Chapter 5: Training Arc

"I feel like this building could collapse if I glare at it too hard." Weiss said.

Yang shrugged. That much was true. The quandary with getting everyone to spend time together right now was that both Jaune's training and Ruby's catch-up work had to be considered. Also, putting Weiss in situations where she was forced to confront her prejudices was preferred. It's not like they could all just go to a movie.

Instead, Yang had brought RWBY and JNPR to a halfway house in Vale's Faunus Quarter that went by the simple name of Shelter. Their main goal was helping displaced Faunus get back on their feet, whether that meant housing or employment. While Vale had made greater strides towards human-Faunus equality than Mistral or Atlas, the Winchester family still had far too much influence for it to ever not be a metaphorical running battle. "Yeah..." Yang said, "They probably haven't had the money to do repairs for a while."

Pyrrha pulled down the hood on the hoodie she had worn to conceal her identity. They didn't need the paparazzi turning this endeavor into a photo op. "Yang, they do know we're coming, right?"

"Sure do!" Yang said, flashing a thumbs up to Pyrrha. "I made sure to call ahead and ask if they needed help today."

Blake cleared her throat, "Do they know... that we're coming?"

Yang had managed to catch on to how to listen between the lines when Blake asked questions. It was intriguing, really. "Nope! Didn't want there to be trouble with the press trying to get an interview with Pyrrha or whatever."

Weiss became very still, almost brittle. "So, they have no idea that I am about to walk in that door?"

Nora snickered. "What's the matter, Ice Queen? Afraid they'll give you crap for raising Dust prices, killing their jobs unless they move to Atlas and sign away their lives to the SDC's mining division, raising Dust prices, paying off local law enforcement to break up protests that target the SDC, raising Dust prices..."

Ren shook his head. "Nora, you've mentioned rising Dust prices three times."

"Let me cope!"

Weiss made a mental note to ask Nora what kind of Dust she used in her grenades, because she was certain that pink was a non-standard color of Dust. "I suppose we shouldn't keep them waiting."

Blake rolled her eyes and pushed through the double doors into the reception area. A Faunus of large stature behind the desk recognized her instantly. "Blake? Is that really you?" He asked in a deep voice.

"It's good to see you again, Ferdinand." Blake said. "We hear you need a little assistance around the shelter."

"You- Oh, you're at Beacon then? With-" He cut himself immediately when he saw who was with Blake. "Pyrrha Nikos... and Weiss Schnee?"

"Hello again!" Pyrrha said cheerily.

Weiss's features could've been cast in this porcelain. "It's... an honor to make the acquaintance of a... colleague of Blake's."

Yang clapped Weiss on the shoulder. "Hey, you weren't accidentally racist, you're getting better already!"

Ferdinand shot a look at Blake, "Has to unlearn what she's learned, eh?"

Weiss recognized the line from some of Ghira Belladonna's writings. "Yes, yes I do."

Ferdinand nodded at her. "Alright then. Here's what's on the docket today, kids. We've got a crap ton of firewood that needs chopping for one. Most of our kitchen staff called in sick today, and someone's got to make dinner. Finally, we have a slight... medical emergency."

Ruby immediately slipped into leader mode. "What happened?"

Ferdinand scratched at one of his bull horns. "Ol' Rusty got a job out at Valean Arms's steel mill, but his foreman still holds on to old hurts. Rusty got some nasty burns but wasn't allowed to go immediately for medical care. Now he's got to back tomorrow, and he ain't healed up."

Weiss stepped forward, "If my first aid training is correct, some Ice Dust compresses should sort him out. I've brought some with me."

"I'll go with you." Blake said.

Weiss nodded. She was glad to have Blake with her to potentially help her avoid any... mistakes.

Ren pointed to himself and Nora. "We'll handle the cooking."

"I'm afraid you might find our cupboards a bit lean." Ferdinand said apologetically.

Ren smiled. "That won't be an issue. I'm used to... meager means, shall we say." Nora sighed in exasperation. She wanted her friends to know their story- Hell, Pyrrha basically knew it already! But Ren... it still haunted him. He hid it well behind a mask of quiet charisma and sharp wit. But she knew better. Even still, he had asked her not to tell a soul, so she didn't.

Heedless of Nora's internal monologue, Ferdinand moved right along. "And for the rest of you, it's wood chopping time!"

Yang grinned and winked at Jaune. "Make sure you don't look too close, Ladykiller. You might fall in love."

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Yang, you look too much like my sisters for me to fall for you."

Yang glanced at Ruby. Her expression was an odd combination of confusion and utter betrayal. She knew it. Her sister always wore her heart on her sleeve. She shook her head, more to assuage Ruby's concerns than anything else.

Then she made the mistake of looking at Pyrrha. It wasn't quite a glare, or anger. But it was a stare that many an opponent of Pyrrha Nikos had seen moments before their defeat. And in this context the meaning was clear.

Back off.

Yang shrugged it off and laughed. Played it off as a joke. But if she knew one thing about the powder keg that Jaune didn't even know he was sitting on, it was that sooner or later it would end in tears for someone.

Jaune was in hell.

Not because of the woodcutting. That was simple. Heck, he'd done that a bunch back home, it was just now that he had come to see how it could apply to his training. Edge alignment, physical coordination and conditioning, and what have you.

Unfortunately, no one had mentioned the psychological torture he would have to endure. No one he told him that he would have Ruby and Pyrrha doing the same thing next to him. They were wearing tank tops.

He knew academically that Pyrrha was gorgeous. Who didn't? But there was knowing, and then there was knowing.

But then there was Ruby.

She was just about as muscular as Pyrrha was! More so, especially in the arms and shoulders. It made sense, what with how Ruby threw around Crescent Rose like it was a toy! That thing had to weigh at least thirty pounds!

Yang... existed. Like he alluded to earlier, she looked too much like she'd fit right in an Arc family photo for him to do anything but sisterzone her. She was also smirking at him in a certain way he knew all too well.

She was trying to play matchmaker.

As much as he might like to date Pyrrha or Ruby. Or... both? He violently shook his head at that thought. He wasn't a harem protagonist. As much as he'd like to, he knew he couldn't get distracted. He had to get stronger quickly, romance would only slow him down.

Also, he valued both Pyrrha and Ruby as friends, and having to pick one over the other would inevitably poison the other friendship.

He brought his axe down, perfectly splitting the wood. He kept going -became locked in as the kids would say- to the point where everything else faded away and he focused solely on his task. When his muscles began to ache, he used his Aura to soothe them and keep him fresh.

By the time he split the final piece of wood, the sun had dipped low in the sky, and Nora was yelling that it was time for dinner.

"Huh?" He said to no one in particular. "It's that time already?"

Yang laughed. "Damn, Vomit Boy, you are a machine." She used a rag to wipe the sweat from her forehead. Jaune noticed that she had tied her hair back into a ponytail. "Even me and Pyrrha had to take breaks."

Pyrrha smiled. "Looks like those early morning runs are paying off, Jaune."

Jaune shuddered. "You're a maniac, you know that, Pyrrha?" He looked around. "Wait, where's Ruby?"

Yang sighed, then pointed to her sister, slumped over and snoozing in a chair. "She's all tuckered out."

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed. "That's concerning."

"Not really?" Yang shrugged. "She's got a speed Semblance, remember. It's common for people with those sorts of Semblances to get tired quicker. It's why she eats all the sweets and sports drinks. The sugar keeps her going." She sighed. "And I'm guessing she stayed up late tinkering with Crescent Rose. Again." She shook Ruby awake. "Come on, pipsqueak."

"Only Uncle Qrow gets to call me that..." Ruby mumbled indignantly. She shook her head and blinked the sleep from her eyes. "Wait... how long was I zonked out for?"

Jaune's heart skipped a beat. Ruby was... adorable like this.

"Long enough for me to know you stayed up way too late. Again." Yang prodded her sister.

"Oh, lay off!" Ruby playfully swatted her sister's arm. "I finally got the dual receiver for Crescent Rose to work, so now I can load Dust rounds at any time and have them be the next shot!"

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. She was no stranger to custom firearms, Milo's rifle mode was a modernized unholy combination of the main firearms used by both sides in the Great War, the Valean Avalon and Solitas Icebreaker. "That's... quite the feat."

"Thanks, Pyrrha!" Ruby smiled. "It was inspired by the ASG-12 out of Atlas. You know that fancy shotgun that have the two separate tubes that you flip between?"

Jaune tuned out of the conversation and headed into dinner. Somehow Ren and Nora had made something from nothing and had made a stew that was already getting rave reviews from the residents. He glanced around and saw that Weiss was deep in conversation with some Faunus that worked at local businesses, while Blake kept a watchful eye in case she had to save Weiss from making a faux pas.

Jaune smiled. While this wasn't what people usually thought of when they talked about the heroics of the Huntsmen and Huntresses or Remnant, he felt it was still important. Every scowl they turned into a smile meant the Grimm were that much weaker.

Pyrrha came up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder as Ruby pulled a stash of cookie ingredients from her pack and darted off to the kitchen with her Semblance, leaving the scent of roses behind her. "You see it too, don't you, Jaune?" She asked him.

Jaune looked at her and nodded. "Hope."

Ozpin looked out the massive window in his office, hands clasped behind his back. He looked down at the airfield snd saw teams RWBY and JNPR returned from a long day of charity work. A noble use of their time. At least, he thought so.

The other man in his office did not think so. One Titus Winchester, High Cardinal of the Church of the Silver Angel, brother to Councilman Cedric Winchester, and uncle to Cardin Winchester. Ozpin regarded the man through his reflection in the window. His graying hair, his receding hairline... with the only indication of his rank being the pin on his suit jacket's lapel. "Ozpin, you are letting the silver-eyed warrior waste precious time."

Ozpin noticed that Titus hadn't used Ruby's name. "How so?" He dared to ask.

"You let her spend the day with her friends doing nothing that matters. She must train so she can awaken her powers." Titus said, a cold edge to his voice.

Ozpin's gaze strayed to the book on his desk. "So you can prop her up as a figurehead?"

"Naturally."

Ozpin scoffed. "Have you even met Miss Rose?"

"Once." Titus said gruffly. "Her family is quite keen on keeping me away from her."

Ozpin suppressed a smile. "I suppose that makes sense. Not many people are in a hurry to be introduced to Miss Xiao Long's fists."

The anger that flashed across the clergyman's face was reward enough for Ozpin. "Do not speak of that barbarian to me."

Ozpin continued as if he hadn't heard Titus. "We'll proceed as me, Taiyang, and Qrow agreed. Miss Rose's training in her powers will be overseen by Sister Calavera, and no one else. And you will not interfere." He narrowed his eyes. "It will begin when Miss Rose is ready, and not a second sooner."

Titus stood up. "You're a fool, Ozpin. With Adam and the White Fang knocking at our door-"

"How interesting you blame Faunus and not Grimm." Ozpin interjected.

He pressed on. "-we aren't secure while our enemy can sneak right in and steal our resources!"

"I have assurances from General Ironwood that he is investigating with all haste." Ozpin said.

Titus finally relented. "I'll be watching, Ozpin." He stormed out.

Ozpin sighed, then opened the book. Little did Titus know that Ruby would likely become the woman that would finally destroy... her.

The book was called the Fatum Commentarius. Only Ozpin could read it, as it was given to him by the gods. If anyone else tried, they would suddenly remember that they had somewhere else to be. According to the book, the final battle was quickly approaching. More interesting was who would be responsible for it.

The book didn't mention names of course. Just vague mentions of certain fairy tales. The Warrior in the Woods could easily be attributed to Ruby, but the names of her allies seemed... convenient, given her friends. The Crownless Queen. The Golden Dragon triumphant. A daughter of the Shallow Sea. The Last Lotus. A Valkyrie. The Invincible Girl.

And most curious... that Ruby would strike down the Witch in the Woods with the help of the Sword of Destruction... which would be wielded by the Rusted Knight.

Ozpin looked out his window again. The meaning was clear. RWBY and JNPR would be the ones to bring the Forever War to an end.

The trick would be getting them to survive long enough to get there. He looked at his Scroll to see that he had a message from Glynda, saying that the vitriol that Cardin was sending at Jaune was getting even worse.

If it truly was Jaune's destiny to become the Rusted Knight in some fashion... he needed a push. No... a crucible.

"Let it fester. I want to see want Mr. Arc is truly made of." He thought for a moment, then added. "As I'm sure his father is."

He went back to staring out the window. "Well, Mr. Arc, you may look like a proper Huntsman, maybe even talk like one... but can you be one?"

"Okay, what the hell did you do to piss Miss Goodwitch off, Fearless Leader?"

Jaune grunted in response. Once again, Cardin had been chosen as his opponent in combat class. This had been going on for a month now. This time though... this time would be different.

This time, his new shield was ready. He glanced at what looked like a buckler on his left arm. Pyrrha caught his eyes and nodded. He nodded back.

He descended to the arena and drew his sword... then expanded his shield to its full size. He glared at Cardin. "Let's go."

Cardin flourished his mace. "Oh, I'm so scared! What are you gonna do, expand your shield at me?"

Glynda glanced up and saw Ozpin watching. She nodded at him. "Begin."

As expected, Cardin charged and activated the Fire Dust in his mace. Jaune held his ground and raised his shield.

"Jaune, that's not-" Yang warned.

Pyrrha cut her off. "Yang, its fine."

Cardin's mace made contact, and the explosion went off but instead of sending Jaune flying like a rag doll, the explosion seemed to be sucked into the shield, which began to glow red hot.

"The hell?" Cardin swore.

Jaune grinned. He pressed the flat of his blade to his shield, and it burst into flames. "Thanks." He slashed and sent a wave of fire at Cardin.

Cardin growled inhaled the fire and spat it back out as fire breath. Jaune blocked it, fueling the amount of Dust at his disposal.

"This is bullshit!" Cardin launched an overhand strike. Jaune lashed out with his sword and caught the haft of his mace with the crossguard. He yanked it away, causing it to fly from the unprepared Cardin's hand. He followed up by punching Cardin with his shield, sending the bully sprawling.

"Hardly." Jaune said. "You're not so tough when your brute force is made useless."

Blake narrowed her eyes. "Insults like that aren't normal for him."

Pyrrha smiled. "I know. However, it is part of his fighting style now. A mix of Valean Bladesmanship and a certain style from Argus. Pankration."

As Cardin scrambled for his mace, Jaune slammed his shield into the ground, setting off a fire explosion of his own, sending Cardin flying into the arena wall. He slid down to the wall and blinked. He rose to his feet. "You think you can make a fool of me, Arc? DO YOU?" He charged.

When he got close enough, Jaune backhanded him his shield, then followed up with a kick. Cardin finally reclaimed his mace and attacked. Jaune ducked, causing it to sail over him. Then he delivered his shield to his jaw with a massive uppercut, launching him upward.

"Holy shit!" Yang said.

"Whoa..." Ruby said. "And that's only with a month of training..."

As Cardin was falling to the ground, Jaune flipped his sword around and hit Cardin with a pommel strike, breaking his Aura.

"The match is over." Glynda declared. "Jaune Arc is the winner."

Cardin roared in rage and tackled Jaune to the ground, then launched a barrage of punches. Jaune did nothing, merely letting Cardin's fists ineffectually bounce off his Aura. "It isn't fair!" He yelled as he rained down blows. "How are you so much better than me! I've been training for years, with no support from my family! But you- you barely had shit for training, so why-"

Jaune's hand lashed out and grabbed his wrist. "Because I'm doing this for the right reasons." He punched Cardin, forcing him off of him. "It is through persistence we gain ability. Through this, it becomes our responsibility to shield the defenseless from evil. With the wisdom of those who came before and bearing the hopes of those who live today, I charge you with this duty. That's what my father said when he activated my Aura. What did yours say?"

Cardin stumbled back. "N-no one... did that. Mine activated spontaneously during a Grimm attack." He averted his eyes. "

"And you use your power for what?" Jaune spat. "Being a bully? Making the Faunus students live in fear?"

"You could never understand, Arc! Your family actually loves you!"

Dead silence.

"All my uncle cares about his damn church, all dad cares about is the council! It doesn't matter what I do, how i try to get them to notice me, they just throw money and lawyers at the problem until it goes away!"

Jaune frowned. "Do you even... hate Faunus?"

He shook his head. "I... no. But because of my father I have to pretend. If he thought I didn't..."

Jaune extended a hand to help him up.

Cardin looked up at him. "Huh?"

"Come on, Cardin. You're a Huntsman, aren't you? No huntsman should be on their knees."

Anger flashed across Cardin's face. He slapped Jaune's hand away. "I don't need your pity, Arc!" He rose to his feet on his own and left the room.

He started to follow, when Glynda stopped him. "Someone like that has to want to be saved, Mr. Arc. You did well. I look forward to what you do next."

As Jaune returned to his seat, and the rest of Cardin's team went after him, Ozpin nodded at Glynda. He knew she would curse him for dragging more people into their circle...

So be it.

Several months had gone by and now that midterms had finished, Ruby had come to a decision. It was time that she stopped hiding from what she was. Over doing an essay on Silver-Eyed Warriors for Oobleck's class, she made the choice.

It was time for her to begin learning how to control her power. Which meant... going to the Grand Cathedral.

She got off of the airship that brought her down to the city from Beacon and began to walk towards the edifice. Were it not for Beacon itself, the Grand Cathedral of the Church of the Silver Angel would have dominated the skyline of Vale, its gothic spires piercing the sky.

Ruby hesitated. Should she keep her hood on? No one would really pay her any mind, with how her outfit vaguely resembled the attire that the Church's own Hunters wore.

She took a deep breath. No. She was done hiding. Even if meant people gawking at her. Or... other stuff. She pulled her hood down and pushed the double doors open.

She swallowed. Everyone was looking at her. To be fair, it was just a few members of the church and some clergy. It was still nerve wracking.

She remembered her lessons from Weiss. Head held high, shoulders back, back straight, and never let them see you sweat.

One of the worshippers approached her but kept a respectful distance. "May the Silver Angel protect you, Warrior of Light."

Before Ruby would've panicked and hid behind her family. But now... "Thank you, Sister." She moved on without missing a beat. Ugh. She felt weird. Like, to an extent these people worshipped her. She shoved down her reservations and-

And the next person to cross her path fell to their knees and began to pray. Ruby was about to awkwardly move away when the doors to the cathedral opened, and several pairs of footsteps came pattering in. She turned around to see multiple members of the White Fang. They were all armed with machetes and machine pistols.

Ruby froze. She couldn't fly off the handle here, too many civilians in the way. Where were the Church's Hunters? She hit the panic button on her Scroll, alerting any nearby law enforcement or Hunters that she needed assistance. With that done, her hand strayed to Crescent Rose.

"Torch the place. It'll make a great diversion for knocking over that Dust shop." The lead White Fang member said.

No! She couldn't let that happen! She needed to act! There had to be a golden path to victory, a way she could take out the thugs and...

Words spilled unbidden from her lips, a battle prayer devised by some past Silver-Eyed Warrior, brought to Ruby Rose in her hour of need through the only thing that connected them, the power she had. "I beseech thee, Silver Angel, guide my hand so that i may punish the wicked and that no harm will befall the innocent."

The edges of her vision faded to silver. And she could see exactly what she needed to do.

She wouldn't even need Crescent Rose, thanks to her training in unarmed combat with Pyrrha and Yang.

She launched forward with her Semblance, then grabbed the lead thug by the head and smashed it into the floor. The sudden brutal attack caught the rest of the thugs off-guard, exactly as her eyes had shown her it would.

She followed the path her eyes had shown her and kicked the next one in the groin, followed with an elbow to the back of the head. He immediately sank to the ground and fell unconscious. The next two charged her with their machetes, so she jumped and spun in the air, executing a perfect spin kick that took both of them down as she hit them both in the head.

The last one pulled his gun on her. "Don't move! Move a muscle and I'll shoot!"

Ruby tilted her head. "I'm a Huntress. Is a bullet or two supposed to scare me? The words felt alien. Ruby knew that it was what she needed to say to bring a swift end to this battle, but it wasn't something that she would normally...

The thug froze. In the moment, Ruby surged forward and kneed the man in the gut, causing him to keel over and drop his weapon. With the threat removed, the silver haze fled from her vision.

She blinked. "Whoa."

Moments later, Church Hunters made their appearance. "Lady Rose, are you hurt?"

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. That's what all of the clergy and Hunters of the Church called her. "Oh, I'm fine." They more or less ignored her and took the White Fang thugs to the police.

It occurred to her that she wouldn't mind at all if Jaune called her Lady Rose. A slight blush came to her cheeks at the thought before a person slow clapping brought her out of her reverie. She turned to see a short elderly woman with a cane topped with a skull and bandages over her eyes. "Well done, child." The woman said. "I believe that you are the first Silver-eyed Warrior to use Battle Trance first."

"Uh, use what now?"

"Do you not... of course not. Come." She turned and walked off towards a staircase headed down.

Ruby hesitantly followed. "Um... Professor Ozpin said that I'm supposed to meet someone named Maria Calavera..."

"Of course that old coot hasn't told you anything. That's me." Maria went downstairs. "Now come on. You can call me Abuela Calavera if using my first name is too awkward for you."

Ruby followed her to a room lined with bookshelves. Maria ignored all of them and took a seat at a large mahogany desk. "Wait... how are you moving like you can see?" Ruby asked.

"Been working as the archivist for the Grand Cathedral for a decade or four now, by the God of Light's armpit hair, I damn well better know where everything is." Maria cackled. "Sit, sit."

Ruby took a seat. "So you called that thing I did... battle trance. What exactly-"

Maria held up her hand. "Patience, aprendiza. First, we must start from the beginning. Now, Ozpin's told me to not bore you with the metaphysical theories of where our power comes from..."

"Our? You're a Silver-Eyed Warrior too?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, until the owner of those swords used them to take my eyes." She jabbed her thumb behind her, to where a pair of swords hung.

Ruby narrowed her eyes. "Huh... curious. Why put katana blades on saber hilts?"

"Focus." Maria chided her. "Basics first, to be able to use the power of your eyes at all, you have to have a desire to preserve life."

"Um, that tracks. I did that Battle Trance thing because i wanted to protect everyone by stopping the White Fang thugs from burning the cathedral down."

"And you said a chant right before. That's important. Those chants are how we keep our power under control. Never let your power run wild."

"What happens if I do?"

"You get one, maybe two... three if you're exceedingly lucky. After that using your power without control will make you go blind. If the recoil doesn't kill you."

Ruby shrank in her seat. "Oh."

"Its not all doom and gloom. As long as you stick to using the chants to rein your power in, you can -as some of you kids say- do this all day." She smiled. Maria remembered when she had been where Ruby was, learning all this by trial and error. It was good she wouldn't have to do it alone. "It gets better. Every Silver-Eyed Warrior gets some power that is unique to them."

"Wait, really? What was yours?" Ruby asked.

"I could conjure up weapons made up of silver light that could cut a creature of Grimm in two with a mere touch." Maria said.

"Whoa..." Ruby said.

Maria was admittedly curious. She reached out with what little of her power remained to her and touched Ruby's. The child likely wouldn't notice. Now what was her unique...

That... that wasn't possible.

The power that the legends said was exhibited by the first Silver-Eyed Warrior, that had been what led to the founding of the Church of the Silver Angel...

Had been reborn in Ruby Rose.

"Um... are you okay?" Ruby asked.

Good, she hadn't noticed. "Ah, it's nothing, aprendiza. I'm probably just worn out from all the excitement earlier. Why don't you come back another time." As Ruby began to leave, Maria spoke again. "Wait, what weapon do you use, Ruby?"

"Oh, its a Scythe and Sniper Rifle combination! I call it Crescent Rose."

As she ran off, Maria pondered the implications. A scythe. Just like the first Silver-Eyed Warrior had used. Curiouser and curiouser. Back when she'd been an active Huntress, those same comparisons had been made about her.

Predictably, once Ruby made it back to Beacon, Yang asked her if she could vaporize Grimm with eye lasers now.

Adam growled as he went over his reports again. Once again, his plan to obliterate the SDC was hitting a massive brick wall. Atlas had upped the security on all trains and airships. To the point where any attack he could mount would suicidal. Remote controlled drones with machine guns and missile launchers kind of made jumping on top of a train problematic.

His lieutenant, Banesaw, entered his tent. "Adam, there's... a visitor here to see you.

Adam looked up. "Elaborate."

"Three humans. They're dressed like Hunters, armed like them too. But I don't think they are."

Adam's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"They know about the Spider Tank."

"Well, well... this should be interesting..." He rose, donned his mask, then attaching his sword to his belt. He walked out of the tent, to see the three humans. One wore greys and blacks, which perfectly matched his gray hair and eyes. His weapon appeared to be some kind of armored boots, although Adam noticed bulges that could've been knives or pistols. One of the two women was dark skinned with mint green hair. Everything about her screamed I'm from Vacuo.

The last woman would've looked more at home in a sleazy Atlesian romance novel than the White Fang camp. She wore a red dress that would've brought most men to their knees. Most women too. He noted that Fire Dust was sewn into the dress. She stepped forward. "Adam Taurus. How would you like to bring all of Atlas to its knees?"

Adam's breath hitched. "Let me guess. All i have to do is follow your orders?"

The woman smiled. "Of course. I need you to be a good boy for this to work." She purred.

In a flash, Adam drew his sword and cut her down. Odd. Her allies didn't seem peeved at all...

"Oh, how predictable." The woman whispered in his ear. She walked around him... how the hell did she... Adam looked back to the body to see it had vanished. "At the rate you're going, Atlas will send a battleship to completely rout your main force, then send Specialists after your cells."

"You know about that?" Adam asked. So much for operational security.

She nodded. "Oh yes. So, instead of that sad and inglorious end to your uprising... how about you let me help you write a different ending." She began to circle him, like a predator stalking prey.

Adam circled her in return. "Making a lot of promises with no muscle to back it up."

"How about this. Just a name." She smiled, "Arthur Watts."

Behind his mask, Adam's eyes widened. "That bastard? He survived?"

"And he is conveniently ready to jump when i say how high." The woman continued. Her eyes seemed to smolder as if they were hot coals.

"I think... we could come to an agreement." Adam said. "Do you have a name?"

"Cinder." She replied. "Now, tell me, Adam... how willing are you to demolish Atlas? Would you cross any boundary? Even tbose that might be..."

"Dangerous?" Adam provided.

"Damning." Cinder countered.

There was almost a chill in the air. Cinder grinned. "Emerald, bring out the parasite."

The green-haired girl brought forth a vial that contained a Grimm. Cinder took it from her and released it. The Grimm... bug crawled out on to her hand. Adam realized exactly what she was suggesting he allow. "This will give me the power to destroy Atlas?"

"And anyone else who has slighted you." Cinder said, her silken voice gently leading Adam to damnation.

"Do it." He rolled up his sleeve.

As soon as he said those words, the Grimm leaped onto his sword arm and burrowed in. He clenched his teeth from the pain until the Grimm had become a part of him. "What now... my lady?"

Cinder laughed. "My, look who's obedient now? All you needed was a treat. Wait for my instructions. Carry them out, and you'll get everything you deserve." She turned away from him. "Emerald, Mercury... lets go."

After the humans left, Adam was left with the questioning stares of his own forces. He noticed particular worry in the faces of Ilia and Marrow.

"If Atlas wants to make me their monster so badly... then I'll become just that."

His declaration was met with determined nods and grim acceptance... from most of his men. "Marrow?" Do you have something to say?"

"No." Marrow replied. "We'll rip that damn city out of the sky."

The parasite whispered to Adam, telling him that he could trust Marrow, and that his concerns were unfounded.

Hours later, Marrow Amin successfully snuck away from the White Fang camp and to the nearby Atlesian Special Forces recon post. It was tucked into an outcropping near a known Creep burrow, which meant that the White Fang had no reason to go near it.

To Marrow's delight, upon entering he was greeted by none other than Winter Schnee. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you, Boss Lady." He shut the door.

"Business before pleasure, solider." Winter said. There was a hint of a suggestive tone in her voice that told him she was being indulgent. "Your message said it was urgent?"

Marrow nodded. "Adam... has new allies. Three humans. Their leader is named Cinder."

"Cinder... General Ironwood said that Ozpin warned him about her. What did she want with Adam?" Winter asked. "And why wasn't she summarily dismissed?"

"Because she used Adam's... desire to destroy the SDC against him. First thing: Arthur Watts is alive."

"Impossible! He died during the first test run of the Paladin!" Winter said, concern marring her face.

"Maybe." Marrow said, "But we have to assume the worst, right? Especially when so much of our forces are made up of Atlesian Knights."

"You're right, Marrow." She shook her head. "We have to be ready."

"What was that, Stardust?" Marrow smirked. "I was right?"

Winter glared at him. "I will end you."

"If Adam doesn't get me first with the actual Grimm parasite in his arm that Cinder gave him."

Winter stared at him. After an extraordinarily pregnant pause, she spoke slowly. "The... what?"

"Grimm parasite. In his arm."

"Just like when Cinder attacked..." Winter cut herself off. "Good work, Marrow. You'll definitely get that promotion to the Ace Operatives for this."

His tail wagged. "Thanks, my sweet sugarplum fairy."

Winter caressed his cheek and leaned in to speak her condemnation in a sultry whisper. "I'll end you slowly."

Marrow gulped. "I have to stay... in, don't I?"

Winter swallowed. "Yes. You have to see the mission through." She was all business now.

"Winter... I had to kill a man. In cold blood. During the train robbery. Some random SDC employee just doing his job." He looked down at the floor. "The training prepared me for how to blend in. But not how to feel after."

Winter pulled him towards her, placing his head squarely against her chest. "Shhh... I've got you, my dear."

Marrow relaxed in her embrace immediately. He knew that Winter only called him that when they were... off the clock, so to speak. "I'm going to come back to you, Winter. I promise."

"Shh... no thoughts. Just breathe. Just be."

It wouldn't be long until Marrow had to return to the White Fang camp and continue his deception. But until then, he could let his soul recover in the arms of his beloved, as so many Hunters throughout Remnant did every day.

For now... he could simply be.

A/N: I LIVE!

Sorry about my absence. Just a whole bunch of things making it hard to focus on writing. Let's get right into it.

Uh oh. We have a love triangle. Fear not, everything will work out. Please keep in mind that Lancaster is the endgame for this fic. Now, that doesn't mean that Arkos can't happen at Beacon.

It will work out, I swear.

Jaune isn't an idiot, he can tell that both Ruby and Pyrrha are crushing on him, but he -rightfully so- decides he can't be distracted by romance when he has so much ground to make up.

(In case it isn't obvious, I'm extending the Beacon timeline. Volume one will happen over the course of their first year at Beacon. Two and three will happen during year two.)

And once again, a Winchester appears to be The Worst. Titus may have gotten his name because of how much Space Marine 2 i was playing.

Is the Fatum Commentarius just a Chekov's Gun of foreshadowing? Possibly.

Once again, Jaune proves that he is just built different. So, long story short, Jaune's shield can absorb Dust, allowing him to redirect Dust attacks. With his sky high Aura and already solid defenses, on top of his training with Pyrrha, he's basically Cardin's natural predator.

So, Jaune's fighting style. Valean Bladesmanship is a rough approximation of German Longsword fighting. Pyrrha, living up to her allusion, Achillies, taught him Pankration, which roughly translates to all force. That's how Jaune fights. Everything about him is a weapon. His shield is used for attack as often as defense, his new sword is designed so that every part of it is a striking surface. The blade is the blade, he can use the crossguard to catch weapons and appendages, and of course the pommel for striking.

Ruby unlocks her first Silver Eyes power. Yes, Maria is here and is her mentor.

Adam Taurus, you absolute idiot. What else needs to be said?

I make no excuses. Winter and Marrow is a cute ship.

Until next time.