The Lost Son

by OculiImperator

Jaune Arc wished to live his own life, a life not in the shadow of the Arc Family but a life where he could make his own choices. In order to escape that shadow, he decided to become a Huntsman. What he did not realize was that while Duty and Desire may not always share the same road they often share the same destination.

17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Alexander waited patiently as Ozpin left the room, Goodwitch was standing off no doubt waiting or watching to see how he would proceed. Looking up into the stands he could see Jaune with his head in his hands which he found amusing, so he began to unseal his helmet before finally taking it off.

"Alright then, let's get started." Alexander said, making sure to raise his voice as he tucked his helmet under his arm.

"Since you already know who I am let's skip the formalities. I will be your instructor for the remaining weeks till the Vytal Festival however where I'm from we do not train Huntsmen so you'll have to bear with me as the class will change to fit a structure that I'm more familiar with. Though don't worry about a grade here, that's not something that I'm concerned about along with that if there are any concerns in the structure of the class or how I teach it feel free to find me afterwards. With that being said let me start off class by discussing a special scenario that I've already got put together for you all. This scenario will be a simulated siege fight." Alexander said and a holographic screen appeared above him of a topographic map.

"In the Emerald Forest there is a hilltop fortification that is being constructed as we speak where there will be multiple teams fighting for it. The attacking team will have one hour to either eliminate the enemy completely or get someone inside where a device is located in the fortification. If the attackers can activate the device there will be a ten minute window for the defending team to disarm it if they don't disarm it then the attackers win if they do then they win. At the same time I will have some of my Praetorians acting as assistant instructors to retrieve students who are eliminated or prevent too much outside interference but be prepared to fight the Creatures of Grimm during this scenario. There are also a few rules of engagement, the first being that you are not obligated to help the opposing team if they're being attacked by the Grimm. As in this scenario you must think of your opponents as only enemies and not fellow students. With that being said I'm also aware that there are a number of you that have fighting styles, weapons or even semblances that can be destructive tools. So while collateral damage is inevitable and understandable. Reckless damage however is not as this scenario requires you to either take or retain control of the hilltop fortification. This means that a part of the win condition requires you to not damage or destroy it beyond use, for example if the attacking force takes the hilltop but are required to defend it against a counter attack from another hostile force but cannot use the defensive fortifications because they were significantly damaged or destroyed then at best it will provide no advantage and at worst hamper their defensive effort as a whole. With that said the teams will be announced but before that are there any questions?" Alexander finished but aside from a few murmurs no one seemed to have a question or at the very least didn't feel confident enough to ask it aloud.

"Alright I shall be calling out teams for attacking." Alexander said as a Praetorian appeared from the doorway he had come through holding a bag. As the Praetorian stopped in front of Alexander so he reached in and pulled out a slip of paper.

"The first team to be picked is team VOLT of Atlas." Alexander called out and a tall pale girl with braid blonde hair stood up in the immaculate Atlas uniform.

"We're here." She called out and Alexander nodded.

"You'll be on the attacking team." He replied then reached into the bag again.

"The next team is, team WITE from Haven."

"We're here!" Another teen called though Alexander ignored him as he pulled out a third piece of paper.

"Finally team CTRN from Beacon, these three teams will be attacking now then for the defending teams." Alexander said as he reached into the bag again pulling out three different pieces of paper.

"Teams MDNT, TMBR, and RWBY." Alexander called out and Jaune was surprised to see that when a few students looked at them. Ruby, Yang and shockingly enough Blake began to mock flex while Weiss just shook her head like some disapproving parent.

"Aww man, I wanted to break some legs." Nora said and Yang laughed as she looked up at them.

"I gotchu fam." The blond brawler said before fist bumping Nora.

"Ahem!" A voice rang out and the eight of them looked back down at Alexander who in turned watched them with neither an amused or annoyed look on his own face.

"With that done, we will continue to hold sparring practices for the next few days until the event, teams are recommend to gather and plan their strategies outside of class or come to me with questions. Now we still have time for a sparring match, I will call out combatants to get ready." He said before listing off five names that Jaune didn't recognize. However confusion seemed to brew at this and it became clear that his father had called for a team from Atlas and a random Haven student.

"Well what are you waiting for? Go!" Alexander barked out, his voice echoing like a gunshot. As the five students made their way to the lockers Pyrrha leaned towards him.

"Is he doing what I think he's doing?" She asked and Jaune swallowed.

"Yup."

"I don't get it, what's he doing?" Ruby asked looking over her shoulder at Jaune.

"I think he's having a four on one match." Jaune explained.

"Well that's not something new; Pyrrha can go solo against a whole team." Ruby pointed out but Pyrrha shook her head.

"I wouldn't say that it is easy though good teamwork can sometimes be the deciding factor even against an opponent that's stronger or more skilled than any of them individually. This is another case." The red hair champion said gesturing to the sole combatant as he reentered the room wearing loose pants and a shirt with something on his arm that Jaune had to guess was his weapon.

"That's Hari Aluco, he's not bad but I would say he's far from being capable of winning even a two on one let alone four." Pyrrha said as she clasped her hands together under her chin.

"What's sort of weapon does he have? I can't tell from here." Weiss asked.

"Honestly, it looks like he's got some sort of vambrace with a slingshot attached to it." Blake said, her eyes giving her a better advantage at seeing the weapon.

"A slingshot? Yea that seems pretty useless." Yang said but Pyrrha shook her head.

"Hari is actually quite handy with that and he uses glass pellets with different powders in them that shatter on impact igniting the powder in it such as Burn or Ice Dust."

"Oh then it's sort of like Myrtenaster." Ruby chimed in.

"That still doesn't mean it will be useful in this fight, the only way he'll have a chance to win is if he out moves and hits each of his opponents with accurate debilitating shots." Ren pointed out and Pyrrha nodded.

"Like I said he's not cut out for this sort of fight, his fighting style is based around medium range support." Pyrrha said as the two sides squared off before Alexander started the fight.

Hari's opponents however unfair the match up was did not go easy on him. Jaune watched as the four person team immediately split up with one person going left and right as a third knelt down to fire some strange rifle sword as the largest one ran straight towards him wielding large Morning star that came apart with the head flying towards him on a long chain.

To the best of his abilities Hari managed to keep moving long enough to get a few hits with a few Ice Dust pellets which he tried to trap one or two of his attackers to give him room or Wind pellets to keep anyone from getting too close. Despite that with four people against him they eventually brought him down.

In the end the match only lasted about five minutes and a number of students were murmuring their discontent at the unfair odds.

"Since that lasted only for a short time, we'll have another match." Alexander said before calling out another five people then another and another. While some people got close to winning the result was always the same, the four person teams either won by sheer body count or better coordination and collective skill.

"This is, kind of hard to watch." Yang said as the final match ended, the bell had rung and Alexander simply dismissed them before leaving out the door he had come in from. The students were talking amongst themselves as they left and Pyrrha could hear the unease in most of them.

A few more hot tempered students actually wished that they had been called but many more had reservations about having to fight in uneven odds.

"I guess but I don't necessarily think it's bad." Jaune spoke up.

"Agreed, fighting outnumbered against the Grimm is an expected if not natural state of affair when we graduate." Ren chimed in.

"But that's different, Grimm are easy to understand besides which we'll never have to face people in the Outlands especially other Huntsmen." Ruby said but Blake shook her head.

"That's not true Ruby, Huntsmen and Huntresses that get contracts with the Councils or Police encounter mainly Humans or Faunus." Blake pointed out.

"The SDC also hires a few Huntsmen that graduate from Atlas and haven't joined the Military even more so when the White Fang grow more militant." Weiss said before grimacing as Blake glanced at her.

"Sorry."

"No need, I probably contributed to that need at some point." Blake said and none of them said anything until Nora sighed loudly from the back.

"Now this is awkward."

---

Elsewhere…

Jay Beryl sighed as he sat in the top of a large tree watching another long convoy of eight wheeled trucks stop before dozens of soldiers climbed aboard them to remove their contents.

A few hundred feet away from them was one of the many Arcadian camps being assembled throughout the area surrounding Beacon, the foreign soldiers had been industrial in chopping down what he had to assume was at least six or seven dozen trees to make room for their camp.

Their presence in the Emerald Forest had been solidified over the last week, with their apparent acquittal at the Council Hearing they were given leave to make camp anywhere outside the actual city of Vale.

So every day the people of Vale and their guests from the other Kingdoms watched as aircraft and support vessels moved men and supplies inland before being offload several miles south of Beacon to be moved overland to the various regimental camps that were located near Beacon.

During which the sound of fighting had been reported from a number of civilian sources though Ironwood had explained that the Arcadians had a few skirmishes with the Creatures of Grimm as they established themselves in the Emerald Forest.

The Vale Council still reeling from the hammer blow of evidence that saw nearly twenty staff members of various Council Representatives imprisoned for treason and aiding in terrorism however still decided that keeping an eye on the Arcadians with their own people was a smart thing. As the notion that Ironwood was playing both sides had started to float around amongst them.

Now he along with a dozen other Huntsman and Huntresses that happen to have standing contracts to the Vale Council were forced to keep an eye on the Arcadians activities.

He had to admit though it was probably a smart bet; aside from Atlas and the SDC none of the Kingdoms have this sort of military presence in another Kingdom.

Sighing he looked up at the sky, there weren't any clouds but it was still chilly out. A few of the trees were also starting to look discolored as autumn rolled in.

Jay froze however when he heard something snap and looked down to see a squad of soldiers moving near the trunk of the tree he was hiding in. He slowed his breathing down as he laid down straining to hear despite the noise of construction in the distance.

"I can't believe the Captain is making us go out here, second platoon already did a sweep." One of them said as he rested his rifle against the tree then took off his helmet.

"Man, I don't know what you're complaining about, this is so much better than hauling lumber." Another said as the others gathered around, a few taking sips from green canteens as they removed their own helmets.

"That's because the Captain has his orders just as we do, now put your fucking helmets back on." A woman snapped and with evident reluctance the soldiers gathering their belongings once more.

"Relax Sarge; the Captain isn't going to jump down our throats about this." The first man said.

"It's not him I'm worried about." The female soldier replied.

"I don't get it."

"It's about the Housecarls; the whole regiment is buzzing how the Decanus of the Housecarls told Heider and the Regimental officers to be on the lookout for any uninvited observers from Vale."

"Shit, really?"

"No Kasker, I'm obviously making that up."

"Was that sarcasm Sarge?" The soldier asked before having to duck a rock chucked at his head.

The squad of soldiers laughed however as they moved out of view and Jay released a sigh of relief. Though hearing that apparently the protectors of the Arcadian High Lord were cautioning the soldiers to be vigilant meant that he still didn't trust Vale. Which in hindsight was probably reasonable move since he was there essentially spying on his forces.

With the Vytal Festival getting closer and closer things were going to become even more befuddled. The line of who's the enemy was now no longer clear.

Headmaster Ozpin had essentially secluded himself in his tower like a willing prisoner while General Ironwood plays politics with the Vale Council. Lastly were all the troubles that had started boiling over in Vale with Torchwick, the White Fang, and now Arcadia.

Sighing once more he figured the first chance he gets he would leave Vale while it was the center of attention.

As the distance supply convoy pulled away he wondered what Mistral was like this time of year, rumor had it that a new batch of jobs were popping up there.

---

Later that Night…

Alexander stood in the temporary tent being used as the 14th Division's field Headquarters where the 71st Heavy Infantry commanded by Heider's most senior Colonel was stationed in. The other four regiments were spread out across roughly twenty miles north, east and south of Beacon.

All around the tent staff officers were setting up tables then laying out maps of the surrounding terrain while Vox-Operators hooked their gear into portable generators or tested them by contacting each other or other camps.

Off to the side Colonel Hjalmur Astmarsson entered the tent with his three battalion commanders and joined the other colonels and their respective battalion commanders all of whom waited for Alexander to start speaking.

"Evening ladies and gentleman, thank you for meeting me here." Alexander finally said as Heider stood next to him and the assembled officers threw him a crisp salute but he waved it down.

"Let me first start this off by asking if you're all getting situated fine in your positions." Alexander said and they gave a chorus of affirmatives and Alexander sighed on the inside.

"While I appreciate that, I want the truth; this isn't the parade ground and I more than aware that this is something that isn't a common feature in Army Doctrine. Now speak." Alexander said pointing randomly and a Faunus woman snapped a salute.

"Major Fischer, 4th Battalion, 73rd Line Infantry. We're located on the southern edge of the Emerald Forest our positions are mostly secured but my captains have already submitted reports saying that several skirmishes have broken out with the Grimm, if this continues we will be requesting additional munition sooner than expected and I'm a little concerned that if this were to occur along the entire line then the Navy supply ships won't be able to keep as well supplied as we'd like." Alexander nodded.

"Thank you for the observation and yes I've already placed additional requisition orders, extra supplies are being prepared both for the fleet and Division will be here in a little more than a week. If demand continues to increase Brigadier General Meidner and Governor Kagiris of the Hurin Valleys have already offered their own reserves in case we need them. Next?" Alexander said and another officer raised their hand.

"Major Haneke, 2nd Battalion, 75th Heavy Armor, we are actually have some civilian trouble."

"In what way?" Alexander asked.

"News reporters are taking pictures and videos of us from a distance beyond our perimeter line and we're not sure what our standing orders are on dealing with the civilian press from the Four Kingdoms."

"I'll look into getting Ironwood to put some pressure on the Vale Council for a media restriction until the Vytal Festival is over but most likely they'll deny us so keep on guard against anyone trying to go snooping around the camps and Heider issue a notice in the morning that all Arcadian personnel are to avoid getting into conversations with civilians or civilian press there's no telling whether or not they'll be recording even the briefest of interactions. Anything else?"

"Sir?" A man called out and Alexander nodded to him.

"Major Osterholt, 3rd Battalion, 72nd Line Infantry, I've got a question about our strategic goals. I know we're here in case things had fallen through with the Four Kingdoms in securing Lady Lilith but she's free now so why are we here?"

"All you need to worry about is your battalion and completing orders Major." Heider said but Alexander raised a hand to stop him.

"It is fine Heider, now, Captain, as to why we're here you were on the mark with what you said about forcibly taking back our people. Now though with that out of the way, I know you have all heard about the battle up north in the Hurin Valleys, correct?" The assembled officers nodded or voice their affirmation.

"Well the reason you're here is in part to add extra security against the possibility that if the Archenemy have managed to slip from our grasps try to attack the Four Kingdoms or nearby Outland towns or villages we'll have a force on hand that can actively defend or counterattack. Make no mistake; we're on an interpositional mission that borders open conflict." Alexander explained and the assembled officers muttered amongst themselves but no one seemed to have any other pressing concerns.

"Alright then briefing packets will be assembled then distributed within two or three days till then button it up and ladies and gentlemen I know occasionally those nasty things called thoughts occasionally come into your mind but for my sake and sanity please sit on it until you can talk with someone smarter than you cause I rather not do extra paper work. Now return to your units." Heider said and the assembled officers snapped crisps salutes before marching out of the tent.

Outside the sounds of construction resumed as the accompanying Enginseer Battalion which was spread out amongst the Division returned from their break in getting the camps to a functional level with the added support of the soldiers for manual labor.

Each camp had two outer trenches filled with razor wire or tank traps. Then a large dirt earthwork that served both as a dumping ground from the trenches and dugouts along with serving as place to place heavy stubber nests.

Inside the camps, the soldiers had square or rectangle dugouts in the ground roughly four to five feet deep before setting tents over them to add a modicum of protection as sandbags are lined around them. Though mainly this practice was to allow space for soldiers to stand up in them without having the tents stand too far out from the ground.

At the same time he had to worry about the mock battle in the coming days along with the reports of Grimm movement rising again not only in the north but to the east and south as well. In the last twenty four hours three Outland towns had been attack with two of them being destroyed with no survivors.

The third was only able to fend them off because a group of Huntsmen were traveling by road to Vale for the Vytal Festival.

Then in Arcadia Army units were engaged by the Archenemy but not in Irkalla. The fighting had taken place in Ambracia the furthest western province of his Kingdom.

The last time the Archenemy had been sighted there was nearly four decades ago after the 21st Army Corp had its back broken by the advancing Archenemy at the Orotos River in Sharlor after ignoring the bulk of the 22nd Army Corp in Irkalla. Worst of all he had yet to figure out how exactly the enemy had gotten to Sanus.

"Sir?" A voice asked and Alexander turned to a helmed Housecarl though he recognized who it was by the fact the Housecarl had a longsword at their waist.

"What is it Areto?"

"The Valkyries are ready to leave when you are sir."

"Not yet I need to get into contact with Commander Alethia and tell her to relay a message to Arabella and Vidus."

"You can give the message to me my Lord, Demeli and Rallidis are outside and will escort you back to Beacon."

"Fair enough, tell Vidus to send another Centuria here, as for Arabella I need her to talk to the House Havengrip or Raulon for support then have Talbek speak with the Silent Ones about lending their support as well. Lastly let the Sisterhood know that they can send a Mission or two to get settled here as well." Alexander said but Areto didn't seem to respond and Alexander narrowed his eyes as he didn't hear anything. This in itself was odd as he was in the middle of an active Army encampment.

Something rustled behind him and Alexander reached out grabbing Areto's sheathed blade pulling it out as he spun around. The sword erupted in a blue glow as the power field was activated and the shining blade came around cleaving a green hair woman in a grey dress in two at the waist.

Instead of the stench of ozone, cooked flesh and the sound of blood boiling away on the activated blade there was nothing nor did the woman stand in front of him.

"As I suspected but it does hurt me a little that you would do that first." A woman's voice said. Alexander spun to see the same woman though she was now sitting crossed leg on one of the tables in the tent watching him with crimson eyes with vertical pupils. Though considering what happened he already knew she wasn't really Human or Faunus.

"Who are you?" Alexander asked raising the sword to point at the woman.

"Ah yes we've never actually met, I am Ataecina." The woman said after breathing through her nose where smoke emerged and Alexander remembered something Talbek had told him a long time ago.

"The Grey lady? I know of you, you and Talbek Stonefang fought nearly eighty years ago just before the Great War but now he claims you're an ally." Alexander said lowering his sword.

"That pretty much sums it up and yes if it was ever truly necessary I would come to your aid and believe it or not there are actually a few others who would do so as well."

"Forgive me if I'm still a little skeptical on that. I've not had the best experience with your kind, as they're not so civil." The woman laughed.

"Well I am afraid that all I can do for you if give an apology on behalf of my younger kin, emotions for them are of a much rawer sort."

"I don't need an apology, I've seen enough of them die for their deeds and I know you're not like them." Alexander said walking around the still frozen Areto and watched as the woman's eyes seemed to flash at his remark.

"Come now, that was so long ago and if I may say so I was actually there when you slew the Elder that led the others against your people and before you say anything I know he gave you no choice in the matter."

"So what brings you to me? I know most of your kind avoids my Kingdom, Menagerie and the Four Kingdoms unless you have a good reason."

"True and first let me just say that I'm not the only one that's visited Vale in the last few months nor am I even the second though I cannot entirely guess what they wanted, the only one who might tell you sits in his tower watching all that is unfolding around him with the patience of someone who is used to it." Alexander frowned; he knew she meant Ozpin but if that was the case then he was right to suspect that Ozpin knew more than he was letting on. The woman slid off the table then walked towards him, she wasn't tall but the air started to feel warm and heavy.

"Our mutual enemies are swimming around you like predators of the oceans when blood spills. They are so close to you yet you cannot see them it almost scares me at your lack of sight. The man in the tower's sight is clouded by his past and arrogance while the others do not know what it is they're looking at as they fight a war they do not know they're in or even understand. You however should know better but it seems while you rightful are worried about one enemy you've let the other spread its influence."

"I know that but I cannot force the others to bend to my will to combat every threat there is."

"You can though; you've got the strength to do it."

"For something with such great power you still struggle to understand that to use it in this case will bring more harm than good."

"True but I'm not beholden to these mortal fears you have."

"If you can't understand nor are willing to try then don't presume to try telling me what I should do." Alexander said and the woman said nothing as he looked at her eyes however he could see that the pupils had expanded to the point that her red iris was all but gone then it snapped back to normal.

"My time is short, others know I'm here and are upset that I'm speaking with you."

"What does that mean?"

"To put it simply there is a pact of sorts that means unless certain things happen we must not interfere at all and that even means that divulging a piece of vital knowledge can have terrible consequences." She said waving away his question without a care and Alexander's face tightened with anger.

"Do not speak to me of consequences; I've seen countless lives snuffed out with battlefields with the dead covering every inch of those that face not only the Grimm but those that dwell beyond. I've seen towns, cities, even empires burn with the damnation of traitors. I've seen the twisted shadows of those that get corrupted and I've put my sword in thousands of them. I've seen worlds die as the light of a species flickers and grows dimmer as fools destroy everything that was built up to save them." Alexander hissed before a somber feeling took over his brief flare up as he looked to the ceiling of the tent.

"Someone is a little testy." Ataecina said and Alexander sighed as he closed his eyes.

"I know what lies in wait for me and my people, I know what happens if I fail."

"Ah yes the burden of responsibility now that is something I can understand." Ataecina said as she crossed her arms and looked at the tent opening.

"I have to go for now."

"Go where?"

"Somewhere."

"Like?"

"Don't worry about that, I just need to leave, I've spent too long here." She said gesturing to the still frozen Areto.

"Fair enough." As Ataecina turned away she stopped to look back at him.

"Good luck." She said then she was gone.

"Is that all my Lord?" Areto asked and Alexander turned to her.

"Yes." He said.

"Uh, my Lord?" She asked.

"What is it?"

"Why do you have my weapon?" She asked pointing down and Alexander realized he still had her sword. He handed it back to her allowing her to sheath the blade.

"Just make sure to pass my orders along Praetorian." Alexander said as he strode out of the tent, his mood darkening as he began to think.

---

A Few Days Later…

It was the day of the test, team RWBY and five other teams sat in the passenger compartments of two separate Arcadian Valkyries.

While the defending team didn't know where the attacking team was heading as their Valkyrie had peeled away from them the moment they left Beacon however they could all see their own destination after a few minutes into the flight.

The place they would have to defend was a relatively wide but not so tall hill; if Yang had to guess its elevation was roughly less than twenty meters.

In the center was a large wood tower though the height was sort of defeated by the fact that it looked like the top of the hill had been excavated out along with an outer trench.

"Are you guys ready?" A voice called out and Yang looked to see Mell Saporo, the leader of team MDNT, looking at them.

"Yea we're good." Ruby said and the other team leader nodded.

"What do you think about this match?" Mell asked and Ruby frowned as she looked at her teammates.

"Well we know it's going to be hard that's for sure." She said and Mell rolled her eyes.

"I know that but you're friends with the Arc boy, did he give you any insight about what his father is like?" Weiss chuckled softly at that as they shook their heads.

"He didn't say much but what he did say we've already seen."

"That's not very cheering."

"Look, it's not going to be forever the Vytal Festival is about to start in a few days besides which we should focus on the fight." Tara Leu, the leader of team TMBR chimed in.

"Right, how are we going about this again?" Yang asked and Weiss sighed.

"You were there when we came up with the plan; we're splitting up the teams into ranged and melee. You will of course be with the melee team along with Blake while Ruby and I will be ranged. The same will go for teams MDNT and TMBR." Weiss explained as the Valkyrie began to descend.

"Twenty seconds, get ready!" The pilot's voice called out over the internal speaker system. The twelve students stood up as the rear ramp opened and without being told they got out of the Valkyrie before it was even ten feet to the ground.

"So what now?" Someone said as the Valkyrie flew away.

"We have to assume the test has started, so let's get inside the base and get familiar with the lay out then figure out how we can defend it to the best effect." Ruby called out and the others nodded before spreading out.

Over the next fifteen minutes the twelve of them were able to get a basic understanding of the hilltop layout. At the top was an excavated area with a fire step lined with wood from the Emerald Forest and dirt filled sandbags that lined the edges.

In the center the tower wasn't that big but it was high enough that when they climb the ladder inside that they could see the bottom of the hill. As for its survivability they noticed that it was a made mostly from wood, at its thickest was two feet while the weakest looking to be about six inches with a thin layer of metal bolted on the outside.

All across the perimeter though were small tunnels only wide enough for one person to go through at a time that led to the outer trench. There the trench was wide enough for three of them to stand side by side while a fourth could stand on the fire step. Every fifty feet or so were what Yang assumed were machine gun nests that bulged out from the trench line covered with boards on top allowing for a foot long opening that faced downhill.

"Well, it's not too bad but I doubt we'll get much use for it." A brown hair guy said as the twelve of them got back together at the base of the tower. If Yang guessed correctly he had to be from team TMBR.

"Razz is right, we're not fighting Grimm, we're fighting other students so sitting still and trying to trade fire isn't gonna have much effect." Tara mused.

"Yea but I don't think we should discount it either." Another guy, this one tall but a little too lean for her taste, said.

"Linell is right, the Arcadians don't fight like us but that doesn't mean they don't know how to fight." Ruby said and Yang had to agree with her little sister. She could still remember the awe inspiring sight of the firepower that they could bring both on the Grimm while mixing it up with flexible maneuverability and variety against Human opponents.

Which at the same time those thoughts drew her back to those dark events; even now she did feel a little hesitant to think about those bloody hours.

Yang was no stranger to a fight or the sight of blood and broken bones. Yet there was much more than that in the Hurin Valleys.

She could still hear the nerve rending cries of people begging for helping or the blood curling screams of people in unimaginable pain as they were hacked, sliced or genuinely torn apart.

"Okay, then what?" Linell asked.

"We stick with the plan, split up into pairs since we'll have to space ourselves out. Range teams will engage first while melee teams hide in the Heavy Stubber nests."

"Heavy Stubbers?" Razz asked.

"Oh, right, I meant Heavy Machine Guns." Ruby corrected.

"Whatever, did anyone find where the device is?"

"There's a hatch in the bottom of the tower, it leads into a corridor where the device is on some pedestal at the end of it. Though I also have to say, it's got some buttons on it but I don't know how it works." Blake said

"Okay what does that mean?" Yang asked.

"So, it means that Arc never told us how to defuse it only that we have to if they activate it." Weiss explained

"Oh."

"Are you sure there weren't like, instructions or something?" Tara asked and Blake shrugged.

"I won't lie and say there isn't since I didn't do a full search. I just got close enough to know that it's our objective."

"Well, I'm sure we'll figure it out at some point." Weiss said and Ruby nodded along.

"Blake was the hatch hidden at least?" She asked but the Faunus shook her head.

"Aside from some chairs and a table it sticks out like a sore thumb."

"Well, look for stuff around to hide it maybe some crates or more sandbags other than that there's nothing else we can do. However if we have to fall back act like the device is at the top of the tower in the heat of the moment the attackers might not notice anything out of place." Ruby said and they all nodded.

"We should get going now, who knows if the attackers are in place already." Tang said and once again they all nodded or voiced their agreements.

Yang watched as Ruby dragged Weiss with her as she followed along with her own partner. Blake already had Gambol Shroud out and was inspecting it again.

Yang was no stranger to the idea of double checking if Ember Celica was in working order or if her spare shotgun shells were properly secured. The way Blake was checking her weapon spoke of a different kind of need.

"Are you good?" Yang asked but Blake didn't respond so Yang pushed her a little and Blake yelped as her balance was momentarily thrown off.

"Yang, what was that for?" She asked but Yang poked her forehead.

"Your mind was obviously elsewhere Blake; I was just bringing it back."

"Well you don't have to do that."

"You sure?"

"I am."

"Well I'm glad one of us is."

"Yang."

"What? We've always known this world had monsters in the form of Grimm or terrible people but now we know it's now a world of gods and monsters or monstrous people." Yang said.

"Look Yang, I get it, I'm not entirely okay with what Jaune told us but what can we do? We can't ignore them, we can't negotiate with them, and so that leaves us one option left."

"And I'm fine with that, give me a freak with some googly eyes to punch in the face and I'll call it a day."

"Really?"

"A good fight is a good fight."

"What if it's more than just a fight?"

"That's a different sort of question to be asking."

"But one I think you should consider." Blake said as they reached the outer trench. At that moment Ruby waved to them just as a recognizable crack echoed in the distance, Yang jumped forward activating Ember Celica just as Ruby fell down clutching her hand.

In the sky above them Blake noticed several devices that she assumed were drones circling over them and realized that they must be recording or streaming them back to Beacon for the others to watch.

Ruby was back on her feet again waving Yang away as she pulled out Crescent Rose to begin firing at whoever had shot her along with Weiss who sent several ice chunks soaring downhill. The sound of fighting began to rumble more in the distance and they knew that the others were now locked in combat as well.

---

Meanwhile…

Jaune and his team sat with the rest of the students of their combat class as they watched various screens of airborne drones that were live streaming the fight on the hilltop.

While it was exciting to watch six teams fight three on three, Jaune suspected that there was a small amount of relief at simply not having to do lopsided matches anymore for a day.

As by this point all of the students including his team had dealt with the odd fighting arrangements of the last few days. Even the best fighters amongst them had lost a few matches after his father made them fight not just one team but multiple.

For instance Pyrrha, Yang, and Nora had each faced one team then won. As such his father would get two teams to come down and fight them immediately.

Nora would be the first to get knocked while Yang and Pyrrha did fine. Yet to Jaune it was clear that they had only won with the help of their semblances.

Then it became ridiculous when his father made the two of them fight three teams each, Yang would lose here after just getting overwhelmed as the other teams had all seen how strong she was and planned around that.

Pyrrha would just barely scrape by as well and when his father said that she'll have to face four teams surprisingly enough she refused. This led his father to giving Pyrrha her first detention at Beacon citing her refusal to follow his directions as an instructor.

Jaune's sudden popularity of him being royalty had also disappeared though it didn't go back to normal; instead there was now an increase of resentment that was being directed to him. No one had done anything overt but Jaune felt the glares that other students would give him occasionally.

"I'm glad the event is today, I was already getting pretty tired of those matches." Nora said as they watched an explosion on screen rip apart one of the hilltop's faux heavy stubber nest.

"I can't help but agree." Pyrrha said

"Yea but you technically won all of your matches." Nora pointed out.

"True but I would have lost that last fight, it is one thing to fight a whole team alone but fighting multiple teams is just ridiculous at a certain point." Pyrrha replied.

"But the Creatures of Grimm tend to outnumber us." Ren said but Jaune shook his head.

"I think fighting other students is different than fighting the Grimm. The Grimm may outnumber us and even be far stronger but they can't coordinate as well as people nor do they think on the spot as we can." Jaune explained.

"That's fair but considering what you told us and what we fought against in the Hurin Valleys, I can't help but feel that this is actually good training." Ren replied and none of them disagreed with that viewpoint.

"So, who do you think is going to win?" Nora asked changing the topic and Jaune shrugged.

"I think the defenders will win." Pyrrha said and Jaune looked at her.

"What makes you think that? We've seen most of them fight and I think it's clear that they're all capable fighters."

"True but this isn't really about fighting, this is about teamwork hence why there's so many teams in this. The side most capable of using each person to their best effect no doubt wins." Pyrrha said as on the red cape of Ruby and pale form of Weiss fought with a pair of students further down the hill.

"You say that but honestly, I think it's really just going to come down to luck." Nora said and Jaune nodded as Pyrrha shook her head.

"That's ridiculous Nora, not all battles can be won by luck."

"I wouldn't disagree with that but to discount how lucky a person is would be dumb in my opinion." The other girl said and Jaune shared a look of resignation with Ren as the two began to bicker a little. Jaune tuned them out as he turned his attention back to the screen.

One of the cameras was focusing on the attacking students; one had a single edge sword that turned into a bayoneted rifle while the other had some kind of pair of long barreled pistols.

As it panned back up the hill he could see Ruby and Weiss moving with their semblances allowing them to mostly avoid getting hit but more than once they had to abruptly stop or change directions as a well-timed shot nearly hit them.

With a well-placed shot or ironically pure luck Ruby went down again after taking a hit to the head, though her Aura saved her life the blow was still hard enough to knock her off balance which sent her out of view as she fell inside the trench line that surrounded the hilltop.

Weiss then summoned a wall of ice to cover her as both attacking students directed their fire on her just before jumping into the trench.

To their right Blake and Yang appeared from the trench making their way towards the two students as fast as they can.

As the two of them advanced on the pair of students they began to backpedal while two other students emerged from the Emerald forest.

One of them was a large male student that was carrying a weapon similar to a Pernach except when he leveled it at his waist and twisted the haft only for the head to open up like a flower before starting to spin.

A lance of yellow energy shot out at Blake who dodged the beam with her semblance before zeroing in on him as Yang continued towards the first two.

The other student that stood with the Pernach wielder was a tall female in rather, odd armor, which for some reason left little to the imagination. As such Jaune knew it was the leader of VOLT, who he had coincidentally lost against earlier that week.

She wore a chest plate, a vambrace on her right arm, a pair of greaves and two tassets that were on a belt wrapped around black synthetic shorts other than there wasn't anything else covering her rather well built body. He shook his head as he remember his fight with her and seeing some interesting curves.

Strangely he ended up having to convince Pyrrha that he didn't lose because he could see a lot more skin than he should have.

As the Pernach wielder fired again at Blake, Viola would push forward with her weapon, a spiked war hammer, held ready.

Jaune leaned forward as Viola closed in on Yang as she had her back turned to her fighting the other two students.

---

Meanwhile…

Yang sidestepped the upward slash of the rifle spear then sent a left hook inward to hammer the wielder's elbow shifting his weapon off balanced before planting an uppercut into his solar plexus which lifted him off his feet long enough for Yang to sending a second punch into his gut slamming him back into the ground.

The other student came at her with a long bladed dagger in his left hand with a revolver in his right which rested on his left forearm as he held the dagger pointing out in a reverse grip.

Yang backpedalled making a small effort to block some shots of the pistol with Ember Celica but other than that she let a few slip past to hit her. She knew that there was another student approaching fast from behind her and her instincts warned her that it might be a good idea to be ready.

The sound of something heavy whistling through the air was enough of a warning to let her fire both of her gauntlets at a low angle to suddenly bring her out of the expected path of the unknown weapon.

A second later there was a loud crack and as Yang landed on her feet she looked back to see a partially naked girl that she recognized from Jaune's fight with a war hammer that had cratered the square meter of ground she had been standing on a moment before.

"Well aren't you a free spirit." Yang called out as she punched the air twice sending two clouds of Burn Dust shells at the pistol and dagger student who moved out of the way before coming at her from a low angle.

She leaned back avoiding the initial thrust of his dagger before grabbing his extended wrist with her right hand then pulling him close as she sent a high knee into his torso sending him stumbling back.

However unlike the first guy he avoided the follow up punch but Yang expected that as she aimed a low punch for his legs taking him in the left knee but she had to break away as the taller girl came in with a wide horizontal swing.

Unfortunately for Yang, Viola's size didn't slow her down at all nor did the heavy looking weapon make much difference in swinging speed.

Yang ducked another blow then moved into her guard sending an upper cut aimed for her chin but the girl stepped back.

However Yang felt the shaft of her weapon impact the back of her head as she was dragged forward only for the taller girl to smash her forehead into Yang's nose causing an explosion of white in her vision.

Anger flared through her as she fired off two shells at close range taking the girl in the chest and stomach but as a testament to her own resilience she stayed on her feet. Yang however wasn't planning on letting her go back on the offensive as she charged Viola fully ignoring the sound of two different caliber pistols firing and the deep thrum of some Dust or energy weapon firing.

Yang sidestepped a downward strike then hammered two blows into her side before sending another upper cut that connected this time sending the taller girl reeling as Yang followed her.

She checked the next swing of the war hammer by striking the girl's left forearm then punched her chest before sending a low kick that hit the inside of her right knee.

Yang however wasn't prepared to have her other leg pulled sideways breaking her balance as she rolled into it and got back to her feet she didn't have time to block the follow up strike from the war hammer

The flat hammer head smashed into her face sending Yang sprawling to the ground her vision swimming for a few seconds before she quickly rolled aside to avoid another blow that left a crater where her head had been.

As she got to her feet she had to move her head aside to avoid the spike on top of the hammer but the girl brought her back using the curved back hook to pull on Yang's shoulder putting her off balanced.

Spinning with the momentum was the right move in getting her balance back but it afforded little room to move out of the hammer's return path.

Raising her right arm up to intercept the weapon before sending a kick aimed at the girl's unprotected stomach Yang was surprised as the girl caught the kick then moved in to tackle her to the ground.

Yang tried to tuck her other leg in to break the hold the girl was trying to get her in but she wasn't surprised when Viola kept her grip.

"Yang!" Blake shouted in the distance only for it the punctuated by the thrum sound of the weapon the fourth student had. As Yang continued to grapple with the tall girl Blake cried out in the distance and Weiss started shouting out to her.

Yang felt the anger from before resurge then spill over as her semblance kicked in and was able to pry the other girl's hands off her before getting to her feet then body slamming Viola back to the ground.

Then Yang straddled her chest putting her knees on Viola's shoulders then began slam her fists repeatedly into the blond girl's face.

Viola struggled hard against Yang trying to toss her off while fending off the blows but her resistance began to fade with each hit but Yang lost count after twenty but stopped when her Aura began to shimmer then visibly crack.

The rage that had filled her was gone now and she looked around to see one of the Praetorians lifting the unconscious body of the rifle spear guy she had beaten up earlier along with the guy with the dagger revolvers.

Yang felt a presence behind her and instinct kicked in as she spun around already in mid swing. She was surprised however that the Praetorian that had approached for Viola took the shells without even breaking stride.

"Shit! I didn't mean to do that." Yang said but the Praetorian said nothing as he or she lifted the unconscious girl she had beaten along with her war hammer.

As the Praetorian moved aside Yang spotted the last member of team VOLT crumbling under the relentless assault from Weiss. The Heiress moved in and out of striking range while keeping mobile enough that his heavy ranged weapon couldn't keep up.

Yang suddenly remembered hearing Blake's cry and turned around to see Ruby helping the Faunus girl up to her feet.

"Blake! Are you okay?" Yang called out as she ran back up the hill to her and she nodded.

"Yea I took out Grizz but I guess during that time Lye got the shot he needed." She said as Yang pulled out her Scroll to check the status of the team.

Out of the four of them Blake was doing the worst the blow that she had received had dropped her Aura by half leaving her hovering just shy of a third left in the bar. Her Aura along with Ruby weren't doing as good as well with their Aura over a quarter gone while Weiss was still in the green.

"Come on we need to get back to the trench line." Ruby said.

"She's right plus we don't know how the other teams are doing." Blake said as she stood up straight and Ruby nodded.

"Alright, Yang and I will go along the trench to check on the others if we spot anyone needing help we'll move to engage other than that there is no need to get caught up in their fight just move on until we meet back here." Ruby said looking at Yang who nodded as Weiss joined them.

"What are we talking about?" Weiss asked and Yang filled her in.

"Shouldn't I go then? I'm not as fast as Ruby but I am faster than you."

"Heh."

"Shut up."

"Make me."

"Focus." Blake called out as she walked towards the trench and Yang sighed.

"Fine I can stay here to watch the forest in case some of the other teams sent additional people this way."

"Actually I think the Grimm will probably show up next." Ruby said and Weiss nodded.

"We are in the Emerald Forest and High Lord Arc did say that his Praetorians wouldn't stop all of them." Weiss mused but Yang put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it I've got this." She said as such Weiss and Ruby took off in either direction down the trench. Yang made her way to the trench and sat down next to Blake who sat on a pile of sandbags that were pressed against the backside of the trench.

"Shouldn't you be watching the line?" Blake asked and Yang snorted as she took out a belt of shells before loading them back into Ember Celica.

"I know but we'll know soon enough if the Creatures of Grimm are in fact here which I doubt since we're so close to the Arcadian camps that it would be surprisingly sloppy if they had Grimm so close without taking care of them beforehand. Aside from that do you honestly think the other two teams would split their teams up like that? VOLT didn't split up and we still bodied them pretty quickly." Yang explained and Blake blinked in surprise before nodding.

"True but that doesn't mean they didn't have an equal shot at taking us out. Violet is a pretty competent fight and it looked like she had you on the back foot up until the end."

"Nah, I totally had it under control."

"Yang it's me, you don't have to put up a front."

"Front? What makes you think I'm putting up a front, Violet's a good fighter, strong and fast for her size but that doesn't mean I'm not better nor have I diminished her as well."

"Relax Yang I didn't mean anything by it, why are you getting so defensive?"

"I'm not defensive."

"Then why are your eyes red?"

"I didn't get enough sleep last night."

"Yang."

"Fine, you're right I am getting really annoyed with this topic so can we drop it?"

"If you say so."

"What do you want from me Blake?"

"Nothing, I was just concerned."

"Well don't be." Yang said as she stood up and stepped onto the trench fire step. Looking over the row of sandbags she looked back down the hill and paused.

"Uh, Blake."

"What?"

"I think you should see this." Yang said and Blake sighed as she stood up again tucking Gambol Shroud onto her back as she stepped onto the fire step. Looking over the bags she could see the edge of the Emerald Forest.

Standing there in grey armor with a crestless version of the first helmet they saw him wear and a long plain greatsword stuck into the ground was Alexander Arc. Nor was he alone as to his left and right was the ten Housecarls in grey suits of armor armed with what seemed like simpler version of their normal poleaxes along with sheathed swords at their waists.

"Well this can't be good."

---

Meanwhile…

A renewed buzz emerged from the students and Jaune felt a cold sweat break out on his screen as the main screen seemed to zoom in on his father.

Looking around he wasn't surprised to only see the black armored Praetorians of the Legion standing guard at pinnacle points of the room instead of the customary Housecarls like before.

"So, is he doing what I think he's doing?" Ren asked and Jaune didn't answer at first as he was still trying to figure out what his father was doing.

"I would point out that Goodwitch never actually fought but only interjected when she needed to stop a blow that might have done more harm that it should but after this last week I can't say this isn't all that surprising." Pyrrha said as she glanced at him but Jaune swept his hair back.

"Well this is going to be interesting." Nora said as attention redoubled amongst the students at this new development.

---

Elsewhere…

Captain Aldona Sprecher, commanding officer of the 8th Field Battery of the 62nd Field Artillery attached to the 14th Infantry Division, stood watching her Battery double check their pieces. Before her was six Goliath Artillery Guns, each of their crews had a set of shells standing nearby as they waited for her order.

Lord Arc had sent the message earlier that morning to Colonel Herzberg that three of his Batteries were needed in his special exercise.

Now she just waited till the time matched her orders, though she did feel some slight discomfort at raining shells down on students from the Four Kingdoms. At the same time she knew a good soldier never questioned orders, no matter how odd they were.

"Captain, it's time." A voice said so Sprecher looked over her shoulder to see her second in commander, Lieutenant Joachim Lilienthal, standing with a data slate in hand.

"Alright then Lieutenant, give the order." Sprecher said and the Lieutenant nodded before shouting out orders. The artillery crews began to scramble as the guns were raised and shells slotted into them. Sprecher watched with satisfaction as in less than thirty seconds all six guns were loaded and ready to fire with their crews waiting for the final order before raising a hand.

"Fire!"

---

Meanwhile…

Yang climbed out of the trench as the eleven armored figures began to make their way up the hill. Blake was right behind her with her Scroll in hand trying to call Ruby and Weiss.

"Do you think he's a part of the exercise?" Blake asked and as if in response to her question the two of them could see him slip the helmet on his head.

"Well now this is something I can get behind." Yang said as she slammed her fists together.

"Wait Yang, let Ruby and Weiss come then we can take them on." Blake said. Yang however felt the rising need to fight come but she held onto it as she looked at her partner.

"You're right but if they get too close then I'll hold them off while you get the others here. Hopefully by now the other teams are done on their end and can come." Yang said and Blake nodded as they looked back down the hill.

At that moment they heard a dim boom like thunder but as Yang looked at the slightly cloudy sky she knew that it was a false sound.

"Blake?! What's going on!?" Ruby called out over the Scroll as Blake's call went through.

"Get over here as soon as you can, Alexander and the Praetorians are attacking!" Blake yelled just before grabbing Yang and pulling her backwards into the trench much to her surprise.

As Yang rolled off Blake there were multiple loud popping sounds that rang out as Yang peered over the trench lip. White smoke was drifting low over the ground and she could see the faint sight of something burning but there wasn't any clear indicator of an explosion.

Then she saw ten armored figures emerge from the smoke at a slow trot and Yang felt that there was something strange about how the Housecarls moved. The movements of their bodies seemed to be right yet it felt like she was watching a video at half speed.

"Should we fight?" Blake asked raising Gambol Shroud and Yang readied her own weapons.

"Let's do this." She said before unloading Ember Celica downhill at the approaching Housecarls. Like a flock of birds the Housecarls split up five to each side, Blake added to the gunfire as she followed the five on the left as Yang focused on the right.

"Go!" Yang said and launched herself forward not waiting for Blake's response as she closed in on the closest Housecarl. Pulling her right arm back just before impact, Yang hoped to catch the Praetorian off balanced but the Housecarl stopped short swinging their poleaxe up towards Yang.

The hammer head hit Yang in the shoulder pulling her out of the air with jerk and she rolled down the hill a few feet before getting back to her feet just in time to catch the spike on top of another poleaxe in the chest as a second Housecarl closed in.

She backpedaled with the blow cursing viciously as she could see the five of them spread around her.

In the corner of her eye another poleaxe soared for her and she brought up her right arm deflecting it but the strength behind the blow was enough to break the guard. Yang however spun with the momentum and was able to bring her left arm up for a counter strike only for two poleaxes to strike.

The first poleaxe struck her forearm pushing it down causing the shell to fire into the ground while she could feel the painful jab in her back as another shoved her forward.

As the Housecarl in front of her back stepped, their poleaxe came down on her Yang rolled forward coming inside their guard then leapt up slamming a fist into their armored abdomen.

As the Housecarl reeled back from the blow the one to her right swung horizontally at her but Yang made to block the blow with her right arm. Instead she ducked it then slammed her fist up into the wooden haft shattering it as she spun around in a high kick, her foot smashing into the Housecarl's helm.

Yet it wasn't enough as the other three closed in on her, Yang turned aside the first thrust but the other two had split to either side aiming high and low. She tried to avoid both strikes while exchanging shells in either direction but the first Housecarl hooked her ankle with the head of their poleaxe.

As she felt the force she didn't resist but instead dove forward hoping to either break the poleaxe in half or get another good hit in. However the Housecarl changed weapons, releasing the poleaxe the Housecarl pulled their arming sword out striking Yang in the face with the pommel due to the close proximity then followed up with a diagonal slash that she blocked with her arm.

Diving to the side Yang could see the Housecarls forming up around her again and knew it was starting to look bad so she jumped using Ember Celica to help propel her up before twisting as she fired off more rounds that sent her out of reach.

Looking back at them she could see that it had only bought her a few seconds as the Housecarls were keeping pace with her as she went downhill. She knew that no matter what she did they would try to surround her and would keep it that way.

As Yang landed back on the ground three Housecarls attacked at the same time. Ducking the first poleaxe she quickly turned aside the second's thrust before breaking the haft just under the langets before turning around to get hit in the chest by the third one.

The blow sent her reeling back but she rolled with it then came to her feet as another Housecarl descended on her. Yang let the anger and excitement of the fight boil over as she clapped her hands together overhead catching the arming sword inches before it hit her head.

She could see the glow that covered her in the armor of the Housecarl as the strain of holding the Housecarl back lessened as new strength flooded through her limbs.

A smile grew on her face; she knew the ball was in her court now as she twisted her hands to the side forcing the sword to intercept another poleaxe. The force of the blow behind the poleaxe and her strength in holding the other Housecarl's sword in place snapped the poleaxe in two.

The moment the weapon broke Yang reacted first by kicking the first Housecarl in the chest sending them back into the hillside leaving a deep gouge where they hit the ground.

Quickly turning to the second as they drew their sword Yang ducked the first sweep then sidestepped the diagonal follow up before slamming her fist in their chest leaving a sizable dent in it. The Housecarl stumbled back before slumping to one knee Yang sent a kick that sent the Housecarl limp to the floor.

She didn't see that though as she had already turned around in time to see the third Housecarl get knocked aside by a block of ice the size of Yang's leg.

Weiss flew into view swinging Myrtenaster, a wave of fire spewed out that distracted the fourth Housecarl before stabbing the ground summoning a row of Glyphs as the last Housecarl nearly struck her with their sword.

The blow never landed however as the Glyphs slung them downhill with enough force that it sent them crashing through a tree.

Yang dashed forward with her fists raised moving to the fourth Housecarl as the third got back up to engage Weiss who nimbly kept out of reach with her Glyph work. Yang tensed herself as the Housecarl sent a diagonal swing but ducked the blow before smashing their hands aside then pumped two Dust shells into the Housecarl's chest before slamming her fist into their helmed head.

The Housecarl flew several feet back onto the ground and was motionless. Yang released a deep breath as Weiss jogging towards her; the Housecarl she had fought was on the ground with the rapidly disappearing chunks of ice that indicated how the fight went.

Further up the hill Ruby and Blake were still circling the last Housecarl who dodged or parried their blows with obvious effort.

Without needing any prompt they moved towards them and soon enough the Housecarl was surrounded.

"Give up!" Ruby called out as they circled the Housecarl who turned slowly watching them. Further up the hill the other teams appeared and Weiss noted that of the eight that should have been there only five remained.

"Yea! It's over!" Yang called out and the Housecarl stood up straight lowering their sword out of guard as the others joined team RWBY.

"You're right, it is over." A feminine voice called out before lifting her sword to point uphill. For some reason they all looked but saw nothing that is until the shrill ring of an alarm began to sound.

After a few moments Alexander appeared and Yang realized that the initial smoke barrage and the Housecarls had actually been a double distraction for him to get into the base. More smoke shells began to rain down popping loudly as they struck around the hill, leaving behind more and more smoke that started to hamper their visibility.

"Shit, they're getting back up." Someone called out and Yang turned to see that four of the Housecarls were on their feet again with swords in hand.

As Yang moved to position them in her vision as the others she felt the renewed strength from before starting to wane as the female Housecarl ducked under a swipe from Ruby then made her way back to the other four.

What could easily be seen as the final act of this fight was now under way. The remaining members of team MDNT and TMBR faced down the five Housecarls as team RWBY looked up at Alexander.

"We're running out of time, keep the Housecarls off us. We'll go after the device." Ruby called out to Tara who stood next to her as Ruby readied Crescent Rose.

"You really want to take him on?" Weiss asked.

"Come on he's only one guy." Yang said with more confidence than she felt.

"Let's go!" Ruby said as she fired a trio of shots up hill at the figure of Alexander. The four of them spread out as they moved uphill, behind them the sound of fighting immediately resumed as the Housecarls clashed with the other two teams.

Yang squinted as the figure of Alexander became more obscure in the smoke just as Ruby reached him. With a yell Ruby swung Crescent Rose at him but instead of blocking the blow Alexander seemed to disappearing as the giant scythe cut through empty air.

Ruby looked around her but the fresh smoke made it difficult to see anything. However something grabbed her ankle and before she could slam Crescent Rose down on it her leg was pulled out from under her.

As she lost her balance something struck her in the stomach with enough strength to force air out of her lungs before sending her rolling downhill.

Blake who was right behind her caught her as Weiss and Yang approached from the sides. Something flew up into the air, Weiss and Yang both attack. Weiss sending a wave of fire that smoke curling away while Yang pumped half a dozen shells.

"It's a decoy!" Weiss called out as she realized it was a sandbag, Alexander however was in front of Blake and Ruby.

Blake shoved Ruby aside to get her clear of the massive blade as she moved to meet her however she feinted left using her semblance to try and strike Alexander from the side however the large man pivoted with astonishing speed.

He pulled in his sword, using his crossguard to hook on her strike before pushing it aside with ease. Blake moved with the force and rolled before coming to her feet firing six times before dashing left then jumping right with her semblance bringing Gambol Shroud down in an overhead strike.

However Alexander's blade was already in motion intercepting the blow, he pushed back using both his size and strength to force Blake to her knees.

Blake watched as he cocked his left arm back for a backhanded blow, she backed off with her semblance again however Alexander was already stepping forward with a forward thrust that caught her in the stomach.

The sword tip hit her stomach that Blake explosively exhaled at the painful blow before rolling backwards on the ground gripping her stomach.

Yang came in through the smoke behind him firing off two shells into his back before Alexander crouched low swinging his sword with his left hand. Yang fired down using the force to help propel her up and over the blow hoping to get a clear shot at him.

Instead she was greeted by the sight of a massive gauntlet reaching for her face, the cold points of metal fingers pressing hard against her cheeks and forehead. She heard a grunt of effort from Alexander before he slammed her into the ground with enough force that it gave a noticeable shift around her.

Above them Weiss had gained height with her Glyphs as Ruby, Blake and Yang continued to engage the High Lord.

The larger man's swordsmanship alone made Jaune look like a newborn child as he expertly parried Ruby while being quick enough to avoid Yang's strike before counter striking with vicious blows of his own while having keen enough insight to guess where Blake would go using her semblance.

Weiss realized that she had no desire to actually fight the High Lord but even more pressing was the fact that she knew that he was stalling for time. He had activated the device before appearing which meant they had a time limit.

So she made her way to the tower as Alexander parried another blow from Ruby before ducking into a low cut to intercept Blake. However she disappeared again with her semblance bouncing first left then right before coming from above.

Twisting aside he let the slim blade pass by before grabbing her leg then spinning around to slam her against Yang as the blonde brawler came in from behind. The two girls were knocked aside as he saw Ruby's weapon come in from the corner of his eye.

Raising his blade he angled it in a high guard letting her oversized weapon slid off however she spun it around quickly trying to strike his leg but he slashed down with his sword as he stepped left blocking the blow.

As he guarded against blow after blow he had to admit the girl wasn't half bad but as he deflected a high blow he pushed inward. While Ruby's handling of her weapon was impressive along with her speed that was about it.

Inside her guard he reached out with a free hand to grab her right arm as he forced her weapon down before sticking his sword into the ground at an angle to stall her long enough to close his right fist then punch her face twice

The second blow left the girl visible dazed as her Aura simmered then failed. Not having time for etiquette he tossed her into the trench a dozen feet away. Yang screamed in rage behind him and he knew he didn't have time to get his sword as the blond girl was already coming for him.

She launched herself at him, Alexander waited until the girl was in reach before twisting to the side avoiding her blow just as he slammed his fingertips into her throat with a bone crunching force. Yang crumpled to the ground grasping her neck, leaning over he grabbed her arm before pulling her up then then slammed a fist into her solar plexus breaking her Aura.

Behind him, Blake charged again but Alexander spun around with Yang still in hand using her to slam against Blake sending the Faunus to the ground with Yang who was finding it hard to breathe properly.

As the two girls rolled down the hill, Alexander realized that there was someone yet to attack as he looked around he couldn't see Weiss and realized she must have gone past him. Grabbing his sword he leapt over the trench and ran towards the tower.

Bracing himself he slammed through the doors to see the hatch open so he jumped down. At the end of the corridor bathed in the red glow of warning lights was Weiss, the white hair girl spun around to see him.

Not waiting a second Alexander sprinted towards her. Fear gripped Weiss as she quickly brought up an ice wall to stop him but Alexander threw his sword as she did and Weiss could see that it had succeeded in trapping the sword part way down the blade before it could hit her.

Alexander was next to it a moment later and gripped it with his right hand before pulling his left back then slamming his fist into the ice. At first nothing seemed to happen but after the sixth blow spider cracks began to form and grow with each subsequent blow.

Weiss could feel sweat start to bead her forehead as she spun around looking for instructions on the device.

The device in question was the size of a shoebox with a digital clock on top showing that there was about two minutes left. However she found that there were three buttons on the other side of it, stepping around it she could see three unmarked buttons on it, she reasoned that one of them had to be the right one.

The ice began to fall away in chunks as Alexander pulled his sword free then began strike the wall with it. She quickly looked back and forth with no idea what she was doing. She reached out to click a button but she stopped as she wasn't sure, glancing to the screen she could see that less than a minute remained.

She snapped her head up as the ice wall finally broke and in her panic as Alexander's sword soared for her she pressed a button with her eyes closed.

Yet nothing happened and she opened her eyes slowly. A green light was shining up from the device; she had somehow pressed the correct button to disarm the device.

More importantly though was the fact Alexander's blade was less than a foot from her. The tall ruler stood up straighter but Weiss could see that he still had to hunch his back in the room.

"Well Weiss Schnee, you did well in summoning that wall and figuring out how to defuse the device. Congratulations." The Lord of Arcadia said and Weiss sputtered before finally bowing.

"Thank you High Lord." She said and a part of her realized how dumb this had been. Yet as she looked down at her hands to see them shaking as the tension fled leaving her feeling exhausted, she still had to concede that the stress she felt was genuine.

---

Later…

Jaune was still sitting in the Combat classroom after the end of the day's classes. The win had been attributed to the defending team but no one that watched could say that it was a clean victory.

As the moment Weiss had deactivated the device there only were four of them left to fight altogether. The three that had remained on the surface were Blake, Tara and someone called Berry Nix from team MDNT who would have to face not only Alexander but four Housecarls who were still on their feet.

On top of that there were also a number of injuries which led to a big fuss between the Beacon staff and the Arcadians.

Yang had a nasty looking bruise that covered her throat and collar bone. While Ruby had a long but shallow cut on her arm after getting tossed into the trench, Blake was mostly fine along with Weiss.

The Housecarls however had come out with the more serious injuries; three of them had multiple rib and bone fractures while a fourth also had a cracked jaw.

However before Doctor Dillinger could treat any of them, Zophiel and Areto had interceded stating that they'll be tended by their own staff.

If it hadn't been for Headmaster Ozpin, then Professor Goodwitch and even General Ironwood would have gotten into an open argument with his father in front of the collective student body.

"Deep in thought huh?" A voice called out and Jaune looked up to see Pyrrha coming into view.

"Oh, what are you doing here Pyrrha?" Jaune replied as he stood up.

"Ah well, my partner disappears and misses dinner without a reason why. That tends to occupy my mind."

"Sorry."

"Don't be, I bet you were thinking about today's match and I can't say I don't understand. It was an interesting fight."

"That's one way of putting it." Jaune said as the two of them climbed the steps.

"I mean, watching the Housecarls fight was amazing, the teamwork and skill they showed was astounding that I think if Yang hadn't used her semblance than the result might have been different."

"Nah, I wouldn't say that. Yang's a competent fighter and strong to the point that their equipment wasn't going to hold up for much longer." Jaune pointed out and Pyrrha nodded.

"But still, the fact that none of them had Aura and were able to not only hold their own but be in the position to win is something not to be discounted."

"Nor would I disagree, had Areto and the others have their regular equipment then I think Yang would lose."

"And let's not forget about your father, I'm confident that nine out of ten times he probably could have single handedly taken the entire defending team and won. It felt like every move he made was with the knowledge of what the person was going to do ten seconds before they decided to do it."

"I'm glad to have your approval." A voice called out and the two of them looked up to see Alexander Arc standing in the doorway.

"Good evening Lord Arc." Pyrrha said as she bowed at the waist.

"No need to bow Miss Nikos." He said.

"Is there something I can help you with father?" Jaune asked.

"Not particularly, I merely came here to inform you that Talbek is here."

"He is? I thought he would head north?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Areto mentioned that the Northern Line is still from being at a hundred percent and with you here I thought you'd have him leading the Legion elements with or without Vidus there." Jaune said and Pyrrha had no idea what he was going on about but listened attentively nonetheless.

"Grenes Vare and Zugal Khan are in command of the Legion and Sisterhood elements still stationed there." A new voice called out as they stepped into the hall, the three of them turned to see a new figure approach.

Pyrrha saw a pretty woman with an oval face, high cheek bones; intelligent green eyes that seemed to shine though she wore a rather odd outfit. However Jaune and Alexander recognized it as the outfit of a Sister in her free time.

She wore a red and white habit with the Arc crest stitched around the ten pointed Sacred Rose of the Sisterhood on the white scapular over the white tunic.

On her head was a white wimple with a red collar and veil that was also white save for the inside that was red. In addition to that she had a beaded chain that held the Sacred Flower dangling from her waist.

Strange enough while Pyrrha could see that she was focused on Alexander she couldn't help but get the impression that she was being watched as well. Jaune recognized her however from the times she visited when he was younger.

Sanian Arc, the Champion of the Sisterhood and contender to the position of Champion of Arcadia. He had known her for most of his life and knew that while she cared his family she never really seemed to stick around like Lilith or Talbek whenever she had visited them in Avalon.

His mother had once explained that she held a burden that meant she could never shirk from her duty despite knowing it would never allow her true peace. Knowing what he knew now, he felt an ache in his chest at what it might be.

"Jaune it's so good to see you again." Sanian said as she embraced him.

"It's good to see you as well Aunt Sanian." He said as she held him at arm's length inspecting him.

"My you've grown into such a handsome young man since the last time I saw you."

"I'll take my leave then for now, Sanian we can talk afterwards." Alexander said and Sanian bowed her head slightly as the larger man walked off.

"So Jaune will you introduce me to your friend here?" Sanian asked.

"This is Pyrrha Nikos, my partner here at Beacon." Jaune said as Pyrrha stepped forward to extend a hand out.

"Hi Miss Arc, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"A pleasure Miss Nikos and please call me Sanian."

"In that case you may call me Pyrrha."

"Wait a second, you must be this famous girl that people speak of, what's the name the Invincible Girl was it?" She asked but Pyrrha shook her head.

"A nickname the media back in my home Kingdom had come up for me but I can assure you that there are times in which I'm far from invincible. For instance Lord Arc made sure that nickname is false." Pyrrha said and Sanian smiled as she cocked her head back.

"I believe I know what you're talking about, when I was younger and training with the other Sisterhood aspirants. Sister Superior Hulda would have each day start and end with me getting pitted against five other Aspirants."

"Really? That sounds like it would do more harm than good."

"Oh don't get me wrong it didn't go very well for me at the start but given a few weeks I was beating them three out of four times." Sanian said as the three of the started walking down the hallway, Jaune stayed silent a few feet back watching Pyrrha converse with Sanian.

It gladdened him to see her so willingly talk to someone else. When they had first met Pyrrha seemed to only ever want to speak when he was active in the conversation as well or with their select group of friends.

Though that didn't mean she wouldn't speak to strangers or in class, it was more in the sense she never seemed comfortable talking in casual circles.

"Oh, yea I almost forgot Jaune, your mother asked me to tell you to call her as soon as you can. She said she had some news to share with you." Sanian said as she turned to look at him and Jaune felt a little nervous at her gaze but nodded.

"I'll ask my father if he can set up a call for me tomorrow." Jaune said but Sanian gave him a rather stiff smile.

"Jaune please, Arabella misses you oh so dearly and it would be uncouth for a son to keep her mother waiting." Sanian said and Jaune relented as he gave a soft sigh.

"Fine, I'll go now." He said before looking at Pyrrha.

"I'll see you back at the dorms Pyrrha." He said and for some reason his hand came up to touch her arm but he stopped before awkwardly backing away for a few dozen feet before turning a corner to disappear out of sight.

"So, now that he's gone. We can have some girl talk." Sanian said as she removed veil and pulled her wimple back revealing short blonde hair tied into a bun.

"How many Arcs have blonde hair?" Pyrrha asked and Sanian smiled.

"Almost all of them but I must confess I'm not related to them by blood, in fact anyone outside the immediate family isn't a real Arc but someone given the privilege of having that name." Pyrrha blinked at that before nodding as Sanian elbowed her lightly with a coy smile.

"Don't worry, one day you'll have that name as well." She said and Pyrrha felt her face flush.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Please Pyrrha; it's so obvious that you like him."

"Like who?"

"Come on, I won't tell him anything besides he's like his father in regards to romance." Sanian said and Pyrrha felt her shoulders sag.

"That was a joke." Sanian said laughing.

"Alexander is actually a very observant person when it comes to romancing Arabella, Jaune's mother, Jaune however is sort of, well, dense."

"Actually Sanian, I was wondering what you can tell me about Jaune's family. He's told us snippets of his life and I believe his father is much different in a homely environment than he is here despite the fact he hasn't exactly given us a great deal of good stories in that regard in either case." Pyrrha asked and Sanian smiled as the two of them walked outside as evening continued to roll through.

---

Later that Night…

Cinder watched with a certain level of admiration as her allies silently executed the various security staff and night shift workers. Mercury and Emerald however seemed less at ease at the sight before them.

"Poor bastards." Emerald whispered as she watched two, men; hold a dock worker down before a third who had his hand over the worker's mouth inserted a long dagger into his neck.

"I don't get what we're doing here Cinder, this seems like grunt work that Roman or Neo should be doing." Mercury said turning to look at her but averted his gaze as Cinder glanced at him.

"Mercury please, this isn't to oversee their work but merely greet them. We just happened to come upon them as they were getting their hands on some, new clothes." Cinder explained watching as the same man that had stuck his dagger into the dock worker turned the body over before hauling the head and neck over the edge of a plastic bin letting the blood seep out. Even she had to admit her new allies were a bit unnerving even after the assurances from Salem that they were loyal to the cause.

"Heads up." Emerald whispered and Cinder turned to see three men ascend the metal stairs to them. The lead figure was a tall man, broad in shoulder with a scarred face that was covered by a silver half mask of a leering face that made him look at odds with the dark blue overalls of a dock worker.

Though Cinder noted that while the other two behind him wore the same dock outfits albeit with black masks, they also wore heavy looking armored vests with ammunition pouches, grenades, belted looped holsters complete with handguns of some kind along with long daggers placed on the same belt or tucked behind their back.

One of them also carried two odd looking rifles in his scarred hands that seemed to be made from cheap looking metal and wood while the other held onto the lead man's gear.

"I take it you're the one she told us to meet." The lead man said with a surprisingly pleasant voice once more at odds with his appearance.

"That I am, may I get your name?" Cinder asked and the man snapped a crisp salute.

"Damogaur Ara'sax, these are two of my High Sirdars, Urkrabar and Abakai." The man said and the other two bowed their heads.

"Well Ara'sax, do you understand your mission? Vale is different than the Arcadians whom you fought in the north; my lieutenants here will gladly provide any assistance in learning about them." The scarred man nodded.

"Fret not Madam, we're well aware that these Valeans are different than what we're used to but we've already been here for a month and have learned a few things. Not as much as I would like but as you may know we must work on another's timetable. Even then we've already established ourselves at eight points with six of them being used as locations in the lower quarters of the residential quarters to preach to the, less fortunate, on the gifts that we bring though I must admit it seems faith is not in abundant supply here. But I must say that the last two are positioned out to the east on the out skirts and they're not happy about being told to wait."

"What are you talking about?" Mercury interrupted and Emerald could see something move behind Ara'sax's eyes. It was then that she realized that there was something wrong about them, the way he looked at them wasn't normal.

"It doesn't matter, the point being my men know what they're doing and will be ready when you are." Ara'sax said looking back at Cinder.

"That's good though there are a few snags." Cinder said and Ara'sax nodded knowingly.

"Yes the Arcadians and Atlas."

"Not Atlas, I have something a few cards up my sleeve to hamstring them. Your people however will need to bear the burden of having to divide the Arcadia's attention until the number of Grimm builds up to a sufficient strength to challenge their own."

"Fair enough." He said and began to turn away to talk softly to the other two, both of them nodded before handing over his gear. Cinder looked down once more as the steady stream of boxes that had been carried out of the warehouse trickled to nothing.

A few of the Ara'sax men began to douse the warehouse interior with oil. While others threw aside the dead bodies and began to dip their hands or cups into the bins of blood or took off the heads of the dead before putting them in bags or on hooks.

"I thought Adam was fucking crazy but this makes him look like normal." Mercury said.

"Why are they doing this?" Emerald asked disgust evident in her voice but Cinder said nothing as Ara'sax laughed.

"What's so funny?" Emerald asked and the man gleefully voiced words that the three of them had never heard before.

"Blood for the Blood God, skulls for the Skull Throne."

---

What they don't know is that the full "canonical" saying is actually, Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne! Milk for the Khorne Flakes! but I guess that last part would just serve to confuse them and confusion is reserved for that tentacle faced freak Tzeentch or the drug addled Slaanesh who refers to a different kind of milk if you get my meaning.

I don't have much else to say other than that I hope to have the next chapter out before classes resume after this week but let's be real, I fucking type like a snail sometimes.

Anyways, let me know of what you think of the chapter in the review section or send me a PM if ya'll wanna like berate me or something either on the story content or the consistency of me putting out chapters.

Till Next Time!