Here we go again, you know the drill, let's get to this latest chapter! RWBY belongs to Rooster teeth and Monty Oum

Grimoire observed a large scroll that was laid across his desk, It was a family tree of the Rose family beginning long before he had been born and continued onwards with each descendant of Thorn leading all the way from Son to Grandson to Great Granddaughter whose name was Summer. He sighed as he took up the quill beside him and painted another vine of the rosebush down several inches before stopping to paint the name of the subject, Ruby Rose. He smiled then went back to Thorn's name in red and then his own in black that was linked with Althea's white with Silver chains and granite pillars connecting the two names. He smiled as he then dusted Ruby's name to dry the ink. He then rolled up the scroll and placed it back into his desk right next to his personal journals.

He then stood from his desk and walked out of his office and into the halls of Chains Gate. He walked for a minute and arrived at the war room. The room had a low vaulted ceiling and a large stone table in the center of the room that had a map of Remnant carved into it as well as small stone figures carved in the fashions of both the Normal and Vampyric forces of the Kingdoms with a majority of them seemingly being in or around Vale with the occasional Baron's force positioned in the wilderness.

"Krieg, have you briefed our volunteers?" Krieg looked up from his desk at the opposite end of the room and stood. "Aye my lord, Jaune Arc has been given a platoon of the more raw troops that we had in the reserves." Grimoire nodded. "And Ruby Rose?" Krieg scratched his chin for a moment. "Well she and her team still need some time for recovery but I am sure that if you want to bring them on the expedition they would be happy to go, granted Qrow Branwen may want to accompany you." Grimoire nodded. "That's to be expected Krieg, especially after recent events."

Krieg nodded as he walked over to the stone table, and watched as the pieces moved of their own accord to new locations on the board and several of the figurines raised their banners. "Seems the Fang is still trying to fight in a running battle, the fools will likely corner themselves." The pair observed the ongoing operations for a time as Althea and several officers from both Atlas and Vale joined them to observe the proceedings of the Campaign.

"Krieg how goes the training of the new Vale military?" Krieg scratched his jaw for a moment before responding. "It is progressing well, we have volunteers from the city and even from some outlying settlements." Grimoire nodded. "And the council?" Some of the commanders sighed and even groaned at the mention of the council. "Ashford told me that they are still being a tad resistent, though they are being cancelled out by their own military officers and even the resurging supporters of the monarchs." The table fell silent as Grimoire and Krieg both reached into some of the stone drawers of the table and placed new pieces onto the table, including the coat of arms of the Vale monarchs and the Vale council. "Hopefully they don't start anything while the Fang is still around."

Grimoire then placed several dozen smaller pieces onto the table and placed a majority of them into Beacon while other were at the other kingdom's school. "Now then, let us discuss the operations we will be offering to the hunters in training and fully trained hunters." One of the officers from Mountain Glenn perked up. "Sir, my Baron and myself have been trying to secure Mountain Glenn and have recently made massive advances, maybe a few teams and hunters could go there for a bit to both learn more about us and hone their skills against the grimm." Grimoire clapped. "That can work and with Beacon in the state it is in right now mayhaps they could move to your hold for awhile so that they may continue to learn while we repair Beacon and maybe even fortify it more." Several of the officers nodded while others from the more outlying Baronies pulled out scrolls and maps of their own regions to see if they could find locations to mark for missions. "Well that should add some options for the students of the schools, especially after they have done the local missions for securing Vale." The group conversed for several more minutes before ending.

Krieg exited the meeting hall and proceeded to the room team JNPR was using in one of the empty housing halls which had been taken over by the Beacon students after their own dorms had been destroyed. He noted how the hall had changed since the beginning of the housing of the hunters in training several weeks ago with the additions of a television, several desks and a mish mash of rather comfortable seating that had been scavenged from the above ground rooms.

He then walked over to the button that was situated at the beginning of the hall where it opened into the main core of Chains Gate and pulled a lever situated there causing a series of panels to flip within the team rooms, calling all present members into the hall for the entire hall of students. The doors seemed to all open in short order as Krieg sat down on one of the tables at the front of the hall, waiting for the students to gather around in a semicircle. He looked back out at the core and could see Ashford doing the same for the upperclassmen halls while Althea dealt with the visiting students. He looked back to see that most of the students had gathered before him, moving the chairs and tables around so that everyone could sit around him as they had done when he had first helped move them in.

"Good morning all, how is your day today?" The students gave their impressions on how their day has been for the exception of a few who were further back in the group. "Good, well I have an announcement from the boss man, we have missions and they're rather easy in my own opinion." The students spoke among themselves for a moment and he could see Ruby and Jaune whispering adamantly to his right. "These missions will double as support for getting the visiting students back to their schools since conventional transport lanes are rather, hectic." Some students nodded since they had seen the massive traffic jam caused by large groups of nevermores still prowling the sky around Vale.

"The other kingdoms are over seas and even the closest one would bring us to areas considered deathtraps, why offer us these missions?" Cardin had made a point and several other students began to think on that statement as well. "You are correct, , We cannot walk all the way to the other kingdoms, but unlike the kingdoms we vampyres have our own outposts close enough to Vale and far enough away that we could use those Baronies to transport the students." The room was silent for a moment before the students began asking numerous questions, sans RWBY and JNPR. "Quiet please, I will explain, thank you."

Krieg pulled out his scroll and switched the television on the wall on, showing a map of the world of Remnant, which then added the locations of the kingdoms and then a mass spattering of similar colored regions were filled up around them. "The lordships of the Vampyric realm, Chains Gate, Stones Grove, Hellgate, and Oasis are all centered nearby or in the capitals of the Kingdoms." He walked over to the screen and gestured to it. "But as the kings and Lords in the past had Vassals, our lords and lady have Barons and Baronesses to rule stretches of wilderness outside of the kingdom to ensure that nothing vary catastrophic occurs." He then pointed to a forest green stretch of land just outside of Vales border. "This is Caldam, the Barony ruled by Baron Symon Valdam and his sworn fellows who maintain a small airpad their, which we will use to load several long distance airships with the students and their teachers and send them home safely, any questions?" Several hands rose. "Also it had better not be about snacks or food." The hands fell. "Also to whomever drew a flamboyantly pink mustache on the armory doors we are aware that you're an artist, we just want our paint back."

"On that note, I will send your team leaders the roster for who will be heading the first years in this operation, also this will count towards your yearly credits due to classes being… postponed." He then stood and walked back to his office where he then sat at his desk and pulled up the roster on his desk computer showing the order of command for the operation. He was happy that he had been granted that much of permission on the operation and even if he was not the one in command of it he would have been just as pleased if he had been sent with the students.

At the top of the roster was the picture of the still scraggly looking Jaune Arc who had shown himself to be an excellent director of forces during the battle of Beacon and even in events after. One such event was the securing of one of the few routes up to Beacon's plateau from Grimm forces and he did such by organizing the first year teams as much as he could into a battering ram of sorts which upon contact with the grimm was able to continue combat with little in the ways of casualties. Now that passage was secured with a blockade of stone that he had had thrown up after the battle until proper fortifications could be put in by the builders who were coming from Vale, slowly. He smiled as he began assigning units of Vampyres to the expedition and as he had notified Jaune earlier he would be leading a band of Vampyres whom had been shaved down in numbers recently due to losses fighting the Grimm. He sighed, cracked his knuckles and then began emailing the roster out to the students.

Grimoire hated politics. Did he see them as necessary? Yes. Did he enjoy them? Only when he was able to poke fun into it, which was not the case currently with the Vale Council which had been substantially built up to somewhere near their number of representatives from before the Battle of Beacon. "Lord Grimoire. We have decided that we should be allowed to run our Kingdom again since you have oh so graciously assisted in reconstructing it." Spoke one councilman who had been pushing for the surviving councilmen from the Vale attack to be put in prison for their apparent lack of competence.

"Cut to the chase boy what do you want?" The man smirked and stood up as well as several councilmen while others remained seated. "We humbly request that your remove your forces from Vale territory, that includes your little fortress." Grimoire leaned back planting both feet on the table as he groaned.

"I've heard that line before from a king, he died within the week, do you want to make yourself a King boy?" The man gawked and leaned forwards. "You threaten us? The council of Vale!? We ask only that you and your forces leave Vale." Grimoire chuckled as he leaned forward smiling wide and revealing his fangs. The councilmen at the wings of the gathering began to call for the leader of the council to step down much to his own surprise. "Why kick them out!? They saved us! They are as Valean as the rest of us Councilman Forræder, why would you want to remove the one military force that will willingly protect us?" The man who spoke was wiry, with long limbs and a mop of brown hair that was pushed back into chocolate waves,this man was Councilman Peatman who stood and walked to the floor of the meeting hall. He continued his rant against the other councilman, whose support at the beginning of the hearing gradually began to sit down or leave the room altogether much to the horror of Forræder.

Forræder seemed to seethe for a moment before retracting his statement and sitting. Grimoire then decided it was time for him to speak, he stood, giving no emotion whatsoever to the onlookers as he walked to the center of the room passing Peatman as he returned to his own seat. Grimoire's face was stony, his shoulders were squared, hands behind his back and jaw set as he stood before the council of Vale. "I have an announcement to make to the Council." The room seemed to quiet to a hush as the lord retrieved a vellum scroll from one of the pouches that hung from his belt.

"I, Lord Grimoire Rose, the first of that name, Lord in Vale and Lord of Chains Gate, do hereby secede my regency over the Vale council back unto said Council so that they may judge their kingdom within their own devices with both Justice, Prosperity and Equality." The council rose with applause including a stunned Council Forræder who seemed rather confused but still pleased with the declaration. After his resigning as regent of Vale Grimoire decided to return to Beacon to have a drink and conversation that he had been looking forward too.

The depths of Chains Gate went far below the surface, and though the primary installation is directly below Beacon the original halls are farther off, sealed behind old doors and reserved as the dungeon section of the ancient Citadel, serving as the holding cell for both mortal and immortal foes who were captured and deemed too dangerous to release. This is where Adam Taurus found himself, sleeping on a stone slab and served a simple meal and water to feed him during his captivity. He stared at the stumps that had been his hands, he was going to cleanse the world of the humans with those hands! But it was not to be for it had been his former friends father who had cut that dream to ribbons, and he was sitting right in front of him.

"Tell me Adam, was it worth it? Do you even know how many you have sentenced to death? Do you!?" Ashford Belladonna, once he had been a principal member in the Old Fang but had allegedly died during a protest due to gunfire.

"Adam, the members of the White Fang, YOU'RE White Fang, are all going to be slain, It is by the law of Vampyres that you have killed them, so please Adam, Tell me why." The cat faunus appeared sad, with drooping eyes and a slouched back he appeared to have been broken by what Adam had caused, but there was more, an inner fire of hatred and anger, and it was all for him.

"I did it so they would feel the same pain we have for centuries!" Ashford seemed to think on Adam's response for a minute before shaking his head with a look of disappointment. "Then you would cause our people more pain you fanatic fool." Ashford stood and left, walking down the hall and towards where there was a mass of activity as both Vampyres, Hunters and Hunters in training prepared for the march to Caldam, the small keep that played host to a single air pad and accompanying bullhead.

He saw Jaune Arc, the young man was still as awkwerd as ever but he also seemed to carry himself with a tad more confidence as he also appeared to be far stronger than he had formerly been, it also appeared to Ashford that the young Arc had taken to wearing a fuller set of armor around as well as carrying a dagger at his belt. The rest of team JNPR had taken a similar approach with the addition of some armor and daggers that were placed similarly to the one at Jaune's belt. He then saw that Jaune was speaking with several other team leaders as he pointed at a map and then to a chart that had what appeared to be a marching order scratched onto it.

Ashford was not surprised to see team RWBY on the scene even with the injuries that Blake and Yang had taken during their fight with Adam. Ashford knew that team RWBY was likely just there to help with the preparations since Grimoire, Althea, Ozpin and Krieg had agreed that they need to recover from the damages that Adam had caused to half of their team. Both Blake and Yang had made good recoveries and they were even training together to attempt to get Yang used to using one arm until an alternative is found, which had lead to a great many more holes forming in the walls of the training hall where they and other warriors both Huntsman and Vampyric trained.

He spotted Krieg talking to some of the teachers and Hunters who would be going on the mission as well so they could both get back to their respective kingdoms and learn about the Vampyres more respectively. " Krieg, how is the briefing going?" Krieg looked over to Ashford as the Hunters and Teachers left to join their students. "It's going well, Arc has proven himself to be capable of planning out a proper marching order, also all of the hunters and teachers accompanying us wish to add Caldam to their maps so that others may use it as a way station on long patrols."

Caldam Castle, a small keep with a stone curtain wall around it with living quarters, farms, generators and even a pair of workshops housed within its walls. Around this keep was the thick Forest valley that had given the castle its name as well as supplying the Grimm needed for the serums of immortality that substituted for human and Faunus blood. The small keep doubled as a way station for Vampyres on hunts as they would be gone for months at a time hunting for Grimm to fight and devour so that they may feed the baronies and lordships. Sharing this map informati

on would be a turning point for the hunters of Remnant as it would provide somewhere to escape to in case of a failure.

"I'll allow it, but you will have to get them to convince both the Baron and Grimoire if you want to have that information." Krieg nodded and turned back to the teachers and hunters who were waiting with the students. He then watched as a commotion broke out in the student ranks as Jaune was taken aside by Ozpin and a young man who was rather short and scraggly with light brown hair and blue eyes that peered through everything from beneath a kettle helm and over a scarf wrapped tightly around his face over a shirt of chainmail that covered a leather jerkin that was colored a gold at the edges and white laced into the stitching. He watched as Ozpin and team JNPR vanished into the repaired tower with the unknown figure and thought aloud to himself. "Such a fascinating class we have here."

So that's all for this time folks! Life is back in swing and I have already failed at something but fear not for I will soon be re writing the opening chapters of this fic to attract more readers!

See you all later my hundred or so readers peace!

-LP