Song of the Grail

by TheCouchEffect

Seven Masters and seven Servants. All with a wish they are willing to die for. In the midst of an eternal war fueled by feelings of hatred and bitterness, a decision is made that will change the fate of Remnant. As the war for the Holy Grail rages on, each Master must decide how far they are willing to go and what they will sacrifice for a chance to attain their wish.

3. War Preparations

Silver eyes fluttered open as the sound of running water hit her ears.

Letting out a yawn, Ruby rolled onto her stomach and reached over to grab her scroll so she could check the time. Not even ten in the morning yet… she was up early for the weekend. Usually, she doesn't wake up until noon at the earliest on these days.

Glancing around the room, she saw that Blake and Weiss were both still asleep in their beds. That must have meant that Yang had woken up early to sneak in the first shower of the day. Ruby let out a sigh and laid her head back down on the pillow.

Looked like she wouldn't be getting any hot water today. Her sister always took forever in there and justified it as needing the water for her hair. At her most cranky, Ruby sometimes considered shaving her sister's hair off while she slept just to avoid having to deal with cold showers.

Those thoughts never lasted long. It wasn't just that Yang was fiercely protective of her hair and would pummel anyone who damaged it. Those golden locks meant the world to her. Ruby could never take something like that away from her.

Even if it meant she had to suffer through the cold every once in a while.

Maybe if she was lucky, and the others didn't wake up by the time her sister was done, there might still be some hot water left.

Flipping through the notifications on her scroll, Ruby couldn't help but let her mind wander. It had been a few days since Ozpin had revealed the truth to her team. Since she and Jaune had wound up recruited into what their teams had collectively dubbed the Ozluminati and been told the very fate of Remnant now rested on their shoulders.

Talk about pressure.

Ruby wasn't going to let that get to her, though. Bigger pressure and stakes just meant a bigger payoff in the end. If they could beat Salem and win the Grail War, then they would save the entire world. With something like that on the line, all it did was motivate her to work even harder!

She set her scroll aside and raised her Command Seals up into the light. "Archer, are you there?"

To the left of her bed, her emerald warrior appeared in a shimmer of golden light once more. It amazed Ruby that even laying on her top bunk bed, he still towered over her. Out of all the Servants on their side, he was easily the tallest.

Heh, and in her completely unbiased opinion, also the coolest.

Archer inclined his head. "I'm always here, ma'am. There's no need to speak to your hand."

Blushing in embarrassment, she looked away. "R-right. Pretend you didn't see that." She cleared her throat and sat up, swinging her legs off the side. "So… later today, my team and I were going to be training together."

Archer silently stared back at her.

She squirmed in place as the sound of running water came to an end. "We usually try to hold team training every weekend, you know? Work on our cohesion, come up with new strategies and tactics, and just find ways to improve. Not that Professor Goodwitch doesn't do a good job, of course! She's really great at bringing the best out in people!"

Especially recently. Over the last few days, the Professor had been pushing them all much harder than she usually did. Gone were the days of sparring with simple critiques that lasted roughly an hour. Now, not only were combat classes longer, but they were more intense. Sparring in chaotic battlefields, multiple teams often forced to work together to take down other teams, and far harsher critiques than before.

Professor Goodwitch wasn't the only one being harder on them than usual. Professor Oobleck started focusing less on recent history and its broader implications, and more on military history–specifically, history involving times of large Grimm incursions. Professor Peach began to teach them how to use common materials found in a city or out in the wild to create medicines, poisons, and bombs. Even Professor Port had forgone his usual long-winded stories and was teaching them about specific behaviors and weaknesses for each Grimm.

And he was Port!

Every class had ramped up in its intensity. Some of the foreign students who had come for the Vytal Festival asked if Beacon was always like this, but no. It had caught all of them off guard as well. There were even rumors that they were going to cancel the school dance and force them to take classes on the weekends! No one could understand why the teachers were all acting so strange in their training.

No one except for RWBY and JNPR, at least. Even if they didn't like the increased workload, they all understood why it was happening. She just hoped the rumor about the weekends wasn't true. She needed time to relax, just like everyone else!

As for the dance? Well… that she would happily give up. For the good of Remnant and all that. Sacrifices had to be made, after all.

Ruby smiled up at Archer's helmet. "The team and I just like to get a little extra in for ourselves, you know? Do some training that's more specialized instead of general so we can each grow stronger. And I was thinking… you know…." She trailed off with a mumble, twiddling her thumbs. "Maybe you could train with us? Since you can't do it during class, I figured it'd be an opportunity for you to stretch your legs a bit!"

Archer didn't say a word. The silence continued for so long that her old anxiety's from Signal began to creep back up. She looked away. "You don't have to, of course. It must sound pretty stupid, now that I think about it. You're a great warrior from another world and we're just a bunch of kids. You probably don't want to-"

"When will you be training?" He interrupted.

She blinked. "Oh! We usually do it around seven at night. Gives us plenty of time to enjoy the day, and still finish early enough that the night is ours if we want to do anything."

He nodded. "I'll help you train. Just tell me what to do."

Her internal cheer manifested itself as a bright smile. "Awesome! Oh, this is gonna be so good!" She rubbed her hands together and leaped off the bed. "We might not have looked it the other night when we first met, but trust me. We are the best team in our class, bar none!"

JNPR was a close second, but they didn't count. They had Pyrrha, after all.

Archer nodded. "Noted."

She narrowed her eyes. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"You have no reason to lie."

"But somehow, you don't believe me." She placed her hands on her hips and deepened her glare. Not that it seemed to do anything to the towering man. "Just you wait. Once training comes around, we'll show you just how skilled we are!"

The bathroom door swung open and out walked Yang. Fully dressed and in the middle of drying her hair, her eyes shifted between Ruby and Archer for a moment. "You're up early, sis. What's the occasion?"

Her eyes flicked to her sister, and she smiled. "Oh, nothing special. I'm just convincing Archer to train with us later tonight."

With an almost predatory grin, Yang moved past the two of them and tossed her damp towel onto her bed. Moving towards the window, she pushed it open and took in a breath of fresh air. Outside, there was an assortment of different birds, ranging from swallows to woodpeckers to hummingbirds and even a raven all nesting in a nearby tree.

"That right? Well, looks like I'll finally have a chance to prove just who's stronger between the two of us, Archer." Yang looked back at them over the shoulder. "I've gotta reclaim my spot as the strongest on the team now, thanks to you, and I'm looking forward to a good fight."

Archer inclined his head. "I won't disappoint then, ma'am."

Yang blinked in confusion, all traces of her former competitiveness gone. "What's with all this ma'am crap? We're just students here. There's no need to call us that."

"Ruby is my Master and you are her team. As long as it doesn't put her in danger, I'll follow your orders."

Ruby and her sister both frowned at each other. Sharing an uncertain look, neither of them knew what to say to that. As cool as she may have found Archer, she couldn't deny that he was a little… different from everyone else. He was almost mechanical with how he spoke. Straight and to the point, just like how an ideal soldier would be.

Yang leaned back against the windowsill and crossed her arms in front of her. "You know, you don't need to be so formal with us. If you're gonna be fighting with us, that makes you one of us. Which means you can call us by our names."

Ruby nodded, jabbing her finger into the cold metal of Archer's armor. "Yep! So no more of this ma'am stuff, got it?"

He nodded. "Understood, Ruby."

"You know…." Yang trailed off. "You should also probably tell us your name. You've gotta have one, right? Archer is just your class, so that can't have been your name in life."

Ruby's eyes widened. Of course! All this time, she'd been calling him by his class instead of his name! Oh, no wonder he felt he had to be so formal with her! It must have made her seem so cold and detached to just call him that.

She'd need to fix this.

Nodding her head, she smiled up at his golden visor. "That's right! We've gotta find a way to work your initials into the team's name!"

Even if coming up with a new name sounded like it would be a pain.

After a moment of silence, he nodded. "In my life, most people called me the Master Chief. But my name is John."

Ruby blinked. So, they'd been right to assume he was a soldier in the military. "John… what? Any last name?"

"No."

Okay, well, that was odd. Maybe the people of his world just didn't do last names. Or maybe he just didn't have one. Either way, it warranted further digging.

She nodded. "Okay. Is it alright if we call you John?"

To her disappointment, he shook his head. "It would be best if you refer to me by my class or rank. At least in public or combat situations."

She sighed. "If that's what you want, Chief."

At least it would make distinguishing between Jaune and him easier. With such similar sounding names, it would be bad if they got them mixed up in the middle of a battle.

Yang pushed off of the windowsill and stretched her arms. "Well, now that we've got that settled, I'm gonna head out with some friends." She smiled down at Ruby. "Any plans today for yourself?"

Ruby grinned. "You know it. I think I'll stop by the kitchen to bake some cookies for myself. After that? Well, I have been meaning to tinker with Crescent Rose a bit more."

Her baby could use some pampering after the beating it had taken the other night. Atlas sure knew how to build their death robots. If only they could keep them from being stolen.

Yang snorted. "I should have known." She moved towards the door and pulled it open, waving at the two of them over her shoulder. "Have fun, you two."

And with that, her sister was gone. Turning to look up at her Servant, Ruby tilted her head aside. "So… you don't mind coming with me to work on my weapon, do you?"

Chief shook his head. "Taking care of your equipment is essential. It's the only way to make sure it can serve you well on the battlefield."

She couldn't agree more. So many of the other students here barely took the time for their weapons. They saw them as little more than simple tools that they just had to clean, sharpen, and oil occasionally. They didn't understand that a weapon was a part of you.

If you only ever did the bare minimum to take care of it, you couldn't expect it to hold up under extreme conditions. As Huntsmen, they needed weapons that could truly excel and the only way to get that was constant maintenance.

She was glad to see that Master Chief agreed with her.

Clapping her hands together, she turned towards the bathroom. "Alright! This is gonna be great! I can show you Crescent Rose, and you can show me your weapons." She chuckled. "I can't wait to see what makes your weapons tick!"

---

"This… are you sure this is real, Ozpin?"

Ozpin sent a solemn nod to his fellow members of the Vale Council over the video call. While he was still within his office at Beacon, he could see that they had all gathered within the parliament building of Vale. "I am afraid so. As much as we may wish it were a hoax, it is not."

One of the younger councilors grimaced and leaned forward over their desk, clutching their head in their hands. "I just can't believe it. A Grimm with actual intelligence…."

He took a slow sip of his coffee. "It is not unheard of. We've always known that the older a Grimm is, the more intelligent they become." He explained. "With this in mind, it was inevitable that one would eventually attain sapience."

An older councilor slammed his fist onto the desk. "Then we should be sending out Huntsmen teams to kill this thing! Stop it before it fulfills its promise in the recording and destroys us all!"

The recording in question had been a horrific display of violence. The ruins of a rural town outside the influence of the city. The defenders falling with pitiful ease. Grimm tearing the survivors limb from limb and drawing out their suffering. All climaxing with Salem herself looking into the camera and declaring war upon Humanity before it cut out.

It was enough to shake even hardened veterans, let alone the simple and pampered politicians of the Council.

It was also completely fabricated. With nothing more than a little Atlas ingenuity and some magical trickery on his end, Ozpin and his allies had crafted a good enough hoax to fool the various Kingdoms councils.

Ozpin drummed his fingers along the top of his cane. "That would be a waste of both lives and time. As far as we can tell, it retreated into the Grimmlands. You know as well as I do that those frontiers are a death sentence."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Another councilor asked. "You're the Hunter among us. In this instance, we will defer to your judgement."

"For one, I recommend we cancel the Vytal Festival for this year."

When none of the councilors threw a fit over the loss of such a treasured international honor, he internally rejoiced. For a moment, he had believed that the councilors would demand they still host the festival, even with the great danger ahead of them. Either out of fear for their own safety, concern for others, or simply a desire to hold power, he was glad to see they understood the risks.

"Second, we must begin to fortify the city." He explained. "We must immediately recall all of our Huntsmen to defend us. I would even recommend reaching out to retired Huntsmen and others with similar skill."

A councilor nodded. "We'll make the calls. I don't know if we'll be able to reach all of them, but we'll get as many to return as we can."

He nodded. "Excellent. Now for the more difficult tasks." A sigh escaped his lips. "We will need to call up our military… and likely expand it as much as we can."

The cacophony of disgruntled and angry shouts that assaulted his ears was not unexpected, but far from pleasant. He weathered it all with a straight face, occasionally taking a sip of his coffee to soothe his annoyance. It was only after they had all exhausted themselves and were panting for breath that he continued.

"As I was saying, we will need to expand our military. The few thousand we keep as a militia - as well as the mechs and other automated defenses we possess - simply will not be enough." He explained.

"Ozpin, the people will throw a fit! There will be riots in the streets if we try to enforce a conscription!" One councilor pointed out. "All of that negativity-"

"Will pale in comparison to the negativity that accompanies a Grimm horde. We will simply have to grit our teeth and endure it." He lightly tapped his cane on the ground twice. "Once they learn why the festival has been canceled and the true extent of the threat these Grimm pose, I'm sure that many will be willing to do what they have to protect their loved ones."

An old crone of a councilor snorted. "Or they'll say that we're tyrants taking away their rights by forcing them into this, or that as tax-paying citizens we have no right to force this on them. Seven hells, I'm sure some will even claim there is no threat, and this is all a trick to do… something nefarious, no doubt."

Collectively, every other member of the council let out a groan. Ozpin was tempted to join them. As much as he may have believed in the common people, even he understood that they could be… foolish at times, to put it nicely. In times of peace and stability, it was a harmless thing.

With the threat ahead of them, Ozpin couldn't afford to take chances or spare people's sense of liberty.

"Let them. At the end of the day, most people will understand why we're taking these measures and go along with it for their own sake." He told them.

A councilor wearing a fur coat frowned. "Even if that's the case, those conscripts won't be anything to write home about. We can maybe teach them to shoot straight and not get themselves killed, but I doubt there'll be any true soldiers among them."

He nodded. "I agree. But you'll find that tens of thousands of guns and cannons all firing at once can more than make up the difference in skill. Especially when we're dealing with a horde of Grimm so large, it will be impossible to miss."

And really, these councilors were underestimating their people. Vale had not always been the fortress city it was known as today, and it had endured plenty of hardship in its time. In ancient times, the common people had taken up arms as levies and volunteer soldiers to push back the Grimm when necessary.

Even without modern technology or extensive training, they had managed to push them back. When confronted by the looming specter of death, it was no surprise just how strong even a single person could become. No matter how powerful the Grimm were, even they had never truly been able to defeat the strength of good men and women defending their homes.

The oldest councilor grunted. "Well, regardless of all that, we'll still need to evacuate the city. I may not have any experience when it comes to military matters, but even I know that keeping civilians around when the Grimm finally attack is a bad idea."

Ozpin nodded. It was good to see that they understood that. If the civilian populace remained here when Salem invaded, he doubted that their defenses would hold. Salem would focus on massacring the defenseless to force the defenders to choose between protecting them or watching them die. In doing this, they would leave themselves exposed and easier to break.

"Which brings me to my next point." He began. "The other Kingdoms will be able to provide safe harbor for our civilians, but I believe they can do more. We must ask for their help militarily."

It was a testament to the danger of the situation that the only show of disapproval from the council at this point were a few scattered frowns. "What do you mean?"

"This sapient Grimm has already shown us that it can control the others of its kind and intends to march on Vale. If I'm right, it will be gathering Grimm from across the continent." He explained. "With the hundreds of thousands roaming Vale territory and potentially millions more within the Grimmlands and oceans, we need to stack the deck in our favor."

"Isn't that what the conscription is for?" One councilor asked.

He nodded. "It is. But if the great horde that I fear does come, it may not be enough. We will need the militaries and Huntsmen of the other Kingdoms if we are to survive."

One of them grimaced. "Putting aside the political ramifications if this happened, what are the chances any of them would even agree to help us in the first place?"

At that moment, Ironwood chose to stand next to Ozpin with his arms crossed behind his back and his lips drawn down into a frown. "The rest of Atlas' Council and I are in agreement. With your permission, we'll begin transferring our troops into the city to fortify it and open our borders to your people until the crisis has been resolved."

"Leonardo and Theodore are both working on the Mistral and Vacuo Councils, respectively." Ozpin added. "While nothing has officially been decided yet, they both assure me that they can sway them to our side."

"So, we'll have our troops and safe havens for our people. That's good news." An elderly councilor grunted. "And say we survive this? What will we owe you? I know we're in no position to negotiate, but I'd prefer we know upfront what survival will cost us."

"Nothing more than favorable trade deals and diplomatic agreements in the future, I assure you." Ironwood tried to smile reassuringly.

Emphasis on tried. Try as James might, he looked far more like he was grimacing and holding back a snarl than smiling. Years as a Huntsman and general hadn't given his old friend much practice with it. Ozpin doubted having to endure the struggles of politics had helped him much, either.

"It is a small price to pay for survival." Ozpin assured them. "I dare say that if we can weather this coming storm, we shall have an era of peace to follow it. Nothing creates lasting bonds like hardship, after all."

"There's no need to sell us on this, Ozpin. We've already agreed to it." The only Faunus councilor among them sighed. "We'll start making preparations soon. If we're lucky, we can reveal the threat to the public by the end of the week and begin evacuations soon after."

Ozpin ran a hand through his neat, gray hair. "I would recommend we keep knowledge of this sapient Grimm a secret for now." He advised. "Tell them this is nothing more than a gathering horde. There is no need to cause any undue panic."

"Don't think they can handle the truth?" A councilor breathed out between puffs of a cigarette.

"Hardly." He scoffed. "This isn't about what they can handle, though. This is about their survival. Revealing that this is anything more than another mindless horde will make evacuating or recruiting people more difficult. The truth can come later once we've proven that the Grimm can be beaten."

No matter their numbers or the intelligence behind them.

"Alright. We'll begin making our preparations and contact our colleagues in the other Kingdoms. This meeting is adjourned."

As the video feed cut out, Ozpin felt a sigh bubble up past his lips and his shoulders sagged. He turned towards his desk and leaned his cane against it.

"Something wrong, old friend?" Ironwood asked out of concern.

A tiny smile split his face. "Everything is fine. I'm just trying to remind myself that I allowed democracy to flourish through the world for a reason."

Ironwood laughed quietly. "Regretting stepping down as king?"

He snorted. "Not one bit. If you think being a councilor and headmaster is bad, imagine being a king. Far more stress than it was ever worth." He shook his head. "Still, in times of crisis? It does help to be the only one making decisions. No need to convince others of a threat or the validity of a plan. I could just command something to be done, and it would happen."

"Autocracies do have their merits, at times." Ironwood admitted. "Still, there was a reason we overthrew them. We'll just have to make do with what our current system allows. I'll speak with the rest of Atas' Council and let them know we can begin the transfer immediately."

Despite those words, his old friend didn't seem ready to leave yet. Something else was still bothering him. "What else is on your mind, James?"

Ironwood's shoulders sagged. "The Grimm aren't the only threat from Salem we have to worry about." He marched past Ozpin towards the still broken window of his office and gestured out towards the city of Vale in the distance. "Her agents are here. Using the White Fang and criminals of your city to weaken us. We need to deal with them before her army arrives, or we'll be facing a war both within and outside of your walls."

Ozpin quirked an eyebrow and sipped on his coffee. "I'm aware. We're handling it-"

"It's not enough." Ironwood interrupted him, slamming his fist into the palm of his hand. "I tolerated your softer approach before because this was your Kingdom. I believed that you knew how to handle it best. But things have changed, and we can't afford to be so gentle anymore."

He hummed, drumming his fingers along the pommel of his cane. "You think we should do things differently now?"

"Of course!" Ironwood growled through clenched teeth. "We need to burn them out like the parasites they are. If we ignore them or keep treating them with kids' gloves, then they could sabotage our efforts to fortify the city. Or worse, kill one of the Masters on our side before Salem even arrives."

Ozpin grimaced. "I understand, James, but they have a Master on their side. You know as well as I do what that means."

And hadn't that been a shock to learn? When word had first reached them about the White Fang's attack on the Atlesian embassy, they had all been horrified. Even at their most dangerous, the White Fang had never been strong enough to breach Atlas' strongest defenses. Especially not without taking enormous casualties of their own.

It had only taken him a few moments after stepping into the building to tell that there had been magic at work. It had supercharged the air and seeped into every inch of the ground, enough that his hair stood on end. The security footage of the attack had only confirmed his suspicions.

Someone in the White Fang had become a Master and summoned a Caster. A Caster with strength that hadn't been seen since the Age of the Gods. Perhaps they were even stronger than he and Salem had been at the peak of their power. They were dangerous.

But if they could be recruited to their side? A powerful weapon against Salem and her forces.

Ironwood clenched his eyes shut. "They've killed my people, Ozpin. Innocent people who did nothing to deserve it!" He slammed his robot fist into a nearby wall. It splintered under his strength. "It is my duty to see them brought to justice."

Ozpin looked away. "There won't be any justice if Salem wins this war." He held up a hand to silence his old friend. "However, I will not sit by and do nothing. This Master will be in hiding. We must draw them out before we can negotiate an alliance with them."

"You still intend to make them allies? What makes you think that Atlas and I would ever fight alongside those monsters?" Ironwood sneered.

"I do. And you will stand beside them because you know what fate awaits us if we remain divided." Ozpin slammed his cane onto the ground. "We will draw them out by attacking their agents and bases. Force them out onto the battlefield and negotiate from there."

If only they could have reached out peacefully. Alas, Ozpin had no way to get in contact with the White Fang. While he had tried his hardest to make Beacon a true bastion of equality, he hadn't been entirely successful. Some of his financial supporters and even his own students harbored disdain for the Faunus.

Any attempts at contact he made short of complete support for their cause and calls for the downfall of Atlas would be ignored.

This was the only way.

"This is a mistake, Ozpin. But fine, we'll do it your way, for now." Ironwood spat. "I just hope that this isn't something you end up regretting."

"There are many things that I regret, James. Giving people a chance to do good in the world has never been one of them." He reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Please, just… give this a chance. If it fails, then I alone shall bear the consequences."

"No, you won't. If this fails, then countless people will die. Potentially all of us if your Servant is killed." Ironwood closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. "We already have one of their bases in the city located. My troops will be hitting it tomorrow. With your permission, I'd like your students and their Servants to accompany them."

Ozpin's eyes widened. "Why?"

"They need experience." Ironwood told him. "They know how to fight Grimm and some of them even have experience fighting other people. But it's an entirely different thing to fight as a unit with soldiers at your back. It's best they learn now instead of when Salem is on the march."

"I see your point." Ozpin admitted. "That could be done here though. Sending them into the Emerald forest with teams of soldiers at their back to prepare them. Or perhaps drills here on school grounds where they can be safe."

"My troops need protection as well, Ozpin." Ironwood sighed. "If that Servant behind the attack on our embassy is there, my troops are doomed. They'll be slaughtered. At least with your students and their Servants there, my soldiers will have a fighting chance."

It would also put his students in danger. If that Caster and its Master were there in the raid, then there would be losses. Those soldiers wouldn't be the only ones to die. He could very easily lose some or all of his students. And with them, any chance of their Servants being able to help win this war.

Not to mention that they were still children, whatever responsibility may now rest on their shoulders.

After a few moments, Ozpin reluctantly nodded. "Very well. I shall allow it–on the condition that Saber accompanies you as well. For both protection and potential negotiation, if the Servant truly is there."

Ironwood smiled. "I certainly won't say no to more help. Where is Saber, anyway?"

He chuckled. "Wandering around Beacon, no doubt. He said he wanted to get a feel for this world of ours and learn a bit about the Grimm, so he's prepared to fight them."

"Is he now? It's reassuring to hear him being proactive enough to study our enemy. I can respect that."

"As can I." Ozpin agreed. "While I don't know his story quite yet, I know this: he may have more experience dealing with monsters than any other Servant in the war."

For that alone, he would be an invaluable ally against Salem.

---

"That's enough, team JNPR! Take a break."

Jaune didn't so much relax as he did collapse to the ground at Professor Goodwitch's words. His limbs felt like that were on fire and he was gasping for breath. While his team wasn't in as bad a state as he was, none of them were picture perfect. Nora was hunched over and clutching her knees, Ren was practically gulping down a bottle of water, and even Pyrrha was drenched in sweat.

Their training with Professor Goodwitch had been brutal. He'd thought that her combat class was bad, but actually fighting her? That was another story. She was relentless, efficient, and tore them to shreds.

The only consolation was that she wasn't in any better shape than they were. The Professor was panting for breath and drenched in sweat. Her aura had even been brought down into the red and she was sporting a few bruises on her face and arms where her sleeves had been cut by attacks.

He'd have felt proud if it had actually been his team to do this to her.

Instead, it had all been the work of his Servant. Lancer had decided to join in on their training since the Professor believed it was important they learn how to fight alongside him. A decision Jaune was willing to bet good money on her regretting after she'd taken a solid bash of Lancer's drill straight to the face.

Out of all of them, Lancer didn't even look worse for wear. There was hardly a scratch on the strange diving suit his Servant wore and he hadn't let out a single noise the entire fight. Jaune wasn't sure whether he was supposed to feel proud that he had such a strong fighter on his side or depressed that he couldn't live up to him.

"An impressive showing, team JNPR." Professor Goodwitch straightened her back and holstered her riding crop at her side. "It's safe to say that you four work well as a team."

Collectively, they all smiled at each other.

"However," she continued, "you cannot solely rely on each other to cover for your individual weaknesses. You must still work to improve where you can. Mr. Ren, Ms. Valkyrie!"

Ren blinked, and Nora frowned. "Yes, Professor?"

"You and your partner work well as a pair. You stick close, cover each other's flanks, and move as one person in two bodies. Together, the two of you can take on any opponent." The stern woman frowned. "However, you need to keep the rest of your team in the loop as well. Even if the two of you can silently come up with a plan, they need to know as well."

Ren bowed his head. "Of course, Professor. We'll try to work on communicating with them better."

Her sharp eyes slid to Pyrrha. "Ms. Nikos, you are easily the strongest member of your team–perhaps even within your entire class." She began. "However, you cannot allow this to dictate how you fight. While it may be noble to try to keep your enemy focused on you, it relies on your skill surpassing theirs. If you ever face an enemy stronger than you, fighting like that will be your undoing."

Pyrrha crossed her arms behind her back and gave their teacher a respectful nod. "I understand, Professor. I'll try not to fight on my own from now on."

When the professors' eyes landed on him, Jaune instinctively flinched at the disapproving glint in her eyes. "As for you, Mr. Arc… I don't know what I can say that you haven't heard already." She sighed. "You spend too much time hiding behind your shield and your teammates. You hesitate before you give out commands, even when there is no time for doubt. Not to mention your continued lackluster physical skill."

With each harsh critique, Jaune flinched and felt a piece of himself crumple to ash with shame. He couldn't look at his teammates for fear of seeing the disappointment in their eyes. He was still so weak… what a terrible leader he must have been.

He blinked when he felt a massive, gloved hand rest on his shoulder. His eyes trailed up to stare into the glowing, golden visor of his Servant. Lancer gave him a gentle squeeze and slowly helped him to his feet.

It was strangely comforting.

Jaune took a deep breath and nodded. "I understand, Professor. I'll do better. I promise."

Her eyes searched his face. Whatever it was she found, it must have pleased her. She gave a quick nod before turning and walking away. "That will be all for now, JNPR. Take the rest of the day to relax–we will resume your training tomorrow."

Once she was gone, the rest of his team slowly started to gather his things and head out the door to enjoy the rest of their day. Before they left, Pyrrha turned to look back at him with her ever-present smile still in place. "Coming, Jaune?"

He gave them a small smile. "I'll catch up later."

With nothing more than a shared look and a shrug of their shoulders, his team was gone. Once the doors shut behind them, a sigh escaped his lips, and he glanced down at Crocea Mors. With a frustrated groan, he slammed it back into its scabbard.

A low, rumbling moan echoed through the room.

"I'm fine, Lancer. Just thinking is all." Jaune glanced up at the hulking Servant and frowned. "I wish you could actually talk. It'd be better than me having to guess what you mean."

An apologetic, whistling moan emanated from Lancer while he shrugged his massive shoulders.

Jaune's eyes lit up with excitement, and he reached into his pocket. "Hold on, I've got it!" He pulled out his scroll and thrust it into Lancer's hands. "We can use this! Just type out what you want to say, and the scroll will speak for you!"

Whoever invented text-to-speech had been an absolute genius and he could have kissed them.

Jaune, however, was no such genius. It took him all of five seconds to realize that his glorious plan had a glaring flaw. A single finger of Lancer's was bigger than the screen of his scroll, let alone the tiny haptic keyboard used to type messages.

Lancer looked down at the pathetically tiny machine in his hands. He let out a low, melodic moan and reached down to pat Jaune on the head. Almost as if he was saying that it had been a good idea in theory.

Slumping his shoulders, Jaune snatched the scroll from Lancer's hand and pocketed it again. "Don't worry. We'll find some way to communicate." He assured him with a smile. "Maybe we'll grab some cans of paint, and you can just write on the walls. Or I could try learning sign language. Ozpin said you understand all our languages, but does that only include speech or-"

"My, you do like to ramble on, don't you?"

Jaune gasped and spun around with wide eyes to see who was standing in the doorway. He was greeted by the sight of raven hair, amber eyes, and a coy smile stretched across Mistralian features.

He knew this woman.

"Oh, Cinder. It's just you." He breathed a sigh of relief. "What are you doing here?"

She quirked an eyebrow. "I could ask you the same thing. I just saw your team and Professor Goodwitch leave a few minutes ago. I'm surprised you aren't with them."

"I just figured I'd hang back for a little and rest." Scratching the back of his head, he turned away. "Sorry if I'm in your way. I'll get going so you can use the training room."

She laughed and strode towards him. "There's no need to rush. I may not know you and your friends as well as Mercury and Emerald, but I don't mind being around you." Once she was close, she tilted her head aside and allowed her hair to frame her face. "Do you mind if I ask you something, Jaune?"

He blinked. "What is it?"

"Why is Professor Goodwitch giving your team special training?" She asked. "She and the other teachers have been harder on all of us recently, but you've been getting pulled aside more than anyone else. Team RWBY too, now that I think about it."

He couldn't quite meet her eyes. "Just luck, I guess? The Professor thought that since I'm a bit behind on my combat skills, I could use the tutoring. My team just joined in to be supportive."

There was a disbelieving, amused glint in her eyes. "Is that right? And Team RWBY is getting it too because…?"

A nervous laugh escaped him. "No comment?"

The excuse sounded weak even to his ears. Through their bond, Jaune could feel the amusement coming from Lancer. If it were possible, he was pretty sure his Servant would have been laughing at the sight of Jaune making a fool of himself.

Cinder hummed in disbelief. "Alright, Jaune. Keep your secrets for now. I'll get them out of you, eventually."

"How do you plan on doing that?"

She laughed and walked past him, brushing her fingers against his chest as she did. "I can be quite resourceful when it comes to getting what I want. I'll think of something."

Jaune was thankful that he was still visibly exhausted from his training. Otherwise, he was certain the heat rushing to his face would have shown. He hadn't interacted much with Cinder compared to Emerald and Mercury, but that didn't stop him from admiring her from afar. He doubted she meant anything by those words, though.

Just an overactive imagination on his end.

Cinder hummed and tapped her chin in thought as she stared up at Lancer with a curious expression. "This is your Semblance?" She asked. "I'll be honest, I've only ever heard of the Schnee's being able to summon things to fight for them."

It took Jaune a minute to realize what she was talking about. In order to keep anyone from asking too many questions, Lancer was called a manifestation of his Semblance. A physical being that would follow his orders and fight at his side, like the summoned creatures that Weiss' family could sometimes use.

Everyone had been willing to believe it. After all, what other reasonable explanation could there be? As far as any of them knew, there was no such thing as magic, and Semblances could do all sorts of things.

A part of Jaune felt guilty about adding another lie to the pile, but what choice did he have? No one who didn't already know about the Grail War would believe the truth, and those who did might try to kill him for it. At least this lie was harmless compared to some of the others he'd told during his time at Beacon.

He cleared his throat. "Yeah. It's called Pair Bond." He told her. "The Headmaster said that he's a physical manifestation of my aura and drive to be a Hunter."

She smirked. "Did he now? Well, I'm glad to hear that the Headmaster knew what your Semblance did. How convenient for you." She chuckled. "So, does he have a name?"

Jaune blinked. He still hadn't learned what Lancer's real name was, so that was out. Time to improvise. He hadn't been made team leader for nothing! "It's Lancer."

… Or he could go and just be a fool about it. He didn't have to look at them to feel Cinder's growing amusement or Lancer's astonishment at his Master's lack of imagination. It wasn't his fault, though! Coming up with names on the spot was hard!

Cinder cocked her hip to the side. "Lancer? Really?"

He steadfastly nodded. "Yep. Lancer. I am a knight, after all. Figured it'd be nice to have one at my back like in the old stories. Now all I need is a healer and thief, and my party will be complete."

That was his story, and he was sticking to it. It may have made him seem like a bumbling idiot, but growing up with seven sisters had taught him an important lesson. If people were too busy laughing at you, then they wouldn't dig any deeper unless you gave them a reason to.

Luckily for him, Jaune played the fool well.

Cinder hummed in thought for a moment. Then a melodic laugh escaped her lips, and she patted him on the shoulder. "Fair enough. Far be it from me to tell you what to call your own Semblance." She smiled pleasantly. "Well, I was planning to get some training of my own done. Would you and Lancer care to join me?"

He blinked. "You want me to train with you? Seriously?"

She flipped her long, black hair over her shoulder with a challenging glint in her eyes. "Worried that I won't be able to keep up with you?" She raised her bandage-wrapped hands and beckoned him towards her. "I may not seem like much, but I can more than hold my own."

He didn't doubt that. If there was one thing that Beacon had taught him, it was that appearances could be deceiving. It was why he always looked at others he was about to fight with a healthy level of caution. It didn't matter how small or unintimidating someone looked. He never knew when one of his colorful fellow students would pull out some insane Semblance or toss him around like a rag doll.

He held up his hands in surrender. "It's not that. It's just… you realize that I'm pretty weak, right? There's a reason most people hate sparring with me." He grouched. "Not to mention I'm still pretty tired from my last session with Professor Goodwitch."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I can't say I care what your classmates think. You wouldn't be here if you didn't have the skills for it."

His forged transcripts proved otherwise.

A finger poked at his breastplate. "I'm not going to take no for an answer." She told him. "If it helps, I promise to go easy on you and Lancer."

He couldn't help but laugh. "You may end up regretting that. Lancer here is pretty strong."

The smile on her face grew a tiny bit wider. "I'll bet he is." She reached up to stroke his cheek. He flushed, and this time he was certain that she noticed. "I'm hoping that his Master is just as capable."

"Um… uh…."

He cursed himself for sounding like a fool! What was he supposed to say, though? Or do, for that matter? He'd never been in a situation like this before! This was new territory that he had not been prepared to handle today!

Luckily for him, she was laughed and stepped back. "Tongue tied, are we? That's adorable." She turned to stride over to the other side of the arena. "Well, Jaune? Shall we begin? I've plenty of energy to work out of my system, and I could use your help."

He audibly gulped and drew his sword. With a hesitant glance up at Lancer, he shrugged, and they both moved to follow her into the arena.

He was going to regret it in a few moments once the pain started coming his way. But… he couldn't help but feel curious. Cinder had been so distant compared to her teammates, yet now here she was asking to train with him and acting so friendly.

He wondered what had changed.

---

The library was empty.

It wasn't a surprise. Most of Weiss' fellow students tended to avoid the library on the weekend in favor of spending the day out in Vale or relaxing in their dorms. It meant that she had the perfect opportunity to conduct her research without being interrupted by any curious or loud students.

Ever since Headmaster Ozpin had revealed the truth to them, Weiss had been doing some thinking. Magic wasn't just real; it was all around them. Dust, Aura, Semblances… fragments of the magic that once permeated the world. More importantly, all the old fairy tales that she and her team had grown up on were true.

By that same logic, that meant that the powers and relics within them might just be useful.

It was a long shot, but Weiss couldn't stop her curiosity from getting the better of her. They'd already been told that the Four Maidens, Silver-Eyed Warriors, the Infinite Man, and Two Brothers were all true. If that was the case, then what else could be true?

Was there truly a crown that allowed one to glimpse into the future? A lamp capable of granting great power and knowledge to its users? What about a staff that could grant one the powers of a god? Did the moon truly have an entity living within it? Could there even be an entirely separate world untouched by the Grimm where the laws of physics didn't exist?

So many possibilities. If even a small percentage of them were true, then it could change everything. Anything that could give them an advantage over Salem was something they should be taking advantage of.

She suppressed a shiver. Salem herself was one fairy tale that she wished hadn't been true. To think that someone could truly control the Grimm… it was madness. With immense magical power and true immortality on top of that? She was without a doubt the most powerful thing on the face of Remnant.

And her team was expected to be the ones to strike her down.

Or at least, Ruby was. Not that it mattered much. None of them were going to just sit back and let Ruby handle this on her own. They were a team. That meant they faced down every threat together, no matter what. If Weiss could lighten the burden on her friend by finding some new weapon or potential ally in these old stories?

Then she'd dedicate all of her free time to it from now on. After all, what kind of teammate would she be if she did nothing to help her first real friend?

If nothing else, the Headmaster could confirm which of the stories were true. Once he did, perhaps they'd be able to track them down and bolster their forces with them.

With a small stack of storybooks in her arms, Weiss marched over to a secluded alcove and sat down to get to work. However, it didn't take more than ten minutes for something more urgent to draw her attention.

"Ow! Stop it! That hurts!"

Setting the book in her hands down, a frown stretched across her face. Weiss recognized that voice. But it couldn't possibly be who she was thinking of. There hadn't been an incident with her in weeks! Forcing herself to her feet, she silently followed the faint sound of whimpers through the library.

Obscured by the thick bookshelves all around her, Weiss peaked out around the corner and scowled. It was as she'd feared. Four humans had backed Velvet Scarlatina into a corner. She didn't recognize them, but she didn't have to when their motives were clear as day.

With mocking smiles and arrogant grins, none of them seemed to care as the leader among them tugged Velvet's ears. The sound of Velvet's pained whimpers was enough to make Weiss' blood boil.

She'd thought that this sort of stuff had come to an end when Cardin and his lackies had started shaping up after the incident in Forever Fall. And maybe for their class, it had. But for the upperclassmen? There must have been racist fools even among them that none of them had ever seen yet.

Suddenly, Velvet's limp response to Cardin's bullying of her made sense. As a second-year student, she would have been more than capable of defending herself against his team. Once the bullies within her year found out that she'd stood up to and hurt a Human though? They would make her life a living hell.

"Come on, stop squirming, would you?" One of them taunted. "I heard that when you pull on a rabbit Faunus' ear, you get ten years' good luck. I just had to try it out."

A snicker came from the shortest of the bullies. "Yeah, don't you wanna help us out? With your help, maybe we'll finally be able to win the lottery."

Velvet grit her teeth and tears gathered in her eyes–though whether it was from anger or pain, Weiss couldn't tell. "Please, just leave me alone. I wasn't bothering anyone."

One of them scoffed. "Wow, way to be rude. Honestly, I know you're an animal, but the least you could do is have some manners."

Velvet flinched. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I shouldn't have said that."

The one holding her ear squeezed tighter, drawing a sharp breath from the rabbit Faunus. After a moment, they scoffed and shook his head. "Nope. You're not getting off that easy. This kind of insult deserves true repayment."

"What do you want?" She whimpered.

Their grin grew wider. "Well, you know how the professors canceled all the upper classes' missions? That means that we've all got plenty of time and opportunity to attend the yearly dance."

Velvet froze.

Weiss dug her nails into the palm of her hand hard enough that her aura flared.

One of the bullies recoiled in genuine disgust. "Ew. Are you seriously asking this animal to the dance?"

"Ha! As if! I just think it'd be nice for me and my date to be waited on by her." They laughed. "After all, if Velvet is serious about making it up to us, then she'd be happy to do this. Right, Velvet?"

Weiss wasn't going to just stand here and listen to this anymore. Once upon a time, she had been the type to sit by and do nothing. To shake her head at these types of people and pity the victims, but never actually do anything to stop it. It was just so easy to do nothing and feel self-righteous about her personal disgust.

She didn't know when she stopped being able to do that. Maybe it had been an effect of spending time outside of Atlas. Maybe it was Blake's influence. Whatever it was, Weiss knew that she had to do something. She just wasn't sure what. She was no brawler like Yang, and even if she had been, she was outnumbered four to one.

Fighting wasn't an option here.

She tensed as a white-haired figure emerged from between the bookshelves. A man that she had only met once, but who was impossible to forget once she knew what he was.

As Saber looked over the scene, a frown slowly stretched across his face, and he crossed his arms in front of him. "Enough. Leave her alone."

Collectively, all the bullies and Velvet turned to Saber in shock. It was enough for them to let go of Velvet, though she was noticeably still trapped behind them against a wall. The leader frowned and barred his teeth in annoyance. "This ain't any of your business, old man. What, you an animal lover like her team is?"

One of them elbowed their leader in the side. "Careful! This one's close to the headmaster and professor Goodwitch. No need to anger him."

"You should listen to your friend." Saber told them. "Leave now, and I'll forget this ever happened."

They smiled. "Come on… we're just having a bit of fun. Isn't that right, Velvet?"

Without saying a word or looking him in the eyes, she nodded.

"There, see?" They drawled. "Just a bunch of friends messing around."

"Look at his eyes!" One of them exclaimed. "They're like a cats. He's a Faunus too!"

Weiss blinked. Cat eyes? That had been one thing she'd overlooked when she first met the man. Could he have been a Faunus himself? If Humans existed in other worlds, then it only made sense that the Faunus would as well. She'd have to ask Archer later once she got a chance.

The leader snorted. "Oh? So, just a freak trying to protect another freak? Why am I not surprised?"

Saber's eyes narrowed, and he took a step forward. That single step was enough to make all of them step back. "If there's one thing I hate, it's repeating myself. Leave her be."

"Or what? You'll make us?"

"Yes."

The bored confidence in Saber's tone must have surprised them. People like these bullies were used to acting tough and pushing others around. One's that had the skills of a Hunter to back it up only made them bolder. To see someone not just standing up to them, but looking down on them must have been a new experience.

Weiss didn't doubt that he could back up his confidence either. If he was anything like Archer, then Saber would be more than capable of taking these fools on. Especially since he had his weapons and armor, while they didn't even have any of their own equipment handy.

They seemed to realize that as well. The leader scoffed and turned away, beckoning his people to follow him. "Fine. You win. I was getting bored anyway."

Weiss hid behind the corner and watched as the team of older students stormed out of the library. Peeking out from behind the bookshelf again, she heard Saber sigh and saw him bend down to pick a book up off the floor. It must have been Velvet's, for she quickly took it from him once offered.

"You can relax now." Saber's deep, raspy voice whispered. "It's over."

"For you, maybe." Velvet tightened her fingers around the binder of the book. "They'll just wait until the next time I'm alone and come after me then. All this has done is make them angry."

He frowned. "Nothing I can do about that. Sorry." Saber glanced at her ear. "Do you need me to take you to the infirmary?"

A bitter laugh escaped her lips. "This is hardly the first time I've had my ears pulled. I can take care of them myself." She shook her head. "I'm sorry. You were just trying to help. You don't deserve my annoyance."

Saber grunted, reaching up to brush some of his white hair out of his eyes. "I can speak with the Ozpin. Maybe he can do something."

Velvet's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "If you want to, I can't stop you. It won't matter, though. They'll get detention and harsh words at most–if they're punished at all."

"Guess this place isn't much different from where I come from then." Saber looked away. "You have a team? Think you can stick by them until those people lose interest?"

"They won't. But yes, I do have a team." This time, the smile on her face seemed genuine as Velvet thought of her team. "They'd be so furious if they knew what happened here. They're great like that."

"You should tell them then." Saber smiled. "Friends are important. Always helps to have a few when you're struggling."

Velvet looked away. "I… no. No, I couldn't do that. I don't wanna burden them anymore than they already are with me on their team." She bowed deeply to Saber. "Thank you again, sir. I really do appreciate that you helped me. Not many do–not even other Faunus."

"Hmm. Take care of yourself, kid."

"I will." Velvet moved to leave but paused mid-step and turned back to him. "I just realized that I never asked your name."

Saber smiled. "It's Geralt. Geralt of… well, it doesn't matter. Just Geralt is fine."

"Then I hope to see you again, Geralt." With one final smile, Velvet turned and left.

Hidden behind the bookcase, Weiss watched her go with a complicated expression. To think that she was keeping this a secret from her team. Weiss couldn't understand why she wouldn't want to tell them, especially since it seemed like they got along well. If it had been Blake suffering like this at the hands of racist fools, Weiss would have been the first person to defend her.

Then again, Blake would never have just stood there and taken it, either.

Just as Weiss was getting ready to head back to her books, she heard Geralt let out another sigh and audibly lean back against the wooden case. "I know you're there. You can come out now."

Drat! She'd thought she'd been so inconspicuous too! Maybe if she just stayed quiet and didn't move, he'd move on? No, she doubted that. Geralt didn't seem like the type of person to just ignore someone spying on him. Even if that hadn't technically been her goal in being here in the first place.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped out from behind the bookshelves with her arms crossed behind her back. She held his gaze and bowed her head in apology. "Sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop on you."

"I know. You were eavesdropping on them before I got here." Geralt shrugged. "So, what would you have done?"

She frowned. "Excuse me?"

"What would you have done if I hadn't been here?" He asked again. "I could hear your heart beating a mile a minute. So, what would you have done to help her? You don't seem like the type to just sit back and do nothing."

She wasn't. Not anymore.

"I'm not sure." She admitted. "Probably just revealed myself and hoped that would be enough. They targeted her when she was alone for a reason. Maybe seeing me and knowing they had a witness would have made them stop."

"Or it would have made them focus on you instead." Geralt pointed out.

Now it was her turn to shrug. "That doesn't matter. I can take care of myself, and spineless bullies like them don't scare me." She smirked. "I'm a Huntress. I kill Grimm as a warmup. Those fools can't scare me."

Geralt hummed. As the two of them stood there in silence and looked at one another, Weiss found her eyes drifting to the curved scar on his face. Unlike her own scar, which had faded with time, his was still a vibrant red. It made it seem like a fresh wound that he had taken instead of a physical memory of an old battle. Combined with his golden cat eyes and long white hair, he cut a striking image.

Weiss could only imagine what the two of them must have looked like. If anyone were to pass by, they could mistake them for being related. Geralt certainly wouldn't have looked out of place in a painting on the wall of old Schnee war heroes.

Just when she realized she had been staring too long and was about to apologize, she realized that he had been doing the same. She shifted on the spot. "What?"

He looked away. "Sorry. You just… look like someone I knew. Once upon a time."

Weiss was tempted to pry. How could she not be when the similarities were obvious, even to her? A lifetime of high society manners was the only thing that stayed her tongue. "So, is your name really Geralt?" She asked instead.

Geralt huffed in amusement. "It is. Figured I shouldn't just go by Saber when I can avoid it. Don't want to be too obvious about what I am."

Fair enough. Weiss couldn't blame him for wanting to keep his true nature a secret when doing otherwise would see him quickly become a target. It was a concern that she shared for Archer and Ruby. Knowing what her partner was like, their enemies would discover who she was the moment they took to the field.

Assuming they didn't already know. Their battle against Torchwick had hardly been inconspicuous.

Weiss hummed. "Do you mind if I ask what you're doing in the library?"

She couldn't help it. The man standing before her was a hero from another world made up entirely of magical energy. Yet here he was spending his time among books instead of training or shadowing his Master like the other Servants she'd met.

Geralt shook his head. "Assuming nothing goes wrong, I'll be spending a lot of time in this world of yours. Figured I should learn what I can about it."

She tilted her head to the side. "I thought you were given all the knowledge you'd need when you came here?"

An amused smile graced his face. "Key word there is need. That means stuff like languages and the basics of your world." He gestured all around them with wide arms. "Everything else, though? That's up to us to figure out."

"I see. Then what is it you're trying to learn about now?" She doubted it was anything fictional. While one could argue that fiction gave a deeper insight into the mentality of its author and those who read it, a Servant wouldn't be interested in that. "Is it the technology of our world? The politics? Maybe Semblances and Aura?"

"The Grimm."

That made a lot of sense. If the Headmaster was right, Salem would be coming with an army of monsters at her back. One that would eclipse any horde she had used in the past, all in an effort to win the final battle of their eternal war.

She could see why Geralt wanted to learn how to fight them.

"Do you want any help, then?" She offered with a smile. "I'm still in training, but I've fought plenty of Grimm to prepare for the academy."

Geralt grunted. "That'd be helpful. I tried to ask your Grimm Studies teacher about them, but… well…."

She tried to quietly hide her laughter behind her hand. "I know what you mean. There's a reason most students treat Professor Port's class as free nap time." Even she had been tempted to do the same during her moments of weakness. "Follow me then. I'll find you some books that go over the most common types of Grimm, and we'll work our way up from there."

As the two of them moved through the library, Geralt walked beside her. She could see the faint traces of a curious grin on his face. "Thanks. What will I owe you for this?"

"Just promise to keep my partner safe during the war, and I'll call it even."

Despite the pleasant smile on her face, her words were anything but easygoing. Geralt must have realized this since he gave her a quiet but firm nod. It was good that he understood.

Weiss would do whatever it took to protect her partner. Ruby hadn't asked to be part of this war, and she'd be damned if she let that dolt get killed when she could help it.

---

It was a small mercy when Cinder returned to an empty dorm room, but one she was thankful for nonetheless. Shutting the door behind her with a pained wince, she moved towards her bed and promptly flopped into it with all the coordination of a blind turtle tumbling down a mountain.

Ordinarily, she'd never have been so ungraceful, even in the privacy of her own room. After the spar she'd had with Arc and his Servant though?

She felt she could be forgiven just this once.

A boisterous laughter filled the room as Rider appeared next to her in a shimmer of golden light. Unlike before, his hood was down, allowing his unkempt blond hair to cascade down his shoulders.

"So, how'd your little sparring match go?" He asked. "Get everything you were hoping for?"

The grin on his face was entirely too smug for her liking.

"I'll have you know that everything went according to plan." She growled.

He snorted. "Getting smacked around by a giant drill was part of your plan, was it?"

"It was a spar." She retorted. "It's only natural I take a few blows as well."

The excuse sounded weak even to her ears. Arc had been as weak as she'd expected–made even worse by his own prior exhaustion. Lancer, however, had been a different beast altogether. Deceptively fast, overwhelmingly strong, and more than happy to push through her own attacks as though they weren't there.

And somehow, it still felt as though the creature had been holding back. Almost as though there were yet more tricks he was hiding for the right situation to reveal itself.

She'd done better than that Winchester fool, but that wasn't saying much. Was the gap between Servants and the rest of them simply that wide? Were the heroes of other worlds truly that much more powerful? Or was the Grail in some way enhancing them to even the playing field?

Not that it mattered. At the end of the day, strength was strength. If she couldn't defeat a Servant in a straight-forward battle, then she'd have to find other ways to do that. Killing their Masters, wearing them down with waves of Grimm or White Fang soldiers, traps, hit-and-run attacks.

The possibilities were endless.

"You're lucky neither of them could sense the magic in you. And that your Command Seals stayed hidden during the fight." Rider stood up and marched over to Mercury's bed, pulling out a box from underneath it. "If they'd figured out the truth, it might not have ended will for you."

Ignoring the aching pain she still felt, Cinder forced herself to sit up and cross one leg over the other. "If they'd discovered what I am, then I'd have used my magic to defend myself." Perhaps then she'd have been more of a challenge to that hulking monster. "And I'd have had you to help me."

"Course you would have. I may have been a scoundrel in life, but I had a code. Value loyalty above all else." Rider laughed as he plucked out a large, wrapped bottle of rum. The very same Mercury had been meant to give him. "I'd have stepped in to save your hide. Long enough for us to escape, at least."

She frowned. "Escape? Are you telling me you can't defeat Lancer?"

That was troubling. After Rider's exceptional work dealing with Crown's small army of goons, she'd have thought that Rider would be one of the stronger Servants in the war. As a Maiden, she should automatically have been given a powerful Servant.

If a weakling like Arc could get an even stronger one, then this was an insult to her pride. Did the Grail not see her as worthy of its truly exceptional warriors?

Sensing her thoughts, Rider narrowed his eyes. "Oi! Don't underestimate me. I may not be as strong as that beast, but there's more to winning a fight than raw strength." He effortlessly ripped the cork out of the unopened bottle and tossed it aside. "No, we could have dealt with them easily enough. It's what would have come after that we'd have had to worry about."

She hummed in understanding. Yes, she could see his point now. If they'd been discovered, the rest of Beacon would have descended upon with the ferocity of an angry hornet's nest. Not just the students and their teachers, but the Atlesian soldiers stationed here and the other two Servants roaming the school grounds.

Cinder was confident in her strength. She'd argue that she was among the most dangerous people on Remnant who didn't possess immortality. Yet not even she would be dare take on an entire Huntsman academy and two Servants with just Emerald, Mercury, and Rider at her back.

Escape would have been their only option.

Fortunately for them, they were still safe for the moment. She'd start crafting more effective exit strategies later. She never knew when they'd all need to leave this place.

"I see…." She trailed off. "Well, let's do our best to keep you hidden for now. As long as the other Masters don't know who you are, the bigger an advantage we'll have when it inevitably becomes time to fight."

He grunted. "Speaking of fighting, I've been meaning to ask you something."

Was he now? She couldn't deny that she was curious. "What is it?"

"You heard about the attack on the Atlesian embassy, right?"

Cinder couldn't help but roll her eyes. Of course, she had heard about the attack–it was all the news had been reporting on since it happened. She didn't know where the White Fang found the Hunters or the resources to pull that off, but she wasn't complaining. With power like that on their side, they would make even more useful pawns.

"Hard not to."

Rider took a slow swig of his whiskey and breathed out a sigh of contentment. "They killed innocent people. Butchered them like animals, and if I've heard right, this isn't the first time they've done it."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Your point being?"

"You're working with killers and fanatics."

She couldn't help but scoff. "You were a pirate, and I'm hardly a saint."

"Aye, I was." He took another short swig of the rum. "It's why I can tell you this. People like them will stab you in the back first chance they get. If they're willing to kill civilians, then they'll have no issue doing the same to you."

"I'm not a fool, Rider." She raised her palm and summoned a ball of fire in her hand. To her annoyance, her Servant didn't even flinch at the display of power. "I know they plan to turn on me once I stop being useful to them."

"And yet you're still working with them." He sneered. "There are easier ways of getting yourself killed."

"They are useful pawns. Full of so much hatred for the world that they'll blindly throw their lives away for the chance of making others hurt just as much as they do." She smirked. "It makes them easy to manipulate, and even easier to use for our gruesome work."

"Blood hell." He swore. "And it doesn't bother you? Working with people who would happily burn the world down?"

Her eyes narrowed. "You're not just talking about the White Fang."

"Give the woman a prize! She figured it out." He set his rum aside on a nearby desk and crossed his arms in front of him. "This Salem woman is planning to bring an army of these Grimm here and raze this city to the ground."

"She is."

"She also wants you–and by proxy, the rest of us–to weaken the city. Kill its people, destroy its defenses, and leave everyone here as easy prey." He growled. "And you're okay with that?"

She shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be?" She asked. "You're not some naïve fool. You know exactly what kind of people live in the world. Monsters in Human skin that abuse, exploit, and kill when it suits them. No one is innocent."

"Is that what you believe?" Rider didn't make any attempt to hide the disdain in his voice now. "And what about the people who have never hurt anyone in their life? The ones who've dedicated themselves to helping others? What about the children?"

It wasn't until Rider mentioned children that Cinder flinched. She… hadn't thought about the children. Why would she? They hardly mattered or ever factored into anything. In the grand scheme of things, they were worthless unless they could serve some greater purpose in their plans.

Just as she had once been.

Cinder hardened her face into a scowl and looked away. "Don't act so morally superior." She hissed. "How many innocents did you kill in your pursuit of riches and glory?"

Closing his eyes, Rider took a deep breath and looked away. "Too many to count."

The two of them stood in silence for a while after that. Neither of them knew what to say. Rider out of what must have been past guilt, and her? Cinder didn't know. For the first time in a long time, she didn't know what to say.

Eventually, Rider let out a sigh and looked her way. "You realize the Grail only grants a single wish?"

She blinked. "I'm aware."

"And you do want that wish, right? The Grail wouldn't make a contract with someone who didn't."

"Of course I want the wish." The fire in her flared a bit with her annoyance. "Was there a point to these questions, or are you just determined to get on my nerves?"

'The point," he drawled, "is what you plan to do when this is all over. If your mistress's plan succeeds, this city will be destroyed and all the other Servants will be dead. Which will just leave the two of them… and the two of us."

The unspoken question made her tighten her hands into fists. "Be very careful about what you say next." She warned. "I will not betray my mistress."

Rider smiled, but there was no mirth in it–only pity. "She's a lucky woman to have your loyalty." He turned away. "I hope for your sake that the feeling is mutual."

"Enough!" She snapped with more force than she'd meant to use. She wouldn't be surprised if people outside had heard her. "If all you're going to do is question my mistress and her plans, then you can go. Make yourself useful somewhere else."

He snorted. "And what would you have me do, oh glorious Master of mine?" He mocked.

Cinder was tempted to use a Command Seal just to teach him a lesson. She couldn't afford to waste them, though. Not on something as simple as Rider provoking her into an argument.

"Hunt." She ordered. "There are Atlesian officers and Huntsmen in the city. Find and kill as many as you can without being spotted. It'll weaken their forces and destroy their resolve once they know someone is targeting them. Do you think you can handle that without your morals getting in the way?"

Rider scowled, but nodded. "Aye, I can handle it." He started to disappear in a shimmer of golden light, but not before one final parting word. "Just think on what I've said, lass. How much are you willing to sacrifice for your wish? Or your mistress, for that matter?"

Cinder didn't say anything to him as he disappeared.

How could she when not even she knew the answer?

---

Ruby was in love.

Most people called her fascination with weapons strange. When she'd been a kid, everyone had always given her strange looks for wanting to spend time tinkering with weapons instead of playing sports or hanging out with other people. More than a few had even called her a creep for knowing so much about them. Even when she'd decided to become a Huntress, the other kids hadn't understood why she was so enamored by them.

They could never understand. A weapon was an extension of who that person was–a glimpse into their soul. The type of weapon could tell you how they liked to operate on a day-to-day basis. How they took care of it could tell whether they were a careful and dedicated person or careless and lazy. Even the little modifications and personal touches one gave their weapons could say more about them than a thousand words ever could.

And what Archer's–Chief's–weapons were telling her?

He and his people were fascinating.

A semi-automatic, gas-operated, magazine-fed sniper rifle was laid out on the workbench before her. It had a completely modular design with its scope, stock, barrel, and firing mechanism capable of being swapped out to optimize its performance for every individual mission. Coming in at nearly five and a half feet long and weighing over thirty pounds, this beauty would have made any sniper salivate in need.

And yet, it still had more to give.

The scope itself not only had a variable zoom function but also showed the exact distance and elevation of the target it was focused on. More importantly, it came equipped with an infrared function that would allow the user to operate at peak condition even during the darkest of nights. And if she was seeing this right, then this rifle had a range of well over two kilometers! Far surpassing any rifle that Remnant had to offer. There was even a scope protector and a folding bipod for added care and functionality.

Ruby sucked in a sharp breath and bit her lip in excitement. Tracing her fingers along the rifle's sleek, smooth barrel until her fingers came to rest upon its muzzle break. A wonder like this could redirect repellent gases to cancel the recoil, allowing its wielder to stay focused on the target and fire again as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

There was more to this rifle than just its customizability and beautifully elegant simplicity, however.

No, what made this work of art truly special was what gave it its bite.

She held up a bullet in the light and practically moaned in amazement. This was a 14.5x114 millimeter armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot round. A .57 caliber round like this would have had no trouble penetrating its target, or anything and anyone standing behind them when it did. If she were right, then this was made of a tungsten carbide single crystal superalloy! With four symmetrical fins on the base of the bullet to maintain in-flight stability and the sabot included, this would have ensured that it was almost impossible to miss what you were aiming at.

This sniper rifle- no, this anti-material rifle was the stuff of all her childhood dreams. A bullet from this wouldn't just blast through the aura of the strongest Huntsmen, it would tear apart nearly any Grimm or vehicle that got in its way. Only the largest, most heavily armored enemies would be able to survive a hit from this.

She doubted anything could handle a full magazine, though.

Setting the bullet down on the table, Ruby took a quick look around Beacon's armory. With how many students and Huntsmen used it to modify and maintain their weapons, it was often full of people hard at work. On a weekend like today, however, it was almost always completely empty.

Not many people enjoyed maintenance like she did, but for once, she was happy to be alone.

"Chief, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Of course not, ma'am." While his body wasn't physically here, their connection remained strong, even in his spirit form.

She grinned. "Would you mind if I stole some of these design elements for Crescent Rose?" She shook with excitement in her seat. "My baby is always looking for ways to become even deadlier."

There was a brief flash of amusement from their link. "I don't think your people have the technology to do that yet."

Ruby blew a raspberry. "As if that matters. If I have to, I'll make the tech we need to have weapons like this." She giggled as her fingers gently caressed the scope of the rifle. "All for a good cause, of course."

"I think you should stick with something simpler for now." Amusement was still clear as day in Chief's words. "You can practice with it. If you need to."

The smile that split her face was enough to light up a room. Need was the correct term here. If she hadn't gotten to fire this work of art after spending so long fawning over it, she might have died from sheer disappointment.

Fortunately for her, Beacon's armory came equipped with a small firing range for target practice and fine-tuning how their weapons functioned. Striding over to the back of the armory, she couldn't help but frown. Though… firing range was a bit of an understatement. Something that only became all the more apparent when she activated the console near the firing range and released a captive Boartusk from its cage.

While once upon a time they had used simple holographic and steel cutout targets, nowadays things were a bit more intense. Ever since Professor Port had started teaching here, he had decided that the best way to test their weapons was to actually use them against the Grimm that he routinely captured.

She couldn't say that he was wrong about that. Even if the stories of how he captured them were unbelievable. She grabbed some nearby ear protection and secured it on her head.

The Boartusk sniffed the air for a moment and stood in place now that it was free from its prison. When its eyes eventually found Ruby at the far end of the firing range, however, it squealed in murderous rage and sprinted towards her.

Most people tended to overlook Boartusks unless they came in large numbers. It was a costly mistake. Being gored by their deadly tusks was a shockingly high cause of death for many Huntsmen and soldiers in the field.

Raising the rifle and resting the stock on her shoulder, she centered the scope on the charging Grimm. With its utter lack of concern about having a gun pointed at it, this one must have been fairly young. Not uncommon for the Grimm that roamed the Emerald Forest.

The older ones were wise enough not to put themselves in danger by staying near the academies.

She took a breath to steady herself, tracked the movement of the boar, and fired.

A startled gasp escaped her, and she nearly dropped the sniper out of shock at how loud it was. Even with protection for her ears, they were still ringing from the sonic boom created by the firing of this rifle. Glancing down at the barrel, there was a faint but rapidly fading trail of smoke coming from the barrel.

When she followed it towards the Boartusk, she couldn't help but whistle in appreciation. She'd known that it would make short work of the monster, but even she hadn't been prepared for this. Instead of simply piercing its armor and the flesh underneath, the bullet had completely blown the Boartusk apart.

As the various chunks of bone and gore evaporated, only one thing was on Ruby's mind.

Chief's people were warriors.

Not in the way that Atlas trained its people to be cold and ruthless soldiers or how Vacuo encouraged its people to be strong for survival. Not even in the way that Huntsmen and their families were fighters by trade.

No, his people were warriors. The kind that weren't just accustomed to a life of war, but thrived in it. Every weapon and piece of equipment of Chief's that she'd seen had been utterly efficient and practical. Designed to withstand any battlefield condition and keep its wielder alive.

More importantly, everything that he had shown her had been designed to kill whatever was placed in front of it. Grenades that could blow apart mechs and melt steel. Rifles that could tear through flesh and bone with an almost horrifying ease. Shields of what must have been pure energy shrugging off missiles like they were nothing.

Only a warrior people could have made weapons like that. Yet as Ruby stared down at the weapon in her hands, a worried frown slowly spread across her face.

Weapons like these weren't created unless there was a need for them. An enemy powerful enough that it warranted enough stopping power to put down any rampaging Ursa with ease. It made her wonder… if these were the weapons that Chief's people used to defend themselves, then just what monsters were they fighting that warranted them?

"The more I learn about you, the more questions I have." She whispered.

"Who are you talking to, Ruby?"

Ruby shrieked in surprise and leaped back. She reflexively raised the rifle in her hands, finger hovering near the trigger, and prepared to fire at a moment's notice. It was only when she spotted a familiar mop of bright orange hair and vibrant green eyes that she relaxed.

"Penny!" She lowered the rifle and smiled widely. "Don't scare me like that!"

Her synthetic friend didn't stop smiling. "I'm sorry, Ruby. I thought you'd heard me greet you earlier."

Ruby blinked. She'd said something earlier? Well, that was embarrassing. Looks like she'd been so engrossed in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed Penny enter the armory. She tended to do that when she got too enamored with whatever weapon she was tinkering with at the time.

"Never mind that." She set the sniper down on the counter with a laugh. "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you." Penny leaned close enough to Ruby's face that she could have felt her breath on her skin, if her friend had needed to breathe. "After I heard about your fight with Roman Torchwick, I needed to see if you were alright."

Ruby blinked. "You were worried about me?"

Penny bobbed her head so vigorously that her ginger hair bounced erratically around her face. "Of course! Roman Torchwick is a dangerous man. Anything could have happened before he was forced to flee." A mixture of concern and shame flashed through her eyes. Penny took a step away from Ruby and was looking at everything except Ruby. "I'm sorry that I couldn't visit until now. Uncle Ironwood wouldn't let me off of his ship after I ran off the other day."

Ruby couldn't help it.

She laughed. "You were grounded? Seriously?"

That was so… ordinary.

If you'd told her a few weeks ago that the world's first sapient android would get grounded by the general of the Atlesian military, then she'd have laughed hysterically. It was just too outlandish to be true. But somehow, here she was.

Life could be strange like that sometimes.

Penny didn't seem to find it nearly as amusing. "I'm truly sorry." She winced. "Does it make me a bad friend for taking so long?"

Ruby recoiled in shock. "What? Of course not! Why would you think it would?"

Her android friend grimaced. "After I stopped the truck the other day, the first thing you did was try to make sure I was okay. And later, when you found out what I am, you didn't treat me any differently. Like a real friend would- Oh!"

She wasn't about to let that train of thought go on. Ruby may not have been great at the whole socializing thing, but she wasn't stupid. She knew that when a friend was in pain or doubting themselves, it was her job to stay positive and support them.

As her arms wrapped around Penny and pulled her into a quick hug, Ruby just smiled. "Nope."

A blink. "Pardon?"

"Nope."

She tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean- "

"Nope!" Ruby finished with a pop, stepping back. "I'm not gonna hear it. You didn't do anything wrong, Penny. The fact you came to check on me the moment you could just proves how good of a friend you are."

A tentative smile spread across her face. "So… you're not angry at me?"

Taking a page out of Nora's book, she booped Penny on the nose. "Nope." She grinned. "You're too awesome to ever be mad at."

And adorable, but that was neither here nor there.

An idea suddenly struck her. "Hey, you've got super robot senses, right?"

"My senses exceed that of any organic, yes. Why?" Penny tilted her head to the side, her orange curls framing her face.

"We're alone in here, right?"

"Of course!" She happily nodded. "No one except for the custodial staff is in this area of the academy, and they are currently hosting a small poker game in one of the empty classrooms."

Okay… it was weird and a little concerning that Penny could be that accurate, but it was okay. Penny was cool. Penny was good. There was no chance at all she'd use those hyper senses for evil like the AI in fiction did.

Which was exactly why Ruby trusted her.

"I know that you trusted me with your secret. About being an android." She began. "It means a lot to me that you did. So… I know I can trust you with my secret."

Penny blinked. "What secret?"

"Are you sure about this, Ruby?" Chief suddenly chimed in. "Once she finds out, there's no going back. You trust her to keep our secret?"

Of course she did. Penny was her friend. What more could she need?

"Alright. I'll trust your instincts, Master."

Ruby smiled and stepped back, spreading her arms wide. "This one."

On her command, Chief slowly materialized behind her. As the shimmer of golden, magical energy slowly faded from view, the towering Servant behind her stood tall. His sleek, emerald armor cast a shadow over the two of them as he observed her friend's reaction curiously.

Or rather… her lack of reaction.

"Salutations, Mr. Archer!" Penny cheered, saluting him with enough enthusiasm and sweetness to give a child diabetes. "It is a pleasure to meet you!"

Chief inclined his head in greeting.

Ruby gaped. "Wha- Penny! You know about Archer?"

"Of course." The smile never left her face. "Uncle Ironwood has kept such highly detailed journal entries on everything that has happened in the past few days. It's been fascinating to learn that magic is real. Oh, father would be thrilled to hear about this!"

She blinked. "Ironwood told you about the Grail War?"

"Yes." Penny hiccupped.

Silver eyes narrowed. "Penny, what did you do?"

Nervous laughter bubbled past her synthetic friend's lips, and she scratched the back of her head. "I may have taken a peek at his personal files while I was confined to the ship." She admitted. "I was still linked to its mainframe and computer systems, so I figured there'd be no harm in looking through them."

Ruby found that hard to believe.

"He just lets you do that?"

"… he didn't say that I couldn't." Now her friend was blushing from embarrassment. "Normally I wouldn't have done this, but then I found your name among the files. I had to make sure that you were okay. Uncle Ironwood doesn't normally mention students by name unless it's important."

Pride warred with concern. On the one hand, she was being noticed by General Ironwood–one of the greatest Huntsman on the face of Remnant. On the other hand, after his frosty reception of her team the other night, that may not have been a good thing.

Ruby reached out to squeeze Penny's shoulder. "Thanks for being concerned, Penny. Just promise me you won't do that again. I don't want you to get in trouble."

"I can't do that, Ruby." Her smile turned strangely shy. "If I think it'll help you, then I'd do it again without a second thought. That's what friends are for, right?"

A weird fuzzy feeling shot through Ruby's stomach, and she looked away. "Oh. Um… thanks, Penny. I'd do the same for you."

The three of them stood in silence for a few moments afterwards, but it felt like just her and Penny. Penny didn't say anything, and Ruby certainly didn't know what to say. Though if the amusement she was feeling in the back of her mind was real, then it looked like Chief had plenty to say but was keeping quiet out of respect.

Automatically made him better than Yang, at least.

"So… we call him Chief. You know, since it's less awkward than calling him Archer." She eventually managed to say. "He was showing me the weapons from his world after I showed off Crescent Rose. Let me tell you, Penny, they are amazing!"

She still got giddy just remembering the gentle curve of that rifle's trigger and the wonderful battle cry it let out once fired.

Penny giggled. "That must have been what the sonic boom was before. You could likely hear it halfway across the academy." She clapped her hands together. "It must have been an impressive weapon."

"It is!" She shouted with glee. "It even gives Crescent Rose a run for its money!"

"Ooooh. High praise."

The highest she could give. Nothing would ever surpass her baby, but that didn't mean that second place couldn't come close.

A gasp escaped her lips, and she spun around to look up at Chief. Cupping her hands in front of her, she whimpered and put on her best puppy dog eyes. "Can Penny see your weapons, too? I promise she's trustworthy."

No one had ever managed to resist her puppy dog eyes before. She knew they would not fail her here.

"As long as she treats them with care." Chief said after a few moments of silence. "My weapons may be made of magic, but they shouldn't be treated poorly."

She scoffed. "Penny wouldn't do that. She's cool, and cool people don't mistreat weapons." She rounded on Penny with a glowing smile. "Right?"

"Right." The android cheered with a hop.

"Alright then." Chief held out his hands. "What do you want to see next?"

"Ooh, ooh!" She cried. "Show me your shotgun! I need it!"

Penny, Chief, and amazing weapons all at once?

This was going to be the most fun that Ruby had in a long while.

---

"Tell us, Lisa, what news have you heard on the ground?"

Lisa Lavender flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled dashingly for the camera. Standing outside of a luxurious mansion on the upper east side of Vale, she couldn't have looked more at ease than she did.

The camera loved her, as always.

"While it's still early, the word from first responders is clear." She smiled. "Infamous mob boss Tony 'Lockjaw' Cassano was found dead this morning. Crushed inside the confines of the heirloom iron maiden that his family has had for generations."

"I see. And how could this have happened? Was foul play involved?"

"As far as the police are aware, no such thing occurred." She sent a dazzling smile to a police officer that moved past her on screen. "All his security guards can attest that no one suspicious entered his estate last night. No, it seems that this was little more than an unfortunate accident."

"How tragic." Her counterpart back at the station replied. "Yet, it is odd. This is the 20th accidental death of a high-profile figure in the past few days. Criminals, politicians, police officials… it's quite suspicious, is it not?"

"Suspicious indeed." She sang. "The authorities assure us, however, that they have everything under control and there is no connection between these deaths."

"And who are we to question the honorable police?" Her counterpart's words practically dripped with sarcasm. "This is Ben-"

"And Lisa- "

"-from Vale News Network! Bringing you the hottest news fresh from the scene!"

---

Adam's tent was pushed open, but he didn't bother looking up from the map of Vale. "What is it?"

"It's Sienna Khan, sir." The grunt told him. "She's demanding to speak with you."

No doubt to shout at him over his attack on Atlas' embassy. "Tell her that I'm on a mission and won't be available for the next few days." He ordered. "I won't get distracted by her hesitation. Not now."

"Understood, sir." With a simple nod, the grunt turned and left the tent.

Once he was gone, Adam shook his head and went back to looking over the map of Vale. The attack on the embassy had been a powerful, symbolic blow against Atlas and Humanity as a whole. He couldn't allow it to just be that, though. It needed to be the first strike of many in the campaign that would finally free his people and bring Humanity to its knees.

"It would be wise not to anger your allies."

His masked gaze rose towards the corner of the tent. A lone figure in fur-coated, golden armor stood nearby with his arms behind his back. There was a calm curiosity and self-assured power to his gray eyes that spoke of an ageless wisdom.

Fitting for a Caster.

Adam grunted. "Sienna is always angry with me." He spat. "I'm nothing more than a brute in her eyes."

"Then perhaps it would be best you not prove her right." Caster advised. "We will need all the support we can get if we are to win this war. Do not alienate her over wounded pride."

His grip tightened on the edge of the table for a moment in anger. "I- " A sigh escaped him, and he loosened his grip. "You're right. You believe I should speak with her?"

"I do. Even if you keep my involvement a secret, she may be able to provide adequate council for you." Caster strode forward and rested his gauntleted hands on the table. His pointed ears shined in the light. "She may know where to strike next that will hurt our enemies even more than their embassy did."

"Hmm… you're right." Adam nodded. "I'll go speak with her. Even if I don't expect much, it will be good to placate her for now. Thank you, Caster."

Caster smiled and raised his hand to the nearby lamp, snuffing the green flames of the veilfire with a wave. "Of course, Master. It is my duty to ensure our victory, after all."

---

There was a knock on team RWBY's door the following night. Ruby and her team each looked at each other before shrugging. When Ruby opened the door to see Headmaster Ozpin, she stepped back in surprise.

"Oh, Headmaster!" She gulped. "Is everything alright?"

A gentle smile split his face. "That depends entirely on you." He tapped his cane on the ground twice and turned to leave. "Come along, girls. Team JNPR is already waiting for us?"

"Where are we going?" Weiss asked, even as they all scrambled to follow him.

"General Ironwood's battleship, of course." He told them. "It's time for us to make our first move in this war."

---

Okay, everyone! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry for the wait, but I've been a bit busy with real life stuff recently. There's not much for me to say here other than that I had a lot of fun writing this and am looking forward to putting more out in the future. If you have any questions, I'll be more than happy to respond in PM's.

Otherwise, I will see you all again when I next update.