Journey of Micheal: Curse of the Grimmlord

by Chaosdragonedge412

Micheal was ripped from his world and put into the world of Remnant. He finds himself with a new body and a new life ahead of him. This new life, though, has a couple of things in store for him. An ancient Grimm and the virus it produces. (Bad at descriptions and titles)

22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Ruby, Hitomi, and Micheal found themselves before a decrepit bridge above a canyon. The wooden planks, which were brown once, were an ugly grey color with some planks were missing or barely hanging on. Even the ropes of the bridge were dilapidated. The canyon stretched at least half the length of a football field, and deep enough to fit a small skyscraper. The trio looks at the bridge apprehensively, unsure if it would hold even one of them much less all three.

"Who first?" Micheal asks nervously, his face showing his mood. He looks at his friends, their faces sharing the same expression.

"I don't trust it," Ruby comments.

"Neither do I, but the village is on the other side," Hitomi says as she points to the path on the other side. The pass in question coils down along the mountain and out of sight. The friends just stood there for a few minutes, none of them wanting to go first. Then Ruby takes a deep breath as she approaches the bridge, hooking Crescent Rose into its holster on her back.

"I'll do it, just cover me," Ruby says, more confident than she felt. The faunus duo looks down the sights of their firearms on opposite sides of the bridge. The brunette tentatively places a foot on the closet, decaying plank. It creaks loudly under her weight but holds. She exhales in relief, but it doesn't wholly ease her apprehension as she looks at the rest of the bridge. The reaper grabs the ropes and cringes at the uncomfortable, icky feeling of the old lines against her skin. Slow and steady, Ruby made her way across the bridge. Every creak of the boards echoed across the canyon. It felt like the bridge purposely amplified the sound to make them worry the bridge would snap at any moment. Separating them from their leader or see her plummeting to her death. For ten tense minutes, Hitomi and Micheal worriedly watch Ruby cross the bridge. Then the brunette steps on the mountain pass across the canyon. Her shoulders sag in relief as she felt solid ground under feet. She rolls her head back and exhales again as she waves a hand to her teammates to cross. Ruby pulls her weapon from its holster and steadied it against her shoulder.

"Hitomi, you go next; I'm the heaviest," Micheal says, gesturing his backpack with a thumb. "I'd rather the bridge snap under me last if it happens, at least we may all be on the same side."

"I rather the bridge did not snap at all, though I am not much better either," Hitomi says. Her backpack was almost as heavy with food, medical supplies, and ammo. In the end, she did agree to cross next. 'I might be lighter, if only slightly,' she muses as she begins her journey across the bridge. The creaks were louder than before, but they held despite themselves. Ruby and Micheal cover each side of the bridge. As Ruby before her, she took her time and held on to the rope. Then about halfway through the crossing, one of the planks snaps. The sound reverberates loudly through the canyon, drowning out all other sounds. The pieces fall into the canyon below. Micheal and Ruby held their breaths, eyes wide, looking to make sure their friend was okay. Hitomi grip tightens on the ropes, her right foot hanging in midair. Her breaths were heavy at the sudden scare. It took her a half a minute to calm down enough to continue crossing the canyon. She finally reaches the other side and places a hand on her chest, calming her nerves. The team leader waves her hand for Micheal to cross.

The wolf faunus sighs as he shoulders Faith to and begins to cross himself. His friends were covering him with their firearms. Unlike his teammates, Micheal decided to speed up his crossing a bit. If he didn't trust the bridge before, he believes in it less now after his partner's attempt. The slightly louder creaking told him that this was the right choice. He could even her small cracks under his feet. Then a piercing screech caught the group's attention. Micheal didn't even bother to look and just continued his current task, speeding up. His friends turn toward the sound to see two Grimm flying towards them. One of the Grimm was a Nevermore, but only half the size as the one in initiation. The other, much bigger than the other, about the size of the raven Grimm from the preliminary. It's not as bulky as the Nevermore, but with a more massive wingspan. A longer neck than the Nevermore with a much long white beak. The beak at the tip has a giant crescent-shaped protrusion on both the upper and lower side of the bill. The both it's neck and body is covered in feathers, but its wings were leathery like a bat. The head is narrower than Nevermore, but roughly the same size and topped with a small crest. The membrane of the wings is attached to its wing limb to the tops of its feet. The usual Bone mask adorns its head.

"Micheal, hurry up! We got a Nevermore and a Wind Ruler!" Hitomi yells. Her partner didn't need to be told twice as he went as fast as he safely could. He was wondering why they decided to appear now while he was crossing. Though the Grimm duo would have been terrible either way, he curses at the current situation. He could hear them firing their guns at the new arrivals. The Wind Ruler then folds its wings inwards. It rapidly accelerates downward, after going halfway down the gorge, then with a shift in its posture. It then rises upward at the wolf faunus, akin to a spear flying upwards. With the sharp edge of the crescent protrusion on its beak, it slices through the bridge. While it misses the wolf faunus, the tailwind the Grimm created sent Micheal flying towards his friends. They caught him and set him on his feet. "Move!" Hitomi shouts as she runs ahead. Ruby and Micheal right behind her. They hear the loud wingbeats of the Wind Ruler hovering close by. Then a beat more deafening than the other emits from the Grimm and a powerful gust of wind, akin to the winds of a hurricane, is sent in the trio's direction.

The blast sent the friends smashing into the mountain wall. They scrambled on their feet and to dodge the rapid pecks of the avian Grimm. The beak of the creature effortlessly cutting through the stone. Then another wingbeat, different from the Wind Ruler. A large black feather taller than Micheal pierces the ground next to the wolf faunus. A yelp emits from Ruby as one of the feathers snags her cloak. Hitomi growls as she quickly rips the feather out the ground and detaches her junior's cloak. She tosses the huge feather like a throwing spear at the Wind Ruler. The flying Grimm gracefully twirls in the air to avoid the attack.

The teammates began to fire their firearms at the Wind Ruler. The rounds only seem to stagger the creature slightly. They continued to follow the tallest of the trio. The friends managed to get out of the bend, though the Avian Grimm still hovers next to them. It rears back its wings to send another mighty blast of wind. It again slams the trio against the wall. This time the Nevermore send a flurry of feathers, though it couldn't get a good shot from around the bend. The Wind Ruler gives another mighty flap of its wings. The gust of wind changing the direction of the feathers towards the friends. The feathers slash each member of the group once at various spots. Micheal got cut across his back below his armor and backpack, Hitomi got slashed on the right side of her hips, Ruby got sliced along her stomach. The trio again scrambled to their feet and ran as fast as they could. They decided not even to fire their weapons, it slowed them down and didn't hurt the Grimm. This situation continued for another few minutes. To the group, it felt like an eternity. The trio had to dodge another flurry of peck and feathers, accumulating a couple more cuts.

Then the fox faunus spots a cave entrance at the bottom of a slope. "There!" she shouts, pointing at the opening. The group slid down the hill down and ran deep into the cave. They hear a thud of the Wind Ruler landing on the mountainside, its claws digging into the mountain. It plunges its head deep into the cave, beak snapping, trying to grab one member of the group. Fortunately, this cave went much deeper than the last one. They were safely far from the avian Grimm's snapping beak. Then a screeching roar reverberates through the air. This roar was more akin to a scream than a bestial cry, the group recognized it. The Wind Ruler stops snapping and turns its head slightly, its eyes show confusion. After one last look at its lost prey, the creature tentatively pulls its head out of the cave then pushes off the mountain. Then another thud as something lands on the path. Then a small white head peers from around the edge of the opening of the cavern.

"Hello, been awhile pup," Magaru chirps. The dragon Grimm walks into a clear view. His gleaming red eyes were intently studying the trio. The small group of teammates all swallow nervously. Hitomi begins to breathe quickly at the sight of her kinds' destroyer. Magaru can see the wounds they have accumulated from their recent encounter. "I see, the one you people call Wind Ruler, gave you some trouble, a shame it inflicted more injuries than the Elder Scourge," he says with a frustrated growl.

"How did you know what happened during the attack?" Micheal asks.

"I saw," the dragon Grimm answers jovially.

"How?" Ruby asks curiously.

"My secret, Silver eyes," he answers in an aggressive tone.

"Silver eyes?" Ruby says questioningly, both confused and nervous at the sudden aggression.

"So far from Beacon, you three are, where are you heading?" he asks, a knowing tone in his voice.

"None of your…," Hitomi starts, more confident she felt. Her friends see that she was visibly shaking.

"Visiting your old home, vixen," Magaru interrupts amused. The trio stares at the creature in surprise. "What? Did you three think I did not remember where the place is, I did destroy it after all. I pass by it every time I fly to Vale," he says in a mocking tone. He looks away for a moment then back at the trio. "I got to go, and don't worry; I'm taking these two with me. I need them. So, the rest your little hike will go unhindered, till our next meeting, continue to get stronger, little pup," he says jovially. Then the dragon Grimm jumps off the pass and noisily flaps its wings. By the other different sounding wingbeats, the other avian Grimm fly after Magaru. The friends then collapse from both exhaustion and fear. Hitomi let loose a deep, shaky breath as she tightly grips her knees. Her eyes are wide in horror. Her teammates breathing was smoother but no less substantial. Ruby then groans as she holds her stomach, the wound beginning to hurt as the adrenaline was wearing off. Her friends repeating her actions as the same happens to them. The fox faunus then regains her nerves as she sets off to tend to her friends; she quickly and efficiently mends the groups' wounds, leaving herself for last. The group decides to rest again, though much sooner then they wanted. Their recent encounter left them tired and shaken.

The fox faunus gets on her feet and walks out of the cave to examine the surrounding terrain. She needs to get a grip on their current location. Ruby's head went through multiple scenarios on how they could have fought, but in all her situations, she couldn't think of a plan without at least one of them dying. The terrain was disadvantageous towards them, while the two flying Grimm had the whole sky to them. Even if the Wind Ruler's main attack was annoying in most situations, it could blow them off the mountain or redirect the Nevermore's feathers. They were lucky there was only one Nevermore with it, any more than that. Ruby uneasily swallows at the thought. If the rest of the team were here, they would have a better chance of fighting the Grimm.

Though how much of a chance, she wasn't sure. They only got away from this encounter because of Magaru, though the cave was deep enough to get them out of the range of the Wind Ruler's beak and went even farther. Their group can't travel deeper into the cave; It would put their group further away from their original destination as the cave sloped downward and in the opposite direction. Then also, if the avian Grimm stopped attacking, it would just wait for them to leave the cave. Micheal was trying thinking of what to expect next. They were lucky only to have clashed with Grimm twice, and they have been small battles given the circumstances. He was honestly expecting small swarms to attack them their entire way; the Elder Scourge is probably to blame. A good omen for sure but still. He pulled out his scroll to check the time, 12: 35 PM. They have almost half the day to go and then the night. He grits his teeth at the thought of nighttime and what that entails for them.

"It's a five-minute walk from our current spot," Hitomi assures the group. Her friends nodded in response and got up from the ground. The fox faunus walks out of the cave and along the snaking path. Her teammates nervously peer out of the cave and look around. They wanted to make sure there wasn't anything hiding around. "Hurry up, you two! I already checked; nothing is hiding nearby."

"Yes ma'am," they say in unison and chase after their friend. It didn't take long before they reach the entrance of their destination. A small canyon is lying between the bodies of two mountains. Along the top of the pass, etched into the stone, were holes in the walls. Sticking out of some of the holes were rotten and broken rectangular wooden beams. And littered along the smooth stone pass is the same corrupt and damaged wooden beams.

"Maybe a kind of catwalk," Ruby comments as studies the immediate area.

"Maybe, for a position to attack from," Hitomi comments herself. They walk through the pass, waving through the forest of shattered wood. A few ten minutes of strolling through the debris, they come upon a large decrepit wooden gate. Well, the gateway anyway, the doors were on ground behind the structure. The structure stands ten feet tall with little amounts of wooden walls on each side that press into the mountain walls. While the structure, dilapidated with years of being unattended, it looks better than what Micheal thought it should look. He expected it to be rubble, as well. The trio passes through the gateway to see the ruin of the village. The village occupied a large clearing on the side of a canyon. He could see the remnants of a wooden railing along the edge of the cliff. There were charred ruins of many of the buildings that once had a function scattered across the clearing. Some of the buildings that remained standing were missing walls or had holes in them or the ceilings. Though that wasn't what fully caught the group's attention, they expected the conditions of buildings. It was the skeletons that littered the place. The faunus skeletons came in all sizes; it was the small skeletons that made the trio feel uneasy.

"Couldn't they at least clear the bodies?" Micheal asks, trying to avert his eyes from the sight.

"Too many bodies, too far out, and probably too many Grimm still wandering about the area. The kingdom probably didn't want to bother wasting resources," Hitomi answers solemnly. She then walks through her old village. She looks around, trying her best to remember the place she once called home. She did her best to use what little pieces in the debris to remember each building. She could see some fuzzy images in her head as she walked, like a slide show. She could see some of the other fox faunus going about their business. The scenes were so fuzzy she couldn't get many details on each person that she could see. She looked at the closest skeleton nearest to her, wondering who it was, how could he or she have been related to her. No matter how she concentrated on the details, big and small, of the nearby buildings, she couldn't remember anything. It was so long ago to remember any real detail. Then she sees a large building at the far wall of the village. A manor of sorts, like the rest of the town it was decaying as well. It is a two-story building. It was in much better shape than the other building, none of the walls were missing or damaged, and nothing charred as well. The only sign of damage was the shattered windows, evenly spaced along the manor walls. Something about the building draws the fox faunus toward it as if calling out towards her. Hitomi swallows at the sight of the mansion. "I am going to be in the mansion back there," she says to her friends distracted, pointing her index finger toward the building. "You two meet me in there when you want," then the swordswoman walks toward the building. Micheal and Ruby watch her go slightly confused.

"Any idea?" Micheal inquires, slightly worried.

"Nope," Ruby admits, worried herself. The duo stood there, wondering what was going on with their teammate. Micheal was about to after his partner, curious as to why she went toward the mansion first. "Come on, I want to see the rest of this place, best to see what kind of environment we might be fighting in," the brunette says as she and Micheal wander through the ruins. Though, the wolf faunus looks at the manor one last time before following his friend. They found much of the same as they wandered through the destroyed village, decaying buildings and skeletons. The two friends went searching the entire town from the cliff to the mountain wall on the other side. Trying to analyze the environment they may be fighting in and try to figure out the best way to battle the Grimm in it. To the great surprise and immense relief, there were no other Grimm in the village, though that could change in at any moment.

"How did they survive up here? This village is hours from the forest and then their the Grimm between them," Micheal asks astounded. 'Does make me wonder how they'll rescue us.'

"I know, it's strange, though they weren't without defenses. The catwalks were firing positions and those platforms," Ruby says equally astonished as she points to the wooden platform. The rotting platform stands a couple of feet from the cliff and is a few feet from the ground. On the stands was a series of holes and the remains of straps.

"A weapon platform? For a ballista or something," Micheal wonders. To the wolf faunus, it looks like that considering its position and what the purpose of the stand could be. 'Even if they were thorough enough to defend themselves effectively, how did they get supplies here?'

"Probably and also look," she says, pointing at a cave entrance. A few inches into the cave was a thick wooden doorway, as rotten as the rest of the building. The walls of the entranceway digging into stone, and the door with the wall around it smashed into tiny pieces, the remains scattered across the ground. They could see a hallway inside, but it was too dark to see. Their eyes were adjusted to the light of day, making the inside even darker. They carefully walk through the gap, avoiding the sharp jagged points of wood. On the other side of the entrance, their eyes adjust to the dark. After a moment, the cave began to brighten slightly to their adjusting eyes. The two friends note the walls were too smooth to be natural. They could see multiple timber doors on each side of the hall, equally as thick as the entrance of the cave. The doors were not only dense but had the appearance of being quite heavy, being a mix of wood and metal. That noted, almost every door had been smashed or cracked open. The friends peer past the remains to see rooms on the other side. What the saw inside wasn't much of an improvement. The remains of beds were in the corners of the room. Both Micheal and Ruby took a deep breath when they see the adolescent skeletons in the chambers as well.

"Must have been a shelter of some kind," Micheal says slightly shaky.

"Yeah," Ruby says, equally shaky. She then proceeds to walk out of the cavern and takes a deep breath. Her friend following her behind her.

"I'm not sure how defensible this place is," Micheal says. 'It might have been during its time, but now…' he muses on their current position. They had half the day to do what they can, but there is only so much three people can do.

"It's not favorable for either offense or defense, there's only one entrance and the pass here was fairly narrow. But we don't exactly have an escape route either, that cliff was a straight drop," Ruby says, her mind working on strategies to use. She looks around on how to improve their chances.

"Maybe we can make a wall of wooden spikes, you know like what they use in games and movies for defense unless that was more for show than practical use," Micheal says as she walks to one of the houses. His eyes were studying the wood. He doubts it would hold for an actual assault, but it was better than nothing. His face cringing at the thought of trying to build one and trying to develop it to be somewhat serviceable, consider the condition of the wood.

"It's an idea," Ruby admits as she walks next to her friend, studying the wood herself. "We don't have any rope to tie them together, plus I think you could probably guess it wouldn't hold," then she hums and rubs her boot on the ground. "The ground is too smooth; it would just slide across the ground if pushes, it will take time to make it, and we don't have the tools to make it steady."

"Well, we have half the day to decide," Micheal comments. Then he looks at the manor where his partner wanders off to explore. He was curious why she felt the need to be in their first instead of out in the village. Not that it was much better out in ruins. The number of skeletons and the fact many of the bones belong children made the duo extremely uneasy.

"You're wondering what she's doing?" Ruby inquires, staring at the building as well. Her friend nods in response. "Well, let's go see what she is doing," the brunette says as she walks toward the manor. It only took a few minutes for them to weave through the ruins to reach the base of the estate. The doors to the mansion were on the ground, the broken hinges attached to the frame. The two enter the house and look around the room. The entrance room looks like it was a beautiful place once. There were faded paintings along the walls, the picture to withered to tell what it was before. An extremely worn rug lays on the wooden floor and small tables along the right wall. On the left wall was a staircase, the railing snapped in half and dangling in the air. Whatever color the place once had long faded away. The dust on the stairs had been disturbed recently, the boot prints visible amongst the thick layer of dust.

"Well, it looks like Hitomi is upstairs," Micheal comments. He concentrates on seeing if he can hear her. He could hear the faint sounds of rapid movement coming from upstairs in the quiet house. He couldn't tell what she was currently doing. "I'm going to go see what's she's doing."

"Okay, I'll be down here for a bit, I'm curious about this place as well," Ruby says, a hint of intrigue in her voice. Micheal walks up the stairs, trying and failing to grab the railing for support instinctively. He had to look over to remember the broken fence.

"You forget it's broken," Ruby teases with a slightly quirked eyebrow.

"It's just a habit," Micheal says slightly exasperated. As he reaches the top of the stairs, he notices there were two hallways, one to his right and the other to his left. The wolf faunus listens in to hear his partner, his ear twitches to some movement to his left. He proceeds down the corridor to his left. His eyes were scanning the contents hall of the hall. He passes by fallen tables, broken vases with withered flowers, all covered in a dense layer of dust. A part of Micheal did wish he could have seen this place before. 'This place might have been worth a visit back then if it was possible.' Now it was a dull, lifeless place that only brings a dreary feeling to the wolf faunus. Then he sees a door ajar at the end of the passage, the sound of steps from in there. He slowly peers through the door to see his partner frantically going through the room. The room was quite large with a closet, dusty dressers, a shattered window on the far wall, and a sizeable dirty bed. Like the rest of the house, the years have robbed the room most of its color. If Micheal were to guess from the bit paint left, it would have been purple. He notes that his partner was sweating a fair amount. Her jacket discarded on to the dusty bed, having dropped it once she started to get hot. Her soaked shirt was sticking to her skin. The saturated piece of clothing seems to accent her form a bit. Something not unnoticed by her teammate, who she had not realized was there yet. He had to stop himself from starring, which surprisingly wasn't hard for him as he watches his partner.

"Where could it possibly be?" She mumbles slightly annoyed and irrational to herself as she opens a closet door. She had been at this search across a few different rooms for the past half-hour and was slowly and steadily losing her sanity. Well, the fox faunus' crazed state, made her lose control of her strength. In her frantic mentality and the lack of self-control, she tore the door off its rusty hinges with a loud crack. Hitomi barely acknowledges the damage she just caused and threw the ruined door to the side with a loud thud. She then proceeds to look through the closet quickly. Micheal looks at the scene, slightly worried and afraid. He had never seen his partner like this before. He had seen her angry and cynical of various things, but she usually was at least moderately untroubled. The sight of his partner in her current state irked him. He felt a gust of wind behind him and turns to see Ruby to his right. Her eyes were wide in surprise and worry. The two continue to watch their teammate tear the room apart, moving from one side to the other. The fox faunus still didn't acknowledge the duo watching her. The red and grey pair then stare at each other, having a silent conversation for who to approach their teammate.

'I'll do it, she's my partner,' Micheal muses as he slowly approaches his partner. His leader right behind him. In her frantic state, Hitomi didn't realize her teammates slowly walking closer to her. They hand to duck a few times as random objects were getting thrown at them. The wolf faunus then reaches out his hand to put it on his partner's shoulder. But before Micheal could utter his friend's name. The fox faunus wheels around to roughly grasp his wrist. In the next moment, he found himself on the ground. He hisses in pain as his partner painfully twists his wrist. The pain lasted only for a second before Hitomi let go. Micheal slowly sits up as he massages his wrist. He feels a gentle hand on his back and looks to see Ruby looking at him, slightly worried. The wolf faunus gives her a comforting smile, which she returns. They both then look up into their teammate's face. She hangs her head down in shame. She quietly growls, not to her teammates but herself. She couldn't believe she let herself become as irrational as she was. She got so caught up in her task that she became desperate.

"I'm sorry," the fox faunus says.

"Hitomi, what came over you?" Micheal asks.

"I don't know, I just lost myself," Hitomi says. She lightly bit her lip, any harder, and her canine would puncture her bottom lip. She feels Ruby grab her hand gently.

"Tell us," the brunette gently urges. The fox faunus sighs and looks around solemnly. She seemed to be reminiscing something, her eyes slightly unfocused.

"I-I think this was my house when I was here," Hitomi says, looking at her leader.

"How do you know?" Micheal asks.

"I know it sounds stupid and cliché, but it is just a feeling, this place feels familiar, I can't place it but, it just feels like I've been here before," the fox faunus says. She then moves, letting go of her leader's hand, around the room looking at the various objects. "There are things in this mansion here that seem familiar when I look at them. And yet are unfamiliar enough to make me second guess myself, as if I imagined it. It began to drive me insane," she explains as stops by the broken door.

"Okay," Ruby says softly, somewhat understanding. She quizzingly tilts her heading, thinking, her lips pursing. "Even with that, why were you so crazy when we found you?"

"Well, I had been exploring this mansion for half an hour, with what I said before, the longer I stayed here, the more it drove me mad. Even with no evidence to prove it, I truly began to think this was my old home. So, I began to think that if there was a photo or drawing, something of my old family was here. I just lost myself after a while," Hitomi admits. She looks away for a second, then feels a hand on her shoulder. She returns her attention forward to see her partner giving her a warm, comforting smile.

"You're fine," Micheal says comfortingly. Hitomi firmly grips his hand. "Coming here must be hard, plus as you said, it was a longshot, I think it's time you gave your search a rest, at least for now."

"We do need a plan for tonight just in case," Ruby interjects. Hitomi nods, knowing her leader is right. She felt her partner's hand shift to hers and grabs it.

"Come on," he says firmly. The fox faunus slowly looks around the room one more time. She sighs at the mess she had made and then follows her friends out of the room.

An hour later

As time passed as the trio were discussing their plans. Neither of them could agree on a good idea. Each one had a multitude of issues, ranging from their lack of numbers, the terrain, or their lack of equipment. Despite the problems they were facing, they did their best to remain optimistic or at least serene. Now and then, they tried to tell a, sometimes forced, joke or talk about humorous stories to keep their spirits. And while they did work to an extent, it still didn't completely evaporate the anxiety they felt. Micheal was currently trying to make them something tastier to eat with the canned food and a small fire. They started the fire with fire dust by extracting it from one of the firearm's rounds they could spare. His friends were currently discussing strategies. He didn't have much, but he could make something. The wolf faunus peacefully hums quietly to himself as he cooks in the fireplace. His ears were turning as far as they could to hear his two teammates talk.

"Well, we could try to use part of Micheal's plan, if possible, a wall of spikes could slow them down," Hitomi suggests. She emits a low hum at her suggestion as she ponders more plans. "Well, if they attack anyway, there is no guarantee we will get attacked, but it's better to prepare just in case."

"But where would they be located?" Ruby says as she leans over the impromptu map of the village. The made a makeshift chart of the town in the dust on the floor, being careful not to make too much wind. Ruby points to the town entrance. "Here would be best, it would be the only place we would have time, it wasn't that wide, though how would we build it?"

"Well, it would take a lot of work, but we could stack whatever we can find behind and under the stakes, though they wouldn't be very sturdy," Hitomi puts forward.

"Well, at the least we can do is combine both our ideas and hunker down her as best we can, board and barricade the doors and windows then stay on the second floor. We can see most of the village from there; it would be a good vantage point," Ruby says, glancing around the room. Her mind was trying to analyze every item in eyesight and how they could use them. Then the brunette sees the fox faunus' ears twitch and her face becoming alert. "What do you hear?" A tone of fear seeping into her voice. 'No, we're not ready, please,' she pleads in her head. She hears Micheal pick up Faith and rush towards the window.

"It is not the Grimm; I hear a group of people," Hitomi says. A feeling of hope surge through the group. Various thoughts swirl through their heads. Maybe they wouldn't have to fight the Grimm with just the three of them, or the people could bring them to a safer place. It would be all right. Ruby and Hitomi follow the male member of the team to the window. They stare at the window, looking down the aisles between the ruined buildings. It took a second before they finally see a black boot, the bottom of a black pant leg, and the end of a firearm appear from behind one of decrepit structure. Micheal guesses the gun was probably some kind of rifle by the shape of the barrel. Then their hearts dropped as the rest of the person emerges. The person was male by his physique wears a white vest with a black hood; most of his arms exposed, and black gloves. On his face is a mask with some resemblance to the Grimm. The cover obscures the upper half of his face. The immediately recognize the man as a member of the White Fang.

The trio moves from the window, out of sight, as the White Fang member looks in their direction. The male faunus looks at the window for a second, thinking he saw movement. "Damn it, what do we do now?" Micheal asks worriedly.

"I don't know; what are they doing here?" Hitomi answers as she peers with a single eye. She sees more members of the terrorist group in the open. She scowls as she counts at least thirteen members of various builds. The group was containing a mix of men and women wielding different firearms and melee armaments. Each member was carrying at least two weapons apiece and a large backpack on their backs; the guns were a mix of rifles, assault rifles, and at least a couple of light machine guns. The melee weapons were a mix of swords, polearms, and axes.

"Let's get into one of the back rooms with a window; maybe we can sneak around them," Ruby suggests. The two faunus didn't argue and followed her. All three of them kept their bodies low and stayed out of plain sight. They quickly snuck up the stairs and into the hallway. They managed to get into the room Ruby and Micheal found their friend in earlier. The moment the group steps inside and silently closes the door, they could hear a mass of different footsteps enter the building. Ruby, Hitomi, and Micheal all sat below the window. Hitomi looks out the window as much as she could without being seen. She sees three of the White Fang patrolling outside the building.

"Damn, cut off," Hitomi remarks quietly, angry and worried.

"Looks like someone is here," a rough voice says. The words were echoing through the quiet halls. It didn't take the group more than a second to realize their mistake.

"Shit, we left out packs and the food downstairs," Micheal says in a hushed voice, resonating the same emotions. His grip on Faith tightens in response. He looks toward his leader, seeing her thinking rapidly on a solution to their predicament and the clear apprehension in her eyes. The brunette's hands balled in a tight fist, knuckles white.

"Is it them?" A deep female voice asks. The trio looks at each other a puzzled look; a single thought went through their heads. 'Them?' Were they looking for them? Then why would they be looking for them, and how did they know they were here?

"If it is, they can't be far, they wouldn't leave their packs willing," a new voice says. Micheal notes a distinct commanding tone in the sound. If felt familiar in a way, like the way his dad would speak occasionally. He had to stop himself from relaxing at the voice. "Check this entire manor first; then we will check the rest of the village if you find them, do not shoot them, we need them alive."

"If they shoot at us first?" Another female voice asks.

"Try to shoot to disable first, if they still resist, then kill them. We may want the fox and wolf alive, but I will not risk any more of your lives for a couple of faunus and a human," the commanding voice assures.

"Sir!" the group of White Fang soldiers shouts unanimously. The sound of boots stomping throughout the building alert the friends to the search. The trio swallows nervously at the order. They knew it was only a matter of time before one member of the White Fang found them. Hitomi peers out the window again to see the same three members still patrolling the building. The sounds of doors bursting open reverberate loudly.

"They are still out there, we do not have a way out," Hitomi says somberly. She looks to her friends with a somber look. Ruby sighs as she lowers her head.

"At least if we surrender, they won't shoot us," Ruby comments sadly. She put her head in her hands. The brunette felt like a terrible leader now, unable to figure another way out this. She bit her bottom lip; she then felt hands on both of her shoulders, giving her a reassuring squeeze. She looks up at her faunus teammates, giving her a comforting smile. She gives them a weak smile. The door to their room bursts open. The friends look to see one of the male faunus pointing his assault rifle at them. The trio slowly raises their arms, unarmed. Micheal glares lightly at the man, internally grimacing at the current situation. He would love to kill the lot of them. The world would slightly better for getting rid of some criminals. But there was no way they could fight back without one, or all, of his group potentially seriously injured or dead.

"Found them!" the rough voice shouts. The White Fang member silently gestures with his firearm to move. The trio did as the man ordered, slowly getting off the ground. They file out of the room, their weapons on their backs. Two White Fang soldiers, a male, and a female were outside the door, their firearms raised as well. The masked faunus led the trio toward the front room they were in earlier. In the main chamber were the other ten members of the extremist group. Most of the members were along the wall, with only one in the middle of the room. The members along the walls were visibly scowling at Ruby.

The brunette looks at the ground, doing her best to avoid the gazes. The singular faunus in the center was intently studying the map Hitomi and Ruby drew in the dust. Micheal guesses the man must be the leader of the group. He was muscular and tall with broad shoulders. The leader's outfit was the same as his compatriots, except for the blue scarf on his arm and two weapons strapped to each side of his waist. The armament on his left is a sizeable single-bladed ax with a long curved handle on the left side of his hip. On the right side of his hip is a firearm/sword hybrid, about six feet in length. A little more than a third of the weapon was the frame and pistol grip of the rifle. The pistol grip attached at an angle with the trigger and trigger guard sitting were the frame and handle were connected. Micheal sees what looks like a stock right behind the weapon, guessing the stock was detachable. The stock was thin in appearance but seemed very sturdy. The rest of the armament was the sword part. The blade was single-edge, and down the back of the sword was a barrel. A wooden handguard was attached were the rifle frame and the base of blade met in an indent on the edge side of the sword.

"Sir, here they are," the rough voiced faunus says. The supposed leader looks up from the impromptu map. He groans lowly as he slowly stands up.

"Thank you, Stone and Green you two stay, rest of you get out there and make this place defensible, I don't care how you do it, just get it done," he orders with a wave of his hand. They White Fang soldiers salute in unison and march out of the build, except for one male and female. Those two stood in opposite corners of the room behind the trio. Their firearms were pointing at the ground, but ready to fire if needed. The leader looks between the trio. They couldn't figure out what he was thinking thanks to the mask obscuring part of his face. The portion of the face they could see was even, showing nothing. After a minute, the male faunus take a deep breath. He could see the tension in the trio.

"Relax, we are not here to hurt you," he says comfortingly, gesturing with his hand. Though, his lips frown slightly as the friends didn't relax. A sight that made Micheal wonder if the leader was genuine. The wolf faunus still couldn't be sure and would be better to wary just in case.

"Why should we trust you?" Hitomi asks. The large faunus leans his head forward and scratches the back of his head.

"Well, you have no reason too," he says earnestly with a slight shrug. He crosses his arms and sighs. "But we could have just knocked you three out and tied you up, or they…," he gestures outside towards the others of his group. "Could have just beaten the shit out of you three till you were a broken mess."

"That doesn't make me feel better," Ruby comments. The leader shrugs in response. "But you said they could…," the reaper stops.

"Yeah, I did, I already lost seven soldiers on this task, I don't plan on losing more if I can help it," the faunus says. He suddenly then takes his mask and hood off. They see the leader was an older faunus, probably in his early sixties. The leader's brown hair was beginning to grey, with a pair of bear ears on his head. A few wrinkles and small pale scars adorn his face. Micheal could tell he was a handsome man in his youth. His eyes were a deep blue and showed no hint of dishonesty in them. "Hopefully, you feel more at ease seeing my face, I was sent here to grab you three, and that is what I plan to do, unharmed," he assures with a smile. Micheal glances at the other two White Fang members in the room. Though the mask obscured most of their faces, their lips tighten slightly in response. 'Not a fan of his decision,' Micheal muses.

"Not much," Ruby answers honestly. The leader shrugs expectedly again in response.

"Wasn't expecting much in all honesty, but anything will help," the older faunus admits. Micheal could still hear the familiar tone in his voice even if he weren't saying commands. The leader then walks over to look out the window for a bit. The wolf faunus notes even the walk was familiar in how the faunus shuffles around, the subtle way the older man moves that wolf faunus couldn't explain. Despite the fact, he should be wary of the man because he is a White Fang member. The air he gave off made him feel at ease. It was bugging Micheal as he should be anxious like his teammates and not relaxing in his presence.

"How did you know we were here or coming here?" Hitomi questions.

"An informant obviously," the leader plainly states. He hums at the trio in front of him. The sound of crashing emits loudly from outside the building. The rest of the room's occupants look out the nearest window. They see the rest of the White Fang tearing down the ruined buildings and then carrying the lumber in the best condition to the entrance. "We have them all around the place, even in Beacon Academy. We got the call maybe an hour at best after the attack that the wolf faunus was in the Emerald Forest," he says as he turns toward the group. "Just before my squad left, we got an update that the fox faunus and a human were with him as well," his eyes looking at Ruby. The Brunette takes a deep, shaky breath as Micheal and Hitomi shift closer to her protectively.

"What are…," Micheal starts.

"Relax, nothing bad is going to happen to her," the older faunus interrupts with a wave of his hand. He comfortingly smiles as they look at him suspiciously. "We were ordered initially to either shoot her or leave her, but I fought against it. I argued there would be no point and could potentially put more unneeded pressure on us in Vale, putting the people on alert for a missing girl. So, I put forward the idea of taking her with us blindfolded, under my protection and supervision, for a little while and then dropping her off in Vale when the opportunity arrives." The faunus duo sigh in relief but didn't relax much. They look at each other for a second, knowing what was going to happen to them.

"We don't need to ask what going to happen to us, do we?" Hitomi asks.

"Nope, after we drop off your friend, it's on to one of our bases far away from Vale," the older faunus confirms. He frowns at the wolf and fox faunus' scowling faces. "We'll treat you well; don't get me wrong."

"I'm not joining the White Fang," Hitomi says Micheal glances behind him at the other two White Fang soldiers. Even though he couldn't see their eyes, he could feel them glaring at the fox faunus. The leader of the group shrugs in response.

"That's not preventing us from keeping you, that just means you will be confined to a room at all times till you do," he frankly states. "Or someone breaks you out, though I doubt it," he comments, his facial expression showing how unlikely that is.

"I'm not screwing anyone," Micheal says, returning his attention forward. The older faunus snorts in response.

"Well, you two need to repopulate, and there would be plenty of willing faunus for you two," he says in a comforting tone. He huffs as their faces didn't relax. "Your only saving grace would be if you two were a couple already, then accommodation could be made. But I don't remember anything about you two being one." Hitomi looks at her partner for a second. She blushes as an idea pops in her head. She hopes her partner and leader would catch onto her ploy.

"Well, we are," she says with confidence. The older faunus quirks a quizzical eyebrow. Micheal scowl fades as he looks at his partner, slightly confused. Ruby looks at her friend, surprised, and her face fell. She began to dive into her memory to try and figure out when they could have become a couple.

"I was sure you two weren't," he repeats suspiciously. Hitomi tilts her head in an embarrassed gesture and looks at the ground.

"We are just very low-key about it," the fox faunus says. She could see the leader wasn't convinced. Then in the next instant, she grabs the back of Micheal's head and kisses him roughly on the lips. The wolf faunus' eyes went wide as a low strangled noise escapes him. He was wondering why she was kissing him so suddenly; they weren't a couple. Ruby then blushes slightly at the sight of her teammates kissing. Then she finally caught onto the act at the genuine surprise and confusion on her friend's face. It wasn't sincere, just an act, though it did convince her for a second. Hitomi closes one eye and looks at her partner's confused face, gently cupping his cheek as she deepens the kiss. She winks at her partner as her tongue invades the wolf faunus' mouth. Micheal relaxes as he catches on as he returns the kiss. The older faunus looks at the scene curiously, his eyebrow quirked. His eyes were drifting to his companions, a look of surprise on them as well. Then after a minute, the wolf and fox faunus break their kiss for air. Hitomi sighs as she takes deep breathes. Her partner instead looks out of it, his eyes unfocused, and a dark blush on his face. He didn't seem aware of the current predicament anymore, drowning in his bliss. A drunken smile plastered on his face. The occupants would swear they could see hearts coming from the grey-haired boy. "See," Hitomi says, a dark blush on her face as well. It was a second before the older faunus shrugs again.

"Fine, you're a couple," he says with an amused smile, spreading his hands out in an exaggerated gesture. He then looks at his companions and gestures out the window. They salute their leader and walk outside. The male faunus gives a confused look at the wolf faunus.

"Is he okay?" he asks. Micheal gives him a thumbs up.

"It's been a while, she's not an affectionate person usually, so this caught me off guard," the wolf faunus says dreamily. 'Gosh damn, I almost forgot that feeling, I miss it so much,' he muses happily. That seems to convince the masked faunus, he nods and walks off. Once the leader was sure they were out of earshot, he looks at the fox faunus. His face still shows amusement.

"One hell of a show, I say your partner wasn't expecting that," he comments. Micheal rotates his head towards the leader.

"Definitely," the wolf faunus comments lazily. Ruby walks over and shakes her friend form his stupor. He shakes his head, "I'm awake, I'm good."

"Now you seemed to have convinced my companions, but I could tell it wasn't true," he says as he walks over to lean against the wall. He holds a hand up before Hitomi could challenge him. "Young lady, I've seen plenty of ploys like that before, I know what to look for." He gives a knowing smirk.

"What happens now?" Ruby asks.

"We wait until extraction, how long that will be, I don't know, tonight or tomorrow morning I can't tell you, no later than that. Till then, we hunker down just in case; my men are building what they can to aid our defense," the leader says seriously. His eyes then wholly rest on the wolf faunus. One look at the young man's eyes, and he could tell something was wrong with him. The older faunus could tell something had been bugging him their entire talk, a struggle between relaxing and being anxious. "Young man, what's been bugging you?"

"Were you in the military before joining the White Fang?" Micheal asks, getting straight to the point. The older faunus looks at him with a quirked eyebrow, while Ruby and Hitomi look between the wolf faunus and the leader quizzically.

"How did you figure out?" The older faunus inquires, amusement, and curiosity in his voice.

"I don't know how to explain it honestly, but it's the way you move and the air you give off. My dad was a soldier and gave off the same kind of movement and presence," Micheal explains. The older faunus smiles warmly at the wolf faunus as he gets off the wall. He straightens his posture and salutes.

"Former Second Lieutenant Duke Bern of the Atlas 1st Hunter Regiment, at your service," Duke says with practiced ease. He then unties the scarf on his arm and shows it to the trio. It had the symbol of the Kingdom of Atlas on it. He then ties the sash back on his arm, hiding the emblem. He crosses his arms, his smile never leaving his face. "Did you dad serve in Atlas?"

"No, Vale, he didn't like talking about his military life much, unless it was about his buddies. So, I don't know what regiment he served in," Micheal answers. Duke gives a judging look and then shrugs again.

"His choice and I will respect it; if I had a kid, I would tell them everything, the good and the bad so that they wouldn't get an inaccurate impression of military life," he states.

"How did you end up in the White Fang?" Ruby asks. He gives the brunette a somber look.

"Not important, let's leave it at I made a choice that my higher-ups didn't like, and after that, I didn't have anywhere else to go. I didn't have any other skills outside of army life," the former officer says sadly. Then he takes a deep breath and gives a smile again. "It's in the past now," he looks out the window. His soldiers were building walls of spikes and barriers with the rope they were carrying and placing them at the entrance. They had made a large clearing between the gate and the manor.

"Why didn't disarm us," Ruby asks curiously. She is grateful not being parted from her weapon, but it did bug her slightly. They had no reason to trust them. So, why didn't they disarm them to be safe? Her teammates agreed with her as they look at the former office.

"If this place comes under attack, I rather have as many capable legs as I can get; I lost seven men already on the way here. We had an extremely horrible encounter with a heavily armored Grimm," Duke says. He then frowns, "I started with twenty soldiers, and of the twenty, I could only trust half of them to follow orders without issue. And as life would have it, of the seven, six of those killed were the ones I could trust," the bear faunus states somberly. He returns his attention to the trio. "With you three, that brings us up to sixteen fighters, I will spread us out between the two floors, eight on this floor and eight on the second floor," he says. He could tell they were listening intently. "You three on the second with the four I can trust and one more that I can potentially trust of the rest; the others are with me on the first floor."

"Do you mind if we go up the second floor so we can prepare?" Ruby asks.

"Sure, but don't think we won't be watching, try anything, and we will shoot you," Duke states seriously. His face was reflecting his statement. He looks at Hitomi and Micheal, his features softening. "Also, you two better keep up your ploy of being a couple for the time being and if things go well, for my group anyway. You better get used to the idea of truly being one and the idea of being extremely intimate with each other," he says. He sympathetically smiles at the blushes on their faces. "Take your packs and get some rest and food while you can, I will send my men up once done with their tasks," he says as reaches around pulls a pair of night-vision goggles out of his pack. The device had three straps that wrap around the and two green lenses in the front. He hands them to Ruby. The brunette looks between the gadget and large faunus confused. "Here, you will need these if this place comes under attack at night."

"Thanks, but why do you have these, don't all faunus have night vision?" Ruby inquires.

"Most do, not all them for varying reasons, I always keep a couple around, I've worked plenty of faunus that couldn't see at night, so it comes in handy to have some," Duke answers. The reaper places them on her head but didn't move the lens in front of her eyes. The bear faunus gives a quick lesson on how they work. The leader then walks out of the building, putting his pack against the wall.

The trio looks between themselves with thoughtful looks, thinking of their situation. They then gather their backpacks and walk back to the room they were in earlier. Micheal finished his earlier cooking preparation. He gave his friend their food in the food cans, lacking proper bowls. In the tin jars was a soup containing a mixture of small bits of fruit and vegetables. It wasn't much, and Ruby whined a bit, but still, they ate it. Micheal had to admit it wasn't his best creation. It wasn't a particularly bad taste, just wasn't good either. The wolf faunus never really like making things without a recipe, most products he made ended up this way. He went through his mind trying to think of what he could add to make it better.

"So, what do you think?" Ruby asks. She takes a small drink of her soup, cringing slightly at the taste. They lacked the utensils to eat the soup properly and had to resort to drinking it. Micheal had noticed it during that detail while he was cooking. He ended up using Crocea Mors to slice the ingredients as small as he could, something they could swallow easily.

"Honestly, I think we can trust Mr. Bern," Micheal comments. He knew it probably not well to do so. He couldn't help but trust the man. It was ingrained into his nature to have faith in army men. 'I've been around too many military figures not to trust them and, sadly, not all of them are trustworthy.'

"I don't think we can, he could have said that to put us at ease," Hitomi criticizes. Her partner thoughtfully nods in confirmation at the comment. Though she could see that he didn't fully believe her criticism; She was somewhat content that he was considering it at least.

"How did you know he was military?" Ruby says. She caught the tallest member's skeptical eyes. She did share her friend's doubts, but she was curious about Micheal's guess on the Duke's past. Micheal's eyes roll upwards to ponder an answer.

"As I said, I can't explain it well; it's just something you notice when you've grown up around military men. It's just a way they carry themselves, now not every one of them does it, but most do instinctively," Micheal tries to explain. "I'm just too comfortable around them, so being near them makes me relax, it's like being at home with my dad," his voice trailing off a bit. His face was dropping at the thought of home. His friends curiously look at him. It was the first time they saw him sounding sad when thinking of home. He had never seemed homesick before. The wolf faunus quickly shakes his head and smiles at his friends.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asks gently.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Micheal says slightly rushed and forced, making quick gestures with his hands. He felt Ruby's hand gently wrap around his. The wolf faunus looks at his younger friend and sees the worry in her eyes. He turns to see his partner sharing the same look. The wolf faunus firmly grips the brunette's hand in return. "I'm fine you two really, I got distracted that's all, I can't be homesick right now."

"Why haven't you tried to visit home, we would understand, if it's money you're worried about, I think Weiss…," Ruby says.

"It's fine, I can't go back," Micheal interrupts. His face was frowning at his friend's comment.

"Why?" Hitomi asks.

"I just can't okay, I don't want to talk about it," the wolf faunus says, a tone of anger in his voice. His angry tone not lost to his friends. Micheal takes a deep breath to calm himself. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to get angry, I wish I could, but I can't, I'm fine as long as I'm with the team, I don't feel alone with you girls." A sad smile forms on his face. That didn't seem to ease his friends.

"We will not press the subject now, but I do want to know why you say you can't go back," Hitomi says.

"Fine, in time, I will tell you, no time soon, though," Micheal says. His partner nods in confirmation. "I still say we can trust Mr. Bern, not saying we should, but we can, if he's telling the truth, then we'll be okay."

"If he's telling the truth, then we will be nothing more than prisoners of the White Fang, doing nothing more than just trying to have kids," Hitomi says.

"Ruby will be safe in Vale, at least," Micheal comments. He felt Ruby's grip tighten.

"That is true," the fox faunus comments herself looking at her junior.

"I don't want to leave you two," Ruby complains.

"We know," they both say in unison.

"It's honestly not a terrible deal, not good, but not terrible, considering they could have just shot you," Micheal says. Ruby looks downcast as she lowers her head. She grits her teeth in frustration, forcing herself to accept the situation. Hitomi hugs her junior in a tight hug, trying to calm her.

"I do need to ask, are you okay with this? Being with me?" Micheal asks.

"Of course not!" Hitomi shouts. Then she frowns at the stunned hurt on his face.

"But you said…," Micheal says.

"I am just upset at the thought of being forced into this, and if I had to be in one, I would be better off with you than a stranger, I have known you long enough to trust you," Hitomi says. Her partner sighs in response scratching the back of his head.

"Alright, I share that same though plus, if I can be honest," he says, looking out the window. His teammate was looking at him, wondering what he was going to say. "If I had to choose between being out here dealing with Grimm and being in a cell or room somewhere, I rather choose the cell, at least I get fed and won't need to deal with Grimm," he says. His partner could agree with that to some extent.

Outside

Duke looks around the remains of the ruins. His companions were working meticulously to build their defenses. They had managed to create a palisade wall with gaps for stakes at the entrance of the village. There were a couple of rows of stakes tied together, pointing towards the gate. The former lieutenant did doubt the rotten wood would hold for long. But any defense is better than none. "Good work!" the leader shouts.

"Sir!" the group says unanimously. Then one of the females walks up to the leader. Her loose clothing hid most of her figure and features, except for her height. She was tall, one of the taller members of the group. She has a dull silver halberd and grey rifle strapped on her back, her lips in a tight frown.

"Sir, you're too soft on them, you're not even keeping a guard posted by them," the woman says, her voice slightly deep. The veteran soldier's eyes catch a sign of movement under the woman's uniform's coattail. He sees the long leathery tail of her faunus heritage lazily swishing through the air.

"You're free to go watch them yourself if you want Steel," Duke says, pointing towards the building. "I won't stop you; I doubt they will do anything; I've made it clear we will shoot them if they will." The female faunus then quickly walks up towards the building.

"I agree with Virginia, sir," another member of the group speaks, a male member this time. A tall man with a broad, red two-sided ax on his back, along with a red rifle. Duke crosses his arms, waiting for the man to continue. "Even with what you said, how can you trust them?"

"Because we're their best chance at survival, if we get picked up tonight, they don't have to worry about surviving a night out here, and the red one gets a free ride back to Vale. If we have to stay out here, then they will us have to back them up with a fight with the Grimm, with those three that brings us up to sixteen fighters," the leader explains. He then walks around to analyze the group's work thoroughly. He sees that they made crude indents in the ground to place the stakes. He muses that the members must have used their melee weapons to do the job as he didn't hear gunfire.

"Even then, can you trust them?" Another female member asks. Duke tilts his head, thinking.

"I can trust the boy, the other two not so much, though I think the wolf faunus will try to convince them to at least trust me," Duke says as he returns his attention to the group.

"I still think you should have tied them up, or at least take their weapon until nighttime," the male member remarks. Duke both shrugs and nods in response.

"Maybe, I won't deny that option, and I still may go through with that if need be, but I do want them to trust us. If those two trust us, it will be easier for the duo to work with us, obviously making it easier to take the duo with us without much trouble. Plus, there is the upside of giving us a better chance to convince them to our side," Duke says. The other White Fang look between themselves, mumbling amongst themselves. The leader didn't hear a single criticism for the plan.

"Sir, I trust you, and I will follow your orders, but I don't trust any of them," another male faunus voices.

"That's fair," Duke comments plainly.

"Did you convince the higher-ups to let the human girl live?" A female member asks.

"No, they just ignored me, but at the same time, they tend to ignore these few occasions I want to spare someone. I bring in results for every task they assigned me, so they look the other way when I do this," Duke says. 'Though that's not to say Sienna hasn't given me a few pieces of criticisms before,' he remarks in his head.

"At times like this, I wish Adam was the one leading us," one of the other members mumbles to his compatriot. Duke immediately turns his head in the faunus' direction, giving him a dark glare.

"If Adam was here, then we could kiss the chance of earning their trust goodbye. Oh, he would bring them back to base, I'm sure. Still, they would hate us for murdering their friend. Cause I'm sure Adam would kill her, making them eventually joining us willingly a damn near impossible task. There's the factor that more of you would have died to the Grimm we encountered; the man's a fighter, not a leader," he explains sternly. The faunus swallows nervously under the older faunus' glare. "Plus, I plain don't trust Adam, never did, needlessly violent man, he's been acting strange since he found out where the fox faunus was," the veteran mumbles.

Inside

"Hey, Hitomi, that wasn't your first kiss, was it?" Micheal asks. His partner blushes at the question. She tightens her grip on Ruby unconsciously. The brunette was finding her face buried in the fox faunus' breasts for the second time that day. The sudden action catching her off-guard, she didn't have a chance of taking a breath. She uselessly struggles against her friend's tight grip.

"Of course not, you think I have not been on dates before," Hitomi says defensively.

"I never said you didn't," Micheal says, a teasing smile forms on his face. "I wonder if I should tell Yang how good of a kisser you are, I think she might be interested in finding out herself." His smile widens at the darkening blush on his partner's face. What Micheal was doing, besides teasing his partner, was trying to lift the mood or change it at least. Hitomi then growls at her partner, unintentionally ignoring the increasingly stronger wriggling of her leader. She didn't realize that she was slowly suffocating her leader in her generous bosom.

"Maybe, I should tell Yang how easy it was to dominate you in that kiss," she sneers back. A blush form on Micheal's face.

"Maybe she already knows, we did go on a date not long ago," Micheal says. He was honestly disappointed that they didn't kiss like that back then. He did wish they did, so the occasional mental images of them kissing would leave and because he wanted to. After that day, the pictures had become more frequent.

"For a guy that says he's dated before, you are surprisingly bashful," Hitomi says.

"I'm easily flustered, that's all," Micheal says meekly, crossing his arms. His eyes were looking at his leader for a second. "Though I do think I'm the better of the two of us," a confident smile on his face.

"Really, how do you propose we figure that out," the fox faunus says skeptically.

"We could use Ruby…" the wolf faunus stops for a second to look at his leader's frantic squirming. "After you let her out of your breasts to breath." Hitomi seems confused for a second, then looks down. She immediately then pulls her junior from her suffocating prison. The brunette gives a loud gasping breath to refill her lungs with air finally.

"Sorry, Ruby," the fox faunus says. Ruby gives a light glare.

"Did you not feel me struggling?" the brunette asks, slightly annoyed. Hitomi hangs her head down in shame.

"I got caught up in the conversation," Hitomi says.

"Also," Ruby turns to Micheal. "What do you mean Yang would like to find out, and what about using me?"

"First, Hitomi has a crush on Yang," Micheal answers. Ruby turns toward the tallest of the trio. Said girl looks away embarrassed. "If you want, you could judge which one of is the better kisser." The annoyance drains from the reaper, a dark blush replacing it.

"Um, well…," Ruby says, slightly distracted as if contemplating the thought. Her boot was awkwardly digging into the ground.

"I wasn't serious, I was just trying to change the mood," Micheal admits, though he notices the brunette's slightly disappointed face. Ruby's blush fades as she looks out the window of the room.

"Are you two going to be okay?" Ruby asks.

"We will manage, if that man is truthful, I am content with you getting back in Vale," Hitomi says with a sad smile. She wasn't okay with any of this, but if she kept her promise to Yang. It made her happy enough to go with things. She wasn't going to be alone with strangers at least, as her eyes dart to her partner for a second. Ruby returns the smile with an equally sad smile.

"Okay, let's rest for the time being, then…," Ruby couldn't finish her sentence. The trio decided to find spots in the room to lie down and take a nap. Their journey to the village was tiring, and with the White Fang doing what they can to make the place ready. They had the time to regain their strength. Neither of them wanted to lie down on the rotten bed and picked a spot on the floor. Hitomi chooses a corner near the door, placing her weapons on the ground next to her. She didn't realize how tired she was and fell asleep not long after shutting her eyes. Ruby lies down under the window, Crescent Rose and the night vision goggles behind her. Micheal lies down in front of her. He wanted to talk to her by himself to see how she was holding up. The grey-haired boy wasn't particularly fond of the situation. But there wasn't much he could do, so there was no point brooding about it. He just had to deal with things as they come along. The wolf faunus sees the reaper hadn't noticed him yet. Her eyes were open, but her mind was elsewhere.

"Ruby," Micheal says. The brunette snaps out of her musings to look at her friend. The wolf faunus gently grabs her hand. "How are you holding up?" Ruby eyes roll to the side, sorrow evident in her silver orbs.

"Not well," Ruby admits. She then firmly squeezes her friend's hand back. "I feel like a terrible leader," she says, her voice beginning to break.

"You're a good leader," Micheal tries to assure.

"No, I'm not," the brunette says. "I couldn't figure out how to deal with Wind Ruler without anyone dying," her voice breaking, tears forming. "And now, I'm losing two friends, and I can't think of a way to stop it," lowering her head as her eyes close. Then her eyes open in surprise as Micheal pulls her into a hug.

"Ruby, listen to me," the wolf faunus says gentle, but firm. He breaks the hug to look at his friend in the eyes. "First, I'm not happy about this either, but sometimes things happen that are out of our control, and we can't do anything to stop them. And believe me, I know that as well," he stops to make sure his friend was listening. She still had tears in her eyes, but she was listening intently. "The only thing we, unfortunately, can do is accept them and learn from them as best we can."

"But…," Ruby tries to speak.

"I know, I know," Micheal interrupts comforting. He then rests his forehead against Ruby's. He lightly nuzzles it in. The action causing the brunette to blush lightly. "I don't want to leave the team either, and the team is pretty much the closest I have to a family nowadays, I will return, I promised I would always return."

"How?" Ruby wonders.

"I honestly don't know, but I can guarantee that Hitomi and I will try to figure out a way to escape, I don't know how long it will take, but we will try," Micheal says comfortingly. He wasn't sure if they could even escape if they could. They more than likely are watched every moment of the day, even if they pretend to join the organization. The best they could hope for is for Ozpin to track them down somehow after Ruby tells them what happened here. While Ruby wasn't crying, her spirits didn't pick up. Not that Micheal could blame her. She brings her friend's hand up and places it against her cheek. The wolf faunus could feel both the dampness on her cheek and the warmth of her skin. He brushes the tear streaks away as best he could with his finger. "I promised Yang to take care of you, and this is the best I can do to keep that."

"It would be better if you returned with me," Ruby comments, defeated. Micheal gives her a bitter smile.

"We can't have everything in life," he says. His smile then shifts to warmer posture. "How about I make you two promises." He sees that Ruby looks at him with a curious look. "First, I promise to do anything you want right now to make you feel better, even if just a little, and second," he stops to take a breath. "When I return to Vale, to the team, I will do anything you want." Ruby seems to ponder the promise.

"You promise?" Ruby questions.

"Yes, think of it as motivation to for me to return, it is one promise that I don't want a break," Micheal assures.

"Just stay by my side for now," Ruby demands softly. Micheal nods in response. The duo closes their eyes and lets sleep overtake them; the brunette still holding the wolf faunus' hand. The trio never acknowledges their observer, the female faunus watching the scene with both curiosity and disgust. Her leathery tail was swishing fiercely under her coattail. The thought of a human and faunus together made her want to hurl. Her leader was too soft with them. They should still shoot the human and done with it.

'Earn their trust,' she internally spat. The wolf and fox should be with them, make every human pay. The rat faunus tightens her grip on her firearm. She would follow Duke's orders obediently, but dark thoughts still filled her mind concerning Ruby.

Beacon, Locker Room

Nighttime came to Beacon, beams of moonlight piercing the darkness through the windows high up the wall. Yang peers into the dark room, looking for anyone. Her face was showing nothing but pure determination. No matter what anyone told her, she wasn't going to leave her friends and sister. She hadn't relaxed since this morning. All she did was pace the team dorm as uncomfortable thoughts fill her mind of what her sister and friends were going through and what they will experience. Her other teammates and friend did their best to distract her and ease her worries, despite feeling the same way. It didn't calm her unease, and around midday, a thought came to her. The same though her sister had earlier. It didn't take her long to agree to go through with it. The Elder Scourge finally flew to the south late into the afternoon. It made the area around Beacon and Vale safe for the time being. More importantly, it made the sky safe to fly through.

The blonde's eyes adjusted to the lack of light enough to make out shapes. Once clear, the brawler quietly creeps inside the room and towards her locker, in her regular outfit. She opens the metal cabinet and retrieves her weapon, sliding them onto her wrist. She quickly arms herself and stuffs a bag in her locker with enough ammo for herself. The blonde then removes all other items and places them on a nearby bench. She sighs as steadily eases herself into the cabinet.

"Yang!" A harsh voice quietly hisses. Yang jumps in surprise and bangs her head on the top of the locker with a quiet curse. A loud metallic crack fills the mostly vacant room. Holding the back of her head, she looks out the metal cabinet to see the remaining members of her team staring disapproving at her. Weiss' hands on her hip and in her regular clothes as well. Blake had her arms crossed in her daily outfit too. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

"I'm going to them," Yang says with a tone of finality in her voice. She will not be convinced otherwise. Then she noticed that they also had their weapons on them. Her brain was trying to figure out why they had their armaments, and when they got them. If they were going to fight her to keep from going, then she would gladly resist. She is going to be there by her sister and friend's side. Then she sees the full packs, poorly obscured by their legs, an amused smirk forms on her face. The white and black duo lightly blush at the expression, knowing they were busted. Their disapproving features were morphing into ones of embarrassment. "Planning on going as well?"

"We were in here initially to prevent you from doing this," Blake informs her partner.

"Why did you change your minds?" Yang asks, curious, leaning against the inner wall of the locker.

"Well," Weiss starts. Her blush fading as she calms down. "As we waited for you to show up, we both then began to think and talk about what those three could be experiencing and what more they could eventually experience."

"So, the same thoughts I had," she comments. Then a curious thought appears in her head. "How long were you two in here?"

"A couple of hours at most," Blake answers.

"It was stupid to think you could get by us," Weiss says smugly. Yang's eyebrow twitches in response. "Seriously, you think suddenly changing your attitude earlier wasn't going to look suspicious."

"We had a fairly decent idea of when you were going to try this and left early to stop you," Blake says.

"Wait, then who's sleeping in your beds right now?" Yang asks. She remembers seeing two figures in her teammates' beds.

"Violet and Noire," Weiss answers. Yang tilts her head, wondering how that worked on her.

"But how? They aren't even the same height, Noire as Blake I could get for the hair color, but Violet's hair isn't the same as Weiss', plus Violet has the purple steak in it," Yang says confused.

"At night, Violet's hair is about as white as we could, plus she obscured the streak with the blanket and pillow. You must not have been paying much attention to Noire to see the height difference," Blake explains.

"But Violet is much taller than Weiss," Yang protest.

"She curled up to match my height," Weiss explains.

"Must have been uncomfortable to match your height pipsqueak," Yang jabs at her teammates. Weiss glares at the blonde.

"Enough," Blake says sharply, catching both girls' attention. "If we are going to do this, its best we do it now before someone else shows up." Weiss and Yang look at each and agree with that statement. The trio stares at Yang's locker, wondering how this was going to work.

"Are we all going to fit in there with our packs?" Weiss asks a little skeptical.

"We'll make it work," Yang says in an upbeat tone. She was going to help her sister with the rest of her team. She couldn't help but be in an upbeat mood. Then a loud slap emits from behind the trio. Their eyes went wide as a feeling of dread consumed them. The trio slowly turns to see Professor Goodwitch and Ozpin behind them. The older woman was glaring at them, her wand in both hands. The older man was giving them a sympathetic, but disappointed stare.

"Evening ladies," Ozpin greets politely, though the disappointment is evident. "I had a feeling Mrs. Xiao Long would try this, but to see you two," he looks at Weiss and Blake. "I understand how you feel, but this is not the right decision."

"You three will come with us," Glynda orders sternly.

"But, my sister and our friends…" Yang tries to be defiant, her hands balling tightly. She was going to retaliate more explosively if they continued to stop. But a stern stare from Ozpin stops her dead.

"As I said, I understand, but it is still not safe, just because the Elder Scourge flew away, but that doesn't mean it left the area, it could attack you three mid-flight," Ozpin informs. The professor frown at the disheartened and troubled faces of the remaining members of Team RWBY. The headmaster takes a deep breath. "I promise that at first light you three will be on the aircraft in charge of the rescue mission along with one other with five others of your choice. Plus, a third aircraft containing Douglas Evergreen and a team he is hiring will be joining along the way," he says comfortingly. That immediately picks the trio's spirits up.

"Mr. Evergreen is coming? And five?" Weiss inquires.

"Yes, Douglas is an old friend of mine, and I asked for his assistance. Plus, the more people on this assignment, the better chances you have if you encounter Grimm upon landing. And you need someone to temporarily fill an empty slot on your team to at least have a standard team of four members," Ozpin explains.

"Well, Violet can fill that spot, she is in our dorm right now," Weiss says.

"And Team JNPR can be the other four," Yang adds on.

"Understood," Glynda says as she pulls out a scroll to document the students leaving. "Now you three will do everything Douglas says while on this mission, we will inform him tomorrow of your team."

"Yes, mam," the trio says simultaneously.

"Now, we will escort you to your dorm, and please as much sleep as you can," Ozpin says. The remaining members of team RWBY were disappointed and frustrated at being stopped. Their spirts were picked up at the aspect of being on the rescue mission for their friends.

A/N: As always, criticism is good

This chapter was going to be much longer. I had to split or else it would be at least 25k words long, excluding author notes, from what I was seeing with the direction I was taking it. I think that is too long for a fanfic chapter to have. I just must work overtime for a bit to get the next two out. I will do my damn best to get them both out by at least mid-December.

So, I'm thinking of taking a break soon, after two more chapters after this one. I need to work on fixing problems that I've been ignoring. Plus, I've somewhat absorbed by this story to work on my tale. I need to work on that one. I've sat on the skeleton of a world for some time now. I need to work on it. I don't know how long it will be before I even stop on that. I want to make sure I have everything ready when I start that.

Plus, there is the issue of what to do with this story. Since I picked this up after a two-year absence, there are many things I hate about it now. Mostly ideas that liked once but look terrible to me now. I need to work on the first ten chapters; they are the worst part of the tale. Those of you who favorite, or follow may have tolerated it, but many haven't. I can't please everyone, but I can do a better job of presenting a better impression of my story. I don't think of myself as good writer, just okay at best. I do appreciate those of you who stick with me, but I do have to improve for you and myself. Then there is what direction to take it. Too many ideas of what to do. I really need to stop doing this on the fly and make a plan. I do have plan for the next couple of chapters, but after that, nothing.

Now I do read reviews, I do. Which is how I improve. One guy says I need to put more inner thoughts for Micheal and that he feels to accepting of his situation. That's fine, that's something I can fix over time as I try to improve the first ten chapters. I just need to think on what to write. I don't want him to be a brooder, but some more thought couldn't hurt. Though I'm not found of paragraph long thoughts as well, especially ones that extend across multiple paragraphs. I have always toyed with the idea of adding like an end of chapter, or certain chapters, monologue for Micheal for his inner thoughts since the beginning, with the first monologue at Chapter Ten. Then I read the first book of the Legend of Drizzt. During each act there was a small interlude with Drizzt inner thoughts on his childhood. It was a look inside the character's head and, to me, some of the more interesting parts of the book. I still want to do it, but it feels… odd, for a lack of better words, to add now. I should probably write them anyways just to put it down and worry about it later.