Chapter 23: One of Those Days

Levi's hearing almost failed him. The moment Neo had started sharing what she had been through during the weeks after she had left. Everything was almost a blur as her scroll kept on speaking. Cinder was alive. She had not only managed to survive his gunshot, but she had survived the attacks from Raven. She was wounded and healing, and she was pissed. Not only that, but now she had three defined targets, Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, and himself.

He wasn't scared of her, no. After everything that had happened, he had lost his fear of her. All he felt was unrelenting rage. The fact that this woman had survived everything that had been thrown at her showed how powerful she truly was. She truly was magic, the Fall Maiden's Strength had helped her survive. And now that power was going to hunt them down. It was likely she wouldn't stop until the three of them were dead. That boiled his blood, but the more he breathed, the more he calmed down.

While he knew Cinder needed to pay for everything she had done, he needed to focus on his own priorities. He had let go of everything after Haven and he wasn't going to fall back into his old ways. He had to keep moving forward. Cinder was a problem he would tackle after he trained, got his license, and made sure he was absolutely ready. His ears wiggled a bit as Neo's scroll stopped speaking, causing him to look up at her.

"So, you're meeting her in Argus in two months' time?" he asked, earning a firm nod from Neo. "Fantastic."

"This complicates things, for all of us," Ruby added, playing with the edges of her skirt as she looked around the room. She met the worried faces of her friends, forcing a smile onto her face. "Cinder being alive is one thing but knowing she's coming after us is a whole 'nother ball game."

"If she thinks she can kill my sister she's got another thing coming," Yang added, cocking Ember Celica for emphasis.

"I can't believe she survived being frozen by the Spring Maiden, not only that but also taking a gunshot after her aura had been broken. What is that woman made of?" Ren asked, glancing at his hands.

"I'm afraid this is an effect of the gift she has acquired, Mr. Ren. You see, the Maidens were given the power to control the elements. Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, you name it, they control it. The Fall Maiden has an affinity for fire and wind-based magic, while the Winter Maiden specializes mostly in Ice and Water. It's similar with Spring and Summer, they too possess specialties they are stronger in. One thing they have in common is increased durability." Professor Ozpin explained, squeezing The Long Memory rather tightly. "It is entirely my fault that Cinder Fall has gotten this strong."

"No one blames you, Professor. After all, you gave four young women those powers as a gift. Because they brought joy to your life. They made you happy every single year, didn't they?" Blake asked, earning a smile from the professor.

"You read that fable, didn't you?"

"I did, and I still believe what you did for those four girls was wonderful. It just so happens that Fall has fallen into someone who is unworthy of her power." the cat faunus said, causing Jaune to sigh.

"If I had been stronger, if I had trained from a younger age like all of you, if I had been an actual huntsman, I could have stopped Cinder from Killing Amber. We wouldn't be in this mess."

"Wait… what do you mean by that?" Weiss asked curiously, causing Ruby, Nora, and Ren to share a look. Blake and Yang sat up a bit, while Levi looked at the blonde boy with intrigue. Neo, though disinterested, had her eyes on him, brows knit together as she waited for his response. After a moment, he took a deep breath, facing his friends.

"I didn't get into Beacon Academy through merits. Up until then, I only had minimal training from my father. This sword-'' he paused, drawing Crocea Mors from its sheath, holding it out. "-It belonged to my grandfather, but I ended up stealing it. I ran away from home, stayed with one of my older sisters, and then had her wife forge me some transcripts, using her Atlas Academy credentials. That's how I got into Beacon."

Weiss's jaw dropped, her eyes wide with shock. Yang and Blake both had similar looks, while Levi was both surprised and impressed by this confession. Jaune lowered his sword, staring at his reflection on the flat of the blade. "I don't deserve to be a huntsman, and I didn't deserve the training I got. Beacon was far too good to me. Pyrrha knew this, and she still trained me. Professor Ozpin knew I had faked my way in and still let me stay. It's because of my lack of training that Amber is dead."

"Do not blame yourself for such things, Mr. Arc. There is a reason I let you remain in Beacon Academy. That is because I saw the potential within you. Your leadership skills are phenomenal, and while it took you some time, you too were able to fight Grimm. There is no doubt in my mind that I made a perfect choice that day, even if Glynda disagreed with me." the professor said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Amber's death falls onto my shoulders. We were not expecting someone to infiltrate Beacon's Vault. I am only glad I hid the Relic of Choice in a different place, one that is harder than most to reach."

"He's right! I mean, who cares if you faked your way in? You're here right? That's what matters in the end. You deserve to be a Huntsman just as much as anyone else. Don't ever tell yourself otherwise, Vomit boy."

"Thanks, Yang," he said, giving the brawler a smile.

"Well, it could have been worse, right? You could have been forced into a huntsman school to learn how to fight all because you wanted to get away from your family. Faking transcripts? Pfft, that's nothing. It's when you fake your way in and decide you can coast your way through school that it becomes a problem. As far as I'm concerned, you earned your place among the best, Jaune." Alto said, giving the boy a grin.

"Okay, so we've established Cinder is hard to kill because of her Magic. Her arm is half Grimm, and her aura doesn't protect it. That might be the only way to weaken her. That's if Ruby can get a good blast with her eye powers. What will we do about Cinder then? She isn't just going to sit there and let us stab her." Neo's scroll spoke, returning everyone to the topic.

"She's right. Cinder being the fall maiden is dangerous, but on the off chance that she is killed, she can choose who the next one will be. What's stopping her from choosing Emerald?" Weiss said, making the others frown.

"That's true too. Not only that, but Ruby isn't that well trained with her Silver Eyes. It could take months or even years to fully use that power. My mother told me a lot about those legends from the miqo'te that possessed that gift. It's all based on powerful emotions and in order to practice you need to be in front of a Grimm. We can't just toss her into the forest unprotected and have her figure it out. We need a more permanent solution to the problem." Levi said, tapping his chin.

"Can't we just break her legs?"

"No, Nora. We can't just break her legs, that wouldn't solve anything."

"You didn't lemme finish, Ren!" the orange-haired girl said, her grin growing by the second. "Okay, so we break her legs, as per protocol, while she's focused on the intense burning pain of her shattered knee caps, we knock her unconscious. Then we use one of those aura suck suck machines the Professor was going to use on Pyrrha and transfer her aura and the maiden powers into the new target. That solves everything!"

"An aura suck suck machine?" Blake queried, her eyes falling onto the professor, who chuckled nervously.

"General Ironwood used some designs made by Pietro Polendina to fabricate a machine, capable of transferring auras between people. It was the way Pietro's daughter, Penny, was able to acquire an aura. She was capable of generating it because it was donated to her. Similarly, we were going to do the same with Pyrrha and Amber. Theoretically, we can do the same with Cinder, should we apprehend her."

"Wouldn't that kill Cinder?" Yang asked curiously.

"Yeah, your point?" Levi added, earning looks from the others. "Oh come on, don't tell me you are going soft now. That bitch is responsible for a lot of dark evil shit. She doesn't deserve to live."

"We're aware, Levi. None of us have ever killed a person, it's just… weird talking about how we'll be potentially murdering her." Weiss said. Levi wanted to remind them all of how willing to kill they all had been in Haven, but he kept his mouth shut.

"Atlas should have the necessary equipment to do that. However, there is one thing we haven't considered, and that is James Ironwood. Admittedly, I do not know what the Fall of Beacon or the Attack on Haven has made him think. You see, his semblance is… unique, in a sense. Once he has his eyes set on a goal, he won't stop until it is complete. I do not think he will cooperate with any kind of plan that has us transferring auras around. We also have the new Fall Maiden to consider."

"That's easy! One of us will handle that responsibility. It makes sense, doesn't it? We're escorting the Relic of Knowledge to Atlas. We may as well take down the Fall Maiden and keep their power safe." Yang said, grinning. "Using magic could prove beneficial."

"Yang, this is serious. You'll be taking someone else's soul into your own. Not just the Fall Maiden's power. Someone else will be inside you. You'll have their aura, their strength, and likely their consciousness. You are taking a soul from someone's body after all. You can't just say something like that all willy-nilly." Ruby scolded, glaring at her older sister, who softly apologized.

"Not to mention it has to be a female. The maiden powers are not compatible with guys. If not, I would volunteer."

"Tch… I wouldn't. Having the soul of that pathetic bitch meld with mine? I'd quicker shoot myself." Levi said. He heard a gentle tapping beside him and noticed Neo had been composing a message. Moments after, she held her scroll up, letting it do the speaking for her.

"The deal I made with Cinder that involved me taking the WInter Maiden's power. Obviously, that isn't going to happen. I just told her what she wanted to hear so I could get information from her. She wants me to open the vault in Atlas Academy and take the Staff of Creation, after murdering Ruby and claiming the Relic of Knowledge. I plan to backstab her at some point. We can't risk her getting both relics, so if there's no one else that'll volunteer, I'll do it. On the off chance that something does happen to me, I'll choose Weiss to inherit the power."

They remained silent, no one knowing what to say. Levi sat up a bit, placing a hand on her shoulder, looking deeply into her eyes. "I'm not letting that happen, Neo. You messed up bad, that's true. But having to carry that burden? Cinder's soul inside you? That isn't a fate that I wish on my enemies."

"But I have to atone somehow, don't I? If I have the chance to take those powers from her and use them for good instead of for evil, then I'll do it. The problem is Ironwood. I doubt he'd willingly do an aura transfer of that nature between two criminals. In fact, he'd likely try to pass those powers onto someone that he trusts." the mechanical voice said.

"She brings up an excellent point, however, I will take care of General Ironwood. He trusts me, so when we get to talking, I will propose everything. The real problem is, how we do all of this in a clear and concise way that doesn't tip off Cinder Fall." Professor Ozpin said firmly.

"The professor has a point," Alto interjected, leaning forward a bit from her seat beside Ruby. "Any form of planning might cause Cinder to abandon ship. So far she trusts Neo, but what if she's already planning on a what-if scenario? She might already be planning on killing Neo. That makes things harder on all of us."

"Knowing that bitch, she already has fifteen contingency plans on how to kill my cute little ass. But that doesn't mean I won't counter them." her scroll replied. She gave them a wink, tipping her hat back.

"Thing is, someone like Cinder has three things on her mind. How to kill Ruby, how to kill Jaune, and how to kill me. People like her, put revenge over everything else. Fuck Salem and her goal. I want power and I want it now. I won't do what I have to for my mistress until those three are dead and buried. Believe me, that's how I thought up until I faced her a few weeks ago."

"You aren't like that, Levi," Weiss said, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze, a gentle smile on her face. "You are a good person, but you were misled. Now you have a clear-cut goal in mind. But that does bring up some ideas. We can easily abuse her revenge trip. She's meeting Neo in Argus in two months right? We can use that to our advantage."

"You bring up a good point, Weiss. Neo can be our ticket in just like she thinks Neo is her ticket in. We can manipulate the flow of information, make her think we are doing something, and lure her into a trap."

"It's a wise strategy, Blake. But we must also consider our options if they go south. Our focus should be on reaching Atlas first. We also can't bring Neo with us." Ren said, earning a saddened look from the girl in question. "It isn't that we don't want you with us. Quite the opposite. Were you to come to Atlas with us, you might not make it back in time to meet with her, and she will certainly be tipped off. Which is why we must reach Atlas before you."

"Alright, and how exactly do we let General Ironwood know that Neo is with us? Sure, she didn't appear in the list of people involved with the Fall of Beacon, and Roman Torchwick was confirmed dead. Neo isn't a true huntress, she doesn't have a license does she?" Alto asked. Neo held her scroll out, showing her Haven license. The wolf faunus looked at it, shaking her head. "Even though it looks legit, they'll figure out it isn't, just by running it through the system. This is Atlas we're talking about."

"Well then, I suppose that means I must work my magic as it were," Ozpin said, holding his hand out. "Miss Neopolitan, might I borrow your scroll for a bit?"

She tilted her head a bit but handed it over nonetheless. He started fiddling with it, pulling up her Haven Academy license. He typed a few things onto it before tapping it with his cane. The device blinked for a second before the screen faded out, only for it to come back as blank. "Now then, for this to work I will issue you a Beacon Academy license. It belonged to a former student, one who isn't with us anymore. Once huntsman and huntresses in the field are confirmed deceased, their ID numbers are placed on a separate file system so they cannot be used again."

"Wow, I didn't know that. So their IDs are immortalized?" Yang asked, earning a nod from the professor.

"That is correct, Miss Xiao-Long. This number is one from around thirty years ago, so it won't be on Atlas's systems. Thankfully, being a wizard allows me to access certain things easier than most. Call it a Deus Ex Machina if you wish, but I choose to call it, convenient, it is magic after all." he said with a chuckle. He looked at Neo, his facial expression changing a bit. "Now then, for this to work I require a name. A real name. Not your alias."

"Wait… Neopolitan isn't her real name?" Nora asked, an incredulous look on her face. Blake rolled her eyes.

"Of course it isn't, did you think mothers and fathers go around naming their children after ice cream flavors?"

"Well… Remnant started naming their children after colors due to the Art Prohibition. It wouldn't be farfetched to see someone name their child after ice cream. There was a fourth-year named Apollonius Smith because his father loved apples." Levi said with a shrug.

"I think that was a solar name, Levi." Ren pointed out, causing the young man to look up in thought, ears wiggling a bit.

"Ah, shit, you're right. Apollo is the name of the sun god," he said, shaking his head. "Whatever, Neo I think you'll have to tell him what your real name is. We'll still call you Neo though. As far as we care, you have no other name."

She nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. After that moment had passed, she stood up, holding her hand out to Ozpin. He handed her the scroll back, allowing her to type in her actual name. Once she was done, she handed it back to him. He looked it over and continued from where he was. "Alright then, all I need now is a picture of yourself and you'll be all set."

Ozpin held the scroll up, urging Neo to back up, staying firm against the train wall. She removed her hat, giving it to Levi to hold while the professor took her picture. Once he had, she placed her hat back on and he finished what was left. "This ID is yours now and belongs to the Beacon Mainframe. The moment your ID is verified by Atlas, it will be accepted as a legitimate identification. But you must keep the truth about this to yourself. If James asks about you and why you weren't in the Vytal Tournament, you say you were out of the Kingdom on a mission with your team, who perished during said mission. Understood?"

She raised her hand in the universal Ok gesture. She looked at the license, smiling a bit when she read it. This one wasn't fake using the ID of some dead student. This one was given to her by a wizard. Someone who had no reason to trust her, yet did because he likely saw something good inside her. Levi peered briefly over her shoulder, seeing her information, including her real name, though she noticed she had her thumb over her surname. She looked up at him, pressing her finger to her lips, silently telling him to keep her name hushed.

"Well, Neo has an ID now, she knows about our mission, told us Cinder is alive and we sort of kinda have a plan to take her down. We need to take some time and refine the details a little more. But it's getting late, maybe we should get some sleep."

"Yang is right, we'll be entering the icefields soon, and we wouldn't want to be caught off guard if something happened," Ruby said, fighting off a yawn. Jaune, Ren, and a semi-awake Nora stood up, stretching as they headed to the door.

"We'll be off then. Let's meet up for breakfast tomorrow, okay?" Jaune asked, earning nods from the others.

"Have a good night bro!" Levi said, giving them a wave. Professor Ozpin stood by the door, giving the former students a firm look.

"I shall be off, Qrow and I still have things to speak about, especially now that Miss Neopolitan has returned. We must make plans for the months ahead. For now, rest. Enjoy this moment, once we arrive in Argus, I cannot promise you all quiet relaxing nights."

"Don't worry, we're ready to get into the nitty-gritty professor. We signed up for the job, didn't we?" Ruby said, grinning. "Make sure my uncle doesn't drink half the bar. We don't have that much money and we don't need him turning into a silly goose."

"I will try my best, Miss Rose. I may be in the body of a 15-year-old boy, but I can still kick some sense into him if need be," he said jokingly. "Apologies, Miss Blaze. I'm sure you wanted to get back to that list with Oscar. I promise you may have him to yourself in the morning."

"Gah! Don't say it like that! You make it sound like we're going out or something!" she flushed in embarrassment, earning a snort from Yang.

"Girl, you are thirsty for him. I didn't think someone as young as you could have a crush that fucking hard. I'm sure Oscar will get the message soon if he hasn't already." she said, giving the wolf faunus a wink. She huffed, darting out of the room in embarrassment, suddenly glad she had gotten a private cabin.

"Where will you be staying Neo? Do you have a cabin?" Ruby asked curiously. She shook her head, hastily typing out her reply.

"I sort of snuck aboard the train. I only used my conductor disguise to walk through the train. I've been sleeping in the cargo hold. Some asshats left the caboose door open, making it real easy to get in. One of the first things Roman taught me to do was penny-pinching, and if you can get onto a train for free, do it."

"Okay, first rule of business. Teach Neo not to steal or break laws, the last thing we need is you getting arrested because of Torchwick's teachings. Remember, the first step to atoning is stopping your criminal behavior." Weiss said, earning an eye roll from the ice-cream-themed girl. "Don't roll your eyes at me, missy! I am very thankful for what you did for me, but I will not have a friend getting arrested because she's an idiot!"

"Neo can crash in my cabin, it's a solo like Alto's. Sadly it's too small for the two of us, so I'll just head to the forward cars and sleep on one of the seats."

"Mmm… nope," Ruby said, shaking her head. "Neo can stay with us for the night and you can just go to sleep in your bed."

"I don't think I'm ready for that level of trust yet, Ruby. She almost killed me while I was unconscious. I know she's turned over a new leaf and everything, and Levi and Weiss vouch for her, but I just can't trust her fully yet. No offense, Neo."

Neo held her hands up in an I surrender pose, shaking her head a bit. Weiss sighed, knowing something like this would happen. She held her hand up, grabbing their attention. "Neo can stay in Levi's room and Levi can stay with us. His teammates were all women, and he stayed with three women in one room when we were traveling. He's respectful and a gentleman, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"I'll share a bed with Ruby, Levi can take mine," Blake said, jumping down from the top bunk, landing on her feet. "I'm done with the book by the way. I'm sure you wish to read it."

"I mean sure, but… are you okay with me taking your bed?" he asked, earning a nod from his fellow feline faunus.

"Don't worry about it. I've dealt with worse, I don't mind a little bit of Ruby's drool on my arm," she said, causing the girl to huff.

"I don't drool!"

"Hehe, alright. I'll grab my stuff and take a shower while I'm at it. That way Neo can get settled in. It'll be two more nights before we make it to Argus so we should be fine." he said, checking his scroll for the time. "I'll get going, it's already pretty late."

"Okay, take care and hurry back!" the red-clad girl said, urging the two on. "It's good to have you along Neo, seriously. I hope we can be good friends!"

Neo nodded back, a genuine smile on her face. Levi smiled as well, he was honestly glad and relieved that he had his partner back.

xxx

"Are you sure you're okay?" Levi asked, glancing down at Neo, who nodded firmly. She watched as he continued packing the things he had pulled from his pack, which hadn't been much. Mostly his cleaning gear for his rifle and his armor polishing stuff. "It's all… rather heavy shit."

The young woman nodded, leaning back against the side of the room. She rested most of her weight on her right leg, as she hurriedly typed, her nails clicking her scroll screen softly as she did. "The reason why I didn't overreact and believed everything is because It wasn't the first time I heard it. Before his death, Professor Lionheart told me everything. About Salem, about Ozpin, about the maidens. Everything. I just didn't tell Ozpin about it because I didn't want him to mistrust me."

"Oh."

She nodded, pocketing her scroll. He returned to his packing, remaining silent as he made sure he had everything. After he was done, he turned around, an apologetic look on his face. "About what happened in Mistral, Neo I'm sorry. I know I apologized already but I can never take back what I did. I felt so much anger toward you, I just started seeing red. I forgot who you were for a moment. I broke your trust and hurt you in an awful way. You were alone before we met, and I forced you back into that. I just… I'm sorry."

She placed a hand on his shoulder, standing up on her tiptoes. She pressed her lips against his cheek, holding the kiss for a moment before pulling away, a flush on her face. She held her hands out, signing her message, something she hadn't done in a long time. "I already forgave you, Levi. It was my fault for not telling you, and for abusing your trust. I realized too late what you meant to me. You are my best friend, and mean to me as much as Roman does."

She paused for a moment, reaching into her messenger bag. She pulled out a gray scarf, similar to the one she was wearing around her neck. She wrapped it around his neck, making sure it was securely fastened before making a bow at the front. She traced the edges of it, smiling a bit. "It was one of his extra ones, he loved bowler hats and scarves. I think the style suits you."

"I'm glad then, I'll wear it with pride. It'll be my personal way to honor his life, even if he wasn't an honest man, he took care of you. That is good enough in my book." he winked, turning to leave. "Will you be alright here?"

Neo gave him a nod, gesturing for him to be on his way, a smirk on her face. He chuckled, sharing a hug with his partner before leaving. She sighed audibly, feeling extremely tired but happy. She kicked her heels off, her bare feet touching the cold floor, making her shiver. "Well… at least I'm accepted in their group, and am an honest to goodness huntress-in-training now. I'm gonna have my work cut out for me."

She pulled her scroll out, tapping on her license, seeing her name on it. Rather than Neopolitan the name that Roman had given her, she saw her real name. "Trivia Vanille Brunswick. I really, really hope we get through the northern pass quickly. I do not want to be here."

She briefly looked out the window, seeing the snowy terrains of Northern Mistral. The trees were rushing past them looking like a blur of green and white. The mountains in the distance were growing larger, as they would be passing straight through them. She'd be passing through a place of her past, a place she thought she had left behind. What she didn't know is that fate had things in store for her, and she'd have to face her demons sooner rather than later.


Location: 12km from the Northern Pass, Mistral

The next day had been relatively quiet. The teams had gathered up for breakfast and had hung out for a bit, before returning to their cabins. It had been abnormally cold, even with the heat on full blast, the Argus Limited was crossing one of the coldest regions of Mistral in the early fall. While most passengers were in their cabins with family or friends, most were walking about, enjoying the amenities they offered. Dee and Dudley had been making their rounds, hitting on women and boasting about their power, something that Levi really detested, but he remained silent, letting Weiss and Blake do most of the talking. Currently, Team RWBY, Levi, and Neo were in their cabin, playing a game of cards.

Blake had been reading, as usual, while Ruby was playing video games on her bed, grumbling every time she lost. Levi, Weiss, Yang, and Neo were sitting in the middle of the room, a deck of playing cards before them, a black box sitting next to Yang. Said woman was giggling at the cards in her hand, trying not to burst out laughing.

"Alright, here we go. Here is the church, here is the steeple, open the door, and here is the blank. Give me your best cards." she said, setting the black card on the floor in front of them. Levi held back his chuckles as he slid his white card to Yang. Neo, of course, kept a poker face as she handed hers. Weiss looked at her hand, a look of sheer horror and disgust displayed on her face.

"Why would someone create a game this horrid? I mean look at these disgusting answers. They are so terrible, so awful, and misogynistic! How can someone find this game fun?"

"We just do. This is a horrible game for horrible people, after all." Levi said with a shrug. "Just pick a card, we aren't going to judge you."

The former heiress cringed as she picked one at random, closing an eye as she handed it to Yang. It took everything in her power not to die of laughter. She took several deep breaths, cheeks crimson from her mirth. "Hoo, okay, I'm going to shuffle these before reading them out loud."

She did so, clearing her throat as she looked down at the black card. "Here is the church, here is the steeple, open the door, and here is "A man on the brink of orgasm."

"Bahahahaha! That one is fucking perfect! I bet that was you, wasn't it Neo?" Levi asked, causing her to roll her eyes, her lips curved up in a devious smirk. Yang cleared her throat, grabbing their attention.

"Okay, here is the church, here is the steeple, open the door, and here is "Two Midgets shitting in a bucket". Oh, dude."

"That's so gross, Levi!" Weiss shouted, causing him to jump back.

"Why the hell do you assume it was me?"

"Because only you would play something like that!" she cried back. He tried to argue her point but found himself conceding. Yang read the next one, almost bursting into laughter.

"Ahem, here's the last one. Here is the church, here is the steeple, open the door, and here is "A man twisting his cock and balls into a balloon poodle," Oh my god, I just imagined it. Fuck." the brawler said, making Levi cringe in pain.

"You complain about my card then have the balls to play that one?" he asked, glaring at the white-haired girl.

"It was the only one I had that makes sense!"

"Aw man, this is a tough one. I think I'm giving it to Neo, just the thought of walking into a church and seeing a dude about to spooge is hilarious. It'd be burned into my mind for all eternity."

"Yang, can you please not say spooge? It sounds so gross." Blake said, causing the blonde to stick her tongue out at her. Neo took the black card, which were the tallies for her awesome points. She needed one more to win. Levi shuffled the black cards, choosing the top one from the deck.

"Alright then, let's begin. "My psychic warns that my future is filled with blank". Okay, good cards only." He said, setting the black card down. Yang handed hers, with Neo following suit. He read both of them, biting his lip in order to stop himself from laughing. After a minute, Weiss handed him her card, glancing at the floor. "Okay, here's the shuffle…"

"I'm not letting you win, Munchkin. My card is guaranteed to make him piss himself with laughter," she said. Neo narrowed her eyes, signing a few swears at her, which only Weiss and Levi understood. "Ah… I gotta learn me some sign language. That way I can understand your comebacks."

"Oh god, what the fuck is this card? Erm… hoo… okay here we go. "My psychic warns that my future is filled with A bleached asshole. Really? That's all you could come up with?" the miqo'te faunus said, glancing around the circle.

Neo frowned, bowing her head a bit in feigned shame. He set the white card in the discard pile, clearly not accepting it. "My Psychic warns that my future is filled with The Primal, Ball-Slapping Sex Your Parents are having right now. Ugh… thanks for that mental image."

Levi set the card down, glancing at the last one. He read it again, still in disbelief. He cleared his throat, glancing at the three ladies who were looking at him expectantly. "My Psychic Warns that my future is filled with That special kind of affection that a boy can only get from tossing his mommy's salad." he read, blanching a bit. He reached for his water bottle, taking a sip from it. Blake set down her book and even Ruby looked down, horrified by what she had heard. "Is there anything you'd like to tell us, Weiss?"

"No, there isn't. I saw it, I played it, and now I will collect my awesome point," she said, taking the black card and adding it to her neat little pile. She grabbed the deck, giving it a shuffle as she drew a card.

"Howdy kids, how are things in here?" the gruff voice of Qrow said, as he leaned against the cabin door, a martini in hand. He narrowed his eyes a bit at Neo, who shyly hid behind Levi. "Relax, Ice Cream, I ain't gonna hurt ya."

"We're doing alright, Uncle Qrow. Yang decided to pull out Cards Against Remnant to play with Levi and Neo. Today I've learned they have messed up senses of humor, and that Weiss is hiding something about tossing a salad." Ruby said, causing Qrow to spit his drink, soaking the poor steward that was walking by. He apologized, shoving a bundle of lien in his shirt pocket as he walked off.

"Gods, I can't believe they made that game. Yang, I told you not to play that near Ruby. You know she's going to start asking questions. Weiss… what kinda shit are you into?"

"I am not into anything of the sort, you drunken buffoon! I merely saw the card and I played it to my advantage! How dare you assume I am into weird things?" she said, crossing her arms in a rather hoity-toity fashion.

"It's alright, Qrow. Weiss doesn't know what tossing a salad means. I assure you if she did she likely wouldn't have played that card." Blake said.

"Isn't tossing a salad when a guy or a girl eats a girl's…"

A sudden jerk cut Ruby off, causing Qrow to drop his drink, the glass shattering on the floor. Levi was on his feet almost immediately, his ears bending in all directions as he tried to listen for something. He peered out the window, his eyes widening when he saw some Grimm flying alongside the train. "Oh, shit. We got company."

"Of course, that's just my luck." Blake hissed, glancing out the window to see what they were dealing with. Qrow did the same, huffing loudly as he turned around.

"It ain't yours kid. Grab your weapons, we need to fight them off."

The room went into a flurry of action as Team RWBY, Levi and Neo reached for their weapons, making sure they were sharp, primed, locked, and loaded. They exited the cabin in a single file, their card game is all but forgotten as they followed Qrow toward the end of the passenger car, avoiding the people running toward the front.

It didn't take them long to exit the train, making their way onto the rooftop. A flock of Manticore Grimm was flying around them, roaring loudly and firing fireballs at the train. With each one, the Argus Limited jerked a bit but remained on the track thanks to the Gravity dust that lined the rails. Levi drew Overture, cocking it once before taking aim. Just like that, he had sprung to action.

The air was blistering cold. The Argus Limited was traveling up a mountainside, steadily climbing as it continued zooming up the path. The gray clouds above had burst hours ago, showering the land with heavy snow, the little flakes battering his face and neck. His ears stood tall as he struggled to listen to anything besides the blistering wind. The train rocked a bit as a manticore landed, roaring loudly at the silver-haired faunus. He narrowed his eyes, raising his rifle.

"Ello old chap!" he said in greeting, pulling the trigger hard. The Grimm cried in pain as the energy bullet struck its face. It looked up, only to see several glyphs floating around it, they sparked for a moment, thick bolts of lightning striking it from every direction. Levi shot himself forward with a Vermillion glyph, throwing a series of speedy slashes at its face.

The manticore threw its paw forward, claws extended as it attempted to attack the young man, only for its attack to be blocked. Neo slashed and stabbed at the creature, disorienting it with various rapid strikes. It let out a ferocious roar, opening its maws to fire a ball of fire at the young girl, who rapidly spun around, opening her parasol against the wind, the fireball erupting on its canopy. She pulled Hush's trigger, a water round striking it in the face, freezing almost instantly.

"You added a gun to Hush?" Levi asked as he landed beside his partner. She nodded, giving him a wink. He flicked his arm back, Overture spun around his hand, simultaneously ejecting a round as the cylinder spun. It came to a stop on Rock Dust, his estoc glowing a soft brown. "Time to take out the trash!"

Ruby whooped and cried, as she swung Crescent Rose with all her strength. She spun her beloved scythe around, blocking the sharp claws of the manticore that was aiming to maul her. She dashed away with her semblance, reforming above it. With a pull of the trigger, she buried her blade in its shoulder blades, and with a pull, the Grimm's head went flying. She spun the weapon around, her cloak billowing behind her as she adopted a smile.

"Who's next?"

A manticore landed behind her, screeching as it stood on its hind legs, aiming to kill the young huntress-in-training. Her eyes widened, only for a barrage of ice crystals to slam into its chest, sending it flying into the nearby mountain. She spotted a series of familiar white glyphs forming around her, blasting the incoming Grimm with ice and fire. Weiss skated by her, giving her leader a wink. "Thank me later!"

She stabbed Myrtenaster into the Grimm that had been attempting to attack Blake, allowing her to swing Gambol Shroud, severing its head clean off its shoulders. Yang darted past them, rapidly punching another manticore, delivering a fierce uppercut to its chest, blasting a hole straight through it. She stood back admiring her handwork, ejecting the spent shells from her weapons. "It's good to know neither of you have gotten rusty."

"Why is it always something?!" Nora's indignant voice shouted, as she climbed onto the train roof. Ren and Jaune followed, drawing their weapons and jumping into the fray. Oscar and Alto followed suit, the girl trailing after Oscar who stopped in front of Qrow, who had been blasting the grim with Harbinger.

"What can we do to help?"

"You can start by telling that idiot to shut off the turrets! It's drawing them toward the passengers!" he cried, darting back into battle. Alto looked around, finally noticing the moving machinery blazing hot fire rounds into the air, keeping the Grimm in disarray. Oscar grabbed his cane, darting forward only for a manticore to crash down in front of him.

Alto flung her spear forward, the fierce gunshot hurling it faster than she intended. It stabbed into its shoulder, sending it a few paces back. She activated her semblance, speeding herself up, jumping into the air. She threw her shield downward, slamming it into its head, and with a flick of her wrist, sent it flying back onto her arm. She pulled Milo free glancing back at Oscar. "GO!"

The young boy dashed past her, jumping over the gaps between cars, as Alto started to swing her weapon, leaving deep gashes in the creature's unprotected chest. It unfurled its wings, shooting into the air. Alto spun Milo around, shifting it into its rifle form, resting it on Akouo, she took aim and fired.

Levi growled as he delivered a swift kick to the manticore he had been fighting, Neo finishing it off with a bullet. She grabbed onto Levi's shoulder, spinning herself around his body, driving her heels into an incoming Grimm, which he fired at, forming a brown glyph beneath it. A sand storm exploded beneath it, sending it careening into the side of the mountain, causing a bit of rock and debris to tumble onto the train.

"Nice one, Neo!"

She tipped her hat, smiling at her partner. She raised her head, eyes widening as she pointed behind him. He turned around, only for the Grimm to slam its wing into him, sending him to the ground, Overture falling out of his hand. Neo went to retrieve it while Levi used his semblance to free himself. He gave a kick to its maws, pulling himself free.

"Screw you buddy!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers. Crimson glyphs sparked to life around the manticore, who was blasted to death with huge fireballs. He thought it was over, but a second Grimm came to quickly replace it, clamping its jaws onto his leg, before taking off into the sky. "AAAAHHH!"

"Levi!" Ruby shouted, her arm outstretched in a vain attempt to reach him. Neo grit her teeth, shooting at the Grimm with Overture, her bullets doing nothing to stop it. Weiss let out a shout, as she formed a black glyph behind the Grimm, keeping it in place.

"Blake!" she shouted, urging her friend on. Blake rapidly reloaded Gambol Shroud, throwing it with all her strength.

"Levi, catch it!" she cried, causing the boy to turn his body around as far as he could, his leg cracking painfully. He spotted Blake's weapon and swung himself around, grabbing ahold of it. Weiss's glyph shattered, causing Levi and the Grimm to be dragged back by the train.

Yang held onto the ribbon with all her strength, alongside Blake and Ren, the others shooting and fighting off the manticores as best they could. He glanced back, forming a fire glyph in the palm of his hand, a swirling ball of flame forming at its center. "Blake, Yang! Let it go!"

The moment they dropped the ribbon, Levi blasted it in the face with fire, causing it to drop the young man. He twisted himself around mid-air, using his glyphs as platforms. He jumped forward, racing after the train. He formed a large vermillion glyph beneath his feet, pouring as much aura as he could into it before blasting himself toward the train. He rolled across the roof, flicking his wrist. Darting forward, he used Gambol Shroud to fight off the Grimm, driving the blade straight through its jaw.

Another Grimm attempted to swipe at him, but he was quicker. He bent his knees as he used a glyph to sent himself flying backward, simultaneously drawing his mother's pistol. He landed on the train with a thud, the roof bending slightly from the impact. He rose Gambol Shroud and his mother's pistol and opened fire.

He rapidly slammed the triggers back, firing round after around at the large creature, who snarled and roared in pain from each impact. Rock, ice, and fire struck it in rapid succession, weakening its faceplate. Both weapons clicked empty, leaving him open to attack. Its snake tail hissed loudly aiming a strike at his neck, only for Neo to dash forward, using Overture to sever it off.

She drew Hush's hidden blade, swiping both as fast as she possibly could, jumping back. Levi blasted himself forward, and with a shout, drove Gambol Shroud straight through the creature of Grimm, almost falling off the caboose. Neo grabbed the weapon's ribbon, topping him from face planting into the railing below.

"Thanks, Partner!" he said, earning an eye-roll from the girl. Once on solid ground, Levi started running forward, assisting Weiss with some glyphs, finishing off one of the two Sphinx that had flown with the flock of Manticores.

"Sorry Blake, I used all your ammo," he said. She shrugged it off, replacing the spent magazine with a new one.

"Why the hell are there so many of them?" Yang questioned, blasting off another Grimm that attempted to land on the train. Neo shrugged a look of "Does it matter?" written on her face.

"Who knows? All we can do is fight them off!" Ruby said, resting her scythe on her shoulder. The group was about to get back into the fray when they noticed something odd about the Grimm. They saw them gliding away, almost as if a larger monster had appeared to challenge them.

"Uh… why are they backing away?" Weiss asked, more curious than fearful. The train's horn went off, echoing through the mountainside. Levi's ears bent every which way, trying to listen to whatever was approaching, only to hear Oscar's panicked voice.

"TUNNEL!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Oh, son of a bitch," the miqo'te faunus hissed.

Neo moved forward, punching a hole through the skylight, jumping down inside. Yang swung over the side of the car and through a window, while Levi ran at Blake, wrapping his arm around her as he jumped into the skylight Neo had opened. He landed roughly, cradling his friend tightly. A violent scream of pain echoed through the tunnel just as the train dove into it. Then it was silent.

Levi looked Blake over for a moment, giving her a nod when he didn't find any severe injuries. Neo pointed to the doors behind them, throwing them open. They walked through a few cars filled with cargo before finding themselves back inside the passenger cars, surrounded by scared civilians. Dudley was cradling his obviously broken arm, tears running down his cheeks.

Qrow burst through the crowd, pushing a few passengers away as he slammed Dudley into the wall, glaring deeply into his eyes. "I said turn those damn things off!"

Dudely hissed in pain as he glared back at the man. "Those things are keeping us alive!"

"Us? Sure. But they're putting the passengers in danger! Can't you see it's bringing them toward the front cars? We need to keep them to the back!"

"I'm the one they hired for this job!" Dudley shouted, standing firm before his fellow huntsman. "This is my train, I'm the one in charge here!"

Qrow scoffed, his grip on the man's shoulder tightening. "Forgive me if I'm not exactly reassured."

Ruby ignored the infighting, peering out the window. She frowned seeing the Grimm following after them, racing after the train. It wouldn't be long until they caught up to them, and then things would get worse.

"What do we do, Ruby?" Levi asked as he loaded more shells into his rifle. She looked deeply into his eyes, a tired look on her face.

"We make sure no one dies and this train makes it safely into Argus," she said. She looked around, seeing the frightened men, women, and children around them. They were all murmuring and crying among themselves, clearly shaken up. She adopted a firm look, walking toward her uncle.

"Get off me!" Dudley cried, trying to get away from Qrow.

"Look, if you bozos had been doing your damn jobs, instead of shaking people down, then maybe we shouldn't be in this-" he glanced down, seeing the look on his niece's face, his words caught in his throat. She looked to Dudley, staring into his eyes.

"Please just shut off the turrets."

"Trust us, we know what we're doing," Jaune added, activating his semblance. Dudley felt warmth seeping through his body, pooling around his injury. He could feel the bones slowly beginning to arrange themselves, his bruise slowly disappearing.

"Fine," he mumbled, defeated as he reached for his scroll, turning the turrets off. Nora looked around for a moment, a thought entering her mind.

"I got it! Ren, do you think you can mask everyone with your semblance? With the guns off and emotions hidden, they might lose track of us!"

"I dunno," he replied, glancing around the room. "I've never tried it on so many people before."

"You've never had Jaune boost your aura," Weiss said, glancing at the blonde knight. "He could amplify it, and increase the reach of your semblance."

"That could work, provided no one moves or does anything. They might use emotions to track us, but remember, these things can still use sound. If the people are scared, screaming, or crying, they might pick up the scent again." Levi said firmly.

"It'll buy us some time to at least come up with a better plan, right? We took out most of them, it's that giant Sphinx that's leading them. If we kill it, then we might send the others away." Alto said, glancing around the room. "Like a chicken with its head cut off!"

"That's a fucking image I didn't need today, Wolfie." Neo's scroll chirped as she glared at the girl.

Oscar was looking around for a moment, pondering his options while keeping his eyes on the windows. They'd run out of tunnel soon, and the Grimm would eventually attack. He took a deep breath, hearing Ozpin's voice in his head. "May I?"

"Of course," Oscar replied, feeling the tingling sensation of being taken out of control. The young man strode forward, standing in the middle of the room. "I'm afraid ditching them will be a tad bit difficult. Though we may be able to mask emotions, the Grimm will still be attracted to this."

He gestured to the Relic of Knowledge strapped to his belt. Dudley peered over them, seeing the relic attached to Oscar's hip. "What the hell is that?"

"None of your business!" Qrow exclaimed, glancing back at Ozpin. "Oz are you serious?" he continued, earning a nod from the young man. Yang stepped forward, a look of anger on her face.

"They're attracted to that? Why wouldn't you tell us that?"

"I-"

"That doesn't matter right now!" Ruby interjected, glaring at her sister who merely crossed her arms.

"She's right, every second we're aboard this train we're putting everyone else in danger. We need to think quickly." Levi said, peering out the window. "We're running out of tunnel."

"Jaune, get everyone to the front of the train, you'll still mask everyone's emotion like we planned. We just can't come with you. If we cut the cargo cars with us and the relic on them, we can deal with the Grimm. You just make sure the rest of this train makes it safely to Argus."

Jaune pressed his lips into a thin line as he finished healing Dudley's arm. He stands before Ruby, staring deeply into her eyes. "Only if you promise me you'll meet us there."

"Promise!" she exclaimed, wrapping her pinkie around his. The pair shared a hug, as Ren and Nora started getting people to the front of the train. Levi turned back, placing his hands on Neo's shoulders, gesturing behind himself with his head.

"You should go with them, make sure the train makes it to Argus. I'll stay with Ruby and the girls. We'll meet in Argus."

She rapidly shook her head, pointing to herself and then to him. She had a firm look on her face. She was clearly not going to agree to this, especially after they met up again. Levi was about to speak when he heard someone stop beside him. He glanced down, seeing Alto's smiling face.

"I'll go with them. I may be a little younger, but I can fight too. You and Neo reunited, we can't have you separating again so soon, can we?" she asked. Levi gave her a sad smile, ruffling her hair.

"Be safe, okay?"

"No problemo! I'll call you every five hours just in case, I'll have a big bowl of ramen for both of you waiting at Argus!" she replied with a wink. Blake, Yang, and Weiss darted past them, with Ruby slowing to a stop.

"We need to go, you coming with us?"

"Yep. Good luck, Alto. Kick lots of Grimm ass for us!" he said, heading toward the back of the train.

Once they made sure the back cars were empty, they climbed back onto the roof. Blake jumped between cars, swinging Gambol Shroud at the couplings. She briefly looked up, gasping a bit as she saw a familiar hooded figure, the outer edges of his outfit glowing red. She began aiming her weapon, only to see the figure disappear. She shook her head, jumping back onto the roof of the train.

"We're separated!" she said. The uncoupled cars started slowing down, as the rest of the Argus Limited picked up speed. Ruby looked at her scroll, watching as Ren, Nora, and Jaune's signals were growing weaker.

She noticed the Manticores and Sphinx finally leaving into the tunnel, her finger flying to the speak button. "NOW!" she screamed, her voice echoing through the mountainside.

Levi glanced back at the train, seeing it slowly turn a dark shade of gray. He assumed that had been Ren's semblance being activated. He glanced down at his scroll, seeing Alto's signal had disappeared entirely. He looked back up, the Manticores having regained flight.

"Alright team, we have about ten minutes before these cars come to a complete stop. Even with the Gravity dust keeping them on the rail, without thrust or some sort of motion, they'll stop. We need to kill those things before it does."

"Then let's get to work!"

The next few minutes were a flurry of movement, as everyone fought, trying to take down the remaining manticores. Levi and Neo combined their attacks, dashing, stabbing, and shooting whatever came their way. The two were in perfect sync as they fought, keeping each other from flying off the train, while also fighting with a bit of style.

Oscar meanwhile fought off a larger Manticore, keeping it in place as he swung The Long Memory to and fro. He jumped around, avoiding all of the swipes thrown at him, only to trip on one of the deactivated turrets. He let out a yelp as the manticore prepared to finish him off, only for Weiss and Ruby to blast it with joint attacks, sending it careening into the last Manticore. Now all that remained was the Sphinx.

"We need to ground that thing!" Ruby said as she noticed Qrow struggling to take it down.

"Blake, Yang, wrap Gambol Shroud around it and keep it pinned. I'll use a glyph to hold it down, Weiss freeze its wings. Neo, you shatter those suckers the moment you can. Ruby, Qrow, you know what to do afterward."

Their tasks given out, they all began their work. Levi fired off energy rounds, stunning the Sphinx enough to make him land. As soon as he did, he spun around, driving Overture's blade into the train, forming a violet glyph beneath it, keeping it in place. At the same time, Blake and Yang teamed up, wrapping Gambol shroud around it, keeping its forelegs wrapped around its body. The creature screeched as it unfurled its wings, giving them a powerful flap.

"Grrr… Weiss hurry! I can't hold it down!" the miqo'te shouted, his arms shaking a bit as he focused on his semblance and his aura. The former heiress stepped back, using one of her glyphs as a platform. With a wave of her rapier, she sent several blasts of ice at its wings, slowly freezing them.

"Now, Neo!"

The ice-cream-themed girl darted forward, swiping Hush's blade across each wing, causing them to shatter. The Sphinx roared in pain, lifting its upper body up, causing Blake and Yang to get partially pulled up with it.

"Ruby, Qrow!"

The two pulled their weapons back, prepared to finish the creature off just as it formed a giant ball of fire in its jaws. The two-shot themselves forward, turning into a furious spin, slicing the Sphinx clean in half. They didn't notice the fireball it fired until it was too late. The orange ball struck the rail several hundred meters ahead of them, mangling the metal keeping the cars in place.

"Oh shit!" Levi muttered, eyes wide as saucers.

"Levi, hurry!" Weiss cried, bringing him back to reality as he noticed the black glyph beneath his feet. He spun Overture around, stabbing the blade downward, forming violet glyphs on top of Weiss's hoping they were enough to keep them in place. He closed his eyes, teeth grit as the front car hit the broken rail.

The cars swiftly derailed, sending everyone flying off the cliffside. All Levi managed to see was white, and then everything went black.


"Pah!"

Levi spat, clearing his lungs and mouth of snow as he regained consciousness. He looked around for a moment feeling terribly cold. His face, hair, and ears were covered in snow, half of his body buried in a snowbank. He brushed the snow away, making sure he wasn't frostbitten or worse. His scroll was still strapped to his armor, displaying his and Team RWBY's auras, all of them being in the yellow. He forced himself to stand up, spotting Overture stabbed into the snow a few meters away.

"Oi! Anyone else alive?" he called out. Blake sprung up first, shivering a bit as she shook the snow off her hair. She stood up, pulling Yang to her feet, the blonde having bolted the moment Blake regained consciousness.

"I'm okay," he heard Ruby say, the girl stepped out from behind a train car, shaking the snow out of her skirt. "Pretty sure my buttcheeks are frozen solid though."

"Ugh, even in a serious situation you always find a way to be an uncouth ass," Weiss said, brushing the snow off her dress, fixing her scarf. Oscar and Qrow were together, helping each other up. She looked around, her eyes widening when she saw the final member of their party half-buried in the snow. "Neo!"

Following her gaze, Levi spotted his partner and raced toward her. He slid across the snow, digging her out. He held her up, brushing the snow off her face and body, holding her close. "Neo, are you alright?"

Her eyes slowly opened, narrowing a bit from the bright light. She had a pained look on her face as she placed a hand on her forehead, shattering into a million pieces. Levi let out a cry of surprise as the pieces fell around him. He turned around, spotting his partner standing behind him, resting her weapon on her shoulder. She gave him a silent giggle, pointing at him.

"Grr… you are such an ass!" he exclaimed, grabbing some of the snow around him. He made a small ball, throwing it at her face. Neo fell back into the snow, her eyes wide in surprise. She tipped her hat forward, her eyes narrowing a bit as if accepting his unsaid challenge.

"Is everyone okay?" Qrow asked as he and Oscar reached the center of the clearing.

"Yep, I'm okay. A little cold but otherwise alright." Blake said.

"We lost a lot of our aura during that fight, I doubt we can stay here for more than an hour before we succumb to the cold," Levi said, his ears flicking around a bit. He turned to face the train, eyes narrowed a bit. "Who's there?" he called, his voice being carried by the wind.

"I surrender, I surrender!"

Just as the others tensed up, hands on their weapons, they spotted a little old lady, making her way toward the edge of the train. She let out a laugh as she hung onto her cane. "That was a close shave wasn't it?"

"Hey… wait a minute, you're that old lady I met on the first day. What are you doing here?" Levi asked, concerned about the old woman.

"I got curious about something, of course. Now, are you gonna stand there or are you gonna help me get down there? Don't make me wait, sonny." she said. Levi shared a look with the others, all of them giving the same confused look. He sighed, shaking his head.

"It's gonna be one of those days, isn't it?"


A/N: I'm going to do a double post today. Mostly because I'll be busy during the coming days and I wouldn't want to skip out on posting. The next chapter is going to be a fun one... well not for the characters that is. It was a fun one to write. But then again this entire story has been fun to write for me haha. Oh well. Back to Genshin for me. See you all later!