Warnings: Language, Violence, Blood

Crowd Control

Saturday Early Morning: Vale, The Apartment: Coco

With a groan, Coco struggled to lift herself up from the floor. She weakly shrugged off the debris resting on her back. The fashionista staggered on to her feet, keeping a hand out to help keep her balance. How long have I been out? She spared a quick glance around the ruined apartment. W-where did that thing go? Is it hiding? Dusting off her shirt, the teen slowly stood upright. Coco ran a hand through her hair but stopped halfway. Wait a second... Narrowing her eyes, the fashionista scanned her eyes over her surroundings in search of her beret. She found it laying near the still form of the monster she faced earlier. Is it dead this time?

Her caramel brown eyes traced the monster's body for any wounds. Well, damn... Coco's gaze landed on the long, stone fragment that impaled the creature's head. At least I won't have to worry about this beast anymore. She knelt to inspect the damage closer. A putrid stench entered her nostrils; the teen to fell backwards in surprise with a string of curses. Coco bunched the cloth of her scarf together and held it against the lower half of her face. The sharp fragment pierced through the monster's mouth and pinned it to the ground. Its weakness is also its strength... After confirming the creature's death, Coco stood up and backed away from the corpse before she began looking for her handbag. Man, what a mess. Once she retrieved the bag from its stony prison beneath the shattered counter fragments, the fashionista pulled out her scroll. I need to check the others' aura gauges... I know mine's pretty low...

Pulling up her edited team screen, Coco quickly looked over her classmates' aura gauges. Jaune's halfway...so he isn't dead. She sighed in relief, some of the burden on her shoulders lifted. Cardin's is beneath the twenty-five percent mark and Ruby... The fashionista tightened her grip on her scroll, as if the results would change if she held it differently. Her icon is greyed out and her bar isn't even showing. Coco frowned and limped over to the door. She shook her head, rejecting the display's information. Her scroll must be dead. It must be. I need to get out of here and regroup with the others. Stumbling as she moved along, the teen groaned in pain. Ignoring the prickly feeling of pain flowing through her torso, the fashionista pressed on. We need to get back to Beacon and warn everyone! She stumbled forward again, nearly falling on her face. Just...need to get out of this building alive first. Coco grunted in effort, pushing herself off the floor and approached the door.

The brunette threw open the door, coming face-to-face with another creature's spear-like tongue as it made its way around the hallway. "Aw, hell..."

Hiiisss... Painfully slow, it turned the rest of its body toward Coco. Its tongue-spear hovered near her for a moment, before the creature reacted. The monster recoiled from the teen and stepped away from her in an instant. It slurped as it reeled in the deadly appendage and rolled its shoulders back. The beast held its sword-arms out from its sides and prepared to leap. Coco cautiously backed away from the doorway. Here we go again! Hiiisss... Letting loose a shriek, the creature pounced.

"Bite on this!" Mustering up what strength she had left, the fashionista swung her handbag around and smacked the creature into the wall behind it, creating an indent.

The creature snarled, hopped out of the dented wall as bits of plaster fell around it, and dropped into a pouncing position. Coco fell into a fighting stance. This thing is going down, damn it! The beast leapt forward and Coco swung her arm around in response. Suddenly, it felt as if her mind saw everything in slow motion. Her attack missed the creature's head by an inch. The creature swerved around her arm and lowered its jaw. Hiiisss... Coco pulled her arm back, but it felt like dragging a dead weight underwater. Coco shut her eyes and waited for the end to come. Damn it! Not like this, damn it! Sorry guys, looks like it's over for me.

RRRROOA-! Shlick! "Take that, foul beast!"

Opening her eyes, the fashionista stared at the creature just out of arm's reach of her. She looked at the large blade lodged in its mouth, a thick black liquid seeped from the creature's head and onto the floor. Coco's gaze darted to the large man who saved her. Red suit, weird looking axe... Is that...?! The man in question turned towards Coco with his mustache curled into an odd smile. He yanked his weapon out from the creature's mouth and hefted the BlunderAxe over his shoulder. With a forceful kick, the man knocked the dead creature to the ground. Thud.

"Quick, follow me! We need to get you back to the camp." The rotund man shook his axe once to rid the blade of the liquid.

The teen simply gaped at the red-clad professor before her. "You're alive?"

Professor Port nodded, his smile faltered as his eyes met Coco's questioning gaze. "I'm afraid I can't say the same for many of the others who went with me."

"How many survived...?"

"Unfortunately, Miss Adel, the exact number of survivors is a delicate subject to tackle at the moment. However, we can meet up with the survivors later." The veteran huntsman straightened his posture. "For now, we must return to the main camp immediately! Time is of the essence!"

Coco shook her head and balled her hands into fists. "We can't leave this area yet, Professor. Jaune Arc is stuck somewhere here in this building, and two other students are investigating a hospital west of here."

The professor lost his composure for a moment; he carefully examined his student before he shook his head, "Ah, confound it all! Very well. But! You must remain behind me, dear girl. Your wounds and your weakened aura are not things to ignore."

Nodding, the fashionista followed the large professor. "Understood."

Vale, Green Meadow Clinic

WHAM! Ears ringing, Cardin groaned and unceremoniously slumped over on his side. What was that? He blearily stared up at a blurry figure. The figure tapped some oddly shaped cane against the floor. Am I imagining things? Blinking, the teen groaned again as a sharp pain appeared in his side. I'm too tired to deal with this shit... Who the hell is that? WHAM! A sharp sensation burst into his side. Howling in pain, the teen clutched his bruised torso. What the hell was that?! Groaning, he narrowed his eyes and grit his teeth.

"DAMN IT!" Cardin whimpered before he curled around the wound as best as he could, given the situation. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

He glared up at the figure, who simply shrugged before leaning heavily on the oddly shaped cane.

"Leave me alone, then!" What a crazy bitch...

WHACK!

Another howl of pain, "ARGH!"

"Wounded," The figure's gravelly, feminine voice filtered through Cardin's ears.

The teen tightened his grip on his side. He forced himself into an upright position, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. Blinking away the bleariness, Cardin continued to glare at the woman standing before him. Who does she think she is? I'm resting for a damn reason! She ran a hand through her somewhat spiky hair and looked down at the young man with an odd, faraway look in her eyes. The woman jabbed her cane into the center of Cardin's chest. What the hell?! Fighting off the tingling sensation in the back of his mind, Cardin fiercely met her gaze. He failed to stop the waver in his voice.

"W-what are you d-doing?! W-watch where you point t-that damn thing!"

Glassy purple eyes saw right through him, "Hurt."

"Of course, I'm hurt, lady!" Cardin desperately snapped as he felt her apply more pressure on his chest. "The Grimm inside this hospital hit harder than usual, damn it!"

"Language," The woman frowned with a disapproving stare as she leaned against the cane.

Growling in pain, the young man tore his gaze away from her. "I'll say whatever I fucking want, lady! Get that thing away from me!"

She removed the cane from Cardin's chest, whipped her arm to the side, and watched as the cane transformed into a lance, "Language."

"I'm already dead..." Cardin spat, a sob nearly escaped his throat. "You don't scare me."

Tilting her head to the side, the woman knelt beside the wounded teen, "Awake!"

The bully groaned and bared his teeth. "I'm tired, so just leave me alone."

THUD! THUD! Two heads snapped toward the trembling doors which led back into the hospital wing. Faint sounds of a Beowolf pack's howl entered their ears. Pointing her lance at the door, the woman motioned for Cardin to get up. Why should I trust this crazy bitch? The teen groaned as he shifted around in place. He planted the palms of his hands against the floor and braced himself. Then again, do I want to get pummeled by her instead? THUD! THUD! Heaving a sigh, Cardin attempted to push himself off the floor only to collapse back against the wall. What the hell?! My legs...they feel like jelly! Why didn't I notice earlier?! Mentally scoffing, the bully bitterly remembered what happened moments ago. Oh yeah, Crazy Bitch was too busy beating me with her damn cane for me to care!

Clang! Indigo eyes snapped over to the woman standing nearby, "Stand!"

Cardin demonstrated his dilemma to the crazy woman, despite his wounded ego. "I can't!"

"Try," The woman growled, sending a wary glance at the trembling doors.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Cardin whimpered and attempted to stand once more, but his arms failed him again. "My legs won't respond!"

THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!

Again, the woman slammed her lance's tip into the ground, "STAND!"

THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!

"I already said that I can't!" The teen screamed back; this time he almost stood halfway up.

BANG!

At last, the double doors gave way in a spray of wood and metal.

Green Meadow Clinic: Ruby

Before the creature reached Ruby, distant shrieks echoed further down the hall. It paused and lowered its arms. The girl tensed her muscles, unintentionally causing the wires on her to painfully tighten around her limbs. What is it waiting for? The creature tilted its head at the teen. It feels like we've been here for hours. Lowering its jaw, the beast released a deafening shriek. Ruby shuddered and screwed her eyes shut. Holy snickerdoodles! As she moved, the barbed wires on her body tightened even more. She felt her blood drip down her trapped arm and leg. This is it, huh? Her limbs trembled from the force of the barbed wires pulling her into the darkness.

Hiiisss... Blinking open her eyes, the young teen watched the creature slink away from her. It slurped its tongue back into its mouth, ominously pointing one of its bladed arms at her. The beast tilted its head to the side and lowered its bladed arm. CRASH! The monster hopped up into the ceiling, sending debris tumbling down to where it once stood. It... It's leaving me alone? What? The pain from the wires briefly ebbed into nothingness. Silver eyes remained focused on the fallen debris. It's sparing me? Why? Ruby glanced at the wires slowly dragging her into the darkness; her blood ran cold and her skin paled. It knows I'm going to die. No, no, no, no! Not like this! As if it sensed her despair, the barbed wires dug further into Ruby's skin. Pain erupted in her trapped limbs once again. More blood trickled down her arm and leg. The wires began dragging her faster than ever. Darkness crept into the edges of the girl's vision: her eyes wide open in terror. No, no, no, no! She mentally begged for something to spare her. Anything to avoid the ominous dark hall ahead.

Ruby screamed into the darkness as the monstrous roars of Grimm echoed in the hallways.

Vale, Goodwitch's Tent

Leaning heavily against her planning table, Glynda tiredly rubbed at her forehead. Her eyes trailed over to her guards, who stayed with her. A giant of a man stood beneath the edge of her tent's canopy. He kept his hand on his double-bladed spear, occasionally tapping it against the ground. The giant muttered a few things under his breath, which Glynda couldn't catch due to the distance between them. On a crate, across from her sat the one-armed man; his expression quietly contorted into one of discomfort as he closed his eyes. His right hand grasped his left shoulder. Glynda frowned, looking back down at the map before her. Suddenly, an odd thought appeared in the back of her mind.

Glynda collapsed into a wooden chair close to the table. "It's just occurred to me but I realize that we've worked together for what feels like weeks... I've yet to hear your name; I'm sorry I haven't asked."

"We've been too busy to exchange pleasantries, Miss Goodwitch."

The blonde frowned at the man and crossed her arms. "Yet, you know who I am."

Opening his eyes and taking in a deep breath, the one-armed man peered at her while he stood up. "Your reputation precedes you, Miss Goodwitch. You're known for your skills as a huntress and for your position at Beacon Academy as deputy headmistress."

Crossing her arms, Glynda stared at her comrade. "Tell me your name."

"What difference does it make whether you know my name?" The man wondered, his tone now solemn as he poured some water into three mugs. "I'll tell you when we're all safe; especially your students."

"Aren't we safe enough here?" The blonde challenged, an odd feeling settling over her as they bantered.

Pursing his lips, the one-armed man hummed while hechilled the mugs with his semblance. "I was thinking along the lines of when we're all home."

"You're being ridiculous." Glynda insisted as she settled further back into her chair.

"I believe the condition is a reasonable one. Besides, if something happens, it's easier to forget a nameless figure than a face with a name."

The deputy headmistress shook her head. "Unless it's someone with whom I've worked closely with over the course of a few days."

Before the one-armed man responded, the giant huntsman jumped into the conversation. "Leader has point. It is difficult to forget comrades made in times of struggle."

"Whose side are you on, Ivor?" While he distributed the mugs of water, the one-armed man sent a displeased look at the giant man.

"Ivor is on both sides. Everyone here is huntsman and huntress, yes?" Glynda noticed the giant's shortly-lived smile. "Never be minding little Ivor, hm?"

Shaking his head, the seated man sighed. "You're far from little, Ivor."

A small grin also appeared on the blonde professor's features as she watched the two banter. So, the giant's name is Ivor? Glynda looked Ivor again, mentally stating his name as she looked at him to commit his name to her memory. Her gaze darted to the one-armed man. Now to wait until he reveals his name, I suppose. Besides, I could use a distraction for a little bit, right? The feeling that settled over her earlier returned. I haven't experienced this camaraderie with other hunters in a long time...

I need to focus, however. Sighing, the woman turned away from the duo and looked over the map. She narrowed her eyes at the paper, willing herself to refocus her thoughts. People needed her to remain concentrated on their safety; maybe even they're eventual escape from the city. Friendly banter could wait for another time. Glynda rubbed her temples, the telltale signs of a headache suddenly made themselves apparent. Every time she attempted to focus on important matters, her thoughts swam farther away from her grasp. It felt as if something wanted to keep her from focusing, something...sinister. The blonde shook her head; she could still think, everything occasionally blurred. Her thoughts tended to jumble together ever since Vale became a Hell on Remnant.

"Do you ever get the feeling that...you can't get a grip on your thoughts?" Glynda sighed, took hold of the mug on the table, and drank its chilled contents.

She watched the one-armed man gaze at her with a concerned expression. "No, not really. Why do you ask?"

Turning her gaze upon the numerous tents within the plaza, Glynda pursed her lips and felt her insides lurch. "I simply wanted to know. I've been under a lot of stress lately."

"I understand," He smiled kindly at the blonde before he walked over to the edge of the tent's canopy. "Unfortunately, I need to make my rounds. The other set of guards should arrive soon."

Glynda nodded, the feeling within her refused to let up. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As the burning scent of the city and the vile smell of the dead drifted into her nose, Glynda felt her heart sink even further. The atmosphere of despair weighed down on her shoulders and the professor knew it was only a matter of time until all their efforts amounted to nothing. Suddenly, she heard people shouting in the distance. Glynda stood up but stumbled to the side with a groan. One of her guards rushed to her side and steadied her. As she held her head in her hands, Glynda finally managed to grasp onto one thought that ran through her mind.

Something is terribly wrong with me; I feel like giving up all hope...

Somewhere in Vale: Jaune

"Oh no..." The young man rolled out of the way of an incoming spear-tongue. CRASH!

Jaune winced at the sight of debris falling around him. If I didn't react, that could've been me... He peered at the monsters approaching him. Their menacing presence doubled once the sound of their collective hissing registered in Jaune's ears. Hiiisss... Wary but determined sapphire eyes stared at the three approaching creatures. The only way out... Rushing forward, the blond slammed his shield into one of the monsters. The wounded creature shrieked in pain, but the teen kept running.

I need to get out of here! Sschhwip! Feeling a tongue-spear graze his cheek, Jaune tripped and fell into a roll. His side slammed against a car wreck. Groaning, the teen shook off his dizziness and scrambled back on to his feet. Ugh, that felt so disgusting! He blindly ran down the ruined streets of Vale, burnt smells prevalent everywhere. Hiiisss... In an instant, Jaune dropped to the ground and began crawling. He heard the monsters scrape the ground behind him with the tips of their bladed arms. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! He spared a glance behind him, trying to peer past the curtain of smoke in his way. The creatures sniffed the air, attempting to locate him. Jaune slowed to a stop once he noticed their confusion. The largest of the group released its tongue and turned its body in every direction.

Meanwhile, another creature hissed and stepped into the smoke. It lowered its jaw. Before its tongue extended, the creature snarled and quickly backed out of the smoke curtain. Its companions angled their heads towards it. The larger creature retracted its tongue and approached the panicked creature. The two monsters seemed to "stare" at each other. Suddenly, the larger creature shoved one of its sword hands through the panicked creature's head with a growl. Sschlick! As the large monster sliced the smaller creature's head in half, splotches of thick black liquid splattered on to the ground near Jaune's feet.

"Eugh," Stepping away from the splotch of liquid, Jaune grimaced.

Hiiisss... The largest creature snapped its attention toward the teen. Oh crap! Jaune stepped further back into the smoke curtain. Swoo! The creature swung its stained, sword hand into the smoke. Swoo! Soon, the other creatures began to snarl at the smoke. Swoo! Swoo! Swoo! Three fruitless swings caused the larger creature to stop. It growled lowly. The smaller creatures followed suit.

Releasing a collective shriek, the creatures regrouped and left the smoky area.

Vale, City Plaza

"There's too many of them! We need to move the wounded, ASAP!"

"Oh, forget them! RUN, RUN AWAY!"

"Stand your ground and keep firing, damn it! We can't let these beasts-!" RRRROOAAR! Spueechk!

"Oh God, it... It got Ecru! It tore him apart!"

Ba-ba-taa! Ba-ba-taa! "Fucking beasts! You'll pay for that!"

Pa-bang! Pa-bang! Pa-bang! "No, don't run! They'll only ch-!"

"Let them go! If they're so willing to die, then so be it!" Boom-boom-boom! Boom-boom-boom! "Make sure those monsters don't reach the other citizens!"

Snapping open her fluorescent green eyes, a teenage girl sat up from her place on the ground. Her eyes roamed over her immediate surroundings. Fallen debris, broken buildings, crudely made tents, and most importantly, terrified people. RRRROOAAR! Her head snapped towards the sound of an Ursa. A blue screen flashed before her eyes, multiple lines of code appeared in her line of sight before disappearing. W-what is going on? She shook her head, rubbing the side of her head. AAROOOOO! Narrowing her eyes, the girl brushed a lock of red hair from her face and pushed herself from the rubble she sat on. As she stood up, another screen flashed before her eyes while a voice entered the back of her head. She nodded to herself and ran toward the sounds of fighting and screaming people. A few of the fighters ran passed her, firing their weapons or nursing their newly acquired wounds.

"I'm combat ready!" Releasing multiple blades from her "backpack," the redhead sent them flying toward a pack of Beowolves.

Once the Beowolves fell and burst into smoke, she focused on another set of enemies. Bringing her swords back towards her in a circle, the redhead pulled her arms back and then blasted two Major Ursai out of her way. VOOM! As her enemies burst into smoke, the teen swung her blades around as she moved her body. She danced her way through the seemingly endless wave of dark creatures. Soon, several Grimm fell to her swords. Wispy black smoke was all that was left of her enemies. Swi-swi-swish! Swi-swi-swish! Some of the Grimm slowed their assault on the survivors, focused on the new threat. A pack of Beowolves charged towards the robotic teen. Waving her arm to the right as she shifted her feet to the left, the stringed blades twirled toward the incoming Grimm. Thu-thump, thu-thump. Blat-blat-blat. Two hunters rushed to stand by her side and readied their weapons.

"Alright, Blade Dancer," The huntress to her left smirked and raised her shotgun-mace, "don't take all the fun away." Pa-bang! Pa-bang!

The teen inclined her head. "Salutations, ma'am, I'm Penny! Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Shall we finish this together, then?"

"Weird kid." Pa-bang! Pa-bang! Smacking a Beowolf down, the woman shook her head and narrowed her eyes at the creatures.

GRRAWWR! Grunting, the huntsman to the teen's left twirled around and cut down an approaching Creep with his sword-gauntlets. "Less chatter, more Grimm slaughter."

"Right, right," Flicking her hair off her shoulder, the woman smacked a nearby Grimm in the leg before shooting it in the chest. "You don't need to tell me twice, Bergmann."

Together, the three managed to push back the line of Grimm. In the corner of her eye, Penny noticed other hunters rushing to help push back the line. She sensed something different in the air, something less oppressive. Ccsshh-bam! Ccsshh-bam! Hearing the huntsman beside her fire lasers out of his gauntlets, the teen snapped back into focus. Right, the Grimm must be handled first. Penny sent her swords flying toward the Grimm horde, cutting down and wounding the dark creatures with ease. Soon enough, all that remained immediately in front of her were wisps of black smoke.

Unfortunately, their charge died almost as quickly as Penny cut down her foes. While the hunters advanced with renewed energy, more and more creatures of Grimm poured out from the ruined buildings of Vale. A horde of Creeps burst out from a fallen building, close to the survivors. From the other side of the plaza a pack of Beowolves, led by a spike-covered alpha, rushed into the fray. GRRAAWWR! AAROOOOO! Once again, the citizens screamed in terror. Whatever hope that rose from pushing the line back became overwhelmed again by the negativity rolling from the survivors. Some of the citizens were overwhelmed by a Major Ursa. Swi-swi-swish! Swi-swi-swish! Penny desperately cut down as many Grimm as she could, even though the hunters once beside her gave up. All around her, the girl heard people cry out in pain or shout for help before the roars of Grimm covered the sounds. Before she could continue her futile advance, Penny felt one of the hunters pull her back.

"We're leaving!" The blue-haired huntsman with sword-gauntlets tugged at her arm. "We can't push the Grimm back at this rate."

"What about the others?!" Bringing her swords down on to an unsuspecting Ursa, the redhead narrowed her eyes at the man.

Beside her, the woman with the shotgun-mace motioned for the teen to follow. "He's right, kid! We need to leave, right now!"

Voomp-bang! Voomp-bang! Approaching the trio from behind, a one-armed man balanced his sniper in his grip as best he could. "Bergmann, Pepper, gather the citizens and move to the rooftops!"

Shaking her head vigorously, Pepper gestured to the approaching horde. "Nope, no way. We can't do that with those things approaching us this fast."

"She's right, are you insane?!" Bergmann snapped, releasing the girl's arm as he stood in the other man's way. "We can't get everyone up there in time! We'll be overrun within minutes!"

Snapping his wrist to the side, the other man shifted his sniper into a sheathed sword. He clipped the sheath on to his belt and brushed the blue-haired man aside. As he brushed past the so-called "Blade Dancer," he unsheathed his falchion. His arm remained steady, despite this obvious discomfort in his stance. Stepping toward the man, Penny frowned. Undeterred by his display, she prepared her swords for an attack. But, the one-armed man placed his arm in front of her.

"Please," He looked back at her with a sorrowful gaze. "Please, get to safety. No one else has to die like this."

Penny stared back at him, determination still in her fluorescent green eyes, her mouth opening and closing in an attempt to form some words to convince him to let her assist him. "But I-!"

"There's no time for arguments!"

The one-armed man looked away from her and dashed forward, into the horde. Voomp-bang! She moved to follow, only for the blue-haired swordsman and the mace huntress to grab her arms. I can help! I'm combat ready! I was made for this! Penny knew deep within, that she could handle this. My father prepared me for this! Yet, something in the back of her head screamed at her to stop protesting. The girl lowered her arms and let the blue-haired man drag her along toward the ruined buildings. The teen spared a glance toward the horde, gunshots echoing from within it. Before Penny fully turned away, a few bursts of ice broke through the Grimm.

Early Morning: Beacon Academy, Beacon Students Dorm

As silently as possible, Blake slipped out of her bed. She quickly grabbed a pen and a notebook from her desk, her mind set on a self-imposed mission. The dark-haired girl crept out of her team's dorm. Without a sound, Blake walked into the students' lounge. She sat on the couch facing a small fireplace and curled her legs under her. A fierce glare found its way directed to the picture of Beacon's Clock Tower hanging over the fireplace. Something isn't right in Beacon anymore.

"Why does it feel like you're hiding something?!" The cat Faunus began jotting notes down into the book she brought along. "I know something strange is going on here. We...I... I need to figure out the details. I won't forgive myself if something happened to our friends while I am able to do something!"

Scritch-scritch-scritch! The furious scraping of her ink pen against paper filled the air. Crackle-crackle. Dancing within its prison, the fire acted as the teen's only companion. Scritch-scritch-scritch! Blake's writing slowed down as she finally jotted down her thoughts and theories on what happened to her friends. We'll figure everything out soon. We must figure it out. Amber eyes darted away from the notebook as she looked intently at the Clock Tower painting. I wonder what Ozpin knows about the situation. Does he have anything to do with our leaders' disappearance?

"Curiosity is a killer, Miss Belladonna." A smooth voice drifted through the air, followed shortly by a sip.

Jolting into an upright position, Blake turned around to see the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. He calmly met her surprised gaze, nodding at her in greeting. She slammed her notebook shut and stood to greet the man. When did he get here? The brunette tossed her notebook onto the couch behind her and crossed her arms. Why didn't I hear him enter? Ozpin dismissively waved at the rushed greeting and walked over to the fireplace. He stared up at the painting for a few moments before he turned to address the Faunus.

"You're up awfully late, Miss Belladonna." An odd glint appeared in the green-suited man's eyes.

Blake averted her gaze from the headmaster. "I couldn't sleep; I've...had a lot of time to think about things and my mind won't stop and let me rest."

Ozpin sipped from his mug and hummed sagely, "I see. I noticed that you and your friends have taken...an interest in your leaders' absence."

"We're all worried about them. It isn't like our friends to leave without a goodbye or without telling us why they needed to leave." The cat Faunus met the man's gaze.

With a nod, Ozpin looked up at the painting once again with a hum. "Humor me, Miss Belladonna. What answers do you hope to find here in the student lounge?"

Why did I come out here? ...I felt...I felt compelled? Blake glanced at the painting and then looked at the headmaster once more. "I didn't want to wake my teammates with all my writing."

"How considerate," Ozpin mused as he turned and approached the teen. "Would you care to discuss your thoughts, Miss Belladonna?"

Why does he seem off? Maybe I should ask him questions when the others are with me... Blake shook her head. "Not really, Professor. Thank you for the offer, though."

"Very well," Another strange glint appeared in the man's eyes before he turned away from her. "I advise that you not become too involved in something you know so little about, Miss Belladonna."

Blake blinked as a bright light flashed before her eyes, "I beg pardon, Professor?"

"Many young huntsmen and huntresses fall due to their inability to control their curiosity." The headmaster replied firmly, his posture tensing ever so slightly that Blake almost missed it before he relaxed. "Have a good evening, Miss Belladonna."

Team RWBY Dorm

Sitting up in bed with a sharp gasp, Blake looked around her dorm. Her heart pounded violently within her rib cage. The Faunus placed a hand over her heart and wiped some sweat off of her forehead. What? Why am I in bed? She slid out from her covers and went in search of her notebook. It laid on her desk, in a spot that seemed out of place if Blake were to judge by all the writing utensils spread across her desk. My notebook is here but... Was all that a bad dream? Blake rubbed her temples and shut her eyes. Her mind traveled back to the other night, but nothing clear came to mind. It hurts to think... Shaking her head, the cat Faunus opened her notebook. She quickly flipped through its pages, finding none of the notes she swore she wrote down. Nothing...

I did write something down, didn't I? She turned around to walk to her dresser only to bump into Weiss, "Oh!"

"Blake?" The heiress looked up at her teammate with concern. "Are you alright?"

That is a good question. Blake pinched the bridge of her nose and looked away from her friend. Unfortunately for her, Weiss simply stepped into her line of sight once again. She can be so stubborn sometimes... The Faunus shook her head with a sigh. I don't know if I'm alright anymore... If it was all a dream, why do I...? Why am I..? Rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands, Blake took a deep breath before meeting Weiss's eyes. Amber eyes darted away from the heiress's piercing gaze.

"Y-yeah, I think." Is it that bad? Maybe it's all in my head...

Weiss crossed her arms and wore an expression of disbelief. "Why are you acting this way, then?"

Something's seriously wrong then. "What do you mean?"

Hearing a bed creak jolted the two, their heads turned to see Yang climbing down from her bunk. "You're acting...weird this morning. Did you have any trouble sleeping last night?"

Blake shook her head as she sat down at her desk chair. "I... I think I had a bad dream. I thought I left the dorm last night for a walk but then..."

"Go on," Weiss placed her hands on her hips and stepped away from the Faunus to give her some space.

Yang urged her partner along with a concerned glint apparent in her eyes, "...Then?"

"Something... I don't know, something strange happened. I can't," The brunette frowned with a sigh as she grasped her head again, "remember what it was."

She looked up to see Yang and Weiss share a look. I hope it wasn't anything terrible. We've got enough problems as it is. Sighing, Blake pushed past Yang. The cat Faunus headed to her dresser and grabbed some clothes. I need to head out and clear my head or something. The brunette wordlessly disappeared out of the room and made her way to the showers. Her pace slowed down as a fire ignited within her head, threatening to split it apart. Why does it feel like my head's going to explode...? As she stopped in the middle of the hallway, a distant thrumming entered her ears. Blake felt the hair on the back of her neck stand at attention as the sound grew in intensity. Once the sound peaked and hit the highest note it could, a blinding blast of light engulfed the entire hallway.

Sorry for the long wait, everyone!

Review Response:

Ever Professional - Perhaps, perhaps. More will be revealed as time goes on, sorry to say. Hopefully, though, that time won't be too long. As for Ironwood's weapon, I wanted the characters to have similarities to their inspiration material. Pity that in canon it's a pistol, but oh well. Right? Thank you for being a reader and a reviewer.

Thank you, dear readers, for taking the time to read this story, favorite it, follow it, and/or review it. I appreciate that you spare time to look over my work.

[As of 12-03-16, this chapter's word count has been extended!]