Two identical vases had materialized on the wooden table. From afar, the vases were completely alike. But once touched, the differences between the two became apparent. One vase was heavier than the other, composed of seemingly denser materials and designed by an artisan's professional touch. The other was lighter and frail, a cheap replica of an original. Neither vase existed an hour ago, but through the miracle of magecraft they became real.

The cafeteria was empty save for nine figures, seated together around the two vases.

"So… are you guys going to use these vases in some kind of weird magic ritual or something?" Ruby asked. "Because if that's the case, I want to watch."

"It's just for an experiment." Rin dismissed with a shrug. "We just want to see how long the vases will last before disappearing. I'm still not sure if our magecraft is necessarily stronger in this world than our own."

"And this is one way to test that?" Yang asked.

"More or less. The specifics are a bit complex, but basically there's supposed to be a force present in every world that counteracts magic, or, well, anything that resembles magic. Or weird, unnatural happenings in general. It's all pretty boring stuff, I assure you." Rin promised.

It was 5AM and most of Beacon's students were still snuggly in their beds. Blake and Yang woke up early to engage in an early morning jog, but the noise they were making while preparing ended up waking their two other teammates. Across the hall, Shirou woke up early to meet up with Rin. Coincidences pilled upon coincidences, caused the rest of team JNPR to wake up. Now, the two teams found themselves in the cafeteria waiting for a special breakfast meal.

"Are you sure he doesn't need any help back there?" Blake asked, her eyes narrowing at the uninteresting black vases.

"Why? Are you volunteering to help him out?" Yang teased.

Instead of being annoyed, Blake instead just shrugged. "He's preparing food for eight hungry kids. He might need some help."

"Shirou's fiiiine." Rin said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "He's used to serving breakfast to swathes of girls."

An imaginary question mark appeared above the heads of her companions.

"So… Shirou's popular with the ladies, eh?" Jaune quipped, despite his apparent gloominess.

"You could say that." Rin looked away. "He wasn't the cutest guy around or anything, but he eventually made a reputation for himself in school. He eventually came to be known as the guy you'd go to if your club needed help with anything."

"That's pretty cool." Ruby admitted.

"Shirou's just a naturally helpful person." Rin shrugged.

"How did you guys meet, anyway? Were you like classmates or something?" Yang asked.

The truth was everyone was curious about Shirou and Rin. Despite having stayed with both groups for days now, there were still a lot of things that they didn't know about them. The two magi were for the most part open about their past and their powers, but Yang, and a few others knew, that there was always more to find out. They were people from a different world, with powers that were just so different. What was their culture like? What were the kingdoms of their world like? What kind of world did they live in?

"We weren't classmates. But you could say that I knew him in middle school." Rin glanced at Yang. "Then stuff happened—"

"Oooh stuff."

"—wipe your mind of whatever perverted thing you're thinking, Yang Xiao Long. Anyway eventually we just, I don't know, drifted together, I guess."

Rin considered mentioning the part about Shirou's cynical future self trying to kill him, but decided that the claim might raise too many questions.

"Wow, you guys just drifted together." Blake deadpanned. "How romantic."

"Hey, I'm not really good at telling stories, alright?" Rin admitted with a huff.

"Did one of you already like the other before you got close… or…?"

"Weiss? I—I'm surprised you're asking me that."

The heiress blushed. "I'm just as curious as everyone here."

Rin sighed and rubbed her temples. After spending days with her new friends, watching them flip through the air and spar with impractical, transforming weapons, she almost forgot about the fact that they were all so young. Rin wasn't that much older, but she was basically in college, and they in high school. As far as she knew, none of these kids had ever been in a relationship. Except maybe for Yang and Blake. Maybe even Pyrrha.

It was only natural for them to be curious.

"Well… Shirou had a, uh, crush on me yeah." Rin nervously scratched her chin.

"And you…?" Yang grinned.

"Yes, I liked him back, but not as— oh look he's here!" she gestured, hurriedly pointing at the approaching Shirou.

"I'm sorry for making everyone wait." the redheaded magus said to his newfound friends.

In his hands was a tray of colorful dishes. Rin leaned on the table to move the two vases away as Shirou lowered the tray. The huntsmen and huntresses in training's eyes widened at awe at the display. A variety of dishes were served, including bowls of Natto and fried eggs on rice, cold tofu, and a bowl of miso soup.

"Wooow, you really went all out." Ruby commented, her eyes darting from dish to dish.

"I'm actually surprised you manage to make all of these." Rin said. "Where did you even get all the ingredients?" Where did that tofu even come from? "The rest of the school still needs to eat, Shirou."

"This isn't even half of what I prepared." Shirou laughed, turning around and returning to the kitchens.

"I don't even know what half of these are, but they all look so exotic." Weiss commented.

Shirou returned not a moment later with a more dishes, including bowls of tanuki udon, a couple plates of broiled fish, and two plates of rolled omelet. Blake stood and volunteered to help set up everyone's plates.

There was a brief bout of silence, as the collective forces of RWBY and JNPR gazed hungrily at the feast before their eyes.

"There's no need to wait for us to make the first move," Rin gestured. "Dig in."

And dig in they did. With no one really sure where to start (except for Blake who went for the fish), the students opted to reach for what looked to be the most appetizing dish based on their own personal tastes. Pyrrha reached for some omelets, Ren grabbed some steaming rice, Weiss and Yang started on some soup, and Jaune reached for a bowl of udon. Rin took her time before grabbing her own meal, settling on the few dishes that weren't as touched. While some were careful and apprehensive, others dug into their meals like hungry wolves.

Regardless of how the students initially approached Shirou's dishes, their reactions were more or less the same.

Ruby and Yang were brought back to their childhood, far away back in Patch. They imagined themselves with their two mothers and father, in a small house filled with laughter and childhood joy. Shirou's food gave them a glimpse of an ideal life they could never have.

The moment Weiss' tongue came in contact with the miso soup, she found herself warmed to her very core. She instantly wanted to socialize, to reach out and meet new people. Her Ice Queen persona melted ever so slightly.

Blake's eyes widened in surprise, the key to returning the White Fang to its former, peaceful glory flashing before her thoughts.

The courage of fire burned in Jaune and Pyrrha's hearts as they dug into their own meals.

Pyrrha realized her destiny right then and there. She needed to become a hero to save the world. All of her hesitations disappeared.

Jaune on the other hand realized the errors of his ways. He glimpsed a future where he stood tall and strong, with Weiss in his arms and the world at his back.

Ren was brought back to his childhood, in the orphanage that he and Nora grew up in. He closed his eyes in silent contemplation, smiling at the memories.

Nora dug into her meal wordlessly, too busy savoring every bite to entertain any other thoughts.

"Huh. You did quite a number on them, Shirou." Rin commented, pouring herself a cup of tea.

"I wasn't sure if I could get another chance to use the kitchen like this." Shirou said. "So I decided to go all-out."

The two magi smiled at one another, before their moment was broken with Ruby burping loudly.

"This is great." the diminutive leader said, before digging into her second dish. The other students were so engrossed in their own food that they didn't even react to her burp.

"Hey~ Shirou~" Yang said, leaning forward, her chest pushed against the table. "You single~?"

"Watch it." Rin replied a little too quickly, gritting her teeth.

The blonde laughed as she started to stalk the table for her next dish.

Rin sighed while Shirou smiled, appreciating the scene he managed to create. It brought the magus joy, knowing that just two weeks ago, none of these teenagers even considered the idea of Japan existing. Yet here they were, enjoying a Japanese breakfast that he prepared.

The students finished their meals a few minutes later. Ruby, Yang, and Nora slumped in their seats and released loud burps, while the more refined Weiss and Pyrrha merely wiped their mouths in satisfaction.

"That was just great." Ruby said happily.

"We should do this again sometime." her sister suggested. "Actually we should do this again all the time! Seriously, Jaune, we'll trade you Rin for Shirou if you want."

"Hey! I can cook too you know."

"She's right. She's a master of Chinese cuisine."

Yang tilted her head and grinned. "I have no idea what that is, but you have sparked my curiosity. Are you just going to let Shirou get away with today Rin?"

Rin huffed and crossed her arms. "Please. I know you're just goading me into cooking you guys breakfast."

"What? No, no you got it all wrong. I really am just curious about your world's culture, that's all!" Yang protested. "Seriously though, is she as good as you?" she asked Shirou. "Because if she is, I really want to see what she's capable of."

Shirou just smiled as Rin sighed. "Fine, I'll see if I can do the same for you guys tomorrow. No promises though. Shirou was only able to do this because of his new job from Ozpin."

"Oh, right. You're a Battle Janitor now!" the excited Nora said.

"Nora. That's not a very nice thing to say." Ren scolded her.

"Sorry, Ren-Ren."

"Speaking of which, what will you be doing?" Rin asked. "I'm still not a hundred percent sure what sort of responsibilities Ozpin is placing on you."

"He's placing me on security detail." Shirou replied with a shrug. "I'm going to meet with the head of security today to discuss what the school expects out of me."

"Oh, so you won't be joining us at Forever Fall?" Ruby asked, picking her tooth with a fork, much to Weiss' chagrin. "That's too bad. Forever Fall's a pretty cool place."

"Too bad the forest usually hosts the occasional pack of Grimm." her partner pointed out.

"Pffffft. That's nothing!"

"Forever Fall is outside the city's barriers?" Shirou asked. "I didn't know that. I thought it was inside the city's territory. Going on a fieldtrip to that place sounds dangerous."

"We're training to be huntsmen, we can handle it." Yang said proudly. "And the Grimm there aren't too big. We won't expect anything crazy like Deathstalkers or Nevermores, if that's what you're worried about."

Shirou pursed his lips and glanced at Rin, who only gave him a small shrug.

"How far away is Forever Fall?" he asked.

"Pretty close, I guess." Ruby replied. "You can see the entire forest from the CCT Tower."

Shirou nodded. He's never been to the CCT Tower before, but he's always seen it. The thing was massive, easily over a kilometer tall. If he managed to get to its peak, or on its many balconies, he should be able to get a good view for miles in every direction. He mentally noted that he should pay the tower a visit later.

Chapter 5
Never Fall

Rin found the walk to Forever Fall a dull, straightforward affair. That is if she wasn't in the company of her eight colorful kohai. The trek into the blood-red forest was rife with conversation, with Ruby leading the group with her surprising knowledge about the place. Their group was accompanied by one other team in the form of CRDL. For her part, Rin paid little mind to the merry band of mischievous boys.

They were still boys however, and no matter how hostile their leader was toward Rin, the rest of the group never failed to spare her the occasional glance. Rin was a student now and she was proud of the fact that she rocked Beacon's uniform.

When Glynda finished explaining what they were here for, apparently to collect some sort of red sap from the trees, the three teams separated into two groups. Team CRDL went on their own to somewhere down east, while RWBY and JNPR stuck together. All except for one.

"Trouble in paradise?" Rin asked, shimmying up beside Pyrrha.

The redhead almost leapt back in surprise. Rin could be surprisingly sneaky if she wanted to.

"Uh, what?"

"Jaune ran off with those CRDL boys. I didn't know they were friends." Rin said, smiling.

"They're not." Pyrrha replied, gripping her empty jar as she made her way toward a nearby tree.

"You know if it's between you guys, I'm not going to pry." Rin said, falling into step behind Pyrrha. "But those kids aren't exactly the nicest people around."

Pyrrha raised her eyebrow. "Should you really be calling us kids when you're only two years older than us?"

Rin shrugged. "Sorry, but aside from you, no one else is what I'd call a paragon of maturity. Except maybe for Blake, but she's all brooding and mysterious."

Rin watched as Pyrrha got on her knees and began extracting the tree sap. The magus frowned when she realized just how large the jars they were given with, and how little sap was coming out of the tree.

"Well that's going to take forever." she mused, walking up to a nearby tree and placing her hand on the surface.

Her magic circuits flared to life, creating a blood-red spell circle on the bark.

"SURGE AGAINST. FLASH AND FROST."

A single phrase, spoken in an alien-language to Pyrrha's ears, triggered the spell. Red magical energy bloomed from Rin's palm, washing over neighboring trees. Sap from the nearby trees swirled in the air, floating and twisting like ribbons, falling straight into Rin's upheld jar. The jar was filled to its brim in a matter of seconds. Rin closed the jar's lid with a satisfied grin.

"What was that!? That was cheating!" someone far away shouted, probably Ruby or Yang. Probably both.

"You're… kinda a show off, aren't you?" Pyrrha noted, smirking.

Rin grinned back. "Says the girl with the transforming gladius-rifle-javelin thing." she sat beside Pyrrha, crossing her legs. Unlike Rin, Pyrrha had to patiently wait for the sap to very slowly pour into her jar. "So back to the topic at hand, is Jaune alright? You should know, you're his partner."

Pyrrha slumped her shoulders slightly before she began to speak. "I don't really know. I think he's just worried about things."

"What sort of things?"

Pyrrha had no intention to tell Rin about Jaune forging his records. "I have no clue. Whatever it is, he doesn't want to tell me." that was a lie. "He's just stubborn, that's all."

"Boys tend to be like that at his age." Rin placed her elbow on her knee and her palm on her chin. "Maybe he doesn't tell you his problems because he wants to look cool. Or something. I don't know, I don't really understand how boys think most of the time."

"I guess maybe he wants to prove himself." Pyrrha said without thinking.

"That makes sense. He pretty much sucks."

Pyrrha's head snapped around and she playfully glared at Rin. "That's just mean."

"It's true." Rin shrugged. "His stance is awful, all he does is attack, and he doesn't even use his shield properly half of the time. He's also probably at a disadvantage because his sword doesn't transform into a gun, so he doesn't really have any ranged options."

"I'll be sure to tell him that later."

"Oh, sure go ahead, I don't mind. Despite what I said though, Jaune really does have a lot of potential. He just needs a bit of motivation, eh? Catch my drift?"

"I don't think I like what you're suggesting." Pyrrha leaned away, apprehensive.

Rin laughed, covering her mouth. "Ah, that poor, dense boy. Running after my little Ice Queen, when he has a beautiful Spartan lass right in front of him."

"What's a Spartan?"

"That's not important. Anyway, what I'm saying is, that whatever his problem is, you should be there by his side. CRDL might not be as nasty as I think they are, and he's probably just trying to make friends, but whatever the case, you should be there. He's your partner after all. Figure out what's his problem for me, will you?"

Pyrrha turned her head and refocused her attention on the bark, not really knowing how to respond to Rin's tease-fueled suggestion.

Her chain of thoughts was broken when the sound of three screaming boys echoed through the forest.

Three members of CRDL emerged from a clearing, the spiky-haired one in particular screaming at the top of his lungs. Rin didn't really bother learning any of their names. The spiky-haired kid crashed into Yang, only for the blonde to easily hoist him by his collar.

"What's happening?" she asked.

"Ursa, Ursa!" the boy stammered before releasing himself from Yang's grip and running off.

Rin shared a look with Pyrrha. Wasn't this a school that trained badass sword wielding adventurers or something? Why did those kids just run off like that? Rin mentally shrugged and followed everyone as they rushed deeper into the forest.

Rin recalled what an Ursa was. She and Shirou fought a couple of those giant bear things when they first appeared here on Remnant. They weren't much of a challenge, and in fact she considered the encircling pack of Beowolves the bigger threat at the time. So, either those CRDL boys were total cowards or the Ursa that showed up was particularly massive.

Either way, seven particularly gifted students and one particularly skilled magus were on their way to face the threat. The three fleeing members of CRDL were also likely to end up crashing into Goodwitch at some point. If RWBY and NPR had trouble dealing with the Ursa, the professional huntress could always solve the issue herself.

They arrived at the scene and saw Cardin inches away from getting his head smeared across the grass. Rin noted that the Ursa wasn't particularly large, but that it was standing on its hind legs. Ruby and Yang prepared their weapons, Weiss was already gripping the hilt of Mysternaster, and Rin readied a spell.

But then, in a surprising display of bravery, Jaune placed himself between Cardin and the Ursa. The Ursa lunged at him, and after a bit of hesitation, Jaune raised his shield in defense. The next few moments burned through in a flash. Jaune swung wildly but apparently with enough force to slice into the giant beast. As quickly as it happened, the Ursa fell on the ground, expired.

Rin did not fail to notice the semi-invisible aura that emanated from Pyrrha's hand.

"So I'm guessing that's your Semblance." Rin noted, placing her hand on her hip.

Weiss and Ruby ran toward them, having noticed the display as well.

"That was so cool!" the ever-energetic Ruby Rose said, her hands in the air.

Pyrrha nodded at Rin. "That was my Semblance. Polarity."

"Whoa." Ruby said, mouth half-open in awe. "You can control poles."

"No you dunce, it means she has control over magnetism."

"That's cool too."

Rin smiled at Pyrrha. "Well I figured as much. Are you planning to tell Jaune about what you did?"

"I don't think I need to. He got a boost of confidence from what I did, and it looks like things are going well for him. For now, at least." Pyrrha shrugged slightly, watching as Jaune was now helping Cardin stand up.

"I figured you had a bit of control over metals and stuff. I assumed it was magnetism, and I'm glad that I'm right." Rin said proudly.

"You already knew about this?" Weiss asked. "How?" she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Rin shrugged. "Shirou told me. He said you were trying to manipulate his swords when you sparred. I guess you use your magnetism sparingly, or you use it in a manner that makes it difficult for people to realize that you're using it in the first place."

Pyrrha nodded, slightly uncomfortable. She tried to hide her subtle use of magnetism from Shirou, but apparently the magus was a lot more observant than she assumed. She'd have to be more careful in the future. It was never a good idea to reveal your tricks to people, enemy or not.

"I had… difficulty manipulating Shirou's swords." Pyrrha admitted after a bit of hesitation.

"Understandable." Rin said dismissively. "Those two swords were basically giant magnets."

That was a lie, of course. But it wasn't that far from the truth. Pyrrha was bound to figure out that something was off with Kanshou and Bakuya. Rin might as well throw her off.

Their brief conversation was ended when a terrible sound echoed in the air. It sounded between a roar and a growl, unnatural by every definition of the word. Cardin and Jaune, still far away, turned just in time to see the ground behind them explode, sending dirt and trees and splintered wood several feet in the air.

Emerging from the dirt was a giant, scorpion-like Grimm, easily as large as a couple of double-decker buses. The Deathstalker, with its seemingly unlimited number of eyes, turned to its prey with dangerous intent. The two seventeen-year-olds backed off together slowly, both trying not to make any sudden movements.

"Hey, think you can do that trick with Jaune's sword again?" Rin chided.

Pyrrha turned serious. Her face masked with professional calm, as her short sword transformed into its rifle form. She fired off a series of shots at the Deathstalker. Though the shots failed to do damage, the Deathstalker reacted to her aggression and shifted its interest from the two boys to the eight teenagers a good deal away from it.

"Do Deathstalkers usually show up in Forever Fall?" Rin asked idly, even as everyone else was reading their weapons. "Guys?"

"Get its attention!" Ruby shouted. While normally hyperactive and always immature, the girl immediately fell into a leader's role. "Get it away from Jaune and Cardin!"

Everyone fired at the giant Grimm with their ranged weapons. Bullets, dust particles, and grenade canisters crashed into the Deathstalker's raw hide, doing minimal damage. The giant scorpion charged angrily at the group.

"Fine, everyone ignore me." Rin scoffed, pointing her closed hand at the giant creature. Her family's crest and her magic circuits flared together as she released the lethal variant of a Gandr shot at the charging beast.

The first shot staggered the Deathstalker, searing its skin, but it continued forward. Rin fired consecutively at the monster, joined by the attacks of her companions. They might as well have been throwing stuffed toys at the thing.

The monster made a beeline for Rin, Pyrrha, Ruby, and Weiss. It struck at the group, its claw moving in a wide arc. Ruby and Weiss sped away to the side as Pyrrha blocked the claw with her shield and considerable strength. Its other claw moved in an instant, swiping at Rin. Magical lines appeared on Rin's legs as she kicked the earth, catapulting her ten meters back in a heartbeat.

Without her jewels, she only had a limited number of spells at her disposal. Limited in the case that most of the spells she could use would either take too long to cast, or would do too much damage to the surrounding area.

Instead, she decided to continue peppering the Grimm with Gandr shots.

The Deathstalker in the meantime had reared back and attacked Pyrrha with its stinger. The champion darted away as the stinger crashed into ground.

Suddenly Weiss was upon it. She threw herself forward with a glyph and drove Mysternaster into the ground, creating a flower of ice around the stinger, freezing the Deathstalker to the ground.

Rin ceased her attacks as Ruby rushed in next along with Blake. The two girls struck at the Deathstalker's claws, dodging and weaving from its counterattacks. Pyrrha followed next, climbing unto a claw as she dodged an attack, before driving her spear into one of the Deathstalker's eyes. The giant creature struggled to move away, but Weiss' ice held.

Weiss moved again, this time leaping on the Deathstalker's head and freezing its upper torso. Before Rin could even wonder what the point was, she saw Yang and Nora leap into the air. Nora's weapon transformed into its hammer form, and with significant force, sent it slamming into the Deathstalker's head. The resulting impact drove the majority of its body into the ground as the ice shattered.

Yang followed soon after, her hair burning bright, as Ember Celica drove itself into the Deathstalker's already broken hide. A ring of fire erupted around Yang and her hapless victim, scorching the forest floor.

Rin was amazed, she admitted. Everyone fell into an organized vibe so quickly, that she felt almost out of place. She jogged to where everyone was. Ren was with Jaune and Cardin, having not participated in the fight against the Deathstalker.

"Is everyone alright?" Ruby asked, hanging the folded form of Crescent Rose to her hip. "Jaune, Cardin, you guys okay?"

"We're fine." Jaune managed, glancing at his bully.

"You guys… thanks." Cardin said, deflating and nearly collapsing on the ground. After witnessing what his friends were capable of, perhaps he'd think twice of messing with Jaune now.

Rin stood with the rest of the group, her eyes silently surveying the forest. With the amount of noise they made, Goodwitch should be well on her way. She closed her eyes. When they opened, her eyes were now glowing an unnatural green.

"What the hell?" Rin said, too loudly.

"What? What?" Ruby asked, her hand to her scythe. The others visibly tensed.

"There's a pack Beowolves heading right for us." she announced. Memorizing the Grimm names was easy enough, since they mostly just resembled either works of folklore or animals back on Earth.

"How many?" Pyrrha asked, shield already up.

Cardin and Jaune, perhaps realizing that Beowolves were easier to deal with than a Deathstalker, readied their own weapons. Cardin hefted a giant mace on his shoulder, and Jaune gripped his sword and shield.

"Around a dozen. Wait, two dozen." Rin said, eyes darting left and right.

The Beowolves were coming like a plague, a pack of giant black dogs that conflicted with the red of the forest. The wolves were approaching in a very rough formation, some crashing into each other as they galloped ahead. An alpha was leading the pack, easily thrice the size of its smaller brethren.

Rin glanced at her companions. Everyone was ready. They'd probably have no real trouble with this many Beowolves. Rin knew that the things were one of the weaker types of Grimm. A single student was more than a match for a handful of these things.

But then the ground shook.

From behind the pack of charging beasts emerged another Deathstalker, then another, and another, and another. The scorpions varied in size, but they all easily towered over the werewolf-like creatures.

"Deathstalkers." Rin announced. "Four of them."

"Four!?" Jaune said, almost in a whimper. Despite his brave display moments ago, he still realized the threat that two dozen Beowolves and four giant Deathstalkers posed. His team and RWBY had trouble dealing with just one of the giant scorpions. But four?

"Guys, looks like we're going to have to retreat." Ruby announced. "We can't handle that many. Rin, how far away are they?"

Rin, briefly impressed with the kid's commanding but adorable tone, narrowed her eyes.

"Around two-hundred meters. The scorpions are falling behind, but the Beowolves are picking up speed." they were probably very hungry.

"Okay," Ruby bit her lip as she started thinking. She thought about the best course of action, particularly factoring in what everyone was capable of, before continuing. "We'll need to find a way to isolate the Deathstalkers. I hate that we're doing this, but we'll probably need to set the forest on fire. That should at least slow the Beowolves down."

She glanced at Weiss and Yang, who nodded in response.

"We'll then moved in a staggered formation and—"

The sound of a loud whistle caught everyone's attention, interrupting Ruby's chain of thoughts. Everyone turned around toward the source of the noise. A single red line streaked through the sky, flying overhead, before inevitably crashing into the area where the Grimm were approaching.

The ensuing explosion sounded like an artillery strike, but unlike anything that Ruby ever heard. Weapon emplacements were common in cities that bordered Grimm territory, but as far as she knew, no defenses in Vale fired into Forever Fall.

Before anyone could get a bead of what was happening, six more red streaks screamed through the air. The second bombarded ripped apart the charging Beowolves, wiping out the twenty-six wolves in an instant.

"Where are those things coming from!?" Yang shouted, running to Ruby's side protectively.

"Looks like the school!" Weiss replied as four more streaks flew overhead.

Each of the streaks had the power to destroy a house. The arrows leading the streaks in particular were laced with magical energy and reinforced to the point of being capable of penetrating thick armor.

The bullets and dust particles that peppered the prior Deathstalker were nothing but small arms fire. These arrows were anti-tank missiles.

The arrows slammed into the Deathstalkers one after another, all hitting center mass. Magical energy rippled from the arrows, demolishing the Grimm's bodies as if they were made of nothing but paper.

Auras protected against the sonic booms that followed. Rin settled for covering her ears, and later protecting her eyes as a gust of wind blew ash and dust toward their group.

"Well." Rin said. "I guess that solves our Grimm problem." she said nervously.

"Is everyone alright?" Ruby asked as soon as the cacophony of noise died down, even though none of the streaks came close to their location.

"I'm fine."

"I'm okay!"

"A-okay."

"My ears are ringing. But I'm not dead."

That snarky one was probably Blake or Weiss.

Rin checked for the Grimm. She smiled, satisfied, when all she saw through her enhanced eyes, was a small desolate field of burned trees and evaporating Grimm.

Goodwitch emerged from the forest a moment later, brandishing her wand.

"Ms. Goodwitch!" Ruby said, running to the teacher.

"Is everyone alright?" the huntress asked, eyes moving over reach student. She noted how Rin's eyes were different, but made no comment on it. She already knew it was reinforcement.

"An Ursa showed up out of nowhere and went straight for Jaune and Cardin!" Ruby said, flailing her arms at the professor.

"The rest of CRDL retreated, but Jaune was able to deal with the Ursa." Weiss explained, a bit more evenly. Realizing that her partner was better at explaining, Ruby stayed quiet as Weiss continued. "A Deathstalker appeared after that, but we dealt with it quickly."

"A Deathstalker?" Glynda asked. "That's unusual."

"Very." Weiss knew that those Grimm preferred to nest in dark caves. Forever Fall was the complete opposite of its usual environment. "Rin was able to detect a pack of approaching Beowolves and four more Deathstalkers,"

"Four more?"

"Yes. Ruby prepared for an escape plan," she glanced at Ruby, who puffed her chest confidently. "But it appears that we didn't have to bother."

"Yes, I've heard and felt the explosions. Though it's strange, considering we don't have any anti-Grimm turret emplacements that covered this part of the city." Glynda turned to the one person who she knew could provide an explanation. "Miss Tohsaka."

"That was Shirou." the magus replied offhandedly.

Teams RWBY and JNPR plus Cardin shared disbelieving looks.

Glynda narrowed her eyes.

"It takes a considerable amount of force to destroy Deathstalkers." she said. "Not to mention we are at least two kilometers away from Beacon. How was mister Emiya able to fire all the way here, much less know that you were all in danger?"

Rin shrugged. "Reinforcement lets us see really, really far away. Shirou's a really impressive archer."

But he's still far from his peak. She noted. He probably didn't want to risk accidentally hitting us— that's why he didn't help with the first Deathstalker.

Glynda fingered her glasses and nodded. She had to make a report to Ozpin about Emiya's newly discovered capabilities, but aside from that, she had no further questions to ask. She could drill either Tohsaka or Emiya later on the specifics of the latter's attack, but right now, her priority was on the safety of her students.

Ren silently walked through the forest, picking up his classmates' discarded glass jars. In the heat of the moment, everyone dropped their jars to deal with the threats. Most of the jars were half-full, most barely had any sap in them. Rin's was the only one filled to the brim, but that was because of her magecraft. Blake silently joined him in picking up the rest of the jars, followed later by Nora and Yang.

The group left Forever Fall just as the sun was beginning to set.

Ruby was proud of her team and happy that Jaune was safe.

Weiss and Yang were glad that the field trip was over, but their thoughts lingered on the Grimm's unusual presence.

Blake and Ren were in deep thought, wondering about the Deathstalkers' appearance and the surprising power behind Shirou's attacks.

Jaune and Pyrrha walked side-by-side, the latter immensely happy that the former was safe. But the Mystralian also wondered about Shirou's sudden display of power. If he had the power to annihilate Deathstalkers, how much was he holding back in his spar with Pyrrha? Could he only use those attacks from a faraway distance, or did he really not excel in melee?

Cardin narrowed his eyes at his teammates, but there was no malice in his gaze. Despite his otherwise controversial attitude, the boy was a leader at heart, and a part of him understood his teammates' actions. He was just glad that he survived. And he found himself developing a newfound respect for his classmates, especially for Jaune.

Nora wondered briefly about the afternoon's events. Grimm were the physical embodiment of darkness, but they were also animals at heart. Animals had behaviors and instincts they subscribed to. An outside force must have driven the Deathstalkers from their homes. But most of all, Nora wondered whether or not the stuffed Deathstalkers sold in stores should be a great deal larger.

A/N:

Anyway, sorta late update. But stuff came up, so yeah. At least the chapter's decently long though, and stuff actually happened.

As opposed to common belief, I actually do reply to most reviews. Just privately. I guess for the sake of organization, I'll be doing the replying at the end of each chapter from now on. Uh, not on this chapter though. I've already replied to the reviews I felt needed replying to.

I appreciate every sort of feedback, here and on SpaceBattles, but I can't promise that I'll be able to reply to every comment. Some questions are hard to answer without giving away too much of my future plans, other questions have already been answered, etc.

Anyway thank you all for enjoying the story in its current state. Woo.

Anyway, here are some FAQs.

Will Shirou and Rin develop Auras and Semblances? Will RWBY/JNPR learn magecraft?

No and no.

Sorry, but I've always preferred crossover fics where parties maintain their own powers and abilities, instead of somehow adapting to powers associated in their new environment. Master Chief adopting Mass Effect technology is cool as all hell, for example, but I feel like that approach only works for sci-fi, where the characters are expected to adopt to new tech and threats. For a fantasy-esque setting like this fic, I'd rather have magi and huntsmen stick to using their own powers.

In Fate, not every human can be a mage. And in RWBY not everyone has the skill with Aura and ability to be a huntsman. So yeah.

Why didn't Shirou use X Noble Phantasm against Pyrrha and why did he lose handedly?

Dude was really holding back. Pyrrha was also holding back. Also neither party really wanted to kill each other/destroy the classroom. They were roommates. Accidental murders could be awkward in the JNPR dorm room.

'He could not rely on those weapons forever?'

That statement did not mean that Shirou no longer wanted to be a faker. Instead, he realized that he simply needed to develop his skills in other areas aside from projection. Archer developed his own style as an adult, and Shirou, in a way, has to as well. Shirou still doesn't care that he's a faker. Probably could have phrased the scene better, but whatever.

How strong is Shirou compared to Rin?

Shirou is better at generally murdering things. Rin is the better duelist and is the better at 'technical' fighting, because of her more extensive knowledge of Magecraft. In a hand-to-hand spar, Rin would win. With KnB, it could go either way. With Noble Phantasms and spells, it could go either way. If bloodlusted, Shirou would win.

How much stronger are they compared to their state in UBW? Compared to RWBY?

Three years have passed. They are a great deal stronger than their younger selves. Rin has more spells and better control over her magecraft. Shirou's good, but not up to Archer's level. Both are Faster than Eyesight, slightly faster than Ruby, significantly faster than Weiss with glyphs and significantly faster than everyone else. Both are stronger when reinforced than the Beacon students, but professional huntsmen can match them on pure physicals. (Based on Qrow and Winter.)

They're not Servant level. In fact, if a Servant were to somehow appear in this fic, it would probably be an unstoppable force that maybe only Ozpin could stand up to.

What do you mean by Shirou and Rin sharing mana?

They still have that contract going on from UBW. So Shirou still occasionally draws from Rin's reserves. They maintain this contract through Unlimited Sex Works. They continue this ritual even on Beacon. Stealthily.