Multiplayer

by NeoShadows

Life is a game. In an attempt to save a friend during the Breach, Jaune Arc died. Brought back to life with powers of a Gamer, he must now attempt to beat the game called life. He's not alone though. Every win or lose ends in a Reset, so how will he beat a game that never ends?

10. Scars

Sweetness! I just finished DLC #4!

. . .Jesus Fucking Christ! I don't think I've ever written anything so dirty. I mean, really. I'm a dirty son of a bitch.

NeoShadows here, and it's time to upload another chapter of Multiplayer!

The week so far has been pretty alright. My replacement phone recently came in, the only problem being that I've lost all my contacts. Should have written them down. My old man is out of the wayward home, so that's a thing. Never really cared much for him, siblings think I'm an ass for it, but I got my reasons. And due to personal business getting in the way, again, I've yet to finish the next chapter. The system has done its job, now I got to focus on Chapter 11. It's almost done, but I'm not sure if I'll have a DLC for next week. Editing takes a lot of time.

So, I'll say this. I am officially looking for a trustworthy Beta Reader to look over my work so I can have more time to work on chapters and DLC. If you feel like you can do a good job, PM me.

Onto Reviews!

GhostHornet: Anabel wants something REALLY expensive. The next chapter will reveal it, but try if you like. I don't think anyone will be able to guess it. And thanks for the wash cloth tip. I appreciate it, I swear I put off my shower due to time restraint. I miss the days I could just chill under the hot water.

Dragoon109: I guess I can answer you that. The reason Ren is fixated on Pyrrha was kinda revealed already, it's because The Game has her destined to die with every world. For reasons that won't be revealed yet, Ren sees her differently from the others. He can save anyone in the world, except her.

Wandai: Holt's Semblance is pretty tricky, wait till you see it in action. And yeah, some DLC do connect with the story, mostly the ones dealing with Lost Fairy Tales. As for the RWE, well, just keep reading. I have a feeling you'll have some questions at the end of this chapter.

SonicFanFlame: If I can't shower, then you can't sleep! The Atlesian Spider was found in the wreck of the Black trailer, and as for the gun, we'll see in the future. WeissxPyrrha? I hate you, because now, it's all I can think about! Hot threesome! If it doesn't get bigger, then I'm fine with that. As long as it doesn't shrink, I could careless.

Benthino: I can't wait to write her, I think you got her right. I actually just started watching One Punch Man, and I got to say, it's fucking awesome! I think you'll like the DLC, if you're into that kind of thing. I need baggier pants, dammit.

Zackary2: Nope, he doesn't have the kill switch on him. I love writing fighting scenes, I feel that's where I excel at. As for the 'talk', sadly, my mother found out. Boy got chewed out. Better then when she caught me. I'm sad to say, she got me with my pants down. The shame.

Wbrendom89: I ain't spoiling nothing! . . .This chapter will do it for me. The forth player though, it ain't Ozpin, no. The forth is a bit of a surprise. Keep guessing.

NAJ P. Jackson: Eh, it's just my opinion. Don't worry about it, what's done is done. But I believe Pyrrha's actually gone. That's the thing about death, whether we like it or don't, it happens to those we love most. And their gone. What you do when those you've failed to protect are gone, is up to you. Either wallow in sorrow, or grow stronger so you'll never lose another person again. That's how I think they'll do with Jaune. I loved Pyrrha, but I hope she doesn't come back, even though that would be great. Death can't be taken lightly, things like that happen as Jaune has learned. As for OC's, I never liked them either, but they're necessary from time to time. Keeps the story fresh as long as you don't overdue them, which I try not to. And Ren, I got nothing to say. This is my story, what happens, happens. I can't confirm, nor deny what will happen as we learn Ren's reasons for placing Pyrrha's fate over others besides Nora. I do hope you'll continue to read it despite your issues.

TalonIbnLaAhad: Jesus, you write a shit load, hombre! Your ideas. . .I can't process the insanity you put out. What are you, some insane man with thoughts that can shatter sanity. Because my own are on the floor, it's hard to pick them up while typing. My friend, if you ever do decide to write them down, I would love to read them. I think you'll love todays DLC, you drunk drug fueled, magnificent, bastard.

Prustan: Wish you would stick around, but I understand. Some fics just don't click. Glad you gave it a chance though. As for your idea, I don't know. Multiplayer was made with the idea of diffrent minded players competing for The End that matched their ideals, having a team as Gamers doesn't give me much ideas for a a plot with JNPR. I wouldn't be able to write the way you described, maybe someone else might be able to.

Acerman: No, Jaune has no idea Cardin is involved. Jaune's Mana Recharge rate is three minutes, which sucks in a fight. The Boomer is a mutated Creep from RWBY: Grimm Eclipse. That thing has given me many ideas. Holt is an interesting character, which you'll see in this chapter. Huh, might just save that idea for a future piece. Cross is also interesting, keep reading, you'll see.

That's reviews for today! Still haven't found a cover for this fic. Sad, but I hope that I can get one eventually. It's about time to hit they hay for this old horse. Got a lot more work ahead of me. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

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Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights belong to RoosterTeeth. If I did, well, let's say that it would be rated a hard +18. There would still story and action! But more sexy time. Ehh, ehh~?

*Sigh* This is why I'm not allowed near school anymore. So I pelvic thrust at a few teachers while walking by? That does not mean I am a predator. That simply means I got teacher fever! . . .And that my internet is down and have nothing else to ogle.

Try cuffing me now, Hanseen!

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Chapter 10: Scars.

A pleasant hum played beside Jaune as he walked back from Professor Oobleck's class with his new study partner, Velvet. He shut his eyes as he listened to the nice little melody played by the bunny faunus, enjoying the small moment of peace he had for once.

For almost two weeks now, Jaune had been sneaking away into Vale to attend the UGC while working under the Vale Police Department. And for almost two weeks he's had to survive a gauntlet of matches whenever Holt felt the need to work up the crowd. Without Crocea Mors or even his armor to defend himself. The hunting knife now strapped to the back of his waist in nice sheath Ruby had designed for him was really starting to come in handy. He even began to familiarize himself with its weight and handle, it wouldn't be long till he had some form of mastery over short blades.

Working undercover was difficult to say the least. Having gained Ann's trust, Holt didn't see reason to place a Marker on him, an odd black token coin with an ox skull, allowing Jaune to safely meet with an undercover officer to go over the details he's learned so far. He was pleasantly surprised to find Kris as the police's go to between them. Didn't really trust the others besides Officer Church. Swear they had it out for him for some reason. They did say he made a great punching bag, or beating bag in their words.

But all the secrets and lies he had to come up with left a bad taste in his mouth. Lying to the academy was one thing, he was willing to make up for that by being the best hunter they've ever trained, but making up stories to his team and friends made him feel horrible. It's not like they didn't notice how tired and scratched up he appeared every time he came back from visiting Vale. He waved them off every time they asked him what he was doing, telling them he was simply tripping over his new shoes is all. Pyrrha was the most worried of them all, often asking to accompany him into the city to make sure he was alright. Seeing that slight hurt look on her face when he denied her always stabbed him in the heart, off all people she was the person he trusted, but he couldn't let her in on what was going on.

Ren was the only person who understood what was going on with him, kinda. The ninja like hunter simply sighed when he had explained to him what was happening and told him he didn't care. As long as Jaune didn't drag him into the storm he was walking into, he could do whatever he wanted.

The constant fighting, keeping secrets, not to mention classes of school and the new training he was receiving from Yang regarding his hand to hand, was draining him of everything. His grades were even taking a hit, there were times he simply fell asleep while the teachers were teaching. It was a good thing Professor Antheia had a soft spot for him, letting him doze off in class. Better then Professor Pithos who was constantly flinging shock balls of Dust at him whenever he caught him sleeping. The guy really enjoyed using him as a test subject for some reason.

It was why Professor Oobleck had assigned him extra work after class, to catch him up with the lessons he had been missing and sleeping in. He understood that Jaune was dealing with some problems of his own, but that did not excuse him from his lessons. Luckily, Velvet had stopped by when classes were over with to pick up her bag she had left, and caught the lecture he had been given by the fast talking professor. Knowing he was having trouble, she had volunteered to help out with the extra readings he was handed, if it was alright with Oobleck which he whole heartily agreed. She was one of his brightest students, it would be great if her knowledge rubbed off on Jaune.

It was tiring, dealing with everything he's been dragged into by The Game, having a helping hand from a friend was much appreciated. And it was Velvet, hadn't hung out with her that much in his past life, this was perfect opportunity to increase his Friendship level with her. Not to mention she wouldn't ask questions on why he was sleeping in class like everyone else. Sometimes you just needed to get away from it all. Already messaged Ann that he wouldn't be showing up today, that he had to do some studying to make up for all the times he spent in the UGC. Hanging out with Velvet in the library to study sounded relaxing. He didn't have a Boss trying to tear him to bloody shreds while reading over notes.

Humming her little tune, Velvet couldn't help her dark brown eyes wandering over to Jaune curiously. Wraps of medical tape peeked out from his uniform collar along with a bandage rolled around his forehead. She could even see the dark bags under his eyes. No wonder he hasn't been doing well in History Studies, he looked half way dead on his feet. It looked like he was fighting to even keep his eyes open. She didn't know him very well, but even she knew that his behavior as of late was out of the norm. They were friends now, as little as they hung out with another, it was worrying seeing the normally awkward smiling boy in such a state.

That was why she wanted to help him with his extra work. To spend more time with him and see if she could help him with his problems. Jaune was a nice guy, not to mention he was actually cute. Made her giggle, it was almost as if they were going on a study date.

"Something funny, Velvet?" Jaune asked.

Velvet shook her head with a coy smile, "Nothing. Just thought of something. You wouldn't understand."

Jaune quirked a brow, shrugging his shoulders as he did. If it was nothing, then there was nothing to worry about. He lightly flinched as he caught his eyes shutting. Not again, he was dozing off even while walking. Good thing he wasn't going to Vale today, wouldn't be surprised if he was hit by a passing truck with how tired he was feeling.

The bunny faunus frowned, catching Jaune shake away his exhaustion. The knight really needed some shut eye, "Actually, do you think we should be studying right now? We could do this tomorrow, it seems like you should get some shut eye instead. Can't have you drooling all over the textbooks."

"I'm fine, just a little tired is all." he weakly argued receiving a flat stare in return.

"You were mumbling about little people and a whipping 'Snow White' in your sleep. Quite honestly I'm surprised you're even able to form a coherent sentence right now. You look ready to curl up on the floor and fall asleep right now." It looked like he was even smiling at the thought. What exactly was he doing that left him so exhausted?

Jaune could feel goosebumps crawl over his skin remembering his 'dream'. Lost Fairy Tales was both a bane and a boon. Diving into the book again had rewarded him the ability to use Spells, unlocked his Wisdom Stat, and rewarded him his first Spell, Reflect. Dealing with the story was a different matter. He could still feel the whelps left behind from Snow White. Why did she have to look like Weiss?

Guess he couldn't hide how tired he was feeling. 'I wonder if I can sneak some makeup from the girls, they have to have something that can hide the bags under my eyes.' The thought of using girls makeup should have never been an option, but he was use to it. Came with living with seven sisters. Besides, it wasn't like he was putting on lipstick, not after last time.

"I just need some coffee is all, must be from all the late night studying." he grinned tiredly.

Velvet's flat stare didn't drop as she raised an eyebrow accusingly. If he was up all night studying then he wouldn't be falling behind in class to begin with. In the end, she sighed as she shook her head. Who was she to be questioning him? As long as he understood that he shouldn't overdue whatever he was doing, then her mind would be at peace.

"Well, just remember to get a full eight hours of sleep tonight." she huffed as she steadied the books in her arms, "And I'm sure we can still grab a cup on our way to the library. Ozpin has the staff serving the stuff nonstop everyday. Personally, I don't drink coffee unless I have to study late at night, but my leader is a fan. Sometimes I wonder if Ozpin simply grouped my team together to make our team sound like coffee."

"Yeah, I wouldn't put it pass him." Their Headmaster was an odd ball at times. Still couldn't believe he sponsored the RWE. Which brought back the memory of his match against Yang in the ring. Who knew he had it in him? Got way too into character, he was lucky to be alive after it had ended. The only punishment he received for what he had done to Yang was upping their training sessions. And boy, did she beat the crap out of him, thank aura for being able to walk again, "I'm still dealing with the backlash of the RWE he allowed. I'm afraid of it blowing up online." Did not want to deal with that crap. Nora was already in the works on his own theme song along with scheduling future matches. He wasn't ready to be Jaune-Cena ever again.

"Oh! That reminds me!" Velvet's ears perked up as she remembered something she had forgotten. Coming to a stop, the long brown haired girl dropped her backpack to her side before leaning down to search through its contents. Unintentionally, she gave Jaune a good view of her rear wiggling as she rummaged for what she was looking for. Had to look away as a blush formed on his face.

'I did not take her as the kind for lace.'

With a small grin on her face, Velvet shoved an odd little plushy into Jaune's hands. A few seconds had passed before he realized what he was holding, "Is this. . .ME!?" he gaped. Yup, it was him, in plushy form. He was dressed in his Jaune-Cena uniform.

Velvet nodded happily, "Yes, it is. Me and Coco bought one while we were watching your wrestling match. They were too adorable to pass up! We also bought a few more like Nora the Pancake Diva." Coca had been the one to design the outfits, it was only natural that she would want to see them in plushy form.

Jaune didn't know what to say. It was flattering? Who even had time to make these things with such detail?

In her own dorm room, a short brunette girl sneezed loudly, the action causing her to bend over and smack her forehead onto her sewing bench. The bench blew up in a rain of splinters as Hera sniffed, smiling in apology at the stares her teammates were giving her. Looked like she was going to be late on that shipment of plushys for Ozpin.

"Do. . .you mind signing it?" she asked shyly as she rung her hands behind her back nervously.

"I guess?" Jaune scratched his head, not really expecting such a request. He didn't think he would be signing autographs until he had become a successful hunter in the future, "Do you have a pen?"

"Oh! Almost forgot." she laughed, knocking on her own head before bending back down to look for it.

'Must. Resist. Urge. To Look!' Couldn't she kneel down instead of bending over? Velvet was lucky their weren't any students around to sneak a peek at her skirt. Being a gentleman was a lot harder then it seemed.

"Here we go! Knew that little bugger was in here somewhere." Finding her pen in the clutter of her supplies, Velvet quickly handed it to Jaune, waiting patiently as he signed his signature on little Jaune-Cena's scarred chest.

That was something else that had caught her curiosity. She had never seen another hunter with such a horrid scar on their body. Even Fox had cringed a bit when he had seen it, and he had his own compare. The thing didn't cut across his skin, it cut right through his body like a knife to butter. How could you survive something like that?

"-And done!" finished writing his signature, Jaune smiled awkwardly as he handed his little me back to Velvet. It wasn't the best, but it would have to do for now. Gonna have to practice on that.

"Thank you so much, Jaune!" Velvet happily grinned as she hugged her little plushy. Coco was going to pout when she saw this. Though maybe it was better she hadn't met Jaune yet. While he looked good in his school uniform, she couldn't say the same for his hunter wear. Coco was all about fashion, if she saw him like that, Velvet feared that she might just bust out her machine gun and gun down his closet.

"I'm sure my leader will be jealous of this once she returns from Vale."

"Did you say Vale?" Jaune's heart stopped for a moment as the words registered. Now wasn't the best time to be hanging around the city. Holt was up to something, the police even believed that he had plans for this week. And Vytal festival was only three weeks away. He still wasn't as close to the leader of the FoF to know of what plans they had in store, but he had a feeling that they weren't going to be pleasant.

"Yeah? Why, is something wrong with that?" Velvet slowly nodded as she tilt her head in confusion.

"Nothing, its just that things aren't really safe in the streets right now."

Velvet didn't understand what he was getting at until it came to her, "You mean the Friends of Faunus?" she said with a somber look on her face, "Word about their organization has been spreading lately. I'm honestly surprised they're still active after all these years."

After all these years? "What do you mean? You're saying that they've been around for a long time?" He thought that only the police knew about that little fact.

"Sadly, yes." Didn't look like Velvet liked talking about it, she was rubbing her arm with sad eyes, "When I was a little girl, I had the misfortune of running into their group."

"You know, you don't have to talk about it."

The bunny faunus shook her head, "It's alright, we're friends after all." she grinned, "As your friend, I'd like their to be no secrets between us." Finally reaching the library entrance, the two hunters made their way to a more secluded area to talk and study in peace. Finding two bean bag seats in their search, Velvet and Jaune quickly settled themselves in.

It's been years since Velvet had thought of the FoF, mostly due to the painful memories it brought up as a child. Now though, she felt a little more comfortable talking about it with a friend, even if they weren't as close as two peas in a pod.

Popping open one of the books Professor Oobleck had handed Jaune, Velvet began to recount her tale, "When I was six years old, my little village had been hit with a horrible snow storm that buried our little cottage homes. No one could leave their homes and burying their way out was not an option. I guess I had been lucky though seeing as when the storm hit, I had been out playing in the forest and taken sheltered in a cave by the mountains close by. My mother always said to head for the mountains during the heavy snow storms that passed by, that way you wouldn't be buried alive." she could still remember the day clearly, the freezing snow and wind sending shivers down her body, "The storm raged for hours. I was so cold, it wasn't long till I began fall ill to a fever. Alone in the damp, freezing cave, I eventually tried to find my way back to my village. But the snow was clouding everything in sight, I was lost. To this day, I'm sure that I would have died." she said with a sad wistful smile.

"Must have been tough, being by yourself like that." Jaune frowned, picturing a small Velvet trudging the howling snow, her face red with a fever.

"It was, but luckily someone had found me." Velvet suddenly smiled, "I can't remember his name very well anymore, I don't think he even introduced himself, but he saved me from dying in the storm. I was a little apprehensive about him, he was a wolf faunus and my mother had read me stories of wolves gobbling up little bunnies that strayed away from home. But he was a kind man who did his best to treat me, picking me up and taking me to his own cottage far from my home. Somehow, it had endured the storm. He took me in, fed me, and treated my high fever. That man saved my life." The wolf faunus even reminded her of Yatsuhashi, he even carried a large blade with him. It was one of the reasons she had gotten along so well with her partner, he reminded her of the person who had saved her life so long ago. Her face lost its smile as it turned somber.

"Eventually, the storm died down after two days of raging on. My fever had gone down and I was ready to go home. He even promised to help dig up my home, boasting on about being able to clear away even boulders with one swing of his sword." she chuckled weakly, crossing her arms against her chest as the memories continued to play, "When we got there though, the village had already been dug up, but not by any hunters or the like. They were dressed in snow cameo and ski masks, carrying saw like swords with an odd skull marker on their backs."

"The FoF." Jaune had already familiarized himself with their little homing tokens. It was their insignia. To think they've been around that long.

Velvet nodded her head stiffly, "They said they were our friends, that they only wanted to help. It was a lie though. They boasted about helping us fit into society again, we were a village of faunus after all, and that they knew what was best for us." the bunny faunus gingerly ran her hand over her ear's at the memory, "They were going to cut off our faunus limbs. They had gone through all the trouble of saving my village, just to mutilate us. A few of the local faunus had already suffered to their 'humanization'. And the leader of their little group had aimed for me. The wolf faunus who had saved me didn't take kindly to them of course and attacked them. He was able to cut most of them down while urging the villagers to escape, leaving only a few to fight back with him. Unfortunately, I had been captured by their leader and was only moments away from having my little bunny ears sawed off."

"How did you escape?"

"I didn't, I was saved by the wolf faunus." she smiled bitterly, "I did try though, I remember flailing wildly as the man grabbed me by my ears, scratching his face in my struggle. Weird thing is, he didn't shout or scream at me in anger, he actually looked sad and remorseful. Just as he had reached for a hunters knife by his side, the wolf faunus shouted at him to stop. Only three of his men were left, the rest lying in their own blood by his hand. He pleaded with their leader to let me go, that he would do anything if he just let me go free. And the leader listened with a wide grin, but in exchange the wolf faunus would have to humanize himself in return."

Jaune held back a curse. The FoF sure was busy back in the old day.

"What happened next?" Jaune couldn't help but ask, his morbid curiosity getting the better of him, "What happened to the wolf faunus?"

Velvet shrugged with a weak frown, "I don't know. I didn't want to leave him behind, but he had screamed at me to run away and find my family. So I did. I was just a little girl who hadn't even had her aura unlocked, there was nothing I could do. Running away, it had taken me awhile to find them all, and after hours had passed we gathered the courage to see if the FoF had left our homes. They did, but they left behind their dead and some of our own who died fighting, even mutilated their faunus limbs. But I couldn't find any sign of the wolf faunus who saved my own life. To this day, I don't know if he survived or not."

There had been no sign of him when they had walked to the center of the village where the fighting had taken place. Not even his wolf ears. Some days her mind had wandered to the fate of her savior, hoping he had somehow escaped the FoF's clutches. As the years went by, she had thought the cruel group of humans had faded into the darkness, never to hurt another faunus as they had once done. There had been no mention of them since that fateful day, some part of her had hoped the wolf faunus had taken them down before disappearing back into his log cabin. But it had remained empty when she had ran off to find him days later, showing no sign that he had ever returned.

And now the Friends of Faunus were back, only this time they seemed to have grown bigger then before. It sickened her to think they had gathered followers in the city. For them to only be a bullhead ride away sent chills running down her body, she could still feel the ghostly hands pulling her up by her ears.

'And I'm hanging around them.' To think he was dealing with those monsters on a daily basis. And Ann was a part of their group too.

For the past two weeks, Holt had been trying to get him to join his cause, to free the faunus from their curse. The leader of the FoF always made it seem like they were doing the faunus a great service, that as their friends it was only right for them to help them fit into their society by any means necessary.

How could Holt say such things with a grin on his face? They had yet to say how they were making them fit into society, but Jaune already knew how they were going by it. By amputating what made them faunus. Did he think he was stupid? As if word about their organization hadn't been let out. The Vale Police Department had already released a statement about their 'social cause' and to stay away from them. So what was the point in trying to hide what they were doing? Was he trying to butter him up or something, make it seem like they were a group of good hearted people?

The case was coming to a close, thank god for that. Captain Rola said they only needed a few more days to gather enough information to storm their little hideouts and take them in. They just needed a distraction to take them by surprise, that way they wouldn't have to fear losing some of their own men in the raids. Jaune simply needed to discover the last of their hideouts before they could take any real action. It was almost over with, which meant he didn't have long to find a way to drag Ann out of the mess before things went downhill.

He just needed to give her a reason to leave that life behind her, to forget about all the Lien Holt offered her for her work in recruiting others into his organization and spotting through the rats that had wormed their way in. It was kinda baffling she hadn't found out he was working for the police, but he had earned her trust, that meant something to her, giving her no reason to dig through his profile. And it made Jaune feel worse knowing he was in a way betraying her by taking what she knew and giving it to the law to put them all away. It was for her own good, he kept telling himself. She didn't have to deal with those monster any longer, why couldn't she see that?

Jaune furiously blinked away the sleepiness from his eyes, squinting as his mind tried shutting down for some rest. No time for that, he just needed to keep this up just a bit longer! There was still much to do today to be sleeping away. Besides, he still needed to go over Oobleck's extra readings.

"I'm sorry to hear about your friend, Velvet." Jaune smiled sadly, only to wind up with a weary lift of his lips. Again, he fought the sleep, his head nodding off before he shook it away with a frustrated frown, "But I'm glad he saved your life, otherwise I would have missed out on having you as a friend." his eyes shut as he grinned tiredly.

Looking to Jaune's tired face, Velvet smiled back, shaking her own head with an amused giggle. No matter how hard he tried to fight it, he was tired. Forgot to grab that cup of coffee on their way here. At this point she was sure not even coffee could help him stay awake any longer.

Suddenly patting the blonde's head, Velvet brought it to rest on her shoulder, amused by the confused stare on Jaune's face as his baggy eye's looked to her.

"Yeah, I'm glad too. And as your friend, you'll have to forgive me for this."

Jaune weakly frowned as he tried keeping his eyes open, "Forgive you? For what-"

His blue eyes flew open in shock as a heavy pressure hit the back of his neck before slowly shutting close as his head lolled onto the brunette's shoulder. Velvet moved her aura clad hand back from his neck with an apologetic expression on her face. She didn't want to do it, but the blonde was too stubborn for his own good. Jaune needed his rest before he died of exhaustion. Good to know that chopping the back a persons neck actually worked, and here she thought it was a bunch of movie nonsense.

A small smile made its way to her lips at the sound of Jaune's soft snoring. Didn't look like he was going to be completing his assignments today. That was fine, she could make some notes for him instead. Couldn't have her friend failing in class now, could she? A little sleep wouldn't hurt him.

Turning her attention back to the textbook in her lap, Velvet went to work on the knights notes, relaxing as her eyes memorized the passages before grabbing her notebook and jutting down the important text. All while petting the blonde's hair back in her hands.

For study dates, this wasn't so bad.

---

In the main hideout of the FoF, a roar of applause broke out as sweating man was thrown onto his back by a clawed paw. The man flinched as he tried standing back up, only for the large form of an Ursa Major to swipe its claws at his chest. Four red lines cut open his vest, splashing blood onto the white mask of the dark bear as the man fell on his weak knees. The wounded man could do nothing but wince as the shadow of the beast fell over him, growling at him before it reared its arm back.

Cardin shook his head in disgust as he stood up from his seat, the sound of tearing flesh and something bouncing off the coliseum ringing in his ears as the crowd howled in approval. He passed by the grinning and cheering gamblers and members of the FoF as he made his way out of the stands.

The first time he had watched these games, he had been impressed by how the fighters were able to stand against the Grimm without their special weapons by their side. They were able to hold out using their aura and even their semblances. And they were winning. Until one had slipped up and died by the hands of an Alpha Beowolf. That was when he had seen the true horror of the UGC.

They were betting on lives here, for bloody sport. When he had found out about most of their fates, he blamed the idiots for throwing away their lives. It was their fault for what befell them. What did it matter if he walked away with a good handful of Lien if they died?

He wasn't like the rest of the trash betting on the fighters dying with sadistic grins on their faces. That was what he kept telling himself. He just listened to Holt on betting the right people who won or lost so he could rake in the Lien. That didn't mean he liked watching people die.

Cardin scratched his head with a sigh as he walked out and headed to where the FoF members hanged out. Three weeks, that's how long he had been coming here. Training under Naragami to improve his skills a hundred fold. While the ninja like man's training put him closer and closer to death with every spar, he couldn't deny the results. His hand to hand had improved, his strength had increased, and his handling with Beaufort was enough to drive Naragami into a corner. Even if Naragami always held back, progress was progress.

Still, it didn't mean he had fallen into their propaganda. Being a part of their organization was only an excuse to improve his hunter skills, it wasn't as if he was going to go do their bidding and chop off some faunus ears. He wasn't a mindless drone like the rest of those idiots, he still had a future to think about. Even if it was in danger with his connection to the FoF.

Now that he thought about it, it was about time he jumped off this crazy train before it crashed. The police were investigating their group, it wouldn't be long till they found their hideouts below Vale. With what he knew, maybe he could use it to keep them from locking him up. He hadn't done anything wrong other then betting Lien in these illegal games, the people he was around did worse then that. Besides, the police could use whatever information they could find to put them down. While he didn't discover his semblance yet, he had gotten more then enough from them to not need them any longer. Time to bail.

Stopping in front of the door to the FoF facilities, Cardin opened it to find several of its members running through drills. It was a basically a warehouse full of supplies and weapons, with upper railings leading to several rooms. Naragami stood in front of the recruits, smoking his cigar with closed eyes.

The recruits were in their uniforms, consisting of gray and white cameo pants and vest, black steel platted and tipped gloves, military boots with small knives sheathed in the boots, and military grade goggles over snow white ski masks and black feather tipped berets. Naragami was cruel making them work in their uniforms, it looked like they were sweating like crazy under them. Glad he didn't have to wear them.

"Did I say you could slack, #32?!" Naragami growled, refusing to open his eyes as he flung a star shaped disc at one of the men. Said man didn't stop practicing his hand to hand drills, simply tilting his head to the right, missing having the shuriken lodge itself in his face as it cut his cheek. Couldn't say the same for the guy behind him. Naragami sighed in annoyance as one of the men dropped to the ground, "Should have been watching yourself, #39. Someone check him for a pulse, I don't feel like making one of you dig another grave for another idiot."

"Barely breathing, Naragami-sama!" One of the FoF soldiers announced with a salute.

The rogue man tsked, tipping off his cigar as he rolled his shoulders, "Then take him to our clinic, can't lose another soldier if we can help it." Need all the man power they had for Holt's big plan.

Cardin watched as the one soldier nodded his head before dragging the bleeding and rasping man away. He stood by Naragami's side with a raised brow to his 'teacher', "Can't bother to learn their name, Nara?" he smirked.

"I have no use remembering a meat shield's name if they can't learn to dodge." The ninja grunted, blowing a ring out his cigar, "Now, what do you want, whelp? Can't you see that I'm busy at the moment? If you really feel like meeting lady death so early, then please, continue to waste my time."

'Am not going to miss you, you bastard.' As much help Naragami had been, Cardin was not going to miss the guy. He would have killed him if it wasn't for Holt stepping in every time Naragami had come close to dealing the finishing blow.

"I just wanted to let Holt know that I'm heading out now. Know where he is?"

Naragami gestured his thumb to the very top level of the railings, "Master is in his office." he gazed back at the brunette hunter with one lazy eye, "He actually wanted me to go find you. Says he has something to say to you."

"Know what it is?"

"Do I look like master's secretary? That's the orphan's job, not mine. Now get out of my sight before I start having you run drills along with these sacks of meat."

Several more shurikens flew out of his hand, narrowly missing the training soldiers limbs as they panted from their intense training. Nope, did not want to deal with that shit. No point seeing as this was the last time he was stepping foot here.

"I think I'll pass." Cardin said dully before leaving for the top of the facility. He left Naragami to his business as he continued to bark orders at his 'students'.

"Alright, meat sacks! Time for a break, drop and give me two hundred push ups and three hundred sit ups! Anyone caught slacking gets a senbon up their ass! Don't believe me? Ask # 41! First man to nearly die from needles up their ass!"

Definitely wasn't going to miss Naragami at all.

---

After climbing the labyrinth of railways, Cardin soon found himself standing in front of Holt's personal office. The place was designed more like a lounge then an actual office, large enough to be considered a small house. He knocked on the oak door, waiting for his signal to enter.

"Come in, I'm decent!"

Cardin grinned slightly, if their was one thing he was going to miss, it was Holt's attitude to things. While he seemed like a lunatic hell bent on cruel humanization of the faunus, he wasn't as serious as he thought he would be. Guy treated everything like it was a joke. Too bad he was a cult leader. Which kinda made sense when he thought about it.

Opening the door, Cardin stepped into Holt's personal work space. The inside was decorated like a lounge, comfy furred seat and couches, a warm fire place, and all the furniture was made of some kind of wood. The dead stuffed animals hung on mantles and pedestals were a bit much though. Holt loved to hunt, said it came with the look. If he wasn't a criminal mastermind, then he and Professor Port would have much to talk about.

Holt sat back in his seat by the fireplace, his hat resting by the little table next to him. Glass of wine in hand, the roguish blonde turned his head back, grinning at the sight of his little 'apprentice'.

"Cardin, my boy! I was looking for ya! I sent someone to find you in the coliseum below, but they said they didn't see hide nor hair of you. Got bored of the games, did you?" he smirked as Cardin made his way to his seat.

Something like that, "Watching guys die by Grimm gets tiring after a while. Especially when you tell me the winning results." What was the point in gambling if you always won?

"And girls! We don't discriminate around here." Holt chuckled. While it was rare for a woman to participate in the UGC, it had nothing to do with their policies. As long as they weren't faunus, they would have to be humanized first, then they could fight to their deaths if they wanted to. Odd they never had a volunteer, "Besides, a boy like yourself could use some Lien if they're enrolled in such a high class school like Beacon. Seems you aren't sponsored by your parents with what little you have."

At his words, Cardin couldn't help but frown at the thought to his parents, "My dad sends what he can every month, but he doesn't approve of me being a hunter. He wanted me to grow up as a councilman of our town like him. I'm lucky he sends anything to me at all." he scoffed.

His father was a bit of a touchy subject. If they thought Cardin was an asshole racist, then they never met Henry Winchester. The guy had had a ramrod tree up his ass. Sad thing is, his father was never as bad as he was now.

Holt hummed in interest, "That's fatherhood for you. I may not have any kids to my knowledge, but I like to consider my little orphan Ann as my own." he smiled softly. He could still remember the day he had found her, red hair sticking to her dirty face, hiding under a poorly made hut of cardboard in the pouring rain with a glare that could make the winter flinch, "Not every father is happy with the idea of their kids going off to learn how to fight monsters. Much less mothers. How did your mother take it?"

"I wouldn't know." A shadow fell over Cardin's face at the mention of his mother. He ground his teeth as her weak blue eyes popped up in his head, "She died before I even started combat school. All she knew was that I wanted to be a hero, just like the ones in the fairy tales she loved to read to me every night."

"Sad to hear, I'm sorry for your loss. I know I had gone through the same, only difference being that both my parents died." Holt could sympathize with Cardin, everyone had lost a loved one in their lives. Remnant was a dangerous world, death was no stranger, "But from your expression, I can see that her death didn't happen naturally. The last time I had seen such a fierce look on your face was when we had first met in Vale almost a month ago. Does this have to do with your hate towards the faunus? And here I thought it was because they were different." he said curiously, taking a small sip of his red wine.

"I'm not like those pieces of trash. I don't hate the faunus just because they look like animals, I hate them because they are animals!" Cardin shouted angrily, fighting the urge to break something close by. He was tired of those idiots comparing him to the rest of them! He had his reasons and they weren't stupid like the others. Who cares if they looked like freaks? That wasn't what made him hate them. No, he shook his head as memories of his past dug themselves up, those animals brought his hate onto themselves for what they did.

"Do you remember of a little peace festival in a small town called Canterbury?"

"Yes actually." Holt frowned as the town rung a familiar bell in his head, "If I recall, they held a rally along with a festival that would become an annual celebration between humans and faunus. And if I remember right, it's also one of the first public displays of White Fang terrorism. They hid dust bombs during the rally, activating them and killing dozens of innocent folks and sending many to the hospital. It's a pretty old event from my day, I'm surprised someone like you remembers it, must have been six years old when it happened."

"Try seven. Canterbury is my hometown, it's where my family lived when I was little. The festival was called Cheers Festival, and I should know more about it then anyone, my mother was the one to hold it." A sad smile made its way to Cardin's face, remembering the lively form of his mother. She was a beautiful woman, always smiling and helping anyone that needed it, be they human or faunus. Still didn't understand how a woman like her had fallen for a man like his father. But she was the one to always keep him in line, to see the broader side of the world. Hell, he stopped openly cursing the faunus of their town and even tried working alongside them, all because of his mother. She was a miracle maker.

"My father says I got my eye and hair color from her. Somehow, her genes had bypassed his own, its why I don't have black hair or brown eyes like him. She was as stubborn as she was beautiful, no one could stop smiling when she was around. She made you want to be a better person, she made you care about others. I'm actually surprised she had never run for town council, she would have broughg such a huge change to our town."

Holt nodded solemnly, sounded like a hell of a woman, "Sad I'll never get a chance to met her."

"Yeah, me too." he shut his eyes tightly. Even after so many years, he could still picture her bright smile, "It was ten years ago when my father earned a seat on the Canterbury council board after retiring as a hunter. With such power in his hands, he actually didn't know what to do with it all, he simply wanted the seat for the pay and respect. But my mother was beside him, and she had an idea that would help the town. She wanted to hold a festival, The Cheers Festival, an event that would unite both the people and faunus of our town together for one day, in hopes that she could show them that they could all get along with another and cheer for change. No matter how different we all were, she believed that we all shared one thing, hopes and dreams. She wanted to show everyone that they could make peace, that their was no need for hate. And the council agreed! With my father backing her up on the idea, they began plans to make her vision a reality. It was going to be an annual event, and so many people had pitched in to help out with setting everything up. My mother was so happy, seeing humans and faunus work together to break down the walls between them in our town, she actually cried once their hard work had payed off. It was going to be the first step to taking down discrimination in her eyes."

"But the event ended in a tragedy that had begun the White Fang's spree of terrorism." Holt knew of the event all too well. The Bombing of Canterbury Square, it was one of the White Fang's first violent acts as a peace group. It was the beginning of their plans of genocide.

"Everything had been going so fine when the festival had begun. People and faunus were laughing and enjoying the games and food offered before the rally had started. I was beside both my mother and father when they had settled everyone down in the town square. She had thanked everyone for all the help, tearing up at the large outcome of faunas and humans gathered around. But it was during her speech when things turned ugly." Cardin's face was livid with anger as he nearly broke the headrest of the furred lazy coach next to him with his grip, "Those fucking animals had been sabotaging the whole event from the start. Every faunus that had a hand in setting up the festival was part of the White Fang, back when they were considered a peace group instead of a terrorist organization. And in the middle of my mother's speech, they detonated the hidden bombs placed around the square, the biggest one hidden under the podium stage my family stood on. I nearly died that day if it wasn't for my mother shielding me from the blast with her own fucking body!"

"The worst part is that she hadn't even died in the explosion. She was alive, in her deathbed, when news of the White Fang's responsibility for the attack went live. And do you know what she did!? She fucking forgave them for being the reason she was dying in a hospital bed, connected to so many machines that the whole room became crowded by them! She wanted me to fucking forgive those piles of shit for not only killing her, but killing my unborn little sister!" he roared, finally losing his cool as he smashed the seat next to him with his fist, breaking it to bits. His right fist bleed, covered in splinters as his aura failed to protect him in his emotional state.

Cardin hung his head. His mother was only four months pregnant when she died from her wounds. He remembered how happy he was at the thought of being a big brother, to have someone else to play with when his parents were busy, to have someone to protect like a hero, to have someone to look up to him as the greatest person in the world. Only to have his happiness torn to shreds in the flames of the bombings. The smell of his mother's scorched flesh as she hugged his body with tears running down her bloody face never left his memory. Every time he looked at a faunus, he would see the faces of those who had killed his mother and sister.

"We hadn't even decided on a name for her when that bombing happened! My sister died along with my mother, without even having the chance to see her smiling face! That's why I hate those sick animals, because all they do is preach about equality and how their kind has been discriminated for hundreds of years, only to take us for suckers and kill innocent people for being human! All my mother wanted was for everyone to get along, and they decided to kill her for it?! And those bastards think I'm an asshole for not sympathizing with a species that wishes a genocide on even those that want to get along with them!? Well, I don't care if they think I'm an asshole, if I'm some racist bastard, if I'm some idiot who doesn't understand the faunus plight, because I have my reasons, and no one has a right to change what I think!"

The splintered seat in Cardin's trembling hands exploded in a plume of flames, blowing back Holt's hair as he blocked the flaming shrapnel with one hand. He quirked his eyebrow at the display, his brown eyes watching as Cardin panted heavily. Well, that was new. Despite the sad tale he just heard, Holt couldn't stop the grin on his face as he stood up from his seat and laid a hand on the madly trembling brunette boy.

"Cardin, I never knew just how tragic your reasons for hating the faunus had been. And here I am trying to make you see them as victims when you were one all along. Tell me, have you ever told this story to anyone else, but me?"

It took a moment, but Cardin managed to calm himself down from the rage to frown in confusion, "No, actually, this is the first time I had told this to anyone. Not even my own team knows about it."

"And why is that?"

Why did he tell Holt about his mother and sister? Cardin tried to think why, of all people, did he tell his tragic story to Holt, a man who wished to amputate faunus for their own good in his own twisted beliefs. The answer was actually simple, and Cardin didn't want to admit it, but there was a reason why he had told him. It was because Holt was his friend. The shaggy blonde wasn't like the rest who judged him, he accepted him for who he was and even tried to help him with his hate towards the faunus. While never forcing him to accept his ideals. It was because of him he had developed his skills to such a point he could stand toe to toe with some of Beacon's finest. Glynda had even been impressed by his growth rate, and it was all due to Holt's open hand.

Holt was his friend, despite everything he did. He was the only one he was going to miss when he left the FoF.

"You're my friend, I guess?" Cardin shrugged, looking away as he held his bleeding fist.

"And you would trust me with such a story? My boy, you have no idea how much that means to me." The gesture touched his soul. These last few weeks he had even begun to see Cardin as part of the little family he had gathered together. Perhaps it wasn't too late to get him to join his cause. He brought the boy in a one armed hug, patting his back.

"You've trusted me such a secret, as your friend it's only right that I trust you with my own. Tell me, you see me as your friend, why?"

"Well, you don't look down at my views for one. You've taught me to fight beyond my limit and protected me from dying by Naragami's hand when he went too far in our training. Every winning match in the UGC, you've told me who to bet on to help me pay for things I normally couldn't with what my father has given me. Without you, I'd just be another bully in school mouthing off to others who've pissed me off, now I actually stop to think about the things I say." Everything he had done for him had made Cardin a better huntsman. And Holt had never asked for nothing more then an open ear to his cause. Holt was his friend, his only true friend in the world.

Holt closed his eyes with a wistful smile, chuckling as he brought the boy closer.

"Even though I'm a faunus, just like the rest of them?"

Cardin's heart stopped as his eye's went wide in absolute shock. A deathly silence fell onto the room as the calm roar of the fireplace crackled. What the hell did he just say? His face broke out in a cold sweat, all energy in his body leaving him in the silence.

He was playing with him, right? This was some kind of sick joke to break the tension. So why wasn't Holt saying anything? There was no way he was telling the truth, he didn't look anything like a faunus!

The slight twitch of Cardin's aura healing his wounds was the only thing he could feel as he turned his deathly shocked eyes to the slightly grinning face of Holt.

"But. . .you're human!" He shouted in confused anger.

Holt nodded his head with a nonchalant shrug before pulling back strands of his unkempt shaggy hair. Pale scars greeted Cardin where a faunus would normally have ears, "Many years ago, when I was just a boy learning about this cruel world we lived in, I was left in a situation that forced me to not only cut off my own ears, but my tail. Since that day, I've been mistaken as human and treated fairly for it. I've never had to deal with discrimination like the rest of the faunus, other then doctors that have closely examined me, no one else but Naragami and Cross have thought of me as anything but human. Hell, Naragami and Cross were also born faunus till Naragami lost his arms. Poor Cross was brutally mauled by the Atlas Military, caught up in a cross fire and mistaken as White Fang. He's barely human now, most of his body is made of robotics and powered by Dust."

Cardin still refused to believe what he was saying. All this time, Holt was a faunus? But he was mutilating his own people! Who the fuck did that to their own kind?

"But you're trying to humanize your own kind! None of this makes sense!" he shouted.

"But it does! I'm doing my kind a kindness! Look at me." he gestured to himself with a wide grin, "You treated me like any other person, thinking I was human despite the fact I'm not. You made me human because you don't see the curse that's placed on me. That's why I'm amputating their stigma, they'll see that I'm doing them all a favor one day! I'm friend to all faunus, and soon they'll all be treated as they deserve, as proper humans!"

Holt's eyes softened as he watched Cardin step back with a look of fear on his sweating face. His mind was a jumble of mixed emotions right now. All this time, he had been hanging out with a faunus without ever knowing it. Cardin grit his teeth, his face scrunching up as he tried to clear his head.

What the hell was he suppose to say now!? He felt betrayed that someone he had grudgingly come to see as a friend had been lying to him about something so important. And the idiot was still grinning about it!

"Why?" He hissed with an angered look of betrayal on his face, "Why the fuck are you telling me this now!? Why the fuck would you lead me on like his!? What was the point in all this if you knew how much I hated the faunus, how much I would hate you!?"

"Because I wanted you to see first hand that my cause actually works! I'm a human now, I'm nothing like those poor animals! Don't you see, all it takes is a simple amputation and the world will see them as humans. You never for a second thought I was a faunus till I revealed it to you, and that's because I see you as more then just a friend, you're like one of my own."

"Tell me, do you see me as a faunus after what I told you?" Holt frowned as his voice lost its playfulness and became serious, "Do you see the faces of the savage animals that took away your mother and sister, leaving your own father to wallow in grief over the remains of his family. Tell me now, and if you wish to never speak to me again, then I'll leave you be. This, I swear on my word as a gentleman." he swore, crossing his heart.

Hesitation. Why was he waiting to tell the bastard off for what he did? He was a stinking faunus, an animal that would tear his neck out if he dropped his guard for even a second. Yet there he was, hesitating to say he was done with the FoF, done with dealing with him. That was why he had come up here for in the first place. What had changed? Revealing that he was a faunus should have had him scrambling to get the hell out of the underground lair of criminal activity. So why couldn't he come up with anything to say?

In the end, no matter how hard he tried to see Holt as one of the savage animals responsible for his mother and sister's death, he couldn't do it. All he could see is Holt, the man who had helped him grow as a huntsman. He shook his head with a pained grimace, "I can't. I wish I could, but I can't!" he shouted, angry with his himself for his weakness.

Holt smiled widely, patting the boy on the back reassuringly, "That's alright, my boy. I know the news is hard to handle right now, but you'll see. You and I can save the faunus, make them human like you and I! Even if you don't yet accept my ideals, I'm sure in time you'll understand. For now though," he said excitedly as he let Cardin go. The young huntsman looked at him in confusion as he spread his arms boisterously, "I have something special planned for you tomorrow! I found something 'special' while reviewing the video footage to some broken down Atlesian Knights from an SDC wreck, and I'm a hundred percent sure that you'll love it! Consider it your initiation as a soldier to the FoF."

"I never said I was joining your cause." Cardin frowned as he got a hold of himself.

"I know, but after this initiation, I'm sure you'll be joining us." Holt chuckled deeply, his grinning turning savage for a moment, "Call it justice if you will. There's no doubt in my mind that you'll accept my invitation after tomorrow, hell, I'm so confident that I'll let you leave, knowing secrets and all, if you don't join. That's how sure I am." he said confidently.

Doubtful, but Cardin could give him the benefit of the doubt. He could leave after it was over with if he wanted to, right?

"How do I know I can trust you?" Cardin said suspiciously, earning him a wider grin and a blunt object pressing against the back of his head. His body froze in fear at the sound of a bullet loading into a chamber.

"That's simple, Cardin." Stepping out of the shadows of the lounge, Ann's green eyes glared at his back as his blue eyes turned to find her walking next to the creepy masked form of Cross and his sniper longsword ready to blow his brains out. Her hands rested in the pocket of her favorite hoody, popping her gummy treat as she smirked knowingly, "The fact is, we already know you were planning on leaving the FoF for some time now. I've been keeping my eyes on you and noticed your behavior hasn't been pro FoF. Cross here could honestly kill you on the spot for your ratty behavior."

"One round, that's all I need." Cross nodded as his green trifocal lenses dyed into a deadly red.

"Honestly, I don't want to kill you, Cardin. I really don't." Holt sighed heavily as he walked to the mini fridge across the room. Finding his favorite cooled liquor, the shaggy blonde loaded his crystal glass with ice before pouring his drink, "But I'm so close to showing the world what my organization is capable of. Tomorrow, along with your little initiation, we attack the White Fang. With little Ann and Cross working together, we've found one of their major hideouts along with little refuges and we plan to give them an option, either live as humans, or die as animals. We will save those animals from themselves, and soon they will know the joys of being free from their curse."

"So you're basically threatening me to accept your gift under death? Way to convince me." Cardin could feel his eye twitch as he spoke dryly. As if his opinion on them couldn't go any lower.

Holt shrugged without a care as he downed his drink, "Like I said, my plans are about ready to hatch. Despite how much I like you, I ain't taking a chance on them falling apart if you go running your mouth off to the police. Besides, it only shows how confident I am that you'll join us. It wouldn't hurt you to keep quite about our little club for another day," he grinned, his sharp canines glinting dangerously as Cross fingered the trigger to his weapon, "Would it?"

Didn't have much of a choice. Cardin wasn't happy about it, but he knew that if Holt wanted him dead, then Cross wouldn't have any trouble in taking him out. The barely human man had deadly accuracy, must be his semblance. In a way, it was Cardin's own fault for the mess he found himself in now. He was man enough to admit it. Should have never taken the bastards invitation back then.

Hated to say it, but he was actually really curious to what Holt wanted to give him too. The guy had never spoken so confidently before. What the hell did he have that would make him join the FoF? Said something about justice, whatever that meant.

For now, Cardin had no choice but to grudgingly accept Holt's offer, "Fine, I'll take that gamble of yours. I doubt your gift will be enough to make me abandon my dream of being a hunter."

"We'll just have to see then." Holt chuckled as he snapped his fingers. Nodding his head, Cross sheathed his weapon before stepping back, "Until then, have a nice day, Cardin."

Tendrils of darkness from below Cardin's own feet uprooted around him, twisting around his body before enclosing him in a shell of shadows. The boys shocked face was the last thing he saw before being plunged into the pool of shadows.

The grizzled blonde cracked his neck with a sigh as he went back to his seat. As much as he liked the kid, he wasn't taking a chance on him leaving just yet with doubt in his mind. If he got to the police somehow, then all would be for nothing. No, it was better to keep him at headquarters for another day until he passed initiation. At least Naragami would finally stop bitching about the kid never getting his hands dirty.

"That was pretty reckless, boss." Ann glared at the back of Holt's head as he relaxed by the fire. She didn't hear much of what the two had been talking about, only the end bits when she suddenly found herself being plunged into his Shadows, but she knew enough about giving the guy the chance to leave with such important information, "Even if he had a Marker on him, he's a hunter, his school would scramble to find his body and once they found it dead like the rest, the investigation would be too much for even us. Besides, who knows if he's told anyone about where he's been going, you didn't feel like placing a Marker on him like the rest." she scoffed.

Holt hummed, "Really, now? Don't be such a hypocrite, Anabel. After all, I let that friend of yours join in without ever placing one on him. For all I know, he could be a rat and you wouldn't even know it."

"He's not." Ann hissed, her knuckles cracking at the thought, "And he's no friend of mine, I'm simply repaying a debt. I could care less what happens to him." she said to herself as she looked down.

"Good to know. Because he's going to have to go through initiation as well tomorrow. Jaune's been doing great in the matches below, he's a fan favorite by now. And with all that he knows about us, it's only right that he officially joins us. Loose lips sink ships, this will determine just how committed he is to our cause." Holt grinned as he stared into the fireplace, the flames dancing around his brown eyes, "If he fails, well nothing to worry about, he's not your friend, so why cry over a dead body? And if he pulls it off, then we earn a skilled hunter to fight besides us. It's too late for him to back out now, don't you think?" he chuckled darkly.

Ann bit her lip as she turned away. He was right, for almost two weeks Jaune had stopped by the UGC to fight, during the days Cardin was absent. He knew too much to be allowed to walk away now. And with their plans finally coming to completion they couldn't have any loose strings. Jaune had a choice now, either join their cause, or die. Damn idiot, she told him he had a chance to walk away from it all, now he had no choice but to go through with their initiation. His career as a hunter would be over with by the end of tomorrow, one way or another.

And the thought twisted her insides for some reason. Ann didn't want to admit it, but these last few weeks had been fun. It's been so long since she enjoyed herself with another person like that. Jaune was becoming less of a debt to repay. He was slowly turning into a friend.

"I. . .don't care. Do what you want." Turning away from her boss/caretaker, Ann lifted up her hood over head as she walked away. She took out her scroll to read over her messages, finding one from said blonde idiot.

He wasn't coming over today. That was a good thing, she supposed. He had promised to grab a bite to eat today, but he would have wound up like Cardin, trapped by Holt's Semblance, Shadows. Better to enjoy his last day with people that actually cared about him then her.

Watching as his little left hand shut the door behind her as she left his private office, Holt turned to the quiet form of Cross still standing by.

"You've confirmed the identity to the girl on the Atlesian Knight's camera, right?" he said with narrowed eyes, "I can't be abducting an innocent human girl in public on wild guesses, Cross. If this is true, then our little Cardin will be more then pleased with our little initiation gift."

Cross nodded his head as he took out his own scroll. He stretched out the screen, allowing for a wide tablet screen as he played the footage salvaged from the pieces of Atlesian military hardware. Two White Fang members could be seen tearing apart the mechanical knights to pieces, the one standing out the most being the red haired grimm masked man using iaido to cut the bot watching in half. The video began to turn to static but not before catching the full face of the bow wearing raven girl passing by its body along with the redhead.

"Ann herself has matched the girl on the video with a Beacon student with her network of connections on the street of Vale. She's been seen with a group of other huntresses as well, along with Jaune Arc and who we believe to be his own team. It is with no doubt in our mind that the girl is, or was, a member of the White Fang along with having connections with their current leader, Adam Taurus."

"Good to know." Holt smirked savagely, his eyes gaining a cruel glint by the fire's glow, "Tomorrow, we attack the White Fang and make the message crystal clear as can be. Unfortunately, the police will become a problem during our little attack, so I'll divide the troops. Cross, you will be taking care of the law, just like the White Fang, send them the message not to get in the way. Kill a moderate amount, okay? Naragami will take our best and strike, humanizing as many as can be. By the time I'm done welcoming our two new members to our cause, Naragami will have drawn out their leader and I'll have made it there to finish him off. There's no saving their leader from the animal he has become." he said mercilessly.

Cross nodded his head as he shut his scroll. If they were to begin their next phase, then he'd better start packing the necessary Dust rounds for his mission.

"Understood, master. I'll begin preparations post haste." Tomorrow was going to be a big day. The White Fang had long ago made Remnant acknowledge their cause, now was the Friends of Faunus turn.

With Cross now gone to ready everything for tomorrow's bid events, Holt could finally relax back into his seat. He could clean up the mess Cardin made later. Wasn't going to have much time to lounge around after everything was in motion.

---

Hidden away in Vale within their own hideaway, a lone man with spiky red hair, grimm mask, and black trench coat was surrounded by several mechanical knights. Their metal hands shifted into blades, ready to cleave the red horned man to bits. They circled their target before jumping towards him with their blades raised high.

Several lines sliced into the bots with the lightning quick slashes of an angry red chokuto blade. The training drones fell to sparking shambles as their attacker swiftly sheathed their blade back into their sheath. One of the knights weakly raised its arm to the red haired man, shifting its blade into a gun turret. The red haired man paid it no mind, aiming his sheath which resembled a rifle at the robotic before pulling the trigger. A loud boom echoed in the room as the man walked away from the sparking metal corpse.

"As always, your skills seem to grow with every win, Adam." Stepping out of the shadows of the various Dust shipment carts around the training room, the White Fang Lieutenant clapped his hands as his leader went to set up another round by the controlling module to the end of the room. It was little something they had been able to snatch from the SDC during one of their raids. Came in handy when they were training.

"Practice makes perfect. I don't like working with those humans, but I will say that they can be of use when they can. The Lien and Dust they've offered us will come in handy tomorrow." Adam smirked as he worked over the controls. He just needed to trash a few more of their training bots before he was ready.

The Lieutenant nodded his head as he leaned back on a crate, "The Friends of Faunus have become a real nuisance lately. A small shop we've been hiding Dust was recently attacked by their troops, we weren't able to get their in time to stop them from 'humanizing' some of our men." he scowled deeply behind his own mask, clenching his fist as he recalled the states they were left in. And they called them animals?

The FoF hadn't changed a bit since that day.

"Don't worry, it will all be over with tomorrow." Stepping back into the middle of the dark lite training room, Adam prepared himself as seven more knight's sprung out from some of the metal crates in the room. He weaved through the raining bullets, striking back at the few shots that got close and sent them back into a few of their skulls. Skidding by the bull faunus, one of the droids swung their blade at his chest, only for some unseen force to chop it off. Adam grinned at the stumped robot, flicking his blade by his side. With incredible speed, Adam rapidly sheathed and unsheathed his blade, cutting apart the training droid into pieces. Another presence aimed for his back. He raised his sheaths rifle behind his shoulder, firing a round into the droid before swiping his blade at the three charging at him, decapitating their heads from their shoulders.

The last of the droids used the deaths of its brothers as a distraction to run into Adam's guard, its blade glinting in the darkness as it readied it to plunge into his chest.

Adam grinned cruelly, his red chokuto blade glowing an ominous dark red, "De-Fang!"

His glowing blade passed harmlessly into the knight's chest, failing to stop it from stabbing its blade into his heart.

The hand blade shattered upon impact, its strength failing it as the rest of its arm broke apart. It looked to the masked face bull faunus, Adam's grinning face being the last thing it saw before several glowing red lines lined its body. It collapsed to shambles a moment later.

Swiping his blade to rid it of the oil and dust that powered the training knight, Adam was happy to feel a new strength coursing through his body.

'Congratulations! You've leveled up! +5 Skill Points! Chokuto Mastery, Leveled up! Rifle Mastery, Leveled up! Iaido Mastery, Leveled up!'

"That's enough for today, I suppose." he said smugly to himself as he canceled the training program, "Ready our troops, I have a feeling we'll be expecting some company from our 'friends.'" he sneered.

"Understood. We'll be ready by morning. Should we tell Cinder about our problem?"

"Course not. We don't need the humans help with this. I'll be sure to end this little movement myself." Walking away from the mess of sparking limbs and bits, Adam left the lieutenant to begin preparations. A blue pop up screen unseen by any floated in front of him as he stopped by the door out.

'Trial By Fire, only 1 Day away! All available Players may participate in tomorrows Event for their chance at EXP Boosts, New Rewards, New Bosses, and much more! PvP will be unavailable, so Death by Player will not result in a Resurrection! Good Luck, and have Fun!'

If there was one thing Adam enjoyed about constant resets, it was the Remixes that would pop up every once in a while. Made things much more exciting.

Adam smirked as he walked out, preparing himself for the eventful day to come.

Who know's? Maybe he'd finally get the chance to meet the new Player in The Game. And send him a message not to get in his way. There could only be one winner after all.

---

DLC #4: Snow WhiteMares.

Jaune winced as he held a pack of ice to his bruised face. He just finished what was the first of many hand to hand training drills with Yang and was now resting back on his comfy bed. He didn't realize how much he loved it till he spent a day away from it. Now he could understand Ren's love for his own.

The blonde knight sighed as his aura went back to work on healing his wounds. It was working on overtime without pay today after all the punishment he had to go through. Yang really didn't know how to hold back, or she didn't feel like it. Even without her shotgun gauntlets on her, the busty blonde could still knock him several feet back with her fist. For now, he was simply going to have to bear with it as he learned to fight without his weapons by his side. He needed all the advantages he could get if he was going to beat The Game and its cruel script. At the thought of advantages, his blue eyes peeked to JNPR's bookshelf where an old, leather bound book was left to gather dust.

Lost Fairy Tales had been a crazy adventure he wasn't sure he had been ready to dive back into again after meeting Little Red Riding Hood, his memory was still fuzzy on what she had done to him. Why was it so hard to learn if he was still a virgin, he needed to know for references sake!

The book had rewarded him a nice +7 to his Speed, allowing him to use Gale Speed for the first time during his fight with the Atlesian Spider, who knows what other goodies it could reward him? He needed an extra advantage if he was going to take down the FoF and take Ann away from their clutches.

Seeing as the rest of his team was busy getting ready for bed, Jaune decided to take another look at Ozpin's gift. After all, he couldn't judge a book after reading only one chapter.

With the old book now in his hands, Jaune went back to his bed, groaning lightly as his aching body settled in for another wild ride. It wasn't like he was going to face another boss, even he wasn't that unlucky.

The familiar rays of blinding light greeted Jaune once again as his mind was transported into the land of fairy tales of old.

It was true that one shouldn't judge a book by its first chapter alone, but their were some books you just had to stop reading and throw into the fire after reading what would follow.

---

Once again, Jaune found himself opening his eyes to a strange new world. His clothing had been changed into some old form of huntsman clothing. A sheathed sword was tied to his belt as he stood in front of an odd log cabin in the woods. As if this wasn't reassuring. The last cabin he visited held a sexy yet crazy version of Ruby in it. He sighed as he made his way to the only thing in sight. Didn't have much of an option unless he dared to venture into the woods.

He knocked onto the door of the cabin. It actually looked a little smaller up close. Hushed whispers could be heard from within the house along with the sounds of things being moved around in a hurry.

The door opened with a creak, a small set of eyes peeking out from the crack to glare at him.

"For god's sakes, not another one! What the hell is it with you humans and wandering into our home? It's called private property for a reason!"

Jaune scratched the back of his head with an apologetic smile, "Sorry for bothering you, but can you tell me where I am? I'm kinda lost out here."

The small man behind the door grumbled, "What else is new? At least you have enough manners not to barge in here, unlike a certain someone."

"Is she back!? We haven't cleaned the place yet! I'm not ready for another whipping!"

"I am~!"

"Shut the fuck up, Per!"

"I'm still trying to clean out the stains from her chains! Blood does not come out as easy as you'd think."

"The horror! The pure, hardcore +18, horror!"

"Where the fuck do we find high class whip cream in the woods!?"

Over the sounds of feared panic, Jaune began to have second thoughts on knocking on the little peoples home. Whoever they were talking about did not sound like the kind of person he wanted to met.

Closing the door for a moment, the small man opened it back up after undoing the locks to their door. The small man sighed wearily as he looked up at the tall blonde standing outside their doorway, "Come on in, boy. I believe we have a map to help guide you out of the woods. Hurry up though, it's only a matter of time before 'she' comes back." the dwarf shivered, already hearing the uptight laugh of the devil woman in his ears.

Thanking the man, Jaune stepped into the smallish home. Six more small men were running around the rather spacious home, sweating madly as they scrambled to clean the place up. It was clean as could be from the looks of it, why were they doing all the extra work? Must be neat freaks.

They actually looked like dwarfs, just like in the stories his mother would read to him when he was little. Even dressed just like them.

Leading the blonde boy to a desk nearby, the grumpy dwarf sifted through its contents to find the map. Must be in here somewhere, unless one of his brother's used it as a paper airplane again. Damn idiots.

Feeling something tug on his pants leg, Jaune turned his eyes down to meet the glasses wearing dwarf next to him with a look of curiosity.

"Can I help you?" he asked as the dwarf smiled.

"Actually yes. If I may introduce myself first, my name is Spec." he smiled proudly, adjusting his spectacles as another dwarf with burnt clothing and red hair came up to him.

"And my name is Ars. Say, you got any matches on you?" he grinned wildly, his fingers twitching as he bounced on his little feet.

Smacking the short twitching man, a one eyed dwarf wearing a bandanna and eye patch growled, "Don't give this fool anything that can start a spark. We're lucky to have enchanted this place from coming down in flames like the last cabin. Name's Artil, and if you need any kind of firepower," he smirked, pointing a very large magnum at Jaune's temple with a dark glint, "I'm your dwarf."

Where the hell did he pull that from? It was bigger then Artil's arm!

"Ignore him, there's a reason he only has one eye." Busy beating a hung carpet with a wooden bat, long purple dyed haired dwarf with mascera on his eyes, punk clothing, and painted nails, sighed depressingly, "I'm Got, and I'd run away if I were you. I've discovered the true meaning of pain in this world, and even I'm thinking of converting into a productive member of society after the horrors brought on by that woman."

"Cheer up, Got! At least you're no longer trying to hang yourself anymore!" a brunette dwarf with a bright smile said happily as they helped beat the carpet, "Hap thinks you look better since the princess has visited. Hap thinks you should give her and the new stranger a chance!"

"I'll eat your happiness."

"That's the spirit!"

Jaune blinked at the odd assortment of dwarfs. The one's in his mother's bedtime stories were quirky and charming in their own ways. These guys were anything but. He didn't know what to say as he watched the dwarf named Got begin to beat Hap with his bat, all while the little man laughed without a care in the world. Artil was egging him on as Ars went to play with the kitchen stove, clapping gleefully as the paper in his hand went up in flames.

"Is this normal?" he asked, watching as Ars swung too wide and smacked Artil with his bat. The one eyed dwarf growled angrily before tackling Got and pistol whipping him, all while Hap cheered it all on.

"Yes, I'm sure Ang will stop them though." Spec nodded, just in time as the bald dwarf finally lost his cool.

"WILL YOU IDIOTS SHUT THE FUCK UP!? I'M TRYING TO HELP THIS KID OUT!" Ang roared with a red face, his temple pulsing as his brothers stopped their horsing around. He slapped his face, dragging it down with a glare, "For fucks sake! Per is actually the only one behaving right now!"

"I know, right?" A normal looking dwarf with a short hair and plain clothing commented as he washed the dishes, "Usually I'm stirring the pot. With my dic-"

"Not now! You were good for almost five minutes! Don't start your shit now!"

'Maybe I should just go? I don't think I'll get anything out here.' Jaune slowly backed away from the little dwarfs, better off braving the woods then staying another minute in this nut house. He was a few inches from the door when Spec dove for his leg, stopping him from moving another step.

"Please, don't go!" Spec cried out, his face sweating in fear. It was completely opposite of the behavoir he was displaying earlier. Kinda freaked Jaune out, "You're our only hope of ridding us of our nightmare!"

"Nightmare?" Jaune frowned, "What nightmare? You guys seem to have a nice looking home here. Doesn't exactly scream nightmare to me."

"You should have seen it a few days ago." Per muttered to himself before sculpting two large melons on his chest with bubbles, "Look! Tits! Aren't they big? I'd like to think I'd find love with a rack like this." he sighed with a dreamy smile before realizing what he had made, ". . .I'll be right back, there's something I need to to take care of in the bathroom for ten minutes."

"Walk another step, and I'll have Got read to you from his journal of poems." Ang growled before turning his eyes back to Jaune, "Look, kid, our home may seem all nice and cozy right now, but we're men, it wasn't so clean before the she devil invaded our lives. That uptight little brat simply showed up one day and we found her sleeping in Hap's bed without a care in the world. Worst of all, she didn't even apologize for breaking and entering. She simply began whipping us around like we were her slaves, shouting orders like she owned the place!"

Jaune winced as the seven dwarfs shivered, didn't sound like someone he wanted to met, "Okay, but what does this have to do with me? I can't get rid of her for you, my father taught me never to mess with a woman wielding a whip, the Arc men are not masochists, despite what others might say."

"But you can!" Spec grinned, "She's a princess. All she needs is to find a man to marry, and we'll be free of that evil witch."

"I somehow doubt that will get her to leave."

"Well too bad!" Artil shouted with a twitching grin, his brothers standing behind him with various sharp weapons and loaded guns. Using a humming Hap as a stool, the gun fanatic dwarf stared into Jaune's eyes as he pressed the muzzle of his magnum against his temple, "I'm pretty fucking tired of washing by bed sheets because of one miniscule particle of dust! If a man will get her to leave, we'll just have to make do with you! Now, pucker up, pretty boy! You got a wedding to doll up for!"

Jaune gulped as the small men chuckled to themselves with glee. He hadn't even met the woman, and he was already planning of ways to run from the altar.

---

Under threat of being riddles with bullet wounds, and being burned on a stake by a very excited Ars, Jaune was soon nicely dressed up for his wedding date outside their home. He sighed as he picked at the fabric of his new clothes. They didn't have tux on them, but Hap was a whiz at knitting and fabric design. The little guy gussied him up like a noble prince with fancy little gold medals on his blue suit. Even had a little red cap draped over his right shoulder. Ruby would be jealous.

After drawing straws, Hap was the unlucky one the brothers to go find the devil woman in the woods while the rest kept Jaune company. Or hostage. Honestly, they were the same thing for a groom about to be wed.

Lost Fairy Tales was more trouble then it was worth. First time he dived into the strange book, he walked into a nice cottage house with a sexy version of Ruby murdering a wolf in her anime obsessed grandmother's bed. Now he was off to be married to a woman he had never met. The only thing he knew about her was that she wielded a whip.

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do to get me out of my own wedding?" Jaune groaned loudly, only to revieve a whack to the back of his head with a pistol, "Oww! All you have to say is 'no'!"

Spec rubbed the back of his small neck sheepishly, "Sorry, I'm a bit on edge. This was the only plan I could think of that didn't involve straight up murder."

"Me and Artil were all for it." Got butted in as said dwarf nodded his head with a cackle, "I wanted to see if my black magic actually worked. Paid twenty Jewels for the self help magic book. Damn pixie better not have screwed me over again like she did with those monkey heads."

"Where is Hap with that woman anyways?" Ang scowled as he lite up a smoke. He had gone days without one since she broke into their home, "I want to get this shit done with and live my life as a free man!"

"That makes one of us." Jaune pouted. This was all a game, he wasn't really going to be married in real life. Just like he was still a virgin. Maybe. What the hell did Red do to him once things went white?

Jaune sighed at his dilemma. What was it about him that made the world dump him into these crazy situations? Was it the blonde hair? It must have been the blonde hair, he nodded. His kind was being fucked with for amusement.

Running footsteps could be heard drawing closer to them before a panting Hap skidded to a stop in front of them. Even when he was out of breath, the little guy could still smile. What a trooper. Or nutjob.

"Great news, guys!" he happily cheered, drawing their attention to the very excited little man, "The bitch is dead!"

"WHAT!?"

Hap nodded his head with a bright grin at the dark news, "Yuppy! Found her in the forest taking a dirt nap. She even snores when dead, who'd a thought?"

Ang's brow twitched before smacking the smiling loon upside his head, "You idiot! She's not dead, she's sleeping! The fucks wrong with you, getting our hopes up like that!?"

"But she wouldn't wake up no matter how loud I sang the 'Good Morning, Good Morning' song to her! And you know how much she hates my jolly music." The happy little man sniffed as he held the bump on his head.

Jaune frowned at the news. Was she alright? Didn't matter if he would have to deal with the threat of marriage, it wasn't right to leave a woman by herself in the woods, especially if she was under some deep sleep.

Scratching his chin, Spec hummed to himself in thought, "Must be witchcraft of some sort. Didn't that old woman with the evil grin say she was going to 'take care' of Snow earlier?"

Per nodded his head, sticking his tongue out with a grimace, "Yup, had to tell her where Snow was to get her to leave. I ain't in to old ladies, least not anymore. It's all about the ass with this man today."

"Where is she?" Jaune asked as he knelt down to the smiling dwarf's level. He grabbed Hap by the shoulders, looking him straight in the eye with urgency, "We can't just leave her out there by herself. As an Arc, it's my duty as a hero to save her, even if it means you guy's threaten to marry me off to her." It was the right thing to do. Despite what picture the little men had painted of this 'Snow', Jaune wasn't about to leave the poor woman to a deep sleep.

"She's in the middle of the forest. I found her in some glass casket of some kind. Which is weird." Hap gestured his finger behind him to the wood entrance, "All you have to do is keep running straight, and you'll find your sleeping beauty."

Smiling gratefully at the odd little man, Jaune ran back into the cozy home, running back out with Crocea Mors strapped to his waist, "Thanks, got any idea on how to wake her up, Spec?" he asked as he stopped a few feet from entrance to the enchanted woods.

"I think I read somewhere that a deep sleep can be broken with true loves first kiss."

"Nope, you got that off my police report. I want this to be on the record, drinking your date under the table with hard alcohol does not constitute date rape. She was mumbling and seeing weird pictures, I take that as consent dammit."

Jaune shook his head at the odd group of little men. Was not going to question it. With a wave good bye, the blonde knight ran off in search of his princess.

Seeing the blonde boy disappear into the thick of tall green trees, Ang began barking orders, "Alright, bitches! We have half an hour to pack up and head for the hills! We can mine our black market Jewels there from prying eyes! And someone, undue the enchantment on the place, it's time to let Ars have his fun." he grinned darkly.

"Woohoo! I'll get the gasoline! There won't be a light in the sky brighter then my burning star tonight!"

---

Jaune huffed and panted as he ran through the thick bushes and trees. The damn place was a maze of nature. His aura was healing every scratch dealt by their whipping branches. Hap said that all he needed to do was run straight ahead, so where was she? How far away was she?

The foliage began to clear as Jaune found himself stopping by a riverside clearing. The sun peeked through the trees as its rays shined down onto the object of his search, a crystal clear coffin that sparkled under the sunlight. Taking a moment to catch his breath, Jaune slowly walked over to the fragile looking case, his breath suddenly robbed of him as he finally got a look on the supposed 'she devil'.

Within the see through coffin a tall woman, with ebony dark hair done in a long ponytail over her shoulder, laid below soft white sheets. She wore a blue dress with a yellow skirt and a red bow tied to her hair. Her skin was pale as the moon, and her lips looked soft and glossy, as if asking to be kissed. Jaune's heart skipped a beat at such beauty. She looked like a dark haired version of Weiss, only with a slightly bigger chest.

This was the monster the dwarf's had been talking about? She looked like an angel, an angel sleeping peacefully under the sun. In a coffin. Who the hell made coffins like this? And how the hell did they find her and put her in there so fast?

Jaune swallowed, his heart beating faster with every second that ticked by. She was under a deep sleep, if it wasn't for the slight rise of her chest then he would have thought her dead. All he had to do, to release her from whatever curse she had placed onto her, was kiss her, right? True love's first kiss. Maybe this was it, his heart had always been set on Weiss, maybe this was sign. His virginity was a mystery to him at this point, but he knew for a fact his first kiss had been with Weiss before his death and reset. Hopefully this would count too.

It was his job after all! To save the poor woman from such a fate. A little kiss wouldn't hurt.

The rushed clop of horse steps broke Jaune's musings as a white stallion skidded to a halt into the clearing. The blonde suddenly found equally blue eyes staring back at him from the horse's rider, a tall dashing man with perfectly combed over dark hair, princely attire, light tan skin, and a winning smile on his perfectly chiseled face. The handsome man gracefully stepped off his steed, patting it on its head before turning his dazzling smile to the blonde boy by the crystal casket.

"My eyes! Dear god, they're so bright!"

"Sorry about that, friend." the dark haired prince apologized sincerely as he made his way towards him, "My crystal bright white teeth tend to have that kind of affect on people. Leaves the woman swooning for more. Tis but a curse at times." he lamented with a mock sniff.

'I bet, you bright toothed bastard.' Who was he? Jaune grimaced as the princely dressed man bowed.

"My name is Prince, Prince Charming. And I've heard word of a beautiful maiden by the name of Snow White who's befallen a terrible curse of deep sleep by a small gentleman with an equally winning smile."

"Hap? That two timing little snitch." Jaune quietly grumbled with a clenched fist.

"Hearing about her beauty, I simply had to ride my noble steed, Fabio, to met the future Mrs. Charming." he grinned brightly, causing Jaune to flinch under the bright glint.

Well, that would save him the trouble of dealing with the story and its insanity. Now, why did the thought of the suave prince kissing the ebony beauty make Jaune's eye twitch as he wore a strained grin? Oh, right, he was here first. And there was no way in hell he was letting some smooth bastard take his ebony angel's first kiss.

"Scan." His pupil overlapping with a white cross hare, Jaune was able to read the man's HP. 'Prince Charming, Ladies Man, 500/500HP.' That was it? Ha! Well, he was looking for something to try out his new move he unlocked thanks to Yang's training. The EXP he was rewarded for completing her drills had raised his Strength and Speed enough to use it.

"Of course, your princely-ness." Jaune grinned as he shut his eyes, his face twitching before his blue eyes snapped open in mock surprise, "But first, a question."

Prince Charming nodded his head, his face sparkling with love like orbs, "Yes, my good sir. What question do you have for me?" he asked smoothly.

"You, Can't See Me!"

"That's not a question." Prince Charming tilted his head with a charming frown as Jaune waved all five fingers in front of his face. He was suddenly taken by surprise as the blonde vanished in a swirl of dancing leaves, leaving him gaping at the man's disappearance. Was he a wizard of some sort?

Sweeping leg abruptly knocked Prince Charming off his feet and onto his back, leaving him groaning at the sudden attack. He grimaced, eyes flinching under the sudden spotlight of the sunlight before finding his attacker blocking his light. Jaune grinned as he flashed his fingers at the charming man, clenching them tightly into a hard knuckle fist glowing with flaming white aura. His airborne form then dived onto Prince Charming, smashing his knuckled fist into the man's perfect face.

A loud resounding boom sounded off from the blow, erupting a ringed shockwave around the clearing. Prince Charming's HP dropped to zero, leaving the man with a broken teeth as he groaned in a beaten heap. Jaune threw his arms up in the air in victory shout, grinning at his victory.

+700EXP!

"Shut up, Fabio! He had it coming and you know it!" Jaune shouted loudly towards the neighing horse. He didn't have time for this. Picking up the unconscious prince, he flung the dark haired man to the white horse. Jaune shooed it away, watching as it glared at him before clopping away with a swish of its tail.

Where was he? Right, his blue eyes turned back to Snow White in her casket. Still had a beauty to save from her sleep. Walking back to her sleeping form, Jaune cracked open her coffin, smiling softly at her beautiful features. She truly was an angel.

This was the moment he had been waiting for, he gulped as his lips drew ever closer to her own. One kiss, and she would be saved from her deep sleep. He didn't know what would happen after that, and he didn't care. Seeing her beautiful face awaken would be worth all the trouble. With a simple press of their lips, a bright white light bloomed from their unity, blowing back Jaune's hair.

Snow's eyes wrinkled, her blurry blue orbs slowly creaking open to the sight of another pair of equally blue eyes. A handsome face of a blonde haired man smiling softly down greeted her, causing her to smile back. My, what a sweet face.

The ebony beauty's smile suddenly evolved into a wide sadistic grin as her hands latched onto his shirt, roughly pulling him forward as her tongue propped open his own. Jaune's stunned features met her own as her small pink tongue probed the inside of his mouth, Snow White moaning at the taste, her fingers digging right through his shirt and into his skin. Aura was not helping!

A sharp slap to his face broke their french kiss, sending Jaune falling to the side. What the fuck just happened!? He blushed brightly as he laid on his rear, swallowing a lump as he found Snow's hungry eyes staring back at him.

"Hello, my love. How I've been waiting for the arrival of a man such as yourself. And I must say," Snow White groaned hotly, biting her lip as her nails raked against her neck, "Your taste is something I have only dreamed of. I hope you scream as well as you kiss."

"Scream?" Jaune said flatly as he blinked.

Snow's sadistic grin came back to life as she reached into her modest cleavage, dropping Jaune's jaw as she whipped out a beaten and tattered black whip from her lovely valley, "Yes, please don't try to hide the pain. I wish to relish in my lover's high pitched cries of suffering. It makes me scream and moan, making me rub my thighs together to quench the emptiness. Which I hope you'll fill." she gasped sharply, rubbing her right breast with a blush as she swung her whip at him.

"FUCK! THAT HURTS!" Jaune howled, surprised that his aura failed to protect him. So much for his force field! Tears gathered in his eyes from the pain, sniffing as he turned his eyes back to the insane woman. Snow was now gasping as she panted with closed eyes, trying to stop the sound of her moaning as she bit her teeth to the point of a trickle of blood trailing her puffy lips.

Why!? Why the fuck was this turning him on!?

So much for the Arc men not being masochist.

"Scream! Cry! Sob into my breast like a bad boy being punished by his caring yet strict mother! I wish to consummate this holy union under god with your screams of pain and ecstasy!"

"Not this shit again!"

---

And so, once again, we found our young hero fallen before the hands of another woman, his virginity once again a mystery. His mind would go blank like a white canvas just as things got. . .heated. Leaving him knocked out on his bed with his Wisdom unlocked, gifted with the ability to use Spells, and granted his first Spell, Reflect. It was worth it, kinda.

Although he was unable to meet Weiss's blue eyes for few days after. He could hear the snapping of Snow's whip in his dreams every night. Hopefully he would never have to deal with her again.

Now, where did that leave our deadly Snow White? Funny thing actually, after consummating her union, and sadly losing sight of her 'husband' the princess made her way back to her kingdom, enslaved her step mother as her new pet, and ruled her kingdom with a sadistic iron fist. Her first order of business, hunt down her missing love, no matter the cost.

Sitting in her tea room, Snow White finished recounting her tale to her best friend, sighing as she laid her cup down with a clink.

"My love, I wish to see him again soon. Hopefully my men can track him down. Or else they too will face punishment." She growled, ready to snap her whip before the soft, caring hand of her friend rested on her own.

Red Riding Hood smiled brightly at her bestie, "Don't worry, Snow! I'm sure we'll find you husband eventually. I'll do my best in the search as I try to find my baby daddy. Funny, our loves are both blonde and blue eyed. What are the chances of that?" she laughed, her deadly red scythe laying beside her seat.

Snow nodded her head with a chuckle. Yes, what were the chances of that?

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Abilities, Skills, and Perks List:

Reflect[10MP]: Summons a magical dome of pixels around the Player to reflect oncoming projectiles. Stronger attacks may shatter the spell.

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Daaaaaaaaaamn! So many questions! So many awes! So many tight pants!

Again, I felt so dirty. I think I may have a gift. But with great power, comes great responsibility.

So, Adam. Yeah, I didn't see that coming at all. . .I did. Now, that only leaves one more empty slot to be filled. The FoF Arc is coming to an end with the next few chapters, and what a ride it's going to be!

I want to say more, but sleep is always calling. I need rest. So, I'll see you all next week.

Read and Review! It's common courtesy.

NeoShadows fading in and out.