12

Chapter 11-The Next Step

Safe house somewhere in Vale

Emerald Sustrai was ready kill something.

*Squeak* *Squeak* *Squeak*

The red eyed youth groaned loudly as she slumped in her recliner. She was a dark skinned beauty with mint green hair that stopped just below her ears, save two long strains in the back that reached mid-back. She wore a shallow-cut olive undershirt under her exotic white top. Her white shorts showed off her long, slender legs and her high heeled shoes.

*Squeak* *Squeak* *Squeak*

It was bad enough that she was stuck in Vale and not allowed to leave the safe house, which would not have been too bad if her boyfriend hadn't been an idiot and nearly got himself killed fighting that giant dragon Grimm on Mountain Glenn and was confined to bedrest for God knew how long! If he wasn't in so much pain right now, she would have strangled him by now.

*Squeak* *Squeak* *Squeak*

Though, in all fairness it wasn't any of that that was pissing her off so bad. She was a thief, after all. Patience was part of her job description. She had the patience of a Goliath when it came to most things. Except for her idiot boyfriend and…

*Squeak* *Squeak* *Squeak*

"Mercury," she growled, "if you continue to make that damn ball squeak like that, I'll seriously kill you."

Mercury Black stopped bouncing his bouncy ball and looked at the irate green haired teen, his expression blank. He was a fairly tall young man with silvery-grey, spiky hair and grey eyes. He wore a grey and black partial-zip jacket, black pants with a grey pinstripe down each leg, and black boots.

He blinked at Emerald for a moment, surprised at her outburst. Then slowly, methodically, he raised his arm up…

*Squeak*

And threw the ball again.

Emerald growled and started to stand as Mercury cracked a smile. "Oops," he said lightly, as if Emerald wasn't looking at him like she wanted to dismember him. "My hand slipped. My bad!"

Emerald reached for weapons. "Yeah, I bet it did," she snarled. "You won't mind if I remove it for you?" Emerald hated Mercury. He had an annoying way of getting under skin.

"Actually, I'd mind a lot," Mercury retorted. "You see, I need my hands. My new magazine's coming in today, and I need this specific hand for tonight."

"You sick, perverted jackass!" Emerald shouted.

Mercury looked at her in amusement as he raised an eyebrow. "This coming from the girl who likes to scream 'Fuck my pussy!' when she visits her boyfriend late at night?" he asked.

Emerald blushed scarlet. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!" she denied hotly.

"Oh?" Mercury pulled out a small tape recorder and pressed play. Emerald listened in horror as her own voice came out for her to hear.

"Oh god! Oh GOD! Oh my fucking god! That feels so good baby! Faster! H-Harder! Ugh! Uugh! ARGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the recorder played out, and Emerald lost it. She shrieked as she pulled out one of her guns and shot the recorder, destroying it.

Mercury didn't seemed too fazed by her outburst. "That was worth 25 hard earned Lien," he complained childishly.

Emerald was glowing red as she grabbed her other gun and aimed both at Mercury's head. "Enough," a low voice called out, snapping Emerald out of her anger. She and Mercury turned to see a stunningly beautiful woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties or thirties. She had medium length, ashen black hair and bright glowing amber colored eyes and wore a dark-red off-the-shoulders, v neck mini dress with yellow designs on it and high heeled shoes that "clinked" when she walked.

This woman…was Cinder Fall.

"C-Cinder!" Emerald stammered, hastily putting her guns away. "I-I-I was…"

"No need, Emerald," she said. "I heard everything." Emerald blushed darker and tried to hide her face, screaming in mortification. Mercury grinned widely as Cinder turned to him. "And you, what possessed you to record that?"

Mercury shrugged. "I thought it would be funny," he admitted.

"I'm not laughing, Mercury," Cinder said in a flat tone.

"Neither am I!" Emerald snarled at the silver haired assassin.

Mercury was about to reply, but before he could open his mouth, a cool, regal sounding voice resounded through the room, saying, "Face it, Mercury, no one's laughing and you've messed up."

The three occupants of the room looked up to the balcony above them to see a teen about the same age as Emerald and Mercury with the same ashen black hair as Cinder, only way more spiky and untamed, wearing a baggy red T-shirt and black pajama bottoms leaning on the guard rails. His entire body was covered with pitch black bandages. The only parts of his body that weren't covered were the top of his head, and his left eye. The single, glowing amber orb stared down at the three in unveiled amusement.

"Aegis," Cinder said, slightly surprised. "I thought you were resting."

"Who can rest with all the yelling," he said as he pushed off the railing and walked towards the stairs.

"You really shouldn't be out of bed," Cinder scolded in concern. "You're still recovering."

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine," Aegis said, stretching his arms above his head. "Besides, if I stayed in that bed any longer, I'd suffer from atrophy." He walked down the stairs slowly. "I've been lying down for nearly a month now, and I can't stand it! I can't do shit but lie there!"

He reached the last step and stumbled as he stepped off of it. Cinder was quick to run over and catch him. He placed an arm on her shoulders to steady himself. She hoisted back onto his feet and said, "You're still weak. Pushing yourself won't help your condition."

"You worry too much," Aegis mumbled. He felt a hand on his cheek, raising his head until he was eye level with Cinder's face. She gave him a small, sad smile.

"Can't a mother worry about her son?" she asked softly.

Aegis's eye softened at that. "Of course she can," he told her. "But when her son has proven he's powerful enough to kill the dreaded dragon Grimm of Mountain Glenn, she should be filled with pride, not worry."

"You died on the operating table," Cinder said bluntly. "Five times."

Aegis rolled his eye. "So, the giant bastard got a few lucky hits in," he admitted a little sheepishly. "Hey, I'm still alive, ain't I?"

"Barely," Mercury said without apology. Emerald smacked him and glared at him.

"You really should learn to keep your mouth shut around Emerald, Merc," Aegis commented.

"But then life wouldn't be as fun!" Mercury complained.

"I'll show you fun!" Emerald sneered.

"I thought that was Aegis's job," Mercury snipped cheekily, making Emerald blush angrily again.

"Now, now, children," Cinder huffed in exasperation. "This is no time for arguing. We have a meeting to host, after all."

"Yes, kiddies, listen to your mother! She knows best after," a suave, refined voice mocked from behind Cinder and Aegis. They turned to see a man with long, bright orange hair with long bangs that cover one of his dark green eyes. He wore a black bowler hat with a red band and a small feather along with a red-lined white suit, a grey scarf, black pants, and shoes. He wore black eyeliner around his eyes and carried a cane in his left hand.

This was the infamous criminal mastermind Roman Torchwick.

"Torchwick," Aegis said tiredly, "your wit is as sharp as ever I see."

Roman seemed surprised at Aegis's presence, but quickly covered it and smiled sardonically. "Oh, look! The conquering hero! All wrapped up like King Hut's mummy!" he said scathingly. Emerald turned to glare at Roman, but a look from Aegis told her to let it drop.

"And you still look like a woman," Aegis told him. "Seriously, what self-respecting man wears eyeliner?"

Emerald and Mercury snickered. Roman frowned and responded, "It gives me an air of mystery!"

"Sure, sure…" Aegis dismissed, looking very amused. "My lady." This caused Mercury and Emerald to laugh loudly. Even Cinder cracked a smile. Roman gritted his teeth. He huffed in irritation.

"Whatever," he scoffed.

"Now that you're here, what is it you need, Roman?" Cinder asked as she helped Aegis onto the couch, sitting next to him. Emerald was quick to claim the seat on the other side of the ashen haired teen. He smiled at her and put his arm around her and pulled her close. She blushed at the contact, but snuggled up close to him, glad to be in his arms.

Roman sighed and moved to sit in a recliner in front of the couch. "I need more men," he said bluntly.

"You have the whole White Fang at your disposal," Mercury commented as he crashed on another sofa. "How many more do you need?"

"A fully stocked army would be nice," Roman commented sarcastically. "I'm way behind schedule and will not have the amount of Dust you specified in the time you specified unless I have more man power."

Cinder raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed while Aegis narrowed his eye. "Roman, why do you need more men?" she asked calmly, though Roman could make out the warning in her voice. Since working with her, he had quickly found out she didn't tolerate failure at all. She also liked situations to have a speedy solution.

And her son was just as bad. "And please don't make some snide comment about hating to work with 'animals' as you so eloquently put it before," Aegis added.

Roman knew he had to word his next sentence carefully. "The Animagus Corp. is making getting the necessary Dust extremely difficult," he said slowly. "Despite being fewer in numbers than the White Fang, they are quite skilled…for a pack of stupid mangy mutts." He sneered the last part.

Both Cinder and Aegis blinked. "Oh," the members of the Fall family said in unison and promptly leaned back on their sofa. Roman narrowed his eyes. Every time the Animagus Corp. or even its founder Harry Potter were brought up as the cause of one of his operations' failing, both Cinder and her son would react like this. No anger at their "perfect" plan being ruined or delayed. No death threats at him for failing. Just…that.

"What's so special about Potter and his mongrel pack that causes you two act this way?" Roman asked. Sure, Potter was the only Faunus Roman had even a smidgen of respect for, but that was because he respected the kid's planning and tactics. As a criminal infamous for his elaborate schemes, Roman had to give Potter credit for his counters to his own plans. Not only that, but the kid was a decent fight and could take a punishment before falling.

"He interests me," Cinder said, her tone suggesting dropping the subject.

"There's something…familiar about him," Aegis said mysteriously. "That's all."

Roman looked at them, clearing not believing what he heard. "Rrrrriiiiigggghhhht," he droned in his usual sarcastic tone. "So anyways, because of the Animagus Corp., I'm in need of extra man power to try and get back on track."

Cinder stared at Roman intently before speaking. "…I'll see what I can do," she told him. "In the meantime, I'll put you in contact with my mole in the Schnee Dust Company. He should be able to get you the rotation schedule the Animagus Corp. use when protecting Dust shipments. That should help you plan your heists accordingly." She looked to the orange haired criminal and smiled. "Is that sufficient?"

Roman scowled, but nodded nonetheless. It was better than nothing. "Sure," he said. He sighed and stood, saying, "If you would, just text the mole's contact information to my Scroll. I need to go and make sure the operation is still running smoothly."

Cinder nodded to him, and Roman walked off, leaving the four alone. "Well, he was as pleasant as usual," Emerald mumbled. Aegis chuckled and kissed the top of her head. She smiled at him.

"He has his uses," Cinder told the mint haired thief. "And as long as he sticks to the plan, he will continue to be of use to us."

"Speaking of plans," Aegis spoke up. "How's your training with the Fall Maiden's power coming along, Mother?"

Cinder sighed and smiled slightly. "It's coming along nicely," she admitted. "However, working with only half the power is difficult. It takes a lot of effort. If it wasn't for that Huntsman, I wouldn't have this problem." She frowned when she mentioned the Huntsman.

Aegis nodded. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help you," he apologized. "If old flame breath hadn't have busted me up as bad as he did, your mysterious Huntsman wouldn't have been a problem."

"You can't know that," Cinder admonished. "Plus, even if you could have made it, you would've been in no shape to help subdue the Fall Maiden."

"And you can't know that," Aegis retorted. He then groaned and closed his eye. Cinder and Emerald looked at him in concern.

"Aegis!" Emerald shouted. "Are you ok?!"

"Yeah," he mumbled sleepily. "I guess I'm a lot more tired than I thought."

"And moving around isn't helping you, either," Cinder scolded.

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled without care. He tried standing, but winced at the effort. He guessed he'd used up the last of his strength.

Cinder helped him to his feet. "I'll help you to your room," she said. Aegis nodded as he and his mother started walking to the stairs. "And you two, I best not come back down and see half of the living room destroyed, or there will be consequences," she warned, causing the duo to gulp.

Cinder half-carried, half-supported her son up the stairs and through the long hallway to his room. She wished she could ease his pain. She wished she would have done more to stop him when he went to stop the beast, but she knew it was impossible.

Once someone or something hurts someone he cared about, Aegis wouldn't stop until they were a stain on the ground.

"Beacon starts tomorrow," Aegis mumbled, breaking Cinder out of her thoughts.

"I'm aware," she responded. "Don't worry about it. I'll keep a sharp eye on Harry."

Aegis chuckled. "Just reminding you. When do you think we can actually work on getting him to join us?"

"Patience, my son," she chastised. "We'll get him to join, all in due time."

"But of his own free will, right?"

"That's my boy." She smiled at him. She looked up and pushed his bedroom door open. She led him to his bed and help him onto the bed. He groaned as he strained his abused muscles, but otherwise made no sound.

Cinder pulled the covers over him and kissed his forehead. "Now you get some rest," she ordered lightly. "Mom's orders."

Aegis laughed. "Now I can't disobey," he said. "Mom's orders are law."

She smiled at him. "Goodnight, dear."

"Night, Mother." Aegis closed his eye and immediately dozed off as Cinder smiled at him again. She walked out of the room and closed the door. She sighed again as she walked back to the living room area. Pulling out her Scroll, she opened a folder on her screen and instantly, several videos of Harry fighting various enemies, including Roman Torchwick, several members of the White Fang, even footage of his fights during the Mistral Regional Tournament. She smiled coldly.

"Soon Harry Potter," she said. "Very soon, you will join me."

Ozpin's office; Beacon Academy

"You're shitting me, Oz," Qrow denied, leaning against Ozpin's desk.

Ozpin sighed. "No I am not, Qrow," he said wearily. Yesterday, after Qrow and Taiyang found out Summer was still alive, Ozpin told them he wanted to talk to all of them the next day on some pressing matters, allowing them the rest of the day to get reacquainted.

"You mean to tell me that kid is not only responsible for saving Summer, but has magic?" Qrow questioned in disbelief. "Magic that's stronger then the Maidens? I call bullshit on that."

"It's true, Qrow," Summer said from her position in Taiyang's lap. Taiyang was sitting in one of the chairs in the office while Summer draped herself across the arms, leisurely swatting at the stubble on the blonde man's face, both amusing and irritating him as he wrapped his arms around her. "I've witnessed it in action. Kid's pretty damn powerful. And I know we haven't seen the full extent of his power. Are you really gonna argue with a former Maiden?"

"Former?" both Huntsmen asked, staring at Summer in shock.

She winced. "At some point in the tunnels, I got bit by a Death Eater," she said resignedly, causing Taiyang to pale and tighten his hold on her. "I know I died, and felt the power of the Maiden leave me. But someone apparently saved me, though I've never found a trace of that person, save this ring." She reached up and pulled the ring out of her vest's pocket and showed it to the men.

Qrow took it and examined it. "It's very detailed," he commented. "Are these real topaz in the eye sockets?"

Summer shrugged. "Far as I can tell."

"But if the power left you," Taiyang asked, "then that would mean…?"

Qrow winced. "Ruby or Yang has the power now, unless you refrained from thinking of one of them," he said.

Summer sighed. "It's Yang," she told them. "Yesterday, when Harry lost control of his magic after Miss Belladonna made him angry, I sensed the power acting up in her."

"Are you sure it was Yang?" Taiyang asked, not wanting his daughter to have such a burden on her shoulders.

Summer glared up at her husband. "I once had that power for my whole life, Tai," she said tonelessly. "I think I can recognize the power that had me ostracized as a child."

Taiyang winced. "Right. Sorry." She smiled up at him, showing him it was ok.

"So, we got a Maiden in comatose in the Vault and another one running around in Beacon," Qrow mumbled. "Perfect."

"Miss Xiao Long hasn't shown the signs of the power being awakened yet," Ozpin said, hoping to calm down the father and uncle of Yang.

"Thank the Lord for small mercies," Summer mumbled, going back to swatting at Taiyang's stubble.

"Well, that's something at least," Qrow mumbled as he took a sip from his flask, grimacing when he realized it was empty.

"So what does Mr. Potter have to do with all of this?" Taiyang asked, wondering what was going on in his old rival's head. He had been introduced to the young man yesterday, and he seemed like a good kid.

"Mr. Potter made a comment to Ozpin and myself yesterday," Glynda, who had been mostly quiet for the meeting, spoke. "He claimed his magic could heal just about anything given time and patience."

"And I'm hoping he can use it help Amber," Ozpin concluded.

"You think he can heal having your soul split in two, Oz?" Qrow sneered.

"Harry claimed there's a spell that can forcibly remove a person's soul from their body," Summer commented. "So who knows? Mending a person's soul…maybe there's a spell for that."

The two men looked at her in shock. But before they could question her statement, Ozpin spoke up again. "Whether Mr. Potter can or not, it's a risk I'm willing to take," he told them, getting back on track.

"But having him join your inner circle, Oz?" Qrow asked incredulously. "Are you sure?"

"I am quite sure," the Beacon headmaster said with a nod. "If he wishes to join, I believe he will not only be able to help Amber, but also get us to the supposed Old Vale ruins."

"IF he joins," Taiyang said.

Ozpin nodded. "If he joins," he agreed. "Which brings us to another matter. I'd like to hire you, Qrow, as head of security for Beacon, and you, Taiyang, as Summer's assistant combat instructor."

Emerald Forest

Jaune jumped over a fallen tree and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Three Beowolves quickly appeared from the underbrush behind him and ran after him. Jaune cursed as he made a sharp right turn and ran back towards the cliffs.

Hearing of Harry's past showed Jaune just how much he needed to improve. He had never been Huntsman material, as his parents were very adamant that after Joan, none of their kids would be Huntsmen or Huntresses. What he knew of swordsmanship came from his grandfather, and Jaune had convinced his mother to allow him to take gymnastics, simply saying he wanted a hobby.

So for the most part, he had to train himself. He kept up his sword skills, and even spared with his older sister to keep from getting rusty. He did gymnastics to help him stay active even when he wasn't doing anything. He even took up the hobby of his old friend Leif from back home, a skill he called Parkour. Apparently his dad, a famous Huntsman, taught it to him, and Leif was nice enough to teach it to Jaune.

Not that it ever did him much good…Until now.

A Beowolf swiped at Jaune's side. Jaune jumped to a tree and vaulted off of it, rolling as he hit the ground. Suddenly, another Beowolf came up at his side again as he was straightening up. Quickly side-stepped into another roll and kicked off the ground, running again. He jumped onto a fallen tree and ran up it. He reached the end and jumped into the air as the third Beowolf jumped at him from the right. Jaune used it as a stepping stone to get higher.

Suddenly, a King Taijitu emerged from the forest and tried to bite Jaune. Jaune yelped and slammed a foot onto one of the fangs, and pushed off of it. He soared a bit higher, but the other head appeared and opened its mouth. Jaune cursed and grabbed the closest fang, swinging around it and jumping through its mouth. He hit the ground with a thud and bolted through the brush.

He reach a system of ropes tied to a tree that he made the day before. His legs felt like they were on fire, but he pressed on. He grabbed his sword and then onto a rope. He cut one of the ropes, and he was immediately swept off his feet as the rope raced up the cliff. He looked down and saw the Grimm circling the tree. He sighed in exhaustion.

Jaune finally made back to the top of the cliff. He was in a slightly forested part of the cliff edge that he had set up as his personal training center. If any teachers saw it, they wouldn't question it because it wasn't against school policy (Jaune checked) and students could do things like this to train privately. Though, they might scold him and reprimand him if they saw his pulley system down to the Emerald Forest. No student was allowed in it without a professor's supervision.

Not that Jaune really cared at the moment. He was already in Beacon for faking his transcripts. What's going into a forest filled to the brim of man eating monsters compared to that? Besides, Harry had apparently been through worse and came out stronger. And Jaune knew he needed to sharpen his skills (miniscule as they may be) to keep up.

He would not be left behind and dishonor his family's name.

He lied on the ground for a while, trying to regain his breath. Today had been about building up his endurance and agility, which meant no swords or shields or armor. Just a little walk in the woods, Arc style. Yeah. Simple.

Jaune caught his breath and stood slowly. He looked around his little training area and walked over to the tree his pulley system was on. On the ground under it was his Scroll. He picked it up and activated it. He grimaced at the time displayed. 'Not fast enough,' he thought as he pocketed the Scroll and grabbed his shield. He transformed it back into his sheath form and sheathed his sword.

He walked away from his training area tiredly. 'But then again, it's only the first day. And Beacon starts tomorrow. I've got all the time I need.'