Forests of Anima: The Following Day

It's the crack of dawn, the sun is visibly rising and the sounds of birds chirping are audible. Team RNJR is fast asleep in their colorful sleeping bags around the campfire that is now completely burned out. Across from them, Qrow Branwen is leaning against a tree for support as he sleeps sitting up, his decision to sleep against a tree is to have sights on RNJR and Link for the purpose of protecting them. His right hand covers his wound and his head is slumped over. As for Link, he remains in the exact same spot where he dropped down the previous night after Ruby had to raise her voice and inform the nosey Jaune, Nora and Ren as to why Link can no longer speak. Even without saying Pyrrha Nikos' name, the mere mention of her sent the silent huntsman into a state of shock and another battle in his head ensued shortly after. The mental battle leaves him frozen in place, even Ruby's comforting words were not able to help and bring Link back to reality. He sat with his back against the log, eyes wide open despite being extremely fatigued at the same time. Link's sleepless streak sadly continues as he does what Qrow intended to do, which was to keep watch the group, be on the lookout for the night and keep everyone safe

(,,,can't… sleep…) Link mutters to himself internally as he stares at the ground while occasionally looking up to make sure Ruby is okay and sleeping peacefully, this gives him a purpose to stay awake as opposed to before when he was trying to sleep for the sake of lacking sleep and resting well

"L-link?" Ruby's voice is heard loudly first in the ears and then courses through the head of the silent boy as her voice feels a screech, but in reality she whispers softly to not wake up anybody else and only addresses Link. "Why are you up so early?"

(...about… t-that...) Link shakes his head and thinks of the best way he can get his message across, by pointing at his eyes and showing Ruby that they are extremely red and strained from being up for multiple days

"Oh no... when was the last time you slept?" Ruby asks another great question, but continues to receive head shakes which gives her an idea of what the right answer might be. "Tell me Link, have you not slept since you were at my house?"

(...n-not quite…) He shakes his head for a third time but also proceeds to shrug his shoulders. This partially assures Ruby that at the very least Link has had sleep since the last time they were in the same room, but doesn't satisfy her as the exact answer is unclear

Suddenly, Lie Ren is wide awake and sits up rapidly, he looks around and notices Nora is still asleep along with Qrow while Link and Ruby are awake but Jaune sits up hesitantly and moves around very slowly, showing that he is groggy. The blonde huntsman with speech lets out a huge yawn and rubs his eyes as he too takes in the scene around the entire group

"W-wha… time?" Jaune struggles to speak but no more coherent words exit his mouth

"We should probably get moving. Jaune, everybody, let's get up." Ren mumbles and rises to his feet. "Someone should check on Qrow too while the rest of us pack up."

"Yeah yeah." Jaune manages to wake himself up despite being tired. Regardless of how worn out he is, getting to Haven is top priority and there is no time to waste especially when most of the group is awake and one of them is gravely injured

Everyone who is awake turns abruptly when Qrow begins coughing which tells them he is awake, it even wakes up Nora in the process. His coughs grow louder and each cough sounds worse than the previous one. Ruby quickly goes to her uncle's side and closely behind her is Link who moves like a zombie, showing obvious signs of struggle with his evident fatigue. But at the same time he looks perfectly capable as if he could go through another full day of walking, running, climbing, taking small breaks, exploring new villages, non-stop combat against humans, grimm, faunus', mercenaries, and serial killers. The final part of course is staying up all night once again, a cycle that Link already follows and repeats

"Are you okay Uncle Qrow?" Ruby bends over and reaches for the hand of her mentor and first teacher to move it off his midsection and analyze the damage, she wisely reaches for Qrow's elbow and grabs him by the shirt in order to move his hand

Qrow shakes his head at his niece when her hand touches his elbow; purple strains are visible on his bandage, which he continues to cover with his right hand. The unlucky huntsman lifts his left hand up to his mouth and covers it as he coughs even more. Qrow then slowly pulls his hand away and the sight is not a good one. His entire hand has a dark purple stain on it almost if it was mist or some sort of spray paint. The purple substance is everywhere which includes his fingers, wrist and even part of his forearm

"U-uncle Qrow?" Ruby's eyes widen and she gasps

"Well.." Qrow looks at his hand and then glances up at Ruby. "That's unfortunate." He groans and then lowers his head before going absolutely still

Land of Darkness: The Evernight Castle

Cinder Fall is seen in a large, empty room. Behind her is a pitch black hallway containing the doors to the entrance of the castle. On both sides of the room she is in, the walls have a low ledge that holds many candles. Cinder's side of the room has the burning white candles. While the candles on the other side of the room are burned out, in front of the burnt out candles are four Beowolves. The four creatures of grimm approach Cinder, perfectly moving in a semicircle formation, and the monsters are well coordinated. Cinder swings her non visible left arm weakly, moving like a beginner learning her first offensive attacks whilst fatigued after working a hard labor shift; the arm is perfectly concealed by her dress. Although her swing is weak, the fiery glow around her eye is strong as a slash of fire appears in front of her and swiftly cuts through the middle of all four Beowolves, with the grimm disintegrating away shortly after they are easily killed

"Grrr…" Cinder can only growl in frustration as her new maiden powers are proving difficult to adjust to after nearly being killed at the top of Beacon Academy due to the power of Ruby Rose's silver eyes

The new fall maiden struggles to breathe properly and even struggles to get herself upright, ultimately deciding to extend her time to rest in order to catch her breath. Unfortunately for her, she does not get the time she desires as heavy thumping footsteps approach from her left. The woman gasps and looks in the direction of the steps, it was not Emerald, Mercury, Arthur Watts, Hazel Rainart, Tyrian or Salem, but another creature of grimm. A giant creature known as a Beringel, a grimm not seen by your everyday huntsman. It leaps into the air and comes crashing down hard, ready to deliver a blow to the Cinder with its massive fist. The struggling woman pulls it together and swings her healthy and visible right arm in a slow manner too, which creates a ball of flame that blasts the Beringel and destroys it in mere seconds, it disintegrates like many of her victims. Cinder cannot bring herself to stay up this time and drops to her knees breathing heavily as soon as the grimm's body disappears

"I have seen enough."

The mythical Salem is heard as she walks forward while Cinder continues her ongoing struggle to breathe. Salem's skin is pale with dark purple lines streaking across her body that look like markings but could also simply be her veins coursing visibly throughout her body, or what's visible of her exposed skin. Her eyes are bright despite being dark and evil with blood red irises and jet black pupils

"Cinder… I thought you were the girl who wanted power. Did you lie to me? Because I will not be happy if I find out that the person I selected and trusted to become the Fall maiden is a fraud and a coward!"

"..." Cinder winces, the words of her leader cut deep but regardless of the accusation, she is determined to give her an affirmative response. Taking some time to catch her breath before looking up, Cinder turns to face Salem, and shakes her head

"That's what I thought. Then you must stop holding back. If you wish to master your new powers, you must never show signs of weak-!"

SLAM!

Salem's lecture is cut off by the sound of heavy doors opening which instantly lights up the pitch black hallway previously behind Cinder during her training moments prior. Tyrian Callows enters the castle in serious pain, he is sobbing profusely and also stumbling about. When he enters the room and notices Salem, the faunus falls down to his knees with both hands flat on the ground and his head bowed, his forehead merely inches from touching the stone floor

"Y-your grace…" Tyrian begins with soft and barely comprehensible words, "I'm sorry." He raises his head slightly to speak to himself, "She'll forgive me. Pleeese." He mumbles before definitively bowing his head one more time. "Forgive me..."

"TYRIAN!" Salem marches towards him and her eyes change from blood red to crimson, her anger rising when she does not see the dead or alive body of Ruby Rose with the faunus

Even Cinder rises from the floor behind and walks over to stand behind Salem, her eye widens when she also realizes what is happening. Tyrian rises so his body and head are picked up but he remains on his knees as his 'queen' looks down at him

"So…" Salem continues to walk until she is standing right before him, "Your task…" She begins to ask while she extends her right arm imposingly. "Were you successful?"

"N…" Tyrian shakes his head sadly. "N-no."

Cinder narrows her eye in frustration. Salem also looks surprised for a moment despite already knowing the answer she was going to receive. She too narrows her eyes and begins to walk away. Cinder and Tyrian watch their leader for a further reaction, perhaps a punishment even

"B-bu–!" Tyrian panics and begs as the faunus turns his body to face Salem, "But hope is not lost! You see, my tail, my stinger... I poisoned him, Qrow! I poisoned Qrow, ME! He will not be a problem to you any longer, not a single second longer, no longer!" He laughs but remains cautious of Salem. "I've done that... I did good, didn't I? Your Grace? Have I done well? Have I pleased you?"

"The last eye is blinded... you disappoint me." Salem does not speak another word and proceeds to walk away, but her presence is still required in the room

"Your Grace!" Tyrian wails. "There was more interference than just Qrow. I-I-! I did my very best for you I promise!"

"More interference you say? Who else was there?" Salem asks with slight intrigue but not enough of it to make her turn around or look at the desperate and pleading faunus who is on the verge of a tearful breakdown

"Three other Beacon brats were accompanying the little flower but I disposed of them with no issues. Qrow caused me s-some issues but I poisoned him with my stinger! And that should've been it! Ruby Rose should have been in my grasp!" Tyrian snickers momentarily. "But the troubles continued. Another stupid little brat appeared but he was much different than the rest of them. He was stronger and faster than a kid should be."

"What about him deems such high praise for a child? Are you warning us of something that will require me to change our plans?"

"N-no your grace!" Tyrian shakes his head and remains on his knees out of sheer embarrassment and lack of stability, "H-he! W-was a nuisance! B-but! No warnings at all! Just an annoying brat! He blindsided me!" The psychotic scorpion turns back and snarls at Cinder. "H-he was stronger than the brats who blindly listen to her!

Cinder frowns but does not respond to the insult by the weakened faunus. Although by what was just said… she knows exactly who Tyrian is referring to as this 'brat' who fought and held him off from taking Ruby and bringing her to Salem

"So… you were defeated by a young boy?" Salem frowns

"N-no! C-certainly not! My stinger was cut off! I-I-! I tactically retreated!"

"The boy, who is he? Since you felt the need to say he is stronger than Emerald and Mercury, therefore INSULTING the people fighting for a new world alongside me." Salem snaps

"F-forgive me y-your grace!" Tyrian cowards back down to the floor. "H-his name is Link! That is all I know of him."

"Is he anyone we need to concern ourselves with? Is he someone we know?" Salem turns around to glare at Tyrian and Cinder

Tyrian shakes his head but does immediately extend his arm to point a finger and assign the blame to Cinder, who takes a step back and remains quiet

"..." Cinder balls up her right hand and nods her head at a snail's pace

"So you do know him?" Salem narrows her eyes. "Very well then, now you have two people you must get rid of. The girl who did this to you, Ruby Rose. And whoever this boy Link is, who prevented Tyrian from completing his mission. He may be a nuisance but he will just be another sacrificial pawn to fall…"

"..." Cinder says nothing, she listens and when Salem is done speaking, the fall maiden nods her head

Salem does not say another word to Tyrian or Cinder and walks away. The faunus drops his face onto the concrete and wails even louder. A Beowolf approaches and seemingly walks past Cinder, its focus is on Tyrian's negative emotions as he sheds physical tears due to his failure and disappointment of Salem. The beowolf ignores Cinder and leaps at Tyrian with every intention to maul and kill him. Tyrian whips around and swats it away with a single blow coming from his broken tail as if the beowolf was an insect. Whilst still crying, Tyrian's wrist blades expand and the faunus returns the favor by leaping on top of the Beowolf. He slashes at it repeatedly, with tears streaming down his cheeks. His cries gradually go from tears of sadness to psychotic laughter as he vents his frustration and takes his anger out by butchering the creature of grimm. Cinder watches, horrified as Emerald and Mercury soon enter the frame and stand by her, they had assumed something else was happening but when they see what's truly unfolding, both of the teenagers turn to Cinder for answers

"..." Cinder leans over and whispers in Emerald's ears, detailing the interaction that just came to a conclusion, including everything along with telling her why Tyrian is so angry, sad and repeatedly beating an already dead beowolf

"So what is it?" Mercury asks

"Tyrian couldn't get her… Ruby's uncle was there to stop him." Emerald mumbles

"That's it? That's why we're so upset?" Mercury gestures to both Cinder and Tyrian

"She brought her idiotic friends from Beacon and it was more than just Qrow. Our old business associate Link was looming around and stepped in just as Tyrian poisoned Qrow, defeated the stupid friends and was going to take Ruby and bring her here." She shakes her head and closes her eyes. "That guy just won't stop now will he? His persistence is pitiful but also getting on my last nerve."

"Looks like we are going to have to stop Link ourselves so we can finally get rid of him." Mercury balls up his right hand and slams his fist into his left palm with a determined look on his face. "I'm tired of that punk, if he's looking for revenge then all he's going to get is a slow painful death whenever I am done with him."

"Right." Emerald nods, smirking evilly. "All of them will meet their demise with slow, painful deaths if they dare get in our way."

Cinder walks in front of them and turns to face both Emerald and Mercury. She nods at what they say and then proceeds to turn around and walk away. The loyal duo nod at each other, follow their leader and leave Tyrian in the room alone to brutally kill more grimm with excessive strikes and maniacal laughter

Forests of Anima: Team RNJR campsite

"O-oh no, he's completely unconscious. What are we gonna do?!" Ruby panics and her hands tremble with fear

"Freaking out isn't a way to deal with anything." Jaune speaks and rubs his chin to think. "We could take turns carrying him, with Link here it'll be more efficient too, we are less likely to get tired plus Ruby and Nora won't have to do any lifting."

(...no!) Link shakes his head angrily simply due to hearing Jaune's voice but he does prove to make a good point when he points at Qrow's midsection and hand

"I don't follow." Jaune tilts his head in confusion

"My best guess is he's saying we shouldn't have direct contact with that purple substance." Ren mumbles. "If all it takes is a graze for it to spread completely throughout Qrow's body, even touching it could be lethal."

"I got it." Jaune snaps his fingers and smiles widely. "A makeshift stretcher, we have a tarp he can lay flat on and we can use some wood for the handles and have two of us carrying Qrow at a time."

"That's a great idea. I'll get the wood!" Nora runs off with her mallet Magnhild without hesitation and races into the woods

"Good, while she does that. Let's carefully lay Qrow flat on the ground. Try not to even touch his skin, I'd go for his shoulders and feet as reference points. One of you look for rope since we need to anchor the tarp to the wood with something." Jaune directs Ren, Ruby, and Link with finger snaps and clapping with his hands

Ruby and Link both work together to move Qrow from his current position of slouching against a tree trunk, Ruby walks over next to her uncle and grabs him by the shoulders while Link slowly pulls at his feet. He is careful and moves Qrow slowly so that he doesn't hit his head on the tree or against the ground in a violent way. Meanwhile, Ren handles the other task Jaune set out and has no problem finding rope inside the backpacks he, Jaune, Nora, and Ruby brought with them.

"This is definitely enough to tie everything together, we just have to cut it up and make about four or six anchor points." Ren nods

(...rope?... wood?... tarp?) Link sighs loudly to express his disapproval of the makeshift stretcher idea but at the same time he does not have an idea of his own so there is no point in trying to dispute it

"Wait a second…" Jaune stares directly into Link's eyes. "The answer could be you, Link.. The aura transferring thing you can do, wouldn't that help in the slightest? You can use it to strengthen your attacks or replenish someone's aura, any chance it can heal up someone who's been poisoned?"

Ruby happily smiles momentarily and even Ren looks over with a sign of hope. Them, along with Jaune all stare at Link, waiting for a verbal response or a gesture of some kind to answer them

(...not bad… but… no…) Link does not string anybody along and promptly shakes his head to inform the trio part of team RNJR that he cannot help heal Qrow

"Well why can't you give it a shot?" Jaune steps forward but not in an aggressive way, he extends and offers his arms willingly for Link. "We won't know for sure if we don't try."

"No." Ren shakes his head as he cuts rope in perfect segments. "If Link says it's no good then it's best we don't drain you of your aura Jaune. The last thing we need is for this to not work and then you become too fatigued to even walk. We cannot afford to carry two people, it will set us back too much time."

"I guess you're right…" Jaune sighs and walks away from Link in favor of helping Ren with the rope

The four of them, after doing everything they possibly can, eventually sit down and patiently bide their time as minutes passes whilst waiting for Nora to return with wood thin and long enough to fit their needs, all attention turns to Link who looks out of it mentally but is there physically when he needs to be

"You should take a nap while Nora is gone, you'll need all your strength." Ren mumbles

(...don't... worry... about... my... strength...) Link nods at the advice given to him with grace

"He…" Ruby sighs sadly as most of her attention falls on her uncle but the concern for her friend also weighs heavily on her. "He hasn't slept in a long time. Now that I think about it, I don't even know how you had the strength to fight that Tyrian guy or follow us the whole time. We took so many breaks, that must have been torture for you, Link. To try and sleep but you just can't."

"Yeah that just sounds like the worst." Jaune says with the most sarcastic tone possible

(...I swear…) Link stands up and glares at Jaune, his cold and lifeless eyes slowly begin to squint

"What?" Jaune also stands up, not showing fear unlike the previous night. "You finally got something to say?"

"JAUNE!" Ren's eyes grow wide. "That isn't funny."

"Who said I was joking?"

"Can you all just be quiet?!" Ruby snaps and points at her unconscious uncle. "I know everyone has something to say that just needs to come out eventually but NOW is not the time for that. We need to get to Haven or Mistral and get help for my uncle Qrow. Then we can air out all our grievances."

"..." Link nods in approval and blindly points with his left hand towards the forest, on cue it is Nora and she's. The hyper active huntress runs back with two perfectly large and somewhat crooked piece of wood

"Oh is that why you stood up, you saw Nora coming?" Jaune sheepishly laughs. "A-anyway, that's perfect Nora, it'll do. Ren set it up, Ruby and Link get ready to move Qrow again."

Ren doesn't respond but quickly gets to work. In the meantime, Nora helps by grabbing one of Qrow's shoulders while Ruby grabs the other. Link grabs his feet and the three easily move him closer to Ren, who seems to be having some trouble

"Is something wrong, Ren?" Nora asks with genuine concern for her close friend

"Yes, it is not a major problem but it will hinder us. The rope, it's not holding on that well and I'm afraid when we put Qrow on it, it'll just break and our efforts will be futile." Ren whispers

"Nobody happens to have to have stronger rope, right?" Nora chuckles nervously

"Try harder." Jaune shakes his head in disapproval. "We can't just take turns carrying him on our backs because Ren and Link are right, even touching that purple stuff could get us all killed before we even get to Mistral."

"..." Link walks over and checks out Ren's work, observing that the knots could be tighter but even still the rope would not hold up long enough for the entire trip

"Any ideas?" Ruby asks, her eyes are teary and she continues to shake. "P-please tell me you have something in mind."

(...yes!) Link nods when he hears Ruby's desperation and reaches into his pouch of projectiles, pulls out six throwing knives and rapidly stabs each one through the rope and wood, reinforcing the support for the stretcher

"Thank you!" Ruby leans over and pushes her shoulder into Link's playfully

"Excellent word." Ren smiles

"That sure is one way to do it." Nora smirks. "Alright guys, ready?"

Ruby and Link nod with Nora as Ren steps back and watches the three of them carefully touch Qrow again before lifting the injured huntsman off the ground and swiftly moving him onto the red fabric, making the transition easy and safe too

"Good job everybody. Now then, we have an even longer journey ahead of us due to this setback, but we should be getting to Mistral any time now. This should be the final stretch before we can finally have a normal way of living, an actual bed to sleep in rather than the ground, and some proper food to eat. We've come all this way, not all of us were together this journey started but what matters is we are together now." Jaune speaks like a true leader would, showing the potential that Pyrrha always saw in him. "Before we start moving, we should designate who's going to carry Qrow today and who is going to do it tomorrow. Any volunteers? I will take my name out of the hat because I volunteer to go first today, so that covers one spot."

"Hmm..." Nora thinks carefully before voicing her opinion. "We do need someone walking in front and behind the two of us who carry Qrow for cover and luckily now we have an extra person. The fastest and strongest should be covering us. So who's the strongest? I want everyone's opinions too because my mind is set already."

With Qrow injured that rules him out and almost immediately, Ruby, Ren and Nora turn their attention to Link who does not seem fazed, happy or any type of way as a matter of fact, he just nods and accepts his role

"H-him?" Jaune asks as he narrows his eyes

"Well duh. You saw how he handled that weirdo Tyrian…" Nora laughs before she lowers her head in shame. "Now compare that to how we fared against him."

"That guy had the element of surprise on us." Jaune shakes his head. "And then Link had the element of surprise on Tyrian."

"Fine Jaune, do we really have to put it to a vote then?" Nora frowns. "We don't have time to argue right now!"

"Okay fine." Jaune rolls his eyes. "Who's the fastest?"

Without hesitation, all eyes turn to Ruby who keeps her head and looking at Qrow who is still out cold. She doesn't even turn her head to look at Link, Jaune, Nora or Ren and her mind is set on what she must to do help the group during their next steps on this journey

"No offense guys, I'm just not here right now." Ruby sniffs loudly and wipes her eyes. "Ren you're just as fast as me when my semblance isn't activated. I can help Jaune carry my uncle Qrow."

"Very well then." Ren nods. "Nora and I can walk at the front of the group and Link can be at the back, it's a solid formation to ensure we don't get attacked from the front or the back. With the extra eyes we should also see anything and anyone coming from afar."

All five huntsmen and huntresses look at one another to see if anybody has any objections to Jaune and Ren's plan but everyone nods in agreement and there is not a single head that shakes in disapproval

Atlas: Schnee Residence

Coinciding with the word makeshift, Weiss Schnee is in her new practice room, after moving furniture and clearing out plenty of space for herself as a result of her father banishing her from even exiting her room to trap her in Atlas. The former heiress to the Schnee Dust Company holds her signature rapier, Myrtenaster by the handle and with the blade inches away from her face. Weiss takes a step back before performing a twirl, within seconds a stream of blue and white light coming from the tip of her sword. She drops to one knee when her twirl is over, Myrtenaster touches the pristine floor of her room tip first. It does not take very long for a enormous summoning glyph to appear, followed by a bright white sword with an equally bright blue outline around it that belongs to the partially summed Arma Gigas that saved Weiss and her friends from at Atlesian Paladin during the fall of Beacon. The handle and first segment of the sword slowly but steadily begin to emerge and Weiss closes her eyes in order to fully concentrate, having no clue what will happen next if she manages to summon her previous enemy turned ally entirely. The summoning glyph and sword of the Armed Gigas proves to be powerful enough for a small wind form and it begins to move the hair around her face. Weiss grabs onto her sword with all her might but despite her best efforts to practice with the limited resources she has and no instructor such as Winter to guide her, a voice interrupts and promptly puts an end to her training…

"Hello, sister." Whitley Schnee speaks with a snarky tone and a smirk on his face. He props up shoulder first on the frame of her now open door that was previously closed, the entitled Schnee watches intently despite having zero interest in his sisters incredible talents

"Ugh…" Weiss frowns as her brothers voice breaks her concentration, which leads to the sword shattering and disappearing, the glyph too fades away shortly after. "Leave. I am really not in the mood to deal with you today brother." She speaks coldly and without turning to acknowledge her younger brother

"How hurtful. Despite your brashness here I am, about to offer you a favor. You see, father is taking me into town to introduce me to some of his business partners. I figured being the good little brother I am, I'd come by and see if you wanted me to pick up anything for you of course. Food, clothes, jewelry, anything of your choosing." Whitley smirks. "Since you are... well, stuck here for the foreseeable future."

"I don't need anything from you. And you just happened to stop by exactly when I was beginning to practice? What a coincidence? What are the chances of that?" Weiss says with the nasty frown still plastered on her face as she gets back up to her feet and faces her brother at last. "You really did pick this time to bother me, that must mean something. Don't tell me… are you jealous? Is that it?"

"Hm?" Whitley raises an eyebrow, her question intrigued him. "Whatever do you mean?

"I think I figured it out. Despite the fact that you have been father's favorite since the moment I enrolled in Beacon, you still want me to be miserable. Which also explains why you never liked Winter. Is that why you hate me? Are you jealous of my abilities? Of Winter's abilities?" Weiss scoffs but also has a look of remorse. "I hope you do know it's never too late to become a huntsman yourself, you'll just be behind everyone for a few years but being in Atlas, you would be training at the best combat academies Remnant has to offer."

"Hmm…" Whistley rolls his eyes, "Jealous? No, not really." He steps away from his sister's door frame with the only aura coming from him being sheer arrogance. "Honestly, I find it barbaric. It's beneath people like father and especially people like me. What can a single huntsman possibly do that an army cannot? That's why we have one, even if it is run by a fool. Being a huntsman is probably one of the last things I would do, besides being poor and sleeping on the dirt."

"Ugh you are something else you know that?!" Weiss shakes her head but then some of the words her brother says cause her to experience a rapid surge of confidence. "You said 'what can a single huntsman possibly do that an army cannot?' Really now?" Weiss is now the one with a smirk on her face. "I know of multiple huntsman that can do what an army cannot. As a matter of fact, I am one hundred percent confident I know of at minimum one specific huntsman that do what an entire army cannot."

"Yes yes sister, we have all read 'The Twilight Demon' about a dangerous boy who single handedly took out an entire village and an army of alleged Atlas soldiers. And I do understand that Atlas also lost a large number of soldiers which coincides with the book but it is all a myth." Whitley dismisses the reference. "Soldiers come and go, the strong survive and the weak die. That's what happened to them, they were NOT all killed by a single person, maybe for the armed forces of other regions sure but not Atlas, we have the best military in the world."

"Right, you keep telling yourself that." Weiss shakes her head at her brother's delusion and denial. "I learned a lot during my time at Beacon that was more than just combat related information. They also taught me a lot about history, I know what happened to inspire that book and I know the truth too."

"Please, what could you know that the idiot General doesn't? Wait a second... I get it now!" Whitley evilly giggles, clearly amused, "Our dear eldest sister fed you bad information, that's what really happened." The sinister younger brother laughs. "It's okay Weiss, you can't always trust family and you'll learn to believe that soon enough, but clearly not now."

"Plenty of students at Beacon could defeat our army." Weiss is next to dismiss words said by her sibling and she does so by completely ignoring Whitley's negative comments. "Pyrrha Nikos who died the day Beacon fell could do it. Yang Xiao Long, my teammate and friend could do it especially if anyone upsets her. There is also Link, he could-!"

"How did Beacon come out of that battle then? Surely all those amazing huntsmen and huntresses you named saved the day right? Oh riiight… that is so embarrassing for you." Whitley furrows his eyebrows, "I have also had enough of hearing that degenerate's name, is he your boyfriend?" Whitley smiles. "Oh dear sister, your standard of men is terrible and someone of your caliber should not even consider a complete nobody like him for-!"

"Of course you of all people would go there." Weiss rolls her eyes and with a strong tone cuts off her brother. "Figures, when you're backed up into a corner you have to strike low because that is what pathetic scum does."

"Me? Scum?!" Whitley marches forward, but quickly backs off when Weiss tightens the grip on her sword. "Threatening to use your huntress abilities on family now? How shameful. Fine I see how it is, but don't you dare call me scum and then reference people who die for a foolish cause like protecting Beacon or worse someone who looked pathetic in their tournament match... which was basically all of you."

"WHAT?!" Weiss angrily stomps her foot when Whitley insults Pyrrha and quite frankly all huntsmen and huntresses, including herself. "You were watching? What happened to 'barbaric' and beneath you?"

"Trust me, it is far beneath me but avoiding the disaster that was the Vytal Festival was impossible. It was everywhere and that's all anybody would talk about. Your friend Link is the real pathetic one here. He looked like an absolute amateur in his fights, pure luck is how he won anything. If anyone is pathetic it is him and if you seriously want to tell me that someone like him can defeat any army, let alone an Atlas army then forget about being a receptionist or a disgraced heiress. Your career choice surely must be to become a comedian." Whitley scoffs and confidently marches forward... for two steps. "The more I hear you singing his praises, the more it disgusts me! A Schnee is far above fighting nobodies like a little puppet for entertainment, praising and defending horrific places like Beacon or Vale that fell because they are pathetic, and interacting or befriending with people like Link. He's a joke."

"What did I tell you about saying his name again?" Weiss growls angrily. "I said, leave. This is your second last chance."

"Okay, fine. I've got better things to do anyway." Whitley turns around, chuckles and walks away. "Enjoy your... training, although I must let you know it is very pointless."

At the door, Whitley turns around, determined to get one more final say and really get in Weiss' head as a sadistic and egotistical megalomaniac would

"What is your plan, anyway? What do you hope to accomplish while trapped in your own bedroom? Are you just going to train away until you become the most incredible self taught huntress in the world? Or do you expect your friends to come in here and break you out as if you were some trapped princess waiting for her knight in shin-!"

A black glyph appears on Weiss' door, the glyph promptly shuts the door in Whitley's face before he can get another word out of his mouth

"As much as I want to teach him a lesson, I don't want to strike you brother." Weiss shrugs, "Although I wish Link would, that would be a sight to see and he would not think twice about doing it when you are disrespecting me, him, Pyrrha, and the rest of Beacon."

Weiss lowers her rapier, inhales deeply, but when she exhales a loud sigh exits her mouth. Nevertheless, she resumes her training by repeating the same sequence with her twirl, dropping to one knee and stabbing Myrtenaster into the ground. The big white glyph appears and this time Weiss looks at the portrait of the Arma Gigas on the wall to give herself a better visual of what exactly she needs to summon. The summoning glyph glows brightly and spins faster whilst she continues…

Forests of Anima: Later in The Day

The landscape is now very dreary and lifeless as team RNJR and Link continue walk carefully but as fast as they can too, something they have been doing for several hours. Ruby and Jaune Arc carry Qrow on the makeshift stretcher that has not broken or torn thanks to Ren and Link's efforts when putting it together. Despite their silence, it's Ruby who can be heard breathing heavily as she looks down at her uncle, who is now awake at least. Ren is in front of the entire group and leading the way with his bladed machine guns StormFlower in hand. Meanwhile, Nora is right behind him but also in the front and leading the way with her closest friend. She also wields her weapon Magnhild but not in its mallet state, rather in its grenade launcher form. Jaune says nothing as he holds one part of the stretcher with all his strength and his back turned to Ruby, who holds the other side. Behind her is Link with only his shield in his right hand, he looks calm and not worried about any incoming danger. Lastly is Qrow and while he may be awake, the injured huntsman groans in pain and is very delirious

"Tai. She's not... coming…" Qrow grunts as he reaches for the air, in his head however it is Taiyang Xiao Long.

"Just hold on, Uncle Qrow." Ruby says worriedly

"Tai! TA-!" The shouting from the injured huntsman stops but it is replaced by repeated coughs which to everyone is not a better alternative

"He's getting worse guys, we need to find Mistral or another village as fast as we can." Jaune speaks quietly

"How much farther? Does anybody know?" Ruby asks frantically

"We've gotta be close, Ren?" Nora glances to her left but her teammate does not look back

"Without the map, there's no way of knowing. But I feel like we're close to something." Ren speaks with dejection

(...the… map?) Link confidently reaches for his back, knowing he has the stolen map from team RNJR when Ruby and Jaune willingly dropped it at Shion. But his eyes widen with shock when he feels nothing and now grasps that he lost it. The boy thinks back and retracts his steps before it hits him exactly when. It was all the way back in the abandoned village of Oniyuri, when he took off his cloak to battle Tyrian. During that sequence is when the map must have gotten blown free from his belt. Regrettably, it is now definitely gone as it was already not in the most secure place for a piece of paper. (...damn…)

"H-hey! Why are we stopping?" Ruby asks as she almost crashes and stumbles onto her injured uncle when the people in front of her slow down, the girl struggles to see in front of her. And this is due to Jaune, who blocks the path with his body

"Ren?"

Jaune proceeds to ask as well when everybody now comes to a complete stop because of Ren, who holsters his bladed machine guns and runs at what he sees. What he sees is a sign of hope as it happens to be a wooden signpost with multiple arrows going in different directions

"What is it? Is it helpful?" Ruby asks again but gets no immediate response

The arrow pointing in their direction comes from the direction of Higanbana, where team RNJR just spent the night not too long ago. Oniyuri is not mentioned in the slightest, but the villages that are on the signpost are Kuchinashi and Mistral which are to the right, a land that trails upwards and into mountainous terrain. To the left is a village named Kuroyuri, but its name is crossed out, indicating that is it abandoned or perhaps destroyed. The path in that direction is low and the ideal way to travel seeing as team RNJR and Link are carrying an incapacitated person with them

"Hey, check it out guys! Mistral! We're on the right path!" She cheerfully jumps for joy but notices Ren's head is down and follows his gaze, he looks at the crossed out Kuroyuri sign. "Oh…"

"Does it say how close?!" Ruby calls out, hoping to finally get an answer as she and Jaune set Qrow down, run to the signpost, and take a look at what Ren and Nora are looking at. Link stays nearby Qrow, figuring the conversation didn't involve him anyway as team RNJR simply has to pick a trail to follow

"No but there's another problem. It looks like the path to Mistral takes us up the mountains." Ren shakes his head but sets his sights on Mistral regardless of the situation they are in

"Guys…" Jaune looks behind him. "I don't know if all of us can make that climb."

"O-okay." Ruby looks back at Qrow as well with major concern. Then she rushes forward to the signpost, desperate for an alternative. "Well, what about this place? K-ku... Kuro… Kuroyuri? Can we get help there?"

"No." Ren's head remains looking down at the ground. "That village was destroyed years ago."

"But if it takes us around the mountains, it's the best bet we've got." Jaune places a hand on Ren's shoulder, trying to assure him the passage through Kuroyuri is the correct and safer one. "Is everyone set on that?"

"No." Ren speaks sternly. "It will take too long."

"The town would have had a doctor, right?" Ruby looks to Ren, who seems to know about this village. "Maybe we could scavenge for medicine or perhaps we-!"

"We're not going to find anything!" The frustrated and usually quiet huntsman angrily cuts off Ruby. "We just have to press on!"

Ruby nervous yelps and Jaune is stunned at Ren's sudden attitude. There is just a brief moment of silence that feels like ages. The silver-eyed girl clutches her hands against her chest as she nervously watches Ren, who now has his fists balled up and now raises his head to glare at Ruby and Jaune.

(...bad… idea...) Link draws his sword, raises his shield and walks in between the foursome. He divides them when he gets in a defensive stance, with Ruby and Jaune behind while Ren and Nora stand in front of him now

"L-link no!" Ruby extends her hand to reach for him

The sad voice of the distressed huntress only makes Link widen his stance and further cover her, the angry look on Ren's face does not help diffuse the situation at all as the tension rises to its peak

"Hey!" Nora frowns but soon realizes why Link has just stepped in when she sees Ruby's worried expression, along with Ren's anger

"Ren." Jaune clears his throat. "Why are you acting like this? Is something about this village kuro-!"

"We can split up!" Nora shouts to cut off Jaune and promptly gets close to Ren in order to calm him down

(...that... will... work) Link nods and eases up on his stance until he is standing normally again

"H-huh?" Ruby lets out a sad cry. "You're joking right? Please say you are joking."

"No, it's what we must to ensure our journey is successful. Ren and I can cut through the mountains." Nora puts her hand on Ren's shoulder while she takes over deciding where the group travels. "While you, Jaune and Link take Qrow around the mountains and through the village."

"No no no no no!" Jaune shakes his head and wags his index finger side to side. "We are NOT splitting up, we're supposed to stick together! We are supposed to keep each other safe!"

"We don't have time for safe!" Nora shakes her head, "If we make it to Mistral, we'll bring back help! If we don't, at least we'll have a better view of the land!" She nods affirmatively. "Up there, we can see if there's somewhere else we can go for help and race back down to catch up with you guys!"

Ren doesn't say a word but he does turn and look at Nora. They exchange weak smiles that radiate affection and assurance. Whilst still looking in his eyes, Nora drops her hand from Ren's shoulder. The five former students go silent, with four of them feeling the weight of the choice they must make. Their silence is then interrupted by Qrow's coughs, making them all turn in concern. RNJR and Link know they must act fast and now, the journey must not stop for another moment

"Okay then." Jaune looks at Ruby before turning to Nora and Ren and giving them firm nods

"Yes." Ren nods and urgently opens his arms to Jaune, despite the tension from earlier that will not interfere with their friendship

"Make sure to take care of each other, okay?" Jaune steps forward and happily hugs his friend as they are about to part ways. The blonde squeezes the tightness of his hug to really show Ren how much he cares

"We always have. We've known each other and have been together for... forever now. Well not 'together together' but you catch my drift." Nora smiles

"I guess we should decide who Link is going with, right?" Jaune asks. "We can't exactly have him walking down the middle."

With no questions and discussions needed, Link takes a few steps back and stands next to Ruby, making his choice clear. Ren and Nora do not object as they stand still and watch as on the path to Kuroyuri their friends go. Jaune and Ruby go back and lift Qrow up once more before returning back to the signpost. Having scrambled to run back and return as quickly as possible, they inadvertently switch spots. Ruby is at the front of the stretcher with her back turned and she grips the wood with her arms extended behind her. Jaune is grabbing the back of the stretcher, with clear vision of potential enemies or grimm in front of him that Link or Ruby may not be able to notice. The two former leaders of their own teams turn to Nora and Ren, who are on the path through the mountains on their way to Mistral. Ruby nods at both of them, Nora waves back happily. Ren turns and nods at only Ruby and Jaune, he does not intentionally ignore Link but it is due to the latter choosing not to turn and face Ren. The previously angry huntsman looks back one more time, and then sprints away on the trail that immediately elevates. Nora jolts in shock and follows closely behind, determined to keep her companion safe

"They're gonna be fine, Jaune." Ruby confidently speaks, offering words of comfort for Jaune, who continues to look in the direction Ren and Nora went, even long after they are completely out of his sight

"You don't know that." Jaune lowers his head and sighs

Ruby turns forward, her expression is pure sadness again. In spite of her sadness, seeing Link walk in front of them with his sword and shield out, knowing that he is ready to do anything and everything possible to keep her safe comforts her enough to get rid of the sadness, however temporary it may be

"We will get to Mistral and who knows maybe we can beat Nora and Ren there, wouldn't that be cool, Jaune?"

"Heh." Jaune nods. "Yeah that would be pretty cool and neat. That would secure us unlimited bragging rights since our path is the long way."

"Exactly." Ruby smiles. "I know both of us are going to make it to Mistral perfectly safe. But if anyone is going to be fine out of both of our groups, WE will be fine."

(...yes…) Link does not turn back but does give both Ruby and Jaune an assuring nod as he leads the way for the worried red haired girl and the concerned yet still disgruntled blonde, neither of them respond with words but show their appreciation with nods in return

(Additional note: Chapter 4 was been revamped if anyone is interested in a re-read, feel free to check it out. My next priority will be to work on chapters 5 and 6 or perhaps just 5, we will see. For those wondering if I will take 100 years to make the next chapter, I already have a quarter of chapter 42 in the works. Thank you for the kind words and increased support and have an amazing day everybody!)