Patriot-112: Hey everyone! And let me explain that I am VERY happy that everyone received the news as well they did. I told Ron the news about him no longer working on future RWBY fics I think for myself, but I'll still work with him on his and my current fics, and he...took it rather well.
Or in his words: 'I just don't fucking care'
...Well, anyway, I am pleased to say that AM:Reforged has received positives, other than the original. But, like I said in the Author's Notice I left, that fic hasn't been discontinued. Yes, I know I screwed up in that fic. But if you help me make THIS fic you're reading better than the original, I wouldn't mind ideas. Now, let's continue.
Chapter One:
Lost Soul
City of Vale
Tukson's Book Trade
Two weeks after SDC Dust heist attempt
The door to Tukson's Book Trade store opened as a blonde haired woman, wearing a pair of form fitting jeans, low heeled lace up boots, a white tank top, and a opened brown leather jacket walked in. Her eyes were covered with a pair of sunglasses as she carried a stack of three books under her arm. She walked passed all of the small shelves of books as she stood at the front counter and rang the bell.
"Be right there!" a voice shouted in the back room, and soon a well muscular man came out, a large stack of books in his arms. He was taller than about three inches passed six feet, and had crew cut black hair, with sideburns.
"Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade! Home to every book under the sun!" the man boasted as she set the stack down and turned to the woman at the counter, and he blinked, "Doré? It's been weeks since I last saw you!"
The woman, Doré, gave a soft smile as she removed her glasses, revealing her emerald eyes.
"Hey Tukson. Sorry, I was held up by family business," she said apologetically, "I thought I catch you so I can drop some books off before you move to Vacuo,"
With that she placed the stack on the counter as Tukson gave her a small wave.
"It's fine, it's fine! No need to worry about that," he said, calming her worries, "Let's see what you got,"
With that, Tukson began looking at the books that Doré brought him, including a small red book with gold lettering. It was titled: 'A Blue Dove for the Princess'.
"Heh, I remember this old story," Tukson said smiling nostalgically, as he picked up the book and looked through the pages, "My mom would read it to me and my sister when we were kids,"
"It's still popular these days," Doré said, "This is one of two hardback books I currently own. Since I already have one, I thought this one will make a good addition to your store once you set up shop in Vacuo."
Tukson nodded as he closed the book, "Hang here for a minute," he said and went into the back, while Doré waited for him to come back. As she did, she looked around and sighed sadly. She was going to miss Tukson, she and him had a mutual love for books. History, kids stories, science fiction, romance novels, it didn't matter to her, if it was a good read, she had to have it.
Her thoughts were interrupted as Tukson came back, and laid what looked like a large case on the table in front of her.
"This stuff wasn't easy to get, ya know," he said, as Doré opened it and looked inside, "Those security doors nearly got me, but knowing Atlas hardware, it's getting more predictable,"
Doré gave the contents a critical eye before she closed the case, and gave the bookshop owner a grateful smile.
"Thank you Tukson," she said, "I'll be sure to repay you anyway I can,"
The man just shook his head, "There's no need, Doré. You're a good kid, and have been helping me out a lot. Consider this a gift in helping out a guy like me," he said, which caused Doré to smile and gave the man a friendly embrace. After a moment, the two broke apart.
"Call me when you reach Vacuo, alright?" she said, "I wanna know you're safe,"
Tukson nodded, "I'll call you when my plane lands," he said, and Doré nodded as she picked up the case and left the store.
However, she didn't notice the two people who entered just eight seconds after she left. One of them however, spotted her, and her eyes squinted.
"What's up, Emerald?" said Mercury, while Emerald watched the girl leave with a large case, more specifically, at her hair. However, the girl entered a crowd of people and disappeared, causing her to shake her head
"...Nothing." the illusionist said, and the two walked into the store.
Meanwhile, at Beacon.
Ozpin's Office
Ozpin looked out the window, overlooking Beacon's courtyard, and giving a grand view of the bay, between Beacon and the City of Vale. It had been at least two weeks since the incident at the docks. And two weeks since the last sighting of the Maiden Knight. Now, he wasn't obsessed or anything like that. He was just curious in what and who the woman was.
Who trained her, what are her motives, and why does she do what she does.
"Whenever I see you with that expression," said a gruff, with a slight tinge of drunkenness, "It means that you're thinking about something really hard. And whatever it is you're thinking, it's either very good, or it's very bad."
Ozpin sighed at that and looked behind him to see none other than Qrow Branwen. Member of Team STRQ at Beacon, and one of the best Hunters he trained. He hadn't changed much, sans, the light stubble on his face, and the graying black hair.
"Good of you to come, Qrow," Ozpin said, "I wouldn't have called you here if it wasn't important."
The said man shrugged as he brought out a flask.
"This wouldn't happened to be about a certain masked female vigilante wearing an armored battle dress, and giving criminal elements, including the White Fang a REALLY hard time?" He asked, making the Headmaster blink, before sighing.
"Nothing gets passed you Qrow," he said, "Yes, it concerns the Maiden Knight. You know the Councils of all the kingdoms want to apprehend her due to her actions in dealing with the Criminal Underworld?"
Qrow nodded at that, knowing how the political idiots are mostly doing it out of their pride being hurt. Of course, there is the problem of the people raising a stink over it, considering they see her as a Heroine from a bygone age come back to deliver true justice.
"Politics and all that good shit." Qrow grumbled out, "They should give her a medal, instead of slapping cuffs on her,"
Ozpin nodded whimsically at that, "True, but unfortunately, they're the ones who make the rules. However, I spoke to them last week, giving them a deal and asking that I form a team to search for her, and that once I find her, I will induct her into Beacon Academy. But if the police and the Atlas Military find her first, they will arrest her and prosecute her." he explained, and Qrow quirked an eyebrow.
"So, who are you gonna pick for this search and recruit mission?" he asked, and Ozpin sighed.
"Normally I would pick just you, and, since you're still in contact with her, your sister," the Headmaster said, which he received a look from the man that said 'Don't'. "However, I thought of assembling two of the top Hunter-in-training Teams currently in Academical circulation."
Qrow blinked twice at that.
"Isn't that a little risky, even for you Oz?" he said, and he watched his old friend activate the holotable to show the image of the said woman.
"Believe, I wouldn't want to get any of the students hurt, or possibly worse, considering who it is they will be facing," Ozpin said, as he looked at the image of the woman. "But, call it an instinct, but when I watch her fight, I could see someone who is determined to succeed, but I can also see her pain, and solitude. A person who is crying out for companionship. Call it crazy old man talk if you want, but that's just how I feel."
Qrow looked at the Headmaster before he gave a sigh, "So, who're the lucky winners that are going after her then?"
"I love these guys," said a certain blonde haired Monkey Faunus as he watched his new friends just finish the mother of all food fights he had ever seen. His friend, on the hand, covered in grape juice, just gives him a glare. The doors slam open as a blonde haired woman entered, her expression that of stress, and anger, as she growled at the state of the dining hall. She raised her riding crop and in a flash all the tables and benches went back to their rightful places and the food was placed back into trash bins.
"Children, please!" she said sternly, "Do not play with your food!"
Said children were none other than the Freshman Teams of Beacon, Team RWBY and Team JNPR.
The teens were all covered in the food they threw or bashed against each other. Of course, Team JNPR was mostly covered in food, while Team RWBY was more clean.
"BURP!" Everyone looked to Nora who shamelessly belched, before a scream got their attention, as Yang Xiao Long crashed through the roof after being sent into the air by said Valkyrie. The students begin to laugh, while Glynda wasn't amused, until she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder.
"Let it go," said Ozpin gently, as he came down after hearing the commotion.
The deputy headmistress sighed as she turned to the two teams.
"They're supposed to be the future protectors of the world," she said, as the gathered teens all laughed at the fun they just had.
"True, but they're still just children," Ozpin reminded, "So let's them continue to be that way while they still can. Afterall, it's not a privilege they'll have forever,"
He then turned to the students who took notice of his presence.
"I hope you had fun," Ozpin said, while a small frown formed on his face, "Though I believe the chefs will be most... displeased at such a large waste of food."
The student teams all chuckled sheepishly at that, as the headmaster continued.
"But for now, I would like to see you both in my office, after you have cleaned up. For I have a special assignment for you all,"
That caused Glynda and the two teams to blink in confusion, but the latter nodded.
"Yes, Professor Ozpin," said Ruby, and the Headmaster nodded as he turned around and headed back to the office.
Vale Council Building, Meeting Room
The Council of Vale composes of five councilors who make all the political decisions in of the entire kingdom. Right now, they were in a discussion with the other Councils of the other kingdoms of Remnant, concerning a certain vigilante who has been making their respective police forces look like fools, and taking the law into her own hands. It was made even more frustrating that Ozpin made that offer to get her off the streets, but at the insistence of inducting her into Beacon.
They accepted of course, but did so begrudgingly, and it showed in their postures and expressions.
"That Ozpin has always been too nosy for his own good," said one councilor, one Nyanza Stone, the councilor for Vale's economy. The man was entering his late forties, with his hair being the color his name comes from, while having a pair of stone grey eyes. "He wants to give that damn vigilante a safe haven, where we won't be able to touch her."
"He apparently see potential in the girl," said a female councilor, from Mistral, "Why he thinks that, we'll never know. The most important thing is to apprehend her before he does."
"Easier said than done," said another Councilor, this one from Atlas, "This 'Maiden Knight' is clearly not only skilled at combat, but also an expert in evading law enforcement authorities. She makes our respective police forces look like a joke!"
"Then we need someone who is good at hunting the Hunters," Everyone turned to the Vale Councilor that spoke, one Cedric Greene, a recent addition to the Council of Vale, and a former Huntsman, with ten years of experience, but left the profession due to...differing views.
"And by that..," he continued, "...I propose we hire the services of the Imperial Military of Drache, since unlike Ozpin, they see things in a much wider perspective,"
The whole room went silent at that, as the man's words processed into their brains. Everyone knew who the Imperial Military of Drache were. Remnants of a Kingdom on the Continent of Drache, Northeast of Sunnus. Now, they were more or less mercenaries for hire, with an unhealthy hatred for Hunters in general.
"Are you... sure that's a good idea, Cedric?" said a Mistral councilor with a slight nervous tone, "The IMD is notorious for it's bitter rivalry with the Hunters' Guilds. And with the Vytal Festival approaching soon..."
Cedric turned to the man with a emotionless look on his face. "We can't just send another Huntsman or Huntress, to capture the MK, my follow councilor," he said, "While it's true that Hunters do help in arrests of other Hunters gone rogue, they take too long to apprehend them. Thus, it's more prudent to have the IMD track her down, since their track record of capturing rogue Huntsmen and Huntresses in a short time is exemplary. Plus, a little extra security wouldn't hurt much, infact that will be our cover story of why we requested them, since they, technically, are mercenaries."
The other councilors couldn't argue with that. After another full session of talking over the pros and cons of using the IMD, the choice was made.
"Very well then...all those in favor for hiring the Imperial Military of Drache for the capture of the Maiden Knight and providing security for the Vytal Festival?" The Head Councilor said and the whole room raise their hands, "And those opposed?"
Not a single hand rose up.
"Then it is approved," the man then turned to Cedric, "Since this is your idea, Greene, you will be the one who will make the call as well as tell the public of our decision."
Cedric nodded, as a small smirk adorned on his face, "Of course, sir,"
Half an hour later, after cleaning themselves up, and into their Hunter Gear, Team RWBY and Team JNPR arrived at the Headmaster's office, all of them curious about this assignment the old man was giving them.
"Thank you all for coming," Ozpin said, "I understand you're curious as to what is I wish to assign you with?"
Everyone gave a slight nod at that, which was the signal for Ozpin to proceed.
"Very well then," he said, "The assignment I'm giving you, is a search and retrieve mission for a specific person which some of you may or may not have heard about. Though, I should warn you, she is a very skilled, and an equally ruthless fighter."
He then took his scroll and placed it on the desk, before a hologram of the said person appeared. Someone who two certain ladies of Team RWBY knew instantly.
"Wait. Her!?" Ruby said in surprise, as everyone, sans Blake, turned to her. The said Cat Faunus was looking at the image of the same woman she saw at the docks with slightly narrowed eyes.
"Yes Miss Rose, this is the person who I want you all to find," Ozpin clarified, "Team RWBY and Team JNPR's first official joint mission is this: you are to locate the individual, known as the Maiden Knight, who has been causing quite the headache to the Criminal Underworld, corrupt politicians, and White Fang alike, and to convince her to come back with you. If failing at that, you are authorized to apprehend her, though WITHOUT causing great harm to her... and I meant that last part to you, Miss Xiao Long AND Miss Valkyrie,"
The said girls both groaned in disappointment at that, as the Headmaster continued.
"Now, I don't usually send just mere students to search for someone as skilled as this, which is why an experienced Huntsman is going with you, in order so that you won't get hurt in the process," he explained, and Pyrrha was the first to ask the question he was expecting.
"If I may ask, Headmaster...who is the Huntsman that is helping us with this mission?" she said, but her answer didn't come from Ozpin.
"That would be me,"
Everyone jumped at the voice and turned, which resulted in a happy squeal from Ruby, and a grin from Yang, as there stood their Uncle. Dusty drunk self as usual.
"Since I know only two of you, I'll introduce myself to the rest of ya," the Field Huntsman said, as he took a quick swig from his flask, "Name's Qrow Branwen, I've been working with Ozpin for years since my days as a student here at Beacon. Now before we go off on our little search for Miss Masked Warrior here, I only got one rule: Keep up with me, or I'll leave you behind...got it?"
The whole group of students nodded their heads as Ozpin took over again.
"Now, before you go on your assignment, I need to inform you that there is no deadline in how long you have to find the Maiden Knight." Ozpin briefed, "However, I must advise to complete this task as quickly as possible, for the longer this goes on, the greater the chances of her being arrested by the authorities, or worse, killed by criminal elements or the White Fang, increases. Is that understood?"
The two teams of students nodded their heads at that.
"Very good, your mission starts tomorrow morning. I suggest you get some rest, you'll need it. Dismissed"
Meanwhile...
Vale Royal Palace
Doré sighed as she placed the case on the table. It had been a long day today, as aside visiting Tukson, she went to the general store to restock her food supply, and getting a number of upgrades for her Scroll laptop. She was grateful that the Palace Complex had it's own power system, thanks to the solar panels installed, which accumulated power for a decade without anything being used in the place for years.
Mentally putting that aside, she then proceeded to place her food in the small refrigerator, before moving to the case on the table and opening the latches on it and opening it, revealing it's contents inside...which included an armored breastplate, with two gauntlets, with six spikes each on the forearms, all of it colored in a matte black finish. And finally, the coup de grace was a mask, just like her own. The young woman smiled as she looked at the armor, knowing what this type was...
...Nightshade Stealth Armor.
It was designed by Atlas military technicians, ten years ago as a stealth armor to be used by Black Ops units, using a system known as adaptive camouflage, which makes the wearer invisible to the naked eye. But unfortunately, the project was unwarrantedly scrapped by the Atlas Council, at the behest of the false Schnee, Jacques Gelee, all in his stupid assumption to save money when the said Kingdom had enough to make enough of these for an entire battalion, and thus sadly, the only one completed was the prototype. And now, what was Atlas' loss, was now her gain.
'I need to make sure to cause a little more damage to that bastard's ego the next time I'm in Atlas,' she thought to herself, before she closed the case, 'I'll take you out on a test run tomorrow night,'
She then proceeded to change out of her civilian attire into her night clothes, before she turned on the small television to catch up on the news. She then proceeded to bring out Aurea Mors, and a cleaning kit and went about maintaining her primary weapon, first by using a wet stone to sharpen the blade. All the while, Lisa Lavender, was reporting on the day's events, such as the preparations for the Vytal Festival, the increase in Dust thefts, SDC's CEO being a dick, and White Fang activity increasing, until...
"...in other news, a robbery gone wrong in Downtown Vale has authorities looking for answers and the whereabouts of the perpetrators. The victim, Tukson of Tukson's Book Trade, was found dead in his shop at two forty five this afternoon...,"
Doré stopped what she was doing, snapping her head to the television, as the image of Tukson appeared, with the text under it saying, 'Store owner found murdered'.
"... the cause of death, as stated by police investigators, is a single gunshot wound to the head, with no other injuries present. They had also determined it was a robbery gone wrong, due to the store's register and safe being completely empty of money. No suspects to the killing have been identified as of yet but police have urged the public to come forward with any information if possible..."
Doré blocked out the rest as she processed what she had just heard, until suddenly, a memory came back to her, how Lady Blaze told her of how two of Cinder's little underlings, Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black, had killed an informant in the White Fang before the Fall of Beacon. She then grasped her hair as she cursed to herself.
'Dammit! If I had stayed there for a little longer, I could've saved him!'
Tukson was one of the few people who she managed to have at least a stable friendly relationship with. And now he was dead, killed by two of the people who had helped bring about a living hell to Remnant... and have ruined her life. She then removed her hand from her hair, as her emerald eyes glowed dangerously.
'I'm sorry Tukson...,' she thought to herself, '... even though I didn't save you, the least I can do, is make the ones who killed you regret what they did. That, I promise,'
However, her ears then picked up what Lisa said next.
"...as Vale Councilman Cedric Greene gave this announcement today about the growing concerns of the citizens and the success of the Vytal Festival Tournament:..."
"...In response to the growing White Fang activity, as well as the increasing Dust robberies plaguing our city, and for safety concerns for the Vytal Festival this fall, the Council has unanimously agreed in hiring the Imperial Military of Drache to act as extra security alongside the forces that Atlas has so gratefully sent. And the IMD has humbly accepted, and have already began preparations to send a Task Force to Vale..."
As the reporters at the conference immediately went into a frenzy. With Doré, the moment she heard the words 'Imperial Military of Drache', images of a time she wished to forget came barreling back into her mind like a stampede of Grimm. Atlas troops was one thing she could avoid during the festival, but Drachan Troops are on a whole new other level... especially him.
Needless to say, Doré was beginning to panic, as a chill ran up her spine.
'There's only one reason why Drache will be coming here...the Councils have called them in to capture me,' she thought, 'The extra security thing is just a bonus, and no doubt they'll use this to undermine the Hunter Guilds.'
She was sure of this, because Lady Blaze showed her the history of the events prior and after Beacon... and it showed no mention or indication of Drachan Troops being there.
'This must be the so-called Butterfly Effect that he warned me about,' she mused, 'Dammit! I need to be more careful from here on out,'
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Anders' voice.
"This presents a problem to the overall mission, Doré," the A.I. stated, "If Drachan troops are coming, chances are he might be among them,"
Doré grabbed the bridge of her nose, as her eyes squeezed shut.
"I know, Anders! I know!" she said, not wanting her partner to repeat what she already knew.
"I believe it's time that we meet with Professor Ozpin, and seek asylum in Beacon-," Anders began to say only to be stopped by Doré's shout.
"Absolutely NOT!" she snapped, "I will NOT go to him of all people for help! He refused to tell everything to his inner circle, because of his trust issues, while his over passive nature allowed Salem's little pet to sabotage the Vytal Festival, and cause the downfall of Beacon, and the reason why Remnant is now a hellhole!"
It was quiet for a moment until Anders spoke.
"Is it that, or do you blame him for you not being naturally born a human?" That question made Doré wince, "And, unintentionally I might add, caused the deaths of the two people who could've been your parents? One out of an emotional sense of duty, and the other out of grief?"
Doré's hand clenched into a fist as she processed those words. She was silent for a moment till she spoke again.
"No. And we're NOT going there. That's final," she gritted out, "So just drop it, and don't EVER bring it up again,"
She heard a mechanical sigh afterward, "As you wish...,"
Meanwhile...On the continent of Drache.
The IMD base, known to inhabitants as Drachenhöhle, was abuzz with activity, as Personnel readied the ships of the air and naval fleets for the task force's next mission in the Kingdom of Vale.
Officially to the citizens of said Kingdom, the Drachan troops were to serve as extra security for the upcoming Vytal Festival in the coming fall. Unofficially, they were being called in to apprehend the so-called Maiden Knight.
In order to keep up the appearance that they were there as extra security, they were bringing one of each of their air and naval fleets, along with a corps of men, aircraft, vehicles, and supplies.
The preparations were almost done, as a man looks from the bridge of the flagship, called the Erzengel, dressed in a regal dress uniform, many would see in any military. The man's other features, included grey colored hair, cold cobalt eyes, and standing at approximately 6 feet 3 inches. The pins on the shoulder boards of his uniform identify him as an Admiral, as he mused over the mission the Councils of Remnant have given, aside from the security detail.
Normally, such a thing as a vigilante, who is doing what those spineless cowards would not, wouldn't concern him as much. However, he also saw this as the perfect opportunity to show those damn Hunters just how incompetent they really were.
"Admiral Blaive, sir," the man turned and saw another man in a somewhat matching uniform, but with the pins of a captain instead, "The task force is assembled, and are waiting for the order, sir,"
The Admiral, Helyot Blaive, gave a simple nod.
"Then, let us proceed captain. Inform the fleet, we set off for Vale," he ordered, and the Captain nodded, before saluting.
"Yes sir!"
The captain then carried out the order which was soon conveyed to all of the other ships, both aerial and naval, and soon enough, the entire fleet began the journey to the kingdom of Vale.
As the fleet began it trek, the Admiral, couldn't help the small smirk appearing on his face.
'Now matter how little it may be,' he mused, 'This will be the beginning of the end for those arrogant Hunters,'
Back at Beacon.
"Well, tomorrow is our first joint mission together!" Ruby said cheerfully, as she, her team, and Team JNPR walked back to their dorms, "And what makes it more exciting, we're going to look for a famous vigilante!"
Weiss sighed at her partner's over-eagerness.
"Ruby, this person we're going after has killed people, even if they were criminals," she said in a reprimanding tone, "We can't let our guard down around her, not even for a minute!"
"Well sorry for being excited, Princess," Ruby grumbled, which didn't escape Weiss' ears, as she gave a pointed look at the Rose.
"What was that, Dolt?"
As the two began one of their little arguments, Jaune Arc, the leader of Team JNPR, was looking at his own partner with concern. The reason being the slight shadows under the redhead champion's emerald eyes, and the fact she rubbing which showed she had been having trouble sleeping. He placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump slightly, before relaxing, noticing it was just him.
"You okay, Pyrrha?" he asked, "You look tired."
Pyrrha gave a smile, as she answered her 'not-so-secret' crush.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," she said, "I've been having the same dream over the past week. Kept me awake at night,"
Jaune blinks at that, his concern rising a little more.
"You wanna talk about it?" he asked, while the champion of Mistral shook her head.
"No, I'll be fine for right now," she said, "Let's talk about it after we finish our mission tomorrow. And hopefully, I'll get some more sleep then,"
Jaune didn't fully buy that, but decided not to press any further.
"Okay, if you say so." he said, "But if you want to talk about it sooner, just tell me, okay?"
Pyrrha blushed slightly, smiling as she nodded.
"Right," she said, just as the two teams arrived at their respective dorms. After saying good night to each other, Team JNPR went into their own dorm, and prepared to sleep for the night.
However, as the rest of her team went to sleep quickly, Pyrrha however, was deeply troubled. The dream she had been having lately since last week, she couldn't make heads or tails of. It was the same thing since that night...
...a little girl, with red streaked blonde hair, all alone, and crying. Of course, the most shocking part of the dream was...that the girl's face, and eyes were exactly like her own when she was that young. The only difference was, when she tried to comfort the girl, said child looked her...with fear.
A/N: And finally posted! Sorry this took so long my readers! With RWBY Volume 4, my grandfather, new ideas, and finally the holidays, it took me awhile to get this posted. But now, it is! Now, you're all probably wondering what the Imperial Military of Drache looks like, well that be explained in the next chapter, so until then...sayonara!