Hey guys. I'm back from my break. Man, it feels good to finally be 18. Even if I can't do anything. But anyway, on with the story.

———

The streets were in anarchy.

"RUBY! COVER ME!" screamed Connor as he rushed another civilian towards the evacuation point. "OUM DAMNIT! WHERE ARE THOSE REINFORCEMENTS?!"
"ETA OF 90 SECONDS, JUST A LITTLE LONGER!" yelled Ruby over the mass of gunfire.
"SHIT!" yelled Yang. "I'M OUT!"
"DITTO!" replied her partner.

"SWITCH TO MELEE COMBAT! PROTECT THE CIVILIANS!" screamed Connor, moving and taking off the head of an Ursa. 'If this keeps up, we may not last those remaining 81 seconds. It all comes down to this then.'

Connor rushed forward once more. "IF I CAN'T USE MY GUN, I'LL JUST HAVE TO SLICE YOU ALL TO PIECES!" screamed Connor, swinging his blade in a multitude of directions and cutting down a multitude of Grimm. He was luck that only lower level Grimm, such as Beowolves, Ursa and Creeps were in the vicinity, but they were a huge risk to civilians, and it was his main objective to keep them safe.

'This isn't really going well. We need those reinforcements, now!' thought the assassin as he drove his hidden blade into the jugular of a Beowolf, ending its life. Connor jumped back as another one tried to swing at him, but jumped right into a charging Ursa, and was knocked back towards the civilians. 'Damnit all, where are they?'

"REINFORCEMENTS IN 60 SECONDS!" screamed Ruby, her scythe impaling the head of a Beowolf.
"WE DON'T HAVE 60 SECONDS RUBY! WE NEED THEM HERE NOW!" pressed Connor, swinging his sword through a Creep.
"IS THERE ANY GOOD NEWS?!" asked Yang, punching the head of an Ursa until it died.

"SUPPLY DROP INBOUND, ETA OF 180 SECONDS!" said Ruby swinging her scythe back out and slashing an Ursa in two across it's stomach.

"THANK GOD! HOLD OUT TILL REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE, THEN GET TO THE SUPPLY DROP AND RESTOCK ON AMMO, THEN WE SLAUGHTER THESE MONSTERS!" screamed Kyle, getting battlecries from the team he was with.

Connor turned back to the Grimm.

"Alright then, which one of you fuckers is first?"

———

Jaune checked his gear one last time, making sure that he was prepared. He had several extra clips of dust for his Desert Eagle, now named Tueur, and his weapons were in good shape. Nora, Ren and Pyrrha did their final checks as well, before the pilot came out of the wing and began giving them the rundown.

"ALRIGHT! WE HAVE GRIMM IN A VERY BUSY PART OF CENTRAL VALE, WITH LARGE AMOUNTS OF CIVILIANS SUSPECTED OF BEING PRESENT! REINFORCEMENTS WILL ARRIVE APPROXIMATELY 120 SECONDS AFTER YOU DROP WITH SUPPLIES! YOUR PRIMARY OBJECTIVE IS THE SAFETY OF THE CIVILIANS, FOLLOWED BY THE EXTERMINATION OF THE GRIMM! NOW GET OUT THERE AND KICK SOME GRIMM ASS!"

"ALRIGHT TEAM, DROPPING IN 7 SECONDS!" said Jaune, opening the side of the airship to allow his team to leap down into the action. He held his sword in his right hand and his gun in his left, and with his aura at 100, he was ready for battle. He looked to his left, seeing the ghosts of Johnathan and Marson looking down at the city, and jumping out of the airship. Jaune looked down, but the two had disappeared.

"TEAM JNPR! TIME TO DROP!" screamed the pilot. Jaune shook himself back into reality, and looked at his team. He nodded, and jumped out of the airship, performing a leap of faith, and falling into a trailer of hay that a farmer was transporting before the breach. Jaune rushed out of the hay and into battle, swinging his sword in a diagonal reverse overhead, and severing the neck of a Beowolf from it's body, causing it to fall to the ground and begin to evaporate. Jaune looked to see his team begin to make quick work of the impending Grimm.

Smiling to himself, he pulled out his gun and shot three rounds into an Ursa attempting to come up behind him.

Now, the hard part was just getting started.

———

"THE CAVALRY HAS ARRIVED!" screamed a familiar voice on the battlefield. Connor looked around and found Nora riding on the back of an Ursa, shooting off grenades at the Grimm and blowing a few of them up.

Connor smirked. JNPR had arrived.

Connor rushed off into battle once more, counting down the 112 seconds remaining until the supply drop arrived. He jumped over an Ursa, changing his weapon to it's chain mode, and strangled the Grimm before slicing it's head off with a powerful pull. As the head fell from the body, Connor jumped up over the beast and used his chain mode to latch onto the leg of a Boarbatusk, and swinging it in a circle, connecting to other Grimm that are trying to charge him.

'How long can we hold out?' thought Connor, slamming the head on a Creeper into the ground, killing it. 'We can't last much longer like this.'

ETA: 100 seconds.

———

Port had been through a lot, if his stories were anything to go by, but never once had he heard of one of the major cities being overrun by Grimm and in dire need of help, much less his own.

He was on a mission with team CFVY, a reliable group of second year students who liked to go out on missions and help some of the smaller villages with Grimm problems. They truly were the huntsmen and huntresses of the future.

Now, the were headed to central Vale, with a supply drop for the 2 teams of first year students currently holding off the horde of monsters.

"This is the worst part of it all." muttered Velvet Scarlet, a delightful young girl with rabbit ears on her head. "Waiting to get there."
"Try meditating like Yatsuhashi." said the team leader, Coco Adel, the fashionista of the team and the big guns, literally. "He's always calm before headed off to battle."

All they got from the giant of a man was a nod and a hum of appreciation, before he closed his eyes once more and began to meditate again.

"This isn't gonna be some simple cakewalk. Apparently, we are expecting a force of close to 100 Grimm in the central area of Vale and that we only have 9 first years to help us." said Coco. "This is gonna be a pain, and I just got my clothes washed."
"Hoho! Worry not, Miss Adel, for some of these first years have great potential! Why, one of them is known to be the apprentice of the late headmistress of Shade."
"Really? An exchange student? Is he any good?"
"If the reports I've read are any indication, he was like me in my glory days!" said the burly professor. The team with him sweat dropped.

"ALRIGHT! APPROACHING DROP ZONE! ETA OF 10 SECONDS! GET READY!" yelled the pilot. Yatsuhashi grabbed the supply drop, a giant container half the size of him and just as wide, and got ready to throw it out of the airship. It had an automatic parachute, so it would be fine on landing. The rest of them lined up behind him and prepared to jump. They got the green light, and Yatsuhashi dropped the box, jumping out soon after. Fox followed suit, and then Coco and Velvet, and finally Port.

It was time to add a new story to the collection.

———

Connor was panting when he felt the ground shake.

He looked behind him to see a giant of a man, as large as the Templar on the train with the chainsaw, followed by 3 others and Professor Port.

'Reinforcements! Then that mean-'

"RWBY! HEAD TO THE SUPPLY DROP! JNPR, HOLD THEM OFF WITH THE NEW GUYS! GO!"

RWBY and Connor made their way to the supply drop, prying it open and looking at the goodies it had for them.

"High grade dust and ammo, this could last me a month!" said Ruby excitedly,
"Not now Ruby, restock on what you need and get back out there!" ordered Connor, grabbing some dust rounds and began randomly placing them in some empty magazines he kept. As he loaded the first mag, he prepared the second, loading it full of regular rifle ammo, with Grimm piercing, of course.

Yang reloaded Ember Celica with some shotgun slugs imbued with fire dust, and stuffed a few in her pocket for later use, and rushed back off to assist the new team. Weiss loaded some raw dust into her weapon, filling it to capacity, before rushing back off using glyphs. Connor was the next to finish, loading 7 magazines with regular ammo and three with dust ammo before he nodded to Ruby and Blake, rushing out once more.

He ran across the battlefield t the civilian evacuation area, with the giant and a girl with a machine gun keeping them protected. "What's the situation?" he asked, appearing next to the giant.
"Airship in 3 minutes, last one before all the remaining civilians are evacuated." replied the girl as she stopped firing. "Most of the Grimm in this area are clear, but that could change at any moment, so stay here with me and Yatsuhashi until these guys are gone."
"Rodger." replied Connor, taking out his weapon in it's rifle form and loading a regular mag into it.

"LET'S DO THIS!" yelled the assassin, shooting down an incoming Ursa in one shot.

———

Jaune jumped over the back of an Ursa, confusing the beast before he made two shots to the neck of the beast, dropping it. How many was that now? Three dozen? Maybe four? He didn't know, and he didn't care. They just kept coming. Someone had to cut off their source.

Someone had to seal the hole in the Vale subway.

"NORA! FOCUS YOUR FIRE ON THE HOLE WHERE THE GRIMM ARE COMING FROM! REN AND PYRRHA! COVER HER!" screamed Jaune, rushing off into the battlefield again. He jumped onto the back of a Beowolf, using it as a spring board, and jumping over an array of Grimm. Looking down, he saw an array of Beowolves, Ursa and Creeps, he held out his hand letting aura flow through it and outwards as black tendrils. They laid waste to the Grimm, dismembering them, or latching onto them and slamming them into each other or the ground, causing serious damage to the monsters. Jaune landed in the clear area, Grimm charging at him once more.

"Don't you stupid creatures ever learn?"

His aura shot out of his hands once more.

———

Connor saw Nora firing several rounds at the hole, attempting to cave it in. If she could do it, then the number of Grimm would diminish quickly, and a lack of reinforcements would make it all the easier to kill them.

Yatsuhashi was looking up at the approaching airship, making it's descent into the land of the Grimm. The airship landed, and to Connor's surprise, teams NDGO, BRNZ and TAIL emerged from the airship. They helped evacuate the civilians whilst Troy rushed up to Connor. "TAIL, NDGO and BRNZ reporting for duty."
"Troy? I thought you were dead."
"Still standing."
"You ready for a gunfight?" asked Connor.

"Let's get evil."

Connor and Troy rushed forward towards the Grimm, Troy drawing his battle axe and Connor getting into a fighting stance with his sword.

"Whoever kills the least amount of Grimm has to get the year food from the cafeteria for the next month."

"You're on."

The two rushed forward into the heat of battle.

———

Nora had shot all her grenades into the tunnel, and it yielded results. The tunnel was unstable, and most of it had fallen in on itself, meaning that the hole was now big enough for only one Grimm at a time to fit through. The numbers diminished, making it easier for the students to get the Grimm down to manageable numbers.

Connor was resting next to the supply drop with his sister's team, the five of them utterly exhausted. The Grimm would be finished off soon, so Connor took out his scroll and looked at the numbers.

"Shit... 14 dead, one being a civilian and the rest being Fang from the train, and over 100 people are heavily injured."
"Torchwick was taken into custody." said Blake. "At least he's off the streets."
"I honestly couldn't care less at the moment." said Connor. "I'm so tired I feel like I could sleep for a week." said Connor. "I say we go back to Beacon, get to the dorms, and sleep for the rest of the school week."
"Agreed." replied the WBY or RWBY. Ruby remained silent, and looked up at her brother.

"Can we talk?"
"Sure Rubes, what's up?"
"No. Privately."
"O-kay..." said Connor. "Let's head over there and talk." said the assassin, pointing towards a building that was empty and free of Grimm. Ruby nodded and the two of them walked to the building. "So, what's up squirt?"

"On the train... Torchwick said something about him and mum. And when I asked him about it, he told me to ask you about it."
"Shit... Ruby, this isn't the time for this conversation, not with these many eyes and ears around. I'll tell you everything when we get back to Beacon, but for now, I need you to focus on the mission, okay?"
"Alright."

Connor rubbed Ruby's head, giving her a warm smile and walking back out to the war zone. His rest was done, and now he needed to get back to ensuring the destruction of the hideous beings that threatened the lives of the people of Vale.

———

Connor's sword pierced the neck of the Ursa, dropping it to the floor in front of him as it begun to deteriorate and disappear.

"That should be the last of them." said Port. "A valiant fight, students, I cannot praise you enough."
"Indeed. Everyone here did an exceptional job." said Oobleck. "For now, return to Beacon as the next group will scour every corner of the city for any remaining Grimm. You have all deserved a break."

The airships docked on the floor a little later, not even a minute after the Grimm were finished. Several huntsman teams, DWHS included, got out of the airship to begin scouting the city.

"You missed all the fun, Dorian." said Troy, shaking the boy's hand.
"Got the call for a nearby village and booked it here as fast as we could, but got here too late, so we'll take care of recon. Besides, Henry's semblance is made for scouting and recon against the Grimm." said Dorian, pointing to his teammate from behind him.
"Oh yeah, what does he do again?" asked Troy, who looked at Connor behind him, who simply shrugged.
"He can track any being, and the Grimm lose their scent once they die, so if he picks up any Grimm scent, we'll know where to go." explained Dorian.
"Remember to stick together on this, don't mess up." said Connor
"Oh please, when do we ever mess up?" asked Dorian.

The looks that Connor and Troy shot him were not ones of amusement.

"Oh come on! It was one time!"
"You literally blew up the cafeteria."
"That was Henry's fault!"
"You actually did it."

"Well fuck the both of you! I'm out!" said Dorian as he and his team went over to the Beacon professors to receive orders. Connor and Troy simply laughed and walked off, ready to call it a day.

———

"I am so done." said Connor. He sat in his room, as both teams agreed that they should get some rest before tomorrow. "Seriously, I've killed like 100 Grimm today. But now that Roman's in prison for the time being, Neo's acting as head of the assassins. Not a fan of that idea."

A knock came from his door. Connor sat up and made his way over to his dorm door, opening it to discover Ruby in her pyjamas.

"Rubes, come in. I know what this is about." said Connor, ushering her inside. Ruby nodded, following him inside and sitting down on his bed. Connor sat down next to her.

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

"Okay then. Ruby, mum wasn't just a huntress when she was active. She was part of a secret organisation, defending the world from the shadows that the real monsters fear. This organisation is known as the Assassin Brotherhood, and I am a part of that organisation."
"When you say assassin..." muttered Ruby.
"If you think we do contract killings, we don't. The assassins are a group of people who kill those who threaten to take our humanity away from us, and destroy the civilisation that we have built. This group is known as the Templars, and they are rooted in the most prominent of positions among the world."

"Why do you fight?" asked Ruby.
"We both seek the same goal, peace. However, the templars seek peace through control, by taking away the free will of people and making them be peaceful by using force, at least, that is what they preach. They only desire power, to be stronger than the assassins and to control people for their own gain. We seek peace through the people's choice to be peaceful, and believe that people need to make their own choices when it comes to peace. As such, we have been at war with the Templars for thousands of years, one side taking the lead off the other before the balance of power turns it around."

"Who is winning now?"
"The Templars are, unfortunately. They have connections in every major city in the world apart form Vale and Vacuo. Vacuo is assassin turf, meaning that we have control over it, and Vale is neutral ground, meaning that it has no ruler in terms of our organisations. However, in recent years, the assassins have been dwindling. Our numbers are down a considerable amount, but we have a better quality in fighters as opposed to the Templars."

"Next question. How did Torchwick know about mum?"
"That's another story. Around 27 years ago, when 4 children graduated from initiate to assassins at a young age. Those 4 were our mother, my sperm donor, Raven Branwen and Roman Torchwick. The four of them went their separate ways, with mum and Snow teaming up for a while, but mum eventually got sick of the bastard and left him on his own, to his death. Mum and Torchwick worked together on a few missions, and they were close, so much so that he trusted me to him on more than one occasion. That is how Roman knows about mum and me, because he was right there with us since day one."

"Hey Connor..."
"Yeah?"
"I love you, you know that, right?"
"Course I do. I love you too squirt."
"Connor... I don't want to lose you like I lost mum, so please, don't die."

"Ruby... I-I can't promise you that. Even as a regular huntsman, death is an occupational hazard, but as an assassin, death is basically my occupation and a hazard of it. I don't want to break any promises to you, so I won't by saying I'll make it out alive and well and that we can all go and have a grand time at the end of the rainbow, because sometimes, we don't know if we can. So I won't make that promise, but I'll try my damned hardest to make sure I always make it back in one piece."

Ruby nodded, stood up, and made her way to the door.

"Thanks bro... really." whispered the young girl.
"It was nothing. Now go to bed, the Vytal Festival is fast approaching, so you need all the rest you can get." said the older of the two. "I expect great things from you. I know you can win this." Ruby nodded and closed the door behind her as she walked out. Connor laid back down on his bed, and closed his eyes.

'What happened back down there?' he asked himself as he drifted off to sleep, remembering what happened vividly.

———

The Ursa made a jump at him, making Connor duck under it and swing his blade up, cutting the stomach of the creature wide open. The Ursa hadn't even his the ground before the next one pounced, this time Connor moving off to the side and swinging his blade up, taking off the head. Connor looked to see Troy getting overwhelmed by the never ending wave of Grimm, making their way over, so he changed Kusari Gatara to it's rifle mode and shot off a few shots at the monsters, giving Troy a little breathing room. Troy nodded at him in appreciation as Connor altered his weapon to it's chain mode and wrapping onto a lamp post on the rode, using it to swing himself into the face of a Beowolf, sending it flying back, toppling other Grimm like dominos.

Then he saw it. Or him.

A figure, clad in white, walking peacefully amongst the Grimm, appearing as more of a ghost than a man. The Grimm paid him no mind, and kept moving towards Connor, like the man wasn't even there. Connor's eyes met the mans under the hoods of their assassin robes, silver eyes meeting silver eyes. The man smirked, and walked away from Connor, disappearing into the horde of Grimm like it was nothing. Connor lost sight of him, and returned his attention to the piling horde of Grimm in front of him.

———

The next morning, the young assassin shook his head as he rose from the sheets of his temporary bed, rising into the morning like a phoenix from it's ashes. Connor simply got out of his bed and moved to the wardrobe, pulling out his clothes and getting dressed.

'One final week before the Vytal festival. This is going to be awesome.

———

Hey guys, that's it for this chapter. Unfortunately for all the fans out there, the schedule is going to remain as a six week update schedule whilst the continuation of Dark Wars is going on, as I am juggling my final year of high school, whilst under the effects of the virus (don't have it but my schooling has suffered, so I need to focus on that) and some more stuff from work as it started to get hectic recently. But just so you know, THIS IS TEMPOARY! Once things start simmering down in my life, the 3 week update schedule will continue as originally planned, so keep that in mind. That being said, next update will be June 30.

Also, be sure to check out Dark Wars on @KLigers98 page, as we, as well as @Epsilon6666 and @TokyoRomhay have been working hard to bring you chapters and will continue to do so. But I feel like I've rambled on for a bit, so for now, Striker777, over and out.