Author's Note: Hey all! New Chapter! I'd like to take the moment to thank and introduce my new beta: Mr. Stark357! Now that the Beta position is filled, is anyone intersted in perhaps submitting a cover illustration for this piece? (cough!-blatant begging-cough!)

Anyway, in case any of you missed last chapter's Author's Notes . . . well, you probably aren't reading these, but in case you did but forgot, this chapter's going to leave our heroines for a bit to focus on good ole Jaune! Let's see what Beacon's like when half his friends are missing.

Also, before I forget, I'd like to thank RedMage101 for writing "RWBY: Carmilla," a re-telling of the webseries Carmilla with the Ruby characters, because that's how I found Carmilla, and it is freakning AWESOME (I like to describe it as, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the funny version).

Also giving a shout-out to Raziel12, author of "Love Waits," an excellent one-chapter Vamprie RWBY story. It was kind of what got me to actually inspired me to really start thinking about this.

Questions in Reviews:

1. Will I ever reveal how Weiss and Ruby met: Yes, I'm probably going to answer that. Eventually. It hasn't come up yet, and I'm honestly still figuring it out. But, all our heroines will be getting a backstory explaining how they got where they are today! And, SPOILERS! Weiss' is going to be pretty important going forward.

2. Will Ruby become a Vampire: For a while I honestly didn't know the answer to this one. I knew Weiss and Yang both thought it would be a horrible life for her, but I really didn't want Ruby to die of old age and leave Weiss alone. I finally figured out a solution to this issue. No, I will not reveal it here, that will be dealt with in the not-so-near future. There's a lot of stuff to deal with first.

Like say, Adam . . .

Act 1: Shadows within Shadows

Chapter 4: The Burden of the Badge

"Yawwwwwwnnnnnnn!"

"Rough night, Jaune?"

"I've had better," Jaune Arc replied to his partner, Pyrrha Nikos. The blond-haired boy and his team, Team JNPR, were Second-year students at Beacon. This meant that, in addition to the standard sparring matches and chaperoned missions, he and his team now had to undergo "survival training" exercises. This largely consisted of being made to camp out in the woods or the hills or made to navigate an area of wilderness. Always in places known to have a decent-sized population of Grimm.

Team JNPR had just completed one such training session. They'd spent the night in the Emerald Forest, just outside of Beacon's protective walls. The four had spent literally, the entire night fending off wave after wave of Beowolves. When Professor Port had finally come to collect them, the team had reveled in his praise. Granted, this praise was filled with self-aggrandizing comparisons to the aged Huntsman's own achievements, but it was fulfilling none the less.

Jaune had felt particularly proud about the number of monsters he'd slain. True, it was fewer than any of his comrades, but the boy he'd been a year ago never could have accomplished what he had last night. He'd grown, and he knew it. His teammates knew it too. Pyrrha, his personal trainer and perhaps his saving grace—the one who'd made the self-conscious faker who'd cheated his way into Beacon with fake transcripts into an actual warrior—had heartily congratulated him on his improvement. He'd blushed under her praise. Nora, in true Nora fashion, was still jumping up and down proclaiming the whole team's "Awesome-tude!" in between telling increasingly inaccurate stories about their adventure. Even Jaune's brother-in-arms, Ren, had commented that he was, "impressed" by Jaune's performance the night before. Coming from someone who was as silent, as Nora was vocal and was already twice the Huntsman Jaune was, that was high praise indeed.

Currently, Ren was asleep. The mostly-dark haired boy suffered from low stamina and had collapsed against Nora the instant the team had been dismissed by Port. Despite being next to Nora's mouth for the entire trip back to their dorm, and in spite of Nora sitting next to him as he lay in bed, kicking her feet out and bouncing up and down despite Jaune and Pyrrha's requests that she stop, Ren was still fast asleep. His blood-sugar must have been worse than anyone thought.

That was all right, though. The one good thing about survival training was that, if the day after wasn't a weekend day, the team got it off to recover and write their official reports: what they'd experienced, how they'd dealt with it, what could have been done differently, etc. Since, unlike training missions, survival nights were assigned at random, often with little warning beforehand, teams got more days off than not. That was, in Jaune's opinion, the only good thing about them.

Right now, the Arc scion wanted nothing more than to climb into his own bed and join Ren in the land of sawing logs and counting sheep. Unfortunately, he was the team leader, and that came with its own set of lessons. Lessons which, his scroll reminded him, he was not exempt from unless he was either in the Infirmary or on a mission.

"You know you're learning useful things," Pyrrha said, diplomatically. "Honestly, Jaune, I envy you."

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry, Pyrrha; I'd trade places with you if I could, but . . ." Jaune trailed off. He realized, he sounded like an ass. In all honesty, he was impressed by his partner's enthusiasm and energy. In spite of all they'd gone through the night before, she was still eager to learn more; in spite of all her accomplishments, she still wanted to improve. Also, he realized that she was right, as always. "Listen, Pyrrah. I promise, I'll tell you everything they teach us as soon as I get back, OK?"

This was Jaune's standard promise to his red-headed partner every time he went to lessons without his teammates, but Pyrrha always responded the same way. She smiled broadly. "Thank you, Jaune. I'm very grateful."

Jaune mumbled a response, before dragging his feet to his Captains' Lesson. He'd managed to change out of the previous night's shirt and jeans, but his Scroll had informed him that he'd need his weapons and combat gear, chest and shoulder armor he'd worn yesterday. He tried his best to ignore the smell.

"Wow, what happened to you, Jauney-boy?" an obnoxious voice asked.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Jaune couldn't stop the groan from escaping. The person who had spoken was Cardin Winchester: captain of Team CRDL, and Jaune's personal tormentor. If Pyrrha (and to a lesser extend the rest of his team) was what made Beacon tolerable, what made it enjoyable and made him believe that he could actually live up to his family's legacy, Cardin (and to a lesser extent the rest of his team) were what made Beacon horrible, what made it a virtual prison-sentence and made Jaune question not only whether he could live up to his family's legacy but if it was even worth trying to.

"Aw, did someone have a late night?" Cardin asked, speaking in the rhetorical voice that let Jaune know Cardin already knew the answer and was only asking to mess with him. "Too bad for you, Jauney-boy, because I hear we've got a special lesson lined-up for today."

How to take a punch? Jaune wondered. Taking turns on each other? He continued to do his best to ignore the other Captain. After Jaune had stood up to him—and saved his life from an Ursa Major after the rest of Team CRDL had abandoned their leader—last year, Cardin had down-graded from, "personal persecutor" to, "thorn-in-the-side." For whatever twisted sense of honor or respect the other boy had, Cardin had scaled back on his torments and stopped trying to blackmail Jaune into doing his bidding.

Aside from Pyrrha, Cardin was the only one who knew Jaune had tricked his way into the academy. He'd stopped threatening to reveal that knowledge, though Jaune had no clue why. It was patently obvious Cardin didn't treat the whole, "saving-his-life-thing" as any big deal. Still, he'd stopped with the blackmail, and that was good enough for Jaune. His mother had taught him to be grateful for whatever small blessings he could get.

The two joined the other captains from their year. There were roughly a hundred students in each year, divided into four-person teams. This meant Jaune and Cardin were in the company of twenty-three other men and women in the assembly hall. Tall and short, male and female, Human and Faunus, they all stood in silence, waiting for the teacher to arrive.

Ozpin arrived late, as usual.

"Hello, Captains," Ozpin said. Immediately, everyone's attention sharpened. Ozpin always referred to them as "students." Also unusual, Ozpin wasn't alone. Professor Goodwitch was with him, not unheard of, but so were Port and Oobleck. Didn't they have classes of their own to prepare for? The three teachers stood at silent attention as the Headmaster went on. "Today is one of the most important lessons you will ever learn and one of the most dangerous. I'm going to ask you now, are you ready?"

The assembled Captains all murmured variations on, "Yes, Professor."

Ozpin frowned. "Perhaps I wasn't clear. The lesson you're going to learn today is both highly important and more dangerous than anything you've encountered so far. So, I'm going to ask again: are you ready?"

"Yes, Sir!" the students announced. Jaune was afraid his voice cracked while he said it, but hoped that if he ignored it, everyone else would too. Goodness knew they had plenty of reason to: this wasn't the normal Ozpin, this was the man whose, "greeting" on the first day had left them all feeling both weak and ashamed. This wasn't the Headmaster; this was a Master Huntsman taking stock of the new blood and not particularly caring for what he saw.

Said Master Huntsman nodded. Apparently they weren't hopeless after all. "Follow me."

Ozpin walked over to the base of the stage and laid his hand on the raised surface. Instantly, a section of the stage flew back like reverse-trapdoor whilst another section on the floor did likewise, revealing a dimly-lit set of stairs. The headmaster descended those steps, neither slowly nor quickly, but steadily.

"One at a time, please," Goodwitch instructed. This served as a kind of verbal prod to get the assembled Captains moving. "Watch your step."

Jaune fell in behind his silent companions. Even Cardin had quieted. Everyone knew how serious this was. Especially, when Jaune heard a tap, tap, tap, behind him. He turned around—he was near the end of the line—and saw Professor Goodwitch at the end of the line. Ozpin in front, Goodwitch in back, Port and Oobleck apparently left behind, (as guards?): Not good.

I wonder what Yang and Ruby would think of all this? the blond-haired Captain thought. Yang had also been a blond-haired Captain, although that was the only thing the two had in common. Ruby had been Yang's little sister, who was still a couple of years away from her first year at Beacon, but was already a legend at Signal. Yang had been out-going and confident, always ready to give a smile or a slap on the back. Ruby had been innocent and awkward but wise beyond her years. Much like Pyrrha, Jaune didn't know why Yang had befriended him, much less introduced him to her precious baby sister, but she had. The two had been a good friends to have, too: funny, supportive, and smarter than most people realized. It had been Ruby's advice that had inspired Jaune to stand up to Cardin when the other Captain had tried to hurt Pyrrha for some kind of macho-honor/vengeance thing. Everyone was expecting nothing but the best from the blond brawler and the red-headed prodigy.

They'd both died a little over a year ago. Ruby was gone before the first semester was over. Yang had disappeared shortly afterwards, hardly a month into the second semester of the first year.

Ruby had vanished without a trace, though Yang claimed it was Vampires. The blond became irritable and withdrawn, pushing her friends away while her mood swung from despair to fury at the drop of a pin. She'd spent every spare minute she could trying to find the ones responsible for Ruby's disappearance, often going into Vale alone after dark to search for clues. Jaune hadn't known what to do. Pyrrha and Ren had counselled patience. She'd be all right once she calmed down. Jaune hoped Yang was all right, because she was about as calm as calm got now.

No one was sure what happened. One day, his scroll was ringing, and when he opened it, it was a message from the staff informing the student body that Yang had disappeared the night before and all that had been found was the bloody remains of her jacket.

Some people suspected Vampires, or possibly White Fang Therianthropes, if such things actually existed. Ren thought she'd just been killed by some street gang, probably for her beloved motorbike, Bumblebee; it wasn't like secretive Creatures of the Night had much use for it.

It didn't matter; two of Jaune's best friends were dead, and was a good reminder that life on Remnant was dangerous and uncertain, even in the most well-guarded cities. That's why there were Huntsmen and Huntresses. To stop events like this from happening.

At the bottom of the stairs, Jaune saw Ozpin standing before the assembled Captains, who formed a line in front of him. Behind the Headmaster was a door.

"This is your last chance," Ozpin announced. "What lies beyond this door is not to be taken lightly. Your teachers and I have taken every precaution for your safety, but . . ." He looked them all in the eye. "That is only a probability. If you take part in this exercise, you may die."

"So, do any of you want to leave?"

Jaune looked around. Was Ozpin serious? They could die? What was he thinking? Still, no one said anything. It couldn't be so bad, could it? They'd always done dangerous things as part of the curriculum. That was how things worked. It had never been an issue before. Jaune felt something clench inside him as he thought about Ruby and Yang again. They were in more danger in the real world than in Beacon.

Ozpin nodded. "Very well. Let us begin." He turned around and placed his hand against a pad on the wall. A scanner read his palm and a set of doors opened.

Behind them was a barred gate, guarding a wide room. In the middle of the room was a man. He was dark-skinned and apparently hairless, though as he was as wearing a shirt and pants, that was hard to confirm. He was sitting in a bizarre chair with wires sticking out of it. Jaune's eyes adjusted to the light, and he saw the man wasn't sitting in the chair; he was strapped to it, and the "wires" were actually hooked into the man's neck.

Jaune managed to swallow his questions (who was this guy? Why was he here? Why were they here? Where was here?). But, he managed to hold it in. He'd been given an order, and he'd obey it. The Headmaster expected nothing less.

"I'm sure you're all wondering who this man is and why we're here," Ozpin said. "This is Beacon Academy's darkest secret. A Vampire. We call it the Eldest, and it is perhaps the oldest Vampire still alive today."

"Flattering as ever, Headmaster," the Vampire spoke. Its voice was deep and even . . . sophisticated?

"Why is that thing still alive?" Cardin yelled beside Jaune. "I thought Huntsmen killed Vampires on sight!"

Ozpin nodded. "That is our usual rules. When a Huntsmen or a Huntress encounters a Vampire, we are expected to kill it, unless the risk seems too great or we have the chance to gather more information by letting the Metabeing live. That is the case here; the Eldest presents a unique opportunity for learning. As Hunters, you will face many dangers. You have already faced Creatures of Grimm. They are deadly and dangerous, but soulless. They lack Auras and Semblances, and most are not very intelligent. A Vampire—or a Werebeast if it has control of itself—is as intelligent as a Mortal; they have Auras and many are also trained in the use of Semblances. But that is not the most terrible thing about them. There are two other ways in which Vampires and Werebeasts are different from Grimm, and these differences make them much more dangerous. Can anyone tell me what they are?"

The students shuffled a little, mumbling to themselves. One young lady spoke up. "They can spread their infection to others."

Ozpin nodded. "Indeed. No one can say for certain how Grimm reproduce, but once a nest of them has been cleared out, they tend to stay away for a while. A Metabeing, however, can reproduce whenever it wants to and they can choose who they want to, so most of them are in their prime when they become monstrous. Now, what else is there?"

"They can merge with fog?" Cardin offered.

"That's a power only available to Vampires," Ozpin said. "I'm looking for something both Vampires and Werebeasts can do. Something that should frighten you far more than such a limited ability."

"It can't be so special if animals can do it," Cardin muttered. Jaune frowned but said nothing, thinking. Everyone went back to mumbling. Jaune scratched his head. What else was there? What else? He tried examining the Eldest for answers. What made him so special? As far as Jaune could tell: nothing. The ancient monster looked like an average guy. Wait . . .

"They look like people," he said. All eyes, Cardin's, the other Captains', Goodwitch and Ozpin's, even the Eldest's. The blond swallowed. "They look just like us," he repeated.

"Exactly," the Headmaster replied. "A Creature of Grimm, even an example of a newly discovered species, is easily recognizable for what it is. Their black coloration, bone armor, and red eyes ensure that they can never be confused with anything else. Those infected with Strain I of HFMVV, however, still look exactly like normal Humans or Faunus. Every night, countless people walk down the streets, not knowing how many of the people they see are as normal as they are. That is what makes these creatures so dangerous and so difficult to exterminate, because it's so difficult to tell them and us apart."

Ozpin looked Goodwitch in the eye. The blond teacher nodded and spoke. "As Huntsmen and Huntresses, you will have to do battle with these creatures on occasion. Tonight's exercise is meant to prepare you for this eventuality by pitting you against the Eldest in combat. Each of you will battle him one-on-one in his cell." After speaking, the air was filled with the babbling of protests and questions of the various Captains. Raising her voice, she continued "We've weakened the Eldest by infecting the blood we give it, but its combat prowess remains formidable." Her eyes, amazingly, became even harder. "There is a reason this creature became as old as it is."

"Pfft! How tough could it be if they've been keeping it here for ages?" Cardin asked.

"Thank you, Captain Winchester," Goodwitch said. "You may go first." Clicking a key on her scroll, Good witch stepped back as the doors rolled open.

Cardin looked around, clearly not believing what had just happened. Then, he adopted his usual smirk and, shouldering his mace, the red-headed Captain strutted into the cell.

Pop! Snap! Goodwitch hit a few more keys and her scroll and the tubes disconnected from the Eldest and the straps binding the ancient creature to the chair opened.

It stood. It smiled.

"Yaaaaaaaahhh!" Cardin screamed as he charged, mace raised for a diagonal stroke. Jaune had fallen for this strategy many time in the past. It was a blatant intimidation move. Additionally, it had fooled many opponents into thinking Cardin was less skilled that he actually was. Cardin might be a bully, but he was no thug. The red-headed Captain was one of the best fighters of their year.

Which made it more than a little surprising when the Eldest floored him in no time flat.

"Amusing," the Eldest remarked, in that surprisingly cultured voice of it had. "Would you like to surrender, child?"

"Arrrg! Yarrrggg!" Cardin's screams were more realistic now. He attacked in earnest, swinging his mace in a series of devastating blows, but not one managed to hit. The Eldest always backed away before the weapon could touch him. It was all a game to the monster, a farce. Until, its back was against the bars of the cell.

Cardin, panting now from the frustration and energy of his attacks, rallied his strength for one last charge. "Heeeee-aaaaaiiiiiiii—"

WHAM!

The Eldest had redirected Cardin's attack, slamming him face first into the bars of the cage. Cardin whimpered, and the Eldest smiled. "If I were permitted to by my jailors, I would kill you now, boy. You're not even worth infecting."

The Eldest backed away, letting Cardin fall to the floor. Jaune could see that the other Captain's face was bruised. There were also dark marks on the back of his head. Looking up, he saw that the Eldest was licking Cardin's blood from its fingers.

"Would the next volunteer please step forward?" Goodwitch asked, as she and Ozpin both approached the cell. One of the female Captains, Argent of Team ALOY, joined them. Goodwitch checked Cardin's injuries, before telekinetically lifting him up and taking him with her as she left the cell. Ozpin left with Goodwitch and Cardin, using his own Scroll to close the cell. Jaune saw Goodwitch push a button on the wall, and a panel slid out which she lay the fallen Cardin down on like an impromptu stretcher. "Begin," she said.

Argent lasted longer than Cardin, having seen the other Captain fight, she took on a more cautious approach, trying to keep the Vampire at a distance and take it down with her ranged weapon, a bladed boomerang. The Eldest was clever, however, and took advantage of her strategy. The pair danced around the room until Argent forgot where she was going and backed up into the Eldest's chair.

"No-ooooo!" Argent cried as she fell backwards. The Huntress threw her boomerang wildly, but the Vampire caught it in its hand. It leapt at her like a pouncing cat. The Captain barely managed to escape, rolling to the floor. Getting up, she swung wildly with her second weapon, a hatchet, but the Eldest parried the blow with the Huntress's own boomerang, twisting it out of her hands and leaving her defenseless.

"I'd say I've won, wouldn't you?" it asked.

Argent glared, clutching her wrist. Then, she sighed and bowed her head.

"Don't be so disappointed," the Eldest called out as she exited, to be replaced by another lamb to be slaughtered. "Unlike the last one, you're actually worth turning."

And so it went. One-by-one the Captains engaged the ancient Vampire, and one-by-one they were defeated.

"I thought he was supposed to be weakened," Jaune said, as Goodwitch called for the next bout to begin.

"Oh, it is," Ozpin said, materializing beside him, making Jaune jump a little. "We've tainted to the blood we feed it, so most of its rather impressive Aura is focused on recovery, and its Semblance is unusable. Although, that's more for the school's benefit than yours."

Jaune looked at the Headmaster. "What was his Semblance?"

"Its Semblance is Telepathy," Ozpin explained. "The Eldest could speak mind to mind with others of its kind. This gave its nest unparalleled coordination in both attacks and in defense. It also made containing the creature difficult. Our predecessors originally thought that wiping out the nest would be enough, but Eldest proved quite adept at recruiting others to its cause, and its position as our captive gave its new allies a dangerous level of insight into our defenses. In fact, the reason this place exists, hidden from the rest of the school isn't to keep the Eldest from escaping; it's to keep it from learning anything of value."

WHAM! Bang-ng-ng-ng.

Jaune looked up to see the cell bars rattling as the last Captain lay in a moaning heap before them. It was easy to figure out what had happened: the Eldest had thrown the poor sucker at them. Now, it was reclining in its chair, amused expression on its face waiting for its last victim.

"Your turn, Captain Arc," Goodwitch remarked.

Jaune gulped and drew his word. Flicking a switch, his scabbard expanded into a shield. Here I go. Walking in, Jaune was immediately aware of the disadvantage he was at compared to his fellow Captains: his antiquated weaponry had no long-range capabilities. He would have to take on the monster directly. Here goes nothing. He charged, leading with his shield. Eldest waited until the last second to leap away, causing Jaune plow into the reinforced metal furniture.

Eldest came down feet-first onto Jaune's back, causing the Captain to cry out in pain. Jaune kept his head, though, and pushed back as fast as he could, knocking the Vampire off. The Eldest rolled forward, standing up three feet away from Jaune, still smiling. Jaune charged again, sword-first this time. Eldest, now lacking a launch-pad, responded as he did with Cardin, dancing away from Jaune's blows, leading Jaune back towards the cell bars.

The Eldest's back touched the bars.

Just like Cardin, Jaune thought. The Eldest had beaten his rival by redirecting his heavy attacks. So, what if I . . . As fast as he could, Jaune hit the release boon on his Shield, letting it fall to the floor. Gripping the sword in both hands, Jaune let loose a flurry of attacks. They weren't well-aimed (Jaune having not been trained in the art of two-handed swordsmanship), but they were fast. Faster than Cardin's heavy mace had been. The Eldest avoided or parried them, but it couldn't redirect them as it had Cardin. Then . . .

"Ah!" The Vampire grunted as it dove to the side. Standing up, Eldest examined its bicep, where a cut on its sleeve was rapidly darkening with blood. For a couple of moments, no one said anything or twitched a muscle. Then, Eldest smiled again. "Well done." It opened its mouth to reveal a pair of elongated upper canines, while raising its open hands to show off claws so long they had to be called talons. "Well done."

Eep! Jaune thought, as the Vampire leapt at him. Another problem with Jaune's swordsmanship was that it was designed to be used with a Shield, so his defense was at best, "wanting." Still, he managed to hold off the Metabeing's swipes. Too bad it wasn't able to protect him from his own shield.

"AAAAHHH!" Jaune went down on one knee. Now, he was the bleeding one, a wound inflicted when the Vampire had kicked his own shield into his shin. At least the Eldest sounded like it was panting now. Wait . . . Jaune looked up and saw Eldest no longer looking amused. Now, it looked hungry.

Oum protect me! Jaune thought/prayed as the Vampire leapt at him again, this time, with intentions to kill. There was no way he could stop or avoid this. At least, I'll see Yang and Ruby again . . .

CRASH!

The Eldest was lifted up and slammed into the far wall, while a dozen or so wooden arrows fluttered around the Monster. One in particular hovering right in front of its heart.

"That's enough," Ozpin said, walking into the cell alongside Goodwitch, who was pointing the riding crop she used as a wand at the Metabeing.

"Well, perhaps if I was better fed, I would be able to avoid temptation better," the Eldest remarked.

"You have better control," the Headmaster said, turning his back on the creature to examine Jaune.

"Not when I exert myself so," the monster replied.

"Can you heal that?" Ozpin asked, turning his attention to Jaune.

"I think I can," Jaune said, focusing all his Aura on the wound. The bleeding stopped and the pain subsided, slightly, but when Jaune tried to stand, he almost fell over again.

Ozpin caught him. "We'll take you to the Infirmary along with the others. Lock it up," he ordered Goodwitch, as he helped Jaune limp out.

The blond nodded and levitated the Eldest back to its chair. Taking out her Scroll in her free hand, she locked it up again. Then, she followed Ozpin and Jaune out before closing the doors again.

"Huntsmen of this modern era are so disappointing compared to the days before the Kingdoms," the Eldest called as Ozpin led the group out. "They used to be so much more . . . fun."

Jaune looked back at the Metabeing as the doors closed on its smiling face. He, it, was smiling. It really saw all of this as nothing more than a source of amusement. It was a monster, Jaune realized. The same kind of monster that had killed Ruby, Yang, and so many others. I'll kill them all, Jaune thought. Ruby, Yang, I promise I'll kill them all for the both of you.

Lexicon: The Pre-Kingdom Era

Prior to the founding of the Four Kingdoms, Humans and Faunus lived in small villages and towns, sometimes interracial but often not, that had to routinely fight off waves of Grimm as societies outside the Kingdoms do today. While the presence of Grimm kept the numbers of Mortals small, it had the same effect on the Metabeing populous. Vampires and Werebeasts lived in nomadic nests and packs containing no more than 8-10 members on average. This was because these creatures needed to remain mobile and in small numbers to acquire food and avoid confrontations with Mortals, but also to protect them from the same waves of Grimm which attacked the uninfected. After the Kingdoms were founded, Mortals flocked to them for safety, but so did Vampires. Now, Vampire Covens can be a hundred strong and able to remain undetected within the walls of the Kingdoms except for occasional evidence of kills or abductions.

Vampires' Circulatory Systems

Interestingly, although blood flows throughout Vampires' bodies as in Humans, a Vampire's heart does not beat; it is speculated that blood flows due to the contraction of bodily muscles or some unknown quality of the Vampire's modified blood. Yet, the heart remains a deadly vulnerability to Vampires, because blood continues to flow into it. If the heart is punctured by wood or silver, blood will continue to flow into the pierced organ, becoming infected with the toxic substance and then flow out into the other organs, contaminating them in turn. Ultimately, the poisoned brain shuts down and the creature either dies or is weakened enough for its head to be removed. By contrast, lead bullets or steel blades to the heart are considered little more than flesh wounds.

Author's Note: Yes, Argent is more or less named after the family of Werewolf hunters in Teen Wolf. I kind of only intended to make her up for a bit of filler so Jaune could watch other people's fights, but now I like this character, and I'm already thinking of things to do with her. Well, one thing at least, and it'll be fun (Heeheehee . . . ). Also, in case anyone guessed, her weapons are basically the same utilized by Kamen Rider Den-O in Wing Form. By the way, Team ALOY's name is pronounced "Alloy" (like metals).

And, yes, the Eldest is inspired by the Alpha Vampire in Supernatural, although the inspiration for this whole chapter came from the BtVS anthology comic, Tales of the Vampire, specifically "Tales of the Vampire, Part I" (yeah, they named the whole series after a series of stories in it, kind of confusing in my opinion, but what do I know?). Apparently, it used to be part of Watcher-training to have groups of young Watchers-to-be conduct interviews with a captive vampire (yeah, I made that pun). I liked the idea, but couldn't come up with anything worth talking about, so I opted for the training fights instead. I'd like to think it worked out pretty well, since it gave me new characters and new ideas for characters (ex: Jaune's vow at the end was something I made up as I was writing this chapter, not something I had planned from the get-go).

Next Chapter! Back to our heroes. Maybe. Mostly. And, my first Omake!