I'm going to be trying to combine the events of the episodes Search and Destroy, Mountain Glenn, and No Brakes into a single chapter since there isn't much that's changed about them until we get into No Brakes, then probably add in a heavily changed series of events that takes the place of Breach. As a result, it's going to be a long one (around 5500 words without ANs) and I'd like to apologize in advance.

Note: thank you to Bookah for catching a mistake I made. I've corrected a small narrative error in this chapter as a result.

Chapter 23: A Sage at Mountain Glenn

Citadel Training Grounds, Bastion

Greene dropped her mace, panting heavily as she looked up at the orange-cloaked swordsman in front of her. After the Bastion had started moving, the members of her expedition had started practicing with the automatons and the two members of the Rose family. Greene had been unlucky enough to draw the short straw and fight against the Orange Rose, only to be casually knocked around while Aurelius worked on regaining his strength and endurance. As the blade's tip left her neck, the fox glanced over at the Blue Rose, watching him pull himself off the ground after a hard hit. "How can he keep going?"

Adrienne shrugged. "He has an incredibly strong will, strong enough to create a special type of Dust meant to mend injuries without much effort. He can't keep going forever, but as long as he's careful about it he won't have to worry so much about the Rose Storm literally tearing him apart when he tries to use it. It's one of the perks of being a Dust Sage when you're a member of the Rose family."

Greene glanced at the girl in front of her. "A-are you-"

"A Sage?" Greene nodded. "Every Rose has some affinity when it comes to Dust manipulation, but yeah, I'm probably one of the more skilled ones. Nobody can keep up with Aurelius though."

"How does it work exactly?" Adrienne hummed.

"Well, there's a number of tiers when it comes to Dust Manipulation. The simplest form is "activating" Essentia Dust. You might not know it, but your common everyday Dust doesn't actually release its full potential as easily as most people think. It's pretty inert, just sitting there until something happens that causes it to release its energy before disintegrating. The thing is, someone with a bit of practice can activate it, causing all the Dust's energy to be ready for whatever purpose the Sage wants. You can usually tell because active Essentia Dust shines brighter than anything but a fully charged Animus crystal. It's pretty dangerous since an active, unshielded Dust crystal hit by the same type of elemental attribute, say a Burn crystal hit with a fireball, will supercharge it and cause it to release all of its energy at once."

Adrienne continued. "After that there's the ability to bend the energy of an active Essentia crystal, Materia lattice, or Animus crystal to your will. This can be done to combine two elemental types of Dust into a more complex, powerful type, or to force it to act on the world around them. Some people have semblances with elemental aspects that let them do something similar, but it's not quite the same since it only gives them control over one type of Dust."

"The third step is being able to create a Materia lattice, which lets them create anything you'd find here in the Bastion, from the system that keeps the air in to the lights. The complexity and number of uses for the lattices means being able to make them is practically an art form… The last stage is the ability to create Animus Dust crystals, essentially giving the Sage a source of near-limitless Dust to use. Only a few people can do that and it's extremely draining to do, so you won't find many Animus crystals just laying around."

Greene glanced around, frowning slightly. "Hey, where's Athena? I haven't seen her anywhere today."

Adrienne smiled sheepishly. "I think Janus said something about how we're close enough to Vale for him to open a rift there, it's possible that he sent Athena to scout out the situation."

Greene nodded before she stood up, grabbing her mace. "I think that's enough of a break, I'm not stopping until I beat you at least once."

Adrienne grinned. "Good luck then, I admire your spirit, but you're not going to be able to do that!"

Near Mountain Glenn

Ruby slowly moved a Dust crystal through her hand as Yang spoke up, trying to pass the time as the bullhead flew over the forests. "Sorry doc, I just never saw you as much of a fighter."

"I admit I fancy myself more of an intellectual, but I can assure you, as a Huntsman, I've had my fair share of tussels," Oobleck said before Weiss spoke up.

"So where are we going exactly?" Oobleck turned to face her.

"The southeast quadrant outside of Vale is home to wild forests and deep caves, but it is also the location of one of the kingdom's greatest failures."

Ruby glanced up before speaking. "Mountain Glenn. It was meant to be an expansion of Vale before it was overwhelmed and blocked off from the rest of the city, right?"

Oobleck nodded. "And now it stands abandoned, as a dark reminder."

Blake glanced out the door, frowning slightly. "And a likely place for a hideout…"

Oobleck nodded as the Bullhead slowed to a stop, turning toward the doorway. "Exactly. We're here, everyone out!" With that, he quickly jumped out, followed by Blake, Weiss, and Yang. Ruby smirked at the Burn crystal in her hand as it glowed more brightly before slipping it into her pocket, jumping out as she deployed Crescent Rose. She quickly put Zwei down once she hit the ground. Team RWBY glanced around, watching for trouble while the bullhead flew away. Oobleck took a sip from his thermos before stepped forward, leading the way through the city.

A few hours later

Weiss let out a sigh as she stabbed the last Beowolf in the chest while Oobleck spoke up behind her. "So, Ms. Schnee, a girl born into fame and fortune such as yourself certainly doesn't need the extra work. Why did you choose this line of work over a cushy job in Atlas?" Weiss pulled Myrtenaster out of the Grimm, taking a moment to think before she responded.

"Honestly, you if asked me that when I first arrived at Beacon, I probably would have told you that it's because I'm a Schnee and I have a legacy of honor to uphold, that this is what I had to do with my life… But I'm not so sure now."

"Are you saying you're uncertain if you should be here?" Oobleck said, not looking up from his notes as he continued writing. Weiss quickly looked at him in surprise.

"No, quite the opposite actually. It's just… I've gained more satisfaction out of my short time as a student at Beacon and a part of this team than I have from anything else that happened in my life, even the thought of one day taking over as head of the SDC. I'm not sure if I'm driven by the sense of duty I always said was my reason for becoming a Huntress or if there's another reason. I guess since I'm out from my father's shadow I can finally be myself, whoever that is."

Oobleck nodded. "So, this is a journey of self-discovery for you?" Weiss nodded before the doctor continued. "So, what do you think your motivation for being here is?"

Weiss glanced down the street to where Ruby was holding a chicken on the end of Crescent Rose, dangling it over Zwei. A small smile found its way onto her face before she answered. "Maybe because it's where I can do the most good and help the most people. Honestly, I don't think the reason why matters though, I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be."

Oobleck nodded, giving the heiress an approving smile. "Very well then, that's a commendable answer Ms. Schnee." He quickly jumped up from the piece of rubble he was sitting on before moving off toward Blake. Weiss followed behind, only stopping when Oobleck suddenly flung his pack at Yang after he finished talking to a now confused Blake. "You three, set up camp in that building. Oh, and please do make sure that there are no more of those creatures." He turned around to face Weiss, Blake, and Yang before continuing. "Your leader and I are going to secure the perimeter. Come Ruby!" The cloaked girl gave her team an apologetic look before following behind the doctor. The three sighed before moving into the nearby building.

With Ruby and Oobleck

Ruby followed behind the doctor quietly until they came to the edge of the city, letting out a gasp as she saw a line of elephant-like Grimm moving in the distance. "Doctor Oobleck, is it safe to be wandering through this area if there's Mammoths that big nearby?"

"Ruby, the Grimm you see before you are much older and stronger than the ones you've fought. Not every Grimm is mindless, or still mindless. Ones such as these, ones that have lived for hundreds of years, have learned that attacking our borders or killing humans will result in their own demise."

"They why are they so close to the city?" Ruby asked, glancing at the doctor.

"They're waiting." Ruby hummed before she asked her next question.

"They're waiting for something to happen… that would make it easier to attack Vale?"

"Precisely. Hopefully the day will never come when we have to deal with that, but we must still be prepared for anything." Oobleck turned around and started heading back to the campsite, Ruby behind him.

With Weiss, Blake, and Yang

Yang let out a sigh as she sat down. "Why do you think Oobleck was asking about our reasons to become Huntresses?" she asked, glancing at the other two girls.

Weiss took a breath before answering. "It could be that he wanted to know if we were serious about our choice to become Huntresses. After all, if we can't justify our decision to someone else, how can we justify it to ourselves? Or, maybe he was trying to see if we would honestly tell someone why we really want to be Huntresses or if were in it more for ourselves."

Yang nodded and went to speak up before Oobleck walked in, Ruby quickly sitting by the fire to warm up. "Excellent! A textbook campfire! Eat your dinners and hurry to bed! We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow and we'll need you to take turns keeping watch over our temporary abode. Any volunteers for first watch?" Ruby quickly raised her hand before Oobleck blinked off to another part of the building. The girl stood up, unfolding Crescent Rose and resting it on her shoulder before heading over to a nearby gap in the wall, only stopping when Yang grabbed her shoulder.

"Did Oobleck ask you why you wanted to be a Huntress? What did you tell him?" the blonde asked, causing her sister to blink.

"He didn't actually now that you mention it… Weird. Well, good night guys." The group let out a sigh and said goodnight to their leader before she sat down on a piece of rubble, looking over the ruins in front of her. After a while, she heard the trio behind her talking, humming to herself as she realized they were talking about their reasons for wanting to be Huntresses, a smile on her face as she heard Weiss mention that the most important thing was that they were protecting people.

Just before she was going to switch spots with Yang, she heard voices in the distance, causing her to frown before she went back toward the fire, gently shaking Yang's shoulder. The blonde woke up, staring at the faunus as she yawned. "My turn on watch pup?" Ruby quickly shook her head, whispering.

"I heard someone talking outside, I need you to wake everyone up while I go to take a look around, okay?" The blonde instantly woke up, nodding to the girl before she stood back up, heading out of the building. Ruby heard the rest of her team waking up as she moved down the street, her Analysis active and on alert. She stopped when she noticed Zwei behind her, causing her to smile. "Hey buddy, are you going to watch my back? Come on…"

Ruby spotted the two White Fang members and followed them silently, using Rose Storm to shift between pieces of rubble as they moved through the town. Eventually, they came to a metal panel laying on a gap between two ruined columns and Ruby watched quietly as they lifted the panel and stepped through. The moment they were out of sight, Ruby stood up and started quickly moving back towards the camp, stopping when the ground shook. She let out a gasp as the road collapsed underneath her, Crescent Rose falling out of her hands onto the pavement before she dropped down. Ruby let out a groan as she hit the roof of a building, not hearing the surprised shouts from behind her as a White Fang member stepped forward, slamming his gun into the back of her head and knocking her out.

When she came to, she realized she was being dragged along the ground. She took a moment to look around, mentally logging everything the White Fang had. "What are you trying to do? Blow us all to the moon?!" one of the masked men shouted at another, causing Ruby to pale.

"They have bombs down here? What could they be using those for?" She was drawn out of her thoughts as the men dragging her stopped.

"Hey boss! We found something you might wanna see!" After a moment, Ruby heard a familiar voice.

"Is it good or bad, Perry? Because, let me tell ya, I have had a day!"

"Uh… It's a little girl?" A slightly panicked voice rang out from a nearby train car, causing Ruby to turn her head in an attempt to see what was going on.

"Oh, for the love of god, I really hope this is a joke, Perry! If you've got a wolf faunus in a red hood, we're going to have a-" Torchwick stepped out of the train car and let out a small whimper. "Really Red? Again? Can't you and your little friends leave me alone just once?"

On the Surface, with Oobleck, Weiss, Blake, and Yang

"N-no…" Weiss paced franticly around the mouth of the pit as Oobleck rambled on about the final fate of Mountain Glenn, trying desperately not to break down. Ruby had fallen into a cave system full of Grimm. "She's trapped in a giant tomb with… Oh god, Ruby…" Weiss took a step towards the pit before Yang grabbed her arm.

"What are you doing?" the blonde asked before Weiss pulled her arm free.

"We need to get down there. We have to find Ruby, right? We all said we'd work together to figure out what the White Fang and Torchwick are up to and I promised that I'd never betray her trust. If I don't help her, then I don't deserve to be a Huntress, let alone her partner!"

The blonde took a step back, arms raised. "Easy there Weiss, I'm not saying we should leave her down there. I'm just saying, we need to know what we're going to do before we drop down and potentially kill ourselves. I doubt Ruby would like that much either."

Weiss let out a sigh and nodded, listening as Oobleck started explaining the quickest way to get into the caverns. "Ruby, please be okay…"

With Ruby

Ruby let out a growl as Torchwick put the end of his cane against her neck. "Seriously Red, how did you find this place? I'd really like to kno-" A loud explosion stopped him, causing him to look up long enough for Ruby to make her move. She quickly reached down, grabbing the knife she had hidden in her boot before making a slash at Torchwick, causing him to step back in surprise before she sprinted down the tunnel towards the sound of gunfire. She let out a relieved sigh as she saw a familiar white-haired girl charge around the corner ahead. She was about to call out when she felt something snag her hood, yanking her off her feet.

Weiss paled as the hook on Torchwick's cane started to pull Ruby back towards him. "Ruby, hold on!" she shouted out before a bullet hit the wall next to her, causing her to quickly use a Glyph as a shield. As she started moving forward, she saw Ruby reach behind her to grab the thin cable before carefully using the knife to cut through it. After a few seconds, the cable broke, winding all the way back into Torchwick's cane before he let out a frustrated shout, turning to a nearby White Fang member.

"Get the cart attached to the train, tell everyone we're getting out of here!" He held up his hand quickly. "I don't care if we aren't done, we are out of time!" He quickly made a dash towards the engine as the White Fang members scrambled around.

Ruby ran over to Weiss, panting as she rubbed her neck. The heiress put a hand on the girl's shoulder, not bothering to hide her worry. "Ruby, are you okay?"

The faunus nodded, rubbing her neck weakly. "Y-yeah, it just hurt when it pulled on my cloak is all…" Weiss looked her in the eye before sighing, handing Crescent Rose to the young wolf. Ruby quickly deployed her scythe after tucking the knife back in its spot as Oobleck and the rest of her team came around the corner. "We've got a problem. They've got a train filled with weapons, androids, and mechs, as well as a few bombs. Doctor Oobleck, where do the tunnels lead?"

Oobleck paled suddenly. "T-they lead into Vale… If they do have bombs on the train, it's entirely possible that they plan to breach the tunnels underneath the city and let the Grimm swarm through them."

Ruby let out a sigh before turning towards the train. "We have to stop them then!" Ruby took a deep breath before activating the Rose Storm, pulling the others with her toward the train before stopping on top, gasping for air. Weiss helped the girl to her feet before they started running along the train, taking out the White Fang as they went.

With Torchwick

Roman let out a frustrated groan when a White Fang member stepped into the locomotive and told him that Team RWBY was on the train. "Grab some cargo and get them off! Detach the rear car and detonate it remotely if you have to, just stop them!" As soon as the door closed Torchwick let out a sigh, turning toward the faunus controlling the train. "I swear, it doesn't matter if you're human or faunus, eventually you run into someone that's so stupid you want to shoot them in the face, you know what I mean?"

The faunus let out a grunt before glancing at the orange-haired man. "I know exactly what you mean, Ash is dumber than any human I've met."

"Oh, I can think of a few that make him look like a genius. Before I was working with you guys, I had to hire these clowns that had to be reminded to shoot people that attacked them." Roman shrugged. "Eh, oh well, not much to do about it."

With RWBY and Oobleck

Ruby let out a frustrated groan as she fired her rifle, spinning through the air and knocking a group of White Fang off the train. Another explosion sounded behind her, causing her to run a hand through her hair. She knew Yang and Blake went down below to try and disable the bombs, but she wasn't sure how they were doing. "We're not going to reach the front at this rate!" She blinked in surprise as a flaming ball of fur flew past her, hitting a Paladin hard enough to shatter it. "Was that Zwei?" Looking back in surprise, she saw Oobleck standing as if he'd just hit the corgi into the mech. Her eyes widened as an idea came to her. She pulled the Burn crystal out of her pocket, focusing as it started to glow before holding it up "Doctor Oobleck! Do you think you could hit this out in front of the train from here without using Burn Dust or setting it on fire?"

Oobleck glanced at it for a moment before responding. "Yes, I believe so, but I don't see how that-"

Ruby turned to her partner. "Weiss, do you think you'd be able to hit this with a Burn-infused blast from Myrtenaster?"

"Of course, what are you-" Weiss glared as Ruby pulled out her headphones, quickly covering her four ears. "She promised she wouldn't listen to music in a fight, what is she-" Weiss stopped as Ruby removed the cable connected to the headphones, watching in confusion as the wolf handed her some ear plugs, giving a pair to Oobleck as well.

"Okay! Doctor Oobleck, I need you to hit this as hard as you can! Weiss, when I tap on your shoulder, you need to shoot it with a blast of Burn Dust! Once that happens, take cover!" The two quickly put the ear plugs in before Ruby tossed the brightly glowing crystal into the air in front of Oobleck. The doctor swung his bat at it, sending it hurtling away like a shooting star. Weiss quickly spun the cylinder on her rapier until Burn was selected, thrusting it forward when she felt Ruby's hand on her shoulder. The three quickly jumped clear of the train before Weiss' attack hit the crystal.

With Torchwick

Roman watched with confusion as a bright red speck flew out in front of the train. "What the hell?" Before anyone could respond, a spear of Burn energy slammed into the small crystal, causing a massive explosion that completely destroyed the tracks ahead, leaving a massive hole in the floor and ceiling. "Shit, hold on!" he yelled before the engine drove into the crater, derailing the entire train.

With Yang

Yang let out a groan as she looked up at Neo standing in front of her as she smiled tauntingly, drawing a thin blade out of her umbrella. Before the shorter girl could finish the blonde off, she jumped out of the way of a sword strike as a figure dressed in red appeared out of nowhere, causing her to pale. Before either could move, an explosion shook the train as the car was knocked off the tracks. A look of horror crossed the girl's face, her eyes turning almost pure white before she sprinted off toward the front of the train. Yang saw the figure depart through a rift before she blacked out.

Beacon Academy, with Team JNPR

Jaune stopped as a siren sounded, causing him to glance around. Before he could say anything, a voice came over the emergency broadcast system. "Attention! An explosion in the southeast quadrant approximately three miles outside the city walls has collapsed a tunnel network. A large number of Grimm have already been reported escaping the collapse on approach to the city. All available Huntsmen and Huntress are requested to report to the southeast region to assist in defense. All civilians are advised to head to emergency shelters immediately. I repeat…" Jaune glanced at the rest of his team before they started running toward the docks.

Cinder glared off towards the city in annoyance as Emerald spoke up next to her. "You don't think…"

"Sure looks like it…" Mercury said with a sigh.

"That's still days away!"

The two looked at Cinder. "So, what do we do?"

Cinder let out a sigh before heading towards a bullhead. "This doesn't change anything. It's just a minor inconvenience after all… But we should assist to keep up appearances."

Above Vale, Atlesian Cruiser Aurora, With Ironwood.

The general let out a sigh as video footage from a dropship played on the nearby screen. "Deploy squads three through six, inform Blue two through four to fly low and use their light point-defense systems to assist in the fight. Get us in range to assist, now!" He glanced at the screen one last time as his men started to scramble around the bridge before he turned to the Communications Officer. "Try to get in contact with the Vale Council. We need to have a discussion about the defense of the Vytal Festival." The man nodded before moving to carry out his task. "I warned you this would happen Ozpin…"

With Ruby, Weiss, and Oobleck

Weiss let out a groan as she stood up, glancing around to notice Ruby had already started to fight the approaching Grimm. "Weiss! I need your help! Oobleck went up onto the surface and said the train was just passing under a hill when we did that! He said something about using the bombs to seal the tunnel, we need to find Blake and Yang before we get out of here!"

Weiss nodded quickly before they ran towards the train, seeing a dazed Blake carrying Yang out. "Are you two okay?"

"W-we're fine, Yang wasn't badly hurt. What the hell happened?" Weiss and Ruby shared a sheepish glance before Ruby spoke up.

"We don't have time, Grimm are swarming all over! We need to get out of here now!" Blake nodded and started dragging the unconscious blonde along with her. As they climbed out of the tunnel they took a moment to gasp at what they were seeing. A group of Atlesian warships had dropped close to the ground, small weapons systems firing on Grimm as Beowolfs were vaporized. A group of dropships flew down from the Aurora, miniguns firing at a Deathstalker as they dropped a number of Atlesian Knights into the battle. A cheerful laugh drew their attention to Nora as she swung her hammer at an Ursa, causing it to explode in a blast of lightning as Ren opened fire on a Beowolf behind her. Much to the group's surprise, Jaune had somehow managed to cut the arm off another Ursa while Pyrrha was opening fire on a swarm of small Nevermores. Team CVFY was staying close to Coco as she fired her gatling gun down into the hole from the hillside, thinning the numbers while Yatsuhashi cleaved through any Grimm that tried to move up the hill.

Ruby glanced back at her team in confusion before taking a breath. "Blake, keep Yang safe, okay? Weiss and I will try to help out as best we can." Blake nodded, quickly making her way towards a group of Atlesian Knights. Ruby and Weiss were about to run to help JNPR when they heard a groan behind them. When they turned around, they found Neo dragging Torchwick out of the hole, clearly trying to get him to safety. Ruby ran towards the pair, causing Neo to make a move to block her before Torchwick grabbed her wrist.

"Neo, there's no way you can fight them and all this. Just get out of here, I'll be fine." The girl quickly started trying to sign something to Torchwick before he growled out. "No buts! Get out of here!" The girl looked down hesitantly before turning and running, vanishing from sight after a few steps. As soon as the girl was gone, Roman let out a sigh. "Okay Red, you win… I surrender…"

Before anyone could respond, an explosion shook the ground before part of the hill collapsed. A moment later, the Grimm stopped swarming out of the hole, causing everyone to let out a sigh of relief as a pair of Atlesian soldiers quickly dragged Torchwick to a nearby dropship. After a bit of cleaning up, Team RWBY let out a sigh of relief, finally heading home.

Beacon Academy, Ozpin's Office

"Councilor, you can't be serious," Ozpin said, trying to hide his exasperation.

"We don't have a choice, Ozpin," the Vale Council leader stated. "The Vytal Festival Tournament cannot be held if we are unable to ensure the safety of our citizens. As a result, we have reached out to the Atlas Council and together have decided that the best option is to appoint General Ironwood as head of security for the event in your place."

"Thank you, Councilman," Ironwood stated. "Our kingdom is happy to lend as many troops as it takes to ensure that this event runs as smoothly and as safely as possible."

"And we thank you, general," the Councilor stated as Ozpin put his cup down on the table, leaning forward as he stared at the screen.

"Councilor, the team I sent out was able to prevent that train from reaching the city walls. If Ironwood had sent his army, the White Fang and Roman Torchwick would have sent it before they even knew where to look."

"No, Ozpin, they barely stopped the train." Ironwood said calmly. "As I've told you before, you can't rely on these children to handle something this serious, especially someone as notoriously unstable as a Rose."

The Councilor spoke up. "Ah, that reminds me. General Ironwood's reports of the last few weeks have left us somewhat… concerned about your ability to remain objective and act appropriately to the threats against our kingdom. Once the Vytal Festival is over, we will be conducting a review to determine if you are still capable of carrying out your duties as Headmaster of Beacon."

Ozpin let out a frustrated sigh. "Will that be all, Councilor?"

"No, that is all." The Council vanished from the screen before Ironwood spoke up.

"This is the right move, Ozpin. I promise. I will keep our people safe, you have to trust me." Before Ironwood could cut the connection, Ozpin spoke up.

"Is it, general? Is this the right move? You seem so determined that I should trust you when you seem completely unwilling to trust my judgement. So, I have to wonder. Do you really think this is what's best for Vale… Or is it what's best for Atlas? Or, are you only doing it because it benefits you?" Ozpin tapped a button on his desk, cutting the call short before he turned around, letting out a frustrated sigh. "I suppose I should apologize, old friend. It seems not everyone is willing to listen to reason as you hoped…"

Bastion Council Chamber

Aurelius hummed quietly as Athena finished her report. "So, they were able to prevent the incursion before it breached the city walls." Athena nodded.

"That's correct. It seems only a single five-person team was sent to locate the group and they were successful. However, I feel it would be worth noting that a single Dust crystal was used to stop the train and that the tunnel was sealed before any significant number of Grimm could escape to threaten the city."

Aurelius leaned forward, a small smile on his face. "So, are you telling me that the general's response was excessive?" Vulcan scoffed as Athena nodded.

"That would be correct. However, I did notice a Rose was part of the group responsible for stopping the train. It didn't appear that she has awakened her full potential quite yet, unfortunately."

Adrienne perked up at this. "So, this Ruby girl you mentioned was there then." Aurelius nodded before Janus stepped forward.

"It seems that Lord Zoroaster was an excellent decision to handle the situation after your death, Aurelius."

The Blue Rose nodded, gazing at the Dust hologram of Vale that occupied the table. "It would appear so. Ironwood is, as always, a blunt instrument however… How long until Bastion is in position?"

Athena spoke up. "With increases to propulsion efficiency, we should drift over Beacon by noon tomorrow, taking up a position to the east as you requested."

Aurelius stood up, everyone else rising as well. "Prepare a Roc, have a number of Sentinels and Goliaths dismantled to save space for transport. When we arrive, we'll have them assembled and placed throughout Vale. If anything happens, they will activate and assist in defense until we can properly mobilize."

Janus nodded before the various members of the War Council left. Adrienne smiled at her grandfather. "So, I guess she's taking the first steps toward becoming a Sage. For someone that young to have started without no instruction is impressive though."

Aurelius hummed. "She is a prodigy, isn't she?" He let out a sigh as his eyes turned blue, taking on the form of Arthur Bisman as his cloak disintegrated, forming a blue rose in the lapel of his coat. "We should get ready. I'm sure Ruby would like to know of recent developments."

This chapter took longer to write and is longer than I intended. I'd like to apologize. Regardless, we're going to be moving on to the events of Volume Three in two chapters. Next chapter will be an interlude in between events from canon named "Red Meets Blue" and should be up some time in the next 24 hours.

Unlike in canon, Ozpin wasn't quite able to hide his anger and frustration at Ironwood's reaction to the events surrounding Mountain Glenn, which makes sense considering, as Athena states near the end, Team RWBY and Oobleck were able to stop the train far enough from the city and seal the tunnel fast enough that Ironwood's intervention wasn't truly necessary. Nobody was injured, the job was done right, but Ozpin still has to deal with an unreasonable Council.

As always, please leave a review if you have input.