I do not own RWBY or Warhammer 40,000, only my original characters.

Hey guys! Sixth story! You all know I am a huge Warhammer fan, but you might also know I have never written a Warhammer story. That ends today! Finally, after months of brainstorming, I've got the focus down, the changes set, and the drive to write!

I had a lot of fun writing this, and am happy to say that it will no longer be a one-shot! After seeing the overwhelming desire to read more, I started working on another chapter. Also, the story has been re-titled as Return of Faith, to better fit with what I have planned for it.

I am so happy you enjoyed it so much, and for those have yet to read it, I hope you like it. Onto the story!

Return of Faith

Prologue: Hidden Faith

It was a busy day in the city of Vale, but such is to be expected. The Vytal Festival fast approaching, and the people were busying themselves in preparation for it. Store owners readied special merchandise, volunteer workers set up decorations, and freshly arrived tourists filed out of cruise liners to experience all that the city had to offer them. The sidewalks were crowded with people going about their business or taking in the sights of this new city. Among this throng of bodies, a small figure, wearing a bright red hood, tried her best not to let her anxiety get the better of her.

Ruby Rose was never a big fan of crowds; they made her nervous. She caught herself saying "excuse me" and "pardon me" every time she passed someone on her way since she stepped out of the Beacon ferry airship. There were so many people out today, so many strangers. It was nothing like her home back on Patch where everyone knew each other, and you could actually see where you were walking instead of just the back of the person in front of you.

Thankfully, the young Huntress-in-training wouldn't have to stay a part of the throng for much longer. An alleyway was coming up, one distinguished from others by the street mural on the building next to it. It depicted an artist's stylized rendition of Vale's last king, heroically thrusting his sword forward, toward the future.

Ruby glared at the dead tyrant's likeness from beneath her hood before ducking into the alley. Glad to be free of the crowd she stretched out her arms, reveling in having the space to do so after spending almost two hours being pushed around by a current of moving bodies. Her little celebration completed, Ruby headed down the alleyway.

It led her into a maze of backstreets and dead-ends that ran through much of Vale's commercial district. A network of hidden intersections and condemned buildings colorfully known as the Back Alley. Many people were ignorant that the Back Alley even existed and most who did know liked to pretend it didn't, for one reason or another. It wasn't the worst place in Vale, but it definitely wasn't one of the better places either. It was the territory of the Golden Crowns, after all.

But the Back Alley was more than just a gang's playground, as Ruby had learned some months ago, before she was accepted into Beacon Academy. Back then, she had been wary of the Back Alley, afraid she would get lost and never find a way out. She knew the way far better now, no longer requiring the help of another. She followed the hidden signs left by the Golden Crowns, letting them guide her path through the maze.

Eventually, the signs led Ruby into a dead-end full of garbage cans and dumpsters, all of them covered in the yellow crown mark of the Golden Crowns gang. Most would assume they had made a wrong turn – she certainly did the first time she came here – but that was the whole point of it.

Ruby went over to a dumpster resting against the left wall of the dead-end. It looked no different from the others: same shape, same color, same gang graffiti, or so it seemed. Apart from the yellow crowns, there was another symbol painted on the dumpster, small and unnoticeable, but there all the same.

A black lion's head.

Ruby did a quick look around to ensure she was alone, then carefully knocked five times on the side of the dumpster. Not a second later, a hidden slide slid open and a pair of blue eyes looked out at her. Ruby fished out the necklace she kept hidden beneath her blouse, presenting the icon that dangled from its string to the man in the dumpster. He regarded it for a moment, then slammed the slide closed. A few seconds later, after numerous locks were undone, the side of the dumpster slide open and a Golden Crown gang member warmly greeted Ruby.

"Welcome back, sister Rose," he said with a bow of his head and she returned the gesture. The gatekeeper stepped back to allow Ruby to enter before quickly, and quietly, locking the hidden door behind her. She pulled down her hood once the coast was clear and thanked the gatekeeper before moving on. The dumpster hid a hole in the wall behind it, leading into an old building, forgotten and abandoned, or so it seemed from the outside. Ruby had to duck her as she passed through the hole, coming upon a sight that both warmed and broke her heart each time she saw it.

Despite what the council liked to say, Vale had a significant number of homeless people. When it was announced that Vale would be hosting the Vytal Festival, the council wanted to make the city appear as a utopia to the other Kingdoms, where everyone was happy and well-off. They achieved this through force, driving the homeless out of the public areas to make way for the tourists here to experience the Festival. Most went to the Kingdom run homeless shelters, but the truly dispossessed were forced to find sanctuary in other, hidden places, like here.

Dozens of people occupied the interior of the building, human and faunus both, all of them homeless. They rested on dirty sleeping bags and old mattresses. Their clothes were worn and filthy and some coughed violently with sickness. In a corner, a rag-clad mother bounced her baby boy in her arms, trying to quiet his crying. A Golden Crown knelt beside her and offered the woman a pacifier which she graciously accepted. The baby's wailing stopped.

Three more Golden Crowns milled about this floor of the building, performing similar acts of kindness. They handed out bags of food or fresh water, talked with them, and treated them as people rather than a nuisance, like the Vale council did. Among the gangsters and homeless were others, people like Ruby who had either arrived before her or from different routes. Like the Golden Crowns, some of these people aided the poor souls that took sanctuary here. A woman handed out fresh blankets to the eldest of the vagrants and her young daughter gave out snack bags while a familiar shopkeeper gifted small toys to the few children that were here.

One of the children, a small faunus boy with dog ears, saw Ruby and ran over to her. "Ruby!" He cried out as he embraced the older girl's legs. Ruby smiled and returned the affectionate gesture with one of her own, rustling the boy's black hair and making him giggle. He pushed himself away to escape from the Huntress-in-training's assault and looked up at her with a big smile, revealing a gap in his top teeth.

"How are you doing, Ollie?" she asked him, then with a mischievous smile added, "Haven't been causing any trouble, have you?"

Oliver, or Ollie as Ruby called him, shook his head in a childishly enthusiastic fashion. "Nope!" He said, popping the 'p' at the end. "I haven't caused any trouble."

A nearby Crown gave a snort of laughter, "Hasn't caused us any trouble you mean, kid." This made a few of the others present chuckle and Ruby to raise an eyebrow at the orphan, who looked away from the older girl with a mockingly innocent look on his face.

"Ollie?" She said with gentle seriousness. "You know it's a sin to lie, right?"

The faunus' face soured when she said that, and he pouted. "I didn't do nothing wrong, just pulled some pranks on some dumb heretics," He grumbled, kicking at the floor dejectedly, "They said Vale was better now… without the Church."

That made Ruby frown, and the Golden Crown to let out another laugh. "You should have seen it, Red." He walked over to Ollie and gave the boy a slap on the back, stumbling him a bit. "This big guy right here, he made 'em regret saying that bull. 'It's in my hair! Get it out, get it out!' Hehe, frickin' classic."

"Whilst it is just to correct those who mock our Church, we must remember that they speak out of ignorance, not hate," another voice commented. "They know not what they say, for they have been deceived by the servants of the Tyrant into believing his lies are truth."

Everyone turned and showed respect to the speaker as he entered, crossing their hands against their chests in the symbol of the faith. Those who stood went to their knees while those sitting just bowed their heads low.

"Rise, my friends," He commanded gently. "I would rather see your faces than the tops of your heads."

They did as was asked of them and looked upon their shepherd. Father Carmine was a stout man, reminiscent of a certain mustached professor back in Beacon, but of a much humbler disposition. His clothing reflected that, and he wore only a simple brown robe and sandals. The good father was also bald and without any facial hair to speak of. The only truly distinct feature to him were the red prayer beads hanging from his neck, but even these were just made of simple wood.

Two tough looking Golden Crown gang members stood close behind him, armed and very mean looking. They were a stark contrast to the kind priest they were tasked with protecting, scowling while he smiled. He had no real need of them now that he was here, but they refused to let the good father out of their sight, he was the whole reason this place existed after all.

Father Carmine's warm gaze traveled across the room, acknowledging every soul present with an inviting smile. As his eyes fell on Ruby, the young Huntress-to-be wrapped her hand around the icon hanging freely from her neck and smiled back. Once he had finished, the priest raised up his arms as if to accept an embrace. "The love and glory of our Lord be with you."

"And also, with you," intoned all who were present.

He lowered his arms. "It is good to see you all again, my friends," He said to them, relief and gratitude in his voice. "I had feared, with all the chaos afflicting our dear city lately, that some of you would be unable to attend this week's service." His smile grew a bit. "I am overjoyed to see that my fear was misplaced."

"We would never miss your service, Father," said the mother with the blankets, earning nods and sounds of agreement from the others.

Father Carmine nodded at that. "All the same Martha, I am glad you all could make it." He then turned and began to walk away, his guards right behind him. "Let us begin."

Almost as one, everyone went to follow the priest and his guards. A tiny hand tugged at the hem of Ruby's combat skirt, and she looked down to see Oliver starring up at her. "Sit next to me, okay?" he said and Ruby smiled.

"Okay." She answered, and Oliver took Ruby's hand and led the older girl into the group of people.

The pace of the procession was slow, but deliberate. Unlike the sidewalks of Vale, there was no impatient rush, no insistent desire to reach one's destination as soon as possible. It was calm, it was orderly, and it didn't make her feel like a sardine in a can. Moreover, it was quiet, a welcomed change to what she had to deal with on her way here. It wasn't that Ruby hated loud noises, learning how to kill Grimm wasn't a necessarily quiet thing, but there was just something so annoying about the dine of the big city. Everything had to be louder than everything else.

They followed Father Carmine outside, into a sort of courtyard area. There were more Golden Crowns out here, standing around and talking with each other until they saw the priest. Some stood straighter when they saw him, others made the symbol of the faith with their hands or uttered greeting prayers to him and his retinue. Ruby still found it incredible how the father had changed these men so radically. Her partner Wiess would have her believe that such people were just thieves and cutthroats, incapable of change, but Father Carmine had proven otherwise. Those who had once prowled the Back Alley now defended it from unwanted intrusion, and guided welcomed visitors to their destination. It was like her dad told her, 'faith brings out the best in us'.

If only the rest of the world understood that…

Ruby's mood soured a little from that particular thought, and only grew worse when they reached the other end of the courtyard and a metal cellar door. One of the Golden Crowns stepped forward and knocked five times against the doors. After a moment, a single knock sounded in return and the gangster pulled the door open. Another Golden Crown stepped out, gesturing for Father Carmine to enter. The good father thanked him and descended the cellar steps with his procession close behind.

It was a narrow descent, and they had to walk in single-file. Oliver took his place ahead of Ruby, moving down the stairs with the ease of one who had made this trip many times already. He hopped from step to step, moving in a sort of zig-zag pattern, making a game out of the whole thing. It was cute and distracted Ruby from her thoughts.

The stairway eventually emptied out into a large basement decorated with holy items and symbols. Scores of candles illuminated the room in gentle light and sweet-smelling incense filled the air. Taking up a great deal of space was a collection of folding chairs divided into two sections with about seven rows of four chairs each. They were faced away from the emerging group, toward the far end of the basement where a table and hanging banner could be seen. The table was nothing special, though the same could not be said for the book resting on it, nor for the banner that hung behind it.

Father Carmine made his way up to the table, leaving his guards to stand ready at the foot of the stairs. As he reached the table, everyone had already made it to their seats. Oliver led Ruby to the front left row and the two, all but dragging the teenager along. They found hymnal pamphlets on the seats, which they took before sitting. Ruby just managed to take a quick peek inside before Father Carmine's voice filled the room.

"All rise," he said, now behind the table. All present rose from their seats. "O, Heavenly Father, hear our prayers. We gather in this hidden place today to offer you our worship, so that you may know that we have not forgotten the lessons your Angels imparted onto us."

"We remember you, O Lord," recited his followers.

"We gather in this hidden place today to offer you our eternal thanks, for sending us your Angels to visit wrath upon the daemons that infest our world and for the illumination they brought to us, so very long ago."

"We thank you, O Lord."

"We gather in this hidden place today to offer you our faith, for we await the day when you will send your Angels to us again, so that they may burn away the corruption that has settled in their absence."

"We await you, O Lord."

"We gather in this hidden place today to offer you our love, for you are the true father of Mankind and it is right for children to love their parent."

"We love you, O Lord."

Father Carmine spread his arms wide and raised them to the ceiling, his head bowed. "May our humble prayers reach you, O Lord of Mankind, and may you smile warmly upon us," He lowered his hands and brought them to his chest, crossing them into the likeness of the two-headed eagle proudly portrayed on the banner behind him. "The Emperor protects."

Ruby crossed her hands over her chest in the sign of the Aquila as everyone repeated the priest's ending phrase, "The Emperor protects," and then filled the basement with the peaceful sound of hymns.

~o0o~

"May the God-Emperor be with you all."

"And also, with you."

"Go in peace," and with that, the service ended. As Carmine's flock departed from their hidden chapel some approached the father to thank him for the service or to ask about what the next one would be about. One couple, each wearing an engagement ring, even asked him if he could perform their wedding ceremony. It was a request that, after the clapping died down, he had happily accepted.

He felt such pride for his flock. They lived in a society that would see them condemned for their faith, but they would not let the fear of punishment control them. They bravely sought him out, despite the risks, to lead them in their worship of the one true God.

He closed his eyes and offered a silent prayer of thanks to the God-Emperor, for blessing them with such righteous courage.

"Father Carmine," He opened his brown eyes to see silver ones staring at him. Ruby Rose made the sign of the Aquila in greeting and said, "I really liked today's sermon."

Carmine smiled and repeated the gesture with a grateful nod. "I am pleased to hear you enjoyed it, Ruby," he said, then noticed something. "I see young Oliver isn't with you."

Ruby shook her head as she lowered her arms. "I asked him to head back up without me," she said, then hesitated. He saw her left hand go to the small Aquila pendant she kept around her neck.

Carmine frowned and placed a hand on the child's shoulder. "What is wrong, Ruby?"

She fidgeted nervously, "It's kind of… You see I…" She was struggling to find the proper words. Carmine removed his hand from her shoulder and went over to the rows of seats. The priest took hold of two chairs and dragged them over so that he and Ruby might sit down and talk.

Ruby accepted the chair with a quiet "thank you" and sat down in it, her posture rigid. Carmine smiled at her reassuringly, "Relax, Ruby, you have nothing to fear. Whatever you wish to say, only the Emperor and I shall hear." He gestured for Turk and Malach to leave, and after a moment of hesitation they obeyed and closed the door behind them, leaving just the two of them. "Now, what is troubling you, my child?"

"It's my teammates," she blurted out, then blushed at her own forthrightness.

"Your teammates?" Carmine asked. "Has something happened to them?"

"No – I mean, yes – I-I mean…" She struggled for a moment, then took in a deep breath. "Last week, we found out that Blake – you remember Blake?" Carmine nodded, recalling when Ruby first spoke to him about her time at Beacon Academy. "Well, we found out that she used to be part of this… really bad group. When we found out, she ran away, and we went looking for her.

"We spent the whole weekend looking all over Vale for her, but we couldn't find her. Weiss was certain Blake was still a part of the Whi – of the group and wouldn't stop ranting about how Blake was a criminal. Then we found her and Weiss…" She paused, looking down at her lap.

"Did she attack Blake?" Carmine asked, concerned that there had been some sort of fight between them.

Ruby shook her head, not meeting the priest's gaze. "No," she answered, her voice slightly wobbly. "She forgave her! Weis said she didn't care anymore about Blake's past and that we'd be there for her whenever she needed us." Carmine's frown deepened, but before he could say anything, Ruby continued her story.

"I was so happy!" She said, and Carmine heard the tremor in her voice. "I was happy because everything was back to the way it was. Weiss accepted Blake for who she was and Team RWBY was back together. Everything was great!" She paused, trying to collect herself, then added, "It gave me hope."

"Hope?" Carmine repeated, confused by what she meant. Then his eyes widened in understanding.

"I-I thought that maybe, if they could look past Blake's past, maybe I could tell them about my faith." She explained, "I thought they would accept me too. I mean, if they could accept someone who used to be a terrorist they shouldn't have any problem with accepting a follower of the Emperor, right?"

Carmine reached out and placed a reassuring hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Did you tell them?" He asked her, tone worried. There was a reason he held his sermons down here, away from prying eyes. If Ruby told them about her faith…

Much to his relief, Ruby shook her head. "No," she answered. "I was about to, a few days ago. But the day I was going to tell them, the professors found out that another student was a member of the faith and expelled him before handing him over to the police. When we heard about it, the things they said were just… Oh, Emperor!" Anything else she might have said was forgotten by the young Huntress-to-be as she buried her face in her hands and cried.

Carmine removed his hand, not prepared for her tears – though he should have been. He brought it back up and patted her on the shoulder to try and comfort the girl. He did not speak, it was not his place to, but he offered what reassurance he could all the same. After several minutes, Ruby's crying died down and she finally looked up at the priest, her expression that of bloodshot heartbreak.

"They called us lunatics, Father," She said dejectedly. "Weiss and Blake, they called us murdering zealots, mindless fanatics who 'can't accept that the world is better off without them'. And everybody agreed with them! Even Yang!"

That last part shocked Carmine. Like Ruby, Yang had grown up as a member of the faith, though she did not regard it with the same level of importance that Ruby or their parents did. But for her to condone such injustice against other members of her faith, it was beyond worrying. Had she forsaken the Emperor's Light?

"The only one who spoke up about the whole thing was Jaune, and he got detention for it!" Her head drooped again as she sagged in her chair. "I know they're wrong, but it hurts so much knowing that they think that way about us. What should I do, Father?"

Carmine was quiet for a moment, considering his words. "We are a persecuted people, Ruby, hated and feared by those who do not understand our ways." He took her hands into his own and looked her in the eye, "But we must take heart in knowing that their hate is the result of ignorance. They scorn and fear because they are told to, because they do not know the truth.

"When the Angels return, your friends will see the error of their ways, as will the whole of Remnant." Carmine smiled when he saw that flicker in Ruby's eyes. He saw it every time he talked about the Angels. "When that day comes, and true faith is returned to Remnant, your friends will repent their heretical ways and join us in the Emperor's embrace."

Ruby sniffed then smiled a little. "You really think so?"

He nodded. "You've told me much about your friends, Ruby," he told her, "and they sound like good people. I have no doubt that they will understand, when the time comes. Until then, we must be patient," he removed his hand from the girl's shoulder. "The Emperor rewards those who wait."

Ruby's smile grew, her expression one of renewed conviction. "Thank you, Father."

"Emperor be with you, Ruby Rose," he performed the sign of the Aquila, which Ruby reciprocated.

"And also, with you, Father Carmine." The two of them stood up after that, but only Ruby walked over to the exit. The priest watched the young girl open the door, allowing his two guards back into the room, before ascending the stairs back outside. When he couldn't hear her footsteps anymore, he let out a sigh.

"Oh, God-Emperor, look over your daughter Ruby Rose." The prayer was quiet but echoed in the stone confines of the basement chapel, earning looks from the two Golden Crowns sharing the space with him.

"Father?" Turk asked, but Carmine waved it off.

"It's nothing," He said and walked over to the right wall of the room. There was another door here, leading into his private chambers. "I wish to be alone for a while, leave me." He heard Turk start to say something, but Malach shushed him and the two promised to return when he needed them before heading up the stairs after Ruby.

Once alone, he opened the door and stepped inside. The room was small and spartan in appearance. A bed and chest rested on one side of the room with a desk and chair on the other. The only decorations were the candles lighting the room and the small Aquila totem sitting on the desk.

Closing the door behind him, Carmine went over to the chest and opened it. He shifted through its contents until he reached its bottom where a small box sat with a roaring black lion's head emblazoned on its lid.

Carefully, reverently, Carmine lifted the box out of the chest and placed it on the desk before sitting himself down in front of it. He opened it gently, ensuring no sound squeaked from its hinges as he reached inside and pulled out the treasured contents held inside.

The first was a letter from a dear friend, long since passed into the Emperor's realm. He looked at the letter, folded up as it was, and was tempted to open it up and read it. He had read it many times, but the pain never dulled, and the pride never faded. He placed it down on the desk.

The second was an Aquila pendant, made from solid gold and hanging from a chain of silver. It was a finely crafted thing, not like the ones his flock wore, fashioned from scrap metal and wood. It was a relic from before the Great War, from when the faithful did not need to hide in the dark and temples to the Emperor could be found in every town. Like the letter, it was given to him by a dead friend, the same friend in fact, but he could not bear to wear it, not yet. Only when the faithful no longer needed to hide themselves would he don the relic. He placed it beside the letter.

The third and final treasure was an old photograph, and what it portrayed was something truly breathtaking. It too was a gift from his friend. It showed a massive mural, one of incredible detail and skill. He could tell it was ancient, even from just the photograph, because it depicted something that unbelievers and heretics decried as mere legend.

It depicted Angels.

Giants clad in armor of black, gold, and red, it showed the Emperor's Angels slaughter their way through an unending tide of Grimm. They cut into the horde with fanged swords and wicked axes that carved through the Grimm like they were nothing. The beasts could do nothing against the Angels' holy might. Some tried to flee but were struck down. Black and gold helmets concealed the faces of every Angel beneath a façade of snarling fury, all save one.

He stood at the forefront of the battle, wielding a beautiful sword that glowed with divine power. He wore no helmet and his face was painted into a calm expression that contrasted starkly with the ferocious helms worn by his kin. But what grabbed Carmine's attention the most, like it always did when he looked at this photo, were the Angel's eyes.

Those piercing silver eyes…

Carmine just stared at them for a while, lost in their intensity. After minutes of staring, he sighed and put the photo back inside the box along with the pendent and letter. He shut the lid and placed it back in the chest, covering it with his clothes and closing the chest. Another moment was spent blowing out the candles before Father Carmine left his room and made his way back outside.

One day, he thought to himself. One day, they will return and all of Remnant will know the glory of the Emperor's Light once again!

~o0o~

Author's Note: Such mystery and intrigue! So many questions! This was a huge joy to write, especially after nothing but Grimm Heir for so long, (I love that story, but it has just been a BITCH to work on recently). As I said, I am turning this into a multi-chaptered story, so get ready for some crazy stuff, because the Grimm and White Fang won't be the only 'bad guys' around. Also, though this is a Space Marine story, I have decided not to include Primaris Marines. I like them a lot, and really wanted to use them, but there is still very little we know about them fluff wise and would just prove too difficult to write. Plus, the lore for my chapter is that after the Indomitus Crusade their subsector got attacked by Chaos, so they wouldn't have time to go check out some random planet with a broken moon.

Furthermore, I want everyone to know there will be SIGNIFICANT changes to established RWBY lore, including the Grimm's origin, the two brothers (who don't exist, they're dumb), the maidens, relics, and the meaning behind Silver Eyes. That's right, I am actually going to be going into what it means to have silver eyes, and while it may not be able to freeze Grimm in place when you see a redhead get killed, they will still hold a significant amount of importance in terms of lore

Along with all of that, if you want to learn more about my Space Marine chapter, the Black Lions, who will be in this fic, 40k Theories did a homebrew of the week for them. It covers their lore, but unfortunately nothing else, but you'll get to learn more about them as this story goes on.

As Always: Please, Fav, Follow, and Review! Thank You!

DeadRich18 Out!