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?

11. Last Chance

Sup? It's you're boy, NeoShadows, and I've decided to join a gang. What gang you ask?

Team Skull! Wooh! I've fallen in love with Pokemon Sun and Moon's designs for its new villains. Never before have I wanted to join the evil team in Pokemon till now. And their encounter theme is stuck in my head!

Huh? My brain is whirring again. Something to think on later.

So, I'm still sick and feeling like shit. I don't know what it is about this week, but work has been busy. We've been rushed none stop, so many coffee's to brew, so many smoothies to mix. And the dishes, I'm beginning to grow a hatred for them. I got hands like an old man's, and I'm only twenty one!

At least I got to finish today's DLC.

. . .Fuck what I said last week, I think this one's the dirtiest. The hell is wrong with me? I try to write a quality story full of drama, action, mystery, and suspense, only to wind up writing some kind of soft core smut in my DLC's. Is this a gift, or a curse?

Anyway, expect none stop action in these next chapters! Fight after fight, drama after drama, and an End you would not see coming! Just what is a 'Friend'?

Now, onto Reviews!

GhostHornet: Pfft, trust me, you've only just begun theorizing, my friend. And yeah, my DLC has that kind of affect on people. As this one will.

Remzal Von Enili: Maybe? I want to keep you all guessing. Oh! I've been working over one of your OC's. I'm still trying to come up with a few things, but I'll let you know if I decide to use the Monk. I like him, and might have plans for him. Keep you posted when I can.

DigitalEmperor001: Boy, we've only just scratched the surface of our tale. We have so much more planned that I'm hoping you'll love. The next one will be a surprise, so keep an eye out for it. Summon crystals are canon, but not the DLC concerning them.

Warhaler: Some DLC are canon, some aren't. The Lost Fairy Tales DLC are considered canon though. This next one isn't, as much as I wish it was. As for the mistake, yeah, still working on my grammar. I believe it's my slang that messes me up. I'll be sure to work on that. And being a Player doesn't count as a Semblance, it's considered separate. That will be explained eventually.

Wandai: Yeah, you did, ya bastard. Adam is a beast, in every sense of the word. The things he's capable of doing with his Gamers aspect make him a true threat to deal with. He learns by doing, by killing. And thanks for your thoughts on how I wrote the FoF. I didn't want to make it all about White vs. Black, Good vs. Evil. There is so much more to that. Everyone has a reason, only the truly psychotic and lost do without purpose. Let's see if you can guess Ann's inspiration in this chapter. LFT is chaos itself, who knows if it will ever be unleashed onto Remnant?

Otherguy14: Yup, Adam being a Player is a frightening thought, and reality. He hasn't given up either, he's the only one actually playing The Game to win. Now, who's the last of the four? Mystery~! I'm personally loving LFT, I'm glad you all enjoy it too. We still have two more to go before the end of the first volume.

Benthino: Scareoused? That's the best of them all! Adam is a monster, one with a drive that can't be snuffed out by even a 'god'. As for Cardin, I got plans for him, don't you worry.

The Immortal Doctor Reid: Happy to find someone else who loves XIII! Firsties! As for the Aspects of the Gamer, secret. Can't deny nor confirm Adam's. As for the last slot, good luck finding that one out. One of my favorites though. Hope you enjoy todays DLC.

Zachary2: Poor Oz, he suffered those stories in a different way. Good to be on you top 3! Make me smile.

SonicFanFlame: Yeah, you did. But who could the last one be? Will your theory hold strong? Don't worry about Penny, I got something planned for her. Good, or bad, I can't say~! Fucker? Haven't heard that since I graduated. I can't help it, I write DLC's the moment I come home on Thursdays after editing, keeps me up along with answering reviews. At least you've been sleeping well. Cardin, will his hate hold strong in the end? Or is he doomed to fall into Holt's shadow? Glad to know you liked Velv's backstory, it will come up again in the future.

Acerman: So close to 20K! Man, I've gotten better at this. You know it use to take me months just to finish a single chapter when I wrote for Fairy Tail. I'm happy to have improve drastically, I could only update in months at a time. Imagine if I did that for Multiplayer? Pyrrha will get her spotlight with Jaune eventually, just you wait. The wolf faunus? You'll never guess his identity anytime soon, cookie and a Blue Moon if you do though. The fights are going to be epic, just you wait! I'm getting giddy just thinking about them! Nonstop after this chapter. And yeah, you called it too, ya bastard. Adam's reset point is farther along then the day Blake left him. Funny you should mention the Lieutenant. The Zero Death thing will be explained next chapter. JNPR's stories will be here, just not in this volume. So don't worry, they'll be there. As for your Beta, I would love to have you, but you need to be in the system first. Try writing some stories if you can, I'd even help you out if you'd like when I got the free time. Ideas are only a few key strokes from becoming reality. I need a grammar Nazi. . .Never thought I'd say that. I do have someone else who might want to help me. So, we'll see.

TalonlbnLaAhad: . . .I want some of what you're drinking! It was actually your idea of Weiss that helped me make the DLC, couldn't have done it without you getting my brain juices going. So thanks for the dose of creative insanity. Adam is my second favorite Player, mostly due to his battle combat abilites granted by his Aspect. Now who could the last one be? Are you right, or wrong? Only time will tell, hermano. And you DLC idea has once again helped being planning the next one, so keep them coming, Rey Del Crack! Should really consider writing some time. Hope you love this next one.

Alright! Time to dive into Trial of Fire! Consider this the spark of a raging fire that will last one more month at least! Then it's back to the main story. And boy, new questions will be asked after this one.

---

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, they belong to RoosterTeeth. I'm currently thinking of joining my first gang, Team Skull. All I need is blue dye and some of those killer threads! My Charizard isn't the only thing that will be spitting flames today!

You wanna see what destruction looks like!? Here it is in human form, it's your boy, Guzma! New favorite line in all of Pokemon!

---

Chapter 11: Last Chance.

Not since his life had become a game did Jaune sleep so soundly. With studying, combat practice in class and with his team, dealing with his new powers, dealing with his best friend who also had the same powers but hated him, training under one of the most skilled hand to hand fighters he knew with a distractingly hot body but terrible sense in jokes, and going undercover as a spy by Vale police into an organization that wished to make faunus human by sawing off their animal limbs, did he sleep without a care. It was nice to dream again. Reminded him of life before entering Beacon, before dying by the hand of a man wielding a chainsaw and having his life turned upside down as he was revived with the body of a video game character. Of how his mother had once tucked him into bed at night after another story with a warm smile on her face. Made him dream about his family and of times past.

An angry throbbing pulse lite up the horrid scar running through his body, causing Jaune to frown deeply in his sleep. His body tossed and turned in his bed as he began to sweat.

Voices. None of them his own shouted in his head, muffled as they spoke. They sounded familiar but he couldn't tell what they were saying or who they were. But he knew they were upset, angry, terrified, and in anguish.

The searing pain of sawing, tearing teeth was born anew. A dark chuckle boomed inside the confines of his mind as an odd image began to paint over his dreams.

A dark coffin, bloody human nails tearing the top of the death prison in a panicked frenzy, cries calling out his name, the loudest belonging to what sounded like his mother as the sound of dirt hitting the coffin began drown out their sorrowed cries. The one trapped within began to scream in horror, his throat bleeding as he began to lose his voice from his soundless yelling for help.

'Why? Why is this happening? Please, I don't understand! Why!?'

'Why am I dying?'

Jaune woke up gasping buckets of air, his face drenched by sweat as his eyes trembled from the dream turned nightmare. What the hell was that? He held his face in his hand as he tried to steady his breathing, his eyes tearing up from the haunting images. There was no doubt about it, that was his mother crying out for his name, and his father, his sisters, even his friends. 'Was that my funeral? How!? And was that me yelling? Just what the hell was going on?'

Nightmare. It was just a nightmare. It had to be. Must have been something he ate last night before going to bed.

Wait, when did he go to bed? Last he remembered, he was in the library studying with Velvet over some extra readings Professor Oobleck assigned him. She was telling him her story of her run in with the Friends of Faunus, then. . .

Jaune grimaced as he rubbed the back of neck. Did she knock him out with a karate chop?

"I thought that stuff only worked in movies." Jaune grumbled.

"No, if it's done correctly, it actually does work. Velvet's always been skilled in hand to hand, not to mention her Semblance allows her to learn almost any martial arts style and technique."

Turning his head to the owner of the voice, Jaune was surprised to find Ren leaning back against the door to their dorm room. Another look around revealed that Pyrrha and Nora were nowhere in sight. The clock by his bedside read 7:53 A.M. It was Saturday, even Nora would be sleeping in. Where were they?

His blue eyes turned to Ren's shut eyes, his face set in a stern scowl. He did not look happy.

Feeling Jaune's questioning gaze, Ren decided to explain, "Velvet said you were in need of some much needed rest, so she knocked you out while you were studying. I have to agree with her, you've been worrying the team the past two weeks with your exhausted behavior. Poor Pyrrha's been beside herself with worry but has been too nervous to ask you with your stubborn behavior."

"That explains why I'm still in my uniform. Still can't believe sweet little Velvet knocked me out." Did not see that coming.

'If only you knew.' Ren scoffed. Velvet may look sweet and docile but the girl was more then well suited to kill Grimm. Her weapon combined with her Mimic semblance made her a threat to be reckoned with.

"After a few hours, Velvet carried you back to our dorms. Once Pyrrha thanked her for watching over you, she tucked you into bed. You should thank them both for taking care of you when you get the chance. Velvet even left you notes on your extra readings."

Right, while he was a little peeved at Velvet for knocking him out like that, she did it with good intentions. She was just trying to help him. The lack of bags under his face thanked the bunny faunus for the good night's sleep. While it lasted.

"Yeah, I'll be sure to do that." Jaune sighed as he nodded. His eyes turned back to the alarm clock out of curiousity, frowning in confusion. It still read 7:53 a.m.

"Where are Pyrrha and Nora anyways? I was pretty sure that they would be sleeping in on a Saturday."

"They were. But Nora had woken up early to drag our team and RWBY to a nice pancake house in Vale in the morning." Ren explained, kicking himself off the door to stand in front of Jaune's bed. He crossed his arms over his chest as he glared at his leader, "It's pretty exclusive, so seats fly by pretty quickly. Seeing as you needed your sleep they let you be. The only reason I'm here, is because of you."

Jaune groaned, falling back into his bed. He knew that look all too well by now, "What did I do now?"

"Open up your Game Menu and you'll see."

Sighing, Jaune listened as he reached for his scroll. Willing the game menu up, the blonde knight was surprised as a little jingle played along with a new menu replaced his screen. Reminded him of those Event messages on online video games.

'Trial By Fire has arrived! All available Players may participate in today's Event for their chance at EXP Boosts, New Rewards, New Bosses, and much more! PvP is unavailable, so Death by Player will not result in a Resurrection! Good Luck, and have Fun!'

The city of Vale was filled with towering flame pillars, Grimm running amok, FoF members charging out of the flames, and a large portrait of a grinning Holt stretching out his arms to the burning city over the form of an odd Grimm with a partially burnt face. Both their eyes glowed red, sending chills down Jaune's body.

"Congratulations, you've brought this Event onto all of us." Ren hissed. This was why he didn't want Jaune messing around in Vale. The Game needed something to take the place of the knight's character development arc, and it looked like it got carried away. This wasn't some simple little event. Vale was going to be dragged into hell a little early if no one stopped what the FoF was planning today. Not to mention he could make out the Grimm on the message like poster as a Beringel. Wasn't suppose to encounter them till after The Fall.

What a pain, Ren sighed as he his hand slid down his face. Did not want to deal with a monster like that. He wasn't even properly leveled like the others, he was Lvl29. The others were Lvl35-37 with Pyrrha being Lvl40. He didn't feel like grinding. The lazy Player was on vacation.

"I don't know what's going to happen seeing as this Event was created by a Remix, but I do know that its big enough to involve the whole of Vale. And I have a feeling that somehow you're going to drag me into this mess you created."

Trial by Fire's begun already? Why didn't he get any notices? Now that he thought about it, it's been awhile since he checked his scroll. Maybe it worked differently with other Players. Checking over his messages he found two separate texts, one from Ann and one from Officer Church.

'Ann: Holt needs to see you today, it's urgent. Come over as quick as you can to our main hideout.'

'Church: Today's the last day. Find out what they've been planning and the last of their locations. With this, we'll be able to set up plans to raid their hideouts with the right preparations. Just be careful, things have been quite the past week.'

Guess this was the end of the event created by the FoF. Jaune grit his teeth. And he still hadn't found out how to drag Ann out the mess. Maybe he could promise to help her buy whatever she wanted without having to work under Holt. He had won a quite a bit from his matches at the UGC. Giving her whatever he had was more then worth getting her away before the storm before it hit. Unfortunately, it looked like he didn't have much time before Holt begun the Event.

"Ren, I didn't mean to drag you into this, but that doesn't change the fact that lives will be at stake if we don't do nothing." Getting out of bed, Jaune went straight for the closet to change into his hunting attire. Had a feeling things were going to get crazy once he left for Vale, so he was going to have to stop by the cafeteria and restock on food items to heal his HP and MP. Not to mention stop by Professor Antheia's class. She seemed to like him, maybe she could lend him some potions? Couldn't hurt to ask, "I'm going to Vale to see if I can end this madness peacefully, but if I can't, I'm not going to run away or ignore what's to come. There's a friend I have to save."

"You mean an NPC? What did I tell you about wasting your time with them?" Ren sighed. "If they were created by the Remix, then there's no point in saving them. The next Reset won't revive them, they'll fade into obscurity. So why bother with a character that isn't even important to the Story?"

"Because she's my friend, even if she doesn't consider me one." Strapping on his chest plate over his hoodie, Jaune went over to his bedside for Crocea Mors. He didn't want things to end with a big battle, but he was going to have to come prepared. Couldn't afford to be caught by surprise again. Time to see if Yang's lessons paid off, "I'm not going to lie, if I need your help, I'm going to message you. I know you don't want nothing to do with this life anymore, but I need your help. I'm not dumb enough to think I can do this all by myself. You're my friend Ren, you're the only person I can turn to now when things like this go down." his pleading blue eyes turned to his fellow Player, asking for his aid.

Ren clicked his tongue as he turned away. As much as he hated Jaune, he didn't want him dying on him again. Not to mention their team and team RWBY were out in Vale where the Event was to take place. He ground his teeth as he shook his head. No, he was done trying.

"What part did you not understand about me not dealing with The Game? I'm done trying to make a difference in this world, it's pointless. All you're doing is wasting your time!" he shouted in frustration.

"Wasting my time, doing WHAT!?" Jaune argued back, standing in front of his pink eyed friend with a frown, "What better use of my time could I be doing, Ren!? People are going to get hurt, or worse, if I don't at least try to make a difference! All you ever talk about is not wanting to deal with The Game, that everything we do is pointless, that I should just leave things alone and follow some scripted path created by some sadistic being controlling our fates! What good is that going to do us!?" Jaune clenched his fist. The memories of his first playthrough were still fresh. He didn't have any kind of power to help anyone back then. But now, with all the powers he was 'cursed' with, he had a chance to do some actually good. And Ren wanted him to do nothing?

And to think they called him pathetic.

Jaune soon found himself picked up by the collar of his hoodie by Ren, leaving him dangling as the eastern boy's furious gaze set its sights on him, "Don't, for a fucking second, think that you're better then me! You haven't had to die over and over again trying to save someone from their doomed fates! This curse placed upon us is only for the amusement of that 'thing' controlling our lives, playing into its game is letting it win! We all can't be like you Jaune! You haven't faced the soul crushing reset after reset whenever you die, or worse, actually claw your way to The End and win!" Ren roughly pushed Jaune away, glaring heatedly at his leader. Jaune had a hero complex, of course he thought he could just save everyone if he just tried hard enough. Life was no fairy tail, belief would get you nowhere, "I don't care if you waste your time trying to win this unwinnable game, but I just want to enjoy what peace I have with our friends before-" Ren abruptly cut himself off with a flinch.

Jaune frowned, "Before what? What aren't you telling me? Is something going to happen to our teams in the future?"

"It's nothing you should be worrying about." Ren shook his head. Did not want to tell him about the fall of Beacon too early. It would only rile him up worse then now.

"The point is, I want nothing to do with this anymore. I'm tired, Jaune. I'm dead tired of achieving no progress whether I win or lose. Is it so wrong to take a few lives off to relax?" his tired pink eyes stared back at Jaune, letting him see the weariness the endless resets have left him.

It wasn't like Ren didn't know it was wrong to ignore what was to happen to Beacon, or even Remnant. It was selfish in the crudest form. To leave all his friends to such tragedies that awaited them. But what good would it do save them if they were only going to go through it all over again? Ren could only save so many people, but what did it matter if he could never save the one he truly wanted to save?

Team JNPR was his family, the only family he had left in this world. All he wanted to do is enjoy their time together to the fullest. Was that so wrong?

Jaune was at loss. What the hell could he say to that? Ren had gone through the same routine, over and over again, only to have all his progress reset to nothing. He could see it in his eyes, he was beyond tired. He could understand why he was always sleeping in, why he had such a lax attitude. Made him wonder if this was how Ren always acted, or if this was the result of The Game.

But that didn't mean he was going to ignore what The Game was doing.

Jaune's blue eye's softened, "I don't think I can ever understand how you feel, Ren. It most have been hell having to go through it all by yourself, but you're not alone anymore! Like I told you before, I'm your friend! I know we can make a difference if we work together, all you have to do is trust me! For one life, trust me, and I'll show you that we can beat this game at its own game." Once again, Jaune reached out his hand to the cynical green garbed ninja with a gentle smile.

Ren stood silently as he looked down, his hair shadowing his expression. His mind was thinking about the chances, but he couldn't see anything he hadn't already tried with the others. For Oum's sake, he worked with Adam to kill all humans with the exception of Nora and Pyrrha in his weakest moment. Which hadn't ended well, the final battle wound up being a one on one duel to the death as their ideals clashed. Didn't work with him any longer after that.

Looking towards the helping hand reaching out to him, Ren was frustrated by the feeling of hope Jaune had painfully dug out. There it was again, the moment he accepted it, The Game would be ready to knock him back down just like it had always done.

Maybe, he could work something else out. Jaune wanted to beat this game, but he had no idea how soul crushing it could be. There could be a way to fix that, make him understand how it feels. If he could endure it, then maybe, just maybe, he could take one last chance.

With a grudging sigh, Ren nodded his head but still refused to take Jaune's hand, "If you really want to prove to me that you have the will and spirit to beat this game, then you'll have to prove it to me. For now, I guess I could help you out on this Event. Tch, I guess it wouldn't hurt to level up a bit more. My Dexterity has been lacking lately."

It wasn't what he wanted, but it would do for now, "Thanks, Ren. I wasn't sure I'd be able to handle all this on my own. But how will I prove to you that I can withstand The Game?"

"Forever Fall." Ren said simply as he turned away, "In one week, Professor Antheia will be taking the class out to Forever Fall to gather some samples from the trees. We'll separate from the class and settle things there. If you can prove to me that you have the strength and will to beat me with what little you have, then I'll give the benefit of the doubt and try one last time. But if you can't," he peeked over his shoulder with a cold glare that dropped the temperature in the room a few degrees, "Don't be surprised if you find yourself waking up to your Save Point over and over again. I refuse to try again if you fail."

Jaune accepted his deal with a nod, "Fine. I'll prove to you that I'm good enough trust. It's not too late to make difference, it never is. As long as we're willing to try, we shouldn't give up."

A chuckle escaped Ren's lips as he snapped his fingers. The guy was a complete bleeding heart. Guess that wasn't such a bad thing.

The clock by Jaune's bedside blinked, passing a minute as the world was released from its pause. So that's why the time hadn't change. Weird.

"When did you-"

"The moment the girls walked down the hall and out of earshot." Ren smirked as he went to get ready for the day. Wouldn't hurt to stretch his muscles after a long time of doing nothing, "I wasn't risking them catching our conversation. Remember last time?" he said flatly.

Jaune stuck his tongue out with a green faced grimace, "Say no more, don't want to deal with that again. Does that mean that the Pause doesn't affect other Players?"

"It does, but if they're within a certain feet from the one calling the Pause, they won't be affected."

"Huh, guess that's kinda handy." With their tense little talk over with, Jaune made his way to the door. Sucked that he couldn't go out with the girls to eat breakfast in Vale, but he had more important things to take care of. Hopefully Professor Antheia would help him out with some potions.

"I'm going to get ready for the Event. I'll message you if I need any help." Jaune grinned back before heading out.

With the door shutting behind his leader, Ren could only sigh at what he had gotten himself into. Looked like he wasn't going to be sleeping in today. His ammo was running short, a trip to Vale to restock would do him some good. Had a feeling it would be a good idea to stay there today. Beacon would be safe for today, Vale was where the action was going to take place.

He could only pray to Oum that none of the other Players entered the Event. They wouldn't stand a chance against the likes of Adam right now.

---

The smell of fluffy, buttermilk, maple syrup, pancakes wafted the pancake house as Nora drooled a puddle below her feet. Breakfast Castle, the best breakfast house in all of Vale. They served well cooked pork and turkey sausage, bacon, Mistral bacon, scrambled eggs and an omelet bar, hash browns, several assortments of coffee and syrup, oatmeal that even Ruby could enjoy, and several other breakfast items out of this world. And best of all, the pancakes. Nora moaned as a blush painted itself on her cheeks, watching by as the cooks worked in the middle of the open kitchen of the restaurant flipping pancakes for all to see. Those handsome, roguish devils.

She was thinking about the chef's, right?

It was too bad Jaune was missing out on this. Poor guy needed his sleep though, it was better to leave him to his rest. And take pictures to show him off. The ones that made him blush and wiggle in his seat. Oh! She should bring Pyrrha in on the action. She was sure that the redhead would enjoy posing for their leaders. All they needed was syrup. Now that she thought about it, Nora was sure that she could make a calender spread out of it. Something to talk over with Ozpin later.

Right now, it was pancake massacring time!

Pyrrha sighed as she held back Nora from tackling one of the chefs working. He looked at the orange girl with slight fear, silently mouthing 'pancake devil' as he began to sweat. Ren's partner had already made a name for herself wherever they served pancakes. That was not a good thing seeing as they were banned from a third of the establishments in their first week in Beacon. Hopefully they wouldn't kick them out of Breakfast Castle, she actually enjoyed their fresh squeezed orange juice and breakfast ham and eggs. Reminded her of home.

The place looked nice, there were many tables and booths to eat at and it had a nice homey atmosphere. It reminded her of a buffet, only serving breakfast items.

"I hope they have Atlas Vanilla coffee. Coco always finishes it all during one of her fashion brainstorms."

Turning to the pouting form of Velvet, Pyrrha couldn't help but smile at the bunny faunus. They had run into her on their way to the airship docks wanting to check on Jaune. Seeing as she had watched out for their leader and friend, they decided to invite her along to breakfast as a thanks for helping him get some much needed sleep. She only wished he had come along too, but it was a good chance to hang out with the girls again. It was something she had never been able to do during her time as a celebrity tournament champion.

"I'm sure they'll have plenty, Velvet." Pyrrha smiled kindly, lightly slapping Nora's head as she tried to chew her arm off. She really wanted to get to those pancakes, "I believe they regularly rotate the pots every hour to keep them refreshed and restocked. The only thing we'll have to worry about running out is pancakes."

"Save some for the rest of us, Nora." Ruby huffed as they made their way to the counter to be seated. They were all in their uniforms today seeing as they gave out a discount to Beacon students. Giving them proof of their status as students with their ID's, the nice mouse eared lady lead them to an appropriate sized booth to sit.

Yang nodded her head as she fought a yawn coming on, "We've come all this way, at such an ungodly hour for a Saturday morning with no classes, so we'd better get some pancakes for our trouble." her sleepy eyes glared at the drooling hammer wielding pancake sociopath, "Even if it means I have to restrain you myself with the full strength of my semblance activated."

"I somehow doubt you would be capable of that." Weiss grumbled, feeling tired herself. She still remembered her time as 'temporary' leader of team JNPR. The girl was as hard to contain as an Alpha Beowolf locked up in a prison. Made her see Jaune in a different light if he was able to keep the girl still.

Blake nodded her head along. Yang was strong, no doubt about that, but between her and Nora, there wasn't much contest. The orange haired girl's weapon weighed a ton and she could easily swing it around like it was a baseball bat. How could you match that?

With their server leading them to their booth large enough to sit four people on both sides, the seven girls took their seats. Taking out her pen and mini notebook, the waitress readied herself to ask for their beverages, "What can I get you girls to drink today? We have a wide arrangement of juices, coffee, and milk, and even breakfast teas!" she said in a chippy voice.

"I'll have some breakfast tea, please." Blake asked with a smile.

"Milk for me! I still got some growing to do!"

"I'll have an espresso, light cream and two sugars, please."

"I'll have some apple juice. And Nora will have pitcher of milk. Don't want her choking on pancakes again."

"I'll have a cup of coffee. I want to head to the coffee station for some Atlas Vanilla."

Yang mused over the options. They were nice and all, but she wasn't seeing soda. It was weird to be drinking it in the morning, but she was an adult, kinda. Didn't fit in with their theme going on, so it wasn't much of an option, which sucked in her opinion.

"You sure you don't serve soda?" she decided to ask, only to get a negative shake and an apologetic smile, "Damn, I was hoping for something foamy." she grumbled.

"They do have pretty great pink lemonade that goes great with their sausage. Swear I've died and gone to heaven when I dip them in."

Blinking in confusion, Yang moved up from her seat to turn her purple eyes to the owner of the strange voice on the other side of their booth. A grinning man with shaggy dirty blonde hair greeted her. He was wearing a nice white business suit over a dark red dress shirt and red and black stripped tie. A crocodile skinned hunter hat sat beside him as he raised glass of pink lemonade up in a salute.

"Trust me kid, they're to die for." he chuckled as he turned back to sip his drink.

Weird, but he seemed to be enjoying it. Blondes did know best.

"I'll have what the weird guy's having." Yang grinned as she cocked her thumb back to the gentleman behind them.

'Cheeky brat.'

The waitress nodded her head happily, "Understood! I'll have your drinks ready in a jiffy! So, please enjoy the breakfast buffet!"

Waving to the nice waitress as she went for their beverages, Ruby grinned as she got up from her seat. Time begin the most important meal of the day.

"You can all go get your plates first." Blake smiled politely as she took out the book she brought with her. Didn't want to lose there seats.

Yang nodded her head with a grin, "Fine, be a loner. Can't promise you that there will be any flapjacks though, you know how Nora gets."

"I can't be controlled!"

"Dear god! The rumors were true! It does exist! Prepare yourselves, men! The Pancake Diva is on a war path! Abandon all hope!"

Blake could only shake her head as girly screams filled the air along with the laugh of a crazed hammer girl. Nora was a handful, she didn't understand how Jaune could deal with her. He wasn't the most intimidating or wise leader to follow. Yet he seemed to calm her down and keep her in line, along with Ren.

"You got some interesting friends there, kid." the blonde stranger chuckled.

A smile made its way to Blake's lips as she watched her friends try to calm Nora from stuffing her face with maple syrup and still cooking pancakes. Yeah, they were.

She turned back to her book, happily diving back into her favorite story of a man with two souls. Unaware of the wide grin of the man behind her. Her ears perked up as the sound of whatever program on the wide screens in the restaurant were cut off and replaced by the voice of a Lisa Lavender.

'Breaking news here today as we take you to the scene of several buildings detonating by some unknown individuals in white and gray camo. This is Lisa Lavender, and we're standing in one of Vale's busy streets as several of these individuals can be seen raiding the burning structures and dragging people out at gunpoint.' Blake's curiosity got the best of her as her yellow eyes turned to the screens, stunned to see what was happening on the screens. Those colors looked familiar. 'The Friends of Faunus!? What are they doing?' There was no doubt that they belonged to the humanizers in Vale, she recognized them after her brush ins with them in her time with the White Fang. She grit her teeth as she could make out the features of faunus they were holding in gunpoint before kicking them down. The men pulled them up by their hair, reaching to their sides for odd looking swords. The blades were hooked at their point and their edges were lined with sawing teeth. The screen cut to black just as the scenes took a dark turn as they swung their blades at the faunus limbs as they screamed.

The buffet went deathly still at the black holo screens, horrified by the images they had seen. What the hell had they just seen?

Seconds went by before the screen came back online, replacing the news with the face of a scarred shaggy haired man. Behind his grinning face the insignia of an ox skull with the letters FoF could be seen.

'Hello, people of Remnant. I know many of you are shocked and horrified by the images you've just seen, but rest assured it's nothing to worry about. We're simply ridding the people of a few rats, the White Fang, that have been hiding under your noses. So, don't worry, we're going to make them proper members of society.' he chuckled deeply.

Blake felt her knuckles crack, 'And that justifies you're treatment of the faunus!?'

'Where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself folks, the names Holt Delmos, leader of a little social causethat's been whispered in Vale, the Friends of Faunus. I know you see us boogey men, no good monsters that haunt the streets at night, but I wish to dismiss such ugly thoughts. See, we're not bad guys, we're your friends. We simply wish to help the faunus fit into society, to remove their curses that ostracize them from us humans. I know it may seem extreme, but its worth it, my poor misunderstood friends. The faunus barely make up 10% of the population of Remnant, what's a little cosmetic snip compared to being ridiculed for looking like animals?' Holt smiled widely at the people watching, gesturing his hand to them as he held his hat to his chest with a sincere expression on his scarred face, 'We do mean the best for those poor animals, we do. So, don't get in our way today, good people of Vale. Or else we'll be forced to make an example out of those who get in our way to saving the faunus. Stay indoors good folks, we won't be going after the faunus today, only the White Fang and those who aid them. Unless you faunus wish to volunteer to attain humanity, we'll be more then happy to aid you. Till then, have a good day, Vale.'

With the grinning face of Holt turning to static as his message ended, the breakfast buffet was left to silence before the establishment began to shake slightly. Loud booms could be heard outside along with panicked yells and cries of the people. Fear took over the people and faunus inside as the main door was rammed in. They screamed and ran for cover, the doors sliced open by sawing blades by members of the FoF charging in.

"Stay were you are!" The leader of the small group of camo men shouted, aiming his vibrating blade at the fear stricken people cowering in their seats. Filling into the buffet, his men lined themselves around him as he stepped up to the sweating brunette woman in the front desk, grinning behind his white ski mask. He leveled the high velocity vibration blade to the woman's nose, his eyes twinkling as her mouse ears trembled in fear, "Hello, doll face. A little friend of ours has been noticing you hanging around certain parts of Vale where some questionable faunus have been meeting, mind telling 'ole Rassa what you know about the White Fang?"

"I-I don't know nothing!" she cried, covering her precious ears as he stepped closer to her personal space. Rassa drew her face closer to his own by grabbing her by her chin, breathing the sweet scent of her perfume mixed with the smell of breakfast treats.

"You got a nice face there, doll. It's too bad you're a dirty little liar along with being a faunus. But don't worry about that," he laughed cruelly, the sawing teeth of his blade drowning out her screaming as he aimed for her shielded ears, "I can fix one of those things for ya! Let's make an honest human woman out of ya!"

Swinging his sword to the faunus woman's mouse ears, Rassa was stopped in midswing by the piston firing force of a plain old red apple thrown at his head. The apple splattered to bits, its juices running down his red face as he glared furiously.

"Who's the dead son of a bitch who done that?" he yelled, sheathing his sword to take out his pistol. He aimed its barrel at the crowd of cowering fools, growling as he suddenly found himself and his men under fire of flying fruit. He shot every last one down, causing the people to run for the back of the place while he was distracted. Damn idiots, making him waste ammo so carelessly. Naragami was going to have his ass if he heard about this.

Rassa cocked his eyebrow under his mask as all but seven girls ran for safety. A bunch of girls had thrown fruit at him? Ha! Had to give them credit at least, had more balls then the pussy's that ran away. Those fruits had some kick behind them. Huntresses?

Either way, he had a job to take care off. The mouse faunus had tried to run, only to trip under her untied shoes. That was why he chose to wear lace-less shoes, saved him the hassle and trouble. Oh well, his eyes leering as he cocked his pistol, her mistake saved him the trouble of tracking her down.

"Hey there, doll faces. Mind walking away? We're simply cleaning Vale of its filthy muck, White Fang can't be saved, but we can at least give them the favor of dying as humans." he smiled with closed eyes, a vein throbbing on his forehead as his men readied their weapons, "Unless you're little bunny friend wishes to be treated human like yourselves, such a pretty face doesn't need to be ignored by her ugly animal ears." he laughed gleefully.

"Sorry, not sorry, asshat." Yang grinned with red blazing eyes as she bumped her fists together. "But you've just interrupted the most important meal of the day. And my little friend here doesn't seem to appreciate it." she stepped to the side, unblocking their views from the true threat hiding behind her.

A dark shadow fell over Nora's expressionless features, her green eyes glowing white. A creepy smile bloomed onto her face as her body trembled, the mountain piled tray of pancakes she had been holding lying in a mess around her.

"Huuuuuuhhh~? Did you naughty little boys make me drop my precious with your rude entrance? That's not a good thing. I need to punish you. BAD." she said with an eerie smile, raising her fist as lightning crackled around her knuckles.

Rassa shivered. The girl had an aura that put fear into him worse then Naragami's training did. That wasn't a good thing. It was horrifying.

A familiar chuckle interrupted the two groups standoff, their eyes turning to the nicely dressed shaggy gentleman walking to stand in the middle of them. He smiled to both groups, gesturing his hands to calm themselves down.

"Now, now, folks. Let's not lose our heads here." he smirked, the three scarred scratches on his face causing Velvet to step back as the FoF members followed his lead and laid their arms down, "I know that man's gruff, yet handsome features, have taken you by surprise, but maybe we should listen to him. A guy as good looking as him can't be misleading." he laughed.

Blake scowled deeply at the man, "You're their leader!" she gripped one the kitchen knives scattered around tightly.

Holt nodded his head with a tip of his hat, his brown eyes setting sight on the black bow wearing girl, "Yes, I am. And you are little Blake Belladona." his grin grew wider seeing the girl tense as his eyes gained a knowing glint, "I've been looking for you, my sweet. Love the bow, makes it all the more appropriate, all I need is wrapping paper and you're ready to go."

Ruby quickly moved in front of Blake seeing the dangerous man take a step forward to her, frowning as the rest of the girls went on edge, "What do you want with Blake?"

"Just some business between 'friends', little lady. Now," he raised his hand, pointing to the yellow eyed huntress as the shadow underneath his feet weaved under their feet, "I have an appointment to met. My boy needs some closure before he can join my cause, and your little friend will make a great gift for initiation."

The shadow snaked around the girls feet, stopping below Blake's before springing up around her body in a coil.

"Blake!" Yang yelled in panic, reaching her hand for her partner. Blake tried meeting her hand, only for the shadows to engulf her and sink within in a blink. Yang's temper skyrocketed, clenching her fist as she turned to attack the deadman. The iron hard fist meeting her face had second thoughts though.

With incredible speed, Holt dashed into the middle of the girls, sending Yang flying off her feet with a hard right to her face. His sharp canines lite up with a glint catching the eye of the fear trembling bunny faunus by him, "Why, hello there, bunny girl. Don't you look familiar? I'm having flashbacks to my youth, my scars starting to itch just at the look in your eyes." he raised his right hand up, blocking the thundering high kick of the sparking orange haired girl glaring at him madly. His eyes were filled with surprise, nodding his head at the impressive strength threatening to break his arm apart. Got to love aura, "Sorry, gingy, but I've seemed to have found an old friend of mine. You don't mind us talking, do ya?" he smiled cruelly, twisting the girls leg in his hand. Lifting her stunned form up in the air, Holt effortlessly tossed her to crash into far booths. The speeding form of Ruby came soon after, throwing her own fists at him. He paid her no mind as he nonchalantly blocked every blow, backhanding her away as her partner came in swinging a ladle at him. He caught the utensil, bending it in his grip before kicking her away.

A curtain of silverware floated around Holt and his men along with white glyphs boxing them in. Semblances, they were huntresses alright. Twin beacons of fire and lighting blew up from where he tossed the two girls back, their furious gazes set upon him. About time he went on his way.

Velvet eye's widened in fear watching as Holt swung his hand towards her, slowly shutting as her consciousness faded. Holt caught the bunny faunus passed out form in his hand, nodding his head back to the leading member of the small group of his men, "I'm done here, boys. Don't mind me, continue on with your orders. I've got to go welcome two new members to our little family." he laughed boisterously, the shadows underneath swallowing him whole before diving in and vanishing from sight.

"Blake, Velvet!" the girls yelled in alarm, frowning angrily as the FoF members circled them from following the snaking shadow leaving the buffet.

Yang's hair sizzled as she openly grit her teeth in fury, her fists threatening to break apart from the pressure they were exuding. Rassa smirked at the display, "I gave you doll faces a chance, now I'm going to have to make an example out of ya's. Know that I only take a little pleasure out of this."

"Big fucking mistake!" Yang roared as she dashed towards the leader with a clothesline swing, her speed taking him by surprise. He was sent flying off in a gale, taking along a few of his men with him as his body broke into a few booths.

The floating knives and forks surrounding them fell onto them as Pyrrha threw her magnetized fist down, the raining silverware followed by the firing icicles created from Weiss's glyphs. They tried to dodge the assault, only to be kicked around by the red blur knocking them around. A swinging blade went to stop Ruby in her blitz, only for the small girl to duck at the last second. She spun around, jumping high up to plant a foot in the man's goggled face and send him falling with a grunt. The remaining grunts were quickly disposed off as Nora jumped high in the air, her hands clenching a dirty mop head sparking with pink lightning. With a thundering yell, the valkyrie swung the cleaning mop in the middle of the FoF, the shockwave blowing them away as they were shocked into dreamland.

Rassa weakly stood back up, the left side of his mask torn to bits as blood trailed his chin. His aura had nearly been torn apart from the girls attack. What kind of shit was that!? With a grunt, Rassa moved to charge at the girls, only for several serrated knives to pin him back to the wall. The accuracy was terrifying, the blades were close to nicking his skin. He began to sweat as the busty blonde that had sent him flying stalkws towards him, ripping off his mask as she pulled back her trembling fist.

"Where. Are. They!" Yang hissed, her face snarling.

The leader of the grunts laughed hoarsely "How would I know? I'm simply a small leader, nothing big in the grand scheme of boss's plans! Should have protected your animals better, you stupid bi-"

An iced sculpture of a fist rammed into the man's face, knocking his brain around as he slumped to the floor with a broken tooth. Weiss huffed at the attention pointed towards her, calling off her glyph with flick of her hand.

"What? He wasn't of any use to us, and I don't care for potty language." she said curtly before turning her head to the trembling faunus employee watching by, "You should head to the back with the others. It's not safe here."

The mouse faunus nodded her head before running off to hide. To think having connections with the White Fang would finally catch up to her. She should have cut her ties with her brother when she had the chance.

Pyrrha sighed as she took a look around the once lively buffet, "Doesn't look like we have anymore witnesses to question. We should head out and try to pick up their leader's trail if we wish to find Blake and Velvet. I'm going to message Jaune and Ren to help in the search." Taking out her scroll, Pyrrha went off to message the remainder of her to team.

Ruby nodded her head with a sad expression, "Right, we'll have to go and see what we can find. I hope Blake and Velvet can hold out till we find them." They were both strong huntress's, Ruby was sure that they could handle whatever the FoF leader threw at them.

---

Jaune stretched his arms back as he yawned beside Ann, their feet carrying them to Holt's location.

It had only taken him an hour to reach their main hideout after visiting Professor Antheia for potions. A light shiver ran down his being as he remembered how that went. He got his potions alright, and a nice view of what else she was packing. He was a hormonal teen, for god's sakes! Did she not understand what her flirtations did to his body? The fact that her eyes always remained shut made it all the more worse, it simply made her look sexier for some reason. That, or he had some strange turn on's.

'Items: 5xSmall Aura Potions, 3xEveryone Loves Grape Soda, 2xBreakfast Bars, 2xAmbrosia.'

Wasn't much, but it would have to do. Jaune flicked through his scroll, checking over his inventory. He had no idea what was in store for him today, so it paid to be stocked in healing supplies. The snacks didn't pack enoughpunch in the healing department, but they were great in refilling his MP, something that potions weren't capable of yet he guessed. The Breakfast Bar even even cured him of stamina exhaustion. The Small Aura Potions were his go to for healing his wounds, they healed up to 700HP when he needed it. Ambrosia, was something else entirely compared to the rest of his healing items.

Professor Antheia wanted a favor for lending him the rare item. It was a very unique and special potion, capable of completely restoring his HP, heal any status ailing him, grant a buff to his stats, and even restore his MP completely! Ambrosia was a hell of a high class item to do more then heal him of his wounds. She even said it was a pain in the ass to mix to together the necessary catalysts, herbs, Dust powders, let alone find them. The process was also highly volatile in nature if done by an amateur. She currently only had two in stock at the moment, but she was more then happy to give them to him if he repaid the favor in the near future.

What that favor was, he had no idea. All he knew was that she had said it with a perked smile while licking her lips.

Jaune's blue eyes peeked over to his companion, his fingers tensing around his scroll as Ann kept her eyes ahead, head bobbing along with the music playing on her headphones.

She hadn't said much since he had arrived. It was worrying, to see her so shut in, refusing to say a thing to him. He knew she wasn't much of a talkative person to begin with, but he had always been able to strike a conversation out of her through some work. This morning had been different. She simply gestured her head to follow after her, having little trouble making their way around the place. The UGC had been called off, they were done holding games it seemed. Which worried him. If no one was fighting below, what were they doing with the Grimm they kept confined? His thoughts turned to the Event above ground. Where they planning something? Once he had a free moment to himself, he was going to have to message Church to keep the guys above on their toes for any strange activity. Did not want another Breach springing up on them if he could help it.

'This really is my last chance at stopping their plans, huh?' Jaune sighed as he stopped playing with his scroll, 'What am I suppose to do to stop some madman's plan of humanizing faunus? He's got a small army on him, I don't think I'm strong enough to even take out ten of his men on my own yet. I'm definitely strong enough to take some down, even beat a few bosses after going through the hell that was the UGC gauntlet matches, but I'm only one person right now. Not to mention Ann's part of this mess.' Last chance. If he was going to save her from this mess, it needed to happen today, before it was too late to do anything.

What was he suppose to say? Ann clearly didn't mind the things she did to earn Lien for whatever dream she had. Or the company she hung around for it. She was use to the dirty work by now, nothing seemed to faze her anymore. Jaune was a simple guy, he didn't posses much to his name other then Crocea Mors, and that was a simple hand me down. What could he possibly offer her to leave all that she had worked for behind? There was nothing much he had to offer a girl who seemed to have been through the underworld of the city.

Ann had a dream, one that could only be bought with a very large amount of Lien. He still had no idea what she wanted. Whatever it was, it must have been something worth all the hell.

This was his last chance, what could it hurt to ask at this point?

A tap on Ann's shoulder caught her attention, turning her head back to Jaune's apprehensive face, "Hmm? Something you need, Blondie?" she quirked her brow questioningly.

"Yeah, it's something that's been bugging me." Jaune nodded as they stopped, "You know, we've know each other for some time now, and I'd like to think we're friends. But there's something that I've always wanted to ask." he steeled himself for the question, "Why? Why are you working for people like the Friends of Faunus? There are a million things you could be doing to earn Lien that doesn't involve hate crimes and mutilation. So, why are you working for them?"

That's what he wanted to know? Ann turned her eyes upward, her thoughts turning back to her days before the FoF. He was right, there were a million things she could do to earn Lien, she didn't have to work with these monsters. But even she had her reasons. From the corner of her visible eye, her green eye glanced at the blonde boy who had been keeping her company for nearly a month now.

Was he her friend? All they had been doing lately consisted of eating lunch together, making small chat every once in a while, strolling around Vale, and listening to music. Did that make them friends? Doing stupid shit that was a waste of her time?

Ann never had friends, even in the orphanage she had been holed up in long ago, she had kept to herself. She didn't know what friendship meant, but it seemed pointless to her. She had much better things to do with her time then goof off like an idiot. Yet that's what she had been doing with Jaune lately. It was. . .odd. Having someone who didn't want anything from you, only their company. She hated to sound sappy, but it was nice.

'Tch, am I becoming soft?' That look in his eyes, it was unwavering. He really wanted to know why she worked under Holt and his cause. It brought a slight smile to her lips. Damn idiot, 'It wouldn't hurt, I guess.' If only to stop him from asking her questions.

"It's not like I randomly joined the FoF one day out of boredom. I was picked up by the boss, Holt." Ann sighed, recalling her past, "Before then, I was just another little girl with a family. We didn't have much money back then, my parents were always struggling to get by with what they could. But they made it work, and from what little I remember, we were happy with that. But life has a fucked up sense of humor, and it got its laugh with me." she said with little emotion, "I was only six when it had happened. Our town was attacked by Grimm, the local hunters had been out on jobs, leaving little to defend out home. My parents died in the attack if you haven't guessed it, leaving me an orphan."

"I could guess the orphan thing from Holt's nickname for you." Jaune laughed weakly. There were times he forgot just how dangerous the Grimm were. If you weren't a trained hunter, they truly were monsters. At this point, the Grimm were nothing but EXP to grab and less of a threat to him. The Grimm were not to take lightly.

"Better then before, he use to call me his little Annie till I kicked his shins over and over again."

"And he found you in the orphanage and adopted you?" Was that how he dragged her into his cause?

Ann shook her head, "No, he wasn't the one to adopt me. I was stuck in that orphanage for a year and a half before a family had taken me in." She lightly grit her teeth, her eyes narrowing, "Honestly, I don't remember what my real last name had been before the Warhaul's adopted me. They were a snobby family that couldn't have kids, Mrs. Warhaul was as dry as a desert wheat. But they wanted someone to carry on their legacy, a perfect little daughter they could marry off to some other family for profit. And you can guess who the poor sucker was they adopted."

"Did they abuse you?"

Ann scoffed as she smirked, "Believe it or not, no. But they were strict as hell, I can tell you that. They controlled every aspect of my life, what I ate, what I read, what clothes I wore." she pinched the fabric of her favorite hoodie with a laugh, "Mrs. Warhaul would have a bitch fit if she was alive to see what I'm wearing. For four years I lived by their strict rules and lessons. They were grooming me to be the picture perfect daughter, one they could show off to their rich friends and clients, and one day marry off to a rich son, or client. I remember how much I hated them, wishing for my parents. Living under them, I learned what really mattered in this world, Lien. It's what makes the world go 'round." she shrugged.

She can still remember standing in front of her adopted father's desk, his face buried in the newspaper. Her red hair straightened nice and neat, not a hair misplaced, in an expensive blue dress worth more then a car. Her back erect as an iron rod as she nervously listened in to his words.

'Anabel, in this world, Lien is the most important thing in the world. It's what drives us to work, to save others, to feed the hungry, and develop new technologies on Remnant. Why else do you think we have servants working for us, running to our every beck and call no matter how small it may be? They work for Lien, it's the only reason they put up with us. One day, when you are of proper age, you will have to find a suitor, one that understands this lesson and makes worthy profit. You don't have to like him, nor love him, as long as he makes his worth for this family. Lien makes the world go round, if you don't have it, you're worthless.'

The old man was an asshole. He was the picture perfect example of an old rich man. Gray combed back hair, primed goatee and mustache, always wearing a business suit along with a stern expression permanently etched onto his face. And his wife? Trophy wife material right there.

"They were a pain in the ass to deal with everyday. I didn't even go to school, they had private tutors hired to teach me how to read and write like a proper lady. I had a sheltered childhood, you could say."

"No friends? I can feel ya on that." Jaune smiled sympathetically, "As a kid, I stood out from the others. We all wanted to be huntsman and huntresses, but I was the only one ill suited for it. I was born weak and the only son in a family of ten. Being a dork didn't help either. I was bullied and picked on for not knowing how to fight, not to mention screaming like a girl. But at least I had my family."

"Hmph, my foster parents were strict assholes, but I guess they weren't too bad to deal with from time to time." she shut her eyes, finding it harder to fight the fond smile on her lips at the small moments she had forgotten long ago, "Two years in, they bought me a puppy to take care of. They wanted me to train it as a proper member of soceity, which didn't make sense to me. I wonder if they just said that so they didn't have to admit they wanted to give me something nice for no reason. My life wasn't picture perfect, bit it was tolerable. Until the White Fang attacked."

"The White Fang? Why would they attack your family?"

"The old man was a racist." Ann shrugged carelessly, blowing a strand out of her hair, "He spoke out about the faunus, didn't want to deal with those animals and shit. He made enemies, only this one wasn't afraid to fight back. Around nine years ago, the White Fang attacked the mansion in the dead of night. They burned the place to the ground, killed my foster parents, and the flames killed my little Jack Russel, Jackie. The only reason I lived was because my foster mother had me run out the back before they barged in."

"Why don't I know about this? If your family was so rich and they were killed by the White Fang, why isn't it common knowledge?" Jaune frowned.

"They hid their tracks, this was something they didn't want the world to know, seeing as they were still considered a peace group at the time. It was chalked up as arson, I guess. I didn't go to the police, I didn't want to return to the orphanage to be adopted again. I was done with that shit." she growled. The orphanage she had been taken in before wasn't exactly the kindest. The owner was a pile of shit that made them work for her and the place was pretty much run down. Wasn't going go through that ever again, "So I ran, eventually sneaking a ride in a bullhead for Vale where I lived on the streets. I had to learn how to fight for myself, stealing what needed from shops, picking fights with bums and shit stains that wanted to 'take care' of a dirty little girl like me, and make connections with some low life's to survive. For two years, I lived by myself, doing what I could to survive. And I learned just how filthy and fucked up this world truly was to those without money, without power, without anything to call their own." she spat angrily, clenching her fist.

"Then, one day, I met Holt. He found me in the pouring rain, living in a little home in Crime Haunt made of cardboard and rubble."

That was seven years ago. In that hellish storm long ago, the grinning blonde had stumbled upon her, shivering and huddling for warmth. Holt gazed down at her with an unreadable expression on his face as she aimed the coldest glare she could muster at the strange man, deathly gripping the small knife she carried before his expression evolved into his usual wide grin. He moved his umbrella over her small shelter, chuckling at her as he spoke.

'Little lady, don't you know you can catch your death out here? Come along now, I wouldn't be a gentleman if I left you in such a sorry state.'

Ann was lucky that he had been the one to find her that day. She had been too weak to fight back as he picked her frail and cold body up, taking her away to his hideout. If it had been anyone else, they would have been able to do whatever they pleased with her.

"From there, he took care of me, teaching me how to fight and even unlocking my aura and discovering my semblance. He gave me odd jobs, information seeking, recruiting people to his cause, and helping him organize his plans, kinda like a secretary. And he paid me for everything handsomely. I basically grew up in the Friends of Faunus."

"And that's why you work with them?" Made sense. If Holt had been the one to take her in long ago, she would do whatever it took to repay the favor. It's how he had been invited to their little cause. She had a thing for repaying favors, "I still don't get it though. You don't have to work with them any longer, do you? So why do you? Is it to get revenge on the faunus?" he frowned sadly.

It was the White Fang's fault for what had happened to her foster family. She must have possessed a hatred for them.

Ann scoffed. As if she was that petty, "No. The White Fang are the same as everyone else, a bunch of idiots doing whatever they want for their own reasons. I'm not a racist if that's what you think. Holt pays well, about 1,200L for a job. I've saved up a pretty little egg for myself these last seven years, about 268,031 Lien if my numbers are right."

"What the hell!?" Jaune's jaw dropped at the ludicrous number she plainly revealed. That was worth more then all the houses in his old town. What was she doing with all that money? "Why do you have that much Lien? I'm sure if you're saving for something, then you probably have enough to buy it three times over."

Ann frowned tensely, "No, it's not enough. Not yet. But I'm getting closer."

"What is it? Are you trying to buy a kingdom or something?" Jaune weakly chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.

"I. . .don't want to tell you." Ann paused, looking anywhere but the blonde next to her. Jaune blinked at the sight, catching a faint red on her cheeks. Was she blushing?, "You'll think its stupid, just like everyone else." she huffed.

"Don't worry about it. I know better then to laugh at someones dream." he reassured her with a gentle grin, causing her to slowly turn her head back to him. Doubt was painted across her face, she bit the inside of her cheek nervously.

"Really? I somehow doubt that." she said with narrowed eyes before sighing. Might as well. The idiot had somehow got her to spill her life's story out to him. Nothing left to hide from the blonde, "What I wish for, what I can only buy with an insane amount of money, . . .is a small island." she closed her eyes, waiting for the ridiculing laughter to escape his lips.

For several seconds, she waited, but nothing happened. She blinked as she opened her eyes. Did she have something in her ears again. She took a moment to clean out the right with her pinky, frowning as she found nothing blocking it. Must be all the loud music then, she nodded stubbornly. Holt did say she would go deaf if she continued to listen to her tunes at the highest level available. Going back to Jaune, she was caught by surprise as she found him scratching his head in confusion.

He wasn't laughing?

"Why an island." Jaune tilted his head as he tried to wrap his brain around the idea. Why would anyone want an island? She didn't seem to be the type to buy such an expensive thing that only some multimillionaire would buy.

"Sorry, but it just doesn't make much sense to me. Why go through all that trouble for an island?"

It took a while for Ann to come to terms with the fact the blonde was actually taking her seriously. The only other person who didn't laugh at her dream had been Holt, Naragami, and Cross, "Because I'm tired of living in this filthy world." she glared at him once she regained her composure, "I want to live on an island, away from all the idiots, the monsters, the snobs, the laws, and the people that make this world what it is. I want it to be my own safe haven, where I can be myself. Somewhere far away where I can be alone for the rest of my days in paradise."

How old was she when she had found her dream? It went as far back as her days with her real parents. Ann remembered how tired they looked after working night shifts along with day shifts, too tired to even play with her in order to keep a roof over their heads and food on their plates. She wanted to one day make enough Lien to move them away somewhere they could relax and never have to worry about making ends meat. Even after their deaths, she held onto that dream in the orphanage. The other kids laughed at her, mocking her for dreaming of such in impossible dream. It was stupid, they said. A waste of time.

The years she spent on the filthy streets only made her dream stronger. The world was filthy, disgusting, full of lairs and cheats. And she wanted to get away from it all, somewhere she could finally be herself with no one telling her what to do, what was right or wrong, a place where no one could ever hurt her.

A little world of her own, her private Eden. That was her wish.

"Sounds boring."

A vein throbbed on Ann's forehead. What did that idiot just say?

Jaune gulped as he threw his hands up in panic, finding Ann's annoyed glare staring back at him. Him and his big mouth, "S-Sorry! It's just," he scratched his cheek with a frustrated expression, "I don't know, it sounds boring, having an island just for yourself with no one to talk to. I mean, no one likes being alone."

"Well, I do." she scoffed as she turned away in a huff, "If you haven't noticed, I'm not a people person. Ironic seeing as Holt has me working mostly in recruitment."

"Right. But what kind of life is that? Spending the rest of your days with on one to talk to, to support you, to help you when you're feeling down, it sounds like the true definition of loneliness?" Even Ren, despite his attitude, would never want such a life, to be alone with no one to talk to. It was a sad dream to wish for. It made Jaune frown sadly at the bluenette refusing to meet his gaze. She didn't deserve such a life of solitude.

Again, Ann felt a light tap on her shoulder. She sighed in annoyance. Couldn't the blonde idiot read body language? While he didn't make fun of her stupid sounding dream, he didn't seem to think it was worth the time and effort she put into it. It was insulting. Should have known better to trust an idiot who never had to struggle to survive.

The tapping quickly became annoying. Growling at the insistent taps, Ann turned her head back, ready to shout at the idiot to leave her alone, only to be caught by suprise.

An open hand was held out to her as Jaune wore a soft grin on his face. The hell was the idiot doing now.

"You know, you aren't alone anymore. I know you don't see me as a your friend, but if you were to leave one day, I would miss you. You're my friend. And I hate the idea of you being all alone."

"What are you trying to say, Blondie?" Ann said with a confused frown, taking a step back.

"I'm saying-" A loud rocking ring tone broke Jaune off from whatever he was going to say. Ann grunted, gesturing for the blonde to hold one for a sec. Stepping away she answered the call on her scroll.

'Little Ann~! Where are you? Initiation is ready to start, so get your golden boy down here. We still have much to do today.'

"Gotcha, boss. We'll be right down." Ann bit her lip with a tense expression. Almost forgot what awaited the blonde knight. Peeking at him from the corner of her eye, she didn't know if he would be able to go through with it.

Jaune was a kind man who dreamed of being a great huntsman. The Friends of Faunus was no place for an idiot like him. Yet he had no choice at this point. He had no chance at escape, he knew far too much. If he wished to live, he would have to go through the initiation like Cardin. She had dragged him into the underworld of her life, all because of a kind gesture. And here she had thought she couldn't sink any lower.

Maybe she could make it up to him. Once he became a member of the FoF, he would just have to stick around them for a bit and then leave. . .with her. It would only be right for all that he had done for her. A way to free him from this horrible path she had lead him into.

He was right, kinda. A life of complete solitude did sound pretty boring. Having him around would make it bearable. And it was only to pay him back for dragging his career through the gutter after today! It wasn't because she for one second thought of him as a friend!

Holt chuckled at the end of his line, 'Good to hear. Cardin's been restless since waking up. It's time we welcome our friends into our little world, my little orphan Ann. No turning back now.'

'Right. No turning back.' She told herself stubbornly, shaking her head. It was time for the show to move along, she supposed.

"Keep your pants on, boss. Five minutes tops, and we'll be there. See you soon." Ann grunted, not giving Holt the chance to respond back as she ended the call. He was not going to be happy about that. She could already see the annoying faux pout on his face.

Turning back to Jaune, she gestured her head to the path ahead of them. Her eyes hardened, abandoning all emotion, "Let's go. We don't have time for your sappy speech, or whatever you were about to say. The boss wants us down, now. And he can be a demon when he doesn't get what he wants."

Jaune frowned. Dammit! This was his chance to get her to leave everything behind. Maybe. Honestly, he didn't know what he was about to say to her. He was going off what he was feeling. Now the moment was gone. He sighed as he nodded his head and followed along.

The day was still young, he thought to himself as silence once again engulfed them. Today was the day he saved her from this underworld. After all, what was the point of all this power if he couldn't save one friend?

---

Cardin's eyes were shut in a deep scowl as his fingers drummed against his crossed arms. His back rested against the walls of the main coliseum within the FoF's headquarters. The place was empty of its usual spectators and only the hum of the Dust powering the downed force field could be heard.

An hour ago he had woken up from whatever deep sleep Holt had put him under yesterday night and he wasn't feeling too thrilled about his situation at the moment. The damn lying bastard. He ground his teeth loudly. And he had considered him a friend. Like all faunus, he could only lie. And he fell for it like an idiot. Now he was stuck in the hive of FoF's dirty organization in hopes of turning him into one of their members.

He released a sigh, his blue eye peeking down to the side to find Beaufort leaning against his leg. When he had woken up, a grunt had served him a quick breakfast and even readied his mace before leading him to the coliseum for initiation. Said that Holt had gone out for a bite to eat and was on his way with his 'gift', whatever that meant. From what he remembered of yesterdays talk, the boss had said it involved the White Fang and justice.

What was the idiot going to do? Run out and hunt down a member of the White Fang for him to mutilate? As if he was some blood thirsty monster seeking blood. That wouldn't be enough to get him to leave his career as a huntsman behind. You could dress up any faunus as a White Fang member.

The large coliseum gates creaked open, catching Cardin's attention as somebody stumbled out. He couldn't make out their identity with the dim light hanging over the place. Cardin's eyes squinted, catching the faint color of their hair. Blonde? Was that Holt?

Rays of bright white light ate away the dark curtain over the coliseum, revealing the identity of the person now accompanying him in the arena. His blue eyes widened in complete shock along with the blue eyes of the blonde knight staring back at him with in mute confusion.

"Jaune?" Cardin frowned, stepping closer to the awkward blonde? What the hell was the dork doing here of all places?

Jaune grit his teeth at the unexpected surprise, "Cardin? What are you doing inside the FoF's coliseum? Don't tell me they dragged you into this mess." Those bastards! Did they somehow use Cardin's hate of the faunus to recruit him into their organization? That was just low.

"Me? What the hell are you doing here!? I thought you hated this kind of crap!? Don't tell me you've just been faking it all this time?" Cardin growled angrily. If there was one thing he hated, it was liars. Bastard, acting all high and mighty when he was no different them him.

"Course not." Jaune shook his head, "I was invited by a friend to fight in the UGC for extra Lien. I want nothing to do with the FoF and its plans. Why are you here? I didn't think you would hate the faunus enough to," he gestured his hands with a look of disgust, "Do all this?"

Clenching his fists, Cardin threw his hands out in anger, "Don't compare me to those pieces of trash! I've simply been training to be a better huntsman by one of their strongest! I was ready to leave all this behind me yesterday till Holt knocked me out. He said he had something for me that would without a doubt make me join his cause."

"And you followed after them, just because they promised you they could make you stronger? That's stupid! You should know how bad an idea that is! These guys aren't plain old racists, they wish to mutilate them so they can look human! No amount of power is worth hanging around people like that!"

"And what about you!? Stop playing the hero! You're here fighting against Grimm, illegally for profit! How does that make you better then me!?" Cardin yelled back, gripping the handle of his titanium mace with such anger.

"If you're here, then that means you're part of this mess too! So don't talk as if you're any innocent!"

"I'm different!" Jaune struggled to say anymore. Who knew if Holt was watching them right now. He couldn't reveal he was undercover. Why was he here anyways? Ann didn't say much, only that Holt needed to see him for something really important. Did it have to deal with Cardin? What the hell was going on?

An ominous chuckled broke out from nowhere, causing both of the huntsman in training to tense as the shadows under thier feet stretched. They snaked to the middle of the ring, swirling into a pool of darkness. Slowly, Holt's body emerged from from the pooling shadows, his grin wide as ever. The look in his eyes sent warning bells off in Jaune's head as he gripped the handle of Crocea Mors.

"Hello there, boys. Seems you both have been acquainted with another. What, school mates? Old friends? Rivals?" he laughed as he stepped out of the shadows, "Well, I suppose that's a good thing. It will make working together in the future all the more easier. That is, if you pass your right of passage."

"Right of passage? What are you talking about, Holt?" Jaune glared. The way he was speaking was almost as if he was joining them.

"Initiation of course! Jaune, you're a strong hunter. You haven't lost a single match in the UGC and my boys have begun to respect the strength you hold. It's only natural that you join the FoF. After all, you know too much. A little too much for my liking." Holt's grin turned savage as his fingers clawed the air, "Wouldn't want Anabel knowing about your 'other friends' would we?" he hissed.

'Shit!' Jaune took a step back as he began to sweat. Did he know? That's impossible! Every time he left to meet up with Kris he made sure to Scan for anyone following after him. How could he know he was a spy!?

Holt licked his lips at the look of panic on his fellow blondes face. So, he was right. That was an honest to God shot in the dark. And he hit the bulls-eye from the looks of it.

He found it strange that such a boy would risk everything to fight against Grimm for simply Lien. Jaune was too kind, too soft. The boy stood out in their crowd. And yet he came back everyday, knowing what his organization was up to. Not to mention the questions he had been asking had tipped him off. Jaune never asked him, no, Holt shook his head as his eyes turned to the stands where Ann sat by watching them, unable to hear their conversation. Ann was the one he had been asking questions to. She had asked him a few she couldn't answer, like how many hideouts they found below Vale.

A snitch, a dirty fucking rat. All this time, the boy had been gathering information to an outside force. Holt could take stab at who he had been working with. Mostly likely the Vale city police. It was a clever idea to use the trust of his right hand lady to sneak into their midst's without being pinned by a Marker. Unfortunately for them the idea of his little Anabel being used like that pissed him off to a dangerous level. What he wouldn't do to tear the lying little blonde knight apart, limb by limb.

Even if she wouldn't admit it, Ann cared for Jaune as a friend. Her first real friend that she had made on her own. She would be devastated to find out she had been played with to take them down.

But he would give the blonde boy a chance. Give him the benefit of the doubt. If he really cared for Anabel, then he would go through with the imitation and join their cause. And he would forget all about his backstabbing ways. For Anabel.

"So, I am right? Now, who's the real monster here, Jaune? " Holt chided before turning his eyes back to Cardin. He smiled brightly at the boy, "Good to see you up and rested, Cardin! I got that gift of yours. And I know you'll love it." he chuckled darkly. He spread his arms apart in a wide gesture, raising his fingers up. Twin blotches of shadows grew under his hands on the ground, slowly rising up in human sized pillars. Snapping his fingers, the shadows receded, pulling away to reveal two familiar girls in Beacon uniform.

Jaune's eyes trembled as his mouth hung open in shock, "Blake? Velvet!?" He shouted in alarm, unsheathing Crocea Mors from its sheath.

Standing still with the support of the webbing of shadows keeping them upright, Jaune found Blake and Velvet weakly staring back at him. They didn't seem to be hurt other then a few light scratches and dust around their uniforms. But seeing them in Holt's clutches, so close to a man who wished to make their kind human in the cruelest of ways made Jaune's blood boil.

Holt grinned madly as he watched Jaune charge at him, "More friends? What a surprise!" he shouted happily, blocking the swinging blade with one hand. He paid the weak pressure no mind as he kicked him back. Fine blade, Holt hummed as he looked over the battered sword. No amount of pressure he applied to it could shatter it, let alone crack. Seemed really old from the looks of it.

Done inspecting it, Holt flung it back to its owner. The blade stabbed the side of his cheek as Jaune laid on the ground. He grunted as he picked himself up. Holt could have easily taken his head with that throw.

Cardin was as shocked as Jaune. Why did Holt have Blake and Velvet with him? Was this the gift he was talking about? That didn't make any sense. Sure, Velvet was a faunus and it was fun messing with her since she didn't fight back. But Blake was human. She had no part in this. And while she could be annoying and show him up in Oobleck's class, Cardin didn't dislike her enough to hurt her.

"What are you doing with them, Holt?" Cardin scowled with a growl, "I'm not some asshole that beats up innocent woman. I know Velvet's a faunus, but that doesn't mean I'll follow your orders like a drone and cut her ears off! I'm better then that."

"Ooh, but Cardin, it's not the little bunny you're going to humanize." Holt shook his head with an amused grin, "I simply have her as a test to see of Jaune is fully committed to my Ann. No, Ms. Belladona is your prize."

"Are you blind?" Cardin scoffed as he pointed at Blake, "She's not a faunus, she's human. Unlike yourself."

Holt nearly laughed, "Really? Boy, if I can hide the fact that I'm human, then even she," His teeth flashed widely as his finger reached for the top of Blake's head.

Blake struggled against the shadows holding her still as she panicked. No, not like this!

Crocea Mor's blade swung for Holt's reaching hand only to be swatted away by his free hand. Again, Jaune was kicked away with a shout as he rolled on his side. He grimaced as he tried to stand back up. Holt was prepared, calling on the shadows underneath the knight to clamp around his limbs to hold him down, "No! Don't you fucking dare!" Jaune roared, struggling against the powerful force holding him still.

It was too late as Holt's cruel fingers tightened around Blake's bow, ripping it off for everyone to see what was hidden underneath.

Two cat ears wiggled in front of Cardin's eyes, leaving him speechless. The hell? She was a faunus!? How did he never notice that?

Blake grit her teeth as she shut her eyes, her head dropping in shame as the shaggy blonde man tossed her precious bow carelessly to the side. Her secret was out, she wasn't safe any longer.

"-Can hide the fact that she's a faunus." he said smugly, petting the soft tuffs that were Blake's ears. The action only made Blake bit down on her lip as she flinched at the unwanted feeling of such a man touching her cat ear, "Shame, you have lovely little kitty ears. It's too bad they make you less of a human. I would feel sorry for you, if you weren't a terrorist." His fingers pulled on her ears, the pain forcing a grunting shout from Blake.

"Terrorist?" Cardin frowned, his heart suddenly speeding up at what he was implying.

Holt chuckled as he used his free hand to take out his scroll. Messing around with it, he remotely activated the holo screen above their heads with a smug grin.

"Tell me kids, who wants to watch a movie?"

---

DLC #5: Sick Day.

A snot bubble slipped out of Jaune's nose, the nasty little bastard becoming an eyesore as he sucked it back in with a weak groan.

It was Tuesday and right about now he was usually in class, studying and trying to resist Professor Antheia's flirtatious ways. Not today though. For the last few days, Jaune had been feeling a cold crawling its way to his immune system, finally taking it down in a fight to be passed down for the ages to the antibodies in his body. The lose had resulted in waking up to a sore throat, runny nose, and aching head. Now he was stuck in bed, with an ice pack on top of his head and a thermometer sticking out of his mouth.

He sneezed loudly, sniffing back his mucus as Pyrrha gingerly removed the thermometer from his lips. She frowned at the readins.

"Yup, over one hundred. We were right to keep you in today. I've already notified the teachers, and they've allowed us to stay back and take care of you."

"Ahem."

"Right." Pyrrha laughed in embarrassment as Ren's weak pink eyes turned to her with a pout, a wet mini towel laid across his forehead, "And you too Ren."

"Why is Jaune in my bed with me?" Ren growled, swatting Nora's poking fingers away from his nose as she pouted. He had said in many times already, and he was going to say it again. No one was allowed on his bed, no one. Except maybe Pyrrha, if she wanted. And there was no stopping Nora from invading his beloved mattress.

Right now, both Gamers were tucked into Ren's bed, somehow fitting together side by side. Their pillows laid next to each other, the close space making them uncomfortable.

"Because someone thought it would be fun to wake me up with a cannonball." Jaune weakly glared to the innocent whistling of Nora.

The orange haired girl huffed, "Not my fault your bed can't take it like a man. You don't see Ren crying about his broken bed, do you?"

For a good reason, Ren nodded firmly as he tried fluffing his pillow. Using his inventory, he switched out regular old school issued mattress with one he had tucked away in his inventory. He braved many a beasts and monsters to find the perfect mesh of sleep and comfort with every reset to replace the old bed with this god among beds. Even Nora's shenanigans weren't able to break it down.

"Why couldn't you rest in Nora's bed? Or Pyrrha's?" Ren grumbled.

"I can't sleep in Nora's bed. It smells like pancakes. . .and other things I'm too embarrassed to question."

"I'm not ready for such a huge step!"

A vein throbbed on Ren's forehead. All he wanted was his own bed. Was that so wrong?

"How are you even sick, Mr. My Body is a Temple?" Jaune asked with a quirked brow. The green garbed ninja never got sick, even in his first life. He was a very healthy huntsman.

Again, Nora whistled innocently as she turned away from her friends.

'Nora, can you grab me a water? I'm busy cleaning out the stains you left on Storm Flower. What were doing with them anyways?'

'I was cleaning out my teeth! They're perfect for digging out pork chops in between these pearly whites!' Nora grinned widely, handing her best friend a cool bottle of water her leader had left behind earlier.

Ren frowned back at her before taking a swig, 'That doesn't explain the peanut butter. . .and is this blood?'

'I had a very interesting morning today~!'

As far as they knew, she was perfectly innocent.

'Five Lien it was Nora's fault.' They all thought to themselves with flat expressions aimed at the nodding hammer girl. Fifty percent of what went randomly wrong to them was due to her.

"Either way! You're both stuck in bed for the day! And seeing as we missed morning classes, and will be missing the last class of the day because of you two, it's only right that we take care of you both!" Nora grinned with giddy. She always wanted to play doctor.

Grabbing onto Pyrrha's shoulder and catching her by surprise, Nora rushed the both of them into their shared bathroom with a glint in her eye, slamming the door behind them as construction sounds banged against the worn out door.

Jaune whimpered as he hid himself in Ren's covers, "I have a bad feeling about this."

"It's Nora, so you're right to be afraid." Ren nodded, scowling as he struggled to pull the covers from Jaune's runny face, "And get your filthy nose away from my blanket! I paid an actual arm and a leg for it!"

Too busy in their fight for their shared blanket, Jaune and Ren failed to notice the bathroom door kicked open. Strutting out, the two girls walked beside their bed just as Ren back handed the blonde pinching his nose. They blinked in confusion, catching the creamy long legs by their bed, their eyes trailing the curvaceous bodies to stop with dropped jaws at the scene before them.

Nora rested her hands on her hips, dressed in a sexy doctor's uniform. The white uniform was short, stopping just around her thighs and the buttons were undone to her stomach, teasingly revealing her perky chest. She wore a band around her forehead with a little mirror attached along with white stockings. She winked at the boys, sticking her tongue out in a silly gesture. They didn't need to wonder if she wore underwear, she was spinning her pink bra on her finger. Safe to say she wasn't wearing anything below.

Pyrrha rubbed her arms around her shoulders nervously at the attention on her. Nora had wrestled her into a sexy nurse's uniform. It was very short, to the point that if she bent over she would be flashing her rear to whoever was looking. A little nurses hat adorned her head and she wore red stockings along with red high heels. What made it worse was that the material used to make it was almost see through. She blushed as she covered her chest and lower regions, not wanting them to see the faint outline of her red bra and panties.

As one, Jaune and Ren dumbly opened and closed their mouths at their female teammates attire. Their brains were frying, smoking from the hot, sexy images.

"What are you wearing!?" They both yelled, blushes burning their cheeks.

"While I was out in Vale with a sugar buddy of mine, we stopped by an intresting costume shop. We had to fight them to get in, but once we did we found these awesome doctor and nurse uniforms. We're planning to go as these for Halloween, but you both need some tender, loving, care from you favorite redheads!" Nora happily explained. It was a cute little place with lots of X's on the front and weird punny named movies with naked people. Wonder if it was a porn shop. Probably, she shrugged as she smacked Pyrrha's ass.

"Nora! We talked about boundaries after the bubble bath incident!" Pyrrha blushed madly as she glared at her silly smiling friend.

'Bubble bath?' Both huntsman faces twitched at the erotic sounding incident. They couldn't fight the naughty images forming in their heads as Nora's and Pyrrha's eek's and moans filled their thoughts.

Ren stubbornly shook the thoughts away with a red scowl, "You shouldn't be wearing such risque clothes! You already know how Jaune gets!"

"Not even your blankets can hide the mighty dinosaur from peeking out of its cave!"

"Keep that thing down! Not while you're in my bed!"

"What about you!? That's not Storm Flower in your lap, and you know it!"

Pyrrha covered her mouth, noticing the rising bumps in their bed, "Oh my."

"I guess you're both happy to see us, huh~!" Nora leered with a teasing grin.

"Nora, we talked about this! The pain is too much to bear!"

"Regardless!" Nora continued, marching around their bed with a determined expression on her face, "We have a job to do! Seeing as Professor Goodwitch wanted us to work on team building by switching partners today, we'll just have to settle for each others partner taking care of them. Don't you think it's a good idea, fearless leader!" Standing beside Jaune's side, Nora grinned widely down at the sweating sick blonde. Her creamy cleavage causing Jaune's heart to skyrocket as he gulped.

"I guess." He stammered, her hot breath tickling his face.

While Pyrrha pouted at another lost chance to get closer to her partner, she did think it was a good idea. She wanted to deepen her friendship with Ren further. Even if she looked embarrassing as she was, she was willing to take care of him to show him how much she treasured their friendship. Pyrrha pumped her fists in determination, the action causing her breasts to bounce by Ren's bedside.

By the end of the day, they would be as close as he was to Nora! On her name as a Nikos, she will be his second female best friend!

Ren felt his mind shut down as he watched the marvelous things Pyrrha's body did while she moved. Not in all of the lives he had lived, did he ever see such a sight. He fought to tear his eyes away, lest her opinion of him drop.

'Noooo! Just another peek! I'd happily die a happy man a thousand times over if it meant drinking it in!'

Damn mind! Even it betrayed him in the end.

Wait! Jaune froze as the situation finally sunk in. That would mean Nora, the terror of legs, the Diva of pancakes, the crazed fan of sloths, who could crush a man three times her size with a giddy laugh, would take care of his now fragile body. Sexiness be damned! He did not want to die of over exposure of curves, or broken bones and crushed organs!

"Don't worry, I'm perfectly certified to use this saw!" Bending down to dig through her white medical bag, Nora excitedly waved around the wiggling blade of her bone cutting saw, "I even got the paper to prove it! Look!"

Ren blinked with a flat expression at the coffee stained paper in his best friends hand, "Doctor Nora? Ph.D? Isn't that Professor Oobleck's degree?"

"Not anymore~!"

Nuh uh. Jaune shook his head as he slowly peeled off Ren's blanket. He still had so much to live for this life!

"Look! A fluffy sloth serving pancakes and breaking legs with a pointy pony hat!"

Nora gasped as she turned away to follow Jaune's pointing finger, "Really!? Where?" She squealed like a school girl. Only to frown in disappointment as a gust blew by her.

"You must really be sick, Jaune-Jaune. All I see is the secret spot Pyrrha hides her porn."

Chiding the blonde knight, she returned to cutting out those nasty germs making her leader feel sick. She blinked finding a dotted outline of Jaune where he once laid.

"He ran away, didn't he?" She blurted dully, receiving nods from her teammates. Nora sighed, cracking her neck as she spun her feet to the door, "That's fine, I love it when they run!" She breathed hotly, biting down on her lip.

Stretching her legs, Nora blasted off her feet in search of her poor patient. She'd tear down every room and hall in Beacon in search of her weak blonde leader!

"Should we follow?" Pyrrha asked nervously, fearing for her crush's safety.

Ren shrugged, frowning as he began coughing roughly. He grimaced as he panted from the draining fit, "If you want to, I won't stop you. Nora needs someone to keep her in line. I'll be fine." He smiled weakly. He didn't want her wasting her time with him if she didn't want to. Even if he would enjoy her company despite her. . .revealing clothing.

Taking one last weary look at the swinging door left by Nora's charge, Pyrrha nodded her head firmly as she made up her mind. She got up for the door, surprising Ren as she shut it.

Jaune would be fine, even if he was sick. He had survived Nora's insanity this long. And Nora knew when to tone down, even she would stop fooling around to take care of Jaune. Now it was her turn to watch over Ren. And she would not fail him!

"I think he'll be fine for now. If he truly is in trouble, he'll head for team RWBY's dorm for safety. For now though," Pyrrha grinned brightly as she headed for the cabinet Ren stored his tea, "We need you drink something nice and hot! What would you like, Ren? I'll make you whatever you please!" She said in a chirpy voice.

Ren looked back to the amazon huntress with surprise as he sat up on his bed. He sniffed as he watched her rummage through his collection of teas.

Did she just turn down a chance to look for Jaune, just to take care of him? That had never happened before. Seeing her turn back to him with two small herbal bags in her hands with a bright smile, Ren couldn't fight the blush on his face, or the smile on his own.

"I'll take Earl Gray right now. How about we both enjoy a cup, Pyrrha?"

---

Jaune panted, sweat flying past his face as he ran from the sexy, hammer wielding demon hunting him down. This was not how the planned to die! Death by Nora was not a pleasant wy to go!

He pushed past the students leaving lunch without a care. Even as they stared at his sick, sweating, form running for his life in his boxers. Dignity and pride be damned! He wanted to live!

"Oooooh, Jaune-Jaune~! Come back to bed, will you? I'll let you take a peek at my lovely valley if you come peacefully~!"

'Don't fall for it, don't fall for it, don't fall for it!' Jaune chanted in his head as Nora's voice rung in the halls. She was getting closer, he needed to hide!

Seeing an empty classroom as he stopped, Jaune quickly dove in, locking the door behind him. He could feel the door rattle as Nora passed by.

A sigh escaped him, sliding down the door with relief. Thank god, he escaped her clutches. But for how long?

"Ohhhhh~? What's this we have here? Is that you, my darling?"

Jaune's right eye twitched as footsteps walked towards him. Ivy Antheia's creamy legs greeted his sight, her ponytail lightly smacking him on the nose as she leaned down to meet his face. She licked her lips at his sweating form. His ragged breaths created a tightness in her core that no amount of rubbing her legs together could quell.

Ivy caressed Jaune's cheek, cooing as she knelt down to his slumped level, "Look at you, you're as pale as a ghost, my dear. You'll catch your death out here. Come along now, my bed is nicely furnished for two." Ivy smiled sensuously, her fingers trailing his wet, muscled chest. Made her moan lightly as her teeth dug into her lips, "I have the perfect 'nectar' to cure you of your sickness. And in kind, you'll let me taste yours."

The tightness! It wouldn't stop!

"Oh? Isn't that a lovely little flower in your pants. What a big boy, it's just right~."

Jaune was too sick to be dealing with this! He only had one option.

"Look! It's my twin brother, Juan Arc! And he's proposing a threesome!"

"Really!?" Ivy gasped happily, swinging her head to follow Jaune's finger behind her, "I don't know if I'm ready for two at once! I'm just a flower!" She gushed.

Ivy's blue eye's blinked, the only thing greeting her being her desk. A look back to her love revealed a dotted outline of his body and a swinging door. She sighed, cracking her fingers as she stood back up.

"I love it when they run." She grinned.

---

'What the hell is it with orange haired girls? I swear they only exist to make me run for my life.' Jaune sniffed, fighting the urge sneeze as leaned against a wall at the end of the hallway. Now he had two maniacs chasing after him.

Using Scan to find any sight of the two demon woman, Jaune was happy to not find them in his map's HUD. He needed a moment to breath.

'Where am I?' Jaune gulped, his breath steadying as he looked around the hall. It looked familiar, 'Wait, this is where my dorm is. How did I get all the way back here?'

Going back to his dorm was out of the question. Nora would come back to check on Ren before running of for his sick ass. He needed to lay low. And he needed protection. Which meant he had only one option. His eyes trailed the door opposite to his room, where four powerful huntresses dwelled.

Only RWBY could protect him from the likes of Nora.

Knocking on their door, he was relieved when Ruby cracked it open, her silver eyes blinking at the odd sight in her door way.

"Where are your clothes, Jaune?" Ruby asked slowly, scratching her head. Wasn't he sick today.

"Long story, I just need a place to lay low for a while." Jaune pleaded with watery eyes, sniffing as he begged, "Doctor Nora wants to cut me up to get rid of the germs, and Professor Antheia's promising things, sexy things I'm not ready for!"

"Who is it, Ruby!?"

"It's Jaune! And he's seeking sanctuary in his boxers again!" Ruby yelled back to her sister.

"Nora? Then let him in! No one deserves whatever she's planning."

Ruby nodded her head as she opened the door for Jaune, "If it's sanctuary you seek, then come on in! Welcome to our holy abode!"

Jaune smiled gratefully to the dark redhead girl before stepping in. Finally, some sane people!

His body froze as his blue eyes came eye to eye to the stunned face of his Snow Angel. Her skirt laid between her feet, leaving her in her frilly white panties as he caught her mid change. Her blazer laid on her bedside and her arms where in the air as her shirt was pulled over her breasts, her snow patterned bra loosely covering her petite breasts. That wasn't all though, no. Blake stood frozen as she covered her naked breasts in the middle near her own bed. Her purple bowed panties were the only clothing on her.

And worst of all, with a shit eating grin plastered on her face, was Yang. With no panties, her hands unclasping her yellow bra to change into her favorite bed time shirt, she stood by her partner with waggling eyebrows. She snickered at his dropping jaw.

Ruby smacked her head as she closed the door behind her, "Oops! Sorry, we were busy changing when you knocked. You can chill in the corner while we finish up!" Ruby smiled innocently, unbuttoning her own blazer, dropping it back as she took off her shirt. Her cute bra greeted his guilty ravaging blue eyes, bouncing lightly as she grinned, "You should be use to this, seeing as you have seven sisters, right? We trust you."

'I saw them.' Jaune's mind thought dully. Those picture perfect flesh melons, the perky pink nips, and the forbidden valley down under. Not to mention his Snow Angel, so beautiful, so graceful and petite. And Blake, leaving much to the imagination.

'I'm dead. My soul can no longer be saved. Forgive me, mother. . .And stop laughing, Dad.'

Eventually, Weiss snapped out of her shock as an angry red blush painted her face. No one would blame her for what happened next.

"KYAAAAA! DIE, YOU FILTHY BLONDE HEADED SHIT!" Weiss roared, summoning on her glyph to appear in front of Jaune. He was helpless to defend against the massive fist made of ice ramming into his fragile body. The door to their room was smashed to bits as she sent him crashing out the room.

Blake stared out the new hole to their room, her blush dying down as she gazed at the twitching blonde pinned by the cold giant fist, ". . .Is he dead? And did Weiss just curse?" She asked with a raised brow.

"Yup, can you say, New ringtone~!" Yang sang as she recorded everything on her scroll.

With the ice shattering to tiny pieces, Ruby ran out the door to check on her best male friend.

"It's his fault!" Weiss growled, turning away with a huff, "He made his grave once his unworthy eyes looked upon my changing form. I was lucky to have my bra on."

"Eh, he isn't missing much."

"Shut your trap, Yang! This is all your fault!"

Ruby patted Jaune' cheeks as stars danced in his visions. He was lucky to be alive.

"Jaune! Speak to me!" Ruby cried in despair, sitting on his lap and hugging his dizzy face to her chest. Poor Jaune, he was already sick enough as it is. Now her partner had nearly killed him. She sniffed as she hugged his head tighter.

'I can feel them. They're rubbing against my lips.' This was wrong, she was fifteen! Yet he couldn't fight the guilty pleasure it brought.

Ruby blinked, "What's poking my thigh? Feels really hard yet tender and fleshy."

Stopping her friendly cuddles, two presences suddenly stood behind her, their shadows blocking the light as she turned her head back. She smiled.

"Hi, Nora, Professor Antheia! What are you doing here?" She asked, cutely tiling her head.

"That's Doctor Nora to you!" Nora nodded her head firmly, chiding the young redhead. Her eyes looked down to the object of her trouble, grinning with glee, "My patient! I've been looking for him everywhere! You really do know how to track down blondes, Professor Antheia."

The equally orange haired woman shrugged with a coy smile, "It's a gift. Now, how about we take him back to treat his wounds. I could use some help holding him down."

"Only if you play the assistant. I worked too damn hard for this fake degree, do you now how hard it is to write over an official document? Not very!"

Ruby sniffed at the two, "You'll make him better?"

"Of course, my little rose." Ivy cooed, gesturing Nora to take Jaune from Ruby's hold. She nodded her head to her partner in crime before turning back to one of her beloved students, "You can trust your teacher to make your friend better. In ways you've yet to understand."

"I don't get it, but thank you!" Ruby beamed as she waved good bye to Nora and Professor Antheia, the barely conscious form of Jaune weakly reaching his hand to her from Nora's shoulder, "I'll see you later, Jaune!"

Now fully changed, Yang stepped out along with the rest of their team as they watched Jaune carried away to his sexy doom, "You sure it was a good idea to leave him to them?"

"Sure!" Ruby grinned as she skipped back to her room to change, "Jaune will be up and stumbling before you know it."

"I don't think he'll be able to walk after the teacher's done with him." Blake deadpanned.

"And adding a mix of Nora is never bound to end well." Yang nodded. Poor guy.

Weiss turned away with a glare, mumbling about dirty blondes and their peeking eyes. Dear god, she saw it poke out of his boxers. And the image wouldn't leave! It was going to haunt her dreams for the rest of her life.

'I never knew it could be so big! And it was my first!'

Back in JNPR's dorm room, everything was fine as Ren sipped his tea. Pyrrha sat beside him, back in her regular uniform as she joined him in a rare moment of peace.

He smiled as the soreness in his throat was relieved. Nothing helped a cold better then some nice hot tea and some pleasant company. This was going to be a memory he swore to cherish for the rest of his years in this hell known as The Game.

He was going to have to thank Jaune for it. Hopefully he survived whatever Nora had planned.

---

Chapter finished! And it's officially tomorrow on my end! I need that beta, bad. I need sleep!

Like I said earlier, notstop action from here on out till we reach the end of this Arc! Who will survive? Will bonds be broken, will trust be crushed, will guilt and sins consume, and will others fall into the dark shadows fallen over them? The train is sparking and on a crash course to an unknown, and uncertain, End! Will the sun come up tomorrow? Are you willing to bet your bottom dollar on that?

Time for sleep! Goodnight, good people. And I'll see ya'll next Thursday for another exciting new chapter of Multiplayer! Spread the word of this story if you can, I want more people to take a chance on this story like you all did. I wish to make this the most popular RWBY Gamer fic here. Let's see if I got the skills to achieve it.

Read and Review! It's common courtesy.

NeoShadows fading in and out.