Ruby stood on the yellow grass of Beacon's courtyard, looking out at the transport ships that lined the edge of the cliff. They were the same ones that had carried her off of Amity Colosseum, their broad ramps resting on the soil. She counted ten of them, masses of students gathered before all of them.

"Uh, which one are we on again?" Ruby asked, turning to the rest of her team behind her.

"Barge number 4," Weiss replied, pointing at the fourth ship in the line.

"You sure that ain't barge number 3?" Yang quipped. "We don't wanna barge onto the wrong ship, y'know."

Weiss rolled her eyes, drawing out a chuckle from her blonde teammate. While the rest of her team stepped forward, Ruby gazed up to the tower behind her, stretching into the clear, blue, autumn sky. She recalled the first time she saw it, marvelling at how high it rose above the Beacon skyline.

It feels like so long ago… Is this the last time I'll ever see it again?

She felt a light tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Blake, having left Weiss and Yang to walk forward without her.

"Everything alright?" she asked.

Ruby's eyes fell to her boots, and she scratched the back of her neck. "Yeah, it's just…"

"Worried we won't see it again?" Blake said, a corner of her mouth twitching into a smile. "Don't worry. When this is all over, we'll come back."

"Let's hope," she replied. She looked back one last time, taking in the entire academy with a single glance.

Let's hope.

Turning back around, she recognized the four members of JNPR, standing at the back of the crowd and gazing up at the towering frame of the fourth barge. Nora snapped around as they drew near, waving her arm in a wide arc.

"Hey, guys!" she shouted, startling the rest of her team. They all turned back, some of the worry disappearing off their faces.

She trotted up to close the distance, pulling Nora into a quick embrace. Everyone else exchanged greetings, be they a hug, a nod, or a fist bump. Yet, as soon they finished, all of JNPR's eyes locked on Yang. She fidgeted under their gaze, gripping the straps of her backpack and flicking her eyes to the ground.

Pyrrha was the first to break the silence, ending it as suddenly as it had set. "Are you alright, Yang?"

Startled, she raised her head. Stuttering, she replied. "I… w-well, I… could be better, I suppose."

"Couldn't we all…" Jaune muttered.

"Well, at least we're alive and in one piece," Ren added. Everyone nodded, but no one continued. His teammates exchanged looks, fiddling with their packs.

In the silence, Ruby heard hushed voices from the other students assembled around them. Almost everyone had their eyes planted firmly on her sister. Some stared with mixed pity and sorrow. Others made no effort to hide their contempt. She wrapped an arm around Yang's shoulder, feeling the tension and fury trapped within her muscles.

"Look! It's Ozpin!" someone shouted, pointing back to the pathway from which they came. Similar calls came from all the other barges, the students turning to face their headmaster. At his mere presence, all chatter died in an instant.

Followed by Glynda, Ironwood, and an army of Beacon staff, he ambled slowly up to the cliff, cane clacking on the stone beneath him. Hard lines crossed his face, a deep melancholy Ruby had never before seen. As he stopped at the edge of the second archway, her knees began to tremble.

Wha… What happened?

"Students," he began, his voice booming across the plateau. "Today, we find ourselves at war. Our friends, our loved ones, and even our very academy have fallen victim to its onslaught."

He swept both his arms around him, encompassing not only the devastated courtyard, it seemed, but the entirety of Remnant as well.

"It is no secret that this war has caught us all off guard. Some of you will be ready to face the horrors to come. Some of you will not. Others will live to see the day we rid this world of our enemy once and for all. Others... will not be as fortunate."

"Man, talk about motivational…" Nora muttered, eyes glued to the ground. Many more students stood with heads hung down, eyes shut and fists clenched. In the quiet, Ruby heard sobs from the back of the crowd.

"But it is nevertheless our duty, as Huntsmen and Huntresses, to protect mankind from the creatures of Grimm, whatever the cost. The enemy will not wait for graduation day. Thus, neither can we. So when you meet that enemy once again, remember this:

"Not all of you might be prepared. Not all of you might live to return. Yet, in spite of that, you fight. In spite of being afraid or alone, you fight! In spite of everything, you still fulfill your duty. And that shall be left as this war's greatest monument. That even during Remnant's darkest hour, you still rose to defend it."

Heads began to nod across the crowd, Ruby's teammates included. She reached behind her to Crescent Rose, feelings its cold steel in her hands.

"So go forth, my students. I believe I have kept you here long enough."

He paused, heaving an enormous sigh.

"And may the gods watch over us all."

Not a second after he finished speaking, a buzz of activity began at the ramp to the barge. Students began shuffling forward as the soldiers at the entrance stepped aside.

"Board the ship in a quick and orderly fashion!" a voice yelled beyond the forest of heads. "There's room for everyone! We're departing in fifteen minutes!"

The crowd was silent as it inched towards the hangar bay. As Ruby neared the threshold, she heard a marine mutter to her right:

"Man, that old geezer sure takes his sweet ass time…"

She looked back to the Headmaster. He stood alone on the pathway, the rest of the staff heading back to the academy. His expression remained stoic as he swept his gaze across the cliff. He caught Ruby's eye and gave her a stern nod.

Before she could return the gesture, the belly of the barge enveloped her, and the bay doors began to close with a wailing alarm. First, the courtyard vanished beneath the metal. Then, the rooftops. Finally, the tower disappeared along with the sky, as the ramp closed with a hydraulic click.

The last time, huh…

Sighing, she turned around, and was surprised to see row after row of airplane seats bolted to the deck. She recalled the evacuation from Amity, the decks of the barges crammed to the brim with panicking tourists.

So the Atlesians learned...

As she shambled behind her team towards an empty row near the middle, the inane drone of students taking their seats faded into the background. Ozpin's words echoed in her head, her hands beginning to shake.

Am I not ready? Am I not gonna make it?

Quietly, she filed into the row, shimmying in between the cramped seats. She unslung her pack and sat down next to Yang. She took out her weapon, laying it across her lap.

Looking around at the seated students, she remembered the graves, lining the edge of the inner courtyard. She remembered Velvet, sobbing over a picture of her fallen teammate. She remembered the victims of Amity, impaled on the deck or tumbling over the side. And most of all, she remembered them: their claws, their shrieks, and their eyes.

Her grip on Crescent Rose tightened. She felt her nails bend against its frame.

It's all their fault. And they will pay.


The barge lurched, jerking Weiss awake. Her head bumped against the bulkhead, separated from the cold steel by a jacket. Rubbing her eyes, she looked left to the rest of her team.

Blake leaned back into her seat, mouth agape and eyes closed. Ruby's head laid on Yang's shoulder, the former breathing quietly while the latter drummed her fingers on her knee. She took notice of Weiss having awoken, and turned to face her, a smirk on her face.

"Done with your beauty sleep, princess?" she remarked.

"Ha, ha," Weiss returned, little more than a tired whisper. "How long has it been?"

"Around two hours. We should be almost there."

"And how do you know that?" she asked, gesturing to the hangar around them. "This thing doesn't have any windows."

Yang snorted. "I've done this route plenty of times, Ice Queen. You should try almost five hours to Patch."

So somewhere over central Vale, then. Weiss reckoned. Makes sense for the military headquarters.

As if on cue, the ship's speakers began to crackle, and the accented voice of the captain came through.

"Landing at Valic Army High Command in two minutes. Remain seated until the barge has stopped, and disembark quickly to make room for the next one."

"Told ya," Yang chuckled, poking Ruby and Blake to wake them up. Both groaned as they regained their bearings, taking stock of their belongings and grabbing their packs.

From a few rows in front, Weiss heard Nora's voice, clear and sharp over the murmurs of the rest.

"Can't these damn Atlesians be bothered to give us more time? I could have used that half an hour ago!"

"Nora, it shouldn't take you more than five minutes to prepare your things," Ren replied. "And please, could you be–"

"Says the guy who only brought a book and extra clothing!" Nora shot back. He replied with a long, tired sigh.

It can't be helped, I suppose, she thought as she stowed her jacket and pulled her bag onto her lap in a single, swift motion. She isn't used to Atlas.

Out from the front of the hangar, four marines trotted down the aisle, whispering hushed acknowledgements into their radios. They stopped at the back of the hangar, taking positions at the sides of the raised ramp. One of them turned towards the students, as the deck shook and the whine of the engines rose to a shriek.

"Take the elevators down and file out into the parade ground! We got six more transports circling overhead, and they sure as hell don't have all day, so make it quick!"

At last, the barge jerked to a halt, the alarms screaming as the bay door dropped.

"Aus, aus, aus!" the marine shouted, waving the students out.

He didn't need to translate. As soon as the ramp touched the platform, the hunters surged forth, filtering out onto the aisle. Weiss stood up, ambling out of her row behind Blake.

As the tide carried her past the Atlesian marines, covered in body armor and toting their plasma rifles, she felt as if she stepped back in time.

Their Valic counterparts looked to be of a previous era, military police in plain, dark-green uniforms carrying rifles with shining, silver bayonets. Stone-faced and backs straight, they lined the pad all the way to the building's main structure, a tall spire protruding from the headquarters below.

On the two other landing platforms, students marched forward, heads down, under the watchful gaze of the MPs. Six more transports loomed high above, hovering in the clear sky. As the final Hunter stepped off the barge to the right, its engines fired with a mighty roar. The craft took off from the pad, drew back its ramp, and streaked off to the north– towards the front.

She followed the barge as it flew towards the horizon, drawing her gaze to the rest of the landscape. The sprawling expanse of central Vale stretched out in every direction, an endless sea of concrete and brick. In small patches, towers and skyscrapers grew out of the skyline, with raised highways threading the spaces between them.

Another barge took the place of the last, blocking her view once again. More students poured out from it as soon as it touched down.

Eventually, she stepped inside the spire, her vision reduced to blank, khaki walls and a stale, red carpet. An elevator sat in between each of the four entranceways, and students massed in the room's center while they waited for the lifts. Idle chatter drifted through the air, nothing more than a mindless hum.

"When I thought of 'Valic Army High Command' I never imagined an office building," Yang remarked, flicking her gaze between the bare walls and ceiling.

"We're not here to judge the aesthetics, Yang," Weiss returned. "What I'm more concerned about is where exactly the parade grounds are."

"Just follow everyone else, I suppose," Ruby put in.

A soft ding came from the left, and the crowd moved towards it. One of the elevators had arrived, the empty chamber as dull and metallic as the inside of the barge. Weiss and her teammates drifted into the enormous lift, finding an empty corner in the back.

As the doors closed and the elevator dropped, her' mind wandered. Why does the army need us? she thought. Are they really that desperate?

She leaned against the back wall. Why not the professional Hunters? Why us? She sighed, looking up at the steel ceiling. She doubted she'd ever find out.

Like a wave, this war swept over us before we even knew it. And like a wave, it now sweeps us up along with it.

The opening elevator brought a sudden end to her musing. The students spilled out, draining the lift as fast as they had filled it. A single Valic officer stood in between all four shafts, pointing down a hallway to the right.

"Parade ground's that way!" he called out, waving his arm to emphasize its direction. "The General's waiting!"

"The General?" Ruby wondered out loud. "Ironwood?"

"Haven't heard of General Kitchener?" the officer asked, a grin spreading across his face. "She's something alright. You kiddos are in for a treat."

"How comforting," Blake remarked.

"Wonder what she's like…" Yang mused, as the tide of students carried them deeper into the complex.

Only the clacking of shoes and the mutters of voices echoed through the room. Yet, as they crossed the next entryway, the entire building buzzed to life with activity.

Officers and aides sprinted down the halls, both with and against the crowd. Some carried folders or boxes, others toting rifles. A few older men watched the students stream past, smoking pipes or drinking coffee. Weiss' eyes met with those of a major, resting against a doorframe and holding a mug. His face hardened into a scowl, and he downed the rest of his coffee before retreating back into the room.

"What's up with him?" Yang muttered, leaning close to her.

"I don't know…" Weiss replied.

"Sure didn't look thrilled to see us," Yang added, skulking back up the crowd to the rest of RWBY.

I doubt much of the military is…

At last, the winding passageways gave way to open air, the students passing beneath a door large enough to fit a Paladin. Weiss blinked as the sun glared in her eyes. Once they adjusted, she saw the crowd of students gathered below her, sprawled over a great expanse of concrete. At the center, a Valic flag rose into air, fluttering in the soft breeze.

"Looks like this is the place," Blake deadpanned. "Come on."

As she stepped forward, Weiss looked behind her, letting out a low whistle. The base's spire stretched skyward, towering over the compound's main structure. She saw one last airship head northward, and noticed none more remained circling above.

Turning her head back down, she walked down the stairs towards the parade ground. Dozens of structures sprung up ahead of it, dotting the landscape between her and the walls. Off in the distance, an infantry regiment trotted around a track, their chants a soft whisper over the milling of the students.

"I never thought military bases were this nice," Ruby chirped, keeping pace with Weiss as they ambled down the staircase.

"You haven't seen Atlas then," she returned.

"Well, that just means you'll have to–" Ruby began, yet abruptly stopped. Her steps halted, jaw dropped, and eyes widened.

Looking in the same direction as her, Weiss spotted what she had seen: a familiar tuft of ginger, almost orange, hair, crowning a figure clad in green and grey. It turned around, cast a beaming smile, and waved both hands in the air.

"Ruby!" Penny shouted. "Over here!"

"By the gods, Penny!" she cried out, bounding down the stairs and sprinting across the concrete. The pair twirled around in a tight embrace, hopping up and down with excitement. Yet, as Weiss looked on, she recalled the report she'd read back in Beacon. She too stopped in her tracks.

Does she even know what her mere existence has caused?

"What are you just standing there for?" Yang called out, motioning her over to the rest of her team. "Get over here!"

Without replying, she walked towards her teammates, now gathered around Penny and exchanging greetings. Still, as she approached, her mind became a labyrinth of conflict.

Doesn't she deserve to know?

But that information is classified!

To hell with that, you almost told Ruby anyway!

Almost…

"Oh, Ruby, I was so worried!" Penny exclaimed, breaking Weiss away from her trance. "When I heard Beacon was attacked I couldn't help but wonder if…"

"Well, we all came out alright," Ruby returned. "What about the industrial district? Weren't you there?"

At her words, Penny's face contorted into a pained grimace.

"What's the situation there like?" Blake interjected. "I've heard all sorts of rumors…"

She broke away from her friend's arms, heaving a massive sigh.

"Well… it's… not good," she stammered. "I did everything I could, but we just kept falling back. I told the officers over and over we had to rescue all the people trapped in the factories! But they wouldn't listen…"

"So you just… left them there?" Yang gasped.

"No… no…" Penny stuttered, starting to tremble. "W-we had airships, we had Bullheads, we had everything! We… we could have saved them!"

Ruby grasped both her shoulders. "Calm down, Penny. What happened?"

She took a deep breath before answering. "We… had orders straight from the Chief of Staff, General Kitchener… She told us to abandon all civilians and retreat immediately across the river."

The name sent the four girls of RWBY into a stunned silence.

"I-isn't that…" Blake stuttered.

"That rotten bitch…" Yang growled, clenching both her fists.

So that's what she's like…

"We had our orders…" she continued, her voice now a shaken whisper. "I didn't have a choice… I couldn't stop them…"

"Guys, look!" Jaune's voice rang out from the crowd, silencing their chatter. "Over there!"

His arm pointed towards a raised platform, upon which a tall figure began walking forward. Her dark red hair flowed over her ornate uniform, pinned with rows upon rows of medals. She stopped at the edge of the stage, scanning the Hunters below her. Even obscured by her peaked cap, her gaze was piercing, a sharp scowl that swept to either side.

"I assume Ozpin has already graced you with a speech, so I'll keep this brief," the figure declared, her words booming across the parade grounds. "I am General Tora Kitchener, Chief of Staff of the Valic Army. From this day forward, you are all under my command."

The students stood silent, heads craned up at the General or fixed firmly on the ground. Yang spat on the concrete, and Penny shook in place.

Another figure, this one short and blonde, ambled up to the General's left, standing slightly behind her superior.

"Lieutenant Oswald here has already assigned all your teams into battalions," the General said. "Report back here at first light tomorrow. We're shipping you out to the Commercial District."

With a crisp about-face, General Kitchener turned away from the edge and stepped off the podium, her adjutant stepping up to take her place. She whipped out her scroll, and raised her head to face the students.

"Step forth as called and proceed to your assigned barracks!" she bellowed, shattering the brief silence left by the General's departure. She called the first team on her list, and four students from the center of the parade grounds shuffled their way towards its edge.

As the crowd thinned, Weiss' mind began to wander. She looked around at the eyes of the students around her: empty and devoid of emotion.

Just two weeks ago… she mused. Just two weeks ago we were so carefree.

Like mindless droids, they shambled off into the distance as Oswald ticked them off her list. Eventually, one of her shouts caught Weiss' attention.

"Team RWBY, Epsilon Barracks!"

The four girls stirred from their spots, wandering away from the parade grounds and into the vast field surrounding the main headquarters.

Ruby waved Penny goodbye, sighing as she turned around. "Don't worry, guys. We'll be alright." A strained smile spread across her lips.

"If only it were that simple," Yang muttered. Ruby's mouth faded back into a frown.

Just two weeks ago we still had our lives. Now all we have is war.


Ren sat on the edge of his bunk, idly leafing through the pages of his book. Nora's legs dangled from above, tapping against the metallic frame. Moonlight filtered through the door and window to the right, casting a silver glow that mingled with the muted yellow from the room's only bulb.

"'The Ballad of King Taijitu…'" Nora read, leaning her head over the edge between her knees. "Is it any good?"

"It's… alright," he mumbled back. "I've read better."

A small frown crossed Nora's face, and she leapt down from her bed, spinning around to face Ren.

"Something on your mind?"

"Yeah… Yang," he replied. "I noticed how the other students stared at her this morning. As if she was some sort of… demon."

Nora remained silent, leaving the laughter and jeers from deeper within Epsilon Barracks as the only sound in the room.

"I mean… can you blame them?" Jaune broke in from across the room, laying in bed and fiddling with his dead scroll. "Many of them lost teammates during the battle. They're scared, they're angry. Who else are they gonna direct it towards?"

Ren grunted, slipping a bookmark between the pages and standing up. "I'm going to go talk to her. She needs to know we're on her side."

"Ren–!" Nora stammered, holding out both palms against his chest.

He stared at her, eyes narrowing. "Are saying we aren't?"

She shrunk back, fidgeting. "Well, n-no, I–"

Above Jaune, Pyrrha shifted in her sheets, peering over from the bunk's edge. "I understand how you feel, Nora. It's hard to trust someone after… that."

"What other choice do we have?" Ren shot back. "The real enemy is still out there, while we're here fighting amongst ourselves. Who does that help?"

"We know that, Ren," Nora returned. "But it's not something we can just ignore."

"It's not something we can afford to dwell on, either."

Once again, the room grew quiet. Jaune cleared his throat, sitting up in his bunk. "For what it's worth, I think you're both right. But for now, we just have to trust her. Deal with the Grimm first, and come back to this when we can."

"It may not be easy," Pyrrha added. "But it's our best option."

Gazing down, Ren caught Nora's eyes. Her gaze was soft, almost pleading him to stay behind. He slipped an arm behind her waist, pulling her into a quick embrace.

"Don't worry. It'll be alright."

She nodded, head resting in the nook of his neck. He broke off, turned around, and stepped towards the door.

"Their room is the second to last to the left," Pyrrha said. "Good luck, Ren."

"Yeah, man. Good luck," Jaune echoed.

Nodding, he stepped out, steps muffled by the carpet underneath. Passing by the entrance to a balcony, he halted to gaze at the shattered moon. It hovered over the complex's walls, bathing the grass beneath in a sheen of white.

As he was about to keep walking, however, he saw a tuft of bright yellow hair shoot across the glass. It, and the gloved hand that flicked it, were unmistakable.

What is she doing out here? he wondered, rapping his fist on the window to draw the figure's attention.

Yang peeked out from behind the wall, annoyance replaced by surprise as she recognized him. She dragged the glass door open, flashing him a warm grin.

"Well, talk about unexpected. You need somethin'?"

"I was just wondering if you had some time to talk."

"Yeah, sure do," she replied, turning back and cocking her head outwards. "Come on out. The breeze is lovely."

He stepped onto the balcony, closing the door behind him. He leaned onto the railway and looked out at the base's expanse. The wind whistled across the field, swaying the grass and cooling his hands and face.

She's right. It is lovely.

"So, what do you have in mind?" she asked, joining Ren on the handrail. "It's not often you and I get to chat."

"You can blame Nora for that," he chuckled. "She was always rather… possessive."

"Oh, we've noticed," she cooed with a wink.

Fighting a rising blush, Ren cleared his throat. "In any case, that is not what I came here for."

Yang sighed, fixing her eyes on the glimmering moon. "It's about the incident, isn't it?"

"I apologize. I'm sure you have broached the subject more times than you would care for."

"I've gotten used to it," she replied. "So, what of it, then?"

He gulped, taking a breath before speaking. "I saw how they stared at you back at Beacon."

She pushed off from the railing, stretching her back and leaning onto the back wall. "That's what pisses me off the most…"

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

Yang looked right into Ren's eyes, her gaze stern and piercing. "I've gotten over it. I had to. Otherwise I would've become a Griffon's lunch. They, however, have not. Every time I come to terms with what happened, it is they who remind me that I started all this shit." She paused, and took a deep breath. "That I'm to blame for everything that's happened."

Who else are they gonna direct it towards… Ren mused, Jaune's words echoing in his head.

"Our classmates, the soldiers, all of them have every reason in the world to hate me," Yang continued. "And what can I do about it? Nothing."

Stepping away from the railing, he turned to face her.

"No."

She flinched, eyebrows scrunching together. "Excuse me?"

"There is something you can do," he insisted. "Earn back their trust."

Her eyes narrowed further. "And how the hell am I supposed to that?"

"What better way than to fight alongside them?"

She sighed, gazing into the distance. "You make it sound so easy…"

"Well, that's because it is. Only by showing them that you're still on their side will they come to trust you again," he declared. "We can't let these grievances divide us."

He gazed back at the moon, taking in the sky beyond the walls. "We're at war. We've spent enough time and energy worrying about the past. It's about time we focused on the future instead."

The two remained still, listening to the howl of the wind. Yang's chuckle scythed across the silence, with Ren flinching around in surprise.

"Has anyone told you you sound like Ozpin?"

"Not that I recall," he replied, grinning.

She lifted herself off the wall, looking down at the ground. "And here I thought I could get away from it all for a bit…" she muttered.

"In any case, I should probably take my leave. We need all the rest we can get," Ren said, reaching for the glass door. As he grabbed the handle, he turned back towards Yang. "If you ever need anything, my teammates and I will be more than happy to assist."

"I'll just think some things through for a bit," she returned, a smile growing across her face. "Thanks, Ren."

"Anytime," he replied, stepping back into the hallway and closing the door.


Ozpin stood at the jagged edge of the Beacon courtyard, staring into the city lights on the opposite shore. Their reflections danced on the lake, bisected by the silver glow of the moon. The wind, the crickets, and his own breaths, starting to cloud with the autumn chill, were the only sounds around him.

From behind, a rhythmic clacking of heels grew ever louder. Turning around, he saw Glynda, the same, cold gaze piercing him from behind her glasses.

"What is it you're doing out here at this time?"

The headmaster chuckled. "Oh, nothing. The moon looked lovely this evening."

"You can still watch it from your office."

He turned back ahead, taking a deep breath. "Well, I can't get fresh air from my office, now can I?"

She walked up to his side, looking up at the silver-lined clouds. They drifted across the backdrop of the night, steady and silent.

After a few seconds of quiet, she turned towards him. "You're worried about them, aren't you?"

"How could I not be…" he muttered, shaking his head. "They have never faced anything like this before."

"And what exactly do you think we've been training them for?" she retorted. "They didn't come to this school to learn math or art. They came here to learn how to fight the Grimm. Who else would be more suited?"

"You do not have to explain the necessity," Ozpin sighed. "James was more than pleased to do so."

"Well, I don't plan to," she replied. "You just have to trust them."

He breathed out, tightening his hold on his cane. The faint thunder of artillery came from the northwest, regular and punctual as ever. "Trust isn't the problem here, Glynda."

"Then what is?" she insisted.

He turned around, wandering back along the stone path. "They came to this school to become Hunters. To secure our world in a time of peace…" He halted, setting his staff on the ground. "But now that peace is far beyond our reach. All we are left with now is war. And it is all they have left, too."

"Both of us knew that peace was only temporary. Our job was to prepare them for the inevitable." She walked back towards him, setting a hand on his shoulder. "We did what we could."

Another barrage rumbled in the distance. "I just worry it was not enough."

She lifted her arm, sighed, and stepped forward. "There's no use in worrying now. The General Staff is visiting tomorrow. You need to rest."

"Ever the wiser of us two, aren't you…" Ozpin chuckled, matching her step back to the academy. For a second, he halted, taking a single glance back into the city.

Be safe, my students.


Emerald sat inside her tent, trying her hardest to ignore the clamor from outside. A single army-issue Dust lamp illuminated the drab green fabric; a step up from the darkness she'd lived in for a week. She gazed at the remains of her daily rations in the corner, piled onto those of yesterday.

Took them long enough to bother to feed us.

Outside, the muted chatter rose into shouts, halting her thoughts. Cursing, she stepped through the flaps, bumping into a man blocking her view of the pathway. As she staggered through the crowd, sharp, angry voices crystallized out of the din.

"We can't hold any more people! Get them out of here!"

"Fuck you! Where else are we gonna go?"

"Throw 'em out to the Grimm!"

"Stand down! We will shoot!"

The last came from her right, further along the dirt and gravel path. Craning her head around, she saw a soldier, clad in Valic Army green, rifle trained on a figure sprawled at her feet. The man stumbled as he stood, clutching a broken bottle in his hand. Trembling, a lone, young Faunus cowered behind the infantrywoman's legs.

"Those beasts don't belong here…" the man grunted, spitting a globule of blood onto the soil.

"Sir, you are interfering with official Army business. I will not repeat myself. Stand down!"

"Like hell I will!" he gritted. The man staggered, and with renewed fervor, lunged forward.

With clockwork precision, the soldier kicked her attacker's exposed abdomen, sending him crashing down to the side. Snapping her rifle to her shoulder, she fired a single shot into the man's forehead, cracking like a whip and silencing the entire camp. A red river snaked from below the man's messy brown hair, pooling around his neck.

"Carry him out, Oaks," she ordered, jerking her head towards the corpse, rifle still raised.

"Roger, Lieutenant," another soldier replied from behind, hefting the body onto his shoulders and vanishing into the crowd.

Emerald's jaw remained agape, as she stared at the blood-soaked dirt left in the man's wake. The people around her, their gasps, and the entire camp faded away. All she could see was the blood. She imagined it not on the damp soil of a Valic riverbank, but on the cold steel of Amity Colosseum.

She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. Not again, not again! her mind screamed. As the people around her began drifting back to their tents, she got an impatient tap on her shoulder. Startled, he looked at the figure standing above her.

"Step aside, ma'am," the lieutenant said.

"O-oh, right, sorry," she stammered back, shuffling to the right as the soldier strutted onward. The young Faunus trailed close behind, a teddy bear clutched tight to his chest.

Two more soldiers marched past, followed by a bearded man covered in bandages. A woman came next, gripping the hand of a frightened child. Streaming past between the sprawling rows of tents, the new refugees inched their way deeper into the camp, each pair of eyes more sunken than the last.

Emerald stared at each man, woman, and child before her, thinking back to the empty ration packs piled in her tent. Just how much food are they gonna take from us to feed them?

For a moment, she sympathized with the jeers, those anonymous voices that harassed the refugees upon their entry. Then, her stomach rumbled, and her scowl deepened. She thought back to the cramped streets of the Mistral slums, the long, starving nights of digging through trash cans for the smallest scraps.

No. I won't let them. I won't go hungry again.

She ducked back into her tent, retrieved her lamp, and looked up into the dull early-morning sky. Spotting the yellow and pink of the eastern horizon, she turned northward, stepping between the remaining stragglers and heading towards the edge of the camp, brow furrowed and fists clenched.


A/N: Holy shit that took me long enough. School was a bitch and ate into my time hard, but hey, I managed to use this break to cram out this thing! In any case, hopefully uploads will become a tad more frequent. No guarantees though.

Also, I have begun to rewrite my earlier chapters to keep the style more in-line to these later ones (and because the way they were written gave me an aneurysm, but I digress). For now, I have rewritten Chapter Two, so go check it out if ya wish to. The rest of those will be rewritten along with new chapter uploads, so keep an eye out.

As always, all feedback is greatly appreciated.