RWBY: Destiny of Remnant

by UGX7

In the wake of the fall Team RNJR sets out to bring Cinder Fall to justice while the new Fall Maiden overlooks her master's plan in Haven City. Meanwhile Weiss tries to help a friend, Yang struggles with the loss of her arm, and Blake deals with guilt over the White Fang. Meanwhile someone from Cinder's past returns and Salem's newest pawn rises. Arkos, WhiteRose, SunnyBees, Renora

22. Reactions

RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and created by the late and great Monty Oum.

Read, review, and tell me how I can improve, what you liked and what you didn't. Your feedback is appreciated, thank you! Thanks to all the reviewers, I appreciate all your kind words and thoughts. Seriously, you guys keep me going so share your thoughts.

RWBY: Destiny of Remnant

Chapter 22: Reactions

Qrow sighed in relief at the news from the Atlas flagship, the news being that while Ironwood would be out of it for a couple of days due to the head injury, plus the new cybernetic parts would have to be implanted but luckily they had parts on the ship, he was expected to make a full recovery within the week. It was a good thing they had stored up the necessary medical tech on the ship, Ironwood was nothing if not prepared. Qrow smirked and 'Say what you will about Ironwood but he tries his best to be prepared.'

From what Chamberlain had told them he was currently in surgery with the doctors aboard the ship and word so far made the situation look a little brighter. The only grave damage was to the implants and while there was some minor damage to the organic parts of his head he had been lucky with his aim, but what he had hit needed repairs as soon as possible and the device that had been controlling him had been found, slightly damaged by the shot so the surgeons could easily be remove it without risk to Ironwood's health.

"How are the kids taking it? It had to be pretty horrifying to see that." Chamberlain stated as he sat down in a chair next to Glynda in Argo's office.

"Sadly horrific sights such as that are becoming common things in their lives." Glynda stated as she used her powers to repair Argo's window.

"Thank you Glynda. Now the commissioner of the police force has informed me that they are trying to find Ante's forces but a majority of them have either left the city or are going underground. Some of the cops might still be on Ante's payroll but many of them who were too scared to make a move are no longer afraid due to the events of last night. Really we'll just have to wait and see how this turns out." Argo said as he looked over a report on his computer. Suddenly he had an unnerved look on his face but tried to hide it, but to no avail as they all saw it.

"Jason, what's wrong?" Ozpin asked.

"It appears that over two dozen of the guards and workers that were apprehended at the factory took their own lives before they could properly be interrogated." The Headmaster of Haven announced.

This was not exactly unexpected, given what Cy had done, but it was a bit odd.

"Why didn't they kill themselves back at the factory?" Chamberlain inquired.

"Apparently they hoped to get away, I suppose they would have killed themselves once they realized how cornered they were and waited for an opportunity once they were alone in their cells." Argo reported as he read the report.

"What did they kill themselves with?" Glynda questioned.

"Some hanged themselves, others cut off their air supply, some just talked their fellow captives who did not wish to die into killing them, or so the reports say." Argo said.

"I am not surprised; most of them would rather die than invoke the wrath of Cinder and her master. Despite the fact that they have lost the battle the war has yet to be won by either side. It could drag on for eons after we have all passed." Ozpin stated. He looked to Chamberlain and asked "What of Atlas?"

Glynda and Chamberlain glanced at each other and the colonel spoke up. "I have contacted the Atlas council and they have decided to drop all charge against all those involved in the raid, as well as release Winter Schnee until things are cleared up. They have decided since the General was under enemy control they may have been in the right to stop his plans for Penny. I also got them to send some guards over to Cy's home to protect his wife from any agents of this Grimm Mistress, as well as sending some to the Tzu Military Academy to guard his son. Hopefully they're safe and maybe they can give us some information on what happened." He said.

Qrow, Glynda, and Ozpin all seemed relieved at the news that the charges were dropped for the time being, something the teenage Hunters-in-training would be glad to hear. No doubt Weiss would be happy to know that her sister would be released from the stockade, something Qrow was pleased with as well as he had come to like the older Schnee daughter. Despite her high and mighty attitude she could have he knew she was a pretty good warrior, too bad she chose to be in the military instead of being a Huntress.

Glynda noticed a troubled look on the faces of Ozpin and Chamberlain. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"If is very unlikely that Cy, involuntary or not, was the only traitor to the military. It is more than probable that there are more spies and traitors within our organizations and Salem knows me well enough to know I would deduct that." Ozpin stated.

"And she knows that with the possibility of one traitor, there can always be more. When this gets out and word spreads about it, and it will, cause schisms, created distrust, fuel paranoia, all things she wants; all things that the Grimm can thrive upon." Glynda agreed.

"So either way, with or without Cy, she still has an edge over us." Chamberlain said with darkened face.

"Pretty much. Investigations on all staff members of the Atlas Military and academies?" Qrow asked.

Chamberlain nodded and said "Affirmative, not just Hunter Academies but military and civilian ones as well, so the council has demanded. They'll keep it quiet until next week, then they'll be prepared to begin a full investigation on all military personnel to see where their loyalties lie, then they can move on to the Hunter academies and the civilian schools, workplaces, and so forth. And of course invasion of privacy and widespread interrogation are things people are usually opposed to, which creates mistrust towards the council and the military. Damned if you do, damned if you don't."

"Any traitors found will have to be kept under constant watch to prevent suicide, obviously." Glynda observed.

"Of course." Chamberlain stated as he looked to his scroll, expecting a call from Atlas about Cy's family.

"What of the Guerrilla Huntsman, Kasai? He's technically a criminal but after all he's done we can't punish him." Argo pointed out.

Ozpin and Glynda considered this for a bit before Glynda said "Earlier this morning while we were clearing out the wreckage of the CraftTech factory one of the Atlas Sergeants asked me that question and it has been on my mind ever since. It has never been done before but given the many physical and emotional trials Ashe has apparently faced in the past, not to mention the lives he has saved and the life he helped save last night, I have been considering the idea of making him an official Huntsman..."

"Not a bad idea. Plus now that's he no longer the Guardian of the Aura Crystal I guess he could use a purpose in life." Qrow stated, cutting her off.

"I'm not exactly opposed to it, even though it's damned unusual and Guerrillas lack a lot of training." Argo said with a chuckle.

"That was what I was going to say. He is far too reckless and lacks the proper education. It's quite frankly a miracle he's still alive. There's also the fact that he hasn't earned it, being a Hunter is a rite of passage and one he has yet to pass..." Glynda began as Qrow cut her off once again.

"Then why did you even bring it up?"

"Because I think that with some proper training he can be one. It would be unfair to make him one right away after all the students have faced together." Glynda said.

"But most of them have only been fighting Grimm for a year, maybe two. This guy's been doing it on his own with the bare minimum education for at least thirteen years. I say we should give him a chance.

Ozpin nodded, "I'd approve of it if Ashe had some proper training, which he could easily have with our aid. We will make him an offer to help him train to become an official Huntsman if he chooses to take us up on our offer." He said before he noticed a concerned look on Glynda's face. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Glynda looked to Ozpin and said "We need to address something else, Professor. The Vale council has mostly turned against you in your absence."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow while Qrow shot up from his seat.

"What the hell do you mean they've turned on him? They're a bunch of stuck-up assholes but why in the name of Oum would they turn on Ozpin after all he's done for them in the past thirty plus years?" Qrow demanded.

Glynda shook her head and looked to Ozpin who nodded. "Please indulge us, tell us why the Vale council has lost faith in me."

"Very well." Glynda began. "They see the fall of Beacon and the disaster of the Vytal Festival as your fault. They pointed to the lack of security and healthcare for Amber as you allowing her to suffer, they think you told Cinder where she was, which was how she got in the vault so easily. The fact that you vanished and from what Jaune said the battle between the you and Cinder was short, so they think that could mean you allowed her to go unchallenged which led to Pyrrha's 'death'. The fact that her virus she uploaded killed the security cameras doesn't help wither. They blame you for deaths of so many civilians and soldiers, saying that your interference with Ironwood's tactics cost many people their lives. They said that you, with all your knowledge and experience, should have easily realized that Yang was innocent and that a trick was being played on us. The head of the council even pointed out how you ignored the advice of not only Ironwood, but me as well, when it came to certain matters. They said that if you were ever recovered that there was to be a full and 'unbiased' investigation and trail for you to see if these accusation were accurate or not, even though we all know they are stupidly crafted arguments that be shot down with any proper investigation." She finished.

Argo nodded "I will have your back on this old friend, as will most of the Headmasters of the Kingdoms. We all know you too well to know that the idea that you being a traitor would fall apart under the slightest bit of scrutiny." He said supportively.

"You know the kids and all of your agents will stick by you, Oz." Qrow said with a sly smirk.

Ozpin returned the smile as he got up and looked out the newly repaired window to the city.

"I am no traitor, you all know that, but they do have legitimate grievances. There was a foolish lack of security for Amber because I foolishly, egotistically, thought I alone was enough to guard her. I wanted to keep her as secret as possible and look where that got us. Before Neo rescued us inside of the factory Jaune had an outburst, blaming me for what happened to he, Ruby, and Pyrrha, saying that their lives have been hell since I took Pyrrha down to that vault and I cannot deny he has a point." Ozpin said.

"It was just an emotional outburst; a teenager under stress like Jaune was is bound to say things he doesn't mean." Glynda argued.

"True, but that doesn't mean the points against me do not have some legitimacy. It is true I forced Ironwood to cut down the security of the festival, which made it all the easier for the Grimm to invade and for Cinder to obtain the powers of the Fall Maiden. I did not know if the incident between Yang and Mercury Black was real or not, I suspected it, but letting Yang go without punishment would have made me seem foolish and showed favoritism. I had planned to go further into in once the night was over but look where that got me." Ozpin stated bitterly as Glynda got up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"We all make mistakes, William." She said.

"Nobody is perfect Glynda, but I have made far too many mistakes for someone of my position. For every mistake we make we are supposed to learn from them, get better... and I have only gotten worse. Every death, every life Salem and her disciples have claimed weighs down on my conscience. I think I can stay on in a consulting position but I severely doubt my ability to be the Headmaster of Beacon anymore." He announced.

"What?!" Glynda, Qrow, and Argo all exclaimed, even Chamberlain's eyes were wide.

"Oz, you can't be freaking serious!" Qrow objected.

"Oh I am, Qrow. Look at where my great leadership has gotten us; Ironwood a slave to Salem's whim and now he's on the operating table, the lives of Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, and untold amounts of others scarred because of my shortcomings, many lives have been snuffed out by the Grimm and Salem's forces due to my constant failures... They're right. They are all right about me. I no longer deserve my position and maybe... maybe I never did. I shall hold my position for as long as they like but I shall forfeit it as soon as possible. Hopefully to you, Glynda."

Glynda was naturally speechless for a moment or tow until she finally snapped out of it.

"Me? Why me?" she asked.

"You are the obvious choice. It is true that you can make mistakes and overlook things that I may notice but you are a powerful, talented, and intelligent Huntress, a perfect candidate for my replacement and quite frankly the only one I'd trust with taking over for me." Ozpin confessed.

"Are you sure about that? What about...?" Glynda began before Ozpin cut her off.

"No, I trust you and you alone with my duties, that is why you were the only one of the staff to know about Amber. While I would be more than happy to consult for you, maybe even assist you in certain duties and situations I think it is safe to say the time for my retirement has come, perhaps it is long overdue. Perhaps we could even have equal power, share the load but to be honest I don't think I even deserve that." Ozpin said as he sat back down.

Chamberlain's scroll rang and he quickly answered it and walked over to a corner of the room as Qrow threw in his opinions.

"Sharing it wouldn't be too bad of an idea but we can't lose you, Oz. We need you, nobody knows Salem and her tactics better than you and you've lasted longer against her than most, that's probably why she kept you alive instead of just killing you when she had the chance." Qrow voiced.

"Salem... that witch sees this as a game of chess, a game of wits and strategy. She sees her followers and disciples as pawns and knights to be sacrificed and she does so without pity or remorse... and maybe I have unintentionally begun to see it the same way. I have overlooked the safety and well-being of my students and friends, of those who fight for me and I have sacrificed them as pieces of a game. I may have good intentions, I want to protect this world but in doing so Salem has corrupted me with compromise and deception. An old proverb says that 'victory is in a simple soul'... my soul is not simple, her long, grand game of the shadows has tainted my soul. I can help the battle against Salem when needed but no longer can I be the one to face off against her. I have made too many mistakes and failed too many times and have failed to learn from them. The fall of Beacon and what happened to Pyrrha, Jaune, Ruby, Amber... it is my great failure. My last failure. Giving up my power is the only thing I can do to set my wrongs right. It's not much and it is unfair that I am leaving my wrongs for others to correct but it is a start, and others can do so much more than I ever can." Ozpin finished.

Despite the fact that he was only in his sixties he felt so much older, so tired, so useless, so... so defeated.

"Ozpin..." Qrow began before Chamberlain interrupted him.

"Turns out Cy was telling the truth. Both his wife and son have been found dead." He announced.

Everyone else in the office looked at him, while Ozpin and Qrow were no particularly surprised by their deaths it was odd how quickly they happened. Glynda looked taken aback but Argo, who had the least experience with the Mistress of Grimm, was shocked.

"How did it happen? Weren't they at two different locations?" he asked.

"Correct. His wife was at home and his son was a second year student at the Tzu Military Academy. Both died around the same time, with Gina Cy found dead in her living room, no signs of forced entry or struggle, just a small entry wound on her neck, most likely a poisoned needle. His son, Stuart, was found dead a few hundred meters away from school grounds during break with his throat slit open." Chamberlain revealed gravely at he sat down. "He was my friend you know? His wife was a wonderful woman and his son... wanted to be a soldier that would make a difference. They were good people." Chamberlain said sadly.

"Colonel, will you be alright?" Argo inquired.

"Yes, I'll be fine. Just give me time to mourn. I will help you all do whatever is necessary to help take down this 'Salem' creature and I know General Ironwood will agree with me once he fully recovers." Chamberlain voiced.

Ozpin sighed and said "It is said when someone takes their own life to save the lives of others they might suffer in hell, but suffer righteously, yet Salem won't even allow Cy's soul that small comfort." He noticed Argo seemed to be deep in thought and asked "What's on your mind, Jason?"

"Do you really think Ironwood will stay in his position after everything that's happened?" Argo asked.

"Jimmy's nothing if not determined. You turn his robots against him he shoots them down for target practice. I have no doubt in my mind he'll be a little mopey over this but he'll just put better security programs for his techno-brains." Qrow said confidently.

"True, if anything this will teach James to trust us a bit more and will make him more determined to aid us against Salem." Glynda agreed.

Ozpin nodded and looked out the window, out to the city before him. It was safe for the time being. "Glynda, when do you think Miss. Nikos' parents will arrive?"

"The bullhead I sent to fetch them is top of the line, very fast so they should be here within a few hours." Argo stated.

"Good, the sooner they are reunited the better," Glynda said simply. She looked over to Chamberlain and asked "Will Specialist Schnee arrive here once she is released?"

"Possibly, but she will do as she pleases. Although I assume she and Dr. Polendina will both want to come here to check up on Weiss and Penny." Chamberlain said.

---

Winter looked up as her cell opened to reveal two guards and the warden of the Atlesian Military's stockade. She couldn't help but notice one of the guards was carrying her usual outfit and the other carried her sword.

"What is it? Do I have a visitor?" she asked impatiently. She had found that the worse thing about captivity other than the isolation and the self-doubt was the boredom, so she was secretly pleased that something out of nowhere was happening. She could also tell that if they had her clothes and weapon in hand then something must be transpiring.

"Specialist Winter Schnee; by the authority of the Atlas Council and Colonel Jackson Chamberlain you are hereby released from captivity." The warden revealed.

Winter shot up, her eyes betraying her surprise. "What? Why? What has happened?" she asked.

"From what was told to us a battle occurred in Haven last night, one where your accomplices in the raid and Cinder Fall were major participants of. It has also been revealed that you were telling the truth about a traitor and General Ironwood being under the control of a malevolent force. They have decided to release you and that you, your sister, Qrow Branwen, and the other young Hunters, acted rightly in order to stop General Ironwood's plans for Penny Polendina." The warden said professionally as one of the guards handed her clothes back to her.

"Allow me to dress myself, tell me more through the intercom." Winter said before they shut the door.

As Winter stripped her prison uniform off the intercom came on and began to explain what had happened to her. "From what we can gather your sister, her group, and Qrow teamed with Glynda Goodwitch, two other teachers from Beacon, and several teams from Vale and Vacuo as well as several parties in Haven city where Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc had been captured by Cinder Fall's forces. Together they attacked the base, a factory once owned by your family's company and now owned by something called CraftTech."

Winter began to don her clothes she knew the CraftTech company was in on it, just as Weiss and the other young Hunters in Haven had theorized.

"They discovered not only Ozpin but that Pyrrha Nikos was alive as well..."

What?! Well this was getting more interesting by the moment.

"... and that she and Jaune Arc had been turned into... Grimm hybrids..."

Well she was proven right yet again.

"...but apparently they've been cured by a Guerrilla Huntsman, of all things, with some mystical relic. In all seriousness it doesn't make much sense to me, but I trust you'll be pleased to know that your sister and the others are all safe, they only had two fatalities in the battle, miraculously."

Winter was saddened to know someone possibly half her age died in such a battle, but know the big thing to find out was the identity of the traitor.

"And there was an incident in Haven barely half an hour ago, Ozpin, Goodwitch, and Brawnwen managed to help General Ironwood free from the control over him, but he had to shoot himself in his cybernetic implants in order to not harm anyone else."

Oh gods...

"But they have gotten him to the ship's surgical bay and we think he will be alright."

That was a relief; despite everything that had happened between Winter and Ironwood she held no grudge against him as she knew he wasn't in control of his actions.

She finished putting on her clothes and knocked on the door. "I'm ready to leave." She announced. The door opened and before she walked out Winter took one last look at her cell before departing.

The second guard got on one knee, held her sword out and said "You're blade, Specialist Schnee."

Winter gratefully accepted her sword back and said "Thank you. Now Warden, Now what of the traitor's identity?" she inquired.

"It turns out Colonel Cy had been strong-armed to betray us by our enemies." The warden revealed.

"Cy? I... didn't know what to expect but not a seasoned veteran such as him. Where is he now?" Winter asked.

"Dead. Jumped off a ledge due to fear for his family." The warden said as they walked out of the stockade. "I'm sorry for any discomfort Specialist Schnee, seems that you didn't belong here."

The news of Cy's death was somewhat saddening, even if he did betray them he was evidently strong-armed into it. She shook her thoughts about her now dead former comrade and answered with "It's quite alright warden, you were just doing your job. Has Dr. Polendina been released as well?"

"Oh yes, as we speak in fact."

Winter nodded and said "Good, now I have one last question; how fast can a ship get us to Haven?"

---

Teams RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, and SSSN, Neon, Flynt, and Penny, made their way down to the infirmary to visit the other young Hunters-In-Training, most of whom refused to leave their wounded teammates sides although Jaune and Pyrrha stopped by their room to put the Aura Crystal in a safe place. After Cy's death and General Ironwood was moved to the flagship Argo had decided there was no danger in letting his students out of their dorm rooms so decided to let the kids go about the school grounds with a day off, which was the cause of much celebration among the students of Haven Academy.

Ashe had gone to the library, he claimed it was to get some reading done, but in reality it was to get some more sleep in a peaceful place. There was just something about shelves of books that was relaxing to him. Maybe it was his memory of Mila. Neo had... gone walking about, to calm herself she claimed.

Anyhow the eighteen teenagers and one robot made their way to the infirmary; ignoring the occasional gasps and whispers of the students they passed by.

"It's her! She's alive!"

"That robot thing too."

"How did she come back from the dead?"

"Maybe she didn't die to begin with."

"Could be a clone."

"Don't be stupid!"

"I knew I saw her last night."

"Man, what the hell's been going on?"

These were just some of things they heard on their way. Pyrrha did her best to ignore the words, helped greatly by Jaune squeezing her hand reassuringly.

"Don't worry Pyrrha, it'll be okay." Nora whispered to her. Ren nodded to her with a small smile and Pyrrha returned it. She blocked out the whispers and her thoughts strayed to her parents. She hoped to call them as soon as possible but Professor Goodwitch assured her it was being taken care of and they would be arriving in a few hours. Pyrrha hoped her parents would understand, they were always kind and wonderful people but she wondered if her parents could take her condition.

They entered the infirmary, a large cul-de-sac shaped room that had beds lined out all along the walls with various pieces of medical equipment and several nurses keeping watch over the sick and injured. The closest bed was where Professor Port was lying on his front while grumbling about his aura and the medical treatments taking too long to heal his injured back. Nearby Team NDGO was seated around their youngest member, Octavia who was on her front as well with a large aura patch on her bare back to heal the stab wound, but she seemed to be in good spirits as she was quietly talking to her teammates with a cheerful voice.

A few spaces up Dove was in his bed, asleep, or possibly still out cold from his near fatal injury the night before. His two remaining teammates, Russel and Sky sat by his bed talking to each other before they noticed the group of new arrivals and Blake, whose eyes could see little details better than most, noticed Russel glaring at them.

Team BRNZ was the next one, with Roy and Nolan sitting up in their beds, seemingly fully recovered from the injuries from the night before. Brawnz and May talked to them jokingly as May waved to the group.

Then there was Yang and Ruby's father Taiyang who was sitting up in bed with a cast around his arm. He looked to them and grinned widely and they grinned back.

In the back was Team ABRN with Arslan, Bolin, and Reese all seated around Nadir who had bandages wrapped around the stub where his hand used to be and it showed signs of being cauterized. Needless to say; the pink-haired boy was looking rather miserable as Dr. Chloris administered another pain killer.

A few other students were in the infirmary for sickness or injuries but they remained quiet or were asleep.

"Uh... hey everyone." Ruby said to announce their presence after the head nurse agreed to let them all in.

"Hi Ruby." Bolin said as Team ABRN looked up to see them.

"Nice of you to join us, must have been one heck of a fight with Cinder." Arslan said as she gave them a smile.

"Ugh, you have no idea." Weiss groaned.

"Nice to see you all made it out okay..." Nebula began before she stopped to glance at what was left of Team CRDL, "well almost all of you." She finished with a wince.

Sun looked down to Octavia and asked "Hey, you doing okay?"

"Let's just say I'd take a kick in the face over a knife in the back any day." The redhead said with a small smile.

"Dr. Chloris said she'd recover in a week but she needs to relax and not upset the wound while the aura does its job." Dew explained.

"Just get better, you hear? Your team needs you." Sun encouraged.

"I hear you." Octavia said with a nod.

Ruby and Yang both hugged their dad tightly. "Whoa girls! They just patched me up, don't break my arm again!" he joked as he used his unbroken arm to hug them back.

"Sorry dad, are you doing okay?" Yang asked.

"Oh yeah, I'm pretty good with just a broken arm. Dr. Chloris said I'll be okay within the week if my aura keeps it up, the head nurse even said she'll let me out today." Taiyang informed them with a smile.

"That's great dad!" Ruby said as she kissed his cheek.

"What about you? You girls doing okay?" he asked.

"We're fine dad, we had a little... drama feels this morning but we're okay now." Yang said as she patted Ruby's shoulder.

Jaune and Velvet looked down sadly as they realized what she meant by that. Jaune himself couldn't help but fear over the fate of Cardin's body, given the Chimera and the explosions that had been tearing the factory apart.

Brawnz approached the group and placed his out for Pyrrha to take "Hey, nice to see you're okay after all, you too Jaune. You had us worried for a while." He said a Pyrrha accepted his hand and shook it.

"It is good to see you as well Brawnz, I trust you're all alright?" she said.

"Roy and me got a little shot up, but all things considered we got off easy." Nolan said as he stretched his arms out.

"Yeah, but it's a good thing you guys got out when you did, 'cause we probably weren't gonna last much longer." May said as she patted Pyrrha on the back.

"From the sounds of it we had the easy job." Coco joked as she sat down in a chair.

"Not too easy I hope." Port called from his bed

"If you call fighting some hybrid of different Grimm creatures easy while fire surrounded us easy, then I suppose it was rather easy." Blake deadpanned.

"I can't tell if that's a joke or not, Miss Belladonna, but by Oum it sounds like something I'd like to do!" Port cheered enthusiastically.

Blake couldn't help but give the portly teacher a small smile as Ruby and Yang went over to Nadir and Team ABRN. "Hey guys, Ren and Nora told me how you guys were coming to help me and Jaune after Ante captured us, so I owe you guys a lot." Ruby said as she gave both Reese and Bolin hi-fives.

"How could we resist? Reese said she saw you and Arc fall out from the Seras Kalifa so I thought we needed to know what was going on." Arslan said as she shook hands with Yang. "Hey... listen the guy who fixed up your arm can he... uh..."

"It's something to do with Nadir, isn't it? Oobleck seemed pretty hesitant to talk about what happened to him last night." Yang said.

"Yeah, Nadir got his hand cut off by one of Ante's thugs, the prick with a katana." Arslan informed them as Ruby's eyes got wide. The sisters looked over to see Nadir in his bed and he didn't bother looking up at them.

Yang and Ruby looked at each other before Dr. Chloris introduced herself to Ruby politely. "Hello there Ruby Rose, I'm Reese's mother Dr. Maia Chloris. I take it you are alright?" she asked Ruby.

"Yeah, I'm feeling okay... physically anyway, which is pretty amazing considering the kind of people who were holding me captive." Ruby said as Yang waited for the doctor to stop so they could talk to Nadir together.

"I should think so. How are Mr. Arc and Miss Nikos?" Dr. Chloris asked.

"Ask them yourself, they'd know more than we would." Yang said as patiently as she could. Dr. Chloris nodded and went to talk to the couple while Yang and Ruby walked over to Nadir's bed and the rest of their group spread out and began to chat with the others. Neon began talking to Reese and the siblings sat in the chairs that Arslan and Bolin had been sitting in.

"Hey Nadir, I'm... I'm really sorry about your hand." Ruby said gently.

Nadir glanced at her and said "It's not your fault, Ruby. I mean maybe it is your fault since if you hadn't gotten captured I..."

"Nadir!" Arslan scolded.

"Sorry I... I don't know what I'm gonna do without my hand." He said sadly.

Yang placed her damaged robotic hand on his shoulder and said "Hey, I know how you're feeling man, you feel; you feel angry and depressed, shocked and helpless, numb and disconnected. Those are the things I went through after I lost my arm and I... I let them control me. I saw my life as hopeless and bitter and... and because of that my little sister had to go out and fight the bad guys without me but after a while I... I realized that I couldn't let the loss of my arm beat me. So don't sweat it. A pretty good doctor gave me a new arm and I think he can do the same for you."

"Yeah but prosthetic arms like those are really expensive and you told us that the doctor did yours for free because he owed your uncle. My family isn't exactly rich enough." Nadir said somberly.

"Mine is." Weiss said as she pushed pass Bolin and approached the bed. "I can't guarantee it but I think my father will find out truth now that the battle is over and I can easily have him pay for a surgery."

Nadir looked at her with his eyes widening. "You'd do that for me?" he asked.

"Well yes, you helped us save our friends at the cost of your hand so helping you pay for a prosthetic is the least we can do." Weiss assured him.

Nadir gave her a sad smile as he looked to Arslan. "I... I don't know what to say. Thanks Weiss." He then held up the stump where his hand used to be and said "It's weird, you know? When I got over the shock and the pain on the ship I wanted to deny it, like it was just an illusion but I couldn't feel my hand or my fingers anymore. It's... it's weird, isn't it Yang?"

Yang nodded, "Yeah, though I was mostly passed out from shock and pain." She said, remembering the night she lost her arm. "The things I did wrong was let the pain take me over, let myself rot in depression and... well self-pity and allow myself to become more dependent on my dad."

"Hey, he can always depend on us." Bolin said quickly.

"But you can't let him rely on you too much, just the right amount before he gets a new hand. It'll be frustrating to do at first but it won't take long. So cheer up pinky, and don't make the same mistakes I did." Yang said as she shook Nadir's remaining hand.

Nadir smiled and said "Thanks Yang, thank you all... I don't know what I'd do without you."

"We're your team buddy, we'll always be here for you." Reese said kindly.

As Jaune and Pyrrha agreed to let Dr. Chloris give them a checkup after she got some more rest, as the woman had only gotten a few hours of sleep in the night, they looked over to see Velvet talking to Russel and Sky. The two glanced at each other and knew they had to talk to Cardin's team about what had happened in the labs sooner or later.

They approached the three and Jaune spoke up first. "So how is Dove?"

Velvet, Russel, and Sky all looked up to the two and Sky answered with "Chloris and the nurses said he's in a coma, but they don't think it'll last more than a week."

Jaune nodded, "That's good, I hope he'll be okay."

Russel glared angrily at the two, something that did not go unnoticed before he said "Scarlatina here has been telling us about how Cardin went out, how he lured that Chimera thing to save your collective asses."

Pyrrha sighed and said "We tried to save him, Ruby nearly got him out of the chamber but the Chimera pounced on them. He died to save us and..."

"And nothing. He got killed to save you." Russel said bitterly. He looked at Jaune and said "They said the part of the factory he was in was too damaged to look through right now and considering what happened he's either ashes or torn apart by that Grimm thing." He ranted angrily.

"I'm sorry Russel, but Cardin... I don't know. I guess he felt bad for how he treated people like me and Velvet in the past and he wanted to make up for it, in a way I never wanted. He didn't deserve to die, I guess in the end he was a good person, one I could have been a friend to had things gone differently." Jaune said sadly.

"Listen, before your girl here got herself killed for whatever Cardin was perfectly happy being like he used to be, just not around you or Long-ears here, but then he wanted to 'change', he wanted to be 'better'. So tell me this, Arc; what the hell use is changing for the better if all it did was get him killed?" Russel demanded. Jaune tried to answer but before could come up with something Russel noticed something about Pyrrha. "Hey... weren't you all pale and red-eyed last night? What happened?"

"Speaking of that how the heck are you even here?" Sky asked.

"They got a good point; I've been wondering how you were still alive ever since I got a glimpse of you last night from the ship." Dew agreed from behind them.

"Yeah, Neptune's been telling me that a freaking burning arrowhead tore through Jaune's chest and..." Neon began before Jaune raised his hands up.

"Okay, okay, I guess you all want to know what happened to us after your ship left, right?" he asked.

"Pretty much." Confirmed Nebula.

"Thrill us, man." Agreed Flynt.

"Well don't keep us in suspense." Beckoned May.

Everyone quieted down to listen to Jaune's story, even Dr. Chloris, Professor Port, the nurses, and even the other sick or injured students were all listening up.

"Well after I got hit I was pretty out of it so Ruby and everyone else will have to fill in the blanks, but I'll start. Okay, so after you guys got away Cinder tried to shoot Pyrrha with an arrow and I did the only thing I could do, push her out of the way and the arrowhead went right through my chest." Jaune said. He looked to Ruby who nodded and took over.

"So after we got Jaune onto Weiss' ship everyone started fighting Cinder, who was pretty much alone for some reason, although Emerald did help her out soon enough. Pyrrha came up the idea for all of us to distract Cinder while she used her polarity to lift up all the Grimm Knights you guys destroyed and use them to crush her."

"It was a tough fight, I lost my blades and Ruby's scythe got snapped in half." Fox stated.

"And when Cinder started to get all though Ruby zoomed right past us and up to her and started to pound her, so we all began to help Ruby out by ganging up on Cinder" Velvet said.

"You see, the reason Cinder was so powerful she apparently has this weird ability to steal other people's power or something like that, and she used it on my mom." Yang explained.

"What happened to your mom? We haven't seen her around." Arslan pointed out.

Yang sighed and said "My mom didn't make it, she died to save Uncle Qrow."

There was a small, sad silence before Neon said "Oh Yang, I'm so sorry."

"Indeed, I remember Raven when she was a student of mine and she grew into quite the ferocious warrior, it saddens me to know she died against Cinder Fall." Port voiced.

"It's okay guys, I... I gotta accept it sometime. It sucks, but I... I think I'll be okay." Yang said as she put her arm around Ruby.

Ruby nodded and continued the story, telling it in her typical excited and animated fashion with help from the others such as Scarlet describing his fight against Emerald, Coco, Nora, and Ren telling everyone about their fight with the remaining Grimm Knights.

"... and then Cinder destroyed Weiss' summon with a sword to its head, then she took out her bow and arrow to kill Weiss but I ran in with Crescent Rose, oh she tried to blast me with fire but I caught it with the blade and used it to slash Cinder across the face!" Ruby exclaimed.

"No way." Reese said in amazement.

"Of course we had to miss that." Muttered Nolan.

"Too epic." Neon said quietly.

"Pretty sweet, it's what that witch deserves." Flynt stated.

"I must say, impressive, if a little gruesome." Dr. Chloris said.

"And then I used my polarity to slam all of the Grimm Knight down on Cinder and the factory, then we escaped on Weiss' ship." Pyrrha finished.

"But how did you save Jaune?" asked Gwen.

"It was... tough, to say the least but we managed to keep him alive with the medical equipment Dr. Chloris provided us until we reached the warehouse and Ashe used the Aura Crystal to save him." Ren explained.

"Oh, like how he said it could heal people sometimes?" Flynt inquired.

"Yes and no, you see it healed him but only after it judged both he and Pyrrha of being worthy to be its new guardians." Blake stated, getting some shocked reactions.

"Wait, I am so confused. What's the Aura Crystal?" asked one of the sick students from Haven.

"We'll tell you later." Sage assured the student.

"So you two are saddled with the Aura Crystal now? What's gonna happen to Ashe?" asked Bolin.

"We don't know, we've asked him but he wants to rest before he makes any big choices." Velvet informed.

"Okay, now that we know how Cinder got her butt royally kicked and how Jaune survived, how is Pyrrha alive?" May asked.

"Yeah, that question has yet to be answered and wasn't Jaune supposed to be a Grimm hybrid?" asked Gwen, accidentally letting that info slip out for the nurses and the uninvolved students to hear.

"Wait, what?" questioned one student.

"The hell?! A Grimm hybrid?!" exclaimed another.

"Get him out of here!" demanded another one.

"Oh my lord..." whispered a nurse.

"Calm down people! Nothing to worry about, the Aura Crystal took care of it." Nora said, flashing a wink to Jaune and Pyrrha. They nodded, knowing the lie they told to the Atlas soldiers would have to be repeated.

"Yes, you see after Cinder defeated me at Beacon she shot an arrow she used her powers to teleport me to her master where I was brainwashed and turned into a Grimm hybrid and thought I was someone named Fotia Drakos. I remained under that delusion for four months until Jaune and Neo began to help me see otherwise. I... somehow had some of my consciousness into Jaune somehow before I was taken and after a long time I managed to communicate with Jaune and I helped him withstand the torture he went through. After the process of turning one into a hybrid only half worked thanks to my interference within his aura Cinder's master decided to make Jaune and I fight to the death but I helped Jaune keep up with my physical form while my true-self, buried deep within my mind, helped as well by holding her back and allow Jaune to use a power of his Semblance is reverse to help me regain my memory. When the crystal cured Jaune it cured me as well." Pyrrha lied, though she mentally wondered what would happen once the truth that they were still hybrids. She knew the horrible treatment that Faunus received so how would they be treated since they were technically part Grimm, the most feared and hated entities in all of Remnant. She looked to those who knew she and Jaune were still hybrids and could tell they would help keep it secret for as long as possible. Her thoughts once again went to her parents; how would they react once they learned what their daughter had become?

"Well... that's good. I'm happy that you both recovered from such an awful thing." Dr. Chloris said with a kind smile.

"Yeah, good job smashing Cinder and her cronies." Praised Nebula with a smirk.

"I hope she's in a coma." Chimed in Brawnz.

"Well done, to all of you, you make an old Huntsman like me proud to be of the same profession." Port said proudly.

Russel, however, was not so kind.

"I don't believe this. I don't freaking believe this!" he shouted. "These two were part Grimm! Cardin died to save these two freaks! What the hell makes you two so damned special? Why should Nikos die and come back? Huh? What the hell gave her a second chance?!" he ranted as he glared at Pyrrha and Jaune. "My friend, my partner died for you, where's he? Where is Cardin's miracle resurrection? Huh?! WHERE?!"

He ran at Jaune but Sun and Sage launched themselves forward and grabbed.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sun barked.

"Are you insane?" yelled Sage.

"No, I'm the only one here who thinks these two are lying! I know liars when I see 'em and these two aren't telling us everything! I think they're still freaks, hybrids, whatever the hell they are. I say we take their heads and smash 'em in just to make sure!" Russel ranted.

"Russel!" yelled a voice the green-haired teenager was all too familiar with. He glanced over to see an angry Sky Lark, the dumb one of Team CRDL. The silver haired Huntsman-in-training glared at Russel and calmly said "Why don't you just shut the fuck up?"

Russel glared back at Sky before he relaxed his body, even though Sun and Sage still held him in place.

Sky sighed but continued, sounding uncharacteristically smart. "Listen, Cardin died not just to save those two, but Teams RWBY, CFVY, and JNPR. All of them, man. He died to make a difference, so straighten up and act like you're as smart as you think you are. Cardin died and it sucked but he died a hero. Oh I forgot! You're the one who wanted to outlive his entire team."

Russel sighed and said "Okay, okay I get it... I'm being an asshole."

"Big understatement." Muttered Penny, surprising everyone with just how snarky she sounded. She noticed the looks Ruby, Yang and their father were giving her so she said "I believe that was 'being a smart-butt'."

Ruby couldn't help but giggle while Yang nodded, "Close enough."

"Okay... okay I'm sorry it's just... he was my partner, my friend. It's not fair that these guys get special treatments and can survive what should be life ending wounds when Cardin didn't." Russel complained.

Velvet, while not at all happy with how Russel was acting, couldn't help but sympathize with him. She was about to say something when Yatsuhashi stopped her, shook his head, and stepped forward.

The large teenager then spoke up, loud enough for everyone to hear him; "I did not know Cardin Winchester very well and to be honest I didn't like him very much, but in the end he proved his worth. He died to save us, he died to keep a horrific beast locked away, he died a hero. When Ruby and the rest of Team JNPR thought Pyrrha dead they overcame their grief and worked together to honor her sacrifice and avenge her. Do not let Cardin's sacrifice, the one that proved just how good he truly was, go to waste. Respect and honor him, if you truly did value his friendship." He finished.

Velvet smiled as Fox nodded in approval. "Well said, Yatsu." Coco stated proudly.

Sun and Sage released Russel from their grips and the head nurse said "I think, Mr. Thrush, it would be best if you left for now."

Russel sighed and took her advice, leaving the infirmary past a crowd of over a dozen student teams of the academy who were eavesdropping in on the story and the near fight that had broken out.

Pyrrha looked at those students and could see their faces; looks of amazement, confusion, happiness, mistrust, fear, and some of disgust.

Looks she knew she and Jaune would have to get used to.

"Alright, all of you clear out and go about your own business. None of you are going to repeat a bloody word about Miss Nikos and Mr. Arc's... conditions. If any of you do you will have the Headmaster to answer to, understand? Now go!" the head nurse barked fiercely, making the students scatter.

Pyrrha sighed and said "I think it would be best if I left as well, you all need your rest and I... I need to think about something."

She walked out of the infirmary, with the rest of her team, Team RWBY, Velvet, Sun, and Penny all following her while the others remained behind.

The group of eleven soon arrived to a nice, empty space of a large balcony where they could relax. Pyrrha looked out over the balcony and said "Those looks... if they all find out we're still hybrids what will we face, Jaune? Possibly worse persecution than the Faunus."

"Don't think like that! People will understand, they're smart." Jaune said.

"I hate to disagree Jaune, but no they are not. Individuals can be smart, but a collective group tends to fall into frenzy." Weiss said.

"Not helping!" Jaune said before he stood next to Pyrrha and placed his hand on hers. "Don't worry Pyr, we'll be okay. I can't promise that... but if we try our hardest everything will be okay. Though one thing I can promise is that no matter what; you'll always have me."

"And me." Ren said as he put a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder.

"Me three!" Nora cheered as she hugged Pyrrha from behind.

Pyrrha laughed and said "Nora, you're only supposed to say 'me three' after someone says 'me too'."

"Eh, who cares?" Nora said with a shrug as Team JNPR laughed.

"You'll always have us too." Ruby said as she gestured to her team.

"And mine, we decided last night that if the truth ever gets out we were not going to risk losing either of you again." Velvet added.

"Same with me and mine." Sun agreed.

"You can count on me, my friend." Penny said gently to Pyrrha.

Pyrrha smiled, she knew there would always be people like Russel, people who would hate and fear her for what had been done to her, but people like her friends and those students who looked at her with happy looks filled her with hope. Hope that maybe the future wasn't going to be the dark world Salem wanted it to be.

"Hello there, my freaky darlings." Said the voice of Neo. Everyone turned to see Neo balancing herself on the stone railing of the balcony, twirling her umbrella. "So by the dour expression Pyrrha had on her face I trust you had to spill the beans to the rest of your friends about your Grimm sides, eh?" the petite girl guessed.

"Yeah, they wanted some explanations and they deserved it. They took it well for the most part but one guy just freaked out on us." Ruby informed her.

"There will always be people like that prick I suppose. Now then, how about a little tale? Ruby and Jaune were awfully curious as to why exactly I helped you guys out." She said.

"Something about Torchwick's final orders." Jaune stated.

"Yeah, but in order to explain that I should probably go back to the beginning and explain what led to me and Roman joining forces. Do you any of you mind if I indulge myself?" she asked.

"Sure." Jaune said.

"I think I'd like to hear it as well." Blake agreed as she sat on a bench between Sun and Yang.

"Go ahead Neo." Ruby said as she sat down on the ground.

Neo nodded, took a seat on the railing and began.

"You see, my parents were tried and true asshole. Abusive as they come. Hit me nearly every time I talked which I guess is why I barely speak, though I have to admit you lot seem to bring out the words in me but I expect that to change once this is done with. Once I was twelve years old I got my aura unlocked by a kind old neighbor, who was an old and disgraced Huntsman who had retired... he's dead now of course. Anyway I soon discovered my Semblance was these illusions and disguises but I had trouble with them at first but I figured 'what the hell?' and ran off.

I got by on my own on the streets, stealing and running for a month or two before the cops caught me. My parents didn't give a damn so they threw me into juvenile detention center and that's where I met Roman." Neo said as she took a moment to give her throat rest, as she wasn't used to talking so much. She soon continued with "Now he and I became friends soon enough and he helped me out with my Semblance. You see; I kept creating illusions and disguises in the room we shared and we kept practicing until they were good enough to fool him, then we tried them out on the others, and soon enough the guards. See, after a few months there we planned our escape; we started a riot and then I used my Semblance to get us out unnoticed. After that we joined up with a gang in Vale and after a few months of waiting and earning the loyalty of the thugs we took it over. Things went pretty smoothly for us for about three years and then... she showed up."

"Cinder." Said Ruby.

"Got it in one. We had to join her; she'd kill us if we didn't. But all things said Roman never really trusted Cinder and before the Breach with the train he left me a message on my scroll. You see Cinder's plan was to get him captured on and placed on Ironwood's ship so we could tare crap up from above but Roman wasn't entirely convinced. So he told me just in case things went bad and he died doing Cinder's dirty work I was to play the message and follow his last orders. Would you like to listen to the message?" she asked.

"Sure." Ruby said.

"You've told us this much." Weiss voiced.

"Why not?" shrugged Sun.

"Okay then." Neo said as she took out her scroll and turned the volume up as loud as it could go before she turned the message on.

The voice of Roman Torchwick made itself know. "Hello Neo, if you're listening to this message then... I'm sorry. You were right, we should have said no to Cinder and just ran if she tried anything. Okay? But most of all... I'm sorry I'm gone. I know you depend on me, always let me do the talking for you but I... damn it. I love you Neo. Not in a romantic way since that'd be weird as hell but you're the best friend I've ever had. You're far better than an old thief like me deserves. So if you're listening to this then Cinder screwed us over and I'm dead.

Now I have one last job for you Neo, one last thing for us: screw Cinder and her master, screw 'em and mess their plans up to hell. Find out as much as you can and sabotage 'em. If they're gonna use us as tool and throw us aside then we'll be the tools that cause the backfire. I know you can do this Neo I... my life wasn't the best before I met you and when I met you in that courtyard, all alone and scared and surrounded by thugs and punks I just... oh damn it I'm no good at this. Just help take them down, screw them over, get as far away from the chaos as you can, and just have a good life. Find someone who will love you, for me okay? I love you Neo. Go rob 'em blind."

The recording ended and Neo wiped a few stray tears from her eyes.

"... Neo, I think that if he wasn't a criminal, me and Roman could have been friends." Ruby said with a smile.

Neo nodded as Pyrrha asked her "So what do you plan to do?"

Neo looked at the group and said "What I plan to do is survive. Not just for me, but for Roman. Maybe I will settle down with a guy or girl I love. Or maybe I'll just go back to being a master thief. Who knows? But one way or the other Neopolitan will be back in the world with no psychos like Cinder holding me back, and I guess I have you guys to thank for that in a way."

"Us?" Ren inquired.

"Pyrrha being there gave me the perfect opportunity to sabotage their plans and in doing so I gained the first friend I ever truly had since Roman and it... allowed me to do something good for once." Neo said.

"You're always welcome to stay." Pyrrha offered.

"No, this hero, Huntress thing ain't for me but... I guess you can always call if you ever need my help." Neo said with a mischievous smile.

"Trust us, we'll probably need help from everyone sometime in the future knowing that Salem is still out there." Velvet pointed out.

"So if we need you you'll come?" Ruby asked.

"It may take a while but I will be there if you need me." Neo promised as she looked out to the city, knowing that the men that once worked for her and Roman were now working for Damien and were probably scrambling for dear life.

"Thank you Neo, I owe you a lot." Pyrrha said before she hugged Neo.

"No you don't. I just did what was right for the first time." Neo said in return.

---

Trooper leaned back against the seat of the car as Zhan drove them back to Ante's base. It had taken most of the night and the morning but they had gotten their assigned sections of the northern parts of the city done. Every Dust, drug, and weapons smuggling operation in those areas were now shutting down and preparing to move out of the city or go underground, but it hadn't been easy as they had to take care of a few cops that had spotted them along the way. Now that Ante was ousted as Cinder's accomplice he could no longer keep control over the cops so they had to keep their guards up for any sign of police cars. While there were some operations left to help out Lao was taking care of them himself.

It had been one hell of a night and Trooper was tired, but he was used to that. After all, he had been in more than one long life threatening mission before and after he was expelled from military service.

"Trooper, what do you think Jude's plan will entail?" Zhan asked.

Trooper opened his eyes and lazily glanced at the illusionist and answered with "Don't know, but I don't think it'll work. I've seen guys like him before, you know? So obsessed with revenge they end up getting themselves killed."

"A tale as old as time, huh? Well I do not care how it goes, I'll just be glad when our interaction with Salem and her forces goes back to how it used to be; barely any." Zhan said as he rounded a bend.

"I hear that man. Ever since Ante got us involved with those freaks our jobs have gotten weird." Trooper stated as he closed his eyes.

"You can say that again. To be honest my friend... I did not enjoy fighting those children last night. I managed to injure a girl and it has be weighing on my conscience ever since." Zhan admitted as Ante's factory entered view.

"Quite frankly man, I hope those kids win. I mean do you really think Salem will let some thugs like us live if we serve her?" Trooper inquired.

"Only if we pledge our souls to her and even then we have more than a good chance of being killed by her enemies. Honestly I am not sure how much longer I can stay in Damien's service if he remains in Salem's." Zhan said.

Trooper looked at him and asked "You thinking of quitting?"

"Possibly, leave this city, go somewhere else, go back to be an assassin for hire. I would greatly prefer a job where I do not have to harm children." Zhan said as they pulled into the parking lot in front of the factory, which had about a dozen cars scattered around it.

"I hear you man, but at least we're nearing the end of it. Salem will probably have us lay low in Vacuo for a year or two. To be honest man if you leave I might join you." Trooper said as one of the large garage doors opened up for them.

Zhan smiled as he drove the car inside and said "I appreciate the offer."

As they got out of the car Trooper sighed in annoyance at the sight of some punks he recognized. "Shit, they had to bring the Fury Gang here." Trooper muttered. He didn't like the Fury Gang at all as they were way too wild and chaotic for his taste, but Ante liked their style, as he felt it fit in perfectly, so he let them keep running their operations in the west side. Trooper knew whatever Jude wanted to do with these punks couldn't be good.

They made their way to the main part of the factory floor where Jude was finishing laying out his plan. Damien was off to the side, just listening to the plan but he nodded to his enforcers' as they entered.

"Once I make the announcement to the public I'll kill one of the staff to prove how serious I am. And once he comes..." Jude said before a girl in the gang interrupted him.

"Hey man, what makes you think this Ashe guy will show?" she asked.

"Oh he will come, he thinks me dead so once he learns that he failed to kill me once again he will come." Jude assured her.

"And if he doesn't?" asked Gerard, the leader of the Fury Gang. He was a man in his early thirties with long black hair and a husky voice, a body that hinted at years of fighting experience. Despite being a street gang they had taken the half robotic Jude and his plan to hold students hostage rather well. The sight of Jude's half burned face did freak some of them out, but Jude found those reactions more amusing than anything else.

"We will make him come. If he fails to arrive within half an hour of our announcement we begin killing hostages. There will be more than enough to make an example of if he does not comply." Jude said with a dark grin.

"Sounds good to me." Gerard said with a shrug.

"Okay, so you're gonna demand him to bring you both Nikos and the crystal thing, right? I mean I need to get back on Salem's good side." Ante said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Do not fear Ante, I will make note of your contribution. Once we have him we will go back to our entrance and get into the tram and drive back to the abandoned subway station and bring Ashe here so we can have a proper final battle." Jude stated.

"Hey, Mr. Jude, one question." Said a Fury thug who looked like he was a bit of a drug addict. "If you want this Ashe dude dead so badly why don't you just shoot him? Like just unload a buncha Dust bullets into his chest and end it?"

"It so sad that common sense solutions like that have become unheard of." Muttered Zhan to Trooper, who grinned in response.

"Because my friend; that is the easy way out and Ashe... oh he deserves so much more. Now Mr. Gerard, I will leave you to assign which of your men takes guard duty, which ones man the tram, and which ones join us in the main auditorium. Do I make myself clear?" Jude asked.

"Crystal. Come on boys and girls; let's get ready to raise some hell. We'll be getting ready outside Jude, we'll take you with us to the subway but don't keep us waiting." Gerard said before he led his massive gang out of the factory and into their own assorted vehicles outside in the parking lot.

Damien had been watching from the side and said "The druggie had a point; why don't you just shoot him? You said that arm got an upgrade courtesy of Sherizawa, so why don't you just use the arms setting to kill him?"

Jude nodded and said "As tempting as the act of killing him quickly is I am more tempted by making his death last for hours on end. I want to break him, make him suffer, make him a pathetic, weeping mess and then end him. I have been testing this new arm out on some junk and its settings are most impressive. I can simply shoot through like a normal gun, stun, kill, or even make the target explode depending on the amount of Dust the setting uses."

Ante nodded and asked "Why exactly do you want to bring him here? We'll be leaving tonight."

Jude nodded and said "I need an illusionist to help break his mind. I want to show him something."

"You will be in need of my services?" asked Zhan.

"Indeed I will. You see, I intend to break Ashe's spirit as well as his body, so I may need an illusion to help me do it." Jude stated.

Zhan sighed and looked to Ante who nodded. "I want to be paid extra for this." Zhan said.

Jude laughed and voiced "Ha! Hired guns, reminds me of my drug lord days. I will be on my way Ante, just be prepared to hold Nikos when we get back."

"You really think they'll give Nikos up after all they did to get her back?" Damien questioned.

"Oh, the only way they'll refuse to give us Nikos is if they're okay with the deaths of children on their conscience. Trust me, we will please Mistress Salem." Jude said as he took out a scroll. He pushed a button and within ten seconds Salem appeared on the screen.

"I trust you are ready to enact your plan." She stated.

"We are ready to begin. You have my word Mistress that I will not only get the Aura Crystal for you, but I will also have Nikos back in your grasp by tonight." Jude exclaimed confidently.

"See that you do, Saul. Do not fail me." She added before she cut the transmission.

Saul looked over to Ante and said "I shall see you soon, and I'll be sure to allow you a good chance to kick Ashe's ass when I return."

Ante grinned and said "You're my kind of psycho cyborg Jude." Jude returned the grin before he left the building to join the Fury Gang outside.

Elsewhere, within Salem's palace she smirked. She'd keep her eye on the situation closely but knew she would have to send someone to intervene. Cinder was correct when she said that Jude's obsession with Ashe Kasai was dangerous. It would serve its purpose but soon it would become little more than a liability and it seemed to be the only thing Jude cared about.

Salem smiled to herself as she knew someone else would have to enter the battle if Jude lost.

---

Ashe put his guns in their holsters as he began to head out for the day's routine of Grimm watching. As he made for the door Mila called to him.

"Uh... Ashe?"

"Yeah?" he asked as he turned to face her, giving her a smile. She returned it but he could easily see she looked rather nervous so he asked "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong I... I made a new song for you, well a really old one my mom sang to me. I want you to listen to it while you're out there today." She said as she held up a drive. Ashe nodded and gave her his scroll which she inserted the drive into to load up the song file.

"I'll listen to it while I'm going into the forest." He said.

"No, listen to it while you're on break. There's... there is a message on the song for you." She said with a nervous, shy blush.

"What kind of message?" he asked.

"You'll know. We can talk about it when you get back, okay? I love you." She said as she leaned up to kiss him.

"I love you too, Mila." Ashe said before he returned the kiss.

He walked out into the woods and waved to her.

A few hours later Ashe sat down on an old log and wiped the sweat from his brow. A pack of Boarbatusks, a young Death Stalker, a couple of Ursa, more Grimm than usual but nothing he couldn't handle. He took a drink from his water bottle and took out the scroll.

He smiled down at it and went to open the sound file. "Okay my beautiful singer, let's see what you've sung for me now." He said.

Before he could press play he heard something he hadn't expected; gunfire, followed by shouting. He quickly placed his scroll into his vest pocket before he ran off into the forest. There was no sounds of Grimm, no screams of panic, so what could be happening? He unsheathed his sword as he ran into a clearing of the forest and he recognized it as a spot close to the mansion where Saul Jude had set up shop.

Ashe gasped in horror at what he saw in the meadow; Deno was there, a bullet wound in his stomach as he lay on his back coughing up blood. Four men stood around shouting in panic as one of them was talking on a phone.

"Boss, you better get down to the post uh... something happened... the boys were drunk and..."

"NO!" Ashe yelled as he ran forward and shoved two of the men out the way. "Deno, some on man... what the hell happened?!" he demanded before he recognized some of them as Saul Jude's thugs. "What did you do?!" he yelled.

"We... the holy man came here wanting to talk to Jude, said he wanted to just ask Jude to leave but shithead over there was so damn drunk he shot him." The man who had been talking on the scroll explained as he put his scroll away.

"Why?!" Ashe demanded. He could see the smoking gun and could guess what had happened; shotgun blast to the chest at point blank range. He could see the shotgun was huge, the barrel still smoking a little. Even with aura Deno couldn't survive a shot like that... shit.

"Look man, we need this town, it's small and out of the way, perfect for out business..." one the drunken thugs began before Ashe slammed his fist into the man's face.

"I deal with you later." Ashe muttered as he jumped down and put pressure on Deno's wound. "Come on preacher, stay with me."

"H-hello Ashe... well, m-maybe you w-were rig-right about these men..." Deno rasped out.

"Why the hell did you come out here alone?! That was stupid and careless, even by my standards!" Ashe scolded as he took out a medical kit from his backpack and tried to wrap up the wound. He didn't know how to save people, he didn't have the training for that, almost none except for how to treat your own wounds.

"I did it... because I knew you'd try to stop me. I-if you came armed we might never have had a chance to settle this peacefully... I'm sorry... I was foolish... do not follow my example Ashe, think through this..."

"Don't talk, don't preach to me now, man! You gotta save your energy, okay? I'll get you out of here I..." Ashe stopped as he saw Deno's eyes glaze over. He placed a hand to Deno's wrist and felt the pulse stop.

"No!" Ashe cried as he pounded on Deno's chest, but it was too late, the holy man was gone. His friend was gone and he had failed to save him. He looked down at his hands which were covered with bright red blood from Deno's body.

Ashe just sat there for a few minutes, the clearing was silent before he let out a scream of anger as he faced the thugs. "You are going to pay for this." He snarled.

One of the drunks laughed and said "Try us, Huntsman."

Ashe got his sword ready to go before a car sped out of the forest. It came to a halt and Saul Jude stepped out. "What the hell did you idiots do?!" he shouted as he got out of the car.

"It's O'Neil sir, he's a stupid drunk..."

"Enough! My friend is dead because of you!" Ashe screamed as he took out a pistol and aimed it at Jude.

"Now Ashe, this was just an accident, we can talk this over..." Jude began before Ashe shook his head.

"Deno tried to talk it out and your thug killed him. No more talking." Ashe said as he fired his gun.

"No!" cried the man who had called Jude there as he jumped in front and took the bullet for his employer.

"Kries!" Jude yelled as the man fell to the ground; nut dead but in a lot of pain. Jude looked up at Ashe and said "You want a fight, boy?! Fine! I wanted to do this peacefully, but now you have forced my hand."

"You forced me first. Your men spilled innocent blood and now you're going to pay for it. I will make you regret ever trying to set foot in this town." Ashe swore.

"Kill him!" Jude yelled to his remaining men who all got out their guns and shot at Ashe, but Ashe quickly dodged them and managed to blast two of them down before he hoisted up Deno's body over his shoulders and ran into the forest, dodging Dust bullets from the one left standing.

"Let him go, we'll have to prepare to move. Shit..." Jude muttered as he looked down at the two injured men, one of who was O'Neil, the one who had murdered Deno.

"Boss... help me..." O'Neil cried as Jude took out a gun and aimed it at the injured man's head. He pulled the trigger twice, killing him.

"Come on, get Kries and San into the car, maybe if we're quick enough we can get out before Ashe leads a mob to our base." Jude said as he looked out into the woods.

A half an hour later Ashe entered Mila's bookshop, luckily while no one was inside. Mila's head jolted up from the counter and her eyes got wide and nervous.

"Ashe! I didn't think you'd be back yet... did you..." she began before Ashe spoke up.

"Mila, Deno's dead."

Her eyes went wider and her jaw dropped in shock. "Wh-what?! How?! What happened?" she demanded.

"Jude's men killed him. He went to talk to Jude, alone, and Jude's drunken guards shot him." Ashe said sadly.

"Oh my god... Ashe, what are we gonna do?" Mila asked.

"I... I've taken his body to the church already and I've spoken to the mayor and the chief. They've decided that Jude and his men need to be arrested for murder and they want me to help the police take him in." Ashe said.

"Are you going to?" Mila asked him.

"I have to, I know you'll probably say..."

"No, you don't. Go and help bring that monster down if his thugs murdered Deno, bring him to justice. What... oh god..." Mila said as tears began to stream down her face. She and Deno had been friends years before Ashe had came to the village, she had known him since she was a child and now... now he was gone.

"Mila, I'm so sorry." Ashe said weakly as he hugged her to him.

"What are you sorry for? You did nothing wrong." Mila said as she hugged him back.

"If... if I had been better I could have saved him but..."

"But nothing! Did you do your best?" she asked

He nodded. "Then that's all that matters to me, I can't ask any thing more of you." She said as she buried her head into his chest.

"Mila, please stay in the loft until I get back, okay?" Ashe said.

"Why?" she questioned.

"Because I don't really know what Jude is capable of, if we lose this fight I don't want him to get to you. I'll be back, I promise but just stay upstairs until I get back, okay?" he begged.

Mila shook her head and said "Ashe I just can't lock myself in my room like a scared little girl while..."

"Please! If... if I lost you I wouldn't know what to do. My life was pretty dark before I met you so... I don't... just please stay here until this is over." He pleaded.

Mila sighed and said "Okay, just please be careful, you mean the world to me too."

He kissed her and said "The chief is getting most of his team ready, I'll be back in a few hours, I promise."

As he began to walk out the door Mila called to him "Ashe!" He turned to face her with an inquisitive look. "I love you." She said as she ran forward and kissed him.

Ashe returned the kiss and as they parted he said "I love you too."

He left her shop and ran to join the town's police force. Mila slumped against the wall and slid down to the ground in tears, wondering why she didn't just tell him about the life inside her womb.

Ashe opened his eyes as a voice said "You okay?" He looked up to see Qrow sitting in a chair across from him, reading an old book.

"Okay, just a dream." Ashe said as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Good or bad?" Qrow questioned.

"... Mixed." Ashe answered, "You need anything? I mean there has to be some reason you're sitting in front on me."

"Yeah, you see; Goodwitch and Ozpin wanna make you a deal; let us train you to become a fully fledged Huntsman, official." Qrow explained.

Ashe smiled and said "A pretty tempting offer, I guess you're never too old to learn. What do you think?"

"I wanna get it over with as fast as possible and make you one right now but Goodwitch feels you need to be trained." Qrow revealed.

"I do. The kids doing okay, anything happen while I was resting?" Ashe asked.

"Some drama when they told the other kids about Nikos and how we kept Arc alive. One brat was pretty livid over it, but that's to be expected. They'll be coming in here soon to wait for Nikos' parents. You really do care about these kids, don't you?" Qrow asked.

Ashe nodded and said "They're the closest thing I've had to a family in five years."

Qrow sighed and said "Damn it, I'm starting to like you."

Ashe smirked and responded with "Don't, I'm an asshole."

It was Qrow's turn to smirk as he said "I am too. Join the club, we got jackets."

The two men laughed as she mentally began to wonder what he should do. Maybe he'd take them up on the offer.

---

Hera Nikos opened her eyes as she felt the Bullhead land on the platforms of Haven Academy. She yawned as she stretched her arms out and glanced over to her husband, Zeus, who was still dozing.

It had been a rough four months since their daughter's tragic death at the fall of Beacon, killed at the hands of the terrorist known as Cinder Fall. Well, more than rough really; there were days she would just lie in bed, not eating anything and only drinking bottled water as she just laid down and looked through photograph books of her family, weeping over her dead daughter. Hera was still an attractive woman, being only in her late forties, but her body had not taken the loss of her daughter well as the bags under her eyes were quite noticeable as was her pale skin and her vibrant red hair that her daughter had inherited was graying. She had married as wonderful Huntsman named Zeus Nikos who quit the hunting business to train others in dojos while she was an assistant to an agent representing a client who trained under Zeus.

They had met after Zeus got into an argument with said client but once he saw Hera he looked like he had been stricken by a spell and frozen. A few weeks later, after feeble attempts at conversations and trying to look each other in the eye, Zeus worked up the nerve to ask Hera on a date and the two hit it off rather well and after a few years they were married. A year later their beautiful little girl Pyrrha was born and Hera thought everything was perfect.

But then Pyrrha showed promise, she showed remarkable talent unlike anything she had ever personally seen. When it was clear what a powerful warrior she would become, one destined for greatness she decided to allow her daughter to enter the training. Once she was ready she quit the law firm and became her daughter's agent and once the world saw what the young Pyrrha Nikos could do they were set for life.

Some had suggested that they didn't really love their daughter and only saw her as a way to make money, which Zeus always responded to with a punch to the face. They truly did love their daughter, but they were hesitant to allow her to go to Beacon, as they knew the dangers a Huntress would face but Pyrrha convinced them that going to Beacon was something she needed, she needed to make friends and protect people so her parents gave in and allowed her to go.

Oh how Hera wished she had denied her daughter's wishes.

She leaned over to Zeus, still a muscular man with dark brunette hair and a graying beard who had taken the loss of his daughter just as bad as Hera did. For a month he became detached and antisocial, preferring to stay in his dojo and just beat the training dummies until his hands bled, imagining all of them to be the witch who murdered their daughter. Luckily Hera confronted him on it and when she did he broke down crying in her arms, something he had never done in the twenty years she had known him.

She didn't know why they were here; all she knew was that the news last night reported a battle in Haven City and then later that night as they were sleeping Glynda Goodwitch called them and told them they needed to come to Haven Academy as soon as possible and that the Headmaster of said academy was sending a bullhead to collect them.

What this was about she hadn't the faintest idea but she hoped that something had happened, like maybe they had found Cinder Fall and had apprehended her. But why were they called? Aside from the obvious personal grudge they had against Fall they knew nothing about her.

She nudged her husband and said "Zeus, love, time to get up, we're here."

He groaned as he opened his eyes and stretched. "I hate sleeping in chairs." He muttered.

"I know." She said with a smile as she got up and walked down the Bullhead to the exit ramp.

"What do you think Goodwitch wants us for?" he asked as he jogged to catch up with her.

"I honestly don't know, but she'll tell us in a moment." Hera replied as Glynda Goodwitch came into view on the school grounds.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Nikos, I trust you had a good journey?" Glynda asked as she shook their hands.

"Don't really know, we were asleep the entire trip." Zeus stated.

"Understandable, now I want you two to come with me; we have something rather... important to show you." The blonde teacher said as she led them into the school. The couple looked at each other, neither of them knew what to expect.

As they entered the main building of the campus Hera spoke up. "Professor Goodwitch, if you don't mind me asking; what exactly is going on and why are we here?"

Glynda sighed and said "A few months after your daughter's funeral her teammates joined forces with Ruby Rose to track down the criminal who murdered her and bring her to justice."

The couple looked at each other again, both a little confused. Ruby Rose was the only witness to their daughter's death so it made sense why she'd join them to track Fall down. "Did they?" Zeus inquired, remembering the news about a battle in the city last night.

"Well they did find Cinder Fall and fought her but... well I think it'd be best for you to just see for yourselves. Honestly I think I'd exhaust myself explaining what happened." Glynda confessed as she led them down a hallway to the closed doors of the library.

"Professor Goodwitch, the last few months have been very hard on us so please just tell us if our daughter's killer has been brought to justice." Hera pleaded.

Glynda sighed and responded "No, not yet. Despite a valiant effort by many students and Hunters, myself included, Cinder Fall escaped, but not unharmed."

"Then why are we here?" Zeus demanded impatiently.

"Go through those doors and you will see." Glynda assured him as she got out of their way.

The two looked at each other, unsure, but Hera shook her head and walked ahead, pushing the doors open with closed eyes. Once she was inside the room she opened her eyes and gasped at the figure she saw.

A few meters away from her was a beautiful young woman she knew all too well, a child she had brought into this world and nurtured, one she had loved for eighteen years.

One that had been taken from her.

One who was supposed to be dead.

"Mother?" Pyrrha said gently. Jaune stood by her side and nodded to her, pushing her forward a bit. Pyrrha looked down to the ground a bit but forced her head up as she rubbed one arm nervously. "Hello... again."

Hera collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face. "P-p-pyrrha?" she asked. There were so many emotions going through the woman's head right now; shock, happiness, fear, confusion, worry... feelings she had never felt before now.

Pyrrha nodded and walked forwards as her father came into the room and nearly collapsed as well. "What in the name of...?"

"Father..." Pyrrha said, tears streaming down her face as well.

"It... it can't be! Sh-she took you from us!" Hera cried as used her hands to keep her body from giving out on her. Zeus didn't know what to do, he stood still as a statue.

Pyrrha nodded and said "She did, but she didn't kill me. I... Jaune and the others saved me from being their slave. It's me."

Zeus walked slowly forward and helped his wife up who regained control of herself. Hera walked up to Pyrrha and looked her in the eyes. They were the same wonderful emerald orbs that looked out to the world of Remnant in innocent wonder so many years ago the same eyes that had been filled with determination to do her best at everything, the eyes that had betrayed her loneliness during her time at Sanctum .

This was her daughter.

Hera grabbed Pyrrha and hugged her as tightly as she could, shouting "Oh thank gods you're back, my little Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha returned the hug, now crying openly as she nearly fell in her mother's arms. "I'm so sorry I hurt you!" she said as they collapsed.

Zeus ran forward, dropped down, and caught his daughter and wife, taking them both in his arms and holding them against his body as he cried as well as he muttered over and over again "You're back."

Jaune watched the scene from up close while Ren, Nora, Team RWBY, Qrow, and Ashe all watched from afar, happy that the family had been reunited at last. Weiss wiped a happy tear from her eye as did Nora. Yang just had the biggest smile on her face, making the smiles of Blake and Ren look stoic in comparison. Ruby let out a sigh of happiness while Qrow just shook his head and muttered "Oh boy, waterworks are gonna start up." Ashe grinned at that but nodded in approval of the happy reunion.

Jaune smiled and began to walk away when Pyrrha said "Jaune, please come here."

He turned around to face them and Hera asked "Is she telling the truth? You saved her?"

Jaune quietly nodded and confirmed "I got the beating of a lifetime, but I managed to get her back."

All of a sudden Hera reached out and grabbed him, then pulled him down into the hug as well.

"Boy, if you brought our daughter back, you're officially part of the family." Zeus said as he squeezed the boy tight.

"Thank you, thank you so much." Hera said as she kissed his forehead.

Jaune smiled as felt three sets of arms wrap around him and each other. He looked to Pyrrha who was still crying tears of happiness, but she leaned in and kissed him.

Up above Ashe grinned and thought 'They don't know how true that officially part of the family bit is.'

Hera and Zeus hugged the two teenagers tighter. Hera knew Pyrrha had been infatuated with Jaune, the message she left on her scroll only solidified that, but if they wanted to get married today she'd approve without a second thought.

The Nikos family was together once again.

---

Elsewhere, not far away from the library in a lounge room Professor Echo was letting Teams SSSN, CFVY, Penny, Neo, the Arc sisters, Reese, Bolin, May, and Taiyang with Zwei on his lap. Many of them were happy to just spend the rest of the day relaxing considering the last few days had been hectic, to say the least.

Coco grinned cheekily as she was laid out on the knees of her teammates with her head on the couch's armrest. "Oh it is good to be the queen." she said as a movie she liked began to play on the TV.

"You think the reunion's going okay in the library?" Neptune asked.

"I don't see why it wouldn't. I met Pyrrha's parents before at the funeral and they seemed to be wonderful people." Vevlet assured him.

"Yeah but, what if they don't react positively to the whole 'Grimm' thing?" he pointed out.

"Well I can kinda understand 'em freaking out about that, but I'd just be happy to have her back." Sun said.

"As the only one in the room who is an actual parent I think it'll be fine. I'd do anything to have either of my daughter's be safe, human or not." Taiyang stated as he scratched Zwei's chin.

Coco nodded and said "Well all we can do for is hope for the best and..."

Just then the TV screen went black.

"What the heck?" asked Reese.

"Oh come on!" shouted Coco in annoyance.

The TV came back on with a newscaster looking rather horrified and shocked.

"We interrupt this broadcast for an important announcement, there has been a hostile takeover at the St. Shenna Elementary School, police officers have confirmed that the perpetrators are the Fury Gang, usually confined to the city's west side. It unknown how or why they have done this but as of now all children inside of the school are being held hostage but it has yet to be determined if any have been killed. One of the teacher's was released by the criminals to give the police a message... hold on... okay, said message is 'If Ashe Kasai does not show up within the hour we start... murdering the children. We will soon reveal our real demands, hope you're watching Ashe.' Oh Oum..." the newsman said, clearly disturbed.

"Oh my god." Bianca said in hushed horror.

"Some... someone get Ashe now." Sun said.

"I'm on it!" Reese cried as she jumped over the couch she had been sitting on and released her hoverboard from the strap on her back and raced out the door. She dropped her hoverboard, activated it, and then jumped on and rocketed down the hallways.

She made it to the library and slammed throw the doors, startling everyone inside. Glynda stood next to the counter while everyone was gathered around a table as Pyrrha began to explain to her parents what had happened to her.

"Ashe!" she cried.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Come on man, we got a problem, a BIG one! You need to see this, now!" she said.

Ashe glanced at the others before he ran after her, the others deciding to follow with Pyrrha and her parents trailing behind, clearly confused.

Reese led Ashe and the others into the lounge where the situation on the TV had changed, very drastically.

On the TV was Saul Jude, half of his flesh burned away to reveal a robotic skeleton with one of his eyes glowing red and a scared looking man in front of him, a teacher's assistant most likely. He was also being flanked by six thugs from the Fury Gang armed with auto-guns.

"Holy shit." Yang gasped.

"That's... that's..." Velvet stammered in shock.

"Ashe, what the hell is going on?!" Bianca cried.

"That's Saul Jude, I thought you said you killed him!" Jaune exclaimed.

"I threw him down an elevator shaft right before the place starting blowing up and he was trapped right at the freaking epicenter of it! I kinda assumed!" Ashe cried.

"You threw him to a horde of Grimm last time and assumed too, make sure he's dead this time!" scolded Blake, a little worried about the situation as she could clearly see Jude was at a school.

On the TV Jude spoke up; "City of Haven! I will spare these children only if my demands are met, I will order the Fury Gang to leave and your brats can go free but it is not in your hands, but of one man: ASHE KASAI! If you're watching this then you know what to do. I want you to bring me Nikos, the Aura Crystal, and yourself here within half an hour or else..." Jude said as his arm transformed into a hook and it slammed into the man's back. The man screamed in pain as he spat out blood over and over again.

"Pan away!" yelled the newscaster to the cameraman who quickly did so.

Ashe stood still as a statue, frozen in horror and guilt. Another person was dead because of his failure, a man he didn't even know the name of. And now hundreds, maybe even a thousand kids were in danger because of him.

The camera panned back as Jude let the body drop down to the ground, his hook covered in bits of gore. "Ashe, you know who I am and how far I will go. Come as fast as you can if you want these kids to live, if you fail to show up in thirty minutes I begin killing one child every minute. If the police even try to stop us examples will be made of not only them, but of the children too. Our final battle begins soon, don't be late Ashe." Jude finished before he burst out into a deranged laugh and went back inside.

Everyone looked to Ashe, wondering what he would say or do.

Ashe took a deep breath and said "Get me a ship, I'm gonna give him what he wants."

To Be Continued...

Next Time: Ashe vs. Jude, the final battle.

I was originally going to have Ozpin, Glynda, and co make Ashe an honorary Huntsman, but my friend smstanton advised against it so I compromised.

Hera was first introduced in "I Never Even Told You" to prologue to this story.

Fun fact: I originally forgot about Taiyang in the infirmary scene, he was completely absent. I also had Ashe lock Mila in the bathroom but I decided against it since it would be too similar to Jaune and Pyrrha's situation.

Please read and review and tell me what you think of this chapter. If you're on Fanfiction . net please review, follow and favorite. If you're on AO3 leave a kudos and a comment. Feedback keeps me going everyone and I couldn't do this story without you guys.