Jack's pov

I was standing behind Cinder waiting patiently for this "meeting" to start in Salem's castle. I rub where my former wolf ears used to be reminiscenting on the day my stepfather cut my wolf ears off, leading me to kill him in his sleep with the same knife.

Jack: (under breath) Abusive asshole.

Emerald and Mercury stepped in between Cinder and I.

Watts: Yes, keep your posse in check.

I grab Mercury's shoulder.

Jack: Not worth it, Mercury.

Watts: You hear that? Silence. I've half a mind to thank the little girl that bested you.

Tyrian: If I were you, I'd hunt her down. (snicker) Find her and, well, she took your eye, didn't she?

Jack: Not happening.

Tyrian: Right, you're obsessed with her.

There was a loud noise as Salem opened the massive doors to the room. She slowly walks past everyone standing in front of crystals and candles.

Salem: Watts.

Watts straightens, looking toward her.

Salem: (turning) Do you find such malignance necessary?

She gestures for all to sit down.

Watts: I apologize, ma'am. I'm not particularly fond of failure.

We all take a seat.

Salem: Then I see no reason for your cruelty towards young Cinder. She's become our Fall Maiden, destroyed Beacon Tower, and most importantly, killed dear Ozpin. So I'm curious, to what failures are you referring?

Watts: Well, the girl with the Silver Eyes.

Hazel: Yes. We've dealt with their kind before. How is it a novice was able to best one of us?

Watts: My thoughts exactly. Even without her new power, it should have been effortless.

Salem: It is because of the Maiden's power. Make no mistake, Cinder, you hold the key to our victory. But your newfound strength brings with it a crippling weakness. Which is why you will remain by my side as we continue your treatment.

Salem: Dr. Watts, you are to take Cinder's place and meet with our informant in Mistral.

Watts: Very good.

Salem: Tyrian, I want you to continue your hunt for the Spring Maiden.

Tyrian: (laughing) Gladly.

Salem: And Hazel, I'm sending you to the leader of the White Fang. Adam Taurus has arranged the meeting. The boy continues to prove loyal. Ensure that Sienna Khan feels the same.

Hazel: As you wish.

Cinder raises a finger. Emerald fails to notice this gesture for a moment.

Emerald: Oh!

Emerald leans in to hear her.

Cinder rasps into her ear. Emerald straightens.

Salem: Speak, child.

Emerald: She wants to know... (hesitates) What about the girl?

Watts: (scoffs) What about her? Seems to me that this is Cinder's problem, not ours.

Jack: She shouldn't pose a problem. Her boyfriend was stabbed in the heart she should be too depressed to do anything other than grieve.

Salem: Yes, that team that could have potential cause problems are you certain this change would alter the scale in our favor.

Jack: Yes, mistress.

Salem: None the less tyrian?

Tyrian: Yes, my lady?

Salem: Spring can wait. Find the girl that did this to Cinder.

Tyrian giggles elatedly and claps.

Salem: And bring her to me.

Tyrian freezes, groans disappointedly, pouts for a second, then looks back up at Salem with an acquiescent shrug.

Salem: Because of your efforts, Beacon has fallen. And Haven will be next.

Everyone rises.

Tyrian snickers at Cinder and points to his left eye.

Tyrian: (laughing wickedly) Eye for an eye.

Salem: Keep her in good condition she is what Jack wanted as a reward for his help and future knowledge.

Tyrian goes into an uncontrollable fit of manic laughter, while Cinder grits her teeth.

Y/n's pov

I'm currently running through the forest, with Ruby being chased by a Giest that's controlling a bunch of boulders. We reach a cliff and jump off she's aiming behind us at it while I immediately hook a branch with my grappling hook from my prosthetic arm and lands safely.

Y/n: Still scary to me.

I land safely on the ground.

Ruby: Bad... landing... strategy.

Jaune: Let's get that thing off them.

I look over and see the others run towards us. I used my grappling hook again, got in a tree, pulled my rifle out with a new suppressor, took aim at it, and fired. It, of course, wasn't facing my direction. I saw lightning surround one of its arms.

Y/n: It's literally ground and rocks that's not gonna work! Ice, on the other hand.

I load an ice dust clip and peppered it's arm in ice after it made a shockwave of wind knocking them back. Nora came in and smashed one of the arms away, and it simply sent the rocks flying back at them. I soon completely covered its back and other arm in ice after using a few clips.

Y/n: Those parts should be a bit more brittle! I think.

I jump down, holstering my rifle and pulling out w/n and lit them up in blade form as the Grimm makes a tree its new arm.

Jaune: (running) His arm is a tree! His arm is a tree!

Ruby: Big mistake!

I see Ruby shoot a fire dust round at the new arm, giving it a flaming arm now.

Jaune: Big mistake!

He starts running from the grimm as it swings the arm at him and said Grimm was hit in its face with Ren's weapon, making it fall on its back.

Jaune: Okay, how do we do this?

Ren: His body is too thick to break through.

Jaune: It doesn't care about its body.

Nora: Plus it can keep grabbing new limbs!

Jaune: But it keeps protecting its face.

Ruby: We can't break it!

Jaune: Ugh, if we knocked all of its limbs off at once and went for the...

Jaune's eyes light up with an idea and he turns to face his team. Behind him, the Grimm gets up.

Jaune: Guys, I got it! We hit it harder!

Ren: (confused) Is that it?

Jaune: No, seriously. It's trying to keep us from its face. If we kill the limbs, we'll have a shot to kill the whole thing!

Ruby: Alright! Come on, team, let's do this.

Nora: Yeah!

Ren: Right!

Jaune: Ren, left. Ruby, right. Y/n, try and keep it still. Nora, ready to try out the new upgrade?

I run off and load ice dust rounds in w/n and get up close and personal with them in shotgun form. I was keeping its feet frozen stiff as Ren and Ruby attack the arms and Nora coming in destroying the body after using her upgrade. The giest came out of the body and tried to run but was soon shot dead by Ruby.

Jaune: Another victory for Team JNRR! Yeah, okay. Ren, I think you're onto something. I-it's just not sounding great anymore.

Y/n: Yeah, that name doesn't sound good at all.

Mini timeskip

Once back at the village, we went to see the mayor immediately.

Mayor: We truly can't thank you enough.

Ruby: Just doing our job, sir.

Mayor: That Geist had been plaguing our village for weeks. We were beginning to wonder if we'd have to relocate.

Ruby: Well, we are on our way to Mistral. You could always come along with us if you don't feel safe.

Mayor: (amused) Ha. I take it you're not from these parts. Anima is a large continent. I'm afraid our people would never survive the long trek to Mistral. It may be safer in the Kingdoms, but we prefer our way of life. I just wish we could pay you more.

Ren: Our previous arrangement is more than sufficient.

We bow respectively and make way to the blacksmith for the payment, which is Jaune's upgraded weapon and armor. The bull faunus set the bulkier armor down on the table.

Blacksmith: There you go, son. It's going to be heavier than what you're used to, but you'll thank me the next time you go up against a set of claws.

Jaune: Wow. That-eh. I don't know what to say.

Blacksmith: Don't gotta say anything! Just put it on! I'll go get the rest.

The Faunus blacksmith turns and goes out back.

Nora: So, what are you waiting for?

Jaune: Oh, uh, right!

Jaune takes off his old chestplate.

Jaune: (softly) Guess I was going to grow out of it eventually.

Ren: A sign of progress.

Y/n: And growth.

Jaune: Progress.

He turns to us, showing us a bunny on his jacket that he wore, which elicited a giggle from Ruby and me.

Jaune: What?

Y/n: Jaune...

Ruby: What is that?!

Jaune: What, my hoodie? I've always had this.

Ruby: (snorting) It's got a cute little bunny rabbit!

Ruby laughs.

Jaune: It's Pumpkin Pete! You know, from the cereal?

Ruby: (in near hysterics) What did you do?! Send in a box top for a prize?

Jaune: (turning away) Yeah! Fifty!

I couldn't hold my composure anymore and started laughing as Ruby fell over laughing.

Ren: Well, I suppose we don't have to grow out of everything.

Ruby laughs a little more from Ren's remark.

Y/n: Thanks, I needed a laugh.

I saw the blacksmith come back in from the back.

Blacksmith: Can't have a Huntsman without his weapon.

A wide sword sheath is stuck into the countertop.

Blacksmith: Made all the modifications you asked for.

The blade expands into a shield.

Blacksmith: That was some fine metal you brought me. Accents the white nicely. Where'd you get it from?

Jaune: A friend.

Y/n: Let's wait outside while he gears up.

We all go outside and wait for a moment, and he soon comes out wearing his improved armor and drew his upgraded weapon and shield showing them off.

Blacksmith: He cleans up alright, don't you think?

Y/n: Yep.

Ren: He certainly does.

Nora: I still think a grenade launcher would've really brought the look together.

Y/n: When he wants ranged capabilities, he'll ask for them.

Ruby: Nothing's gonna stop Team RNJR now!

Nora: Team JNRR!

Ren: Still not a color.

Jaune: It doesn't matter what we're called. As long as we're together.

Blacksmith: You kids sure you won't stick around? You've been real good to this town.

Ruby: Sorry, but we've got another mission.

Nora: Make it to Haven Academy, no matter what.

Ren: We've heard the next village over has a working Airship.

Blacksmith: Mmm, no way to know for sure. Scroll signals were weak enough out here back when Beacon Tower was still up. Haven't heard from Shion Village in a while.

Ruby: Well, there's only one way to find out.

With a wave, we turn and leave. The blacksmith waves back and grunts.

Jaune: Food?

Nora: Check!

Jaune: Water?

Nora: Check!

Jaune: How about ammo?

Nora: Locked and loaded! Thank you, Schnee Dust Company!

Jaune: Got the map?

I turn and notice Ruby being upset.

Y/n: I miss her too.

Nora: Ren's got it.

Ren: No, I don't. You have it.

Nora: Wait, what?

Jaune: Guys, please tell me you're joking.

I wave the map in the air.

Y/n: I got it.

Timeskip

I open my eyes and find myself back in the burning building faced against Umbra. I felt my blades in my hands. I take a swing, he disappears, and Adam appears, and I feel a sudden pain in my chest as I look down and see his blade in my chest. I woke up with a start as I looked around and saw the team around and Ruby next to me. I sat like that for a minute, calming myself down, when Ruby sat up suddenly.

Y/n: Hey, you okay?

Ruby: I...

Y/n: It's ironic, though, our trauma nightmares waking us up at the same.

Ruby: Heh... Yeah.

I got up to sit next to her and hug her.

Y/n: What trauma you dream about?

Ruby: Pyrrha dieing, you?

Y/n: Getting stabbed.

Ruby: That would do it.

Y/n: Let's get ready to move. We have a long way to go.

Timeskip

We were making our way down to the next village currently following the path. Ruby was currently looking at the map.

Ruby: So the next town is... uh-huh... uh-huh... We're lost.

Jaune: We're not lost. The next town is Shion. My family used to visit it all the time.

Ruby: Oh yeah. Don't you have, like, four sisters?

Jaune: Uh, seven.

I chuckle as Ruby giggles.

Nora: You know, that actually explains a lot.

Jaune: Wait, what do you mean?

Ruby: So, what did you guys do there?

Jaune: Oh, all sorts of stuff! Over here is a great hiking trail, and over here is where we went camping all the time. I got my own tent because I was special. Also, so my sisters would stop braiding my hair.

Ruby: Didn't like the look?

Jaune: Yeah, they just kept doing pigtails, but personally, I think I'm more of a "warrior's wolftail" kind of guy.

Ruby: That's just a ponytail.

Jaune: I stand by what I said.

I stopped, not noticing Ren and Nora stopping as well, to take in the full view of the destruction of the destroyed village that the show... well didn't show. It looked bad broken... everything.

Y/n: Guys?

Ruby: Huh?

Jaune: What?

They looked up and saw the same destruction I was seeing. Ruby dropped the map and rushed into the village.

Ruby: There could be survivors.

I grab the map as I follow behind her into the village. I kept checking each alleyway there was as I passed the hearing something as we made ourselves closer to the center of the village.

Ren: Over here.

Y/n: You guys follow Ren. I'm hearing something other than strained breathing.

Ruby: Okay.

I focused my wolf faunus hearing to the other sound I was hearing and followed, pulling my pistol out in case of Grimm. I slowly approached a ruined building that the noise was coming from that sounded like crying. I enter the house hearing the muffled crying coming from the flooring under a bookcase. I struggle but manage to move the bookcase and the destroyed books off the hatch. I open the hatch and see a baby possible a one year old wolf faunus that's crying her eyes out. I pick her up and start bouncing myself as I look and find I'm guessing one of her toys.

I grab it and put it between me and her as I bounce her as I try to calm her down.

Y/n: Sh sh sh.

I continued to do this as I took her outside and to the others. I approached  the group, still bouncing the kid that has quieted down since. I noticed the huntsman dead next to them.

Y/n: Hey guys.

Ruby: Y/n, what were you he-?

They turned to face me and were quite shocked at what I found.

Jaune: Is that a baby?

Y/n: Yeah, and she is relatively healthy.

Ruby: She must have been so scared.

Nora: Any idea on her name?

Y/n: No, I couldn't find anything that wasn't trashed or destroyed that had a name. Well, from what she's wearing and her eyes, I was thinking Sapphire.

Ren: We should move. It's not safe here.

Y/n: Yeah.

Ruby puts her hand on my shoulder. After a moment, Sapphire looked over and reached her arms out towards Ruby.

Sapphire: Mama.

Y/n: I guess she wants you (teasingly) mama.

I hand her over to her as we leave the village.

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Bacca: Alright, next chapter done. No banter really for this chapter, so I hope you all like this one see you all next time.