With a sigh I stepped forward.

"There they are." Weiss mumbled from my side. "Blake and I have been scouting the place out for the past few hours."

"Not inside I take it?" I tried as she shook her head.

"No. We spent our time 'touring' the streets." Weiss nudged my attention to the guards on each side of the entrance. "From what we can tell those two don't exactly take their jobs too seriously. We saw a few children wander over at one point, and at best they were just asked not to play too close."

"I suppose that's good." I offered as Weiss crossed her arms. From our place amongst the crowd we were able to keep an eye on the gate, all the while staying out of immediate sight; of course I was in a large dirty cloak to cover my... less than subtle appearance.

"They appear to be on good terms with the citizens. Blake and I asked around a bit, and it seems like these two particular guards are some of the only ones who aren't hated by the population. They haven't been apart of any major attacks or threats, and they don't fling threatening looks everywhere they go."

I cringed a little. "The people aren't going to like it if we move in forcefully, and I don't believe there's any chance of them just letting us in."

"Probably not." Weiss said, laying a hand on her hip with a small smirk. "Either way they won't do anything to stop us. They want the Fang gone just as much as us. So long as we don't hurt anyone majorly I'm sure they'll quickly overlook the rude removal of the 'good' guards." Her tone evened out. "Besides, once we get inside we can put the idea into motion."

"And it's all luck from there." I spoke lowly as my shoulders tensed. The thought of having everyone within firing range still had me a tad worried. Weiss however appeared more confident.

"The shock of seeing their friends and family so far away from home will have them stunned for a few seconds at least. With everyone together it should be more than enough time for us to disarm them."

In contrast with her appearance Weiss's tone made it sound more like she was 'hoping' that's what would happen, as with everything in life there was an aspect of chance at work. Everything relied on chance, as even our entrance to the school would require a decent level of luck to avoid raising any alarms too soon. I watched as the two guards lazed about from their positions, as their mouths were gaged with cloth wrapped around them, and as they were forced to the ground by two men who had rushed in from the shifting crowd; each sporting a spider tattoo.

"You know..." There was a sense of playfulness as Weiss spoke. "For such an influential woman I figured Lil'Miss would have a more subtle approach planned for those two."

"I prefer a more 'direct' response to smaller issues like this." Lil'Miss stated curtly as she sauntered from behind. "With so many people around, and combined with the nature of your little scheme it seemed only right to start things out bluntly." She wore a stale look. "The clock is ticking. With the guards knocked out it won't be long before the Fang notice their network lose a point of communication, especially if they swap shifts in the next couple minutes."

"She's right kid." Qrow walked past and bent down to look at one of the gagged men, letting out a low whistle as he turned upwards. "Camera's have a constant view of the street, and I'm sure one of the pricks on watch have already alerted the rest inside."

"Right." I said as I began the march forward towards the gate. I called out and drew the looks of many. "Alright, we're moving in."

With that I saw several of the crowd cut from their activities and move for the gate along with me. We had the entire group from before wander about and stalk within the street in the hopes of blending in, and with the wide eyes of several others it appeared to have worked. Among the crowd of people I noticed Blake make her way over, and she took to walking beside Weiss.

"This is it, isn't it?" Blake's look was calm, but I could see the worry swelled underneath her guise of confidence. I nodded and set my sights ahead.

"It's now or never."

As we got past the gates things looked about as well as I expected. Several Fang had already been positioned in out way, and the main courtyard was packed with armed goons. However rather than shoot immediately I saw one of them freeze. He looked to be shaking, and as I stopped with Blake and Weiss we watched as several of the citizens brought along just kept walking.

"No...no way." The first to speak was a plucky sounding young man, and as the woman approached everything went silent, so much so that I could hear the cries of the baby in her arms.

When the woman offered to come along with us Blake had asked why she brought the child, and I distinctly recalled how she spoke of having nobody to look after the baby. A part of me felt pity for the woman, while the other part saw the child as an asset. My vile side thought of the effect a child on the battlefield would have on soldiers, and wondered if it would still their hearts enough to make them question what they were doing.

I felt relief at being right.

I turned my view and locked eyes with Weiss, and with a nod of approval she quietly slipped her blade into grip. In an instant she stabbed the dirt, and underneath each and every armed White Fang member within the courtyard a glowing black glyph sprung to life. It shocked them all, and with that several of the hooded among us threw the wraps away and ran in. Many tried to move, but found themselves unable as our spider-branded allies went to work disarming and binding all in sight.

I noticed Weiss was stumbling and having trouble standing, and as she held onto the hilt like a cane I took hold of her side to help balance her.

"You alright?" I asked, and with a nod she grunted.

"J-Just peachy. They're s-struggling hard... b-but it's nothing I-I can't handle."

Blake took to Weiss's other side. "You're doing fine, just hold on a little longer."

"Thanks f-for the support." The noble girl's sass was leaking through every syllable, but I took it as her way of reminding us she was holding on, as well as silently complaining.

I looked up, realizing it wouldn't take long for more opponents to show. "Once you've got them under wraps pull them out of here!"

"What are we going to do about the rest?" Blake questioned, her eyes leaving Weiss for a bit as she surveyed the scene.

"We've gotten the brunt of them dealt with here." I watched as several Fang were hauled passed us, and my eyes flew over the windows and entrances to the academy. "But the same trick won't work twice. Sorry to say but I'm sure there's going to be a bit of fighting involved."

"Nothing lethal though?" Blake held her tone, and I gave a small nod.

"Yeah, nothing leth-"

My ears were ringing, and with that sudden interruption everyone's focus was yanked to a single point, where a single body fell to the dirt. The spider tattoo was dirtied by the mud, and as blood dripped over it the woman from before was stunned. The man she had talked with, the Fang grunt who looked to share a history with her had been equally shocked, yet with the gore splattered across half his face it looked more vulgar than anything. For all intents and purposes the spider goon who had been restraining him was missing the upper half of his skull, with noting but the lower jaw and tongue flopped out to even prove part of his head was still there.

Weiss's focus was shattered, much like her glyphs as they all burst apart, and it was then that chaos ensued.

I looked to Blake, who appeared frozen in a shocked mix of disbelief and fear, however Weiss did not share that same expression, and with a minor swear under her breath she once again pushed herself into action. The glyphs returned, but were noticeably smaller, and apparently weaker as it instead slowed the partially bound Fang grunts rather than outright stopping them.

"DO SOMETHING!" Weiss yelled in a grunted shout.

Blake was still, and her eyes flickered rapidly throughout the chaotic display, leaping from target to target as panic spread throughout. Knowing it would be a bit and with no time to wait for her survival instincts to kick in I instead set my sights upward. The shot that killed one of our allied men had to have come from above, but looking up I couldn't tell where.

I bit my cheek in impatience as I tried to work it out. He had fallen backwards from the whiplash of force, and considering he fell off center I assumed it had to have come somewhere from the right. However the problem still remained as there were plenty of spots where a sniper could lay in wait, and yet as my eyes glared towards several windows I caught a break.

One window had been cracked open just the smallest bit, something I would not have noticed had the glare of a light flash for the briefest moment. I made my move quickly, hand extended as I conjured up a small fireball. It had been a while since I'd used magic, and it showed as the projectile of destructive force flared double the size I wanted, and with a rapid speed it burst towards the window.

The resulting explosion did little to calm the panic around me, and as both glass and chunks of flaming debris flew through the air I grumbled to myself; I really needed to get some practice in at some point, especially if I couldn't even control a simple spell such as that. Yet regardless of the collateral damage I saw someone launched from the explosion, and as they tumbled across the dirt I saw the burns across their skin and the charred clothing scraps that barely clung to them.

With a burst of flame that powerful an ordinary person would be dead and fried to a crisp, meaning that the man struggling to pull himself from the dirt had aura... or at least they did before my attack.

"When I said d-do something I meant get out there and break t-things up, not blow them up!" Weiss struggled out as she heaved. Of course my intention was never to cause a massive explosion in the center of a panicked group of armed terrorists, but even with that excuse I couldn't deny how thoughtless decision had been, even if the man I burned was still alive. Only a few minutes into the operation and we already had one casualty; I intended to keep it that way.

Magic's off limits. I couldn't risk another blast that big, and so I delegated myself to only using more direct methods of crowd control, that being my blade and body.

I saw another Fang grunt break free from their binds, however rather than run for any of us they ran for the gate in an attempt to escape. That wouldn't happen as in an instant they were on the ground with a heel dug into their back. It was Blake, who appeared to have freed herself from the previous trance, but even so she still looked shaken up. One of the spiders ran to her, and as she stepped off they went to work at re-restraining the grunt. The shaken girl looked to me, and against the look on her face gave a small nod, a confirmation that despite what she was feeling Blake still considered herself well enough to continue the mission.

Her pupil's shrunk, and along with the deafening silence that suddenly sprung up out of nowhere I noticed everyone else had stilled as well. I knew better than to expect anything good, and as I turned back to the school I was once again proven correct.

He gave two claps, all the while his smirk hinted at something more that mere threat. "Been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah." I offered. "Looks like you haven't slowed down since Beacon."

"I could say the same." Though obscured by his mask I could almost feel his eyes slither over everything before him. "I recognise some of them." He chuckled. "Using friends and family to still my men's fighting spirit; not bad, although I can't say I ever expected you to come up with such an idea."

"Yeah." I faced him fully. "To be honest I never expected you to be here, so I guess we're both caught off center." My hand took hold of Pale Bloom's hilt and slowly removed the blade from it's sheath. "Although they were never meant to see any fighting, but your men just can't seem to resist at least some form of bloodshed it looks like."

Rather than retort immediately Adam merely laughed. "Really now, you expected to just waltz on in and catch us without a fight." His form relaxed slightly as his arms lowered. "I will say you did a fine job so far, but you see..." He drew his own blade, and as he took his stance I confronted it with one of my own. "Nothing worthwhile in this world is earned without effort. Take those two for example." I didn't even need to look to know he was referring to Weiss and Blake. "I was certain Fennec had them under wraps, but considering they're with you I'd say it's a safe guess to assume he won't be of much use to me anymore."

"No, he won't be." I gave, and with it a saw Adam's smile stretch into a mild smirk.

"Should have known he'd fail me when he suggested executing the Schnee. On some level I may have to thank you, recently it has come to my attention that parts of the Fang are actively going behind my back. Would I be correct in guessing he tried to have her killed?" I nodded wordlessly, and he let loose a small sigh. "Figures."

Before I could speak Blake called out to him. "What do you want with Weiss?"

"Now that my dear is private." Adam's stance stiffened, and for an instant his smirk faltered. "It has nothing to do with you Blake. Don't worry, I have plans for you later." He shifted his position slightly, and I noticed how his aura flared just the barest amount, causing his hair to appear as if it were softly burning. "Now then, why not set aside everything and commit to the final act of our little drama?"

I hardened my own stance, and as I allowed my body to ease the smoke seeped past my vision. "Sure, I've always loved a good performance."

His grin returned. "This again? Just a recap but I've already dealt with your armor before, so don't go relying on it."

"Of course." I returned, feeling the positioning of the bone plates across my skin. They were arranged differently than before, but I assumed that was due to the difference in attire. "But that was then, and this is now. I'm not the same man you knew back then."

"Good, I'm counting on it." With that he made his move.

And so did I.

.

.

Okay... so maybe this wasn't exactly what I had in mind.

Sneaking into a heavily guarded royal palace was one thing, but doing it half-naked with nothing but some golden chain lingerie was another. Ruby never thought she would experience what it was like to have actual rubies pressed against her naughty bits, but then again there was a first time for everything.

On the bright side her age didn't quite show much, at least she figured that with how most of the younger guards would stare, with the older ones only sighing as both Prim and her were lead along by a particularly overdressed lady. One of the boys as it were actually had the audacity to wink towards her, and Ruby couldn't help but roll her eyes from under the white veil she wore.

A few years too young kid... great, I'm acting like uncle Qrow again.

"This way ladies." The woman said as they were lead into a room at the end of the hall.

For the most part the palace had been what Ruby expected. The space was decorated in coloured silks, particularly of dark crimson and gold, with hints of violet along it's corners and edges. Despite the colouring of the rugs and drapes the walls were - like almost all of the cities architecture - carved from sandstone, which made the artistry and colour pop. Several openings acted as windows, and granted a fine view of the city below.

Upon entering the room they noticed the many other women strewn about, either 'jeweled up' like them or in most cases completely bare. A couple of particularly young ones giggled from the pool, sending small blown kisses before proceeding to indulge in one another, disrupting the calm water with their moans and motion. Disregarding the irritating habit of ending up in a whorehouse for a second time Ruby sent a small glance towards Prim, who for all intensive purposes was holding her composure rather well.

"Alright girls, why don't you get to know your fellow playmates." Ruby found that the woman's voice was oddly pleasant on the ears. "You're all going to get a honey soon so there should be no sense of jealousy or competition between you all. Relax, and if you so choose you may partake in one another's offerings." A tasty chuckle escaped her lips, and Ruby found a mild sweetness in the words as she leaned into her ear to whisper. "Many of the others here taste just like candy."

With that the woman left wordlessly, and slowly Ruby allowed herself to get a real look around their new abode. It appeared similar to a public bath, but the heavy warm air made it feel more like a sauna, and for once Ruby was glade she was underdressed. The heat melted against her skin, and as her eyes danced between the other women she noticed that all of them had taken the spoken suggestion Ruby was sure had been whispered only to her.

All of them began to 'play'.

Of course it's in the air. Ruby knew the feeling of being drugged, but considering most modern methods still had yet to develop she found it mildly interesting that they had airborne narcotics in this era. Of course this also made it easier for Ruby, who took hold of Prim's hand and lead her away from the water where she had wandered to.

"Breath in." Ruby said as she leaned Prim and herself out of the large opening away from the pool. "It'll take a second, but you should start to feel normal again in a bit.

"My... my head's fuzzy." Prim told as she swayed slightly. Ruby could tell the woman wasn't used to drugs, and begrudgingly it also showed her just how used to being drugged she herself had been.

"Relax." Ruby reaffirmed. "We'll make our move soon, just rest a bit with me."

"Okay."

Author's note

...

You know I'm starting to wonder just how many times future Ruby's going to end up playing hooker. If I had a nickel for every time this has happened I'd have two nickels, it's not a lot, but it's weird that it's happened twice.

With the meme out of the way we can carry on, and by that I mean stare in mild discontent at being left on another cliff-hanger. With a semblance like Prim's I'm sure you expected something different, well jokes on you; we'll get to that later.

Adam has made his return, and all it took was the plan going to shit - as I'm certain many of you expected. Despite a botched plan only one life was lost, so they have that going at least.

Stay tuned for the coming battles, and see you next time.