanding voice. "I gave this job to Neo, not to you two. I told you two to stay out of trouble until I have a need for you. So why have you betrayed that order?"

"We didn't-"

"Silence." Glenn's eyes flamed with annoyance, silencing Marrow the second he tried to speak. "I asked Neo a question first. When she is finished, it shall be your turn."

"I had it handled," Neo explained slowly after sending a smug grin right back at Harriet. "I had a plan, and Cordovan was going to die in the outskirts outside of Vale due to a reported Grimm attack. I had a pilot paid and everything, all I needed to do was wait for her to make her move and then make mine, and she would have been dealt with."

"I gave you that job with the expectation that it would be done immediately," Glenn remarked. "Not for you to come up with some elaborate and thought out plan in order to do so."

"Well, in case you haven't noticed," Neo spread her arms apart, slowly twirling as she gestured to the dozens upon dozens of crates and containers full of dust. "I have been a bit busy! Balancing your high demand for dust and these trivial tasks you keep giving me while also handling my men and the underworld of Vale is a lot to have on my plate at once. I've been doing what you say, have I led you astray?"

"Hm, a decent defense," Glenn said with a respectful nod. "But you still did not do what I said regardless. If you can't multitask and balance your affairs and your obligation to me, then my necessity for you will dwindle quickly. Consider this a warning, Neopolitan, you have served me well so far, do not disappoint me again."

Neo responded with a gulp. "Yes sir."

"As for you two," Glenn turned to face Marrow and Harriet. "I told you to stay out of trouble, you didn't, and now there is an ongoing investigation to find the ones who brutally murdered a former member of the Blue Revolt. That doesn't sound like you two staying out of trouble to me. Speak."

"We just noticed that there was a job that needed to be done, Glenn." Marrow said. "We were afraid that Cordovan would have gotten away before anyone could stop her, so we made sure that she wouldn't become an issue."

"But why do it so violently?" Glenn asked. "You two both have ranged weapons, and you have a gun, Marrow. Why not simply shoot her and be done with it?"

Neither Marrow or Harriet had a good moral answer for that.

"I see," Glenn sighed. "You two wanted to have fun, it seems. You let that desire rise above my own, and you know what he feels about that, no?"

"Never again," Harriet said through gritted teeth. It wasn't out of anger, but anxious fear. "We won't disappoint you again."

"Good, because we will be moving on to phase two. Tomorrow morning. So get your uniforms ready and ironed." Glenn said as he turned around to face Neo once more. "Halt your robbery of dust indefinitely, Neo. We have more than enough as it is. Continue on the transfer of dust from here to Mountain Glenn, and when I give you the signal, phase three will begin."

"Yeah, about that, it had just occurred to be that Mountain Glenn and you share a common name," Neo remarked. "Any connection there? I mean, your name and then Mountain Glenn sort of screams that there's something going on there."

"You're a smart woman, Neopolitan," Glenn replied, smirking for the first time out of amusement. "If you want to see if there is, look into it yourself. Whether you like the answer to that question or not will be completely up to you, but otherwise completely irrelevant."

"Right, alright, that's about as much as I expected to get out of you," Neo said with a shrug. "I guess me asking what the hell all this dust is for is also an irrelevant question to ask, right?"

"Indeed. You have simple orders, Neo. I trust that you'll be able to follow them to the letter."

Headmistress Salem and her deputy and current successor to her position stared outside the blue-tinted fully-sized office windows. The large variety and arrangement of white, black, yellow, and red colors indicate different grades of flagships, smaller class flagships, all the way down to a simple anti-Grimm battle Bullhead. It went without saying and was very obvious, that Sienna Khan, the headmistress and General of Mantle's military has arrived in Vale. Rather abruptly as well.

"She is bringing too much attention to herself," Cinder commented offhandedly. "Bringing her entire armada into Valean airspace and then saying that it's a peaceful gesture? It looks more like an invasion to the untrained eye. People will and are getting nervous."

"I agree that my old friend is being a little much here," Salem said with a chuckle. "But we both know that General Khan means well. She received a unanimous vote to take up the mantle after the previous General and headmaster retired at the same time conveniently. She holds a very powerful position, and she is the proud type of woman that needs to bear her fangs, in a manner of speech."

"She is certainly doing so," Cinder scoffed. "I still don't like it. The Vytal Festival is drawing near and we need people happy and satisfied. Not nervous and fearful of a potential attack. I am not saying that Mantle will be the one to do it," Cinder quickly added. "But conspiracy theorists have a way of making normal people panic and fear the worse. We don't need Grimm crawling over our walls because of that."

"I understand your concern, really, I do," Salem said. "It is something that has passed through my mind several times over the years I have been the headmistress of Beacon Academy. When the Vytal Festival finally comes to date, I predict that all this nervousness and fear will wash away in favor of enjoying the festivities and the tournament that comes with it. I trust my old friend, I implore you to do the same."

"Hm…" Cinder hummed. "All that power… I wonder how she feels, wielding the power of a military General as well as a headmistress at the same time and in doing so having two seats on the Mantilian council."

"Don't be so impatient, Cinder," Salem warned. "You will get your power in time, I promised you that you'll take up after me once my time as headmistress runs dry."

"Hmph, if the term law hadn't been passed, I would have been waiting quite a long time to assume that title of yours," Cinder coyly jokes. "Nevertheless, you are right. I will be patient. There are other things to be more worried about anyhow."

"Exactly," Salem smiled, happy to see that Cinder was able to see the bigger picture. When she first took her under her wing, Cinder was quite young - a freshly graduated huntress. But she had an interest in politics and council law that few other huntsmen and huntresses had, and she had quite the talent for it. However, Cinder didn't want to have to go through the trouble of going to several schools for many years and allow herself to grow older in the effort of assuming such power. When she had offered to apprentice her, Cinder accepted without any hesitation, eager to learn from someone so wise and respected amongst the entire world. When Salem told her of her true identity and her curse, Cinder didn't back down, and easily took up the mantle as her deputy and successor and was more than willing to continue the fight when her term was over. It concerned her at first since usually the news of what she was and the war between her and her estranged husband that has been happening longer than this version of humanity had existed was taken much more heavily and took a matter of days into weeks and months in order for them to fully take it in. Cinder was just different, however, plain and simple as that. She was someone who never backed down from a challenge, and despite her desire for a powerful position she put her duty and oath as a huntress ahead of that. Salem respected her for it, and felt safe knowing that she'd continue on after her once she 'retires' and continues to fight her war in a different manner. In a way, she and Sienna were not so different. The General was older, but they had a similar feisty nature to their personalities and the eagerness to grow with that. She often wondered if their positions were swapped if there would be any difference in the world of Remnant at all when it came to her next successor and the state of Mantle's title management.

Her train of thought ended when she heard the elevator in her office ringing its bell, indicating that someone had arrived. Salem and Cinder both turned simultaneously to meet the amber-colored eyes of Sienna Khan, a tiger faunus who was not afraid to show her stripes through her uniform. She had a striking appearance, both highlighting her nature and race in the way of a slightly revealing uniform that showed the sides of her thighs, her stomach, and her shoulders and back while at the same time also reminding the one staring at her that she was the General of the Mantilian military as well as the headmistress of its huntsmen academy. She was a very beautiful woman, despite her age and graying hair. It was like her skin hadn't been touched by the passage of time at all.

Sienna wasn't alone, however, and Salem quickly noted the tall red-haired man trailing behind her as they entered her office. He had two bull horns that looked like they wrapped around his skull and a uniform that she suspected was custom made just for him. It wasn't quite the typical Mantilian Specialist uniform that Salem had been accustomed to seeing over the past couple of years as their designs constantly changed, but it was a black and red variant that sported a deep black coat whose flaps reached all the way down to his calves. With striking vibrant teal eyes and a resting scowl on his features, he was not a man who could be overlooked.

"Salem! My old friend," Sienna greeted cheerfully. "It is good to see you again after such a long time. You as well, Cinder."

"Likewise," Cinder replied, uninterested.

"I'm sure you haven't missed the tall man behind me," Sienna continued, noticing their passing glances to him. "Introduce yourself." She ordered.

"My name is Adam Taurus," the bull faunus said as he bowed his head and stood at attention. "I am a Huntsman and Specialist directly employed by General Khan herself. I am also the leader of the Ace-Class Operatives, and the one who will succeed General Khan when she retires."

"My oh my," Salem smirked, amused. "You certainly have been busy, General."

"At ease," Sienna said to Adam before replying. "And I have been. I am not getting any younger, old friends. I have to plan for the future as you always have. When I am too old to be of use to you, Adam will take after me - I've already told him about the war the world remains ignorant of."

"You what!?" Cinder exclaimed. "That is information not so easily handed out! How could-"

"Cinder," Salem raised a hand, glaring at Cinder in a warning and shaking her head when Cinder looked at her. She wisely did not continue. "I apologize for my assistant's outburst. I always like to handle these things peacefully, so why don't you tell me why you did this behind my back?"

"It is like I said," Sienna continued, pointing to her graying hairs and progressively wrinkled features that were hard to spot for now. "I won't be around forever. I simply thought I'd make your job easier, and I found the opportunity in Specialist Taurus here. He is disciplined, educated, informed, and a powerful warrior to boot. Despite his age, I can personally vouch that he is the best huntsman and Specialist in Mantle. Until the time comes for my retirement to take hold, I have planned for him to use his prodigious talent to good use."

"I see." Salem stepped up and walked past Cinder and Sienna. Her blue-green eyes locked onto Adam's, and she looked right back at her as she walked up to him. Adam was a very tall man, but Salem was a very tall woman, slightly taller than him even. For the first time in a long time, Adam had to look up at someone else for once. He didn't back down, however. He simply stood at attention and waited for Salem's judgment of him to be concluded.

"I want you to prove yourself to me," Salem said after a moment, turning away from Adam and stepping back to her desk. "If you are to succeed my friend here, I will see for myself if you have the strength and intelligence to take up the task. I trust that what you know will not leave that head of yours, correct?"

"Yes Ma'am," Adam replied instantly.

"I will also rest easier knowing that you will remember your priorities." Salem continued. "I do not interfere with the personal lives of those within my circle, but when they come this young, I understand what may sway the heart of a man. You have an ongoing relationship with Blake Belladonna, correct?"

"I…" Adam was taken aback by the sudden personal question. He glanced at Sienna for advice, but she merely flicked her chin back toward Salem, telling him silently to tell the truth. "Yes, I do."

"That is good then. Blake Belladonna is the only child of Ghira and Kali Belladonna, which makes her the heiress of the WFC," Salem continued. "You are in a powerful position, Mister Taurus. I know this may sound cold, but if you marry Blake and-"

"I will not take advantage of her." Adam interrupted. "I apologize, Salem, but there is a lot that I would do for you. I would fight for you, kill for you, die for you if needs be. I'd do almost anything you tell me to do as long as it means making sure that he will never be able to hurt the people of Remnant. But the one thing I won't do for you is to manipulate the one that I love."

Far from disappointed, Salem appeared to look amused as she let a small grin appear on her tired features. Her eyes told him that she understood exactly where he was coming from, and there wasn't a doubt in his mind that told him otherwise.

"Very well," Salem said simply. Had he passed some kind of test? Perhaps, Sienna was giving him a look of support and it was also the first time Cinder even acknowledged his presence. "With that handled, I have business with you, Sienna. Cinder and I have some concerns about your bringing of your entire armada into this kingdom. People are getting nervous, as I am sure you can imagine."

"I am aware that it may institute some negative emotions within the populace," Sienna replied. "But believe you me it is all for a reason. We all received Qrow's message, have we not?"

"We have," Salem nodded her head.

"Then allow me to play it for all of us, just to emphasize my point," Sienna said as she took her personal scroll out of her pocket. After flipping through several apps she pulled up the voice message that was sent to everyone in that room. "Qrow is one of my Specialists, but we both know that he more directly works under you than me most days of the year," Sienna said as she clicked play, and it started to buffer. "Which makes it all the more concerning that he sent this to all of us rather than just you are me."

"Qrow here, something big has just happened." Qrow's voice started. He sounded tired, hurt even. His breathing was rapid, it sounded like he had been running or flying for a long time and had only just now sat down. "I lost track of the Lord of Fall for just an hour or so, and I picked back up on it quickly. But not quickly enough. The Lord of Fall has damn near been killed, I have him with me right now and I'm on my way back to the closest Kingdom, which would be Vale in this case. Ah God… I'm not going to lie, this only gets worse. It looks like about half of the Lord's power had been stolen from him. I don't know how, but I was barely able to get away. I saw the faces of the ones who attacked him, but one of them used a semblance on me and damn near got me killed as well. I barely got away. He's making his move, Salem, Sienna, he's not waiting anymore. His current vessel must have gotten strong enough to make him this confident. I won't be updating for a while, but if I get back to Vale I'll give some more details."

Sienna turned off her scroll when Qrow's message was finished and put it back in her pocket. "I haven't been updated just yet." She said tiredly. "But I am sure he has updated you in turn. For I have received and granted many requests by you for very classified and experimental medical equipment."

"Qrow made it back to me," Salem confirmed. "Once he recovered, he used one of his sister's portals to return to Patch. This message you played for us was sent over a year ago. I have not forgotten it."

"Is he still alive?" Sienna asked.

"Keith is still alive, yes," Salem answered. "Alive but… he hasn't regained consciousness since he was brought to me."

"So right now he's useless to us," Sienna said with a sigh. "We should transfer his power while we have the chance now. We don't know when the machines won't be enough to keep him alive anymore."

"I can take it if I must." Adam volunteered.

"We will decide on a successor to the Lord of Fall's power at a later date," Salem declared. "We will not be hasty."

"The point remains, that we are running out of time." Sienna pushed. "He is making his move, he is getting ready to strike, and we still don't even know who the ones were who attacked Keith and almost stole all of his power. I brought my armada here both as a display of strength and a warning to him. That I am ready. I want to know if you are as well."

"I am always ready for him, General Khan." Salem declared, sending a warning glare her way for daring to think otherwise. "But… let us not discuss this now. You have only just arrived, and we have other business to attend to for now. We will all return and have a proper meeting when Qrow and Raven arrive to update us on what they have been able to find out. Then, we can discuss who the next Lord of Fall will be."

"If I may," Adam interjected. Salem looked to him, nodding her head and giving him the signal to speak. "How long do you plan to keep this fight going? Eventually, this conflict will not be able to be kept secret anymore, perhaps during my generations lifespan or the next, but one thing I had to come to terms with are that most fairytales I have been told as a child are not without truth. I simply feel that if there is any feasible way… we can at least make sure that future generations will not have to worry so much as we do."

"One thing you must also come to terms with, Specialist Taurus," Salem said. "It will take as long as it has to. When the opportunity arises. I will personally strike and end it myself. It could be today or another thousand years from now," she admitted. "But it will end. I can promise you that much at the very least. Now, let us not sour the mood too much more than it already is, as I said, we have other business that we should take care of first."

"Very well," Sienna replied, calming down. "Then here's to another successful and boisterous festival."

Salem took her hand and shook it.

"Indeed. I hope it will be just as successful as all of its predecessors."

"I have no idea what I am doing," Blake said with a dreary sigh, holding a deck of cards that provided her vague instructions and pictures of a fantasy Mistralian government and military. "What am I supposed to do again?"

"Not get destroyed by the Grimm while in a World War," Yang said, holding back tears as she watched paper flames destroy her humble kingdom of Vale. "And next time we're not letting the best player get the most OP kingdom of this game!"

"Hah!" Ruby laughed maniacally. "You just have to git gud sis. Vacuo is the land of the sand people, you just can't handle the secret technique of throwing pocket sand in your eyes."

"Totally unfair!" Yang exclaimed. "And Weiss doesn't even know what she's doing either and yet she's also eating up half your land with the Grimm!"

"I'm about ninety percent sure that is because she is letting me," Weiss remarked as she moved another pack of Beowolves deeper into enemy territory.

"See? Weiss is smart," Ruby said, patting Weiss on the shoulder. "I decided I wanted to keep her Grimm as pets. That way it makes it harder for Blake to attack me from the west, giving me ample time to deal with the rivals in the east."

"If only you showed that much intelligence in class," Blake commented, rolling her eyes when Ruby reeled back as if she had just slapped her in the face without aura to protect her.

"Time and a place for everything. It's not my fault that Watts is so good at making his lessons feel like really good history movies!"

"She does have a point there," Yang added. "That's why everyone loves his class. It's a good break from Professor Callow's tendencies to throw his students at strong Grimm he imprisons and Cinder's combat class. Speaking of professors, Weiss, have you gone to talk to Hazel yet?"

"What?" Weiss looked at her strangely. "That was never an arrangement made."

"Oh pft, c'mon Weiss. You need someone to talk to who won't be so based."

"Biased." Blake corrected.

"Yeah, that. You have a lot of… issues? I meant that politely." Yang added just to make sure she understood. "That a student councilor who's also a huntsman like Mister Rainart could probably understand and give some advice."

"I don't need therapy, Yang," Weiss said, offended by the assumption. "I'm fine as I am. I don't need to talk to anyone. But you guys, anyway, I did promise."

"C'mon Yang, let her off the hook this time," Ruby said, coming to her partner's defense and pulling the big sister card. "Besides, I'm in the middle of razing Mantle's land and making more sand in order to throw it at Blake until she figures out what her cards do."

"Ah! No! Not my crops! My poor melons!" Yang whined, grabbing her head and groaning as Ruby made her moves. "I even had someone tending to them, I called him the Melon Man! He was going to form a cult and start kidnapping your Vacuon spies and everything. Agh!"

"Just for future reference," Pyrrha, who was sitting at the table adjacent to theirs, continued as she read from a textbook that was forced into her hands by Jaune, who was happily enjoying the scroll game that she was just playing prior. "Maybe you shouldn't announce your entire plan after you lose. It is a game, and I would assume Ruby is the type to remember for when you play again."

"Ugh, you're spending too much time with Nora Pyr, you're overthinking stuff again!"

"I only take slight offense from that," Nora remarked as she patted Ren's head as he slept across two chairs and rested his head on her lap. "Just slight."

"Eh, she'll get over it. Just like my more Melon Men, hrngh," Yang wiped away a dry tear. "Anyway, how's Pyrrha's training coming along Jaune? Is she getting any better?"

"She's getting stronger," Jaune explained as he continued to game. "She made me use two hands for my sword the other day. I'm really proud of her for it."

"And I finally found out where the button on my weapon to shift it is!" Pyrrha announced. "It was near the handle, go figure eh?"

"Heh, yeah, go figure," Yang said, winking at Jaune as a sign that he should keep up the good work.

"Ah, there they are!" Another familiar voice said as two people made their way toward their table. Yang and her friends turned to see who it was, finding it to be Penny and a dark-skinned girl walking along beside her. "I knew I sensed a bit of frost in the room. How are you all doing today? No one tried to go hunt down terrorists in the past few days?"

"Nope! We've been taking good care of her," Yang said, gesturing to Weiss. "She's been on her best behavior since then."

"That's good to hear," Penny said, looking at Weiss and winking at her. The white-haired girl rolled her eyes, tired of being deservingly teased for her antics that led her to the docks. "Anyway, girls and guys, this is my partner Ciel. Say hi Ciel."

"Hi," Ciel said with a short wave. "I'm Ciel, Penny's partner."

"That she is." Penny cupped a hand over her mouth and leaned toward them. "She's a bit shy at first but I think that's because she's always on the verge of heatstroke. I mean, just look at the beret she wears!"

"I heard that," Ciel said. "And I am not shy, thank you very much! I am the perfect amount of awkward around new people that is perfectly endearing!"

"Oh my god I love her," Yang commented. "She's like Ruby when she was five years younger!"

"Hey! You were much worse than me!" Ruby countered.

"Yeah, she's adorable like that." Penny teased, bumping her fist into Ciel's should've and laughing when she hit him back. "Anyway, I see you guys are playing a game, can I join in?"

"Sorry, but we're already full," Yang said. "When Ruby's done beating everyone you can play in the next round though."

"Here, you can take my spot," Weiss said, standing up and taking Penny's hand, and then putting her cards in her hand. "I don't want to play anymore. I'll go back to our room."

"Oookay," Penny watched Weiss go with a raised eyebrow. She moved rather quickly, almost like she was in a hurry to get away from them all. "Is it something I said?"

"No," Yang said with a sigh. "Weiss is just like that. One minute she's having a blast with us and the next she just wants to go be an introvert and hide again. She doesn't mean anything by it."

"That's good to know. It's also good to know that you three seem to have silently and unanimously agreed to go after her since you all stood up at the same time." Penny said. "Should I know that this is a team thing that I shouldn't bud in with just yet?"

"You're a smart girl Penny," Ruby said as she patted her on the shoulder while walking past her along with Blake and Yang. "I can see why Weiss hasn't told you to go away yet. That's a good sign."

"Huh," Penny put her hands on her hips and watched as Team YBWR all left. "I can never really get a bead on them. Ah, whatever. C'mon Ciel, they left their game here and we have a whole other team to befriend while we're here."

"Cool."

"You followed me," Weiss said as she sat down, watching Yang, Blake, and Ruby all enter the room a mere minute after she did.

"Yup! Somethings wrong, my leader senses have sensed it." Yang said as she sat on the bed across from hers. "Want to tell us what's wrong? Because we assume it's about the Blue Revolt but we also didn't want to say it out loud back there."

"Hmph, please, I know one of you already told Team PLAN about what I was." Weiss said. "It was either you or Ruby. It wouldn't have been a bad moment to ask me then."

"Only because you would have never done it. They still love you though, so you don't need to worry about it." Ruby said with a shrug. "Seriously though, what's wrong? The Blue Revolt and what they said is still getting to you?"

"Of course it is!" Weiss exclaimed. "They are openly working with criminals and not fighting for the sake of the outlandish villages like they were formed to do! Not only are they hurting people and stealing dust but they are planning to kick start another war! Of course, I keep thinking about it." Scoffing, Weiss turned away, feeling her emotions boil over. "I just don't get how everyone can be so calm about it. They nearly killed me and Penny at the docks and several containers exploded. It's only a miracle nobody on our side was killed. But the public knows, the kingdoms know, and the world knows! So why isn't anyone doing anything about it!?"

"Weiss," Ruby called to her. "People are doing something about it. Salem said that she'd look into it and Cinder said she would too. Hell, even Seth in the police force tells me that he is constantly going around stopping their robberies whenever he can, and he's a former huntsman himself. People are doing what they can, but you gotta understand that change doesn't happen overnight."

"I know…" Weiss said. "But still, it makes me nervous. They are doing something and since I was formerly amongst them… I feel partly responsible for it. I know its insensible-"

"And irrational," Blake said. "What the Blue Revolt does is of no concern to you anymore. You left them, and now you're with us at Beacon."

"I wish it was that simple…" Weiss sighed. "But I can't just sit still and do nothing while knowing that the Revolt are working with Neopolitan and actively acquiring millions in dust. They are gearing up for something, and it needs to be exposed before its too late."

"I see where this is going." Yang said. "And to think that you were on such a good streak lately… fine, we'll help you be all vigilante like again."

"What?" Weiss widened her eyes, shocked. "I didn't- Why would you say that so easily?"

"Because you're my friend Weiss, and friends help each other out. Besides, we're all huntresses in training as well. We're going to have to do this once we graduate anyway, but its not like the Revolt are just going to wait until we do."

"Exactly," against her better judgment, Weiss smiled. "But are you really sure? It's going to be dangerous, and I already nearly died fighting them before."

"Other than Penny, you didn't have a team with you." Yang pointed out. "It's either we all do it or none of us at all. Take your pick, either way you're still paying for lunch next time we go out."

"Hmph, okay then." Weiss nodded her head. "I can agree to those terms."

"Great! Now start making some plans while I go back to the library because I just remembered that I left my game there!" Yang exclaimed as she ran out of the room as a yellow blur.

Blake sighed. "And again I wonder if I made the right decision not making a fuss about her being the leader of this team anymore…"

Yang sprinted out of the room and into the hallway. Where she nearly slammed into two people on the way to the library. One had dark brown skin and blue-black hair and the other with dark tan skin and a bleached fohawk running through the center of her head. They both wore traditional uniforms from Haven Academy, which were a pitch black trimmed with light blue. She stopped herself just before she could physically bump into them. The two of them looked at her and then at each other before looking back to her, the girl scoffing while the boy spoke.

"Almost rammed into us right there, you should watch where you're going more carefully."

"S-Sorry about that," Yang said, embarrassedly rubbing the back of her head. "I just remembered that I forgot something at the library and I freaked out a little. Are you two exchange students?"

"From Haven, yeah." The boy said. "Name's Marrow, that grumpy girl is Harriet. We're partners."

"Oh! That must mean you two are here for the Vytal Festival, right?" Yang asked.

"That's right," Marrow confirmed. "We're here for the tournament, us and a bunch of other teams are here early just to get a headstart on getting a feel out for the city. Me and Harriet actually just got back from a little trip of ours, ain't that right?"

"Yup," Harriet simply replied. "Place is big. A lot of buildings too. I don't really like cities."

"Hence the grumpiness." Marrow said. Yang laughed when Harriet slammed one of her fists into his abdomen while he was off guard, it was only a matter of time really. "And hence the strong punches… ouch."

"Nice one," Yang said as she extended out a hand toward Harriet. "I'm Yang, by the way. Yang Xiao Long. I'm a student here at Beacon, good to meet ya!"

Harriet regarded her hand with some curiosity before slowly putting her own into it. Yang flinched as she felt her hand, it felt cold under those white gloves she was wearing. She was about to ask why, but a third person walking up to them stopped her before she could speak.

"Harriet, Marrow, there you are," A tall, older looking guy said as he walked up to them. Yang could have sworn that she's seen him somewhere before. But she couldn't quite place it. "You ran off ahead of me while I was still getting changed. Good thing you're not hard to find."

"Y-Yeah, sorry about that Glenn." Marrow said, suddenly sounding more nervous than before. "Just wanted to get a feel for the school is all."

"I can see that," Glenn moved up between Harriet and Marrow and they gave him space to do so. Yang had to crane her neck back pretty far in order to look up at the man. He was blonde with green eyes, wearing the same uniform as the other two, but his face looked older then theirs. It piqued her curiosity and she had to ask.

"You look a little older than most students I've met," Yang pointed out. "How old are you?"

Glenn chuckled lightly while Marrow looked like he was sucking on a lemon. "I'm aware I look older than most, but to you that might be because I am a fourth year student. I started late, you see, so I ended up having a few more years to my age than others. I'm going to be graduating soon after the tournament."

"Oh, I get it now." Yang said, letting her guard down finally. "So you're practically a full blown huntsman already!"

"You could say that," Glenn replied, smirking "We're headed toward the exchange student dormitory, but I suppose we got a bit turned around since I had to look for these two. Could you give us some directions?"

"Oh sure! It's not that far from here at all actually. It's the dorm building next to this one. You can find it easily once you get outside. Just follow the exit signs going this way and you'll be there in no time."

"Thank you," Glenn said. "It was good to meet you, Yang. Perhaps you'll stand in the way of our victory down the line, hm?"

"Hah! Just 'cause you're a bit older than me doesn't mean you're better than me! Just wait, I'll do more than just stand in your way!"

"Hmph, we shall see," Glenn said, gesturing for Marrow and Harriet to move with him as he continued down the hall. "We shall see indeed."

Just as a quick memo. Adam is not the abusive ex he was in the show. He and Blake may be together in this fic, but that is just because they never really had a reason to break up and Adam never went crazy as he did in canon. This is perfectly sane Adam with the same skills and personality, but without the whole White Fang shtick and without the abusive stuff he had before. Just to sway away any concerns, Adam is not and will not be doing any kind of abuse in this story to Blake whatsoever. They are a nice and happy everyday couple, only one of them is a General's heir and the other is the heiress to the WFC. So there's just a little spice to it.

So, as I said before I have enlisted in the US Army. The National Guard to be specific. I have signed a three-year contract and I am shipping out for basic training on August 23rd. When that happens, I am going to be obviously unavailable for at least 4-5 months. At best, I expect that I MIGHT be able to upload again in January or February. Unless I am somehow able to continue writing and updating while in basic training, then I will be absent for a bit. I know this is a bit sudden, but it's something that I was thinking about during my time writing Su(o)n's of Amon, the book that I said I was working on a few times now, and well, I made that decision.

Now, what comes during and after my three years of service is another ordeal entirely. I will continue to update again as soon as I can while also working on other stuff. In the meantime, I have been exercising, eating better, and mentally preparing myself for what is ahead. I know I haven't really been as active as I used to be with my fanfictions. Hell, I used to write 3 chapters a week, one for three of my ongoing stories, every week for several years straight with hardly any breaks in between. What I am doing now compared to that is pretty pathetic, but it's simply because I just do not have the time that I used to before. My promise remains the same though, I will complete every story I have begun.

And yes, that includes Destiny Fated Black II and The Seventh War, the latter of the two which has been on hiatus for many moons due to me being unmotivated in the past. That also means YBWR, The Blind Huntsman, and a future Attack on Titan fanfiction I have almost totally planned out called Soldier of Humanity. I know the ending for AoT is… controversial. But it's not gonna stop me.

With that all said. I will continue updating as much as I can with the time I currently have until August 23rd. Until next time boys and girls, thank you again for your support over the past couple of years