Author's Note: Apologies for the delay, but it's finally here.

James stood firm in the center of his command room. The Vanguard, despite there being currently ongoing operations, had fallen completely silent as the mountains outside Vale rumbled. He had known that this was a possibility, he had been wanted of it by Pyrrha, but he had hoped that it wouldn't happen. The kind of negativity that had been present before was missing, there was no Vytal Festival for Salem's forces to exploit. That kind of global negativity hadn't been seen since the Great War, but whatever the threshold was, it seemed that they had tipped over the balance. The outright war taking place in Vale, the citizens being driven from their homes into safety shelters would have been pouring with negativity, but they would have also no doubt been fuming from Atlas' past actions. The tension between Mistral, Vale and Atlas had been building for months. All thanks to him.

James felt his Semblance surge in an attempt to clear his mind of doubt, and while such fears may have been founded, they would only risk his judgment moving forward. He squashed Mettle before it could take hold. He couldn't afford to compromise himself, not after everything that had happened because of that very Semblance. The people of Vale had seen him as an enemy, and they hadn't been wrong. Now was his chance to prove to them all that he could still help them.

"Captain White!" The General snapped, attempting to draw the attention of his lead communications officer. When she didn't immediately turn, he tried again. "Captain White!"

The woman turned from the viewport and the dragon that was currently climbing out of the mountains. "S-sir?"

"Have the remaining ships form up and move over the water, column formation, tell them to stay on our port side. After that, get me a line to Colonel Aurelian and get a transport to Specialist Schnee, she will take charge of the formation." The General didn't wait for any response before turning towards his helmsman. "Set our bearing for a hundred-and-ninety, full speed. Once we are within engagement range, adjust heading to two-seventy and make sure it can follow us."

The man, a young soldier from Argus that had only just hit his first full year in the military, swallowed heavily and nodded. "H-heading one-ninety sir."

There was no shift in feeling as the Vanguard began to move forward, the inertial dampeners preventing the shaking of the engines from vibrating the entire airship.

"Captain Hursley, cancel all standing fire orders!"

"Already on it sir, loading up the one-fifties with HEAT. Crew will need about ten minutes to complete the swap." The Captain, a veteran that had served alongside the General for a decade, relayed another set of orders through the desk scroll he had been holding when the mountain opened.

Watching the Grimm finally leap into the air and take flight, Ironwood tried to gauge how much time they would have. "They have five minutes. Helmsman, cut speed to seventy-five percent, adjust heading fifteen degrees. Captain Hursley, hit it with something, I don't care what but get its attention on us now!"

"Sir, Colonel Aurelian is on the line." Captain White relayed.

Ironwood gestured for her to patch him through, the screen of his personal command flicking to display a grainy video feed of the Colonel.

"James, tell me you've got a plan."

"The semblance of one, yes, but it will require me to pull my fleet away from Vale." Ironwood looked back over to Captain White, getting a nod in return. "Specialist Schnee is enroute to the fleet, if the grimm doesn't follow us…"

"I've got a few units of anti-aircraft guns available, specially designed to get through heavy armor. I'll start dispersing them across the city." Why Mistral had need of such weapons went unsaid, but James chose to ignore it. If The main battery of the Vanguard couldn't take it down, then James doubted smaller guns would have much luck, but it was better than nothing. It would also make sure the skies were clear for the Bullheads he left behind to run air support missions.

"Understood, I leave Vale to you, Colonel." Ironwood said. "Vanguard Actual, out."

"Sir! I'm patching Specialist Schnee through now." Captain White called out as a new face appeared.

"Sir, I am docking on the Maelstrom now, Captain Orion has already confirmed your order-"

"I'm placing you in charge of the formation, Winter." James cut her off before she could continue. He knew she would have already taken care of the formalities, he trusted her abilities more than enough for that. "Should the Vanguard be compromised, you are in command. Prepare for a Flank Maneuver. Port side."

Winter was quiet for a short moment, the weight of both his words and the command he had just thrust upon her slowly settling in. "Yes sir, I'll get the fleet into position."

There was no doubt in the General's mind that Captain Orion could have followed through on the same order. He had absolute faith in the men and women that served under him, but Winter… he trusted her more. She knew the maneuver, and she knew him in a way most didn't. She would be more than able to act in his stead were he unable.

The Vanguard cleared the walls of Vale, just as the remainder of his fleet formed up and moved out over the ocean behind them. The shock had finally seemed to start wearing off, men and women running back and forth as they passed on orders, checked statistics, and made every last minute preparation they could. If he had the full might of Atlas at hand, James was confident that they would have been able to take the fight directly to the Grimm, but he had sent the majority of his ships home already. Now, he had less than half a dozen to work with, and of them only the Vanguard was equipped to deal with Grimm of this size.

A stream of fire let out from the side of the Vanguard, before quickly adjusting its heading and rocketing towards the Grimm. The missile was comparatively small, but on any other Grimm it would have been a death sentence. The flight computer adjusted its path as it flew, attempting to land a direct hit on the creature's eye, but the beast turned at the last moment and the blast hit high. The cloud of smoke and fire didn't even slow a Grimm of that size, but it did let out a bellowing scream as its eyes seemed to turn and focus on them.

Perfect.

"Captain Hursley, status!"

"Guns one and four on the starboard side complete, only gun three on the port side."

The General folded his hands behind his back, gritting his teeth as the distance between his ship and the Grimm grew shorter.

"Sir," Captain White spoke up. "Fleet comm confirms all ships over the ocean. Specialist Schnee reports all ships on standby."

"Tell them to hold position along our two-seventy and prepare heavy munitions." The Captain nodded and relayed the orders over her comms system. "Helmsman, when we make our turn, adjust to keep us half a mile away from the rest of the fleet, if the Dragon turns towards them, I want the time to turn and fire before it can close the gap."

"Aye sir!" The helmsman replied.

The waiting was always the worst part. Watching the enemy get within range, knowing there was little you could do about it. Any shots they fired now would either miss their target, or not inflict the damage they needed. So they waited. Minutes rolled by, and they kept waiting. When they finally hit the point to turn the helmsman began adjusting his controls.

"Starboard to port, two-seventy degrees!" The Vanguard titled subtly, but it was well within standard maneuvers.

"Captain Hursley, starboard guns, fire on its eyes."

"Starboard guns, target the eyes!"

There was a silence that seemed to fill the room as they aired for the guns to fire, before the entire Vanguard shook. The main cannons on the ship were amongst the largest in the world, and four of them firing at once was enough to overpower even the best recoil controls. Three of the shots managed to hit the Grimm's head, while one missed and clipped the side of the Grimm. Of the three shots to hit the head however, none found their target, the movements of the Grimm being difficult to predict with consistency. There were noticeable chunks of flesh missing however, and while perhaps it was wishful thinking, the creature's bellowing scream sounded more pained than it had before.

The main guns would need another ten minutes to reload, but that didn't matter, their firing arcs were fixed to the side and with the maneuver he had in mind, they wouldn't come back into play. He still gave the order to reload them, just in case.

The Grimm was now solely focused on them, following behind them as they turned. The Vanguard didn't have much in the way of armaments on the rear side of the ship, as Atlesian doctrine didn't officially acknowledge any form of tactical retreat, but the missile system were able to fire backwards, and the ship let loose a salvo that would have leveled any bunker or fortress on the planet. The Grimm was blanketed by smoke and fire, only for the monster to push through. James watched the displays as they led the Grimm into their kill box. Overwhelming firepower was their only option.

For the second time in Pyrrha's life, Beacon Academy was a war zone. The sounds of combat could be heard even as their Bullhead approached, the loud roaring of the engines not being enough to silence the booms of explosions and heavy weapons. The roars of Grimm weren't audible, even if Pyrrha knew that they were present too.

"The Grimm assaulted the Academy from two directions. The east is being held but the west managed to push all the way through to the center of the school." Their pilots were keeping them as informed as they could. "Reports say the Headmaster led a group of students there to hold it, but nothing new has come in after that. Area's too hot to make a landing."

"Just get us over 'em, we'll do the rest!" Qrow yelled into the cockpit.

Pyrrha set her head back against the wall of the Bullhead, closing her eyes as she attempted to steady her breathing. More fighting awaited them, and she didn't need to look at her scroll to know her Aura was low. She could feel it in the way that her body ached. She still had her Magic and Maiden Powers, but without Aura they would only take her so far. All of the power in the world would mean nothing if she could be killed by a single arrow. Shifting in her seat, she felt the subtle weight of the specially designed Atlesian armor given to her by the General. It would perhaps buy her a few seconds, but it didn't cover much. She would need to be careful to conserve her Aura where possible.

It reminded her of a discussion she had been a part of once, between Jaune and Ruby. She said a part of it because it was so far outside of her knowledge that she had really just been a spectator to the two's impassioned debate. They had debated the value of something called a 'glass cannon' in video games, a topic she knew very little about. The points they brought up had been interesting to listen to if nothing else, and even now the memory of it brought a fond smile to her face. She had tried to offer what she could, but the differences between real life and video games couldn't be understated. Where in a game your offensive abilities weren't always tied to your defensive capability, in life it was. Without Aura, most people's Semblances ceased functioning, only the rare few persisting.

In every sense of the term now however, Pyrrha was just that. While she couldn't take very many more hits, she could still feel the power bubbling just beneath the surface. In fact, as they finally approached the location they would be jumping at, she could feel something else in the air, a mix of Magic and Maiden powers that caused her skin to itch.

"You are clear for drop!" The pilot called over the intercom. "We'll linger in the air for a few minutes before we have to head back for rearmament!"

Qrow was the first out of the door, before the Bullhead had even come to a full stop. She caught a glimpse of a smile on his face as he fell, but little else. Neo followed soon after, prompting Pyrrha to get up and run for the door. Despite her Aura and training, there was still a little voice in the back of her head that warned her that jumping from an aircraft was a bad idea. It didn't matter that she knew how to fly, or that her Aura would protect her even if she decided to land directly down. The voice was there all the same, she simply didn't give it the time to make her doubt.

Air rushed by her quickly, and the ground below was rapidly approaching. Twisting her body, Pyrrha held her hands down, a jettison of fire erupting from her palms as her descent began to slow. Qrow and Neo had already moved out from underneath her, and so Pyrrha didn't have to worry about burning them. Cutting it off, she dropped the last few feet to the concrete and took a moment to observe her surroundings. The Grimm were there in force, that much she had expected, but unlike in her time, there were no White Fang present at the battle. They seemed far more focused on the city itself.

That wasn't to say all of the people at the school were on their side however.

Ozpin ducked under the claw of a Grimm, falling back before jabbing up into the Beowulf's jaw with enough force to crack the bone. The Grimm dropped, just as a fist came rocketing in over its head, directly towards Ozpin. Pulling his cane up and shifting to the side, he managed to direct the hit out of the way, before he was forced back by another Grimm, an Ursa that rushed in to cover Ozpin's counter attack.

The man Ozpin was fighting she had only met once, yet he was easily recognized. He had been one of the two to capture Qrow and Winter in Mistral, Hazel if she recalled correctly, the one that had managed to escape. The fact he was pushing Ozpin back only proved how dangerous he was. His presence also explained why the Grimm had seen more success this time than in her own life. They were being more directed, commanded from the front in a way the Cinder hadn't bothered to do.

Ozpin wasn't alone in his fight however, Yatsuhashi's sword cutting down toward the large man's back. The metal met Aura in an attack that would have knocked Pyrrha to the ground, yet Hazel hardly seemed to notice as he simply turned to swing at Yatsuhashi with such speed that the friendly giant didn't have time to respond. He was sent careening back, while Hazel returned his attention to Ozpin. Coco was standing off to the side, dealing with as many Grimm as she could with her rotary cannon while she stood watch over two downed figures, Velvet and Fox. As Qrow and Neo moved over to help Ozpin, Pyrrha moved towards her friend.

As she approached, she did a visual check of the three. Fox looked to be unconscious, but Velvet tending his wounds with a relative calmness helped Pyrrha push aside any fears of it being worse. Coco was battered, her sunglasses nowhere to be seen, and her clothes ruffled and worn in a way that the girl would never have normally allowed. Other than that, she was still standing, and had the presence of mind to smirk at her as she approached.

"About time, I thought you were going to miss all of the fun!" She had to shout to be heard over the sound of her weapon as she cut the ever approaching Grimm down piece by piece. Most of them seemed to rush towards Ozpin, but a few tried to split off, and those were the ones that Coco focused most on.

Pyrrha tried to smile back, she would have liked to make some kind of joke back, but she didn't have the energy in her. This was the moment she had been trying to avoid for months, and yet here it had come all the same. Despite that melancholic feeling, she appreciated Coco's attempts to lighten the mood.

"Are you going to be okay if I go to help Ozpin?" Pyrrha asked, her eyes shifting to the ongoing melee. Despite fighting two professional Huntsmen and a Huntsman-in-training, and a renowned criminal, Hazel was holding his own. Pyrrha didn't think he could do that forever, it simply wasn't possible, but the large amount of Grimm that kept breaking through certainly wasn't helping.

"We'll be fine, Velvet isn't out of the fight just yet!" Coco winked. "Go be the hero, we'll be here when you get back!"

Sparing a glance towards Velvet, the Faunus smiled and nodded. Smiling back, Pyrrha was off. Hazel's back was to her as she approached, giving her the perfect opportunity to strike. Waving her hand in front of her, a large ice crystal crashed into his back, followed swiftly by three more before she closed the distance. She brought her sword down on his calf in a move that would have ended the fight there and then if he didn't still have Aura. Despite the assault, he barely seemed to notice, his attention still focused on Ozpin. He did spin and kick out, forcing Pyrrha and Neo to dodge, while Yatsuhasi attempted to block it. The force of the strike caused him to slide back, but he held his ground.

"Ah, Miss Nikos!" Ozpin shouted. "I was beginning to wonder if you would make an appearance!" Ozpin ducked under an Ursa's paw, launching his cane up through its jaw with practiced ease as he stepped back before it could collapse on top of him.

Pyrrha stepped up, stabbing out with her sword under Hazel's arm. He grunted and swatted back at her, but she managed to slip under it before it connected. Qrow took the chance to slip into the large man's guard and score a large cut against the man's chest. Yatsuhashi tried to do the same on the man's back, but he moved out of the way before the attack could land. Placing some distance between them as he managed to get all of them in front. For the first time since Pyrrha had arrived, Hazel did not rush directly back in. Faced with five opponents, he hesitated, but nothing more.

Qrow and Neo slowly began to work around the sides, while Yatsuhashi stepped directly in front. Far enough away to be out of range, but close enough to strike quickly. Ozpin moved over to stand beside Pyrrha, keeping his eyes and guard directed towards Hazel.

"I am afraid that this is something of a personal matter, Mr. Reinhart is unlikely to withdraw while I still live." Ozpin's voice was heavy as he spoke. "We do not have the time to consolidate our forces like this, not with Atlas and Mistral preoccupied."

"Sir, what do you-"

"Take your friends and go to help Miss Polendina, she only has Team RWAN to help her, she will be far more pressed than us." Ozpin said quickly. "Qrow, Neopolitan, and I can finish up here. I will send them your way once we are finished, and I will personally help Miss Scarlatina and Mr. Alistair to safety."

Pyrrha shook her head. "Coco is currently holding Grimm off, if she leaves, you'll be overrun."

Ozpin chuckled softly. "Fear not, a team of Atlesian Engineers set off half an hour ago to set explosives along a few of the evacuated buildings. In fact, they shou-" The Headmaster was cut off by a deafening boom as a series of explosions and flames shook one of the large buildings, causing it to crumble and crash into the horde of Grimm, while it killed many, it also created an impromptu wall that cut off any easy approach. Seeing such destruction done to the school hurt, even if it was to protect it. Ozpin sighed. "Damage aside, that should suffice to give us the time needed to tie this up. You are needed elsewhere however, Cinder has yet to make her appearance, and I fear she may yet desire the power of a Maiden."

He thought Cinder might target Penny, and if she was truly off with little more than a single team of students to help her… she would be in trouble. Here however, it was just a matter of time. Hazel couldn't hope to beat them, Ozpin was the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, Qrow was possibly the strongest Hunter in the world, and Neopolitan would just be further help. Sighing, Pyrrha turned her eyes away from Hazel.

"Please, be careful."

Ozpin chuckled softly as Pyrrha stepped away. "I always am, Miss Nikos."

Coco had finally stopped firing, the collapse of the building having successfully cut off the Grimm for the time being. She hadn't left Velvet and Fox's side, however. Pyrrha relayed their instructions as quickly as she could. Her concern of splitting Team CFVY up must have been obvious.

"I can still fight, I'm just a little low is all." Velvet was quick to reassure her. "The Headmaster is right though, Penny will be in trouble."

Coco sighed. "Yeah, as little as I like it, they've got a point. Penny's a friend too, wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to her. I'll grab Yatsu."

As quickly as she had joined the fight, she left, this time with Coco and Yatsuhashi at her back. It felt like fleeing, but as they slowly made their way through the campus towards the east,

"It will be easier to avoid Grimm if we cut through the dining hall." Yatsuhashi said.

Pyrrha turned to enter the building, sprinting through the doors and readying herself for an attack. None came, the building seemed deserted, and they quickly continued on their way. She could feel the increased use of Maiden powers. The itching under her skin was growing more and more intense. The center of it was still far away, but the entire area was radiating power. Penny being forced to use more and more as she either struggled to hold off the Grimm, or worse, Cinder.

They had to hurry.

Author's Note: This ending is a little more cliff hanger than I would have liked, but I don't have anything to really add to this without taking away from the next chapter. I am trying to make sure I tie up all of the loose ends before the end however, harder to do on a story like this with so much, but even with that there should only be a handful of chapters left, and truthfully, I am looking forward to completing this story so I can work on other projects.

As we get closer to ending this story, I am going to start looking for reviews of what worked, what didn't work, and what I need to do better next time. SO reviews are more important than ever.

Until next time.

Sincerely, SE