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We understand that this chapter is weaker than the others.

This chapter feels like it's been rushed, which the co-author and I agreed. Sorry about that drop in quality! The second stage of Summer courses are starting, so we're getting busy.

Updates for all my stories will be delayed or on hold.

EDIT: Made some minor adjustments.

EDIT: Fixed a misspelled word.

Pardon our grammar!

Please point out any misspelling or mistakes so that we can correct it! Applies for all previous chapters and so forth! Working on present and past tense.

Chapter 9:

Dr. Arthur Watts stood within the shadow of his umbrella, shielding him from the rain that plagues Mantle every so often. The heat generator that keeps Mantle warm is vast and powerful enough to turn heavy snow into rain. It's an annoyance, but at least the rain is lukewarm thanks to the heat generators.

The doctor checks his watch before shifting his eyes up to the sky. A notable high pitch whining announces the arrival of Salem's emissary: Jaune Arc, the Everknight.

The airship slowly descends upon the landing pad, softly landing as the ship's engine noise quiets. The large metal doors open, revealing a blond young man with bright blue eyes. He was dressed in a black and white jacket laced with yellow accent, paired with blue jeans and black boots. Two Grimm accompany him, a unique Seer whom the boy affectionally named Pythia and a rather gruff and tough-looking Geist with a large gash across its mask.

'Another interesting specimen. Quite old and judging by its looks.' Dr. Watts eye the Geist with great interest, seeing how it quickly inhabit a large suit of armor and lumber off the airship like an actual medieval knight. He archives those thoughts away and greets Salem's emissary with respect.

"Everknight. I must apologize for burdening you with this task." Dr. Watts put a hand over his chest and bows slightly. "Please be assured, the results will greatly help her grace in the upcoming years. Your effort, my work, it will not be wasted."

"Dr. Watts." Jaune nods at the 'good' doctor, "Don't worry about getting me involved." That bit is somewhat of a lie. He rather not be involved with some of the evil dealings Salem's lieutenants get into. "I'm here to help after all." Well, he's mostly here to help Salem overall.

Jaune unfurls his umbrella and signals the airship's android to start moving his luggage. Four bulky android attendance shuffles back into the airship to retrieve his luggage, carrying them with haste and care towards the waiting van that Dr. Watts arrived in.

"Of course." The doctor moves out of the way for his androids to continue their work. "I believe you are aware of our operation planning?"

Jaune nods, "It's in my scroll. I went over it during my flight."

"Excellent, now then. Let's not linger in the rain." He opens the van door for the Everknight to enter, "Our preparations are in its final stages, Everknight. Once it's completed, I will send you the coordinates and provide transportation to the abandoned mining facility."

"Understood."

Their driver is another android. One that he hasn't seen before, meaning it's most likely a new model. It wordlessly shifts gear and begins driving.

"Salem has provided me your weapon commission." The doctor received the document via scroll and was already set on working on it, utilizing stolen Atlas's machinery to construct the Everknight's weapon. "It will not be long before your weapon is finished. However, I'm afraid you cannot rush fine craftsmanship even with Atlas' finest technology. You will unlikely receive them until a few days from now."

"That's understandable." He smiles, understanding how much work Dr. Watts has put into all of this. "I brought spare weapons with me, should I need them."

"Let's hope you won't be using them."

Their conversation went silent for a good minute as they drive through the trodden down street of Mantle. Jaune glance out of the window watching citizens, homes, and stores went by. He can't explain it, but there's something about Mantle that makes it depressing. Granted, it has always been in a sad state ever since the end of the Great War; it's that the mood around Mantle just got heavier. He doesn't even need Pythia or Gerald to tell him that the mood around here has become much worse.

"Mantle seems… Much more dispirited today."

"Yes, it is. Atlas has imposed several new laws that cause major inconveniences for Mantle." Dr. Watts readjusts his coat, hiding his grin behind his mustache. "The people here are becoming more, and more restless and disgruntle."

It's been roughly a month or so since Jaune visited Mantle and the former capital city has already become more discontented than never before.

"Robyn Hill must have been making an uproar over this." Gathering information like culture, politics, and beliefs is something Salem taught him when he visits a particular area. It has proven to be extremely useful and provides a broader understanding and outlook of himself and the world around him.

For Mantle, Robyn Hill is a notable figure in its political and social field, advocating for better conditions for the people of Mantle.

Dr. Watts nods, "Quite so. The worse she has resorted to is thievery; stealing Dust shipment and building materials to 'return' what was taken from Mantle." He takes out his scroll and swipes a few times on his screen. "Unfortunately for her, there are other groups that want to take a more drastic measure."

"Drastic measures?"

"An underground resistance movement. A violent uprising." The doctor snaps his scroll shut with a smile, "An insurgency."

/-/

Nested in a settlement of Mistral is a criminal syndicate known as the Spiders; said to always deliver the requested information for the right price. How far their influences go is unknown, but their information network is undeniably accurate. To Qrow, this might be just the place to figure out who this enigmatic Everknight person is.

The gruff huntsman casually waltzes into the bar that serves as a hangout for the criminal syndicate. Purple wearing thugs were everywhere, sitting about and drinking like normal patrons. Several of them glance at him before returning to their leisure, but Qrow knows better than to think they're letting their guards down. These kinds of folks are constantly on guard, ready to get the jump on him should things go south.

Far off in a corner sat a plump, blond lady dressed in purple with makeup. By her side are two goons, one male, the other female. Should his own intel be correct, the plump lady is Lil' Miss Malachite, leader of the Spiders.

Qrow slowly makes his way towards her table, stopping when Lil' Miss Malachite's bodyguards block his path.

"That's far enough." Lil' Miss Malachite pushes her desert aside and rests her hands on the table.

Qrow ignores all the stares directed at him, holding his gaze. "Heard you have the best information network in Mistral. Lil' Miss Malachite, was it?"

The plump lady smirks, "I think you already know the answer." She unfurls her fan and fans herself, "Why should I help you?"

"I think this bag of lien speaks louder than me." He tosses her a small bag full of lien.

She eyes the bag's content. "Okay." Her two bodyguards step back for Qrow to take a seat. "What do you want for it?"

"I need information on somebody known as the Everknight. Have you heard of him before?" Lil' Miss Malachite cease fanning, her smug expression instantly became vigilant. Her two bodyguards share a look of agitation, their body tensing upon the mentioning of the Everknight. Qrow leans back in his seat, curious and tired. "Seems like you met him."

"Why are you looking for him?"

"I thought you don't delve into your client's business?"

Lil' Miss Malachite fold up her fan. "Normally, I don't."

"Why the exception?"

She points her fan towards three nasty gash marks on the wall, "Tell me, huntsman. What do you think made those claw marks on my wall?"

Qrow slowly glances over to the wall she was pointing at, tracing the marks with his eye. They were large gashes, familiar ones that he encounters many times on the field. His Grimm studies lessons and flashcards mentally resurface and immediately did he identify what made those marks.

"A Beowolf. An alpha Beowolf."

"And how did it get in here?" Lil' Miss Malachite asks, fixing him a serious stare.

"Don't tell me he brought his pet Grimm unnoticed all the way here?"

She snorts, "Nobody is that blind."

Several things ran through Qrow's mind, none of them are good implications, some are far-reaching; none he can assume without making a fool of himself.

Qrow taps on the small bag of lien he tosses earlier, "This is yours if you tell me."

Lil' Miss Malachite leans closer to him, "Red portals." She said softly, "The Grimm drop out from a red portal." The huntsman sat there in silence as Lil' Miss Malachite collects her earnings. "That's all I have. I suggest you leave."

Qrow pushes himself up from his seat and steadily walk towards the exit.

Red portals.

The Grimm were summoned from red portals. Who else can use portals that are colored red? Probably many others. If it's a semblance, there's bound to be some overlapping or similarity even though each person's semblance is unique in its own way. If it's something else… That's beyond Qrow's capabilities. However, there is one person he personally knows that can utilize red portals.

The only person he can think of right now.

His own twin sister.

Raven.

Knowing his sister, she will do everything she can to not be involved with Ozpin and Salem's secret war, which means that it's unlikely she'll be working alongside with Salem. Unless she's somehow being threatened or bribe.

"Damn it, Rae. I really hope you're not in on this."

If she has nothing to do with it, well… Raven is also a useful intelligence gatherer like he is. One that won't mind breaking the law to gets or finds what she wants. Understanding both sides of this secret conflict is in Raven's best interest just so she could avoid it. Should things work out, he may have another set of ears and eyes out on the field.

/-/

This is Carlos, the Centinel. In fact, all Centinel here is nicknamed Carlos by Jaune because that's the best he could think of when all of them look the same. Anyway, Carlos is a centipede-like Grimm that inhabits the icy regions of Solitas, typically found in cold caves, tunneled within the rocky or icy sediments. They spend most of their days behind the caves of the walls and ground, doing absolutely nothing until something, mostly faunus or human, comes along to which they will try to kill it.

Now, they're working as miners, for the time being, burrowing into the walls and ground; in search of Dust to drop into the metal carts laced with orange powders that act as a stabilizing component. You know so that the Dust doesn't explode at the slightest jolt?

"What is that orange powder?" Jaune asks himself for the fifth time, having never encountered this 'stabilizing component' or heard of it. "Did Dr. Watts make this?"

A sound of clicking came from Pythia, clearly irritated by Jaune's constant questions that don't seem to be directed at anyone. Humans are truly strange creatures.

"I'm just curious, Pythia. No need to be annoyed about it." Though curiosity does kill that cat, is the old saying. "This is easier than I expected."

Aside from a few snarls of complaint from the Creatures of Grimm, they all are doing their jobs without getting themselves blown up, so far. The Centinel were the main workforce in this mining operations, supported by Gerald, the Geist, and another Geist native to this part of the region. Also, a Deathstalker he picked up that's resistant to the cold, acting as the heavy lifter.

The Geists' ability to phase through walls is invaluable in locating Dust quickly, while the Deathstalker uses its massive pincers and legs to tunnel through the frozen walls to make it more accessible. Overall, the operation has been smooth, and dare he says it… Boring.

"You know, I might have just jinxed it just by saying that."

He watches a couple of androids scanning the content of one of the metal carts and deemed it full. Its visor flickers and it begins pushing the cart back to their transport for containment.

A large rumbling sound came from the west side of the cavern. The Deathstalker whom he nicknamed Crystal because it has sheen blue ice crystals on its carapace, has started digging through the cavern. Gerald and the other Geist he nicknamed Floyd glides out from the walls, having finish locating another large batch of Dust.

"Good find and harvest, huh you guys?" The Grimm all silently stare back at him. He's really starting to miss human and faunus company. "Right. Anyway, at this rate. We'll be able to mine all the Dusts this mine has to offer."

No opposition. Every Grimm nearby put to work. Feeling like a tyrannical overseer. Yup, this is the life and career of Jaune Arc from here on out. Speaking of a future, where does he really go from here? The blondie ponders at that for a brief second. No use trying to foresee the future.

"Guess I'll take a tour at the new tunnel Crystal just created." On cue, his scroll started ringing. The caller is none other than Dr. Watts. He answers the call. "Dr. Watts?"

"Jaune, my sincerest apologies. I'm afraid nearby Atlas Military outposts had detected abnormal seismic readings from our little operations. It seems like that had their eyes on this place for quite a while. As we speak, they've already dispatched several recon task forces to investigate."

Yeah, Jaune really did jinx their luck. "How should we handle this?"

"If you can, continue with your operations and stall out the recon teams. By then, we should have enough and leave the area. I will impede their investigations by presenting them with a few technical issues."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do."

/-/

"This is Blue Hunter. We've arrived at the abandoned Dust mine! It's full of Grimm!"

"Hold fire, hold fire! The Grimm are carrying Dust!"

"What the hel– BBZZT!" The video glitches out into a series of random static.

Five figures stand in the military briefing room, all of them are considered the finest and elite Huntsmen and Huntresses in Atlas: The Ace Operatives, or Ace-Ops for short. Their team is composed of five individuals instead of the typical teams of four. Elm Ederne, Vine Zeki, Marrow Amin, Harriet Bree, and their leader, Clover Ebi.

"An hour ago, one of the military outposts detected unusual seismic activities at an abandoned Dust mine." Clover briefs his teammates, running through several images and feeds. "Recon was sent, but they encounter a large group of Grimm within the area. Their advances were further hindered by malfunctioning equipment. Most importantly, these Grimm display unusual behaviors, as you can see just now."

"What on Remnant? Why are all those Grimm carrying Dust?" Marrow frowns, tilting his head to the side as he studies the five Centinel on the screen. All of them had purple Dust in their mandibles, not something you would see every day. "And they didn't outright attack them?"

"The Grimm holding on to these Dust appears to be more focus on leaving the area, or interestingly enough, intimidating recon." Clover flicks through another set of images for his team to review. This image has a group of soldiers backing off from a Centinel wiggling around with a sizeable chunk of Dust in its mouth. "They don't appear to be actively attacking anyone aside from the ones that are not carrying Dust. In the end, every field team had to retreat as there were too many dangers in fighting Grimm with volatile Dust nearby."

"This is certainly very strange." Vine muses, cupping his chin thoughtfully. "I can see why we were suddenly assigned to this mission."

Harriet crosses her arms, "No kidding. Never seen Grimm act like this."

"Adds more to the mystery." Elm nods in agreement, "What could possibly be making them act like this?"

"Maybe some sort of very ancient and intelligent Grimm is commanding them?"

Clover brings up another report for them to look at, "According to the intelligence shared with us, Vale is also experiencing odd Grimm behaviors, not just Atlas and Mantle. Whatever is occurring, let's leave the speculations for the scientists. Our mission is to investigate and if possible, eliminate all Grimm within the vicinity. We will approach this with great caution."

"Easier said than done, how are we supposed to sneak pass the Grimm without blowing ourselves up?"

Elm laughs and slaps Marrow on the back, making him wince. "Always asking the right questions, aren't you? We'll figure it out!" She cracks her knuckles, "Try not to explode."

"Right… Try not to get us killed."

/-/

"How irritating. Out of all the Special Operative teams they could have sent, James decided to dispatch the Ace-Ops to deal with this matter." Dr. Watts's voice oozes with venom. "Always getting in my way." He quickly caught himself and clears his throat. "Ah, forgive me. My emotions got the better of me."

"Don't worry about it." Internally, Jaune is seconds from freaking out. If he can recall, the Ace-Ops are the elite huntsmen and huntresses in Atlas. If they get here and catch up with him, he's most likely screwed. 'Control your breathing, Jaune. Control and relax. Relax your face, and picture yourself calm and in control.'

It's a good thing Salem thought him well, along with drama class his sisters made him took for some reason.

"The Dust we collected is currently being taken to our underground shuttle. Once it's been fully processed and stabilized, you can safely leave the confines of this abandoned facility and collapse the underground tunnels. In the meantime, how should we proceed?"

Jaune's façade nearly waver. 'Why are you asking me?! Aren't you the schemer?!'

Pythia floats near his face, snapping him out of his internal panic. The Seer makes a series of clicking noises, updating him on the status of the Grimm outside the mines.

"Hmm. We lost a good amount of Grimm outside." Jaune wracks his brain for a solution to delay the Ace-Ops. It's like a holdout mission from one of his games, survive until the timer reaches zero to win. He looks around the cavern, mentally taking note of what he currently has on hand. The Geists, Centinels, a frosty Deathstalker, and a whole bunch of Grimm that he manages to gather out in the frozen wastelands. Plus, some spare Dust. "I think I have an idea. Something simple."

/-/

"We've arrived at our designated area." Clover comms to mission control, cautiously observing his surroundings. "Mission control?" Instead of a response, he could only hear static. "Something is interfering with our communication devices."

This was to be expected as the previous teams also experience the same issues. Whatever is going on, it's affecting their electronics.

Vine double checks his comms and nods, "I too, am having the same technical difficulties."

Everyone tried all their electronic devices, only to find that none of them are working as intended. Their scrolls refuse to snap out of their sleep mode; turning them on and off does nothing.

"Off to a great start."

"Oh, you are just radiating negativity."

"Now, now you two." Elm places her two massive hands on Harriet and Marrow's shoulder. "We're going to have to do this the old fashion way!" She nods towards Clover, who pulled out a topographical map that marks several points of interest. "Just follow the map!"

Splitting up wasn't a good option from the beginning, seeing how many uncertainties there was in this mission. They run a greater risk of going down together in a grand explosion, but it's better than going their separate ways and getting picked off by whatever is in the mines.

"Elm. Take point. We're going in!"

The massive woman grins and hoists her gigantic hammer rocket hybrid named Timber. "Hah! My favorite role!"

The Ace-Ops steadily advance into the mines. Their senses were sensitive to the slightest change in the slightly dark cavern. Abandoned carts, broken mining equipment, crumple pillars, and wires. The entire mine is practically dead, left as it was when the accident occurred that lead up to its abandonment. They continue down the wide icy tunnels, completely devoid of anything.

No Grimm. No sound.

Very different from what they were shown earlier. Either the Grimm has completely left this place, or they have decided to reside deeper within the mines.

"It's quiet. Too quiet."

Vine closes his eyes, drawing upon his spiritualism to attune himself to his surroundings. "This place... It has become silent."

"Not a single Grimm spotted. This feels like a trap to me." Harriet's eyes dart towards the ceiling, checking for the slightest clue of what is happening. "Wouldn't be that farfetched, seeing how some Grimm is capable of establishing ambushes."

Their team leader calmly traces and estimate their locations before storing away the map. "Let's keep moving. We should be near our first point of interest."

They pick up the pace, moving quickly through the caverns. Making small notes of several indicators that they weren't the only people here recently. There were several skid marks throughout a certain portion of the mines that it was recently made.

"It looks like somebody was down here mining Dust with the Grimm." Marrow recalls the images and videos of centipede-like Grimm carrying Dust away like a colony of ants. "If that's even possible."

Elm narrows her eyes, "I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of this."

It's strange. The Dust abandoned here in the mines is supposedly left untouched. The military plans on obtaining those in the future, but now it seems that they will have to cut their losses with the mines was strip bare of any Dust.

"Wait." Everyone instantly came to a halt, their weapons held firmly in their hands, ready to act upon command. Clover pulls out his map, shifting his gaze from the map to a large, jagged tunnel on their left. "I believe we found our first point of interest."

"The tunnel?"

"It would seem so."

The Ace-Ops cautiously approach and peer into the jagged tunnel. Cautiously, they make their way towards the end of it. A large spherical area pocketed with indents where Dust used to be embedded.

Harriet kneels down on the ground and brushes aside a very small pile of ice shaving and sediments. "These were made recently. Whoever or whatever was here."

"The tunnels appear to be made by something big and powerful." Vine inspects the jagged tunnel, gently touching the rough edges. "That may explain the unusual seismic activities."

Clover runs his hand through the deposit of sediments laying on the edges of the jagged tunnels, "I think you're right. The sensors set up were place in accord to this abandoned Dust mine. This is something the sensors would pick up."

"Now that poses us a big question, eh?" Elm lightheartedly nudge Vine, "Where is it now?"

"And can we even deal with something that big? Don't forget about that equally important question." Marrow adds in, not liking their chance with a massive Grimm in an underground Dust mine.

"That too."

While the Ace-Ops continue to investigate and chat with one another, Clover silently reevaluates his team's objective and the map he was provided. Originally, he had his team head towards the closest point of interest, which they arrived. With the revelation of a possible giant tunneling Grimm nearby, they might not be able to handle something that large and strong in an unfavorable environment. That is, should he and his team prove unable to handle the situation.

Furthermore, their investigations for each point of interest will need an overhaul. Whatever is down here; where did it come from? Clover doubled his effort and read the seismic activities marked on the map, along with a timestamp of when they were detected.

Finally, he narrowed down on one particular area. The first report of unusual seismic activities. Just south, roughly two levels underneath them.

"Team! Fall in! There's been a change of plans!"

/-/

"They're making their way towards your current location." Dr. Watts updates the Ace-Ops movement to Jaune. He may have managed to shut down their devices and track their movements from their electronic signals, but that's the best he can do from his current position. "I take it, your preparation for their possible interference is complete?"

'Not really.' Is what Jaune really wanted to say, "Yes. It is. Hopefully, it will delay them long enough."

"I shall contact you once more when the stabilizing procedure is complete. In the meantime, I leave everything up to you."

The moment Dr. Watts ended the call, Jaune immediately slump onto a crate, already exhausted despite standing around doing nothing.

"Why did I have to jinx it? Pythia, what did I do to deserve this?" His Seer made a hissing noise that sounds suspiciously like snickering. "You're evil, you know that? Even for a Grimm."

Pythia took that as a compliment.

Jaune sighs, "Whatever."

A few precious seconds went by, nearing the half minute mark before Floyd, the other Geist phase through the ceiling. The Geist let out a low ghastly growl, alerting him that the Ace-Ops are nearby.

"They're here." He takes a deep breath, "Alright. Let's do this. We buy some time and then get out of here. Gerald, Crystal! Stay here. Pythia, stay a bit back in case I need you."

/-/

The Ace-Ops arrives at a wide-open cavern connected to a borehole that leads deeper to the underground. They immediately noticed that unlike the other areas, this part of the mines still has some Dust left over. Not a lot, but enough to collapse this entire section if a single one of them explodes.

"This area still has some Dusts left."

"It seems like it was left behind on purposed." Vine cautions his teammates. There were pockets of depressions that used to house Dust, meaning that this area has been mined before. "Or it could be a mining operation that was halfway abandoned."

"The mystery deepens."

"Yes, yes. There's Dust here." Marrow points at the massive borehole that goes underground. "Can we please continue with the mission?"

"This place giving you the chills?" Harriet teases her teammate.

"We still have several more areas to investigate, and we still don't know what's down here."

They traded another series of remarks towards each other, stopping when they detected someone approaching them from the borehole.

Clover steps forth to confront the stranger, "This is Atlas Special Operative Division! Identify yourself!"

"I know. You're the Ace-Ops." A young man with bright blond hair and blue eyes calmly walks out from the unlit tunnel. He was dressed in a black and white jacket, blue jeans, black boots, and a donned a white armored plate and gloves. "The best huntsmen and huntresses of Atlas."

"Identify yourself," Clover repeats, silently signaling his team to spread out.

"I'm the Everknight." The blond boy introduces himself, wielding a pair of lackluster looking sword and shield. "Nice to meet you."

Marrow rolls his eyes, "Hey, kid. No time for roleplaying. What are you doing here?"

"Let Clover do the talking." Vine sharply whispers. There's something very, very wrong about this person. He can't put it, but it's an unpleasant feeling. Regardless of what it is, he needs to let his team leader know. "Sir, there's something off about this individual."

The Everknight sighs, "I suppose you're not wrong about that."

On cue, something came crashing overhead. Thundering and clattering of stones nearly collapse on top of the Ace-Ops. Huntsmen and huntresses all leap out of the way, scattering from the sudden cave-in. Only it wasn't a cave-in. It was a Geist that decided to join in. The hulking rocky figure towered over them by a long shot, overshadowing even if two of their transport vehicles were stack together.

"Grimm!"

"Watch out for the Dust!"

The Geist has incorporated Dusts into its rocky body, forcing them to take it down pinpointedly remove the Dust first before bringing it down. With numerous other Dusts in the area, they will have to be extremely cautious about how they fight. One trip up and the entire area could erupt in a grand explosion.

Harriet frantically turn towards the blond boy, "Hey, you! Get out…!" Her eyes widen when she saw him pull out a gas canister. "What are you doing?! Those won't work on a Grimm!"

"It's not for the Grimm." He lobs it at Ace-Ops, "Sorry about this."

The huntress let out a string of curses at him, swiftly activating her speed semblance to escape the bouncing gas canister that continuously spews unknown substances. "Individual is hostile! He's trying to get us all killed!"

Two more gas canisters were thrown around the area, spreading pale gray smoke all over the place.

"Fall back into the tunnels!" Clover orders, the odds are stack heavily against them, even with his good luck semblance. "The Geist won't be able to fit in there!"

Escaping from this unfavorable situation takes priority right now. The gas canisters will greatly hinder their ability to fight against the Geist. They will need to fall back and reexamine these new developments before engaging the Grimm or the Everknight. Eliminating this Grimm is their next priority. The military will want to conduct research and secure this place afterward, therefore, they will need to eliminate any Grimm to establish a decent hold on the abandoned Dust mine.

As for the Everknight, they will have to deal with him later. That is if they have the chance.

"Come on!"

They swiftly maneuver out of the Geist's heavy swings, making a dash towards the tunnel in which they came from. The Geist stomp towards them, stopping several meters away when it knows that it wouldn't be able to reach them.

"Now!" The Everknight shouts.

To their surprise, the Geist seems to be following the Everknight's command, raising an arm and pointing it at them. Three purple Dust was stabbed into its stubby hand, rotating like a revolver's cylinder. Their eyes widen at the implications.

"Evasive maneuver!"

The Geist propel the Dust at them, rippling through the air with purple rings. It fell short, but the explosion is too close for comfort. A bright purple orb of volatile energy erupted as the Dust hit the ground, throwing the Ace-Ops off their feet.

They tumble on the ground before recovering, leaping back from the collapsing tunnel.

"Move, move! The entire area is about to collapse in on itself!"

"Damn it! I didn't know Geist could do that!"

"We're falling back to the entrance, for now." Clover calmly said once they were in the clear. "There's a lot of things that we need to sort out before going back in."

"Yes, sir!" The rest of the Ace-Ops glance back at the collapsed tunnel before slowly returning to the surface.

No Omake this time, sorry!

Pardon our grammar!

Please point out any misspelling or mistakes so that we can correct it! Applies for all previous chapters and so forth! Working on present and past tense.

So, begins Jaune's adventure in Atlas and Mantle.

We've been running into issues with personal life, and the second stage of Summer courses will start very soon. Expect delays to this story along with every others.