Winter shows up in this chapter obviously, but there's going to be a few other things happening.

Before I start, I'd like to thank everyone for continuing to read my story. 152 followers and 88 favorites is insane and I'm glad people like this so much.

Also, I know people liked the idea of calling the powers of the Rose family's silver eyes the "Silver Hunt," but I looked back and realized that the name is too close to the name of the events that led to the near-extinction of the Rose family. As a result, I'll be updating Chapter 25 to replace all mentions of it with the new name, which at the moment will most likely just be "Vigil" and the "Hunter's Trance" will probably become the "Rose Trance" as a result. I'm posting this here so people understand where the new names come from without having to reread a chapter.

Lastly, since A Simple Cup asked about my plans for the fight, I think I should remind everyone that the ending AN for Chapter 8 has an explanation about why Ruby won't fall for the same trick that Yang did. Something will happen during/after the fight though. I'm not going to say what though since it's meant to be a surprise.

Chapter 29: Rampage and Shadow Council

Beacon Docks, with Ruby and Weiss

Ruby let out a frustrated sigh as she stopped next to Weiss. "Weiss, what's going on? Who's here?" Ruby glanced at the craft as it landed on the pad in front of them, watching as a white-haired woman stepped out. A quick glance at her outfit caused Ruby to realize she was a member of the Atlesian military.

Weiss glance at her briefly with a smile before answering. "I-it's Winter, my sister." Ruby blinked in surprise before Weiss shouted to the woman, causing her to turn to face the pair in mild annoyance before returning to her professional appearance. Winter ran up to her, Ruby close behind as her ear twitched in annoyance. "Winter! I'm so happy to see you!" Weiss said excitedly before looking around nervously. "I-I mean… Your presence honors us." Weiss curtsied, causing Ruby to raise an eyebrow before looking over the woman in front of them.

"Alright, so it looks like she's an Atlesian Specialist… I know she's Weiss' sister, but I doubt she'll be this happy when she stops to think about the timing…"

Winter glanced around, taking a step toward the pair with her hands behind her before speaking up. "Beacon… It's been a long time. The air feels… different for some reason."

Ruby glanced up at the ever-present storm clouds overhead. "Well, it does feel like there's some kind of corruption in the air, but with how much energy is surrounding the Vytal Festival- gah!" Ruby fell over as Weiss roughly punched her shoulder to get her to keep quiet.

"So, what are you doing here?" Weiss asked happily.

Winter glanced around the area before answering. "Classified."

Weiss blinked before responding. "O-oh, right… Well, how long are you staying?"

Winter looked at her sister in mild annoyance. "Classified."

Weiss nodded, smiling awkwardly as she tried to keep herself under control. "Of course."

Ruby got up off the ground, dusting herself off as she looked between the other two. "Well… This is nice I guess," she said, rubbing her shoulder before Weiss spoke up.

"You're going to love it here! I know you travel a lot, but so much of Beacon is different from Atlas! Vale, too. The government and school are completely separate! Can you believe it? I-"

"Weiss, she said she's been here before. I'm pretty sure she knows all this…" Ruby said before Winter could interrupt.

Winter raised an eyebrow before speaking up. "Indeed, and that is not why I came either. Nor did I come here to watch you fail so miserably in battle. But it appears I have no choice…"

Weiss looked at her in confusion. "But we won, didn't we?"

"Only a novice would refer to that as a victory. I counted at least three strikes missed, and you spent the majority of the battle only assisting one of your teammates when she refused to venture too close to the others." Weiss looked down sadly, causing Ruby to bite her lip in frustration before Winter turned to the robots and soldiers around them. "Leave us." The soldiers behind her took a few steps back as the ones behind Ruby and Weiss looked at each other hesitantly before walking a short distance away. Winter sighed before looking at her sister with a small smile. "How have you been?"

Weiss perked up. "Oh, splendid! Thank you for asking. I'm actually in the top rankings of my sparring class. The rest of my studies are going wonderfully too, I'm-" Weiss flinched as Winter hit her on the head.

"Silence you boob! I don't recall asking about your ranking. I asked how you've been. Are you eating properly? Have you taken up any hobbies? Are you making new friends?"

"W-well, there's Ruby…" Weiss gestured to the girl next to her while she looked between the two sisters in confusion.

"I-I'm sorry, hearing your sister, an Atlesian Specialist, call you a boob wasn't something I expected to ever have happen…" Ruby said meekly.

Winter glanced at the wolf faunus. "So, this is the leader you wrote of… How appropriately… underwhelming." Ruby's ear twitched slightly before Winter continued. "Greetings, Ruby Rose. I wish to thank you for taking an interest in my sister."

Ruby smiled for a moment as she put her hands behind her back. "I don't think you need to thank me. Being on the same team as someone like Weiss is an honor in itself," Ruby said, trying to respond in a way that might be acceptable, causing Weiss to blink in surprise.

Winter smirked slightly before speaking up. "I have business with the general and your headmaster. But… Seeing as I'm early, why don't you take me to your quarters?"

Weiss perked up. "Really?"

Winter started walking toward the school, Weiss following behind. "Yes. I wish to inspect them and make sure they're up to my personal standards."

"Of course, right this way," Weiss said as Ruby spoke up behind them.

"I'll talk to you later, okay Weiss? I need to go see if Professor Bisman needs any help." Weiss glanced over her shoulder and nodded before the wolf started walking off in a different direction.

Weiss walked silently next to her sister, a subtle frown on her face. "I know I don't see Winter all that much, but the timing seems… off for some reason." Weiss turned to say something to her sister when a loud clank behind them caused them to turn around. Winter glared as she watched a man roughly pulling apart one of the Atlesian Knights before he stopped, glaring at the duo.

"Hey! Yeah, I'm talking to you, Ice Queen!" Qrow said, ignoring the sudden drop in temperature.

"Seriously? Why does everyone call me that?!" Weiss said, throwing her arms in the air before Qrow scoffed.

"Not you kid, I'm talking to big sis here," he said as he dropped the remains of the robot and started to walk forward. Winter glared at him, taking her hand off the hilt of her blade as she watched him. "Saw that gaudy ship of yours in town. I guess you're here too."

"I'm standing right before you," Winter said coldly.

Qrow blinked for a moment. "So it would seem…" "Damn, maybe Ruby's right about my drinking…"

"You realize you just destroyed Atlas military property?"

Qrow looked around at the wreckage he created before rolling his eyes, responding sarcastically. "Ohhh, I'm sorry. See, I mistook this for some sort of… sentient garbage."

"I don't have time for your immature games, Qrow. And even if I did, I'm certain you're the only person or thing in the area that could be mistaken for sentient garbage," Winter snapped. Before Qrow could respond, Weiss spoke up.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Weiss paused as she realized this wasn't the first time she'd heard the name. "Wait, Qrow as in Ruby's father?"

Qrow grinned. "Aw, looks like my little petal's telling all her friends about me, isn't that sweet." Winter scoffed.

"Well, if she's your daughter that would potentially explain her… eccentricities." Weiss looked at her sister in shock.

"Geez, you Atlas Specialists think you're so special, don't you?" Qrow growled out.

"It's in the title," Winter said, getting more annoyed by the minute.

"Well, you know what you really are? A buncha sellouts…" Qrow took a step forward. "Just like your asshole of a boss."

"I'm not sure what you think you're implying, but I've heard enough."

"Oh, I heard too. I heard ol' Ironwood finally turned his back on Ozpin… And he's ruining my daughter's dream in the process. Then again, it sounds like he doesn't care about collateral damage, anyways." Weiss ran a hand through her hair before stepping forward.

"Look, now isn't the time to be talking about this, we should-"

Winter quickly pushed Weiss behind her. "Weiss, it's time for you to go before this gets out of hand."

"What?"

Qrow glanced at the heiress before he spoke up. "Listen to big sister, Weiss. She'll protect you… Just like Atlas is going to protect all of us, huh?"

Winter drew her sword, pointing it at Qrow. "If you won't hold your tongue, then I will gladly remove it for you!"

Qrow scoffed before pushing his bangs up. "Alright, come and take it then." Weiss went to stop Winter, only for the woman to sprint off, charging at Qrow before she could react.

A few moments later Ruby ran up, ears twitching as she glanced at Weiss. "What's going on? Are we under attack?"

Weiss spun to glare at her partner. "No, but your crazy father showed up and started a fight with Winter!"

Ruby's eyes went wide before she put her hands together. "Weiss, I'm soo sorry for his actions, really I am. I know he's being stupid right now, but I almost never get to see him actually fight." Ruby quickly turned to watch the fight, throwing her fist in the air. "Come on dad! Kick her butt!"

Weiss looked at Ruby in surprise before turning to the fight as well. "Teach him respect, Winter!" The two watched their relatives clash, almost blinking around the courtyard as they fought. Eventually Winter managed to strike Qrow in the head with the pommel of her sword, causing Weiss to cheer before Qrow looked at the woman with a grin, bringing his sword down on her before she jumped away, leaving a crater in the ground.

Ruby whimpered as her ears dropped, head in her hands. "Oh gods, why does he have to do this now? Nox, the last thing I need is him destroying everything fighting an Atlesian soldier with everything that's going on…" Qrow cut down a pillar before Winter landed on top of his sword, a smug look on her face before jumping off onto the architecture, running as Qrow started opening fire on her. After a while, she pushed on the handle of her sword, causing a second blade to fly out before she jumped at Qrow, destroying a building and slamming him into the ground.

Weiss winced. "They are doing a lot of property damage, aren't they?" She watched as they continued fighting before Winter slammed her blade into the ground, a swarm of small Nevermores flying out of a Glyph and surrounding Qrow. After a few swings he sent a blast at Winter, causing her to jump back and abandon her summons.

"Weiss, what was that?" Ruby asked in confusion.

Weiss rubbed her arm nervously. "The Schnee's family semblance allows us to summon any creature we've defeated, but it's… difficult to pull off." Ruby nodded as they watched Qrow's sword start to shift, taking on the shape of a scythe. "Um, Ruby, what-"

"Qrow's the one who taught me how to fight. My Analysis might mean I could reach his level fairly quickly, but he still has an edge in experience. If he's switching over to his scythe, he's getting serious about this…" Weiss looked at her partner in shock.

"W-wait, they've destroyed half the courtyard and her father's been holding back?" Weiss shuddered at the thought before a disappointed groan went through the crowd as Qrow retracted his blade, placing it on his back before subtly taunting Winter. Weiss watched as Winter surged forward, blade poised to stab into Qrow's throat.

Just before Winter could end Qrow's life, two things happened. First, she heard Ironwood behind her. "Schnee!" he roared, causing her to slow to a stop. Just as Ironwood spoke up, a wall of crystal erupted from the ground, wrapping around her blade, causing everyone to jump back in surprise.

Winter spun around, standing at attention as Ironwood walked up, a perturbed look on his face. "General Ironwood, sir!"

Ironwood quickly refocused on the woman. "What do you think you're doing?"

Winter pointed to the other side of the crystal. "He started the altercation, sir."

Qrow stepped out around the crystal, giving it a wide berth as if unsure it wouldn't entrap him as well. "That's actually not true. She attacked first."

Ironwood glanced between the two. "Is that right?" Winter looked down, ashamed before another voice spoke up.

"Does it really matter who made the first strike? Half the courtyard is destroyed over what was probably a petty argument." Aurelius said, stepping up alongside Adrienne, Ozpin, and Goodwitch. He made a subtle gesture and the crystal shattered, scattering small glittering particles through the air as Winter's sword fell to the ground. "Speaking of which, remind me to never invite either of you to my home. I'm afraid the damage would be… catastrophic." Ruby and Weiss shuddered at the implications of what this kind of damage could do to Bastion with it over Vale.

"Petty? Do you know what Atlas did? What they're doing?" Qrow said angrily.

"I'm well aware, but this is neither the time nor place for this," Aurelius said, putting his hands behind his back. Adrienne simply shook her head with a sigh, arms crossed.

"What are you even doing here Qrow?" Ironwood asked.

"I could ask you the same thing, Jimmy," Qrow said accusingly.

"Now now, everyone," Ozpin said, trying to divert attention away from the argument. "There is a sanctioned fight happening in Beacon's Amphitheater and more tomorrow at the Colosseum that I can assure you have better seats… And popcorn." He took a sip from his cup as Glynda moved to break up the crowds.

Ironwood quickly fixed his tie before glancing at Winter as she retrieved her sword. "Let's go." He started walking toward Beacon's CCT Tower, Winter and the remaining Knights in tow.

Ruby and Weiss moved through the crowd before Ruby jumped at Qrow, wrapping herself around his arm. "Dad! Hi." She smiled as he lifted his arm up, putting her at eye level with him. "It's so good to see you! Did you miss me?"

Qrow shared a grin with her before responding. "Nope." He scratched her head, causing her to sigh happily as her ears flattened out, causing Weiss to smile at the two.

"Qrow!" Ozpin called out, causing Ruby to jump down. "A word, please."

Qrow leaned down and whispered into Ruby's ear. "I think I'm in trouble…"

"Well you did kind of tear up the courtyard and potentially make things harder for Ozpin and me…" Qrow sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Y-yeah, sorry kiddo… Catch ya latter, kid."

"Actually…" Aurelius glanced at the duo. "Ruby and Weiss can come along if they want." Ruby perked up before glancing at her partner, causing the heiress to roll her eyes before walking up to her. The group turned to head back to the CCT Tower.

Ozpin's Office

Winter paced anxiously in front of the desk, each step precisely the same distance and making quick, sharp turns. She paused to face the elevator along with Ironwood when Aurelius stepped out, the ever-present flower quickly dissolving to reform into his cloak and his eyes and hair changing, causing Qrow and Winter to blink. "Ah, I see you've stopped pacing. I could almost sense it the entire way up." He said calmly, walking out with Adrienne behind him, pulling the hood of her cloak up.

Winter tore her eyes away from the figure to glare at Qrow. "You! What were you thinking?!"

Ironwood stepped forward. "If you were one of my men, I'd have you shot."

Qrow went to grab his flask, looking for it absently. "If I was one of your men, I'd shoot myself."

Aurelius let out a frustrated sigh. "Not everyone has to agree or have the same level of disciple, general." He shot a subtle glance at Winter. "A cold, efficient soldier that has to always respond the same way to a situation is just one example of creative sterility." Winter blinked, suddenly aware that she was being evaluated. "One that our current situation cannot tolerate." Winter flinched slightly.

Glynda let out a sigh before she spoke up. "While I wouldn't condone his behavior, retaliating like you did certainly didn't help the situation."

"It was still entertaining though," Adrienne said cheerfully as Aurelius nodded and Ruby giggled slightly. "It's not every day you get to see two people fight with that intensity and nobody got hurt."

Winter glanced at the orange-cloaked woman before reacting to Goodwitch's statement. "He was drunk!"

"He's always drunk!" Goodwitch retorted, waving at Qrow as she, Winter, Ironwood, and Ozpin glanced at the man, seeing him trying to reach over Ruby to grab his flask out of her other hand.

"Nope, I'm not letting you have it until we're done here!" Ruby said with a grin before Qrow gave up with a frustrated sigh.

Aurelius blinked. "You're really going to try and get hammered now when we have a serious situation to deal with?" Qrow shrugged before Ozpin let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing his head.

"Qrow, why are you even here?"

"You've been out of contact for weeks! You can't just go dark like that in the field," Ironwood snapped.

"Wait, you're telling me that Atlas hasn't heard of prolonged radio silence or deep cover?" Aurelius asked, a look of confusion on his face.

"It doesn't matter if they have or not," Qrow said before glancing at Ironwood. "I'm not one of your special operatives, Jimmy."

"General," Winter growled out, earning a scoff from Aurelius.

"Whatever. You sent me to get intel on our enemy, and I'm telling you our enemy is here."

Ruby, Weiss, Aurelius, and Adrienne shared a confused look before Ironwood spoke up. "We know."

"Oh! Oh, you know! Well, thank goodness I'm out there risking my life to keep you all informed!"

"Wait, you never told him any of this? What if it was something he needed to know in a life-or-death situation?" Aurelius asked in dismay.

"They had reason to believe he was compromised," Winter said, getting an annoyed glance from Aurelius, shrinking back at the slight glow in his eyes.

"Ironwood seems to think a large number of people are compromised lately. Perhaps the issue is that Atlas isn't able to handle the situation and they don't realize it. Perhaps they view the people who can deal with it as unreliable because they aren't the cold, robotic soldiers Atlas Academy trains."

"Grandpa Auri, calm down, please…" Adrienne said before Aurelius took a deep breath, his eyes returning to normal.

"I… Apologize. Recent events have been tiring for me," he said, leaning against the desk.

"Who are you anyways? I was informed there was a professor by the name of Arthur Bisman teaching here that looked similar to you did earlier, but you're nothing like the reports led me to believe." Winter asked, a feeling of unease creeping into her.

Aurelius let out a sigh. "I am Arthur Bisman, but I am also much more. Here, you may refer to me as Aurelius Rose, my proper name."

"Can we please get her out of here so we can talk please?" Qrow said, pointing at Winter.

Ironwood went to speak before Aurelius answered. "Considering that 90% of the possible reasons for you wanting her here involve what we're talking about, general, I believe there'd be no harm in letting her stay and make her job a bit easier."

Qrow ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not bringing her up to speed if you seriously insist on her being here."

Aurelius let out a sigh. "We'll cover what needs to be covered here, everything else I'll write a report for her."

Ironwood nodded before glancing at Qrow. "Go on…"

"Your little infiltrator isn't just another pawn. They're the one responsible for Autumn's condition," Qrow said, taking a step back.

"Who is Autumn exactly?" Winter said cautiously.

"When Qrow talks about Autumn, he's not talking about a person named Autumn," Aurelius started. "Back about two thousand, five hundred and…" He paused for a moment. "Six years ago, I think, four women helped an old, powerful hermit regain his faith in humanity. In exchange, he gifted the four of them a fragment of his power, allowing them to perform incredible feats without Dust. Whenever the current holder of one of those shards dies, it gets transferred to another person who meets certain conditions."

Qrow scoffed. "So, from what Ruby told me on the way over, you're some old immortal that died and started hopping around between bodies for the last 2000 years. That doesn't explain how you know the exact number of years it's been since this happened. What, are you the old wizard that was hiding in the woods or something?" Aurelius leaned back against the desk, not saying anything while Ruby and Adrienne shared a grin, Weiss rolling her eyes. After a moment Qrow went wide-eyed as he glanced between the four of them. "W-wait, you can't be serious, right?" Winter paled slightly at the implications.

Aurelius clapped his hands together. "Moving on… The current holder of the Autumn Maiden's powers, a girl named Amber, was attacked some time ago and a portion of her power was stolen. What this is about an infiltrator, however…" He glanced behind him at Ozpin and Ironwood, causing the general to sigh.

"During the dance prior to the Mountain Glenn Incident there was an… issue where someone slipped through security and was discovered in the CCT room by Ruby and Weiss. We're not sure what they were doing, but they were driven off before they could complete their objective," Ironwood said. Aurelius tapped his fingertips against the desk before he asked a question.

"Are you saying you know she didn't finish or you assume she failed?" The room looked at him quietly. "Did anyone bother running a check on the mainframe to ensure nothing was tampered with? That nothing in this vital structure was hacked?"

Ironwood and Ozpin looked at each other nervously before the general spoke up. "Ruby and Weiss weren't that far behind her and she had to clear out all the security in the building first. We just assumed she didn't have time to-"

Aurelius let out a sigh. "Let's assume you were wrong. Let's assume that, rather than attempt to hack any part of the building, they uploaded a virus to do so without them needing to be present to finish the task. Everything linked up to this structure that isn't behind its own firewall could potentially be affected and perhaps controlled remotely… Including that." Aurelius pointed out the window at Amity Colosseum.

Ironwood turned to look out the window before turning to face the Blue Rose, an uncertain look on his face. "The CCT Tower is protected by the most advanced firewall and antivirus software in all of Remnant. It's extremely unlikely someone could hack it or plant a virus."

Winter spoke up. "General, perhaps it would be best to take the necessary precautions and perform a proper search." Aurelius raised his eyebrow at this while Ironwood nodded.

"If you intend to do this, I'd suggest being… discrete," Aurelius said. "If the CCT Tower has been hacked and this is required for whatever plan our enemy has, they may simply drop Amity Colosseum on Vale at the first sign that they've been discovered." Winter nodded quietly before the conversation continued.

"Great, everyone in this room and the leaders of the other two academies are supposed to be the ones that keep the world safe from the evils no one even knows about and we can't even check important things like this," Qrow said. "We meet behind closed doors and work in the shadows to prevent this kind of thing from happening!" He glared at Ironwood. "Tell me James, when you brought your army to Vale, did you think you were being discrete and helping in any meaningful way, or did you just not give a damn about how we've been doing things?!"

Ironwood sighed before he placed his Scroll on the desk, linking up with the CCT Tower's network as Aurelius, Ruby, Adrienne, and Weiss shared a collective groan. "Discrete wasn't working…" Ironwood said as a hologram of Vale and the surrounding skies appeared in the middle of the room. "I'm here because this is what was necessary."

"No, you're here because Ozpin wanted you here! He made you a part of this inner circle and opened your eyes to the real fight that's right in front of us!"

"And I am grateful."

"Well, you've got a funny way of showing it."

"The people of Vale needed someone to protect them, someone who would act. When they look to the sky and see my fleet, they feel safe, and our enemies will feel our strength."

"Our enemy doesn't care for your fleet, general," Aurelius said, causing the room to go quiet. "She is ancient, and it was her corrupting influence that brought Sanctuary to its end. She doesn't feel fear, nor does she allow those under her to feel it. Those under her are fear incarnate."

"And fear will bring the Grimm…" Ozpin said with a sigh. "A guardian is a symbol of comfort, but an army is a symbol of conflict. There's an energy in the air now. Everyone is asking, if this is the size of our defenses, what are we expecting to fight?"

Ironwood glanced around the room, noticing most of the people looking at him in frustration or disappointment. Winter looked away, shaken by what she was hearing. "None of this makes sense. W-what are we dealing with exactly?" Before Winter could continue, Aurelius surprised everyone by speaking up.

"Ironwood's methods may not be the most… practical or elegant, but he is right about one thing." As soon as everyone looked at him, he stepped away from the desk. "The time of these shadow councils, of hiding the truth from the world, is nearing its end, whether we like it or not. Our enemy is perhaps days away from enacting their plan and working through groups like the White Fang, groups we can't track down in the remaining time we have. The Rose Hunts have put us at a severe disadvantage and we may have to consider making ourselves known."

Ironwood let out a sigh. "So, what do you suggest then?"

Aurelius glanced out the window before responding. "While the thought disgusts me, we need to continue the search for a new vessel for the Autumn Maiden's power. Whatever they have planned, finishing the job is most likely part of their plans. Other than that, we need to assume that they have all the pieces in place and start hunting for what we can find and try to subvert the parts of their plan we can. We need to be quick, precise, and decisive. No fewer than three contingencies."

Ironwood sighed. "Is that what the request I received was for?"

"There's too many red flags, but we can no longer operate on the assumption that they can't retaliate instantly to any direct action we take. If they are who Ruby believes, it's safe to assume they'd only discuss their plans in their room, which is why I wanted to know which room they were in."

"And if I give you that information, what do you plan to do?"

Aurelius smiled. "You aren't the only one who brought an army or elite forces like Specialist Schnee." He gestured out the window at the storm. "I'm just far more skilled at hiding it. I already have a plan in mind. Once I have the information, I'll be able to put them under observation within a day."

Ironwood stared out the window and sighed before he turned toward the elevator. "I'll make sure the information is in your office by tomorrow then. Just make sure I don't regret this. Schnee, we're returning to the Aurora."

"Yes, general!" Winter said, walking back to the elevator, suddenly feeling self-conscious as she did so. Once the elevator closed Aurelius chuckled slightly.

"It's good to see that not every Atlesian soldier, even their Specialists, are incapable of adapting, even if it's only a little."

This one just ran away from me. I have no idea how it got so long…