Hello again! It's been a long time, no?
So... a lot's happened in my life. Had to move far away from where I usually was, get stuff and legislation ready, the works. Kinda forced writing to a backseat, more than it already did.
As for regarding the criticisms, I appreciate it. I acknowledge that the Adam handling wasn't as good as I had hoped, and for that I apologise. By the time this chapter comes out, very minor edits should've rolled out on the previous one. It won't change much, but can't do that too, right?
Anyways, here's the chapter. Hope you enjoy.
Jaune stared Team RWBY down. Out of them all, it was Blake who seemed the most... hm, upset wasn't the right word. Prone to action, that was it.
That wasn't to say they weren't all ready for a fight. Yang had her gloves up, Ruby already had her weapon drawn, and Weiss was pointing the tip of her rapier on him.
The smouldering wreckage of the former White Fang base was clear to see from behind him. No doubt, the fire from it backlit his appearance.
Right now, Jaune's blood was pumping fast. There was rage at his inability, at Adam, at his stupid decisions, and much more he couldn't even name.
But then he stared all of his friends down. He saw that beneath their 'ready to fight' faces, he saw them looking lost. Confused. Unsure. Scared.
All because of what he did, of the bodies and the smouldering ruins behind him. They finally caught on that he everything he said back then was true to the letter.
Jaune saw Blake raise her plain matte-black gunsword at him. Her grip was shaking, but it was still aimed at his head nonetheless.
Blake wavered. "...Why?" she managed to bite out.
Jaune kept his outward gaze even. But then, he shook his head. Jaune raised an eyebrow at Blake. And what would you have had me done?"
"The White Fang need to be stopped, but they deserve to go through justice!" Blake yelled. "Not-not mass slaughter!"
Jaune scoffed.
Did they want him to stop? That was ridiculous. Jaune forced through another reply. "You want to take the moral high ground when Adam wants to kill you all?"
Silence.
Jaune scoffed. "He'll come back, I just know it."
'Him?' Blake's mind raced, then came to a sudden halt. "A-Adam's here...?" Blake whispered.
"Indeed." Jaune walked forwards. Blake could barely register Jaune coming close, her aim frozen as her eyes stared at the ground.
"Adam?" Yang turned to her partner. "Blake... Isn't he-."
Blake gave a weak nod.
"So that means..." Weiss trailed off.
"He's been here since the beginning." Jaune stood in front of Blake, his tone deadly serious. "He wants to kill every human here. To him, any that doesn't raise their voice is an enemy."
"We'll get through this." Ruby said determinedly. "We'll stick together like we always have. Beacon won't fall, I won't let it!"
Jaune turned his eyes to Ruby. His first friend, always so innocent. "Then you better get serious." He said gravely. "Adam's not playing around."
Jaune grabbed Blake's hand, still gripping Gambol Shroud, then pried the weapon away. Blake made no move to contest, still too wrapped up in her own mind.
"I've made a mistake today." Jaune said in a low tone. "And that mistake was that I didn't finish Adam off. For that, I apologise. But also, I hope you learn from it. Tonight was my mistake."
Blake didn't respond.
"Remember this, Blake. If you run away scared, then when RWBY dies…" Jaune narrowed his eyes. "It'll be all your fault."
Jaune dropped Gambol Shroud on the ground, barrel pointing to Blake's feet. With that, he walked past Team RWBY and flashed away.
As soon as Jaune was gone, Weiss tore her gaze to Raiden. Too bad. He had disappeared in the confusion.
Yang lowered her weapons and approached her partner. "Blake...?"
Blake didn't respond.
"Blake, I'm here..." Yang put a hand on her partner's shoulder. All at once, Blake's resolve collapsed and she fell to her knees.
The rest of Team RWBY came close and gave her a comfort she desperately needed. But still, it didn't manage to ease the worry inside herself.
Adam was here...
A part of her always knew. After the docks, she felt that there was no way Adam wouldn't know of the happenings in Vale. Still, acknowledging the fact and facing it were two different things.
And moreover, it was now clear what his true objective was. To destroy Vale and Beacon Academy. Everything she had now, Adam wanted it gone.
It was easy to say that they'll save Beacon, and in the end she really believed it. But this was Adam!
Could she ever take him on? There was a reason she ran away all those years ago! He was strong back then, and she was sure he never slacked off ever since! And if he escaped Jaune, no matter how convenient, he must've picked something up. Same weapons. Same bloodstained philosophy. He'll become even stronger!
So this was what they were really up against! Alone?!
And then his Semblance! His command! The spies from Haven! The Grimm! Salem! They needed to-
"Blake, it's gonna be alright..."
They needed to...
Blake's resolve collapsed. Oh, what was she supposed to do?
On the rooftops, a certain red-eyed illusionist managed to slip away undetected. She breathed a sigh of relief as she collapsed on a wall, inside a staircase in a building that led down from the rooftops.
She heaved out a breath. That was close. If she hung around at least a minute more looking at those brats, then the all-metal cyborg one would've caught her. But she was sure she left before he could even look at her.
Yeah, everything was fine.
Emerald wiped sweat from her forehead and forced herself to continue walking down. Her mission tonight, given to her by Cinder herself, was to make sure Adam's plan went off without a hitch.
Emerald felt a ring on her Scroll. She quickly picked it up and spoke over the private connection.
"Ma'am?"
"Emerald. How did it go?"
"They're falling apart at the seams, ma'am. Won't be cohesive enough to defend for the big event."
"Good." Cinder responded. "And no one saw you?"
"Not even the cyborg, I'm sure of it." Emerald nodded. "I stayed out of sight from the CCTVs too. No one, Hunters or otherwise, saw a glimpse of me."
"I'll take your word for it. But it better be accountable."
Emerald gulped. "Yes, ma'am." Emerald closed the call, but not before Cinder spoke once more.
"Oh, and Emerald?"
"Yes, ma'am?"
"…Good job." The call ended with a click.
Emerald couldn't help but smile.
Sunlight was just beginning to break out. Most of the students in Beacon probably weren't going to get up anytime soon. After all, class was suspended with the arrival of the Vytal Festival, and the tournament for said festival would begin at around high noon. Certainly no reason to get up at this kind of time.
But that's what made her team so special in her eyes. They work harder than anyone else to succeed, to honour their former leader's legacy. After all, anything less than exemplary would be an insult to him.
And even with the new… conditions they were in, Pyrrha refused to break that habit.
Team JNPR stood in front of the fountains of Beacon Academy, perfect posture as their leader prepared them for the upcoming Doubles round.
Pyrrha gave both Ren and Nora a stern look. "Alright. Go over the plan one more time."
Ren spoke first. "Nora and I will be going in the Doubles round. I'll chip away at the enemies' Aura while Nora draw most their fire. Once I annoy them enough and they snap and tunnel vision on me, Nora will go on the offensive and knock them out of the arena."
"Very good." Pyrrha nodded. "And remember-,"
"Use the environment to our benefits, we remember." Nora cut Pyrrha off. "If Ren's getting trouble slipping past I'll make sure to get louder. Smash some more!" Nora ended with an eager yet menacing grin.
Pyrrha kept her face neautral, though the edges of her lips did quirk upwards. "Good. And one last thing, I'm sure you all know. The reason I chose you two is because…?"
"Because Renny and I have been together forever! Well, not together-together, but still!"
"What Nora means is that we can do wordless communication faster than other teams. Less tells too." Ren said fondly. "If the plan fails, we'll be able to adapt quick on our feet."
"Yeah! What he said!"
Pyrrha smiled. "Exactly. Well done, everyone. I think that's enough for this morning's briefing."
The semi-tense atmosphere that was once there dissipated, and Nora jumped up and down in excitement. "Ooooh I can't wait to take them on! We'll show them we really are one of the best! No one's gonna expect me and Renny's strength!"
"I'll take your word for it." Pyrrha chuckled. "I've been measuring the risks, and this is the best action we could take. Prove them wrong, Nora."
"Aww, how sweet of you, Pyrrha!"
"We'll be showing our best." Ren said with a smile, nodding to Pyrrha to show his seriousness. She appreciated the gesture, and knew that Ren would go the extra mile.
It went without saying to the three of them that they needed to win. Not just because they were supposed to be exemplary, because of the reasons they were so used to…
But because someone else would be watching them, someone they wanted to help so much even through his actions.
They'll prove themselves to Jaune from this tournament. No matter what… they'll train and fight, and show him they're more than just pushovers.
Speaking of trying their hardest… Ren pulled out a transparent flask and showed it to both her and Nora. "If we want to be the best, then I've got just the thing." He gave it a little shake, the liquid inside of it sloshing around just a bit. "I've just enough for all of us to have a drink."
Pyrrha flinched, while Nora visibly recoiled. The tank of the team felt bile rise up her throat, and Nora bent down asher face went green.
"Ughhh, Renny, why'd you have to make one of those?!" Nora whined.
"Algae provides many proven advantages to those who consume it." Ren said almost defensively. Case in point, he brought the flask close to his chest. "I don't understand why you don't want it. It'll help you get stronger, you know."
"But it tastes so baddddd!"
"No it does not." Ren denied.
"Um…" Pyrrha piped up. "Ren, maybe… you could add something else to the ingredients?"
Ren shot her a Look, and Pyrrha knew she made a wrong choice. "Chemical additives ruin the qualities of the juice." He said determinedly.
Pyrrha chuckled and rubbed the back of her head. "Eheh, well then…"
"You're not making me drink that! Never!" Nora shouted.
"You haven't even gotten a taste today!"
"One time is enough for a lifetime!" Nora insisted. Then, with speed that surprised both of her teammates, she turned around and ran back inside Beacon Academy.
Ren sighed and shook his head. He turned to Pyrrha. "Well, at least you'll appreciate this, right?"
"Um, S-sure!" Pyrrha forced a smile. Ren handed his flask to her and Pyrrha opened the lid. She looked inside and saw the 'juice', green liquid sloshing around. 'Bottoms up, I suppose…' Pyrrha closed her eyes and took a gulp down.
She felt her insides recoil, but years of PR training managed to pull her through. She finished her swing and handed the flask back to Ren, giving him a shaky smile. "H-here you go!"
Ren happily took it back, a smile on his face. "So? How was it?"
"It was grand!"
Ren beamed, and the sickness in Pyrrha's stomach eased just a bit. At least that made him happy, that should be enough.
"I'll get Nora before she wanders off too far." Ren said, clutching his flask close to his chest. "Maybe once she knows you like it, she'll want to take a sip." Ren turned around with a pep in his step, walking back inside Beacon to find out where Nora was. "We'll see you again in a bit."
"Y-yeah!" Pyrrha said, Ren already walking away. "…Sure… thing…"
And now she was alone.
The wind blew as the sun started to rise past the horizon, casting the darkness away. Pyrrha closed her eyes for just a moment, and all the problems at the back of both her mind and her team's mind surfaced. About Jaune, about the White Fang, about Maidens and Salem, about everything. She needed a moment to think. A leader's work is never done, after all.
With than and much more in her mind, Pyrrha went to Beacon's rooftop and sat on the edge. Her feet dangled over the edge, in front of her a view of the Emerald Forest. From here, she could see a beautiful view as the sun slowly rose over the forest. Rays of orange light broke through the green leaves and the birds chirped as they flew to the skies.
The academy below her was still silent. Even with sun rising most students wouldn't be up in a while, so she still had a bit of time to herself. Good. She needed this quiet to think.
Her mind drifted back to yesterday. That yesterday was barely six hours ago…
The White Fang attacked Vale. Jaune and Raiden, still under the clearance of the Arc family, responded in a slaughter. An entire hideout, and a large one at that, was levelled to the ground. Some excavation attempts revealed multiple corpses with varying levels of sword wounds, most of them were major and fatal. Adam Taurus was reported to be heavily wounded, but escaped with his life. No doubt this was a major blow for the Fang, and it did relieve some stress form the population, but it also raised some eyebrows and pressing concerns.
Some, not most, accused the Arc family of blindly killing any they saw. After two-and-a-half years of 'mostly' following the no-kill rule (especially when it came to Team JNPR; the family had made her swear that), they had suddenly jumped to killing an entire hideout without any prior attempts at peace. Then the question turned to 'what's next?', especially with Adam still on the run. What lengths needed to be travelled, lines to be crossed, to save Vale once and for all?
In truth, Pyrrha herself had mixed feelings about the Fang's fate. While what she said to Jaune when he first came back wasn't a lie, inside, she still had her reservations.
On one hand, death was still a punishment that seemed so severe. The bloodshed, the sorrow, the consequences… they were people too, so it didn't sit well with her should she be a killer and finish them all. So she resolved to merely capture the Fang and let them face justice in trial. This is the side she hoped JNPR and RWBY would always be in. Her heart knew this was the most peace they'd ever get.
But then, in another side of her she hated but couldn't fight, she knew that this was the most practical way. And to her horror, that side felt relieved. Either the judge or the ground, a Fang that's away meant a Fang that's not a problem anymore. After all, if they were willing to take Jaune away, why should she extend the same mercy?
It was a constant battle, one where she shifted sides more times than she could count, and that was despite her best efforts to be stable. At least so far, she hadn't snapped at the Fang just yet.
And then it was Team RWBY that found the rubble first last night. She sighed and rubbed her temples as she felt a migraine coming in.
Back then, around a year ago, when they staked out the White Fang at the docks, when they first met Penny, the situation hadn't been pretty. Blake had revealed herself to be ex-White Fang, and Pyrrha… for a lack of better words, she had exploded.
She yelled at Blake for what seemed like hours. Calling her nothing but trash, a scum on society intent on saving herself, running away from responsibility. The wound was still raw. When Team RWBY stepped up to defend Blake, Pyrrha called them nothing but sympathizers that didn't know what it was like to suffer the consequences of actions made by Blake's 'people'.
It was Weiss that managed to snap Pyrrha out of her rage-filled mind, but still, it took weeks for her to look Blake in the eye and accept the fact that she had an ex-Fang in her midst. And only many months later did the rift between their teams started to repair. And with it, she began to close her wound.
And now their teams were being split again, by that very same wound that came back from the dead.
But Pyrrha doubted if she would have had it any other way.
Regarding Team RWBY now, they hadn't talked to each other since last night. They had immediately gone to their rooms and locked the door. They would, of course, had to talk at some point, discussing what to do with Jaune and Raiden and everything. They weren't sister teams for nothing, after all.
But they all knew Pyrrha wouldn't budge on Jaune. And as for Blake, if what she heard about Adam was true… then she didn't know Blake might do at all.
Pyrrha sighed and idly swung her feet. They all cared for each other, so she was sure total betrayal wouldn't happen. The conflict that threatened Beacon would force them to band together and fight as one. But Jaune….
She knew she was biased. That was the entire point. Everyone was. So now, how could they hold on to their own ideals?
Pyrrha let that final thought ring in her head as the silence stretched on. She'd wait here and stew in her thoughts until Ren and Nora showed up. They always knew where to find her in her quiet moments…
Several minutes later, Pyrrha heard the sound of a thud, then footsteps that approached her position. Pyrrha looked at the sun. It was getting higher and higher now. Hm, it seemed that Ren finally found Nora, and it was time to head out.
However, the voice that spoke wasn't who she expected.
"Mind if I sit here?"
'Wait… Jaune?'
"I'll take that as a yes." Jaune sat to her left, feet dangling just like her. He looked to the rising sun just like she did, ignoring her surprised gaze at him. At the trees, the beautiful scenery… "A pretty sight, right?"
Pyrrha caught the cue. She averted her gaze and focused on the environment just like him. Even though she was still pretty angry about the little spat they had yesterday, she had to keep her head cool. She forced herself to sound calm, her tone came out just a bit shaky. "I suppose it is."
The two sat side-by-side, letting the quiet stretch on. Pyrrha couldn't quite figure out what to say. She had just been thinking of him, and his sudden appearance caught her off guard. But still, she supposed that wasn't out of character for him… now, at least.
Jaune broke the silence first, but he still kept his gaze away. "How are you feeling?"
"Well…." Pyrrha muttered. There were a lot of choice words to say, but she knew that was in the heat of the moment.
It seemed Jaune recognised this too. "Sorry. Stupid question, wasn't it?" Jaune said. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
Pyrrha took a deep breath. "Things haven't been the smoothest." Pyrrha began. "But… I'll manage."
"Are you sure? Don't take any risk you can't afford." Jaune said. Pyrrha noted that his tone didn't sound derogatory this time. Wasn't laced with any sort of malice. Instead, it was softer, more concerned than anything else.
Ah, so he didn't come angry today. Maybe they could salvage this after all.
Pyrrha closed her eyes and faked a smile. "I'll be okay, Jaune. I'll make sure to watch over myself." She said. Both of them knew it was false, that things would keep on going for the both of them, but still.
From the corner of her vision, she saw Jaune relax just a bit. It seemed that Jaune appreciated the empty promises.
At this, her anger dissipated. It seemed like he came here just for her…
Jaune sighed. "Adam's still out there. Because of my mistake." He said to himself. "Should've killed him sooner…" Jaune bitterly growled.
"I've heard." Pyrrha said. "They're probably laying low right now."
"Hm." Not-so-subtly, Jaune shifted the topic. "How's the tournament?"
"Ren and Nora will be going in for the Doubles round."
"That's a good strategy. I can definitely see it." And didn't that warm her heart? It was good to hear that she was doing well as a leader. "I'll be watching, Pyr. 'Sides, I'm sure you'll do great."
Pyrrha blushed. "Thank you, Jaune." She braced herself for her turn to speak, "Then… what about you?"
Jaune stayed silent.
"Team RWBY haven't come out yet. But still, I'm betting everybody around's talking about what you did last night." Pyrrha elaborated. "I guesss… I just wanted to ask how."
"How?" Jaune echoed.
"How you are, Jaune." Pyrrha explained. "How are you feeling?"
Silence. Then, Jaune chuckled. "You always did know what to say."
Pyrrha stayed silent, waiting for Jaune to continue.
"I-" Jaune sighed. "I don't know… I just needed to cool down, I guess."
'Must be about last night…' Pyrrha Jaune didn't do it in cold blood after all. "Any way I can help?"
Jaune closed his eyes. A small smile graced his face. "You already are."
Pyrrha's heart skipped a beat. Her face felt warm, and she looked to him in surprise.
Jaune didn't meet her gaze, but his smile remained. In here, at this moment, his worries seemed to melt away. He shouldn't run from his problems, he knew that. So maybe, if this moment made him calmer than most, he could go and finish his internal debate now. Loathe as he was to admit, his friends' thoughts on him still mattered. Maybe he could know, before charging into battle again.
And maybe, just maybe, he'd get an answer that won't be so bad.
"Pyrrha…" Jaune asked. "Am I a burden to you?"
Pyrrha dreaded where this was going. "What do you mean?"
"I know Team RWBY probably hate my guts right about now. But what about you?"
"Never." Pyrrha said. "Never that. You'll always be welcome."
"Even after last night?"
Pyrrha paused. Just as she thought about that earlier too. Pyrrha shook her head. "What's happened can't be changed."
"You paused." Jaune pointed out. "Maybe I-."
"That's not what I meant and you know it." Pyrrha denied. Jaune paused in his movements. "Raiden told me you wanted JNPR to be together again. That's true, right?"
Jaune stayed silent.
"Regardless of what happens, Jaune." Pyrrha lifted her hand and laid it on Jaune's prosthetic shoulder. "…I'll always believe in you."
"Heh. You always were better than I ever deserved." Jaune said with a hollow chuckle. "You were the first person to ever believe in me, you know that? No one in my family wanted me to be a Hunter. I made reckless decisions my entire life, from running away to challenging those I shouldn't and then breaking down. This is what I do. But I'm a changed man now, Pyr. How could you be so sure of me?"
"Changed doesn't mean anything." Pyrrha said. "You still want JNPR to be together. That means the essential part of you is still there."
"You know I slaughtered the Fang." Jaune rebuked. "And you still want me around after that?"
"While the Fang's death wasn't appropriate, they were hardly innocents." Pyrrha said. "Don't get me wrong, I don't want you to slaughter them. But a part of me knows that I'm not one to deny the benefits it brought today."
"And I don't want you to fight either." Jaune said. "That's non-negotiable, and you know that."
"I do." Pyrrha said. "And I don't want you to kill either, but here we are." Pyrrha gave a wry smile. "And this isn't so bad, right?."
Jaune scoffed, but the smile remained. "…I guess you're right." After a few seconds, he chuckled. Now that she mentioned it…yeah, this seemed just fine. He waved his metallic hand. "Tell me about what's happened, then."
Pyrrha smiled. Now this, some time to reconnect, even though they didn't cast away their beliefs, she could get used to.
With a smile that reached her eyes, Pyrrha began to tell her stories. "Well, Ren made his signature juice for us this morning…"
Jaune's smile widened. His emotions cooled down, all that's left was bliss. This was nice.
"Nora? Have you found Pyrrha yet?"
"U-um…"
"Nora? Did you find them?"
"Uh, Ye-No- oh hey, I just remembered! We should get to the Festival early today! Let's go!"
"A-ah, Nora, stop dragging me! Nora! Noraaaa!"
"V."
"Raiden." Venom looked up from the files on his table and saw the ninja close the door behind him. "Something to report?"
"Yeah." Raiden approached him and dragged a seat over. He sat with relief and looked around. "Whew. Nice place you got here."
"Needed a place to settle down aside from the ACC." Venom said. "Ozpin had a spare classroom, and since I'm Haven's representative, pulling the strings wasn't too hard."
"What about the bugs?"
"Already took care of them." Venom stacked the files into a neat pile and put them to the side. "Now then, what is it?"
Raiden got comfortable in his seat. "I'm guessing you've heard about what happened last night?"
"I have." Venom said. "I've got the general picture. Can't really say I'm surprised, but either way, the festival's going ahead. You've got that secured at least."
"There's another thing." Raiden spoke firmly. "After he fight, Jaune talked with Team RWBY. But something felt… off."
"How so?"
"How did they know where to find us?" Raiden explained. "It just… didn't seem right to me."
"I thought the Arc family was dispatched for the response." Venom said. "Not a far fetch to think they sent Team RWBY… it's all here in the report."
"The report says that Team RWBY arrived at the scene. There was no mention of them dispatching them specifically."
"Hm, now that you mention it, this does have a lack of explanation from their side…" Venom pulled a file folder aside and opened its contents, papers with the title 'APARTMENT COMPLEX RAID – 41ST VYTAL FESTIVAL.' Venom looked up. "What're you saying here?"
"You know they don't particularly like our way of thinking, right?" Raiden said. "So what if someone led them to us at one of our darkest moments? That way, they'd sew suspicion and distrust among us. If relations end in chaos then it'll be too much to handle. Even for us. We need to cooperate."
"But Team RWBY do have a tendency to jump into action more than any other in-training team in history." Venom pointed out. "Honestly, if you look at their entire record, this doesn't seem too out of the ordinary."
"That's the perfect cover."
"Or it's no cover at all and you're just jumping at shadows." Venom said firmly. "If we're going to suspect something then you're going to need firmer evidence."
Raiden sighed. "I had a weird feeling, last night. Back when Jaune was talking to RWBY, I felt eyes watching my back. I went to investigate, but by the time I slipped out, I didn't find anyone else."
Venom put a hand on his chin. "Hm…" Raiden only had a feeling. That was much too vague. But then again, he was also trained in espionage. In their line of work, nothing was ever a coincidence. They didn't survive because they shrugged off their instincts.
"What did the White Fang want. Fear, right?" Raiden continued. "That's what the Arc Family's analysis on that report said. Coupled with Jaune's testimony to me… they wanted results. Violence. They sure fazed the civilian population, alright."
"But us? We're used to wars." Raiden said. "So then, a bunch of terror attacks might make us fly with rage, however it's still nothing we haven't seen before. We know when to do what must be done. With our actions, even with Adam still alive and running, the threat would've been lessened to a large extent."
"But for Team RWBY… I think they're not at that level just yet. But we're both tasked with saving Beacon, rescuing the people of Vale, and also stopping Salem. So then, what better way to destroy Vale, then making them watch as their gurardians fought against each other?"
That's what I think is so fishy." Raiden said again. "Team RWBY didn't come to the briefing, but they somehow managed to pinpoint the exact location everything's going on? And then with Jaune's already shaky relationships, it would be an easy way to split us up."
Venom mulled Raiden's points. He found himself nodding more and more. However the kinks on it haven't been spoken just yet.
"…Your concern is noted, Raiden." Venom conceded. "But still, we need to watch ourselves. The only way we can get a definitive answer is to ask Team RWBY themselves. And if it goes to another lead, then we'll need to move in quick."
"Hm…" Raiden rubbed his chin. "Asking them right now shouldn't be too much of a problem. Most of the student body haven't woken up, and we could catch them before they leave. So. Who's going to talk?"
"If that's how we're going to do things, then Tai's our best bet." Venom said.
"Yeah, that's right!" Raiden said. "He could talk the most sense to half the team, if not all of them."
"Mhm." Venom pulled out his Scroll and pulled out Tai's contact. "I'm calling him right now."
Venom pressed call, and the Scroll's screen brightened up.
Calling…
Venom put the Scroll on speaker as it rang, then put it in the middle of the table between him and Raiden.
Eventually, the ringing stopped with no answer. Then, a voicenote sounded.
"You have reached Taiyang Xiao-Long. Unfortunately, I am currently on a mission and cannot answer calls. Leave urgent messages after the tone." The Scroll beeped and the call was cut. The Scroll then displayed an option for them both.
No answer. Leave Voicemail?
Yes/No
Venom heard Raiden grumble in disappointment. With a shake of his head, Venom picked the Scroll up and pressed 'Yes'. "Tai, it's me. Your daughters just got more involved in the case. We're going to ask them more about what happened. Time's a priority right now, so get back to me as soon as you can. The phantom out."
Venom put the Scroll back on the table and leaned back in his chair. "Of fucking course…."
Though, he was proven wrong when a text message popped up from on his Scroll. 'Sorry, V. In the middle of something right now. Can't really answer the call. I'll pick up as soon as I can, and I'll get to Vale soon too. Finishing up things on this end. Over..'
"Damn. Shit's it the fan over there too, huh?" Raiden muttered.
"Yeah. The Summer mission was a failure, and I'm guessing he's taking it pretty hard. Not to mention more enemies…" Venom shook his head. "But back to the matter at hand. Someone's going to have to talk to them. I'm guessing you're not going to do it?"
"Pfft. After last night? That'd be a bad idea. Jaune's even worse." Raiden shrugged. "That just leaves you."
"Ah, I guessed as much…" Venom stood up and took his Scroll back. "Right then, I'll talk to them. In the meantime, I've got some work for you."
"Hm?"
"I've made a little dossier on the students here in Beacon." Venom pulled out the files on his left and opened them for Raiden to see. "Well, I couldn't get too in-depth for the transfers from Atlas and Shade, but Mistral's students are in here too."
"So you want me to profile the traitors from here?"
"Get some more data first." Venom urged. "Most of these are just things you could pull out from Beacon's public database. Dig a bit deeper, and you might just find something."
"This is a pretty big list you're asking for." Raiden said. "Not saying I disagree, just… pretty big 'might' too."
"Just skim over them for now. Once you find something suspicious on their trail, then you can dive straight in through the CCT."
"And about Ironwood's guards on there?"
"That's your problem."
"Hm. Fair enough." Raiden nodded. He sat on Venom's seat as the man approached the door. Raiden looked through the files, calling out one more time to Venom. "I'll get to it then. Have fun with RWBY."
"Yeah." Venom closed the door behind him. "I'll call from CODEC if I need anything. See you later."
By the time Venom finished his talk with Raiden and reached RWBY's common room, the sun had risen up and most of the student body were up and about. When he knocked on the door, there was no answer. When he looked through the peephole, the entire room was empty too.
"Just my luck…" Venom shook his head and went on looking around the campus. The courtyard was full, but not with his targets. Emerald Forest's launchpads were empty, and so on and so forth…
Finally, Venom ended up in the library. To be honest, this was the last place he decided to search. After all, what kind of person ended up in the library on a bright and sunny day like this?
But his expectations were proven wrong when he delved just a bit deeper. He found Ruby sitting alone, several books open yet clearly unread.
Venom coughed, and Ruby's head turned to him.
"Mind if I take a seat?"
"Oh, sure, sure…" Ruby muttered. Her tone got lower at the end, devolving into incoherent muttering at the end.
"Thanks." Venom pulled the seat beside her and took a seat.
He took a glance at what Ruby was reading, though from her gaze he knew none of it was sinking in. Leadership books, guides on working together, those kinds of books. "Having trouble leading?" Venom asked Ruby.
"Uh, we've just hit a little rough patch…" Ruby muttered.
"All leaders do." Venom said. "We just have to wade through those tough times as we go. It's our responsibility."
"Yeah. Of course…"
Venom let the silence stretch on for a bit more. Once Ruby was somewhat comfortable with his presence, he spoke again. "I've been looking for your team this morning, but you weren't in your rooms. I take it they're already out preparing for the tournament?"
"Yeah… Yang and Weiss decided to go into the doubles round." Ruby said. "They wanted to get some training done, so they went to the combat rooms once no one was looking."
"Never took them for the sneaky type."
"They just needed to let off some steam before the fight. Try to focus on the tournament after- after last night." Ruby said. "Blake left through the window after Yang and Weiss. We promised to watch the match together, but right now she… wanted to be alone."
"You're sure that's the right choice?"
Ruby shook her head. "We've tried all night to calm her down. It didn't work, not really. None of us have slept, that's why Yang and Weiss went. And just..."Ruby sighed and put her head in her hand "I don't really know what to do..."
"She really was torn up about last night, huh…" Venom trailed off. But still, he needed to ask Ruby some questions about what she saw. "Do you still want to save Beacon?"
"Of course I do!"
"Then you'll continue to fight, won't you?" Venom said. "We both know that."
"I know. But this stress doesn't seem like anything we've ever had before…" Ruby said dejectedly. "It's starting to get to me, Mr. Snake. The deaths, the stakes, fighting the White Fang last year didn't seem that hard…"
"That's because you know there's a lot more riding on this." Venom said. "Sad truth is, you'll just have to get used to it. Especially when the truth is heavier than the dreams and visions…"
Ruby sighed. "I know…"
"Your father thinks very much the same way." Venom tried to cheer Ruby up. "But he stepped up because he knew he needed to. He has it much worse, with his team in more disarray than yours, but he's still going strong."
"…Really?" Ruby asked.
"Mhm." Venom nodded. "I believe he can still go on, even though it's getting hard. That's because he has something to fight for. Saving his family. Saving you." Venom said. "As long as our goal remains clear, then no matter the opponent, the conspiracy, the truth, we can always strive forwards."
"Okay…" Ruby turned to Venom, and it was clear to see that her resolve had returned. "But now, can I ask you something?"
'Bingo.' "Only if you promise to answer mine."
"Sure."
"Then shoot."
"Venom… what are you fighting for?"
'What am I fighting for…?' That was clear to him, but answering it was a whole other matter entirely. Of course, he wanted to get Quiet back. And there was helping Tai too. Salem needed to go down. But after that…? Well, maybe he could retire to some place. Live.
In his past life, he dedicated his mission to revenge. Kaz and him destroyed so many just to see Skull Face dead, and yet the pain lingered after the bullet to his head. And then Quiet disappeared, and the 'truth' of The Man Who Sold The World, and that life ended when Quiet 'saved' him.
To a certain extent, it was true that he felt tired. He wasn't confused like Ruby here, that wasn't the case. But after countless conspiracies that went deeper and deeper, threats to face that came again and again, like an onslaught that never ends…
Big Boss wanted a world where soldiers were needed. But with this second chance at life, he felt like he wanted something more.
"I want to see Salem dead." Venom said and looked straight into Ruby's eyes. "She's a threat that needs to be handled. No matter the cost, the world will not survive if she remains in the picture. And you?" Venom asked Ruby. "I have to ask back, after all. What're you fighting for?"
"I wanted to be like my mother." Ruby said with steel. "I want to be a Huntress so I can save people. It's what I always dreamed of."
"Dreamed of? That's quite the statement." Venom said. He met Ruby's determined eyes with his own. It was easy to see her strength. Because Her reason was so innocent, simple. She was determined to reach victory with a simple soul, make the world a better place.
But they fight for Remnant to be better, all the while they swing blades and made money through taking missions…
Venom looked into Ruby's eyes, and it reminded him of someone he once held dear.
Ruby may have been different. She loved being a Huntress, wanted to save the people more than almost anything. But in many ways she was the same. Paz wanted peace to prosper, and for people to coexist. In that, she and Ruby were the same.
And he's seen how Paz's story ended.
Venom closed his eyes and tried his best to speak. For the life of him, he can't see history repeat itself.
"Ruby." Venom said. "You want to make the world better through becoming a Huntress? Through fighting evil?"
"Yes." Ruby nodded. "Like Mom did… just like the old stories."
"Then listen to me." Venom urged Ruby. "Most times, our wishes do not come true. They stay just out of our reach, always mocking us… This business we live in, as soldiers as Hunters... we earn our bread through bullets we fire and through blades we swing."
Venom continued. "Any peace we gain would be hypocritical. Fighting just the Grimm is nothing but wishful thinking. We eat well some nights at the cost of others spending theirs in jail. And in the end, the truth is that killing would be inevitable. Not everyone will survive, but don't let it be our team that dies."
"So…" Ruby closed her eyes. For the first time, her resolve shook. How could they not? He team splintered once more, and so much death was around her. Right now, even she felt the stakes were off the charts. And with everyone doubting themselves, she began to question, Would they survive as a team?
"There's no hope after all…? It's all just hatred, fear, and rage?"
Venom shook his head. "No."
Ruby opened her eyes.
"You want to fight… but I won't have it until you realise this is no easy matter. Last night, you saw Jaune let loose. There will be much more to come. Tai wants me to protect you, so here's a little tip."
Venom closed his eyes and remembered Paz's final words. "There is one true emotion in your heart. Let it fly out. Let it guide you. Live. Do you understand?"
Ruby kept quiet. She looked down, mulling her thoughts.
Maybe she did have to cross the line sometime. Sometime in the future. Jaune warned against it. Venom said it was impossible to avoid. Raiden was indifferent. And her own father, and what he was doing now, it didn't need to be said.
If the time came, and doing that would keep her team together…
A part of her was disgusted at this thought. But then, what if Team RWBY ended up like Team STRQ? Speaking of which…
"You said Dad was looking for Mom." Ruby muttered. "So? Did he find her?"
Ruby looked up and saw Venom close his eyes with a grimace.
'So- so Dad did find her! But, but why's he so upset?! Did something happen?' "Hey, Mr. Snake. So- so it's true?! Mom's- Mom's alive?!"
"She is." Venom managed to force out.
"So then, she's coming back, right?! We can see each other again-!"
"No."
Ruby felt herself almost stumble back. "W-what…?" She whispered. "Why?"
"Your mother, huh?" Venom shook his head. "The mission went bad. Worse. Your father's handling it right now, he's trying his best, but it isn't looking bright."
"How? How bad-?!"
"That's why I told you to hold on." Venom said. "Hold on to that one emotion close, or else you'll lose sight of what's important. Or even worse, hesitate to do what had to be done in the first place and pay the price."
"…"
"There is more to remember than hatred and rage. That's what an old friend of mine told me." Venom sighed. "That extends to fear too. But even so, with your team, your father, your mother, everything, you must understand. It's all well and dandy to hold on to an ideal, but now, you have to accept the truth. No matter how bitter. Gather your team and stick together, do you know why?" Venom leaned close. "Because I can't protect you if you keep running off in dreams. Get it?"
Ruby kept silent.
"So then with that in mind, I need you to tell me…" Venom leaned close. "Who told you where to find Jaune?"
"I've got a name."
"Right." Raiden got off his seat and reorganised the files on the table and swung his seat around. "And?"
"Coal Gray." Venom said over the CODEC. "Any clue?"
"Doesn't ring a bell." Raiden said. "Identifying marks?"
"20-something year old man. Wears red and white, despite the name. Fair skin. Grey hair. Didn't seem like a Hunter, from Ruby's account."
"Mm." Raiden mentally shifted through Venom's files he had scanned, containing information on the students. "There aren't any students with that name. There's a Flynt Coal in here, though. From Atlas Academy."
"What does he look like?"
"From here…" Raiden pulled out several holograms and looked around them. "Nothing like what you just described. Dark hair and skin, dressed like some old street performer in New York…"
"Name's probably just a coincidence, then." Venom concluded. "Colour rule and all."
"But that name's still a lead." Raiden got off his seat. "We could check out the database from the CCT. This way I could patch in for the earlier assignment too. You in?"
"Since it's a wide-scale investigation, I suppose I am." Venom said. "We'll need access to Vale's records, as well as to CCTVs across Vale. No way you could do this without the CCT, patching in to each one-by-one's gonna take way too long."
"Yeah." Raiden walked out the door and headed for the CCT. It was nearing high noon, and most of the student body had went to see the tournament. This was a double edged sword. On one hand, this meant that none of the kids would be asking what he was doing. On the other hand, this meant there would be no crowd for him to hide in.
Raiden reached the CCT, and thankfully there were still some people exiting and leaving. Not a lot, though, he still stood out. "Anything else?"
"No. The intel I got was already after after an hour of prodding. We're not getting anything else."
"Fine." Raiden rubbed his chin as he looked up the tower. 'Where can I get in…' Because unlike last time, he can't just brute force going into this tower and kill everyone there. But once he had access, he could just file through the information at his own leisure.
Of course, unlike Mistral, he couldn't just waltz in and ask for it. The Council wouldn't let it, not to mention General Ironwood and Headmaster Ozpin. For the former, they'd see this as stepping over their jurisdiction, Arc unit or no. For the latter, they'd see this as another way to undermine their authority.
But time was of the essence. He simply can't find it in himself to wait for their confirmation.
Now, how to sneak in…
It was then that Raiden heard the sound of a Bullhead approaching. It flew past him and landed next to the CCT, quickly being surrounded by Atlesian guards. The hatch on the back opened and the guards began emptying the Bullhead's contents. From where he was, Raiden could hear vague sounds of the guards talking as they carried crates and boxes in their hands from the Bullhead to the tower.
"Heard this Dust shipment came all the way from Atlas."
"Yeah, they heard that Vale was coming in short 'cause of Torchwick and the festival. Pretty nice of us, if you ask me."
"Well, with the General here, I guess things got a bit chummy between them… Anyway, we're bringing this to the CCT, right?"
"Yeah, the storage level's on the 5th floor. We gotta get a move on quick, there's a new shipment of the Atlesian Knights coming in soon."
But Raiden only heard a portion of that. All he needed to know was that the boxes were being carried to the CCT.
This was great.
Just like Snake taught him!
"Huh. So Solid thought you this too, huh?"
'Yeah.' Raiden hoped the CODEC could transmit his thoughts, then to text-to-speech. 'Said 'he can't even begin to count how many agents whose lives were saved by a cardboard box.''
"Well, he's not exactly wrong." Venom chuckled. "Looks like he did his history."
'True that. So you use this too?'
"You mean hiding inside a cardboard box? Heh, more than I can count. But I guess this case is a bit different. They'll notice a heavy cardboard box, but a crate? Much more leeway."
Currently, the ninja was hiding inside a Dust crate being pushed by a trolley brought by Atlesian soldiers going inside the CCT. If one were to look from the outside, nothing would seem out of place. Just a soldier pushing along heavy boxes and crates full of Dust.
As for making room for himself, this was conveniently a crate of Electricity Dust. He just smashed some before going in and none were the wiser.
Inside, Raiden couldn't help but smirk. This was always such a classic…
He felt the box stop moving, then the sounds of footsteps going away. After a while, the footsteps finally faded out totally, and he could hear the sound of a door closing.
Raiden peeped from a little hole. There weren't any lights outside either. It seemed like this was the best time to get out. With that said and done, Raiden lifted the top of the crate and stepped out.
He was greeted to the sight of a dark room with no one else in it. He was surrounded by boxes and crates of supplies, some the new Dust shipments brought in by Atlas. What little lighting was there was dim. At the end of the room was a door that lead to the outside, the one those guards had presumably left through.
Raiden cracked his neck. Sneaking, just like old times.
Just in case, Raiden picked up an empty cardboard box and hid inside it. With the box over his head, he began to walk to the exit he saw the guards leave from.
As he approached the door, he heard footsteps approaching. He quickly hugged the wall and stopped moving, the box covering him whole. Not long after, the door opened with soldiers carrying more crates walking through. Once they went past him, Raiden swiftly slipped past the soldiers and went through the door just before it closed behind them.
Once he was out, Raiden looked around through the box's peephole. The lift was just at the end of the hallway. On the other hand, the emergency stairs were right next to him. In this case, taking the stairs would be better.
Just then, he heard the elevator ding. Quickly, he entered the emergency stairs before anyone from the elevator stepped out. He slipped by just as more Atlesian soldiers walked past.
"Oh, and Raiden, make sure not to go too high." Venom reminded over the CODEC. "Ozpin's office is on the highest level."
'Huh. Makes sense, I guess.' Raiden continued to ascend, eventually reaching to the 3rd highest level, where the communications room was.
Raiden peeked through the door. The room was almost empty, save for holograms and some people making calls though them. Of course, this was also in a far less amount than usual, since the festival was about to begin. But still, these are students and civilians. He'd rather not be spotted by them of all people.
'I could wait out until the festival starts. Once it's empty, going in and out quick should be a piece of cake.'
"You wait for that, then there's a chance that those civilians will be switched for Atlas soldiers and Knights." Venom said from the CODEC. "No, there's no way they'd leave this place unguarded once the festival begins. There'd be at least two or three guards, I bet."
'Better to deal with guards than civilians, V.'
Venom hummed. "Your call, Raiden."
With that, Raiden decided to just wait it out. Just a few minutes later, the people inside the room filtered out to watch the tournament. In the end, once there was no one else inside making calls anymore, Atlesian guards and Knights entered the room and started circling around.
Raiden surveyed from where he was with patience. Each guard was paired with one Knight. They were all checking around the room, making sure nothing was out of place.
In this condition, slipping in without any alert at all would be a challenge.
Unlesss he had someone from the inside…
An idea formed inside Raiden's head. Yes, that might work!
Inside the room, an Atlesian Knight was surveying the edges of the perimiter. It had to confirm if everything was in order.
Suddenly, it heard knocking sounds from nearby. It turned surveyed its surroundings, trying to find the source.
Knock knock!
The sound reached its receptors again. It was coming from the emergency exit's doors, from behind it. Something metal on the other side was hitting the metal emergency door.
The Atlesian Knight moved to investigate. It went to the door, opened it, and stepped inside the emergency stair room. The door closed behind it, and it scanned its surroundings.
No enemies in sight…
False alarm protocol. Return back to original post-
Raiden jumped down from the ceiling and grabbed the Knight's head. Making sure to be gentle, he landed behind it and covered its optics. As it squirmed, Raiden looked for an access point behind the neck. Where might it be…
'Gotcha.'
Raiden pulled a USB plug from the back of his head and plugged it to the Knight's access point. After about a second, the Knight stopped squirming and fell into Raiden's complete control.
Raiden let go of the robot and stood back, hands on his hips and proud of his work. The Atlesian Knight turned around and stood stoic before him, waiting for his command.
Thankfully, nothing was off about the droid visually. It still seemed the same as it was pre-patch.
But still, Raiden felt something off in the back of his head. Like something was prodding at his head…
Raiden heard Venom whistle from the CODEC, and decided to shake those thoughts away. "That's a real handy feature you've got."
'Yeah, easy as pie to use too. Just had to find the DOOMP for the terminal over inside.'
"The- Um, excuse me?"
'A digital-optical output mounted proxy.'
"Aaahhhhh." He could practically feel Venom leaning back. "I thought it was- um, nevermind."
"Alright then. Let's do this." Raiden took a knee and hid far from the wall. He closed his visor, and in then his view shifted to that of the Atlesian Knight's.
From there, his job was pretty easy. Through the Atlesian Knight, Raiden snuck back to the CCT, blended in with the others, and once the heat was away from him, snuck a quick cable into a terminal.
The process took less than a second, and then the Knight immediately pulled the cable out. It was already enough, after all. Raiden had already gained access. With nothing else to do, Raiden relinquished his control of the Knight. A quick peek from the door revealed that the Knight had immediately continued to operate within its normal protocols. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Raiden smiled as he felt his systems connect to the wider CCT. Heck, he could probably pull out tons of data right now!
But that was for later. He had to sneak out first. Then, he could discuss things with Venom, and for more security, do it on the ACC this time.
"Tune in to Ruby's tip. Should be around 21:30 last night."
"Gotcha." Raiden pulled out his hologram and showed it to Venom. The ninja flicked through several cameras, passed through hours of footage, and eventually ended up to where Ruby was that night, several minutes before she gathered her team and rushed to the Fang's apartments.
The footage showed Ruby from the side. She was alone, talking to someone that was just blocked by a building. Clearly, from the look of her face, Ruby was completely engaged in the conversation, even though they couldn't see the person she was talking to.
"She must be talking to that Coal guy." Raiden said.
"We can't get a good look at his face." Venom said. "Switch to another shot. Once we get a good shot, we run this through the records you got and trace his movements."
"Right." Raiden nodded and flicked to another CCTV shot, this one that showed Ruby from the front, the girl still talking animatedly. This time, there was no wall or building to stop them from seeing to who she was talking to.
But something was off.
"Wait a second…" Raiden narrowed his eyes and scratched his head. "Hey V, I'm not- this isn't a glitch, right?"
Venom too rubbed his eyes. "No, you're right. The footage doesn't lie…"
Because what they saw was Ruby talking animatedly to thin air.
"Shit- what the fuck?" Raiden leaned back. "She sure as hell didn't lie, but this… this complicates things, doesn't it?"
Venom was silent. His mind was racing. Where had he seen this before?
Someone talking to someone that wasn't there…
Talking to someone that was there but wasn't at the same time, senses tricking yourself to view what you wanted to see. What someone else wanted to see.
Paz…
It seemed she was more alike than he ever thought.
Venom chuckled, and Raiden shot him a concerned look.
"Heh…" Venom smirked. "No, actually, it doesn't. They just gave themselves up."
Raiden felt kind of disturbed by Venom's laugh. It felt… mocking, almost, like this was such an ameteaur mistake by the enemy. "What're you thinking, V?"
"They just showed us their hand." Venom said.
"How so?" Raiden asked. "We've got nothing here. Ruby's talking to a hallucination, and no one else was near her. No trace of anyone close, at least no CCTVs caught anyone other than us."
"I've had a sort of experience with this." Venom smirked. "Ruby's talking to nothing. Either she's hallucinating, or something else is at play. But I've never known a hallucination that can lead someone to something that's happening right now. Trust me, I know. So the only logical conclusion is…"
"Someone's messing with her." It dawned on Raiden, and his eyes went wide. "Right there, she's being messed with."
"And this isn't any ordinary illusion either. Ruby remembered every single detail of this 'Coal Grey', so hallucinogenic drugs are out of the equation."
"There's only one way." Raiden said. "An illusion that intricate, that planned, that convenient..."
"And it's on such a short time too." Venom said. "Nothing like the brainwash Ocelot gave me. So then the logical conclusion is that it can only come-"
"-from a Semblance!" Raiden shouted. Quickly, he pulled out all the information he had as holograms and presented it to Venom. As the phantom leaned in patiently, Raiden's systems went into overdrive to search for someone with that Semblance.
A semblance that can cause someone to Hallucinate.
Eventually, his search engine stopped. He heard a loud ping as the hologram stopped and showed their target.
Raiden looked at the revealed traitor in their midst with awe, while Venom smirked menacingly.
They finally got a name.
Emerald Sustrai, a transfer student of Haven Academy.
And we've got a name! Now it's just a race against time for all sides. And then, why's Tai so busy...?
Anyway, thoughts, leave 'em in the reviews. Even criticism, appreciate those!
See you next time!
Review responses:
To DeathlyJazzHands55, thanks for the vote of confidence! While the flames are... what they are, I guess, there are still some valid criticisms I do take. Hm, this isn't the best work here, I won't claim that. But I digress. Thanks for reading this, truly. And for the support. Means a lot! Thanks!
To Fatswordsman, edited!
To trisychte59, true! We'll have to see how he stands up as their plans unravel,.
To Xealchim, yeahhh it's comin back. He's cooling down, though...
To SolSparda369, yeah he's not going to hold back next time. He's learned his lesson on how slimy the Fang could be. As for Team RWBY, nahh he ain't gonna do much harm. Psychologyical games, though, he's still a master at that. Thanks for reading!
To SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta, I don't think I can work in something like the ranged attacks into the story. It has no physics background for me to explain (except wind gusts? But then the question comes that why didn't Jaune use before...). But I digress. As for the Adam v Jaune balancing part, Adam had prep time and planning on luring out Jaune. But this comes from Jaune as well, having been caught up in the moment and enjoying the fighting. Thanks for reading!
To KenSanders, yeah, but that's been edited a bit. Now it's more like Adam got out just in the nick of time, and not Jaune being OOC.
To Greer123, yeah he won't anything back next time. But if that's enough or not, we'll have to see...
To PSYCONIG, sorry to dissapoint you.
To Just a reader now a writer, yeah, he gave them a sortaa lecture thing. Didn't help team unity though.
To Afrikinreader, in hindsight, maybe I could've put in something better to make Adam survive.
To Gwynx, thanks for the vote of confidence!
To naulds, as for why Jaune didn't do just that, that'd make any engagement with RWBY cast end instantly, no? And ah, he kinda got caught up in the fight and didn't use it. But tbh Adam would be able to react to it (but not effectively negate/keep up with it). But yes, it;s a bit of a mistake on my part Jaune didn't go all out.
To CriticaofRandomness, tried clearing up the things from the review here (also minor edit on the previous chapter)! And ah, thanks for the support form earlier!
To Galeon82, true, RWBY's traumatised-ish with what truly happened. As for the line between terrorism and activism, I do plan on showing the difficulties the Faunus had, but haven't found the slot just yet. Can't just say they suffered without showing it, no? Anyways, thanks for reading!
To xXKnow1NosXx, yeah, I see it. No problem, though! Any amount is appreciated.
To The genius known as M, I looked up in my emails and found it! It's good to see you're well, and thanks for still reading! Glad this thing's still working out, sorta. And I'll make sure to recharge. As for you, though, I hope you'll be well for many days to come! Stay safe and healthy, and keep trying your best in life!