A/N: Free time has been short, so sorry for the longer delay.

VVVVVVVVVV

Qrow Branwen never was good with rules or guidelines. He preferred doing things his own way on his own time. It's why General Ironwood and him always butted heads, why he always had issues with his teachers at the academy in his younger days. Fortunately, Ozpin saw where his talents lie and after his team disbanded, he began his recon work for the seemingly ageless man. As a scout trying to sniff out the next threats to the four kingdoms, he was able to operate on his own, with no one to tell him what he could and couldn't do.

So it came as a surprise to the older huntsman when he found himself trying to chastise the current wielder of the Fall Maiden's power, well, part of it anyway. He would have drank to the irony, but his flask had went empty a day ago and he hadn't had the chance to refill it.

"We're taking a big risk here kid." Qrow said as he looked around the decadent halls of the White Fang's hidden lab, located near Turthus. Various dead bodies of human and faunus who were unfortunate enough to be experimented on, littered the floors. Blood was everywhere, some of it fresh from the hostile experiments they were forced to slay.

The girl he was talking to was young, most likely she would have been a second-year student at Beacon had she not been chosen to inherit the Fall Maiden's power. Her Scarlet hair flowed down to her waist in a ponytail, and she was garbed in gladiator-like armor. In the girl's hands were a crimson-colored shortsword and a small round golden shield that covered her left forearm. She turned to glance at Qrow with jade-colored eyes, a somber expression on her face. This was Pyrrha Nikos, the best huntress of her class, the reason she was chosen to be the next Fall Maiden.

"I know." She said simply before continuing to walk down the dark hallway they were occupying.

Qrow's frown deepened. "You know this wasn't part of our mission." It felt really weird saying that, he really was getting old. His younger self would be laughing at him. "Ozpin might get pretty pissed at us for deviating."

"I don't care." Came Pyrrha's reply. "Was your intel correct about this particular lab?"

Qrow let out a long sigh. "Yeah, this was his sister's last known location."

Pyrrha didn't slow her stride down. "Then this is where I need to be."

Qrow wanted to say more as Pyrrha vanished further into the lab, but couldn't find the words. This Pyrrha Nikos was very stubborn when it came to her teammate, Jaune Arc. Qrow couldn't see why, Jaune after all was the complete opposite to her in terms of Huntsman skill. He was only now beginning to catch up thanks to Ozpin's training. In fact, the only reason Pyrrha agreed to become the Fall Maiden at all was if Ozpin agreed to train Jaune. So that he would have the skills he needed to protect himself.

The older huntsman found himself reminded of his sister with Pyrrha. Raven had a strong sense of right and wrong just like Ms. Nikos. However, that sense could skewer one's perspective and in his sister's case, it skewered it immensely.

Qrow sighed again as he followed Pyrrha, he really needed a drink now.

VVVVVVVVVV

Richter took a deep breath and saw that Cinder was doing the same. Unlike Alice, his strength was comparable to the amber-eyed fugitive, but that didn't make her any less of a threat. He couldn't let his hatred for her blind him. If he lost here, Ruby would be dead.

The grey-cloaked demon took another breath, calm, he needed to be calm.

And then he shifted Dyrnwyn into revolver-form and fired a blast that was larger than his small frame. Cinder had the same idea in mind as well, and grey aura met fiery orange as the two blasts collided.

Richter's world exploded around him, the shockwave from the clashing blasts forcing him to plant his feet. He needed to move the fight away from Ruby, in her current state a stray blast or shot could kill her. It was time to throw caution to the wind.

The two aura blasts stalemated and exploded. Richter charged recklessly through the explosion at top speed, hoping to minimize damage to his body by rushing through. He felt an invisible fist smack him as he passed through the clashing energies which threatened to throw him off course. Richter held his path, whether through sheer stubbornness or constitution he wasn't sure.

He burst through the explosion at breakneck speed, palming Cinder's shocked face with his left hand. He dragged her along for a few seconds before tossing her forward as hard as he could, easily throwing her over a hundred yards. The grey-cloaked demon heard the sound of her body making contact with several tree trunks on her way down and followed the noise. He had taken the fight away from Ruby, now he just needed to finish her off. Smoke rolled off his form in thick billows and every part of his body felt like it was burning, but he shrugged it off.

Richter bolted forward, closing the distance between himself and the amber-eyed fugitive just as she was digging herself out of the pile of debris that had fallen on top of her during her rough landing. Shifting Dyrnwyn into sword-form, Richter performed a diagonal downward slash aimed at Cinder's throat. However, the amber-eyed fugitive managed to lean to her left just in time, and the tip of Dyrnwyn's blade sliced across her right cheek, causing a slight eruption of blood to dripping forth from the wound.

He followed through with a horizontal slash aimed at her waist, but the Cinder was too nimble, leaping straight up to avoid the attack. Richter shifted his weapon into gun-form and used a recoil shot to leap up after her, matching her altitude. He aimed his revolver almost point-blank at Cinder's face and pulled the trigger. Unfortunately, she was able to bat his weapon away at the last possible moment with a conjured obsidian sword in her left hand. Undaunted, Richter used the momentum to twist clockwise, building momentum. As he was twisting, he shifted Dyrnwyn back to sword form and lashed out at his opponent's head as he completed a full rotation. Cinder blocked it with both her conjured swords, barely stopping an attack that would have cut the top part of her head off from above the eyebrows.

The two combatants hung in the air for a full second, scowling at each other. Richter tried to break away first, but Cinder performed a backflip, planting the tip of her right shoe under his chin in the process. The grey-cloaked demon was knocked down and away from her. As he began falling back towards the ground, he felt something sharp dig into his left shoulder, accelerating his progress.

Richter crashed hard into the snow and dirt on his spine, bouncing a meter off the ground when he impacted. A cry of pain escaped his lips, which was quickly followed by a snarl of anger as he rolled backwards onto his feet. He spotted the obsidian arrow lodged into his left shoulder and roughly ripped it out, clenching his teeth to keep from crying out in pain again.

Cinder landed as well, much more gently than he did, and swiftly nocked three more arrows and loosed them. Dyrnwyn was a blur in Richter's hands and he sliced all three projectiles into pieces. The amber-eyed fugitive then changed her bow into her dual obsidian blades and charged him. Richter waited for her with a quiet glare on his face, his sword lowered, but in a white-knuckled grip in his right hand.

Cinder lunged forward with both swords, crossing them at Richter's neck, trying to behead him just like he did to her a few moments ago. The grey-cloaked demon took a step back, leaning away from Cinder's blades as much as possible, they whiffed just a few centimeters in front of his throat. The amber-eyed fugitive followed through, uncrossing her swords at his torso, seeking to slice him in half. Richter performed a fast front-flip and Cinder's blades sliced harmlessly through the air underneath him. He then extended his right foot during his flip and buried the heel into the back of her skull, causing her to eat the ground in a very brutal fashion. Richter's attack landed with such force that Cinder cratered the ground underneath her.

Seeing an opportunity to finish his opponent off, Richter shifted his weapon into revolver form and fired at Cinder's prone form. Amazingly, she was able to dodge the shot by pushing off the ground, throwing herself into the air. Richter noted that she was rising up to his position in mid-air at a rapid rate. He went to take aim with his revolver again when Cinder suddenly let loose with a burst of speed. She gripped his right ankle with her right hand and Richter heard her let out a roar of rage as she threw him into the ground with all of her might.

Once again, Richter found himself hitting the ground, this time his shoulder blades took the brunt of the impact. He felt the ground give way beneath him slightly as it cratered. There was no time to dwell on how sore he was though, as Cinder dropped from the sky, obsidian blades gleaming in the setting sun. She reared her right hand back and Richter saw she intended to bury the blade into his forehead. He tried to bring his left forearm up to try and block it, but he didn't know if it would make it in time.

Cinder's blade pierced flesh, and the combatants found themselves splattered with blood.

VVVVVVVVVV

Pyrrha was staring at a pair of thick steel doors, a hole was pierced through the center of them, large enough for a person to crouch through. According to Qrow Branwen, behind those doors was the control room, and Jaune. She was about to duck through the hole in the doors when a hand on her right shoulder stopped her. Looking behind her she saw Qrow with a serious expression on his face.

"Before we go in there, I just want to warn you that you might not like what you see. There are things out there that make the normal grimm seem like teddy bears." The older huntsman stated.

"That's fine. I suspected there would be ordeals like this when I agreed to become the fall maiden." Pyrrha replied. "But if Jaune is here with his sister…"

"His sister is probably dead." Qrow said bluntly.

Pyrrha's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "You don't know that."

"I've seen enough of these scenarios to know how it ends." He replied, his face softening. "It doesn't end well."

"If that's true, then Jaune needs me now more than ever." Pyrrha responded shrugging off his shoulder and crouching so she could get through the hole in the double doors. Maybe it was because she only recently became the Fall Maiden, but she just couldn't stand to leave her old team behind when they were in trouble. How did the previous maidens ever sever their bonds with friends like that? The scarlet-haired huntress couldn't fathom the answer as she continued deeper into the lab.

VVVVVVVVVV

Richter felt the wetness of his own blood on his face as Cinder's sword pierced his left forearm, even with his arm taking most of the hit, the tip of blade was still just inches from his face. Cinder herself still had an expression of calm about her, but Richter could see the wild angry look in her amber eyes, her composure was slipping.

He tried to rear Dyrnwyn back enough so he could properly run the amber-eyed bitch through with the blade, but she had him pinned down in a position that wouldn't allow him to fully extend his arm. Pain flared through his left forearm as Cinder pushed it through another centimeter, another few and she'd pierce his left eyeball. He had to do something.

Thinking quickly, Richter shifted his weapon into revolver-form, now more compact, he was able to jab the barrel into Cinder's abdomen. He didn't waste another second as he fired, tearing a small hole through her gut. More blood splattered him as the force of the shot knocked the amber-eyed fugitive off of him, she landed in a supine position a dozen meters in front of him.

Richter winced as he fought to a crouching position, his left arm bleeding heavily. Thankfully, Cinder's blade was extracted from his arm when he shot her, still hurt like hell though. The grey-cloaked demon's orange glowing eyes surveyed his opponent, who was also struggling to get to a sitting position. The tight control on his killer urges was becoming undone, getting wounded wasn't helping matters either. If he didn't end this fight soon, he might not be able to rein himself in.

"You're a fool Richter…" Cinder spoke, breathing heavily, her left hand covering the gunshot wound in her abdomen. "…You and every single huntsman out there, you're all blind fools. You think you're making the world safer? All you're doing is giving mankind false hope."

"Four kingdoms that have lasted for centuries…" Richter shot back, breathing just as hard as she was. "…Seems like some pretty real hope to me…."

"If you really think the four kingdoms is a testament to the power of mankind's hope, then you are more naïve than I thought you were." Cinder's eyes narrowed, "Your damned kingdoms were built on lies and betrayal!"

"And why the hell should I believe you?" Richter asked skeptically.

Cinder's familiar smirk returned to her lips briefly. "It will be better for you to see it for yourself when the time comes." Her eyes narrowed. "Just know that Ozpin's arrogance will be your downfall."

Richter grinned ferally. "I think you're just salty because you're losing."

The amber-eyed fugitive frowned in response. "There have been setbacks, but at least I have a place to return to." She leveled an intense gaze at him. "What about you? I'm pretty sure Vale won't accept a little circus freak."

Her mocking tone incensed him. "Shut the hell up!" He shouted as he charged at her. Cinder mirrored his action and the two met halfway, blades clashing against each other, creating powerful shockwaves that whipped the snow into white dust and bent the nearby trees. The exchanges of attacks were different than before, they were more fierce, more savage. They looked less like two skilled combatants and more like two angry monsters trying to kill each other.

VVVVVVVVVVV

Pyrrha felt like she was walking through hell. Blood pooled up to the Fall Maiden's calves in the secret room that lied beneath the control room. Fleshy growths littered the normally grey steel structures and the stench of iron filled her nostrils. Currently, Qrow and herself were traveling through a narrow corridor that was also covered with the fleshy growths. Pyrrha half-expected something to rip out of the growths to attack them, but it didn't happen.

After a bit of walking, the Fall Maiden stepped into another room, one that would have been right at home in her nightmares.

Kneeling in a pool of blood, with his dead sister still resting on his shoulder, was Jaune. He was covered in Jasmine's lifeblood, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. Pyrrha's heart skipped at the sight of him, she had never seen him look so broken.

Without hesitation, Pyrrha rushed to Jaune's side. As gently as she could, she lifted Jasmine's lifeless body from him, setting it aside. She then gripped the young Arc tightly by the shoulders.

"Jaune…" She spoke his name softly. His glazed blue eyes refocused, looking right into her jade-colored orbs.

"Pyrrha…" He croaked, upon closer inspection, Pyrrha saw the tear streaks running down Jaune's cheeks. They were difficult to notice with all of the blood on him. "Did I….stop Alice….?"

"Damn it!" Qrow cursed from the room's exit. "We were too late, the White Fang managed to revive her after all."

"Who is Alice?" Pyrrha demanded, looking at Qrow.

"….She was too strong…" Jaune responded, drawing Pyrrha's attention back to him. "….They….they put Alice's heart into my sister….She told me the only way to stop Alice was to destroy her heart…..and so I…." He didn't finish, weakly shaking his head.

Her heart aching for him, Pyrrha pulled him into an embrace, holding him tight. She was dimly aware of Qrow furiously typing away on his scroll, most likely informing Ozpin about this Alice person. Right now she didn't care about that. The only thing that mattered at that moment was Jaune and anything she could do to ease his pain.

"….Did I….save people…?" Jaune weakly asked her, "….Did I….save our friends….?"

Pyrrha hugged him tighter. "You saved them all Jaune, you're a hero." She spoke without hesitation.

"…So why does it hurt so bad…?" He asked her.

She didn't have an answer for that question.

VVVVVVVVVVV

Richter snarled as he continued slashing away at Cinder, who was doing the same to him. They had been at it for what felt like hours, but was probably only dozens of seconds. Blood flowed from numerous cuts on both of their bodies. Richter used the pain to fuel his attacks, no matter what happened, he would not fall here. Whatever it took, he would exact his revenge from Cinder.

And protect Ruby.

The sound of something shattering reached Richter's ears, something sharp ripped into his forehead and he felt the wetness of his blood flow down his face. A quick glance at his right hand showed him that Dyrnwyn was broken, a pathetic remnant of the blade still attached to the hilt. He glanced back at Cinder, whose weapons had also been shattered by their clash, her eyes widened slightly in surprise. Richter knew he should have retreated and planned his next attack.

Instead he set his face in determination and buried his right fist into Cinder's gut.

Blood expelled from Cinder's mouth from the fierce impact of his punch and then the amber-eyed fugitive was clenching her teeth. The next thing Richter knew, his head was snapping back and to the right via a nasty elbow delivered from Cinder's right arm. Pain exploded from Richter's left cheekbone, but he rolled with it, rotating in a full circle and smashing the back of his right fist into Cinder's right cheek.

The two continued to trade blows like this, neither caring for their well-being as long as the other suffered. Richter found himself surprised at his opponent's constitution, he never would have figured Cinder to be this tough.

She lashed out with a sidekick that was too quick for him to dodge. Her foot nailed him right between the eyes, causing stars to explode into his vision. Losing his balance, Richter fell onto his back. He felt a weight on his belly as Cinder straddled him, she then began landing fierce punches on his face, further disorienting him.

"Still think I'm a failure now!?" Cinder shouted at the top of her lungs at him. "Huh? HUH!?" Richter couldn't even respond, so furious was her pummeling, his head was jerked every which way with each hit.

Frustration built within his body, was he really losing to Cinder? The woman who had shattered his dreams and took away any sense of a normal life? The woman who was going to kill the girl he had fallen in love with after she was done with him? Was he really okay to let it end like this?

Quick as a striking snake, Richter buried the heels of his hands into Cinder's temples. The amber-eyed fugitive grunted in pain and he followed through with a nasty palm strike to her chin. The blow was so strong it uprooted her from her position on top of him, sending her a fair distance away. Cinder landed hard onto her back, bounced and rolled onto her right side.

Richter could taste his own blood as he struggled to his feet. He dabbed his right index and middle finger on the wetness he felt under his nose and examined them, they came back bloody. Across from him, Cinder was spitting up blood as she got to her feet with some difficulty.

"Look at you." She hissed. "Look at what I've made you become. You're nothing more than a savage monster!" Cinder roared, creating a dagger from obsidian in her right hand as she charged him. Richter noted this, she could no longer form any weapons larger than that, the battle had taken a toll on her. He winced, the same could be said for him unfortunately. They were both reaching their limit, this next exchange would decide the battle.

When she got in range, Cinder stabbed at his abdomen with the dagger. He was able to sidestep to his left to dodge it. However, with a swiftness that defied her fatigued body, Cinder followed through with a horizontal slash. Richter tried to do a short leap backwards to avoid it, but the stinging pain in his gut told him he had failed.

The amber-eyed fugitive tried to come in at an angle on his left, dagger pointed at his neck. However, the grey-cloaked demon was able to grab Cinder's right wrist with his left hand and halt her stabbing motion. He then planted his left boot on her sternum, knocking her onto her back.

Richter tried to capitalize, performing a short leap in the air and bringing his right fist down towards Cinder's ribs like a hammer. The amber-eyed fugitive was able to maneuver herself into a handstand at the last moment. Richter's fist hit nothing, but snow and dirt and his opponent performed an upside-down split and spun like a top, both of Cinder's heeled feet connected with the right side of Richter's face consecutively.

Fortunately, he managed to keep from falling. Cinder flipped back to her feet and charged him, seeking to strike him in the head with her right fist. At the last possible second, Richter managed to lean to his right to dodge the punch, grab Cinder's right arm with both his hands, and throw her over his shoulder. The amber-eyed fugitive was sent flying, crashing into the trunk of one of the trees and knocking it over.

Richter was already running towards her, when an explosion of aura and a bellow of pure rage sounded from where he had thrown her. Debris exploded away from Cinder as she leapt towards him at high-speed. Richter increased his own speed, clenching his right hand into a fist...

...And the two combatants collided like runaway trains, their fists finding their target on their opponent's faces. The blows were so strong it cratered the ground underneath them and sent them flying back, away from each other.

Somehow, Richter managed to land on his feet. Stars danced across his vision as he saw Cinder land on her feet as well. They glared intensely at each other.

"Why don't you just stay down like all the other monsters I've slain!?" Cinder shouted, forming another obsidian dagger in her right hand, though it looked like it took more effort on her part.

"I am no monster…." Richter replied, trying to pull whatever power he had left into his right hand, to form something, anything, to combat Cinder's weapon. He didn't have the energy left to do the dodging game. "….I am a person! I am Richter Bremen!"

Cinder dashed towards him and Richter mirrored the action. He willed the meager reserves of his power to do something, anything, to help him win this battle. The amber-eyed fugitive was less than twelve meters away and still nothing. Richter clenched his eyes shut, if he couldn't summon up anything, he was going to be gutted like a fish.

Digging as deep as he could, Richter felt the dragon stir within him. The grey-cloaked demon felt a sudden surge of power that bolted him upright and caused him to snap his eyes back open, just in time to see Cinder about to lodge the dagger into his throat. He felt the power flow through his right hand, felt something solid form in front of his palm and gripped it tightly. Without another thought, Richter brought whatever he was holding forward, aiming for Cinder's neck.

The sound of blades connecting with flesh filled Richter's ears as momentum carried them past each other. He found himself with his back to Cinder, a blade of grey flame gripped tightly in his right hand. The edge of the blade was dripping with blood not his own.

Looking behind him, Richter saw Cinder falter a step. The dagger in her hand was broke and as she fell to her knees, it crumbled to dust. The amber-eyed fugitive's left hand clutched her throat and Richter quickly realized that he had sliced it open.

It was over, he had won.

Almost giddy with the thought, Richter turned to face Cinder. With trembling hands, he aimed the point of the grey sword in his hands at her back. One stab through the back and he would get his much anticipated vengeance for all of the suffering she had put him through.

Just one more stab.

He was about to bring his right arm forward to deliver the killing blow, when something grabbed his right wrist. Glancing behind him, Richter caught sight of the battered form of Ren. The green and white clad huntsman's left hand was gripping his right wrist.

"What are you doing?" Richter demanded, his voice dangerously low.

"We need her alive." Ren said.

Richter looked at him like he had gone insane. "You want her to live? After all the terrible things she has done to innocent people? To ME!?"

"You just claimed that you weren't a monster. If that's true, then I want you to think about this for a moment." Ren replied sagely. "Cinder Fall is not working alone, she has had help from outside sources. These sources have been steadily working to destroy the stability of the four kingdoms. The information she has is invaluable to finding and neutralizing them."

"She has to pay for her crimes!" Richter snarled.

Ren's expression remained stoic. "And she will, but first we need answers."

Richter's first thought was to throw Ren away from him and finish what he started. However, the stoic hunter's words had penetrated his brain and he could see the logic behind him. There were greater forces than Cinder at work here and if the four kingdoms were going to survive, then he couldn't afford to squander this lead for them. As much as he loathed it, Ren was right, Cinder had to live.

He visibly relaxed and Ren, sensing this, released his grip on his arm. The grey blade he had constructed with his flames dissipated. Richter was about to use the bandages on his arms to wrap around Cinder's wounds…

And then the entire ground around them turned pitch black.

The grey-cloaked demon felt a presence so ominous it almost felt like it was physically crushing him. Something rose up from the black, a woman with pale hair and skin, dark red veins pulsed at the sides of her face. Her hair was up in a bun with three thick strands sticking out on each side. She looked similar to Alice, but older, more regal, and her presence to Richter was far more intimidating.

"Another time hunters." The woman said, "I still have use for this one." And with that, the woman sank back into the black, Cinder sinking in with her. Within seconds the black receded, giving way to the snow once more.

Richter looked down at his right hand, which was still trembling. The pale woman hadn't done a thing to him and yet, he couldn't stop shaking. That woman was bad news, he didn't know how or why, only that his gut instinct told him to stay as far away from her as possible. Who the hell was she?

What was she?

He turned to Ren, whose face was several shades paler. Richter had to give the stoic hunter credit, he kept his composure, but he could tell that the pale woman's appearance had filled him with dread as well.

"So….." Richter started, "Any idea on what the hell we just saw?" He asked Ren.

"She's Vale's biggest threat." A new voice spoke, a familiar voice. Looking behind Ren, Richter spotted a man with greying black hair and red eyes. He was garbed in a grey dress shirt, black dress pants and black dress shoes. The most familiar thing to Richter about the man however, was the tattered red cloak and the hints of a hunter weapon at the base of his spine. No doubt about it, this was Ruby's uncle, the one that used to train them when they were at Signal. The older hunter was carrying Ruby in his arms bridal style. She was still unconscious after using her silver eyes power.

"Instructor Branwen?" Richter said.

Qrow snorted in response. "Good to see you're still as formal as ever kid."

"Old habits die hard I guess." He replied, "So who was the mystery lady who almost made me shit my pants?"

Qrow's expression turned grim, something Richter was not used to seeing. Usually Ruby's Uncle wore an amused expression on his face as they tried to land a hit on him during their training. Most of the time they failed and to make matters worse Richter suspected he was drinking during half of their training sessions at Signal. To see him with such a serious expression was unnerving.

"Let's evac our wounded first. You're gonna want to rest up before hearing this." Qrow answered him.

"We're not going to like what we hear are we?" Ren asked him.

Qrow sighed, his shoulders sagging slightly, "No, no you're not."

VVVVVVVVVV

A/N: And so the last chapter of "An Arc's Journey" Concludes. There will be an epilogue, but it might be a little while before I get the time to write it out. This chapter has shown me that I don't have the time to write chapters in a frequency that's satisfying to me. So I'm going to take a small break and recharge the ol' battery.

My next plan is a series of short stories that are a maximum of one or two chapters and focus on the other members of Team RWBY. I may try to do some short stories on Team STRQ as well. I have a few ideas, just need the time to type them out.

For everyone that has stuck with this story, I give you a genuine thanks. I hope it was an entertaining ride for you and hopefully I can find time to write up more interesting stories for you in the future!