The view opens on a close-up of a pool of black slime in a dark red and purple land. A large paw emerges from within the slime and a Beowolf gradually crawls out, slime sliding off of it and onto the ground.
The view pans out to show several such pools and many Beowolves emerging. It pulls further and further out to show a mostly dark and desolate land made up of red ground, purple crystals, and a red and black clouded sky.
The images shimmers and we see Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai reflected in a window, watching from inside a high building. Emerald has her hand to her mouth while Mercury seems slightly disgusted. A gloved hand appears between two purple crystal formations and snaps its fingers.
A wide shot reveals a large windowed room, at the center of which is a long purple, crystal table. Five people sit at the table with seven chairs. One of them is Cinder Fall. Emerald and Mercury move away from the window.
There's a close-up of the man sitting across from Cinder, Arthur Watts. He is looking at his Scroll.
Next is the man to Cinder's right, Tyrian Callows. He sits in a crouch casually on his chair, resting his arms on his knees.
Across from Tyrian is Hazel Rainart. His arms are crossed, and he looks asleep.
To Cinder's left was Jack Lang, messing with his scroll with a smirk on his face.
Cinder sits quietly, while Mercury and Emerald move to her side. Emerald nudges Mercury out of her way so that she can be directly next to Cinder.
Watts scowls and looks at Cinder as he breaks the silence.
"Yes, yes, please keep your posse in check."
Mercury grunts and makes a move toward Watts, but Emerald holds him back. At this Watts smirks victoriously.
"You hear that? Silence."
Hazel gives Watts an unimpressed sideways glance and Lang gives him an annoyed one.
Needless to say Watts continues on, being the prideful son of a bitch that he is.
"I've half a mind to thank the little girl that bested you."
Tyrian spoke up next, almost making the rest of the room shiver as they were creeped out.
"If I were you, I'd hunt her down."
He snickered maniacally.
"Find her and, well, she took your eye, didn't she?"
Cinder only stares at Tyrian while he cackles at her. Cinder tries to speak but only manages to make quiet exhaling noises. Emerald leans in to hear her.
Watts shakes his head.
"Pathetic. Why did you even-"
There is a sound of a heavy metal door being unlatched. The doors open and everyone stands just before Salem enters. She glides alongside the table with soft footsteps before reaching the head of it, jewels jangling from her hair. Salem stops, facing away from them and toward a candle and crystal display. Lang is giving Watts the evil eye.
Salem speaks calmly with a husky voice that may enchant some.
"Watts."
Watts straightens, looking toward her.
Salem turns to look at the table.
"Do you find such malignance necessary?"
She gestures for all to sit down.
Watts speaks apologetically, but firmly, with a glance towards both Cinder and Lang.
"I apologize, ma'am. I'm not particularly fond of failure."
Watts and Salem sit simultaneously.
Salem continues speaking in her effortlessly enchanting voice as she refuted Watts' claim.
"Then I see no reason for your cruelty towards young Cinder. She's become our Fall Maiden, destroyed Beacon Tower, and most importantly, killed dear Ozpin. Also, Jack not only perfected the Aura transfer machine you failed to complete, but has also managed to subdue and contain one of the greatest threats to our cause. So I'm curious, to what failures are you referring?"
Watts grimaced at the mention that Lang had surpassed him. Then he straightens his face and replies.
"Well, not only is the 'problem' that Jack had been messing around with not stuck in the deep freeze yet, but the girl with the Silver Eyes could still be a problem."
Hazel speaks up for the first time as Watts and Lang stared daggers at each other.
"Yes. We've dealt with their kind before. How is it that a novice was able to best one of us?"
Watts felt vindicated as he looked back at Cinder with a half satisfied and half sneering face.
"My thoughts exactly. Even without her new power, it should have been effortless."
Salem re-enters the conversation in a motherly tone, still smooth, but almost a teaching tone rather than a husky one.
"It is because of the Maiden's power. Make no mistake, Cinder, you hold the key to our victory. But your newfound strength brings with it a crippling weakness. Which is why you will remain by my side as we continue your treatment."
Cinder is unhappy about this and lowers her head. Emerald looks at her in sympathy.
Salem now turns to Watts again.
"Dr. Watts, you are to take Cinder's place and meet with our informant in Mistral."
Watts nods respectfully.
"Very good."
Salem looks at the resident psychopathic assassin.
"Tyrian, I want you to continue your hunt for the Spring Maiden."
Tyrian resumes his creepy laughing before answering Salem.
"Gladly."
Salem turns to Jack Lang, a salacious smile on her face.
"Break the Titan and make sure cryostasis can contain him. Once we figure that out, we are one step closer to final victory. So far, I am pleased with your progress."
Lang smiled and nodded his head.
"So you say, so shall it be."
Salem turns to the largest man in the room.
"And Hazel, I'm sending you to the leader of the White Fang. Adam Taurus has arranged the meeting. The boy continues to prove loyal. Ensure that Sienna Khan feels the same."
Hazel nods and replies in his gruff voice.
"As you wish."
Cinder raises a finger. Emerald fails to notice this gesture for a moment.
Emerald speaks out hesitantly.
"Oh!"
Emerald leans in to hear Cinder.
Cinder rasps into her ear. Emerald straightens.
Salem looks at Emerald kindly.
"Speak, child."
Emerald begins cautiously.
"She wants to know..."
She hesitates in fear.
"What about the girl?"
Watts scoffs, not caring.
"What about her? Seems to me that this is Cinder's problem, not ours."
Cinder slams her fist onto the table and glares at Watts, who grins at her.
Salem speaks out a little more authoritatively.
"That's enough. Tyrian?"
Tyrian cocks his head with a creepy, aroused smile.
"Yes, my lady?"
Salem continues.
"Spring can wait. Find the girl that did this to Cinder."
Tyrian giggles elatedly and claps.
Salem adds a condition.
"And bring her to me."
Tyrian freezes, groans disappointedly, pouts for a second, then looks back up at Salem with an acquiescent shrug.
Salem addresses all her subordinates.
"Because of your efforts, Beacon has fallen, the Titan of Beacon is out of the picture. And Haven will be next."
Everyone rises.
Tyrian snickers at Cinder and points to his left eye.
Tyrian continues the gesture as his eyes widen and he is laughing wickedly.
"Eye for an eye."
Tyrian goes into an uncontrollable fit of manic laughter, while Cinder grits her teeth.
The laugh continues to ring out as the view fades to black.
Oscar Pine, a boy with freckles and hazel eyes, wakes up in a panic as if the laughter had haunted his dreams and sighs in relief after looking around. He emerges from the loft of a barn and climbs down a ladder. The boy is wearing patched khaki pants, a white shirt, and orange suspenders and gloves. Tucked into his pocket is an orange-based multi-colored cloth. He opens the barn door to a peaceful country scene with a rising sun and birds tweeting. White mountains are a background to a dirt road, grass, a few trees and a green water pump.
He smiles and pumps water into a blue bucket. As his gaze wanders the landscape, he becomes distracted from the pump and utters a quiet sound of surprise upon realizing he has overfilled the bucket. His shoulders fall with a sigh.
The view cuts to the boy shutting and turning a green compost tumbler that is marked with a yellow crown bearing the initials CK.
While hoeing rows in a garden, he suddenly straightens up and looks out into the distance.
To the sound of blowing wind, the scene cuts to a shot of blue sky above a green forest. There are a few shots inside the forest before Nora Valkyrie is heard speaking.
"I'm just sayin'..."
Nora and Lie Ren emerge from behind a tree, walking together.
Nora continues.
"...there's more members of JNPR in this team than RWBY. It just makes sense to go with that one."
Ren argues back.
"But 'junior' isn't a color."
Nora looks at him, groaning.
"How can I be more clear?"
Nora puts out her hands and the letters JNRR pop into existence. She points to the first three as she starts to explain herself.
"One, two, three. That's more than one."
She points to the R.
Ren objects.
"But we're helping Ruby with her objective."
Ren holds out his hand and the letters RNJR pop into existence. Behind him, Jaune Arc is crouched and watching something.
Ren continues, pointing to the first R.
"Wouldn't that make her the leader?"
Jaune interrupts.
"Guys!"
Ren and Nora turn their heads toward him.
"We need to focus."
The letters pop out of existence.
Jaune adds with a little pride.
"Also, JNRR is way cooler."
Nora raises her hands and exclaims.
"Exactly!"
Ren goes to speak, but instead just groans.
There's a rumble.
Jaune looks up and speaks calmly.
"It's here."
The view changes to Ruby Rose flying backwards from trees, firing Crescent Rose in the direction she came from.
A collection of floating boulders with a Grimm mask moves the trees aside, clearly chasing her.
Ruby falls, crashing against tree limbs along the way.
Ruby groans as she pants and exclaims.
"Bad... landing... strategy!"
Ruby lands on her feet on a big tree branch strong enough to hold her weight. She uses her Semblance to fly past the Grimm.
Jaune, Ren, and Nora look up.
Jaune speaks to the other two.
"Let's get that thing off her."
Jaune runs toward them. Ren jumps up into the trees.
Nora yells out excitedly.
"Don't forget me!"
Nora pulls out Magnhild and shoots it at the ground, propelling herself into the air with excited whooping. She lands right besides Ren in his branch.
Ren calls out advice.
"We need to draw its attention away from Ruby!"
As a stream of rose petals, Ruby flies past them.
Ruby calls back at them.
"Could use some help!"
Nora shoots the Grimm in the back. Ren hops around on branches. The Grimm tries to hit Ren. Ren runs up its rock arm, flies into the air, and comes down upon the Grimm, striking at it with StormFlower. It's ineffective.
Jaune growls a bit and exclaims in frustration.
"Gotta get in closer!"
Ren lands beside Jaune, giving a situation report.
"My blades don't hurt him!"
The Grimm turns, standing upright.
Nora yells as she notices it getting up.
"Crap!"
Ruby exclaims in defiance.
"How about this?!"
She loads a magazine with an image of a lightning bolt on its side into Crescent Rose and fires. Electric bolts encase one of the Grimm's arms. The red lines on the arm glow brighter, and the Grimm slams it into the ground. All are sent flying backwards, but Ren, Nora, and Ruby manage to land on their feet. Jaune tumbles along the ground painfully until he hits a boulder between his legs and falls forward.
Jaune starts mimicking what the others had told him.
"You'll be fine without a weapon. You're the strategist."
Nora seemed to get an idea.
"That's it!"
She runs forward, tossing Magnhild into the air and transforming it into hammer mode. She jumps into the air and hits it, breaking its arm apart. A large piece flies straight toward Nora, but Ruby gets between them and knocks it away. The Grimm uses its other arm to strike at the two girls.
Jaune straightens and stretches and soon has to dodge a barrage of rocks.
"Wha? Whoa! Wha? Ho!"
Jaune lands.
Jaune looks at them, annoyed.
"Hey! Be careful!"
A rock the size of his head hits him in the face and sends him into a tree. Jaune lands in a crouch and shakes his head to clear the pain.
The Grimm continually tries and fails to hit an evasive Nora.
Jaune stands up and looks up at the Grimm.
Jaune groans.
"Ah..."
The Grimm's armless shoulder gains a glowing red circle with a symbol of an eye in the middle. The circle spins, and then a black, elongated arm with clawed fingers emerges from it. The arm rears back.
Jaune realizes he's in trouble.
"Uh-oh."
The Grimm shoves its new arm into the tree Jaune was leaning against and lifts it from the ground.
Jaune is running, while yelling in slight terror.
"His arm is a tree! His arm is a tree!"
Ruby seems confident as she states.
"Big mistake!"
Ruby spins Crescent Rose and loads another magazine into it - this one with imagery of fire on its side. She fires, and the flaming projectile swings around to the tree arm. Jaune fist pumps. The tree arm swings around to him, on fire. Jaune loses his smile.
Jaune yells, putting his hands into his hair and running.
"Big mistake!"
The Grimm chases Jaune, swinging the flaming arm at him. It misses twice, but then Jaune falls. One of StormFlower spins through the air and makes a cut across the Grimm's mask. The Grimm falls.
Ren lands beside Jaune and catches his gun. Ruby and Nora come up behind their teammates.
Jaune asks the assembled team members.
"Okay, how do we do this?"
Ren adds his two cents.
"His body is too thick to break through."
Jaune continues the brainstorm.
"It doesn't care about its body."
Nora sounds annoyed as she speaks.
"Plus it can keep grabbing new limbs!"
Jaune is thinking. The wheels in his head are turning as he tries to get to the answer.
"But it keeps protecting its face."
Ruby exclaims.
"We can't break it!"
Jaune's wheels haven't reached the terminus of the logical conclusion to this issue yet and he gets frustrated.
"Ugh, if we knocked all of its limbs off at once and went for the..."
Jaune's eyes light up with an idea and he turns to face his team. Behind him, the Grimm gets up.
Jaune had finally reached the idea that would lead to victory...but doesn't explain it very well.
"Guys, I got it! We hit it harder!"
Ren looks confused.
"Is that it?"
Jaune tries to clarify.
"No, seriously. It's trying to keep us from its face. If we kill the limbs, we'll have a shot to kill the whole thing!"
Ruby nods as she understands the plan. She goes on to the next job of a leader, encouragement.
"Alright! Come on, team, let's do this."
Nora smirks.
"Yeah!"
Ren nods.
"Right!"
Jaune assigns roles.
"Ren, left. Ruby, right."
Ren and Ruby depart as told.
Jaune looks to the excited Valkyrie.
"Nora, ready to try out the new upgrade?"
Nora nods and runs.
Jaune starts to speak.
"Right. And I will-"
Jaune gets hit in the back by the Grimm and can't finish his sentence.
Ruby attacks the right side. Ren attacks the left.
Nora activates a mechanism that generates a current of electricity across the hammerhead of Magnhild. Jaune runs around to make himself a target, waving at the Grimm.
Jaune speaks up, having recovered from the hit
"I'll take over here!"
The Grimm goes after Jaune but switches targets as Ruby and Ren attack it.
Nora charges Magnhild even more and braces her feet.
Nora calls out her status.
"Ready!"
Ruby lands next to Jaune after another attack.
Jaune commands them all.
"Use everything you've got!"
Ruby uses her Semblance to fly at the Grimm, taking Nora with her, and the red and pink swirls go right for the tree arm. Ruby slices the tree in half, opening the way for Nora to hit the mask with Magnhild. The rock body shatters and the ephemeral Grimm rises out of it and flies off.
Ruby aims a shot at it, and it turns its face right into the flaming projectile. Next is a wide shot of birds taking flight from trees.
Jaune is breathing heavily before posing with his hands on hips.
"Another victory for Team JNRR!"
Silence.
Jaune listens to how that sounds deflating.
"Yeah, okay. Ren, I think you're onto something. I-it's just not sounding great anymore."
Jaune walks away and the view fades with him. Then it fades back in with Ruby and the local Mayor.
Ruby shakes hands with the town Mayor.
The Mayor speaks with gratitude.
"We truly can't thank you enough."
Ruby smiles at him.
"Just doing our job, sir."
The Mayor continues.
"That Geist had been plaguing our village for weeks. We were beginning to wonder if we'd have to relocate."
Ruby replies, continuing her good mood.
"Well, we are on our way to Mistral. You could always come along with us if you don't feel safe."
Scenes of the idyllic life in the village are shown: people buy fresh produce from a cart, stand and chat on open balconies overlooking the roads, tend to their horses and generally go about their daily lives peacefully. The village has plentiful trees and green spaces and cobbled roads.
The Mayor seems amused.
"Ha. I take it you're not from these parts. Anima is a large continent. I'm afraid our people would never survive the long trek to Mistral. It may be safer in the Kingdoms, but we prefer our way of life. I just wish we could pay you more."
Ren speaks out, quickly shutting that down.
"Our previous arrangement is more than sufficient."
Team RNJR bows respectfully.
A shop door closes. At a counter, a burly man with horns sets down a set of armor.
The Blacksmith speaks in a deep voice that matches his large figure.
"There you go, son. It's going to be heavier than what you're used to, but you'll thank me the next time you go up against a set of claws."
Jaune looks at the armor, impressed.
"Wow. That-eh. I don't know what to say."
The Blacksmith chuckles before replying.
"Don't gotta say anything! Just put it on! I'll go get the rest."
The Faunus blacksmith turns and goes out back.
Nora looks between the armor and Jaune excitedly.
"So, what are you waiting for?"
Jaune breaks out of his stupor.
"Oh, uh, right!"
Jaune takes off his old chestplate.
Jaune looks at it and speaks softly.
"Guess I was going to grow out of it eventually."
Ren nods, adding wisely.
"A sign of progress."
Jaune sighs.
"Progress."
Jaune turns around, and Ruby gasps then covers her mouth and tries not to giggle.
Jaune raises an eyebrow in confusion.
"What is it?"
Ruby holds back her giggles, pointing to his chest.
"What is that?"
A bunny emblem is on Jaune's chest.
Jaune looks at it before looking back at her, clueless.
"What, my hoodie? I've always had this."
Ruby can't help it anymore and snorts.
"It's got a cute little bunny rabbit!"
Ruby laughs.
Jaune exclaims.
"It's Pumpkin Pete! You know, from the cereal?"
Ruby is now nearly hysterical.
"What did you do?! Send in a box top for a prize?"
Jaune replies indignantly, turning away.
"Yeah! Fifty!"
Ruby continues to laugh hysterically, her head stylistically expanding, before she falls onto the floor. This is just what she needed to make her fake smile into a real one. It's not all she needs, but it's a great push in the right direction.
Ren enters the conversation.
"Well, I suppose we don't have to grow out of everything."
Ruby chortles from the floor, feet in the air. The blacksmith returns from out back.
The Blacksmith speaks up as he holds up what he had brought with him.
"Can't have a Huntsman without his weapon."
A wide sword sheath is stuck into the countertop.
The Blacksmith continues talking.
"Made all the modifications you asked for."
The sheath expands into a shield, with the blade still in it.
The Blacksmith adds, curiously.
"That was some fine metal you brought me. Accents the white nicely. Where'd you get it from?"
The view pans to show the gold accents on the shield, the design on the bottom reminiscent of Pyrrha Nikos' circlet.
Jaune's breath hitches for a second before he physically relaxes himself and replies wistfully.
"From a friend."
Ruby, Ren, and Nora wait outside the shop. Jaune comes out wearing the armor and the scarf-like red sash that Pyrrha wore around her waist around his. He pulls out the sword and expands the shield.
Having followed him, the Blacksmith speaks directly to the other three Hunstmen in training.
"He cleans up alright, don't you think?"
Ren nods affirmatively.
"He certainly does."
Nora adds, a little put out, if a touch hopeful.
"I still think a grenade launcher would've really brought the look together."
Ruby holds up a fist.
"Nothing's gonna stop Team RNJR now!"
Nora corrects her.
"Team JNRR!"
Ren inputs seriously.
"Still not a color."
Jaune speaks up.
"It doesn't matter what we're called. As long as we're together."
Getting off the wall he had been leaning against, the Blacksmith asks them.
"You kids sure you won't stick around? You've been real good to this town."
Ruby shakes her head.
"Sorry, but we've got another mission."
Nora spells it out.
"Make it to Haven Academy, no matter what."
Ren steers the conversation back to a more informative topic.
"We've heard the next village over has a working Airship."
Scratching his beard and looking up, trying to remember, the Blacksmith replies.
"Mmm, no way to know for sure. Scroll signals were weak enough out here back when Beacon Tower was still up. Haven't heard from Shion Village in a while."
Ruby speaks up, her optimism finally genuine again.
"Well, there's only one way to find out."
With a wave, Team RNJR turns and leaves. The blacksmith waves back and grunts.
As they walk away, Jaune runs through a checklist of the things they need for the journey.
"Food?"
Nora answers this one.
"Check!"
"Water?"
Nora again replies.
"Check!"
"How about ammo?"
Nora excitedly answers this one too.
"Locked and loaded! Thank you, Schnee Dust Company!"
Jaune continues, not noticing his reaper teammate.
"Got the map?"
Ruby is looking down sadly. The mention of Weiss' last name has her down again.
Nora answers Jaune, also oblivious to Ruby.
"Ren's got it."
Ren finally enters the conversation.
"No, I don't. You have it."
Nora's face scrunches up.
"Wait, what?"
Jaune sounds exasperated.
"Guys, please tell me you're joking."
Nora tries to sound innocent.
"Uh.. heh-heh-heh."
Jaune gets increasingly nervous.
"Guys! Guys? Guys..."
Nora finally answers him.
"Nope."
As the view cuts to airships in the sky, Weiss Schnee's reflection becomes visible watching airships fly by through a window. She is sitting in a cushioned chair with her hands folded in her lap. There is a knock on the door.
Weiss sighs and speaks out.
"Yes?"
A wide view of the room reveals a large, open space on two levels. On the upper level are two arched bookcases built into the walls and a picture of a knight resembling the Arma Gigas hangs between them. A gilded mirror hangs above the mantle of a fireplace on the lower level. The door opens and Klein Sieben, a butler, enters.
Klein bows, speaking to Weiss.
"Pardon the interruption, Miss Schnee, but your father wishes to speak to you."
Weiss sits up straighter, sighing.
"Thank you, Klein."
Weiss looks out the window once more before getting up and walking out. Her heels clank across the floor and the door slams shut as the view cuts to black.
In the darkness, a small flame is flickering. An invisible force is trying to blow it out, but the flame stands resolute, even growing in defiance to the force of nature it is facing.
The flame is two toned, red and blue. As it grows, the two colors seem to be growing disproportionately. However not only is the red outpacing the blue in Volume as the flame's size increases, the entire flame is flickering between the two toned flame, a purple one, and a golden one.
A massive gust of what must be wind seems to have blown it out as the view goes black.
Then the golden flames spring forward with a vengeance in two different spaces. The dark featureless landscape and the golden flames seem to glitch out a bit, then the view solidifies on the dark room with Y/N crucified on the wall. His eyes spring open and the room seems to get brighter as his molten golden eyes shine with fiery intensity. He smirks...it won't be long now until he has the strength to get free.
A/n: And finally Volume 4 starts! Now begins the escape people. 😈