Hey people, a new chapter is here! It only took forever because it's so fucking long! Seriously, almost 7,000 words longer than the longest chapter so far. And the next chapter is going to be pretty close to this one! By the way, I name drop another Writer here who is a fan of my work, So this chapter is for you man! Arkos was yes! 17 votes for it and 11 against! but with such a high number, were making Pyrrha work for that Jaune butt.

I am super excited for people to read some of the Archivist lore I had to makeup, it was my favorite to write. The drama, not so much. I didn't want to make it turn into a sobfest but a comment had a good point that Ruby and Yang would not put up with someone trying to take there guy right after getting together. Anyway, comment responses, and then we begin the story again!

MrRayney - Thank you so much! I will strive to hit number one of your favorites! one of these days! and thank you for the suggestions. I really want to use Currant eventually. Its a favorite of mine. Big issue for me as well, where Authors will use there self-insert OC Author, archivist, whatever to bash characters and have his friends be mean to him. There his friends for a reason. They arent going to turn on him for no reason!

drbakerarcho2008 - Look at you! Have a cookie for guessing chapter 7!

Zathol - Yes, you understand, I like harems that work and have serious work put into them. The first two girls fell into it because they were willing to agree from the start. Anyone else who wants to join is in for a hard time. And thank you! I love Summer as a character with so much bonding potential, Supermom and baker of cookies, always there for kids, Even after death. also yeah responses to other characters' actions are sometimes sparse, I tried to do better this chapter but still one of my weak links in writing.

SomberFlight - I agree with what you say at the beginning, but I like to think Pyrrha found more reasons to like the boy after getting to know him. She simply had a good reason to get to know him in the first place.

The kiss went on for a moment before a hand grasped him around his neck. He was yanked back, seeing for a split second the bright red eyes of Yang. Jaune felt himself stuffed against her as he could hear Ruby berating Pyrrha.

"What is your problem!? You saw we were kissing and stuff earlier and you… YOU DID THIS?!" Ruby screeched at Pyrrha, pushing against her in a fit of fury. As Ruby continued to tear into her, Jaune could hear the gentle breathing of Yang in his ear and the just barely restrained anger in her voice. He couldn't tell if it was at him or the girl who kissed him.

"You knew nothing of that ya?" Yang felt him nod, still a little stunned. "I figured but I had to ask. We should deal with Ruby before she kills her."

"Ruby wouldn't…" Jaune says, thinking of cute innocent ruby who would steal cookies and apologize for hitting him in training. "Would she?"

"Ruby almost sent a boy to the hospital when he stomped on Zwei before we got his aura unlocked. She would do a lot of things for the one she loves, Lover Boy."

Jaune sighs at that, gently pulling away from Yang. "You don't seem as angry."

"I am so furious that I have looped back around to calm. Trust me, I figured dealing with Ruby as enough of a punishment."

Jaune treaded softly behind Ruby, who at this point was pacing and ranting in front of a Pyrrha who sat on the ground staring at it emotionless. Pulling her into a tight hug that got her to stop yelling, He leaned down and kissed her. Ruby's eyes flew open with shock before she leaned into it murmuring. When He pulled away he could tell she was much calmer.

Leaning her head into his chest she muttered at him "No fair, you can't just calm me down like that."

"Whatever works Crater Face." He smiled down at her pouting face. "Let me handle this? Please? My partner made a mistake but she doesn't deserve this Rubes."

He could feel Ruby shaking against him, soft sniffling coming from her. "I cant… you cant leave me ok? We just got together and I can't lose you."

"I'm not leaving unless you tell me to go Ruby, Promise." She stared into his eyes, seeing the sincerity and the budding of love in them.

"Fine, you deal with her, but… but she better not kiss you anymore!" Ruby said, stomping after Yang who was sitting to the side.

He shook his head at the retreating form of his girlfriend. He turned to look at his emotionless partner slumped on the ground. What was he supposed to say to make this better, he wished she had just said it instead of kissing him. This mess would have been avoided.

Walking up to her, he turned and plopped himself down next to her. He could hear her murmuring something quietly under her breath. Leaning in to hear what she was saying, he could pick up her repeating Im sorry over and over. His heart broke at the quiet loop she was stuck in. He pulled her head into his chest, cradling her against himself.

"Pyrrha, it's ok, calm down, it's ok. I'm here." He cooed in her ear, repeating sweet words to calm her. She stilled at his voice, before curling into his chest, soft sniffling heard underneath his voice. At least the chanting had stopped.

"J-Jaune?" Pyrrha whimpered looking up at her partner. When he nodded at her she shuddered and hugged him tightly. "I-Im sorry…. I wasn't thinking and Qrow talked me into confessing!"

Jaune giggled at her words. "I think he meant to tell me Pyr, not kiss me."

"I did what he did!" she said, wiping her eyes with a scowl on her face.

"Well, you can tell how well that went for him," Jaune said sarcastically. He felt bad after saying that when a look of shame crossed her face. "Hey it's ok, look Pyrrha, no matter what we're still family. Truth is I always thought you were amazing." He rubbed her back to try and keep her calm "I felt silly for even entertaining the idea of you liking me so… I just set it aside to try and be the best family we could be."

That just made her sob harder. "But…" He said with a pause to make sure he had her attention "You asked me out, and im not the only one you would get if I said yes."

Pyrrha looked confused by the way he said that "Did you think the girls would share me and you wouldn't have to deal with them? Everyone needs to love each other in a relationship Pyr, and I think you need to think if you would be willing to love those two girls as well." Jaune leans away, pulling himself off the floor. "When you've given it some thought, come see me, Ruby, and Yang in their shared room ok? I'll go calm them down so they can think through their answer as well."

"What if they say no?"

"Then you'll always be family to me," Jaune says, walking away.

"I can't believe she just did it! We at least said it first! Ugh!" Ruby groaned, throwing herself on the bed, burying her head into her arms. Yang sat at her side rubbing her back with a pensive look on her own face.

"Gotta hand it to her, she really went for it." Yang said trying to add some levity to the situation, giving a pleading look to Jaune who sat to the side. Sighing for the umpteenth time since they entered the room, he had become a sack of flour for all he was useful. This must have been hitting him hard to not be over here trying to comfort the two of them.

"I really wish she hadn't," Jaune said, going over the talk in his head. How was he supposed to think with everything whirling around in his head?

Yang picked up her sister who flailed before going limp. Walking her over to Jaune, she set her in his lap before laying across his back. It felt nice to have someone she could lay against again. Not being able to do this since Ruby had grown out of her sleeping with Big Sister phase.

Yang grabbed his face, manhandling him to look in her direction. When his eyes focused on her she leaned and pecked him on the lips. "Cmon, Lover Boy, snap out of it, we need to focus right now." She slaps him gently on the cheek. "We didn't stick around as you asked, now we're asking what you said to her, right sis?"

Looking up at him, she nods. "Right, you told her no right?" she pokes his nose with a little growl in her voice "Right?!"

Sighing again he turns his head away from them. "I did not say no, I told her to think about it more."

"WHAT?!" Both girls shouted.

He brought up his hands to be as non-threatening as possible. "I told her that if she wanted to date me, she wouldn't be dating just me," He brought both of them close. "We're in this together right? You both love each other, even if it's sisterly love. She's not getting me when you don't want me for a bit. Pyrrha is getting all of us, so I told her to think if she could love you both as well, then to ask you both as well."

Both hands made an X for the Xiao Long. "No way! Not happening! She kissed you, I can't trust her for something like this!" Yang says, already deciding.

Jaune nodded, picking up ruby with a yelp and making for the door. Yang hopped off the bed and ran after, grabbing his arm to stop him. "Where are you going?!"

"To turn her down, you said no," He gives her a quizzical look, setting the Rubes on the ground where she pouted.

"I thought you were gonna ask Ruby her opinion first?" Yang said already a little nervous that someone had instantly taken her response at face value.

He shrugged at that. "No need, your vote matters just as much, and we have two no's already." When Ruby and Yang both looked confused he sighed. "I also say no, I'm a bit upset at her right now honestly."

"I thought you would have been happy to have her, she's Pyrrha Nikos!" Ruby said, self-esteem lower than she ever thought possible. How could short little Ruby who's two years younger compare to The Invincible Girl?

"She's my partner but I agreed to date you two, that means you two are some of my most important people," Jaune said, nervous about how cheesy his words sounded. "My family taught me that those you loved always came first after all."

"And.. she hurt me, pretty badly." He moved back to the bed, realizing they would be talking instead of leaving to find Pyrrha. "She could have ruined my first real relationship, or at least our partnership if we all hadn't calmed down. It hurts that she thought about her own feelings more than mine, who she didn't say but acted as if she likes."

"It's why I wanted to give everyone time to calm down and think about it before we answered. But if you say no, im happy to go tell her that it just won't work."

Yang groaned. "Stop being so… reasonable! Ugh, Fine we can at least think about it. But for now, my answer is still no."

"That's fine, I'm still a no for now as well." Jaune turned to Ruby who was waiting nervously for Jaune to come lay down again. "You're part of this as well Rubes, what do you think?"

Ruby fiddled with her bangs, scrunching her face at the looks her sister and Boyfriend were giving her. "I think… we should think on it. But my answer is no for now as well,"

Arms crossed, Yang gave a huff. "If everyone is a no, why are we even thinking about it?"

"Because it's only right, and we are still in the heat of the moment. I want to answer when we can actually say we have a clear head." Jaune then scratched the back of his head embarrassed. "Plus i'm hoping she says she can't see herself with you two and it works out."

"Not cool Vomit Boy," Ruby grumbles at him "You wouldn't have done that to me would you?" She grabs him and yanks him down, laying him beside her. "As penance, you have to let us cuddle you, right Yang?"

"Right you are sister of mine,"

"Uh oh."

"I can't believe this, why would she give me a world like this?!" Static groaned, leafing through his sheet of worlds he was assigned to catalog and archive. "The future must not be shown to them but… maybe I should kick them out for this one? No the Great Divine has said… oh no, I'll have to go see," He whispered "Trinity."

Checking the next few worlds showed he was safe for now, but one of them was distressing in its own right. "Ascendancy cataloged by Titan, and Relic cataloged by Coeur? He is showing up quite a bit more than most" He sighed, rubbing a hand across his face. It was time to go see why his worlds were popping up with the future. Snapping his fingers a portal appeared in front of him.

Squaring his jaw he pushed through into a vibrant forest. Trees seemed to fade into the distance with no sign of a break. In front of him was a small clearing, barely enough to hold the campfire and rocking chair that was always there when he came by. The person in the chair was a sight for the eyes, Dark black hair curled over her shoulder, braided and with wrappings in it. She looked at peace, playing the banjo in the woods, lit only by a roaring campfire.

Treading through the grass, keeping silent to not interrupt her playing, Static found himself swaying to the tune, it carried to the underlying sound of life. Finally, the banjo ceased and the woman turned to smile at him. Carefully setting down her instrument, she stood from her chair. Walking around it till she was in front of him, she looked him up and down with a scrutinizing eye.

Trinity reached up, making him flinch. Hands clasped his cape, straightening it. "Little bolt, why are you such a mess? You never call, you never visit, and you come back looking like a slob."

Static shifted nervously at that. "High Divin-"

"Ah ah ah, You know I hate you all calling me that, Your little brother is going to pick it up from you and who will call me mom then?"

Yup definitely not here to have this conversation "Mother, please, I need advice."

She waves a hand and a second chair, more formal, next to her rocking chair appears "Come sit and play with me, oh do you remember when you used to play the flute with me? You were such a cute boy."

Trinity smiled, nostalgia filling her as she remembered the good days, the years she would spend with each Archivist she created raising them and being a mother to them. Her little bolt was near the top of those cherished memories.

"Yes Mother, But I am-" A finger pushed against his lips silencing him.

"You can tell me all about it after a song, you'll be calmer, I remember your favorite and everything." She turned and picked up her banjo, strumming it as she took a seat. She looked over at him, demanding with her eyes for him to sit down and pick up his flute.

He sighed at that, taking a seat and picking up his old flute. He smiled at the little scratches and buffs, from dropping it when he would help raise some of his younger brothers and sisters. Bringing it to his lips, he began to play. The silence was all that was heard. The tone could not be heard but it was played for all the primordial to hear. It swirled around them, Banjo accompanying the sound of silence. Strings strummed with no noise leaving it.

The fire hazed over, The smoke bouncing and slowly filling into a ball above it. At the climax of the song, the ball condensed, lighting up, and the song stopped. Trinity stood, striding over to the ball and standing before it. She waved him to come to her. He stumbled out of his chair, falling in her direction before finding his footing. Creation took so much out of him.

"You used to dance with me when we did this." She said a sad smile on her face. "Where did all that joy in the creation of a universe go Static?" Turning to him she frowned.

He stammered at that. "I have gotten so busy, and the rules mother, I can't show the future. Creation feels the same, like I am disturbing something precious and it breaks my fabric to try…"

She shook her head at him then a finger. "You have no rules, I made sure none of you did except doing good for what I create. These are all limits you have set on yourself," Looking him up and down she gaped. "You don't even wear your Creation Ring anymore…? Bolt, I raised you better than this."

He fell back into his chair, feeling her ire on him "Is this why you have given me worlds of their future? Some kind of comeuppance for my choices?!"

"I gave you each of these worlds for a specific reason, and some of them are for you… You lied to them. I saw that You told those children that their mother couldn't return with them over a rule you set on yourself." She stalked towards him, leaning down to keep herself at eye level. "You need to grow again my little bolt, you are a person as much as them, I see you go from such a formal boy to a silly person who jokes with them."

"I… you are right, I will think on your worlds mother, I-Im sorry I need to go!" He turned, sliding past her towards his portal. Keeping his eyes locked on it as he power walked off, he saw a second portal open next to his. Out strode a man, nearly seven-foot and built like a house, his chiseled looks would make most women fawn, and men jealous. An archivist who liked to change their looks when they could, Static had no idea how they would look on every other day.

Walking past each other they both stopped next to each other. Neither looked at each other.

"Titan, it's good to see you… I have one of your worlds coming up for archiving." The gigawatt smile that passed across the man's face was telling of his thoughts.

"Oh that's wonderful Sparky, What world? Wishes, or Valentine's day?"

Silence fell for a moment. "Ascendancy."

"Oh… I am sorry for anyone you may have over." Static dipped his head at that. He felt bad enough subjecting his people to a world of such gore and war. But it was put on his list and was needed. He hoped they would forgive him for showing it to them.

"Thank you Titan, I hope your work goes well for you, It is time for me to take my leave." A quick nod and static strode back through his portal home.

Soft snoring could be heard from The Xiao-Rose room, A comfy pile laid out across the bed. Jaune was snoozing peacefully holding Ruby from behind. He didn't mind being the middle spoon in this setup. Yang had cuddled up against his back, throwing a leg over him and burying her face into his neck. All in all, it was a cuddle pile. Too cute for words.

Jaune twitched, stirring from sleep with a loud knock filling the room. Lazily lifting his head, he scowled at the door, mentally demanding it leave so he could sleep again. Without the sun in the theatre, his sleep schedule seemed to be malfunctioning. Sleep had come way too easy to him even though he had just woken up a few… looking at the clock he noticed he had been sleeping for nearly three hours. He winced at that, maybe he should get up.

Stretching, he gently moved Ruby and Yang so they were clutching each other and slid out of the bed. Plodding towards the door gave him a moment to wipe the grumpy look off his face. Throwing the door open revealed one Pyrrha Nikos looking nervous mid knock. She froze when the door opened, looking him up and down. She could tell by the bedhead he had just crawled out of the bed.

"Jaune, Oh I am sorry for waking you, I can leave and come ba-" Pyrrha was caught off guard by the hand that came up to stop her talking.

"Pyr I don't mind, I'm happy to make time for you." He put on his best smile, knowing this would be hard on her no matter the answer she came to. "You probably came here… to give us an answer? We're still thinking about it but I am happy to hear yours."

Pyrrha smiled at her partner, he was always so considerate. "I have thought through what you said." taking a deep breath. "I think I could… Love them I mean," She looked nervous "They are wonderful friends at the moment, and I could see us working out so I still wish to try."

"Ok, after the next showing, you can ask them, no more surprise kisses ok?" He teased her, keeping the atmosphere light. It got her to blush though, no words coming from her lips as she made a fish face. "See you in a bit?"

"Yes, I will see you at the theatre." She smiled, turning away before feeling his arms around her. Gasping at the sudden hug, she leaned away. When he didn't let her go she sighed leaning into it.

"I… Love you Pyr, what kind of love is a little blurry right now, but I always have your back." He squeezed her tightly. "Promise."

Her smile was hidden in his chest but it was beaming. She would always have Jaune, and maybe that was okay as well. "Thank you, you go wake those girls up. It is much too late to be sleeping." Pyrrha pulled back, showing her smile before she disappeared down the hall.

Turning around to look at the sleeping sisters, he could tell this was going to be the greatest battle of his life. "Great, how am I supposed to wake them up without being killed?"

Everyone filtered into the theatre, taking seats in their respective spots. Except Yang had taken Pyrrha's spot next to Jaune, with Pyrrha happy to sit in the front row for this session. Qrow and Summer were looking friendlier, at least talking to each other without Summer scowling at him. He was just glad he wasn't named Taiyang, also praying that he didn't get brought here, it would be an awkward break-up.

"Alright folks, this world is… it will show a future event that can theoretically be changed if known." Everyone gasped at that "This world is one where an event at the end of the year ended with the death of Jaune Arc. His memories were sent back, slowly merging with his past self who can't remember it, only underlying memories of his time at Beacon."

Weiss shot a hand up. "You said that you would not show us future events? What changed?... and is that event at the end of the year that bad?"

"I talked to The Great Divine, and she has made it clear that my rules are null. The future will be shown against my will so I must get used to it. And you will have to wait and see about the end of the year Weiss, It will most likely get shown sooner rather than later." Static grumbled out the end part.

(Dormitory rooftop)

This was the place…

Jaune thought to himself as he came up to the roof of the dorm dressed in his onesie pajamas. It was rather surprising to see this spot unknown to the students here in Beacon. Judging from the fresh air, the view of the school's castle towers and the clear perfect sight of the stars and the broken moon, you'd expect this place to be jam-packed with couples coming up for a romantic getaway. But strangely enough, it stands abandoned with the exception of a few small animals that come and go as they please.

Yang almost broke into a fit of laughter at Jaune in his Onesie. "Lover Boy, Why?! Why do you wear it? I need the reason you like dressing up as a cute bunny."

"Hey… you think it's cute?" He grinned at her which got her giggling more. "It's cause I got it from my eldest sister Saphron when I was thirteen and it's special to me." He shrugged at the bewildered looks from the rest of his friends "Plus its stupidly comfy, like man is it worth the jokes."

Ren snorted at that. "You should see Nora's cuteness Folder on her scroll, She has a picture of him and Pyrrha wearing-" A hand slapped onto his mouth from a nervous Pyrrha.

"Haha, that Ren, she doesn't have any pictures of me wearing anything specific." She glares at the ninja who knew that speaking would lead to death.

"Yes… nothing." That got a nod from the Fighter who sat back down.

The whole floor felt familiar to Jaune. He was quite certain that this was the first time he ever visited this place before but oddly enough, the boy knew every nook and cranny like he lived there half his life. He remembered every detail of each pipeline, how they worked and which lane each of them went and even that rattling noise from the large vent by the doorway. He knew them all but he couldn't understand why.

"It's our training spot Jaune." Pyrrha was surprised. Images flooded her with memories of training the blond boy. "Why do you not know it?"

"Sadly Jaune has enough training with the memories of his old self under the surface. He is up to the same strength as the rest of you."

"Oh," She couldn't keep the disappointment out of her voice. Training with Jaune was some of the happiest times of her life.

Earlier today, Pyrrha brought him to the infirmary just as she promised and had a full medical checkup. The doctor there was surprised by his condition. Other than the extremely large pool of aura reserves he has, the doctor gave him a clean bill of health. He only mentioned that the confusion he had, came from mild stress most likely from the first mission they were prepping for. The doc made no mention of his headaches or such and Jaune kept it that way.

But Jaune wouldn't buy it. The memories that merged with him still lurked deep within his subconscious and it began to surface time and time again. He somehow knew that this place held some special moments in his life. Some were hard, painful and often emotionally so… but it also held a spark of happiness, blissful joy and proud sentiment.

Jaune smiled at that, It was some of his nicest memories. He cast a glance at Pyrrha, feeling… something he didn't know. This romance thing would hopefully not put a strain on their partnership no matter what was chosen.

Yet the boy couldn't remember. His heart and soul knew but his mind couldn't recall it. It pained him not to remember… it pained him to forget.

Who knows? Maybe the stress was getting to him unconsciously. Maybe he was going crazy. Maybe he was going bonkers and he just didn't know it yet.

Either way, he needed his rest. Tomorrow was a big day for his team and he didn't want to be drowsy on their first mission of all time.

"Oh! It's the middle of the second semester!" Ruby gasped "Our first missions, I wonder what we chose!" Yang rolled her eyes at her sister.

"Probably something to do with the white fang, Blake's obsessed," Yang said.

Blake hissed at the two "I am not obsessed, just cautious of a threat."

"She does have a good point, they are plotting something. If it is not stopped it could become an issue for us." Weiss added on trying to be helpful to blake.

"Thank you, Weiss," Blake said, feeling relieved that someone understood the threat they were.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The return trip to the dorm room was uneventful. Not surprising since many of the teams in this dorm were already off on their first mission and those who had assignments tomorrow were sound asleep saving strength for their eventful day. Jaune should probably follow their example and get some snooze himself.

But just as he came upon the lobby, the blonde knight suddenly noted a familiar figure standing by his dorm room acting all sneaky-like.

"Ren?"

"Bwah!" The green garbed Hunter jumped in surprise, hastily putting away his knapsack like he was trying to hide contrabands. "Oh… it's just you."

Squinting at Ren, Jaune gave him a suspicious look. "What are you hiding?"

Ren sweated under the scrutinizing stare of his leader. He tried to think up an excuse. "I was… going for a walk? And trying to do it without Nora?"

"What are you doing out here so late? And… what are you hiding?"

"Hiding?" Ren feigned ignorance. "I'm not hiding anything. I was just out uh… for a walk."

"In the hallway?"

"I was just admiring the… architecture."

"Ren…" Jaune shot him a knowing look which made his companion sigh in submission. He wasn't really good at lying.

"Fine." The raven haired Hunter admitted his guilt. "But… promise me you won't tell Nora. She'll kill us both if she finds out that I've been keeping this from her." Ren then slowly opened the bag, revealing a small loaf of bread inside.

"Is that… bread?" Jaune raised a curious brow at his friend wondering if this was some kind of joke.

Ren let out a gasp at the sight of the bread. "No! You fool!" When everyone looked at him funny he explained "Its Casarine bread, Nora loves it so much that I have never actually tasted it. Other me must be trying to sneak some for himself. That mad mad fool." Ren shook his head at his clearly insane counterpart.

"Casarine butter bread." The pink locked boy corrected. "I bought it off the cafeteria before they closed down."

"Ok… so you come out here to pack… a bread?" Jaune looked around gesturing to their room. "Wouldn't it be easier to pack in there?"

Ren forced a laugh. "Are you kidding? Nora would eat it in a heartbeat. Not to be blunt but that girl has the nose of an ursa when it comes to food and the casarine butter bread is one of her favorites. I can't risk her smelling it."

"Ok… I guess I can understand that you want to save a snack for yourself. But isn't this a little extreme?"

"It's not for me." Ren explained briefly glancing at the loaf in hand. "It's… for my uncle."

Frowning at that Ren could only feel disheartened. "This is different, I am completely an orphan with Nora, we have no family at all. It must be nice to have someone."

"Oh… your uncle in the village in Quadrant 3?" Jaune thought back, recalling the purpose of their mission. "You're bringing a loaf of bread all the way there?"

"It's also his favorite snack." Ren added taking a seat by the lobby chairs. "I used to bring him a loaf or two every time we visited back in the day—so I thought that this might be as good a chance as any."

"Used too?" The blonde boy noted. "What happened?"

"We haven't talked for over a year now… I'm worried something might've happened to him." Ren answered. "Though he feels more like a brother I never had."

"You two must've been quite close if you care about him this much."

Ren chuckled back in reply. "You have no idea. He wasn't just my uncle, he was my mentor. He was the one who taught me how to fight. Everything I know about martial arts came from him. He helped me design my weapon and taught me how to use my aura effectively. He was my sensei… and probably still is."

"Sounds like you two shared a special bond."

"I wished." The green garbed Hunter smiled. "He's a great teacher to have but he can also be a bit of a grumpy guy. You'll understand what I mean when you meet him."

"Sounds like Qrow," Summer said snickering at the man. He had a face of horror, glaring at his nieces, wondering which one had leaked that he had become a teacher. When they were in Beacon he had sworn he would never become one, and he knew Summer would mock him for it. It was why he was keeping it a secret.

"So what happened?" Jaune inquired taking a seat opposite his friend. "If you two were this close, why separate?"

Ren let out a sigh to show his displeasure with the subject, but found himself compelled to explain. "Well… for starters, my family moved to Vale. My uncle and I were in contact from time to time and I'd get a few chances to visit him on holidays. But… then… after a while, I was told that I couldn't see him again."

"Why's that?"

"He… had a falling out with my clan." Ren answered roughly.

"Your parents and your uncle are had a fight or something?"

"What? No!" He hushed himself when he realized his voice was raised. "My parents are fine with him. It's my clan that he's against. You see… my family is part of… the Jade Dragon Clan."

Qrow snorted at that. "Those blowhards? Bunch of snobby pricks is what they are." The glare he got from Ren made him chuckle harder. "Sorry kid but it's true, they didn't take you in when your parents kicked it did they?"

"No but…" Ren hesitated. Qrow was correct, they had said that he would not be allowed to remain with Nora if he stayed. It was why he had left and traveled with her.

"Think they're better than most southern Mistralian clans because they do medicine," Qrow said. "But their hunters die just like the rest of us in the wilds."

"The what?" Jaune shot a puzzled expression.

"The Jade Dragon Clan. The famous clan for its training of doctors and Hunters over the last decade." Ren pointed out as if it was an obvious thing.

"Never heard of it."

Ren raised a brow. "How did you ever make it to Beacon?"

Jaune chuckled nervously "Yes, this is the thing that makes it seem odd that I am in beacon."

"Forget about me. I don't understand why your clan and your family don't get along." Jaune continued, wanting to switch the subject.

"It… wasn't easy." Ren admitted. "I guess you could say he was a bit upset that I decided to put my talents in the clan's service. He kept saying that I was destined for greater stuff than this."

"Sounds complicated."

"You have no idea…" Ren nodded in agreement. "I don't even know the whole story myself. All I know is that… he doesn't like my clan for some reason. I'm hoping to get back with him, if I can."

"Hey, don't beat around the bush." Jane opted to his friend patting his shoulder. "I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation why he hasn't called you. If your bond is as strong as it was, I'm sure you guys will rekindle your whole friendship."

"Even if he's not in our universe, you got me Ren," Jaune said leaning and patting Ren on the shoulder. Leaning back and giving a small smile at his friend, Ren patted his friend's hand.

"Thank you Jaune, you are also like a brother to us, I am including Nora because I feel she would be offended if I didn't."

"Uh… okay?"

"Heh… now you're starting to sound like Nora."

"Families are important. I'm sure you guys will hit it off just like you did back then. Trust me. I'm a professional when it comes to relationships." In a pig farm somewhere in Remnant, one of the lonely pigs grew wings and flew off into the distant sky. "Now come on. Get some sleep. We got a big day ahead of us and I don't want you snoozing off."

(Courtyard) (Later that night)

Peace and serenity. These were the two qualities in life that many children take for granted. It was something that was given but never truly enjoyed until someone rips it from your bleeding hand. James had to find that out the hard way. As the good General gazed longingly at the bright city before him, he couldn't help but bring out the question to… why?

Why was his friend, his most trusted and faithfully served companion acting so… passive and reserved? Why was he withholding information and holding back his strength when their enemies are slowly crawling their way into the heart of the city? It should've been plainly obvious by now that they were at war. As much as Ozpin wanted to believe in peace he can't be as naïve as to turn a blind eye to what is happening before him.

Summer was confused about what was happening. James Ironwood was working with Ozpin? Was it about Salem? It dawned on her that with her dead, Ruby was the only active Silver Eyed Warrior still alive, with Maria's eyes not working. She would be having words with Qrow about keeping Ruby out of whatever was happening.

Their enemy had not only infiltrated the kingdom of Vale but Beacon itself. The break-in at the CCT should've confirmed that. Yet still… why? Why would he risk sending a small team to deal with such an aggressive foe when they threaten the very lives of the people he swore to protect?

Simply casting a gaze into this lovely city, James could picture the peaceful faces of the citizens who walked through the streets. Every man and woman coming home after a long day's work, enjoying life to the fullest. He could see friends chilling out at restaurants and bars in the neighborhood and children slumbering peacefully in their beds, believing that tomorrow, the world that they lived in wouldn't simply disappear the moment they open their eyes. Why would Ozpin risk all of that? Risk everything they've accomplished and for what purpose?

This day was supposed to be a happy one. It was the day that their students go off on their first assignment, but again, the two Headmasters bickered over the tiniest details of their ideals and both seemed prepared to duel it out to the death if given the chance. But eventually, Ozpin won… he always did. The man wouldn't be where he was if he wasn't so god darn convincing.

"I am scared to ask, but are these enemies anyone we know?" Blake asked the Archivist.

Static thought it over before listening to the words of wisdom he was given. "Yes, it isn't known by anyone yet, but it is Cinder Fall. The one you all know about. She and her… benefactor. If you wish to know more, speak to the adults of your group, or even Ozpin himself." He smiled at them asking the old wizard questions they should not know.

"Alright! You said Cinder, right? I'll track her down right when we get back." Qrow said already excited to make some progress on stopping Salem's plan.

"Of course, be careful though Mr. Branwen. She was the one who stole the power of the maiden." Static said to Qrow, waiting for the stab of pain that would come. He hoped speaking to Qrow who knew about the powers would let the children hear without hurting him. When nothing happened and Qrow looked scared about him saying it out loud he smiled.

"What? The old fairy tale with the four maidens? Those aren't re-" Weiss began to say before realizing who she was talking to, going paler than normal. "Oh gods, they're real? Does that mean magic is real?" When he nodded solemnly at her she fell back in her chair with a hand on her face. Most of the students were in just as much shock. "C-Can we keep going, I need time to process this all, most of my friends do as well." she could see the look of disbelief on everyone's face and asked for them.

Static bowed. "Of course."

James recognized Ozpin's strength and he knew better than anyone what the man went through to get to where he was. It was one of the reasons why the good General followed his orders to the letter. Heck, it was perhaps the only reason why every teacher in this school followed him faithfully and without question. He was always quick to action, quick to reason and can analyze a situation better than anyone. Whether it was a political powder-keg or a Grimm invasion, James could always count on him to make the most out of the resources given and turn any situation around.

Those were the good old days.

But now… something seemed to have changed in Ozpin. Ironwood could see it even though he tries to convince himself otherwise. Ozpin was hesitant to act almost like he was afraid to stick his hand out less a dog tries to bite it. He wasn't daring before but he was never this reserved back in his days. It was either he was being cautious or… he knew something they didn't.

Summer was nervous about what he could have planned. She leaned in to whisper into Static's ear. "Does he have any plans for Ruby?"

Static face drops, making Summer's heart drop. "...No specific ones, but she does have the silver eyes, Mrs. Rose. She will learn to use them under him." Summer leaned back into her chair shaken. She was supposed to be the last, it was what Ozpin had promised her when he asked her to learn.

If what Qrow said is true…

"Trouble sleeping?"

Ironwood looked back knowing well the owner of the voice. "Arm was acting up." He gestured to his weary shoulders as he spoke.

Qrow groaned. "He always uses that excuse, doesn't enjoy a party? Needs to leave a meeting? Stupid arm gets him out of way to much crap."

She didn't believe him for a second. "Ah of course. So logically, you got out of bed, dressed yourself completely and decided to gaze menacingly out into the distance." She sighed before switching her tone. "What's wrong James? You've never been one to hold it against anyone."

With a defeated sigh, the good General spoke, throwing his feelings out. "I've trusted him for years, Glynda. We all did. I just... can't help but feel like he's keeping us in the dark."

"Don't be ridiculous." The witch argued. "You know very well that 'we' are not ones in the dark."

Snorting at that Qrow thought As in the dark as the world Glynda, The truth is not for anyone to know.

"And that makes it worse." He shot back glaring even deeply at the city beyond him. "I refuse to believe that the man I've trusted for so long… would act so… passively. In all my years serving him… I've never once doubted his judgment. He always knew how to respond to any threat that came his way. He was the first on the battlefield, the first who would bear up arms against our enemies and the first to rally on the first call to help. But now… he's changed."

"Everyone changes James." Glynda added. "Look at you. If someone told me back in school that you would grow up to become a General of the entire Atlesian legion, I would've…"

"Laughed at them?"

She folded her arms sternly in reply. "I'd probably put them in a mental hospital somewhere and sentenced them for at least 8 years treatment."

Summer giggled at that. "Glynda never held a high opinion of James. He was the odd one out in school."

Ruby nodded along to that "That seems like Ms. Goodwitch, she doesn't have a high opinion of anyone. Well, maybe Headmaster Ozpin."

"That's because she's a kiss-ass short stack," Qrow said.

"Your vote of confidence is very reassuring."

Glynda groaned at his words. "What I'm trying to say is… everybody changes. We all had different goals, different paths in life. Ozpin decided to become a teacher here in Beacon and you became a leading man in one of the largest military forces in the entire world."

"And yet you followed him." Ironwood added darting his eyes to her.

Glynda simply shook her head in reply. "Our goals coincided with one another. He wanted to keep students safe and I wanted to teach. And since we both lived in Vale it's only natural that we would become teachers in Beacon. And I haven't regretted a single moment of it."

"Funny… I would've said the same thing."

The witch raised a brow to his choice of words. "What do you mean?"

"I also thought of becoming a teacher… but I also became a General of an entire army. I suppose we all had the same dream… just a different way of reaching it." The good General gave out a small laugh before returning his gaze to the blonde which. "But… if I'm honest… I do regret one thing. About us…"

Ruby giggled at that, falling against Jaune. "Oh my Gods, he's as awkward as I am!" Jaune rubbed her back, having a little snort at that. When one thinks of the General of the biggest military in the world, they don't add awkwardly flirting to that.

"A bit better than Yang then," Jaune said looking over at a blushing Yang.

Yang punched his shoulder, scowling at him. "I'll have you know I am a great flirt, I got you to notice us, and that was a challenge." She said mocking him for being dense. In response, he raised an eyebrow before leaning in and stealing her lips. She froze, eyes looking around to see if anyone was watching. When she was sure no one was watching she leaned into it. Just a moment too late though as Jaune pulled back with a smile.

"You get embarrassed way too easily when we do stuff like that in public."

"Shaddap you doofus."

Glynda's eyes widened for the first time in god knows how long. Her heart nearly skipped a beat as memories of her younger times flashed before her eyes. She met James' longing gaze and for a moment, she felt like she was transported back to the time when they were still friends… to a time when their bond held tighter than anything.

An embarrassed-blush formed around her cheeks as she forced herself to look away. "Well, your timing is as terrible as ever. That certainly hasn't changed."

James simply laughed almost satisfied with her reaction. "Well I was a dork when I came to relationships. If I recall, it took me 73 tries before you finally agreed to go on a date with me."

"Yes… and I remember you made a complete fool of yourself in that sushi restaurant."

"It was an honest mistake." He said back in earnest. "How was I supposed to know that the fish in the aquarium weren't on the menu? I thought they were free-samples."

"Noooo, really?" Ruby said already, feeling better about herself. Even she wouldn't mess that up.

"Jimmy was an awkward guy, comes with the terror of being Atlasian." Qrow grinned before being pegged with a Weiss shoe to the head.

"Brute."

"Only an idiot like you would think so." Glynda grumbled recalling that incident well as it was burned in her memories. "It was utterly humiliating. After you cut those poor fish yourself the manager had to throw us out because of your tomfoolery. Thanks to you, I couldn't return to my favorite restaurant for three years."

"Hahaha… yes that was quite the disaster." Ironwood admitted laughing. "But… if it's any consolation, I still think of it as the best night I ever had… and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. After all… it was our first date."

"And one of the worst ones I ever had."

"One of the worst?" James shot her a grin. "That implies more than one. Are you saying you had more dates?"

Glynda opened her mouth to counter but found herself short on come-backs. "You know what I mean."

"What's this now? The almighty Goodwitch is speechless? That's a first."

"No matter how bad he is, a flustered goodwitch is a win,"

"Don't make me break your fingers." She elbowed him earning another laugh from the man. For a moment, Glynda found herself back in those younger years, acting like a teenager being hit on by that same boy who wouldn't give up no matter how many times she declines his advances. It was a simpler time, a time when they all can be merry without a care in the world.

"I do miss those days." James added smiling. "Those days when it was just you and me."

…

"So do I…" She said finally after a brief pause. "And… if it's any consolation… I do regret how 'we' ended it."

"AWWW."
"Summer stop shipping people!"

"You can't stop me Qrow!"

(Mountain Glenn) (Ruined building)

The ruins of Mountain Glenn…

In another time, this little town outside the kingdom would've been a tourist trap for the locals and foreigners alike. With its unique location and large assortment of flora and wildlife adventures, it was the ideal place for both couples and families to visit for a good getaway from the bustling streets of the big city. In better times, this place would've become the symbol of the four kingdom's growth, were it successful. With all the fancy apartments and food courts built around the place, one might say that this little town had potential to become prime real-estate for land grabbers alike.

But now, this little place now stands abandoned, left to rot for the deep forest to reclaim it.

Ruby let out a small sigh of disappointment as she scanned her surroundings with her rifle, eyeing the few Grimms that remained. She would've loved to visit this place during its prime. Something told her that this place would've been a great spot for a picnic if the local inhabitants didn't mess it up in the first place.

Ruby frowned at what she was hearing "We chose to go to Mount Glenn? Why? There hasn't been anything out there since it fell."

"It would be a good base for the White Fang, out of the way, Grimm swarmed so no one would want to go there," Blake said looking to Static to see if she was correct. When he kept his gaze on the screen, keeping his sight from turning to her, she looked back to see what was happening.

Her team had arrived at their operation grounds roughly 8 hours ago and started on their Search and Destroy mission along with Dr. Oobleck. They thought that the mission would be a breeze seeing as Team RWBY consisted of some of the best warriors of this generation. Each of them was experienced in fighting both men and monster alike but never did they imagine they would go through something like this.

"You got that right! Team RWBY, the greatest of our generation!" Ruby Shouted holding up her fingers in a peace sign.

Jaune snorted at that "You sure? We got Pyrrha and Nora on our team and Ren isn't no slouch."

Ruby looked at him giving a sweet smile. "Sorry Sweetie, But we got Yang and Weiss," She said like it was obvious. "You're gonna catch up soon, but you're not there yet."

"Were gonna catch up… eventually.." Jaune said grumbling at the injustice. He smiled when he felt Ruby squeeze his hand. It wasn't so bad giving over the title… for now.

From the moment they landed on this desolate urban jungle, they were beset by monsters all around. It was like a tidal wave of darkness crushing them with its relentless force. It was almost impossible to bear with all the kills they've accumulated.

But the Grimm was just too much for them to handle in a single day. They turned to a corner and there was a Grimm, they inspected some ruins and there was a Grimm, they looked into the woods outside and there was a Grimm, they couldn't even answer nature's call without running into a Grimm.

It was a never ending fight from start to finish with little rest in between. And by the end of the day, the team was pretty much exhausted from it all.

"Oh no, this seems like a third year mission." Summer said looking worried. Why were they on this mission, the only way would be if Ozpin had let them.

"Oz probably thinks they can handle it Sum, they look like they're doing fine," Qrow says, trying to placate the worrying mother.

Summer grimaces at his tone. That's what I'm worried about.

Thankfully, the tide was stemmed and the Grimms finally took the hint that the Huntresses that showed up were not a group that could be tackled so easily. Once the last of the big ones were taken out, the monsters withdrew back to their nests, recovering whatever strength and replenishing the numbers they lost in the few skirmishes.

Once the area was deemed safe enough, the good doctor finally thought it high time to pitch camp and rest for the night. Despite his rather… obligatory appearance, Dr. Oobleck was still a seasoned Huntsman and a good one at that. He knows that not all missions can be accomplished in a day. Sometimes, there are just things one can't factor in and situations can change drastically no matter how well they are prepared. So now here they were, pitching camp in this decrepit building for the morning to come.

*Woof!*

"Shhh… be quiet Zwei. You'll wake the others." Ruby hushed her dog as it made its way to her lap. "Don't tell me you're hungry again. You already had like three cans of dog food dad sent with you. Remember we're still keeping you on that strict diet. We don't want you getting all chubby like that time dad ate too much of Pumpkin Pete's Cereal."

"Ruby, what the hell! You brought Zwei with you on a mission?!" Qrow shouted in an annoyed tone, not angry but certainly freaking out for the poor dog. Ruby looked very casual, rubbing her knuckles against her chest.

"Why not? He fights Beowolves alone, he's fine."

*Woof…*

"Shhh… hurry up and go back to bed." She cooed to the little guy, scratching its head. "We got a big day tomorrow and we still need to find those bad guys. I'll need you to keep your strength up."

"Being an optimist I see." Oobleck's voice interrupted, alerting the girl as she noted the good doctor standing on the floor above her. "Sometimes having a positive point of view can be a good thing, but remember that it also doubles the disappointment when it is wrong."

"Oh Dr. Oobleck." She greeted. "Did we wake you?"

"Not at all dear girl. I was just having enjoying the beautiful scenery from our temporary abode. With the clear sky and all, it's nice to finally be able to see the moon and stars. The school and the city offer little in the way of viewing the perfectly good moonlight skyline."

"Yeah… I get what you mean." Ruby nodded patting Zwei in the head as she recalled her hometown in Patch. "My dad and I like to look at the night sky too. We don't have a lot of lights back at home so we normally have to rely on the moon at night to find our way around the woods. They're pretty cool especially during winter."

Ruby nuzzled against Jaune, feeling comfy. "You totally have to come over for winter break. You can meet dad and we can go camping in the woods."

"You know I don't mind Rubes, long as you don't ignore Yang." He gave her a joking glare when she tapped at her cheek like she was thinking. When she noticed she gave a sheepish grin.

"Fine, I won't forget to invite her. But we are gonna do stuff just you and me. I want a date when we get back."

"Sure, how bout the arcade and a movie, they're showing the new X-ray and Vav sequel next month."

She had to drag his head down to get a kiss, but it always made her heart flutter. She hoped it never stopped. "It's a date."

"Aha. An astronomer I see." The good doctor added grinning. "Though it is not in my field of expertise, I do find the stars very fascinating indeed. The alignment of the constellation, the known universe, the final frontier of a sentient species. What I wouldn't give to sail the stars in a ship to call my own."

"Uh… actually, I just like how they twinkle at night."

"Ah yes that too." He covered his embarrassment quickly which didn't go unnoticed by the scythe wielder. "Tell me something Ruby. What do you think of your teammates?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean on a professional and personal level. What do you think of your comrades, as individuals? What do they look like in your eyes? What are they to you?"

"That is… a loaded question." Blake said, cocking an eyebrow at her leader. She just smiled and shrugged which had Blake roll her eyes. Ruby probably wouldn't think a bad thing about a friend in her life.

Ruby was unsure of the question but found the man's inquiry to be sincere. From dusk till dawn, the man had been interrogating her teammates, asking rather personal if not, broad questions for an unknown purpose. Oddly enough though, the good doctor failed to include her in that interrogation which left an odd feeling in her.

"That's a shocker, teeny over here being all smart and tactical. I remember when you couldn't steal a cookie without getting caught." Qrow laughed at Ruby, who was blushing and spluttering at his statement.

She leaned over her mom and jabbed Qrow in the nose. "How dare you Uncle Qrow, you're supposed to be better than that. Bringing up my failures, I've grown, I'm smarter than ever before!"

"Tell that to your grades kiddo, you think Ozpin doesn't share them with me?" That had gotten her to back down. She was fine though, C's were passing, and it's not like people looked at your grades when they hired you.

Not wanting to remain silent for long, the girl darted to her sleeping teammates, making sure that they were sound asleep before answering. "Well… they're my team. I trust them completely."

"Trust is a relevant quality, but I asked for your personal and professional opinion. What are they to you?" Oobleck followed, leaning at the broken concrete floor. "You trust them… that alone is good enough. But do you think they would say the same thing about you?"

"Well yeah. Of course." She replied though some awkwardness left in her voice. "I mean… Yang is my sister. She can be a little overprotective at times and she wishes the best for me so I know I can trust her."

"Aw, that's sweet sis," Yang ruffled her sister's hair, making her slap away her hands.

"Yaaaang not the hair!"

"Ah siblings. A bond born from childhood and carried on." Oobleck recited as if he was reading a line from a book he read before. "And what else?"

"Well… she's a thrill seeker." Ruby continued. "She loves traveling so when she saved up enough money to buy Bumblebee, she pretty much went everywhere in Vale. I think she loves fighting and adventure more than she believes. I think she got that part from our dad."

"That's a pretty good idea of me," Yang said admitting that she might like fighting more than she should. But hey, it let her work out her anger so it was fine right?

Jaune smiled and ruffled her hair this time. "As long as you keep it in the ring or against the Grimm, it's a good pastime for us."

Nodding along to that, Yang was happy her new boyfriend understood that a good scrap was a nice way to unwind sometimes. "Thank you Jaune, at least you get it. One or two broken clubs just happen."

The looks she got were ignored when she leaned into Jaune, going back to watching the screen.

"Very good. And what about your partner, Ms. Schnee?"

"Weiss?" Ruby glanced at the white figure at the corner of her eye before turning back. "I think she's pretty cool. At first I thought of her to be a real pain but she's actually a great friend to have. She tries to act all high and mighty at times but I don't think she minds listening to other people too. Sure, she might have her ups and downs with the team and she might be troublesome from time to time but in the end, I couldn't ask for a better partner. Plus… Zwei likes her so that's a plus."

"You trust her completely. Don't you?"

"With my life." The scythe wielder replied with all the determination she could muster.

Weiss bit her lip and looked at her partner, small tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "You really trust me that much?"

Ruby gave her the most sincere smile she could and leaned forward wrapping her arms around her partner. "Course I'm silly, we're a team, right?"

Sniffles could be heard when Ruby listened. She could feel Weiss lean into the hug. "Thank you, I will live up to that trust, I promise your Ruby," Weiss whispered, hoping to convey how strongly she felt. No one had truly trusted her this much in her life. Winter loved her but trust was hard to earn.

With a satisfied smile, the good doctor leaned back, moving on to the next subject. "And what of Blake? What do you think about her?"

Ruby glanced at her Faunus companion, a small smile on her lips. "Blake is my sister's partner. She… can be a little hard to understand at times but she's really sweet. I think she's been alone for a very long time, that's why she has a bit of trouble working with others. But she is trying her hardest, I know that. I just… wish she could be more open with the rest of us."

"And you're not the least bit concerned about her identity."

"Nope." She shook her head briskly. "What she was doesn't matter. It's what she is now that counts for me. Besides, I think it's better if she opened up herself rather than someone prying over her feelings."

Blake smiled at that, she knew people as kind as ruby wouldn't mind but it was always nice to be reaffirmed in her belief.

Oobleck curled a grin, taking a quiet sip from his thermos as he listened. "A rather unique team you have here Ruby."

"They're the best and I wouldn't trade them for anything." Ruby gloated a bit. "So… is that a good enough answer, Doctor?"

"Team RWBY, the best team a girl could ask for!" Ruby said pride in her voice. She was sure she could have been happy with another team, but it wouldn't be the same. Team RWBY was a special group of girls she would be happy to know forever.

"Yes that will be satisfactory Ruby. Thank you."

"So uh… this place must've been pretty cool back in the day… huh?" Ruby changed the subject turning to the ruins of the city beneath her.

"Yes… it was." Oobleck agreed darting to the old city. "At its prime, Mountain Glenn might've been a great achievement for Vale, an accomplishment that would've inspired the many generations to come. Were it not for the lack of defenses, it would still be standing today as a testament to what we mankind can accomplish. Perhaps if it did work out, it would've shown the world that it can be done. That the darkness can be beaten back. It's a terrible shame such a place fell to such creatures like the Grimm."

"I bet Pyrrha would love to see this," Ruby added. "The sights, the history… she'd be fascinated by all of it."

Pyrrha sighs wistfully at that. "I truly would, It seems like such a fascinating place. I hope to explore such places when we graduate."

"Hey, if ruby's going, why can't we? Maybe we can check it out sometime. Doesn't look too bad if we had both team RWBY and JNPR." Jaune said, happy to plan a team outing.

Ruby bounced in her seat, excited about the idea. "It can be a team bonding exercise with our sister team! Ohhh that's so exciting! I never hang out with Nora enough, she's always like Hey Ruby! Wann- OH SHINY then bam she's gone."

Jaune chuckled nervously at that. "She is a handful, but really fun if you can get her to hold still."

"You mean Ms. Nikos?"

"Yeah, from Team JNPR." Ruby explained. "She's from Sanctum and she told me that she'd love to see the sights outside the kingdom. She's always curious about them… everything really."

"Yes indeed. That girl has a good head on her shoulder." Oobleck recalled the redhead being one of his prime students. Pyrrha was the image of a Grade-A student. Graduating top of her class in Sanctum, and a four year running champion of the Mistral Tournament, one might say she was destined for great things. "I wish I could say the same for her partner."

"Oi, what the heck Oobleck!"

Ruby noted his last words and it raised a question in her head. "You mean Jaune? Why? What's wrong? He's not that bad, is he?"

"No, not in the tactical sense." Oobleck corrected himself. "I will admit that Mr. Arc strikes me as a rather unique person but his state of mind is rather… questionable." The good doctor noted the girl's silence as a sign for him to continue. "He may have the talent of becoming a Hunter but I find his lack of motivation to be a… puzzling puzzle."

"What do you mean?" Ruby inquired wondering what the doctor was going on about her oblivious crush. "Jaune's perfectly normal. At least I think he's normal. He's sweet and kind and…"

Giving Ruby a peck on the top of her head, he hugged her close, smiling "Look at you being all sweet and nice."

Ruby huffed at him. "It's true, you're completely normal, and sweet and kind."

"And it's that kind of attitude that can be taken advantage of." He deduced with a stern tone. "I understand that his kindness may be a positive outlook for you and your friends, but it is that kind of behavior that evil men can manipulate to their side. Do not misunderstand. I find Mr. Arc to be a very well behaved and well-mannered boy who will most likely become a good citizen in the end, but he strikes me to be the kind of person that can easily be tricked, easily fooled."

"You make it sound like being kind is a bad thing."

"Hmm… yes, I do sound like I am implying that, don't I?" The good doctor noted as he adjusted his glasses. "Jaune's good and honest heart may be his greatest strength but it may also prove to be his greatest weakness."

"I don't think so." Ruby defended the boy to the letter, holding firm in her words. "I think his kindness is what makes Jaune strong. You might see that as weakness but to me… that's strength. To be able to show kindness even to people he just met, to lend a helping hand even though no one asked for it. Those are rare qualities in life and Jaune does it without even knowing it. Sure he might not be the best fighter on the battlefield, or the smartest guy in class, but I know I can count on him when things get rough. He's brave and more than that, he's loyal—not just to his friends but to himself. So no matter how bad things get out there, he'll stand and fight. And in my opinion: I'd rather have him fighting by my side than a whole army of Huntsmen."

"That means a lot coming from you Rubes… thank you."

"Daw, it's no trouble."

The good doctor was taken aback by the little girl's words. It shocked him so much that his motor-mouth practically went speechless for a whole minute before he finally replied. "I see… yes you're right. A person's best qualities are their own. It seems I forget that the simplest act of kindness can even cause ripples in this world. My apologies. I shouldn't be talking behind your friend's back like this. That was unprofessional of me to voice my opinion so openly."

"That's ok." Ruby waved it off. "I'm sure Jaune won't mind it either. He's sweet that way. Besides, he's got his whole team watching his back so I wouldn't worry about him either." She followed with a long winding yawn in the end.

"Perhaps it's time for a change of shift." Oobleck suggested. "Go on in and get some rest. I'll keep watch for the next few hours."

"Alrighty then. Come on Zwei. Time for bed."

*Woof!*

"Who's a good boy, you are, yes you are." Weiss cooed at the screen, he was just so cute and fluffy. Why had father never allowed her a puppy?! They were just so adorable!

"Weiss?" Blake said, giving her an amused glance. She sat up straight and coughed into her fist, blushing at her unsightly display.

Weiss said "Apologies, I… have never had a dog. He is rather cute."

…

…

…

"Kindness…" Oobleck said to himself, turning his gaze towards the broken moon above. "Perhaps the world could use a little more of that…"

(The Northern Star)

The Northern Star.

It was the flagship of the Atlesian fleet and the air fortress of General James Ironwood that doubled as both a mobile research station and his command center. It stood at the very center of the Atlesian armada floating atop Beacon like a symbol of power. The ship itself was the height of Atlesian engineering demonstrating Atlas's supremacy in military technology. Despite being as large as a small castle town, the ship itself housed roughly 40 souls and was capable of even running with a skeleton crew. The ship itself also hosted various smaller vessels to serve in its defense.

But deep within the bowels of that large enterprising vessel, stood a room, full of wires and tubes of all sizes. It was the pinnacle of a mad scientist's laboratory, with large machines and computers that made odd noises every now and then. And in the center of that room, stood a cylinder glassed chamber that all the pipes seemed to connect to. If someone were to wander in this room, they could very well say that monsters are bred in that tube.

And they wouldn't be wrong either.

Because inside that tube, stood a monster in disguise.

"Training simulation complete." A computerized voice echoed from the monitor as it flashed 'complete' on its screen. "Damage rating is… 124%."

"How would you get above 100%?" Pyrrha asked, looking confused. How do you destroy more than the entire thing?

Jaune just shrugged, and a few people seemed to be thinking about it. No one could answer her.

"That's 4% more than last time. Most excellent." A man in the shadow stated to his co-workers hinting at a tone of impressiveness.

"Thank you, sir." The lab assistant bowed proudly as he answered. "By coating her external skin with stronger alloys, we ensure that her body can become more durable to attacks without compromising her speed and agility. Penny's weapon designs are still inconclusive. We're currently conducting several tests with reflector lenses to focus her energy beam but so far we've received minimal results. The laser she produces with her blades is just too powerful for ordinary lenses to handle. The best we can do is fire a few rounds before they melt."

"Wait, Penny's a robot!?" Yang shrieked, freaking out just a bit. It wasn't her fault though, she got freaked out by robots that looked human because of that one comic her father…. Let her read at 2 am one night. She was eleven, don't judge her! "Did anyone know about this?!"

Ruby looked guiltily at her hands, rubbing them together "Maybe? It was her secret, I can't go blabbing Yang."

Shuddering at the idea of touching human-robot. "It's… fine sis, just gonna be awkward shaking her hand next time I see her."

The man in the shadow nodded. It was a bitter result, but progress was being made. "I see. I'll have the labs design lens that can handle Penny's… abilities. For now, just focus on her energy consumption. General Ironwood wants her combat ready before the tournament." The man then pressed the call button on the intercom, directing his voice to it. "Excellent work Penny."

"Thank you father." The girl inside the tube answered pleasingly as she waved back at the man from inside. "I promised to give it 120%."

"And you kept your word. Good job." The scientist replied, his tone changing slightly. "Tell me. How are you feeling? Do you feel clunky or defective in any way?"

"Negatory." Penny chirped. "All my bodily functions are working at a hundred percent. No abnormalities detected. However…"

The man's eyes widened on the last word. "Yes Penny? What is it?"

"I was wondering if I could visit the city again." The little robot admitted. "I know you said that I shouldn't go off on my own but I was hoping you could let me… see Vale."

"Penny. We talked about this. You know that you shouldn't be wandering around in a strange place."

"I know sir. It's just that." Penny's face was crestfallen. "I want to see my friends again. It's been so long…"

"You mean Ruby?" The man asked, earning a nod from his 'daughter'. He then turned to his co-workers who gave him a solemn look. With a sigh he answered. "You know that Ironwood doesn't like it when you go about like that. Do you want me to get in trouble like that last event in the docks?"

"She wants to come see me?" Ruby gasped, excited to see her friend. "Do you think we can have her come over early if we talk to Headmaster Ozpin? He knows the General, maybe he could put in a good word?"

"Of course Rubes, we can ask, It'll be cool to meet her, a robot with a soul sounds like an awesome friend," Jaune said grinning at her, happy to meet Ruby's friend.

Penny's gaze cast downward in shame. She remembered that incident well. After she was brought back from the docks, her father and General Ironwood had a bit of a fight. Though the conversation was taken in a different room she could still remember hearing loud words being thrown across the ship. "No sir. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"But… I suppose I can take you to the city next week." The man suddenly added making the girl beam in shock. "There's a parade coming in later. I thought maybe the three of us could go and watch it together."

"Three of us?" Penny raised a brow despite her growing excitement.

"Oh? Didn't I tell you? Your brother, Quarter just came out of the workshop earlier this week." The scientist stated. "He should be here in a few days."

"Does she have a brother in our world," Yang asked, already nervous about a second one showing up. She hadn't gotten over the first yet!

Ruby tapped her chin then shrugged. "No clue, she never told me about it."

"Sad to say, but there is only one robotic person in your world. Penny is unique in your world and shall stay that way for a long time."

"That. Is. Sen…sational!" Penny waved her arms up unaware that her body was still attached to a number of wires that began to spark and ripple. "Oops. I'm sorry. But this is amazing. I wasn't aware his repairs would be completed so soon."

"You can thank Ironwood for that." The man added, giving a smirk. "Now that will be all for today. Go to your station and get some rest. It'll be a long day tomorrow."

"Yes father. Good night."

(Team JNPR's room)

A peaceful night. Nothing more could be asked by Jaune Arc as he lay in his bed dreaming about waffles. Tomorrow was going to be a bright and sunny day with his team taking the forefront of the fight.

But as the boy slowly snoozed his way back to his dream, a nightmare seemed to have interrupted his fate. The boy stirred in his sleep, shoving his body left and right hoping to skip this part of the dream and return to his nirvana. But sadly there was no such luck for the young Hunter to be.

From that kingdom of waffles, Jaune once more found himself at the forefront of the battle. His body, mind and soul were once again teleported to the last stand of Beacon as the world came crashing down on their heads. He saw the academy in flames, the bodies of his friends and comrades lay bleeding on the floor and the horde of Grimms charging at his position.

Everyone gasped at that, some of them turning green at the blood and bodies that were strewn about. All of them remembered that something happened at the end of the year, and most realized this is what happened. Beacon was attacked and people were killed.

"T-This is… I have no words…" Weiss whispered, scared to speak louder. "Is this our future? So much death and carnage."

Ruby looked almost sad and desperate, scanning the screen for herself or any of her close friends. When she saw no one, she felt herself be renewed by hope. "We know it's coming now though! We can… We can stop it! This must because of that Cinder person. If we stop her we can make sure no one hurts our school!"

Everyone resonated with the passion that she was exuding. They were looking for a reason to fall in despair just a moment ago, now understood that Ruby was right. They would see how it came to pass and stop it. No one would die on their watch.

"I'll definitely be getting this info to Oz when we get back," Qrow said, already scanning for details to report. He could see White Fang bodies strewn about and knew that they wouldn't be there to save the School. They would be ready.

It wasn't a contest. It was hardly even a fight. The boy fell first, crushed by a Beowolf's paw. He did his best to hold his own against these monsters but there was little he could do alone. Without proper training or guidance, it didn't take a genius to figure out why he was the first to fall. The rest of his friends followed, hastily retreating from the slaughter.

Finally… an Ursa came, putting its white mask close to the boy's face as if taunting him, mocking his pitiful and pathetic existence. It slowly raised its claw, preparing to deliver that final blow—and when it did… the nightmare ended.

Jaune shot up from the bed, his eyes widening, his body soaking with sweat. It was just a dream, just a dream. He kept telling himself. But his mind and soul knew that it was something more. It felt too real to be a dream. The sounds, the cries and wailing, they were enough to freeze the very blood in his veins. If this wasn't a sign of someone going mad… then maybe it was high time he went to see a psychiatrist. Someone who could give him a proper dream analogy.

"Jaune," Pyrrha whispered. Her partner was hurting from memories he couldn't understand and it hurt her as well. She wished she could comfort him, to help take the nightmares away, and let him rest for a night.

But as the boy mulled over his waste of good sleep, his scroll began to ring with his favorite J-pop music playing in the background.

Jaune looked at the clock noting the time. It was a few hours till dawn—a few more hours before his team had to get up for their first mission. He wondered who could be calling him at this hour. It had better be a cute girl or else he was hanging it up.

And ironically, his vain wish was granted as Ruby's photo was on screen. The boy wondered what she could need at this hour. Did she accomplish her mission early or maybe she came to gloat how smooth her first assignment came to be.

With a tired sigh, the boy answered. "Uh… hello?" He expected to hear Ruby's cheery voice boom over on the other line but instead all he got was static. "Gah? What the?"

"We're stopping… *Bzzzt*… train!"

"Ruby?" The line ended before the boy could reply. "Hey… Ruby?" The boy attempted to redial the number but all the screen showed was 'Error in connection'. "Huh? A train?"

Sad to say… Jaune couldn't get any sleep at that point on.

"Well, that's ominous!" Yang shouted, throwing up her hands and pouting. What had they got up to that had them calling Jaune?

Jaune leaned over and rubbed her leg. "It's fine Yang, I probably know what's coming, so I'll be there to save you." He said, not being able to help to tease her about him needing to rescue her instead of the other way around. She was a bad influence, being around her made him feel more confident in how he acted.

(Beacon Academy) (Courtyard) (The next morning)

Something just wasn't right. Jaune could feel it beating in his chest but he can't seem to put a finger on it. Ever since he received that early morning call, the boy's been getting this sense of déjà vu, like… he's seen all of this before. It was that nagging feeling he's been getting over and over.

He's known Ruby since he literally first came to Beacon. The girl has been his closest friend and a confidant ever since he arrived. She wouldn't call him unless it was something important. Well… maybe she'd drop a few calls here and there just to say hi or to ask about a few random questions but to be calling him during her mission outside the kingdom? The timing just didn't fit. Already the boy began to write down horrible scenarios in his head, thinking that they might've been swarmed by a pack of Beowolves or chased into a cave by a flock of Nevermores. Or even worse… trapped in a cave with no way out and they're running low on food, water and air.

"Jaune? Is something wrong?" Pyrrha asked worryingly. She's been doing that a lot lately. Like a doting big sister that always seemed to worry about the boy.

Yang leaned to whisper into Jaune's ear. "Or a considerate girlfriend." She could hear Jaune groan at that. He knew now what she meant, they didn't have to point it out!

"It's just that… I'm a little worried."

"About Ruby?" She inquired. "You worry too much about them. I'm sure they're fine."

"We wouldn't call like that for no reason!" Ruby groaned "Don't ignore the plot shenanigans!"

"You think so? I'm not really all that confident."

And for good reasons too. With all the fights and trouble Team RWBY had gotten itself into during the last semester it wouldn't be too surprising if they run into trouble the first moment they set foot in their assigned area. They were a trouble magnet but they could handle themselves in a fight.

"Team RWBY has always performed exceptionally on the field." Ren reassured him speeding his way to the bullhead's landing pad. "We should be focusing on our own mission."

"We're gonna be deputies!" Nora followed with her usual cheerful tone raising her fists, almost bubbly excited to go on her first assignment.

But Jaune didn't buy it. There was that nagging feeling in his chest and it wasn't going away no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that his friends were alright. "I don't know. I just… got this feeling. I don't know…"

"Jaune." Pyrrha scolded, trying to get her partner out of that worrying attitude. "You really need to stop worrying about them and focus on us. I'm sure whatever situation Ruby and her team is in, they can handle it. They're not some defenseless teens walking through the woods. They're highly trained warriors with enough firepower to take on an army of Grimms. I'm sure they can manage."

But before the boy could voice his protest, a strange buzzing noise suddenly began to fill the airwaves humming an alarm. The sharp noise was enough to pierce through the sounds of everyday life, catching the attention of all who heard it.

"Huh would you look at that, it seems like they couldn't manage," Qrow says, snickering at his niece's bad luck. Having a bad mission happened, long as they lived he wouldn't let them live it down.

Summer slapped him on the shoulder. "Qrow, you don't get to laugh at them, or are you going to tell them about that mission in Vacuo where you brought the entire oasis down on us?"

"Hey hey, that was all Raven, you know that."

"Says the guy with a bad luck semblance."

In that instant, the team quickly turned their sights to the city, noticing a large puff of smoke coming from within. At the very moment, Jaune knew something was up. That nagging feeling in his chest wasn't lying. Something had happened and for some reason he can tell that Team RWBY was at the thick of it.

"Is that…?"

"The 'Breach' alarm?" Ren recognized the noise. "But why would…?"

"Holy shit, what did you kids do?" Qrow had his jaw on the floor. He had only heard the Breach alarm once, a few years after graduation. A hole in the wall appeared and was promptly fixed, But dozens had died in that time.

"How do you know it was us!? Maybe we made it better and it would be way worse without us!" Ruby growled at her stupid uncle, trying to put the blame on them.

"Attention all students." The intercom came alive with Professor Goodwitch's voice on the line. "This is a priority one announcement. There has been a breach at the city plaza. All mission assignments are hereby postponed until further notice. All students are to remain on campus until this situation has been resolve. I repeat: All students are to remain on campus. Do not attempt to reach the city in any way. This is for your own safety."

If there was a metaphor for this scenario, Pyrrha couldn't find it. Her eyes were glued to Jaune as his nagging feeling finally pulled through. Out of reflex, the boy pulled out his scroll and dialed the number on his recent-contact list. To his surprise, the other line answered.

"Ruby!? Is that you? Are you guys alright?"

"Jaune?" The girl on the other end replied, puzzled by his peculiar timing. "Uh… can you call back in a bit? We're kind of in the middle of something."

"Cmon other me, just give him a place to help! We need backup!" Ruby shouted, getting annoyed at future her. She blinked at that. That was an odd feeling.

"Hold on Ruby." The boy insisted on trying to put his gut feeling to the test. His face contorted as if it was holding all of his held up frustration in check. "Are you guys in the city right now?"

"Yeah… well… it's kind of a long story. I'll tell you all about it later!"

"Ruby! Look out!" Weiss voice shouted from the far back followed by an inhumane snarl which quickly cut off the line.

Jaune then turned to his team who all had the same worried look on their faces. There was no doubt about it. Something bad was going on and as always, Ruby and her team seemed to be at the thick of the fight. There was little time to think, and even less time to act. Gathering his courage, Jaune shook that fear off his shoulder and rallied his troupe. "We're changing our mission. We're going to the city."

"But the lady in the box said we're not to go." Nora pointed out.

"Aw yeah! Team JNPR comes to help save the day!" Jaune said, pumping a fist. He was so excited that he helped save the day.

Ren smiled at his excited leader. "Quite, we would almost certainly be a good help on holding a breach."

"I feel something else is going on," Pyrrha said, biting her lip. "Why is it always our two teams that are thrown into all the trouble."

"There's no time for that now." He shot back. "Team RWBY is in danger and I'm not standing by while they're in trouble. I know that isn't the mission that we signed up for… but it's the mission we're taking. We didn't come to Beacon just to sit back and watch professionals do their job. We joined up to become Hunters, we're the ones who save people and right now, there are a bunch of monsters in the city endangering those that we're supposed to be protecting. If we don't get there soon, a lot of them could get hurt."

The three other members of the team slowly darted to one another before turning to the boy. For a split moment, their little blonde knight actually spoke like a leader. It was somewhat inspiring if a bit out of place.

With a small grin, Ren nodded. "He's right. If we're gonna prove ourselves to be Hunters in the future, we can't just sit idly by. Our lives are secondary when it comes to the people. I say we fight."

"I am always happy to follow you Jaune."

"Well if Renny's going then you can count me in!" Nora raised her fists up, reading her weapon. "Time to make some Grimm omelets!"

Pyrrha was the last to speak but her agreeing smile says it all. "Alright then. Looks like we're in this together. But… how are we getting there? Our bullhead isn't due to arrive in 15 minutes."

"Oh no, a Jaune plan," Pyrrha said, already expecting a crazy idea.

Jaune gave her an offended look. "Hey, my plans are great!"

"They certainly work Jaune, but I feel like we could fail at any moment when we follow them."

"Yeah well, when they come through it makes it that much more satisfying!" Jaune said, Pride in the one thing he knew he was good at, planning and tactics.

"Don't worry about that." Jaune reassured them, leading the way. "I got a plan. Follow me."

(Locker room)

It was a dumb plan. A stupid plan… an outrageous plan! A plan that could make Jaune's car-crashing-fiasco look like a fluke. But yet… it might just work.

The plan was simple: Stuff people into lockers and launch them off to the battle field. It was an instant Hunter delivery within 2 minutes guaranteed or your money back. That little line may as well be the slogan at this point.

"See, this is a crazy plan!"

"Jaune… are you sure this is a good idea?" Ren was starting to have second thoughts on this little rush to danger. He wanted to help people, he really does. But he never thought that his debut of being a Hunter in training would involve being shot in a rocket locker and crashing straight on the battlefield. "It doesn't seem… safe."

"Honestly, I'm not sure either." The blonde boy admitted as he primed his personal locker for firing. "Alright guys. Set your codes. Strap in and hope for the best."

"Ready and waiting." Pyrrha acknowledged, closing her locker door.

"Yeah! This is going to be awesome!" Nora was practically gleaming at this point. She looked like a kid dosed on sugar and strapped onto a never ending rollercoaster ride. "Come on Renny. Get on. This is going to be the best mission we've had… ever!"

"On second thought, why don't you guys go ahead?" The dark haired Hunter in training suggested, taking a step back from his locker. "I'll catch up on the bullhead. It'll be better to save some of our strength in reserve and not use them all at the same ti-wahh! He never got the chance to withdraw when Nora pushed him into his locker, locking the door behind him. "Nora!? Nora, you open this door right now."

"Ah Nora, what would I do without you." Ren said with a nostalgic smile on his face. He knew that without her he would be much too cautious in his life. Pushing him into what he needed was a feature of having Nora around.

"Probably be a bigshot clan doctor." Jaune said oblivious to Ren's thoughts about Nora.

"Oh relax Renny." His partner cooed to him. "It's perfectly safe. Best case scenario is that you could break a few bones on landing."

"How is that the best case scenario!? This is not safe! I demand my objection!"

"Renny round is locked and loaded!" The ginger warrior gave Jaune a thumbs-up ignoring her partner's plea to release him.

With a deep sigh, Jaune opened his scroll once more and pressed the redial button. He hoped that he wasn't too late.

To his relief, the girl on the other line answered. "Jaune—listen, I really can't talk right now. We have a little situation and I need to…"

"Ruby, listen!" Jaune cut her off. "This is really important. I need you to call your weapon lockers."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it!"

"Ugh… alright fine."

"Why must I be such a butt." Ruby bemoaned. "Do I turn into a stereotypical teenager? Oh gods I do don't I." Ruby clutched Jaune like he was her lifeline. "You have to stop me from changing Jaune, you're my only hope!"

Yang glared at her for that. "Hey what about me!?"

"My only hope!"

And quickly enough, with a press of a button, the lockers that Team JNPR were in quickly launched from their berthing pods, flying high into the sky like missiles leaving only smoke entrails behind to signal where they came from.

In the morning sky, students around campus could hear Ren's voice screaming to the top of his lungs as he held on for dear life.

(Vale) (Central Garden Plaza)

Like a short drizzle of rain and fire, the rocket lockers came down on the battlefield, crushing the few Grimms that stood in their path. They came down so fast that even Team RWBY had a hard time discerning what just happened.

"Whoa…" The scythe wielder looked at her scroll, taking a mental to save the number. "Since when did I get a speed dial to artillery support?"

"We should get that, artillery would totally help in a Breach scenario," Qrow said, already thinking about how to sell it to Ozpin, who would have to sell it to the council… that was unlikely.

"Woohoo! Now. That. Was. Totally. Awesome!" Nora Valkyrie cheered as she was the first to exit her locker. Her arms flailed around knocking a few Grimms that came her way. "Who's up for round 2?"

"Oh… that… wasn't the most enjoyable… experience." Pyrrha was 2nd, having some difficulties planting her feet on the floor.

Ren was next, who almost looked like he vomited inside the locker. "Jaune!" The green garbed warrior yelled through breaths. "That… was perhaps the worst idea ever… of all time." But he quickly got to a battle stance seeing the number of Grimms suddenly appearing before him.

"Well, if it makes you feel better… it worked out better than I thought." The blonde boy chuckled.

"No time for small talk." Pyrrha announced to the team gesturing to the swarm of beasts gathering around them before signaling a charge. "Let's move!"

Jaune just shook his head at that. Pyrrha was an amazing partner, but she often forgot she fought on a team, so used to one on one combat. "You really gotta listen to me more Pyrrha. I know i'm not the best in a fight yet, but I can at least help think up a plan so we use our fighters better."

Pyrrha blushed, rubbing her arm. "I am sorry, It is such a habit and I won't lie, I sometimes get… arrogant. I forget that i'm not the one who needs to do everything."

"Don't worry bout it Pyr, we can work on it in team exercises when we get back. It'll be good for someone else to need the training for once other than me!" Jaune said grinning.

"No wait! Pyrrha!" Jaune tried to warn them but found his team following the order nonetheless. It didn't really matter. They were Hunters and their prey was within their reach. No point in holding back now. "Ugh… why does this have to happen today of all days?" But the boy quickly shook the fall off drawing his blade to meet his first opponent. "Alright then. I guess this is it. Who's first?"

And soon enough, the fight was on.

(The Northern Star) (Atlesian Air Fleet)

General Ironwood was first to arrive on scene as the officers around his ship scattered about, reporting to their designated stations. The man in white quickly arrived on the holomap, viewing the battlefield from a bird's eye view. The Grimm had come… their enemies were making their move.

"General Ironwood." A staff officer saluted as he brought in a report on his scroll. "Advance carriers have been sent and ground forces are converging at the plaza as we speak. They should reach the Operating Area within 10 minutes."

"Thank you corporal." Ironwood returned, dismissing him. He then turned to the other staff in the room who was directing the communication efforts. "What's the response of Beacon Academy?"

"Several Hunter teams have been deployed from school." She answered. "But the breach is larger than expected. Local forces are having difficulties containing the enemy. Grimm count is over 300 and increasing exponentially."

"Hmph. I guess we can't expect the students to handle that kind of attack." The General stopped when he heard his scroll ringing, a surprised look appeared on his face when he saw a girl's face on screen. He answered. "Yes Penny? What is it?"

"General Ironwood, sir. Special Unit Penny is on scene and ready to deploy on your orders." The girl on the other line declared, almost sounding like she was giving a fashionable salute. "Requesting permission to assist with the defense."

But to her surprise, the General denied it. "No Penny. That will not be necessary. We already have ground troops in the area. Your assistance is not needed for this."

"Course Jimmy wouldn't help the people just to hold onto a secret," Qrow growled, the damn irondick would rather sacrifice lives and it always pissed him off.

"B… but sir, I'm already in the vicinity. I can assist the people there. Let me help."

"And you will… in due time." The General reassured her sounding stern. "But right now I cannot allow you to reveal yourself. Stand down and observe only. That's an order."

"I… yes sir…"

"Your time will come Penny. Remember that."

"I… I understand, sir."

"General Ironwood!" The com officer called out to the General's attention. "Report from the border guards: A flock of Nevermores have just flown over the mountain range and will reach the city limits soon."

"Hmph… just like clockwork… these animals. They see a bandwagon and can't help but join in on the fun. Tell our forces to close in on the breach. Attack pattern Gamma."

"Sir yes sir."

"Was really hoping that the military would help." Jaune grumbled.

(Vale)

Pyrrha was at the forefront of the battlefield that morning. With all the experience she culminated through years of experience back in Sanctum, she poured them out with all her heart, crushing through the horde of Grimm as they rushed at her. Beowolves and Ursas and Boarbatusks alike fell prey to her weapons as she easily cut through their ranks with little effort.

Ren and Nora fared no worse either as their abilities made short work of the larger beasts that came their way. With guns and hammer, they blasted their way towards the battlefield, laying waste to the monsters as they came.

For Jaune however, it was a different matter. He was struggling… poorly. He was as weak as any regular boy his age and possessed little skill to take real Grimms head on. His first Ursa kill back in the Emerald Forest now looked pale in comparison to what he was doing. By the time he was able to make his first Beowolf kill, everyone else was already up to 10, 20 or even more. He'd probably grow a beard before he can even catch up to them.

"Hoo… boy. This is going to take a while." The young knight muttered as he wiped the sweat off his brow. "The holograms in the training room are nothing compared to this."

"Wow Jaune, we really do need to get you that training, that's just sad." Yang shook her head at the poor boy.

Jaune cried out "Hey, at least I'm not running around punching willy nilly, I wanted to implement a plan! Look at all the damage you guys are doing to the area." Yang could only sheepishly grin at that, he was right about that, they were really destroying that plaza.

*Rarrrr!*

A mother of all ursas then suddenly appeared catching the boy off guard. "Bwahh!" He fell back, raising his shield waiting for the blow to come.

…

But it never did. The only thing that came was a chilly wind in the air. Jaune looked up and to his amazement, saw the attacking ursa pierced with multiple popsicle-stalagmites.

"You know… I think I liked it better when you just rode in a stolen truck." Weiss's silky voice cooed to him as she gave a hand to the boy. "It had more of a flare."

"Hey, if I remember, you were with me when I stole that truck." Jaune countered accepting the gesture. "Thanks for the save."

"We stole a truck!?" Weiss cried out. "My perfect record Jaune! If you ruin it!"

Static smiled at her being so… Weiss. "You were fine, not blamed in the slightest. Jaune took all the blame and got into a lot of trouble actually."

Weiss deflated at that, giving a guilty look to the boy she was yelling at. "Oh… I am sorry Jaune, I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that."

"It's fine Weiss, you're worried about your sister and dad finding out right?"

"Yes, my father would pull me from Beacon if he found out I did something like that."

"What a dick." Piped up Yang, who leaned over to ruffle Weiss's hair "We got your back Ice Queen, you don't have to worry about that."

The heiress glanced back at him, smiling. "Well, I certainly can't have you fall here after making such an entrance. Besides, we never got to finish our dance. Now come on."

Jaune opted to follow but the heiress proved too fast for his slow feet to catch up. He quickly took a mental note to work on his cardio later on.

But before the boy could make any further attempts, a familiar boasting voice suddenly came to the sideline, striking the pose of movie stars acting as police officers. "Nobody move! Junior detectives on the case!" Sun declared flashing his junior badge up front along with his cerulean haired partner in crime.

"We have badges so you know it's official."

"Those dorks, coming in like that." Blake smiled at her goofy friends, she was happy to see them. Knowing they would come and help also proved they were good people. Some of the hunters from Beacon probably stayed behind.

It would've been an awesome time to strike a pose and Jaune would've envied those badges with sincerity if it wasn't for the fact that there was a massive air fleet hovering right above them. Soon enough, the giant airships and the agile aircrafts made those junior badges look like pieces of metal decorated with fancy words.

It was enough to make the Hunters and even the Grimms below take a short reprieve from their battle just to gaze at the magnificent prime of Atlesian engineering.

"Whoa… now that… is hamburgers…" Nora gawked at the fleet, almost envying those working inside.

"Whew, I take back what I said, that's some firepower." Jaune whistled, impressed by how much firepower atlas could bring to bear. Being a guy, he could admit lots of firepower made him want to squeal like a little girl.

The short pause then came to a quick end when the first guns began firing below, targeting the largest concentration of Grimm in the plaza. Soon enough the fighting resumed and the one-sided slaughter continued.

(The Northern Star)

"Ground and air forces have engaged with the enemy General."

Ironwood glared at the scene of carnage below. Watching as the Grimm slowly began to pour into the city. Was this what Ozpin expected to happen with his reserved tactic? Was this what he hoped to achieve by holding back his forces and let the enemy do what they want to those they swore to protect?

Hmph… it didn't matter anymore. What's done is done.

"Deploy the Knights…" He ordered. "Have them exterminate the Grimm in the area."

"Yes sir!" The com officer acknowledged turning to the radio. "This is command. All carriers, deploy your Knights!"

"Hmph! Of course, Atlas is the powerhouse of the world. I am glad we could be of assistance with our Knights." Weiss said, gloating for her home. She had little pride in her family but her Kingdom was worth the praise.

(Vale)

The Atlesian Knights dropped onto the battlefield like snowflakes on a sunny day. Their militarized programing, enhanced tactical algorithms and mixed alloy made them the ideal service robots meant to deal scenarios that were deemed too dangerous for humans. Without the fear of death and the endless wave of reinforcements behind them, they served as an equal to the near numberless hordes of the Grimm.

Like a tide of light and darkness, these two forced clashed at the center field, hell bent on destroying the other with little care of their own safety.

It was pretty cool if one would take the time to think about it. Two limitless armies, pitched in a never-ending conflict with one another with the sole purpose of dooming their oppositions.

To say the least, Jaune felt rather pathetic to be counted among these warriors. The boy was so distracted that he hardly saw the white head of the King Taiju slithering behind him.

"Just got to keep it up Jaune, as long as you're willing to try, we will keep you going strong," Ruby said, smiling at him. Smiling back he gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Thanks Ruby, I'll always keep going, just to stay by your girls side." He said, not meaning to be as cheesy as he was.

"Jaune-dono!" A voice warned him, calling to the boy's attention giving the blonde knight enough time to dodge the snake's lunge attack.

"Whoa too close." Jaune steeled back before noting a large green figure pass through, swinging a golden blade in a vertical slash, which cut through the beast's head with relative ease. "Whoa… Yatsuhasi?"

"Team CFVY?"

The samurai bowed to the boy respectfully as he replied. "It is good to see you unharmed. But you should be aware of your surroundings. Your enemies will not give you a moment's respite."

"Yeah… I got that. Thanks." Jaune nodded before noticing a familiar bunny running to his side. "Velvet?"

"Jaune?" The Faunus rabbit stated, equally surprised to see the boy here. "What are you doing here? I thought all first year students were supposed to be in school?"

*Rarrrrr!*

An Ursa Matriarch interrupted their little reunion prompting Yatsu to draw his blade. "Perhaps we should leave the courtesy of conversation after we dealt with the problem at hand, Little Rabbit."

"Sounds good to me." Jaune agreed, putting himself in a defensive stance. "So what's the plan?"

"We kill it." Yatsu answered by charging in first which only seemed to make the blonde boy raise a brow.

"That's… the plan?" He asked no one in particular expecting Velvet to comment only to discover that she had already gone ahead with it. "Oh come on guys!"

"What's with no one making a plan?!" Jaune said, already getting a headache from how uncoordinated most teams seemed to be.

Summer nodded along with him, her team had done the same thing a lot till she whipped them into submission. "You just gotta grab them by the reins and force them to listen sometimes." She said, giving him a look of sympathy. Qrow, Tai, and Raven were weaker than her individually, sadly the same couldn't be said for Jaune.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Cinder watched as her lackeys joined the fight, aiding the Grimm suppression with utmost precision. She didn't seem to mind. After all, they were just portraying themselves as students. Might as well let those two have some fun before they bore themselves with more work.

She watched from a distance, making sure everyone was busy fighting to even notice her presence. It was clear that this was the work of Roman and his White Fang lackeys. The attack that she carefully prepared through months of robberies and heists was being thrown in a few days ahead of time. This little staged attack was supposed to strike during the prelude parade of the Vytal festival, a time where this plaza would've been packed with people.

"WHAT?!" everyone shouted, finally having a face to put to the name. The plan being explained was evil and cunning. Ren asked for a notebook to write down the plan as it was said. Hopefully it would be useful to Ozpin or the Vale Council.

"That stupid, conniving bit-" Qrow swore loudly before a sharp slap on the back of his head made him stop.

"Swear Jar!" Summer and Ruby said glaring at him.

"People have been swearing all day!"

"But they aren't family Qrow, we only take money from family."

The amount of casualties this attack would've done on that day would've been catastrophic but sadly, it seems like someone had thrown a wrench into their plans. The obvious presence of the girl in the red hood seemed to be the center of the cause. How they came to find their operations was anyone's guess at this point.

Regardless… this attack has played its part. It was of little consequence when this attack would come. It was the public's reaction that would make the difference here.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Haaaa!" Jaune let out a battle cry as he struck his third Beowolf, killing it instantly. It was an arduous task but slowly and surely, they were beating the Grimms back. He can't tell how the others were able to do it but his companions appear to be killing Grimms faster than anyone could keep score. It was like watching monsters coming into the meat grinder only to be cut, smashed and blasted off the face of the universe. From his point of view, the Hunters felt more like the monsters than the Grimms.

"Damn right, we're unstoppable," Yang said, pumped at the fight. She enjoyed all the universes so far, but a good fight in one was appreciated.

The Atlesian Army soon arrived along with Team CVFY who seemed to be making headway in setting a new kill record, Coco in particular with her handbag Gatling gun which easily riddled the whole block with bullet holes. At the rate they're going… the whole district should be wiped clean of Grimm within the hour. No… the whole district would be wiped out within the hour.

But just as Jaune took a breather from his fight he began to notice something. Something blatantly important. Everyone was doing their own thing. Every Hunter out there, even the teachers… Everyone was fighting on their own. There wasn't a hint of a strategy, plan or tactics. It was like someone gave a bunch of kids enough firepower to level a small country and told them to go nuts… and that was exactly what they were doing. Everyone was just doing what they were instinctively trained for.

"We really need a Tactics class, it's goofy how little you work together." Jaune said pointing at team RWBY who looked upset at that.

Yang groaned at that. "We do fine Lover Boy, you can see us kicking ass out there." She stuck her tongue out at Ruby who was glaring at her for cursing.

"You would kill more if you worked together better. We should do some team training on it. Make sure both our teams can do it. Because my team should really listen when I have a plan." He glared good naturedly at Ren and Pyrrha who had the right idea to look repentant.

"Yes, we shall do that, whatever you say Jaune,"

Kill Grimm, look for other Grimm and kill that too… repeat as necessary. They did this without a care what got in their way. It was like this little instruction was put into their mindset without any thought whatsoever and frighteningly… it was working.

But that wasn't the point. The point was the fact that they were causing too much collateral damage. Yang was practically using cars as bowling balls and Coco, with her massive Gatling gun, was ripping through the city like a crazed gunman. Even Nora was using her explosive rounds like a psychopath.

This can't stand. No… it will not stand. At this rate, it wouldn't matter if they stopped the Grimm, the city would be in ruins either way.

And quickly enough, as Jaune brought himself to think for once, he felt his heart stop for a moment. From that scene of carnage, the boy found himself transported to that frightening place. To the last stand of Beacon where his friends and comrades stood side by side, to hold off the waves of monsters that crushed through the gate. It was there, Jaune saw how they fall… how he fell. Without leadership or a sense of command, the last defenders broke ranks and independently fought on their own. It was like somebody shouted 'Every man for himself!' and they all just went with that plan.

One by one the last of the Hunters in his dream were slain and only darkness remained to consume them, all because no one wanted to take charge.

No… this cannot go on.

Gathering his strength courage together, the boy opened his scroll calling out to his team. "Everyone! Stop fighting and listen. Gather at the center of the plaza, now."

"Oh gods, i'm going to tell people what to do?" Jaune seized up in fear, he was fine being more confident and taking charge with his team but everyone?! He felt like he was going to die from second-hand stage fright.

Ruby rubbed his back and whispered soothingly. "You got this Jaune, everyone will listen if it's a good plan, and you always have a good one."

"What?" Pyrrha's voice broke in. "What do you mean, Jaune?"

"We're not making headway if we keep up with the strategy we have now." He explained. "I have a plan but I need everyone's attention. Ren, Nora, you two clear the center and wait for us there. Pyrrha, grab Ruby and her team and tell her to do the same. I'll get Team CVFY to follow. I know this might sound stupid… but we really need a strategy."

Not waiting for a response, Jaune leaped in towards the thicker end of the battlefield where Team CVFY was. Like the seniors that they were, they easily held their own, crushing all opposition that came at them. Coco and Yatsuhachi in particular were easily cutting through the dark horde, ripping the monsters to pieces before they could even blink. Velvet and Fox on the other hand were just busy handling stragglers that come through.

With haste, the boy made it to the gun wielding girl, interrupting her killing spree. "Coco stop!"

The girl unconsciously did so, quickly forming an annoyed expression. "Hey! What the heck is your problem? I was just about to set a new record!"

"We need to regroup." He reasoned to her. "I'll explain later, but right now, I need you to gather your team at the center of the plaza right now."

"And why should I do lis…" She never got to finish when a Death Stalker stinger came crashing on top of them. Fortunately, Jaune's shield was sturdy enough to withstand the blow.

"No time to argue! Just do it!"

"Oh for the love of…" Coco grunted between her teeth before calling out to her team. "Guys! Move up to the center of the plaza! Go!"

"Glad people are listening at least."

Jaune soon followed them and by the time he arrived, he was almost grateful to see the other team gathered there. At least now, it would be the Grimm causing the damage to the city and not them. While the Atlesian Knights kept the strays busy, he quickly formed a plan in mind.

"So, what are we doing here?" Weiss asked, feeling rather confused why they were all gathered in one place.

Yang seemingly agreed. "Yeah. What gives sis?"

"I'm not sure." Ruby shrugged casually. "Pyrrha just asked me to gather everyone here for some reason." The others also seemed to have the same stunned reaction, a bit annoyed to be taken out of the fight.

"Good, everybody's here." Jaune said to the three teams earning a look from all of them.

"Jaune?" Ruby inquired. "You called us?"

"He'd better have a good reason for stopping me." Coco grunted silently.

"What's with the bloodlust some people get? It feels like a ton of people get really annoyed when pulled from fights with Grimm." Jaune asked curiously.

Pyrrha looked surprised at Jaune, who she assumed would feel the same way. "It is part of having an aura, our souls are an antithesis of the Grimm's negativity. We feel the urge to continue to fight and kill them as long as they are nearby. It isn't usually too bad but can make a hunter irritable if pulled from their kill. Do you not feel it when we go to the emerald forest?"

"No? Should I?"

"It is a concern, but something we can look into on our return."

Jaune seemed to understand their frustration but he also knew that if they kept doing what they did, the end result would mean little. With a deep breath, he poured his thoughts out. "Listen everyone… we can't keep fighting like this."

A row of confused looks gathered upon the boy. Pyrrha spoke up. "What do you mean Jaune?"

"I mean we can't keep fighting like we have." The boy explained gesturing to the surrounding. "Look around you. We're causing more harm to the city than the Grimms. If we keep going like this, it won't matter if we beat the enemy if we're just going to do their job for them."

"Yeah… but…" Yang reasoned. "Isn't that the point? We're trying to protect the people here. A little damage is better than having people getting hurt."

"That's not the point." He countered. "The point is that we're fighting ineffectively and inefficiently. We were taught to fight as a team but we're all just out there doing what we want. This is no time to be playing cowboy or heroes when people's lives are at stake. You guys are barely fighting with your partners and all in all, you're just killing indiscriminately without a plan. If this goes on, it won't matter how many we take down. The Grimms will just keep coming back and a lot more people are going to get hurt if we don't pull our act together."

"Who the heck died and made you, the boss?" Coco grumbled clearly agitated from being taken from her kill streak.

"Wait Coco." Velvet stopped her leader, calming that rough temper. "Jaune might be on to something."

"People are listening to him?" Qrow said surprised. Not that the kid's idea was wrong, but he knew Hunters didn't like getting told what to do, which included Hunters-in-training. Especially if they were wrong.

"Are you serious? This guy's wasting our time here while we could be out there killing monsters."

Yatsuhashi saw wisdom in the boy's reason and saw that he too played a part in destroying a part of the plaza. "I believe… Jaune-dono may have a valid… point."

"What? You too, Yatsu?" Coco complained.

The Samurai nodded in agreement to Jaune's words. "We have never been… accustomed to battling with others until we came to Beacon. Perhaps… we have been so… focused on defeating our enemies we are blinded by the ripples caused by our actions."

A small silence followed, allowing Jaune to continue. "We all want to protect the people and the city… but if we continue to act like this then everything we've been through will come to nothing. Remember how you guys beat Torchwick back at the highway or how we beat two giant Grimms back at the Emerald Forest? You guys fought as a team and you can do even better if you coordinated like one. No more heroics. No more solo missions. If we're going to fight the enemy here we have to do it the way we were meant to."

"Time to kick some Grimm butt! As a team!" Ruby shouted, getting excited to see them whoop the enemies fanny.

Ruby couldn't help but churn a small smile up her lip as she watched Jaune pulled the teams together. As the others silently grovel at their actions, they quickly realized that he was right. All this chaos that the Grimm ensued messed with their heads. They were so focused on killing Grimms that they forget that there was more to this battle then just swinging your weapons around and hoping for the best. They were destroying the very livelihood of the people they've sworn to protect and this can't continue. They were brought in as a team for a reason. They just needed a reminder every now and then.

Ruby kissed Jaune, feeling so proud of him. When she pulled back she smiled at him, and the goofy little smile he had when they kissed. "You know i'm proud of you?"

"Thank you, I think I wanna keep working to keep that pride from you." Jaune smiled back and pulled her close to watch the final battle.

After a brief pause… Pyrrha spoke up, breaking the ice. "What will you have us do?"

The others followed her example, remaining silent and pulling their full attention to the blonde commander in front of them.

With a small nod, the boy began. "Until more of us get here, our priority is containment. We need to keep the fighting focused on this plaza and keep the Grimms from spreading to the other districts. Team CVFY, you guys have the perimeter. Focus on the roads and intersections leading out of the plaza. Anything that tries to get out of this place, you turn is back or tear it to pieces. Coco, you have the strongest weapon here so you take rooftops. Any flyers that come our way, you blow it out of the sky."

"Right!" The team he ordered obeyed, rushing to their designated posts.

"Pyrrha…" Jaune continued turning to his redheaded partner. "They won't be able to cover all the roads so you go with them."

"Done." The redhead nodded not questioning her leader's orders.

"Blake, Yang, I need you two to block that hole. Stop these monsters from swarming us. You have to buy us some time to clear the ones already here."

"You got it, hotshot!" Yang winked back, quickly rushing towards the giant hole with her Faunus partner in tow.

"Woo, Best job! I know we're gonna try and stop this but I love the idea of a big hole full of punching bags." Yang said grinning at the chance to punch some Grimm while helping people.

"Ren, Nora, you go with them. They'll need the firepower."

"We're on the job!" The perky orangette playfully saluted following his command.

"Weiss, Ruby, you two are with me. We keep the fighting here on the ground." The two girls quickly formed around the blonde boy, preparing to face the Grimm that seemed to have congregated around them. "Give'em everything you've got."

"What do you think we've been doing this whole time?" The heiress smirked at the boy giving out a hint of approval of the overall strategy.

"This is going to be so cool!" Ruby squealed, clocking her rifle, equally excited about this whole scenario.

"Right then…" Seeing the duo ready for whatever was to come, Jaune drew out the Crocea Mors, taking a deep breath. "Let's get'em!"

"Go Beacon Hunters!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Following Jaune's instructions, Coco rushed to the top of the highest building she could find and took note of the situation below. Down on the ground she could see her team scattered in various intersections, holding off the Grimm as more and more of Atlas's forces joined the fray. As much as she hated getting orders from someone else, especially someone who's younger… she had to admit, the boy knew his tactics. It was like seeing a work of art in one of those giant museums around the city, except being far more dangerous.

"Well whatdaya know?" She mocked to herself cracking a grin. "That kid actually knows what he's talking about." But her thoughts were quickly interrupted by a squawking noise in the sky. A flock of Nevermores were incoming. "Well… at least I won't be bored. Come and get it birdies! I got some birdfeed with your names on it!"

"Course he does, He's awesome," Ruby said, preening at the praise people were giving Jaune. More than Jaune himself actually who smiled at her with amusement. She was always so happy when a friend was doing something good. He could tell she loved everyone she called friends dearly.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Near the center of the plaza, Blake and Yang arrived to find more and more Grimm pouring out of the hole. Like a dam that had been breached, a never ending tide of those monsters began to flow in, all bent in making hell for the citizens of Vale.

The duo fired a few rounds from their weapons taking out the small fries but they soon came to a predicament when they realized they were given a rather impossible task.

"Ok. We're here…" Blake muttered worryingly. "Any idea on how we're to plug that hole?"

"Not a clue." Yang admitted. "I'm more of a breaker not a builder. But I guess we can try and slow them down. If we can kill these things faster than they're coming then we'll come out on top." But before the yellow bomber could fire another round, Nora's voice zoomed in, followed by an explosion caused by her weapon.

"FROM WHENCE THEY CAME!" The Valkyrie yelled out, slamming her hammer onto an Ursa before blowing it up with a secondary shot which then scattered the remaining Grimms into dust. "Yeah! How cool was that!?"

"Kinda sad that Nora isn't here, she would love this… wait could she collapse the tunnel with her grenades?" Jaune said thinking through the idea while Ren shook his head. His leader needed to stay in the moment, nothing Nora did would make sense.

"Nora!" Ren ran up after her, panting.

"Ahehehe… sorry Ren." She stuck out her tongue playfully. "Now let's rip these guys a new one!"

"Well that's one plan I can get behind." Yang agreed pumping her gauntlets together.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jaune let out another fiery grunt as he stabbed his second Ursa down to size. The creature was twice his size yet thankfully it was not as strong as the first one he met in Emerald Forest. The monster fell to the ground, limp before disintegrating to dirt.

"Ha! Take that!" The blonde knight let out a willful cheer as he kept score on his kills. "That's five Beowolves and two Ursas! How'd you like tha…?" He stopped midway when he turned to his two companions who were pretty much cleaning house at this point. Ruby and Weiss worked in conjunction perfectly matching speed to overcome their lack of strength. It was like looking at a firework show with multitudes of colors spraying from their weapons.

"Good job Jaune," Blake said, feeling a little sarcastic, she didn't mean to but really? Seven kills was his pride?

"Thank you, Blake!" Jaune said oblivious to the sarcasm, Which made Blake feel bad. Maybe she should look at it more as the plan then the kills.

"Heeeyaa!" It was difficult to understand how such youngsters were able to become such warriors at such an age. It made Jaune wonder if he had enrolled properly like all of them, would he have become such a monster too? Would he be able to pull such acrobatics like them and move like Pyrrha? Man… if only he could…

But as he forcefully broke himself out of his train of thoughts he took a quick look around and noted that his little strategy was working. The Grimms were being contained. With no areas to escape to and their entry-point bottled up, it was only a matter of minutes before reinforcements joined them and finished the stragglers off. The damage to the city may have been severe but at least it was centered on the plaza and not the rest of the city.

"Glad it worked, at least no ones going to jail for property damage now." Jaune said jokingly, which had Yang snicker to herself. When he looked over she gave a look of innocence, a little halo above her head even.

"What's so funny?" Jaune demanded but Yang's innocence broke when Ruby ratted her out.

"Yang broke a club a while back. Dad thought there was gonna be police at our door the day after but no one came. We found out the owner didn't even report it, something about not wanting the police to look into the club."

"Bad Yang bad, no kisses till next showing," Jaune said, wagging a finger at her.

Yang jumped at Ruby, eyes glowing. "You little jerkface, tattling on me!"

"Not the face Yang! It's my best Feature!"

"I should've known you'd come seeking trouble once again." A harsh but familiar voice stated to Jaune as he turned, only to find Ms. Goodwitch staring down at him with the usual scowl marring her face. "You really never learn, do you, Mr. Arc?"

The boy simply laughed. "Well… you know me. I can't leave my friends out here." He flinched back noting a small horde of Grimms coming his way. "Oh boy…" He raised his aura up, preparing to suffer a few blows. But before those monsters could lay a single claw on him, Glynda moved forward, and with a wave of her wand, the beasts suddenly pull to a stop before being blown off in the opposite direction by some unknown force. "Whoa…"

"Woah." All the children in the theatre watched in awe as their teacher destroyed the Grimm like they were nothing.

"Ozpin… is not going to like this." The blonde woman muttered softly, just low enough that the boy wouldn't hear. She waved her wand a few more times, sending a few Grimms through the air before arriving at the breach itself. With a simple gesture, the very stones around the breach began to wiggle and move as if some mystical force had given it a life of its own.

Slowly the debris that came from the breach began to reform, like a concrete wall being plastered on a hole. Jaune and the others couldn't help but be amazed by the power that woman held in her veins. With just a gesture of her hands, the very air itself around her seemed to bend to her will, unresisting to her powers.

It was like a magic trick with no strings or smoke and mirrors to create a nifty illusion.

"That… is awesome…" Ruby muttered with glee as she watched the hole plugged itself by Goodwitch's magic.

"Seriously, is awesome, Why is she a teacher again?" Ruby said awe in her voice and the powerhouse that was their Combat instructor.

But as the witch concentrated on the hole itself, Jaune noted the Ursa Matriarch that he was fighting earlier, reappear as if drawn by Glynda's show of power. It charged at her, preparing to deliver a mighty blow that would knock even the sturdiest warrior.

"Look out!" Jaune quickly reacted on instinct, forming his shield only to have it smacked off by the sheer overwhelming force of the Ursa Matriarch. The beast's claws was heavier than Nora's hammer on a full swing, its fur covered with large spikes that protruded from its back and its size doubled that of its closest cousin.

"Jaune!" Glynda called out opting to help but found herself struggling against the weight of the debris that she held. If she let go of the rubble she held now, they would simply fly in all directions causing massive damage to an already ruined plaza.

To say the least, the boy was scared. His first Grimm kill was never this terrifying. But there was little time to think. With his shield gone, he raised his sword hoping to dish out one last defense against that beast. With all of his strength, he stabbed the monster by the stomach. Jaune hoped that it would be enough but the beast quickly let out a roar, forcing the boy backward, snapping his blade under its weight.

"Ah crud…" Jaune groaned in agony seeing his sword snapped in two. But he wasn't through. With his broken blade, he charged at the monster once more and with luck by his side, he stabbed the beast at the same spot, killing it where it stood. The Ursa Matriarch ceased to move, dead on its track. "Yeah! Woo! How'd you like that you little… eh?"

The boy's victory cry was cut short when the ursa slowly tipped down on his face, burying him under its fur.

"And the showing comes to an end. The future has been shown, your path has been changed." Static rises from his chair, standing in front of the screen to keep the attention of the group. When all eyes are on him he continues. "Some of you have personal problems to work through before the next showing, and it will be allowed. I wish to tell you now that I will not be with you for the next showing."

"Why not? Do you have a super important job you gotta do or something?" Ruby asked, curious.

"No Ruby, it is because…" Static looked down in shame. "The next world is brutal, and awful in what will happen to many of you. It is not my right to intrude on it."

That had sobered the mood, everyone nervous, wondering what could be so bad that an Archivist wouldn't stick around for their privacy. "I also wish to say that I have a gift for the Summer Rose that will be given at the end of the next viewing. I hope you have the patience because it is a wonderful gift from The High Div-"

Before he could finish his sentence a portal opened behind him, throwing a person from it and closing as quickly as it opened. As if it was scared to hold onto the person for a second longer. The body smacked Static to the side, landing in a heap in front of the group. She stood up, hands on her hips, scanning the crowd before locking onto one person and tackling him.

"Renny!" Nora said sailing through the air into her best friend's lap.

Ascendancy

"We interrupt this public broadcast for a breaking news report. A massive gathering of Grimm has been spotted in the Emerald Forest, where it is reported that the initiation of students into Beacon was taking place. This gathering of Grimm has been reported to number in the tens of thousands. We go now live to our live reporter Cyril Ian, who is reporting from the scene. Cyril, do we have eyes on the scene? Do we have any idea of what's happening?"

"Lisa, I'm reporting from a Bullhead currently observing the Emerald Forest, and- Oh gods, there's so many... Lisa, the reported estimates... They're way off, there's a hell of a lot more than 10,000 down there, it looks like there's millions down there. It's an endless sea of Grimm-"

"Oh gods no." Ruby said green in the face.