Aside from reminding you of your place, it turned out Salem had another matter she wished to discuss with you. 'Loose ends' she had called them. Though she was pleased with the progress you and Cinder had made in securing the Spring Maiden, there were still several points of concern that needed to be addressed; namely Team STRQ.

"Their interference has gone on long enough." Salem had told you. "The time has come for you to sever all ties with them. Permanently."

Although you were still angry with the way Salem had addressed you earlier, you agreed with her. Your former classmates were becoming more and more of an issue. They continued to feed information to Ozpin and were most likely looking over the remaining two maidens. It seemed like whenever you made a move, they were blocking your path. You doubted it would be very long before they tried to make a move against you, especially now that you had proven where your true loyalties lie. Without the benefit of Summers naivete, there would be nothing preventing them from coming at you full force. Not that it scared you, you knew without a doubt in your mind that you could easily handle them. Still, it would not be prudent to simply wait for them to strike first. One does not wait for the rabid dog to attack before putting it down.

It would have been preferable for you to eliminate all simultaneously, but you couldn't always rely on them to be together. From what information you had gathered on them over the past few months, it seemed Raven had left Tai and Yang and returned to the Branwen bandit tribe. Summer had finally gotten what she wanted and was romantically involved with Tai. It appeared the two had retired as huntsmen and were now acting as teachers at Signal Academy. Qrow was the only member of the once team STRQ to still be an active huntsman. He had made quite the name for himself since leaving Beacon, words of his skills and feats travelling far and wide. He would be the first to die.

Tracking him down wasn't too difficult. All you had to do was follow his record of accepted missions. Simple really, as this information was readily available to the public. This ensured huntsmen wouldn't waste their time accepting a mission that was already in progress. Following Qrow's track record until you caught up to him, you found yourself standing at the entrance of a small village outside the Kingdom of Vale. According to Qrow's mission log, he had accepted a mission just a few days ago, to clear the surrounding area of a horde of Beowolves.

If Qrow was anything like you remembered, and you were willing to bet he was, the first place he would be headed after completing his mission would be the local bar. Sure enough, you found Qrow stumbling out of the bar at half past two in the morning, flask still in hand. Stepping out of the shadows, you saw Qrow's eyes narrow as he looked at you, unsure whether or not the alcohol was making him see things that weren't there. His current state of inebriation doesn't seem to have affected his reaction time however, as he managed to jump out of the way of the shadows you sent flying in his direction.

"I should have known it was only a matter of time." He slurs, reaching Harbinger.

"You're a smart man Qrow." You say. "Do you really think you can beat me?"

"Probably not." He admits. "But since when have I ever been the type to turn down a good fight?"

He doesn't even manage to take one drunken step before your shadows are wrapped around his body, pinning his arms to his body. Your shadows suddenly collapse in on themselves as Qrow turns into a small bird which takes flight. Soaring into the night sky, it stops suddenly when the sky itself seems to close in on it.

"I won't fall for the same trick twice." You shout at him.

The higher Qrow tries to fly, the further the darkness encroaches upon him. Soon he is forced to return to the ground. You've never seen Qrow panic before, it's honestly quite amusing. His eyes dart from side to side as he desperately tries to find an escape. It's all pointless though. The darkness continues to press in on all sides, trapping him in your presence. With no other option, he turns to fight. As his scythe reaches its full extension, you raise your hand and snap your fingers. Harbinger becomes surrounded in shadows before melting into black smoke and vanishing. Qrow looks down at his now empty hands in confusion. He starts panicking again when he notices his own body start to become surrounded by shadows, slithering up his neck.

"(F/N)." He says, voice shaking. "(F/N), wait!"

He takes one step towards you, hand outstretched before his body becomes completely encompassed. He stands like a statue before his body disintegrates, collapsing in a small pile of ash. The darkness returns to the night sky, the light from the surrounding buildings bathing the street in a warm glow.

Raven would be next. She was arguably the biggest threat, but at the same time you felt she would require the least amount of effort. She was easy to find, her bandit tribe leaving a path of destruction and chaos that was only too easy to follow. Tracking them to a forest far outside of Vale, you calmly walked into the camp. No sooner had you passed through the main gate were you surrounded by some two dozen bandits.

"You made a big mistake comin' here buddy." One of them says, flashing you a toothless grin.

A round of laughs echoes from the crowd as the bandits eagerly fiddle with their weapons. The one that spoke earlier lunges at you, a rusty sword pointed at your heart. His blade is inches away when he stops, a large shadow impaling him through the stomach and lifting him off the ground. The other bandits glance timidly at each other. Nodding, they start to move closer.

"Enough!"

The bandits all turn their heads in the direction of the voice.

"Let him through."

They drop their hands and slowly step back from you. The shadow drops their comrade to the ground, several of his friends rushing to help him, not that it will do him any good. You can feel every set of eyes watching you as you slowly walk towards Raven.

"Pack up the camp! We leave in one hour!" She instructs her men. "What do you want (F/N)."

"I simply wish to speak with you."

Nodding, she turns and enters her tent, ushering you inside. She removes her mask and sets it on a wooden table which sits low to the ground. Sitting at another table, she motions for you to join her.

"What do you want?" She asks, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.

"I'm here to offer you a chance for survival." You tell her. "I've always admired your strength Raven. I think you could prove very useful were you to join me."

"What makes you think I would even consider joining Salem?"

"I said nothing about joining Salem."

"Allying myself with you would be the same as allying myself with her."

"For now." You nod.

"And later?"

You consider your words carefully before continuing. "Let's just say Salem may not be in charge for much longer."

Raven is quiet for a minute, considering your offer. "And why me?"

"As I said, I admire your strength, your views on how the world works; the weak die while the strong survive. I think you will find other like-minded individuals should you choose to accept my offer."

"Thanks, but no." She says, getting to her feet. "I have a tribe to look after."

"And what do you think would happen to your tribe were you not here to lead them?" You ask.

"Is that a threat?" She growls.

"Simply a possibility to consider." You correct. "In your absence, the Branwen tribe would crumble. Without your guidance it would succumb to infighting. Without your strength they would be wiped out by huntsmen. Without you, the tribe is weak. And the weak deserve to die. Isn't that what you always said?"

"I've heard enough." Raven cuts across. "I appreciate your offer, but my answer is no."

"Disappointing." You sigh. "But not unexpected. You realize joining me was your only chance of living?"

"I was counting on it."

In a flash, Raven draws her sword and with one cut, slices through your neck. The only problem is that your head doesn't fall from your shoulders.

"Amusing." You say, eyes turning black. "I would have thought you'd have learned by now. You can't hurt me."

Raven thrusts her sword at your chest, but it simply passes through you.

"No one should miss the existence of this tribe. Quite frankly, I think many people would thank me for what I'm about to do."

"Shut up and fight me!" Raven shouts as her blade once again cuts through smoke.

"No one will bother to look twice when you all disappear. Swallowed by a hole in the ground, confined to a footnote in history."

You hear raised voices from outside the tent as members of the Branwen tribe begin to scream. A vast hole appears in the ground, swallowing everything in its path as it expands. Tents, trees, and people all vanish into the pit of oblivion. Raven abandons her attack, instead rushing to the tents exit. She drops her blade as she sees the last few tents being pulled into the massive hole by some unknown source. The hole closes, leaving behind nothing more than a large clearing amongst a forest of trees.

"What did you do to them?"

"You know now that you mention it, I'm not really sure." You say, moving to stand next to her. "Don't get me wrong, they're dead, but I'm not sure aware as to what happens to them once their swallowed by the darkness."

Raven falls to her knees, staring out at the expanse that used to be her tribe.

"Sad really. To think you could have prevented this by simply saying yes. I would have allowed you and your tribe a place in my new world, but your pride was simply too strong. What purpose do you serve now? You left your family, a daughter and a husband who loved you dearly, simply to return to a horde of liars and thieves. Sometimes it makes you wonder what the was it all for. What was the point? Maybe you should just end it."

Dark thoughts begin to enter Raven's mind as you continue to hiss into her ear, reminding her of all her failures and short comings. Giving her one final push, Raven slowly picks up her blade and impales herself. Two down, two to go.

Tai and Summer were still living on the island of Patch. You entered their house while they were out teaching. The baby sitter was easily convinced that you were a family friend when you showed her the old pictures of your team back at Beacon. Telling them you would watch Yang for the rest of the day, they left without further question. Yang was at the age where she could just barely walk, taking a few teetering steps before falling back onto her knees. It was interesting to watch her. You entertained her with several of your own creations, allowing her to chase them around, or else pick her up and gently toss her into the air. By the time Tai and Summer returned home, Yang was fast asleep in your arms.

"We're back!" You hear Tai announce from the living room. "Yang wasn't too much trouble I hope."

"None at all." You say, walking out of the kitchen with a sleeping Yang in your arms.

"(F/N)!" Tai shouts, causing Summer to turn her head.

"Shh." You warn, pressing your finger to your lips. "You wouldn't want to wake her."

"What do you want (F/N)?" Tai asks darkly.

"I see you two finally got together." You say, ignoring his question.

"What do you want?" Summer asks, repeating Tai's words.

"Straight to business I see." You sigh. "I have business with Tai."

"What business?" Summer asks.

"None of your concern. At least, not yet." You turn and hold Yang out to Summer. "Why don't you take Yang and give Tai and I some privacy."

Summer gives you a suspicious look before slowly taking Yang from your arms. Shifting her body so that she shields Yang, she gives Tai a meaningful look.

"It's okay Summer." He says, giving her a quick kiss. "You just take Yang and get her somewhere safe."

Summer nods and quickly exits the house. The door closes behind her, leaving you and Tai alone.

"Alright (F/N)." Tai says. "We're alone. Now what did you want?"

"As I'm sure you've already guessed, I'm here to kill you."

"Yeah, I figured as much. Why let Summer and Yang get away?"

"Oh, don't worry." You say, eyes flicking to the door. "They'll be joining you soon enough. I just didn't want Summer getting in the way. And your brats screaming sets my teeth on edge."

"Stop playing around (F/N). You could have killed us, and we never would have saw you coming."

"True, but this is so much more satisfying. I'm going to kill you Tai. And I'm going to do it with my bare hands."

"Really?" Tai asks in surprise. "You think you can beat me in hand to hand?"

"A lot has changed since Beacon."

Tai rushes forwards and throws a punch at your head. Grabbing his wrist, you throw him over your shoulder. He lands on the coffee table, breaking it in half. Getting to his feet, Tai charges forwards and tackles you to the ground. Sitting on top of you, he punches you several times across the face. You laugh and spit out a mouthful of blood. As he fist flies towards your face again, you block to the inside of his arm, his fist planting in the ground next to your head. Grabbing his collar, you pull him down and head butt him, breaking his nose. Getting a hold of his shoulder, you throw him off to the side. The two of you stagger to your feet.

Tai comes at you again, blood freely flowing down his nose. He throws a jab and hook which you block. He brings his hand back and swings his arm, hitting you in the side of the head with a backfist. Continuing with his circular momentum, he throws a spinning hook kick which you duck under. As he goes to punch you again, you block his arm and simultaneously punch him hard in the stomach. He keels over as the wind is knocked out of him. As his head lowers, you grab him by the hair and slam his face into your knee. Grabbing him by the shoulder and belt, you lift him high over your head.

"Don't feel too bad Tai." You say as he struggles to free himself. "You never had a chance. You are a mere mortal. But I am a god."

You drop Tai onto your knee. He releases a cry of pain as his back breaks. His body rolls off your shoulder and drops onto the floor. Getting to your feet, you kick him in the ribs. Grabbing him by his collar, you pick him up. With an evil grin, you punch him hard across the face. Several teeth fly out of his mouth as the power of your punch breaks his jaw and neck.