#ggchapters

Chapter 1, Best Day Ever

The Gem Garden, Chapter 4 — The Emerald Forest

The Gem Garden, Epilogue — Confessions

The Gem Garden, Vol. 2

Chapter 7 — Burning the Candle

The Gem Garden, Vol. 2

Chapter 14 — The Wall

The Gem Garden, Vol. 2

Chapter 13 — RWBY

“Our last pair has been formed, sir,” Professor Goodwitch comments to the Headmaster as she cycles through camera feeds on her tablet, “Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Poor boy, I can’t possibly imagine those two getting along. Still, he’s probably better off than Miss Nikos.” She switches feeds again, this time to one of Pyrrha and Jaune trekking through the woods. Ozpin hums, leaning over to get a better look at her screen as she elaborates,

“I don’t care what his transcripts say. That Jaune fellow is not ready for this level of combat.” She closes the feed, her situation report at its conclusion, “I suppose we’ll find out soon enough. At their current pace, they should reach the temple within just a few minutes. Speaking of which… what did you use as relics this year?”

Ozpin doesn’t respond, even when Goodwitch calls his name. His attention is fully committed to his own tablet, where a camera feed monitors two partner pairs—Ruby and Weiss, and Maggie and Sakura—bickering amongst themselves instead of making progress.

˚⟡⊰⋆: 𖣂𖢻❀:⋆⊱⟡˚

Sakura is a good friend—or at least tries to be—and would never actually wish ill upon her best friend. However, Sakura does not have infinite patience, and watching said best friend stumble about, hopelessly lost but insisting she lead the way, is really wearing that patience thin.

“It’s definitely this way.” Weiss tries to fill her tone with as much empty confidence as she can muster, only to immediately second-guess herself and turn around. Setting off in another direction, she tries again, “I mean—this way! It’s definitely this way.” She stops in front of her partner and grumbles, “Alright. It’s official. We passed it.”

“Why can’t you just admit that you have no idea where we’re going?” Ruby asks as she stands up, her tone somewhere between pleading and derision.

“Because I know exactly where we’re going!” The heiress protests, “We’re going—”

“Weiss.” Sakura interjects, looking unimpressed, “We’re wasting time.” Weiss recoils from the reprimanding, crossing her arms and turning away with an indignant expression. Ruby sticks out her tongue and makes an annoying, teasing sound. Sakura has to just groan and walk away before those two get into it again.

“Maggie,” Sakura sighs as she reaches her partner, “Do you think you could locate the Forest Temple? Those two won’t be of any help.” Maggie tilts her head slightly, uncertain. Her breathing steadies as she leans on her walking stick slightly; Sakura once again felt her Aura pulse, followed by a long pause. While they wait, Sakura tunes back into Ruby’s and Weiss’ argument.

“It means you’re a big, stupid jerk and I hate you!” Ruby snaps, and Sakura tunes back out. They won’t be saying anything productive for a while.

“I think I found it,” Maggie murmurs softly, almost drowned out by the arguing, “Although, sometimes they lie.” Sakura stares at her in utter confusion as she tries to process this information. The questions of what Maggie is contacting and how would have to wait, though; behind them, the other pair’s argument is reaching a fever pitch and can’t be ignored anymore.

“—acting like a child!” Weiss yells, even though she’s mere inches from her partner.

“Well, stop acting like you’re perfect!” Ruby retorts, and Sakura knows she needs to step in before her best friend digs herself even deeper.

“Come on!” Sakura shouts, motioning for the two to join, “We found a path.” She turns back around, knowing that Weiss, at least, will be close behind. Sakura makes sure to walk in-step with her partner, hopefully concealing the fact that only one of them actually knows which way to go.

˚⟡⊰⋆: 𖣂𖢻❀:⋆⊱⟡˚

Lily’s not sure they’re doing this whole “Initiation” thing correctly. After all, the Headmaster had made such a fuss about how this whole ordeal was actually very dangerous. Meanwhile, Lily and her newfound partner have seen neither hide nor hair of even a single Grimm. Instead, they’re just coasting along following the river.

“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Lily asks as she lazily circles over Blue Blonnet. She wasn’t trying to be rude, but, “Nothing’s happening.”

“Trust me.” Blue responds with an easy confidence, “I know this forest like the back of my hand. We’ll be at the Forest Temple in no time!” They swim near the shallows of the river, but are clearly enjoying the water too much to think of leaving it.

“I’ll scout ahead.” Lily doesn’t wait for BB’s response—something about a horse—before she darts off. She needs to do something, anything, other than idle chatter. Fortunately, she finds exactly what she’s looking for: a wavering dark spot in the water; a fish just beneath the water’s surface. It’s been so long since she’d been bare-handed fishing, so she dives right for it, pulling back at the last moment so only her arms break the surface.

Her hands do not find purchase around a fish as she expected, but instead plunge into the thick, black mass she mistook for prey. It felt like grimy, algae-covered lake grass—hardly strange in and of itself—but as she tries to take off, the mass coils around her hands. In an instant, it transforms from thin, harmless reeds to coarse, tightly woven tendrils, clutching her wrists in a vise grip.

“What in tarnation!?” Lily shouts as she pulls hard against the mass of writhing tendrils. Her wings beat with as much force as she can give, barely managing to pull her attacker partially out of the water with her. In the daylight, the tendrils look like coarse, matted hair, still attached to something in the water below.

“I told you to be careful!” BB shouts as she hurries to catch up, “Kelpies love this river!” The monster tears through the water, helped along by the river’s current. Electric blue Aura wraps around BB’s legs, boosting their speed in a bid to keep pace. As they run, they flip a switch to trigger a weapon shift. The coiling shell spear tip of her lance folds, unveiling an exhaust valve as they spin the weapon around, taking aim.

A moment later, the great lance Auger roars like thunder as it fires a miniature rocket toward the Grimm. The rocket plunges into the water before the Dust payload detonates, exploding outward and sending a deluge of water into the air—and, by extension, Lily. The airborne Faunus is thrown back by the shockwave as the creature rears up, breaching the water’s surface.

Lily finally lays her eyes on the Kelpie: a monstrous, equine Grimm with a pitch dark body covered in bony plating. The “tendrils” her hands were stuck in turn out to be the beast’s wild mane, the coarse hair spreading out in search of prey. The Kelpie whinnies and snarls, opening its maw to reveal jagged fangs; its forelegs kicked wildly in the air, swiping wildly with vicious-looking claws.

˚⟡⊰⋆: 𖣂𖢻❀:⋆⊱⟡˚

“Think this is it?” Jaune asks his partner as the two eye a cave in the cliff face. Next to the cave’s mouth is a series of rudimentary paintings, depicting people engaged in battle with a giant scorpion-like monster. Pyrrha holds her tongue at first, following him into the cave for a way. It’s not until they have to light a torch that she starts to voice her doubts.

“I’m not sure this is it,” She maintains a calm, steady tone, even as the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

“Pyrrha,” He sighs in response, “I made the torch. Could you, at least, humor me for maybe five more feet?” Just as she opens her mouth to assent, however, Jaune trips. He falls face-first, the torch landing directly in a puddle of stagnant water, dousing it instantly.

“Do you… feel that?” She tries to keep a hold of her nerves, to not let them show in her voice.

“Soul-crushing regret?” He quips sardonically, and she can swear she practically sees his eyes rolling.

“No, it’s—” Pyrrha pauses, as a wave of heat washes over her from deeper in the cave, prompting her to muse, “Warm.” Hesitantly, the pair press onward, rounding a curve to spot something strange. It’s this massive glowing bulb, bigger than her head, seemingly floating in midair. The heat from before must be radiating from the bulb.

“That’s the relic!” Jaune shouts, eagerly reaching for the pointed tip of the object. It pulls out of his reach, eliciting frustrated grumbling from him as he lunges for it again. On the third try, his hands wrap around it, leaving him dangling in the air as the horror dawns on Pyrrha.

“Jaune…” Pyrrha doesn’t have time to get the warning out before the beast in the cave hisses, and the angry, red lines along its body alight. She should have known from the painting; this wasn’t the resting place of the relic, but of a Death Stalker, a giant, scorpion-like creature of Grimm. She turns on her heel and runs as fast as she can.

Pyrrha barely makes it out of the cave before the mouth explodes outward behind her, rocks flying in every direction as the Death Stalker emerges. Jaune screams all the while, clinging onto the bulb—the piercing tip of the Grimm’s tail—for dear life. Pyrrha plants her feet and turns to face the beast.

“Jaune!” She shouts up at him, hoping he can think clearly, “Whatever you do, don’t let—” The Grimm flicks its tail, and Jaune is flung from his hold and sent sailing over the treeline. She can only finish her sentence with a defeated sigh, “—go.” The Death Stalker clicks its pincers as it makes a low, rumbling sound. Pyrrha may be called the “Invincible Girl,” but she isn’t about to pick a fight she doesn’t stand a chance in, and high-tails it out of there.

˚⟡⊰⋆: 𖣂𖢻❀:⋆⊱⟡˚

Yang and Blake approach the edge of a large clearing, grateful for their vantage point atop a knoll. Below, in the perfect center of the clearing, stands a dilapidated ruin; a circular dias, its outer wall all but demolished and two of its columns shattered. Sixteen small plinths gather in silent vigil atop the dias, but neither can see what—if anything—is on them from this distance.

“Think this is it?” Yang turns to her partner, fighting a playful smirk. Blake rolls her eyes but says nothing, opting to press onward toward the ruined temple. Reaching the dias, they examine the plinths, most adorned with a chess piece, though some had theirs taken already.

“Chess pieces?” Blake wonders aloud as she steps up to the black king piece.

“Looks like we weren’t the first ones here.” Yang adds, standing next to an empty plinth.

“I guess we should pick one…” Blake murmurs back. Before she can suggest a piece, though, Yang scoops one up and raises it high in the air.

“How about a cute little pony?” She asks excitedly, waving the white knight piece. Blake fails to suppress a smile, seeing her partner this giddy. Moving closer together—to the center of the dias—Yang proclaimed, “That wasn’t so hard!”

“Well, it’s not like this place is very difficult to find.” Blake does her best to maintain a neutral tone, to not get swept up in the blonde’s enthusiasm. The meager celebration is short-lived, however, as a shrill, terrified shriek pierces through the forest. Yang immediately turns toward the source of the sound, while Blake’s gaze is pulled to the sky.

“Blake, did you hear that?” Yang worries, refusing to turn away from the forest’s edge, “What should we do?” The questions go in one ear and out the other, as she’s too focused on trying to identify the small black-and-red thing plummeting from the sky at high speeds. That couldn’t possible be—

“HEAD’S UP!” The familiar voice of Ruby Rose fills the air, confirming Blake’s fears and suspicions. Just as her partner looks up and sees her plummeting sister, though, something else—also roughly person-sized—slams into Ruby, sending them both flying past the treeline.

˚⟡⊰⋆: 𖣂𖢻❀:⋆⊱⟡˚

“Ruby!” Weiss shouts over the roar of the wind, clinging desperately to the back of a Nevermore mid-flight, “I told you this was a terrible idea!” A few feet ahead, the aforementioned prodigy struggles to turn back to face her partner.

“We’re fine!” She replies just as loudly, “Stop worrying!” Ruby really hopes her intended, reassuring tone carries, but the look on Weiss’ face says otherwise.

“I am so far beyond worrying!” The heiress manages to growl, glaring daggers at the other.

“In a good way?” Ruby knows it’s a dumb question, but maybe it’s just dumb enough to lift her partner’s spirits?

“In a bad way! In a very bad way!” It seems not.

“Well why don’t we just jump?” Ruby snaps back, her suggestion more serious than her tone lets on. She knows that they ought to be nearing the Forest Temple by now, at least based on Maggie’s earlier estimates, so if they just drop…

“Are you insane!?” Weiss calls, but Ruby’s already let go of her precarious hold. Her descent is uncontrolled, but manageable—she even aims for Blake and Yang below her—until someone crashes into her. The two collide with a tree, she recognizes his blue jeans and scruffy blonde hair—though she’s not sure how Jaune of all people managed to get flung through the air like that.

In the couple of seconds it takes for Ruby to regain her bearings, the scene that erupts at the temple is chaotic as all get out. Nora bursts through the treeline, riding atop an Ursa that soon collapses; she wastes no time rushing the podium to claim the white rook piece. Next, Maggie and Sakura reach the steps of the temple; while the latter looks for the pair they had lost track of, the former makes a beeline for Blake and throws her arms around her old friend.

Then comes shouting from the river, followed by the angry braying of a Kelpie. It charges out of the water, Lily’s ankle caught in its mane and BB’s lance piercing its hindquarter—the weapon’s wielder still holding onto it. Finally, Pyrrha emerges from the same direction Jaune had been thrown from, a massive Death Stalker on her tail. The redhead calls for her partner, but he’s stuck with one foot caught in the branches. Ruby jumps down, dropping into a graceful roll as she heads toward her sister.

“Ruby?” Yang calls excitedly as she notices her approach.

“Yang!” She throws open her arms, ready for a hug, when—

“Nora!” She shouts as she charges between them, making exceedingly quick introductions. Between the interruption, the relentless advance of a massive Grimm, and Blake’s snide commentary, Yang’s short temper is quickly overwhelmed.

“I can’t take it anymore!” She growls, her eyes briefly flashing crimson, “Can everyone chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?!” The universe, in its infinite and cruel irony, permits almost exactly two seconds before Weiss’ shriek draws everyone’s attention upward, just in time to watch her grip give, sending her plummeting from the skyborne Grimm.

Jaune, taking significantly longer to recover than Ruby, takes it upon himself to play hero. He literally leaps to Weiss’ aid, very nearly catching her in his arms before realizing he gave up any kind of foothold or stability, so they just both fall. At least he manages to break her fall with his spine.

There’s a loud boom as Lily fires a shotgun at the Grimm holding onto her, two shots of Fire Dust tearing through the mane. At the same time, the Kelpie bucks, throwing Blue off of it and straight into their partner, though she did dislodge her weapon from the Grimm, so it wasn’t lost. Nearby, the Death Stalker slams a massive pincer into Pyrrha, throwing her back. All three tumble onto the ground next to the other at the temple steps.

“Great! The gang’s all here!” Yang cheers sarcastically, “Now we can die together!” There may be twelve students, but there are three massive Grimm surrounding them. Each Grimm could pose trouble for a fully-trained Hunter, much less a ragtag gaggle of students.

“Not if I can help it!” Ruby grins, eager to show off her skills and be the hero she’s always wanted to be. She charges before anyone—especially Yang—can stop her, drawing Crescent Rose in its scythe form. She uses the recoil from a blank round to build further momentum, hurtling across the clearing toward the Death Stalker. Her efforts are rewarded with the Grimm interrupting her strike with a blow from its pincer.

The instant she’s back on her feet, Ruby turns tail and runs from the scorpion, realizing she cannot take it on alone. Yang breaks off from the group next, racing to help her little sister. Before she can reach her, though, the Nevermore beats its wings, raining massive feathers down like spears. Yang’s momentum grinds to a halt, and she can only watch as one of the feather-spears pins Ruby down by her cloak.

“Ruby, get out of there!” Yang shouts as her sister tugs ineffectually on the cloak.

“I’m trying!” She calls back as the Death Stalker nears. It raises its stinger, lining up the strike, and Yang feels her stomach drop. Ruby comes to the same realization, curling around herself to hopefully become a smaller target. She shuts her eyes as the stinger comes crashing down. There’s a blur of white and a sickening crunch, and it's not until she hears Weiss’ voice that Ruby dares open her eyes.

“You are so childish.” A curved wall of jagged ice holds the stinger back, keeping it mere inches from Ruby’s face. Weiss stands just beneath the stinger, in the center of the wall, the tip of her rapier pressed into the heart of a snow-white glyph on the ground.

“Weiss…?”

“And dim-witted, and hyperactive. And don’t even get me started on your fighting style.” The heiress turns to face her partner, sighing, “And I suppose I can be a bit… difficult. But if we’re going to do this, we’re going to have to do this together. So if you quit trying to show off, I’ll be… nicer.”

“I’m not trying to show off…” Ruby murmurs, her eyes fixed on the ground between them, “I want you to know, I can do this.”

“You’re fine.” Weiss says before she walks away. Her tone lacks any warmth or tact, but the words are the most comforting thing Ruby could ask for. She rises to her feet, getting a single moment to truly take in the size of the Death Stalker before Yang crushes her in a hug.

“I'm so happy you’re okay!” Their relief is cut short as both the Nevermore and Death Stalker screech, prompting the pair to rush back toward the larger group.

˚⟡⊰⋆: 𖣂𖢻❀:⋆⊱⟡˚

“Guys!” Jaune points up at the gargantuan, raven-like Grimm in the sky, “That thing’s circling back! What are we going to do?”

“Look,” Weiss shoots him an unimpressed look as she points to the dias, “There’s no sense in dillydallying. Our objective is right in front of us.” Sakura nods in agreement.

“She’s right,” Ruby assents as she and her sister return to the group, “Our mission is to grab an artifact and to make it back to the cliffs. There’s no point in fighting these things.”

“Run and live, that’s an idea I can get behind.” Jaune visibly relaxes while BB pouts. The partner pairs who have yet to claim their relics all move for the dias to claim one of the remaining pieces. Ruby grabs the second white knight without hesitation; Jaune does the same with the remaining white rook. Lily tells Blue that they should pick the pair’s piece, hoping it will cheer them up; and it does, as she grabs one of the two black rooks immediately.

A couple paces away, Maggie holds up the other black rook for Sakura to inspect. Instead, Sakura’s sharp gaze turns to Lily and Blue Bonnet, studying them. Whatever she sees must be enough, as she quietly agrees to Maggie’s choice. Not a moment later, the Death Stalker screeches as its icy prison starts to crack.

“Time we left.” Ren speaks up for the first time, his voice stern and commanding. Sakura and Ruby nod in agreement, and it’s not long before the dozen of them are racing toward the cliff side. Unlike the others, though, Yang hangs back for a moment. Ever the perceptive one, Blake pauses mid-stride to check on her partner.

“What is it?” She asks softly. Her eyes follow Yang’s gaze, watching Ruby crest a knoll. She pauses and looks back, spotting the two lagging behind and waving them forward.

“Nothing.” Yang speaks calmly, violet eyes shimmering with pride as she moves to catch up to her sister. Blake allows herself a small smile and follows suit.

As the students run, the Nevermore follows from the sky. The forest gives way to yet more ruins, just as old as the temple; this time, what looks to be an old city center. If they can just throw the Nevermore off their trail, the last real obstacle between them and the cliff is a sheer drop leading to a lake with this grand, ancient spire rising out of the center, with bridges spreading out from it. It’s atop this spire that the Nevermore chooses to roost, screeching loudly as if to let the students know it hasn’t forgotten them.

“Well that’s great,” Yang mutters sarcastically. A moment later, the Death Stalker bursts through the treeline into the ruins, scattering the group. No one wants to be caught out in the open with both Grimm on them. For as much as they wanted to avoid it, their first Hunt is already underway.

“Nora, distract it.” On Ren’s signal, Nora bolts out of cover, baiting out a storm of feather-spears as several of the students retreat toward the water. She pulls her weapon off her back, a gleaming silver grenade launcher, and fires at the winged beast. The rounds burst into clouds of pink smoke on contact, but succeed only in keeping its attention.

Behind her, the Death Stalker attempts to pounce on the easy prey. Instead, Ren and Blake cut in with perfect timing, their bladed weapons pushing its pincers away from Nora. At the same time, Weiss drops in from her vantage point, a glyph appearing under her feet. The glyph acts as a launch pad, as the heiress grabs Nora by the waist and leaps forward—far from the scorpion Grimm.

When Nora stops firing, Lily charges at the Nevermore to take its focus. As she moves, her Aura gathers first in her wings—boosting her speed beyond normal limits—then as a barrier extended out in front of her, the fiery orange energy practically burning through the air. The living meteor slams into the Grimm’s wing, wrenching a pained shriek from the monster.

Unfortunately, the direct hit is taxing on Lily’s Aura, leaving her exposed when her Semblance ends and the extended barrier dissipates. Sensing her weakness, the Nevermore beats its wings, bashing the Faunus and sending her cratering toward the lake below.

“How are you with water?” Sakura asks her partner as she watches Lily fall from the sky.

“Better than the air.” Maggie’s response is barely audible, but it’s enough to send the two toward the ledge, Blue Bonnet at their side. Peering over the drop, they see that Lily landed not in the water, but on the sand next to it. The sight is almost a relief, until a familiar Grimm rises up out of the water. The Kelpie’s eyes are focused on the Faunus as she staggers to her feet, its mane already reaching for her.

“Dammit, I knew they had a taste for birds!” BB curses under her breath. They don’t wait for any kind of reply or offer any explanation. She only readies her lance and leaps off the ledge, diving straight for the Kelpie. Sakura narrows her eyes, trying to map out the safest route down when Maggie takes her hand.

“Hold tight.” The Faunus instructs, bringing Sakura’s hand to her waist. She does as told and wraps her arms tightly around her partner. Maggie then skitters down the precipice with ease, and the human is too busy questioning her life choices to process how easily the blind girl navigates the rocky terrain.

Not twenty yards from where they start their descent, the Death Stalker continues its pursuit, chasing the other eight onto the bridge connecting the ruins to the tower. As they run, the Nevermore dives for them, raking its talons across the bridge and crumbling part of it. Blake, Pyrrha, and Ren are caught on one end of the bridge, trapped with the Death Stalker. The rest are isolated on the tower.

“Man, we gotta get over there!” Jaune shouts as he watches his partner take a knee and start firing at the Grimm. He rushes to the edge of the ruined bridge, trying to figure out how to safely cross, “They need help!”

“Let’s do this.” Nora’s voice swells with determination as she takes a stand next to him. She looks down, examining the precarious chunk of stone they stand on.

“Yeah, but, uh—I can’t make that jump.” The ginger only grins and pushes him a bit further up the bridge. Her weapon shifts into a mighty maul, the drum magazine housed in the hammer head. Offering no explanation—and blatantly ignoring Jaune’s protests—Nora leaps, turns and brings the hammer down on the crumbling ledge.

The uneven blow shoved one chunk of stone down, turning it into a massive, impromptu catapult. Its payload? Jaune, who is launched over the gap. Proud of her work, Nora pulls the trigger on her weapon’s haft, firing a grenade into the stone. It detonates immediately, the shockwave launching her up into the air and toward the Death Stalker. She swings the maul overhead, crashing it into the Grimm’s skull.

The Death Stalker tries to sting her a moment after her hit lands. She fires a grenade directly onto the beast’s head, dodging the attack and getting the stinger buried in the stone. However, the force sends her flying back uncontrolled until she slams into Blake, sending the other girl careening into the gap. Blake reacts quickly, using the recoil of her weapon firing to send the sickle out—further than she could throw it—and into a piece of still-standing bridge.

Anchored to the stone, gravity becomes Blake’s ally, building momentum before the ribbon pulls taught, swinging her up into the air. As she flies, she activates her Semblance, her bright purple Aura shimmering around her before splitting off and creating a perfect copy of herself just under her feet. This Shadow remains only for a moment, just long enough to be a launch pad from which Blake springs up further, coming face-to-face with the Nevermore.

She wastes no time readying her weapon, shifting it from a sickle to a single-edged shortsword as—in her off-hand—the sheath unveils a hidden blade of its own. She slashes rapidly as she races down the Grimm’s back, carving light gashes into it before she leaps off it, landing safely atop the tower.

Thus, the battle is divided into three parts; on the land: Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren face off against the Death Stalker; in the water: Blue Bonnet, Lily, Sakura, and Maggie fight the Kelpie; and in the air: Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang stand atop the tower, their foe the massive Nevermore.

˚⟡⊰⋆: 𖣂𖢻❀:⋆⊱⟡˚

The Death Stalker violently tears up the stone as it frees its stinger, destabilizing another chunk of the bridge. The same piece of bridge that its opponents are standing on. Jaune looks to the other three as the stone starts to give beneath their feet.

“We’ve gotta move!” With a curt nod, the impromptu team springs into action, with Jaune and Pyrrha leading the charge, shields at the ready. The Grimm jabs forward with a pincer, and Pyrrha expertly deflects the blow, her spear collapsing into a shortsword that she uses to carve into the beast’s blackened hide. It roars furiously, but as it brings its second pincer down on her, Jaune steps in, catching the blow on his shield. Pyrrha leaps over him, driving her weapon into the second pincer and forcing it back, opening a line of attack on the Grimm’s head.

Ren fires a volley of shots from his pistols as he rushes the opening, baiting the foe into using its stinger. When the stinger comes down, he nimbly spins around the attack, hooking one of his blades into the tail and turning the Grimm’s deadly weapon into a vantage point. With one blade securing his position, he readies the other pistol and resumes spraying the creature’s insectoid face with Dust rounds as its pincers lunge for Jaune and Pyrrha.

Further back from the others, Nora shifts her weapon back to a grenade launcher, allowing better control and accuracy as she fires two rounds at the behemoth. The Dust grenades detonate against the hard shell of its pincers, stopping the attack, and her allies back with the shockwave. Jaune stumbles, but Pyrrha keeps her footing and, when the Death Stalker pulls its pincers back, she hurls her spear directly into one of its larger eyes. The creature shrieks, thrashing about and flinging Ren off its tail.

“Ren!” Nora shouts helplessly as Ren slams into a half-toppled pillar and collapses on the ground, his cherry-pink Aura flickering around him: weakened, but not yet broken. Meanwhile, Jaune struggles to his feet when he notices the stinger dangling from the Grimm’s tail. It’s barely still attached, Ren’s sickle having nearly severed the end of the tail while he was being thrown off of the beast.

“Pyrrha,” Jaune turns, about to relay his plan—only for her to act as though she already knows it.

“On it!” With the precision and strength of a peerless athlete, Pyrrha hurls her disc-shaped shield. It spins as it flies through the air, the edge becoming a makeshift blade that snaps the bit of flesh still holding onto the beast’s stinger. The shield continues its flight until it bounces off a pillar, and faintly glows with its wielder’s crimson Aura as its path curves back and into her waiting hands. The stinger, on the other hand, drops down, its tip breaking through the Grimm’s own bony armor. The beast staggers, stumbling onto the final remaining chunk of bridge.

“Nora,” Jaune calls, “Nail it!”

“Heads up!” Nora says as she runs up behind Pyrrha, who raises her shield and kneels, bracing for impact. Nora jumps up, placing the head of her mace on her ally’s shield and pulls the trigger. In the same instant the round detonates, Pyrrha pushes up with all her might, fighting against the shockwave as Nora is launched into the sky. Nora twirls as she reaches the apex of her flight and her descent begins.

Her momentum builds as she plummets and drives her mace down right onto the base of the stinger, hammering it down and through the Death Stalker’s head. Crumpling under the blow, the beast craters forward, its mighty bulk pushing one end of the bridge, making a makeshift catapult that launches Pyrrha and Jaune over the Grimm and safely onto the mainland. Nora launches herself to safety using another grenade burst from her hammer.

˚⟡⊰⋆: 𖣂𖢻❀:⋆⊱⟡˚

BB’s attempt at dive-bombing the Kelpie doesn’t go to plan. Sure, she manages to get the literal drop on her target—her lance breaking through the bone armor on the Grimm’s hind quarters—but in their rush to help, she forgot to account for a proper landing strategy. The recoil from landing the strike wrenches the lance from their grip, and they and their weapon crash messily into the beach, electric blue Aura cushioning the blow.

The Kelpie shrieks as the lance cracks open its armor. Before it can retaliate against its attacker, though, Lily leaps up, striking the side of its face with a pair of wooden tonfa. Bright orange Aura swirls around her arms and weapons, empowering every strike as she circles the Grimm, diving in and out of its reach and hitting it when she can.

She buys enough time for her partner to recover—and, incidentally, for Maggie and Sakura to reach them—but her assault doesn’t last for much longer. The next time she dives in for a strike, the Kelpie ducks its head under the attack, and Lily only succeeds in getting one of her tonfa entangled in its mane, though she lets go before the coarse black tendrils can reach her, too. She pulls back, ending up next to her partner and just out of the Kelpie’s reach.

“Above you!” Sakura shouts, “Watch out!” Lily and BB glance upward as a massive chunk of bridge begins plummeting, knocked loose by someone up above. While Lily darts away from the falling debris, her partner simply readies their rocket launcher and fires the missile upward. It hits the stone dead on, violently fracturing it into tiny pieces scattered far and wide.

Sakura sighs; it wasn’t a perfect plan, but it’d have to do. The debris is spread over a large area and each piece looked pretty small; the girls’ Auras would have to tank the rain of rock, but they’d survive it, at least. She flips her naginata, shifting it into a rifle; the other two seemed good at melee, so she would provide covering fire. And Maggie would…

“Can you… sense it?” Sakura asks quietly, in between pulls of the trigger.

“I can.” Her partner answers just as softly.”

“And our… allies?”

“… Hazy.” The answer doesn’t instill much confidence, but it will have to do. Sakura reminds herself she was made to be a good leader, no matter what, and quickly relays her orders.

“If you think you can fight, go join them. Don’t let up. Otherwise, recon. Sweep the area for extra Grimm, or maybe more falling debris if you can sense that.” It’s not until Maggie picks up her weapon and charges that Sakura fully processes the fact that said weapon is, in fact, just a large stick. A whole branch, even, its offshoots pruned for easier holding. Maybe this gamble’s riskier than she thought.

Still, the three Faunus are able to split the Kelpie’s focus between them. Blue relentlessly hounds the weak point she created, chipping away at its armor; Lily falls back, pulling a shotgun off her back as she flies out of its reach, the break-action model forcing her to reload after every shot from its twin barrels; Maggie proves to be a terrifyingly acrobatic fighter, the blind Faunus flipping and twirling through the air as if she were half her size and had perfect spatial awareness.

But Maggie doesn’t have perfect spatial awareness, and this group is totally uncoordinated. Sakura never has clear sightlines to fire, and at least twice Maggie nearly lands on Blue after one of her terrifying leaps. Then Lily tries to swoop low—to get under the Grimm’s armor and fire at it from below—just in time to crash into Maggie. Sakura can feel the impact through her Lifelink, and she can only watch as the two tumble to the ground, sprawled out in front of the Kelpie.

Sakura springs into action before she can speak, flipping her weapon around and using a shot to push her forward into the fray. Mid-air, her weapon shifts back into a naginata; she slashes as she reaches her fallen allies, the blade of her weapon biting into the Grimm’s lowered head. The beast rears up, screeching harshly before bringing a clawed foot down on Sakura, who desperately deflects the attack with her weapon.

Blue charges in from the side, driving the point of her lance into the beast’s exposed flesh and forcing it to stagger sideways. She and Sakura take defensive stances, acting as vanguard protecting the other two as they stagger to their feet. The Kelpie snorts angrily, pawing at the earth and kicking up sand, the five caught in a momentary standoff.

A thunderous crack from above steals their attention, watching as another chunk of bridge is violently freed of its anchoring points. It’s not falling yet, but it will any second. Sakura turns, about to issue an order to retreat, but Double B speaks up first.

“Lily,” They speak with the steady calm of an experienced Hunter, “Push it back, maybe 20 feet. Then bail.” Lily sets her gun in the sand and cracks her knuckles, her Aura flaring to life around her wings. Sakura sees the bridge start to fall—the already-disintegrating Death Stalker still atop it—right as Lily charges forward.

She meets the Kelpie head-on. At first, the Grimm holds its ground, its hooves and claws wearing deep grooves into the sand as it stubbornly pushes against the barrier made by her Aura. But Lily is more stubborn than any mule—or Grimm horse for that matter—and pours all of her strength into her Aura until something gives.

Specifically, a well-placed shot from Sakura strikes the Kelpie’s foot, breaking the beast’s balance. Lily’s advance overwhelms the Grimm in an instant, shoving it back a couple dozen feet before it lands on its side; the airborne Faunus keeps charging even after passing over the Kelpie’s body, escaping the looming shadow of the falling debris.

Before the Kelpie has time to stagger to its feet, the massive chunk of stone crashes down directly atop it, sending a massive wave of sand and water into the sky. Sakura, Maggie, and Blue watch with bated breath as the black smog that was once a Death Stalker and a Kelpie dissipates before their eyes; relief doesn’t hit them until they see Lily above the debris, a fist raised in triumph.

˚⟡⊰⋆: 𖣂𖢻❀:⋆⊱⟡˚

“It’s tougher than it looks!” Blake warns as the Nevermore circles back, ready to dive at the four of them again. To either side of her, the other three ready their weapons: Weiss charges her sword and her Aura with Ice Dust, Yang’s gauntlets fully extend as she takes a fighting stance, and Ruby’s weapon takes its rifle form as she lines up her shot.

“Then let’s hit it with everything we’ve got!” Yang cheers, and the four unleash a volley of attacks, from shards of ice generated by Weiss’ Semblance, to the Dust charges firing out of Yang’s and Ruby’s weapons; in the heat of battle, no one processes that whatever is flying out of the muzzle of Blake’s pistol, it’s not Dust.

Their bombardment hardly slows the Nevermore’s advance, and it dips below them, taking out the pillars holding up the upper portion of the tower—the part they’re standing on. The girls are thrown off the tower, but quickly scramble to recover, using the various tools to reach solid ground amongst the bridges that once connected to the tower.

“None of this is working.” Weiss hisses as she lands gracefully on a bridge next to her partner. Ruby knows she’s right and wracks her brain for a solution; it’s not until she sees Blake using her weapon like a grappling hook again, the elastic ribbon stretching and pulling her up until the air, that the answer comes to her.

“I have a plan!” Ruby shouts, “Cover me!” Rose-colored Aura swirls around her feet, and a moment later she springs into the air. At the same time, Weiss readies her sword, conjuring more glyphs that fire icy projectiles at the circling Grimm.

Nearby, Yang stands alone atop a pillar. Each punch she throws sends a burst of Fire Dust out of her gauntlets, keeping up the constant bombardment against the Grimm. The constant firing doesn’t seem to do much damage until she lands a lucky shot, striking the side of its face. The Nevermore screeches angrily and dives straight for Yang.

Undaunted, Yang vaults into the air as the beast opens its beak to swallow her whole. Instead, she plants her feet on the floor of its mouth, and holds its upper jaw open with one hand. With the other, she opens fire, sending blasts of Fire Dust down its gullet.

“I. Hope. You’re. Hungry.” She snarls as she fires over and over again. It’s only when her gauntlet runs out of ammunition that she stops and realizes that the raven-like Grimm is flying blind—and heading straight for the cliff. She dives out of its mouth, rolling to a stop on a bridge as the beast crashes into the stone, dazing it. It screeches as it recovers, standing on the elegantly carved frame that supports the mouth of a cave.

Yang spots her allies advancing and falls back to meet them. At the same time, Weiss darts past her, the heiress’ glyphs lining the stone and propelling her at supernatural speeds. She springs up onto the frame just as the Nevermore tries to take off. With a thrust of her rapier, Weiss pierces through tar-colored tail feathers and into stone, the Ice Dust suffusing her weapon pinning the Grimm down as it creates a massive wall of ice. She then makes a hasty retreat back to the others.

Meanwhile, Blake and Yang scale the ruined pillars on either side of the bridge. Once at the top, Blake launches her pistol across the gap to her partner while holding the other end of the ribbon. Yang catches the weapon and hooks its sickle blade into the stone, the duo pulling the band between them taught. Ruby leaps up onto the ribbon, the combined weight of her and her weapon pushing down and building tension.

“Of course you would come up with this idea.” Weiss rolls her eyes fondly as she conjures another glyph, one that turns black as the ribbon connects, holding it in place.

“Think you can make the shot?” Ruby asks, sparing a glance at her partner. Weiss focuses, shifting the glyph’s position and angle ever so slightly, aiming as if her partner were the bolt of a massive crossbow.

“Hmph, can I?” Weiss quips, certain of her aim. The sarcasm and unbridled confidence in her voice flies right over the other girl’s head, though, who looks at her and repeats her question. Weiss huffs, “Of course I can!”

Ruby channels her Aura into her legs, bracing herself as she focuses on her target. A moment later, Weiss flicks a finger to the side, releasing her glyph, and the ribbon snaps forward. Ruby rockets toward the Nevermore, determination overriding any fear she ought to be feeling. When the beast shrieks, she hooks the curve of her scythe around its neck and plants her feet on the cliff face.

The instant her feet touch stone, a snow white glyph appears underneath, pulling her toward the cliff as if gravity had suddenly turned sideways. More glyphs flash into being, scaling up the rocky wall and carving a path for Ruby. She breaks out into a dead sprint, hauling the Nevermore with her as she scales the cliff face. With a practiced rhythm, she fires round after round from her weapon, each shot digging the blade deeper into the beast and pushing her further and further skyward.

At the apex of the cliff, she leaps and fires again, one final push. The heavy resistance of the Nevermore’s flesh gives way to empty air as the scythe blade slices through its neck, decapitating it. The disintegrating body plummets down, down into the lake below, far from hurting anyone. Ruby stands proud at the ledge, looking out over the Emerald Forest and down at her friends.

˚⟡⊰⋆: 𖣂𖢻❀:⋆⊱⟡˚

The rest of the day—including the ceremony—is a blur for everyone involved. Crashing down from the adrenaline rush, the twelve of them barely process the initiation ceremony even as it happens all around them. They can hear the roaring applause fill the auditorium, but it’s not until Professor Ozpin starts calling their names that any of them snap to attention.

“Blue Bonnet DAWN,” He begins, calling them to the stage, “Sakura Kuchinashi, Magnolia Moon, Lily Corvus. The four of you retrieved the Black Rook Pieces, and so, from this day forth you shall work together as Team BLSM—” The acronym reads as “blossom,” and he follows it up by revealing the team leader, “Led by… Blue Bonnet DAWN.” Sakura buries her disappointment under a neutral smile, and the four return to their seats. It’s not until a few teams later that the Headmaster starts listing familiar names once more.

“Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the White Rook Pieces, and from now on, you will work together as Team JNPR—” read as “Juniper.” Nora hugs Ren as Ozpin announces their leader, “Led by… Jaune Arc!”

“Huh?” Jaune blinks in surprise, unable to bury his confusion. Sakura couldn’t agree more, thinking Pyrrha deserves the position more. He stammers, “L-Led by…?”

“Congratulations, young man,” is all the Professor has to say in response. Pyrrha playfully nudges Jaune, but his unsteady footing leads to him toppling sideways. She helps him up as Ozpin dismisses them, and Team JNPR makes their way off the stage.

“And finally,” The Headmaster quickly moves the ceremony along, covering for the blunder as they reach the last team: “Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the White Knight Pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY—” pronounced “Ruby,” and lining up well as he finishes, “Led by… Ruby Rose.”

“I’m so proud of you!” Yang shouts as she tackles her little sister in a bone-crushing hug. The crowd erupts into applause once more, many undoubtedly relieved that the ceremony has come to an end.

“Looks like things are shaping up to be an interesting year…” The Headmaster muses as the students begin filtering out of the auditorium.

˚⟡⊰⋆: 𖣂𖢻❀:⋆⊱⟡˚

Elsewhere, in Vale…

Notorious criminal Roman Torchwick growls as he glares at a map of the city, points of interest marked in bold red. He takes out a cigar and lights it, only sparing a glance to acknowledge the Faunus in a white mask approaching him, pushing a cart piled with black cases. Roman flicks his wrist, lien cards fanning out in his palm; a moment later, the Faunus takes the money.

“Y’all I think I just met an angel!” Lilly shouts as she throws open the door to the BLSM dorm. Sakura catches her partner wincing at the sound, even as her ears turn to give Lilly her full attention.

“An angel?” Blue giggles, a teasing lilt to their voice.

“Well, not, literally,” Lilly stammers, “But, like—you know what I mean!”

“Go on, then.” Sakura grins as she sips from a teacup, “Tell us about her.” An ecstatic smile that overtakes Lilly’s face as she sighs wistfully.

“Oh, she’s just wonderful!” The magpie coos, “Her name’s Penny—she’s here for the festival, you know—and she’s just so sweet and earnest, it makes my heart melt!”

“Did you say, ‘Penny?’” Maggie tilts her head, “She wouldn’t happen to be the leader of Team PINC, would she?”

“That’s the one!”

“I remember her; I gave her team a tour of the campus yesterday.”

“Oh, ain’t she just the cutest li’l thing?” She trills, too busy gushing over her new crush to notice the glaring error in her question.

“I wouldn’t know,” Maggie shrugs, nonchalant. Sakura watches the color drain from Lilly’s face in an instant, and barely stifles a laugh. Her partner, at least, is much kinder, offering a quiet, “But she was nice.” Sadly, the soft, warm atmosphere is not to last, as a second intruder bursts into the room.

“Where is she?” Weiss shouts, storming up to Maggie. This time, the squirrel Faunus startles, nearly jumping out of her skin before shaking her head furiously.

“I-I don’t—” She stammers, only to be immediately cut off.

“Oh, please,” Weiss rolls her eyes, sarcasm dripping from her tone, “Your ‘best friend’ Blake has been missing all weekend, and yet you’re cool as a cucumber! We know you know where she is.” The mention of the still-missing Blake seems to be the only thing keeping the rest of BLSM from intervening.

“Is that true, Mags?” BB asks in a much calmer tone.

“She asked me not to tell anyone.” Maggie mutters, barely audible. Behind her, her tail flicks wildly, seemingly the only part of her that can move.

“So you do know where she is!” Weiss snips, folding her arms. The instant that Maggie gives a tiny nod, she demands, “Well? Where is she?”

“I’m not going to tell you.”

“How dare you!” She shrieks, and even Weiss’ teammates recoil. Her speech only grows more animated as the squirrel Faunus stands firm in her denial, “We’re her team! There is no reason for you to—”

“That’s enough, Weiss.” Sakura’s body moves of its own accord, interposing herself between her friends. She keeps her expression stern as she meets Weiss’ gaze, trying to channel as much of her grandfather’s commanding presence as she can. Even if it stings to see the indignation—and a flicker of fear—on her oldest friend’s face.

“I can’t believe you’re taking her side,” Weiss scoffs. Her composure recovers well, but she won’t meet Sakura’s eyes, “It’s serious, you know. It has to do with—well…”

“The thing you can’t tell me about?” Sakura raises an eyebrow, the other’s posture immediately giving her an answer. “All the more reason for Maggie to stay quiet, given what Blake asked of her.”

“Will you at least tell us if she’s okay?” Ruby pipes up, looking right past the arguing aristocrats. When she gets a small nod from the squirrel Faunus, it becomes her turn to take up the stern commander's voice as she orders, “Come on, Weiss. We’re not going to find her like this.” Weiss pouts at her leader, then sighs dramatically, but ultimately leaves with the sisters.

“So… what was that about?” Lilly asks the moment they’re gone; at least she held her tongue so far, a commendable amount of restraint.

“I don’t know all of the details.” Sakura shakes her head, “But before Blake… left, she and Weiss got into an argument. Whatever Weiss said, it was harsh enough that she thinks it’s her fault Blake is gone.”

“It is.” Maggie scowls, and Sakura can’t bring herself to be surprised.

“She’s aware that she caused the problem. Good.”

“And what’s she gon’ do when she finds her?” Lilly tilts her head inquisitively, her face set in a stern expression.

“What she should do is apologize,” She sighs as she sits back down on her bed, “Let’s just hope her pride doesn’t get in the way.”

˚⟡⊰⋆: 𖣂𖢻❀:⋆⊱⟡˚

“Finally, she speaks!” Sun exclaims, a lighthearted jab at his new friend, Blake, “Nearly two days and you’ve given me nothing but small talk and weird looks.” She gives a pointed, unimpressed glare, prompting him to add, “Yeah. Like that.”

“Sun,” she draws a breath, knowing the conversation ahead will be difficult, but she needs to tell someone who doesn’t already know, “Are you familiar with the White Fang?”

“Of course! I don’t think there’s a Faunus on the planet who hasn’t heard of them.” Her glare sharpens as she watches him plant his foot directly in his mouth, “Stupid, holier-than-thou creeps who use force to get whatever they want. Bunch of freaks, if you ask me.”

“I was once a member of the White Fang.” Blake’s expression remains calm, biting back a laugh as Sun chokes on his tea.

“W-Wait a minute,” he stammers, “You were a member of the White Fang?”

“I was practically born into it.” Blake sighs, memories flooding her mind as she recalls her past—her people’s past, “Things used to be different. In the ashes of war, the equality the Humans promised us was never given. The White Fang was the voice of our people, our only advocates for true equality. And I was there, at the front lines of every protest, spreading the word about every boycott. I really thought we were making a difference, but I was just a kid; a naïve optimist.

“Then, five years ago, our leader stepped down, and with him left the pacifism that guided us so far. Under our new leader, protests were replaced with organized attacks. We set fire to shops that refused to serve us; hijacked cargo from companies that abused Faunus labor. The worst part is, it worked. We won real concessions from the people who used to ignore us… and all it cost were the lives of Humans and Faunus alike—including innocents caught in the crossfire.

“I couldn’t bear to be a part of something that no longer valued life. So, I left. I decided I would become a Huntress, and fight for every life, something I couldn’t do with the Fang anymore. And… that’s how I got here. A criminal, hiding in plain view, all with the help of a little black bow.” From within the bow, she wiggles her ears, causing the accessory to shake slightly.

“So,” Sun leans forward, his tone uncharacteristically serious, “Have you told your friends any of this?”

˚⟡⊰⋆: 𖣂𖢻❀:⋆⊱⟡˚

“Blake! Where are you?” Ruby calls out, her voice joined by her sister’s as they and Weiss search the street. Far from the first time they’ve tried boots-on-the ground searching like this, calling morale “low” would be an understatement. Still, her partner’s silence is grating on her, so Ruby turns and whines, “Weiss, you’re not helping!”

“Oh?” Weiss scoffs, and Ruby braces for a sarcastic quip, “You know who might be able to help? The police!”

“Ugh, Weiss.” Ruby growls, already turning to head further down the street.

“It was just an idea!”

“Yeah, a bad one.”

“Weiss,” Yang tries to mediate, her tone even, “I think we should hear her side of the story before we jump to any conclusions.”

“I think that when we hear it, you’ll all realize I was right!” Ruby wants to point out that Weiss doesn’t even sound like she believes it, but before she can—

“And I think Weiss’ hair looks wonderful today!” A familiar, cheerful voice calls from behind them, startling all three girls.

“Penny!” Ruby yelps, “When did you get here?”

“Hey guys.” Penny waves, unperturbed, “What are you up to?”

“We’re looking for our friend, Blake.” Yang explains, gracefully saving a stammering Ruby.

“Oh! You mean the Faunus girl!” The peculiar Penny exclaims, as though it weren’t a massive, world-shaking secret.

“How did you know that?”

“Uhh, the cat ears?” Penny points toward the top of her head.

“What cat ears? She wears a—” The revelation hits Yang like a truck, causing her voice to lapse into an awkward silence, “Bow…” As the three process such a clever—if simple—trick, a harsh wind blows through, the whistling sound accentuating the quiet.

“She does like tuna a lot…” Ruby mutters, wondering if there’s a connection.

“So, where is she?” Penny asks, her gaze sweeping across the team.

“We don’t know,” Ruby sighs, shaking her head, “She’s been missing since Friday.”

“Oh! That’s terrible!” Penny gasps, rushing up and grabbing the leader by the shoulders. Her grip is surprisingly tight, despite the small frame, “Well don’t you worry, Ruby my friend! I won’t rest until we find your teammate!”

“Uh, that’s really nice of you,” Ruby stammers, flustered by the sudden proximity, “But we’re—we’re okay, really. Right, guys?” She looks past Penny’s shoulder, only to see that her teammates have completely vanished. Another awkward breeze blows through.

“It sure is windy today.” Penny comments as she finally lets go. Fortunately for the both of them, this wind carries another soul to put an end to their awkward misery.

“Well I’ll be!” A cheerful drawl cascades down from up above as Lilly lands next to them, “If it ain’t Ruby Rose and the Angel, as I live an’ breathe!”

“If anything, I think you would be the ‘Angel,’ Friend Lilly. You have wings.” Penny beams, seemingly oblivious to how her words could be taken.

“Aw, shucks!” Lilly sways on her feet, blushing madly. Ruby clears her throat, needing to save herself from whatever is happening in front of her.

“So, Lilly,” she says carefully, knowing how the last interaction between their teams went, “What brings you out here?”

“Oh! Right!” The Faunus snaps her fingers, her eyes lighting up, “Sakura an’ Blue are tryin’ to get Maggie to ‘fess up about Blake. ‘Til they get anywhere, though, I thought I’d provide some air support.” She fluffs up her feathers, proud of her animalistic gift.

“Oh, wonderful!” Penny clasps her hands excitedly, “Your wings are perfect for surveying the area!”

“Y-You think they’re perfect?” Lilly stammers giddily, and Ruby seriously considers just leaving these two behind.

˚⟡⊰⋆: 𖣂𖢻❀:⋆⊱⟡˚

“So,” Sun asks far too calmly as he and Blake leave the teahouse, “What’s the plan now?”

“I still don’t believe the White Fang is behind these robberies,” she says quietly, “It’s more Dust than they’ve ever wanted, let alone needed.”

“What if they did?” His eyes light up, and she can practically see a lightbulb clicking on over his head, “I mean, think about it. If we go to where the thieves would go, and then don’t find the Fang, then they didn’t do it! Right?”

“There’s just one problem: I have no idea where that would be.”

“Well,” he grins as he reveals the ace up his sleeve, “While I was on the ship, I heard some guys talking about offloading a huge shipment of Dust, straight from Atlas. I’m talking huge; a massive Schnee Dust Company freighter.” Blake doesn’t waste another moment, immediately heading for the docks.

No stranger to stakeouts, Blake is more than comfortable watching over the unloading site as the hours pass. Sure enough, the freighter is loaded with crates marked with the SDC’s snowflake logo. It churns her stomach to think about how the symbol is so clearly patterned after Weiss’ Glyphs. Sun, evidently, isn’t as good at staying still, wandering off at some point. He only returns as the sun dips below the horizon, arms full of fruits.

“Did I miss anything?” He asks as he crouches next to her on the rooftop.

“Not really,” she shakes her head, “They’ve offloaded all the crates, but now they’re just… standing there.”

“Cool.” He holds out an apple, “I stole you some food.” She scowls back at him. Weiss might have been right to call him, specifically, a scoundrel.

“Do you always break the law without a second thought?”

“Hey, weren’t you in a cult or something?” Her glare sharpens, forcing him to backpedal, “Okay, too soon.” Before an awkward silence can settle between them, the roar of an engine overhead startles the pair as a blast of air nearly flattens him. The airship whirls around, spotlights narrowly missing them, and touches down on the docks.

“Oh no,” she gasps. The first person off the airship is clad in a white tabard, the back of which bears a familiar insignia: a snarling red panther’s head over three claw marks. Their face is obscured by a bone-white mask and a black hood.

“Is that them?” Sun asks over her shoulder. She gives him an affirmative, watching as a half-dozen more in the same uniform disembark. One begins issuing orders, calling for someone to ready the tow cables. She doesn’t notice the sympathetic look on Sun’s face as he adds, “You really didn’t think they were behind it, did you?”

“No,” she murmurs. She remembers her last job with the Fang, a train heist targeting the SDC. A voice she once knew as passionate, but kind, now callously dismissing potential casualties. The way he held the Dust crystals, inspecting them with a malicious grin. “I think deep down, I knew. I just didn’t want to be right.”

“Hey! What’s the hold up?” A harsh voice calls from below. Stepping out of the airship is a sharply dressed ginger man—Roman Torchwick—twirling a cane as he snarls, “We’re not exactly the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment. So, why don’t you animals pick up the pace?”

“This isn’t right.” Blake springs to her feet, drawing Gambol Shroud from its sheath, “The White Fang would never work with a human. Especially not one like that.” She doesn’t wait for her companion to respond before leaping into action. Slinking between the shipping crates, it’s far too easy to sneak up on Roman.

“What the—” He barely has time to shout before her blade is pressed to his throat, his hand pinned behind his back.

“Nobody move!” She snarls.

“Woah,” Roman puts up a smarmy facade, “Take it easy there, little lady.” She pays no mind to his condescension. The masked Faunus surround them now, some with swords drawn; others with rifles in hand. She reaches up and, in a fluid motion, pulls the bow off her head, revealing her feline ears.

“Brothers of the White Fang!” She calls, her hold on the gang leader tightening, “Why are you aiding this scum?” A couple of the Fangs waver in their resolve, lowering their weapons.

“Hah, kid, didn’t you get the memo?” Roman chuckles.

“What’re you talking about?”

“The White Fang and I are going all in on a… joint business venture.”

“Tell me exactly what it is,” she sneers, pressing the back of her blade against his throat, “Or I’ll put an end to you and your little operation.” Wind whips around them, engines roaring as two more airships arrive on the scene.

“I wouldn’t exactly call it ‘little.’” He grins, looking up. With the arrival of backup, she fails to notice the grip on his cane shifting until he pulls the trigger and detonates a Dust charge right at her feet.

˚⟡⊰⋆: 𖣂𖢻❀:⋆⊱⟡˚

“So, Blake is your friend?” Penny asks carefully as she and Ruby continue their search.

“Yes, Penny.” Ruby sighs, and Penny worries that she’s made a mistake. Still, how is she supposed to help if she doesn’t know the full context?

“But you’re mad at her?”

“Yes—” Ruby stops herself, “Well, I’m not, but Weiss is.”

“Is she friends with Blake?”

“That’s the question of the day, ain’t it?” Lilly calls from above, her peculiar grammar and unique drawl oddly soothing, despite the tension. She glides down, her impressive wings only fluttering at the end as she lands on her feet. It only now occurs to Penny that the Faunus may not have the full picture either as she adds, “All Sakura said was those two got in quite the row.”

“But… why?”

“Well, you see, Blake…” Ruby pauses, choosing her words carefully, “Might not be who we thought she was.”

“Again with the lies! First Jaune, now Blake?” Lilly growls, lamenting, “Please tell me she’s not, like, secretly evil or somethin’.”

“I—I don’t know,” Ruby sighs, “She didn’t exactly talk to us before she decided to run off.”

“I don’t have a lot of friends,” Penny says softly, looking at the two of the only friends she has, “But if I did, I’d want them to talk to me about things, even when it’s difficult.” Lilly concurs with a sage nod.

“Me too…” Ruby sighs. She turns to the Faunus, asking, “Any sign of… anyone?”

“Found Yang an’ Weiss a ways that way.” She gestures toward the northeast before adding, “No sign of—” A blast like a firework detonating pulls their attention in the opposite direction. Based on the plume of smoke cresting the rooftops and the volume of the blast, Penny quickly puts together that it’s likely coming from the docks.

“Oh no,” Ruby murmurs. She quickly turns to the Faunus, “Lilly, we may need backup.”

“I’ll rally the troops.” With a heavy flap of her wings and a gust of wind, she takes to the air, and takes off toward the east.

˚⟡⊰⋆: 𖣂𖢻❀:⋆⊱⟡˚

Blake hits the ground hard, thrown back by the sudden detonation. She scrambles to her feet, narrowly dodging back as Roman unleashes a steady barrage of missiles from his cane. She ducks between the shipping crates, disappearing from his sight.

“Here kitty, kitty, kitty,” he calls with a sneer. The villainous bravado is undercut by a now-empty banana peel landing directly on his bowler hat. He growls as he pulls it off, looking up just in time to see Sun leaping down. His feet connect with the criminal’s shoulder, knocking him to the ground as Sun tucks into a roll.

“Leave her alone.” He says sternly as he springs to his feet. A moment later, a squadron of White Fang thugs drop from an airship hovering nearby, encircling the two. Roman calmly gets back to his feet.

“You’re not the brightest banana in the bunch are you, kiddo?” He sneers as his lackeys charge at Sun. Their movements are largely uncoordinated, however; their attacks clearly telegraphed. The first handful to reach him receive a flurry of punches and kicks for their troubles, knocking them back. It’s not until three try attacking at once that Sun even bothers unhooking the weapon from his belt, twirling it as it unfolds into a crimson staff.

In an instant, Sun becomes a hurricane of force, the whirling staff in his hands deflecting sword strikes and delivering knock out blows in equal measure. He ducks under one opponent, sweeping their feet out from under them before vaulting over the next, kicking them right between the shoulder blades and knocking them down. He doesn’t slow down until Roman takes aim; even then, the brunt of the explosive round is dispersed by the whirling weapon.

“He’s mine!” Blake snarls, leaping over Sun and into the fray. She’s a blur of motion around the criminal, parrying with her weapon’s sheath in one hand as she lashes out with the blade in the other. Even when Roman manages to slip past her guard, the attack finds no purchase as a shimmering Shadow of her Aura takes the hit while she quickly repositions.

Roman only gets the upper hand with a sucker punch, taking a cut across the arm in the trade, but landing a solid enough blow to warrant a follow up. He hounds her relentlessly, hammering the curve of his Melodic Cudgel into her over and over again. And yet, the instant he eases up for even a moment, Sun replaces her, his staff separating into two pairs of nunchaku, each connected by a golden chain.

That alone would be a nightmare to deal with, but it’s made only worse for the criminal as the monkey Faunus starts to weave shots from guns embedded in the weapon. It’s not long before Roman is overwhelmed, leaving his guard open for Blake to sneak in and strike him right across the chest. His Aura catches the blow, but the force still sends him flying back and onto his back.

When he gets back to his feet he raises Melodic Cudgel high and fires a round up into the air. It strikes the cables keeping a shipping crate suspended, dropping it straight onto the would-be Hunters and forcing them to scatter. He has Sun dead to rights, the barrel of his cane leveled right at the scoundrel’s head. Yet something has to steal his attention.

“Hey!” The familiar voice pulls his focus upward, to the top of a rooftop where that mischievous, red-cloaked problem from months ago twirls her scythe.

“Oh hello, Red!” He jeers, “Isn’t it past your bedtime?” What he doesn’t see is Penny a few paces behind, asking if he was a friend of hers. All he sees is that Ruby turns her head away to respond, making it real easy to nail her dead-on with an explosive round.

Ruby is sent flying back across the rooftop, sprawled out on her back. Penny steps forward, past her friend’s protestations. She looks over her shoulder and says confidently, “Don’t worry, Ruby. I’m combat ready.” The moment she does, something springs from the pack on her back, quickly unfurling into an array of single-bladed swords, hovering above her in midair.

She kicks off the building, the stone beneath her fracturing. With a wave of her hand, the swords rain down like arrows, knocking down several of the White Fang members. Penny’s blades whirl around her as if having minds of their own, lashing out at any enemy before they can even hope of touching her. Penny pulls the Floating Array into a wheel and, with a flick of the wrist, sends it forward, decimating an oncoming squad of minions.

Soon, three more airships—no doubt piloted by the White Fang—open fire. The spinning wheel of blades shields Penny from most of the rounds. Two more blades emerge from her pack, racing back and embedding themselves into the wall of a warehouse. Razor thin cables whir to life, pulling Penny out of the line of fire. She takes a knee, hands extended as her swords form a pointed ring.

Her Aura—shining an electric green—flows up the cables, charging the swords and sparking between them in a mass of neon energy. She thrusts her hands forward and the blades discharge, firing beams of concentrated Aura. The lasers carve through two of the airships, the shorn edges of their hulls still red hot as they crash into the harbor.

Penny turns to the remaining airship, throwing her blades into its hull. She takes hold of the wires as they go taut and pulls them down. The ship’s engines strain against her. Ruby can only watch in amazement as the ginger overpowers the airship, dragging it down and into the remaining cargo.

Seeing that unfold, Roman takes it as his cue to leave, hopping into the last of the airships and high-tailing it out before any of those crazy children notice. As he pulls the latch closed, he mutters to himself, “These kids just keep getting weirder.”

˚⟡⊰⋆: 𖣂𖢻❀:⋆⊱⟡˚

By the time Weiss, Yang, and Lilly arrive on the scene, the action had long since calmed. Ruby springs up to her feet as soon as she sees them approaching. Her expression is soft, but her words are hurried and anxious. Weiss calmly walks past her partner, knowing Ruby just needs to speak to calm herself.

“Look, Weiss, it’s not what you think she explained the whole thing you see her bow and her bangs are actually hiding special eyes and kitty ears and they’re actually kinda cute.” As she rambles, Weiss comes to a stop in front of Blake, both their expressions carefully neutral.

“Weiss, I want you to know that I’m no longer with the White Fang. Back when I was—”

“Stop.” She interjects, needing to make her stance clear first, “Do you have any idea how long we’ve been searching for you? Twelve. Hours. That means I’ve had twelve hours to think about this. And in those twelve hours, I’ve decided that… I don’t care.”

“You… don’t care?” Blake asks cautiously, pulling back slightly. Weiss glances around, seeing the confusion and concern on everyone else’s faces as well, and knows she’s phrased it wrong. So she straightens her posture, takes a deep breath in, and tries again.

“What I mean to say is that it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter who you used to work for or what you used to do. What matters is that you’re a part of Team RWBY now, and I want to know that the next time something this big comes up, you’ll come to your team first. And not some—” She shoots a pointed glare over Blake’s shoulder at Sun, “… Someone else.”

“Of course.” Blake smiles softly, wiping a tear from her eye, “I-I still want to tell you—all of you—the truth. You deserve to know who we’re up against.”

“We can talk about that after we get back to the dorms,” Weiss reassures her. She pauses for a moment before adding, “Assuming you want to come back, of course.”

“You better,” Lilly pipes up, one hand on her hip, “Maggie’s been missin’ you somethin’ fierce, ya hear?”

“You’re right,” Blake chuckles, “I wouldn’t want to worry her anymore than I already have.”

“Hey, wait a minute,” Ruby murmurs, looking around the group, “Where’s Penny?”

˚⟡⊰⋆: 𖣂𖢻❀:⋆⊱⟡˚

Elsewhere, not far away at all, Penny looks longingly at her other friends from the inside of a car. As the vehicle starts up, the voice of the driver reaches her, spoken with a sympathetic, but stern tone.

“You know better than to go running around in a strange city.”

“I know, Friend Ciel,” Penny murmurs, her gaze falling to the floor with a defeated expression. The car drives off, and the last she sees of her friends is Lilly taking to the sky.

“I know you just wanted to help,” Ciel smiles softly, “But you need to be careful. Your time will come soon, I promise.”

Meanwhile, in the Headmaster’s Office, Ozpin opens his scroll to an encrypted message. It’s only three words, but still sends a shiver down his spine: