Chapter 10: This Will Be the Day

Oracle kicked her boots off as she flopped down onto her bed, groaning as she stretched, wincing at the strain the movement brought.

Shinai nodded to her as he sat down cross legged onto the ground, sword laid across his lap. "The pain will fade."

"Yeah, yeah," She muttered. "It's just a buncha stretches! How the hell does it hurt that bad?!"

"Your body isn't used to moving like that. It will improve in time."

"I better get some killer abs from this, or I'm gonna be so mad, hon,"

The samurai gave a single, quiet scoff of a chuckle, eyes closing, his breathing slowing as he centered himself, hands resting onto his blade.

Oracle watched him settle in for a moment, eyes glancing over his rarely exposed arms, the inklings of a satisfied smile crossing her face, before she dragged her gaze away, resting on Ulysses' sat at the desk, earbuds blaring heavy metal, busily working on some paper or another-

Then her attention shifted to the empty, neatly folded bed sheets of Lance's cot, her grin fading. She achingly climbed to her feet, dragging herself over to his corner of the room, her sight locked onto a silver object gleaming on his pillow. She picked it up, and looked it over; a sizable, pristine, silver patch, a knight chess piece emblazoned on a dark field.

"Legion XXII," She muttered, reading the silver script. "Hey, Kyani, you know where Zaffre is?"

Shinai sat for a moment before opening his eyes with a slow exhalation of breath, gaze finding his partner. "No."

"…Ulysses? Ebony!" The giant pulled an earbud free, looking over his shoulder angrily at the gunslinger. "You seen the blondie?"

"…No." He replaced the bud, returning to his work silently.

She sighed as she looked at the patch again, tossing it back onto his bed. "I'm sure he's fine. Probably snuck out to some poor girl's dorm again, that degen."

Lance and Rainier crashed hard into the rubble, rolling several meters further with the impact. They laid still for a moment, face pulled into mirror grimaces, Lance shifting to sit on his haunches, Rainier pushing himself up onto his elbows, both huntsmen groaning in pain, watching across the battlefield as Quinn continued to march casually towards them, craning his head to the side, idly tossing his hammer into the air.

The swordsman leaned his head towards the faunus. "…After you."

Rainier gave him a quick look. "No, no, after you, I insist."

"Really, I don't mind."

"Please, it would be my pleasure."

"Honestly, you first, I won't be mad."

"It would be rude to not allow you to take the lead on this."

"Hey, you're a guest in my kingdom, I'll let you go, really."

The huntsmen latched onto each other, wincing as they helped each other to their feet, Rainier brushing the dust off of his track suit. "…Ro-sham-bo?"

"You mean rock-paper-scissors?"

"Or boulder-parchment-shears, your choice, truly."

"On three or on shoot?"

"Shoot, of course."

The duo turned towards each other, getting in sync as they pounded their fists into their hands once, twice-

There was a whir of movement as the warhammer flew through the air between the huntsmen, its bladed front cleaving through the shipping container behind them, the duo freezing in mid motion, blue eyes meeting gold. The hammer whirred as it ripped itself free, hurtling back towards its owner.

"Fine, fine!" Lance said, grabbing his sword off of the ground.

Rainier turned with him to face the brute continuing his unimpressed march, stretching his legs out. "Once more, with feeling."

He dashed towards Quinn, a blue cannon shot from Lance following behind him, zooming towards the faunus beyond. The lion chuckled as Rainier rounded him, a hard kick sent towards his side, making impact with a hefty thud, the blue shot going off on the ground opposite the huntsman, a blue explosion enveloping the White Fang-

His arm lashed out to latch onto Rainier's leg, pivoting to hurl him away, shrugging both attacks like they were nothing, the smaller faunus tossed through the air with ease.

Lance replaced his friend without hesitation, Iron Maw tearing through the space between him and Quinn- the criminal's hammer rose quickly, though, parrying the blade high into the air, the massive head of the maul coming back down to smash into the swordsman, the gargantuan blade of the sword barely levelling out in time to shield its wielder from the blow-

The collision rocketed through the huntsman, his boots sinking several inches into the asphalt below. His eyes widened as he looked down to his feet in shock. "What the actual-!" He began, before Quinn struck out again, nearly taking Lance's feet out from under him before he leapt above the swing, both bruiser's lashing out in unison, Iron Maw coming to rest at the base of the hammer's head, the combatants locked into a test of strength.

The dark eyeholes of the White Fang's mask bore down into Lance's own, the much larger faunus beginning to push his opponent down into the pavement, chuckling.

The blur that heralded Rainier crashed into the side of Quinn's head, sending him stumbling a short few feet away, hand flying towards the wound with a surprised growl. The smaller faunus wasted no time, hitting the ground in a roll, popping back up into the air with a kick to the criminal's chin, a cannon shot sending his head whiplashing backwards.

The lion's hand lashed out to snatch Rainier out of the air, clutching his throat tightly- he wasn't given a chance to capitalize, as Iron Maw swung down onto his arm, sending it down to the pavement below, his grip broken. The wolf struck out with a kick to his opponent's kneecap, a shot ringing out, the limb leaving the ground, teetering as he attempted to keep his balance.

Lance quickly rose, his head crashing into Quinn's own, the faunus stumbling backwards, his balance nearly lost for a moment- he recovered quickly, a wild swing of his hammer arcing towards Rainier, missing as he ducked it; the blow instead impacting into the swordsman's hip, taking him off of his feet, eyes going wide, flipping head over heel.

Rainier reached out without a second thought, hands gripping onto Iron Maw's handle, feet digging into the debris below, pivoting hard with a yell of effort, the blade colliding solidly with Quinn's neck, sending him stumbling away, wheeling wildly.

"Why is your sword so bloody heavy?!" Rainier barked, turning towards his companion.

Lance rolled to his feet. "Why did you pick it up?!"

"Because it was the only thing in range!"

"Look at it, of course it's-"

The conversation cut short as the hammer crashed hard into the wolf, ripping him from the ground, disappearing across the shipyard, wrapped around the weapon's head. Lance watched him go before dashing forwards towards his fallen sword.

Quinn growled as he marched to beat him there- a step too slow as the swordsman dropped into a slide, swooping the massive blade up, twisting as he did so; when the faunus reached him, he stared down the barrel of the glowing cannon, Lance flashing him a bright grin.

With a hefty boom, the duo went flying apart, the swordsman tumbling away wildly, Quinn bouncing hard against the asphalt before popping back to his feet, heavy boots digging into the pavement, cracks spider webbing across his mask, a growl escaping his throat. He lifted his hand up, his glove glowing purple, whirring with energy.

Rainier rolled to a stop, looking between the hammer beside him and its owner across the battlefield, a satisfied grin claiming his face, latching onto the weapon tightly.

Both hammer and huntsman went flying back across the shipyard, racing towards the White Fang; Quinn's attention turned from the recovering Lance to his returning weapon a moment too late, Rainier leaping from the hammer to crash Wolf's Claws into the criminal's face with ridiculous speed, taking him off of his feet, crashing down hard into the ground.

The faunus landed with a smooth roll, swiftly turning to dash back into the fight. Quinn's hand found its hammer before the huntsman could reach him, swinging up with a furious roar- Rainier nimbly leapt above the arc of the swing, feet touching down onto hammer's head for a split second, vaulting off further towards a suspended shipping crate above, latching onto it tightly, giving the Fang a cheeky grin as he recovered back to his feet.

Quinn let out another frustrated yell, moving to hurl his hammer towards the suspended faunus.

Before he could, Iron Maw flew through the air, colliding hard with the Fang's head, bouncing with the force of the blow; Lance was there in a heartbeat, kicking out at the wide blade of the greatsword, sending it crashing right back into the criminal's face.

The swordsman snatched his blade from the air, bringing it back down shorthand onto the back of Quinn's head, immediately leaping with a flip, looking to repeat the blow. Instead, the faunus brought his hammer up with a vicious swing, catching the huntsman out of the air, the force of the impact sending him flying up towards the crate above.

Rainier's cannon sent him careening back down towards the ground, his hand snatching the back of Lance's jacket as they met, the huntsmen twirling before the faunus released, sending the cackling swordsman hurtling back into Quinn, the Fang's quick reflexes saving him as he lifted his hammer, blocking the mighty sword swing with the haft of the weapon, both great instruments falling back down to the asphalt.

The wolf joined his friend in a moment, the back of his Claws meeting the back of Quinn's head, crumpling the criminal down to his knees and forehead. Both huntsmen lashed out with immediate, dual strikes; and instead met the lion's rising body hard, both massive forearms crashing into either combatants, stopping their momentum in their tracks.

He roared as he began wildly swinging out with his hammer, sending first the swordsman, then the faunus flying from him, their forms flying across the shipyard, tumbling meters further as they hit the asphalt, Rainier rolling to his feet before falling to a knee, wincing, Lance simply falling onto his back, sliding motionlessly.

The wolf looked to his friend. "Lance, this isn't working."

The swordsman simply gave him a thumbs up, not moving for a moment otherwise, before pushing himself up into a sitting position, face flat and thoroughly unexcited. "…Yeah, thanks, I noticed."

"Do you have a suggestion?"

"…I was gonna say hit him harder-"

"Zaffre-"

"Together?"

"You two better be making peace with your gods!" Quinn barked, storming towards them. "Because when I'm finished with you, you're gonna have to meet them!"

Rainier sighed. "He watches far too much TV."

"Alright," Lance muttered as they rose to their feet, staring the faunus down. "Let's get to it then."

"Please. You first."

The swordsman rolled his eyes, readying his blade at his side. "Whatever, I'm over all this."

The duo began to march to meet their opponent, slowly picking up speed-

"Hey!"

All three combatants froze in their tracks, confusion visible on the two huntsmen's faces, exchanging glances.

"That sounds exactly like-" Lance began.

Their gazes shot to the nearby buildings, eyes narrowing to try and pinpoint the source of the voice through the dark.

"Red!" Roman called from somewhere else on the battlefield. "Isn't it a little past your bedtime?!"

"Ruby, yes." Rainier muttered, staring at the blot of red perched onto the roof's edge, her Crescent Rose scythe held readily at her side.

Another figure walked forwards to meet the huntress at the edge of the building; a girl their age, ginger hair curly, a pink bow atop her head, dressed in a green, short dress, boots and gloves black. "Ruby, are these people you friends?"

"Penny, get-" The leader of RWBY began.

Roman quickly took the opportunity to attack, a missile flying from the shipyard towards them, crashing into Ruby, the girl flying from view.

"Don't worry!" The other huntress called sternly, her eyes narrowing, none too worried about her friend, gaze turning back to the momentarily halted battle below. "I'm combat ready!" A sword rested itself from her backpack, slowly floating into the air-

And proceeded to split into a dozen more blades, gleaming in the spotlight for a moment before she leapt from the rooftop, rubble following her down from the force of her movement.

The girl came crashing down towards the battlefield, White Fang and gangsters rushing towards her as she straightened to her full height calmly; as quickly as they began to reach her, she swept her arms out, the blades flying with her movements, sweeping brutally across the men and women rushing towards her, ripping them off of their feet to send them hurtling away, the swords tearing through the ranks of the criminals with ease.

Lance and Rainier's gazes slowly fell to meet each other's, stupefied. The swordsman shrugged. "I'm not gonna complain if you don't."

The faunus moved to retort, when Quinn's hammer came flying towards them, nearly impacting with Rainier before he leapt over it, letting it fall behind him. The huntress and her single-handed decimation of the criminals fading from their minds.

Rainier dove to the side as the White Fang ripped his hammer back towards himself, the huntsmen resuming their charge to meet him. He swung out widely at the wolf as the smaller faunus reached him, missing as he fell into a slide beneath the attack, Lance a step behind him, parrying the hammer head further away from the hulking faunus, forcing him to overextend, momentarily pulled off balance.

The Vacuoan pushed off of the ground, using the haft of the warhammer to further propel himself upwards and to the side, Wolf's Claws colliding with the side of his head, a cannon shot ringing out through the night.

Lance flipped his grip smoothly, lashing out with a short punch, the blade's pommel bashing into the Fang's mask, the ivory shattering with the blow, the brute stumbling a few feet back. Rainier spun to his feet, using his momentum to strike back out with another high kick, Claws hooking around the brute's head to again crash into his cheek, sending him stumbling away from the duo.

Quinn roared, muscles flexing as he swung hard downward, splitting the huntsmen apart as they quickly scrambled out of range of the attack, the impact shattering the pavement below in a few meter radius, the duo momentarily losing their footing. He swung out wide again, the head of the hammer passing millimeters in front of Rainier's face before crashing into Iron Maw's blade. Lance twisted his greatsword, bringing the hammer closer to him, pushing it down into the rubble once again.

The wolf dashed back into the fray, leaping to bring both feet down onto Quinn's hands in a vicious double stomp; and was gratified with both a shout of pain from the criminal, and the sound of metal crunching inwards, his glove sparking with electricity, its purple lights going dim.

Rainier stared down at his handiwork for a moment, before giving the Fang a giddy grin.

"Ha!" Lance barked out victoriously.

Quinn growled as he swung his hammer out again, both huntsmen again moving out of range of the faunus' attacks. Lance stepped further back, striking out with the hook of his blade, wrapping it around the criminal's wrist, his main hand outstretching entirely; Rainier immediately lashed out with a kick at the brute's grip, the impact ripping the hammer free entirely.

The haft of the weapon met Lance's boot as it fell, sending it right back into the air, Rainier leaping into the air in perfect synergy, a kick sending the head of the hammer directly back into Quinn's face.

The swordsman lashed out to grab it in his own hands, spinning quickly in his spot, bringing the maul's head full force into the side of its owner's head and, still spinning, hurled the weapon across the shipyard, far out of sight of the trio.

The two huntsmen shared cocky, self-satisfied smirks.

Quinn lashed out with a brutal fist to Rainier, his head whiplashing backwards from the impact, the lion's other hand crashing down onto the top of Lance's head, the swordsman sent flat onto the shattered pavement below. The White Fang reached out to grip Rainier's throat tightly, propelling him back across the battlefield, a swift kick to Lance's midsection sending the swordsman swiftly following his friend, both huntsmen skidding across the ground hard, coming to a sliding stop next to each other.

They were silent for a moment, before dual groans escaped them, shakily rising to their hands and knees, looking to each other in exasperation, before turning back to Quinn.

The lion's dark eyes glared furiously at the two huntsmen, his shoulders rising and falling furiously, hands gripped into claws at his side.

"Don't you get it?!" He roared. "You can't kill me! You can't beat me! You don't stand a chance! I've fought more battles than you'll ever see! I've killed more huntsmen than you can imagine! You are nothing-!"

A massive green beam of energy flew across the battlefield, colliding with the faunus, sending him crashing away from the huntsmen. Rainier and Lance slowly looked up to the container behind them; Penny was standing on its edge, a cylinder of swords floating above her head, brilliant green eyes glaring across the shipyard towards the smoking, recovering faunus. She looked down to the duo, a bright smile crossing her face.

"Ruby says you two are friends! Sal-u-tations! My name is Penny Polendina! And you are?"

"…Lance."

"Rainier?"

"Phenomenal!"

Quinn shakily rose to his feet, fuming as he stared at the trio, his body beginning to tremble. His hands rose, a building roar beginning to bubble up from his chest, voice going hoarse, spittle flying through the air.

Penny bit down on her tongue in concentration, thrusting her arms forwards, two swords following the motion- not towards the raging White Fang though.

Instead burying themselves into the shipping container hanging above him, a swift motion tearing it free from the crane it was held by, the massive metal crate careening down onto his head, the faunus disappearing amidst the blue steel, the Schnee Company logo gleaming on its side proudly.

Rainier and Lance let out dual sighs of relief, smiles finding their faces-

Until the container began to slowly rise, Quinn beginning to become visible under it, buried several feet into the asphalt, his muscles trembling as he steadily lifted it, dark eyes meeting the two huntsmen, a snarl on his face.

"You're gods damned kidding me." Lance barked, waving at the White Fang angrily.

"I concur." Rainier spat.

Penny, though, looked thoughtful for a moment, her gaze rising to a bullhead quickly trying to escape the shipyard. She grinned in satisfaction as she sent two more swords out into the air, hooking the craft-

And brought it down directly onto the crate, sending it crashing back down into the asphalt, the faunus again disappeared.

The trio sat silently for an anxious moment.

There was no movement.

Rainier chuckled as he began to push himself to his feet, Lance collapsing down onto his face, miserable groans escaping him, the tension draining from them, their adrenaline fading away.

The faunus turned to stare out at the rest of the shipyard, taking in the destruction wrought-

Roman dashed towards the seaside of the dock, quickly entering into a bullhead, its rotors already going, immediately taking flight as he placed a foot onto it. He stalled, turning back to the shipyard. "You kids just keep getting weirder and weirder!" He barked, reaching out with his cane to latch onto the bullhead's door, moving to close it.

But not before Rainier's yellow eyes met gold, bright in the contrasting dark of the craft's belly, a simmering, glowing blade held aloft beside the figure.

The moment passed as quickly as it began, the door closing as the bullhead took flight, racing away from the shipyard and into the night, disappearing in moments.

Rainier stared off after the craft with furrowed eyebrows, before turning back to Lance, leaning down to pat his shoulder. "I believe we're done here, my friend."

"Uh huh." The swordsman muttered, not stirring.

The faunus chuckled, turning up towards the top of the shipping container. "Miss Polendina, you have our…" He trailed off.

The huntress was gone.

He looked around in confusion for a moment, not finding hide nor hair of the girl, only peering across to Blake, Sun, and Ruby, the monkey faunus raising two thumbs up with a beaming grin. Rainier shook his head, ducking low to grab onto Lance's jacket, the sounds of police sirens beginning to sound in the night, red and blue lights racing towards the shipyard.

"Come now, Mr. Zaffre," The faunus said. "We have a celebration to begin."

"Yaaay…"

Daria ducked under the yellow tape furiously, her face twisted into an enraged scowl.

"Hey!" A cop said, walking towards her. "You can't-"

She froze in front of him, standing on her tippy toes to glare directly into his face, a finger held in warning, trembling with the full force of her anger. They stared off for a long moment before he raised his hands abatingly, backing away from her, sweat beading on his brow.

The leader of DRGN turned, giving Gail and Nash a stern nod, the duo standing awkwardly for a moment before following her lead. Yang stepped under the tape, Weiss a step behind her.

"Jeez," She muttered. "You alright?"

"I'm pretty far from alright." Daria hissed as the five huntsmen began to march across the shipyard, singling in on the small group of people gathered at the heart of the docks, a motley of police and detectives buzzing around the shipping containers, gathering the unconscious and groaning White Fang and mobsters-

Several gathered around the wrecked remains of a crate and a bullhead, staring uncertainly at it, scratching their heads.

Weiss lifted her chin in the air, eyebrows furrowed. "They could have at least been a bit gentler. These containers aren't exactly inexpensive."

"Honestly," Yang said. "I doubt they were really that concerned with them."

Nash jolted, one arm swinging out to point rigidly forwards. "Spotted!"

Daria angrily ruffled his hair as she picked up pace, the group speedily making their way towards the group gathered around several boxes and chairs.

Lance looked up, his eyes locking onto the short huntress' own. "Wuh-oh."

"Rainier Platina!" She spat.

The faunus blinked, looking down from his perch on top a shipping crate. "…Dearest Daria?"

"Don't you- get down here!"

He hesitated for a moment before sliding down, frowning as she continued to storm towards him. "D-"

She grabbed the sleeve of his jacket, pulling him towards her, hitting his shoulder repeatedly, managing to spit between blows, "Do! Not! Go fighting terrorists! By yourself!"

He shied away from the assault, unable to loose her grip. "I was hardly alone!"

"Do! Not! Go fighting terrorists! By yourself!"

"Alright, alright, I yield!"

She pointed an angry finger into his face, fuming. "Not another word out of you until we get back to the room."

Rainier leaned away from her face filled with concern, looking to his other teammates for aid. "I… yes, mother, gods above."

Ruby bolted from her seated position, making a beeline towards Weiss, hands raised. "Look, Weiss, it's not what you think, she explained the whole thing; see, she doesn't actually have a bow, she-"

"Ruby." Blake cut in sharply, staring at DRGN.

"-Uh haha, right, she, um-"

"You both stop!" Weiss snapped, storming past her partner to march straight towards Blake. "Do you have any idea how long we've been looking for you today? Twelve hours! Twelve. Hours. That means in the last twelve hours, I've had a lot of time to think… and I don't care."

"You… you don't?"

"What did you tell me yesterday?"

"I-" Blake gave DRGN another look. "I said that I wasn't associated with them any-"

"Ah-bah-bah-bah-bah! I don't want to hear it! All I want to know is that the next time something this big comes up, you'll come to your teammates, and not some…" The heiress trailed off, looking to Sun and Rainier. "…Someone else."

Blake stared at her for a moment, tears beginning to well in her eyes, a small smile claiming her face. "…Of course."

"Yeah!" Ruby called out, jumping in the air with a raised fist. "Team RWBY's back together."

"I'm still not sure how I feel about you!" Weiss barked, pointing to Sun. Her gaze turned to Rainier, eyes narrowing, stepping up towards him. "And you."

He nervously side-stepped Daria, her glare never leaving his face, giving the Atlesian a small bow. "…Aha… Miss Schnee. Always a pleasure."

"This does not make us better, understand that… but it does help."

"…You're welcome?"

"I wasn't thanking you."

"Yes you were."

"Every word you say makes me hate you more."

"Of course, dear. Of course."

Blake stepped up besides Weiss, a hand resting on the heiress' shoulder. "Rainier, I just wanted to say… thank you. You didn't- neither of you- had to come help us, but… I really appreciate it."

His eyes flitted over towards her, yellow gaze going cold, amused expression falling for a split second into icy indifference, before a thin smile reclaimed his face. "…Of course."

"Thank you, sincerely."

His expression wavered for a moment, teeth gritting together, before his grin widened, giving her a stiff, small bow. "Of course, Belladonna. It was… my pleasure."

Her face fell slightly, concern taking her features. "Rain-"

"Come, then, Daria," He cut in, walking away from Team RWBY. "I'm certain you have no lack of cutting words for me!"

"Oh you bet your ass I do!" She spat, beginning to take off after him, before stopping, turning back to the remaining huntsmen and huntresses. "…Thanks for watching out for him. He doesn't deserve it, but… thanks for not letting him die."

"Of course!" Sun called, brightening. "It was awesome meeting you, Platina!"

"You as well, Wukong." He called back, waving a hand over his shoulder.

"Buh-bye!" Nash said, waving to RWBY. "See you later!"

The girls waved goodbye as DRGN took their leave, Daria stuck to Rainier's side, hissing at him furiously as they went, Gail trailing along behind them, a small, amused- and relieved- smile on her face.

The remaining huntsmen watched them go, Yang pointing back and forth between Blake and the faunus. "That was- what was- that was really weird, right? Do you know what that was about?"

Blake's face fell, one arm hugging herself. "…I think I do…"

"Hey, chin up!" Sun said, popping to his feet. "We just routed a huge White Fang operation, and really gave it to that Roman creep!"

"Yeah… I guess. Thanks, Sun."

"Aw, no problem, that's what friends are for, right?"

Weiss scoffed. "Apparently."

Yang, though, removed herself from the conversation, sauntering over to where Lance was leaning against the shipping container, her eyebrow raised, a small cocked smile written across her expression. "And what do we have here, blondie?"

He looked up, solemn expression fading to a challenging one. "Bimbo, right?"

The huntress scoffed as she took a spot next to him, giving him a once over. "You look like you got ran over by a bullet train."

"Yeah, well, being a hero'll do that to ya, you should try it sometime."

The duo went silent for a moment, Yang's smile softening. "Thanks for lending a hand, Zaffre."

"…Yeah. No problem."

"I honestly figured you'd be the last person to stick your neck out for someone else."

"I appreciate how little you think of me, thanks."

They stared off for a moment. "You know, Lance… I thought you were a smug, self-serving, arrogant douchebag… maybe I was wrong about you."

"Hey," He said sternly, pointing a finger into her face. "You shut your mouth with all that. I've got a reputation to upkeep, alright? Can't have you besmirching it saying such horrible things."

That drew a genuine laugh from Yang, shaking her head. "Alright, alright, forget I said anything… hero," They stood quietly for a moment, looking out over the crime scene and wreckage that was the docks, before she looked up. "…Why were you out here anyways? I know Rainier was actually looking for Blake, but you never mentioned how you managed to get wrapped up in this."

His smile slowly faded, gaze dropping to the ground. "It was, uh… it was a long day. Needed to clear my head. Plus, the longer I'm out here, the longer until I've gotta head back to the room."

"What's wrong with your room? Oracle being… Oracle?"

"Ha, no. It's, uh… we'll just say that Ulysses isn't a… big fan of the whole 'team' thing."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?"

Ulysses let out a growl of frustration as Avenger swung out around him, shattering through the trunk of a nearby tree with ease, kindling flying to the air, it's several story height slowly teetering to fall down to the ground below.

Lance ducked the flail, letting it sail above him, popping back up to his feet, gesturing at Shinai with wide eyes, hands in the air. The samurai gave him a stern look, hand raised for him to cease.

"You are not helping the situation, Zaffre." Oracle said, glaring over her sunglasses at the swordsman.

"I'm sorry!" He called out. "I don't know what to tell you! I don't know what to tell you!" He pointed towards Ulysses.

The giant snarled down at his partner, his flail snaking back towards him, chain disappearing up his sleeve. "The only thing keeping me from crushing you is the fact that it won't be worth it."

"The only thing keeping me from turning you into a Ulysses-kabob is the fact that you're my actual partner! We are on a team!"

"We're not a team," He growled. "You and Carmine are some of the most insufferable whelps I've ever met. And you," He turned his fury towards Shinai. "I know who you are. I know why you're here. You want to tell them?"

"You know nothing about me." The leader said lowly, face going dark, tone filled with warning.

"Oh, yes I do, samurai. Who was that guy who stood on that stage? The one that fought Nikos like a madman? That's not the same neutered brat standing here. Why don't you tell them why you're really here."

The quartet stood silently for a moment, Shinai's gaze rising to meet Ulysses'. "…You think I'm here to fight Nikos? Is that what you believe?"

"Sure seems like it from where I'm standing."

Shinai's head fell… and laughter began to bubble out from him, a hand raising to palm his face, his teammates all staring at him, taken aback. The samurai looked back up to Ulysses, face awash with disbelief. "You're even bigger of a fool than I thought you were."

"…What did you call me?"

"Uh, Kyani?" Oracle began- only for him to raise a hand to her.

The samurai began to march evenly towards his teammate. "…I came to this school to make my Temple proud, to serve it. I do nothing for myself. I serve others first. I didn't want a team; but I was given one, so I work to serve you three, as that is my duty. I hold no grudge against Pyrrha; only respect. And that boy that you saw in that fight? He's long dead. I killed him,"

The trio of huntsmen went silent, staring towards their leader as he continued to step closer towards Ulysses, the mirth on his face fading into cold anger. "He was the last remnant of a boy who grew up on the streets, fighting every moment of his life to survive. That boy was angry, and hurting, and grieving; yes, that pain gave me strength, but it was temporary, it was unreliable, so I let. It. Go. You think your anger, whatever darkness you have in your past is what makes you strong? It doesn't. All it makes you is a coward."

Ulysses' snarl returned to his face, bearing down on the utterly non-plussed samurai. "Don't you dare call me a coward!"

"But you are. Only a coward would push others out of his life. You don't hate us; you're afraid of us."

"You don't-"

"I do. I know you better than you know yourself, because I was you. Look me in the eyes; anger makes you strong? Do you believe, truly, that you could defeat me? Right here. Right now. Do you?"

The brooding warrior moved to retort, staring into Shinai's cold purple orbs. His bravado slowly faded, face falling unsurely.

"No. You couldn't. Your strength comes from anger, but it will fail you when you need it the most, just as it failed me. Discipline, heart, soul, that is what makes me strong, it is what has kept me alive. Do you truly think that your pain makes you better than myself, or Carmine, or Zaffre? They will stand as a team; it is the individual who dies alone,"

The small clearing went silent, the fire in Ulysses' eyes slowly fading, replaced with introspection, gaze falling to stare at the ground.

"You have a choice; and now is when you must make it. If you choose to be alone, then so be it, we will not force you to be a part of this team, but you will be truly alone. If you choose us, you will be part of this team. You will eat with us, you will attend class with us, you will train with us; but you won't be alone. And perhaps is what you need; to give yourself to a cause greater than yourself. But you have to make that choice now."

The quartet fell back into uneasy quiet; Ulysses' gaze still refusing to raise and meet Shinai's.

He let out a barely audible sigh. "…What do you need me to do?"

"Look at me," The two dark huntsmen met eyes again, Shinai's gaze intense. "…You must promise to me that you will not be sorry; you will be better."

"I… promise. But you- all of you- have to respect my space. No exceptions."

Their leader turned towards Lance and Oracle, both staring in mirror expressions of awe and terror, jolting at the sudden attention. "Yeah, totally!" Lance managed.

"Yep, sure thin', hon!"

Shinai nodded. "Good. We're all clear then."

"…Crystal." Ulysses muttered, giving his leader an appraising, and discontented, look.

Lance's face split into a smile. "One of us! One of us! One of-" His partner gave him an unamused glare. "Aight, we'll get there, we'll get there."

Oracle let out a sharp whistle, cutting through the forest air, both revolvers quickly drawn into her hands. "Heads. We've got company."

The rest of SOUL wheeled to attention, looking into the shadows cast by the trees around them; and the dozens of red eyes glaring in at them, a chorus of growls now evident.

The first of the ursai slowly prowled into the clearing, staring down each of the quartet, massive form rippling with bone plate and muscles. The swordsmen drew their blades, Shinai taking the lead while Lance and Oracle backed further away, the greatswordsman standing as a buffer between the gunslinger and the grimm.

Ulysses stared between the trio uncertainly, dark gaze meeting Shinai's own. He nodded, Avenger falling from his grasp to thud against the dirt floor. "…What's the plan."

The samurai twirled his blade. "…Kill some grimm."

"Heh," A cruel smile claimed the berserker's face. "That… I can do."

"And that's only the beginning!"

Rainier shied away from Daria, further into the chair she had him pinned in, leaning his face as far away from hers as he could. "…You have some concerns."

"Oh! Oh, yeah, I've got concerns by the dozen!"

"…My donas! I forgot my donas and my coffee! I wonder if they're-"

Daria slammed a hand down on the arm of the chair. "No. Stop. Talking. You are not goofing your way out of this; you're going to sit there and shut. Up."

His eyes widened, struggling to find words for a moment. "… I… I- yes."

"Good! I have absolutely had it with you and your nonsense! This whole 'holier-than-thou' attitude you've had since we met is getting really old! Newsflash, I know you're a better fighter than me. I know you're a better fighter than them, I know you're super charismatic and all that, and you know what? I don't care! I really don't care! You're just another prissy, preppy spoiled brat to me! You think Gail, or Nash care?"

"Yeah! Wait, no, I don't!" Nash called agreeingly.

"Thank you, Nash. So, no, you're not impressing anybody; and I get that back in Vacuo, you were so good, and so cool, and all that, but none of us even know who you or your family are, so it means absolute jack to us!"

The faunus stared at her, shell-shocked and at a loss for words as she continued. "So we- myself in particular- are sick of it. I'm sick of you bugging off at the first opportunity, I'm sick of you acting like you're not even part of this team. I'm sick of you thinking you're better than us, and don't need us. Look at you last night! You almost died! You could have died! And where would that leave us, huh? Huh?"

"…Without a fourth member." He muttered.

"No!" She pushed him, his chair wheeling back with the impact. "We would have lost you! You, Rainier, the person, not just some arbitrary position as a member of the team. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

The faunus stopped unsurely, his gaze shifting between his three teammates, Gail alone looking remorseful for the situation they were in. "I… I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? That's it?"

"Yes, I am sorry! I dearly apologize!"

"Apologies don't really mean anything, if you're not-"

"I apologize that I have been a shit, I apologize that I have treated you four- you, Daria Copper, in particular, poorly, I apologize that I have been absent at best, and have abandoned you at worst! I apologize for not putting my trust or faith into you."

"And?"

The duo stared off, the brief flash of defiance in the faunus' face fading to guilt, gaze falling to the floorboards below. He let loose a sigh. "…The… my actions have actively sabotaged and put the- our team behind my own selfish inclinations… you've not deserved that," He looked to his teammates ashamedly. "…The face I put forth to you three is an unbecoming one… it may be hard to believe, but… I am not always the over-confident, self-assured man that has… mistreated you over the course of the last few weeks… I put on a brave face, a charismatic face to strangers and those I don't… fully trust. I've treated you three the same way- I've treated all of our friends the same way. It's easier that way, harder to disappoint, and harder to be disappointed… but that's unfair to you,"

He leaned forwards to rest his elbows on his knees, head falling, shaking side-to-side. "It's hard to let down one's guard when you're used to being treated second best; if you refuse to let people in, they can't hurt you."

"…Hey; look at me, though," Daria said, voice softening, crouching down to be eye level with him. "I'm a walking ball of nerves and anxiety. I don't want to be your guys' leader, and it's been pretty dang miserable… but I still do it. I hate getting close to people. You're right, it's a good way to get hurt and get disappointed, but sometimes you've just gotta bite that bullet. How else are you gonna make friends? Look at Gail!"

The archer jolted, eyes widening at the sudden shift towards her. "Uh- eheh… hi."

Rainier gave her a small, quiet smile. Daria gestured towards their teammates. "She's probably the least outgoing person I've ever met in my life, but she's still here, she still tries. Nash-"

"Hello!"

All eyes turned to the boy, their leader shaking her head. "…He's Nash. You get the point. Do you really want to be that alone? Really?"

"…No. No, I don't think I do. That… sounds terrifying when you voice it out loud."

"See, I thought so. I'm not great with people, but… I think you're a lot better of a person than you think you are."

"…Yes. I suppose you… may be onto something there."

She reached out to place an arm on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Listen, Rainier; we might not be the family you wanted, but I think that we're the family we've all got. We're a team. D-R-G-N. We've got you. We just… need you to give us a chance."

The Vacuoan sat silently for a moment, before bringing his gaze up to meet hers, tears beginning to well in his eyes, a wavering smile claiming his face. Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet- and gave his teammates a small bow.

"My name is Rainier Platina," He said, voice remaining as strong as he could manage. "I was born in Tear's Fall, on the west coast of Vacuo. I was born to Camilla and Leonardo Platina. I attended Oasis Academy before I transferred here. It's… a pleasure to meet you all."

Daria smiled back to him as she rose to her feet, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. "…Welcome to the team, Rainier."

The wind whipped around the exterior of the dilapidated warehouse as the bullhead swiftly lowered down to the cracked pavement below. The craft had barely touched down before the door roughly slid open, Roman Torchwick hoping out to storm forwards angrily, a cigar grit tightly in his teeth, gloved hands wringing his cane tightly.

After a moment, Vegas Gold climbed from the bullhead, body much more relaxed, his now cool golden blade tapping against the ground, following the furious mob boss towards the entrance of their hide out.

"That was stellar, Rome," The golden criminal called. "Really, I couldn't have done it better myself. How much Dust do you think we just lost? How many men do you think we just lost?"

Roman stopped, turning on his heel to storm back towards his partner. "I am not having it, right now, Gold!" He barked. "If you'd just gotten off your ass and, oh I don't know, helped us fight them off, we might be in a much better position, instead of losing an entire goddamned Schnee Freighter's worth of Dust!"

"It was six. Kids."

"And they just dismantled our entire operation without so much as a single loss, congrats, Gold! I bet your pride was worth it, huh?"

The killer shrugged as Roman threw the massive door of the warehouse open, storming inside, his companion a relaxed step behind him, looking around. "Watching you fail that miserably was well worth the price, though," Then he stopped, amused expression dropping into a dead serious one. "Torchwick, we do need to talk."

"What!" Roman barked, turning on his heel.

"Our mutual benefactor's not going to be happy."

"Yeah, I've thought about that, thank you for bringing it back up!"

"When I say not happy, I mean your head on the chopping block not happy. Which would be a shame, considering that there's a small, teeny part of my heart that's still alive that's starting to like you."

The mob boss gave him a flat look. "…Thank you for that, Vegas. It really warms my soul to hear you say that. If you don't mind, I'm going to drink myself into a stupor. Thanks, and have-"

"How very disappointing, Roman."

Both criminals froze, Vegas' eyes widening in shock and surprise. They turned hard to stare into the darkness, their expressions unsure, gazes meeting for a moment.

Whoosh.

A rush of fire sounded out through the quiet warehouse, illuminating the figures sequestered in the shadows; the center one stepped forwards, her eyes glowing like embers. "Emerald, Mercury, do be dears and make sure that… everything is up to standards here, would you?"

"Of course." Another woman said, the other two stepping away from her to march further into the warehouse, confidence exuding in each step. The woman was younger, skin dark, hair mint green, dressed lightly in white and brown leathers, two green pistols at her side.

The other was a young man, face pale, his hair a mess of dark silver, form-fitting outfit greys and silvers, each step he took ringing out with the sound of metal on metal. He gave Vegas and Roman a smirk as he passed by them.

Roman watched them go, before turning his attention back to the woman, swallowing nervously. "…I… didn't expect to see you guys so soon."

"So very disappointing. We expected so much more from you," She purred smoothly as she walked forwards; fair skinned, her hair long and dark, her body covered in a short-cut red and gold dress, bits and baubles over her arms and legs, perched high on dark heels. "It's such a shame."

"Hey!" Roman spat, his discomfort turning to indignation. "You were the ones who suggested working with those stupid mutts from the White Fang!"

She chuckled, stepping out of the shadows towards the two criminals. "And you will continue to do so. We have big plans for you, Roman. All we ask is… a little more cooperation."

The mob boss' confidence wavered for a moment, gaze shifting between the two killers before him. He shook his head, turning towards his office. "…Your kids better not mess with any of my shit!" He called out, disappearing around the corner, slamming the door shut behind him.

"…Cinder Fall," Vegas said, a satisfied smile crawling across his face. "Glad to have you here."

She hummed coyly, smirking as she reached him, stepping very close to him. "Hello, Goldie. Long time no see. I see, you, however… haven't lost a step."

He leaned down towards her. "Of course. I'd hate to disappoint."

Their faces nearly touched- before she swept past him with a low chuckle. "We have business to attend to, Goldie… pleasure later."

He stared at the spot she'd been sourly for a moment, finally turning to follow after her. "…So am I done here?"

"Yes, Goldie. You'll be moved closer to campus."

Vegas' face split with a twisted grin. "Finally time to get my hands dirty?"

"Of course… try not to make too much of a mess."

"Mm… can't promise anything,

I've got a few kids to cross off my list."

-Volume 1-