Man, been getting more and more tired lately on the days that I work. Don't know if it's because my relative lack of sleep those nights leading up to work are catching up to me or if it's something else, but it's really been getting frustrating not having a concrete cause that could be addressed. But honestly, the most frustrating part of it is that it's been keeping me from writing as often as I'd like – some days, just finding the energy to turn on my laptop is hard, though once I do, going from there is easy enough.

Maybe I need a vacation…?

Ah well, in any case, don't mind my rambling here, just had to type it out. Hope you all have been well. Where I'm at, there's been a nasty little bug going on getting everyone sick. I've long since recovered from it when I'd gotten it, but maybe this is just a remnant of it… oh well, no way to truly know. Again, hope you all are holding up okay, not just from this possible bug but also from life in general.

Now then, let's just got on with the chapter, shall we? Expect things to start happening!

P.S. Any of you guys hear of a web novel called Avesta of Black and White? It's by the same guy who wrote the Dies Irae visual novel… and let me tell you guys something – I can't read Japanese, sadly, can only really read up the summaries left of the chapters as they come out… but seriously, this is one web novel that's batshit nuts! If you're able to, I would definitely recommend checking it out!

Chapter 29

"Hmm…" Jaune was somewhat befuddled on what to do and it must have shown through on his face for he could spot Pyrrha looking at him in slight concern out of the corner of his eyes.

"Is something wrong?" she asked as she put away her weapon.

"Not at all, just thinking," he answered honestly.

As discussed, he and his friends had taken to pushing their limits as much as possible in order to be ready for any future incidents. The intensity of their training had been upped considerably since then. Alas, the desire to go on more difficult missions had been one that's gone relatively unfulfilled; ever since the Breach, missions that required them to travel well past the walls of Vale had been oddly scarce. If Jaune had to guess why, he figured it was due to the council. Maybe they wanted as many huntsmen, professionals and trainees alike, to stay within Vale as a show of force against the criminal element that's been popping up since the chaos of the Breach.

If so, then it was a sound move, considering their presence has been doing wonders for the public's general state of mind. And besides, it was never really wrong to do some good for others.

Still though… it was already feeling to him as if their progress was off to a slow start.

"We're all clear over here, fearless leader!" Nora called out as she and Ren approached, looking none the worse for wear.

Jaune nodded and smiled a little. "Glad to hear. So, how exactly did things go? Did you find dealing with the Grimm a little easier?"

Thankfully, while venturing well out of the kingdom had been out of the question for now, there was still plenty that could be done. For example, while the public was feeling noticeably more at ease than they were before, there was still a fair bit of negativity in the air and it'd been recently drawing more Grimm than usual to the walls. Because of this, there'd popped up a mission to head to Vale's southernmost wall to slay or otherwise drive back the Grimm that had gathered there over the past several days.

JNPR had all but literally jumped at the chance this mission was posted and had set out posthaste.

As of now, they'd finished a somewhat lengthy battle – about a half hour long, to be more precise. There'd been quite a lot of Grimm, mainly Beowulves and Ursas from what he'd initially seen and they'd all been very spread out. There'd even been a few Deathstalkers and Nevermores here and there too.

Having split up into pairs, they'd set out to cover as much ground as possible and move as far away from the walls as possible to draw the Grimm away. It was an all too simple tactic that had worked very well, much to Jaune's relief.

"We kicked ass like it was nothing!" Nora responded to his question with her usual exuberance. Said exuberance was appreciated but ultimately unhelpful, not that Jaune had the heart to tell the girl that.

Thankfully, Ren provided a much more detailed answer. "We did, indeed. Those drills we'd come up with had really helped improve our coordination; I'd provided distractions and cover while Nora here focused primarily on blowing the Grimm away once they were clustered together. It also felt as if the Grimm seemed a bit slower than before too for some reason…"

"Ah… I felt the same," Pyrrha chipped in. She then looked to Jaune and smiled a little. "I can figure out why too."

Jaune could only scratch the side of his face, somewhat embarrassed.

Aside from long discussions on team combinations and actually putting them into practice during training, they'd taken to sparring with one another and other teams as well, in addition to greatly intensified drills – calisthenics, weightlifting, that sort of thing.

More often than not, his friends had sparred against him one on one and in teams against him, a result of the noticeable strength difference between them. He'd been on the receiving end of their new tactics and they in turn had been all but literally overwhelmed by his now ridiculous strength even though he'd done his best to hold back enough to avoid dealing them grievous injuries.

From the sounds of it, they'd found the experience most beneficial as they were now just a bit more used to fighting someone much stronger, tougher and faster than them while on his end… well, he honestly didn't get too much out of it, not that he'd ever say it aloud; his strength had grown so much during these past few weeks, especially against that man back in Sol, that it was honestly absurd even by his standards.

Just how strong will his semblance make him? Jaune couldn't even begin to fathom anymore what limits he may have.

But will it be enough to fight and defeat that man should they fight again? Again, he had no way to know.

"That said, we've still a long way to go compared to you," Ren then said, snapping Jaune out of his thoughts. The boy looked somewhat amazed. "Your strength grows at a truly insane rate… and to an equally insane degree."

"Right?" Nora agreed. "I mean seriously, you were taking on those bigger Grimm like the Deathstalkers like it was nothing! You didn't even have to use that aura technique or whatever you call it! Hell, you still haven't even tried to replace the sword you broke back in Sol!"

Indeed, ever since one of his blades had broken during the fight back in Sol, he's yet to get it fixed or otherwise replaced. This was partly due to the fact that getting weapons fixed can actually take quite a while depending on how complex a weapon it is and while his blades were simple ones – i.e. not part gun, like most others weapons he's seen so far – the materials they were made out of were almost exclusive to places well outside the kingdom walls. Procuring the materials needed to fix his sword were thus hard to obtain. A true shame since said blades had been a gift from a smith he'd befriended very early in his journey on the frontier.

However, this was only part of the reason – he was also curious to experience for himself just how far he can get by with just the one blade. He'd gotten so used to dual wielding with a bit of unarmed combat thrown in here and there, that having been reduced to one blade for an extended period of time felt rather alien to him. Not that it really hampered his combat ability or anything, but it was a novel experience. And he knew that there'd be times where he wouldn't be able to use both blades anyways. Now was as good a time as any to get used to fighting without both blades available.

"Ren's right," Pyrrha then stated, having been nodding along with his every word. "You really do outpace us in that regard… come to think of it, is it because of your semblance?"

At that, Jaune winced. He may have told Pyrrha quite a bit about his past now, including how he got the scar upon his face, and he may have also told Nora and Ren recently too of such a thing, but he's yet to tell anyone of what his semblance has truly been doing to him.

"Partially, yes," he began. "It helps me continually break past my limits and get stronger faster, but that's only in terms of pure physical prowess. When it comes to actually honing my technique, that's all me," he explained, trying to keep it brief. Of course, there was a lot he was leaving out, but that was the gist of it.

"So you're just going to keep on getting stronger and stronger, huh? That's pretty cool!" Nora commented.

"Only if I keep pushing the limits, I guess," he answered sheepishly. "Now come on – let's head back and report in."

His friends replied in the affirmative and they made their way back to the wall of Vale, calling in a bullhead to come pick them up as they did so. By the time they made it back to the wall, the bullhead had already arrived and been waiting.

"Damn, you four cleared out all those Grimm by yourselves?! Pretty impressive!" the pilot said upon them entering it.

"Heh! What can we say, we're just naturally awesome!" Nora replied, puffing her chest out while the rest of them looked rather embarrassed by the praise.

However, in Jaune's case, said embarrassment only lasted a split second before getting serious. "Any other sectors outside the walls that need to be tended to?"

"Nah, it was really only this side that had Grimm practically crawling about," the pilot answered. "Got to say, when I was told to only transport the one team out here to deal with them, I'd been kind of skeptical about you four dealing with them all, but not did you really slay them, it didn't take too long at all! Have to tip my hat off to you on that."

"We just did what we could and as best we could. It helped too that the Grimm territories around Vale are made up of the more, well, basic Grimm," Jaune answered truthfully.

More recent events aside, Vale was considered the most peaceful kingdom for good reason – Grimm around it were comprised of mainly Beowulves, Ursas and Nevermore, with Deathstalkers making up a small number relatively speaking. There were somewhat more exotic Grimm like Gryphons and Alpha Beowulves, but they were very few in number in comparison to the other Grimm around here. There were Goliaths too, but they were well out past Vale's walls and tended to stick to themselves unless irritated.

Now, Grimm were dangerous no matter what, but compared to the Geists, Sphinxes, Manticores, Apathies, and more out there in the other kingdoms, Beowulves and Ursas weren't exactly the most intimidating.

"Heh, well, if you guys keep doing your best like that, then I'd say Vale has nothing to fear anymore!" the pilot chipperly said.

"I hope so…" Jaune mumbled.

The rest of their trip back to Beacon then went by in relative silence, save for the conversation Nora struck up with the pilot, occasionally drawing them into it.

As it was the weekend and relatively early in the morning, they didn't have to worry about class since there was none and the platforms were plenty deserted with only a relative handful of students and faculty up and at it.

The peace and quiet very much appealed to Jaune, but strangely he was still feeling on edge and for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why.

After disembarking from the bullhead, they headed for the cafeteria where they decided to have an early lunch and they all pigged out, having become quite famished from their exertion earlier.

As they took their time eating, more and more students slowly yet steadily began to trickle in, stopping by to either hang out with one another or to grab a quick bite to eat before heading out to train or begin a mission.

Just as they were finishing up their heavy meal and were ready to take it easy for a while, their other friends came on by.

"Hey Jaune!" Ruby called out, the young leader of RWBY in a good mood, more so than usual.

"Ruby, hey," Jaune replied with a small smile, finding the girl's enthusiasm infectious. "Good morning to you all too."

He was, of course, calling out to the rest of her team who in turn bid them a hello as they took a seat by their side. They'd already gone up to the counter to get themselves some food too and now were about to begin eating.

Jaune and his team opted to just sit there and talk with team RWBY as the latter ate.

"How did the mission go, you guys?" Yang asked at some point, biting into a juicy steak. "Kill a lot of Grimm?"

"Oh yeah, definitely! You should've seen it – absolutely slaughtered them!" Nora boasted.

Yang looked bummed. "Man, wish I could've been there – I mean, I don't mind what we've been doing recently, but cutting loose on some Grimm is sounding awfully good to me right now."

"Ah, that's right, you four have still been working with the police and some soldiers from Atlas, yes?" Pyrrha asked in curiosity.

"Mhm. You can thank our resident Weiss cream for that."

"I-In my defense, it's a good way to spend time with my sister," Weiss defended. "Can you really blame me since I wouldn't be able to see her much outside of this?"

Yang raised her hands for a moment to placate her. "Hey, hey, I get it. Just gets kind of boring after a while, you know? The work, not being around your big sis."

"I for one enjoy how Winter Schnee all but snubs her nose at you every time you talk," Blake suddenly quipped with a small smirk.

"H-Hey, not my fault she doesn't know comedic genius when she sees or hears it!" Yang shot back defensively.

"Yang, your puns are the worst I've ever heard," Ruby said in a shockingly deadpan tone. "I mean, even dad's are better than yours! And all he does are dad jokes!"

"At least your father has an actual sense of humor from the sounds of it…" Weiss mumbled in mild bemusement. She was clearly referring to her own father, who, from what little she's spoken of about him, wasn't exactly a kind man. It said something about how comfortable the heiress had gotten with them all that she could even remotely say something like that in a semi-joking tone.

And so, on and on this went, both teams continued their chatter, content to just enjoy one another's presence.

However, it wasn't long at all until things got relatively serious.

"So…" Pyrrha began. "How are things going on your end?"

Despite the vagueness of the question, everyone there clearly understood what she was getting at. Team RWBY had kept them in the loop about Tukson and what was going on. As a result, the two teams had sort of come to an unspoken agreement on what to do. JNPR would continue going through life like normal, just training and going on missions whilst team RWBY would try to work with Tukson on whatever he needed help with in addition to their own training.

However, it was also made clear from the start that there wasn't much to really be done other than continuous investigation into what the White Fang may be doing next. Unfortunately, to do that required a solid lead, which they were lacking.

Weiss wanting to spend time with her sister aside, this was primarily why RWBY was spending so much time around the police and Winter Schnee – they were hoping to get some juicy info with which to actually work with. Tukson, for his part, would continue to work his own magic and see if he could come up with something to report.

And judging by the expressions on the girls' faces, the answer to Pyrrha's question was as clear as day.

"Still nothing?" Ren asked, if only for formality's sake.

"Still nothing," Blake confirmed with a sigh. When she spoke again, it was with a quieter tone in case anyone nearby tried to overhear their new conversation. Given the lack of people around, this may seem like an unneeded action, but Jaune found himself understanding the girl's caution. "Atlas' specialists have completely taken over any and all investigations in the White Fang, so the police are a complete dead end now. Sadly, Winter Schnee and her team have yet to dig up anything concrete."

"Why do you think that is?" Jaune now spoke.

"I think it's because they're mainly limiting their searching to areas within Vale and around Mount Glenn. By now, Adam's sect would've already retreated to somewhere well outside those territories. Atlas is expanding their search radius, but frankly they're going in blind – no offense to Atlas, but it feels to me like they're expecting to find some obvious bunker where Adam and his forces will all be holed up at." Blake's expression now became thoughtful as she pondered something. "…While them having an actual bunker out there wouldn't be out of the question, it would obviously be well hidden. And I mean, very well hidden – there'd only be a few entrances and they'd be made to blend in with the surrounding environment."

"What if they set up a camp rather than build a bunker from scratch?" Jaune then asked.

"They'd choose to set up camp within a thick forest, again somewhere where they can blend in with the environment."

"Wouldn't that be kind of cramped though?" Nora questioned, genuinely curious.

"It would be, yes, but it's nothing new; back when I was with them, we had to do what we had to if it meant being effective. Uncomfortable living circumstances can be put up with if it's ultimately for a greater cause."

"And does Atlas know this?" Pyrrha seemed rather confused. "Have you brought it up with them?"

"They're familiar with White Fang tactics, but you have to consider the changes in the environment," Blake started. "In Atlas, it's nothing but snowy mountains and plains and cramped buildings like those found in Mantle. Out here in Anima, it's much more spacious but also hilly and with many lush forests. There's more options for where the White Fang can set up base at and many more ways they can go about doing so. some basics may apply across the board, but that's about it. As for bringing it up with them, well…" Blake trailed off.

Jaune looked to her, confused. His teammates looked rather perplexed too.

Weiss chose to enlighten them, albeit with a certain level of embarrassment. "My sister… she's done well to rise through the ranks within Atlas' military. Unfortunately, to do that within such a short time requires a certain level of paranoia to effectively deal with any changes in her circumstances."

"Ah." Jaune understood. "In other words, she's a paranoiac, much like general Ironwood from what I've heard."

Weiss nodded as did Blake. "Blake and I have done our best to suggest some of this to her and her group, but if we demonstrate too great a level of knowledge about this, Winter will start suspecting something and try to wring it out of us if need be."

"Even though you're sisters? And working towards the same goal?" Jaune's confusion was hitting its peak right now.

"You all may be perfectly fine with me having once been a part of the White Fang…" Blake began very quietly. "But Winter Schnee and others from the Atlas military are a different story. If somehow they were to find out my past, they won't hesitate to all but literally string me up and interrogate me. In that kind of situation, I could tell them as many times as I want about how I'd defected but until they can confirm it for themselves, they won't let me go and any and all help I and the others here have given them will be considered highly untrustworthy."

"That's…" Pyrrha began, only to stop, not knowing what to say.

"Screwed up?" Yang chipped in, finishing her sentence for her. "It sure is… but from what Weiss and Blake here have told me and Ruby… well, it is what it is, I guess." She sounded quite bitter about it.

Blake nodded sadly. "Of all the kingdoms, Atlas treats Faunus the worst, especially the SDC. As such, they're the main targets of the White Fang."

"There's been much blood spilt between the Atlas military and the White Fang," Weiss said. "And more than a few workers from the SDC along with some more distant members of my family have been killed by them too…. I was but a young child at the time and though I still ended up hearing of all this anyways, I was still shielded from the worst of it back then. Winter, however… she wasn't."

In other words, Winter and the rest of the Atlas military had a very serious bone to pick with the White Fang. While it felt to him like perhaps they were all being far too cautious in some respects, Jaune could see their reasoning.

"That's a very delicate line you're walking there," he couldn't help but comment.

"W-Well, we're doing what we can," Ruby said weakly. "…Trying to become a huntress sure isn't easy, isn't it?"

"Accomplishing things rarely are easy," Jaune responded softly.

Things aren't simply black and white. It may be easy to look at a situation from the outside and determine what was and wasn't' a smart move to make, but when one is directly involved in the moment, figuring out what to do amidst a veritable storm of ever changing factors and emotion, figuring out what was best to do was much more difficult.

Ruby could only grumble in reluctant agreement and proceeded to wolf down the rest of her food. Her teammates followed her lead albeit with far more grace, especially Weiss. Jaune and his friends remained respectfully silent as RWBY finished up their meals.

Finally, the two teams began to take their leave from the cafeteria.

Unsure of what to do right this moment, they settled for just walking around almost aimlessly. Their first stop was out to the courtyard, in order to enjoy the lovely fragrances the flowers there were putting out.

They were hardly the only ones out there, a number of other students milling about peacefully.

Until things were no longer peaceful.

Some students were sitting lazily on benches, watching something on their scrolls. At first, they'd been pretty quiet, but now these same students were sporting widening eyes, the shock evident. More than a few even swore aloud, loud enough to garner attention from others that were otherwise minding their own business.

Naturally, this grabbed the attention of both JNPR and RWBY. The two teams slowed their pace down to turn and look as a small crowd swiftly formed to see whatever was going on. Those that couldn't see whatever the students on the benches were looking at opted to just pull out their own scrolls and try searching the news itself. And as they did so, they ended up having the same expressions too.

That same tension he'd been feeling earlier returned with a vengeance to Jaune. "Check the news," he suddenly said to his friends, but they were already way ahead of him, Ruby and Nora having pulled out their scrolls before he even finished what he was saying.

As both teams huddled around the two short girls, Jaune was keenly aware of many students now looking their way.

…No, not their way per say…

They all were looking Blake's way.

And as they brought up the news, Jaune immediately knew why.

James wasn't a man prone to going slack-jawed in complete shock, but whenever he did so, it was because the general of Atlas had seen something truly unexpected.

And that was exactly what he was seeing right now on the news.

"…Again, the sender of this information is anonymous, but according to the information packet sent in to us along with photographic evidence, it would appear that Blake Belladonna, currently a student at Beacon Academy, is none other than the daughter of Ghira Belladonna, former leader of the White Fang prior to Sienna Khan's rise to power and subsequent radicalization of the White Fang itself. Additionally, this information strongly suggests Blake Belladonna stayed with the White Fang for several years after its reformation into the radicalized organization it is today. According again to photos, she played a significant part in numerous acts of espionage and…"

On and on Lisa Lavender went, the famous reporter doing little to hide her own surprise over this news that had apparently been dropped all but literally into her lap out of the blue.

James could scarcely bring himself to listen to the rest of the story. All he'd wanted to do today was just sleep in a bit longer than usual, having pushed himself considerably during his own investigations the last several days. He'd turned on the news whilst freshening up with the simple intention of getting some weather updates as well as amusing himself with some of the ridiculous stories the media likes to churn out on occasion, such as certain celebrities breaking up with one another or picking a name for their damned pet finally.

To see this happen on live TV while in the midst of what should have been a simple day had not been something he felt he could've ever truly been prepared for.

However, the shock wore off quickly enough as something came to mind.

There was absolutely no way Ozpin would've let something like this slip by him. All this information the news was now spitting out, the man himself must know as well and possibly in even further depth.

…He trusts Oz. Really, he does. Ozpin was far from a perfect man, but perfection itself was an impossibility in practice. He's made plenty of mistakes throughout his many lives, of this James knew.

But letting a terrorist right into Beacon of all places?

Oz has been slipping up a lot recently, but this? This was finally the last straw.

The general of Atlas wanted some fucking answers and by the gods, he fully intended to go and get them right this instant.

But first thing first… he knew not the full story behind this Blake Belladonna, but until he could ascertain for himself the truth, he couldn't afford to leave things to chance.

Picking up his scroll, he proceeded to call up Winter.

This student had to be picked up and taken into custody right now.

Adam watched with nary an expression as the news played out. He wasn't alone in this endeavor, numerous others having stopped what they were doing to watch what would happen too.

"Yeesh, it's getting pretty nuts online right now," one of his men said, having apparently checked Kritter to see what comments people were leaving right now on Lisa Lavender's personal page. Going by his statement, it would seem the hot new story was getting plenty of attention.

By all rights, this should be a good thing, but Adam could hardly find it in him to feel any sort of satisfaction.

"Wish we could see the look on that girl's face right now… or that of her friends…" muttered another one of his forces., more out of morbid curiosity rather than any vindictiveness. "…So, looks like it went off without a hitch, sir. So just how long should we…?"

"Give it a few days at least," Adam responded "Given Atlas' presence in Vale right now combined with this, they'll most likely try to take Blake into custody. And as confident as I am in our training and experience, sneaking aboard an Atlas vessel to kill her would be nearly impossible to do. I've no doubt the headmaster of Beacon will try to keep that from happening but there's no guarantee he'll be successful in this. Thus, we have to wait."

"Uhm, but wouldn't being able to pull off a stunt like that really be sending a message to those damned humans…?"

"It would, yes, but not without us suffering casualties in the process," Adam pointed out patiently. "It'd be a pyrrhic victory at best."

He hadn't been lying when he said he'd confidence in his force's expertise in conducting such dangerous missions, a result of the people under his command at this moment being the older and much more experienced ones for the most part, as opposed to the ones that he'd reluctantly lent to Cinder all that time ago, the newbies.

However, it was precisely because his current forces were so skilled that he refused to risk them right now. As things now stood, they were a small outfit. To lose even one or two people in such a scenario could cause large setbacks in the long term. And although he was well aware that he had plenty of White Fang sympathizers out there in addition to numerous other members of the White Fang itself that would support his more drastic measures, it's not as if he can just lackadaisically reach out to them for support, not when he still had to worry about Sienna possibly trying something. Just because that woman didn't have many options right now didn't mean she was just going to sit back and let him continue to act independently.

"Oh, looks like the public is already calling on Ozpin to hold a press conference," the man who was checking Kritter commented.

Adam hummed. "And I suspect the council is already giving him an earful about this too. And he's likely trying to calm down Ironwood too right now… for once, I almost pity a human."

He pities Blake too, but the die has been cast already. There was no going back from here on out, he thought.

Sighing, he finally turned from the screen to face his crew. "What's the status of our forces inside Vale?"

"They're standing by, sir," answered a female White Fang member. "They've yet to make any moves as per your orders. One of them is out there in the streets, however; watching up close to see what will happen. Looks like some people are practically trying to storm Beacon."

Adam nodded. That made sense. Normally, the people of Vale, humans and Faunus alike, were relatively mild, but the sheer number of incidents that's been happening over the past several weeks have clearly been weighing on them. That they haven't actually formed a mob – yet – was an honest surprise.

"Tell them all to continue standing by… but also to keep their eyes and ears sharp – whatever moves Ironwood and Ozpin make regarding Blake, I want to know the second it happens," Adam ordered.

The woman nodded and proceeded to relay his words. While she did that, Adam turned back around to look at the screen, just in time to see the news all but literally plaster up a photo of Blake herself, one of the photos that had been sent to them in the first place.

Seeing her as she once was, strong and courageous, was most likely a stark contrast with her current self, likely that of a panicked and stricken young woman. Again, such a thought rather hurt him, to have to go this far.

Nonetheless, he steeled himself yet again. He shall do what must be done.

That said, he had much to prepare. He's already been coming up with possible scenarios on how the current situation will play out, all for the sake of being able to get into Vale and slay Blake without resulting in too big a hurdle for his current forces. However, he'd also been preoccupied coming up with others plans as well for dealing with yet another woman in his life:

Cinder.

It's been quite a while since he's hijacked her train plan and he doubted the woman would take that lying down. In all honesty, he'd damn near forgotten about her in his haste to simultaneously deal with Blake while bolstering his force's image in the eyes of Remnant.

Cinder was a woman of focus, that much he shall give her. Thus, it wouldn't surprise him at all if she's still somewhere within Vale, preparing her next move as well, a move he now felt best to be ready for. What little he'd known of her plans back then had made it clear to him that it didn't matter to her how many people died for the sake of her ultimate goal, whatever that would be. Naturally, that meant she couldn't care less how many Faunus would die in the process as well, including those that had been under her own employ back then.

Yes, now more than ever he couldn't afford to slip up.

"On second thought," he spoke to the woman acting as part of his communications staff. "Inform our men in Vale to prepare for our arrival. Whatever comes next, we will have to be a part of it. I want one of them to do some recon, find a place where we can sneak in without hassle and set up base. I'm well aware of the Atlas forces patrolling the streets, but it must be done. Try to have them look into Cinder too, just to find out her general movements."

"Yes sir!" the woman responded and carried out the order.

He then approached another staff member. "What's our munitions supply looking like right now?"

"I'm not too sure, actually…" the staff member began sheepishly. "I'll go check myself right now!"

Adam nodded. "Then go. Be thorough."

"Sir, are we actually going to try and combat that crazy human?" another person spoke, referring to Cinder.

"Sadly, I believe we must. Better to try and get her out of the way now than let her continue to run about where she could cause us trouble later down the line," Adam explained.

Was he perhaps being hasty? Adam was self-aware enough to entertain the possibility now… but hasty or not, the more he thought on it, the more he did realize that Cinder needed to be dealt that. He wasn't sure how, but that mysterious power she wielded that didn't feel like either a semblance or Dust had been what had made him so wary of going against her even when their aims had generally aligned. However, that had primarily been due to her having gotten the drop on him and his forces back then, when she'd forced him into working for her.

Now, however, things were different. Unless things have really changed, it felt like she was the one in a disadvantageous position. He'd have to make use of that lest she turn things around on him again.

However, even if his forces got the drop on her, he doubted their ability to deal with her and those two human brats of hers. To be perfectly frank, those three were just that strong. Thus, he will be the one to mainly content with them, backed by just a few of his most skilled subordinates.

He couldn't afford to put this off though, he noted. With the bombshell he'd just dropped on Vale via the info on Blake, he'd have a window span of just a week or two at most to first deal with Cinder before he can move onto dealing with Blake if he wished to deliver maximum impact.

Looks like he and his men were going to be quite busy then, planning out how to best do all this.

Adam quite relished this, if only to distract himself from all of his previously dour thoughts.

It was time to get to work again.

"Oh my…" Watts said with a bit of a smirk as he looked at his scroll.

Hazel, just walking a bit of a distance away from the man possessed a sharp enough sense of hearing to pick up what had gotten his ally's attention so suddenly. "So, that man had let an apparent terrorist of all people into his academy, hmm?"

"It would seem that way, yes," Watts replied as he turned off and pocketed his scroll, the news having only warranted just a moment of his time at best, it would seem. "I'd imagine Salem would find a fair bit of joy in seeing how much trouble appears to be falling into Ozpin's lap. How about you? Enjoying this?"

"Hardly," Hazel answered truthfully. "Only when I can get my hands on the man himself will I even come close to relishing anything."

"Hmm, I suppose so. After all, I feel much the same."

"…Just what do you plan to do anyways, Watts? You've been incredibly tight-lipped about why you're going this far out of your way to get back at Atlas."

"If you're worried if my own vendetta will get in the way of you fulfilling your own, worry not. Again, our interests generally coincide. As for what I plan, well, I'm afraid you must continue to respect my right to silence on that matter."

Hazel sighed. "It feels like that's all I've been doing this whole we've traveled together. At the very least, give me a hint."

Watts let out a hum and peered upwards for a brief moment as he clearly thought on it. "Very well, then. Perhaps it would do some good to give you a little backstory on the matter."

And so, Hazel listened in patient silence as Watts began to regale him of what started it all.

And in the nearing distance, the walls of Vale loomed over them.

Ozpin felt his age now more than ever. The phrase 'getting too old for this shit' was just a tad bit crass, but incredibly apt in his current situation.

His otherwise quiet weekend had come to a horribly abrupt end when news on the young Belladonna's past had arisen and with it had come an almost literal storm of public outcry. It wasn't just civilians either that were raising their voices over this matter – the council and a number of students here at Beacon itself had been all too quick to make their opinions known.

In light of all this, he'd tried to have Blake Belladonna brought in and quietly moved elsewhere, somewhere well out of mind of everyone. Thankfully, she and her friends had already been coming to him by the time he'd tasked Glynda to find her, so that had saved a bit of time.

Unfortunately, that had been about the only good thing, for they hadn't been the only ones to come his office; James had come as well, along with Winter Schnee and a few of her own men.

It'd taken a few forceful words, but he'd managed to usher the R, W, and Y members of RWBY out of his office accompanied by Glynda. Winter Schnee and her own forces had been ordered out as well, thus leaving him alone with James and Blake Belladonna.

Now, one would think having to deal with only one irate person would be more preferable than dealing with several people yelling all at once, but this wasn't the case this time around. Honestly, Ozpin would much prefer to deal with a rightfully angry team RWBY than an angry James.

"-Oz, are you listening to me?!" the man all but roared as he slammed a hand down on his desk. "There's no way something like this would've slipped by you, so just why would you let a supposedly former terrorist into Beacon?! And why would you fail to tell me of such a thing?! Just who else even knows about this girl's past?!"

Said girl was sitting quietly and defeated in a chair that was a fair distance away from James. Ozpin stood in between the two of them as though he were a protective parent. And in a way, he supposed he was. After all, in numerous past lives, this was a role he'd taken up a number of times in a variety of circumstances. And despite the teen's experiences and hardships having made her strong, she was ultimately a child in his eyes still.

"James-," he began, trying to maintain a calming tone, only to be cut off before he could even say anything else.

"Don't you dare take that tone with me, Oz!" the general yelled. "This isn't a situation that you could just talk your way out of like you normally do! There's a mountain of questions that I want answers to and I demand them now! Or else you will let me take her into custody and get the answers out of her herself!"

James then suddenly leaned to his left and glared past him at the quiet girl. "Or would you rather just speak right now, girl?" he spoke now in an almost dangerously quiet tone. His fury may now suddenly be tranquil in nature, but it was no less intense than it was just seconds ago when he'd been yelling.

Blake could only flinch and wither under his gaze. "…I… I…" She was clearly doing her best to say something, but the suddenness of the past ten or so minutes have really taken a toll on her.

Ozpin could only sigh internally at the sad sight and moved to block her completely from James' view.

"That is enough," he said with steel in his voice, a genuine flash of anger making itself known too. It was just intense enough to keep James from yelling again and had even gotten Blake to perk her head up, if only by a bit.

"I'm well aware of how bad this looks to everyone, but the choices I've made up until now regarding her were not mistaken. Yes, Blake Belladonna was once a member of the White Fang. She's committed numerous acts of espionage… and more. But she's had a change of heart over how the White Fang operates. She left the organization when she could stomach what it was gradually becoming no more and in doing so, she managed to prevent an entire train of civilians from being derailed. Does this one act make up for all she's done? It does not… but you and I know damn well that others have done far worse and been able to redeem themselves, James." Ozpin said this all in one breath, speaking in a steady but angry tone. He then leaned forward a little and spoke in a much quieter voice, only so that the general could hear. "And you also know well that what we've done in order to combat Salem was just as bad if not worse."

That got a reaction out of James, who flinched ever so slightly before grimacing outright. It looked like now the general might be reining himself in.

But Ozpin wasn't done just yet, now speaking up again so that his student could hear him. "She's made it clear she wishes to redeem herself. I, of all people, can never deny someone a chance to do that. And neither should you."

"…Just because she seeks redemption doesn't erase her past," James growled. "And how do you know she isn't simply lying? What if she is still working for the White Fang."

"No." That single word hadn't come from him, but rather from Blake herself. It would seem that she's finally found that inner strength of hers again. Whether this was due to his own words just now or something else, Ozpin didn't know, but he now stepped aside so that the girl was now looking directly at James. "In the beginning, I'll admit to being taken in by the more 'proactive' approach the White Fang was taking under Sienna's leadership. For the sake of equality for all Faunus, I was willing and even eager at times to carry out the acts listed in the news, I won't deny that. But overtime, things began to change. It was slowly at first, but more and more members of the White Fang started to do what they did less out of justice for our kind and more out of pettiness and spite towards humanity. Hatred and bloodlust started to control them and before I knew it, the number of civilian casualties started to grow rapidly with every mission I either went on or heard of. They just… they just stopped caring about who they had to hurt to get what they wanted… some of them even made it a point to take out as many civilians as they could during missions just because they felt like it."

Blake took a deep breath then continued. "For the sake of equality, I was willing to do what I'd thought at the time had to be done to achieve it. I never once enjoyed it, but I'd done it all nonetheless. But now, the White Fang no longer is about achieving equality. So long as Sienna is the high leader, it may not be that way overall, but the organization as a whole is still steadily heading that way, whether she knows it herself or not. And when I'd come to this realization, I just found myself unable to stand it anymore. It'd been at that moment that I'd realized what I could've become as well if I'd been any slower on the uptake… and it scared me. It's no longer the White Fang I'd known… I'm no longer the person I'd thought I was… and now, if only regarding the latter, I want to change that. So, please… just give me a chance."

There was a very long and tense minute of silence as James and his student had a stare off. Ozpin watched from the sidelines, proud of his student but worried still anyways. James was a good man, but sometimes a brash one. He hoped the general would see reason.

Finally, James backed down, visibly deflating to an extent. Sighing followed by closing his eyes and pinching the spot in between them in obvious frustration, the man finally spoke in a fairly calm voice. "…Just what can you even provide to me to prove your trust?"

"Absolutely nothing," Blake replied immediately. "As much as I know about the White Fang's basic procedures and the like, they've been changing things recently so the information I have may not be too reliable now."

"But even then, you're still asking for me to give you a chance."

"That's right. Just a chance. That's all I'll ever ask for and all I'll ever need."

The two of them stared yet again, but for a much shorter period of time. James grimaced and then looked his way. "…You do realize you'll need to think of a way to settle down both the council and public soon, right?"

Ozpin couldn't prevent himself from sighing tiredly. "Trust me, James, I know." There truly was no rest to be found here, it seemed.

"Then…?" Blake began with a hint of hopefulness.

James focused back on her. "…For now, you will be free to go," he said. He then held up a hand before Blake could say or do anything in response. "However, don't think you're getting off clean here – this is still a terrible situation on our hands. Can only imagine how many Grimm this is now going to attract to Vale's walls. You want to prove yourself? Then you and your team can start working on the walls, mopping up any Grimm that get too close. I'm aware we've people already doing that, but more manpower never hurts. Also, a close eye will be kept on you and until this new media storm dies down, it'd be best to stay within a different inside the student dorms. As for when you're in class…"

"I'll do something about that," Ozpin now said, wishing to take over before James could possibly change his mind. "For now, however, you're free to go, miss Belladonna. And as James just said, I would advise you to be cautious in how you go about things – your admirable courage aside, this is not a storm we can simply wither without issue."

The B of team RWBY looked to him and the general in gratitude. "…Thank you. Truly," she said, bowing her head for a moment before taking her leave.

There was a bit of noise going on outside, her team having still been waiting out there along with a clearly annoyed Glynda and Winter, but the headmaster took this reprieve for what it was and pointedly ignored the noise.

"I still meant what I said earlier," James said, glaring at him. "Oz, the secrets you've been keeping, the way you've been handling things recently… it's honestly enraging… and hurtful. Just how many more times will things get out of hand before you finally come clean about everything?"

Ozpin could only sigh, fatigued. It went without saying that James made a valid point. He was not by any means arrogant. He never believed for even a second that he could somehow do this all on his own. Entire lifetimes worth of effort had proven otherwise.

Sadly, he's known the sting of betrayal far too many times upon letting too many people know certain secrets. They'd all told him the same thing, that they could be trusted and relied on, to see this through to the very end. And in most cases, that was exactly how things went. But in a number of other cases…

Ozpin closed his eyes, recalling a scant few of such times. Of the times where people he'd considered friends and allies had turned their backs on him and the others at the worst possible times, even outright conspiring against his own efforts in bringing Salem down for good. Such cases had been just common enough to leave him more than a little paranoid about those times repeating. And although he was more than self-aware enough to know this would likely not be the case with his current era of allies, decades if not centuries worth of grave missteps kept him from getting past this flaw of his.

"I know, old friend," he began as he opened his eyes again. "But you know firsthand how damning it could be to let one too many people know certain things. This is by no means a justification or excuse for my own failings… but again, I ask for understanding."

James leaned forward and placed his hands firmly on his desk. "I do understand, Oz. Damn it, you know I do. But even then, this is getting far too out of hand! With every move we've been making recently, it feels like we're losing ground against Salem more and more and I can't stand it anymore! All of humanity is at stake and here we all are, continuing to stumble around in the dark, worrying over what to do. This needs to change and soon. Otherwise… otherwise, this really will all be for nothing."

Ozpin clasped his hands together tightly, knowing the general to be right. But even then, he still couldn't bring himself to give that final push to himself to let James know.

"Oz, come on… just give me something. I can think up all the plans I want, I can direct my forces however I please… but to do that effectively, I need viable intel to act on and I know that you know something," James continued. His fierce gaze then softened. "…I've been doing some digging of my own into your current plans, you know?"

At that, Ozpin looked up from his desk in genuine surprise at James' sudden admission.

"It's clear that you have something going on right now. I wouldn't quite call it a plan of sorts, but it does feel like you're acting on one of those longshots of yours, one of those 'hope for the best' things that you seem to stumble upon somehow… like Ruby Rose, for example, what with those silver eyes of hers."

Ah… while it didn't seem like he actually knew anything just yet, it seemed to Ozpin that James was referring to Jaune Arc and the mission JNPR had been sent out on…

"I… see." Ozpin fell silent right after. Then, after a few seconds, he looked his friend right in the eyes and finally came to a resolution.

For James to have actually been looking into things on his own like this and to even boldly declare as much right now… the ancient man finally realized the gravity of the situation.

Just when had he become so passive? So paranoid and ruled by fear born from his own past failings? Now more than ever, that had to change.

Very well then. If James would so openly admit such a thing, then now truly was a time to be truthful. Perhaps not entirely – the knowledge that Salem couldn't be killed was one secret he'd have to keep a while longer – but at the very least, he owed James some secrets.

"James… I-," Ozpin began, only to be cut off when his scroll suddenly and loudly rang.

It was enough to almost startle both him and James. The scroll currently ringing was indeed his own, but it was the one he used solely for emergencies, when one of those in the know suddenly came upon truly serious trouble.

And pulling it out, Ozpin had to do his best to not let out a hiss of worry. It was Qrow's number.

He answered it and put it on speaker so that James could hear too. He worried not over anyone listening in from outside his office – Glynda and Winter had taken their leave alongside team RWBY and he'd receive an alert if anyone got within a certain distance of his office. It's how he always knew people were coming to see him even when it was unexpected.

"Qrow? What's the situation?" he asked quickly.

The answer he received was in the form of the sounds of battle obviously raging on in the background… along with the sound of near-deafening thunder, screams, and mad cackling.

Rather than make a bad quip before getting to the point in a semi-seirous tone like he would normally do, Qrow this time got straight to the point… and his shock was as plain as day in the tone of his voice.

"Tyrian Callows is working for Salem and right now he's here tearing through the tribe in Mistral!" Qrow all but yelled, cutting off for just a split second. The sound of metal clashing followed by the cackling getting even louder and a pained cry from Qrow rang through Ozpin's ears. "H-He's – gah! – what the hell is he on-?!"

"Qrow! Focus, please! What's going on?" Ozpin responded before Qrow could start rambling.

"He's… he's just a total fucking berserker right now! But – damn it, hey, you three! Get the hell away from here before-! Shit!" There was the sound of movement and more screaming before Qrow returned. "That's not all, Oz! We both found our target…!"

The Spring Maiden. That was one statement was enough to get Ozpin and James both to nearly freeze in genuine surprise. Just what were the odds?

"Qrow, you need to tell her to escape. You both need to get out of there, right now! Try to talk Raven into providing assistance if you can! In the meantime, I'll find the huntsmen and huntresses closest to your location and send them there as backu-!"

"That's the thing, Oz – Raven is the Maiden!"

The power of the Maiden… in the hands of a former ally of his turned bandit. The shock was enough to get the headmaster's heart pumping like no tomorrow. Oh, the ramifications of all this…

"Send that backup, Oz!" Qrow said, snapping him out of it. "Send it right the hell now!"

That was when the call was cut off. The last thing he and James heard was once again that horrible and evil laughter.

Yeah, not going to lie, that ending could've been better. Tried to write it several times, but for some reason building up the tension properly just wasn't coming to me. What you read right there was the best I was able to do, sadly.

That said, that definitely won't be the case from here on out. It'd been a serious hassle trying to juggle a number of the characters' plans without them getting too jumbled up but I like to think I managed it well enough. Now that shit is hitting the fan again, things will get just a bit more streamlined as things slowly come to a peak.

Expect some surprises in the near future and very sudden ones at that too! I can't wait to get around to writing them! Alas, my original novel will take priority for the time being, heh.

Until next time, everyone. Take care!