RWBY: Wild Hunt

Chapter 1: The Moment Things Change

"It is both wonderful and terrifying to think that a single moment can alter the course of history. It is why we as humans must always carefully consider every choice we make. There's no telling what path we'll end up on as a result."-Professor Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy

Her plans were now on the brink of success. All Cinder Fall needed to do now was lay the final nail in the coffin, and all those who were watching the battle between Pyrrha Nikos and the now-deceased Penny Polendina, and the visceral results of said battle would be drowned in enough despair to attract four armies worth of Grimm. So, she began speaking into her scroll, broadcasting her message from a rooftop in Beacon.

"This is not a tragedy." She began. "This was not an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children, to men who claim to be our guardians, but are in reality nothing more than men. Our academies' headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both."

Cinder wanted to chuckle. She could already feel the despair in the air. This would definitely be one hell of a party, as Mercury would put it. She continued her speech. "They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army mercilessly torn apart by another's star pupil. What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference. And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students? First, a dismemberment, now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither."

Cinder was starting to revel in her latest victory in her plan. She continued to pile on the despair for those baring witness. "Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets. Or perhaps this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong, but I know that the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves. As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is equally undesirable."

And with that, Cinder delivered one final question: one that hammered that final nail. "Our kingdoms are at the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So, I ask you, when the first shots are fired, who do you think you can trust?"

And so, with those final words, Cinder disconnected her scroll, ending her broadcast. She wanted to let out another victorious chuckle, but she knew that it was not over yet. She still needed to track down where they were keeping the Fall Maiden and steal the last bits of her power. But first, she would wait for Mercury and Emerald to return from the stadium. Mercury needed to film everything that happened, and Emerald would be needed to conceal their presence so nobody caught them. In other words, everything was going according to plan now, but things would have to continue as such if Cinder wanted to gain everything she wanted.

Of course, Cinder was confident things would work out. Everything was going perfectly. Everyone was now scrambling to try to figure out what was going on and would soon be in chaos as the Grimm attacked them. Nothing would stand in her way.

Funny thing about fate, she's a cruel mistress. In some scenarios, she will give you exactly what you want. In other scenarios, however, she'll throw something else into play that completely changes fate.

Professor Ozpin once said that single moments can be all it took to alter history, and that was both amazing and terrifying. What made it even more so was that such power was in the hands of humanity. Sometimes, one man could singlehandedly alter the course of history with a single action.

Cinder would soon learn this the hard way as things started to not go according to plan. Her ears picked up the sound of steel rubbing against wood. At that moment, the evil Huntress instinctively dodged a downward swing from the blade of a katana. A sneak attack?! Cinder thought, surprised that she had nearly been caught off guard. Impossible! How could anyone have managed this?

At that moment, Cinder got a good look at her assailant from behind. He was tall, but also young, with jet black hair. His body from the neck down was covered completely by a blue cloak. The woman's lips curled into a frown as she stared at her assailant. "You're a sneaky one," she commented, "who are you?"

At that moment, her assailant turned to face her. She now got a good look at his face. It was boyish, but it also showed a hint of maturity, the face of someone who was young, but also had experience. His eyes were blue, and also extremely cold, like Cinder was looking at two ice cubes.

Then he spoke to her, his voice calm, cold and focused. "My name isn't important." He told her in a voice that was just as cold as his features. "The only thing you need to know about me, is that I'm your enemy."

Cinder regained her composure and chuckled. "Well, now, such a rude boy you are." She chided playfully. "Didn't your mother ever teach you manners?"

The assailant's eyes seemed to grow colder as his lips now curled into a frown. "My mother is dead." He responded simply.

"And you will be too if you stay here much longer threatening me." Cinder told him. "I've come too far to be stopped by a sneaky little brat like yourself."

"Do you always taunt your opponents like this?" He inquired. "I'm not sure I like it."

"Oh trust me, I only do such things when my foes make such asinine attempts to strike me down from behind." Cinder noted before smiling in a mocking manner. "Still, I'll give you credit, you almost had me. If I were less experienced, you would've killed me. Tell me, how did you know where I was?"

The assailant gave her a deadpan expression. "You were standing on a rooftop out in the open. Everyone else may have been watching that fight, but I only recently got back into town. So, finding you was mere child's play."

Cinder frowned at this. "Gotta say, you didn't think that through." He continued.

Cinder's frowned deepened for a brief moment before regaining her composure once more. "Oh, I disagree," she said, "months…no! Years of planning, have all come together. Soon, Beacon and Ozpin will fall."

This made the assailant narrow his eyes dangerously. "Well, that won't do at all." He told her.

"And why is that?" Cinder inquired curiously.

"If you're going to threaten Professor Ozpin, Beacon, and everything it stands for, then you've gone and made yourself a personal enemy of mine. That means, I have to kill you." The assailant told her.

Cinder smirked arrogantly as she summoned her bow and arrow. "A bow and arrow that matches the description in Qrow's report, huh?" The assailant heaved a sigh. "I see, so you're the one who attacked the Fall Maiden."

"How irritating, you already seem to know me, and yet I don't seem to know about Ozpin's secret soldier." Cinder said playfully. "That upsets me. Although, if you do know that I'm the one who attacked the Fall Maiden, then you must know what I did to her. And that means, you must know what you're about to face off against."

"I do," the assailant admitted, pointing his katana at her, "and frankly, I don't care. Who we are in battle means absolutely nothing. All that truly matters is who's left standing at the end of the fight."

"I agree," Cinder said, "but having the power of one of the mightiest entities in the world certainly helps."

The assailant then surprised her by smirking. Even his smirks seemed cold and focused. "Last I heard…you only got half the power." He pointed out.

Cinder narrowed her eyes dangerously. She did not like being reminded of that minor setback in her nefarious plans. "Now you've definitely dug your grave, boy." She promised.

The assailant gazed at her with those cold blue eyes of his. Then, before Cinder could react, the assailant leapt at her with his katana held out horizontally. Cinder quickly summoned her twin blades and blocked his first strike, catching the blade between them. Cinder then ignited her heel in flames and threw a roundhouse kick that struck him in the shoulder.

Much to Cinder's surprise, the assailant did not even wince. That kick should've burnt right through his aura. Cinder thought to herself, immediately leaping back to put some distance between herself.

Cinder then dispersed a cloud of dust in front of her. Then, she quickly manipulated the dust into several sharp shards that she fired at the assailant telekinetically. The assailant scowled slightly before his eyes darted to each shard one by one. Much to the shock of Cinder, the assailant then swung his sword at speeds so incredible that only her eyes could keep up with them.

The katana then shattered the shard before any of them could impale him. Cinder quickly regained her composure and smirked as the pieces of glass moved around him. "Fool." She said calmly as smaller shards were formed from the little pieces of glass.

Before the swordsman could react, the shards impaled him from every side. At least they would have had they not shattered as soon as they came into contact with his protective Aura. "Quality over quantity," the assailant noted, "next time, don't summon so many smaller shards."

Cinder narrowed her eyes. Damn, I miscalculated the strength of his defenses and overestimated the force from those smaller shards.

Cinder quickly brought her two metal blades together and created a bow out of them. She calmly fired an arrow made of Dust at him. The assailant easily avoided the first arrow, only to have a second arrow fired at him. This time, much to Cinder's surprise, the assailant caught the arrow by grabbing onto it with his bare hand, stopping it inches from his face.

"You gambled on catching it instead of blocking it?" Cinder was surprised.

"You're getting sloppy." The assailant noted. "If you wanted me to make a mistake like that, you should've fired the arrow at the start. So, tell me, are the powers of the Fall Maiden really so appealing that you're in a rush like this?"

Cinder could not help but chuckle at this. "You have no idea, boy."

The assailant quickly tossed the arrow aside before rushing Cinder, holding his katana. He has the advantage in length with that katana, but I can maintain an advantage in range and versatility.Cinder quickly noted, separating the bow into the two glass blades.

Cinder then summoned an orange and black circle between the two of them. The assailant narrowed his eyes for a brief moment, knowing that trouble was afoot. Cinder smirked arrogantly and caused the circle to explode as soon as the assailant was nearby. The assailant was pushed back by the shockwave.

Pressing the advantage she now had Cinder waved the blades about and sent several fireballs at the assailant, who recovered just in time to block all but one of them, but was forced to shield himself from the last one with his arm.

A direct hit! Cinder thought with a hint of glee. Even his Aura can't shrug all of that fire off.

Then, much to Cinder's surprise, the assailant once again shrugged off one of her fire attacks and resumed his attempt at closing the gap. Not once but twice? Damn, if I had more time to analyze his fighting abilities I'd know just what I'm up against! How in the world did I fail to account for this one?

Cinder created another orange and black circle to try and catch him off guard with another explosion. This time, the assailant was ready and leapt into the air, avoiding the explosion. Cinder smirked confidently. Wide open! She thought triumphantly, holding her bow horizontally and summoning three arrows before firing them all simultaneously.

Then, much to Cinder's surprise, the assailant held out the flat end of his katana and gracefully parried each arrow off course by rotating the blade and the arrows along with it as soon as the tips came into contact with the steel.

The assailant landed safely on the ground. Such skill with a blade, she thought to herself, admittedly impressed with his skill, but why is he not switching to any sort of long-ranged mode.

Cinder then got a good look at the blade. It doesn't have any gun-based attachments? She was shocked when she realized that it was just a regular katana.

Cinder then regained her composure and took her bow apart into two blades once more. She quickly blocked the following vertical swing from the katana. Cinder then threw a high-heeled kick towards the assailant's chin, only to see him easily jump back, avoid the kick, and then immediately close the gap once more.

Cinder—much to her surprise—found herself on the defensive against this man's incredibly aggressive assault. All she could do now was block powerful swing after powerful swing from the assailant's normal katana. There's no strategy behind his attacks. She realized. He's not trying to lead me into any traps or trying to move the fight at his own pace. He's simply trying to keep me from finding my own rhythm with the aggression of a wolf and the grace of a hawk!

Cinder then regained her composure and smirked, seeing a certain twosome coming towards her. However, I do have a trump card to play! Let's see your feral fighting style stand up to this!

The assailant then heard the sound of wings flapping. He turned to see a Nevermore Grimm flying towards him. He narrowed his eyes in frustration at being interrupted in this fight. He turned away from Cinder and leapt away from her before she could attack him with his back turned.

Speedily, the assailant decapitated the Nevermore with incredible ease. However, almost immediately, something felt off to him. Why does my mind and heart not race in response to my latest kill? He wondered. Something's not right…

Acting instinctively, the assailant surprised Cinder—who was currently trying to stab him in the back—with his next move. Suddenly, an aura of pure black flames appeared around the assailant as a sort of protective armor. Cinder was forced to leap back, worried that the flames could spell some sort of trouble for her.

Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black—who had moved in on opposite sides of the assailant, unnoticed, thanks to Emerald's illusion-based Semblance—were also forced to move away from the assailant, abandoning their sneak attack. With Emerald's focus now broken, the assailant watched as the illusion of the Nevermore crumbled away. He frowned slightly, noticing Emerald and Mercury for the first time.

"Oh, so that's it?" He muttered before tossing his katana into the air and then held both of his palms out in both Mercury and Emerald's faces.

"Oh…" Emerald began.

"…shit." Mercury finished as the assailant blasted them both with black flames, knocking them onto two other nearby buildings on opposite sides.

"Mercury! Emerald!" Cinder called out in concern before the assailant caught his katana and turned his attention back to her.

"I think I now see how you managed to catch the Fall Maiden off guard." The assailant noted. "How you managed to get away from Old Man Qrow."

With that, the assailant charged Cinder once more. Cinder leapt backwards and avoided what appeared to be a downward slash, only for the assailant to surprise her by driving his sword into the ground and using it to vault himself forward, closing the distance between them.

Damn! Cinder cursed. A move like this? He's insane! I can't predict the moves of a crazy man!

Then, much to Cinder's surprise, the assailant's entire forearm was ignited in black flames. The flames on his elbow acted as a sort of ignition as he threw a powerful haymaker aimed right at her face.

He's using the flames to act as an engine, increasing the punch's force! Cinder realized as she took one of the hardest punches she has felt in a long time.

Her face contorted into a pained look as she was knocked towards the edge of the roof. The assailant landed safely on the ground and brought his katana back up. "You know," he spoke up, "considering that you're the cause of all this, I honestly expected a bit more from you. Then again, people like you are only a threat when you've got the time to think. To plan things out. A lot of times, people don't get that luxury. That's why I fight with instinct."

Cinder was furious at the assailant for that statement. "Oh, am I disappointing you so far?" She said mockingly. "I suppose it can't be helped. I must admit, I definitely did not plan for you. Nobody told me a beast in the form of a man would just assault me out of nowhere."

"And considering how much you know about the Fall Maiden and Qrow Branwen, I'm guessing that you're quite close with Ozpin. And that makes the fact that I had failed to account for you even more infuriating." Cinder admitted.

"So, I'll ask you one more time." Cinder continued. "Just who are you?"

"And I'll tell you one more time," the assailant responded, "you don't have to—nor do you get to—learn my name."

Cinder growled in anger for a moment before regaining her composure, smirking confidently. "You know what, you're right, I don't have to learn your name. At the end of this night, you're just going to be another corpse."

"Well, shit, and here I pegged you for some mindless drone, and here you are trying to intimidate me." The assailant taunted. "What, does your Queen let you keep some of your humanity when she makes you into her puppets?"

Cinder scowled. That confirms it, the fact that he's aware of her Ladyship's existence proves that he's not only close with Ozpin, but also in his inner circle. Damn it, how did I not know of his existence until now?

It doesn't matter, Cinder decided, if he really is a part of Ozpin's inner circle, then killing him is a bonus.

Cinder and the assailant ran towards each other, ready to continue their battle. Meanwhile, the Fall of Beacon began. The students of the Huntsmen Academies in the arena quickly rallied to try and fight back the Grimm, only to be sent away by Professor Peter Port and Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck. General James Ironwood of Atlas took to the streets to survey the situation personally, determined to try to make things right after his own failure. Qrow Branwen and Glynda Goodwitch quickly got into the fight as well. Finally, Professor Ozpin—headmaster of Beacon Academy—awaited a certain someone's arrival.

And then there was Ruby Rose, the young prodigy who had enrolled in Beacon two years early under recommendation from Professor Ozpin, soon found herself in a situation on top of an Atlas Warship.

The warship had been firing on friendlies instead of the Grimm, catching the leader of Team RWBY's attention. So, through a series of crazed actions, the young reaper got on the ship. However, she quickly found the reason why the warship was going rogue, and it was in the form of an old enemy and his associate.

Roman Torchwick, flanked by his subordinate, Neo, smirked darkly as he readied his Melodic Cudgel. "Oh, Little Red, Little Red," the infamous criminal mocked, "you're just determined to be the Hero of Vale, aren't you?"

Ruby readied her scythe, Crescent Rose, for battle. However, she wanted to understand just what Roman was up to and why. Unfortunately, the answer was far from satisfactory, and the reaper found herself locked in battle with her oldest enemy.

Meanwhile, Blake Belladonna, Cat Faunus, former member of the Faunus-Rights group, the White Fang, and another member of Team RWBY, found herself confronted by an old comrade turned terrifying foe: Adam Taurus of the White Fang.

He smiled sinisterly at her. "Hello, my darling."

Meanwhile, Pyrrha Nikos—the prodigy of Sanctum Academy and the unwilling killer of Penny Polendina—found herself entering Beacon Academy, going into the hidden vault that she had been made aware of awhile back.

Next to her, a confused Jaune Arc—her leader and friend on Team JNPR—tried to understand just what was going on here. In time, Jaune would understand…after Pyrrha made her choice. Would she become the new Fall Maiden, or not?

In another time, there would have been an assailant watching them enter Beacon with malicious intent: one Cinder Fall, who was ready to take the rest of the Fall Maiden's powers for herself. However, Cinder was currently occupied with the blue swordsman she was dueling with on the rooftops.

Some time had passed, but the two fighters looked nowhere near their limit. The perpetrator of all of this glared at the man who had impeded her progress. "I have to admit," Cinder said after a brief moment of silence, "I am…impressed with you. I never imagined I'd come across someone of your age with such skill. Ozpin got lucky, getting a prodigy like you on his side."

"And for someone who only got half the Fall Maiden's power, you wield it really well. Damn good thing, too." The assailant admitted. "If you got all of it…I'd be in some deep shit."

Cinder looked around for an opening to escape. Emerald and Mercury finally got to their feet after being stunned by the assailant's black flames. "Get moving, both of you." Cinder ordered them. "We need to get everything on video, remember that."

Mercury nodded and fled. Emerald was a bit more hesitant to leave Cinder behind. Cinder glared at her. "That is a direct order, Emerald." Her eye flared up at this.

Emerald nodded and fled as well. The assailant looked at Cinder. "Not going to make this a three-on-one fight, huh?"

"They both have parts to play, and can't be bogged down in this fight. And, you managed to see through Emerald's illusions." Cinder noted. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you manage that? Since your Semblance seems to be those black flames, you don't seem to have a natural immunity to them through your own Semblance."

"Instinct," the assailant responded without hesitation, surprising Cinder, "I hate to break it to you, but a few illusions won't break me."

That was actually an accurate answer. This assailant's instincts for battle were so well-honed, he could catch onto any oddities that crept up. "I see, how troublesome." Cinder frowned at someone like this being able to beat Emerald's illusions with no issue.

How in the world will I explain this? Cinder wondered. An enemy I didn't account for…he'll ruin everything at this rate!

Cinder then heard a distinctive roar out in the distance. The woman regained her composure and smirked. Well, well, she thought, it appears fortune favors me this time.

"So, you'll tell me your secrets to battle, but you won't tell me your name? You are an odd young man." Cinder noted, deciding to stall for time for once.

"So I've been told." The assailant shrugged uncaringly.

Before Cinder could continue to speak, a scroll started ringing. It was the assailant's. He took it out, surprising Cinder. His eyes widened slightly. "Ah, it's Professor Ozpin." He said.

The assailant answered the scroll. Cinder's mouth almost dropped open in disbelief at the sight. "Good evening, Professor," he said, his tone becoming more pleasant and businesslike.

"Hansel," Ozpin responded, "the situation is bad here. Are you back in Beacon yet?"

The now-named Hansel nodded. "Don't worry, sir." He said. "I just back. I just got sidetracked in a fight with the person who perpetrated this whole thing."

"You are? Hansel that's welcome news. We could use something like that at the moment." Ozpin told him."Take her alive. We need information on the Queen from her. You can manage that, right?"

"It's me, Professor. Ask, and I shall deliver." Hansel promised. "I can't promise she'll be brought to you undamaged though."

"That's fine," Ozpin said, "do what you must. Meanwhile, I'm going to finish the process of transferring the remains of the Fall Maiden's powers into Pyrrha Nikos. She has chosen to take on the burden."

"Glad to hear it, with all that's going on right now, I'd be kinda pissed if she wasn't ready to do her part." Hansel admitted. "You do what you've gotta do, Professor, and I'll take this woman in alive."

Cinder narrowed her eyes at that statement. "I should go, Professor. She looks like she's ready to throw down again." Hansel told his mentor.

"I understand, stay safe my boy. Not just for mine and your sake, but for Glynda's as well." Ozpin said before hanging up his scroll.

Hansel was quick to pocket his scroll. "Did you have a nice chat with your master, Hansel?" Cinder inquired mockingly.

"Yes, it is always nice to hear from the man who mentored me." Hansel admitted. "Now, why don't you do me a favor and show a bit more gratitude to the professor? It's thanks to him, you're going to get through this night alive. I've been ordered to bring you in alive."

"That is so kind of him." Cinder spat sarcastically. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline his invitation. I have other plans."

"Oh, you mean like taking the rest of the Fall Maiden's powers?" Hansel taunted her with a smirk and the next several words that came out of his mouth. "I hate to break it to you, but even if you ran as fast as you could, you'd never make it in time. You're too late. They're already transferring the remains of the Fall Maiden's powers to a new candidate."

This got a reaction out of Cinder. "WHAT?" The calm and confident woman lost her composure.

"You've failed, Thief." Hansel told her. "Even if Beacon falls tonight, the Fall Maiden's powers will never be yours."

Cinder prepared her blades. "We'll see about that." She responded.

Hansel readied his katana once more. "No, you'll see." He promised. "And Wolf Fang and I will be more than happy to show you."

Cinder then surprised Hansel by smirking. "As much as I'd love to show you how wrong you are, I'm afraid we need to cut this meeting short. I have a date with destiny."

"As if I'd let you leave." Hansel growled, annoyed that Cinder actually thought she could escape from him.

"Oh you don't have to, I'm simply leaving." Cinder promised.

At that moment, Hansel heard the sound of a horrid beast roaring. He looked up to see a Grimm Dragon fly down and land between himself and Cinder. Cinder chuckled and leapt onto the back of the Grimm Dragon. "It's been a pleasure, Hansel." She mocked. "Next time, let's finish this properly. Next time, I'll have a better idea how to put a beast like yourself down."

"HOLD IT!" Hansel screamed at the woman.

The Grimm Dragon then let out a breath of black miasma that quickly formed into multiple Beowolves and Ursas. "SHIT!" Hansel yelled in frustration, having his path blocked.

"Until next time, dear Hansel!" Cinder taunted him as the dragon took flight, taking Cinder with it and leaving Hansel with the Grimm.

Hansel's cold blue eyes grew enraged at his quarry escaping him. "DAMN IT!" Hansel screamed before instinctively decapitating a Beowolf that tried to pounce on him.

Hansel's negative emotions attracted several Griffons from above as well. Hansel was soon surrounded by this group of Grimm. Hansel shook with rage before taking a deep breath to calm down. "You are going to regret this." He vowed to the Grimm. "Every. Single. One of you! Make peace with your master, your goddess. Pray that she'll be merciful to you."

"Because I sure as hell won't!"

Meanwhile, Roman Torchwick overwhelmed Ruby Rose in a fit of rage after seeing his partner, Neo Politan, get sent flying away by the actions of the red reaper. In a fit of rage, he then began to tell her just how he felt about her and her ideals.

"You've got spirit, Red!" Roman yelled. "But the real world doesn't care about spirit! You wanna be a hero? Then play the part and die like all the rest!"

Ruby, meanwhile, found herself frantically looking around for an escape, or for something to turn the tide against Roman. "As for me," Roman continued, "I'll do what I always do! Lie! Cheat! Steal! And survive!"

In another life, the negativity in Roman's rant would have drawn the attention of Griffons, resulting in his death. However, a certain someone fighting off the Grimm meant that Roman was free to do as he pleased. Including killing a certain thorn in his side.

However, Ruby had no intention of dying just yet. Deciding to take an all or nothing gamble, the girl summoned up her strength to push herself off the edge of the warship, surprising the master thief and making him pause in his attack.

"…That wasn't as satisfying as I hoped it would be." He admitted to himself.

Then, much to Roman's shock, Ruby Rose propelled herself above the warship with Crescent Rose pointed downwards. The girl was firing concussive blasts of air dust from the gun attachment on her scythe and was now towering above the ship and Roman. "Oh you've gottabe fucking kidding me." Roman muttered, preparing his Melodic Cudgel.

"YAH!" Ruby yelled, firing one last concussive blast behind her, propelling herself towards Roman.

She then added to her momentum by using her Speed Semblance, much to the horror of Roman. "Oh shit!" Roman yelled in terror as he frantically braced himself to meet Ruby's attack head on.

However, by the time Ruby reached him, she was too fast for even him to keep up, and the girl was soon right behind him, her Crescent Rose already swung downwards. Roman wheezed in pain. "You little…" he trailed off, unable to speak without experiencing pain.

"Not every hero dies the way you think they do, Roman." Ruby told him. "Sometimes, they rise up, and give people the will to live on. That's why we're still here today. And that's why I will keep fighting."

Roman wanted to laugh at the fact that no matter what, Ruby's resolve would never waver and how cliché it sounded, but found himself unable to as the master thief collapsed to his knees. "Sorry…Neo…" he muttered as he fell onto his stomach, blacking out.

Ruby looked up and surveyed the sky, making sure no Grimm were coming near her. She quickly made her way to Roman and picked him up. He was an asshole, but he did not deserve to die like this. "Okay," she said, "time to find a way back down…"

Meanwhile, as Adam Taurus continued to taunt and torment his former love, he found himself thinking back on his meetings with one Cinder Fall…

"It's about damn time."

Such were the first words that popped out of Adam's mouth, upon receiving confirmation from Cinder Fall that the full-scale invasion of Vale would finally begin tonight.

Cinder smirked from the other side of the Scroll conversation. "Glad to hear you've maintained your enthusiasm. Am I still correct to assume that your fellow White Fang feel likewise?"

"Hey, I did tell you that I'd get them to listen to me, and I delivered," reminded Adam, who then gestured towards his background.

Behind Adam were White Fang soldiers left and right: some were sparring with each other on the training mats, while others were busy fine-tuning the Bullheads and other equipment that would be needed for the anticipated battle.

"Splendid. And what of the package I sent you earlier?"

Adam slightly frowned upon hearing the question, knowing exactly what she was referring to. "Entirely intact in our secret warehouses, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea of humans taming Grimm into pets. Still feels out of left field, even after seeing it for myself."

"You should have a little more faith, Adam. The Grimm will play their role as intended." Confidently insisted Cinder.

"They are security risks who would prefer to eat us rather than help us."

"Grimm are fear incarnate. I thought you would understand, considering the masks."

And before Adam could immediately respond, Cinder cut him off and continued, "They're just another tool, Adam; nothing more, nothing less."

Like how you view the White Fang as just another tool? Inwardly lamented Adam, who fought to turn his frown back into a neutral expression (while keeping his thoughts to himself).

Deep down, Adam was not fooled by Cinder's sweet-talking and lavish gifts; he knew exactly from the start that this so-called "partnership" between Cinder's mysterious group and the White Fang was entirely arranged on Cinder's terms, not the Fang's.

The memory of Cinder's earlier show of force at the forest outpost still ate away at him. While it was indeed fortunate that his fellow White Fang colleagues survived their burn injuries (remaining alive and still relatively intact), the same could not be said for Adam's (normally unshakeable) pride.

In one fell swoop, that human witch came back into MY camp uninvited, hurt MY soldiers, and undermined MY leadership, angrily thought Adam.

He barely fought back the urge to clench his fists in frustration. Oh, how he hated not being the one in control!

Adam's chain of thought was then interrupted by Cinder, who continued, "And when it comes to working for a master such as mine, following her is a pathway to many abilities that plenty would consider to be… unnatural. It's awkward at first, but you'll get used to it eventually."

Deciding not to dwell too much on his inner ranting, it was then that Adam changed the subject. "Yeah, so about your boss…"

"Yes?"

"Considering what we're about to pull off, is she going to be around to see the fireworks? And are there any other silent partners I should be made aware of?"

"It's on a need-to-know basis," she explained, "my master and the rest of my team enjoy a certain level of privacy, and I would appreciate it if you could help keep it that way."

And after seeing Adam still didn't look convinced, Cinder then decided to sweeten the deal.

"But you know what, you did play your part in convincing your fellow soldiers not to follow Tukson's cowardly example of bailing out," she conceded, "so I think I can make an exception for you. Deliver us our desired results, and you'll have a face-to-face meeting with my master."

"Deal," quickly responded Adam, deciding to take what he could get (while also wisely choosing not to test Cinder's patience for the time being). "And is there anything else you require?"

With her trademark smirk of confidence, Cinder said, "Not at the moment. Anyway, have fun! We're this close to both of us getting what we want," and then hung up on her Scroll.

Seeing the "call ended" notification on his Scroll, Adam remained silent and was then greeted by a certain White Fang Lieutenant.

"I've finished checking attendance. All hands are on deck, and we're ready to move out on your command, sir."

"Good…" Adam trailed off, ready for battle. Ready for revenge.

Shaking those thoughts away, Adam returned his attention to his darling, who was still looking at him with a mixture of shock and betrayal. Sparks flew around their joined blades. Adam glared at her from behind his mask. "This could've been our day!" He yelled. "Can't you see that!?"

"I never wanted this!" Blake was quick to deny. "Can't you see that?"

Blake quickly raised her Gambol Shroud and folded it into its sickle mode. She shot at Adam, who blocked both bullets with his sword. "What you want is impossible!" Adam told her.

With that, Adam sheathed his sword and backhanded Blake across her face, knocking her over. "But I understand, because all I want is you, Blake." Adam said creepily.

Blake raised her sickle again, only for Adam to kick it out of her hand, knocking her over once again. "And as I set out upon this world and deliver the justice mankind so greatly deserves," Adam continued, revealing more and more of the Faunus' insanity, "I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love."

The two then heard a voice call out to the downed girl. "Blake!" It was Yang Xiao Long, she was looking for her partner and best friend.

Yang's voice drew their attention to one of the broken windows. She then came into their viewpoints and shot down a member of the White Fang with Ember Celica. "Blake!" Yang called out again. "Where are you!?"

Adam turns to Blake and sees her terrified expression. He then returned his gaze to Yang. "Starting with her," he said darkly.

Then, Adam drew his sword and stabbed Blake's abdomen, near her left hip. Blake shrieked in pain. Her cry had the desired effect of catching Yang's attention. "Huh?" She said, immediately worried for Blake's safety.

She turned to see what Adam was doing to Blake. Adam stood upright and pulled his sword from Blake's flesh. He turned to face Yang, smirking, taunting her. Yang immediately saw red. "Get away from her!" She screamed.

Blake reached out, helpless to stop Yang. "No…please…" she whispered.

Adam sheathed his sword and smiled cruelly. Yang screamed furiously. Her eyes turned red and a burst of flames erupted from her. She leapt at Adam, drawing her fist back with tears in her eyes. This shall be the beginning of the end for you, my darling. He vowed. Just as tonight shall be the beginning of the end for humanity.

He would make them both suffer. They would not die quickly. First, the blonde would have her arm separated. He would make her understand that you should not raise a fist against him. Then, after enjoying her pain for awhile, he would put her out of her misery, but not too quickly. Then, he would take Blake back with him, and she would never be able to leave him again.

Adam was about to get a lesson that life sometimes worked out the way you wanted, and sometimes it did not. Fate was truly a cruel mistress in that regard…

Suddenly, a black fireball came shooting out of nowhere, striking Yang and knocking her away from Adam as the Faunus drew his sword and activated his Semblance: Moonslice. Adam's eyes widened behind his mask at the interference, his attack unable to reach its target.

Blake was briefly surprised as well, but was quick to remember that Yang had been hit by the fireball. "Yang!" She called out in worry to the girl who had been laid out on her back.

An irritated groan drew everyone's attention. "What a giant pain in my ass," a young, blue poncho-clad man lamented as he stepped into the burning building.

Adam and Blake stared at the interferer in shock. "How the hell am I supposed to meet up with Professor Ozpin when I'm constantly getting sidetracked, huh?" Hansel demanded, looking visibly irritated with Adam, Blake and Yang before addressing Adam. "You better take responsibility for this, asshole."

"Who…" Blake muttered, wondering just who this man was.

"Who the hell are you?" Adam demanded.

Hansel pointed his katana at Adam. "Someone who has lost his patience." He replied.