Here we are, Chapter 2!

Originally part of the first chapter, but it felt like padding, so as I said before, I split it up.

The six walked out of the port, and the closer they are to entering the jungle, the more eerie the island become to them. Nora was not her usual bubbly self, and held Ren's hand. Jaune attempted a brave front, but he was really scared. Seeing this, Pyrrha put her hand on his shoulder, making Jaune froze for a moment before realizing that his partner was trying to comfort him.

Jago was silent throughout the journey, before he finally talked, "This place… there's something wrong with it."

Jaune asked the warrior monk, "Wha… what do you mean? I know this place is haunted by malevolent ghostly skeleton pirates, and we're here to hunt down Grimms that can dissolve our armors… What could be worse?"

As soon as Jaune said that, the six exited the jungle and walked through a grassy plain. It would have been a beautiful sight if it weren't for the cloudy skies… and a field full of skeletons.

"You just had to say it, didn't you?" Ren remarked.

Orchid then brandished a pair of electric Dust Batons, its yellow light glowing with energy, "Alright everyone, keep your eyes open."

With that, team JNPR brandished their personal weapons, while Jago simply cracked his knuckles, and then took his Tibetan Kora off his back. "Follow me, stay in close formation." Orchid ordered. "Watch your surroundings, there could be anything here."

The six walked through the field, the only sound being the blaring wind and their footsteps. As they walked towards a hill, Orchid signaled them to stop as they reached the top.

"Oh… man."

The hill they're on overlooked a crater, and in the epicenter was a humanoid figure, standing still. Surrounding it was dozens of skeletons… and a few fresh bodies.

"Come on." Orchid said, jumping down to the crater, "Keep yours eyes open."

Following the agent, her brother and team JNPR made their approach, passing through long dead people and eventually closing in to the humanoid.

Pyrrha inspected the bodies as she slowly made her way with her teammates, "What is this… these don't look like either Beowulf or Ursa claw marks" the Mistrali deduced, "Could be other people, but what kind of weapons would make these marks?"

Meanwhile, Orchid stood apart from the humanoid, gripping her batons tighter as she controls her anger. She knew what this humanoid was.

It was a metallic grey robotic being with a predatory design. Its most distinguishing features were its red-orange ponytail-like protrusion behinds its head, and a pair of dual plasma claws on each arm. Or it should have if it wasn't inactive, and they would pop out of the openings on both of its forearms.

A pair of tubes was attached to both sides of its "cheeks" and it encircled his head, their other ends attached to the back of the head. A pair of orange vertical lines was painted on the right side of its torso, one was a thicker line, the other thinner.

Its body was designed to look like a knight's armor from days of old, but it was anything but. This being was a killing machine bred for war, and only one company creates and owns them.

"Ultratech…" Orchid said in disgust.

"Ren, look! Doesn't this look like those robots that helped exterminate the Grimm a few weeks ago?" Nora asked, poking the robot.

"It does look similar," Ren answered as he stopped Nora from poking it, "But it looks archaic… an older model?"

"I saw some of them being dropped alongside those new Atlesian Knights droids. They seem to look slicker than this one, but I remember them being somewhat equal in performance." Pyrrha retorted. "I believe they are called the Fulgore units."

Jaune, however, was focusing on the recently deceased surrounding the robot. He had already sheathed Crocea Mors, and solemnly gazed at the dead. He knew that hunters can't save everyone—he knew it the moment he decided to become a hunter—but the guilt of not being able to do so can't be undone.

Jaune walked towards Orchid, and demanded, "Orchid… I think there's something you should tell us."

The agent took a few deep breaths; she kept team JNPR in the dark, but now that they know… she made a decision.

She turned around, a serious expression was on her face, "Alright kids… I think you should know the truth." Throwing down a small metallic disc, she activated the small computer on her right wrist. The disc activated, displaying a holographic image of the island. "Hunting the Vulcan Shells is still part of the mission, but it is not our main objective." Orchid added more input to her wrist-computer, the map highlighted a facility within the island, "We are here to search for Ultratech presence and destroy anything they have."

Pyrrha gasped, "You mean the other Dust manufacturer company, who's said to be rivaling the Schnee Dust Company in industrial might? That Ultratech?" the Mistrali asked. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Jago answered her, "For one thing, they have eyes and ears everywhere. We do not know how secure your academy's system was, but since the hunting boards were official missions approved by the council, there is a risk of some… unsavory company paying attention to them; who may attempt to sabotage the missions."

"Why would they do that?" Ren asked, "It seems inefficient, sabotaging missions to protect people. Do these unsavory companies profited in someway?"

"Yes, they do." Orchid answered, "Especially Ultratech." A few seconds later, the holographic image of the facility was completed. "Alright, this is a manufacturing plant. My superiors suspected that Ultratech is up to something. Think about it, out of all the places to built a facility, why an island in the middle of nowhere? Especially one that has been deemed cursed and haunted by the sailors. My mission is reconnaissance; if the facility is really abandoned, I am to leave it alone, but if it's not I have permission to stop whatever is happening inside it by any means necessary."

Team JNPR was stunned. They thought it would be a simple hunting mission, just take down these few Grimms so they can finally go to the village Ren and Nora wanted to sheriff, considering how important that place is for the two. But no, fate seemed to say otherwise. And Jaune had something to say as well, "Hold on, hold on… Why us? I'm not saying that we want to back out, but out of all the teams in the academy, why us? I know my friends are pretty skilled, but-"

"Would you believe that your headmaster recommended you?"

Jaune had his mouth agape, "Ozpin chose us? But… but why?"

"For one thing," Orchid put her hand on her hips as she explained to the blonde, "He see something in all of you… Especially you, Jaune. I think this is a test, not just for team JNPR, but for you as well."

Gulping nervously, Jaune was beginning to suspect that Ozpin… know of his predicament. He had told Ren and Nora about his faked transcript, but other than his teammates and team CRDL, who overheard him, he had not told anybody else. Not even team RWBY.

"Well, regardless of why we're picked, we have a job to do. How about we get to it?"

Ren broke the silence, brandishing his machine pistol Storm Flower from his sleeves. "So, what's the plan?"

He was looking at Jaune, and realizing that he wanted him to call the shots, Jaune took a deep breath, and turned tactical. "Okay… Anybody here had any experienced with the Vulcan Shells?"

Ren and Nora held up their hands, and Jago did so as well. "I fought a variant of them in the mountains, but I believe they share similar traits." He explained.

"Alright… then Pyrrha and I will go with you, Ren and Nora, you follow Orchid."

Before he could explain, they heard a mechanical sound, chirping somewhere nearby. It was closer than they thought.

"The Fulgore! It's activating!" Orchid shouted, preparing her batons for combat. The rest followed suit.

The Fulgore's red eyes blinked to life and shone brightly. The protrusion on both arms revealed its dual plasma blades, glowing bright blue. However, its movements were sluggish, but the hunters were careful. It then did something new.

"Sister, can they do that before?" Jago asked, sword at the ready.

The android's chest compartment opened up from both half, revealing its energy core. It glow a menacing red, both veterans may not know what it could do, but they know an attack when they see one.

Jago pushed Jaune and Pyrrha away, while Orchid did the same to Ren and Nora, diving away with them. A massive red beam shot pass through them, incinerating the other skeletons and creating a massive hole in the crater.

The Fulgore had unleashed its Devastation Beam, as it was done firing, it did something none of them expected; it talked.

"You… Will… Die." It threatened in a distorted electronic voice. Before it could do anything else, a pink smoke exploded into its core. Nora had fired her Magnhild in its grenade launcher form.

"Woo-hoo! Bullseye!" She shouted cheerfully.

Orchid twirled her batons, then slammed both ends to each other, transforming into a bo staff. She pointed one end at the Fulgore's face, ready to slam it to pieces if it made any other move. Fortunately, it was twitching its head, and powered down.

"Oh, wow! That was sooooo cool!" Nora let out a girlish squeal, hopping with joy, "Did you see how it just opens up and fired a laser beam? I thought only sci-fi robots do that but someone made it a reality!"

As Ren tried his best to calm his childhood friend, Pyrrha dusted off some dirt before going to Jaune, who was kneeling beside a deceased scientist.

"Jaune?" the Mistrali asked, "What's wrong?"

Without a word, the blond shifted the other half of Crocea Mors into its scabbard form, picked up the blade half and sheathed it inside. "You know, Pyrrha? I thought robots are cool."

Pyrrha wondered why he'd say that now, but she stay silent as the boy continued, "Sure, in comic books and movies, they're cool to watch. Blowing stuff up, fighting giant monsters or other giant robots, it's all fun… But this?" Jaune waved his arms around, pointing at the fallen scientists within the crater. The others were paying attention to him now.

"What Ultratech is doing is wrong. I know that the droids and other mechs were created to ease our tasks, but to deliberately create them to harm people—especially their own for whatever reasons? These guys are no better than the Grimm we fought or those fanatical White Fangs!" Jaune kneeled beside the scientist's remains, respectfully putting his hand on where its chest would be, "I'm not sure if the people working with Ultratech realized what they really are, nor do I know if the reason they joined are either they genuinely want to help people or for whatever selfish deeds… They don't deserve this."

After a small pause, Jaune continued, "I joined Beacon Academy because I want to help people. To become a hero, like my grandfather before me… But what's the point of all those heroics if the people we're trying to help do things like this? Even if sometimes death can result in something good being born… is it worth it?"

For a while, nobody said a word. Even the always cheerful Nora was silent. Each hunters digesting what he'd said, trying to come up with an answer. Until a youth in green stepped forward.

Lie Ren put his hand on his leader's shoulder, "Jaune, let me tell you something. I had an uncle, his name was Monty. He'd passed away long ago, but despite being quite the workaholic he did his best to connect with the family."

The blue-eyed youth stared at the magenta-eyed boy. The leader of team JNPR waited as his teammate continued, "Out of all the memories I had of him, one thing stuck to me for years. It was a month before his passing, but he told me something I never forget. Let's just say I was in a slump, and he cheered me up, by telling me this."

""Can you match my resolve?" he asked me, "If so then you will succeed.""

"He believed that the human spirit is indomitable—I'm sure that goes to the Faunus as well. If you endeavor to achieve, it will happen given enough resolve. It may not be immediate, and often your greater dreams is something you will not achieve within your own lifetime. The effort you put forth to anything transcends yourself, for there is no futility even in death."

Widening his eyes, Jaune swallowed what his friend said into his mind.

"Don't give up on people. It's true that today's society may not be as idealistic as many would hope, we can work hard to make sure future generation will live in said idealistic society." With that, Ren tapped Jaune's shoulder. "Do you get what I mean?"

A few seconds had passed, and Jaune answered with a smile, "Yeah… I think so. Thanks, man."

"Anytime."

"I also realized something."

"What"

"I think this is the first time you said more than two sentences."

Ren pouted at that.

"Aaaaand he's gone back to be the strong silent type. Was good while it lasted."

The girls laughed at the joke, Ren couldn't help but laugh along with them.

Jago and Orchid stood back, silently and happily enjoying the younger hunters' talk. The man approached Jaune and gripped his shoulder, "I'm glad you've regained your resolve, Jaune Arc."

"Yeah, me too."

A radio static echoed near them, Jaune checked his scroll to see the image of Ishmael beeping on the screen.

"Ish, what's wrong?"

"Jaune, my lad! I felt something that shook the boat, did something happened?"

"Oh, well…" he looked at Orchid, gazing at the fallen Fulgore as well. The huntress shook her head. "Just an Ursa Major. We took care of it."

"It must be that young lass with the hammer who did it in, eh?" Nora beamed as the sailor mentioned her.

"Yeah, she's tougher than she looks." The girl did some muscleman poses, amusing Orchid and Ren.

"I know… but as glad as I am to know that you're alright, we have a problem."

"What's wrong?"

"Have you found those Vulcanus yet?" Ishmael asked, a sound of struggle was heard in the speakers.

"No, not yet..." Jaune wondered why he asked, before he deduced and asked the sailor, "They're attacking you right now, aren't they?"

"Aye… they came out like a swordfish jousting through a shark; didn't see them coming."

"Don't worry, we'll be there as—"

A large explosion shook the area, the others almost fallen, but Jaune fell on his behind as Jago caught his scroll.

"Blistering Barnacle!" Ishmael cried out, "What just happened?"

Jago answered him, "Something exploded in our vicinity."

"Must be some scavengers wreaking havoc—watch the portside, they're coming up from the portside!"

Jago gave Jaune his scroll back as Ishmael cut off communications. "We need to help him and the others. The Nautilus is our only way out and I don't think any of us wants reenact Lord of the Flies."

"But what about that explosion?" Pyrrha asked, "Who should go and check that?"

Jaune looked at the senior hunters, Orchid guessed at what he was thinking and answered, "As we said before, Ozpin wanted to test you four. Normally we'd be calling the shots, but right now, it's on you, Jaune."

Nodding his head, Jaune brainstormed some ideas. Then, he made a decision. "Alright… Pyrrha, Jago, the three of us will go back and help the Nautilus. Ren, Nora, go with Orchid and investigate the explosion. If Ultratech really is on this island, I think having an expert about them would help things along."

Brandishing his weapon, Jaune turned around, followed by Pyrrha and Jago. "Everybody, rendezvous back here once we're done. We wait for each other in ten minutes, but if either of us don't came back during that time, we go help each other ASAP."

Nodding in agreement, Orchid beckoned Ren and Nora to follow her. Before they go, Jaune asked her something, "Hey, Orchid… they're my friends. Keep them safe, will you?"

The agent smirked and winked at the boy, "Don't worry, they'll be safe with me. And take care of my brother, will you?"

With a laugh, Jaune give her a nod, while Jago shook his head in annoyance.

With that the six hunters separated, each have tasks of their own… Unknown to them, things are about to get… messy.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the jungle…

"…And then he said, "Is that the best you got, Ultratech?!" before he got his ass kicked by yours truly. What a chump!"

"I'm sure you had fun beating some sense into him, but why—pray tell—are you calling me now, Ferris?"

"Aww, don't be like that, Cindy. As cute as you are pouting like that, you should lighten up a bit. And I prefer Ben, thank you very much. Besides, can't I talk to you, one hot stuff to another?"

"Charmed. But surely you remember the plan…"

"I know, I know… since Romey is in the birdhouse, you hired me to do all the dirty work for you. I still can't believe that you want me to infiltrate Ultratech. Freaking Ultratech! Their security is even better than SDC back in Atlas, and they've upgraded since a few months ago!"

"At least you won't suffer the cold weather."

"True, it was a nice change of scenery… and speaking of scenery, thanks for that picture. Who knew you looked good in a school uniform? You should know how many guys are into that kind of thing, and with your figure…"

"Enough. Do your job, and I won't incinerate you."

"Oooh I like it when you're threatening like that. Later, Cindy. Ben Ferris out."

FINALLY.

I know I'm a few months late, but better late than never.

Just… man, it's unbelievable even after all this months. Monty Freaking Oum…. Man.

May he school a lot of people in DDR in the afterlife lol

Anyway, this is the part where the story will branch off. Which one do you want me to write first:

Jaune-Pyrrha-Jago vs Spinal and his crew?

Ren-Nora-Orchid vs the Fulgore Horde which climaxed in a fight against the latest model, Type-03?

I'll make a poll on that, and I hope you guys vote on it.

Ciao.