Not going to lie, surprised I managed to get this chapter out. Also, super important AN at the bottom.

Individual System

Some of the students fighting out there were among the best the Kingdom of Atlas had to offer.

Already Winter could discern those who were sure to enter Atlas Academy. It was only to be expected. Pleiades was one of the best combat schools in Atlas, and Atlas had the best combat schools in the world. All students underwent rigorous training. Even the weakest ones were competent fighters in their own right.

"Student #35 has killed a Grimm."

"Students #13, #5, and #21 are currently engaging the enemy."

"Student #12 has been lightly wounded. Students #23 and #1 are protecting him, but intervention may be necessary. Preparing for extraction."

The reports come one after another through Winter's headpiece while she carefully monitored the camera feeds provided by the drones. As she did, Winter couldn't help the thought that drifted through her mind.

Weiss and Jaune were better.

It was not unfair of her to think so. The truth was right before her eyes. Already Weiss had a sizeable lead in regards to the number of Grimm she had slain. Even though she was working alone, her sister was easily outperforming her classmates who had opted for working in groups.

Some would say the only reason Weiss could perform at such a level was that she had more resources available to her compared to the other students. When it came to wealth, few were peers of the Schnee family. That held true even among Atlas high society.

However, such accusations were nonsense.

Certainly, Weiss had received the best education money could buy, and Winter had done her best to train Weiss when time allowed it.

However, Weiss had also put forth a great deal of effort.

Without that effort, all the resources Weiss had at her disposal and even her considerable natural talent would have been for naught. It was the same for the others. No matter how good Pleiades was, if the students lacked the desire to better themselves, the school was wasted on them.

Effort, Winter felt, was of vital importance.

Jaune Arc was a good example of that. Her subordinate had only started training months ago, yet in that time, his efforts had borne fruit. Daily training combined with real battle experience allowed Jaune Arc to make impressive strides. He was still rough around the edges, but his large Aura worked in his favor, allowing him to perform at a better level than his skill would suggest.

If Jaune were to be taking part in this exercise, what would happen?

He'd pass. That was Winter's assessment, and she felt confident in it.

He wouldn't get the same score as Weiss, obviously. Jaune probably wouldn't even come in second or third place. He'd be, after all, competing against people with years of training, but he'd pass all the same. In another year or maybe even in less time, he'd likely be doing about as well as Weiss was now. Of course, that was not taking into account any improvements her little sister would be making during that time. Weiss was always trying to better herself.

As Winter saw her sister kill a small Deathstalker, she found herself wishing Weiss worked on her interpersonal skills as much as she did on her combat skills.

It was, perhaps, hypocritical of her to think so. Winter Schnee was someone who had been unable to form a bond with her team. Her perfectionism and demanding nature had ultimately alienated those who should have been her companions.

Leaving her team with one less member before the Vytal Festival was something Winter still occasionally felt guilty about. There were times when Winter found herself wondering what would have happened if she had made more of an effort in Atlas Academy. Perhaps, she would have been able to form a bond with them. Perhaps, she wouldn't have chosen to graduate early, already having given up on becoming friends with the people she shared a room with.

Those doubts came every now and then. They lingered but only for a few moments. The past was the past, and the present was not something she disliked. Winter was a Specialist working under the direct command of General Ironwood. Her co-workers were amicable and professional, and her young charge had proven himself numerous times.

Winter liked her life.

However, just because alienating her teammates ended up working for her did not mean Winter wanted Weiss to go through the same fate. Winter understood why Weiss kept everyone at arm's length. How she could not when she had gone through the same struggles? Always worried about people trying to use her. Always demanding more of herself to prove she was more than a name.

All the same, loneliness did not suit Weiss.

Should she have a talk with her? Winter frowned minutely. No. That may have the opposite effect. Weiss always took her criticisms far more harshly than was healthy. She may end up overcompensating in ways that defeated the point entirely.

Perhaps she should have Jaune talk to her?

The idea came out of the blue, yet Winter did not find herself disliking it. Weiss and Jaune had cooperated during the incident in the Argonaut. Jaune had confided what happened to her, and Weiss' subsequent letter, though carefully worded, confirmed it. More importantly, Weiss had written of Jaune Arc in an amicable way. Someone else would not have picked up on it, but Winter knew her sister.

At the very least, Weiss did not dislike Jaune Arc.

Perhaps she should encourage the two to talk? Weiss' interpersonal skills would only benefit from friendly interaction.

"Impressive, isn't she?"

"Mrs. Daisy," Winter said, greeting the woman who had approached her. Though already over seventy, Mrs. Daisy looked closer to fifty, courtesy of the Aura that rejuvenated her body. She was a tall woman with a stern face and a head full of gray hair. Even now, one could tell she had been attractive when young.

Mrs. Daisy was the oldest teacher at Pleiades Academy. She had taught several generations of students, including Winter.

"Little Weiss is one of our best," Mrs. Daisy told her, making Winter raised an eyebrow.

"Not the best?"

That would not do. Even if this was her old teacher, she'd have to be shown the error of her ways. Though Weiss had her flaws, her little sister was the best. No one was allowed to say otherwise.

Mrs. Daisy smiled amusedly, almost as if seeing her thoughts. "Certainly, your sister is a strong fighter. She reminds me much of you at that age. All the other teachers agree on that."

Winter fought a grimace. Yet another obstacle in Weiss' way. By going to the same school she had gone to, Weiss had set herself up to be compared to her older sister. She had never mentioned such a thing in her letters, yet Winter felt foolish for not having anticipated that possibility.

"However, little Winter, I am sure you know it takes more than strength to be a huntress. Huntsmen Academies assign teams for a reason." Mrs. Daisy raised an eyebrow at her. Winter instantly felt judged. "A lesson that I am sad to see, I was unable to impart on you."

This time Winter did grimace.

She knew. Of course, she knew.

"Huntsmen and huntresses need to work in teams. The Grimm are not a threat that a lone individual can hope to overcome," Mrs. Daisy continued. "Little Weiss is talented. That is undeniable, but that talent has allowed her to stand on her own without relying on others. I cannot stop her from graduating. Just as I could not stop you from doing the same. Much like you, little Weiss will be one of the brightest students to ever graduate from Pleiades."

Mrs. Daisy left it at that. She did not continue, letting her gaze drift to the screens. There was no need for her to say something she and Winter both understood.

Weiss would graduate without trouble, but would she really be able to become a proper huntress if she stayed the way she was?

"Rest assured, I will do my best to ensure Weiss—" Winter suddenly stopped, frowning as she noticed something on the screen. Her hand was already tapping her headpiece. "Zoom in on Camera 8."

"My word!"

Once again, Winter found herself agreeing with her old teacher, though for far more urgent reasons this time.

It was a swarm of Deathstalkers.

None of them seemed to be over five feet long. Most seemed closer to one foot long or even less, but that did not make them any less dangerous. Quantity had a quality of its own. It was a little known fact that more huntsman died to Beowolves than to any other species of Grimm out there. While they were one of the weakest species of Grimm, Beowolves were also the most numerous.

Many tired huntsmen on the way back from a mission had met their end to a pack of Beowolves.

"Squads 2 and 4, prepare for extraction. Everyone else, maintain the perimeter," Winter ordered.

"Wait," Mrs. Daisy said, pointing to the other cameras. "Look, there is more."

Winter instantly saw what she was talking about. Cameras 3, 5, and 7. Though not as large, those students had also encountered groups of Deathstalkers.

It didn't make any sense.

Deathstalkers were not native to Anima. The cold and snow did not agree with them. They were more common in the forests of Vale or the deserts of Vacuo. To see so many of them in a place like this was bizarre.

Regardless, the reason didn't matter right now. What was important was dealing with the threat before the students were overwhelmed. Winter could easily pull the students out by ordering all forces to go in, but doing so would break the perimeter. Letting such a large swarm of Deathstalkers get away could have negative repercussions.

She needed to go in.

Winter turned towards Mrs. Daisy, but the woman cut her off before she could even open her mouth.

"Go," the old huntress said, waving a hand dismissively in her direction. "I am not so senile that I cannot oversee the operation in your stead."

Winter was already running, not even pausing to thank her old teacher. She'd do it later. Right, there was just one thing left to do.

"IXA! Prepare for deployment!"

xXx

Claire Kleid was running for her life.

She swung her arms and lifted her knees just like the instructors had taught her, keeping her shoulders loose and her elbows between her chest and waist. Back then, the whole thing had seemed dumb to her. Who needed to be taught how to run?

As it turned out, her.

A fresh layer of snow covered the valley, causing her feet to sink about two inches over her ankles anytime she took a step. Aura empowered her body, granting her speed and strength beyond that of regular people. Yet, the snow slowed her down all the same.

It slowed everyone down.

Her friends were running alongside her. Well, alongside her was probably not the best term to use. Claire was not particularly fast compared to the others, so already quite a few were pulling ahead of her. They showed no signs of slowing down to let her catch up. Instead, they just kept going, the gap between them growing wider with every step.

If the circumstances were less bleak, Claire would have laughed. To think they had been guarding her so fiercely when the exercise began.

When the Deathstalkers had shown up, their first instinct had been to shoot them before they could get close, and indeed, they had done just that. Guns had been fired. Grenades had been launched. Pipe's mace turned into a canon. Claire hadn't known it could do that until the cannonball was already on its way to meet the Deathstalker swarm.

It hadn't worked.

Oh sure, they had killed a lot of Deathstalkers, probably over a hundred of the critters. However, they just kept coming. It was an unending horde, and Clarie just couldn't wrap her head around their presence. Where had they come from? How had they not noticed them until now?

Those were questions for later, preferably once she was back in the dorm with a hot cup of cocoa with little marshmallows on top.

"Keep running!"

"Someone throw something at them!"

"I'm out of grenades!"

"Shit, they're gaining on us!"

"Look! Up ahead!"

It was Pipe who spoke and Pipe who pointed at what lay ahead of them. The terrain rose sharply about a hundred yards away, a mountain breaking the smoothness of the valley. It was sharp, rocky, and covered in ice and snow.

It was probably a pain to climb.

"We need to climb it," Pipe predictably said. "The Deathstalkers won't be able to follow!"

No one argued with that. They all immediately understood it was their best way out of this mess. If there were better alternatives, they couldn't think of them at the moment.

They just needed to cross a hundred yards of snow before the Deathstalkers got to them.

Under other circumstances, it'd have been a cinch. Even the slowest among them could cross a hundred yards in under six seconds. However, they had been walking around the valley all morning and were tired from fighting Grimm. No one was at their best.

In the end, something had to give.

"Ack!

Claire cried out as a faltering step led her to fall with a twisted ankle no more than five yards away from the foot of the mountain. The others had already started climbing. Claire raised her hand towards them.

"Wait!"

One set of eyes looked back at her… and then guiltily looked away.

Claire's stomach dropped. Her hand stayed frozen in place even as the Deathstalkers got closer, a statue of marble against the harsh landscape.

Of course.

What else had she been expecting? From the beginning, those people were never her friends. They just gathered around her because her father was a future councilman. Come to think of it, now that she was about to die, her father was guaranteed to win the election, wasn't he?

People always loved a good tragedy.

To bad for her so-called friends. She couldn't imagine her parents would be happy that they left her to die, not that she ever expected anything from them. They weren't her friends. They never had been.

So why did she feel so betrayed?

"Look out!"

Pipe crashed down in front of her. His mace smashing the Deathstalkers that had been getting close to her, creating a shockwave that sent the snow flying everywhere.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Pipe didn't give her time to answer before he hauled her up. Claire winced. Her ankle hurt, yet she needed to bear with it.

"You came back…"

"Of course I came back!" Pipe yelled as he furiously swung his large mace around so fast it blurred through the air. "If you can talk, start shooting!"

Claire did so. Her saber mecha-shifted into gun-form. She shot without aiming as Pipe moved around. With so many enemies, there was no need to aim. Deathstalker after Deathstalker was killed, fading into black smoke. There were so many dead that the smoke started clouding their vision.

Yet it was for naught.

The ocean of black kept advancing, surrounding them. Tiny stings and pincers started biting into their Aura, negligible on their own, yet they added up.

"Forget about me!" Claire said. "I'm slowing you down! Get to safety."

He could still save himself. Out of her group of hangers-on, Pipe was the one with a future. He'd make a good Specialist.

"If I do that, you'll die!" Pipe crushed a Deathstalker that had climbed to his face as he spoke.

"If you don't, we'll both die!" Claire shouted back, stabbing one of the critters. "You don't have to do this just because my father is going to win the election!"

"What? You think that's why I'm doing this?"

He sounded so shocked Claire would have paused to stare if she weren't so busy fighting for her life, her sword stabbing at everything around her.

"Don't treat me like an idiot!" The rage and indignation Claire had felt for months empowered her movements as she let it run loose through her body. "I know that's why everyone follows me around."

"That's stupid!" Pipe said. Even though he was getting weaker, his mace smashed into the ground with greater force this time, as if he too was channeling his frustration. "I'm saving you because that's the fucking right thing to do!"

He paused for a second.

"Also, I think you're pretty hot."

Claire blinked.

"What?"

She was hot?

Well, of course she was, but knowing Pipe thought so too would have made her happy if she weren't about to die.

"I said—"

"Coming through!"

A rainbow tore through the wave of black, and, to Claire's utter shock, it was Neon Katt's face came out of it.

"No time to talk!" The faunus said as she grabbed Pipe and Claire and slung them over her shoulders like sacks of potatoes. Despite her small size, the girl sped through the hole she had torn in the horde of Deathstalkers, boosted by her Semblance and roller skates. Even with both of them on her back, Neon moved so fast the world around Claire became a blur.

Two seconds.

That was all it took for inky black to be replaced by snowy white. Neon kept moving until the Grimm were just a black spot in the distance.

"Gosh, almost cut it too close there," Neon said, panting a little. She was sweating. Her skin was paler than Claire had ever seen it.

"You… you saved us?" Claire half-stated, half-asked. She couldn't believe what just happened.

"Sure did, Clairey," Neon said, giving her a very informal salute. "Wish I could stay and talk, but there's still lots of students out there. Gotta keep running."

"Wait, but—"

"Use your scroll to contact the teachers. They're already pulling people out. See you soon! Bye, Clairey! Bye, Iridium!"

"Don't call me that."

Neon was already gone by the time Pipe spoke, his fist shaking in the air. The youth shook his head.

"Why is my name the only one she doesn't get wrong?"

Still dazed, Claire turned to look at Pipe.

His leg was missing.

She almost screamed before she realized the full truth. There was no blood, and Pipe did not seem to be any pain. Instead, what was below his calf was half-torn machinery.

"I didn't realize," Claire said. Pipe noticed her stare and looked away.

"Yeah, well, it's not something I like to talk about."

"I am sorry." Claire felt she had to say it. "I didn't mean to stare."

"No, it's... it's okay," Pipe said, his breathing was still heavy. "Look, about what you said earlier, about how you think I'm only hanging out with you because of your dad."

"I didn't mean to—"

"Nah, you did, and that's fine," Pipe said. "I'm not going to lie and say my old man didn't point you out to me, and I'm not going to say what the others did back there wasn't shitty 'cause it was. I just want you to know I hang out with you because I want to hang out with you. Just making that clear."

"Oh."

"Yeah…"

A moment of silence fell between the two. Just the sound of their heavy breathing in the cold emptiness.

"So… You think I'm hot?"

xXx

Glyph.

Lightning Dust.

Jump.

Glyph. Glyph. Glyph.

Time dilation.

Ice Dust.

A flash of blue and white surged around Weiss, freezing her foes and granting her a temporary reprieve. The frozen shapes of the Deathstalkers and Saybers around her blocked the way for their still moving brethren.

Embarrassing as it was to admit it, every second she could use to get her breath back was a good one.

The Deathstalkers had not seemed like a threat at the start, and indeed, they hadn't been one. It was only when their numbers started to swell to unreasonable extremes that things had taken a turn for the worse. Though it hurt her pride to admit it, retreat was the only option. Weiss could not hope to overcome all these Grimm on her own.

Already she could see the smallest of the Deathstalkers crawling over the frozen Saybers. She needed to put some distance between them and her soon.

Weiss grimaced.

Her hands reached for a vial of Fire Dust but stopped mid-motion. No. Fire Dust would not help in this situation. The heat would burn the Grimm, but it would also melt the snow. Melted snow would make it harder to move around, and the steam would cloud her vision. It would be more of a hindrance for her than it would be for the Grimm.

Earth Dust it was, then.

A jagged spike of earth shot up, breaking through the layer of snow, forcing the Grimm away. One of the frozen Grimm fell and shattered. Weiss paid it no mind.

Three glyphs illuminated the snowy landscape.

Weiss jumped once then twice, then two more times, moving from one Glyph to another before landing on the snow and breaking into a run.

The Saybers chased after her, pulling ahead of the Deathstalkers if only by a little.

In a way, that was a good thing.

It was rare when two species of predators cooperated with each other. In fact, even among animals of the same species, cooperation was not always assured. However, Grimm were not animals. It didn't matter how many different types of Grimm there were out there, they were all still just Grimm. A Beowolf and Ursa will never fight over territory. It didn't work that way.

Off the top of her head, Weiss could name five different studies that explained how unlikely it was for Grimm to fight one another.

The urge to destroy humans override all other instincts.

That ensured the Saybers and the Deathstalkers worked together. One could be forgiven for thinking that should be a negative. Since the Saybers were at the head of the pack, they ended up getting in the way of the Deathstalkers. The scorpion-like Grimm couldn't get close to Weiss without accidentally hurting the Saybers.

Another vial of Earth Dust was loaded to her blade. With a wave, Weiss summoned multiple walls to get in the way of her pursuers. Her eyes narrowed upon noticing she was starting to run out of Earth Dust. She usually didn't keep much with her. Earth Dust did not suit her fighting style as its applications were mostly defensive.

At the rate she was using it, Weiss would run out of Earth Dust in a couple of minutes. A quick glance to the map on her scroll confirmed that wouldn't be nearly enough time to get back to the ship.

"Student #35, respond! Student #35!"

It took a moment for Weiss to realize the voice was coming from her scroll. The drone assigned to her had been long destroyed by the Grimm.

"Student #35, Weiss Schnee, reporting. I am under attack by Grimm and on my way back to the ship."

"Good! Maintain your course. Specialist Schnee has already—"

Specialist Schnee? Winter?

A gurgle of static cut the man's voice, yet hope bloomed in Weiss' heart all the same. Her sister was on her way. Her sister was going to save her! No, even better! She and her sister were going to beat back these Grimm!

IXA Knuckle

Weiss blinked. Wait, what was th—

Rise Up!

He crashed into the snowy fields full of Grimm like a comet. His burning fist made the snow explode and melt in an instant, scattering steam all around as the Grimm faded into black smoke. Even as Weiss covered her face, she wanted to berate him for lowering their visibility.

Though considering how advanced his suit was, all the steam probably didn't hamper him the slightest.

"Hi, Weiss!" Jaune's voice was as cheerful and clueless as always. "If anyone asks, I totally said a cool one-liner here."

"Winter sent you?" Weiss asked, as her blade slashed one of the Death Stalkers that had survived Jaune's sudden drop. She tried not to sound too disappointed. This was an emergency. Regardless of how she felt, spending time with Winter was not a priority.

Jaune's fist smashed into a Sayber. The impact was so strong it easily blew away all the steam around them.

"Yeah," He replied, moving to stand beside her. "She knows you know, so she thought it'd be better if I worked with you to rescue the students."

Surprised appeared on Weiss' face. "Rescue?"

Winter wasn't telling her to retreat?

"Winter says she trusts you to aid in the rescue efforts."

Winter… trusted…

"I'll do it!"

There was no hesitation in her voice, not a sliver of doubt in her eyes. At that moment, the smile on her face could have even been called angelic.

"Great!" IXA flashed a quick thumbs up at her before stomping on a Death Stalker. "I have a map of all the student's locations in my helmet. Once we finish cleaning things up here, we can move to—Uh?"

Jaune was not alone in his surprise. The ground below had suddenly started to shake.

An earthquake? Now of all times?

"This… Weiss, move!"

Weiss yelped rather ungracefully as Jaune tackled her out of the way. The impact took about three percent of her Aura and launched them several yards back.

"What do you think you're doing!?" An irate Weiss asked. However, that didn't last long. In just a few more seconds, she realized the same thing IXA's scanners had shown Jaune.

It wasn't an earthquake.

Earth and snow broke apart as its massive form rose from the depths.

Pincers larger than a van clacked ominously. Snow and dirt fell away as its massive exoskeleton-covered body revealed itself. Two red orbs looked at them with malice.

It was a Giant Deathstalker, one much larger than any variant Weiss had read about. Its ominous stinger swayed above it.

It glowed green.

AN:

Okay, first things first, November's been kicking my ass, and December doesn't look like it's going to be much better. I've some medical stuff coming up that's going to take most of my time. For that reason, there's not going to be a November update of The Jaune-Shots. In fact, I'll cover my bases right away and say this:

There will be no updates at all during December.

I know that's going to disappoint a lot of people, but I have way too much stuff on my plate right now. That said, you can expect updates to resume in January… unless my medical stuff goes really bad, but let's not think about that.

Anyway, on the actual chapter. When you think about it, Beacon is not the first school our characters went to. Some went to combat school. The idea of characters meeting their previous teachers was one that interested me. Hence Mrs. Daisy.

Pipe's real name is Iridium. He's a Steadfast Iridium Soldier.

I'm pretty sure some people can already guess where that's going. Kudos to you.

How can Neon and Weiss run around in the snow in skates/heels? Aura.

Also, since someone is going to ask about it, Winter's estimates refer to Jaune without IXA.

Next chapter will be Jaune and Weiss vs. Merlot's Deathstalker! It's going to take a while to come out, but on the bright side, that means I have more time to plan it!

Till next time!