AN: Wow It feels good to be done with exams!

Chapter 7: A fallen maiden and a rising star

Blake leaned back in her chair. She had just finished going over the day's reports, and she had to say she was impressed. Recruitment had gone up in the past few weeks and ever since her alliance began with Jaune, there were no more shortages in dust or lien. She had been curious as to how he was always so well supplied. She decided to ask him one night after one of their "meetings." While she figured, it wasn't anything legal, his response surprised her. Who would have figured he had his own little private army of thieves and killers going around robbing villages outside the kingdoms?

She started doing her own research and found a man on Remnant's most wanted list. A man by the name of Qrow Branwen, former student at Beacon Academy and member of team STRQ. Soon after graduation Qrow went back to his former tribe and lead them into becoming one of the most feared tribes on the planet.

Reading that brought Blake back to her own past. When she went back home. And killed her father. She remembered it well, how the sky was grey on the ship back to Menagerie. She and a small band of her most trusted loyalist had slaughtered her father, the former leader, but also the entire so called high council of the White Fang.

'They were so weak minded.'

Sadly, she also had to kill her mother too. She of course tried to stop Blake from murdering her father so Blake did what was needed to be done to succeed with her remembered how Adam had returned from leading a protest back in Vale. How shocked his face looked was when she told him what she had done.

Blake felt her cat ears twitch in excitement just from thinking about it. She knew she did what was necessary for the survive of the faunus and without the old white fang to turn to, her faction was the only group left for her people to turn to.

Her thoughts went back to Jaune. How on the day Adam had betrayed her, he came along with a proposal. She wondered how, why she had become so attached to a human. But was Jaune really human? She knew he wasn't faunus. But her faunus sense noticed something strange about him. She sensed something like the Grimm coming from him. Perhaps it was the void left by Adam that she was vulnerable and wanted Jaune to replace that. Either way it didn't matter now. With her new partners help her plans were progressing even faster than she could have hoped for. Her presence on Menagerie and soon the island would be completely hers.

A dark smile spread across her face. Yes, this was only the beginning of her era. The era of the Black Fang.

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Somewhere near Vale

Amber felt terrified. In all the years, she had been the fall maiden she had never felt a presence like this, at least not since Ozpin betrayed them all. It wasn't just the blonde boy ether. It was that silver eyed girl, she was incredible, her speed was unlike anything she had ever encountered, and her strength was nothing shabby either. Then there was the other strange girl. She clearly wasn't human by the way she felt. While exchanging blows with her skin felt metallic. Perhaps she was some sort of advanced android?

How this boy had made such powerful allies and the reason for them attacking her gave her a dark feeling. The fact that these three even knew where to find her at such an exact location made her fear of what else they were capable of.

She started to feel desperate, she couldn't overpower all three of them and she couldn't run away either. She didn't want to die!

Despite her mind racing on the inside Amber looked at her foes with a confident glare. "She will die if you kill me."

For a second the trio looked confused at her words. She hoped they would fall for her bluff.

"If you kill me like you plan to. My powers will go straight to the silver eyed girl. I can tell her body already has the powers of the silver eyes warriors. If she takes powers of a maiden too it would prove too much for her body and kill her."

The blonde boy looked hesitant. She might be able to wiggle her way out of this yet.

Jaune was thinking hard. He didn't care if what the maiden said was true or not. He wouldn't risk Ruby's life. Still the fall maiden had to be dealt with in some manner.

"Who cares what she says, I candle her powers! Let me kill her."

He noticed Ruby's eyes flare up a little with her blood lust but he wasn't going to allow it.

"Sorry Ruby but I have another idea with what to do with her."

He noticed Ruby seemed hesitant, but obeyed his order to not attack regardless. He turned his attention back to the fall maiden. He had another idea. "Penny hold her down. Ruby watch carfully."

Penny moved swiftly and proceeded to grab the maiden and not allowing her an inch of wiggle room. "What are you doing!" The maiden cried out.

Jaune felt the dark energy flow through him even stronger. The very energy Ozpin had made him bath in all the years ago, the same energy that spawned the Grimm in the spawning pools. With the powers he gained, he could infect her.

He slowly placed his hand on top of the fall maiden's head. "Don't worry, this won't hurt… Much."

A loud scream could be heard, followed by a soft silence.

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Beacon Academy

Alice felt her hands slightly tremble on her sword. She hated fighting in front of such a large crowd of her fellow students. She had always suffered from stage fright ever since she was a little girl.

Her opponent Cardin Winchester made the first move. He rushed at her with surprising speed given his size. She could tell his goal was to get in a hard strike with his mace for a quick win. She had expected something like this and quickly dodged to her left. What she lacked in strength she made up for with her mind and flexibility or so she liked to tell herself.

Alice knew that she couldn't win against Cardin using just her strength, but if she got lucky maybe she could use his own force against him.

Cardin wouldn't wait for her to thank of an extensive plan though. With a loud charge, he once again attempted to bash his mace into her. This time instead of dodging, she attempted to block it with her shield. She just hoped she could withstand the hit and use his own force against him.

His mace connected with her shield with a loud CLANK.

She nearly fell back from the tremor but could hold herself steady. Now he was more vulnerable, and she started a counter attack of her own.

First, she used her shield to push back up against him and knock him off balance, after she unleashed a volley of slashes from her sword. Slowly starting to hack at his aura reserves. He attempted to pull back his mace and retaliate, but it proved harder for him since she wasn't giving him a chance to fully recover his footing.

Eventually he fell back defeated, his aura just barely dipped into the red.

"And we have a winner! Alice Arc! Who would have guessed that? I wouldn't, but congrats kiddo."

Romans voice came through the loud speakers that filled the room.

'Thanks a lot professor Roman. You dick!'

Still she offered Cardin a hand and helped him up.

"Good fight" he remarked.

She smiled at his good sportsmanship. "You too. I was lucky my shield was so sturdy or would have had me."

Alice felt the applause of those around her. It felt amazing! She heard a few cheers from her friends. Cinder seemed happy for her. Perhaps today wasn't so bad at all. She just wished her brother could have seen her first victory but decided not dwell on him and ruin the moment. She just had a feeling he was out there somewhere.

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Weiss clapped for Alice while remaining seated in the stands. She did feel happy for the girl, but something far more important was on her mind. It had been over a week since class first started here at Beacon and she hadn't found out anything about Jaune's whereabouts or what even happened to him.

At first, she was elated that she could meet one of Jaune's sisters. But when she found out his sister knew little more than she did, she tried going to the headmaster.

Professor Salem was known for her knowledge of the legendary huntsmen and their families. The Arc family was no exception. When Weiss could speak with the headmaster, she was told that she couldn't be given such information on a huntsmen's family do with legal and safety issues. This was understandable she supposed but it threw out the possibility of being able to contact any other members of Jaune's family.

Weiss supposed talking more to Alice and getting some more information out of her would be her only bet. She just couldn't give up on finding him.

Funny how when they were young, Jaune playing the knight and she the princess always getting saved by him. Now in real life she would do whatever it took to save him. They could be together again and she wouldn't have to feel so cold…So alone.

'He has to be alive and out there somewhere. I just know it.'

AN: Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.