Disclaimer: I do not own Warhammer 40k series or RWBY series. Warhammer 40k own by Games Workshop and RWBY belong to Rooster Teeth.

My Apology for the delayed, my laptop just got broke down for the past few weeks and it took a while for me to put everything together. But I assure that the next chapter would be released much sooner.

Again, my thanks to my beta reader thefoolswriter.

Thought of the day

"There is talk of the failure of socialism, and where is the success of capitalism in Africa, Asia, and in Latin America?" - Fidel Castro.

The Advice

Remnant - Somewhere in Mistral

Mistral was one of the four kingdoms of Remnant, located on Anima, the most far eastern continent of the world. Like the rest of the kingdoms, it is governed by a ruling council. Also on the same continent was Mistral that controlled the most territory out of all the four Kingdoms, each one encompassed a wide range of ecosystems and many diverse cultures.

Yet, most well-known cities and towns were built on cliffs, that was surrounded by old jungles and dangerous Grimm. Its scenery was breathtaking and not many travelers had a chance to look at it before being killed by Grimm. Speaking of the creatures of darkness, their numbers were lower than in Vale, however their diversity and lethality made up for it which made Mistral one of the most dangerous places for explorations.

But for all of its beauty, Mistral suffered from many difficulties, including massive and rapid Grimm attacks on isolated villages and towns. The council and even Atlas had no time to handle the problem for there is too much on their plates currently. Still, Ironwood could still send some military personnel to assist in small skirmishes against the Grimm. Because of this, if one saw a ruined town, he would not be surprised at all.

Standing somewhere on an abandoned town, two armored figures stood next to the fountain in the center of the town. This town name had been lost in time and the people have evacuated long before the Grimm arrived. It's been years since this town saw any sign of a living being beside a few Grimm dozen patrolling its streets. The corpses of any victims had already became one with the earth.

Yet right now, there was no Grimm in the town, not anymore. Their bodies were littered across the street, slowly disappearing into the air. The buildings around the fountains were damaged pockmarked by fist sized holes while the pavements were torn apart by heavy boot prints and craters . The only thing that could be heard was the sound of steel meeting bricks, smashing into each other as the last Grimm crushed under the Astartes feet.

The first Traitor Marines wore Mark VIII 'Errant' Armor, a trophy that had been looted from an Imperial Fist, the once noble Astartes armor had been mutated by the demonic power running through his flesh. A massive demonic face could be seen on his entire chest as well as his left shoulder. its helmet, also Mark VIII, had been bent and twisted. Sharp teeth had replaced the faceplate, half-revealing the wearers mouth, along with three long horns on its forehead and both sides of the helmet. Behind its back, mutated black wings ripped through the armor, serving as extra arms in combat. Hang on its belt are three skulls with multiple carves in shapes and forms. The wearers entire armor is painted in pure black with the Black Legion symbol painted on the other should and on the left knee cap. Hanging next to the wearers belt is a long black sword, a dangerous demonic weapon that he had carried for ten millennial.

The second one, slightly taller than his companion, clad in an old dark-blue Mark V 'Heresy' pattern Armor. The symbol of the Night Lord Legion, the butchers of Astartes and sons of Korand Kurze, held proudly on his right shoulder and his chest. On the other side of the shoulder is a piece of human flesh stitched on, a display of terror. The armor itself was old, too old to function efficiently. One could even see some pieces of the once might Power Armor falling apart on the shoulder and the abdomen. Yet, the Night Lord never needed a good armor to strike fear into their enemy, only cruelty. Attached on his right hip is a Bolt Pistol,of unknown pattern with multiple customizations. He is holding a Chain Glaive, also known as Chain Halberd. Unlike his companion, the Night Lords did not wearing any helmet. His face is pale as a Raven Guard and his face covered in too many scars to count with no hair. Shark-like teeth could be seen from his mouth and his eyes is black as the void. If anyone looked into them, they will not see a Space Marine, only a killer.

Both traitorous Astartes walked through the Grimm corpses and reached the edge of the town, looking at the horizon as the night began to fade. The Son of Konrad knelt down, on his hand is a special pattern Auspex, with purpose to test a planet gravity and mineral composition and density. The process took a few minutes.

"Weak gravity, mineral density and composition is below standard." the Night Lords spoke in an almost monotonous voice "What sort of world is this? I'm surprised that this rock does not collapse in on itself already."

There was no response, the dark-blue Space Marine turned to his companion. He was standing there, staring at the sky and the mountains, his eyes focusing solely on the Sun that started to rise from the horizon. After a short moment, he responded.

"Hmm, it's rare to see such scenery, it's a shame to destroy such beauty in this forsaken galaxy."

The Night Lords face turned into a scowl. He hates weakness, and this Black Legion is clearly displaying it.

"You have become soft, Scaevolla. While I do not care about your 'passion' for such trivial things, do not let this weakness compromised the mission."

The Black Legionary did not even look back, he replied in a venomous tone "I know what my task is, Night Lord. And I recommend you should focus on your task."

Talos, named after the infamous Sergeant of the 1st Claw Of the 10th Company Talos Valcoran, did not retort. His eyes stared at Scaevolla for a short moment before standing up and walking away. Yet, the Night Lords still turned his head, give his companion one last glare.

The Black Legion Astartes continued to gaze at the scenery. It brought peace to his mind but at the same time, many regrets. Perhaps his greatest was turning his back on mankind and the Emperor. Even after thousand years, Aleph words still linger in his mind but not as a reminder but haunting words. He still remembers their conversation like yesterday.

"All the glory we fought for, my brother, gone to dust."

"It was not our glory, brother, The glory was the Emperor's."

He clenched his fist tightly. He wanted to find an honorable death. He wanted to escape this torment forever. He wanted to escape the Dark Gods and their trickery. He wanted to be done and right his mistakes. But it was too late for him. But there is still some hope in his mind. A small and weak hope but nonetheless, it's still hope.

[XXXX]

RWBY room

Another morning, another day. It's been almost a week since the Initiation and it seemed finally ready for the students tomorrow. While Ozpin did consider for the class to open sooner, Headmistress Glynda disagreed. She feared that the remaining of the High-Class Grimm were still around the forest and the last few days had really been hectic. More than a dozens of Grimm nests had been found and destroyed, with the Astartes help of course.

Currently, team RWBY was hanging out in their room while Blake decided to visit the library, seemingly trying to avoid the Space Marines for the past few days. Again, Ruby was exciting to talk with aliens about thaer weapons. The Blood Angels had suggested the girl to talk with the Techmarine to understand more about weapons of the Imperium but the girl was creeped out by the mechanical arms for some reason.

Ruby was sitting at the edge of her bed, before jumping down on the ground while spinning her scythe, open displaying her incredible skill with the weapon.

"Mine called Crescent Rose." the reaper said, a wide smile on her face.

"A scythe." the Sanguinary Guard stated obviously "Remind me of the Death Guard."

"It's also a customizable high-caliber sniper rifle." she added in.

Hijikata, who had sat down for a while, decided to stand up and take a look at the weapon.

"May I?"

The girl was hesitant at first, but she remembered how much she asked the Astartes of his weapon, so it's time she return the favor. The red Space Marine held the scythe up with ease. Long melee weapons was never his forte, it belonged to the Raven Guard.

"2.1 meters height, 1.3 meters width. This weapon is only a portion of it 'original' weight, the materials is the main contributor to this. The blade is made of adamantium, the rest is created by high-class Titanium and coat in anti-corrosion paint." he said with an almost monotone voice.

Young Rose eyes widened "Whoa?! You can tell by first look?"

The Astartes gently tapped the index finger on his helm side. " One of the functions in my helmet is a scanner, assisting me in analyses my enemies, weaponry are not an exception."

"Cool" is Ruby only word.

"This is an interesting weapon." he commented "Too extravagant and unessential complex, but interesting nonetheless."

After returning the scythe back, Ruby eyes were suddenly glued to the firearm attached on Hijikata belt.

"So … can I take a look of your gun?" Ruby asked timidly.

The former Lamenters glanced at his Bolter pistol for a second there before handing it the young girl. Surprisingly, while the little reaper had a difficult time holding it by herself, she quickly poured some Aura into her body, giving her enough strength to hold the gun.

In Ruby perspective, she was fascinated by the mere appearance of the weapon, it was nothing like she has ever seen. Most weapons in Remnant had the transform mechanism, applied in one way or another. Additionally, all of them usually had an elegant form, reflecting their user. But right now, before Ruby eyes, is a massive boxy pistol-like firearm that almost as big as a normal assault rifle. There were decorations, heraldrys on the weapon sides but the gun itself seems too … simple and primitive. But after the Initiation, this 'primitive' firearm had the power to blast a Beowolves head clean off with a single shot and able to penetrate multiple layers of stone with ease. From Ruby guess, the Astartes preferred practicality more than beauty.

"This pistol has a very beautiful designs." the young leader commented as she stared at the gun barrel. "And the caliber is even bigger than Crescent Rose."

Ruby turned to Hijikata as she placed the massive pistol on the table."So how does your gun work? And does it have a name? "

"It does, it's called Crimson." the Astartes nodded as he explained "It is a relic, of scientific achievements from the past that has been lost to centuries of war. It's a Phobos Pattern Bolt Pistol. This firearm does not share the same properties of the standard design, but it functions is the same basic principle as other Bolt weapons. It's relies on a long stroke gas operated systems. With this system, a Bolter can eject used cartridges effectively and reliably. When receiving the holy order from an Astartes, the Bolter will propel the shell out of the chamber at a significant muzzle velocity. The rest depends on the warhead."

The Blood Angels walked up to the desk and hold the Bolt pistol up as he continues to explain "Additionally, our weapon also have other features include a biometric sensor integrated into the weapon's grip that allows the Bolter to identify its user's genetic signature. It also possesses an integral targeter that links with the Space Marine's auto-senses for enhanced accuracy."

The young Huntress-in-training take the knowledges in stride. A wide smile appear on her face again.

"Whoa! That sounds like one of those old sci-fi comics."

Responding with a small smile under his helmet, the Son of Sanguinius continued to explain

"As I have stated, the Bolter is a holy instrument that will deliver the Bolt round to the Enemies of Men, and an Astartes have various types to perform that."

"So you have specialized versions of bullets as well?" Ruby blinked.

The red caped girl then pulled out some unknown bullet cases from her belt before placing it on the table. Each of them have an pencil-like shape with extreme pointed tip, much sharper than a usual Bolt Round.

"This is the standard Dust Round. Usually it's only , but mine is 50. Caliber."

"Interesting." the Astartes muttered under his helmet as he held one the bullet near his lens "Blank case, only fill with Dust powder."

The young girl did not stop there, she pulled more strange bullets from her belt. The first one she held up is a similar appearance with the normal one, yet the tip of the cartridge is glowing with a dim red light.

"These are Fire Dust Bullet, they will burn the Grimm upon contact."

Young Rose pulled out another cartridge from her belt with similar shape but green light is coming out of the tip this time.

"These are Wind Dust Bullets, they're one of the most common Dust Bullet types, they increase penetration ."

The red Marine blinked, something is wrong in the explanations "I believed Wind Dust produced the flow of gas, not increase velocity."

"Well, yeah, you're right. But if only you use Dust crystal or powdered. Mine is in bullet form so the effect would be different."

"Remarkable." Hijikata commented.

Finally, Ruby placed the last type of Dust bullet from her belt and this one also had the similar body with only difference is light blue light from the pointy tip.

"And these are Ice Dust Bullet, they … well, freeze the Grimm. But Dad wouldn't allow me and Yang to use it, he said it's very expensive."

The Astartes placed the bullet down on the table as he turned back to Ruby "It seems Huntress Weiss relies much on these Ice Dust."

Ruby shrugged "Weiss? Yeah, she's rich."

"So I have heard." the Astartes said.

An awkward silence quickly thickened the air so the Young Huntress-in-training tried to break the ice.

"So what about your?"

Hijikata lips curved into a small smile under his helmet. The Space Marine sat down on the floor as he takes out a Bolt Round from the magnetic belt. In Ruby eyes, it was massive, as big as a small cannon round. Strangely, the girl could see unknown words carved into the bullet and a symbol of a twin head eagle on the side. After the examination, Hijikata began to explain.

"This is a standard Bolt round, equivalent to your average Dust Bullet. It's filled with shrapnel, and an explosive charge, with purpose to penetrate and destroy target from the inside There are other specialised rounds dependanting on the situation. Astartes Bolters usually use .998 caliber, but with various variants, based on the weapon itself. Humans in the Imperium are also equipped with Bolters, but their version is .75 caliber. Some are even smaller such as .50 caliber."

The red Space Marine placed the Bolter Round in Rubys hand. The reaper could feel it, the weight of this mini rocket warhead on her palm and it almost as heavy as Crescent Rose.

"It's heavy." she commented.

"Indeed it is" the red Astartes nodded again, "It's a kinetic projectile with a complex structure after all."

"So how does it work?" Ruby asked curiously.

Hijikata bend his upper body down, closer to Ruby as he pointed at the Bolt Round bottom "It's relies on the Mass-reactive fuse, which will has timer to delay detonation upon impact until after the shot penetrates the target. There will be Main Explosive Charge at the core and the Diamonite tip will responsible for the penetration."

"What is Diamonite?" Ruby tilted her head.

"It's composite ceramic material that used commonly in the Imperium of Man, from weapons to armor. It's much more resilient and dense than steel and lead." the Astartes said.

"Cool." Ruby beamed "Where can I get some?"

"Remnant's technology has yet to achieve the level to produce these materials, Ruby." the former Lamenter shook his head.

"Awww." the young girl whined "So what about other version of your 'Bolt Rounds'?"

The Son of Sangunius take out another Bolter Round, this one look different than the first one. The tip of the projectile shaped similar to Ruby Dust bullet, and there are even strange green liquid that could be seen in the body. Additionally, the bullet itself radiated unknown emerald light, properly from the liquid.

"This is the Hellfire Round. It's specialize in dealing with organic matter. They work on the same basic principle of all Bolt Rounds, but the core and tip are replaced with a vial of mutagenic acid with thousands of needles that fire into the target upon the shattering of the vial, pumping the acid into the foe."

Hijikata placed the third Bolter Round on the table, this one bear a similar look compared to the first Round but also with some distinct features such as extreme temperature came from the shell, red painted pointy tip and elaborate decoration on the side. This one is slightly heavier in Ruby hand than the other two.

"And this is the Bloodshard Bolt Round, used exclusively by the Blood Angels. Each Bloodshard contains a payload of razor-filament that can shred most known forms of armour upon impact. These Bolt Rounds had been exclusive modified for my Bolt Pistol."

The young reaper quickly display her love for weapons at a great degree. Her fangirlig just reach it maximum level, but suddenly, something flash in Ruby mind.

"Wait, you said these Bolt Rounds are Mass-reactive fuse. So how the bullet know when to explode?"

"The Bolt Round will know. The Omnissiah and the Machine Spirit will guide it way till the detonations." the Astartes answered cryptically.

"Okayyyy?" the girl blinked, she hoped her ears didn't betray her for the answer seemed a little vague. So Ruby quickly changed to another topic "So how did you guys create more of these 'Bolt rounds'?"

Hijikata sighed "We don't. When we arrived to Remnant, the lack of necessary resources prevent us to do so. As such, the Techmarine has produced an alternative version of the Bolt Rounds, using Dust and available materials. It's not powerful as the Imperial counterparts but still effective nonetheless."

Ruby eyes widened up, she jumped up with excitement to see more weapons "You have more?!"

Meanwhile, Yang, Weiss and Tiberius was sitting on the other side of the room, near the bookshelf. They had listened to most of the conversation and both of the girls displayed some interest about the red clad armor Astartes.

"His understanding of weapons is impressive." the young Schnee pointed out.

"Yeah, never thought you guys to be weapons nerd." Yang grinned, her eyes still attend to her sister and the Blood Angels "You guys sure don't look like one. But Ruby seems really happy with Angel Boy over there."

"Brother Hijikata is an exception, such knowledge belongs to the Techmarines, he is not a normal Astartes. However, during his redemption crusade, the lack of specialist Astartes forced the Lamenters to provide more knowledge for each Battle-Brothers. It was their only choice at that time. " the Astartes Captain answered.

"Lamenters? I remember he said he is one the 'Blood Angels'." Weiss furrowed her eyebrows.

"He is currently serving in the Blood Angels, but his former serviced lies with the Lamenters."

"So he switch … Chapters?" Yang said raising her eyebrows.

"Not quite, when the Tyranids invaded Baal, the Blood Angels suffered heavy casualties and with the serious shortage of manpower, Lord Commander Dante has called to the successor Chapters, request them for any spare elite volunteers. Brother Hijikata is one of them." Tiberius explained "This strengthened the Blood Angels tremendously , especially with the arrival of the Primaris Marines to fill the roll of normal Battle Brothers."

"What are the Tyranids?" Weiss inquired.

"They're a xenos species with unknown origin, their soldiers are innumerable, and appear in all sizes and shapes." Tiberius replied, his face turned grim under his helmet.

"Jeeze, that sounds really like the Grimm." the blonde Huntress-in-training commented.

"But that is where the similarities end, these creatures are masters at the art of adaptation. During my services, I have witnessed them with nigh on invulnerable scales that could only be penetrated with Power Weapon. If one missed a single organism after a battle, the entire swarm would return, stronger than before." Tiberius said "Additionally, the Tyranids may behave like feral beast but underestimating them will lead to your downfall. They are controlled by a Hive Mind, and this Hive Mind responsible for every tactical decision of the Tyranids."

"So … do you have any pictures of these Tyranids?"

"A good question, Lady Xiao Long." the Ultramarines answered " Yes Indeed, I have."

The Ultramarines took out his hand-held holographic device. With a press on side of the machine, images of creatures, in all shapes and sizes appeared. Some were small, others were huge. Their appearance was disgusting, revealing their pink flesh and purple shells. Unlike the Grimm and their evil-like forms, These Tyranids', in both girls eyes, were strange in many ways. Their insect -like bodies and the pictures of these creatures, numbered in billions, fighting against the Space Marines. The Grimm, despite their savigness , was nothing like these xenos. Tiberius began to explain to the young Huntresses of these mysterious creatures, their origin and their army.

Mysterious as the Grimm themselves, these Tyranids hailed from the unknown space of the void. The stories from the Ultramarines, from what he had seen and fought made the girls shuddered. Massive Bio Ships that bent reality and physics to reach speed Faster-than-Light travel . Various Tyranids organisms and species that cold overwhelm a Guardsmen army or tear a Space Marines apart in a fight single handedly. Powerful adaptations that created abilities that assisted the Tyranids in fighting against their foe.

Weiss and Yang, realized that if the Grimm had any of these abilities, Remnant would already be long gone. They respected the Space Marines, yet feared him at the same time. Both young Huntresses know the price they paid when they signed up to be humanity protector. The loss and pain that they will suffer in their journey but to fight these Tyranids, these aliens that was only seen as one of many threats. What kind of soldiers like Tiberius needed to be to done this. The blonde brawler had already gave up on thinking about it.

"Great, as if the Grimm is not enough, now we have super-giant space bugs." she remarked.

"Fear not, Lady Xiao Long, the most recent Tyranid Hive Fleet, Leavithen, has been destroyed by the Blood Angels and their successor Chapters. The scattered remains fleets should not provide much of the troubles, in theory at least. No one has ever lived to tell the tale after all." Tiberius said.

"Whoa, thanks a lot!" the girl exclaimed sarcastically. "That sounds really assuring!"

Weiss then remembered what the Ultramarines Captain had spoken of before, "Tiberius, you mention of this 'redemption crusade'. Are these 'Lamenters' committed any crimes to your 'Imperium' ?"she asked

Tiberius turned his eyes back to the window, Weiss and Yang could sense the uncomfortable feeling he gave off "That is not for me to say perhaps it will be best if you ask brother Hijikata but i doubt he will speak of it."

[XXXX]

The next Morning

Inside the lecture hall, curved tables followed a stair pattern all facing the same direction. At the front, there was a large board with various drawing of different Grimm species. And standing there, Professor Port began his class for the new semester with his trusty blunderbuss hanging on top of the white board.

"Monsters! Deeeemons... Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey! Ha-ha!"

Both teams RWBY and NPR were right on the front row . but already team RWBY and some of their friends had already got the feeling that how BORING this class would be.

While Port continued his lecture, the Astartes were sitting near the top row, where no students dared to approach them. The Space Marines, as warriors and learners, were curious of Beacons education system. Ozpin had spoken of the 'freedom in learning and the pursuit of knowledge' which created many skeptical and cautious thoughts among the Astartes. No knowledge is free in the galaxy and the price is usually very dangerous. They wished to see what the Beacon students learnt that will help them in this 'grim' future. And so far, things are simply disappointing.

"So much talk yet so little action. This man is pathetic." Jarl said with much displeaser in his tone.

"Few are savages like you, dog." Julius scoffed.

The Wolf Guard glanced at his 'cousin', his Power Fist tightening, he would not let that insult go unnoticed. The Dark Angels too, was prepared for a fight. Luckily, the Captain saw it all.

"Enough! both of you." Tiberius said sternly.

Back to Port, the man had started another long and boring story.

"That is what you are training to become. But first: A story. A tale of a young, handsome man... Me! When I was a boy..."

As Port told his story on and on, the Ruby girl had almost fallen asleep, multiple times, which start to piss Weiss off. Yang, seemingly focused on Port story, actually secretly had placed her Scroll under the table, hidden from everyone eyes, while watching her favorite boy band. Blake, did the same with her book. Weiss, as a model student, was the only one who was truly attempting to focus.

Tiberius eyes twitched under his helmet from what he was seeing, he sighed.

"The Maidens has much to learn before saving this world. This is will be difficult."

"Agreed." Hijikata replied.

"Ah-heh-hem!" the Professor let out a fake cough before continues "In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero!"

The Astartes too, already had sensed the story became pointless and shifted their optics at the girls again. While both Ren and Pyrrha continued to write down their notes, Nora had already fallen asleep on the table. Ruby, meanwhile,had drawn an ugly version of Port on her notebook and showing it to Yang, earning a giggle from the blonde girl and a glare from Weiss.

"This extrodry lack of discipline, unacceptable." Tiberius growled, his left eye twitched again.

"They're children, Captain. Fun and joy is their core after all." the Chaplain replied "This is something we can not push. Let them enjoy it while they still can, time waits for no one after all."

Back to Port, the man had concluded his story. "The moral of this story? A true Huntsman must be honorable! A true Huntsman must be dependable! A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise!"

"Moral? One does not learn from some far stories or fantasy tales. He has only learnt it on the battlefield." the Wolf Guard scoffed.

"That, I'm inclined to agree with you, Wolf." Julius nodded.

The class, was now silent the students, many of them, now we're trying to act like they were listening to the lecture and preparing for any questions to be given out by the professor.

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?" the Huntsman asked.

Weiss immediately raised her hand up "I do, sir!"

After a few minutes to change into her uniform to combat skirt, she stood proudly on the arena with her Multi Action Dust Rapier Myrtenaster ready.

"Step forward, and face your opponent!" Port announced.

"Goooo, Weiss!" Yang cheered, pumping her fist into the air.

"Fight well!" Blake cheered as well, waving a mini flag.

"Yeah, represent Teeeeam RWBY!" Ruby called out.

"Ruby! I'm trying to focus!" the Schnee retorted.

"I could already see that girl ego is big as an Inquisitors." Julius commented, crossed his arms.

"Typical noble behavior." the Raven Guard spat.

"Allllright!" Port swung his weapon at the cages lock, breaking it

"Let the match... begin!""

The moment the cage door fall down, a human-size Boarbatusk burst out. Weiss eyes widened out, surprised by the sudden speed from the large Grimm. The only thing she could do is to deliver a weak slash to the black boars rear before dodging to the side. Weiss then quickly fell back into her battle stance, as both opponents stared at each other.

"Ha-ha! Wasn't expecting that, were you?" Port taunted but Weiss paid him no mind.

"Hang in there, Weiss!" Ruby called out again.

Both combatants rushed at each other again, but this time the young Schnee was prepared. She struck the rapier forward, but the result was not as expected. Her weapon immediately got stuck between the Grimm huge tusks.

"Bold, new approach. I like it!" Port commented.

As the white-haired Huntress struggle to take her weapon out, her partner making another attempt to cheer her up.

"Come on, Weiss, show it who's boss!"

Weiss turned to Ruby with an annoyed look and that act of carelessness caused the Boarbatusk to flip her rapier up, flinging it onto the other side of the arena. This was followed by a strong punt, cause the young Schnee body to fly back, which she luckily she landed safely.

In that moment, Tiberius had stood up, raising his Bolter Pistol up, his finger on the trigger. Yet, his more rational side quickly regained control, the Ultramarines Captain from poused from shooting the Grimm. Tiberius was breathing hard, a strange rage and a desire to protect Weiss had inexplicably overcame him . His twin hearts were beating faster than usual. His optics had finished scanning the creature and the girl. His instincts were screaming uncontrollably for him to shoot.

"Oh-ho! Now what will you do without your weapon?" Port taunted again.

The boar-like Grimm charged forward again and Weiss barely dodge it. The Huntress-in-Training then swiftly ran to her weapon, successfully picking it up.

Seeing this, Ruby quickly shouted out "Weiss! Go for its belly! There's no armor underneath-"

"Stop telling me what to do!" the white-haired girl snapped.

The Grimm launched itself at Weiss like a bowling ball, which the girl easily deflected with a glyph. She jumped up, summoning another glyph to help her gather enough momentum to launch herself at the black boar, stabbing the creature right in the stomach. The Grimm could only let out a squeal before fading into nothingness.

The fight was over, and the girl had emerged victorious. Tiberius unknowingly let out a relieved sigh. The Chaplain placed his hand on his, signaling for him to lower his weapon .

"Calm, Captain. This is not like you at all."

"Bravo! Bra-vo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training!" the professor eyes suddenly turned to the Ultramarines, spotting his combat stance "Ah! Mr Tiberius, is there a problem?"

Tiberius could feel it, all eyes of the class now were gazing upon him. He holstered his Bolter Pistol and sat down with a THUD.

"No, Huntsman, carry on." he replied calmly.

Port looked like he was about to say something else but as he glanced at the clock on the wall, the man realized his class was already over.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover your assigned readings, and... stay vigilant! Class dismissed!"

The first one to leave the class was Weiss, who gave young Rose a quick glare before stomping out angrily. Team RBY and NPR look at each other, Yang do not like how Weiss acting like a bitch right now.

"Sheesh, what's with Ice Queen?" she scowled.

[XXXX]

"Weiss!" Ruby called out as she caught up to her partner in the hallway.

"What?!" Weiss responded with an annoyed tone.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you being-?" Ruby began.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?" the heiress interrupted "You're supposed to be a leader, and all you've been so far is a nuisance!"

"What did I do?" young Rose asked.

"That's just it - you've done nothing to earn your position! Back in the forest, you acted like a child, and you've only continued to do so!" Weiss ranted.

"Weiss, where is this coming from? What happened to all the talk about 'working together'? I thought you believed in acting as a team." Ruby asked, she feel hurt by the cruel words.

"Not a team led by you. I've studied and trained. And quite frankly, I deserve better." the girl stated before walking away "Ozpin made a mistake."

Ruby Rose don't know how to reply, her eyes could only her partner back as she disappears the hallway corner. Her head lowered, and suddenly, a familiar metallic voice spoke out from behind.

"Distrust from each other, a common problem in a team."

Young Rose spun around, and the first thing her eyes are met is the red and yellow Imperial seal on the Astartes belt and his skirt. The girl looked up, to see the face of the Blood Angels. She knew Hijikata had listened to the conversation.

"Is she right? Did I make a mistake?" Ruby asked, a hint of hurt in her voice.

The Astarest shook his head before responded. "I cannot say, Ruby. You have to discover that for yourself."

Ruby looked down again, but the Son of Sangunius continues.

"But when we first met, when I first saw your actions in the Initiation a. I saw great potential, yet untapped. I witnessed skills from a little girl that already far surpassed her peers." he continues "And even with all of that, she is carrying a great role. A role with many responsibilities."

The Space Marine kneeled down to match Ruby eyes, his voice is kind and gentle, compared to his brothers "I have lived longer than any normal man and I have fought for so long that I almost lost count. Yet, I never saw or believe that there are a 'natural-born' leader. All men, even the gods themselves, learnt from each other, the past, the present and the future. And how they use that knowledge is what makes them special."

The former Lamenters place his index finger on Ruby chest, emphasize what he spoke next "But remember this, Ozpin, for all of his lies, saw something in you, something that even I may not know. Your future as the leader of the team is something I'm uncertain of. Perhaps you can prove it to me in the future that you're a great leader, perhaps not. That is for you to decide."

There were tears in Ruby eyes but she quickly wipe it off. She know what to do now. The young Huntress let out her innocent smile.

"Thanks, Hijikata."

"My pleasure, Ruby." the Astartes smiled back behind his helm.

With that, the young Reaper ran back to her room as the Space Marine watched her small figure disappears behind the wall. Still, he stood there, silently as his face turned into a scowl when a voice speak behind him.

"A good piece of advice, Mr Hijikata."

Ozpin walked up, holding the mug on his hand. Hijikata did not respond, he stayed silent as the old Headmaster continues.

"I take that those words came from your experiences. Not many Huntsman survive to pass such wisdom back to the younger generations."

The Blood Angels glanced back at the green-coated Headmaster.

"And I'm not those 'Huntsman'." he retorted before walking away " It would be well to remember that, Ozpin."

[XXXX]

Tiberius stood there, on the balcony. He was meditating, his mind is racing back a few hours ago. His actions were an embarrassment. The Ultramarines was known among other Chapters for their calm and logical way of thinking. And here he was, pulling out his weapon to save a young girl from a creature that she supposed to defeat. He was angry and confused. It insulted him in many ways.

His twin hearts is beating faster and faster and his mind keep thinking about that event. It was confusing for such action. Why would an Astartes react like that? Why he, a Captain of the 2nd Company of the Ultramarines, do such a thing? He saw many neophytes die in their first battle, he shed no tears or worries, only regret for his tactical mistakes. And just like that, he reacted to such … insignificant thing, it makes him angry.

Tiberius closed his eyes again, he needed to regain control. He needed to focus. Suddenly, he heard footsteps approach behind him. He was not alone, not anymore. He glanced back to see a familiar snow white girl.

"Tiberius." Weiss greeted.

"Greetings, Lady Schnee." the Ultramarines greeted back, turning around to face the girl "You seem troubled, is there something that you wish to speak of ?"

Weiss take a breathe before replied "Well... I-Its about Ruby..."

Tiberius raised an eyebrow behind his helm. The Ultramarines had already expect something from the girl, especially her attitude, reminded him too much of the nobles on Macragge.

"Please tell."

"... I think I should have been the leader of Team RWBY!" Weiss said, her voice now full of frustration.

"Mmm." the Ultramarine placed his armored fingers under his helm "This is a matter that I'm not good at dealing with. But even if I'm no Chaplain, I could provide you with my insight."

The white-haired girl eyes lit up, she was expecting something, someone to agree with her perhaps. But Tiberius bluntly quashed those hopes .

"Your attitude, Lady Schnee, is like a typical noble. Proud and arrogant."

"Excuse me?!" the young Schnee almost shouted out and judging from her face, she is offended.

"What occurred before, you anger to Lady Rose and your views points, seems very … petty to me." Tiberius shrugged his massive shoulder pads "You barely know Lady Rose and here you are, claiming that you know her very well. You believed that is all Lady Rose can offer. One must not let mere rules restrict them. One must see farther, to understand deeper to judge someone."

A look of confusion quickly replaced Weiss anger. Tiberius did not say anything for a few seconds before turning around, staring at the green forest behind him.

"The forest behind me, Lady Schnee, is like Lady Rose. It's untouched, it's unknown and the potential to build something is almost limitless. Give Lady Rose the time and space to let her prove herself, then perhaps you can make a more … accurate judgement."

He paused, letting a moment for things to sink in "You're a person who honors your rules, your codes for you believed that those are the core to make you successful like today. You truly remind me of an Ultramarine, Lady Schnee. But my old Captain had always remind me that 'how we live with those rules is the true test'. Do not let them restrict your views on the world, Lady Schnee. Perhaps Lady Rose might surprise you with her role as a leader."

Weiss was silent, her eyes now focused onto the floor. The atmosphere between both of them turned quiet again, for a while. Then, the Schnee heiress looked back at the Son of Guilliman, something change in her.

"Thank you, Tiberius." she said with a much calmer voice "And please, call me Weiss."

The Ultramarine raised his eyebrow again, confused with the strange demand. Nonetheless,

"Very well, Weiss." he said back politely.

[XXXX]

That night - Team RWBY room

Weiss opened the dorm door. She walked in and look around. Her teammates already fallen asleep. The girl looked at her upper bed. Her partner, dressed in her pajamas , was sleeping but she could see books, the lamp on the bed.

The young reaper suddenly woke up,.

"Weiss! I-I was studying, and then I fell asleep! I'm sorry..." she stuttered

The heiress placed her hand over her partner mouth as she glanced at the empty cup of coffee on Ruby bed.

"How do you take your coffee?"

"I... I don't..."

"Answer the question!" Weiss said, feeling irritated.

"Uhh, cream and five sugars!"

"Don't move." the white-haired girl rolled her eyes before jump down from the bed, then peaked back up with a new cup of coffee "Here."

"Um... Thanks, Weiss." young Rose thanks.

There was a short moment of silence between both girls.

"Ruby, I think you have what it takes to be a good leader." Weiss said with a smile on her face "Just know that I am going to be the best teammate you'll ever have!"

Ruby smile as well. She feel encouraged by her partner words.

"Good luck studying!" Weiss said before jump back down.

As Ruby prepared to return to her study, Weiss spoke up again as she approached the bathroom.

"Hey, Ruby?"

"Uh-huh?"

"I always wanted bunk beds as a kid." the young Schnee said before closing the bathroom door.

Yet, unknown to both girls, two familiar Astartes, Tiberius and Hijikata stood outside, hidden behind the wooden door, listening to the young Huntresses conversation. It seemed that everything had been solved, peacefully.

"Is this the 'happy ending' that the humans refers to, Captain?"

"There is no such thing as 'happy ending', brother. Not for us at least. There are still a lot of work that needs to be done. A long journey is ahead of us." Tiberius replied, his voice is grim.

And with that, both Astartes disappeared into the shadows of the hallway.

[XXXX]

Beacon Academy - The Great Hall Chamber - 2 days later

Blake breathed in and breathed out. She did it again and again and again. Her heart kept beating faster and faster. Her hands already full of sweat and her legs are shaking. Fear, she can feel it in every muscle, every drop of blood in her body. She needed to deal with this situation carefully. Then after a few more minutes of mental preparations, the raven-haired girl opened the door of the Chamber.

She looked around, the Raven Guard was sitting there, at the corner of the room, on his massive chair, seemingly cleaning his Power Sword with cloth. Her amber eyes darted left and right to locate others Astartes. There was no one, excellent, this is a good time for the talk. The former White Fang mustered all of her courage to walk up to the black Space Marine.

Kardoron glanced at Blake, still paid no heed for a moment there. "Greetings, milady, what is your purpose to be here?"

"Just call me Blake, and I want to talk with you, if you have time." Blake replied, her voice is a little shaky.

The girl had gained the Astartes full attention. Kardoron stood up and pulled out one of the smaller chairs behind him, signaling for the girl to sit down.

"What you wish to discuss then?" he asked after both of them settled down.

"A couple months ago, there was an incident on Schnee Dust Company train. But someone arrived and stop it." she gulped before continue "And that person was you, wasn't it?"

"What make you come to the conclusion that I was there." the Space Marine questioned in an amused tone.

"Your height, your armor, your weapons and the way you addressed me. I still remember the day we meet."

The Raven Guard chuckled and it was disturbing from Blake perspective, hearing strange vox sound that almost resemble a demon laughing "You are correct, Blake. It seems we have meet again."

"You know … you know who I am … don't you?" Blake gulped again.

There was a short moment of silence between them before the Space Marine replied "Your past with these White Fang, I do know."

Blake eyes widened, her worst fear became truth. She clenched her fist tightly as her eyes shifted to the floor.

"Are you gonna kill me? Or tell the school about who I am?"

"Pardon me?" Kardoron blinked.

Blake lookup, her eyes changed, it was full of anger and fear. "Don't lie. I read the newspaper, I saw the news. The numbers of White Fang that you had killed, and now you are here, inside Beacon Academy, to take my head."

The Raven Guard did not answer, he just look at Faunus for a moment there.

"I believed you are misunderstood, Blake. The day we met on that train, I can see regret and fear in your eyes. You wished to leave the White Fang, did you not?"

"What it has to do with you?" Blake asked back, still wary of the Astartes.

Kardoron placed the sword onto his lap before replied "It takes a person a lifetime to find his path but it take another lifetime to realize his mistakes. You saw the treacherous path of the White Fang, and you escaped that path. I can understand that."

"Understand me? I'm nothing like you, there is nothing to understand about. I'm not a murderer." she scoffed.

The Raven Guard let out a chuckled "Perhaps so, but our actions are for the best of humanity. For every traitor died at our hands, two more lives were saved by us. Our presence to Remnant may not be a welcome one, but is it necessary one."

"Necessary?! Those lives that you took, were they 'necessary'? All of them have families and friends waiting for them. What gives you the right to take all of that from them?!" Blake asked, she almost snapped, as she stood up from her seat.

Kardoron simply stared at the girl, he said calmly "They saw the consequences of their actions, yet they still chose it. They saw the damnation and the future that the White Fang would lead to, yet they still believe in it. You, Blake, understand more than anyone else, how twisted the White Fang has become. They had lost their title as the protector to their kind, they became the enemy of man."

"When you kill a murderer, the number of murderers remains the same. The White Fang, they're all misguided, our vision, our ideal, has always been noble. It still is." the raven-haired girl said as she sat back down.

"There will always murderers in this reality. Nothing is perfect, Blake. The best we could do is contain it. The White Fang had been straying from the path for too long, noble or not, the future of mankind could not survive with them anymore. Your kind will suffer the same fate if you all decided to follow the same path." the Veteran Sergeant said back.

"So you do have the problems of Faunus." Blake crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed at the Astartes.

Kardoron leaned forward, his red eyes remained focus on Blake "The Faunus and this worlds political matters, I hardly care. However, you, Blake, are the issues I am seeing."

"Excuse me?!" once again, Blake almost yelled out.

The black Astartes optics now turn to the window, his voice still remains the same "You wish the world to see your ideals, but no one is perfect, you expect humans to understand your vision. But they shall not. Man's nature has always been separated by their own needs. This 'democracy' as a system has too many flaws, and it is one of the main causes that tearing this civilization apart."

"You sound like those old dictators before the Great War." Blake stated.

"Unified, and we will win. Divided, we will lose. The galaxy is a cruel place and enemies besiege humanity from all sides. If we submitted to this government, mankind may have extinct millennial ago." there was a slight pause before Kardoron continues "The Raven Guard are liberators, but we are not anarchist. Yielding to demands of the enemy, will destroy us."

"If that is your justification, I still can not accept it." the girl said harshly.

Nonetheless, Kardoron still gaze at the window "We required no sympathy for our actions, only understanding. You may hate us, fear us, then so be it. But remember, this the 'White Fang' in your distant past, they're gone. There is nothing left of them. If you truly wish to bring this equality to this world, do not let the rest of the Faunus fall into damnation like them."

There was a short moment of silence, an uncomfortable one between them. Blake became confused and curious at the same time? She wanted to know who are these 'Astartes' are, she wants to know why aliens like them are here, she has so many questions and why they knew so much about Remnant. Currently, she could only come up with theories, many theories at most.

Yet, deep inside her, what Kardoron spoke before is not wrong. Blake already knew that the White Fang became corrupted, strayed from their noble path long ago. She still wanted to believe it had a hope, a hope that one day someone will save the White Fang and all Faunus from this mess. Still, she was afraid to do anything. The only thing she could do right now is saying something.

"The Faunus … when I met them before applying for Beacon. They speak highly of you guys, praise you like some saviors while spitting at the White Fang behind their back. They fear and hate the White Fang."

The black Astartes now turn back his lens to the former White Fang "Like I stated before, we simply done what must be done."

Blake closed her eyes, her mind thinking about Kardoron and his philosophy. It was cold and hard, but soft and warm at the same time. He spoke like a revolutionary against a tyrannical government but at the same time, he spoke like a loyal soldier of a dictator. The girl stood up, she became tired because all of this talk.

"I-It's getting late, I … better return to my room. Ruby must have been worried sick."

Kardoron also stood up and walk up to the door, opened it.

"That is for the best."