Jaune would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous.

He waited by the marked street light as Blake went ahead, moths and other insects dancing in the light above his head. The night was cool, the sky overcast. The weather report had said there was a chance of rain, and he could smell the moisture in the air, as if the clouds were moments away from bursting. She returned shortly with a familiar mask and it felt weird to slip it on, never having worn anything like it in his life. It was surprisingly comfortable, the inside lined with some type of padding. It narrowed his vision but not as much as he thought it would.

"Ready?" she asked quietly, donning her own mask. They were both dressed casually, their weapons absent. Jaune couldn't just walk in with a sword on his hip, and if they were searched, Blake would be discovered. Nora had Crocea Mors should he require it, while Weiss had Gambol Shroud. That was a show of trust the heiress hadn't been expecting.

Blake had asked for him to give it to her specifically.

He nodded. "Ready."

Their teams were in position, ready to move if things went south. And so with a steadying breath, they moved.

When they got to the end of the driveway, Jaune saw other new recruits present, waiting to be let inside. There were ten in total, including them. Not many but more than Jaune had hoped for. Red and the others had shown an utter disdain for the White Fang and wanted them gone from Vale, but not all faunus held those opinions.

They didn't have to wait long.

A tall, slim man appeared from within the warehouse. He was dressed in their usual black pants and white vested coat with a black under shirt and matching gloves, a pair of curled, ribbed horns protruding from the sides of his head. A ram faunus.

"Welcome," he spoke, his voice clear and strong. "You have gathered here because you wish to bring about real change for our people. Meaningful change. I promise you that if you come with me, you will see that vision carried out. If that is what you want, then step inside."

There was a moment of hesitation by those present before one took the first step. As if everyone had been waiting for it, the rest followed, and Jaune and Blake joined them.

The warehouse had been divided by temporary dividers, sectioning off the area into parts. They were shown into the main area where dozens of people waited, all dressed in the uniform of the White Fang. Every single one of them had weapons strapped to their body, be they firearms or swords, knives or clubs. They were lined up in front of a stage in rows of ten, standing at attention.

Above the stage hung a massive banner with the symbol of the White Fang emblazoned proudly, red on black.

"New recruits, stay to the right," the ram faunus instructed, and they moved into a small group off to the side.

Jaune scanned the area, looking for anything of note. Several crates were stacked together, one of which was open. From his position, he could make out a half dozen rifles within.

Men gathered on the stage.

The first to arrive were two hulking men that immediately commanded everyone's attention, their muscled arms bared, their vests flaring up with high collars. The one on the left had tattoos scrawled up and down his left arm, while the one on the right had similar markings on his right arm. Left carried a massive blade but it was unlike anything Jaune had ever seen, more like a chainsaw than anything else. Right carried a huge mace, the head thick and spiked. They carried those weapons with ease.

These men were dangerous.

He felt Blake tense beside him.

Jaune stepped closer to her and took her hand, lacing their fingers together. Her hand felt clammy, rigid, and so he squeezed it in reassurance. Slowly, she relaxed, squeezing him back to show her gratitude.

They needed to stay calm if they were going to do this.

"Thank you all for coming," Left spoke, his voice deep. Any chattering from the new recruits was silenced in an instant, and even the other White Fang members stood taller. "For those of you who are joining us for the first time tonight, allow me to introduce to you the man that leads us in our righteous war for a better future!"

Any calm Blake had achieved was shattered as a new figure stepped onto stage, her hand almost crushing his as it tightened.

He was tall and lean, and moved with graceful steps. A predator stalking its prey. He was dressed not in the uniform of the White Fang but a highly stylized suit; an asymmetrical black, long-sleeved, double-breasted high-collared blazer with slit sleeves lined with red, a crimson shirt, black pants, black gloves and polished black shoes. The left shoulder of his jacket was emblazoned with red thorns and a white symbol that Jaune couldn't make out, and when he turned, he saw the back was similarly decorated; a stylized red rose set over some type of white lattice of thorny vines. He had short, spiky auburn hair and within, two sharp black horns. Covering the upper portion of his face was a mask, though unlike the others, it was adorned with unique red markings.

If Jaune thought the other two were dangerous, this man was something else. Just his very presence seemed to make the air feel heavier, as if he were a rabid animal on the prowl. Jaune had felt this type of pressure before when around particularly violent Grimm.

He carried with him a long, lightly curved slender blade that was sheathed in black lacquered wood.

"To those that are new; my name is Adam Taurus, and I am your salvation."

So this was Adam Taurus, the man Blake had spoken about. Mentor, friend… almost lover.

His voice was crisp and smooth, and carried with it conviction. Blake stepped closer to him, almost hiding behind him as she clutched his hand desperately. He could feel the fear radiating off her.

It made sense. From what she'd told him, they'd been close. Almost as close as two people could be. Jaune doubted that Adam appreciated the way Blake had left the White Fang, and if he knew she was here, if he recognized her…

They were in for one hell of a fight.

"If you are here, you share my feelings," he began, arms open as he walked from one end of the stage to the other. "My sadness, my anger – for years, for as long as our people have existed on Remnant, humans have sought to keep us contained, to keep us down where they believe we belong. They think we are inferior, that we are no more than monsters, mindless like the Grimm – so who can blame them?" he stopped suddenly, facing the crowd directly. Everyone was hanging on his words. "The strong survive. Survival of the fittest. On this, I agree with them – but it is not we who are inferior. Oh no – it is they who are lesser, who are weaker. We are the strong, my brothers and sisters. Never forget that. And the place of the strong is on top."

He began walking again. "Was it not the faunus who triumphed during the revolution? And yet what did we have to show for it? Our ancient homeland, that already belonged to us by right? Our forebears made a mistake," many jumped as suddenly, he slammed the end of his sheathed blade against the ground, a loud bang echoing through the warehouse. "They believed that humans could be reasoned with in defeat but they were wrong. They can never be reasoned with because they believe themselves righteous. We must show them that they are not."

On and on he went, and Jaune could feel those around him rallying to his words, becoming emboldened, inspired. Adam Taurus was a good speaker, Jaune would give him that – but he was spewing nothing but hate as he spoke about tearing down the kingdoms and replacing them with something better.

There was no talk of equality here. He spoke only of superiority, of dominance.

Adam's eyes suddenly paused on him and Jaune remained calm even though he was anything but. Blake's grip tightened even further and if she wasn't careful, she was going to break his hand. Thankfully their joined hands were hidden or her fear would have been obvious.

"We must never give an inch or they'll take a mile. Our glorious revolution is upon us. Now all we have to do is take what is ours, through any means necessary."

His eyes panned away and Jaune felt relieved, sighing quietly.

"Now – we have with us ten new brothers and sisters that wish to join our family," Adam rested his blade against his shoulder. "New blood that must show us their commitment to the cause. What say you? Shall we see what our new family is made of?"

The White Fang roared their approval, thumping their chests in their fervor.

"Tonight, we shall be hitting two large stores in the northern reaches of the city. They will be our biggest haul yet, for they are major suppliers of Dust for private security firms. The police are on guard, and they are much more secure than previous locations, so be cautious. Get our new recruits suited up and armed."

So the reports had been true.

Left and Right jumped off the stage, and approached their group.

"Come with us," Right said.

They could do nothing but follow them behind the stack of crates where a small section had been partitioned off by curtains. Within was a crate filled with uniforms of various sizes, another filled with boots.

"Find a uniform that fits and then come out for your weapon," Left said.

A few of the newbies glanced around nervously.

"Where do we change?" one girl asked.

"Here," he said firmly.

The area wasn't very large and there was nothing to hide behind.

The girls were very clearly uneasy about it but didn't voice any objection. Jaune felt outraged but not for himself. But there wasn't anything he could do about it.

"Come on," he whispered.

They found some matching sizes and then Jaune directed Blake over to a corner.

"I'll shield you with my body," he said.

Blake looked at him with gratitude. "Thank you."

Covering for her was only the right thing to do but it opened up a serious problem. She was going to be getting undressed right in front of him, and he was going to be getting undressed right in front of her. Even if he turned around to give her total privacy, he'd be staring at a half dozen other people dressing.

Something must have shown on his face, or at least what she could make out of it below the mask because she said, "It's okay. I don't mind."

Blake removed her hoodie, pulling it up over her head. Underneath she was wearing a black tank top. Jaune busied himself with his own clothes, grabbing the hem of his shirt and pulling it up over his head, trying his best to stare at the spot above Blake's head.

Her sudden sharp inhale made him look down.

Her eyes were locked on his chest, her hands frozen. Jaune was about to ask what was wrong when his eyes dipped and he caught sight of her creamy cleavage. Her breasts were large and full. While not as blessed as Yang, Pyrrha or Nora, they were nothing to scoff at. Her bra was dark purple and cupped her chest tightly, pushing them up slightly and creating an alluring plumpness to her cleavage that he couldn't look away from.

But it wasn't just her chest that captivated him so. Her tummy was trim and toned with muscle, flat. The slight rise of her hipbone created a small gap between her lower belly and her jeans, enhancing the shape of her abs. Her skin was also like pale moonlight and looked so soft, he felt the urge to run his fingers across it.

Blake was ridiculously beautiful.

When he finally managed to pull his eyes away, he noticed that she was still staring at him. Amber eyes roamed across his chest and lower, focusing on the fine blond hairs just below his bellybutton.

"Blake," he said quietly.

That snapped her out of her trance and she looked up at him, blinking rapidly. It would have been cute, the way her mouth was slightly opened, lips parted – but this wasn't the time. But it didn't get much easier when she removed her shoes and began peeling those tight jeans down her shapely legs, revealing her matching underwear and her slender but toned thighs.

Jaune focused on something else, anything else as he removed his jeans. Thankfully the situation was stressful enough that he didn't pop a boner but Blake's eyes were back on him when he was left in just in boxer-briefs.

She was wearing a thong again. Jaune didn't know if it was intentional but she turned away from him as she pulled on her new set of pants, and he got an eyeful of her magnificent ass. Two pale, sculpted globes of pale, soft flesh with a purple strip that vanished in between. They lifted as she pulled the pants up, fighting against being contained before she finally managed to get the waistband over them after a small struggle.

He idly noted that her human ears were a little red.

Jaune hurriedly pulled on his own pants, and then the black shirt followed by the vested coat. He didn't bother with the boots since he was already wearing his own. When Blake faced him again, she was fully dressed, boots and all.

"Message our teams," he whispered, as quietly as he could so any faunus with enhanced hearing wouldn't overhear, and she nodded. "Activate our trackers so they can trace us."

She only had time to send a quick message with a couple of words, but it would be enough. They would understand. Jaune subtly activated the tracker on his scroll. Nora and Weiss would be able to follow him, as long as his scroll remained functional or still received a signal. In the wilds, it was hit or miss depending on how far out you were. In the city? They'd never lose them.

"Come," Right called.

They were each given a rifle with a single magazine and a knife. Jaune checked the chamber to ensure there wasn't a bullet already chambered before loading the magazine, ensuring that the safety was still on. The other newbies struggled with it, something Right took note of.

"You've got training," he said gruffly.

It sounded like an accusation due to his deep, rough voice. Jaune felt like an idiot, having done it instinctively.

"Militia," he said in explanation. "Not my first time handling a rifle."

Right grunted. "Long way from the frontier."

"We're all a long way from home."

The hulking man stared at him for a moment. "Yes we are," he then glanced over his shoulder. "That your woman?"

He was talking about Blake.

"Yes, I am," she answered before he could. "What about it?"

"The job comes first, remember that," he glared at them both before turning on his heel. "Come."

There were two nondescript vans parked out the back, already running. One white, one black. The newbies were separated into groups of five, an even split, and were joined by five more experienced members. Right made sure to keep Blake and Jaune apart, a show of authority or just what he believed was better for the mission, removing a potential problem. Jaune didn't know but it played in their favor.

Jaune nodded to her as she disappeared into one of the vans before he jumped into the other. They were spacious inside with a bench on either side, but with ten people, it felt cramped. If they were stealing Dust, he wondered where they were going to store it with so many bodies.

That thought was answered as they pulled out onto the street. Two small trucks were waiting for them, and they followed after as they hit the street.

Now all he had to do was wait.

Jaune called upon his aura, keeping it activated as he awaited his team to take action. He wasn't sure how good the White Fang grunts were at fighting but he knew that Right would be a problem. Several minutes passed by in silence, and glancing up front, Jaune saw they were approaching an intersection. Just beyond, he could make out the highway.

They'd just come to a stop when the side of the van crumpled, screams of surprise filling his ears alongside the sound of bending steel and shattered glass. Jaune braced himself as the van flipped onto its side, steel scraping against asphalt as they slid several feet before coming to a stop.

"Out, out, out!" Right roared, kicking out the windshield in a single blow. Jaune scrambled across the sea of bodies and calling upon his semblance, punched the back doors open. They broke off their hinges and went flying.

The truck that had been following them was similarly disabled, on its side. Yang stood atop it like a conqueror.

She cocked her fists and looked ready to throw down with him before he removed his mask.

"Oh shit," she lowered her hands.

"Jaune-Jaune," Nora called out, and then Crocea Mors was flying at his head. He managed to catch it at the last second.

"A little more warning next time," he said, unsheathing his sword and activating his shield.

White Fang stumbled out behind him, confused and disorientated. Before they could recover, Jaune struck, slamming the hilt of his sword into their jaws, knocking them out. Some of them recovered and realized what was happening, raising their rifles but Yang appeared, fists flying. Bodies went tumbling as she went to town, quickly dispatching them.

A few of the newbies saw what was happening and hightailed it, dropping their rifles.

"Where's the other van?" he asked, looking around. The street was deserted at this time of night.

"You guys split up. Pyrrha, Ren and Weiss followed them."

There was a sudden crack, the familiar sound of Ruby's rifle. Right had managed to free himself from the vehicle, and had been advancing on them when a sniper round slammed into his chest. He stumbled as aura flared in protection.

"Damn, who's the big fella?" Yang whistled, Ember Celica shifting into place over her knuckles. "He looks fun."

"Don't underestimate him," Jaune warned.

Yang winked. "Don't worry about little ol' me, hot stuff."

The windshield from the truck exploded outwards and a slender man crawled free. As he stood, a long whip unfurled in his hand, a line of silver difficult to make out in the dim light.

"Looks like we've got two of them," Jaune readied himself. "Watch my back."

Yang smirked. "You'll be watching mine, hun."

Almost like a movie, Jaune felt the first spots of rain fall from above. It didn't take long for the heavens to open, and rain poured down relentlessly.

"Nora," he called.

"Yeah?"

"I'll take the big guy with Yang, you and Ruby take the guy with the whip."

"Aww, I wanted the big guy," she complained.

Right looked between them before his eyes settled on Jaune, his scowl obvious even with the mask. "I see. A human. I'll enjoy this."

His mace loomed ominously as he hefted it onto his shoulder.

"I think I'll enjoy this more," Yang quipped. "Ready?"

"Ready," Jaune said.

Yang exploded from her position in a flash, her gauntlets firing behind her. The man with the whip dodged as the rounds slammed into the truck, the recoil carrying her forward. Her fist lanced at Right's face but it met duststeel, not flesh, his muscles straining as he tanked her blow. She followed it up with another and another, her hands blurring but he met her blow for blow, shielding himself with his weapon before countering with a cleaving swing. Yang was forced to disengage and Jaune took her place, slashing at his arm. Right growled as he found flesh, aura flashing. He tried to hit Jaune with a backswing but he ducked, attacking his legs with a lunging stab. Another flash of aura, another grunt of pain.

Jaune raised his shield as a knee rocketed at his face, shoulders shaking as the blow forced him back. Yang replaced him, coming in high, discharging two Fire Dust rounds point blank and shrouding him in flames. A massive hiss sounded as steam obscured their vision, the rain feeding the shroud, and when Yang attempted to press the advantage, his massive spiked mace appeared in a flash of purple.

Yang covered her chest in a desperate block. It did little to stop it, Yang crying out as she was blasted off her feet like a cannonball fired from a cannon, barreling through the traffic lights. Glass shattered as the pole toppled, slamming into the ground in a shower of sparks.

"Yang," Jaune called but he only had a second before Right was on him, moving much faster than a man his size had any right being. His mace glowed purple again and Jaune blocked, jaw locked as a massive force slammed down on him. He fell to one knee, the road cracking as his entire body was rocked from the force.

His mace used Gravity Dust.

Behind him, he heard the sounds of battle as Nora and Ruby engaged the other man. Several sharp cracks sounded, and he saw Ruby tumble across the road and through the front of a store, the door doing little to stop her momentum. A quick glance showed that with each crack of his whip, a powerful shockwave was created. Wind Dust – and potent, the store front windows several feet away shattering from the force generated.

"I'm your opponent," Right thundered, his mace humming again before it glowed an ominous, bright purple. Jaune hissed through clenched teeth as the weight of his mace was increased by several magnitudes, attempting to crush him like a bug.

Jaune called upon his semblance. His strength skyrocketed and began pushing up, roaring with effort as he stood on two feet. Right's eyes widened in surprise, struggling against him in a show of strength. Jaune's anger threatened to boil over, amplified alongside his strength but he maintained control, slipping to the side. The mace hit the road with a crack, the ground cratering from the weight and force.

Jaune's fist slammed into Right's face, blasting him back and through the downed van. The steel parted easily, his large body continuing into the brickwork of the nearby building. The wall didn't stand a chance, crumbling.

He canceled his semblance and felt his heightened emotions fade.

It was a solid strike but it didn't keep the man down for long, charging out of the rubble with a snarl. Jaune rushed forward and engaged him, mace and sword clashing as sparks rained around them. Yang appeared in a burst of flame, her hair ignited. Each punch snapped out like a hydraulic press, displaced air clearing the falling rain as her fists connected.

Right grunted as he was forced back, their teamwork overwhelming him. Yang blitzed him with lightning combinations before Jaune darted in, cutting him to ribbons with precise, sure sword strokes. His aura was the only thing keeping him from harm, for without it, he would already be missing limbs or pulverized meat.

A sudden flash of purple and Jaune raised his shield, the mace slamming into him and forcing him back several feet. Yang went to capitalize, shouting as her fist rose in an uppercut only for his mace to suddenly fire at an impossible angle, taking her in the ribs. Her shout turned into one of pain as she was flung away, barreling head first through a wall.

He didn't need to swing it. The Gravity Dust could swing it for him.

"Behind you," Nora suddenly screamed and Jaune moved without thought, tanking the whip on the face of his shield. The snap of Wind Dust rattled his eardrums, the force blowing him back – right into the path of Right's mace.

Jaune gasped as he was struck in the back, aura shuddering as he was driven into the ground. The road shattered beneath him, and he sunk into dirt and mud as water poured in from the rain. For a second, he flailed before rolling, a follow up blow missing him by an inch.

Aura bloomed as Jaune called on his semblance, and he rocketed up with a wild strike. The edge of his shield slammed into Right's chin and his head rocked back. Ruby was then there, her scythe a blur as she danced around him in a blender of death, finished off with a point blank shot to the back of his head.

Aura cracked – and then shattered, motes of light raining down as the hulking man collapsed, his mace clattering as it fell to the broken street.

"Whoop~!" Nora called and turning, Jaune saw the slender man get struck in the chest. She pulled the trigger and it discharged in a mighty roar, the man flung into the tipped truck. The downed vehicle shuddered as it slid back several feet and from within, the telltale sign of broken aura flashed to let them know the fight was won.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked hurriedly, hands frantic as they searched his body.

"I'm fine, Ruby. I still have my aura," he said, though getting spiked through the road had hurt. Checking his scroll, he saw that he'd lost a quarter of his aura in that one strike. That was a lot for him. "Where is Yang?"

"Here," she groused, stepping out of the hole in the wall. "Fuck man, that mace packs a punch."

They were all dishevelled from the fight – and from the rain, their hair limp and their clothes soaked. In the distance, Jaune heard sirens growing louder.

"Looks like someone called the police."

Ruby looked around nervously. "We… won't get in trouble for this, right?"

Even Nora looked a little worried as they surveyed the damage. The road was completely ruined and would require extensive repairs, and that wasn't even getting started on the surrounding buildings. Two walls were busted and needed complete overhauls, countless windows were shattered and a door was splintered into ruin.

Oh, and the traffic lights.

"Damn, this is…" Yang rubbed her neck awkwardly. "They'll go easy on us, right? We totally just stopped a robbery from occurring."

They did get off easy.

If you could call it that.

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