Chapter 25:A Huntsman's Code

Ruby snuggles into you closer, shifting the blankets under you to a point that actually irritates your hip slightly. Though the balance between that and having your adorable girlfriend so close to you... it's worth it. You're reading the famous book that first really connected you and Ruby as you two cuddle, however you have your suspicions that she's only snuggling with you so intently to make up for Yang sending you through a wall. Yang said it was an accident but it really wasn't. Though it's not her fault Ruby still feels the need to make up for her sisters actions and to be there for her loving, injured boyfriend.

You set the book down and wrap your hands around Ruby, laying your head on hers. The feel of her silky hair feels smooth against your chin.

"You know, I'm really not that hurt," you whisper before kissing her head.

"I know... but I... like being with you," she blushes, hiding her face deeper into your shirt.

"I suppose I can put up with you too."

She looks up at you, pouting. You take this moment to quickly kiss her.

"You know I'm kidding."

Ruby looks away from you, her silver eyes fidgeting as she thinks. She quickly grabs your shirt and pulls you into another, deeper kiss that lasts much longer than the first one. When you break off Ruby giggles, blushing and giddy.

"I... I kinda like kissing," she shamefully admits.

You kiss her forehead and chuckle.

"Yeah... you're not too bad at it either."

"We have been practicing," she happily says, snuggling even closer to you.

"I don't think your sister would approve of it, though."

"I don't much appreciate it either," Dylan speaks from his own bed.

You and Ruby look over at him lying in his bed. Ruby blushes even harder as she nervously chuckles.

"Heh, sorry Dylan. I forgot you were here," you honestly speak.

"I was enjoying the story you were reading, but I see this is more of a 'couples time,'" he pushes off the bed and begins walking to the door. "We'll see each other later," he says before leaving the room.

"Did we kick him out?" Ruby questions.

"Maybe... but it's not like we can negotiate now. Do you have anything to do today?"

Ruby shakes her head, returning to her resting position against you.

"No... I could be with you all day right here," Ruby coos.

"Heh..."

It's genuinely odd to hear that for you. It seems as though Ruby has become far more dedicated and loving than you assumed, and it kinda scares you in some ways. You're so used to not having that attachment or commitment, yet here's a girl who's giving you her all. Rogue wasn't exactly like this when you dated her, being the very prideful woman she is, but you can see some similarities between Ruby and Rogue, even if they're just small details.

You wrap your arms around Ruby and close your eyes. You'll have to think on this a little more later, but for now you might as well enjoy what the situation.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ozpin taps on his desk in a soothing manner as he reads a recent report – the bottom half of the page covered by the coffee he's holding. He's read it three times now, but he's trying to think of how to fix the problem with this report. There's a problem with a student in his school that's been recurring for months now. JNPR's and Glynda's reports are examples of this problem. No other student suffers from this problem so he feels like he needs to deal with this personally. He hasn't had to do this in years, but on top of being the Headmaster of Beacon he's also the father of you.

Ozpin sips his coffee then sighs. He sets the coffee down and steps out of his chair, grabbing his cane in a swift motion as he walks around the desk towards the elevator. He enters the elevator and takes out his scroll to send a message.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Small, soft hands shake you as you try and rest peacefully.

"(Y/N)... (Y/N)," Ruby's light voice echoes through your ears.

"I don't care how cute you are... I'm not opening my eyes," you mumble, curling into an even tighter ball around Ruby.

"H-Hey!" She yelps. "Come on, your scrolls going off."

You nuzzle into her neck, sending tingles down her spine.

"So..?"

"I think it's from Professor Ozpin," she giggles, admittedly enjoying the extra snuggles you're giving.

You huff, wait a few seconds, and then open your eyes. You shift back so you and Ruby and stare face to face on your pillow, your noses nearly touching.

"I'm sure he could wait just a bit longer?"

Ruby pouts, giving you a disapproving look.

"Okay Weiss, I'll get it pronto," you mumble, stepping beside your bed and shifting to the direction of your bedside table.

"Hey!" Ruby shouts, jokingly insulted at the comparison.

You smirk as you grab your scroll and read the message sent to you by Ozpin. In short it's him requesting you to meet him in the training room within five minutes.

"Hey... Ruby?"

"Mm?"

"How long have we been sleeping?"

Before she can answer you look out the window before you. The sun's long been down considering how dark it is outside.

"Uhh, I don't know. I was sleeping too."

"Right... right," you half-heartedly answer as your mind flees to its own little world. You slip the scroll into your pocket and turn to Ruby. "Well, it seems I've been summoned. I'll see you later, Little Red."

Ruby smiles, giving you a thumbs up for good luck. You return the exact same gesture before leaping to the training room. Ruby looks through the shadow and notices your jacket resting on your work chair. She hops off the bed and grabs it. It's somehow still warm, despite being left alone for so long. It gives her a sense of comfort already, just knowing it's your jacket. It's something she's never felt before... she used to shiver at the thought of feelings and boys, yet now she embraces any thought of you. A funny change that her sister pesters her about.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ozpin is already standing in the arena, basked in the sole light shining from the ceiling. He smiles at you the moment you arrive.

"I'm glad you could join me, (Y/N). I apologize for calling on you so late at night."

You shrug, brushing your exposed arms as you step closer.

"Ah, you know... what am I even doing anyway? So, what's this about?"

Well," he taps his cane on the ground. "I realized that you need some special training. You've learned from someone every place you've went, so I thought it would only be appropriate as your father and Headmaster to teach you myself."

Your smile grows wide at these words.

"I... I get to fight you?" You ask for clarification, your heart beating faster at the thought of finally going toe to toe with Ozpin.

The Headmaster smiles, bowing his head.

"Indeed. We shall spar, and I shall teach you. The only catch is you shall not use your blade. Just try to hit me."

You crack your knuckles as you ready yourself. You still can't believe this is going to happen, but it's something you've wanted for so long. You slide your foot back and get into a fighting stance.

"Alright... you ready?" You shout.

"Of course."

You shimmy your foot ever so slightly before pushing off it, gliding across the floor as the gap between you and Ozpin closes. You wind up your fist for a punch and throw it. However, the moment you throw the punch you step behind Ozpin, hovering in the air. You already have the momentum to throw a heavy kick, and you do. To your surprise your leg seems to pass right through Ozpin's head. Your face instantly changes from serious to panicked as you awkwardly land behind him.

"Do you know why we assign teams?" Ozpin asks, turning around. You lower your guard to listen, but Ozpin immediately shakes his head. "No, please, do continue. I shall speak as we fight."

You shrug, readying yourself again then charging at him. You begin butterfly-twisting towards him and slam your foot into his neck... but it seems to go right through Ozpin once again. You stumble and bump into Ozpin who still hasn't moved. You quickly jump away and reassess your options.

How is he dodging me? He's not even moving... is he creating an afterimage?

"As I was saying, do you know why we assign teams?"

You step behind Ozpin and attack, moving right through him.

"Because you don't have enough dorm space?" You guess, jumping, turning around and kicking through the Headmaster.

Ozpin chuckles.

"Well, in a sense. But there's a deeper meaning to it," he casually speaks as you continue your assault on Ozpin with no results. "It's to ensure the basic qualities of teamwork. We even plant these seeds in the training schools like Signal."

You throw a barrage of punches at Ozpin but he isn't moving at all. You leap back and try to think of a new strategy. He's acting so casually as he's avoiding all your attacks. Is he really there? Is this just some sort of illusion? It can't be. He seems so real.

"Now," he takes a step forward, walking with his cane. "I understand these things were lost on you through the years. One thing I believe Jet didn't consider and just hoped it would come to you naturally, as it did to him. But it didn't. It's the one area you absolutely fail at," Ozpin finishes with a strong, serious tone that shakes your very core.

"Psh, I haven't failed anything! I can work as a team if I..." You step below Ozpin and go for a sweep. "Want to!" You shout as you execute the attack.

You watch your leg move through Ozpin's like every other attack you've made. You step above him and attempt to drop your heel on his head, but the moment it's about to hit you step behind him and punch. This time Ozpin completely disappears and reappears facing you with his cane is held right against your throat from beside you.

"Can you now?" He doubtfully speaks. "Let's think of some examples then, shall we?" He invokes, moving his cane away from your throat and taking a more thinking position. "You were overwhelmed when I sent you to a village. True, I chose to send you alone, but when team RWBY arrived they claimed you refused their help. In fact, the girls didn't feel safe around you at that time."

You sneer at the thought of that botched mission and how much you degraded in that hellish maze. You ready yourself once more then attack Ozpin once more.

"Even before that you fought Dylan alone. You have refused help time and time again, despite claiming to have learned your lesson. You disobey Ms. Goodwitch and fight the Grimm alone, you even sent JNPR away," somehow your fist is pushed away from Ozpin and his cane is resting at your celiac plexus. You couldn't even see it happen. "Let's not forget when you almost perished because you attempted to fight Harrier yourself."

You step away from Ozpin to gain some distance.

"I didn't realize what Harrier was capable of, and those other times I was fine. I can handle myself, Ozpin."

Ozpin shakes his head in disappointment.

"You just don't understand, do you? This is about your stubbornness. This is about your inability to comprehend a crucial factor that makes a Huntsman! You may be a prodigy like your father, but you will never be a true Huntsman with your attitude."

You grind your teeth and attack one more. This time, before you can even touch him, you feel an overwhelming force hit your jaw. You flip back three times before slamming into the wall behind you. You fall to the ground and hold your jaw in pain.

"Overconfidence is everyone's ruin, and it shall be yours. You have a teammate in Dylan who's willing to fight with you to the very end."

You chuckle, leaning on the wall as you get back on your feet. You caress your jaw to try and sooth it.

"Heh... have you met Dylan?"

"I know the boy quite well. I also know that when you were nearly killed he rushed to your defense alone," Ozpin reveals.

He can tell by the look in your eyes that you weren't aware of this. In fairness to you, you were unconscious at the time.

"You may not be a team, but every team is composed of a pair. You two are that pair, and yet you never call on him for aid. You don't even accept aid from those who are there, like with JNPR."

"Ho-"

"I didn't send you on that mission for fun, (Y/N)," Ozpin speaks, walking towards you. "I had someone follow along. You sent them away, deciding to take care of it yourself. I suppose that's the Slater way, isn't it? A new way, I find, as both Jet and Harrier believed in teamwork. You'd never see them fighting alone if they could help it." Ozpin stops before you. "You are a talented student, (Y/N), but you must realize that you are only one man. You may be able to be anywhere you want at will..." He places his hand on your shoulder. "But you'll never have your own back."

You look away from him as you contemplate his words.

"I want you to be successful, just as Jet, Glynda, and even Ruby wants you to be. But if you keep going on your own, the only place you'll end up... is in a grave." After staring at each other for what feels like an eternity, Ozpin turns and begins to walk away. "I don't believe you think yourself better than others, (Y/N). But why do you reject the help given? Are you afraid of something?"

Your eyes widen at his words. Your body desperately wants to attack out of pure frustration, but you have no reason to other than denying his words like a baby. Just the thought of failing at something associated with Huntsmen frustrates you to no end. You've spent your whole life training for this and here comes Ozpin telling you that you're absolutely failing at it.

Not wanting to stay here anymore, you leap out of the room and to your favourite air pad. You take a seat, letting your feet dangle as you attempt to let out any frustration, which ends up just being grunts and huffs.

"Trying to imitate a Grimm?" Someone chuckles from behind you.

You look to the source of the voice and see your friendly Faunus, Blake, approaching you. She takes a seat beside you. You shake your head.

"No... just... being a child, I guess. Heh..." You clench your fist. "Daddy gets mad and I throw a fit..."

Blake tilts her head, not fully understanding what you mean. You catch this through her body language alone, so you explain the situation you just went through. Ozpin's seemingly invincible technique and his lesson being the only points you bring up. Blake remains quiet, taking in everything you're giving her.

"And... I don't know, Blake... I just," you hold your hands in front of you as if the words are there but you can't grab them. "I... I don't know why I'm like this. I don't mean to, but... I mean, why should others get in the way when I can do it?"

"Are you afraid, then?" Blake brings up.

"What? What does that-"

"You said Ozpin thought you were afraid of something. Is he right?"

"I..." You stare into her stern amber eyes that expect an answer. You sigh, looking away. "No? I don't know. What do I have to fear?"

"I don't know. What do you have to fear?" She fires back.

You huff, flopping onto your back.

"I hate your dissections."

"Well, I don't know how else to word it. But..." Blake clicks her tongue. "I do know Dylan... well, he talks about you two sometimes. Despite being nearly as stubborn as you, he does want to work more as a team."

You lean up and look at her once more.

"He said that?"

Blake nods.

"He does. Seems you two have something to talk about. Either way, we're your friends, (Y/N). We're here to help in any way we can," Blake smiles.

You notice her ears wiggle a bit as she looks at you. You smile, rubbing the back of your head.

"Y-Yeah... thanks, Blake, I... I'll remember that."

Blake chuckles.

"You say that all the time. How do I know it got through your thick skull?"

"Hey!" You pout.

Blake giggles, which becomes contagious so you start laughing alongside her. The laughing soon settles and it resorts to you two looking out at the broken moon. Suddenly something pops into your mind.

"Hey Blake?"

"Hm?"

"What were you doing out? You found me pretty fast."

Blake's eyes widen and a small blush appears on her cheeks.

"I... was hot in my room. I needed to go for a walk."

"Why didn't you open your window?"

"Because I needed to walk around, okay!" She defensively retorts.

You hold your hands up to surrender.

"Okay, okay, you win. Don't go feral on me or something."

Blake squints at you, making you laugh pretty hard.

"Well, I guess I won't keep you. I'll see you later, Blake."

Blake nods.

"I hope you consider what I said."

You leap to your room where someone bumps into you the moment you appear. The small figure falls straight on their butt, whining at the sudden event. You look down and see Ruby rubbing her lower back. You chuckle as you offer your hand.

"Sorry, Little Red. I didn't expect you to still be here." You look around the room. "Dylan's still not here, huh?"

You pull Ruby up and brush off her shoulders.

"So what did Ozpin want?" Ruby cutely asks.

You rub the back of your head, chuckling.

"Oh... you know... just stuff. I don't know, I'm gonna head to bed."

"Oh... okay. You're okay, right?" She asks, keeping her eyes on you as you walk past her towards your bed.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about it," you weakly answer. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Ruby quickly leaves the room, but doesn't move after that. The tone of your voice basically put a neon sign on your head saying, "Something's wrong with me!" There's always the chance you're simply tired, but that's highly doubtful in Ruby's mind. But she'll have to think on this later. If you're still acting strange tomorrow then she really will have a case on her hands.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Next Day

Ruby happily hops in front of your door and knocks in a little tune. Soon enough Dylan answers the door which... doesn't surprise Ruby in the slightest since he's usually the one answering. You have your moments, but it's generally Dylan. Dylan looks down at the young trainee and sighs.

"He's not here," Dylan quickly says. "I don't know where he is either. His weapon isn't here," he says, looking back in the room to double check. "So I assume he's training or something."

"Oh, okay! Thanks Dylan," Ruby waves before running off.

Dylan sighs, walking away from the door but leaving it open. He grabs Zephyr Shale and equips them onto his arms.

"Well, I should get some training in for the tournament. Perhaps Ren could accompany me?" He says to himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Did you have to use my room for this?" Glynda huffs, leaning on her hip as she watches your actions with a very mild blush.

Of course to make the very stoic teacher blush is no small feat, but the Slater family – mainly Jet's bloodline – have a natural talent to do it. You're in Glynda's personal quarters doing a little bit of training. Crimson Blaze in unsheathed, the base of the hilt pinned against the floor. The entire weapon is shaking, the source being the tip of the blade. You're holding yourself absolutely straight up with two fingers of your left hand. Your body is shaking from the exercise as you lower yourself until your arm's ninety degrees, then pushing yourself back up. The reason Glynda is blushing, however, is the fact that you're doing all this with no shirt on. This puts every muscle on a beautiful display for everyone since you're using every one of them to balance yourself.

You lower yourself once more and exhale as you push up.

"I... needed someone to critique any mistakes," you say before repeating the process. "And you know... it's hard to talk."

"Y-Yeah... well your form is proper," she says in a desperate attempt to salvage her well known persona. "I see no... flaws..." Glynda shakes her head then quickly looks away from you. "You can practice somewhere else now, please. I have other things to do."

You lower yourself then, as you push up, give a little more force to it and switch arms, catching the blade between two fingers and quickly stabilizing yourself. One you attain perfect balance you continue the exercise.

"True, but... where would I do it?"

"Your own room, perhaps? This is very unprofessional!" She scolds.

You huff before flipping forward and landing on your feet. The sword begins falling the same way, but you catch the blade between your fingertips.

"Fine, I guess I took up enough of your time. I kinda need a shower anyway," you chuckle, looking at your extremely sweaty state. "Thanks for letting me practice for an hour though. That one technique was-"

"A personal one I haven't shown in years. I request that you don't mention it to anyone."

You snicker, wiping some sweat off your forehead.

"Why? That just sort of added to your whole 'sexy teacher' thing you've got going on."

Glynda's eyes widen and her face is flushed with anger and embarrassment.

"What did you just say?" She shrieks as her riding crop firmly slaps your arm.

You grab your arm and cringe, yet still manage a chuckle.

"Ow, ow, ow... Come on? Don't whip the messenger! Jeez, that hurts more than I remember."

"You're acting extremely inappropriate, (Y/N)!" She harshly lectures. "If you keep this up I'll-"

"Okay, I'm sorry, jeez," you whine, blowing on the impact point. "Anyway, I'll get out of your hair. I think my 'bother Glynda' requirement has been filled today."

"I'd rather it be erased entirely," she huffs, shaking her head.

"You know I love you," you nonchalantly say with a casual wink, as if Glynda was Weiss or Yang.

Of course you both take those in different ways. In your case, it's still true. Glynda and Ozpin have become your mother and father figures during your time at Beacon. That leads into you caring about them dearly – loving them. It's a different love that you have for your friends like Weiss, Yang, Dylan, Jaune, and everyone else, but it's still love all the same. Glynda does return the same type of love, but your delivery is what threw her off. The wink, the dialect, it's all so similar to Jet. She has done her best to look past the similarities, but there are just some things you say and do that reflect your father perfectly. Hearing "I love you" from someone so similar to the one she once loved... that's a harder pill to swallow.

"I..." Glynda trips over her words in this flustered state.

Fortunately for her you continue talking so she doesn't have to.

"Anyway," you say as you push the blade back to its previous state then backflip over the blade and assume grip the blade with two fingers. "I'll head... out. Thank you, Glynda," you say with a genuine tone, if clouded with stress.

In the blink of an eye you and your blade turn to shadow and dissipate. Glynda places a hand on her chest to feel her heart beating faster than normal. Her eyes drift until they notice your shirt and jacket. She huffs, yet... smiles, as she walks over to them to pick them up and return them to your dorm. She really is your mother now, even if you don't share blood.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

You appear in the middle of one of Beacon's various courtyards in the same position. You carefully look around with a questioning look.

"I guess... I can't concentrate... well enough," you huff.

Obviously the shirtless man balancing on a sword quickly gains the attention of passerby's. The students from Beacon who recognize you wave it off as being a casual thing you do, though the girls don't mind taking a quick peek. At least you're not destroying property like your locker incident. However, the ones who don't know you are immediately baffled to see such a strange act in the middle of a public area. To be fair, you didn't intend to appear here but it's hard to pinpoint locations when you're under so much stress.

Considering you did have a great workout earlier, you take it upon yourself to have a well-deserved break. You flip off the blade and land softly on the ground, taking the sword in your hand and sheathing it. Well, you try to sheathe it but quickly realize you don't have the means to do so. You raise your hand to attract the sheath to you. It's not in Glynda's room, and since you constantly leave your window open it should be fine. In seconds your sheath zooms to your hand for you to reattach to your belt and sheath your blade. With that all done, you realize you're extremely sweaty and... a little smelly.

Despite your state someone approaches you.

"Seem you're giving Beacon quite a view," a seductive voice speaks.

You turn around to see Cinder smiling at you with those amazing eyes that nearly seem to glow.

"Oh, heya Cinder! I, heh," you look down at yourself and the disgusting state you're in. "You've caught me off guard. You're as beautiful as ever and I'm... well..."

"A hot mess?" She smirks.

You playfully shrug.

"I suppose. So how've you been? Last I saw you was at the dance!"

"Ah, yes. What a wonderous night," she coos. "I still remember your kiss."

You blush as you rub the back of your head.

"Heh... yeah... kinda weird now that I think about it."

She raises her brow.

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Well I'm... sort of dating someone now. Ruby Rose, you might have met her!"

"The young one in with the cape?" Cinder guesses, leaning on her hip.

You nod to confirm.

"That's the one. Though I still had a ton of fun with you. You're a great dancer," you compliment.

"Well you stand to impress as well, (Y/N). Anyway, I have a small... meeting with my team. It's always nice to see you," the words slide off her silver tongue as she begins to walk away.

"Yeah, right. See ya, Cinder!" You wave.

With Cinder gone and the massive realization hitting you that you're sweaty and smell, you leap to your room. The moment you do so Ruby passes by the courtyard, taking a quick peek to see if you're there. Once she concludes you're not there, she keeps looking.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

You appear in your room and the moment you do so you toss your sword into the corner. As you look over at your leaning blade you realize you could have just came here and sheathed your sword rather than bring the sheath to you. You laugh it off as you head towards the bathroom, taking off your pants as you walk, tripping, then quickly stepping to your feet as if nothing ever happened. Nobody's around so your embarrassment is short lived. Once you're in the bathroom. You strip down completely and hop in the shower.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dylan sighs as he heads towards his destination. Everyone he's spoken to has been busy or already training for the Vytal Festival. In truth the two of you should be practicing your teamwork since you've never really fought as a team. Sure, you've fought each other, but you've never truly faced a threat together, be it in training or not. But he's always been potent with solo training so that is what he'll do for now.

As he makes his way to the training room he's cut off by Professor Port in the hallway.

"Oh, hello there young Huntsman!"

"Hello Professor. Preparing for a class?" Dylan politely says, if having a slightly bored tone.

"You would be wrong on that one, Mr. Brine. I'm actually preparing for a small task given to me by Professor Ozpin. In fact, I could use some aid! Would you like to accompany a true Huntsman and be a part of one of my many endeavors?"

Dylan can see the fire and joy in the older man's... eyes. It's clear to see he wants someone to join him. So, Dylan shrugs.

"Sure, why not."

"Fantastic! Come, I'm gathering some equipment from my classroom. Why don't you bring along young Slater!"

Dylan snickers.

"Sure, why not?"

He slips his scroll out of his pocket and types up a message for you as he follows Port.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Where is my jacket?" You ponder as you look through the small amount of clothes you have.

Despite being here for so long you really haven't expanded your wardrobe at all. Ozpin and Glynda have offered to acquire you some new clothes other than your school uniform, but you've declined every time. You may not have much, but everyone seems to wear mostly the same thing anyway. It's almost weird to you. At least you just have multiple pairs of jeans and t-shirts that you wear with your jacket, but everyone else has the same outfit every time you see them. Maybe it's them who need a wardrobe update. Then again if you brought that up to Coco she'd probably kill you, so you won't!

Suddenly you hear a beep at your door. By the time you look at it Ms. Goodwitch is already coming into your room with your clothes in hand. You smile as you approach her.

"I was wondering where it was. Thanks!"

"Just try not to forget your clothes in my room... or try not to come into my room as much. Both would be appreciated."

She places the clothes on a nearby dresser, bows her head, and then leaves you alone. You grab your jacket and slip it onto your body. You feel almost complete with it on now. As if the world knows you're ready for action, your scroll begins to vibrate.

You swipe your scroll out of your pocket and check the message. You're intrigued when you read Professor Port wants you and Dylan to meet him in his room. It makes sense to just contact you directly since you can go anywhere you want in Beacon with a mere thought – something that Ms. Goodwitch has been the victim of for a long time.

Now that you're all set you close your eyes and lock onto Port's room before leaping there.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

You appear in Port's room, surprising both the Professor and Dylan with your sudden arrival. They're behind his desk while you're in the middle of the room. You quick wave to the two as you greet them with a smile.

"Ask and I shall answer," you confidently remark.

"Ah, Mr. Slater, it's good to see you! Ready for an adventure lead by... me!"

"It's a mission," Dylan clarifies.

You nod after Dylan's words.

"Well, what's it all about?"

"As you may know, Beacon has small sensors throughout the Emerald Forest and the Forest of Foreverfall. It's linked to our security network, which, for certain reasons," he clears his throat. "I cannot elaborate on! However the system has been disrupted, thus we will go out and fix the sensors!"

You cross your arms and chuckle.

"That's it? It'll be a cake walk. You can sit this one out, Dylan. I'm sure I can handle this."

Dylan shakes his head but doesn't bother to argue.

"Whatever you say, Slater. Saves me the trouble anyway," he speaks as he walks around the desk and past you.

Professor Port raises his brow as he watches you, though you don't notice. As Dylan walked by you your mind thought of something else. Ozpin's lesson...

You quickly turn around.

"A-Actually, Dylan, why don't you tag along?" He turns around to see if those words are really coming out of your mouth. "I mean, hey, you'll get out of shape soon enough," you tease.

Dylan internally smiles at your words. Whether it's laced with idiocy or not, you asked him to come along. You're finally going to have a mission as a team, rather than one at a time. Port also smiles at your decision. Every teacher knows of Ozpin's small lesson, and each one has been requested by the Headmaster to aid you in that field. Port's happy to see you taking initiative to fix it.

"Excellent! I've gathered all the equipment I need," Port howls as he wraps a satchel around him. "Let's make our way to the airpad!" He hollers with passion and excitement.

He walks around his desk and leads you both out of the classroom and to the exit. You and Dylan walk behind him, side by side, chuckling at his enthusiasm.

"To think we'll be part of one of his adventures," you chuckle.

"Maybe it'll be told in class," Dylan theorizes.

"If he does we totally have to over play it!"

"Hm?"

You put your fists on your hips and stand prominently.

"The young students accompanied me on this vigorous mission," you mimic Port. "As we were surrounded by Grimm I took the lead and showed my students how it was done! I cut down the beasts in no time and secured victory for Beacon Academy!"

Dylan chuckles at your monologue.

"That does sound accurate."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Bullhead hovers over a small hill in the Emerald Forest. You, Dylan, and Port hop out the Bullhead, all landing smoothly on the grass below. Port pulls out his scroll to bring up the map of this region.

"Alright, there's one control center per region. Once we've fixed them all we'll return to Beacon."

You stretch your arms out as you yawn.

"Easy enough. Where's this first control node thingy?"

Port, scroll in hand, leads the way through the forest. You and Dylan follow along, keeping an eye out for any Grimm that may attack.

"So what's the reason your network was disrupted? I imagine Beacon wouldn't allow it to go down without someone else's interference," Dylan inquires.

"A curious one, aren't you!" He speaks as you all hop off a ledge and to a large area below. "In truth I believe it's the Grimm. But we won't know until we find them. This one coming up is in a cave, so be on the lookout for any-"

"We'll be fine, don't worry teach," you confidently remark. "It's not like any Grimm can stand up to the three of us."

You can all hear Grimm in the distance, from Beowolves to Ursai. Though this is a place to train and where teachers take students for "field exercises" it's clear this place isn't safe. Suddenly it makes sense as to why a security network would be set up. Though you can't help but wonder what the real purpose of it is. A whole academy trained to kill Grimm and yet they have such an extensive security network monitoring them. You'd think they could have an easier way to do this, unless this is meant for more than just the Grimm.

Thinking of this really won't help you in the long wrong, if you're honest with yourself. It'd likely only be more needless thinking you'd have to do – distracting you from other, more important things... like more ways to bother Glynda. That's always fun.

"Look ahead! A small pack of Beowolves!" Port blurts out, pulling you out of your train of thought.

Just as the moustache man said, a pack of six Beowolves have spotted you and are attempting to surround your group. You slip your hands into your pockets and yawn.

"I mean... do you want to do this, Dylan?"

Dylan shakes his head in disappointment.

"Is it beneath you, Slater?"

"No, but I always steal the fun. Thought I'd at least offer it to you."

Dylan activates Zephyr Shale, lighting up the blue jewels.

"I'll handle this. Professor?" Dylan speaks, turning to his teacher for permission.

"Show us your passion, Dylan!" Port enthusiastically cheers.

You cross your arms and smile, excited to see how this is going to go down. Of course you know Dylan will make short work of simple Grimm. He's a formidable opponent for you, though not quite your equal. Still, you know mere Grimm are nothing compared to the "Son of the Waves."

Dylan steps ahead of you two, allowing the Beowolves to surround him rather than all of you. You and Port move back to give him some space. You've never seen Dylan fight Grimm before, so you're admittedly intrigued at how he'll do it. Likely with less flair and trash talk than you. Actually, probably no trash talk at all. That's a very you thing. Though the thought of Pyrrha screwing with her opponents does give you a chuckle. You'd sooner see her apologize for each hit she gives.

Dismissing the thought, you return your attention to Dylan and his battle. He's gathered the pack in front of him as he waits for their first move. The Grimm sniff in his direction as they're either planning or simply afraid of attacking the young Faunus man. Dylan sighs, getting bored of it all. He deactivates Zephyr Shale and decides to go for a cleaner approach. He moves his hands out to encompass all the Grimm, which creates water from the air around the pack. He claps his hands together which triggers the water to rush all the Grimm, hurling them together and trapping them in a decent sized water ball. He retracts his fingers back but keeps the tips connect to mimic the ball in his hands, then swiftly claps them together once more. The ball almost instantaneously shrinks to crush the Beowolves together until there's nothing left but miniscule ball of water only Dylan can see. He lets his hands fall back to his sides and halts his focus on the water. The ball falls apart and dark clouds simmer into the air.

"6/10 needs more flair," you rate.

"My apologies I didn't take twenty minutes with only five of actual fighting," he fires back.

"Psh, it's called multitasking, Dylan," you snarkily remark.

"It was a magnificent display!" Port's voice booms. "Now, let us continue!"

He passes Dylan to take the lead once more. You wink at Dylan as a subtle congratulations whilst you follow Port. He waits until you're beside him before walking, thus keeping you two in a pair.

The three of you walk through a small path that leads to a makeshift bridge made of wooden planks. Port crosses first, showing its safe. Considering the students he has with him it doesn't really matter. You can teleport, Dylan can make a platform of water. You're a very mobile team when Port really thinks on it. He's hoping to run into a few more Grimm to see how you two fight as a team, rather than going one at a time.

"Hey Dylan, I got a question," you start as you both walk over the creaking wood below.

"What is it?"

"That thing you did back there... why didn't you do that to me when we fought? That might have gotten me."

Dylan shakes his head.

"No, it wouldn't have. Grimm don't have a soul – aura. They can be easily manipulated and crushed. You and other Huntsmen have aura; it would protect you from that kind of attack. If I wore you down, however," he smugly shrugs. "It may be different. But I also have some humanity in me. That... is not how I'd want to kill someone."

"Would you have said that before we fought?"

Dylan looks into your curious eyes then averts his gaze.

"I'd like to think so. To be honest I don't know. I see the world more clearly now that I'm free of the White Fang."

"Well, I definitely prefer this Dylan," you smirk, patting his back. "And I think Blake does too," you whisper before hopping ahead of Dylan.

"I... why would I even w-want to know that?" He spastically responds.

You spin to face him, walking backwards, wink, then turn back. He rolls his eyes at your idiocy. The three of you enter a cave with a large piece of technology inside of it. Port is already examining it for any hints as to why it's not working. Dylan joins Port in this as you saunter around the cave to entertain yourself and make sure no Grimm are around.

It's a cool temperature in this cave with even colder stone making up the walls. For nature standards, it's a beautiful cave. Perhaps that's the reason it was chosen to host the tech, or maybe some of the beauty is artificial. It's probably that the cave was excavated to suit the large wonder in the middle. You pass by a small cavern when something catches your attention. It's a glass cage with a logo that you've never seen before. However that logo comes second to the Boarbatusk slamming itself against the glass in an attempt to escape. You raise your brow at the sight while taking a few steps back.

"Port! I got something you wanna see!"

In seconds Port and Dylan show up behind you to see the spectacle before you.

"Hm... curious indeed," he remarks, rubbing his moustache. "Dylan, please search the rest of the cave. I have a feeling there might be more of these."

"Yes, sir," Dylan says before running away from the group.

"So... we gonna kill it?"

"Of course, child, but there's something about that symbol... I've seen it before." Port takes out his scroll and takes a picture. "I'll be sure to send this to Barty."

"Professor, there's four other boxes with Grimm inside," Dylan reports.

Port thinks on this new piece of information.

"Well, it seems you two have some work to do. I'll fix up our relay, you two destroy the Grimm."

"Gotcha," you say as you unsheathe your blade and approach the Grimm in front of you.

With a quick and powerful slash you send a sonic wave towards the crate, but it has no effect. You lower your guard and raise your brow at the durability of this box.

It was meant to hold Grimm, I suppose using a lower level attack wouldn't penetrate it.

You charge your arm once more to send another sonic wave at the box. This time is cuts through the box and the Grimm, effectively ending both. You turn around and leave the small corner that held this Grimm. Port is tinkering with the machine while Dylan is dealing with the other Grimm. You don't know where they are, so you decide to leave the job to Dylan.

"Sit tight, lad. When I'm done with this one we have three others to get to," Port informs as he continues his work.

You lean on the rock wall and cross your arms in just the right spot to see every entrance or exit to the cave. Nothing'll sneak up one you or Port. But if this is all the mission has to offer, then it's severly disappointing for you.

Fixing up a few relays? Come on, give me something better.

Yeah, I know I took my time on this one. Some of it was due to me being stuck with Project's Past, and another bit was planning out this arc. As some of you might have noticed, we have entered the Grimm Eclipse Arc! Yes, I've already made changes to the story already and... well, that's going to continue. If you played the game you'd know how... lackluster the story and storytelling really is. This means I'm going to be tweaking elements for Crimson Shadow, so don't expect a rehashing of Grimm Eclipse!

I also noticed I forgot to add those facts I used to do. Guess I just couldn't keep it up for this long, so whatever. If I have something interesting then I'll put it at the end like I normally do. Anyhow, thanks for all the constant support of Crimson Shadow and my other stories! It really means a lot to me. I can't wait to see you all in the reviews/comments! Until next time, I'll see you all later!

Want to keep up with me? Know what chapter's coming out next and the progress of them? Follow me on Twitter! Twitter . com (slash) Chinsangan

Ever want me to write a one-shot for you? Maybe a few? Maybe one every few months? Perhaps get the inside scoop on how I write, ideas for future or current stories, and even help writing your own story? Consider checking out my Patreon page! Pat reon . com (slash) Chinsangan

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Advice? Send me a message! See ya!

A special thank you to Patreon supporters: GrayJack72

VZ