RWBY: Muskets and Magic

It is the second year of the war between Vale and Atlas. After Mantle toppled its monarchy and established a military rule, renaming themselves Atlas, they have embarked on a mission to establish this rule in other nations. Having been repelled at the walls of the city of Vale, Atlas now fights to hold the northern peninsula of Vale.

It is a war fought with gunpowder and sorcery, the hordes of troops supplemented by elite, noble, Dust Casters. In order to match the numbers of the Atlas military, Vale has authorised the recruitment of women and even established Faunus regiments.

Many join the fight in hopes of glory, hearing great tales of the war and its necessity in order to defend either the independence of Vale or the authority of Atlas.

Amongst it all, many heroes will rise, and from the most unlikely of places…

Yang pushed through the mud, the crack of musket fire and smoke of cannon and flame filling her ears and nostrils. Beside her Blake fired her rifle, dropping an Atlesian soldier. Yang lifted her own rifle to her shoulder as Blake kneeled to reload. Stepping in front of Blake, she fired her own shot, hitting another grey clad soldier.

Yang ducked behind the still burning remains of a cart, quickly tearing at the paper charge with her teeth and pouring the black powder into her rifle. Ahead of her the lines of the Atlesian soldiers stood their ground against the slow advance of the green clad Vale infantry.

Blake fell in beside her, using the charred cart as cover as she lined up another shot. "Any Casters?" Yang asked as she slid her ramrod back into place. Blake's eyes scanned over the Altesian line,

"I can't see any," she murmured before taking her shot. Yang rolled to the side and brought her rifle up, spying an enemy officer through the smoke. With a grin she put a ball through his head.

Trumpets sounded and the Vale line fired its last volley, before charging. "Rifles! Follow me!" Yang shouted, as she stood from her cover. Emerging from the smoke around her, her Rifles appeared at her side, still firing well aimed shots into the stalwart Atlas line. Yang broke off into a run, circling around the Atlas forces. She halted as the Vale line smashed into the Atlesian line. Blake pulled up and fired into the mass of soldiers, the other rifles following suit. Yang pulled free her sword and cheered, charging forward into the fray.

Her heavy sword swung haphazardly into the group of Atlas infantry, the blade passing through their grey coats. With her rifle slung over her shoulder she used her free hand to slug anyone foolish enough to get close. Beside her Blake used her sword bayonet to stab and slice, using her Rifle but as a club. The Atlesian soldiers started to break, many backing away and eventually running from combat.

A bolt of lightning hit the earth in the centre of the battle. Men fell back, blinded by the light, deafened by the sound. Yang tried to blink away the flash that blurred her vision. In the centre of the field now stood a robed man, his long white cloak identifying him clearly as a Caster. Vale soldiers fell back as flames jetted from his hands. "Blake!" Yang cried, looking around to find her sergeant. Blake rubbed at her face, her keener Faunus eyes more susceptible to the blinding. "Oh hell," Yang cursed, discarding her unloaded rifle and grabbing the pistol off the belt of a dead Atlas officer.

Rushing towards the Dust Caster Yang cried out, drawing his attention away from the reeling Vale infantry. She snapped off a shot with her pistol, the Caster's right shoulder jerking back as it absorbed the bullet. Raising his other hand, the Caster fired a ball of flame at her. Yang felt the heat on her shoulder, but didn't register the pain, her eyes focused on the wizard.

The man tried to pull free his own sword, his awkwardness made it clear he had rarely used it. Yang stabbed through before he even managed to raise his blade in defence. Caster's were fearsome opponents with the ability to burn through hundreds of men, break walls and turn cannon balls. They were still human though, and get close enough to one and it was usually all over for the poor sods.

Pulling her sword back, Yang glanced to her shoulder, her green jacket burnt black by the fireball. Breathing heavy, Yang let out a single laugh, she'd survived another battle. The Vale infantry cheered, picking themselves up, as the Atlas soldiers fled.

The wind beat at the flaps of the tent, forcing Glynda to more firmly tie them down. "Hopefully this wind means that the rain has ended for the time being," Glynda said as she retook her seat in front of Lord Ozpin.

"Yes, if the rain ceases we should be able to make faster progress in our push."

"That is, if we stop receiving this ridiculous requests," Glynda said with disgust, gesturing to the letter on display on the desk. Ozpin smiled,

"Indeed, though we must heed them, without the support of the Schnee's, the job of re-establishing Mantle will be nigh on impossible."

Glynda sighed, adjusting her spectacles, "Very well, what do we do with the girl?" Ozpin took a tentative sip from his mug,

"She's very young, especially for a Caster. I doubt any of our more seasoned officers would dare deal with her. Then there is the issue of her being a Schnee, very few are unaware of their Atlesian heritage."

"So a younger officer, one without any powerful friends who could be offended,"

"Indeed, but also one who will push this girl to her limits and make her a valuable asset."

"Or scare her off," Glynda said with a knowing look. Ozpin took another sip,

"Every Dust user is useful to us, that being said, yes, Weiss Schnee will play an important part in this war, or she will play no part at all."

It was Glynda's turn to smile, "I believe I have the perfect suggestion."

"And I believe I have the very mission in which to test her," Ozpin said, glancing down to his map.

"Keep still," Ren said laboriously as he cut away the last of the blackened fabric attached to Yang's burnt shoulder. Yang grit her teeth and held back tears as ointment and bandages were applied.

"Next time we have to fight a Caster, someone else is dealing with it," Yang groaned. Blake smiled from behind her book, sitting off to Yang's left,

"Next time shoot him instead of rushing him."

"Yeah, well where were you when that needed to be done," Yang asked

"Busy being blind," Blake replied in her usual monotone voice.

"We both know you could have made that shot blind, he was just standi- Argh!" Yang was cut short by bandages being pulled taut over her wound by Ren, who only offered a quiet,

"Sorry."

"I wanted to make sure I wasn't permanently blinded, I'm sure everyone would miss my eyesight on night patrols," Blake continued, ignoring Yang's discomfort.

"Bloody Faunus," Yang murmured, grinning as Blake looked down at Yang over the pages of her book. Usually Blake would have reacted more harshly, well, with anyone else she would have. With Yang it was a joke, her taunts and jabs a special way of showing her real respect for Blake. Not many would have so willingly let a Faunus into their ranks.

"All done, try not to use the arm if you can help it," Ren said as he stepped away and wiped his hands clean.

"Will try, thanks for the cleanup," Yang said as she rose from her seat in the tent, "Tell the rest of the Rifles they have the rest of the afternoon off." Ren nodded before leaving. The quiet man was one of Yang's best shots, it helped that he also knew a fair bit of the surgeons trade. "How many did we lose," Yang asked as she reached for the bottle of rum she kept hidden in her knapsack. Blake grimaced,

"Three of the new ones died, another is probably not gonna make it."

Yang sighed as she took a swig of her rum. Her Rifles were skirmishers, light infantry, made for scouting and sniping. They didn't stand in lines and slowly march towards the enemy, they moved quickly and quietly, and when they shot, they hit their targets. The loss of two men would, to any other unit, be an astoundingly small loss. To Yang though, it was a big hit. "I'll try and get Ozpin to find me some more,"

"Think it will go as well as last time?" Blake asked,

"Probably, Ozpin likes me, I mean he allowed me to be promoted. A no good sergeant, and a woman of all things, made Lieutenant. He can't change everything though, no one else will offer up any men, and it's not like he's going to ask Vale to train up new Rifles just for me."

"I can ask around in the Faunus regiment, see if they have anyone spare?" Blake suggested. Yang shrugged,

"I'll take whoever I can get, long as they can shoot."

Blake turned her head to the flap of the tent just before Ren entered. "Yang, Lord Ozpin wants to see you." Yang rolled her injured shoulder, grimacing slightly as she picked up her jacket and shako.

Weiss rode through the camp slowly, taking in the sights and sounds. Sweat, gunpowder, swearing and moaning. She got many a look from the men and women of the Vale army, and by the leering and spitting she assumed they knew who, and what she was. So Weiss did what she had before, what she had been taught to do. She held her head high and straightened the white cloak which bore the symbol of her house. More than once her hand drifted to the sword at her side, sensing the dust that was stored in the cartridges at the hilt.

As gracefully as possible she dismounted once she reached the command tent. The guards here wore clean uniforms, untouched by battle.

"We have a special assignment for you, meaning you will need replacements for the men you have lost. Ah, speaking of, may I introduce Ms Weiss Schnee." Ozpin turned away from the officer standing at attention and gestured to Weiss as she entered. The officer in question spun on her heels, looking rather surprised by Weiss' appearance, Weiss being surprised by the fact that it was a woman standing before her. She wore a dark green uniform, the colour darker than the usual green of the common Vale footsoldier. In her hand she held her shako, the symbol upon it making it clear she was a light infantry soldier, a skirmisher. At her side she carried a well used sword, though the most catching thing about her appearance was her free flowing golden hair. "My Lord," Weiss said resolutely.

"Sir?" Yang said in question, looking back to Weiss.

"As I was saying to Lieutenant Xiao Long here, there is a special assignment I wish completed. Ms Schnee here is an accomplished Dust Caster, and has graciously volunteered to help us fight against Atlas. She should be more than enough to replace the men you have lost." Ozpin sat back down in his chair, eyes returning to the detailed map set out on his desk. "You two will work together on this mission, and hopefully with both of your, particular skills, complete it."

"What's the mission?" Yang asked apprehensively,

"There is a fort, taken from us a few months before the siege of Vale. The fort itself is of little value, intelligence however, has informed me that it is where a great number of prisoners are being held. In particular a number of allied troops, bringing them back would do our alliance with Vacuo great benefit."

"I assume we are to storm the fort and rescue them then," Yang said, studying the map carefully. Ozpin shook his head,

"Only scouting for now, though if think it possible to rescue them, do so, but we need to be sure the prisoners are still there, and the nature of their guard. You leave tomorrow."

Yang nodded respectfully to Ozpin before making her way out, brushing past Weiss with indifference. Weiss stood still, waiting for Ozpin's attention as he quickly scribbled some notes. "Is there something else Ms Schnee," Ozpin asked, not looking up from his work.

"Yes sir, I was wondering about the Lieutenant," Weiss said, not holding back any of the coldness in her voice when it came to the strange woman.

"What about her?"

"I thought I would be working under someone… More senior perhaps, I am, as you said, a very accomplished Caster, surely I could be of more use to a more senior officer, on the front lines."

"Oh yes, I imagine you would indeed be of use to anyone lucky enough to have you. Yet my job is to find you somewhere in which you can be of the most use. The mission I have given you is quite important, and Lieutenant Xiao Long is quite capable. I don't raise just anyone from the ranks."

Weiss couldn't help but let her mouth hang ajar, "Risen from the ranks! She's not a proper officer?!"

Ozpin frowned, "She is as proper an officer as any."

Weiss clenched her fists, trying to hold back her anger. Yet again she was being disrespected, yet again she was being cast aside. "If that is all," Ozpin said, eyes shifting to the tent flap.

"Sir, my family did not leave Atlas simply because it suited us," Weiss said, her voice a low growl. "We left because we believe in Mantle, because we were usurped. I was, and am, of royal blood."

"I am well aware of all of this. Your father is the King's Uncle, you are sixth in line for the throne of Mantle. However, until there is a Mantle, there is no throne. All I ask is that you have trust in my plans, in your mission. Everything I do, everything you will do, will be to free Vale and restore Mantle."

Weiss grit her teeth but bowed, letting herself out quickly.

Yang unbuckled her belt and threw it down on her cot, cursing as she stressed her wound again. "Yang," Blake called from outside the tent, "I managed to recruit someone from the Faunus regiment."

Yang marched out of her tent, Blake noticing the anger in her friend's face. "What happened with Ozpin?"

"We got a new mission, and a damn Caster to babysit," Yang growled, pacing around the small campfire. Blake stayed silent, knowing it better to let Yang rant. "She's some rich girl, all dressed up and shiny, you know how they are Blake. I don't know why the hell the are sending her with me, I need soldiers not some rich, white haired fop." Blake raised an eyebrow at this,

"White hair?"

"White as snow," Yang grumbled, tossing another log onto the fire. Blake looked thoughtfully into the flames, if her guess was correct, then they were in a lot of trouble. "Ugh, can't do anything about it, gotta follow orders," Yang said unenthusiastically. "You said you found me another Rifle?"

"Uh, yeah, her name's Velvet. She's pretty handy with a musket, should hopefully be fine with a rifle."

"What's her problem then, why was her regiment so ready to get rid of her?"

"She's been the target of… Harassment from an officer, everyone thought it best if she wasn't around for him to cause any real mess." Yang nodded, understanding the difficulties women had when it came to over eager soldiers.

"Get Coco to show her the ropes,"

"Already done," Blake said as she settled down beside the fire, placing a kettle over the flames.

The next morning Yang assembled her Rifles, ready to head out on their mission. It was early, the camp only just getting up and starting the day in, day out routine of a military encampment. Standing at ease on the edge of the camp were her Rifles. Coco Adel, Lie Ren, Blake Belladonna and now Velvet Scarletina. Dressed in the dark green of the Light Infantry Riflemen they all carried well cared for rifles and small packs of supplies. It wasn't a command any real officer would take, a group of ragtag skirmishers, but it was more than enough for Yang.

"Where is she, oh I know, maybe she forgot and we can go and get this done without her," Yang said with a hopeful smile, scanning the rows of tents for any sign of Weiss. Blake spied her first, muttering under her breath,

"There she is. Weiss Schnee." Yang regarded her sergeant,

"You know her?"

"Everyone knows her, she's Atlas Royalty, her Father is the King's uncle and one of the biggest Dust suppliers in the world."

"Aw hell," Yang moaned, just as Weiss rode up to her.

"Good morning Lieutenant," Weiss said, clearly irritated by the whole situation.

"Good morning Princess," Yang said, eyeing the horse with distaste. "You know you're going to have to leave that behind,"

"What? My horse? You expect me to walk all the way to the fort?" Weiss said with genuine surprise. Yang rolled her eyes, "We travel on foot, it's easier to remain undetected, because if we are found by some Atlas patrol, chances are we die."

"What about my supplies? I have Dust that I will need to perform my duties, and food and blankets and-" Yang cut her off,

"And you will have to carry everything you need, otherwise it's not coming. Unless of course you don't want to come? I'm sure Ozpin will let you go back home, war is a very scary thing afterall," Yang said, words dripping with condescension. Weiss scowled, stepping down from her horse defiantly. As quick as she could, Weiss got together the essentials from her saddle bags, before sending her horse off with an observing soldier. Blake and Yang shared a surprised look as Weiss slung her supplies over her shoulder and waited expectantly. "Well, that was a thing. If you're all done Princess, let's move out," Yang said, turning on her heel and marching out of the camp, her Rifles following behind her.

"Don't call me Princess, I am the heiress to a duchy, you may call me M'am or heiress," Weiss called out as she rushed to keep pace with the Rifles. Yang shook her head and rolled her eyes,

"Whatever you want Princess."

Weiss' first day of soldiering was going dreadfully. Whilst her white uniform was very comfortable, and in Weiss' opinion, quite dashing, it turned to be terribly inconvenient. Mud and dirt soon found its place on her once pristine cape, her boots now a dark brown rather than a polished black. At least she managed to keep her jacket clean. At first she had been outraged by the look of the Rifles, patched jackets, berets and muddy boots. Now she understood why. Her next big issue, was the presence of two Faunus amongst the Rifles. One appeared to be a sergeant, Weiss only spying her cat ears when she took off her beret. The other, a rabbit Faunus, was unable to hide her larger ears as they protruded from two crudely cut holes in the beret. The cat Faunus, Blake as Weiss had heard her called, repeatedly turned to give Weiss an evil eye.

Weiss forced herself not to start a fight with the troublesome Faunus. She didn't have the time to deal with her, hopefully the sergeant would keep quiet and do her job. Instead she focused on the landscape of Vale. The green pastures and dense woods were a far cry from the wintery land that was Mantle. Still Weiss refused to call it by the name it had been given since the revolution.

"Alright, this looks like as good a place as any," Yang called as she spied a small clearing in the woods ahead. With a sigh of relief everyone set down their packs and began setting up their small camp. "Blake, take Velvet and scout around, make sure we are safe," Yang ordered as opened her pack and began setting up her blanket. "Coco, Princess, you're on firewood duty."

Weiss held her tongue, scowling as she set down her pack, stomping off into the woods to find wood. Coco watched with a grin, before getting a look from Yang telling her to get going.

"Slow down there," Coco called as she ran up beside Weiss. "Haven't had time to say it but I absolutely love the look you have going," Coco said as she admired Weiss' personalised uniform.

"Yes, yes I bet I look rather foolish in all this finery," Weiss said sarcastically, bending down to pick up kindling. Coco smirked,

"I'm being serious, that is some very fine quality material, did you get it made custom by Lisa Lavander?" Weiss looked up in surprise,

"You know something of fashion then?"

"You could say that, I had many dresses bought for me back in the day." Weiss smiled for the first time all day,

"Finally someone with a little class, it sounds like you were quite the Lady of court, why are you soldiering? Why not buy a commision?"

"Oh I'm no Lady, and I didn't have the connections to buy a commision, wasted most of my money on finery, one of the necessities of the job I guess."

"You were a tailor then?" Weiss enquired, Coco laughed,

"No dear, I was a courtesan, a prostitute. It was tough, but I did love the lavishness of it all," Coco said idly as she bent down to pick up more firewood. Weiss twitched slightly, discarding the wood she held in her hands.

"I… I… Urrrrgh!" Weiss growled as she stomped back towards camp.

Yang sat quietly, watching the sun slowly descend and the moon rose. A map lay in her lap, marking out the location of the fort. By her estimations they had another day or two of marching before they got close. "Lieutenant!" Weiss cried as she stormed into camp. Yang jumped slightly, setting aside her map, "Keep it down," Yang said as she stood. "What is it now?"

"You!" Weiss said as she pointed an accusing finger at Yang, "And them!" Weiss shifted her finger to the Ren who sat quietly. "You're all vagabonds, prostitutes! Faunus! And a jump up from the rank! What kind of circus is this!" Yang crossed her arms menacingly, staring down at the shorter girl,

"Keep. Your. Voice. Down."

"Fine, but you will answer me," Weiss said in an angry whisper, matching Yang's glare.

"You have a problem with me and my Rifles?"

"Obviously, didn't you just hear me!" Yang pursed her lips at Weiss' gaul.

"You don't like fighting beside Faunus? Don't like fighting beside people who had to do tough things to survive?"

"Yes!"

"Well then, get out of my sight," Yang said with disgust. Weiss groaned,

"And what? Go back to camp, walk through the night and get lost or killed?"

"I don't have a problem with any of that," Yang said without hesitation.

"If I go back they'll send me back to Vale to wait out the war, attending damn balls and galas. Knitting, socialising, rejecting the advances of the many slimy men all vying for my father's attention."

"Sounds like you would fit right in," Yang commented, watching Weiss with a little more interest.

"No, I don't, I hate all that nonsense. I want to go home, I want the respect I used to get as a Schnee. So I'll fight, and die if need be, to restore my name," Weiss said with determination. Yang smiled softly, shaking her head,

"Oh you'll die alright. Without me and my Rifles you're as good as dead. Everyone here is a soldier, they've fought, and proved themselves. Sure Coco has an interesting past, but she's loyal, and tough as nails. Blake, she's a Faunus alright, even fought with the Faunus rebels back in the day, it's where she learned to fight like she does. I trust her with more than just my life, but with everyone else's as well, she's yet to let me down and I doubt she ever will." Yang laughed, " and Ren here, he is as quiet as death and can hit a rider at four hundred feet with no hassle." Yang sat back down as she finished, looking up at Weiss. "Everyone under my command is here because they are damn good soldiers, I don't care about what they are or what they were, I only care that they do their job well. Same goes for you, I don't care you're some Princess, or that you're insufferable, I don't even care that hate me and my Rifles. I only care about you doing your job,"

"And I will do it well," Weiss added defiantly.

"Your new at this, so if you want to do your job well, if you want to bring honour to your name or whatever, then listen. Everyone here is a soldier, a real soldier. Loyal, determined, tested in battle. If you want to do your job well, then follow their example."

Weiss was taken aback, unable to think of a response. Blake and Velvet walked back into camp, giving Yang a nod to tell her all was well. Blake stared at Weiss for a moment, standing beside Yang. Eventually Weiss broke out of her trance and walked over to where her pack lay, turning her back to the rest of the group. "Nice speech," Blake whispered as she sat beside Yang.

"Damn Faunus hearing," Yang grumbled. Blake smirked,

"Hopefully she get's the message, otherwise…"

"You can't shoot her," Yang said as she wrapped the blankets around herself.

"I wasn't going to shoot her," Blake retorted. Yang rolled her eyes,

"Sure, I may not have known that she was a Schnee, but I know of them. Played a pretty big part in trying to suppress the Faunus during the rebellion."

"There were a lot of people who didn't like the thought of us escaping slavery," Blake said bitterly, eyeing Weiss intently. "Well, if she turns out to be a spy or something, however unlikley, you can shoot her, otherwise we have orders."

Dinner that night was a small portion of bread and cheese that had been packed. Blake brewed a pot of tea to wash it all down, before heading to bed. Yang rotated the watches, having the humans on the earliest parts of the night, and the Faunus on the latter. Thanks to her rank, Yang didn't have to take watch, much to her enjoyment.

Velvet decided to share Coco's watch. Over the last day Coco had been assigned to help Velvet learn everything a Rifle would need to know. Most of it was gun maintenance and skirmisher strategy, Velvet picking them up very quickly. "So, have you seen many battles," Coco asked,

"A-a few," Velvet responded quietly. Coco nodded,

"Heard you got transfered because you were having problems with an officer?"

"... Yeah, Captain Winchester…" Velvet said, grimacing as she said his name. Coco frowned,

"Well you don't have to worry about him anymore. If he gives you trouble you have all of us to help you. The Lieutenant doesn't deal well with bullies, that is to say, she deals with them, just not in a very nice way." Velvet giggled slightly, bringing a smile to Coco's face. "You should sleep, your watch is coming up later, can't have you falling asleep on us." Velvet nodded, curling up in her blankets and shutting her eyes.

Weiss was awoken by the rough shaking of her shoulder. "Wake up Princess, time to move," Yang said with a zealous grin as Weiss squinted in the light of the morning sun. "Why does my back hurt so much," Weiss groaned as she pushed herself up on her elbows. Yang chuckled as she hefted her rifle and slung it over her shoulder, "First night sleeping without a bed?"

"Something like that," Weiss said as she forced herself to get up.

"I want you up front with me today, we're heading into enemy territory,"

"So you can watch me and make sure I don't do anything wrong?" Weiss assumed,

"Well, that and you might have some insight into anything we might see."

Weiss was still packing her things when the group started moving. Rushing up the front of the small column Weiss gave Yang an annoyed glare. "You couldn't have waited a moment longer? I have to check on my dust supplies,"

"We have a tight schedule to keep, I want to be in sight of the fort by nightfall, meaning we have a lot of ground to cover today." Weiss sighed, quickly tying on her sword belt. Yang caught sight of the sword and marvelled.

"Nice sword, might have to get myself one when I get the chance," Yang said

"It's a one of a kind, made special by the best swordsmith in all of Mantle, I doubt your pay would be able to cover that. I doubt any officers pay could cover it," Weiss said proudly. Yang nodded in appreciation,

"What are those things on the hilt?"

"Dust cartridges, I prefer my dust raw, much more powerful than if stitched into clothing or consumed."

"So what's the downside? There's always a downside. Like these rifles," Yang said, unslinging her weapon. "They are more accurate than a musket in any weather, problem is they take longer to reload."

"There is a downside, other Casters can very easily access my dust. It's not obscured by cloth or flesh. Well, that would be the case, except for the special casing around the cartridges, another feature of Myrtenaster." Yang laughed,

"You gave your sword a name,"

"Of course, all the best swords have names," Weiss said pursing her lips and furrowing her brow. Yang laughed again when she saw Weiss' expression.

"I'm not making fun of ya, I just find it very fitting that you would name your sword. Question is, do you know how to use it?"

"You will find that-" Weiss was silenced by Yang as she received a tap from Blake.

"What is it?" Yang asked, cocking her rifle,

"I can hear someone ahead," Blake replied, motioning to Ren to follow her. Yang waved for everyone to fan out, pulling Weiss down low and moving forwards slowly. Eventually Yang could hear voices, the sounds of two men laughing. "Stay here, and stay low," Yang whispered as she crept up to where Blake knelt.

"Two of them, looks like Dragoons," Blake whispered, her rifle aimed at the head of one.

"Only two? What are they doing here?" Yang asked, studying the two men closely. They swayed slightly as they laughed, the many shiny buttons on their jackets glinting in the midmorning sun. "Drunk," Yang murmured, lowering her rifle, "Let's do it quiet like then, just in case they have friends."

Blake drew her blade, creeping forward through the trees. Behind the men she saw their horses, drinking from a bucket pulled up from a solitary well. Ren appeared out of the brush to Blake's left, Blake motioning him to his target. The men continued their banter, blind to the two soldiers that now were but a foot behind them. Swiftly, both Blake and Ren took down their targets.

"You murdered them…" Weiss said, standing from her hiding spot. Yang sighed,

"We're soldiers, it's war, this is what happens."

"B-but you didn't offer them surrender, or challenge them outright," Weiss said, still in awe of the situation.

"If we did, they could hurt someone, or worse shout alarm and warn others. It's just better this way."

"War isn't like the fairytales," Blake said solemnly, "No matter how much we want it to be."

The march continued on after the horses were set loose. Yang continued to lead with Weiss by her side, checking her map more frequently now as they drew closer to the fort. They proceeded more carefully now, looking for signs of anymore Dragoons. Night came without any further disturbances, Yang calling a halt and setting up camp deep within the woods, away from prying eyes. "Blake and I will head out to see if we can survey the fort, we'll try and be back before dawn."

"I'm coming with you," Weiss stated simply, depositing her pack.

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea," Blake said to Yang.

"No, let she can come. Only if you think you can keep up with us," Yang challenged.

"Then it's settled," Weiss said with a defiant smile. The three of them set off quickly, leaving Coco in charge of maintaining camp.

Weiss, after a full day of marching, wondered how Yang and Blake could move so quickly, yet so quietly through the woods. It took all her concentration to avoid tripping in the growing dark, barely noticing the glares Blake gave her as she slowly fell behind. "She's slowing us down," Blake whispered to Yang.

"The fort shouldn't be too far, we needn't rush," Yang replied, eyes focused on the woods ahead.

"Why are you being so easy on her?" Blake asked, accusation clear in her tone,

"I didn't know that I was,"

"Yang, she's a Schnee, the perfect example of everything you despise about officers. She's stuck up, prissy, she's a damn slaver!" Blake said, her voice steadily rising. Yang pulled to a stop, turning to Blake abruptly,

"Shhhhh! Look she might be all those things, but she's also determined to fight, I may not have believed it a day ago, but I've seen that look in her eye. She'll fight, do her duty, that's all I ask. Now if you could not alert the entire Atlas army to our presence, that would be great."

Yang set off again, Blake lagging behind now. Weiss caught up, pulling on Blake's arm, "I'll have you know that I'm no slaver, I may dislike the rebels who harmed my family, but I hold no ill will to Faunus at large." Weiss withdrew her grip and upturned her chin, following after Yang.

The rest of the journey was done in silence. A little after midnight the three exited the woods, the fort coming into sight. The earth around it was rocky, the landscape dotted by thick shrubbery but little else. The for itself had seen better days. The walls were high, yet in two places the wall had collapsed from previous bombardment, likely in Atlas' taking of the fort. Men stood guard at these points, but none stood outside the wall. At the gate's front sat a hastily constructed gallows, three men swinging slowly in the breeze. Weiss stared in horror at the display, whilst Yang grit her teeth, resisting the urge to charge the fort right then.

Blake's eyes cut through the darkness, spying out another figure in the night. "Look, there by the gallows, a stock, looks like the persons alive as well." Yang peered into the night, only just making out the outline of the prisoner locked into place by the wooden stock. "We have to get him out," Weiss whispered, drawing her sword. Yang caught her hand before the blade came free,

"You're just going to leave him?" Weiss asked, Yang shook her head.

"I'm going to go get him out, you stay here with Blake and keep watch." Yang dashed off before Blake or Weiss could protest, leaving her rifle to Weiss.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Weiss asked Blake, who responded by pulling back the hammer on her own rifle and pointing it at the men on the wall.

"Only shoot if Yang gets into trouble," Blake advised. Weiss hefted the heavy rifle and aimed as best she could.

Weaving between the shrubbery and rock that littered the open ground, Yang found her way to the stock. "Hey, hey," Yang called out softly. The man in the stocks raise his head as much as he could, smiling a devilish grin when he saw Yang. "Bout time someone came and rescued us," he said as Yang set to work trying to remove the locks.

"I'm supposed to just be scouting," Yang said, pulling forth her sword and quickly smashing the locks.

"Well your doing great so far," The Faunus man said, Yang noticing a tail flicking about excitedly. "I'm not leaving without my friend," the man said, as he stood free.

"Got no choice, we'll come back for them, but for now let's move," Yang said pulling him down and along. "Who were the men hanging?" Yang asked as they snuck back towards the treeline,

"All our officers, some mercenary came in with orders from Ironwood himself to have them killed." If they were to break the prisoners free Yang would be the highest ranking officer, she didn't know if that excited her or terrified her. The trip back towards the woods was slower, Yang wanting to be more careful to go undetected. Thankfully they both made it back without any alarm sounding.

"Alright let's get back to camp," Yang said as she claimed her rifle back from Weiss. The newcomer gave Blake a wink and salute,

"Sun Wukong, at your service mam."

Blake rolled her eyes, subtly admiring Sun's shirtless form. Weiss caught up to Yang first, "We should hurry back and report, come back with a larger force." Yang shook her head,

"No, I'm taking that fort, if we come back with more soldiers they will either kill the prisoner or ransom them off for freedom."

"Thats insane, they have a fortified position it's a mad idea to try and take it," Weiss said, staring at Yang incredulously. Yang smiled wickedly,

"Acts of insanity and valour are the only way for me to get promoted, and I'm not going to let good people rot in that place."

Dawn came an hour after Yang arrived back at camp. Everyone who had been out scouting headed to sleep after a short breakfast. Sun was given a spare shirt from Ren and a pistol from Yang. At midday, everyone gathered round to plan. "How many men are we dealing with," Yang asked Sun.

"There is, I dunno, thirty or so guards. The big problem is the group of Dragoons that patrol the area. They head out for a few days, either to harass you guys, or to hunt down escaped prisoners. They left the other day, so it's now or never."

"No cannons?" Yang enquired hopefully,

"Nah, they all went to the main army apparently."

"And how many prisoners," Weiss asked, nervous but eager to prove herself.

"Lots, maybe a hundred. Most of them are from Vale, but a few, like myself, are from the Vacuo allied detachment."

"Seems pretty simple to me then," Yang said confidently. Blake raised an eyebrow,

"How is that exactly?"

"Well, all we need to do is sneak inside and let the prisoners loose, take out the guards and hold off the Dragoons if they come."

"None of the things you said are simple," Weiss said. Yang shrugged,

"Trust me, we can do this, we will just need a distraction." Yang exchanged a look with Blake, before turning towards Weiss. Weiss looked between them, before releasing the unspoken idea,

"Oh no, that is not a good idea. I'm part of the royalty they overthrew, they will react rather badly to that I imagine."

"Exactly the point, and with your Dust, I'm sure you can put on quite the show," Yang said, standing triumphantly and grabbing her rifle. "Alright everyone, at sundown we move out. Weiss, you can do this right?" Weiss sighed, head falling into her hands,

"Yes, fine, I'll be the distraction," she groaned. Everyone shared a few quiet laughs, patting Weiss on the back as they got up to pack down the camp.

"Don't worry Weiss, I'll have people covering you, all you have to do is keep them focused, and maybe try and take out a few while you're there," Yang said supportively. Weiss nodded,

"I'll do my job."

"Excellent."

Velvet's hands shook slightly as she checked her rifle. Coco noticed this, placing a comforting hand on the rabbit Faunus' shoulder. "Try not to worry, you'll be fine," Coco whispered. Velvet nodded weakly.

"Time to move," Yang called, the sun beginning to set. Everyone fell in, leaving their packs behind, only carrying their weapons and ammo. "Blake, Coco and Ren, you guys cover Weiss. Sun, Velvet and I are going to break in." Everyone shared a nod, remaining in silence as they made the trek towards the fort.

Weiss was nervous, more so than she had ever been in her life. Constantly she checked Myrtenaster, making sure she had all her dust loaded for use. Her uniform became uncomfortable, forcing her to constantly adjust her vest, coat and cloak. She cursed the fact that she had insisted in her uniform remaining white, only now noticing just how it singled her out as she looked around at her more darkly clad allies. "At least I'll make a great distraction," Weiss said with a sigh. Blake let out a single, almost silent chuckle.

Yang brought everyone to a halt at the edge of the woods. Surveying the fort again she was thankful to see that there had been no overreaction to Sun's escape, no great increase in guards. "Good luck," Blake offered to Yang, Yang grinned, "You too, and try to keep her alive."

No more words were exchanged, and all eyes rested on Weiss. Weiss took a deep breath a drew her blade, stepping out of woods and walking briskly towards the fort. It took the guards a few moments to react, muskets lowering in her direction, but no shots were fired. "Who goes there?!" A man called from the ramparts. Weiss raised her chin and spoke clearly, as she had been so laboriously instructed.

"I am Weiss Schnee, loyal to the throne of Mantle, you are to surrender yourselves or be destroyed."

"Ha! Kill the royalist whore!" A guard said, aiming his musket and firing, the shot falling short, but still causing Weiss to jump slightly.

"So be it," Weiss called back, raising her blade and igniting a small portion of the red dust she had in Myrtenaster, a lance of flame washing over the ramparts. The guards cried out in pain, falling back and off the ramparts.

"Now," Yang whispered to her team, the three of them racing off to the side, heading towards one of the collapsed sections of wall.

Guards ran up to the ramparts to fire down at Weiss, who had hastily constructed a small wall of ice to shield herself. Behind her, Blake, Ren and Coco fired, dropping more of the guards. The rush of adrenaline overpowered Weiss' common sense. With newfound courage she leapt over her wall, rushing closer to the front gate, firing bolts of lighting and balls of fire at the wall. "Keep with her!" Blake cried as she fired and raced after Weiss.

Yang smiled victoriously as the guards raced away from the broken wall to defend against the Dust Casters attack. The wind blew through her hair as she sprinted through the gap in the wall, cracking the butt of her rifle against the unsuspecting face of an Atlas soldier. Sun fired over her shoulder, felling a man raising musket against them. "This way!" Sun cried as she ran past Yang.

Weiss constructed another Ice wall, Blake now crouching beside her and reloading. Chips of ice showered down on them as musket balls slammed into the wall. Blake peeked over the lip and fired. "I think we got there attention!" Weiss shouted over the sounds of gunfire,

"Yeah, great job," Blake said sarcastically as a ball skipped off the top of the wall.

Yang followed after Sun, racing through the open centre of the fort. Behind them a few guards took notice, turning away from Weiss and firing down into the fort. Velvet spun around, quickly sniping one of the guards on the rampart, eyes still wide with shock as she did so. "Come on!" Yang called, pulling Velvet along towards the keep. Sun flipped his pistol around, using the grip to club a guard across the face. "Go in and get them, I'll stay here," Sun said, picking up the fallen soldiers musket. Yang nodded, handing her rifle to Velvet and drawing her sword, "Velvet help Sun, hold this position until I bring the prisoners out." Yang kicked open the door to the keep, ultimately a small mostly wooden building. Yang stepped away from the doorway as the door fell to the ground, muskets firing from inside. Stepping over the door now, Yang faced two guards with spent muskets. Parrying their clumsy bayonet stabs Yang lashed out quickly, kicking one in the groin and slicing the neck of the other. Grabbing the keys off the moaning guard she gave him another kick, this time firmly dropping the man to the ground.

Inside the fort, Sun and Velvet held the other guards off. Slowly they streamed out of the tents that were set up in the courtyard of the fort, Velvet and Sun firing as often as they could to discourage any from coming closer.

Outside the fort, Weiss noticed the decrease of soldiers firing down at them. "I think they've noticed Yang,"

"She's going to need help," Blake replied, running off to the gap in the wall. Ren and Coco followed suit, Weiss trialing behind the three of them. Blake put her shoulder to the wall, aiming her musket through and firing, dust and chips flying off the wall as the Atlas soldiers returned fire, keeping blake and everyone else out. "Move aside," Weiss commanded as Coco and Ren fired into the fort.

"What are you going to do?" Blake asked,

"I'll deal with the remaining soldiers, get to Yang and the prisoners." Weiss didn't wait for any reply, instead rushing into the fort, raising her arm to shield herself from the shrapnel of missed shots. Swinging her blade in a wide arc she sent a wave of flame rolling towards the still waking soldiers. Weiss felt her strength leave her, the act of activating any sort of dust taking one's energy, to activate such a large amount drained her. Blake rushed in, grabbing Weiss just as she collapsed, dragging her away from the inferno she had created.

Yang found more guards inside the keep, dispatching them as quickly as she could. Finally she found her way to the cellar, finding it filled to the brim with prisoners. "Come on! This is a rescue get out and help us take the fort!" Yang cried as she held the door open and the sea of unwashed bodies flooded out, cheering and crying for vengeance.

Sun and Velvet watched in awe as men were engulfed in flame by Weiss' spell. The few who were left opened the gates and ran, the fire burning through the tents and supplies quickly. The rest of the rifles, with Blake carrying Weiss raced over as the prisoners flooded out of the keep. Sun rushed over when he saw Neptune, joining in the cheering that sang out in the night. Yang emerged behind them, running over to Blake. "What happened," Yang asked, looking over Weiss for signs of injury.

"She burnt down the whole camp… Won us the battle," Blake said hesitantly, nervous to admit Weiss' integral part in the victory.

"...I'm fine," Weiss murmured, eyes half closed, "Just used a little too much Dust… Might just… Sleep a while." Yang sighed relief,

"Yeah, get some sleep, you've done your job."

The rest of the night was spent gathering weapons and sleeping. The prisoners took up what arms they could find and volunteered eagerly to watch out for the Dragoons. Yang and her Rifles slept, exhausted after the taking of the fort. Yang was the last to bed, being busy organising what defences she could muster. When she found the time to sleep she found herself in the empty stables, laying on the hay beside her fellow soldiers.

Morning came all too quickly. The bright sun pierced through the cracks in the roof of the stables. Bleary eyed and still tired, Yang awoke to find Weiss resting her head on Yang's shoulder. Shifting quickly, Yang awoke Weiss. "Morning," Yang mumbled dusting off the hay from her jacket.

"Ugh, I have a splitting headache," Weiss complained as she rubbed her eyes, "Never let me do that again."

"I doubt I could stop you if truly wanted to. I didn't see it firsthand, but… I didn't think you had that in you," Yang said honestly, eyeing the sword that rested beside Weiss.

"You haven't seen many Casters? Because what I did was a fairly easy thing for even a novice Caster, though it was still rather foolhardy of me."

"No, it's not that, I've seen quite a few, and what they can do, it's just…" Yang winced, unsure of how to phrase it without offending Weiss.

"You didn't believe that I was capable of it, because of who I am," Weiss said coldly. Yang turned to look Weiss in the eye, still looking rather sheepish,

"Yeah, sorry." Weiss nodded, accepting the apology,

"Well, I as I have surprised you, you have surprised me. You are brash, disrespectful and possibly a tad mad. However, you have also proven yourself to be a decent officer, so I apologize for judging you before I knew it." Yang was stunned, unable to say or do anything except watch Weiss stand, grab her sword and leave the stables.

Shaking herself back to reality Yang took grabbed her sword and left the stables. The fort's courtyard had changed since the night before, the prisoners apparently having been busy. The lines of tents were gone, the courtyard now completely clear and open. The prisoners meandered in the open space, mostly unarmed, but a few had muskets in hand. On the wall Yang was glad to see her Rifles busy on watch. Her presence in the courtyard was greeted with a series of cheers and salutes from the former prisoners, to which Yang acknowledged with a daring smile. "The hero of the hour," Blake commented as Yang approached them. "Seems that way, though it should probably be Weiss, hate to say it but without her it wouldn't have been possible."

"Yeah, I guess," Blake admitted with a smile. Yang looked out towards the woods,

"Anything interesting yet?"

"Not yet, but a few men got away last night, I have a feeling we might be seeing those Dragoons if we don't leave soon." Yang nodded,

"Then we need to be out of here as fast as possible, get Sun to rally everyone together, we leave within the hour." Blake nodded, making off to find Sun. Yang wandered further along the wall to where Velvet and Coco stood. Coco seemed busy sewing something onto her uniform, Velvet staring down at her newly sowed jacket arm. "What are those?" Yang asked, indicating the golden bands that had been sewn onto their uniforms. Coco smiled, looking up from her sowing, "The guys thought we should have a special symbol to show off that we're part of your Rifles. Made these from some of the Atlas officers uniforms, gold, just like your hair."

"W-we're supposed to be your chosen Riflemen," Velvet said in her usual perfect mix of pride and nervousness. Yang sighed shaking her head at the ludicrous display,

"You did well last night Velvet, you can keep the bands if we make it out of here."

"Yang," Ren called, levelling his rifle towards the woods. Yang turned to see the unit of Dragoons, approaching at a slow trot. Cries of alarm went around the fort, causing men to rush to the walls, muskets primed and ready. At the head of the Dragoons rode the captain, "Who is in command here?" The man shouted up at the wall,

"That would be me," Yang replied, being handed her rifle by Velvet.

"A woman? How… Interesting. I am here to offer you a chance to surrender,"

"Why should I accept? I have the stronger position, and the greater numbers." The captain laughed,

"You have a band of malnourished fools. You speak truth though, we cannot assault you without risking defeat. We can however, starve you out, await reinforcement. You can try escaping, but my riders will slaughter the lot of you, I have no doubt of that. You have until sundown to surrender yourselves." With that the dragoons dispersed, heading back into the woods, out of range of the rifles or muskets.

Yang, Weiss, Blake and Sun all assembled in the keep to discuss what to do. Yang paced angrily around the room, cursing repeatedly. "We can take them, we still outnumber them, even without the fort's walls we can beat them," Sun said confidently.

"We'll end up losing a lot of soldiers that way, there cavalry will cut through many before we can bring them all down, we just don't have the muskets," Blake retorted from the corner of the room.

"I still have a little Dust left, no red dust, but I can fire a few bolts of lightning, maybe trip them up with a few walls of ice," Weiss offered. Sun nodded enthusiastically,

"We have a Caster on our side, we can do this."

"Damn Atlas bastards," Yang said, kicking the wall in anger.

"I'm not going back to being a prisoner, neither will anyone else," Sun said firmly.

"If they catch me I'll be hanged, like they did to other members of my family," Weiss said gravely, staring blankly into space.

"No one is going to be taken prisoner, no one is going to be hanged," Yang said as took a deep breath, calming herself. "We're going to fight. Sun, you a decent shot?"

"I like to think so," Sun said with a smirk.

"Good, take my rifle. Distribute what weapons we have to the strongest men, everyone without a weapon best find something that can kill an Atlesian."

"How are we going to do it?" Blake asked,

"We march right out the front door and face them. Form a tight group and whether the storm, we have the numbers. We don't need to win, just scare them off so we can make our way back to our lines."

"Do you honestly think we can do it?" Weiss asked, looking unsure. Yang grinned,

"We took the fort, breaking out of it should be just as easy." Weiss sighed and shook her head,

"Let's get it over with then, I hope you know what you're doing,"

"I never do until I do it."

Everyone assembled a few hours later, Yang standing before the determined lot of soldiers. She only had her sword, her pistol and rifle being given out. They had nearly twenty still working muskets, and a few non working ones, but all had bayonets fixed. Besides that the others carried an assortment of sharpened sticks, clubs, spades and whatever else could be found. It was a sorry lot, but each one was ready to die for their freedom. "I guess this is your first large command," Weiss commented from beside Yang, she too observing their forces.

"Yup,"

"Nervous?"

"Very."

"Don't be, you've done a fine job so far. Though I would be much happier if you had let me bring my horse, my feet are terribly sore after all this soldiering," Weiss said with a calm face. Yang cracked a smile and looked down at her,

"Didn't know you made jokes."

"I usually don't, seems to be fear of death agrees with me."

Yang laughed, turning towards the fort gates and giving the soldiers awaiting her signal the nod to open them. The men behind her cheered, and her Rifle's stood proudly at her back. Yang strode forward, sword held firmly in front of her. At the treeline in the distance, the Dragoons started moving, quickly jumping on their horses and forming up. "Here they come," Weiss said, preparing to use the remaining dust she had. They were ten paces from the wall when the charge came.

"Form square!" Yang shouted, the men behind her assembling a very disorganised square. They were unpracticed in fighting together, their officers having been hung, but they did their best. The outer layer of the group were all those who had muskets, managing to hold fire until Yang gave the order. The inner group now consisted of Yang, Weiss and the Rifles. "Fire!" Yang shouted, the soldiers firing just before the Dragoons made their first pass. Horses and riders toppled, Yang's Rifles taking their own time to fire and toppling more. The cavalry broke right rather that slam into the formation, swinging their blades as they passed. Some of the front rank fell, men quickly taking up their muskets and positions. Weiss brought up a chest high wall of ice in the middle of the passing horses, causing several horses to buck their riders. Those that came within reach of bayonet were stabbed. "Advance!" Yang ordered, and the tightly packed group inched forward.

The Dragoons wheeled around to make another pass. All the while, Blake, Ren, Coco, Velvet and Sun, peppered the Atlas riders, slowly picking off the unit. The next pass was more damaging, most of the muskets hadn't reloaded, and were cut down before they could fire. Once again, mean moved forward to take up the fallen arms. This time Weiss unleashed bolts of lightning, sending men flying off their horses. Weiss stumbled slightly, energy still depleted from the night previous. "Forward!" Yang ordered again, helping Weiss move with them. Yang leant down and whispered into Weiss' ear, "I need one more wall, when they make the pass, catch as many of them as you can, can you do it?" Weiss nodded her head, regaining her posture.

The third pass was upon them. The Dragoons forces were heavily depleted, but Yang had lost nearly all of her outer layer of men. The Dragoons could harry them like this longer than they could hold. The last few shots her Rifles had took down more of the Atlesians, and Yang knew it was now or never. "Hold!" Yang said, pushing her way to the front rank as the cavalry made their pass. She blocked the swipe of one of the Dragoons, grabbing him with her other hand and pulling him down. The ice wall went up, forcing most of the unit to halt their horses. "Get them!" Yang called as she stepped out of formation to stab at the nearest Dragoon. The formation broke, and the men rushed forward to bring down as many of the riders as possible. Blake swung her rifle butt as hard as she could at her opponent, knocking him to the ground to be finished off. Coco and Velvet beat down a fallen horseman. Ren still had a few shots left, and so stood back and fired up at the enemy. Weiss leapt atop an abandoned horse, making so she could actually reach the enemy riders.

The melee was brutal, the prisoners fighting to the death with whatever implement came to hand. Yang had forced the enemy captain down off his horse, and was duelling him. The man proved a decent swordsman, holding off Yang and managed to slice her shoulder, reopening the wound already there. Yang cried out in pain and fell to one knee, slapping away the captains attacks desperately. Weiss hurried her horse over and swung Myrtenaster down, delivering a similar wound to Yang's attacker. Yang took her opportunity and leapt at the man, plunging her sword through him.

The rest of the Dragoons, albeit only a few men, fled into off into the woods, the desperate cheers of victory at their backs.

It was an early Friday morning, and Lord Ozpin was very busy organising his forces for his next big advance. He was interrupted when Glynda Goodwitch, his trusted advisor and Dust Caster, strode into his command tent. "Yes Ms Goodwitch,"

"Sir, Lieutenant Xiao Long has returned," Glynda said, her tone betraying surprise. Ozpin raised an eyebrow,

"Excellent, has she made her report?"

"Not yet, but you had best come and see sir." Ozpin rose from his desk and exited his tent beside Glynda. At the edge of his camp, Lieutenant Xiao Long rode a horse besides Weiss Schnee, leading a troupe of men. "I believe they are the prisoners from the fort she was meant to scout," Glynda commented. Ozpin nodded,

"It appears she did more than scout."

A few hours later Yang and Weiss stood before Ozpin. Yang had her injured arm in a sling, in full dress uniform. Weiss had changed into a fresh uniform, gleaming and white. "I congratulate you on your success. It sounds as if it was quite the daring endeavour. I'm sure our Vacuoian allies will be grateful for the return of their men."

"Just doing my duty sir," Yang said respectfully, eyes remaining front. Ozpin smiled,

"And Ms Schnee, I am very pleased to hear of your active involvement in the mission."

"As Lieutenant Xiao Long said, I was just doing my duty."

"Are you still wishing for a different deployment Ms Schnee? I have had a few spots open up of late where I believe you could be useful," Ozpin suggested, studying Weiss intently. Weiss smiled softly,

"I believe I may be of most use continuing to work with the Lieutenant, if that is possible." Ozpin nodded once,

"Excellent, I'm sure this will not be the last victory you bring us. I have but one question before I dismiss you, Lieutenant, I noticed your Rifles wearing a golden armband, may I enquire as to it's nature?" Yang gulped nervously,

"Uh, my Rifles insisted on wearing the armband to, uh, show off that they are part of my Rifle group."

"I see, I take it you know that it is against regulation for common soldiers to modify their uniforms so, unless of course the modification is given proper sanction."

"Yes, sir, sorry sir, I'll have them remove it right away," Yang replied quickly. Ozpin shook his head,

"No, I think not. You have proven yourself again Lieutenant, as such your Rifle group will be given special privilege. It will be noted that any man or woman wearing your band, of which whom wears it is up to your discretion, is to be known as a Chosen man or woman. Affecting the title of Lance Corporal."

Yang held back the tears of happiness that threatened to leak out. "T-thank you sir," Yang said shakily, bowing reverently before making her way out of the command tent. Weiss watched her leave before turning back to Ozpin.

"You do her a great honour Lord Ozpin, she holds her Rifles wellbeing in the highest regard."

"It is the least I could do for her, we will need her brand of soldier in the coming months. Were that I could promote her further, but alas, she still has much to learn."

"She is by my firsthand knowledge a fine commander, what more has she to learn?" Weiss asked,

"While Lieutenant Xiao Long is a fine soldier, she is not yet fully accustomed to the other elements of being an officer. She has been lucky to avoid major contact with other officers as of yet, for they will most likely discriminate against her quite heavily. She know's not the social battles she will face if she dares climb the ranks any higher. It may force her to leave, take commission in a mercenary force, or worse, force her from this war entirely." Ozpin sunk into his chair slightly as she spoke, eyes wandering with thought.

Weiss understood all too well the dangers of high society. Even if it was only to be that of military high society, Yang would face ambitious men and women, greedy and vengeful. "As she has helped me find my place in this war, I will endeavor to help her find her place within this army," Weiss said resolutely. Ozpin looked to Weiss thoughtfully,

"With your help I imagine she may go far."

"I believe she may sir. If that is all, I am still weary from my experiences, and am in dire need of rest." Ozpin rose and offered his hand,

"Far be it for me to keep you then."

That night the Rifles celebrated their new titles, though very minor. The golden bands were now sown onto all the Rifles jackets. Yang was finishing off her first bottle of rum when Sun and Neptune approached their campfire. "What brings you guys over here? Thought you would be off with the rest of the men celebrating your freedom," Yang asked as she set down her bottle. Sun grinned, tossing her a unopened bottle.

"Thought we might come and say hi, maybe ask a favour,"

"I thought breaking you out of prisoner would have put you in our debt, not the other way round," Blake teased. Sun laughed,

"I'll give you that one. I was just wondering if you had any places open for me and Neptune. Seems it might be fun to follow you around for a while."

Yang stroked her chin thoughtfully, "Hmmm, not sure about you Sun, got enough damned Faunus following me around at the moment. I saw Neptune hitting on Weiss on the way back as well, as she is staying with us, I would hate to have to deal with any inter-company relations." Neptune looked fretfully to Sun, then back to Yang. Yang sighed, "Fine I'll cut ya a deal, you find me another bottle of rum and I'll let you join." Sun beamed and slapped Neptune on the shoulder,

"Yes sir, right away sir," Sun said with an overly dramatic salute. The camp laughed, starting up song of victory as they drank the night away.

The next day, Ozpin broke camp, the army moving heading towards its next battle. Weiss sat atop her horse, watching from a distance as the army moved slowly onwards. Yang walked up beside her, carrying her shako in hand. "Got our new orders, we're heading off in an hour," Yang said as she too watched the army march.

"Is it going to be as interesting as our last mission," Weiss asked, feigning exasperation. Yang nodded gravely,

"Oh I fear it's going to be very, very interesting, possibly fatal."

"Well brilliant, as I said at the fort, fear of death seems to agree with me." Yang laughed,

"At least this time you can bring your horse."

"At least there is that."

I'm back from my hiatus. Sorry for being away so long, faced some dark times, but it seems I am getting much better. I'm a massive fan of Flintlock fiction, from Sharpe and Hornblower to the Powdermage series so I really enjoyed writing this. Any feedback would be awesome. As to the future, there will be more of this, I will likely release large chapters like this one, encapsulating an entire adventure rather than many smaller ones. Ruby might show up, though I doubt she will play a large part, yes there will be other ships, I'm sure you can guess from what you've seen already. Any other questions I would gladly answer, just send me a PM or review and I'll try my best to get back to you quickly.

Thanks for reading, I hope to see you next time.