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Official Supporters:

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If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.

As of now, The channel and I are struggling financially. So please, if you're able, become a Supporter. We'll be uploading art and concepts soonish on a project of my own making too, and you'll get to be a part of it~! And I'll get dinner as a side benefit~!

I am also creating a Discord server specifically for my writings and separate from the Temple Walkers Discord server. This way, Commissioners can keep track of their commissions directly without any worries or problems off FF or Archive, and can communicate to me directly. Just DM me and I will get you a link as soon as I can, or try using this d is co r /a J h A 6Xk. Just remove spaces, FF deletes links usually.

I'm still new to it, so any advice or offers of assistance from my community would be appreciated and more than welcome.

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"You're absolutely sure that now is the best time? Because we take off, and Atlas has one motherfucker with a missile launcher or something stupid like that, and we're going to have quite a ventilation problem. And a side order of jackets we need. And parachutes." Roman turned from the control panel, eyebrows arching high up into his hairline nearly under his hat and looking Jaune in the eye where he stood beside him with Neo on his other side, "I'm guessing your little jellyfish has it handled?" Because now is kind of game time, and a late showing isn't negotiable."

"So she said." He shrugged, leaning forward and gripping the console as he felt the ship shudder and start to rev to life. "I didn't want her on the deck though."

"Still think she's too creepy to have around?" He nodded without looking at the small woman behind him and she laughed soundlessly, shoulders shaking and mouth open without a sound. An eerie look, but one he was more than used to by now, right along with a hundred other faces she made without the sounds that came with them. "I dunno, she looks fun like that. Maybe we could-"

"No." He grunted suddenly, Roman giving him a sidelong look, worried and hand hesitating in the startup sequence. Jaune grimaced, gesturing with an armored hand for him to keep going, "Sorry, Neo is… Being Neo, I guess?"

That Roman and Pyrrha on his other side leaning against the glass at the end of the room both simply nodded understandingly said some worrying things about their group's continued sanity.

"First off," Neo kicked the back of his armored leg ineffectually, her small foot glancing off is plated leg and drawing a pout and crossed arms he knew were there even without looking, "You love me being me." He nodded, and she continued, "Second off, it is perfectly normal for a couple to bring things in to spice up the bedroom."

"The tentacle creature being personally controlled by the Queen of the Grimm is not a normal thing used for… for that." Jaune sighed tiredly, rolling his eyes at Neo's wave of amusement that hit him a second later. Roman gave him another look, part surprise and part distant sympathy and amusement, and he groaned, "Neo wants me to… Invite Salem in with her, uh, thing. I won't remember what it's called."

"Gods, that girl. More kinks than, well, anything really. I don't think she knows all of them." "Little freak… You know what you signed up for." Roman snarked, inputting commands deftly as though he'd been flying stolen Atlesian warships all his life.

Which he might have been, actually, all things considered.

With a shudder and a muted thump as the engines came to life, the ship shook as it tried to rise, engine groaning loud even in the cockpit, and Jaune gave Roman a look, "That's normal, right?"

"Not even a bit." He grunted, a small red light on the board lighting up. Jaune raised an eyebrow and gestured at it, and Roman grimaced, lifting his cane and smashing it out with amuted crack before he got back to pressing buttons, "See? Not even a notification." "Hope that wasn't important…" "Just, uh… Her little friends won't bug us, right?"

"They shouldn't, no, not as long as we stay away from the fighting." Jaune answered carefully, Roman nodding with an expression that was grimace crossed with smirk, amused and anxious at once. "Roman-?"

The ship lurched then, and aside from Roman everyone fell forward with the sound of cracking wood and scraping along the hull and dull, muted thuds. Jaune's metal armor scraped lightly against the floor as he rose, gripping the console where Roman worked, slowly pulling back on the stick that controlled the ship's altitude and tilt with a hand on the wheel in front of him that let him turn the ship itself on its horizontal axis.

"There we go. We'll head over the mountains, accelerate for a while to gain enough momentum, and then we'll be up and moving." Roman turned, tipping his hat with a hand and smirking, "You're welcome, all. Please return to your seats, your thanks can wait until we find out if a missile is going to punch into our belly." "Not that we'll probably worry about that for long, crashing these things tends to result in a lot of dying…"

With a last groan from the ship, and a violent rattle of metal, the light frigate rose into the air and turned East, to head over the mountains and on their way to Beacon.

"Are you sure we can't let her-"

"Neo, you ask for tentacle time one more time and I swear to Oum Almighty, I will put my head through a wall." Jaune sighed, Roman chuckling quietly at the control panel with a few teasing thoughts. "Roman, shut up and pilot the ship."

The ship turned and they could see, a dark cloud hovered over the place in the sky they all knew the fort rested under. Like a storm cloud, but concentrated in a single place with bright and clear blue skies all around it, whirling like a tornado. He felt the people with him's anxiety rise, and understood it.

"So," Roman started, as the ship lumbered forward slowly, "They won't, you know, attack us for going over them, right? Because, you know. Missiles are a threat, but so are about a fuck ton of Grimm." Pyrrha gave him a sour look over her shoulder, and Roman shrugged, "What? Fuck ton is a technical term. Bit more than 'bout a few' but not quite an 'ass load'."

When no one laughed, he sighed sufferingly, "There goes lightening the mood, you sour assholes." Why do I even bother?"

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"No, Sir, we can't hold. Not forever." Winter answered to the machine standing beside her, turning back to look over the wall and fire a couple well placed bursts into the oncoming horde of Grimm. Beowolves, Creeps, under-developed Deathstalkers even. Nothing terribly armored, she noted as she turned back to the machine, "We need reinforcements, General. Air support, mainly, if those avian Grimm decide to attack-"

"They aren't attacking?" The general interrupted, surprised even if he'd read the initial message she'd sent on their emergency channel.

"No, Sir. They disabled our anti-air defences, what little we had set up when the attack began." She answered, grimacing at the memory of Nevermore quills tearing into the installations with far more accuracy than should be possible, eviscerating machinery and soldiers alike with ease. "What is more odd, though, is that these Grimm are… Sir, not a single one is armored enough for basic pulse rifles to be unable to penetrate."

"Jaune, brothers damned, Arc." The man growled quietly, sighing on the other end of the robot's connection. "This is his response, then. A directed attack against us, using the Grimm of all things. If this isn't a confirmation..."

"Sir, our support?" She cut in, turning from the drone as a Beowolf lunged off the corpses onto the wall, the Schnee dropping to her knees and firing up and through its head. She rose as the Grimm fell back, hair starting to come undone from the fighting and coming loose around her head, "We need help, not assertions about Jaune."

"Is he in Ansel, still?" James asked, and Winter opened her mouth to answer when a shadow was cast over the fort and she looked up. The frigate, Jaune's that is, lumbered past slowly without any concern show by the avian Grimm as it did and within a few minutes it had pulled out of sight away from the mountains to gain speed and rise over the flatter grounds there. "Nevermind. Support is on its way, five hours away. Once you finish up there, I want you to get to Beacon."

"Sir? Beacon? Why?"

"We have a welcoming party to prepare." He responded simply and dryly, "Make your way here directly. I will place intercept forces between Ansel and Vale. You won't have to divert at all, but Jaune and his little coalition of convicts will have to avoid them. You can make it ahead of them."

"I don't think we need to-" She sighed as the drone turned and moved to the wall mechanically, a sign the general had ended the call and the robotic soldier was returning to its duties. Shaking her head and frowning, she continued, "Fine then, we'll talk when I get to Beacon."

This insane obsession with Jaune was getting too many good, loyal Atlesians killed for her to stay quiet any more.

She ducked under a Beowolf's leaping lunge, kneeling and turning as it rolled on the ground behind her and rose, snapping jaws seeking another target. It made for one of the wounded soldiers nearby, the man weakly pulling himself away with his un-broken arm and hurling a pillow of all things at it in a desperate bid to survive, and she perforated its cranium with a round. Standing, she looked over the railing and blinked in surprise.

The Grimm were leaving, loping back into the woods silently.

Why?

There was a single thing Grimm didn't do under any circumstances whatsoever, and that was retreat. They never stopped until either they were dead or their targets were. So why would these run? Only one answer to that question made sense, and further countered James' assertions.

"Jaune." She murmured, part bitterness and part she was angry with herself for pushing him to this extreme, even at James' orders, or him for acting she wasn't sure. That she hadn't gone out of her own volition meant little even as the soldiers around her cheered.

Not in the face of the dead and dying around her. Men and women who died, because she followed an order without thinking a damn thing through for herself… And to think, she'd left behind her father for demanding exactly that.

Letting the rifle fall against the railing with a dull clank, she grabbed one of the cheering soldiers nearby and wrenched him around to face her, "Get me a Bullhead, do it now, and make sure it is fully fuelled. I have somewhere to be."

What she'd do when she got there… Well, she had an entire trip between her and that decision.

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"Well, how did it go?" James sighed, eyes closing at the small boy's condescending tone, sat in the same chair his old friend always used, with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. "I assume that your plan, one you elected to put into play without my consent I might add, had a few hiccups?"

"You were gone." James explained quietly, moving away from the desk to look out the window at his new flagship in the distance. Emphasis on new, he noted bitterly. "I had to make choices for myself, in the best interests of everyone in all the Kingdoms."

"By attacking a young man we involved in things far above his depth?" Ozpin asked with a shake of his head, eyebrow raised, "I don't quite follow. Perhaps you could explain for me the evidence and reason behind you attacking someone who had not yet done anything to us of their own volition?"

"He killed Atlesian soldiers!" James nearly shouted, not even turning to look at him. "Not to mention the fake rescue request got even more killed, and resulted in my flagship being destroyed."

"None of that is Jaune's fault, James. And you know that perfectly well." Ozpin argued with a sigh, tired already of the argument. "I am not having this argument any further. He is no doubt already on his way here, which would serve as proof enough that he bears us no ill intent."

"I disagree." James argued, turning to look at the small boy. "Coming here proves nothing. They still would desire the Relics, surely. Sending Jaune here would be integral to that, he has the Maiden with him. My fleet is already screening the fastest approaches, I can set a trap here and-"

"No." Ozpin snapped heatedly, a rarity for him, and giving James a hard look. Well, as hard as a twelve year old's face could manage. "You will not attack him if he comes here peacefully to speak with me. Were I able to, I would outright invite him here to speak with me."

"Ozpin, we have our disagreements. This is true, and frankly to be expected considering our… Differences. But we're on the same side." James said quietly, squaring his shoulders and looking at Ozpin with hard eyes. "Do not ask me to take chances on someone who has already killed my people."

"I'm not asking." Ozpin responded simply, reaching out to pluck his mug from the table and take a sip of the lukewarm coffee in it. James' confused expression, the reaction he wanted, led to his continued, "I'm telling you, James. You will stand down and stop this madness before you push someone who brings us so many advantages away or worse."

"What could possibly be worse than him sending the Grimm to assault one of my forts? After everything I have done, the generosity I have showered Valed with in protecting it and doing as you ask, you expect me to turn a blind eye to the actual murder of my soldiers?" James demanded, voice low and shoulders a hard line behind his head framed by his massive warship in the background over Vale, flanked by smaller frigates and swarmed around by fighters, transports and more lit orange with the onset of dusk.

Not a good picture, Ozpin thought to himself with a muted frown, of a man's 'generosity'. It looked rather like a man's occupation.

"I expect you to forgive a man for what he is forced to do." Ozpin countered, returning the mug to his desk and folding his hands on the smooth surface before smirking confidently. "Or did you not send Winter to attack him, for no true apparent reason as he had by all accounts left Salem's court."

"By what reports?" James asked, folding his arms over his chest and gesturing at the small man with a nod. "That he isn't physically there? Cinder Fall is still with him, as are Torchwick and Neopolitan. At best, I will grant that they are giving him autonomy now, but that is far from impossible for Salem to grant her minions. Cinder herself is an example of such autonomy being granted."

"Far more likely is that he has earned his place and been trusted to go on his own." James continued, shrugging his broad shoulders, "It is obvious enough. My military employs a similar training strategy to ensure that new recruits are trained properly, and even then they have a superior with them. As Arc does even now."

"You don't think you're being unfair, James?" Ozpin asked, the man giving him an oddly confused look at the question. "We brought Jaune into this. Our attempts to guide him were foiled and he was forced to do things and make choices just to keep his life. I trust him to have made the right decision."

"Because you are always right?" James countered, "Like with the Branwen woman, Raven."

"The one reinforcing a half-dozen of your outermost forts with her tribesmen and tribeswomen?" Ozpin asked, smiling coyly when James grimaced and glared at him. "I do not always get it right, James. I am not a god. Dust, I was barely a Wizard, back in the ancient times of the Maidens and their exploits. I do my best."

"Regardless," James began, Ozpin already sighing at the man's frustrating stubbornness. Good man or no, that was a fault of his, and always would be in all likelihood. "I can't condone allowing him within missile range of this place. By all means, we should meet with him. Inside an interrogation room and nowhere else."

"Your protests are noted, but I have made my decision." Ozpin finally said, voice low and firm as he rose, shuddering slightly and shaking his head. James made to argue and he held up his hand, "No, James, I have made my decision. And Oscar can't contain me in control any longer, he needs rest. Your protests are heard and the discussion is over, with a decision which is final."

"You do not get to command me, Ozpin." The man snarled, the ancient wizard actually recoiling in shock. James stepped forward and pivoted, gesturing with a sweep of his arm towards the ships behind him and continuing in a lowered, more controlled if not less dangerous tone. "Those are my soldiers. Men and women pledged to the service Atlas. Not you, not Vale, not even me, yet hundreds are wounded and killed every year on operations you send me to dispatch them on."

"James-"

"And that isn't the end of it, either." The General continued, before Ozpin could respond, turning to face the smaller man head on, "They die for Vale, and not a single person on the Council cares. Not even you seem to. You're perfectly content to let a man who has killed twelve of them himself, and had hundreds killed. The fort at Ansel is under siege, and because of him. Who knows how many Atlesians will be dead when the dust settles. And you are just fine with bringing him back, like nothing happened."

"I want to hear out a potential ally." "Relax, Oscar, he won't do anything to me. Not here, and he's to good a man for it regardless of even that. He is merely angry." Ozpin argued as calmly as he could, feeling Oscar's nervousness at the large general's tone and anger and trying to quell him a bit. Not an easy task, given his fraying mind and focus. "And I want to listen to what a young man I put into circumstance has to say, besides the benefits he could bring. Gods, he could know where Salem dwells even! Lead your fleet straight to her home and end this entire war with the Grimm completely."

"Lead them into a trap, more likely." He snapped back, shaking his head. "Give me a reason, Ozpin, for Oum's sake and the Brother's mercy both. For the losses I have to justify to my Kingdom. For my arm. For everything."

"You need to trust me, James." Ozpin answered after a long moment, voice strained and mind frayed beyond bearing. "I need to rest, James, I can't maintain this any longer or I'll be out of commission for a day or worse."

The military man simply sighed, shaking his head and moving towards the elevator, "Get your rest, old friend."

Ozpin watched the man disappear into the elevator before releasing control of the small body he dwelt in, Oscar groaning and collapsing onto the chair behind the desk limply, panting out, "I don't think… He's very happy."

Ozpin agreed, and wasn't that a worrying thought? "I trust him. Displeased or not, he won't do anything terribly rash. He's a good man." The words felt hollow even to him, but Oscar accepted them readily enough.

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"Come on, it's dark, and we're well on our way. Roman can handle it, and you promised that I wouldn't have to wait." Neo pouted by the door, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed under her bust and pink eyes demanding attention and affection, boring into his own. "She can wait until the morning, whatever she wants."

"I'm not coming to see her for her reasons." Jaune said quietly, looking to the door for a moment and sighing before taking a deep breath and returning his gaze to Neo's impatient face with a small and bitter smile, "I… I need to know, you know?"

After a moment, Neo sighed silently and offered him a small smile, "You know, it won't make you feel any better. A lot of people got hurt, a lot of people died. You already know that, so knowing how many won't help."

"I know, but… I'm not like you." He said simply, knowing she would understand what he meant and knowing she wouldn't take offence. "I need to know what I had done. I just… Not knowing is worse, it feels like I'm pretending nothing happened, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. Now, up." She said simply, reaching up with her arms like a child wanting to be picked up. He rolled his eyes but plucked her from the ground anyways, lifting her up under her arms and planting a short kiss on her lips before setting her back down. "You feel too much, you know. For someone in your position."

"I know." Jaune agreed, nodding and watching her turn to leave. Smiling, he called out, "Love you!"

"Love you too!" She flipped him off as she walked away towards their room, and he rolled his eyes at her follow-up. "I'll be in bed, naked and waiting for you! Don't keep me waiting like that unless you bring the tentacles with!" He rolled his eyes again, chuckling for a second before the moment died out fully and he turned back to the door.

She was right, and he knew it. He was too involved, he cared too much about people who got in the way of him protecting the people he cared about. It was hypocritical, to refuse to work with either Ozpin or Salem and possibly help people across Remnant in doing so all because he wanted to protect his people and didn't care enough to protect others. He was upset about the losses that were suffered in protecting his people, yet claimed not to care for them in the slightest.

He hated that, but there wasn't much he could do. At least, not right now. Not while Atlas was a direct threat to his loved ones. He couldn't afford it, and neither could they. Winter had more than proven that to be the case.

"Jaune, I wasn't expecting a visit from you. Not to soon, at the very least." Salem practically purred from the small orb, laying on its pillows with its tendrils massed under it like a next of branches a bird might use. "What can I do for you? I am afraid I am still coordinating my Grimm away from the Atlesians and Ansel, like you asked of me, so my attention is quite diverted."

"How bad was it?" He asked, Salem humming in curiosity at the question. "The attack. How many people-"

"One hundred and two were killed, by my count, but my Grimm find it hard to tell apart Atlas' soldiers and robots. Fifty wounded, or damaged considering." She explained quickly, Jaune caught between an impressed face and a grimace, eventually just nodding at the information. "I felt you would want to know."

"Thank you." He sighed, taking a seat by the door with his back against the wall and his arms propped up on his knees in front of his chest. "I… Felt I should know. That I needed to, I mean. What this all costs, I can't hide from it."

"Having second thoughts?" She asked, sounding genuinely curious. He didn't know if she was, or if it was an act on her part, but he appreciated the effort at least. "You know you are welcome in my home, Jaune, as are your… Friends. Even if you don't deign to take my bed or my other offers, that is still true."

"I figured, but no thanks." He sighed, head rolling back to lean against the wall behind him. "I need to get this taken care of. I don't want anything happening to Ansel now, and I know Atlas might try."

"The general might, if not Atlas itself." She observed coolly, as always. "Atlas tends to be more rational than this, even if I find them as insufferably hypocritical and self-interested as any of the Kingdoms. Such brazenly aggressive maneuvers are normally reserved for wars, when they don't pretend to charitable intent. Not pursuing a criminal, or even two or three if we count you."

"Is that why you hate the Kingdoms?" He asked, Salem humming curiously at the question. "You called Atlas hypocritical, and said they pretend to be charitable."

"They are, Jaune." She agreed quickly and somewhat excitedly, the orb bobbing in the air slightly, "My, I hadn't thought we'd be having this conversation so soon… But to answer your question, yes. They feigh charity, offering 'protection' for trade and resources. Even locations, sometimes, on behalf of those gods awful Schnees."

"That seems fair to me, though. They need resources to make those ships and feed their people, after all." Jaune argued, more glad for a distraction than honestly terribly interested. It was a chance to understand Salem, though, and he couldn't pass that up. How many people could even begin to claim to have a debate with someone like her? "Ammo, food, water, materials for their forts-"

"Yes, and in exchange for this protection, the other Kingdoms' militaries weaken, and Atlas occupies them. In Vale, Atlas defends the walls. Atlas holds the air. Even Atlesian police come in often enough, for domestic problems. A complete occupation, and not a shot fired at their men and women." She clicked her tongue, an oddly warbling sound from the orb, "Impressive, but hypocritical. They justify this occupation with claims of defending the weak and innocent, while Faunus die in their mines for a pittance because they won't legislate fairer rights for them."

"Do you actually care about the Faunus?" He asked, genuinely curious even if he did know the answer.

"Oh, of course not. I merely disagree with hypocrites, that is all." She laughed quietly, "No, my concerns are simply that Atlas has occupied almost every Kingdom with military forces they can't fend off, and the fools let them in to do it. Hell, Vale asked them to come, and authorized them to build whatever they wanted on whatever they deigned to buy up."

"I… Guess that's pretty bad, yeah." He agreed, thinking of the fort that Salem had attacked for him.

That had been sold by Vale, against his father's wishes, even if it was for a decent price that was given to Ansel. That it had been done kind of rang of a problem, he could at least agree. Could Vale not defend itself? Why should Atlas be allowed to fly its military into whatever Kingdom it wanted and start staking claims?

"My point exactly." Salem agreed, sounding immensely pleased with something. Whether that they were talking or that Jaune saw her point, he couldn't guess. Figured, the only person whose thoughts he needed to know was the one he couldn't. "Vale pretends to be the heart of liberty, while allowing people to harass and attack Faunus. Vacuo pretends to be honest traders, yet not a merchant in their city keeps his books up to date. And Mistral is a home of honor, and exports more poisons than any other Kingdom. How honorable, to poison a foe's food."

"Are you one to talk about any of this though?" Jaune asked quietly, "The Queen of the Grimm? Why do you care about these people?"

"I don't." She answered frankly, "But I am honest about that. I don't pretend to kindness or feigned overtures of charity. I do what I need for what I want, and I want for little but power and company that won't wither in a century's time."

"Selfish."

"I have never pretended otherwise, Jaune." She answered calmly, "Nor will I. I am selfish by nature and have no reason to change. What kindnesses I do commit I do so for your sake and naught else."

"That's… Fair, I guess." He sighed, rising and moving for the door. He hesitated with his hand on the handle, speaking without turning back to the Grimm. "You gave me a lot to think about."

"So go and think. Once you have exhausted yourself inside the girl, I mean." She chuckled darkly and he pushed through the door into the hall, somehow feeling worse than before. Groaning, he turned towards his quarters, "Neo was right, knowing didn't help…"

But she could help in another way, if only for a little while.

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Lordrednight:

Glad you're enjoying it.

CJ Hoax :

I love this Review.

The Impossible Muffin :

She has a lot of chilling thoughts, yeah.

Hikari Niwa :

Yeah, she's needy like that. Which is fine, I don't think Jaune minds it.

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Sorry for delays, all, was a bit under the weather, had commissions to do, my sister is pregnant and needy, and we're getting ready to have our own place. Apologies, I will try harder.