Next chapter and the end of the Adam Taurus arc. For those who worry that the fic has gotten too serious, you'll be glad to know we'll be returning to comedy and lighthearted stuff after this. So yeah, I'll be cutting down on the angsty, cynicism, and graphic violence after this. Just regular anime violence instead :)

Jaune ran faster than he ever had in his life. It might be a trick, the rational - and hopeful - part of his mind said. Something to lure him back or...or even just mess with him cause the sender had a fucked up sense of humor. He'd get there and there'd be nothing but an empty lot and his family worrying about why their only son and brother looked like he was having a panic attack.

No such luck.

He'd barely rounded the corner before he heard gunshots and screams. His mom's scream. Jaune was frozen only for a second at the sight of a masked Faunus grabbing his mom and trying to pull her into the empty back of an open van. The next second he saw red and he was charging forward with his sword drawn before he even realized it.

The masked terrorist turned around just in time to get a slash across the chest that nearly cut him in half. Blood splattered both Jaune and his shrieking mother and he kicked the horned bastard away with a fierce growl, "Did they take anybody?! Mom, did they take anyone?!" He couldn't see anyone there, but he had to make sure.

"N-No! Everyone else is inside the room!"

Jaune pulled a grenade out of his pocket and tossed it under the vehicle. Four people from the van scrambled to get out when the van exploded. One of them was too slow and was caught in the explosion while the rest were blown away from the impact. Two of them had Auras, but they were underdeveloped enough that the green and blue fields sputtered out just from being caught in the blast. The last one wasn't even moving.

He took out his pistol and shot the struggling Faunus on the ground before they could get up. He didn't stop pulling the trigger till after the magazine ran dry.

"Jaune!" his mom shrieked, though whether it was fear or something else he didn't know.

"Where's everyone else?" He reloaded the pistol.

"I-Inside, th-they-"

Another shriek, this time from Rebecca. Jaune ran up to their room with mom following behind and kicked the door down. Another masked terrorist was grabbing Rebecca in a chokehold while the rest of the family was huddled in the corner. Dad and Pearl looked like they were ready to throttle the guy, ignoring his pistol altogether, but fear of Rebecca getting shot and the vice grip of his youngest sisters kept them rooted to the spot.

"Let her go!" Jaune shouted as he stepped inside. Both hands gripped his pistol tight and he had to stop himself from pulling the trigger. Couldn't risk hurting Rebecca.

"Back off!" The masked Faunus screamed, voice muffled by the red mask, "I'll kill her! Stay away or-"

Rebecca elbowed him hard in the gut and crashed herself onto the floor. The terrorist only managed a brief grunt of surprise and pain before Jaune shot him four times in the head and torso. No Aura, which meant the bullets easily cut through. Blood splattered from the force of the shots and his family screamed, though he couldn't tell which of them were yelling and which were trying to calm the others down.

He rushed to Rebecca and pulled her up, "You're okay, you're okay..." He hugged her quickly and looked back at the huddled group. Scared, but none of them were injured, "Are you hurt? Did he-"

"I'm fine." Rebecca shook her head, "Not the first time I've been manhandled."

"Alright." He let out a deep breath and separated from her. Jaune looked back at the rest of his family and grimaced. There was no way it'd be that easy. Taurus sent more people after him, plus that mute ice cream girl, and he was trying to take him subtly. Now they were attacking a public area without a care of who'd see them. Hell, it seemed like they wanted an audience.

The sounds of roaring engines and squealing tires outside confirmed it.

"Stay inside and lock the doors. I'll keep them out."

"Jaune-"

"Just do it!" he shouted, cutting off his father's worried plea. He charged outside and slammed the door behind him, shifting his sword from a blade to an assault rifle. The second floor view game allowed him better perspective. The lot was empty with the people having ran or locking themselves in their rooms...and there was also saw a dead security guard slumped over in the corner. Jaune grit his teeth and bit back a growl.

Four vans each filled with masked terrorists. All this just to kidnap his family or was Adam hoping to lure him and the rest of team RWBY out? Didn't matter, he supposed. It didn't change anything.

Jaune peeked over the corner and fired. The first of the masked Faunus fell, slumped against the black wall of the van as his Aura sputtered out. Barely any of them, if at all, had been trained in how to really use it. Weiss told him once that it was one of they key differences between Huntsmen and others with awakened Auras. Aura by itself could provide a measure of protection, but without proper training it wasn't much better than cheap body armor.

He shifted his aim and kept firing. Aim for the center of mass. That was something Blake, Ruby, and Qrow hammered into his head. Headshots were tempting, especially with those bright red masks, but those only worked when the target wasn't aware you were there or you were so close there was little chance of missing. He wasn't an expert with years of firearms experience they were were.

His position gave him an advantage, at least. Mom and dad rented out the two rooms in the farthest corner and there was only one stairway up from the lot. That meant anyone that tried to get up were fish in a barrel.

Jaune turned to the left and fired at the masked goons making their way up. Muffled screams rang out and masked woman at the lead fell, toppling over the two other would-be kidnappers following after her.

And still they kept coming. No matter how many he shot and how many died they refused to fall back and retreat. He wondered what Adam told them. Did he say the Arcs were Human supremacists and that taking them would strike a blow for the White Fang? Or did he not even bother with making a reason and they just followed his orders without question?

He lost count of how many he'd shot down or how many times he'd reloaded. He was grabbing for the next magazine when one of the masked men charged at him with an enraged scream and tackled him to the ground. The rifle flew away and slid across the floor and two meaty fists grabbed his hands, keeping him from pulling out any of his other weapons.

"Give up! You've lost!" The man growled. Jaune couldn't see it, but he heard the sounds of more vans pulling up, "It doesn't matter how many of us you kill! There will always be more willing to fight for the Faunus!"

"You're...deluded!"

A barrage of fire, ice, wind and lightning engulfed the crowded lot. The White Fang found themselves frozen on the spot, slammed into walls, electrocuted, and burned as nature itself seemed to attack them. The giant brute grappling him looked to the elemental barrage in shock, his grip loosening.

Jaune grabbed his collar and slammed their heads together in a painful headbutt. The impact was enough to shatter the mask and knock the terrorist back. He grabbed him again and tossed him over the railing, the formerly masked terrorist being frozen mid-fall till there was nothing but his head uncovered.

"Jaune!" A black and red blur tackled him in a fierce embrace and he grunted as Ruby held him tight, almost slamming him to the wall in her worry. The rest of team RWBY, plus Mercury and Penny, were mopping up the rest of the Fang that weren't already incapacitated.

"Ruby..." He closed his eyes and held her back just as tight, "Thank the gods you're all here..."

"We came as fast as we could." She stepped away reluctantly and looked up at him, "How's your family? Are they-"

"I...no one got past me." He stumbled to the room and knocked, "It's me."

There was a pause before Saphron slowly opened the door, "Little brother." She smiled in relief and he did too, "Is...Is it over?"

"Not yet. Just...Just stay inside for now, okay? Tell the rest of the family too." He closed the door before she could argue and went down with Ruby. He wanted to talk to them, to say that everything was alright now, but he knew that was a lie. Taurus wouldn't do something like this, an attack so public, if he wasn't planning something bigger. They had to stop him.

"You're alright." Blake sighed in relief while Yang and Weiss gave their own greetings, "We can't stay here."

"Indeed. Intel indicates that masked individuals have been spotted all across the city and making public attacks. Police is mobilizing to stop them," Penny said.

"It's just a distraction." Blake scowled, "Adam wouldn't throw all his men away just to cause a scene. He failed in the Breach, he's going to find some way to escalate. That's why he's making so many public attacks. It'll draw attention away from his real targets."

"Okay, your ex is crazy, we get it. Do we know what he's actually planning?" Yang asked.

"I think so." Blake tapped her scroll and sent them all a message, "Illia messaged this to me before Jaune called us." They all looked at their scrolls and saw a map of Vale with specific spots marked. It was all different spots on Vale's wall, "His plan is the same as the Breach, except even worse. He's going to detonate charges at multiple spots on the wall. With the panic the White Fang attacks are causing, Grimm will be drawn here even before the explosions."

"So he's trying to destroy Vale. Again." Weiss scowled, "What in the hell is he trying to accomplish? Surely he knows that every kingdom will band together to hunt him down if he succeeds."

"Don't think the 'why' of it matters right now, Ice Queen." Mercury scoffed.

"Right! We should stop him first and worry about anything else later!" Ruby said, expression fierce.

"I want to help, but my family..." He looked back at the door.

"Pyrrha's on her way here. She had to grab Ren and Nora. I'll stay and tell one of them to keep an eye on this place until the cops get here." Mercury smiled wryly, "I know you wanna go help kick Taurus' teeth in, don't worry."

"Thanks..."

"Alright, so we need to split up." Ruby looked down at her scroll again, "There are six spots here and they're all over Vale. We can't do this like the Breach."

"I expect he did that on purpose. Split us all up to ensure we can't just stem the tide of Grimm in one location," Weiss said.

"Doesn't matter. We'll stop him before he does anything." Yang slammed her fists together.

"Who's going with who?" Jaune marked a location while the rest did too.

"Given the capabilities of team RWBY, I would suggest they each take a spot of their own," Penny said, "I shall take Friend-Jaune and drop him off at one of the designated locations on the way to another bombing site."

"I can do that," Ruby said immediately.

"Given that you are the fastest among us, besides myself, you would be served better going to the farthest location." Penny tapped her own chest with a closed fist, "Worry not! I assure you that we shall make our way there with no delays!"

"She's right. You can get to the South Side faster than any of us. If even one of those explosives go off..." Jaune shook his head. No, there was no point in dwell on what-ifs, "We'll be fine, Rubes. Trust me."

"Alright." She kissed him for a moment before zipping off on a storm of rose petals. The others nodded and did the same with Penny picking him up in a fireman's carry and zipping along the streets.

Blake had barely gotten to the roof where Ilia told her to meet when she was slammed against the wall, "What did you do?!" Ilia snarled, looking far angrier than she'd ever seen her.

"What are you talking about?!" Blake shoved her back, managing to push her off. Not too long ago she and Ilia were equal in strength, "You told me to meet here and I agreed because it was on the way, but I I don't have time for-"

"Atlas is here." Ilia hissed, face set in a disgusted scowl, "Adam spotted Specialists and that's why he moved the plan forward so quickly! Did you tell them?! Because I definitely didn't!"

"I...I told them not to-"

"God damn it!" Ilia snarled, turning away in disgust. Blake couldn't blame her. She trusted Weiss, but she let that blind her to the fact that Winter Schnee was not her sister. She was a Specialist and her loyalty was to General Ironwood. A man who, from what she understood in her (admittedly limited) interactions with him, believed that it was his way or the highway.

She gave them the information they asked for, but she also told them that no amount of keeping a low profile would keep him hidden and to hold off for everyone's sake. Atlas had them beat in many things - technology, weaponry, skill, and numbers - but they lacked in the desperation to win and ingenuity to survive. To them the White Fang were just animals raging against the world, but to survive that long they had to know their enemy. The Specalists might've thought they were being subtle, and to anyone else they were, but someone like Adam and his most trusted followers would see them coming.

Even General Ironwood, as much as he claimed to be so above it all, was a product of Atlas. He underestimated them like he always did.

"You can be mad at me later. Right now we have to focus on stopping the bombs."

"...Fine. If Adam succeeds here then Faunus everywhere will suffer. Not that I think you care about that anymore." Each word was dripping with contempt and Blake winced to hear it. She understood Ilia's grievances, and really there was nothing she could say to defend herself here. She'd made the wrong call.

The pair jumped across the rooftops till they found the location on her scroll. The specific spots were chosen because that's where the gap between the automated turrets was the largest. The Grimm could swarm in easier, "Hm..." Blake's eyes narrowed. A dozen of Adam's splinter cell, but there were also a few civilians - both Human and Faunus - that had been bound and gagged. Regular hostages or just bait for the Grimm?

"Adam's gone mad..." Ilia muttered next to her. The location wasn't ideal. An empty lot sandwiched between two brick buildings that didn't leave a lot of space to maneuver. The one setting up the bomb was the priority. This was all pointless if even a single hole was made.

"I'll go left and you go right," Blake said. Ilia nodded and they both unsheathed their weapons. No chance to do this quietly. They had to do this hard and fast, "Shock and awe?"

"Fine."

Blake's eyes flared with Maiden power and the skies turned and stormy. Some of the Faunus barely looked up when bolts of lightning shot down and hit them perfectly, missing the hostages entirely, "Go!" Blake shouted. She jumped down to the one handling the bomb and unfurled Gambol Shroud. The wire looped around the terrorist's neck and she pulled him away from the still-inactive device.

"It's Ilia! She's betrayed us! She's-"

"Shut up." Ilia's sword shot out onto its whip form and slashed the screaming, masked combatant across the face.

Blake created a ring of wind around the device and charged into the fray. One desperate soul tried to slip past her and activate the bomb only to get shot into air when he tried to jump over the churning ground. Winter Schnee was many things, but she was also someone used to being creative with her abilities; something she encouraged in them as well. Their abilities were more than just a bludgeon.

Case in point.

One of the larger attackers tried to stab clean through her back only for her to disappear, leaving an ice clone in her wake that left his weapon and hands frozen in place. He didn't have long to consider his new position before she snapped her fingers and the clone exploded, leaving shards of to shoot out at him and two other nearby White Fang (Red Horn?) attackers.

Combining their magic with their Semblances. Seemed obvious, but it was pretty difficult to manage those first few weeks. Even now she didn't feel confident doing more than just replacing Dust with Magic.

Mopping up the rest of the attack was simple enough. Adam's followers had fanatacism on their side, but that couldn't make up for training and experience. And why would they need it, Blake thought bitterly. Adam just wanted to spread chaos. He didn't want combatants, he wanted sacrificial pawns.

Blake took down the last of the attackers with a punch to the face that broke through that blood red mask. He didn't kill any of them. Maybe it was lingering sympathies, or maybe she thought of them was victims of Adam or a poor lot in life, but she made sure they were all still breathing by the end of it. After all, how close was she to being in their place?

"Can you defuse the bomb?" Blake asked as she untied the hostages. Many of them thanked her profusely while others ran away the first chance they got. She didn't blame them.

"Yeah. It isn't too difficult. Mechanism is simple enough. The device is more about causing a large detonation than being mechanically complex."

"Alright." She could freeze it if she had to, which she was sure was what the rest of the team sans Jaune and Penny were going to do. Those two would just have to leave theirs alone after incapacitating their attackers.

Blake waited for Ilia to turn off the bomb and stood guard over the defeated terrorists. Most of them were unconscious, though a few weren't. Blake bound their hands and legs with ice to stop them from moving, "Why are you doing this?" One of them, a woman, hissed. Judging by what she could see through her cracked mask, she wasn't much older than Blake herself, "You two are Faunus like us. Why would you fight for the Humans?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Blake scowled, "Do you have any idea how many innocent people you'll kill, Human and Faunus, if you do this? Innocent people!"

"Innocent?" The woman laughed bitterly, "Are you talking about the Humans that attacked us after the Breach when we did nothing wrong? Or the other Faunus who just looked away because they thought it was easier than taking a stand? Bastards and cowards, all of them."

"So your idea is to just recreate the Breach?" Blake asked, disgusted.

"If they're going to treat us like monsters then why bother fighting it? At least this way we actually hit back." Another bitter laugh, "Not all of us can be made pretty for the cameras. I'm sure you'll just be even more famous for taking the animals down, right, Ms. Defender of Vale?"

Blake looked away, scowl deepening. She understood their anger. She'd lived with being treated as second class all her life. Her parents had a high ranking position in Menagerie, but that didn't matter outside the island. To anyone else, especially in Atlas and Mistral, she was just a filthy animal that didn't know her place.

But that didn't excuse this.

"Finished." Ilia stepped away from the now-inert bomb, "I suggest we leave before the police get here."

"Yeah..." Blake ignored the biting curses from the still-conscious extremists and followed Ilia up to the roof, "Where's Adam?"

"He was planning to attack your parents, but they're-"

"Still at Beacon." Blake finished with relief. All of their parents were, sans Jaune's. They were talking to Ozpin about the team being used for extracurricular missions since they couldn't exactly hide the work they did for the council. If their families were down in Vale she was damn sure that Adam would've gone after them just like Jaune's.

She wouldn't tell Weiss this, but she wouldn't shed any tears if Jacques Schnee was caught in the crossfire.

"Right." Ilia hopped to another roof with Blake following again, "Adam's holed up with his most loyal followers. I put a tracker on him."

"Hiding and letting everyone else take the brunt of it..." Blake snarled. Adam wasn't a coward - he'd been through more solo missions than anyone else she knew - but as she found out later, he didn't much care for people's lives; whether they belonged to his enemies or even his allies. How many people did he expect to come back from setting up the bombs, he wondered? At the very least those Faunus distracting the police would be arrested with no hope of ever leaving a jail cell. That was assuming they even survived at all.

All for the cause, she was sure.

"He wants to see Vale burn." Ilia stopped and pointed to a large storage building nestled in the heart of Vale's North Side. It was a building no one would look twice at. Even with his narcissism, some things just never changed, "Are you ready? Once we go in there...neither of us are leaving until Adam is dead or both of us are. Do you understand that, Blake?"

"I..." She chewed on her lower lip. Blake hated Adam. The Breach, kidnapping Jaune, and now this...it was clear that the man she thought he was was gone. Or worse, that he never existed. And yet despite that she couldn't help but remember the years they spent together. He was her mentor, her friend, her confidant...and her lover. Years she'd spent with him, and she threw it all away on that train. It was one of the hardest decisions for her life.

Her musings were interrupted by a call on her scroll. Winter Schnee. Her melancholy was immediately replaced with frustration and she rejected the call. It was clear they weren't going to listen to her so why bother talking? She'd be wasting her breath.

At least the anger was enough to distract her.

"I'm ready."

Purple flames engulfed her eyes and a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky. It easily melted through the thick metal roof of the building and both Blake and Ilia jumped down the makeshift entrance.

The two of them stood back to back as they landed. There were dozens of them - Adam's true believers - and standing not too far away was Adam himself. He wasn't wearing a mask; he hadn't since he'd first shown his face to those new recruits. Seeing the SDC brand on his face...it brought back a myriad of memories that she had to force down again. No, this wasn't the man she loved and admired. He wasn't here anymore.

"Blake..." His expression shifted in surprise for a moment before his lips curled in a manic smile, "You're here."

"To stop you, Adam." Her grip on Gambol Shroud tightened as she remembered her words to the rest of the team. She was going to kill him. It might make him a martyr, he might be remembered as a victim of Human oppression, but she didn't care.

His fanatics charged all at once. Ilia remained rooted to her spot while Blake charged for Adam. The purple flames burned brighter and she threw the very forces of nature against any that stood in her way. The fanatics found themselves slashed, burned, shocked, frozen, and bludgeoned as she fought without restraint. These were his most loyal followers, the ones who left the White Fang to follow him and helped mastermind this insane plan. There would be no mercy.

Blake shouted in raw anger as she brought Gambol Shroud down on Adam's head. He blocked it with disgusting ease only for an overpowering gust of wind to almost knock him off his feet. She wasn't an idiot. Even with all her training under Winter, Adam was still far and away the better swordsman between the two of them, and possibly the best fighter in all of the White Fang. She couldn't defeat him in a straight fight.

So she wasn't even going to try.

He tried to slash back at her only for his hands to be frozen in ice, "I won't let you." Blake stabbed her blade into his gut. His Aura defended him from the blow and she didn't get the chance to go deeper before more of his fanatics attacked her back, "Get off!" Blake growled, turning her attention away to fight off the attackers. They had to know they had no chance of taking her down.

Adam broke the ice and attacked her with a moonslice. Blake left a clone in her place to take the attack, expending Aura to create another clone as she charged towards him. She jumped and attacked Adam with a downward slash. He didn't attack, but he also wasn't fast enough to retreat. He raised Wilt and blocked the slash only for her to suddenly disappear and leave a lightning-infused clone in her wake.

Electricity surged through Adam's body and Blake appeared behind him, slashing him across the back before he used Blush to propel himself away from her.

She prepared to charge again when Ilia screamed behind her. Blake looked back and gasped at the sight of Ilia slamming against the wall with a bleeding wound at her right side. Her Aura was down.

Adam capitalized on the distraction to attack her again, managing a slice across her neck that sent her own Aura reeling. Blake grit her teeth and blocked the next attack with Gambol Shroud's blade, her attention split between Adam and Ilia barely fighting off the rest of the fanatics with one hand. Ilia was going to die if she didn't end this now.

The fire around her eyes became so bright that Adam was forced to look away. Bolts of lightning shot out of Blake and engulfed the entirety of the area with only what little control she had left ensuring that Ilia wasn't caught in the crossfire. The fanatics died from lighning so fierce that arteries and blood vessels burst and Blake grit her teeth as everything electric around them exploded in a shower of sparks.

Adam's prosthetic arm spasmed for a moment before it too exploded, shattering into pieces as he was flung back and tossed through the building's wall onto the outside street.

And then it was over. The fires around her eyes dimmed and there was

"Ilia!" Blake rushed to her fallen ally and looked over her injury. The stab was deep. If she didn't get medical attention she was going to die, "H-Hold on, I can-"

G-Get Adam!" Ilia grit out through bloodied lips. She pressed a scroll against Blake's hand, "Tracker might still be working. Go...if he escapes then..."

"I'm not leaving you to die!" She grabbed the scroll. The red dot on the screen was still moving, but it was also flickering. The damage from her attack... "I...I'll send the others the location and follow as soon as I can, but you need-"

"You said you understood..."

"Yeah...I know." Blake carried Ilia in her arms and rushed to the nearest hospital.

"Adam's escaped." Those were the first words Blake told them when he opened the group call, "He's injured and he's lost most of his Aura, but he's still walking. We need to find him."

"Do we have a location?" Weiss asked.

"Ilia put a tracker on him, but it's not gonna last much longer." She sent them all a map with a blinking red dot, "We need to find him as soon as possible before the tracker's destroyed. If he escapes then he can do this again."

Jaune looked at the map and blinked. That was... "He's close...just a couple of blocks from my location. I can get him." His hands shook before he forced the feeling down. No, this wasn't going to be the same again.

"Normally I'd say you should wait for backup, but we're on a time limit." Yang scowled, "Go get him, Grimm Slayer."

"Be careful, Jaune. Keep your scroll on! We'll try to get there as soon as-" Ruby looked away and grimaced, "Dang it, more people are showing up! I gotta go!"

"Same here! Be careful, everyone!" Weiss shouted.

The call cut out. Jaune looked back at the dead and uncionscious terrorists then at the disabled bomb. Turning that thing off wasn't something he wanted to repeat. Thank the Gods Penny knew the exact wires to cut.

Jaune kept an eye on his scroll as he ran down the street. Even with the attacks the place was still crowded thanks to the influx of visitors for the festival. Jaune pushed and shoved his way past the panicked crowds and kept an eye on the slowly moving dot. Adam was close and he needed a plan of attack. There were still people here. He couldn't let anyone get caught in the crossifre and...

...

Where was Adam?

Jaune stopped and looked at the sputtering red dot. It said he was right here, but there was no one there close to what he looked like. Jaune looked around frantically and moved forward to follow the slowly moving dot. Wait, it said here that he was going into the building in front of him? He looked inside and saw a cafe with a few people inside. No sign of Adam. Where the hell was he?

Above? No, there was no way he could be jumping around in his state. So that meant...

Underground.

There was a manhole cover not too far away. Jaune rushed to it and ignored the way his heart beat. There wouldn't be anyone to help him down there, "Damn it..." He activated his own scroll's tracking feature and messaged the team on where he was going before pulled the lid off with a soft grunt. A few of the people looked at his odd behavior, but no one actually tried to stop him.

Jaune hopped inside and grimaced at the ankle deep sewer water. The place stunk to high hell and the few lights didn't do much to help the dim interiors. Jaune unholstered his pistol and amplified his Aura, cursing himself for not packing a flashlight. His rifle was out of ammo too, so the best case scenario was him shooting down Adam before he got the chance to do anything.

The sounds of sloshing water were his only company as he walked, one hand on his scroll and the other on his gun. Adam was weaker now, but he was still dangerous. An animal was at its most dangerous when cornered, as Peter often told him, and Adam Taurus was at his most desperate now. If he lost then he'd lose everything, and a man with everything to lose would fight with everything they had.

The tracker finally sputtered out, "Damn it...!" He put his scroll in his pocket and gripped the pistol with both hands. He heard sloshing sounds growing closer and he stopped a few feet from the curve in the hall, gulping nervously as he shook. He was scared. It was pathetic to admit that even in the safety of his own mind and he hated himself for it. The others were fighting just as hard as he was so he had no excuse.

Adam had barely rounded the corner when Jaune fired. Two bullets hit, but the bull Faunus had stumbled back into cover before the rest of the shots could land, "Get out here, Taurus! You can't escape now!" He automatically groped for the grenades on his belt before remembering he was out of those too. Damn it. Could've ended it there with just one explosion...assuming he didn't make the entire place collapse on top of them.

"I'm surprised you're here alone," Adam said, voice cocky despite his horrid state, "You know you can't beat me. I only went after you because I knew it would hurt Blake. You and your pathetic family."

The reminder of what happened not too long ago replaced whatever fear he had with burning anger, "You can stay there if you want. I'm not going anywhere." The rest of the team would come soon.

"Waiting for your owners to come save you? You really are their pet."

A part of him wanted to charge ahead recklessly, but another, more sensible part kept him rooted to the spot. He had the advantage here, not Adam, and it'd be stupid for him to lose that because he got impatient.

Seeing that he didn't take the bait, Adam suddenly rounded the corner and charged towards him. Jaune fired till the magazine was empty and Adam blocked most of the shots even with just one hand, "Pathetic." Jaune took out his sword and shield and blocked the moonslice. His amplified Aura kept him standing even as he took the brunt of the blow.

Jaune slashed upwards only for the red blade to block his own. Adam smirked, though it only lasted for a second before he slowly but surely overpowered him, "Give up!" Jaune snarled. Adam kicked him away and slashed at his head.

He blocked the attack with his shield and activated the explosive shell. Jaune was forced back slightly while Adam flew upwards, slamming against the low hanging ceiling and his Aura finally sputtering out. The scarred bull Faunus coughed and wheezed, weakly reaching out for the fallen red blade just a few feet from his grip.

Jaune stomped on his hand then kicked the sword away, "Fuck you..." Jaune hissed. He grabbed the back of Adam's head and smashed it down to the wet floor. His face impact with a meaty smack and Jaune slammed him again and again, one leg keeping his arm pinned while the rest of his body pinned him down.

"You...didn't win..." Adam sputtered, mouth covered in blood and dirty water, "You couldn't beat me...you had to-"

"I'm not the one drowning in sewer water." Jaune gripped the head tightly and pushed him down into the brown water. Adam struggled, whatever bravado he had gone now that he was slowly being choked to death. Adam was right. He hadn't beaten him fairly. Blake did, if you could consider Maiden powers fair, but not him.

And he didn't care.

At the end of it all Taurus was choking on shit so whatever symbolic victory he thought he had it useless.

He could kill him right here. Blake said that was her plan and the others had all reluctantly agreed. No one was here, there were no cameras or witnesses. No one would think it was anything but self-defense and killing done in the heat of the moment. All he had to do was keep Adam's head down until his lungs gave out.

And then what? He'd be a martyr. He'd go out being killed by a human because, in their deluded minds, he was fighting for the Faunus. Then he'd be laughing at all of them from down wherever he ended up.

Jaune pulled Adam back just as he was about to pass out then smacked him hard in the face. He wasn't in the mood for final words or taunts about how he knew Jaune didn't have the guts for it. He'd killed people already, but Adam...he didn't want him to go out as a symbol. No, it was best for him to be thrown into the deepest, darkest hole they could find so he could be forgotten as just another madman.

He closed his eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. It was over. He propped Adam up on one side of the wall while he took the other, gun at the ready just in case.

Only a few minutes passed without Adam regaining consciousness before Blake ran to where they were, "Jaune! Are you..." She trailed off at the sight of the unconscious Adam and the torn look on his face, "Are you okay?"

Jaune stood and embraced her. Blake didn't care that he was covered in sewer water and just returned the hug, both of them sniffling. The rest of the team had messaged them earlier saying they were on their way while Penny and the rest were talking to the police. None of the bombs had gone off.

"He's still alive?" Blake whispered.

"Yeah, I...I didn't want him to go out easily. He deserves worse than a quick death." A pause, "I wanna see my family."

"Okay." Blake separated from him and they just held each other for a moment, both hands gripping each other's shoulders,"...Come on, let's go home."

Adam Taurus was a fool.

That was the thought that ran through Cinder's mind as she watched the news of his arrest. The Council was scrambling, assuring everyone that they were all on top of this all along and that was why none of the bombs had been detonated. They also thanked both Atlas and the Defenders of Vale for their assistance in foiling the attacks, along with one Jaune Arc who was instrumental in stopping the ringleader.

Cinder watched through half-lidded eyes as the blonde knight's face appeared on the screen. She expected that he'd be quite the talk of the town, at least until some other news or trend took the people's fancy. Atlas and the Defenders taking down a White Fang offshoot was expected, but a regular student with no special abilities? It would've been inspiring to some, she was sure.

To her it was more a cause for worry.

She didn't care about Adam Taurus. She'd come to him because she knew Blake Belladonna was a traitor to the White Fang and she'd assumed, not incorrectly, that he wished retribution upon her. Their goals were aligned. He wanted her dead to make her pay for betraying the White Fang and he wanted the same so she could take back the power that rightfully belonged to her. It made sense to ally with him.

Or so she thought.

Adam didn't want Blake Belladonna dead. He wanted her to suffer, and that meant kidnapping Jaune Arc just to send a message. She'd been so frustrated with him then and was forced to cut her losses with their short-lived alliance once he'd made clear that his own grudge trumped any sort of higher goal. He'd even taken over her plan for Beacon's fall if it meant ensuring his former paramour suffered and that his pointless message was spread.

She didn't care about Vale or any kingdom, but she also couldn't afford to let it fall now. If she did then the Maidens would scatter to the winds or fall into a far more difficult to reach location like Atlas. No. She had a chance here, a chance to take the powers she so rightly deserved, and she wasn't about to let some madman with a grudge against Humanity jeapordize her plans.

Thankfully, Jaune Arc had proven a useful pawn. When Adam had first kidnapped him, she thought of the Arc as nothing more than a hapless victim not worth any deeper observation. And yet somehow he had only escaped his bonds, but managed to send a message for rescue. Not only that but he had injured Adam as well and forced him to retreat. Quite an accomplishment for a first year student.

She also couldn't forget that the Maidens followed him. He, a student with apparently no special abilities or history, had the ear of the four most powerful women on Remnant. They treatred him as an equal despite his weakness. It wasn't just them. From what Emerald had gathered, he also had the loyalty of Marcus Black's son (a shame they couldn't recruit him or his father...) and Pietro Polendina's doll.

It was uncanny. What did he have as leverage to earn such loyalty? With Emerald it was so simple. She was so desperate for affection that it was easy to earn her complete allegiance, but Jaune Arc's group was eclectic. Surely one method wouldn't suffice for all of them. Blackmail, perhaps? Or was it a deal of some sort made with the heiress?

Cinder shook her head. Either way, it was clear to her that she'd understimated the knight. She had to make some arrangements.

Damn that Jaune Arc! He must be some devious mastermind if he can get so many people to follow him around! Cause clearly he can't just be a nice guy who befriends people, it must be something nefarious instead.

Like I said, we'll be back to more lighthearted stuff in the next chapter. We still have the Branwens and Sienna Khan to deal with, but honestly after Adam they're kind of a non-threat, especially the former. They're more the denoument than the climax.

P a treon . com (slash) Vendetta543

Questions:

1. Okay, so I've had people express worry that Jaune is still too weak and/or that he needs an Edge. I've already given him a bunch of stuff. He's a walking armory, he gets personal training from teachers, he unlocked his Semblance early, he's got an actual mechashift weapon with a gun etc etc. But apparently it's not good enough?

So fine, what do you guys want? Do you guys want cybernetics like Ironwood? Weaving Dust into his clothes like V2 Cinder? I'm open to suggestions as long as it's not overpowered or Jaune just being handed a cheat. I'm not giving him Maiden magic or the Relic of Destruction or whatever. Like I said, the story falls apart if apparently Jaune can just match the oh so valuable walking nukes factions are scrambling to get.

2. On a more character related note, what do you guys think Ironwood would be like if and when Salem is defeated here? Will he just relax and finally calm down? Or will he focus on another problem i.e the four demigods that are now beholden to no one and proven they have the raw power to destroy kingdoms?

Because it seems like even before Beacon's fall he already had control freak tendencies (like bringing his fleet the olympics), so how would he react to team RWBY no longer having a target to fight against and just being free Huntresses?

Review Answers:

Waterdust5 - Oh yeah, Ruby''s gonna rage when we return to the humor. Especially with Jaune becoming more well-known after this chapter.

ARK T Maxwell - Cardin's role is really to showcase how petty the school life stuff is at this point. Hell, this chapter had Jaune fighting and killing terrorists, so a bully doesn't even register anymore.

ahsoei - Uh...Weiss did kiss Jaune in the cheek. It was just understated because neither of them make a big deal of it.

BrazeRancor - The Schnee Party in volume 4 makes it clear that Atlesian high society thinks Huntsmen are barbaric since they're safe from the Grimm up there. So no, Weiss being a Huntress would get her zero credit.

Chuck B. Winanaki - To be fair to Weiss, her comments indicated that Whitley actively disliked both her and Winter, so connecting would be difficult. Also, she has no responsibility to parent the kid. He's only a couple years or so younger than her and it's unfair to ask a teenager to raise a sibling. Weiss has her own life, same with Winter who left for the military.