(Early Author's Notes: So... here we are again. After months and months I finally return. I was originally going to go off on why I've been gone so long, but to put it simply: there was Christmas, Christmas break, my birthday, my lil sis's birthday, and a BUNCH OF TESTS AND EXAMS! Sorry, had to get that out. But yeah, Life just came flying at me fast, and I just needed a break. But I am here, and have finally released chapter 4. I hope you like it.

But first, reviews!

To DemonicOrder: Yes, the Changeling has entered the fray, and will prove more important later. I won't spoil how, just... be on the lookout for the color blue. Nelson does indeed look down on Atlas rich, and Teclis has on more than one occasion been irked by Cordovin. It's also a mutual alliance between the Asur and Atlas. And remember ruby's PTSD. It'll come back harder later on. For the Argus Arc, only The Changeling will be present. As for Terra and Adrian... To be blunt, Terra is in, but Adrian is not. I've always felt they were useless characters in RWBY's quite bloated cast (of course, mine is BEYOND bloated, but still) and so I've done away with them. In a sense.

To Merendinoemiliano: Thank you! I'm not sure what you mean by Lancaster, but yes, Dust does work in the Old World just like magic works in Remnant. And I like the Chosen of Sigmar thing! I was leaning towards Jaune being that, but would both of them being chosen be fine?

To Guest: Of course. I'm sorry for such a long wait.

Now, let us begin!)

It was dawn the next day, and everyone was gathered in the living-room of Saphron's house. They were silent, but Gillie was fuming. "This is unacceptable. I should have noticed sooner! We can thank Sigmar that the Daemon did nothing to any of us. But I wonder… What then was its goal if not to kill us in our sleep…?" No one had an answer. Saphron was shivering slightly as she said "A-a Daemon… impersonated me? Oh, Gods… could it be the cause of the vanishing women?" Jaune placed a hand on her shoulder and said "Don't worry. We'll get to the bottom of this. I promise." Saphron at once smiled and said "Aww, look at you, already a big tough knight in shining armor! I'll look forward to your success."

"Speaking of which," Gillie said, "I believe our first course of action should be to set up holy runes. They'll drive away any Daemons, for a time. But it should give us enough time to put an end to this infestation, if infestation it is. Nora, go and tell Teclis. His skill should prove valuable in this. I'll set the runes, and the rest of you investigate as many houses as you can." It was then that Ren raised his hand and said "Um… we'd need a permit for that."

"Ah. Nora, while you're at the Atlas base, could you get us a permit as well?"

Nora shot up and gave a salute as she said "You got it, boss!" before zooming out the door. Everyone else followed out the house soon after and split up. Gillie exited Argus and placed holy seals on the gates and the walls, saying "O divine Sigmar, who guardeth mankind against all evils… I pray you hear me now and blesseth this city to protect it from the Daemons within and without. Let your holy wrath smite them, and your comforting warmth console us." He said this prayer every time he cast a seal, but just as he was saying one on the eastern wall a loud thunderous crash was heard within the city. So shaken was Gillie that he never finished his prayer and at once ran back inside.

Earlier, with Nora

Nora left the house and in record time reached the Atlas base (which conveniently doubled as the High Elf base) and was halted at the closed gates by two large, identical Atlas guards. "Who dares…?!" cried the first. "Seek entry without a scheduled appointment?!" finished the other. "Nora Valkyrie! Huntress (sorta), hammer-wielder, and seeker of permits. I'd like to speak to the managers!" The two guards looked at each other, then at Nora, then yelled "DENIED!" Nora was slightly blown back by the force of their answer and once she got back to her original spot asked "Why? It's super important! It involves the recent disappearances." Again the two guards looked at each other, then at Nora, but this time said "Wait right there." and turned on their heels and walked off. As Nora hummed a little tune, a pompous voice said behind her "Oh? One of the lowly apes is begging at the gate? What do you wish, mortal? We Asur are dreadfully busy keeping you sorry beings alive, no thanks to any of you." It was Nelsyrwe, still as rude and haughty as ever. Still, he was a high-ranker around here, so Nora said "Oh! Nelson, there you are! Listen, we came across a Daemon last night. One that can take the form of someone completely different. Gillie's putting up protective wards around the city, and the others want to investigate a few places. But they need a permit, so… do ya mind helping out?" Nelsyrwe gave a start at the mention of a shape-changing Daemon, but quickly recovered and after clearing his throat said "No! If there is a Daemon gallivanting about, as you claim, the Asur will find and banish it. The last thing we need is the people of this sorry city all in a panic, and your open investigations will certainly not help in that regard! So, no. No permit. Not now, not e–" Suddenly the gates opened wide and the two guards from before appeared.

"Introducing…" interrupted Guard 1.

"Special Operative…" said Guard 2.

"Caroline Cordovin!" they said in unison as a short little old woman with a gleam in her eye appeared. She gave a small nod to Nelsyrwe before looking at Nora with an upturned nose and unhidden disdain as Nora said "Heya, cap'n! Uhm… Heh, I thought you'd be taller. A-anyways, get this: we caught a Daemon trying to impersonate one of the city's residents last night. We drove it off, but there might be more, or even some kinda planned attack on the city! Gillie - that's our Sigmarite warrior priest, by the way - is placing safety wards, but that'll just protect the outside. To protect the inside, we need to do some good old-fashioned snooping around. Which is something you need a permit for, I guess. Sooooooo…" Nora then leaned on Cordovin's head a little. "Could we have one, pretty please?" Cordovin just slowly looked up at her while Nelsyrwe glared at her. Cordovin promptly smacked Nora's resting arm off her head and said "And what, oh what, makes you believe I would just give you a permit? The people of Argus have enough to worry about without people like you getting in their affairs." Nelsyrwe sighed and said "Yes! Thank you! That's what I was just saying, and yet I was in–"

"Hello, all. I hope I'm not interrupting anything." said Teclis, interrupting Nelsyrwe again (who grumbled quietly and crossed his arms) as he appeared from behind the two Guards. Cordovin's smile fell slightly as she said "Teclis. I thought you were on your way to Atlas?" Teclis nodded and said "Oh, I am. But I couldn't help but overhear your conversation, and I couldn't leave Argus if a Daemon is on the loose. So, Miss Valkyrie, consider me at your service in this endeavor." Nelsyrwe growled and stalked away, but Cordovin remained still as she said "You may command the High Elves here, Teclis, but I command the base and Argus's safety. Only I hold the wit and tenacity to do so."

"Such wit!" cried Guard 1.

"Such tenacity!" cried Guard 2.

Teclis nodded and replied "I won't dispute that, but please, Cordovin, they just wish to help." Cordovin thought for a moment before turning to Nora and saying "You want a permit? Earn it. We've received reports of strange activity in the abandoned building complex in the southwestern corner of the city. See if you can figure out what's going on." Nora at once pulled out Magnhild and said "On it!" and rushed off. Teclis stared at her shrinking form before pulling up his robes and saying "Well, I best be off too." and then chasing after Nora at a brisk jog.

Nora meanwhile was already in sight of the complex, a large multi-story building on a small knoll. It looked rather standard: fancy Atlesian architecture, a small courtyard entrance, and four ways in, one at each corner. Nora hefted her hammer then waltzed inside. The place was certainly abandoned; old and crumbling in some places. Nora walked slowly now, checking the entire lobby before going further, down a dank hallway that turned sharply right. At the very far end was an open elevator with a flickering light. Beneath it, with its back turned, was a humanoid figure. "Hey…" Nora called out, but the figure let out a maniacal laugh as the elevator closed. Officially on edge, Nora decided to check the rooms on the sides of the hallway. The first was locked, and the second, the third was open but bare of anything. This pattern was the same for rooms 4 to 6, but at the seventh it was open and graffitied to oblivion and back. Blues and pinks and golds and rainbows were all over it. Nora tentatively stepped inside and only found the same, but this time they were more organized. More in the form of strange symbols and markings. "YEEAHH—huh?" Nora said, her surprised cry cut short. She felt something on her shoulder, and looking she saw a drop of dark red. She looked up. And she saw a massive avian eye symbol. Dripping red from the center iris. Nora at once gulped and exited the room. Room 8 led up stairs, but Nora first went to room 9. In there, the evil markings were there, but in certain places rather than all over the place. And a giant avian eye took up the entire ceiling, dripping blood from the iris. Here however, there were desks and chairs and lamps. "Looks like someone was here, and recently." Nora said to herself. One desk's drawers were opened and much of its contents taken, but some papers were left in. Nora rested Magnhild by the wall (making sure it didn't touch any markings) and picked up the papers to read. The first only provided blueprints of the complex, the second were scattered notes of Atlas and High Elf guard patrols, but the third was a journal piece most enlightening.

The Highborn has given his orders. There are those who would disrupt the Deceiver's schemes and take the Relics. We will be ready, however. We, the Conspiritus Pawns, shall fulfill our Lord's whims and wills without fail. Already our foes dance to our tune.

Nora couldn't quite understand it. Who's the Deceiver? The Highborn? What Relic? Nora flipped the page over to see if there's anything more. And there was.

LOOK BEHIND YOU, FOOL

Nora immediately jumped to the side as a gout of blue flames shot at where she stood before. Turning around she saw a crazed man with blue-tinted skin, and many roving blood-shot eyes on his head. Even his mouth was just a giant eyeball. But his hands had mouths on them, and they turned towards Nora and spouted more flames just as the myriad of eyes gazed upon her. Magnhild was near the monster, so for now…

"Looks like it'll be some bare-knuckle boxing!"

Nora bum-rushed the monster, managing to throw it over her shoulder and run to the other end of the room and slam it into the wall and knee it in the face. The creature made no noise, but it lashed out with its mouth-hands, hoping to latch onto Nora, but she jumped back and at once ran to Magnhild. She grabbed it and turned to face the creature, but as pink lightning arced across its clawed finger tips Nora smiled and stood to take it. The figure fired the bolts at her, and at once Nora felt a terrible pain. "AAAAGGGGHHHH! AAAAAHHHHH!" she cried as the lightning coursed through her. But she still took steps, painfully and slowly, towards the creature. She raised her hammer high, channeled all the lightning into it, and with a mighty cry swung with such force that a massive explosion erupted and was heard through the whole city. A large hole was now in the complex, and the creature was nowhere to be seen. Just ashes, drifting away in the sudden wind. Nora gasped and fell to her knees. She couldn't fight these guys if they were all like that! She made to get up, but stumbled. "Miss Valkyrie! There you are! What happened?!" Then Teclis appeared and caught her before she fell. He looked around and grimaced before saying "Chaos cultists. Tzeentchian ones, to be exact. Don't worry, I shall heal you." Teclis proceeded to do just that, and whatever Nora felt was wrong with her vanished. She was still out of breath though, but managed to say "This thing… it had nothing but eyes… it… It had mouth-hands. Breathed fire and shot lightning." Teclis hummed before saying "Must have been a Forsaken. But to be so difficult to fight… You and your friends must be wary in this, Miss Valkyrie. Tzeentch - and so his followers - will always be changing in their plans and forces. If they have such strong Forsaken, then time may not be on our side. Worry not, for I shall aid you in this complex, then we shall regroup with the others. Follow me!" The two then continued their way through the complex. Besides that Forsaken, there was nothing else on the first floor. Each floor revealed only some hiding cultists, and a few documents of not much import. But the ninth floor opened up into a large ballroom with all the cultists gathered around a large summoning circle. A tall figure at the head of the assembly spotted Teclis and Nora and with a muffled but evil voice cried "The intruders! Strike them down! They shall be our sacrifices, just as I foretold!" Nora, feeling much better, grinned at the cultists and their many weapons before turning to Teclis and saying "You ready for this?" to which he replied "Ladies first."

Nora rushed in and as a cultist swung a bird-headed flail she stepped back as he swung it down into the ground, and then she placed a foot on it and swung her hammer right into his face. Another came from her right side with a… a bladed boomerang… and threw it at the same time a cultist on her left side threw one as well. She ducked both, but as the boomerangs went to the cultists they both caught them and threw them again, this time they were given more force by a mutated cultist with four arms; in his first two he held curved sickles, and the other two caught the thrown boomerangs and gave them even more force behind their throws. One zoomed just inches from Nora's face as she was about to hammer a cultist, and the other grazed the back of her leg (it would have cut or even severed it had her Aura not held). The mutated cultist charged in and gave rapid strikes at Nora as another cultist came from behind, but lightning struck him down and Teclis leaped in, standing back-to-back with Nora and saying "Well! I wasn't expecting them to be so melee-focused!" Suddenly a pink fireball flew towards them, but Teclis raised his staff and a protective shield formed and caught the attack. A cultist with an ornate staff swirled it around him, and above his head formed boiling storm clouds. With a cry he swung his staff towards Teclis and Nora, and a large gust of wind blew towards them, but it went around Teclis' shield and instead swirled around the mutated cultist. Two regular ones ran up and tossed him curved swords, and then he began to spin.

And spin.

And spin.

And spin.

And spin some more until he became a whirling tornado. Cultists with large shields came running up and took positions at different points near the tornado, and when it spun towards them they held up their shields and bounced the spinner off of them and towards Nora and Teclis. As he spun towards them a Cultist with a large mutated eagle charged, chin-punching Nora as his eagle clawed at Teclis's robes. Then the eagle flew high and flapped its wings, sending down a hail of bladed feathers. Teclis again deflected them, but some were picked up by weaponless cultists and others flew towards the tornado and were caught up in its spin. Nora swung her hammer, but the cultist-tornado shot out the feathers and lessened the force of her strike when she landed the blow. Already the sickles got a few slashes in, and the other cultists all rushed in; one threw a long spear with such force that, when another grabbed a hold of it, it sent him right into the midst of the High Elf and human. Another parried an attack from Teclis and kneeled for another to use his back as a stepping stone to get a slamming attack in. Teclis slammed his staff down, blasting back the cultists, and froze the ground beneath the tornado which caused him to spin out of control and toss his sickles into the air as he fell on his back. He tried to get up only for them to come back down and kill him. "Heh. Talk about a spinning death, right?" Nora said, to which Teclis groaned a little.

"Yeah, not my best. Maybe I should just leave them to Yang…"

"Nora! Stay close to me! It's time I end this!"

Then Teclis cried out "POWER WORD: KILL." and one of the cultists said "Power word what?" before she and all the others disintegrated instantly in a blinding flash of white light. Once it was gone, nothing remained. Sighing heavily, Teclis leaned on his staff and said "Well, that was… riveting. At least we've destroyed one nest of cultists." Nora looked at him with wide eyes and said "O-one?" The Loremaster nodded grimly and said "Indeed. Like cockroaches, they breed and spread quickly. They are also harder to kill than they are to find. Now, let us return to Cordovin and tell her of our triumph."

With that the two exited the complex only to run into Ruby and the others. "Nora! Teclis?! What in Sigmar's name…" Gillie began, but Teclis said "Forgive us if we've made you worry. Just clearing out a Tzeentchian cult lair."

"Yeah!" added Nora. "So it started when I went to ask Cordovin - that's the person in charge of the Atlas troops here - for a permit. She and Nelson were pretty rude and refused! But then Teclis showed up, Cordovin said to head here, we found and fought cultists. There was even a paper that seemed to know I was coming! Can you believe that?! There was also this giant eagle with bladed feathers, a four-armed human who spun like a tornado, and Teclis - ooohh, this is good - Teclis made all of them poof just like that!" She blew in Ren's face for some kind of emphasis, and everyone just tried to process what she just said. "Allow me to explain…" began Teclis, and he informed everyone of his version of events in the complex, along with Nora's, as they made their way to the base. There waiting was a put-out Nelsyrwe, and a slightly-impressed Cordovin (and Guard 1 and Guard 2). "Well, well. You've returned. So, what is your report?"

"Cultists." Nora said seriously. "I don't know what exactly they have planned, the only stuff of any worth were a few papers talking about this 'Highborn' and 'Changeling'. Along with a plan involving Yukibofu." Cordovin replied "Yukibofu? We've lost contact with that town weeks ago. We assumed it was a standard Grimm or Greenskin attack. Apparently not. Well… I suppose you've earned your permit. Now go and root out any more of these fiends! I shall prepare Argus for an assault." then she handed Nora a few slips of paper and marched off into the base. Nelsyrwe then said "Hmph. Look at you go. Well, I'm off to Sanctum." Jaune perked up and asked "Sanctum Academy? Pyrrha…" he paused. "Pyrrha's old school?" Nelsyrwe nodded and said "The very one. I've been forced to occasionally teach there, if only so the mortals here understand their plight. And the might and benevolence of the Asur, of course. Farewell." He then walked off with a final huff, and the others all gathered together.

"What now?" Ruby asked. "I'd say we do some more investigating." Gillie answered. The others nodded and each took a permit, but Teclis shook his head and said "I'm afraid I must leave you this time. As commander of Asur forces here, I must do my part in shoring up Argus's defenses. Until we meet again, friends!" Then he left as well, and soon the others split up to search the houses.

They had a lot of work to do, and it wasn't until the next day that significant progress was made.

Ruby was searching an out-of-the-way alley, feeling the walls and searching every nook and cranny, when she suddenly felt a stone feel a little outwards. She pressed it. It went in and clicked.

Then after a few seconds, Ruby leaned in to see what would happen, and promptly got smacked in the face and fell on her rear when the stone shot out again. "Ouch…" Ruby muttered as she rubbed her nose and dusted herself off. She glared at the stone before looking over the wall, and spotting more like the first. She pressed two, and the same thing happened. Getting an idea, Ruby used her Semblance to quickly press all of the buttons. It worked, and Ruby saw they made the shape of an evil, avian eye. The wall suddenly opened (just like an eye) and Ruby crept down into the dark. When she entered into a large well-lit room, she noticed a massive map of Argus with many writings, from defenses to number of people. And two words.

OUR SANCTUM

"RRRRRRRAAAAAAHHHH!" Suddenly she was set upon by four cultists donning bird masks. One grabbed her from behind and the other three charged her with weapons. Ruby used her Semblance and escaped just as the three cultists lunged, killing their comrade, then she leaped aside as one swung his axe at her. With Crescent Rose she hopped in the air, shot the cultist in the face, and used the recoil to land on the side of the wall and quickly bounce off of it to the second cultist, spinning around his neck until it was cut off. Then she was struck by lightning and slammed into the map. The final cultist raised his dagger, but Ruby shot a Gravity Dust bullet at the ceiling and caused the cultist to rise up. He quickly let go, but Ruby sliced him in half. Looking away from the carnage, Ruby searched the room for anything, and found details on Yukibofu. Greenskins have taken it, and are "waiting on us."... Interesting. Ruby turned and quickly left to inform a guard.

Elsewhere

Yukibofu was a town east-southeast of Argus, situated on a plain of snow, with a few mountains to the north and west. The winds, when they blew, were very cold and often caused mini blizzards on the town. But the people were hardy folk and endured.

Then the Cold Cuttas tribe came, and killed them all, placing them in deep-freezers and occasionally taking them out to eat.

"Brrrr! I always hated Mistral's northern bit. So annoyingly cold." Militia mumbled as she pulled her hood over her head. She and Melanie wore matching fur-lined coats, hers red and Melanie's white. Neo gave a small nod, wearing a less bulky (and not fur-lined) coat, with no hood and an ice-cream color. "You said it, dollface." Junior said, wearing a suit-and-tie jacket. "My feet are killing me, like they're gonna freeze off!"

"Hah! You people can easily off whoever ticks you off, but ya can't take the chill?" Roman laughed, wearing his same outfit. "What about you guys?" he asked, turning to team GRYN, Grumlock, Gazbag, and Umug. "We're fine." Gorlasg said. Gazbag added "Yeah! Dis ain't nuthin' like the cold up'n Naggaroth. Now dat place was COLD. Amirite?" No one responded. "Why're we here anyway? Aren't we trying to get this Relic your boss wants?" She turned to Grumlock, who shrugged and said "Wurrzag said dis was part o' the plan. OI! Freezy, Frozer! How's the plan comin' along?!" The two Ice Goblins ran over and said "Smoothly!"

"Dey won't be leaving here alive, for sure!" said Frozer.

"Then we take Argus, an' then we have a link 'tween us and Vale." said Freezy.

"Zoggin' right!" cried a voice. Wurrzag grinned behind his mask and said "Right then. Letz go over it again… Freezy n' Frozer, you and your ladz hide when they get 'ere, and jump 'em. Keep them from getting back to Argus till the signal. The rest o' youze, once they get here you sneak off to da city and krump it! But first…" His voice became more serious. "There's a git in da city that we need krumped now. He'll be in dere academy, yappin' his gob off. You'll know when ya see. Got it?" Everyone nodded, and Wurrzag stomped off.

Behind a large snow mound he changed back into his true robed form and flitted off into the coming snowstorm.

At the same time, back at Argus

Jaune meanwhile was lingering around Pyrrha's statue, mostly reminiscing, when he walked behind the statue and found an evil avian eye. "No.." he muttered. He got on one knee and examined it further. It was blue, the iris gold, and as Jaune's hand got closer it shimmered. He touched it, and it closed, suddenly opening up the statue as if it were cut in half, revealing a ladder into darkness. "No, no, no…!" Jaune said angrily. Who would dare use Pyrrha's statue like this?! He climbed down quickly, and walked down a blue-lit hallway into a small circle with four connecting rooms. Only one was closed. He busted it down and saw a glasses woman by a terminal. She looked up with fear and quickly held up her hands, saying "Wait! P-please! I'm… I'm forced to work here! I swear I'm not one of them!" Jaune lowered his sword and said "What's your name?"

"T-Terra Cotta."

Jaune walked past her and looked at her terminal. It was shut down. He looked at another, and another, but they were all the same. Suddenly the screens all turned white as blue words appeared, saying…

FORFEIT YOUR MINDS. THE ACCUMULATION OF KNOWLEDGE IS COMING.

"What…?" Jaune said, when behind him Terra raised a bludgeon and swung it down, only for Jaune to see her slight reflection in the screen fast enough to dodge. He raised his shield as she struck again, and tried to disarm her. But she attacked with such fury that he had no chance. He swung his sword and cut her across the stomach. She let out a cry and with both hands covered the wound, but still she laughed, saying "All is as He said. His Highness's final teaching… Lamp's Light… Coming Spring… We've danced to His tune well. How happy I am…" and then she fell, dead. Jaune processed her words in only a moment before his eyes widened and he raced out of the hideout with all speeds.

Sanctum Academy

"Ah! Mr. Nelsyrwe! Your class is waiting." a teacher said with a smile. Nelsyrwe just huffed and said "Yes, yes. Thanks." and brushed past into the classroom. All eyes turned to him, and he said "As you know, this will be my final teaching. But, let's begin with a question…"

He went to his small podium and gazed out at the 18 students before him.

"Change is a scary thing, isn't it?"

(Ending Authors Note: HMMMM! Things are picking up again! I hope this chapter rejuvenates you after the recent drought. And I'm truly thankful foryou all staying with this tale even when its author is gone for some time. Also, how did you like the fights? I've been watching RWBY critiques, and fan animations, and fanimation reviews, and using those I tried to make engaging fights using a lot of characters. While I won't promise to be constant with my updates, I will at least try to make them worthwhile to both myself and you.

Thank you for your viewership. Please review, follow, favorite, and share with others.

Goodbye, ya gits!)