Okay, so I really felt this chapter needed to be tweaked because after finally agreeing to work with his team, Knives was still acting like a major asshole to everyone around him, so I decided to make him a bit more pitiful and build his case and not make him an angsty teen.

The Perils Ahead

Knives trudged angrily through the forest as he heard the continued blather behind him. "Are we there yet?" Caradin asked.

"No." He said bluntly.

"How about now?"

"Still no."

"Now?"

He snapped, "Of all the times you've asked me what in the hell made you think the answer would change!?"

Something growled behind him, but a gunshot quickly followed by a yelp silenced it. "Beowolves?" Knives inquired.

"With the King Taijitu, I expected the rest of the trial would be a trial by fire for us. No pun intended there Pyron." Luxus said apologetically.

"No, it's fine. So uh David, anything I can know about you with us being partners and all?" Pyron asked the young man in the other trench coat.

"Not really, anything I'd tell you would be a little out of your grasp; seeing as I come from a place where even the darkest of legends are much more than nightmares." He said grimly.

"Take a number pal." Knives said, "So you're not from around here and you think that people won't understand what it is you see when you tell them. It shouldn't be that way, you should tell your teammates."

"You're one to talk you know," Johann added, "You should tell him all the fun we have together! I mean when you suffer from multiple-personality disorder which expresses itself in vivid schizophrenic episodes you really need a hobby. Like knitting, or arson, or murder. Ooooh let's murder one of them, my vote's on the psychopath with the axe, he seems he'd be fun to play with!"

Knives eyelids fluttered and he rubbed the bridge of his nose and blinked. Johann was gone, but they were giving him concerned looks again. "Are you going to be okay?" Caradin asked, "You lost a lot of blood."

"Which I proceeded to put back in my body, trust me I'm fine; I was doing drills like this years before you all even got here." He immediately regretted saying this as they all fixed their eyes on them, their big judging eyes. He hated being the center of attention, he tried to shrink back, but the eyes were there. They grew bigger and wider until there was nothing left but darkness and the eyes. As Johann continuously said, "These eyes whose are they?"

Deverou shook him and he realized he had collapsed into the fetal position. They all kept staring at him, but he saw through it this time and anchored himself in reality. "I'm going to ask again, and I want a straight answer. Are you okay?" Deverou asked as his single brown eye bore into Knives'.

"No, no I am not. I'm teamed up with an enigmatic gambler, a run-away prodigy, and a corporate assassin. I'm also stuck in the forest with a walking campfire, a psycho with an axe, a girl who is too violent for her own good, and creepy kid I know nothing about!" He screamed, "I know nothing about any of you and it makes me anxious, so much so that my hallucinations have only intensified!" He should not have said that, because Pyron's team took a step back.

"Hallucinations?" Caradin asked, "Knives do you have schizophrenia?"

He was in it now, he might as well go for broke. "What was your first clue, the talking to imaginary people or the staring at things that aren't really there? To answer your question yes I am a schizophrenic with split-personality disorder, my other personality is much like Carlos except much better dressed and with a tendency to defy the laws of physics. Right now he's using David's staff like a baton to conduct the dramatic music that's playing as I reveal this to you." He said as Johann turned to face him in a dramatic shocked fashion as everyone else looked over at David.

Johann stopped and took a bow returning the staff with a slow clap, "Now don't you feel better getting that off your chest?" He said with a smile.

Knives pointed right at him, "You're a fucking asshole!"

They looked to where he was pointing and then back to him with concerned glances all save Luxus who looked rather smug, "Look Knives, it doesn't matter who you see or what you are. All that matters is that you are my partner and that our team looks after one another. I have complete faith you can keep it together, it's just that what's going on now is outside your routine. In real combat it's not a simulated exercise, there are chemicals running through your body and variables you can't account for, but that's why we have teams; to watch each other's back." As he said this Knives noticed Luxus' hand shaking as well, and that's when he realized that Luxus was just as scared as he was.

Caradin nodded with a goofy grin and Deverou shrugged and flashed a cocky smile, "I guess if our 'fearless leader' says so it's gotta be true. Besides Knives we all have our secrets." He paused and took a breath exhaling afterwards, "So I guess I'd better come clean, I'm actually a member of the Tenebrous clan personally contracted by the Schnee family to deal with more, delicate matters. Pyron over there was one of them for a long time because of his nasty habit of interfering with our research teams." He said.

"You mean the ones trying to mine the Phoenix Quarry and steal the Dust that rightfully belongs to my people!? What you guys were doing is wrong, and I won't let you take my home."

"Hey, it's not my job anymore." He said raising his hands, "My job is to protect lady Weiss, and I've already failed at that."

"Not entirely," Luxus added, "She's a lot tougher than she looks, and if she fell right down where I watched her fall then she must be near Ruby Rose. The girl may act clumsy, but to be 15 and make it into Beacon she is exceptionally gifted; enough to rival most Huntsmen and Huntresses. I should know; my great grand-father was Würfel Rayfor, founder of the town of Würfel, Huntsman extraordinaire, and founder of Würfel Casinos. My full name is Luxus Rayfor von Würfel, I am the Gambling Gunman."

"Yeah, and I'm guessing you all know who I am by now with that whole, Cross last name, but uh woohoo!" Caradin said with a bit of jazz hands.

"Well now that pleasantries are out of the way, I suggest we separate. Although a bigger group would have more success, I feel that we aren't suited to your individual fighting styles Pyron." Luxus said shrugging, "I promise we'll leave you alone when it comes to matters of your, innocence, so it has been a pleasure slaying monsters with you but we must leave." Luxus added.

"Likewise," Pyron replied shaking Luxus' hand.

"Later stupid flirt." Newt said as she kicked Luxus in the shin.

"It was a pleasure." David said as he bowed.

"Let's go out drinking sometime." Carlos finished as they all walked off.

Luxus turned back to his group nursing his shin. "Shall we continue then?"

As they walked in silence they continued to keep an eye on their surroundings to make sure they didn't fall into any traps or encounter anymore enemies. Knives asked the question that was most predominate on his mind. "So I just spilled my guts about my illness and you guys seem pretty okay with that, is there something wrong with you all?"

"Not really," Caradin replied, "We've all got baggage man. I mean we all willingly sign up to fight monsters, don't you think that's a little crazy? Some people are in it for the fun, some people are in it for the glory, and others are here to make the world a better place. Everybody has their reason to do what they do regardless of who they are or where they come from, the whole reason I was a mercenary was to avoid becoming a Hunter or a soldier like my parents wanted. And yet here I am, sometimes fate is unavoidable." He said with a sorrowful tone.

"Fate's a load of shit." Knives added, "We're supposed to roll over and let fate decide what we do and how we live, fuck that! My fate was to be a sociopath with a split personality, but Ozpin gave me a second chance; I owe him everything."

"Just make sure you pay that back with interest." Luxus added with a smile.

"Okay, another question then," Knives started, "Caradin you've been eying my weapon for some time, is everything alright?"

"You have an X-21 Chain-blade and that sword is obviously not some common weapon. An X-21 is serious shit on its own, there were only 21 ever made and they were designed for a special task force called the Liberators. As for that sword, I know I've seen it somewhere before." His mouth gaped open as realization hit him, "Yeah, I have! In the portraits of Alexei Blut, also known as Alex the Bloody. Bloody Knives, you're his descendant aren't you!?" He said with a grin, knowing that they had another strong bloodline on their team, before he saw Knives face and felt pity.

He lowered his head, "Yeah, I am. My real name is Alexander Blut, I got this sword from my mom right before," He stopped to pause, obviously not wanting to talk about it, "well my history, as for the X-21, it was a gift from the Don of the first gang I worked for."

"Okay, so Luxus." Deverou started as he eyed the man in the coat suspiciously, "CARD, really? Cross, Alexander, Rayfor, Deverou? You planned that didn't you, last names on one and three, first names on two and four?"

"What can I say," he said shrugging, "I know my stuff."

They stopped walking and sat down on a motion from Luxus, who tested his arm to see if it was feeling better and then removed it from the makeshift sling. "From here on out, it will not be easy. We were lucky enough to land more towards the edge of the forest, but once we enter the main forest it will become much more difficult. I don't know the perils that lie ahead, but from here on there's no turning back."

Deverou spun his chain scythe, Caradin cracked his knuckles, and Knives drew his blades, "Then what are we waiting for, let's go kill some shit!" He said with a smile, happy to be among people who accepted him for who he was.

Johann crossed his arms with a frown, "Well poo…"

And that's the wonderful revision of this chapter! Tell me what you think in the reviews.