"Sorry about earlier." Ruby Rose said while sitting atop a tree. "I was just so excited. Scythes are a super rare weapon type for huntsmen! Y'know?"

"Hmm." Hummed her partner from an adjacent branch.

Technically, Gambol Shroud, as Ruby had learned was the multivariate sword's name, used a throwing sickle design. But she decided to count it as a scythe anyway. The caped girl was currently examining said weapon under the mid-morning sun with glee.

She rubbed the connecting ribbon with her fingers. It was soft as silk when lax yet biting as razor wire when taut. This was a fine, beautiful piece of armament.

"Now I know two scythe users! The other is my uncle in case you were wondering."

"Right…" Blake answered from behind Crescent Rose's scope.

Fair was fair. If Ruby was allowed to check out Blake's weapon, then she needed to reciprocate. The girl with the cutesy bow in her hair was using the sniper rifle to take a gander over the horizon. She actually looked rather comfortable using the long-range rifle.

Ruby wondered how many types of weapons Blake could operate. Whatever prep school she had gone to was thorough. Her form was perfect.

"Technically, I know of three. His teacher used a scythe too. They called them the 'Grimm Reaper' because of how good they were at culling monster herds. How cool is that!"

"Huh."

"Uh, Blake?" Ruby fidgeted. "Are you listening?"

"You like scythes." She lowered the scope from her amber eye.

"I mean, yeah. That was the gist of it, but-"

"Here. Take a look out there." Blake scooted towards Ruby and held out Crescent Rose. "Tell me what you see."

Her baby returned, Ruby looked down the gun sights. "Where?"

"Northwest."

"Right." Crescent Rose was pointed left.

"That's northeast."

"Oh." Ruby swiveled.

Focusing over the foremost canopies, she spied a sparse patch with a low number of trees. Within was a stone bridge over a gully. Two boys, one in gray armor and another with a mohawk, were crossing over.

It was several klicks away. About a half hour away if they walked. Less if they sprinted. Even less if she used her Semblance.

"See it?"

"Yeah. Doesn't look like a temple, though."

"It will be nearby. Building beside a gully would be useful for security. Blocks off one end, preventing Grimm or other foes from sneaking up on the worshipers."

Blake cursed. Expecting something below them, Ruby zoomed out, looking for a threat. Seeing nothing, she picked her head up and turned to Blake.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Thought I heard something."

"Like what?"

"A buzzing noise. Like a fly, only much harsher."

The sniper-user listened for herself. All she could make out were regular forest-y noises. Blake, Ruby decided, had excellent hearing to make out insect wings.

"I don't-"

"Never mind." Blake slid down the tree. "Let's get going."

"Okay…" Ruby said, standing.

Before packing up, she took one last look over the canopy. Her silver eyes narrowed. Something was out there. Her gut was practically screaming at her to wait. But, without anything to go on, she folded Crescent Rose up and jumped down after Blake.

As Ruby did this, she missed a shimmer in the western cardinal direction. This flash of white lasted for only a moment. Then it was gone.


VI. Incoming


"That can't be good." Jaune said as a high-pitched scream echoed around him.

He had been lounging by the cave entrance when he heard it. That Pyrrha had not come over to investigate confirmed that it was all in his head. There could only be one source. His scouting spirit had run into trouble.

A small part of him was happy to discover that he was not the only one that sounded like a little girl when frightened. It was an endless source for teasing from his sisters. The other, much bigger, part of him was confused.

What could scare a dead man?

"Roman?" Jaune called down the cavern.

Then he remembered the thief would not be able to hear him. Over long distances, communication was a one-way street. Roman could speak to Jaune, but not vice versa.

There was a resonating rumble deep inside the cavern along with more yelling. The walls shook as though someone was taking a sledgehammer to them. A dislodged stalagmite fell beside Jaune. Whatever was happening, the teen did not want anything to do with it.

Where he stood was, as far as he knew, the only entrance. This was bad because, sooner or later, trouble would eventually come his way. There was a silver lining.

It was also the only exit.

Pulling his goggles down over his eyes, his vision was tinted with amber. The lenses lit up with a segmented 'M' inside a hexagon before the regular Atlas symbol appeared. It likely represented the company that had produced the AR device, though Jaune did not recognize the logo.

"Let's see if we can bring this place down." He said while gazing at the ceiling.

Text popped up. 'Unstable structure detected. Determining weak points.'

A green grid mapped the top of the cave. STRATOS eventually gained all the information needed. The little spinning wheel appeared, indicating the computer was thinking.

Yellow dots cycled on his visor until settling on one. 'Weak point found. To cause structural failure, high explosives of the following grade are recommended.'

Below the message was a number Jaune did not understand. However, he did grasp the concept of 'High Explosives.' He happened to have some on his person.

Now all he needed was to reach the weak point.

As if anticipating his next question, STRATOS highlighted a series of hand and foot holds leading up. Another heavy boom rang out as the blond scrambled for the rockface. His fingers and boot tips fit snugly inside the divots. Before he knew it, he was eye level with the crevice.

Jaune was amazed at how easily he could now hold himself upside down. A month earlier and his arms would have given out before reaching his goal. He reached down with his non-anchoring hand to open one of his armor's storage compartments.

From inside, he pulled out two orbs. One was glowing red and the other was pale green. He had it on good authority that these two Lagune Bombs, when used in conjunction, would produce a bigger 'boom' than if they were used separately. If luck were on his side, it would be enough.

He packed the explosives inside the crevice. Or he tried to. Jaune really had to push to get both orbs to stick within.

"Jaune?"

His hand slipped. "Ah!"

He dropped from the rocky ceiling. His eyes shut, expecting pain. Instead, he found himself cradled in strong and capable arms. Pyrrha looked down at him with concern.

"You have very kind eyes." He blurted out.

Kindness morphed into uncertainty. "Thank you?"

There was another rumble. Roman's shouting was increasing. Whatever had frightened the thief drew closer.

"Time to go!"

He hopped up and took her hand. Their fingers interlaced as he pulled her back out of the cave. She went along easily but was still rightfully confused.

"Wait! What's going on? What were you doing up there?"

"Something big is heading our way! We can't handle it alone, so I'm going to seal it away with some explosives!"

She gasped. "Explosives!? Where did you get explosives?"

"Oh, you know…" Breathing heavy now, he struggled to think. "I came prepared with some run-of-the-mill pocket explosives. They are all the rage these days."

Jaune stopped at a boulder a fair distance from the cave. He began to climb, but Pyrrha beat him up there. She lent a hand to hoist him up. While he caught his breath, she processed the nonsense he was spewing.

"Pocket explo- No. Never mind that. How do you know something bad is coming? I thought you didn't go inside."

"You'll just have to trust me on this."

The red head scrutinized his face before nodding. "Do your explosives have a timer?"

"They burst on impact." Realizing what this meant, the blond cringed. "Crap! I messed this up."

He had no way of triggering the bombs from far away. They would need a 'Plan B.' Pyrrha was once again ahead of him.

"Let's see if I can pick up the slack." She gripped her spear with both hands.

In a flash, her weapon transformed. The pointed end retracted to reveal a long-barreled rifle. Its shaft folded to form a stock which she held against her chest. Red iron sights appeared up top to look down at the cave.

"No offense, but can you really trigger the explosives from here?"

There was a rueful grin. "I will do my best."

Her best would need to be superb. There was no direct line of sight from where they stood. He was not sure how what she was suggesting would be possible.

It was then that Jaune heard Roman again. He was still shouting up a storm but had at least escaped whatever was dogging him. His right arm was supported against his body as he flew out of the entrance.

"Don't eat meeeeeee!" Was his ghostly wail.

"It's here." Jaune told Pyrrha. "If you are going to shoot, now's the time."

"Not yet." She breathed in.

"Are you sure?"

"Trust me."

Having his words thrown back at him, Jaune decided to shut his mouth. Pyrrha would need to concentrate. If she missed, they were all in for a rough time.

Even at a distance, they both could hear crumbling rock. Bits of debris blew out of the narrow passage. Heavy vibrations traveled up their legs. There was no denying that whatever was approaching was humongous.

At last, the two teens could perceive its dreadful glory: A bony, insectoid head; Large claws striped in red; The hints of a barbed tail; Green moss and scarring signifying both age and experience.

STRATOS identified it immediately as a 'Death Stalker.' That was all Jaune could read, as he was preoccupied with the emergence. The name was fitting.

It was as the Grimm escaped that Pyrrha took the shot. Jaune did not so much see the bullet as he heard the recoil. The effect was immediate. A split second after firing, there was a firm reverberation from the Lagune Bombs detonating.

What must have been a ton of sediment fell on the giant scorpion. If the Death Stalker had not been a vile creature of darkness, Jaune would have felt bad. The hissing noise it made while being crushed was haunting.

Once the rocks settled, the monster was completely buried.

"Wow!" He said, yet it did not feel like enough. "Amazing! You're incredible."

"Thank you." His partner said simply. "But that was your plan. I only made some slight adjustments and executed."

"Are you kidding? My 'plan' was panicked improvisation at best. You're the real star here." She looked away from him. "Pyrrha?"

"...I should ensure that Grimm is dead. Excuse me." She jumped down from their boulder to examine the rubble.

Jaune scratched the back of his neck. "What'd I say?"

He knew from experience with his siblings when a girl was giving him the icy shoulder. Although, his other sisters were always quick to inform him of how he had messed up. There would be none of that here.

The answer would have to remain a mystery. At least for a while. Roman had apparently calmed down enough to merge with Jaune's Aura again.

"Hey Ro-"

"That's the last time I scout out in the wild for you!" The thief was not nearly as composed as the aspiring huntsman had hoped. "That thing knew I was there! It nearly cut me in half!"

This was new information. Jaune assumed he was the only one who could perceive Roman. Though, he did suppose it did make a bit of sense.

That huntress-in-training he had met, Velvet, had told him that Grimm could sense Aura. If all that remained of Roman was Aura, then they would naturally be attracted to him. This would be especially true if the cocksure criminal had not been regulating his emotions.

Though one part of his account did not make sense. "How could it cut you? You don't have a body to cut."

"Oh yeah?" He re-emerged. "Then how do you explain this?"

Roman held up one of his hands. Jaune examined the transparent appendage. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

"Looks fine to me?"

"Wha-" Roman acted as though he had sprouted a new hand. "But it was clean gone!?"

Yet it was present now. If there had been an amputation, there were no signs of that now. His clothing did not even have a tear in the knitted cloth.

Or was it clothing at all?

Jaune appreciated now how little he understood of Roman's predicament. Clearly his existence operated under rules that neither fully understood. Maybe this was something he could research once he was in Beacon.

If he made it to Beacon.

"So the cave was a bust." Pyrrha said as she returned. "What now?"

To avoid appearing mental, Jaune turned away from Roman. "We keep heading north, I guess."

Neither she nor Roman looked pleased at the pronouncement. Surprisingly, they both kept their thoughts to themselves. The group started walking in that direction. Jaune sighed at the drop in morale, actively hoping for some excitement to get them all back on the same page.

/ / /

As Qrow Branwen disembarked at the Beacon Academy Bullhead port, he found a school operating at double time. His wobbly stroll of the docking bay stood in stark contrast with the mechanics scurrying around. This was no usual hubbub, though.

This was a coordinated panic.

Crates of ammo and Dust were wheeled about with undisguised urgency. Gunships awaited these supplies with revved engines. Something major was going on.

"Ah! Wait!" Somebody called out.

A pushcart loaded with supplies slammed into Qrow's shin. The shots of whiskey he had taken at sunrise dulled the sting. The buzz was ruined though as his Aura activated and burned up the alcohol in his body.

It was just as well. Qrow decided not to reup on his liquor. He needed his full faculties.

His glare came down harsh on the brunette who steered the cargo. "Watch it."

"Sorry! I don't know what happened!" She gasped. "It suddenly veered off course like I hit an invisible rock."

The girl was a student. Brown and orange catsuits were not the standard issue wear for the mechanical staff. Judging by her meek behavior, she was an underclassman.

"You…" Her long rabbit ears drooped. "Should be more careful."

"Vel! What's the holdup?" Another student jogged up to them. "Doctor Oobleck wants us airborne ASAP. C'mon!"

This one had shorter hair that came down in a bob. She wore designer clothing that belonged more on a mannequin than a huntress. Her demeanor was haughty, the other flavor of wet-behind-the-ear underclassman.

"Sorry, Coco." Another apology was issued. "I'm messing up all over. I nearly ran over this guy while hustling back."

"He seems fine. Let's go. Unless he is trying to cause you trouble." Coco's fashionable sunglasses tilted downward at Qrow. "Are you stressing my adorable teammate, mister?"

If they were closer in age, her fierce stare might have been intimidating. To Qrow, though, she looked more like a pouting puppy. He could only roll his eyes.

"No trouble. No stress. Just offering advice." Rescinding his earlier decision not to drink, he retrieved his silver hip flask and took a long swig.

"Riiiiight. We'll be going now."

They made to leave. He held up his pointer finger. Vel was polite enough to wait, forcing Coco to stay behind as well.

Qrow finished and smacked his lips. "You said 'Oobleck' is directing you?"

Vel nodded. "That's right. He is our history professor."

Coco tapped her foot. "And also the huntsman-in-charge. We kind of have an emergency going on if you haven't noticed."

He had. "Take me to him."

"We're not going to waste his time with some hobo."

Returning the flask, he pulled out a Scroll. It was a cheap little device he had bought with store credit at a convenience mart. The screen was blurry and underpowered, but his huntsman license displayed well enough.

"You will for this hobo."

While not one to enjoy pulling rank, Qrow did grin at the way both girls' mouths gaped. They immediately dropped their complaints and did as they were told. He followed their hasty lead.

Soon enough they were on a landing strip beside a Bullhead undergoing warm up procedures. Two teenage boys, a dark-skinned redhead and a pale giant in green armor, were loading more crates into the back. Overlooking them was the absent-minded professor Qrow sought.

"Yo! Bart!"

The revving engine nearly drowned him out. Bartholomew Oobleck glanced up from a clipboard. His crooked yellow tie flapped as he zoomed over to his caller.

"Why, Mr. Branwen! I haven't seen you in these parts in ages." He swiveled to the girls. "Miss Adel. Miss Scarlatina. Did you bring him here? Or did he bring you?"

"The second one." Qrow answered for them. "Caught your fashionista here slacking while the other did all the work. Figured you could sort them out."

Coco sputtered. "What!? You raggedy jacka-"

Bart clicked his tongue. "How disappointing, Miss Adel. Attend to your tasks for now. We will discuss your professionalism at a later date."

She was apoplectic as Vel pulled her away with the pushcart. They were warmly welcomed by the boys who promptly helped with the supplies. Qrow was all smiles as he looked up to the even lankier-than-him teacher.

"Thanks for playing along. I just love yanking the chain of students." Especially the annoying ones.

"Certainly. Although rewarding, a bit of lighthearted jabbing is what makes teaching the next generation of huntsmen bearable. That said, do remember to refer to me as 'Doctor Oobleck' when around my pupils in the future. We need to keep up appearances, after all."

After processing his rapid-fire response, Qrow snorted. "Never change, Bart."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Oobleck's grin capsized. "Now, what brings you to the academy today of all days?"

"Looking for Oz and found anarchy instead."

"Yes, well, there is a good reason for this madness. A Grimm incursion appears imminent. At the worst possible time too, what with Initiation taking place. Us faculty have been called upon to enter the Emerald Forest to serve as a bulwark. The headmaster is at the cliff, helping coordinate."

"Just my luck." His crimson eyes passed over the nearby students. "And the scrubs?"

"Quite a few of the regular staff are out, so we are drafting students to help. That is Team CFVY. You have already met their leader, Coco Adel, and her teammate Velvet Scarlatina. The other two are Fox Alistair and Yatsuhashi Daichi."

Qrow could take a guess on which one was which. "They any good?"

"Why yes! Individually and as a unit, the team is uniquely suited for this situation! They recently completed an overnight mission in the same forest and comported themselves quite well."

This was high praise from Bart. He did not hand out compliments easily. If they were competent in his book, they were practically prodigies to everyone else.

"Are you sending them in alone?"

"Goodness no!" The doctor shook his head. "They shall be deployed as soon as I can find a capable huntsman to supervise. They are still in their second year, after all."

That was fair. No matter how good a team, they were still a bunch of immature teenage kids. Better not to take any unnecessary chances with their safety.

"Look no further. I'll babysit them for you."

"You!?" Oobleck expressed shock.

"Sure." Qrow shrugged. "Can't speak with the old man until this is sorted anyway. Might as well pitch in. Unless my credentials aren't good enough?"

"Certainly! Team CFVY will benefit greatly from your oversight and tutelage."

"Eh, let's not overstate things." This immature, middle-aged man did not have much to offer to anyone. "Mind if I take them now?"

"By all means! Happy hunting!"

With the team handed off, Bart made himself scarce. Other important duties needed to be performed now that his charges were released. Qrow supposed he needed to do his part too.

He slunk over to his newest underlings. They were seated on a couple of boxes, having paused their loading tasks. Their heads turned to him as he stepped up and cleared the phlegm out of his throat.

"Look alive, Team Latte. The captain of your next mission has arrived."

The bunny faunus, Velvet, snapped to attention. Her speed in standing had him thinking she was from Atlas. Her teammates were a tad slower.

Yatsuhashi was next up. He was even larger than the Branwen had originally gauged, being a head taller than Bart. His arms and legs were as thick as tree trunks. Despite this, the young man with shaved black hair gave a respectful nod.

Fox also stood, but he took his time about it. Once up, he was laid back to the point of almost falling over. Milky eyes denoted him as blind, yet they were trained on the huntsman. A small device Qrow spied in the sightless teen's ear assisted him through sonar technology.

Not bothering to stand at all was Coco. The scowl etched on her face could cut diamonds. She was holding a grudge.

"They put you in charge?" She huffed. "Also, your joke doesn't make sense. 'Latte' is not a type of coffee. It refers to the milk that goes into the drink."

"Gee. Thanks for the fact check." Qrow ran a hand across his brow, already regretting taking the assignment. "Believe it or not, I am considered a valuable asset."

"I don't believe it."

"Way cool! We got our very own badass huntsman!" Fox pumped a fist before pulling back. "Don't get me wrong. The teachers here are great and all, but they have not seen actual field work outside of Beacon in years."

"It's an honor." Yatsuhashi spoke with a surprisingly soft voice.

"We will be in your care." Velvet bowed.

"I trust that you all understand the mission parameters?" Qrow asked.

Coco, as leader, was compelled to answer. "Yeah yeah. 'Search and destroy.' We are to buzz the Emerald Forest for anything that the babies on the ground would not be able to handle. If so, that is where the 'destroy' part comes in. Simple and clean."

"There is one thing you forgot."

"And what's that?" She challenged.

"You will do as I say, when I say. While I could care less about insubordination outside of the mission area, there will be no arguing once inside. My word is law, and you will follow any directions I give to keep you safe."

"Otherwise?" Yatsuhashi asked.

"Otherwise, I will knock you out, hog tie you, and fly you back to Beacon giftwrapped for Goodwitch to put in detention until you are as old as I am." That sent a shiver down all of their spines. "Are we understood?"

"Crystal, sir." Velvet squeaked while the rest nodded.

"Good. Get strapped in while I chat with our pilot." He sighed. "And for the love of everything, stop calling me sir."

/ / /

Over in the eastern quadrant of the Emerald Forest, a pudgy man in a burgundy, double-breasted suit puffed out his chest. He knew the importance of displaying confidence, even when faced with uncertain outcomes. This was doubly true now.

Before him were bear-like Grimm called Ursa. Specifically the variant was termed 'Ursa Minor.' While not as big as they could get, these cubs were considerably bulkier when compared to their Beowolf cousins. They cautiously advanced on the gentleman.

Behind him was a security console noisily processing a repair sequence. He was all that stood between order and chaos. His thick mustache twitched.

This was where he was most comfortable.

"Face me if you dare!" Professor Peter Port bellowed.

The Grimm Studies teacher knew that the monsters would not understand him. Or rather, these specific monsters could not. But they would focus on the human making noise rather than the rebooting machine.

He was right, on that count. The most belligerent of the group galloped straight at him. With a windup, Port swung his ax, Blowhard, at the creature right before it reached him. The edge sunk into its shoulder.

It had not gone as far as he had wished. Planting his foot, he powered through and spun. This extra bit of strength swept the Grimm off its feet. Freeing his weapon, he brought it down once more on the snarling creature's neck. The head rolled away.

"And the rest of you?"

The Ursai never received a chance to respond. Purple strings descended upon the Grimm, wrapping their limbs. They struggled against the shackles to no avail.

Peter flipped Blowhard around to hold the ax by the head. While not mech-shift in the conventional sense, his weapon had a trick up its sleeve. Or rather, down the handle.

With the pull of a hidden trigger near the eye, the far end exploded. Down the barrel a smattering of fire Dust flakes and damp limestone rocks rushed out. It was his own special blunderbuss ammo he designed to maximize damage for cost and carry weight.

The Ursai snarled as the blend hit. Black fur sizzled as the rocks pierced the skin. Once inside, the water molecules in the porous pebbles turned to steam and expanded outward rapidly.

It was a death by a hundred mini-depth charges. The Grimm toppled over. Now deceased, the strings retracted from their victims. The source descended from a nearby tree.

"Well timed assistance, Shion!"

"Thank you, Peter." The Nightmare Hunter greeted the professor warmly. "How have you been holding up?"

"Spectacularly! Why, I have the staying power of a bull moose!" He said while ignoring his spasming back.

"Very well. We will need to hold out for Glynda's reinforcements." They hefted their Gravity Dust dependent weapon, Dream Catcher. "I am ill-equipped to handle Grimm hordes for extended periods. We will need to align our actions."

Thus was the underlying issue with pursuing a specialty. Shion had built their professional identity around hunting and restraining their chosen prey. They could do so at an expert level, but quantity was a quality all to itself.

"No need to worry. Ann should be wrapping up her work soon! In fact, let's ring her."

He strutted up to the console. His Scroll was plugged in and switched to the shortwave radio function. Before he could push to talk, a harsh smoker's voice bleeped out."

"Port! Come in Port! Over."

After a beat, he answered. "I'm here. Shion as well. Beacon has been alerted to the situation. Over."

"Fantastic. Best news I've had all-" Static interrupted.

"Say again? You broke up there, old gal. Over."

There was more white noise. Then what sounded like a gunshot hit the line. Peter waited it out, only becoming concerned when more than a few minutes passed.

Finally she came back on. "Cheeky Grimm. Thought they could get one over on me. Anyway, I finished reconnecting the sensors. Had to reroute through the non-damaged lines and perform a patch job. Is the Control Center active? Over."

"Just completed the repair sequence. Reinitializing now. Over."

Luckily for them, the initialization process was not as noisy. They only had to wait a second or so. The holographic display then turned green.

"There we are." Ann reported. "Everything should be up and running again. Our first data packets should be arriving at any moment. Over."

The Control Center console lit up as the deep probes became operational. Soon, live alerts from all over the forest would start rolling in. With this information, Beacon would be able to better ascertain the incoming threat.

"Bravo, everyone! This shall be a story for the ages!" Or at least for his next class. "Over."

"Next time, we are sending students." Professor Greene groused. "That I was pulled off vacation a day early to serve as glorified IT support really chaps my-"

There was a priority warning. Beacon Tower had finished analyzing the Grimm activity of the area. The message sent was a numerical assessment of the threat facing them all. Peter braced himself for bad news.

It was worse than he had feared.

'Alert. Incoming Grimm attack. Threat level: Five.'

"By Jove! A five!?"

Such a threat level was unheard of on Beacon's doorstep. They purposefully culled Grimm to prevent such an event from occurring. The threat levels scaled exponentially higher in danger as the number increased.

A threat level of 'three' was enough to wipe out a medium-sized settlement. A 'Five' approached the tipping point for a critical mass, otherwise known as a 'Grimm Eclipse.' Under that scenario, monsters from all over the continent would be attracted towards this point.

Such a wave could wipe their huntsman school off the map. Unchallenged, the Grimm would roll over Vale as well. This situation could not be left to stand.

"We may have more immediate concerns." Shion chimed in.

"What could be more concerning?" Peter's breath caught as he looked up from the screen.

In the distance, a dark cloud was moving. It raced across the sky much faster than the other, lighter masses. Then it changed direction abruptly.

Switching the security console to active observation mode, he had a distant telephoto lens focus on the aerial blight. What he saw confirmed Shion's assessment. This cloud was in fact a colony's worth of Lancer Grimm.

Hundreds, possibly a thousand, large insects made up the mass. Their arrival was what was stirring up the local Grimm population. At the center of the incoming storm was a Lancer the size of a full freight ship.

A Queen Lancer.

"I say." Peter looked at Blowhard and back again. "We will require heavier ordinance!"