Chapter 25 - Allies

"Well, I'll be damned. Either you are quite real, or I'm going fucking mad."

And there it was. The familiar richness of the voice sent a wave of relief through the yellow-skinned monster. He smiled widely.

"My old friend. You don't understand what a…pleasure it is to see you."

"Likewise, Fawkes." Ken approached the fizzing wall, a genuine smile across his scarred face. "Heh. This is…ironic."

Fawkes walked up towards the barrier himself. "Is it? I don't see what you mean."

"Wasn't it just a short time ago where it was me on that side of the wall?"

Fawkes was a bit confused. He stared at his companion for a moment, trying to comprehend his meaning. Then, it hit him.

"Eighty-seven. It seems as if it were only yesterday..."

"Let me ask you something then." There was a slight hint of pessimism in his tone.

"Huh? Even considering the situation at hand, you hesitate your own rescue?"

"Well, yeah, Fawkes. Like I said. It's ironic."

"Bah!" Fawkes was a little frustrated now. The Ken he knows never wastes time! "If you have something to say, then say it!"

"Will you…release me from my makeshift prison?"

The mutant froze. Ken had an interesting way with words. But now, he knew what he meant. The irony of their roles. The familiarity of it all. It was…daunting, to say the least.

"I released you from your own cell. Ever since then, you claim to have your debt to me. And that's why you followed me. Because I saved you from Vault eighty-seven. But now, it's me who needs to be released. And by helping me here, you would officially be free from that debt. We would be even."

Fawkes could only stare. He watched as the smile disappeared. Ken reverted his gaze to the ground.

"We wouldn't be friends anymore. And you can do whatever you want. That's why-"

"FOOL!"

Ken's head shot up, a terrified look in his eyes. Fawkes roared in anger.

"WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?! YOU ARE NOT THE KEN RAMIREZ I KNOW! THE ONE I FOLLOW!"

"Fawkes?! What-?"

The Meta Human reached towards a blinking console. Without thinking, he ripped at the flimsy panel, forcing it to spit sparks. The blue wall fizzed loudly, dying out like an extinguished torch.

Fawkes stalked into the chamber. Not sure what to think or feel, Ken could only step back. Eyes wide, Ken looked up to his ally differently.

For the first time, he feared Fawkes the Meta Human.

"You did MUCH more than free me from that hell!" he howled. The booming voice rang in Ken's ears. He felt his back press against the cold concrete. He was trapped.

"I am INSULTED that you would think I wouldn't help you in your time of need! No matter the circumstances! Life! Death! BETRAYAL!"

"F-fawkes, I-"

"ENOUGH!" Fawkes lowered his head towards Ken's, inching his face close to his. "I understand that this new world may have changed you, forced you to adapt and think differently. But you need to understand something very, very crucial!"

Ken gulped. "I'm listening."

"That is EXACTLY it!" he declared. "You listen. You reason. And in a world that breeds evil, that is something rare. Invaluable. It is the reason why I follow you. Protect you. Not because I am in debt to you. But because I believe in you!"

Ken blinked. He wasn't sure what to say. Fawkes straightened after a moment. And laughed. Loudly.

"I know you must feel lost. It is only natural. But understand this. You are more than what you think you are, even without your device. That is why, without question, I will help you. And that includes all of your allies. Our allies. Remember that. Always."

Ken sighed. "You're right Fawkes. Forgive me."

"All is well. And, for the record, I will always be in debt to you. Not for saving me. But for showing me that having faith…is everything."

The Meta Human reached into his pocket, pulling out something that almost brought Ken to tears. "I do believe you may find this helpful. In finding yourself, that is."

Ken eagerly took it from his friend. Without hesitating, he snapped it around his left wrist, engaging the device as quickly as he could

DNA POSITIVE. SYSTEM LOCK DISENGAGED. ALL SYSTEMS NOMINAL.

WELCOME BACK, MR. RAMIREZ!

He unconsciously smiled. Looks like it missed him, too. Immediately conjuring his regular loadout, he looked up and nodded.

"Sorry about that, my old friend. I underestimated you again."

"No worries!" Fawkes cracked his neck. "It is a great pleasure to have you back!"

"So, what's this about our allies?" Ken found himself asking. Fawkes motioned towards the door.

"See for yourself! Let's get out of this forsaken place!"

"Let's do it." Ken looked over to a door, stopping himself briefly. "Actually, hold up a second. There's something I need to take care of."

"Quickly, then." suggested his companion. "Our friends have faced tough opponents."

The Wanderer quickly made his way into the chamber. His suspicions proved to be correct when he opened the door after a short hack.

"Aha! This must be the broadcast room."

Pushing away the dead body from the lightly glowing console, he began tapping away at the keyboard. He hummed when the holographic screen spawned in front of his face.

AUTHORIZED PERONNEL ONLY! LEVEL ONE SECURITY THRESHOLD ACTIVE! PASSWORD AND PRINT VERIFICATION REQUIRED!

"Shit." Ken resisted pounding the machine. Then, an idea popped into his head. He carefully picked up the carcass' hand and placed it onto a glass panel next to the keyboard.

It glowed green. Ken sighed in relief. Now, he was asked for the password. Remembering his find from earlier, he quickly tapped it into the screen.

RENEGADE.

ACCESS GRANTED! WELCOME, DR. BURNS! ACCESSING DATABASES…

RED ALERT! LEVEL NINE EMERGENCY IN EFFECT! THE BEACONS ARE LIT!

"Yes! That should do it!" Once he confirmed that the tower was back online, Ken hastily followed Fawkes out towards the staircase. If what he was saying was right, then it was time for him to return the favor for whoever was outside.

God in heaven knows it's the least he can do.

"Shit! We're getting overrun!"

Jaune hollered as he sent his sword straight into the heart of a Beowolf. He didn't celebrate like he usually did. He looked over at Gretchen.

"Which side?!" he demanded.

"West! West!"

"Pyrrha!"

"On it!"

His partner spent no time getting over to the Faunus in need. Damn! That side has all their heavy hitters! Those Specters just won't quit! Now, it's just him, Ren, and an exhausted Erwin holding off the wave of larger Grimm coming in from the cliff side. For now, they will hold. But Jaune feared the worst.

"We cannot keep this up for much longer!" Canton cried out. "How much more time?!"

"We can do this, guys!" Jaune yelled. He stabbed another Grimm. He was getting good at this. He allowed himself a victory smile. "Just a little longer!"

But it was getting worse! The waves from all angles were getting thicker and thicker. They have been fighting for a long time. The sun was now red over the horizon, signaling the start of a new day. A new, blood-spilt day.

Jaune began to panic. This was getting out of hand. Doubt began to creep into his mind.

"No!" He shook his head. "He'll find him! He has to!"

An Ursa Major suddenly burst through the wooden wall. It roared loudly as its compatriots joined the fight from seemingly out of nowhere. Jaune's heart sank into the pit of his stomach.

"Oh, sweet Oum. Help us."

He wasn't even religious. But now was a better time than any for prayer.

The Major locked eyes with the frazzled blonde. Its new target in sight, it hungrily roared as it rushed him. And all the knight could do, was watch.

It was probably a good thing. Mostly because the evil creature disintegrated into a pile of green goo. That could have been him if he decided to meet the thing. Looks like prayer works after all.

"Jaune! Everyone! Get to the tower! NOW!"

He obeyed the familiar voice without question. Without bothering to find its source, Jaune ran alongside Erwin and Ren towards the rest of their teams. The fighting became a concentrated pallet of black smoke and colored Dust, all in the same area. The Grimm surrounded the two teams instantly.

But now, it was their turn to be saved.

The Specters yielded to the tremendous force of an endless wave of five millimeter rounds. On the other side, the green rounds of mysterious plasma disintegrated the larger Grimm, sometimes taking out more than one in a single hit. Jaune understood the counter attack immediately. He ordered everyone to stay out of the way, and do nothing more than provide covering fire.

"Alpha!" someone yelled. "Incoming!"

"I see him. He's mine."

Jaune could only describe what he saw next as…impossible. He watched as their savior dashed towards the Alpha Beowolf with nothing more than a great hammer-like weapon. He leapt into the air, effectively confusing the creature.

Then, like a lightning strike, he came down on top of the monster. The hammer effectively turned the Beowolf into a thick cloud of black smoke.

The man rose from the landing point, crackling his neck and other parts of his body. Jaune heard a sigh, laced with a hint of disappointment.

"Huh. That was easy."

Jaune rushed up to him, startling the man a bit. He smiled.

"Jaune. It's damn good to see you."

"Ken!"

The blonde laughed, almost hysterically. Ken had raised his hand to shake Jaune's, but Jaune went straight for the hug. Ken was a bit confused, but he laughed and returned the embrace.

"Dude! Great to have you back!" Jaune suddenly realized what he did, and backed away. "Oh, uh, sorry. That was weird."

"You're fine, man." Ken laughed. The others approached him, greeting him just as enthusiastically. Gretchen was the next to latch on to Ken. She squeezed tightly, almost as if afraid he might disappear again.

"Kenny! I was so worried!"

"Heh. Thanks."

She then pulled away and sent a painful fist right into his gut. Ken coughed in surprise.

"Ow! Hey!"

"That's what you get! Don't ever have me worried like that again, you hear?!"

"Alright, alright!" Ken raised his hands in defense. "Sorry!"

"Mission accomplished," Canton said after catching his breath. "Now that we found you, Ken, we need to leave. No doubt more Grimm are headed our way."

Ken nodded. He turned to Fawkes, who had just finished reloading his weapon.

"Let's go. Hey, Fawkes?"

"Hmm?"

"Where's Dogm- AH!"

A blur of fur shot from beneath Ken, knocking him back onto the ground. Startled, some of the group had raised their weapons. But Ken's fit of laughter made them relax.

"Haha!" laughed along Fawkes. "He missed you too, my friend!"

Dogmeat continued to attack Ken's face with his tongue, lapping away without regard to his master's pleas.

"Haha! Okay, OKAY! Buddy! It's great to see you too!"

Ken happily rubbed his best friend's fur in return. After a moment, Dogmeat hopped off his chest, barking so happily that everyone in the group couldn't help but smile. Ken returned to his feet after one more solid pet of his pup's head.

"Alright, then!" He turned to Jaune. "Where's our extraction?"

"Our LZ is about half a klick north!" Jaune replied. He pointed in the direction he was headed. "It's that…"

An entire black wall of Grimm was all he saw. Jaune groaned, lowering his hand.

"…way."

"Well then." Ken raised his plasma rifle. "Let's do this."

"That's…a lot," declared Gretchen tiredly. "I dunno if we can get through that."

A rumbling in the air caused the group to stop. Jaune sighed in relief.

"We may not have to!"

The wave of black fur that rushed in their direction was suddenly torn into by high-caliber waves of bullets. Up above, two massive planes made their descent onto the group.

Jaune's comm crackled to life. Ken winced when he was painfully reminded of his own comm unit he still had lodged in his ear.

"Hell yeah! Comms channels back online! Yo, Jaune, my man! Still kicking, I see!"

"Pilot! Thanks for the assist, man!"

"Don't thank me! Thank whoever brought that tower back online!"

The area was now clear once more. The two aircraft landed in the open area of the village, deploying their ramps to allow the Hunters and Huntresses onboard to safety.

"Listen up!" commanded Pilot over the comms. "We got a high threat back home! We need every able body to report! ASAP! Onboard, now!"

"What?" Ken murmured. He watched as his comrades hastily loaded into the transports. "What do you mean?"

"Oh shit!" Pilot exclaimed. "Ramirez! Good to see you alive! Get onboard, I'll explain on the way!"

Unconsciously nodding, Ken waited for the last of the group to enter the plane before following himself. He turned and beckoned for Fawkes to follow suit.

When the monster stepped foot onto the ramp, a blaring alarm went off in the cockpit.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What the hell?! Weight over max cap! What the hell are you loading back there, a Dust damned Goliath?! I can't take off!"

Ken's heart sank. He watched as Fawkes stepped off the ramp without hesitation.

"Do not fret, my brother! I will find another way!"

"No, Fawkes. I'm not leaving you!" Ken said through gritted teeth. "Not again."

"It is only for a short time."

"I'm coming with you!"

"No." Fawkes gave an assuring nod. "Your friends need you. I will take Dogmeat. He will make sure we reunite."

The pup was hesitant at first, whimpering in concern of leaving his master behind again. But, understanding the circumstances, it lapped its tongue on Ken's hand as he patted his head, and hopped out next to Fawkes.

"Get to your Vale. Your new home awaits your rescue!"

"No time to waste! We need to leave!"

Ken looked at him for a moment. He raised his hand.

"I'd better fucking see you again, Fawkes."

Fawkes firmly shook the Wanderer's hand. "You will. I swear it on my life."

Ken nodded. Before he could say anything else, the compartment closed and both planes began to lift off. He watched through the glass as Fawkes waved a short goodbye, then finally disappeared into the trees. Ken knew in his heart he would see his friend again.

He had to.

"All ears, on me!" ordered Pilot from the front. "The mothership is still en route to Vale to assist! Take a seat and strap in. This is gonna be a wild ride!"

Team JNPR and Ken did as they were told. Ken locked the strap over his lap and brought the harness down over his chest. He felt a little woozy as the plane lifted higher and higher, but he felt confident he wouldn't puke this time.

"What's going on, Pilot?" he yelled over the loud engines.

"Grimm forces have penetrated the city walls!" Pilot answered. "Any and all Huntsmen are being recruited to assist! It's a FUCKING mess!"

"What?!" Jaune said, shock lacing his voice. The others were just as shocked. "That's impossible!"

"Apparently not! I don't have details, but shit hit the fan in the blink of an eye!"

"How long until we get there? We have a lot of ground to cover," questioned Canton from the second plane. A laugh came from Pilot.

"ETA is ten minutes! Less, honestly, buuut it doesn't hurt to round up!"

Jaune exchanged a glance with Ken. "Uh, how the heck are we going to get there in ten minutes?! Bullheads can't possibly go that fast!"

"Alright, alright! My man's been paying attention in class!" You could practically taste the cockiness in Pilot's voice. "This ain't no shitty ol' Bullhead you're riding! But a Longhorn, Class B VTOL! This girl will get us there in no time!"

The engines grew louder. The rumbling became smoother as a high pitched sound of something priming filled the air. One last cackle sprinkled the top of the sound.

"Hold on to your butts!"

With that, the plane lurked, then finally screamed through the air at an incredible speed.

The short trip ended with a jolt of the engines. Their speed faded into a more natural rhythm, allowing the occupants of the Longhorn a deep breath of relief. The sounds of releasing harnesses filled the cabin as everyone stood and stretched their overused muscles.

Almost all of them.

Jaune and Ken collapsed onto the metal floor. Both were heaving whatever was left in their already empty stomachs on the grated floor.

"Well then!" called out Pilot. "Didn't think it would be that rough! Sorry for the turbulence! Haha!"

"God. Let's never do that again," exclaimed Ken. Jaune stumbled to his feet with help from Pyrrha.

"Agreed," he murmured. He cautiously approached the window. "Pilot. Talk to me."

"Welcome to the City of Vale! We're two minutes ahead of schedule. Weather's looking pretty nice, about twenty-nine degrees Celsius, clear blue skies. About ten percent precipitation, but an incredibly high chance of a Grimm invasion! Oh, wait."

The longhorn circled next to her sister plane over the downtown area. Grimm snarled and howled through the streets, terrifying the citizens into a stupefied attempt to escape.

"Looks like I'm a little late on the forecast for that one!"

"This is CRGE," Canton declared over the airways. "We will assist on the northern edge of the downtown limits. JNPR, I recommend you assist to the south. It seems they are getting hit hard there."

Jaune nodded as he rubbed his soar belly. "Copy that, CRGE. Good luck. Stay safe."

The planes split apart, heading in their respective directions. Ken wiped his mouth as he prepared his Reservist's Rifle.

"Hey, Jaune?" he asked timidly. His green-faced friend turned to acknowledge him. "Are you sure this is a good idea? You've had a hell of a morning."

Jaune didn't say anything. He simply looked at his team. Ren locked and loaded his weapons while his excitable partner loaded some large pink rounds into her weapon, smirking quite menacingly as she did so. The look of determination on Pyrrha's face was really the only answer he needed. They were all tattered and bruised, but if there was any force on Remnant that was ready for another fight, it was team JNPR.

Ken proudly smiled. He loaded his own weapon. "Right. I'll cover your landing. I'll meet you in the town square."

"Thanks, Ken."

"No. Thank you guys."

"Hate to break up the little pow wow, but we're ready for your insertion!" Pilot hollered as he slowed the plane. "Air drop, only! LZ's too hot!"

"Got it. Okay team! Let's do this!"

Ren dropped out of the opening without question. Nora climbed on top of her extended weapon and triggered it, a fit of giggles escaping her as she shot out like a cannon. Jaune, on the other hand, sort of hesitated at the lip.

"Well, uh, maybe on second thought…Hey Pilot, can you get us-WHOA!"

He was shoved from behind by a smiling Pyrrha. Before she followed her agonized partner, she gave a gaping Ken a slight wink, and hopped out. Ken shivered.

"Good lord. Glad I don't have a team…"

"Ramirez! Look alive!"

He quickly took aim through the open side port. Ken took down a few Grimm that attacked JNPR, allowing them some breathing room as they began their assault.

He watched Jaune come face to face with a rather large Ursa Major. Taking aim at the creature's face, he watched Jaune timidly stare back at it.

"Hold up a sec!" hollered Pilot. "Let blondie take this one!"

Ken sighed. He had him covered, anyway. He watched a moment as Jaune took a deep breath. Then finally, he thrashed at the large creature.

The Lone Wanderer smiled as the thing tumbled onto its back, dead. He shook his head.

'That kid's going places.'

The Longhorn hovered in the air a while, Pilot positioning the open cabin in a way that allowed Ken the clearest shots.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

"Woo hoo hoo!" Pilot excitedly exclaimed as he shifted the plane in different angles. "Those are some sexy shots! Where'd you learn to shoot like that, kid?"

"Meh. On assholes, mostly." Ken couldn't help but smile at his own remark. It was true, after all.

"Oh, shit!" Pilot suddenly jerked the plane. Ken was forced to latch on to the frame of the door. "We got big ones!"

"Where?!" Ken forced out as he clutched his aching stomach.

"The square! I think it's the breach point!"

The Wanderer watched as Pilot pointed towards the center of town. Beowolves, Ursai, and a type of Grimm Ken had never seen before flooded the small area. The sight of the newest evil made Ken shiver slightly.

"Those Creeps are overrunning the Huntsmen down there!" yelled Pilot. "They need more help than anyone at this point!"

"Can you get me closer?" Ken hollered.

"Negative! These damn Nevermores aren't gonna let me get too close! You'll need to hit the ground on this one, my man!"

Ken grumbled as Pilot dodged one of the aerial beasts. "Are you sure you don't want me to cover you?"

"Fuck that! Get down there! Now!"

"Alright. Pilot?"

"What is it?!"

"Stay alive. And good luck."

"Yeah, yeah, save the sentiment till we get out of this mess! But you too, alright? Go, go, go!"

He allowed himself a deep breath before hopping out of the open door. The wind rushed up at his feet through his hair, giving Ken an odd sense of peace for a moment.

'And here. We. Go.'

Ken made a point to land on one of the foul creatures. An angry Ursa took the force of a powerful Lone Wanderer directly from above, his Super Sledge adding to the great force. The Ursa screamed as it was pummeled into a crater.

Ken cackled as he stood onto his feet. The impact was utterly painful. His Aura glowed green as it took most of the force. Ken felt his anger trigger from the mix of pain and excitement. He growled under his breath as he locked eyes with the Grimm before him.

"Come get some!" he hollered.

The Creeps roared loudly at the sight of their new enemy. The horde attacked in the blink of an eye, closing the gap almost instantly.

Their first mistake.

Ken swung his weapon upon their arrival. Three were sent flying backwards. The powerful momentum sent them careening into their own kind, stalling most of them for a moment. Enough time for Ken to slam into the oncoming force once more.

Crunch! Slam! Crack!

Bone, fur, limbs. The berserk Lone Wanderer destroyed everything. He howled as more Grimm challenged him, slamming his sledge into their faces and legs.

"Is that all you've got?!"

He crushed the head of a downed Beowolf with the heel of his boot. The satisfying crunch and howl it made had him smile sadistically.

He observed his surroundings once he purged the wave of Grimm that attacked him. Hunters and Huntresses of all kinds were on the defense, killing whatever came their way. Ahead, near the center of the square, the ground was nearly demolished. What looked like a train stuck out of the opening, like a rotting subway car in the middle of the wasteland.

"That must be the breach point," he growled to no one. Determined to find a way to purge the attack at its source, he began to march in that direction. Until something made him stop.

A beautiful wave of deep purple blurred in and out of sight near the opening. The wonderful sight made Ken's heart leap in excitement. And concern.

Blake.

Quickly, he swapped out his melee weapon for his golden rifle and rushed over. He fired at some Ursai that had tried to flank the source of the beauty. Effectively drawing their attention, Ken angrily roared as he rushed towards the angered pair.

"Leave her ALONE!"

Not giving them a chance to respond, Ken tackled the first Ursa to the ground. He stood on top of it, drawing his Blackhawk and relieved it of its rounds into the creature's skull. Ken turned towards the second and fired the rest of his bullets into the abdomen of the next. It dropped to its knees. Ken then proceeded to rush towards it, grabbed its head, and yanked it the ground. He slammed its face repeatedly into the ground until nothing more than black powder sprinkled the tattered concrete.

Ken stood straight, cracking his neck in triumph. His adrenaline reached its peak from the encounter. He looked towards Blake, who blankly stared at him from a distance. He watched as she prepared to say something, making his heart leap in anticipation.

"That was reckless."

The first words she had said to him in what felt like an eternity. Ken laughed, although he was slightly…disappointed. At least, it was something. Ken squared his shoulders and played it off.

"That's my middle name, Kit-Cat!"

The nickname made her visibly wince. But, even so, Ken could see a slight hint of relief in her emotionless expression. And that was enough for him.

"Let me GO, you damn piece of-GAH!"

Ken and Blake immediately reacted to the distress. All they could see was a King Taijitu wrapped tightly around something, the white head preparing to dive into its trapped prey. Blake looked over at Ken and nodded.

"I'll cover you."

The Lone Wanderer sprinted towards the great snake. The Grimm around it tried to intercept him, howling and snarling at the human. But they all yielded to the force of powerful rounds emanating from behind him. Ken smiled. They make a good team.

He jabbed his combat knife straight in the scaly armor the moment he was close enough. The thick skin held well, but it was enough to irritate the monster. It loosened its hold on the person it held, turning its attention to the new aggressor. Good.

Ken leapt into the air. His Aura and his rage propelled him up high. He fired his revolver into the left eye, blowing it to pieces. The blinded creature hissed and thrashed in anger. It tried to snap at the airborne Wanderer, but he was faster than it expected. He jammed his knife into the remaining red orb and held onto the chain. The force of the snake's lunge forced the chain to wrap around its neck tightly. Ken planted his feet against the creature's back, anchoring himself on top.

"Giddyup, buttercup!"

He choked the snake by yanking at the tight chain. His extra strength forced the links to embed themselves deep into the scales, cracking right through them. With one final yank, and a loud raging roar, Ken ripped at his chain one final time. The chain cut right through the flimsy flesh with a cringing squish! The head of the snake freely flopped onto the ground, blood instantly disintegrating into smoke.

He landed with a loud thud in the center. He huffed in disappointment at the lack of fight this thing put in. Seriously, last time was much, much-

Thwack!

His instincts forced him to dodge to the side as the second head of the snake swiped at him. Welp, there it is. The fight he was expecting.

The black head of the injured creature reared back and attacked again. Ken immediately grabbed his chain and back flipped away. Its face landed at the spot he once was and slammed into the broken concrete. It hissed in pain, but Ken ignored it for now. He quickly grabbed the immobilized figure it once had in its grasp by the collar and dragged them away to safety. He left the rest to Blake.

He scrambled for a stimpak as he scanned the area around them, making sure they wouldn't be attacked. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Ugh! Damn thing caught me off guard!" She desperately gasped for air. "Ack! My ribs!"

"You're gonna be okay. This might hurt a little…"

He trailed off as he looked down at the individual he grabbed. He held his medicine in his hand, frozen at the sight of the person. His emotions didn't know how to react at the sight of her.

She struggled for air as she desperately gripped Ken's sleeve.

"What are you waiting for?! I need medical…"

She couldn't help but trail off as well when she too took sight of her impromptu hero. She stared at the dark scarred face. Partly in shock. Mostly in horror.

And he stared into her crimson irises.

There was no mistake. This was the girl that was observing him hungrily just a few days prior. Mint green hair. Blood red eyes.

Emerald was her name.

Ken stabbed her chest, making her yelp in surprise.

"Shit! What the hell?!"

"You're going to be fine," Ken forcefully said. He had to stop himself from being prejudice. He didn't know anything about her, after all. There's a number of reasons as to why she could've been so…curious, for lack of a better term. Hell, it could even have been to try and have the upper hand in the tournament.

But, even so, her presence unsettled him. Very, very much.

Emerald coughed. She gripped her own chest as she took a deep breath. Her ribs were magically mended back into shape.

"Whoa…what…what did you do to me?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Don't worry about it," he responded as he stood. "Stay here and get some rest. You shouldn't fight in this condition."

Emerald was too shocked to dispute. She simply nodded.

"Heads up! We got birds in the sky! And not the good kind!"

Ken looked up. To his dismay, a fleet of Nevermores soared in from above, squawking

angrily as they joined the fight. Ken grumbled.

"Look, I can still fight. Just-"

"No. Stay here and rest. You'll need it."

Again, Emerald simply sighed. Ken didn't look at her as he began to walk towards the new threat.

"Hey."

He turned. "Yeah?"

"Thanks. I guess I owe you one."

"…don't mention it."

The large birds attacked. Some were taken down by a dexterous Pilot directly from the sky. He tried desperately to get them away from the square, but most had already passed his weak defensive position.

"Come here, you ugly bastards! Leave them alone!"

A few of the Nevermores gave chase to the fleeing Longhorn. Once more, Pilot's voice filled the air.

"I'll try and drive 'em away! Keep it up, down there!"

Ken and Blake were able to knock a few of the smaller birds out of the sky quickly. Luckily, the bigger ones followed Pilot away from the fight.

"Pilot!" shouted Canton over the radio. "Get them towards the Anti-Air guns!"

"Way ahead of ya!"

"Hey, Blake?" Ken turned behind him. But, to his dismay, Blake had already moved away from him towards her own team. He sighed. The timing wasn't right, anyway.

Blake had regrouped with Ruby and Weiss. Excitement filled his veins at the sight of his friends. He began jogging towards them when a shout behind him made him stop.

"Nevermore, incoming!"

Sure enough, a Giant Nevermore appeared from the horizon. Ken angrily grumbled at the sight of the damn thing. Looks like it was on a direct crash course with the Lone Wanderer. How frustrating.

Ken whipped out his gun. Just as he readied his aim, a Beowolfe swiped at his side! He was knocked into a daze onto a pile of rubble.

"Shit!"

"Hiyah!"

Luckily for him, the creature was sliced in half. Ruby celebrated her latest kill with a fist bump to the air.

"Ahh yeah! Saved your butt! Again! You owe me a cookie, Kenny! No! Two cookies!"

"RUBY!"

The little girl in the red hood flinched at the command. She was suddenly sad at the anger laced in the voice.

"Um…Kenny? What's wron-"

"NEVERMORE!"

The one word made Ruby tilt her head in confusion for a moment. Until she realized what it meant. When she did, her eyes went wide.

"Uh oh."

Crash!

Ken stumbled the moment he tried to stand. The impact of the bird's massive weight shook the ground sharply. He coughed at the dust in the air, yelling Ruby's name.

When the dust cleared, he sighed in relief at the sight of Ruby still standing. She was staring wide eyed at the beast before her, unable to believe what she was seeing. The creature was struggling, flapping its wings weakly as if trying to buck something dominant off its back.

Ruby readied a round in Crescent Rose's chamber. It was time to put this thing out of its misery. In between the Nevermore's kicks and screams, a loud, booming voice made Ruby freeze.

"DAMN DEMON! GOOD FOR NOTHING!"

Ruby watched in horror as another great beast she had never seen before appeared from behind the Nevermore's massive head, a pair of monstrous hands raised up high. It bellowed a mighty roar, and its hands snatched the Grimm's open beak. Sickening crackling sounds harmonized with its awful, high pitched screams as the monster ripped the mouth apart.

One loud crack and booming laughter later, what remained of the Nevermore's body fell limp. The split head evaporated almost instantly. The monster jumped off of the disappearing carcass, landing on the cracked foundation inches from the little girl in red. Too shocked to react, she could only stand there in awe, fear, and admiration of this odd looking thing. She barely noticed the strange dog that had hopped out of the black dust and sprinted away.

She had to restrain herself from fearing the large beast as it raised to its full height. Seemingly aware of its surroundings, it observed the girl before it with a curious look.

"Ruby!" shouted the familiar voice of her partner from afar. "Get away from that thing!"

But she couldn't. She just stood there in amazement. It wasn't a Grimm, of that much she was sure of. It's yellow, blood-covered skin was evidence enough. Curse her curiosity, because now, she was in danger of being this…thing's next target.

"…uh…hello."

Now, it was the creature's turn to be shocked.

It was as if it wasn't expecting for this tiny person to acknowledge its existence. It grumbled questioningly, shrugging its head backwards like one would when taken aback.

"Um. Hi."

Its voice was deep. Tired. But, Ruby sensed the hint of humanity in it. And, in spite of everything that has happened so far, she couldn't help herself from reacting the way she did next…

She laughed. Profusely. The creature stared in disbelief as Ruby lost herself in a fit of adorable little giggles. After a while, it actually started laughing, too. The booming voice was enough to bring Ruby back to reality. She shot her arms in the air, excitement scribbled all over her teary face.

"That. Was. Awesome!"

The monster wiped away its own tear. "In all my years of life, I never…"

It suddenly became serious. Finally returning to her senses, Ruby stepped back, now feeling the fear return to her.

"Umm…what-?"

"LOOK OUT!"

The scream made Ruby flinch. She watched as the yellow skinned monster dashed towards her. Again, she flinched. A massive hand came in her direction, causing her heart to almost stop completely.

It whizzed past her. Behind her, specifically. She watched as it ripped at an Ursa and flung it into the ground behind him with an angry yell.

"YAAARGGH!"

Slam! Slam! Slam! Slam!

It flung the demon over its head and into the cement repeatedly, slamming it into the ground like a dirty piece of carpet. One final slam instantly turned the Grimm into dust.

With one final growl, it brushed its palms together, and walked away from its work.

"Puny demon!"

It made its way towards Ruby again. Ruby felt a pang of excitement. She really, really, really wanted to talk to it now! I mean, that was frickin' awesome!

Weiss suddenly appearing in front of her made her flinch again. Her hopes fell when she realized she was in a defensive stance.

"Ruby! Are you okay?" The concern that laced her voice made Ruby's heart leap. "What is that thing?!"

"I'm fine!" Her heart sank at the sad look the monster had. "Look, he just saved me! I-"

"I don't trust it."

Ruby tried to argue, but Weiss had turned and grabbed her shoulder. "Let's go. We need to-"

"Fawkes! There you are!"

Weiss' head snapped in the direction of the familiar voice. Her eyes widened at the sight of Ken briskly pacing towards the yellow creature. Shocked, she waved her arms, frantically trying to get his attention.

"KEN! Don't get close to it!"

To her dismay, he simply waved at her. She watched in horror as Ken walked right up to the creature, who was now donning a massive mini gun in its hands. She tried to yell again, begging Ken to get away from the offending creature, until she saw something that shocked her.

"Sweet entrance, man," he said, a wide smile on his face. "But, I'd say that was showing off a bit."

"I apologize!" the creature boomed. It laughed. "I forgot that is your job!"

Ken laughed, sending a fist into the creature's bicep. It seemed to barely notice. Weiss watched this whole interaction with her jaw threatening to make its own crater in the ground.

Ruby waved her hand on front of her gaping gaze, giggling again. "Wakey, wakey! We still got more Grimm to kill!"

"You know that…thing?!" Weiss finally asked. Ken looked towards her from across the square. He simply nodded. He was about to say something else when another shout came from the other end of the block.

"Specters!" it yelled. "Heavy hitters, upfront! On the double!"

The monster, who's name apparently was Fawkes, growled in annoyance. "I have been meaning to ask you, brother. What are these demons that crawl all over this planet?!"

Weiss watched in shock. 'Brother?! What does that mean?!"

Ken simply ripped open the mini gun's compartment. Expelling the chamber of its contents, he jammed a cartridge full of rusty looking bullets into it and slammed the cover shut. Without looking at his massive compatriot, he simply sneered in the direction of their new target.

"Prey."

This pleased Fawkes greatly, for he lifted his freshly loaded weapon and cackled loudly.

"Say no MORE! May the hunt begin!"

The shout had a strange effect on the atmosphere. The Hunters and Huntresses, including the young students in the area, had been watching this exchange the whole time, unsure if this monster-thing was a friendly or not. Now, they realize he wasn't an enemy at all, and in fact an ally. Plus, its final declaration seemed to motivate them all. Some raised their weapons high, repeating his last sentence loud and proud and quickly rushed towards the newest threat. Others simply grunted loudly, marching alongside the Lone Wanderer and his large compatriot.

Weiss rubbed her eyes in disbelief. Did that…just happen? Even though a large, monster thing comes crashing in from the sky, killed two large Grimm with its bare hands, and has a very large gun, people are already following it?

The world, truly, has gone mad.

"Come on, Weiss!" Her excitable partner beckoned with her large weapon. "They left these Beowolves just for us!"

"Be careful how you wave that thing, Ruby!" Weiss demanded, trying to forget the tomfoolery she had witnessed. "It's not a toy!

"Ahem!"

Weiss sighed. "Okay. 'She's' not a toy."

Ruby happily beamed. "Thank you!" She turned towards Ken once more. "Kenny! We could use your help!"

Ken looked back and nodded. "Fawkes, help these guys purge those Specters. They're fast and loud. Don't bother aiming."

"Understood!" Fawkes hurried towards the line-up of warriors preparing for the wave of the newest threat. He stepped next to someone to the right, who was watching him eagerly over a pair of sunglasses.

The girl sneered. "Hey there, big guy. Nice gun."

"Her name is Eugene!" Fawkes pronounced proudly. Although a normal person couldn't really notice, he was now observing his new audience with his own hint of concern. "However, I see you lack the same fire power."

"Oh, trust me. I got plenty. But it looks like you lack a little….fashion sense? How indecent of you to be barely wearing anything at all."

"Hmm? An odd thing to point out at a time like this. Especially since you yourself lack a weapon. Do you plan on beating these creatures to death with that…bag of yours?"

"Hmph!" The girl balled up her fists, audibly cracking them. "How dare you?"

Suddenly, the purse she carried expanded. It transformed into a giant gun, rivaling the size of Eugene herself. Fawkes was surprised, but very pleased.

"Ah. Now that's better! Perhaps we can learn from each other, then?"

"That's a much more respectful thing to say." She laughed. "Maybe I'll take you shopping after this. How about you help me take care of these damn things for now, hmm?"

"It would be my great PLEASURE!"

The Specters finally appeared. The powerful screeches made everyone cringe, but Fawkes and his newest friend didn't move an inch. Fawkes laughed as he activated Eugene's revolving barrels.

"My name is Fawkes!"

"Name's Coco. Now shut up and shoot!"

And he did. The flood of black fur that was finally in range was met with an endless barage of invisible bullets, ripping into it like an iron sword through a wicker shield. The onslaught proved to be effective, allowing the rest of the warriors to regroup and add to the firepower. All the while bullets, Dust, and Semblances were lighting up the dark evil that was the Grimm, the deep menacing laughter of Fawkes the Meta Human rang through the air like an evil melody.

On the opposite flank, Weiss and Ruby prepared themselves to attack the larger Grimm in front of them. Ken was occupied keeping minor minions at bay, so Ruby came up with a quick plan. She locked eyes with the Alpha Beowolf as it snarled in her direction.

"Weiss. I'll get the Alpha."

"Ruby, are you sure?" Weiss had that concern in her voice again. "We can take it together."

"I'll need you to keep the smaller ones away from me. But get ready for Ice Flower, just in case!"

Weiss sighed. "Okay. Fine. On your mark,"

"On three! One. Two-"

A dog suddenly appeared in front of her. She hesitated at the sight.

"Hey! Where did you come from?"

It barked in response. The mutt growled at the larger creatures ahead of it, as if trying to intimidate them. Ruby found it very cute and brave, naturally. She giggled.

"Get out of the way, boy! You might get-"

The thing didn't stay to listen to Ruby's command. Instead, it dashed ahead towards the monsters. Right for the Alpha.

Ruby's shoulders slumped. "Uh…you might get hurt…"

The dog lunged when it came in range of the Alpha. The surprised Grimm swiped at the mutt, but it was too fast. The dog clamped its jaws down right at the Grimm's throat, making it scream in pain. It tried to swat at it like an annoying bug, but the dog was quite dexterous. It yanked at its throat, pulling the creature to the ground.

Then, the dog ripped at the throat it clutched again. This time, it took away a very large chunk of fur and flesh. Blood poured freely from the open wound. The alpha screamed and hollered, but after a painful moment, it finally collapsed. Dead.

The dog emerged from the ashes. The minor Beowolves were too late. They weren't close enough to react to their leader being killed in time. They hesitated at the sight of the smaller, menacing creature. It howled and snarled, fearless at the sight of the demons before it.

They looked at each other for a moment. The dog began barking, like it were demanding orders. The Beowolves barked and snarled back. But they kept their distance. Ruby and Weiss couldn't believe what they were seeing. According to their studies, Beowolves usually attacked anything that wasn't their own kind on sight. Right?

The smaller dog turned to face them. It was a bit calmer now. But, the giant Grimm behind it didn't attack it. Instead, the three Beowolves stepped closer to it. Flanking it. In the exact formation they would when following the orders of a great Alpha Beowolf.

Ken laughed from a distance. "Dogmeat. Good boy."

Dogmeat growled happily at the approval of his master. A moment passed before he barked again, the loudest bark the proud pup ever barked. It was a command. An order.

And the Beowolves followed it to the letter.

The three Grimm swarmed towards their own kind. They swiftly ripped and tore at Ursai, Creeps, and even their very own brethren. The surprise attack helped immensely, subduing enough of the creatures, and allowing Ken, Ruby, Weiss, and Blake to bottle neck the rest on a single street. Dogmeat attacked whatever he could, weakening the larger Ursa Majors enough to allow his newest army to finish them off.

However, even with such powerful soldiers and exploits, the Grimm kept coming. The fight continued for much longer than it needed to.

Then, when things couldn't possibly get worse, a tremendous earthquake shattered the windows of the surrounding buildings. The series of tremors only grew worse and worse. People and even Grimm had to pick themselves up from the ground at the sheer force of the mysterious power.

"What the hell is that?!" shouted Ken. Unfortunately for him, his question was about to be answered in the worse way possible.

A wall of buildings came crashing down in front of him. A giant foot crushed more structures and statues like they were plastic bottles. Attached to the limb was a large, gorilla like creature, heaving and growling as it pounded its fists into its chest.

'Shit! A Kong Master?' Ken thought.

"Oh, shit!" Shouted someone from the back. "Silver Queen! Everyone! Cover your ears!"

'Cover our ears?' innocently thought Ken. 'Why would-'

That was when the screech came.

Everyone shouted in pain as the high-pitch squeal shattered every delicate thing in the vicinity. Ear drums popped. Beowolf heads burst like balloons. Teeth shattered like sugar glass. Ken howled in pain as his ears rang in a deafening pitch.

The hopes of all the Hunters in the area were crushed.

That was until the air was filled with the sound of roaring engines. The sky darkened suddenly as the sun was blocked by more than just the clouds in the sky. When everyone looked up, sighs of relief echoed through the dust-filled square.

"It's the Necessity!"

"Finally!"

The massive mag cannon of the Necessity hummed hungrily as it entered in range. With an earth shattering kaboom, it let loose a powerful payload into the massive Queen, interrupting its painful song. She crashed into a bed of buildings, a thick cloud of smoke surrounding her collapsed frame.

A loud murmur could be heard throughout the battlefield as the fighters painfully recovered. Groans and mumbles filled the air, the Necessity hovering above them like a loving mother over her hatchlings.

"Direct hit." The rich, vibrant voice of Commander Pic filled the airways. "Ramirez, do you read me? Come in, Wanderer."

"I read you, Pic," Ken swiftly replied. "What's up?"

"We can't afford to let that Queen sing again," Pic immediately remarked. Ken chuckled.

"Good to hear from you too, boss man."

"This is serious!" bit the commander. Ken didn't reply, waiting instead for more. "The first screech from a Queen is usually a warning. We need to make sure it doesn't sing again."

"Wait a minute! That was a warning?!" Jaune remarked over the comms. "So that means…if it screeches again…"

"That's right, blondie. Everyone's head will pop. Like balloons."

"What you're saying makes sense, Commander," remarked Ken. "But why are you telling me this? You're the one with the fire power!"

"We haven't been able to restock the Necessity's ammo supply," Pic explained. "That was our last round."

Ken sighed. That Queen was already regaining her footing while many recovered Huntsmen were trying to keep it from standing.

"Well shit, Pic. What the hell am I supposed to do from down here?!"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. Some advice; a Queen's armor is resilient. You won't be able to crack it, so try and get beneath it instead."

"Yeah?!" Ken shouted angrily. "And what on Earth will you be doing?"

At that precise moment, an entire swarm of Nevermores bombarded the great ship. Her shields flared in response as she was rocked midair.

"Keeping these damned things off your ass as long as possible! Now quit BITCHING and get to it, already!"

With that, the Necessity went off the air in an effort to defend herself. Ken grumbled as he turned to watch the angered Silver Queen.

"Ah, hell. I didn't sign up for this."

"We'll help you however we can!"

Huntsmen and Huntresses shouted in agreement all around the square. They were desperately trying to fight off the remaining Grimm. Jaune jogged over to Ken's side along with Team RWBY.

Fawkes made his way towards Ken, resulting in dirty looks from a disgruntled Weiss.

"Ken, this is most concerning. That creature is tremendous! We need a lot of firepower to destroy it!"

"I know, Fawkes, I know." Ken rubbed his chin desperately. "I just don't have anything powerful enough!"

"Any ideas?" Jaune asked timidly. Ken shook his head, angrily running his fingers through his hair.

"Ah! No! Not a clue."

Time was running out. The Queen was on her feet now. The great creature inhaled. Its chest puffed largely and the air around it visually was sucked in. Ken began to panic.

Pzzt! Pzzt!

"Who's ready to have their ass kicked?!"

The offending laser shots hit the queen directly in the eye, pissing it off. The red hot pain distracted it from screaming again, queuing an audible sigh of relief from the surrounding warriors.

Ken smiled in relief. "Sarge! Nice shot!"

"Ah! There you are!" Sarge quickly zipped over. "Important message from Tommy! He says- DIE YOU COMMIE SON OF A BITCH!"

Sarge immediately set sights on the massive Super Mutant behind Ken. Ken flinched.

"Sarge, no! Wait!"

Sarge angrily shouted as he fired his lasers. Fawkes, barely phased by the shots, simply swatted away at the eyebot. But the persistent freedom-loving bot continued its assault. So, Fawkes simply grabbed him out of the air.

"Cut it out!"

"Get your dirty paws off of me, you damn dirty red!"

"Sarge! Calm down! He's a friendly!"

"Friendly?! FRIENDLY?! I'D RATHER BE CAUGHT DEAD THAN CALL A COMMIE A FRIENDLY!"

Ken came up and grabbed Sarge out of Fawkes' grasp. Luckily, the mutant decided not to destroy the stubborn thing. Ken shook the eyebot ferociously.

"We don't have time! Mark him as friendly!"

"NEVER!"

"NOW!"

"Ugh! Fine! Target marked!" Sarge made a disgusting spitting sound in Fawkes' direction. "I swear, Ramirez, you're getting soft!"

"What's your message?! Hurry!"

"Tommy sends you this code: 9-4-6-3-7-9. Enter it into your scroll ASAP!"

Ken did so quickly. His eyes went wide when he realized what it meant.

An idea popped into his head. "Yes! That's it!"

"What, Ken?!" Jaune shouted through desperate gasps.

The ground shook once more. The Queen was back on its feet! Damn! Ken quickly reached for his Pip-Boy.

"Sarge! How's that upgrade Grant gave you?"

"Still active and sexy! What about it?"

Ken prepared Miss Launcher's final missile. "We're gonna use it. Fawkes! Blake! Everyone! COVER ME!"

The Lone Wanderer took off running towards the chaos. Not sure what else to do, Jaune turned to his red head counterpart.

"What do we do?"

"You heard him!" Ruby exclaimed. She ejected her spent magazine and replaced it with another, bigger clip. "Give him some back up!"

The two teams fanned out. They quickly moved to keep up with a desperately fast Ken, who was releasing rounds from his Blackhawk like radiation from an atomic explosion.

'I need to get closer!'

The Wanderer deflected and destroyed any and all Grimm that stood in his path. He switched from his revolver to his massive sledge, not bothering really with anything else. He needed to get to the Queen, and fast. Anything else would take too much time. It was at times like these he missed his gauntlet.

He grunted as he sent a Creep flying through the air. Almost there. Now closer to the annoyed Silver Queen, Ken quickly clicked the affirmative function beneath the code he entered.

Confirmed! Stand by for landing!

With that, Ken switched out the Super Sledge on his back with Miss Launcher. He stood his ground at the foot of the pulverized buildings, many times using his bare fists to pummel creatures into the asphalt. He roared and grunted impatiently at the fruitless attempts to take him down.

His scroll beeped.

Alert! Impact imminent!

"Come on!" He screamed. The Silver Queen reared back its head. The air around it was swallowed whole by its massive, evil lungs. "Come on!"

Impact in 3…

Silence absorbed the air as all sound was eaten by the great monster. Ken angrily shouted as he shoved an Ursa out of his face.

"Faster! Faster!"

2…

Time felt as though it came to a stop. And not in the good way. Ken's breathing hitched when he realized that the Queen had stopped inhaling. This was it. It was ready. Primed.

1…

"God. Fucking. DAMMIT!"

Prepare for impact!

A great crack echoed through the air. Something about the size of a small rocket fired straight into the Queen's massive chest. The resulting impact made it scream in pain. All the air and power it accumulated came in a short burst of air as the Grimm was knocked backwards.

"YES!" Ken jumped in excitement. The object that had made impact ricocheted off of a nearby rooftop before bursting once more and landing with a loud crunch a few feet away from the Wanderer. Quickly rushing towards it, Ken wasted no time entering his passcode into the glowing panel and ripping open the much larger locker. He couldn't help but smile when he saw what it contained.

"Damn, Tommy. You out-did yourself this time." Ken quickly stored the contents in his inventory, turning over his shoulder. "Fawkes! How's that arm of yours?!"

Fawkes brought his red-hot barrels to a whining stop. "If you are referring to my strength, it is still in top shape!"

"I need a lift!"

"Very well!" Fawkes tucked away his mini gun. "On your mark!"

"Sarge! Charge up and wait for my signal!"

"Copy that!" The eyebot, lacking insults this time for some reason, backed away from the chaos. Hovering a bit lower than normal, he began to glow with red energy.

Ken now turned to his friends. "Jaune! Ruby! Make sure nothing gets to Sarge!"

"Uh. Right!" Jaune had to shake himself from the odd sight if the little rude robot lighting up. "Rubes! Give me a hand, will you?"

Ruby nodded in excitement. She and her team, along with Jaune, surrounded the glowing bot. Pyrrha came in to assist once the Grimm tried to swarm them, much to Jaune's relief.

Ken bounced on his heels once. He nodded towards his mutant friend.

"Ready?"

"Yes! Go!"

Ken sprinted as fast as he could. He focused the little energy he had left in him into his sprint.

His Aura softly reacted. This frustrated Ken as he really tried to muster whatever he could into his control. He focused harder, desperately trying to make his power obey.

It responded. Yes! He molded it as best as he could, feeling the raw energy orbit in his core.

Finally, he leapt straight into Fawkes' grasp. The Meta Human grabbed him, spun to gain momentum, and finally hurled the strangely light Wanderer with a mighty roar!

He flew through the air, straight towards the massive Grimm. He was going much, much faster than he planned.

'Shit! Shit!'

He quickly activated the item Tommy sent him. 'I timed it wrong! Shit!'

Now, as clumsy as we know Ken to be, we also know he doesn't really give himself that much credit. From the town below, the many warriors paused for a moment and watched in awe as the mysterious Lone Wanderer sailed through the air. He glowed entirely green for a moment before he came in contact.

And was swallowed whole by the gaping mouth.

A wave of shock rippled throughout the battlefield. The Silver Queen barely seemed phased. A loud belch echoed through the air.

"No! No! NO!" Fawkes angrily pounded the Earth with an angry fist. "THAT WAS YOUR PLAN?! FOOL!"

There was one person affected more than the rest. The grip on her weapon weakened. The only thing keeping it from falling was the thick, black ribbon wrapped around her slender arm.

'…. Ken…'

She barely noticed a few Grimm being ripped apart at her side that had tried to take advantage of her weak state. Yang landed with a heavy thud next to her partner, panting heavily in exhaustion.

"Blake! Blake, look at me."

She barely did. Yang's heart cracked at the sight of the dim golden irises. She held back her own tears when they trickled down her partner's cheeks. "We need to get out of here!"

It took a shake of the shoulders to bring Blake back. She wiped her eyes, almost angrily, before nodding in agreement. Weiss and Ruby appeared next to them.

"Guys?" Ruby was just as shaken. Her voice was evidence of that enough. "W-what just happened?"

"I dunno, sis." Yang responded. "But we need to retreat."

"Oh no you don't!"

An angry Jaune hollered in anger at the distraught team. He swung his weapon at a Grimm that tried to eat the still glowing Sarge. "You will not give up! Not yet!"

"That thing is about to attack again!" Weiss angrily pointed at the creature in question, who was beginning its roar for the third time. "We need to get out of range!"

Jaune only stared. The anger swelled his form, tensing his muscles and reddening his face.

"We have a job to do! And we need to finish it!"

Jaune destroyed another Beowolf with a swing and a roar. "Ken is counting on us to protect his friends! We all are! We're not leaving! Not yet!"

"But…"

Blake was already making her way back into the fight, under urgent protest form her yellow partner. Ruby stepped forward after her.

"Oh, not you too!" Weiss exclaimed. Ruby shrugged and simply ran back into the fight.

"No! Ruby, wait!" Yang quickly went after her sister. With that, Weiss rolled her eyes.

"We need to have faith!" Jaune continued through desperate grunts. "We can't give up yet! Ken wouldn't do that! He TAUGHT us that, damn it!"

"I know, but-"

KABOOM!

Weiss couldn't finish her protest. The sound of an explosion rocked the destroyed foundation. More glass shattered from the powerful after shock. What the hell was that?

Suddenly, another KABOOM! The Silver Queen screeched in pain as something shot out from her chest. Blood immediately transformed into smoke as a metallic object ejected out of the gaping wound at an incredible speed.

The suit landed on the ground with an audible crunch into the asphalt. It stood on two massive feet. The helmet turned to the side with a sickening crack! Then, the other side. Crack!

"Well, shit," echoed the helmet. "That was shockingly easy."

"Woo hoo!"

"That was sick!"

"Nice exit, Wanderer!"

More cheers echoed through the city, instantly lifting moral. The Silver Queen desperately tried to sing, but only pathetic grunts and squeals came out.

"Yeah!" Jaune raised his sword into the air with beaming pride. "Ken, that was frickin' awesome!"

A metallic thumb covered in smoky blood acknowledged him. Weiss sighed heavily in relief.

"Jaune, I swear. You're going to get someone killed."

Jaune only gave a confused look to the cold heiress. He was going to protest when the ground shook violently once more.

"How the hell has the ground lasted this long?!"

The declaration was lost in the powerful shock waves. The Silver Queen was pounding its fists into the ground repeatedly.

"Damn!" Ken shouted as he lost his balance in his power armor. "I thought that would do it! SARGE! STATUS!"

"I need a little more time, damn it!"

Ken was done with the hesitation. He shouted a command to his brother. He and Fawkes closed the distance to the great creature once more.

"It is keeping its head down!" declared Fawkes. "Perhaps it is defending its weak point?"

"Probably." Ken tossed Fawkes' Super Sledge back. "Thanks for letting me borrow this!"

"It's so…light! Like a feather!" Fawkes was distracted by the strange change. "What did-"

"No time!" Ken pulled out his plasma weapon. "We need to expose that wound! Swing when I say so!"

"Right!"

Upon entering range of the wounded ape, it raised both fists high before bringing them down on the two threats. The dexterous duo swiftly dodged the attack, but succumbed to the powerful shock that followed when the fists shook the earth. Ken shot every ounce of plasma into the closest fist, burning the Dust-amplified rounds into the thick hide. It tried to screech in pain, raising its hands into the sky.

"Scarface!" Sarge was now as bright as the sun, blinding the students protecting him. "Primed and ready!"

"Hold on, Sarge! Not ready yet!"

His mechanical body whirred and boomed as he focused every bit of energy he could muster.

"GAHHH! HOT! HOT!" Sarge howled and shook. "I-I CAN'T HOLD THIS FOR VERY LONG! OVERHEATING VERY QUICKLY!"

The Queen raised its only good fist. Ken grabbed a spare red battery from his inventory.

"Just a little longer!"

The fist threatened to squash his large comrade. It came down on the patiently waiting mutant.

"FAWKES! NOW!"

"GAHHH!"

The Super Mutant swung to his left, catching the giant fist by the knuckle. The power diverted the mighty limb to fire off towards the direction of the impact, forcing the Queen to faceplant into the dirt with a loud thump! Ken quickly reached towards the massive eye lid. He ripped it open, exposing the giant, red glowing orb in the creature's skull.

"Now you see me…"

He then proceeded to stuff the battery into the bloody orifice.

"Now you don't!"

The creature tried to cover its eye with its hand, but it couldn't react in time. Ken quickly stabbed the eye with his electric sword, setting off the fire crystals inside the battery. The resulting explosion shot Ken backwards, his armor carving a trail beneath him. The Silver Queen was forced up into the air, straightening its back as it screeched in horrible pain.

Its chest was exposed. Ken, the moment he came to a stop, took a deep breath.

*cough* "SARGE! THE CHEST WOUND! FIRE! NOW!"

"FIRING!"

A blinding flash emitted from the little robot. Suddenly, a thick, bright, red laser beam flashed from Sarge's face so quickly, it was gone in almost an instant. The blinded warriors looked around, confused, and dazed by the light.

The Queen was still standing. Even Sarge was disappointed.

"Did…did it work?"

Then, that was when it happened. The hole in the creature's chest collapsed, revealing a much more damaging wound. Its flesh, starting from the impact point, collapsed in a structure-less sand. The last red eye dimmed to black. The corpse of the Silver Queen timbered back. It dissipated into a black, thick smoke as it tumbled to the ground.

"Aha!" shouted the eyebot. "Direct hit! I am Sergeant Lavernius! AND YOU WILL FEAR MY LASER FACE!"

"Nice work, Sarge!" Ken jogged over to the still steaming robot. "Although, don't you think you overdid it a bit?"

"Negative! That bastard deserved every cell I had in me!" Sarge suddenly swerved in the air. He dropped mid-flight, but Ken caught him in time.

"Whoa…Okay, maybe just a little…"

"No worries, man. Rest up. You've earned it."

He cradled the little bot as Fawkes strode over to them, Eugene stowed away behind his back.

"An intense battle, indeed. I must say, you are quite the soldier."

"Yeah, yeah. I still don't trust you, ugly!"

"Understandable. Haha! But perhaps that might change soon!"

"Yeah…we'll see." Sarge shut off his engines. "Right now, I think I'm gonna rest a while…"

"You do that, little annoying robot," cooed Fawkes. "You deserve it."

Cheers and sighs echoed throughout the destroyed city. With the greatest Grimm finally neutralized, Huntsmen and Huntresses were now happily regrouping. There was still much work to be done.

The Lone Wanderer stored his helmet. He watched as many of the warriors found the strength to finally fight again, many of them offering their sincerest thanks. He only nodded, simply saying he did what he had to do.

Now, a new rumbling came in the form of an entire fleet of airships zeroing in on the area.

"Huntsmen. Huntresses. Students. Stand down. We'll take it from here"

"Ironwood. About DAMN time."

Ken grumbled. "God damn it. Now you show up?!"

"My apologies, Ramirez. We were held up elsewhere. We'll do the rest from here."

Ken simply shook his head. At this point, he wasn't going to complain. He and his allies were wiped of both their Auras and will. Any help, whether timely or not, was more than welcome.

The mighty Necessity was flanked on all sides by large, loud ships. They cleared the aerial Grimm that harassed her quickly, allowing her to breathe. The rest of the ships hovered above the rest of the square, assisting as needed to those overworked below. One even ripped apart an Ursa that had tried to flank Ruby with its massive rounds.

The skies above opened up. Not with rain, but instead with heavy androids, deploying from the bellies of Ironwood's fleet. The army of Atlesian Knights landed throughout the city, taking over the daunting task of cleaning up the remaining Grimm in the area. One of the tin cans landed next to Ken. He grumbled. And he couldn't really help himself when he sent his fist straight through the thing, shattering it to bits. Oops.

Some time went by as the Knights and the more experienced hunters arrived to the scene. Even a giant Atlesian Paladin emerged from the impact point, along with a tremendous, vicious, terrifying creature.

A…corgi?

Okay, maybe not tremendous then. The little thing leapt into the arena. It kicked ass and took names, much to many people's surprise. Supported by Oobleck in the cockpit of the broken armor, nothing could stop the odd duo from taking back their beloved city.

Dogmeat became excited at the sight of the little pup. Now solo, he quickly came up to Zwei when the dust settled, the two of them instantly becoming everlasting friends.

It didn't take long for the City of Vale to return to normal. Ah, well, as normal as it could get, considering the circumstances. With the wound in the ground now healed by a furious Glynda, everyone in the city took a deep, exacerbated breath.

Not Ken, however. He simply remained still as he watched everyone regroup. Since there was nothing more to distract the Lone Wanderer, his mind was, yet again, going a mile a minute. Sensing his discomfort, Fawkes came to his side.

"You worry too much, brother."

"I know. It's what I do."

"Listen. Today, we are victorious. The day belongs to us. To you, most of all."

Ken looked up at his tall compatriot. The Super Mutant version of a smile lit up brightly.

"Be grateful. Relax your mind and spirit. You will need it to continue on, my friend."

Ken smiled. He shook his head as he patted the massive arm next to him.

"Shit, Fawkes. Damn good to have you back."

Fawkes cracked his massive knuckles as he chuckled.

"It is good to be back, my brother!"

Dogmeat, accompanied by his new best friend, happily bounded his way over to Ken. He leapt and planted his paws onto Kens thigh, panting happily as ever. Ken laughed and petted his soft head.

"Great work, buddy! Looks like you made a new friend!" Dogmeat barked oh so happily.

Ken then sensed a pair of eyes watching him from behind. He turned around, locking his eyes with them a short distance away. He couldn't help but smile.

"Hi."

"Hi."

She returned the smile, although it was slight. That made Ken feel so much better. Blake had such a beautiful smile.

'Dammit, brain! Stop being weird!'

He was distracted by a familiar strong embrace. He chuckled, not having to look down at all as he returned the hug.

"I can't always be there to keep you out of trouble, Ruby."

"Hey!" Ruby pulled back, a wide smile on her face. "I can take care of myself, thank you very much!"

"Not if I have something to day about it!" Yang replied from behind. Ruby simply stuck her tongue out at her older sister. Yang shook her head, smiling at Ken now. "Hey, Kenny. That was a crazy stunt you pulled."

Ken shrugged innocently. Yang giggled. "You're a toughy! I like that! Keep it up!" She stuck out her thumb in approval.

"Absolute not! Don't EVER do that again!" Weiss now appeared, dirt covering her pretty, pale face. It was quite adorable when she huffed in anger, because a cloud of dust emitted from her lips. The other members of her team giggled behind their hands. Even JNPR, Jaune most of all, had started giggling.

"You're cute when you're mad!" Jaune cried out. Weiss growled. Pyrrha looked suddenly distraught, catching Ken's eye momentarily.

"Quiet, you! Kenneth! Just…be careful next time!"

Ken nodded. "That's my middle name, princess! Besides 'Reckless', anyway." He gave her a wink.

Weiss prepared to retaliate when a plane landed not far from where they stood. Ken was watching it closely as its ramped lowered. He saw the mysterious girl named Emerald approach it, along with her partner. And one more.

Ken clenched his jaw. He quickly strutted towards the plane, his massive armor making loud clunks and whirs with each step. His allies followed closely, curious as to what got into him.

"Oh, I can't believe that you caught me! You've really taught me the error of my ways!"

Ah. Of course. No wonder our hero is suddenly so on edge.

Ken growled as he approached the sarcastic individual. Emerald watched like she usually did as the Lone Wanderer approached, all whilst clutching her freshly healed wound.

"You. This was your doing?"

Torchwick laughed at the angry Wanderer. "Well, well, well. Aren't we the clever one?"

Ken scowled. "Letting you live was a mistake after all."

"Oh, ho ho! Such strong words!" Torchwick ripped his arm away from the grippy Knight at his side, a smug look still painted on his face. "What happened to the sassy, clever Wanderer I fought at the docks not long ago? Where is he and what have you done to him?" He laughed under his breath. "Listen, kid. You may be tough. But you're not as tough as you might think you are."

"Oh, yeah?" Ken smirked. "I guess we'll see about that."

Again, Torchwick laughed under his breath. But this time, Ken was uneasy.

"Sure, kid. We'll see. Hey, hey! Watch the hat!"

With that, the criminal was escorted onboard. Ken simply stared as the plane lifted off and flew away towards the larger airship. Looks like we won't be seeing him for a while.

Good. Ken sighed. That criminal was finally in custody. One less thing to worry about.

"KENNETH RAMIREZ!"

For now, anyway.

He turned at the angry sound of his name. The sound of menacing, terrifying heels sent chills through everyone who heard it. Ken, however, only grumbled in annoyance. He knew what it meant, and he was honestly tired of it.

Glynda was here.

She stormed up to the Lone Wanderer. The professor was fuming. She was so angry that it looked as though smoke literally was coming out of her slightly disheveled hair.

Oh, wait. That's just dead Grimm flesh.

"That was foolish! Reckless!"

"That's what I said!"

Glynda shot Weiss an accusing look, soliciting a quiet apology from the heiress. She returned her gaze to Ken.

"You could've been killed! Or worse! You should have waited for Ironwood's men to arrive!"

"How dare you!" Sarge energetically leapt out of Ken's grasp. He hovered high and proud, offended by this woman's lack of respect. "We had the situation under control!"

Ken's face became dark. This frustrated Glynda. It wasn't the reaction she expected.

"You're saying I should have waited this whole time?"

Glynda hesitated.

"No, what I am saying, it would have been best if-"

"If I just sat around and did nothing? Just wait for mommy and daddy to take care of this God forsaken mess?! While everyone around me could have died?!"

Ken stepped forward angrily, closing the distance between himself and his teacher. He was inches away from her now, fuming in anger himself. She was about to protest how close he was when he continued.

"Professor Goodwitch. You of all people should know that I simply cannot allow that to happen. Not as long as I'm alive."

"You're safety is just important as anyone else's," Goodwitch said, a little more calmly this time. "And I ask that you do not use that tone with me, young man!"

"I apologize if I offended you, ma'am."

"I'm sure you do," she bit. "Now, explain to me why you acted the way you did?"

"My brother only does what's best for his people. No matter the cost."

Glynda was taken aback by the booming response. She kept her riding crop close in light of the new…creature.

"Well, if commie eyes over here wasn't so INCOMPETENT, we'd be having a different conversation!"

"Gahhhh! Robot! You annoy me! Shut UP!"

Sarge primed his lasers. "I annoy you, huh? Well I made loop hole in this targeting system! And I'm not afraid to use it!"

"You're bluffing. But I'd love to see you try!"

The back and forth between the two continued, growing worse and worse. Dogmeat was now adding to it, barking angrily at the eyebot and favoring his trusted friend. Glynda watched in silent horror at the tomfoolery before her.

"That's enough! All of you!"

The three looked at Ken. Although he didn't look angry. Actually, a smile now adorned his face.

"You're all friends. My friends. Get along, will ya?"

Sarge huffed and mumbled under his, eh, breath, but he didn't argue. Fawkes simply turned his back to the bot. Dogmeat simply barked happily.

Glynda adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat. She looked at the students she was used to seeing, like RWBY and JNPR. Then, she looked at Ken and his...friends. She pointed a menacing crop at them.

"Mr. Ramirez. What…what on Remnant is all this?! Explain yourself!"

Ken hummed, genuinely trying to come up with an answer. Fawkes cracked his neck, relaxed and ready for the next challenge. Sarge hurled another insult at the offending spectacled woman, still proudly floating next to his scarred friend and hating his newest "ally". Dogmeat happily barked next to his master's heel, excited about the day's events, as well as making his own friend of the canine variety. The rest of his friends, those whom he made on Remnant, simply chatted amongst themselves, exhausted but happy for the day's mighty victory over the enemy.

The Lone Wanderer watched all of this happen, a proud glint in his eye. He motioned towards the three behind him.

"Well, Glynda. This here? Is my team."

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

It's odd how haunting this sound is. It's rhythmic. Elegant. Yet, it always had the same effect on people. The sound always brought a certain feel to anyone, whether they expected it to or not.

"Ozpin?"

It brought a feeling of stinging anxiety.

"Ozpin!"

A sigh could barely be heard. The headmaster begrudgingly spun his chair, facing the bright holographic screen over his desk.

"Yes, councilman?"

"You've left us no choice! The Vytal festival tournament cannot be broadcast, let alone held, if we are unable to ensure the safety of the citizens!"

Sip. The seemingly careless gesture was off-putting to the councilman. He loudly cleared his throat.

"Therefore, we have reached out to the Atlas Council and together have decided that the best action is to appoint General Ironwood as Head of Security for the event."

Another sip. This time, the headmaster's brow furrowed, although it was barely noticeable. He watched the tile containing Ironwood's profile enlarge as he began to caress the councilman's ego with his words.

Ozpin tuned out the poorly rehearsed speech. He simply continued to stare blankly at the monitor hovering before him. The lines across his forehead deepened. The sounds of stressed ceramic echoed from the grip on his drink. No. This was not at all how it was supposed to unfold.

Tick Tock. Tick Tock.

Time was running out.

"Will that be all?"

He knew he said enough. He barely listened to the councilman's response and subsequent threat. All he cared about was the minimizing of the tile before him, leaving him alone with the general.

"This is the right move, Ozpin. I promise. I will keep our people safe. You have to trust me."

The feed cuts. The tile disappears. Now, he was finally alone. Ozpin spun back in his chair and proceeded to sip in relative peace.

Tick tock. Tick Tock.

Beep. Beep.

"Activate."

Another hologram appears in the center of the office. But this time, it's an entire representation of someone. The person waited patiently.

"Ozpin."

The silence that followed exhibited a sigh from the glowing figure. The defeated breath popped through the speakers.

"Not even saying hi anymore. Who have you become, Oz?"

The headmaster slowly turned to face the fizzing entity. More silence followed before he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his ticking desk.

"Commander."

Commander Pic shook his head.

"Heh. Guess that's the best I'm gonna get." He cleared his throat. "Mission report: this is a secure channel. Permission to continue?"

"Granted."

Pic straightened his back. "He's…powerful. Which I find odd. Even though he is not a native, he has a way to carve a place for himself. Heh, in more ways than one.

"His strength is his ability to adapt. Very strong survival skills. Very little weaknesses, none noteworthy. But there is…one thing."

"Yes?"

Pic swallowed. "He…he has a love for people. I can't really describe it, nor do I think he's aware of it, but he has a faith in humanity that I've never seen before. It's fascinating."

"And you would describe this as a weakness…why?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Oz."

Tick Tock. Tick Tock. A smile was hidden behind the folded hands of Ozpin.

"A good Huntsman is strong and cares for others. A powerful one serves the people. But the ideal Huntsman? They dedicate their lives to humanity."

"So are you looking for just another Huntsman? Or a Guardian? You know, you can be infuriating sometimes."

Ozpin slowly stood from his seat. He watched the glowing hologram flicker. He walked around his desk, collecting his cane as he went. He stopped in front of the projection, watching Pic's angry holographic expression.

"Anything else?"

"Yes. When the tower was relinked to the network, it sent out a feed along with the distress beacon. Uploading now."

Another projection spawned in between the two men. This time, it showed a miniature of the Bosques Calladas. Village people ran from their homes in fear from an unseen force. That is, until giant monster –like creatures tore through their huts and killed anything in sight.

This atrocity solicited a genuine reaction from Ozpin. His eyes went wide at the sight of the horror, his frames slipping down lower on the bridge of his nose.

"What…?"

"We have lost the Santos community. These are the consequences of your actions, Ozpin. I hope you're happy."

An angry expression now adorned the headmaster's face. He looked at the commander expectantly.

"While you're sitting here playing politics, a new threat has grown like a cancer. These 'Super Mutants', as they seem to be called, spawned here from the dead planet. We have confirmed their presence in two other nations: Specifically, in the Kingdom of Mistral. But it is possible they are in every kingdom.

"We also intercepted encoded communications from an unknown source. We have confirmed it to be from a foreign technology, much different from our own. Also from Earth.

"We do not know if both the signal and this sudden emergence of these creatures are linked, but I do know one thing: we have a new enemy. And they are hiding. We need to find them first, before they find us. If they haven't already."

Ozpin hummed in thought as the miniature disappeared. Pic silently waited.

"I need all of the intel you have."

"Uploading additional files. The rest is in the encrypted report."

"Good. My last order still stands. And this new threat…I believe I know what it is."

"Oh? Enlighten me, Oz."

"The Enclave."

Pic was taken aback. "'The Enclave?' What kind of silly name is that?"

"Besides the point. Follow any leads you have. We need to gather whatever information we can."

"Understood. We will head out at dawn."

Ozpin nodded. He turned to walk back to his seat.

"You've changed."

He stopped.

"It's as if we never knew each other. Like we're complete strangers. No friendship. No classmates. Nothing."

Pic shook his head in frustration at the lack of a response. "At this point, I only follow your orders because the council makes me. And not because I want to. You've gone soft, Ozpin. And I-"

"Do you remember what I told you all those years ago?"

Pic was startled by the sudden response. He grunted in annoyance.

"Of course I do! Do you?!"

"That first day. When we began our training. You once said to me that you were to become the greatest Huntsman who ever lived."

Pic's expression dropped.

"I-I…yes. I remember."

"What did I say to you?"

Pic became uncomfortable. His usual firm and official demeanor was almost non-existent.

"…You said to me…'the bigger the dream, the bigger the fool."

Tick Tock. Tick Tock.

"But the true fool is the one who refuses to adapt.'"

Tick Tock. Tick Tock.

"I guess…times really have changed, haven't they, Oz?"

"Yes. They certainly have, Luke."

The hologram of Commander Pic disappeared.

Ozpin sat back down at his desk. Alone once more, he refilled his mug with his favorite beverage.

Tick Tock. Tick Tock.

"I simply pray we have not run out of time."

You know, I just realized, Pilot reminds me of Matthew McConaughey a little bit…

Well, well, well. We meet again. How are you, beautiful people?

Alright, here's the scoop: I graduated! :D That means I have more free time. And that means I have more time for this story! I'm still working full time, so it may not be as often as we'd like, but it will definitely be more that the past few months.

I still have the next chapter in its first draft, and it's barely finished. I have wuality I'm trying to uphold, as I'm sure most of you are aware of by now. But, considering my absence, I may go ahead and be a bit more lenient on that for the sake of updating sooner. So I apologize in advance for grammatical/continuity errors.

That being said, we are nearing the end. I had to cut out a few things I wanted to do in the interest of time, but my priority right now is to give this story the closure it deserves.

Eventually, I will be opening up another story that wil have some cool stuff in it: notes, files, and even some deleted chapters regarding this story. More details on that to come.

Anyways, as per usual, thank you for your amazing support. Some of you have been messaging me and saying hi, others wondering if I'm doing well. Please know that I am very grateful to you all!

Leave any questions and/or comments in the reviews! I will respond to a few more messages, and I think I have addressed the latest guest reviews since the last update. Let me know if I missed one of you!

I will be back when I return from my vacation See you all later! 3

Only the kindest regards,

Just another fan

5/25/2017

P.S. I just realized there are some interesting formatting errors. I apologize if anything is illegible. Working on it right meow!