The Adventures of Team WA: Volume 2

by Masked Spider

Team WA is back, having survived the fall of Beacon and the land of Mistral, Wayne and Aegis have been split between two continents, with Aegis helping Blake against the White Fang and Wayne helping Weiss get to Mistral, but new and old enemies alike have their own sinister plans for the land of Mistral, and our heroes (Note: Read the Adventures of Team WA at Beacon Academy first).

63. Let It Be

Let It Be

Hello everyone and welcome to the latest, and surprisingly long, chapter of the Adventures of Team WA Vol. 2! Our heroes are reunited but, as has been revealed, all is not as well as it could be. But before we get into that, a quick promotion for a fellow author: redfang19. For those who haven't heard he's recently started taking commissions, so if you've got a story you want written and a little extra cash to burn, send him a message and see what he says! Speaking of, check out my Pat reon while you're at it and see what cool things you might get to see as a patron! Now then, I believe that's all the announcements and with no guest review questions this week, let's dive on in!

The Day Before: The Garden Acre Marketplace

Whatever Wayne's expectations had been when Jaune took off his helmet, an older looking version of him was not one of them. "Wayne Ursario," the now revealed Rusted Knight greeted, "I wasn't expecting to see you first."

"I was hoping the next time I'd see you was Vacuo, Jaune Arc," the huntsman responded while rubbing his head, "which might mean you being here…was my fault."

"Don't blame yourself," Jaune chided while patting the large jackalope creature he was on, "you had no control over how fast the station would disappear and I was always the slowest runner. That problem's in the past thanks to Juniper here." His mount hummed happily at the praise.

"Speaking of the past, I remember you looking a little-," Wayne tried to think how to phrase his statement.

"Younger, yeah, that one's on me," he explained, "go figure, the first thing I do when I arrive here is pick a fruit that looks like a clock. The blasted thing literally rewound time until I stabbed it. So you could say I've been waiting for a bit. By the way, is it just you here?"

"So far," the Half Faunus answered before pulling the folded-up Crescent Rose off his back and showing it to his friend, "this is the only clue I've found since getting here. And given what you just told me, I doubt you've seen the others yet."

"No, but there's a good explanation for that," Jaune assured, "Ruby's scythe was one of the first things to fall. I'd planned on picking it up when I saw it but when I got where it fell, someone else had taken it. Where did you find it?"

"Does the name Jinxy the Peddler ring any bells?" Wayne asked while imitating one of the talking raccoon's gestures.

"I knew it," the knight shook his head in a way that indicated both slight annoyance and amusement, "he always seems to be the first to find otherworlders."

"Speaking of other worlds, why are you still here?" the huntsman wondered, "you didn't spend all of your time waiting on us, did you?"

"Why don't I tell you on the way," Jaune offered, "I need to get back to my village before it gets too late."

"You have a village," Wayne didn't hide the look of surprise on his face, "they won't mind two more, will they?"

"Two more?" the knight repeated in confusion, "you have someone tagging along?"

"You might've met C.C.," the Half Faunus offered before looking around, "he has a tendency to get distracted easy, so I had quite a time getting him to lead me this far."

"C.C., wait, this C.C. person isn't a cat, is he?" Jaune asked, his tone turning more serious.

"That's what C.C. stands for," Wayne explained, "'Curious Cat'. I thought C.C. would be better than calling him-."

"You've been following the Curious Cat?!" Jaune grabbed his shoulders, surprising the huntsman slightly, "where is he now?"

"That's what I was trying to figure out," Wayne lightly pushed his friend's hands off of him, "I'm guessing you know he has a tendency to wander off if he's left alone long enough?"

"If he's not here right now, it's good for us," the knight stated before grabbing his helmet and hopping onto the mount he'd named Juniper, "come on, let's get out of here before he comes back." He turned the jackalope around and started trotting before Wayne could protest, forcing him to almost run to catch up with him.

"Jaune, tell me what's going on," Wayne demanded while keeping pace with the mount, "why are we trying to lose the cat?"

"Because he's not the helpful ally the story made him out to be," the blond man replied, "he's been lying to you."

"That doesn't make any sense," the huntsman responded in confusion as they began ascending the spiraling path towards the lotus at the top, "his behavior has been matching the story pretty closely up to this point."

"I'll explain everything as soon as we get out of here," Jaune promised, "just trust me right now, there's a lot about this world you don't know." The Half Faunus wasn't fond of the idea. Certainly he trusted Jaune, he always had, but the idea of running off without getting the cat's side of the story went against what he considered his usual mode of operation. That's why he questioned Jaune as soon as they got to the tunnel and slowed down a bit.

The knight had explained a bit more to him then, about how he'd met Alyx and Lewis, their time together and how it ended with only one of them returning. He also explained what he believed to be the true purpose of the Curious Cat and the nature of the tree itself. It was honestly a lot to take in and Wayne took a bit of time to process it. He'd finally ask what he believed to be the most important question once they exited the cave.

"So you basically believe the tree is a no go," Wayne began, "what exactly is your plan for getting out of the Ever After?"

"The cat was a liar but one thing he said was true," Jaune replied, "there have been other people here from Remnant. Not just us, Alyx and Lewis, but a few others. We all dropped in at different places around the acre, so why wouldn't there be another way out in one of the other acres?"

"You got me," the huntsman admitted with a shrug, "there are a lot of things about this place that don't make sense, at least not from our perspective."

"Well don't you worry," Jaune assured while tapping his head, "I've learned all kinds of things. I even got notes back at my village you'll probably want to see."

"I don't doubt it," Wayne agreed as they came to a small stream.

"Here," his friend tossed him a canteen that resembled a flowerpot for some reason, "Juniper needs to stop for a drink, so take that upstream and fill it up."

"What's wrong with filling it up here?" Wayne asked. Jaune pointed at some nearby flowers, or at least what Wayne thought were flowers before the heads suddenly detached and spun down onto the water. Instead of sinking, they continued to spin, balancing on a single pointed leg as they went by. The sound of high-pitched singing also accompanied their passing.

"Dancing River Lillies," Jaune explained, "they may not look like it but they can get caught in your canteen if you're not careful. You would not believe how hard they are to get out."

"Speaking from experience, I'm guessing," the huntsman quipped before standing up and heading further upstream, "alright, I'll be right back." And he was sure to heed his friend's advice, checking to make sure there were no weird plants around before kneeling and filling the canteen. It didn't take too long but as he turned to head back, a rustling caught his attention. Wayne responded by reaching for one of his weapons, sniffing the air to see if he recognized the intruder.

He only loosened his grip slightly once he realized who it was. "Ah, there you are," the Curious Cat floated out of the bush with his lower half walking on the ground, "I must say I never expected you to go running off with the Rusted Knight, do you know him?"

"By the looks of it we both know him by another name," the huntsman replied while his former guide reconnected his body and sat on the ground, "Jaune Arc is a friend of mine from Remnant. We both wound up here as a result of the same battle."

"Ah, so you really are the same Wayne Ursario," C.C. laughed, "my it is fascinating what a little time travel can do to someone."

"It's done quite a bit from the looks of it," he observed, "and you apparently didn't help."

"Oh I helped plenty," the cat assured, "I was the guide for him, Alyx and Lewis, after all. Though he seemed obsessed with making sure events played out exactly like they did in this little story you're all so familiar with."

"Of course he was," Wayne answered matter-of-factly, "that story had a good ending where the main character got home. But that's not what happened."

"Oh Alyx made it back alright," the Curious Cat insisted, "I led her to the tree and that's where the story ended. If Jaune would just let me I would lead him to the tree, too."

"Jaune seems to think the tree is a predator," the Half Faunus pointed out, "how do you explain that?"

"I already explained how the tree works to you," C.C. reminded while pointing his tail at the huntsman, "Jaune's been here for a long time, but I've been here almost since the beginning of the Ever After, fulfilling my purpose, and keeping my head." The feline's head suddenly detached from his body and floated up near eye level, "well, most days I keep my head."

"So you're saying I can't trust Jaune," Wayne raised an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't say you can't trust him," C.C. responded, "but he's just a couple steps away from being howling mad. And believe me, you do not want to hear someone who's howling mad."

"He seems sane enough," the elder Ursario noted, "I'm willing to at least hear him out."

"Yes, listen to the person who's been stuck here for a good number of years now," the cat rolled his eyes, "you don't strike me as one of the dumber Remnant folk, not like Alyx. You already know there's only one way out, you've known it since the moment you got here."

"I know that Jaune has a serious bone to pick with you and that it'd be a very bad idea to bring you around him right now," Wayne mused for a moment as he crossed his arms. This was definitely a dilemma. He didn't know if he actually needed the Curious Cat's help to get home but he also couldn't deny that if Jaune, the tactical planner of team JNPR, hadn't figured a way out by now then something was probably wrong. "So how about this, why don't you go and find my other friends."

"And why would I do that when we already have a deal of our own," C.C. tilted his head, "I'm certain you have a little more to tell me, enough to get you where you're going."

"Let's just say I'm curious too," the huntsman answered, "I want to know if my friends are here, and I want to know whether or not Jaune actually has a way out of this place. But more importantly, my friends also know a lot of interesting things, stuff even I don't know."

"Now you've got my attention," the cat purred, "but say I look around and don't find your friends, what then?"

"Well assuming you're right and Jaune hasn't found a way back, you know where I'll be," Wayne pointed out, "so how about this: you find my friends, they sate your curiosity and you bring them to the tree, too. And if you can't find my friends then simply come back and I'll try to convince Jaune to resume our original deal."

"Oh, this sounds like a wager if I've ever heard one," the Curious Cat laughed, "can we call it a wager?"

"If it suits your fancy," the Half Faunus shrugged, "just try not to forget. My friends should be easy to spot because they clearly don't belong here and they'll refer to themselves as huntresses, and in one case, huntsman."

"I've found many a suit for many a fancy," the cat replied, "if I can find those then finding your friends will be as easy as finding my own tail." Be it purposeful or unintentional his lower half detached and retreated back into the bushes. "Whoops, there it goes now." The spectral feline disappeared back into the undergrowth then as Wayne simply shook his head. 'Definitely one of the odder creatures I've ever met,' he thought.

"Hey Wayne!" Jaune called, "is that water jug filled up yet?!"

"Got it right here," Wayne called back as he started walking in the direction of his now older friend, "just thought I heard something for a moment. Now let's get to this village of yours."

The Present: Jaune's Village

It was nighttime when the group finally arrived so only Aegis, Wayne and Blake could make out much of the village. Specifically Jaune's house was what their attention had been focused on. It was a humble abode made of dark brown wood, a lighter brown circular roof on top and a covered area where Juniper slept outside. It had a door on either side, a window in the back and two windows on the front that were currently open to the night air.

The interior was similarly humble with a small table and two chairs pressed up next to the back window, a round furnace with a log currently burning in it sat in the far corner and a small extra room on the side contained a single bed. The members of team RWBY and WA were currently scattered about the place with Ruby sitting at the table, Aegis and Yang sitting in front of the furnace holding hands while Blake and Weiss stood to the side sipping tea. Wayne was currently leaning against the wall near Weiss and Blake, contemplating how best to approach the next couple of situations. Or at least he was until Jaune came walking out of his room with a large wooden box.

"Hey, there's something Wayne and I got a hold of that you might like," he placed the box on the table in front of the hooded girl and opened it up. Ruby's eyes widened at the contents: Crescent Rose. "Or to be more accurate, Wayne got it off of Jinxy and brought it here. I was just holding on to it until we found all of you."

The rest of the group let out a small cheer at the sight of their leader finally getting her weapon back. "I…thank you," she almost whispered, "both of you."

"Any time, don't mention it," Wayne and Jaune replied back. The knight turned to reenter his room then but was stopped by one last question.

"Jaune," Ruby hesitated for a moment, "what happened to Lewis?"

"I think," the blond knight let out a heavy sigh, "I think Alyx traded Lewis to the tree in order to go home. Then she wrote him out of the story. Well, good night everyone." He entered his room then and laid down on his bed.

The group got sleeping matts out shortly after, which had been pointed out to them earlier, and started heading to bed. Though Wayne didn't miss the fact that Ruby wasn't keeping her weapon next to her.

A Couple Hours Later

She couldn't sleep. Try as she might, Ruby Rose had far too much on her mind. Even so, she almost jumped a bit when a sudden movement caused her to look up. "Shh," Wayne put a finger to his lips before continuing in a whisper, "it's alright Ruby, I just happened to notice you couldn't sleep."

"Are you having the same problem," she whispered back.

"Not exactly," the elder Ursario corrected, "come on, let's talk outside." The duo got up and crept out of the house then, stepping slowly and carefully so as not to wake anyone. They proceeded into the forest until they found a good spot that was hopefully out of earshot.

"So," Ruby began, taking a seat on the oddly colored ground,"what did you want to talk about?"

"Mostly about how you're doing," Wayne replied, "I know things have been…..weird….lately and you seem to be pretty down."

"Are you really surprised," Ruby pulled her knees to her chest, "everything's gone wrong. Both Atlas and Mistral are gone, Salem's got two relics, we're stuck in the middle of a literal fairy tale whose story turned out to be a lie. And all of it, all of it is my-."

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence," the huntsman warned, "countless people are to blame for what happened back there, even me."

"But Wayne," the hooded girl was no longer hiding the pain in her voice, "it was my idea not to tell Ironwood the truth, my idea to work with him while he squeezed Mantle, my idea to use the Amity Communications Tower to ask for help, and it was my idea to sacrifice Atlas! And it all wound up being for nothing!"

"And what brought about most of those circumstances," Wayne asked, "did you make some of those decisions because you wanted too? You suspected Ironwood would react as badly as we did if he was told the truth and that's not something we needed given the rough shape he was in. We worked with Ironwood because we were convinced the squeezing of Mantle would only be temporary and because going against him at that time would've just wound up with us in prison. The only reason we even needed to use the tower in the first place was because Ironwood decided to not only abandon Mantle and shoot down any attempts to help the people, he even threatened to use a bomb. As for what happened in the void, there was really no planning for Cinder. All we could do was react and fight our hardest and it wound up not being enough which even then is not something you can take full credit for."

"So what, it not being all my fault somehow makes things better?" Ruby sniffed as tears started to well up in her eyes, "even putting everything aside we had one job, Wayne, one job and we failed! Even if we get out of here, what then? People are betting their hopes on us but I don't think we can do it, I don't think I can do it!" She finally broke down then, sobbing into her hands.

Wayne didn't reply immediately, instead moving to sit next to Ruby and put an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, continuing to cry for several minutes. The next thing the silver-eyed girl said was in between heaving breaths. "I was supposed to be a good huntress," she sniffed, "Ozpin moved me up two grades because he saw potential in me. I got training at Beacon, at Atlas, I even have special eyes that are specifically made for fighting monsters and somehow, somehow it wasn't enough!"

"I do know the feeling," the huntsman acknowledged, "Aegis and I had more than a couple of advantages ourselves. Had we been facing an ordinary threat, it wouldn't have stood a chance."

"Be honest with me, Wayne," Ruby asked, "if we get back there, do you think we still have a chance?"

"I really couldn't say," he answered truthfully, "if we're being technical, Salem only has half the relics right now. So long as she doesn't get all of them her plan can't succeed. Optimistically, yes, we do still have a chance. But chance or no chance, I'm giving it my all anyway."

"Even if it could be hopeless," the silver-eyed girl looked up at him.

"I'd rather go out fighting to my last breath than just roll over and die," Wayne answered, "not only would my family kick my ass in the afterlife for giving up, I'd kick my own ass for letting myself give up." Ruby chuckled a little at this despite herself.

"I wish I could be more like you, Wayne," Ruby sighed, "I wish I could be like the others and just not let any of this get to me. It's just, how can you all keep looking to me as a leader after everything?"

"Do you really think anyone else could've done a better job?" The Huntsman asked, "I never would've thought to do some of the things that you thought up. Even if I did I'm not as capable at coordinating people as you are. In case you haven't noticed, I have a bad habit of throwing myself at the most powerful enemies with little to no backup. Not exactly the mark of an intelligent leader."

"But you're so strong," the hooded girl insisted, "you fought off literal madness in order to get stronger and still managed to remain yourself. And that's the kind of person I need to be, isn't it, someone who'll never break no matter what?" Wayne shook his head at this.

"Ruby," he began, "the only reason I've been able to keep going, the thing that's kept me from completely losing my mind: It was you, and Weiss, Blake, Yang, Aegis and the rest of my friends and family. What keeps me strong, the reason I continue to be strong, is for all of you. If I were ever to lose that, the only reason I'd have to fight is because that's what you'd all want me to do. You don't have to be unbreakable because we're all here, ready to help you pick up the pieces if you ever do. I'm sure you know by now, being a leader doesn't mean you can't ever ask for help."

Ruby didn't respond to that, instead she was content to sit there resting against him. Neither one of them knew how much time passed before she finally spoke. "I'm going to try," she softly declared, "I'm going to try to keep going, for just a little longer."

"Give it your best," Wayne encouraged while giving her a one-armed hug, "no one can ask any more of you than that. So whaddya say? Wanna head back and get some sleep?" Ruby nodded and the two got up and headed back to Jaune's house, creeping in as they did before and took their respective sleeping spots once again. Sleep would at last come to both of them, albeit fitfully for one.

Morning

Sunrise in this particular acre came about differently than what the Remnant folk would consider a normal sunrise. Instead of an actual sun rising, what happened was one of the inhabitants would light the end of an incredibly long stick and raise it up until it reached inside of a white, round paper lantern. Once ignited, the lantern would illuminate the entire acre in the same manner as a sun. But it wasn't the rising sun that woke everyone up. It was the explosion that followed after.

"I'M LATE!" Jaune exclaimed as he shot up from his bed. Having worn his armor to sleep he only needed to grab Crocea Mors before running for the door, leaping over a surprised Weiss who was still waking up. But Team RWBY and Aegis realized something was happening quickly enough and were out the door with their own weapons drawn. Or in Ruby's case, still on her waist.

"What was that just now?" Weiss asked, noticing that one of the larger houses and the lantern above it were on fire.

"I overslept," Jaune answered while getting Juniper up and ready to ride, "I never oversleep, there's just been so much excitement in the last couple of days. But it's alright, I can fix it, I always fix it."

"Jaune, what's going on," Blake asked the question on most of their confused minds.

"Can't talk now, I'm late," he replied while jumping on Juniper and moving out from under the cover, "any second now there's going to be another-BOOM!" As if on cue, a second explosion occurred as another section of the large house caught fire. "Damn it, right on time. Get to town I'll meet you there!" He didn't leave time for any more questions as he turned Juniper around and bounded off towards the settlement below.

"What did he mean 'right on time'?" Yang asked in confusion.

"It means we don't have to rush," Wayne answered with a yawn before proceeding to walk down the trail with his weapons still holstered, "come on, I'll explain on the way."

"You'd best explain, very, quickly," Weiss urged, "people are in danger right now."

"No more danger than usual," her boyfriend assured, "it's like I told you before, Jaune's really devoted himself to helping the inhabitants here. The thing is, what you're seeing now happens everyday."

"The town catches on fire every day?!" Yang exclaimed, "why, how?!"

"Because it's the inhabitants who are doing it," Wayne revealed as they crossed over a small bridge and into the town.

"Why in the world would the inhabitants," Aegis started to ask before setting eyes on the town itself. "Better question, who makes an entire town out of PAPER?!" Exceptionally large paper at that. The bushes were made of giant paper orbs that looked like they'd been cut and folded for an art piece and the trees were the same way.

The ground was covered in what appeared to be giant sheets of paper of all different colors. And even though the houses looked like houses, they were also made of paper. "The paper inhabitants," Wayne explained before pointing to a small moving creature coming towards them. It looked like a giant blue paper star someone had cut out and folded, though it barely reached up to their knees.

"Hello," it greeted while doing a quick spin, "welcome to our village. We hope it pleases you. Would you be so kind as to tell us what you are so that we may serve you?" The creature ended this statement with a bow.

"Serve us," Ruby repeated in confusion.

"Your town is on fire!" Weiss exclaimed while pointing at the burning roof of the largest building.

"Oh no, we are quite safe," the paper being assured, "we have our hero." As if someone had given him a cue, Juniper leapt up over the burning building while Jaune doused the flames with a large pan of water. He landed and slid to a stop then before dismounting in front of everyone else. This entrance was met by applause from the rest of the inhabitants of the village, who were also paper stars of all different colors.

"Three cheers for the Rusted Knight," a yellow paper creature declared, possibly sarcastically before moving over to the puddle Jaune had created with the water he used.

"Stop, stop," the knight ordered with his hands raised, "just back up, there's water everywhere, you'll dissolve." He quickly moved over to the yellow inhabitant who was currently bowing to the puddle.

"Hello water, how may I serve you," it asked before Jaune picked it up and moved it somewhere else.

"Ugh, I can't believe that almost happened," he sighed in relief, "it's been ages since I missed the first fire."

"Wait, so fires do happen every day," Ruby asked in slight nervousness.

"Yep," Jaune confirmed, "I don't know if Wayne mentioned it."

"I got to the part about daily disasters," he confirmed, "but perhaps you should introduce the village inhabitants. You know them better than I do."

"Oh, right," the knight just now remembered he hadn't told the others yet, "everyone, these are the Paper Pleasers. They're probably the most polite, most hospitable Afterans around because…that's their purpose." He waved off one of the Paper Pleasers who'd come by with a tray of tea. "When Alyx left me to die, Juniper found help, brought me here and got me back on my feet. They work all day serving not only the travelers but the land they live on too. Their home is a place of peace, though they are a bit clumsy."

A sudden breeze sent one of the Paper Pleasers, a green one with square patterns on his body, flying towards Jaune who quickly caught it and set it down. "Fortunately, that makes them predictable, now hold these." He dropped a couple rocks into the paper creature's 'hands' and sent him on his way. "Heh, classic Ren."

"You named the villagers," Weiss observed hesitantly, "after your teammates?"

"Not just my teammates," Jaune corrected, "I named them after everyone."

"Hello," a red Paper Pleaser waved at them, "I am the one called Ruby, what are you?"

"Hate. That!" Yang commented while most everyone else gave a look that was between nervous and disgusted.

"You think that's bad, look at the one he named Aegis," Wayne commented while pointing at possibly the largest Paper Pleaser in the village. It didn't help that it had orange and brown coloration and was carrying a large firewood log on what passed for its shoulders.

"Okay that one I can about give a pass on," the half Bear Faunus admitted.

"Alright," Jaune hopped on top of Juniper once again, "the disastrous lighting of the lantern has been averted once again. That gives us just enough time to strategize before the calming pebble tower crumbles, crushing the entire village. So I'm thinking…a quick brunch?"

"I could eat," Little squeaked while poking out of Ruby's hood. The rest of the group didn't know what else to do at that moment and wound up going along with it.

A Few Minutes Later: Chief Paper Pleaser's House

"Ha, my life's work," Jaune declared as he unrolled a map on the short table, which they had to sit on the floor for due to it not being sized for Remnant folk. It was in surprising contrast to the rest of the house which was spacious enough and tall enough to fit multiple people. Everyone except Wayne, who'd already seen the map, gathered around to look at it. Several hexagonal shapes were marked on the map, some of which had names that the group quickly realized designated it as one of the acres of the Ever After.

"Guess it's no surprise you've been exploring this place," Aegis noted.

"Not just exploring," the knight informed, "over the years Juniper and I have been systematically mapping all the nearby acres around here. If you think you've seen it all, let me tell you, it's not even close."

"What exactly have you been looking for," Blake asked.

"Anyone or anything that might be able to take us back home," Jaune almost whispered conspiratorially.

"Wayne mentioned that was what you were doing," Weiss recalled, "uh, what have you found?"

"Nothing so far," the blond admitted, "but I got this really, really good feeling about this acre I saw with a bunch of pyramids."

"Okay," Yang raised a hand, "so just making sure I follow, do you have any other plans or leads, like, at all, for finding a way out of here?"

"It's not as easy as it looks," Jaune defended while indicating the Paper Pleasers walking outside the large window, "I've been working alone for the past several years and I can't just run off and leave them to die. Between protecting them, searching for an exit, and searching for you guys, we've got a really tight schedule to keep."

"Not sure I follow," Aegis spoke up, "how much protecting do you have to do for these little guys on a daily basis?" In answer, Jaune produced several pieces of paper, which were taped together, and unrolled them, revealing a rather lengthy list.

"This is the schedule of catastrophes that befall the village every day," he explained, "or at least they would if not for me. Now that you're all here we can divide the labor with you keeping an eye on things here while I go and search the acres, uninterrupted. With Juniper's speed and my familiarity with this place, we'll find a solution in no time. I mean, this is it, right here guys. If there's one thing I've learned after all these years is that patience pays off! It's why we're all finally back together, I know I can find us a way out, I know it, I know it!" He slammed his fist on the table before whispering his next words, "this isn't crazy, I'm not crazy, it's easy."

"Deep breaths, Jaune," Wayne spoke up for the first time in a while, "let's not get too excited just yet."

"Yeah, you're right, you're right," he sighed before standing up, "ya know, we actually still have time before the pebble tower falls. Why don't I saddle up Juniper and show you around a bit, let you meet some of the clumsier papers." He turned and walked off, "just wait until you meet Neptune." The group wisely waited until he was out of earshot before speaking.

"Damn it Jaune," Yang swore while picking up the schedule and examining it, "this isn't a plan it's a 'to do' list."

"Jaune's obviously been through a lot," Blake pointed out.

"We've all been through a lot," Wayne reminded, sending a look towards Ruby, "but that's not the crux of the problem here. The real problem at the moment is who to believe. Hey chief," he waved over the Paper Pleaser who owned the home they were in, "tell them what you told me yesterday."

"If you are referring to our conversation about the great tree, I will happily repeat it," the blue Paper Pleaser replied while setting a plate of what appeared to be deli rolls on the table, "you see, the great tree does not kill. That is what we've been trying to tell him, but our hero still insists that we never ascend."

"What," Weiss's confusion was shared with most of the group.

"Remember when I said the village inhabitants caused these catastrophes every day," the huntsman reminded, "it's not just due to clumsiness. A lot of it, is intentional."

"The one known as Wayne speaks the truth," the supposed chief confirmed, "though I do not wish to be rude, our work has been complete for quite some time. Because of us, the land is beautiful, but we have also realized that it, like ourselves, is very delicate. We would like to make something pleasing, but also resilient. In order to do this, we are ready to leave ourselves and merge with the tree so that it might return us as something new. But-."

"Jaune is still under the belief that the tree is death," Wayne continued, knowing that the Paper Pleaser did not like speaking ill of people, "he forbade them from reaching out to the tree by collecting all of the leaves it dropped. This has apparently left them with no choice but to do, well, everything on that schedule."

"They are all methods we have attempted in order to break from our physical forms," the Chief clarified, "but our hero is clever and brave, always protecting us from harm. Though we have explained to him that the tree resurrects and rebuilds, we also do not wish to displease our hero. I also hope I have not displeased you, but we so desperately wish to return to the tree, to return home so that we may carry on with our work."

"Return home," Yang sighed, "yeah, I think we can understand that."

"Do not be sad," the Chief assured, "the wisest are going to topple the pebble tower today. I am certain it will work this time."

"What makes you so sure?" Weiss asked.

"Ordinarily, nothing," the Paper Pleaser chirped happily, "but the hero has brought one whom he cannot stop. A destroyer who has promised us a solution. I am happy to see he is already taking steps to help us return home."

"Destroyer," Ruby raised a questioning eyebrow, "there's a destroyer here?"

"Apologies, Destroyer is the moniker we have given the one known as Wayne," the Chief explained, "he feels like the Jabberwalker, but clearly lacks the power to keep us from Ascension. We at first thought he was sent by the great tree as another way to bring us home." All eyes turned to Wayne who simply shrugged.

"I can't really explain it," the huntsman admitted, "for some reason the inhabitants of this world seem to think I have a similar scent to the Jabberwalker. The main thing is I did promise to figure things out with Jaune. Good news is now that you're all here, there's a better chance of solving things without getting into a fight."

"But do you think Jaune will listen to us?" Blake questioned, "he's pretty adamant about not going to the tree."

"If Jaune's right then the tree took Lewis before it let Alyx go home," Weiss somberly informed.

"But Jaune wasn't there," Yang reminded, "Aegis and I talked this over and there's too much we don't know. Since we can't trust the cat, the only thing we can do is find a way to the tree and see for ourselves. Which isn't going to happen if we spend all our time babysitting this village's inhabitants."

"Just that last part's already going to be hard enough," Aegis sighed, "he's convinced he needs to 'protect them'."

"And he's clearly not all there," Weiss added, "we need to handle this del-what is it, Wayne?" The reason for her question was her boyfriend suddenly moving his head to look behind them.

"I think we may have already blown it on the delicate part," he informed before reaching up and pulling back the curtain on the window near them. And standing there with a rather unhappy expression on his face was Jaune Arc. He narrowed his eyes a bit at the fact that he'd been discovered before turning to stomp off.

"Wait, Jaune!" Yang called as the group quickly ran out of the house, "what if the cat was telling the truth? Maybe he didn't tell us everything but maybe what he said about the tree is true."

"The tree is the last thing you should listen to any of them about," the knight growled before turning to face them, "they're just doing what they're designed to do, they don't care what happens when you get there."

"And what even does happen," Aegis stepped forward with his hands in the air, "you've never even been there, you're just assuming it's something bad. You think these little guys would want to go there if it really was death?"

"They don't know what they want," Jaune argued as the Paper Pleasers started gathering around to see what the fuss was about, "you've seen the way they act, nothing here is that straightforward, okay. Afterans are all either too clever, too stupid, or too crazy to trust!" Suffice it to say the village inhabitants were a little depressed to hear this particular opinion.

"Let's put that to the test then," Wayne suggested before pulling out one of his Crescent Fangs and aiming it at a nearby yellow Paper Pleaser, "let's see if they're telling the truth."

"What are you doing?" The Knight asked as he shot a glare at the Half Faunus.

"They say they'll come back if they die," he explained, "and you think they won't. I believe the most convincing proof for all of us right now is to see that process for ourselves."

"Are you insane?!" Jaune yelled, "you can't just kill them like that!"

"Pot calling the kettle black at the moment," Wayne pointed out, "no, what I am is willing to admit the honest truth: these Afterans are already dead. I know it and you've had enough time to think about it that the only reason you don't know is denial. Tell me, Jaune, what are these crazy stupid Afterans going to do the moment we find a way home and leave?"

"They'll, they'll," the knight turned his head away, refusing to answer.

"There's nothing you can do for them, Jaune," Weiss stepped forward, "they never asked for your help. They're just following their function and doing what pleases their guest. You know that so why are you trying so hard to keep them alive?"

"Because I can actually protect these people!" Jaune shouted, desperation now clear in his voice. It was a sad sight, but one that would unfortunately have to wait. Before anyone else could get a word in edgewise, the sound of a collapsing building was heard.

"Oh shit," Aegis realized where the location of the rising dust was coming from, "I think that was your house that just got wrecked, Jaune." The most concerning part, however, was what wrecked it: an entire pack of Jabberwalkers.

"They found us," the knight stated surprisingly calmly before whistling. In no time Juniper came bounding out of the woods, answering his call. "I'm not letting them down." He grabbed a hold of his mount as she went by, quickly leaping onto her back without the steed ever having to break stride.

"We need to help," Weiss announced, "if the villagers get eaten, they won't ascend."

"Then there's no running this time," Blake declared as the group charged after their friend with weapons drawn. 'We're also on a time limit,' Wayne remembered as the group began their clash with the devourers, 'if we don't wrap this up quickly, the Paper Pleasers might still stick to their schedule. No telling what sort of state Jaune'll be in if that happens right now.' To that end, the huntsman worked to find an opening.

Jaune batted away and swiped at the Jabberwalkers while Juniper dodged and ran around the now battlefield. Weiss led the charge by summoning her giant knight while Yang worked to back up Aegis. Ruby did likewise for Blake, though the former's focus seemed more on evasion than actually fighting at the moment. As for Wayne, he shot, dodged, and slid around the attacking beasts, slashing a few of their limbs until he'd gotten behind the pack.

He readied it then, his Aura Shadow. 'Let's see if this can attract these monsters like it does Grimm,' Wayne reasoned before letting it flow. Or so he thought. 'The heck,' his eyes widened as he realized that the signature black mist that characterized the form wasn't appearing.

He didn't have a lot of time to ponder this sudden turn of events before needing to dodge a swipe from one of the Jabberwalkers. Recovering, he quickly charged his semblance in his right hand while evading another couple of blows before shoving his fist down the creature's throat and releasing the built-up energy. The monster exploded in a shower of pink particles. 'That's…familiar,' Wayne realized.

Once again, however, there was little time to ponder the situation as the group continued to hold off the monsters. Wayne leapt into the fray, slashing one jabberwalker across the face after activating Crescent Fang's fire dust to super heat his blades. He slipped underneath the larger creature and used his semblance to tear it in half with a point-blank energy blade. As for Aegis, he was fighting better than before thanks to Jaune boosting the healing ability of his semblance last night, but still not one hundred percent.

He was using his signature ax, this one composed of glass and fire dust to make a flame blade as he dodged around and decapitated one Jabberwalker but was forced to block the follow up strike of another. Fortunately, Yang charged in and sent it rolling away with a powerful jab. Aegis gave a quick nod of appreciation before shifting his weapon to a spear and throwing it at the creature. The Jabberwalker roared and batted the weapon away, but Yang was ready. She Jumped up and kicked the weapon back into the creature's chest, followed by Aegis grabbing and shifting the blade back to an ax head while it was still inside the beast.

The monster howled in pain as its insides were torn while Aegis activated his rage mode and used both hands to pick up and swing the creature while it was still on his weapon. Two more Jabberwalkers tried to strike but were hit by the attack, becoming part of the spinning mass. Yang activated her own semblance and slammed her fist into the monster's upper bodies from the opposite direction. The resulting force from both directions tore apart the Jabberwalkers, their bodies also disintegrating into pink particles.

On another part of the battlefield, Weiss supported Jaune with her summoned knight before it was destroyed by one of the Jabberwalkers jumping through its back. The former heiress dodged around the creature's follow-up strikes but was flung up into the air by its tail after stepping on it. She quickly righted herself with a black gravity glyph which she stood on as Jaune attacked the monster next. His attack failed at first when his sword was knocked into the air, but Weiss was able to catch it and throw it back.

Jaune deflected the broken blade off of his shield and into the Jabberwalker's head, the force more than enough to split its skull before it disintegrated. It seemed his years in the Ever After hadn't dampened his ability to work with a team. As for Blake and Ruby, the Faunus girl was doing most of the fighting while the team leader kept firing her weapon, most of her shots missing. At one point, the Jabberwalker managed to knock Blake to the ground.

"Blake!" Ruby exclaimed while firing Crescent Rose more rapidly. But her shots were wild, and their opponent evaded them with a few acrobatic leaps before reaching down to try and eat the Faunus girl. Fortunately, she used her semblance to create a shadow and slip out of the way, leaving only dirt for the Jabberwalker to feast upon. As it raised its head, Wayne's Crescent Fang wrapped around one of its horns before he pulled the wire taut.

Blake understood his intentions immediately and used her weapon's ribbon to ensnare its other horn. "Ruby, quickly," Wayne called out as he and his friend dug their feet in to hold the creature down. The hooded girl nodded and lined up her shot, her breathing erratic. Thoughts and fears flew through her head a mile a minute with a singular one at the forefront: 'what if I mess up again?'

Wayne wasn't wrong, what happened at Atlas wasn't her fault alone. But what if something happened this time and it was all her fault? One misstep, one wrong move and it could all be over. If she missed now? "Ruby take the shot!" Wayne yelled, snapping her out of her thoughts as she finally pulled the trigger.

The bullet flew true and hit the monster right in the mouth, blasting its head apart and causing the creature to disintegrate. Ruby wanted to give a cry of elation at the scene but a warning from Blake brought her back to her senses. A little too late, as it turned out when Ruby was hit down from behind and knocked to the ground. She looked up in terror as a Jabberwalker hovered over her, saliva dripping from its fangs.

And Ruby was frozen, terrified out of her mind as images of Cinder, Penny and Salem flashed before her eyes. "Hungry, starving," it growled as it opened its mouth, and bit down on one of the bladed ends of Wayne's staff. The huntsman sent out a blast of energy from the blade then, catapulting the beast backwards where Blake was waiting to finish it off with an energy slash of her own.

"You okay, Ruby," Wayne asked while quickly helping her up, his eyes darting about to ensure no other threats were around.

"I," she started to reply as the last Jabberwalker went rolling in front of them. The creature stood up and looked around, apparently realizing its situation. That was when something strange happened. The monster's body started to bend and contort before it grabbed its head as if it was in pain.

The same pink particles as before erupted from its body but instead of disintegrating, something was left over. Or rather, someone. Standing there in place of the last Jabberwalker was none other than Neopolitan. The pink and brown-haired girl smiled and pointed a finger gun at them before her image promptly shattered like glass. "That explains a lot," Aegis commented after a few moments, "at least I think it does."

"It explains how there's more than one Jabberwalker," Blake agreed, "and what they were probably after: us."

"But those things weren't her usual illusions," Yang noticed, "they eat and grow. How has she gotten so powerful?"

"The Ever After reacts to thoughts and feelings," Wayne surmised while putting his weapons away, "perhaps it's giving more power to whatever she creates through strong emotions."

"Well however she got stronger she didn't do it by standing around," Jaune commented while hopping off Juniper, "now if you'll excuse me I-." The sound of the Paper Pleasers yelling in the distance stopped him. "Oh no, what time is it?" The circular structure known as the pebble tower at the center of the village was pushed over then, slamming into the town's dam, and cracking it open.

Water erupted from the new opening and crashed down onto the village, quickly flooding it as Jaune ran desperately towards the disaster. But by the time he got there, it was all submerged, leaving little evidence that anything had been there before. "NOOOOOO!" He collapsed to his knees on the other side of the bridge. He slammed his hands on the ground as Blake moved to comfort him, "I was supposed to protect them…I was supposed to save them and now…"

"But you did, Jaune," Blake assured, "the Jabberwalkers didn't get a single one of them."

"That's right," Yang added as the group gathered around him, "they might be gone, but they're not dead. We might see them again."

"It is what they wanted after all, right Wayne?" Weiss asked.

"They were a bit too excited when I pulled out Crescent Fang," he admitted while scratching the side of his head, "but it was always going to turn out like this. The best thing to do now is sort out what problems we can and then find a way out of here."

"But what if you're all wrong," Jaune asked in a low voice, "what if they're not coming back?"

"Then it doesn't change much," Wayne replied simply, "what's done is done."

"That's it," Jaune stood up and turned to him with a glare, "a whole village might've just died in front of you and all you have to say is 'what's done is done'?!"

"It'd be different if we actually knew for sure," the huntsman responded evenly, his features adopting a neutral expression, "since we don't, how should we feel?"

"Sad, angry, enraged, something!" The knight raised his voice while stomping towards his friend and pointing an accusing finger at him, "What if you'd been the one protecting them?!"

"You weren't protecting them, Jaune," Wayne stated bluntly, "this is one of the problems we needed to address. All you were doing for the last several years was playing hero, not being one."

"RAAAAAARGH!" The broken man moved to throw a punch at the elder Ursario but was stopped by Aegis restraining him from behind.

"That's not the way to solve this," the Half Bear Faunus grunted while holding onto his struggling friend.

"Aegis is right," Ruby moved between Wayne and Jaune with her hands held up, "we can figure this out but not if we're at each other's throats."

"What would you know?!" Jaune yelled, "the only reason we're in this mess right now is your plan that didn't work! And now my village is gone because of you, because the walkers came for you, because Neo hates you! This is all your-GAH!" Jaune was cut off by his captor slamming him on the ground.

"Over the line," Aegis snarled with his sharpened teeth bared and a finger pointing at the blonde's face, "none of this is about Ruby and you know it!"

"Ah," Jaune groaned weakly before speaking, "okay, okay, I…I'm sorry. You're right, I know…I know I'm not well, I'm not okay but how am I supposed to be? I've just been alone for…so long." He put his hands to his face as tears began streaming down his face. "On that bridge, I was the only one there, the only one who could do it! And now…now I have to live with it forever."

"And do you believe Penny would hate you for doing what she asked," Wayne questioned as he helped Jaune up.

"I've run it over in my head a million times," the knight informed somberly, "I just wish…..there'd been a better way."

"If there is," Ruby spoke quietly, getting everyone's attention, "you all would be better at finding it than me."

"What are you talking about," Weiss asked in mild confusion.

"Jaune's not wrong," the silver-eyed girl explained as tears fell from her own eyes, "what happened here, it's my fault. Neo's after me and she's not going to stop. As long as anyone's around me, they're not safe."

"Wait, Ruby no!" Yang yelled for her sister, but it was too late. In a shower of rose petals, the leader of team RWBY was gone. Everyone else looked on as she disappeared above the trees, the red fluttering cape quickly fading from view. It would next be seen, in an acre of shadows.

Alas, some personal issues take more than just a stern talking too in order to solve. But for those wondering about Wayne pulling a gun on little villagers, that'll be explained in the next chapter. So in the meantime feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters! Also, check out my Pat reon and think about becoming a patron! Lastly, tune in next time as our heroes scour the Shadowed Acre for their lost hooded friend. 'Til then.