Weiss could only reminisce on her statement, she had been so very wrong. The 'Maker' was much worse than Jaune. Still she bottled her internal monologue and resolved not to make assumptions on incomplete information in the future.

It had started off okay, she had followed ruby into what could only be a training room, the floor covered in soft mats and multiple punching bags and targets were in the room. Not the best facilities she had seen but if Weiss's hunch was correct it had only been built that day.

The room itself was something she only passively noticed though, instead Weiss's eyes were drawn to the figure in the middle of the room, some six feet tall now that she could see his size relative to her own. It was the man they'd seen on the camera feed, this time clothed in shorts and a t-shirt, something distinctly reminiscent of Yang's own workout outfit.

It was odd to see a man in the outfit, but it was fitted properly for him, even if part of his stomach was exposed. Showing wiry muscles, the kind you built on a poor diet or from being pushed to hard on too few calories. Like he had been half starved at some point and was only now putting on some weight. Even with that half starved appearance he was too attractive if that could be said, his hair was well groomed, his skin had no imperfections, his features symmetrical.

He looked more like a detailed statue or drawing than a person, no details that could be considered 'ugly' or 'imperfect' were present. If it wasn't for his rampant scars it'd have been disturbing to look at, but with them it was just odd.

Ruby, ever one to rush ahead, was the first one to stop gawking at the man, dashing forward in a burst with her semblance and reappearing just a few feet from him with a bright smile and sticking her hand out. "Hello! I'm Ruby, I never thanked you for keeping me out of the reactor so…. Thank you!" The Maker reached out and shook the offered hand, while Yang just went over to the weight bench and Blake to a small rock wall and obstacle course on one of the walls. Both trusting Ruby to handle the bulk of the work, but Weiss stayed watching her partner.

"I know you can't talk but that doesn't mean you can't understand me right?" Weiss could only hope the man wasn't overwhelmed by Ruby's … rubyness. Stepping forward and speaking in a significantly calmer manner "now Ruby we were going to see about teaching him basic combat skills remember?" and to do that she needed to see what level he was actually at, and given how the other half of their team were now busy with other tasks… Weiss was the best suited for it.

"Unarmed combat I would imagine?" she could only assume, given the lack of any noticeable weapon on him. That got her a short nod as he turned away and strode towards what could only be a training arena. One that looked oddly similar to the one in use at beacon.

Weiss followed him, and once both were in the arena and without any ceremony Weiss lunged at him with a burst of aura enhanced speed.

This is when Weiss realized what Balistraia had meant by 'bad at fighting' he didn't bother ducking, weaving, or even giving a counter strike to her intentionally somewhat open guard, he just met her lunge by standing relatively still and lashing out with an overhead strike.

Weiss easily sidestepped this and struck him in the chin, doing no noticeable damage, in fact he didn't even flinch and it felt like she'd struck pure metal. But the rest of the fight continued as such, he fought like a machine, but not like an atlas war robot. Like an assembly line machine, just receptive and consistent blows. They had force, and would seriously dent her aura if they hit, but they never did.

If she had been an armored door, or a vein of ore then Weiss would have had trouble, but given she had this wonderful invention called legs and a brain she was more than cable of slowly whittling him down without taking a single hit herself, even when he started moving more erratically and with even greater speed.

Eventually she just got behind him and when he inevitably turned, always turning clockwise for some odd reason, she tripped him by messing up his positively abysmal footwork.

If there was one positive it was that he took to instruction well, she demonstrated correct footing once and then he had it, at least he had the exact positions she taught him, if she even lightly changed her strategy he couldn't really compensate. He had no fighting instinct whatsoever.

Eventually Weiss got tired, both physically and mentally, his blows were fast and strong and did in fact hit on occasion, and Weiss had determined early on that the only way to teach him was to have him learn a broad set of responses to attacks from different angles and positions.

Ruby had subbed in for her and Weiss got to watch from the side of the arena, better helping her to see how exactly her teaching had taken effect and….. It wasn't the worst, he reacted quickly and no matter where Ruby went with her semblance he seemed to know and react. But there still wasn't a plan in his mind for actually beating Ruby, just outlasting her or eventually getting a lucky hit in. no feints, no attempting to limit her mobility, no anything really. And if he had trouble fighting Weiss.. Well Ruby's mobility but her own to shame.

He had potential, he was strong, he didn't seem to even know how to get tired, and he was fast and durable. Even now that whatever pseudo aura he had had worn off none of the hits Ruby got in seemed to bother him, even if they moved him they never left a bruise or a mark. So it wasn't like his strategy of 'wear them down' wasn't viable, he just wasn't very good at executing it.

Eventually even Ruby's energetic nature ran dry and she started flagging, and the Maker was about to actually hit her with one of his hammering blows. But just before he could his arm stopped dead in its tracks and he pulled it back, then with a short nod of his head he gestured for her to leave the arena. It showed how tired Ruby was that she only lightly protested, even if he wasn't a good fighter he was rather fun to practice against.

That had been two hours ago and not even a minute after Ruby left the arena did Yang enter it. If anything the maker had been fairing the best against her, even if her hits did the first noticeable damage to him, she didn;t bother dodging all his blows, just the heavy ones. They both had smiles on their faces while pummeling each other in said faces, though the Makers was faint, especially compared to Yang's radiant one.

Blake was just looking on the fight with faint exasperation, while Ruby was cheering with every hit Yang got in, and wincing with every returning blow that Yang let land. The Maker had been fighting against trainee huntsmen for three hours now, with her and Ruby having taken the first, and Weiss once again upped her estimation of his endurance, he wasn't even sweating or breathing heavily, just slow deep breaths.

--

My mind is barely paying attention as the fist crashes into my jaw, the pain fairly faint and something easily ignored. My teeth and bones have both been reinforced and it'd take far more force than that to dislocate my jaw, even more to even slightly disorient me. My brain being the most heavily armored and cushioned part of my body.

The minds forced me to dress up in new clothes and 'engage in physical enrichment' with the group I took in, something about interacting with members of my own species being good for my mental health. Personally I think my mental health is sublime, even disregarding the fact I routinely talk to myself, and that I did that well before I knew the minds were listening.

I took a slow breath in, one of an infinite many now that my lungs functioned on a pseudo biological clock. Each breath timed to draw the most oxygen out of my environment as possible. My feet slid into one of the positions I had seen Yang use, with my differing height and shape I couldn't help but feel slightly unbalanced. I much preferred a more stable position even if it didn't lend itself to quick and forceful attacks and counters. My arm took the position Weiss had recommended and rocketed out, just barely scraping Yang, either I was getting better or she was getting tired given that the last time I had tried that I hadn't come close to hitting her.

Her countering elbow strike to my arm hit hard enough to dent most metals, and would have dislocated my elbow and shoulder before my augmentation, as it is my muscles were actually denser and tougher than steel cording. The blow did little but bring me further out of position as my body shifted with the force impacted, Yang brought up her knee to meet my stomach on its descent. The blow hit hard enough that my diaphragm actually caused me to let out of huph of air.

Still now I was low to the ground and Yang did have one foot in the air. My mind looked back at every instance I had been tripped and I soon found the one most similar to this, I had tried to kick Ruby and she had grabbed my leg and twisted me over her head before throwing me to the ground. That had actually hurt, and had been the thing to do in my shields, which even now hadn't actually been given time to refill.

My arms lash out and grab her knee, and then it's simple engineering with my body as the fulcrum. I fling Yang over myself, adding speed and power by twisting my torso and leaning down to put even greater weight in the toss. I watch in slow motion as her eyes go wide, if she'd been expecting retaliation she would've been able to twist or pry herself out of my grip, or even just land better. But after two hours of barely any successful counters? She'd gotten complacent.

It was only as she was moments from impact that I realized that I was doing a little too well, as in I was going to slam her far too hard into the floor. Immediately I stopped throwing her, let go, and triggered the shield net to slow her impact. It barely worked but I still saw and felt her aura break, but thankfully it left her with little more than a large bruise.

It's easy to forget what with their aura, strength, and durability. That without it these are just normal girls, and I am not and perhaps have never been, a normal human.

After that near disaster, without the safety nets I might have broken her legs. The team of huntresses were done, at least for the day. And the cat-human hybrid glowered at me for a few seconds when she thought I couldn't see, as if I had blind spots at all. Still, I knew this hadn't been a good idea.

--

The next few weeks passed much the same, the girls slowly learned how to make use of their suits. Mastering the built in weapons, functions, and systems. Occasionally they would train with the maker, though never for as long as that first day. It had become a routine almost. Day after day of the same relatively bland meals.

Even the intricate and fascinating halls of the factory grew monotonous, the constant noise of industry becoming ever more grating.

The factory continued as it always had, the factory would churn out units and robots, they'd use the units to claim land, the land would be fortified and used to produce more units. The tides of chitin would rise and fall, crashing against the Factories and wearing them down, the tides would be beaten back or flood over the forts and outposts. More units would be built, more land would be taken. But slowly, ever so slowly, the factory grew. Every day just a little faster.

Then, not a week before the portal would supposedly reopen. The girls broached an utterly idiotic idea. They wanted to go bug hunting.

AN-

It's Friday somewhere, probably. Hope you enjoy this chapter, next ones gonna be the minds that got sent to remnant

Likes and reviews are great.