*Chase woke up in the room where he fought God, he could see himself standing at the opposite end looking over something. He began walking towards himself and appeared behind him, when he looked down he could see the bodies of team RWBY, just seeing them like this was enough to bring Chase to tears. Hearing footsteps to the right Chase saw a red shortsword and then God, along with a red haired bull faunus, they walked towards Chase and looked at team RWBY before congratulating him. -I did this, I killed them, but I don't remember any of it- But you did nothing to stop it, you couldn't save them and you never will be able to -Get out of my head- Then God swiped his sword left and placed his hand on Chase's head, draining all the aura from Chase, he tried to retaliate but his hit's couldn't connect. When all of his aura was drained he felt nothing, then the overwhelming fear spread through him and he began changing, his body turned pitch black while his bones began welding together and moved to form an outer armour. When he finally finished transforming he went blind, all he could sense was the aura of those around him. -This is what happened to me in the labyrinth, wait that aura is Ruby's-*

Chase woke up in the hospital bed and saw Ruby sitting in the seat beside him, she had fallen asleep and didn't notice him. -She looks so peaceful sleeping- For a moment he was at peace but the memory of his dream made him alert again. He went to wake her only to realise that his right arm was missing -Forgot about that, wait you awake in there?- No reply -Shit, do I still have any dust in me?- Yet again, nothing happened -Shit, he did more to me than just taking an arm-

"You're awake" Ruby's said crushing him in a hug

"Thank dust we made it out"

"Well, your… arm didn't"

"Yeah… how long until I'm able to fight again?"

"It's going to be a week before you can stand without the risk of opening that wound, even then you need to go through a physical test before they let you back into Beacon"

"That and I'm going to need some way to fight"

"You still have the dust inside you"

"No, he took that along with my arm. It's so weird, I'm free of it but I had become so reliant on it"

"If you want I can work on a weapon for you"

"I would love to see what type of weapon you'd make me, especially after seeing your previous work" he said looking at Crescent Rose

"Thanks, I'll come by every day to talk to you about what ideas I have and how far it's coming along"

Chase hugged Ruby back "Thanks, that should keep me entertained while I'm stuck in this place"

The door opened as soon as Ruby was leaving to get to work on Chase's new weapon, the rest of team RWBY were standing outside and walked in as soon as she left

"Hey guys, how was Beacon while we were gone?"

"Don't act casually, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, you worry too much. Believe me you should've seen the other guy"

"What did you do to him?"

"Absolutely nothing, that guy is terrifying, I only landed one hit and he threw me against the wall for it"

"You seem to be doing disturbingly well for someone who just lost their arm"

"Well yeah I lost an arm and honestly I'm absolutely terrified of what the enemy will do next. However I was able to learn quite a bit about them while I was there"

"What did you find out that was worth losing an arm?"

"Well, firstly they aren't building a super-powered army, he is infusing people with dust to feed off them. When I saw the civilians they were in cells and starving, not any condition to use their dust"

"What the hell is he?"

"I was getting to that, he is the person that made me, or at least made me who I am. He has the same semblance of dust sense that I do, he was able to manipulate my aura and change it to his. I think he may have many more including being able to see into the future"

"What are we supposed to do against that?"

"Honestly I have no idea, to be on par with him we'd need to be born to fight, more than that we'd need to become a monster like he is."

"Wait if he's using people as food then why did he infuse people like you with dust and teach you to fight?"

"I don't think he knew about us. Ironwood was working alone in that project"

"Maybe Ironwood was trying to retaliate"

"He had to know that we wouldn't be enough to take him down, we'd barely stand a chance"

"How strong is he?"

"Unimaginably"

"I'm sorry but you have to let him rest"

"See you tomorrow"

"See ya"

-How am I supposed to fight him again, I'm basically useless now without the dust which was inside me, not to mention the fact that I am missing an arm- Chase stared at his missing arm for a while before deciding to go to sleep.

*I told you not to fight him, I told you that you would lose, why didn't you listen -Because it didn't matter whether I won or lost he was on his way to stop that evacuation- But you made his job easier, rather than kill them to absorb their aura and dust he could get it all and more off you, not only that but you also lost me -And I would do it again, knowing the consequences because it doesn't matter what happens to us as long as it doesn't to them- You know that all you've done is delay the inevitable. -Maybe that delay is what we need to stop him- It will never be enough to stop him -And who the hell are you supposed to be?- I am your fear of him*

Chase woke up and turned to the clock at the side of his bed '02:21' -Sleeping issues as well, fuckin dandy- He grabbed his scroll from the drawer beside his bed and began reading about old hunters and huntresses.

'Name: Tony Rust

Team: TEAL (Disbanded)

Weapon: Finality, a rifle which doubled up as a halberd

Team members

Eunry Hawkins (Deceased)

Auburn Jones

Lavender Thistle (Deceased)'

-No wonder he's sitting out in the desert alone, he lost half of his team, wonder what happened to them- He searched for team TUSK and found their mission reports at which point he got a message on his scroll

'These files are confidential, why are you looking around in them

-Ozpin'

-Shit, well that's enough of that for today- He shut down his scroll and put it back down on the drawer looking at the clock '10:42'. -Well at least it's reasonable for me to be awake now, if only that meant I could do something- He heard the door opening and saw Ruby walk in.

"Good morning sleepy head"

"Hey Ruby, don't you have classes?"

"They gave me and Pyrrha a week off after we came back due to what happened to you"

"Heh, you're welcome"

"Not worth it after they had us checked when we got back"

"Oooh, glad I wasn't conscious for that."

"Anyway I have some ideas for your weapon"

Ruby took the seat beside Chase and took an A1 page out , unfolding it on the bed. Chase ideas. There was drawings of a katar with a pistol hidden where the palm would be and a sickle which had a chain in it allowing it to extend like Gambol Shroud. The one that caught Chase's eye was a hand cannon with a hooked blade that extended from the bottom.

"That one looks cool" he said pointing towards it.

"Okay, I'll work on this one and see what I can add. Oh, another thing, Ozpin asked me to find out what files you were trying to find"

Chase panicked in his bed, he shouldn't have looked into it. -I can tell Ruby she'll understand, maybe leave out the couldn't sleep part-

"I was looking through stories from old Hunters and Huntresses and I found the guy who taught me the basics of fighting and I wanted to find out what happened to his team"

"Did you find anything out?"

"Only that two of them are dead"

"And you don't know what happened to them?"

"That's what I was trying to find whenever Ozpin blocked me"

"Well I'm sure if you ask he will let you, otherwise you could go and ask your old teacher"

"Actually that's a great idea, we should go whenever I can leave this boring bed"

"If you want I can keep you company"

"That would be nice, we haven't had any alone time since we took watch in Vale"

"I don't think that counts"

"Shhh, sure it does"

Ruby giggled at him and said "Alright, I'll allow it"

"Thanks, now onto serious matters are you sure.. you.. love me?"

"What do you mean, of course I do." She said pulling him in for an embrace "You have to stop doubting people"

"It's not that, it's just. Why?"

"You don't think about yourself most of the time, I'm guessing you knew that you would lose against that guy back in Labyrinth but you still fought to save everyone. It's also because you're alone and I know what it's like to feel like there's no one who cares about you but I do and so does everyone else"

Chase was fighting back tears and he was just able to mutter "Thank you"

RUby's scroll went off, she looked at the message and then turned to Chase.

"I have to go for now but I'll be back"

"Okay"

Ruby left and Chase lingered on what she had said. -She's so kind to everyone, the exact opposite of Ironwood, speaking of which I need to talk to him- Chase grabbed his scroll and called Ozpin

"And how is our patient"

"I need to see Ironwood, it's urgent"

"I'm afraid you can't leave your hospital bed for another couple of days"

"Then is there any chance he can be sent up here?"

"I'll see what I can do"

Chase placed the scroll back down and sighed. -They could at least have something for patients to do while they sit here- He picked up his scroll and checked the news from the other kingdoms, most of it was about them sending help to aid Vale in it's moment of need but he was able to find an article talking about the upcoming tournament. -Oh we are so winning this- he read the details to find out that you needed a team and to be representing a school to enter. -Dammit, maybe if they let the other mercenaries become hunters I could join one of their teams-

The door opened and General Ironwood entered followed by two guards who had guns trained on him the entire time.

"It's okay you can leave him with me"

They looked at Chase and replied "We'll be waiting outside" as they reluctantly left.

"What a pleasure to see you, I can see that our little skirmish hurt you as much as it did me"

"Oh this" he said pointing to his stub "That wasn't you, I had an encounter with your higher up"

Ironwood looked at him in horror "And this is all you came out with?"

"You look at me as if I should be dead"

"You should be, most people freeze in fear by merely being in the same room as him"

"I guess that means your little experiment worked"

"What do you mean?"

"I know that you were planning on taking him down, my only question is what you expected to do with only so few of us"

"There's an old hunter's tale, more of a myth. When humanity was first being attacked by the grimm we were almost wiped out if not for the discovery of dust"

"That's no tale, it's history"

"Let me continue. Anyway most men were happy with what they were able to do with dust but one man didn't think it was enough, he needed more and thus infused himself with dust. It is said that he gained great power and went on to infuse himself with every kind of dust he could find to get more power. As far as the story goes he went insane with power and became unable to contain it, one day he exploded in a multitude of elements which caused new kinds of dust to appear where he died"

"Are you suggesting he is that man"

"No but he desperately wants to be, he is doing whatever he can to get more dust. His name was Eunry Hawkins until he was left behind on a mission, having to survive in the wild against grimm caused him to do anything to survive, I encountered him on a simple extermination mission and he gained control of me, he sent me out to find unique dust, which I did. I found a special kind which appeared to have an aura around it, I hoped that if I could infuse it to someone they'd be able to use it against him"

"So you infused me with it. Well unfortunately he has it now, in my encounter with him I lost my arm along with every piece of dust in me"

"Then I'm afraid he has won"

"Is that all you can tell me?" Chase said irritated at Ironwood's response

"That is all I know of him"

"That's all I wanted to know, you still have to serve jail time for what you did even with your intentions"

Ironwood left and the guards escorted him back to his cell. -He may have took a piece of me but I think that he may have problems absorbing it- The door opened and Cinder walked in along with Shu.

"Well, we heard that you have a girlfriend"

Chase backed up on his bed frightened at what they were going to say

"It's true, you like Ruby"

"How did you guys find out?"

"A certain Yang overheard your conversation with Ruby earlier today"

"Well I'm fucked, how did Yang react?"

"She wants a duel when you leave the hospital"

"Greaaat"

A/N Yes I know this one's two days late, however I wanted to build tension after the last one and as compensation this chapter is about as long as two chapters. That and I had a bit of difficulty writing parts of this