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We're all just going to pretend I didn't write this a week and a half after the last updoot and forgot to post it okay? Okay.

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Inside, the shuttle-port was a huge facility, with pathways split off around wide, heavy duty, glass-enclosed lifts of various sizes flanked by gates. One for service crews, loading luggage and refuelling the various shuttles, and one for passengers. Both followed metal-rail enclosed paths to boarding ramps for the larger shuttles, or simply to either side of the smaller Bullhead craft that made up the majority of the airships he passed by, all thronged by service crews loading and unloading supplies destined for any of a dozen places. Some, he noticed, bore Beacon's seals - and often were loaded with crates marked with a green apple, the symbol Guiding Light told him was the universal sign for 'food'.

"But why do they need it?"

"If the ship goes down," his Ghost explained, "salvage crews can delineate the surviving crates by symbol. Food, electronics, weapons, books, medicine - they can scavenge for the most valuable items more efficiently."

"Ah." He nodded, "Makes sense. Now, where are we-"

"Bay D-24." Guiding Light said, "According to online maps available for tourists-"

"Which we aren't."

"Aren't we?" Guiding Light hummed, "We're here, taking in the local culture, seeing the sights-"

"Guiding Light." He sighed, "The map?"

"Ah, right." He chuckled, "It's towards the rear. Special access zone, for Beacon Academy, to facilitate student and faculty missions and travel. Ours is there."

"Alright."

Cerulean spent the next few minutes navigating the crowds as much as the winding paths, sometimes lingering to watch Bullheads and larger ships be lifted up, to the roof area for final prep and launch. A lot of the ceiling above was made up of windows, skylights according to his Ghost, and he saw a few of the lift-offs through them. The Bullheads he'd seen, but the larger craft, with their dual sets of wings and huge, positional thrusters he hadn't. And they were impressive, hovering up into the air and then turning slowly as their thrusters rotated, until they almost seemed to… Hang in mid air, with all four engines pointed back at an angle until it rocketed away and the rear ones straightened out, speeding it along to wherever it was headed.

Finally, though, he rounded a corner-

And had to duck under a ball as it came sailing by, and then side-step a little black blur as it shot by after it. He turned to watch it vanish into the crowd and murmured, "What in the Light…"

"Sorry!" A young sounding voice squeaked as he turned, looking down on a black-haired young woman in a hood as she bounced up, rubbing at the back of her neck anxiously. "I-I was playing with Zwei because I was- U-Um, anyways, sorry."

"It's fine." He nodded, "Don't worry."

"Thanks." She smiled, looking him up and down and then blinking, eyes widening. "Wait, are you a Hunter?"

"Yes." He nodded, "I'm here for a team I was hired to escort."

"Yeah?" Another voice, this one from a blonde leaning against the entrance between a pair of annoyed looking women dressed in near-perfect monochrome. He and the first woman came over and she cocked a smile, "Yang Xiao Long. My partner Blake, and my sis' partner, Weiss."

"Schnee." She sighed, "Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna. Charmed."

"It's a pleasure." He nodded, turning and asking, "And you are-"

"Zwei!" The girl squeaked, stooping to catch a little black blur as it slammed into her arms. Standing, she flushed and stammered, "I-I mean, I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose. This," she held up the panting pup, "is Zwei."

"Uh…" He cocked his helmeted head, "Nice to meet you both?"

"Yarp!"

"What a delightful creature." Guiding Light hummed, "You should ask them-"

"We're Team RWBY." Ruby Rose chirped brightly, turning and offering the dog to her blonde sister who took him with a huff, looping an arm under his belly and holding him on a cocked hip. While the white one tried very hard to both scratch his ears and, seemingly, not be seen doing it. Ruby went on excitedly, though, offering a hand, "And I'm it's leader! Good to meet you, Mister…?"

"Cerulean." He nodded, shaking her hand gently. "I'm looking for bay D-24?"

"Twenty four?" Xiao Long blinked, pointed at the Bullhead bay behind them. "This, uh, is twenty two, buddy."

"Oh." He followed her thumb up to a small sign, just above the door, and sighed. "Yeah. That sign is very small…"

"That is what I said!" Schnee bemoaned, rolling her eyes and stepping over to his side, looking around the pathway and smiling. "Ah! There it is over… Oh, joy."

"What?"

"It's that one." She sighed, pointing a long, well-manicured finger across the bay and down a bit. "With… Team CRDL."

"Oh you poor son-of-a-"

"Yang!" Rose squawked brightly, turning and scowling until the blonde snorted and shook her head. Turning back to him, she sighed and said, "Sorry. CRDL are… Kinda not great, so, sorry you have to deal with them."

"I'll survive, I'm sure." He shrugged, "Don't worry."

"Okay…" Rose nodded and sighed, "Just… They're jerks, but make sure they make it back. Okay?"

"Yeah." The black-haired one said, grimacing, "They're… Well, pricks, but thy don't deserve to be buried for it."

"Sounds like there's baggage there." Guiding Light hummed, "Not the kind we should probe, I feel, though."

"Keeping them safe is my job." The Guardian nodded, promising the foursome and agreeing with his Ghost in the same breath. "I won't fail them any more than I failed Adel and her team."

"Adel-" Schnee blinked, "Wait you're the one that saved team CFVY?"

"Well, there were only three of the team there, but…" He shrugged, "I did my job then. And I will here, too. So don't worry yourself about it."

"As long as you don't die, either…" Rose murmured, "Beacon doesn't need another funeral, Cerulean."

"I promise, I'll come back."

"Okay." She nodded, "That's-"

"Wait." He blinked, realising what she'd said, "What do you mean, another-"

"Miss Rose!" He jumped and turned as a wiry, green-haired man appeared behind him. Stepping past him, he nodded his way and said, "Hunter. A pleasure. Now, Miss Rose, we must get underway. Much awaits!"

"Right." She nodded, waving as the man brushed by, "See ya, Cerulean."

"Yeah."

"Later."

"Farwell."

He watched them go until they boarded their Bullhead and the lift raised them up, through the hole above them. Then he turned, following Schnee's directions through the thankfully thinning crowd across the bay and further in. Until he finally reached-

"Oh, it's you." The gruff, loud voice grunted as he approached the four, sitting on low crates scattered around the Bullhead bay. Winchester sighed and stood, introducing him as he came close. "Guys, this is Cerulean. Our… Hunter escort, apparently."

"Mhm." He nodded, "Uh, charmed?"

"Uh huh." He rolled his eyes, pointing between each of his team members in turn. "Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark."

"Sup."

"Hey."

"How do you do?"

"It's good to meet you." He nodded, turning back to Winchester and sighing. "I'm Cerulean. I trust you know where we're headed? And why?"

"Little farmin' town a few hours east." The roguish one, Thrush, grunted, twirling a long sort of knife with a guard made up of Dust cylinders around on the palm of a hand. "Some Beos have been givin' 'em a hard time, so we have to go help the stupid animals."

"The what?"

"Faunus." Winchester grunted, "Most of the farming in Pinewood is done by them."

"Animals work for cheap." Winchester chuckled, crossing his arms. "Anyway, are you ready to-"

"You will not call them that." Cerulean snapped, cutting the larger man off as he stepped in, closing the gap and pressing his visor close to the man's face. When he scowled, Cerulean sighed and brushed by, explaining. "Grimm are attracted to negativity. Anger, fear, pain- Calling them that, besides all else, will only add to that. Do you want to face more Grimm than we have to?"

"How about we say what we want, when we want to, and we will deal with… With whatever." Winchester grunted, sighing when Cerulean turned back to meet his gaze. "Killing Grimm is no problem. We can do our jobs. So, you do yours."

"My job is to lead you-"

"No, that's my job, Cerulean." Winchester snapped, stepping close and jamming a finger into his armored chest. "Yours is to watch us, grade us, and help us when we need you to. Got it?"

"Fine." He grunted, shaking his head, "Let's go, then."

"Yeah." Winchester snarked, "Let's."

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Pinewood, as they circled for a landing, was a town on two levels, built in the shadow of a small mountain far enough away from Vale that they could barely even see the grey walls or the inner mountains of the ranger that defended it. Pinewood's own mountains were far and small, curving around in a massive oval that mostly enclosed the wooded vale. The first layer, and both the easiest to spot and the smallest, was a cluster of tall buildings, like the ones in Vale but smaller, surrounding a small shuttle-port. All enclosed by a tall stone wall, manned by patrolling guards he cod just barely see and dotted by circular parapets dotted by heavy, multi-barrel cannons facing upwards.

"Anti-air batteries." Guiding Light hummed, hovering close to his shoulder, invisible still, "Emitting a signal… Like the soldiers. Automated, perhaps?"

"Maybe." He murmured, "That sounds advanced…"

The rest of the settlement lay outside the walls, dotted all along the vale. Small little farms, barely a few acres each, defended by thin wooden palisades. A few had more fields, built outside their walls, and some even had larger buildings. Warehouses, a few shipping houses he could see trucks rolling out from, and even a few markets. Markets built all throughout the vale, in spite of the main settlement nestled by the greater mountain. Almost like…

"It's like there's several settlements, not one." Cerulean murmured, "All disconnected. But… Why?"

"Faunus like to be on their own." He turned his head as Thrush came over to lean against the Bullhead's side, grimacing. "Easier that way."

"For who?" Cerulean grunted, "This can't be easy to manage. Or defend."

"It's better than the alternative…"

"What alternative?"

"One side leaves." Thrush shrugged, "Humans or Faunus."

"And it won't be the Humans." Winchester called over from the other end of the Bullhead. "Our Kingdom, our land. They dislike it then-"

"Who decided that?"

"Come again?"

"Who decided this was a Human Kingdom?" He asked, turning to face the team as they turned to meet him. "Who made that decision, and what gave them the right?"

"The Old King of Vale." Winchester growled, crossing his arms, "Way back when. Couple hundred years ago. He conquered the old kingdoms that held the ground, fighting over what little space they'd found, and united them. The Faunus tribes, unwilling to submit to Human rule, left."

"They came back later." Lark added, "Over time. But regardless-"

"They left." Winchester shrugged, "So, land's ours by right."

"Because some Humans a hundred-" He was cut off by a buzz, and red lights blinking on throughout the cabin. Hand on his revolver, he asked, "What's that?"

"Emergency light." Winchester grunted, "Means-"

"Grimm!"

Suddenly, the Bullhead pitched to the side, metal screaming as something ripped at it. The craft veered to the left and then to the right as the pilot tried to shake it off, tossing the Hunters back and forth until Cerulean got a hand around an overhead handle and growled. Yanking his revolver free he turned and punched the door release, the wind howling in as it slid open and-

A serpentine head as big as his own forced itself in, maw dripping as it tried to snap at the Hunters who pressed themselves into the corner. Its claws dragged at the inside, trying to pull it in as the craft pitched and turned.

"Wyvern!" Thrush croaked, "No one said anything about Wyverns!"

"Hey!" He grunted, leveling the weapon on its head, "No one rides for free!"

It snarled and he yanked his aim back, to the joint of the Wyvern's wings and shoulder. The scaly flesh exploded in a splash of ichor and then, after a second shot, a spray of bone and meat. As it fell away, he leapt onto its side, gripping onto the spines along its back as it tumbled away, trying as hard to stabilize its flight on its wounded wing as to throw him off of its back. He rocked back and forth as it fought and as they fell until, finally, they neared the ground and he grimaced.

"Ready, Guiding Light?"

"I have the Light!" He answered, "Draw on it, shape it to your- Oh no!"

He turned as another Wyvern shot down towards him, screaming a roar as it left the smoking Bullhead behind and dove for easier prey. As it came, he did as his Ghost had said, reaching out with his mind and will for his Ghost's Light. He found it and drew it into himself, crackling and roaring like fire under his skin, and he watched the other Wyvern come in as the ground came up. And, at the last moment, he holstered his revolver and leapt.

And lightning answered his call, curling around his fists as he met the Wyvern and cracking loudly as they slammed home in the side of its jaw, puverizing fully half its head. As it tumbled away he turned, pushing what was left of his fury into a hand as he drew his revolver and brought it around. Its crack echoed thunder as it lanced out, trailing lightning, to meet the other, wounded Grimm as it tried to pull up from its dive.

It exploded in a spray of bone and ichor as he turned and braced himself ahead of meeting the ground.

"Oh, this is gonna-"

The ground cut him off.

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"Are you sure it was around here?" Cardin snapped as Executioner came around, crushing aside a Beowolf as it came for him. "Sky, five!"

The young man didn't answer, simply bringing Feather's Edge around in a thrust that caught the Creep in the throat. Then he wrenched it free and up to the side in a hacking swing that staggered the Beowolf lunging from where the Creep had been only a moment before. It sank onto its side and the man stepped in, raising his weapon and bringing it down to snap its neck before Russel rolled into place behind him, flicking his daggers and spraying fire across another Beowolf as it came. But more just kept coming, filling the wods with snarls, black smoke, and hungry red eyes.

"We need to- Hnk!" He staggered as a Creep leapt onto his back and reached up, grabbing it by the front of its mouth and wrenching it down in front of him, heel slamming into its throat to finish it before he said, "We need to fall back!"

"To where?" Sky called out, "Nearest farm is-"

"Twenty minutes that way!" Russel called out, ducking under a Beowolf's swipe and snapping a thrust up, crippling its arm and leaving it burning as he moved to meet the next Grimm. "We runnin' for it?"

"Yeah." Cardin growled, crushing another Grimm as he turned, pressing his back into the little circle they were forming. "Defensive formation - fight our way out until we can make a break."

"Sounds like a- Fuck!"

Cardin turned to watch the Grimm that had been charging them tumble to the side, head smoking as it died and started to decay. He turned, following the angle of the shot, and watched as the Grimm turned to meet-

"Cerulean!"

The man charged in almost recklessly, bringing his rifle around and ending two Grimm with as many rounds before they reached him, and then thrusting the weapon up and into the Creep's heart like a spear when it did. Drawing an axe in one hand and a heavy revolve in the other, he leapt in, hacking at one Grimm's head while his hand trailed along and cracked loudly, heavy rounds cutting down two more as his gaze swiveled, surveying everything even as he fought.

He ducked under another Grimm and turned, lashing out with a kick wreathed in lightning that hurled the monster away and into a cluster of them where it went off like a bomb. He left his axe in a Grimm's shoulder for a moment and ducked as a Beowolf leapt for his head, hand slapping up and sticking something to it as it sailed by. It landed, stumbled and turned as he yanked his axe free and turned his back on it to meet the next Grimm.

It exploded with a 'whumpf' of something he didn't recognize and took a Creep trying to form up with it.

Finally, as the Hunter worked from the other end, Cardin waved his team apart and they set to work from theirs. With them pinned between the Hunters, now, and Russel running interference on the flanks to keep the handful filtering in from swarming, Cardin smiled.

"We got this, boys!" He bellowed, "Let's get it done!"

"Right!"

Even as they fought, though, he couldn't help but watch Cerulean. Even with everything going on, he dodged more blows than he took. And when he did take them, he took them on his armor. His Aura never sparked, as if he wasn't even using it, aside from one time when a Beowolf got a hit on the inside of his arm, where his armor was thin. But even then, the Aura didn't spark it…

Flared, bright like a light, and held there until the light faded away.

It was odd, but… Well, he had more important things to do, at the moment.

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Sage Leumas :

You're right for Jaune, but Cerulean and Jaune aren't EXACTLY the same people. They have differences. Also, bear in mind his current jobs and roles. Being defensive may work for either character, and in time he may change, but right now? He's all about ripping and tearing.

MM Browsing :

Indeed he is so very close, it hurts us all. That's my dramatic irony. He's always so close. Hell, in this chapter he's LITERALLY a thin piece of armor away from being recognized and finding out what he wants to know.

Rohanvos :

Here we meet some. And there are… Implications on how they're doing.