Chapter Two: Through the Vale of Death
Firstly: Thank you for reading the first chapter! I was a little hesitant on releasing the first chapter due to wanting to have everything perfected to such an extent that it would flow well. I may have to go back sometime after I've got the core of the story out and re-do some of the parts of the first chapter, just so it flows better.
Secondly: The commentary that it should be spaced a little more out to make it easier to read has been noted (And will be attempted. No guarantee on it actually working well with my style, though.).
Loss
The Arc family home was a rustic place, full of the memories of grandeur that had been once within the family's domain of influence, bringing with it the tranquil feeling of homeliness mingled with the efficiency that only a family of hunters could have brought with it. The building was ornate in its facade, the craftsmanship ensuring that the house was both stylistically pleasing to the eye as well as able to weather a siege. Through the arches that showed the craftsmanship of the famous craftsmen of the post-Great War style, one could see the solid inches of steel shutters that could come down with a flick of a switch and a press of a button. A blonde woman wearing a dark red dress stood there, her face showing the disturbed emotions that she was feeling right now as she looked at the video feed from the communication device. "He's dead?"
Hurt and pain showed in her voice as the woman stared at the headmaster, whose fingers folded together, a singular nod coming from the man to confirm that which had already been hinted at. "At eleven thirteen, he was sent to the Creme Mountain range by rocket locker after an incident with another student deciding to test the function of his rocket locker with Mister Arc inside. When I personally went to retrieve him, all that was left was Crocea Mors' sheath-shield." The woman's face was as frosty as it was, her eyes smouldering with an intense look in them that seemed to increase in intensity the longer the headmaster of Beacon spoke.
"I see. Was the sword found as well?" The woman's voice was frosty, collected and calm even as her facial features seemed to war between passive emotionless and the feelings that boiled below the surface. The headmaster shook his head once, the woman's face showing a frown. "Nevermores were sighted?" The information about Nevermores searching for trinkets of metal was something that most experienced hunters knew. Some quirk in their biology showed more in common with the average raven than the other creatures of Grimm.
"None were sighted. That does not mean that the body was not torn apart in the death struggle, the Grimm capitalizing upon his pain and despair." The headmaster's clipped voice spoke those words, the woman's eyes blazing suddenly. "My son has died." The words were harshly spoken, her voice holding more of the emotions that threatened to boil over.
"Mama, we should make arrangements..." The woman's face twitched once before the woman's eyes teared up and the facade fell. A sob, carrying the grief of a mother who knew for certain now that her son was dead, held herself barely together as the emotions surged, her daughter, one who looked to be around 21 years of age, wearing a similar dress with a singular sword to her back, wrapping her arms around the older woman in order to comfort her. "I will expect you to come retrieve his remains soon. I will ensure that the ceremony is ready for you to witness." The words were the usual, said to every family that had lost a member to the forces of Grimm or some renegade hunters who had turned to crime. "We'll be there, professor Ozpin." The young woman said as she held her mother. "Very well, Saffron." The man's voice sounded emotionally affected for a moment, the woman giving the headmaster a look. "You're no longer my headmaster, Professor." The young woman said, her voice sounding weary and tired from the news.
"I will start on the arrangements if there are no other questions." The man's business-like manner seemed to conquer that emotion of human origin as if the man's face had been carved from a particularly obstinate piece of marble, the video feed cutting out. "Mama... Jaune is dead." Saffron's voice was soft, the emotions that played through the women's hearts being the same.
"I know, little yellow." The woman said, her voice soft, the tears starting to come from those eyes. Emerald Arc was a woman who had been brought into the family by her husband, Sage Arc, having run into him during a mission nearly thirty years ago. Their marriage had been swift as well as the birth of their eldest daughter, Rowan, who was twenty-nine years of age this year
The second sister came nearly a year afterwards. Heather Arc was a huntress of twenty-eight years, a fierce independent streak and a tendency to roam through the world of Remnant, checking up on the villages along the roads that she travelled, ensuring the safety of the world as she drifted through it. She was home the least out of all the Arc siblings.
The third pregnancy delivered twins into the world nearly three years after Heather had been born, Ashley and Bianca Arc greeting the world with equally loud screams. They would go on to become a technologically savvy engineer and weapons technician and a huntress who would use said weaponry to great effect in the fight against the Grimm. If you saw one, the other one was not far behind.
Cremea was twenty-three, forming a team together with her younger sister Saffron, who was twenty-two, Cremea's large pole-arm weapon backed up by Saffron's two-handed sword-rifle and shield. Azure, the youngest out of the seven sisters at nineteen wielded the whip that she had constructed on her own, the taser addition at the tip catching the eye of many, even if they did not see the variable-cartridge Dust-propelled Revolver at her hip.
Together, they had all been there to witness Jaune's birth as the last of their line to be born. The condition that their mother had been in after the birth had been a burden upon the young women, as the woman had nearly died in childbirth during the birth of Azure, a stark memory in the minds of the oldest sisters. Only through her past as an effective huntsman had she managed to stave off death that time, yet she did not do many missions anymore unless it threatened the little haven of safety that they had built there in the Arc mansion. Her husband Sage often did the excursions into the lands where the Grimm threatened to encroach, to cull the growing herd of darkness, yet Emerald Arc was sure that he would return.
"We're going to bring him home." Emerald Arc's spoke with a heavy voice, thick with the choked-up emotions that surged from within her heart. Saffron looked at her mother, her dark blue eyes cast down on the woman as a sob came from the woman's mouth. Tears filled her gaze as an image of her little brother came to mind, smiling about having caught word of their success at a mission that'd taken them out into the Mistrali countryside for nearly three months. "Sis, did you bring back any presents?" His voice had been so innocent back then, as she and Cremea had hugged him tightly, the look of surprise on his face when she'd handed him a dress that she'd gotten from one of the local women. "This'll make you look even better, Jaune!" The enthusiasm in her voice had still been exuberant, even as during dinner that evening, Jaune had dressed in the dress and joined them, leading to amusement for the whole family, their father's quip of 'Decided to become a girl, Jaune?' having been met with a 'Saffron brought me a dress, so I decided to wear it to make her happy!'
The memory brought tears to her eyes when she recalled it, joining her mother in her tears as a sob escaped her. "What's happened?" Her sister's voice came from the door, Azure Arc standing there wearing her full gear. "I heard crying and... Mom? Is everything alright?" The concern streaked her voice as she approached.
Upon coming closer, the matriarch of the Arc family looked up, eyes puffy and red-rimmed, the tears had made a track down her cheeks, nose clogged with the mucus that came from crying. "Jaune died." Azure's eyes widened, her mouth opening and closing. A pang of pain surged through her like the wellspring of hurt that'd been the moment when she'd first heard that Jaune had managed to sneak off from the household in order to become a hunter, like all seven of them had been.
Her subtle encouragement for him to go into a profession where he would not be harmed easily had failed. Even their father, aware that Jaune would be the only one to pass on the Arc name to the next generation, had cautioned him that if things were too hard for him, he could always return to home and that they would find something else to make his profession besides being a huntsman.
"Stubborn f-fool." She whispered as the first sob came from her lips, leaning against the desk and taking deep breaths, trying to steady herself to become the rock that she knew she could be against all that came against her. Her stubbornness was something that had its roots in her Semblance as well, the quivering of the stone below her feet a good indication of just how affected she was. "I'm... going outside for a moment." She said to her mother, Saffron making a gesture with her hand that meant 'Get it out your system' in the code that they'd devised years ago to communicate, the Arc sisters having made sure to keep the code to such a level as to communicate the abstract things with mere hand gestures.
It had been enough to keep some guys off their back when their sister came to 'stand with' them, their weapons out and to ward off any idiot that thought that they were an easy mark. As Azure made her way out of the house and into the gardens, she could see the perimeter wall stand there, her Semblance starting to work on the ground below her. The grass quivered as the soil below roiled to the beat of her frustration, her dark thoughts coming to the forefront of her mind as she released the stressful feelings inside her skull, threatening to explode outwards and hurt something or someone.
"Jaune..." She said, the ground around her flattening, the grass undisturbed as the soil seemed to grow completely malleable, hills of earth bulging around her. She looked around, the tears coming from her eyes blocking her from seeing much further around her. Her over-active semblance manipulated the earth below her feet into whatever shape she wished. It was good for the manipulation of defences yet she did not have perfect control over it. "Oum-damn it all... You weren't supposed to die before us, little brother." She said to herself as she returned the garden soil to its original state, the land around her having received many of such emotional outbursts, the gardens being the perfect place for her to go to unleash her frustrations.
As she walked back to the mansion, she could see her sister get out, Saffron's face looking tired and upset. "I'm going to make a call to Heath and Ash. They need to know to head back to the old nesting ground." That meant that their mother was alone with Cremea, which was not a great thing at the least. With how emotional things were getting, Cremea's disconnection with the general emotional side of things would just act up. There would be tears yet the comprehension would lag behind a while longer.
The Semblance that Cremea had had to deal with the logical analysis of the world and the structural approach to things. If she saw a building, she could find the ways to defend it and to ensure that it would collapse to deal as much damage to the infrastructure as possible. It was one of the most useful semblances, yet the woman could be remarkably slow on the uptake when pressed to deal with emotional things... just as their little brother had been with his bravado.
Returning to their mother's side, she could see the woman already gathering herself once more, trying to recoup the loss and put it to work for her grief to be turned to rage. "Are you feeling alright, mom?" She asked, the woman's gaze cold and distant as Azure met it. "Of course not. Your little brother was food for the crows... So why should I be?" Emerald Arc was a woman who could deal with the reality of someone's demise. Her son had died, yet this was a time for business and for dealing with the loss in the most productive manner possible. "Are we all going? I saw Saffron go to the relay in order to inform Ashley and Heather." The woman's head nodded. "We go together to bring our little boy home."
Azure gave a faint smile. If Jaune had been here, he would have objected to the term 'little boy' being used to describe him, his insistence that he was 'at the very least taller than six people out of this household' having been another thing that would add a touch of humour to the day's proceedings.
As it was... it was time for them to plan their trip towards Vale.
Grief
Ruby Rose was in a daze. When Pyrrha had fainted, she had naturally been able to be at the Mistralian champion's side in a flash, lifting her up as the reality of things hit her. Pyrrha had been unable to bear with the knowledge that her Leader had passed away, fainting dead away. She had witnessed Professor Goodwitch levitating the body of the redheaded champion towards the infirmary, no doubt to ensure that the girl was able to rest and recuperate from that heavy shock.
Crescent Rose's weight on her back was a comfort that she clung to, even as the tears started to come from her eyes. "Do you blame me, Miss Rose?" The voice of the headmaster came to her ears, the man standing there in his suit and a sober look on his face. She looked up, meeting her silver eyes with his own, hidden behind those glasses.
She should blame the man for not being quick enough to notice that a student was missing, that there had been bullying going on, that there was... That there was... Something! She wiped away the tears from her gaze, the headmaster giving her a look that was unreadable, his mouth softening from that pressed-together look as if there was a weight on his shoulders that he could not shift easily.
"I should, but I really... Why? Professor Ozpin, why do you allow someone to be bullied?" The man's eyes met with her own, his mouth moving to that pose where he seemed ready to explain. "Miss Rose, there are many answers that I could give you. Mister Arc did not stand up to his bullies, deciding that it was worth bearing for the sake of his friends." She blinked, the headmaster continuing, even as they started on their way towards the dormitories. "Think not that we have a loose policy here at Beacon. We are a combat training school, first and foremost. If someone tried to bully you, what would you do, Miss Rose?"
She thought about the question for a while, the heat on her eyes still remaining as she tried to calm herself. If someone was mean enough to be like Weiss when they'd just met, all snobby and snooty and took her strawberries... or worse, tried to take Crescent Rose... She would've hurt them back. Nobody messed with Crescent Rose whilst Ruby Rose was with her little baby! "I would hurt them back if I could." The man nodded. "The council of Vale allows us autonomy within Beacon to educate the students as we wish. Professor Port shows his knowledge of the Grimm that he has encountered, Professor Oobleck ensures that the students are taught the geographical history of Remnant, whilst Professor Goodwitch and I ensure that the training of the students is well-rounded and completed so that they can get into the field with no burden on their heart."
The monologue of the headmaster stopped then, as the man reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder. It felt as if her father was here, offering her guidance, a look on the man's face. "The students are responsible for their own management. If you cannot beat the one bullying you on your own, what would you do?" The answer to that was clear, as she piped up immediately. "I'd get my team, of course. Weiss can totally put them on ice and Yang can punch them apart and Blake... ehh... she can cut them down like a ninja, woosh!" The headmaster's head nodded once, to show that she'd made the proper connection. "I have to arrange for the ceremony now, Miss Rose. Please... try to remember that they will always be with us." The headmaster looked tired for a moment as if remembering something unkind, Ruby feeling how the man's body tensed up entirely, his touch on her body feeling like it had been forged from steel.
"Thank you, sir." She said, her voice softer now, as the thoughts came back to Jaune. "They are always within our hearts, Miss Rose. Your mother was a firm believer of that thought." The words cheered her up a little, the smile feeling as hollow as her emotions felt right now. Mom would have felt like that. Yang always said that she was Super-mom, always ready to think the best about everything and everyone. As she turned the corner to the dorm where she knew her team would be, she missed the headmaster's conflicted expression, his fingers pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, a forlorn look on his face for a while longer before the man turned around and departed for his own office.
She opened the door to come face to face with Blake, the bow on her head twitching a little from the startlement that she felt. "Ruby?" The purple-themed girl asked, Ruby brushing past her without saying a word. Her gaze went to the window, looking at the sun bearing down upon the world. "It's too bright outside." Ruby said as she pulled the cloak a little tighter around her, the sound of a door opening and Yang came barging into the room. "Ruby! Where've you been?" The concern in her sister's voice was noticeable, yet Ruby did not feel like talking right now.
Her hands went through the small pack that she'd still had several of her pictures stored on, pulling up a picture that'd been taken nearly a week ago with the help of an upperclassman. A grumpy-looking Blake stood beside Yang, who had a hand wrapped around the girl, broadly smiling at the camera as Weiss and Ruby stood to the side, Weiss having her nose in the air and striking the 'fancy-schmancy Schnee strut' as Yang had once described it, Ruby smiling broadly at the camera.
Next to them stood team JNPR, Jaune and Pyrrha standing side by side, the latter holding the attention of her team-leader with a brilliant smile, something that was far better than some of the promotional materials that she'd seen in some of Weiss's stuff. Ren and Nora stood together, the latter having his arm on her shoulder, Magnhild being used as support by the hyperactive girl, Ren looking as dependable as he always did.
"Ruby?" She let her gaze linger on the pictured Jaune for a while, even as she was suddenly shaken, her concentration shifting from the picture to Yang. "Is something wrong?" Her sister asked, seemingly have drawn a conclusion already in her mind, the deep concern in those eyes showing through already. "Did something happen?"
The door opened and Weiss strode into the room, fixing Ruby with a look. "There you are! I've been looking for you for over an hour! We were supposed to give a presentation to Professor Oobleck about the intergenerational effort to steward the society Post-Great War to the current kingdoms as they are right now. What could have been so important that you would have us receive a bad grade, hm? What do you have to say for yourself?"
The snippy tone that she used was so driven that it bored a hole right in her reminiscence of her first friend at Beacon, her gaze rising from the picture to see Weiss standing at Yang's side, her hands on her hips and her gaze fixed right on her. He's dead. He's dead. He's dead and she doesn't know. Would she care? Would they care? He was my friend. He's dead. "S-sorry." She said, her voice a tiny squeak. "Were you busy with something else, Ruby? Did you forget the time when you were busy with-"
Ruby tuned out Weiss immediately, her eyes feeling moist again, her fingers touching the picture again as she tucked it back into the pack, Weiss' rambling on as background noise as she held up a picture of the two of them, leaders of JNPR and RWBY together. That picture had been taken by Pyrrha, who had gladly done so on Jaune's request. He'll never smile at anyone ever again. He's dead and all they found was an arm. He's dead. "You're not listening to me. It is important that you focus on your schoolwork, or you'll turn out like Arc does. That... that..." Weiss' words seemed to light a fire within her grief-fogged mind, feverishly spreading through her whole body as she felt the frustration build.
"Shut up, Weiss." She whispered, even as the tears threatened to come once again. Her breathing grew deeper, as she tried to take deeper breaths to keep calm, to keep her peace. He's dead somewhere far away and all they found was an arm. Disembowelled, pleading for help as the Grimm came ever closer, before ending his life. All that was left was an arm. He's dead. "So, to better focus, I have decided to fi-" Ruby had enough. "Shut UP!" Her high-pitched voice obliterated what Weiss was going to say next, the white-haired girl looking at her partner and leader, mouth open as if to say something.
Tears leaked from her eyes, as she could feel the anger and frustration build. He's dead. A friend is dead. "Sit on your bed and be QUIET, Weiss!" She knew that her sister would have said something about her treatment of her partner but right now, she did not care anything about what was proper.
"Bu-" Weiss tried to say but Crescent Rose's blade was out and extended in a flash, at Weiss' neck, her hand quivering as it held the scythe's grip. She had not even noticed that she'd pulled her little baby out and had it in reach. He's dead. Another family member dead. "Bed. Sit. Quiet." The words she spoke with the authority as a leader and someone who held a deadly weapon to the neck of her teammate. That it was also a sniper rifle was just icing on the cake for most, Yang having frozen where she stood with the sudden outburst of her little sister.
As Crescent Rose withdrew, Ruby's emotions shattered. "Uwwaahhhhh..." The sobs came as the tears came from her eyes, hugging her knees as she rocked. Remembering the smile filled with confidence as he helped her up, she could feel the void within her heartache painfully as she did so. Hearing Weiss get on her bed as she'd been ordered to by her did not fill her with joy or anything resembling satisfaction, instead it filled her with dread and a sense of loss instead. "What happened?" Yang asked, her voice a touch softer than before, more gentle than it usually was.
"It's Jaune." She said, the words hanging in the air for a moment, Yang's face incredulous for a moment, before her gaze turned to the door that Ruby had come through, looking at where JNPR's room was, opposite of theirs. "Did he... do anything to you?" Her voice was savage, rougher than anything before. Ruby's eyes looked through the tears at Yang, the brawler's eyes slowly changing colour as they looked at her. "He didn't do anything to me, Yang. He's dead!" She nearly shouted the last part, almost shrieking the last part, her voice only dampened by the sob that came from her throat next, her eyes feeling like they'd been permanently busted in the leaky drain department.
Yang's face seemed to drain of colour as she remembered the circumstances regarding that one time when they had gone out in search of her mother. "Ruby..." She breathed, getting up on the bed without being asked to, wrapping her arms around her sister. "Oh Oum, Ruby..." The smaller girl shuddered, her sobs starting to grow louder. It was not often that Yang saw her sister cry, even with the roughest of training that they did to prepare for the eventual graduation at Signal Academy.
Blake and Weiss shared a look, the later cowed into silence by her leader and partner's sudden mood swing. The Schnee heiress looked to be more intimidated than before, the silent communiqué that the two seemed to have for a moment lasting for what seemed to be merely a second before Blake spoke up. "He's in a better place now, Ruby." The ribbon's bow on her head twitched once, as the brunette shifted unconsciously. " I'm sorry." She whispered, turning around and going to her bed, no doubt somewhat disturbed by her leader's shift in attitude, as well as the news that one of their year-mates would no longer be able to join them.
"It hurts." She said, her voice carrying the weight of that pain. "It hurts so much." Yang was helpless then, stroking her hair. "It'll hurt for a while, but I know... You'll feel better later." The look that Ruby sent her made Yang quiver, her own emotions feeling just suppressed by the news that the other blonde had met a fate. "He'll be watching over us, just like mom does." The words were soft and attempted to comfort, yet Ruby merely huddled closer. "I don't know... It's horrible for team JNPR as well." The thought emerged in her mind that there was something that she should do to inform them, yet she knew that perhaps it would be best to leave be to Pyrrha to inform them. They were not as close to her as Jaune had been. He's dead. He'll never be smiling at anyone again. He'll never hit on Weiss again.
"Ruby?" Weiss' voice came from below, Ruby's head peering at Weiss, who had an expression on her face that was torn between some emotions that were hard to glean, as Ruby did not know the white-haired young woman as well. "I didn't mean to upset you, I am just-" Weiss started to speak. She exhaled slowly, leaving Weiss to see her face change, the Schnee shutting her mouth. "Going to be at the ceremony when Professor Ozpin holds it. We're all attending." The command in that sentence was clear to the white-haired heiress, nodding once in understanding. "I will be there." She said, Ruby giving a grim smile. "We're going to be the best team in Beacon. For Jaune."
A mirthless smile came to Weiss' lips. "Of course, for Arc. Our excellence will be known to all."
Despair
She awoke to the feeling of being comfortably wrapped in blankets. Opening her eyes, she hoped to see Jaune again, ready for the morning of studying. I wonder if he'd like to spar today? Her thought went as she slowly got out of the bed. I don't remember deciding to wear my uniform to bed. Strange.
The surroundings were white and sterile, like in the infirmary. Wherever the beds had gone, she did not know, yet she expected that Nora would be coming out soon enough, saying something about using the beds to make some sort of evil fort against an invading army, with the beds of the Infirmary replacing them. A glance at the clock showed that it was well in the afternoon, way past the time that had been allotted for them to wake up. Why was I in the infirmary? Did I hit my head falling out of bed?
"Ah, miss Nikos." The nurse said, stepping up to her. She put her best smile on, the one that she'd practised for years on end so as to come across as the most genial of all the champions that were to be in the grand tournament. "If there is anything that I can do for you, you have but to ask. When Professor Goodwitch brought you in, she stated that you'd had a serious shock to your system, so if you feel faint, please inform me." The woman was kind enough, even as she tried to rack her brain for what would have happened to cause her to pass out.
Funny, I don't remember seeing professor Goodwitch yet. I wonder where Jaune is, I don't thi- An image of the headmaster holding the heater shield with the Arc family symbol on it, a torn-off arm attached to it. The grim reminder that death lurked around every corner as the world was beset by creatures that seemed to have every desire to extinguish the life of the brave people fighting against the tide of darkness that threatened to swallow the world whole.
"Are you alright, Miss Nikos?" The nurse asked, Pyrrha's voice oddly high to her own ears. "When... will the ceremony be?" She asked, her voice sounding odd to her own ears, her eyes feeling a little warm. It must be awfully hot in this place because she felt like she was about to cry. Don't cry. Don't cry yet. Wait until you're back. "The headmaster is still making arrangements." That meant that it would be a day or four before the final respects were to be paid.
"Am I free to go?" She inquired her voice still sounding a little lighter in her ears. "Of course. You'll want to inform the other members of your team, I presume." The formality of informing others of the death of one member of the team was often carried by the team leader unless they were the ones that died. Pyrrha tried to put it aside as she thanked the nurse for the care that she'd been given, walking along the hallway in a daze.
He left us. Her mind filled in the blank, even as she nearly bumped into someone, a soft 'I'm sorry' slipping from her lips as she straightened out and paid more attention, the student looking at her and shrugging, accepting the apology.
As she moved to the dorms, she could feel the weight of his death press on her. She could hear team RWBY converse softly in their room opposite of their own, a loud 'Shut UP!' disturbing the mutters. They'll know now. Time to be the Invincible girl again, Pyrrha. He would have wanted you to be strong. Her mind whispered other things than the thoughts that came to her, knocking on the door gently. "It's me." Her voice was muted, even as the door opened and Lie Ren appeared, looking concerned in his own manner. "Did you hear anything from Jaune?" The young man moved out of the way, Pyrrha closing the door with a soft clicking sound of the lock slipping into place, a little trick that she used with her Semblance.
Nora was sitting on her bed, bouncing back and forth by mere motion. "Did you hear something of our fearless leader? Does he need help?" The excitement was barely contained in those words, as she hyped herself up. "Nora." The voice of Lie Ren spoke up, Nora growing even more excited. "What if he's launched into some sort of zoo? He'll be fighting together with animals like... Jaune of the jungle!" Pyrrha's face showed her conflicted emotions, her mouth opening, closing and her lips pressing against each other again, face a grimace of pain.
"He's dead." She squeaked out, her voice tiny and utterly shattered. He's dead and we couldn't help him. We failed. We should've gotten our weapons and chased after him, damned for the consequences. He was... her train of thoughts cut off as she saw Nora's lower lip quiver, her eyes moist with tears. Even Lie Ren, someone who did not show much visible emotion, seemed to be impressed by the news, as emotions showed in his pink eyes. "Did they find his body?" He asked, voice steady like a house, his emotions not showing through in his voice.
"J-Jaune's dead?" Nora blubbered, her cheeks wet with tears as she shuddered. Her hyperactivity seemed to bleed out of her as she sat there, still for the first time since Pyrrha had seen her. "H-He can't be d-dead, yes?" A hiccup came from her mouth as she stammered.
"His arm was the only part of him that was found." Pyrrha said, voice carrying none of the emotions that she felt. You should have trained him. You should have dragged him out to the training room and made him practise until his arms fell off. You have failed and now you have lost your chance. The room was gloomy with that information, even as the occupants processed that news. "B-but... He could live without an arm, right? H-he'll be bad-ass! A metal arm, punching through Grimm like wa-choww!" Nora tried to remain cheerful even whilst the tears came from her eyes.
She sees us as family to her. The thought was not unbidden to her, especially as Ren had confided in her that the team was more like an adoptive family, which was a thing that neither of the two seemed to have. I could have been... A family. Me, Jaune... Ren and Nora. Darkness crept at the edges of her vision as the image of her and Jaune on a wedding day, with Ren and Nora standing aside and looking equally happily married. Oum... If I'd just trained him. If I only had...
Partners that would be able to keep up with her were rare and few in the world, especially when it involved her being able to let down her guard around them. Jaune had seen her for who she was. Just Pyrrha Nikos, aspiring huntress of Beacon Academy. And I would have followed him into the depths of the Grimmlands if I could. Her mind whispered to her, as she knew that that opportunity was now long-gone with his demise.
Nora got up slowly, Ren making his way for her as well, their arms wrapping around her in a hug. If only Jaune was still here to join us. The thought was insidious, as Nora rubbed her cheek against her side. "It'll be alright again, Pyrrha." The girl said, her voice soft. "You know what Jaune would've said if he saw you making such a face."
She could imagine it already in her mind. Gee Pyrrha, is something the matter? It's not me, is it? And she would answer with – Of course not, I'm just a little under the weather. The way to explain it away was easy to do for her, as she had experience with dealing with pushy people trying to push her to the path that they would wish her to walk. Would you like me to give you a massage? I do pretty good ones, my sister always said that I was a miracle worker. The thought of something like that happening would have lit a fire in her if he still had been alive.
She would have been bolder then if things had gone as they had this time. With him dead... it put into perspective the chances that she had missed. I should have gone and tracked him down immediately. Now he's dead.
She knew who was responsible, though. It was all on the head of Cardin Winchester, leader of team CRDL. He would find that she did not leave such a debt unsettled. She would take it out of his hide. All for Jaune. The boy I feel strongly for. The L-word was not yet within her vocabulary... yet she knew that with time it would have definitely been a thing. For the time that they had been together, it had been magical to see him treat her like she was just another girl, getting the appreciation for her personality, not just the fact that she WAS a personality with fame attached to her like a cloak she could not shed.
Guilt
The headmaster looked out over the Academy, his glasses pushed up high, a mug of some special hot chocolate in his hand, the liquid steaming still, the small bottle of Atlesian Vodka having been liberally poured into the brew. Tradition stated that one should drink to the life of one who had passed away, so he did.
His eyes looked at the information on the screen again after raising the mug, the transcripts that had come through a day before the official cut-off date having looked flawless to the discerning eye at first glance. The photograph was new and updated within recent memory, the grades looking not too shabbily for a new entrant, as well as the previous record of studies that had been recorded by the staff of the previous combat training school.
A respectable record for Mister Arc, as far as he knew. Azure Arc had been a fine student before at Beacon Academy, graduating at nineteen with special honours in order to be deployed to the field immediately, aiding in repelling one of the Grimm Hordes leading to a swift promotion. The rest of her team had been lucky in their assignment, having to fight off a minor horde of the lesser Beowolves whilst miss Arc had to face the broadest stretch of Grimm in the immediate surroundings, knowing that if she failed she would die.
The calm and collected personality that was in control looked at the face once more, guilt wracking the man's very soul. "So young, yet reaped so soon."The man's voice sounded through the empty office, as he reached out to tap the special code for the files on his workstation, the truthful assessment of Jaune Arc popping onto the screen.
Subject Name: Arc, Jaune
Age: 17
Previous Training: None (Determined through witness statement.)
Partner: Nikos, Pyrrha
Team: JNPR (Juniper)
Semblance: Aura Transfer (Type S.)
Aura Capacity: A+(Regular) A+++ (Type-S treatment)
Assessments:
Assessment of Subject:
INCONCLUSIVE
Status for B.A.S.F. program:DENIED
Status for M.A.T.P.: UNSUITABLE
Status for M.P.D.:DENIED
Status for O.Z.:POSSIBLE MATCH
Assessment of Initiation: LEADER, Tactical Assesment TBD, Suggestion for further training
Options:
Q-Protocol: DENIED
Ironwood Initiative: DENIED, Arc Family objection.
Lionheart Team:DENIED, Arc Family objection
Beacon Academy Maturation Force:ACCEPTED
Shade Shadow Service:DENIED, Arc Family deemed unsuitable for operations.
Appraisal of skill by O.
Subject Arc, Jaune displays an easy confidence within skills that he may not necessarily have. Care is to be exercised around subject Arc, Jaune so as not to cause alienation. Subject Arc, Jaune displays an ability to communicate strategies through verbal expression with the intent to defeat any foe that he comes across through specialisations of his team members.
Recommendation: Focus on tactical acumen and macro-awareness.
Subject Arc, Jaune has unlocked his aura by the hand of Subject Nikos, Pyrrha(See File Nikos, Pyrrha). Similarities to O.Z.(See File, BEACON) have been made and inquiries made with the family (See File Arc, Sage) about inheritance. Subject Arc, Jaune shows the typical hallmarks of insecurity and unskilled ability.
Untrained before reaching Beacon is a likely conclusion, albeit the skills of Subject Arc, Rowan up until Subject Arc, Azure indicate a thoroughbred ability to ensure that one capitalizes upon such weaknesses. With the increased learning curve in subject Arc, Jaune such differences in training can be made lesser by rigorous training. Indicate to Goodwitch, Glynda (See file Goodwitch, Glynda) of suspicion of lack of training after 1 month has passed, ensure that subject Arc, Jaune is corrected. Similar style elements of Subject Nikos, Pyrrha share benefit with Subject Arc, Jaune's style, coax together to ensure proper grounding.
Assessment: Subject Arc, Jaune has a tactically sound mind with minor issues with macro-awareness. A bright guiding light for the next generation, this seed must be nourished in order to watch it blossom. Possible candidacy for O.Z. nigh-confirmed. Beacon Academy acceptance guaranteed. With focus, can turn into candidacy for Position LIGHT.
The file was shut down a moment later, leaving only the glow of the screen there to illuminate his face, the traces of the information still ruminated by the headmaster of Beacon. The man's face was inscrutable as he tried to get his orders straight, pushing a number into the keypad and waiting for the call to connect. "Headmaster?" The voice of Glynda Goodwitch came through the speaker, Ozpin schooling his face into careful neutrality. One could not let one's personal feelings intrude into manners of global importance.
"Please join me in my office." His workstation beeped the small tune that signalled that the secret files had been safely locked once more. The headmasters of all the other academies only had a small hint of the access that he held, the headmaster's eyes peering into the distance, even as the blonde deputy vocalized her assent.
The files that he held upon his workstation were too delicate to allow to fall into anyone's hands. Where the data was stored, a three-fold encryption took place, the connection between the internal network and his workstation severed and rerouted. With how technology had advanced through the ages, the backdoor into the system that many aspiring hackers would try to find had been eliminated through a few inventions that had been spread during a time when the world was in a less stable place. The information contained on the drive was safely backed up in the three-fold system of balances, only accessible by the special key that only he knew where to find.
As the door to the lift opened up and his deputy's footsteps sounded, the headmaster affected his face with a neutral look. "Do you think we did the right thing?" He asked, his voice steady, even though she could discern his thoughts through the minor inflexions in his voice. They had been working together for more than a decade, after all, the promising prospect of the academy had been instrumental in luring her to his service. "Regarding Mister Arc?" The question came from his deputy, Ozpin's face showing no emotion save for a brief nod.
"The effectiveness of mister Arc's semblance has not been tested, although preliminary tests show that he has a rather sizeable amount of aura." She said, her voice as factual as she could make it. The headmaster's gaze swept to her, his fingers tapping onto the holo-keypad and calling up the student file. "The performance does not match with the records, headmaster." Her voice was strict and factual, the file called up being the publically accessible file to most of the faculty of Beacon. Anyone who had a whit of good sense would see the discrepancies within the file.
The headmaster's deputy looked at the file, noticing several parts that had already been publically discussed by the faculty. As huntsmen of experience, they noticed the flaws in the new crop of students and discussed how to best deal with them. The general consensus on Jaune Arc had been – Needs work in proper stance, education on Grimm and Historical Analysis, as well as coaching on how to use a ranged weapon. – by the staff, their assessment pretty on the dot. One month to show the kinks in the style, ten months to ensure that they would be able to hammer out the kinks of the style to forge it into something new.
"It would have been more efficient to get the applicant from Mistral in. Their semblance is well-known and the grounding in the basics would be a perfect reinforcement for team NPR." The woman's calm assessment was enough for the headmaster, who nodded. "Contact them the next morning, saying that a spot at Beacon has opened up and whether he would still wish to join." The headmaster's voice sounded like it had reached that conclusion as well. "And the funeral ceremony?" The deputy asked, her voice holding a hint of tension. "I will personally lead it, as always." The man's voice was like steel, as his eyes firmed up.
Glynda Goodwitch had known the man behind the desk for almost twenty-one years. The combat school that she had gone to had seen the ascent of the man who would come to be the youngest headmaster of the combat schools of Remnant, the hushed whispers of the genius who had completed the training course within half the time required to pass having followed after the man had taken the entrance exam to Beacon at age twelve.
The man's habits were peculiar and yet fully his own. He almost always drank hot chocolate with a small tuft of whipped cream mixed through it, the alcohol only added when dealing with a stressful situation. She would not put him on the likes of Qrow, who drank to forget the pain that he had been in yet was fully capable of fighting seriously if the situation required charity that the headmaster displayed to students who held little possessions in the way of material wealth, his stamp on the admission form boldly allowing them to pull from the fund that allowed the students their own weaponry maintenance.
The man's secrets when it pertained to guarding the safety of Remnant were a mystery to her as well. In all her years as his deputy, she had been devoted to the goal of stopping Salem, to make sure that the world was a better place for the people to survive in, without the threat of Grimm around every corner. The hope that he showed for an innocent soul to rise up against the tyrant and overthrow them did define him, as he was a firm believer in unity being the strength of humanity.
A calling sound came from the display hovering in the air above the tabletop, the headmaster's face blanking immediately, like all emotion had wiped itself from it, returning to that look of calmness. A hand motioned to her, enough to let her know that she would have to leave. The emblem of the council of Vale appeared upon the screen, the headmaster folding his fingers in front of him. "Councillor?" The man's tone was neutral and business-like, even as the doors of the elevator shut behind her with a soft whirring sound.
"The council has been appraised of the death of a student in Beacon." The tone of the councillor was hostile, the headmaster's face not betraying in the least his feelings on the subject. "It has been so. An unfortunate incident." Ozpin's voice did not waver as he spoke, the councillor's voice coming through again. "Have you reconsidered our offer?" The question came once more, like it had been before, Ozpin's fingers tapping onto the desk, his chair adjusting a little to his manner of seating, allowing him to lean back a little.
"I repeat: Have you given consideration to our renewed offer?" The headmaster's face did not register anything that went on below the surface, even as his gaze flickered to the outside, where the sunlight was slowly fading. "The answer is still No." The man's voice was firm as he spoke, the councillor's voice showing dissatisfaction. "If you wish it not to be, then it shall not be." The sound of someone clapping in the background was heard, Ozpin already knowing who would have done such a gesture. "Councillor, know that I am wholeheartedly dedicated to fostering the next generation of Huntsmen. An offer such as the one you have given me would draw time away from my goal."
The councillor on that end seemed to wait for a moment. "Vale is safe, Ozpin. What need does a Huntsman's Academy have for one man who could be the greatest councillor in the world?" The answer to that was not one that Ozpin would unveil, the secrecy surrounding the Relics and the Maidens holding firm. The fewer people that knew, the less that would be after them. "A headmaster does not resign until the last student under his care has graduated and there are no others left." The councillor's snort was cold, dismissive and in line with what Ozpin knew about them.
"We could erect a school for Huntsmen within the walls of Vale easily, Ozpin. The old relic of the clock tower that you've built your school around needs to rot away and be replaced by something new." The words were not without sense, yet Ozpin knew his mission. "I deny your offer once more. You'll have to come with a better offer, Councillor Messing." The woman's voice was stern as it spoke. "We're watching you, Ozpin. Don't forget our offer. You could be working for the betterment of humanity."
The headmaster's mirthless smile would be visible to the councillors as his finger hovered above the call disconnect button. "I work for the betterment of all that live on Remnant by training the young and weak into Huntsmen. Have a good evening." The call disconnected as his finger pressed the button, leaving the call to flicker out. As the headmaster was left alone in his office, he looked at the mug and then got up, walking to the thermos that contained some hot chocolate that he'd had freshly made at the kitchens, pouring the mug full and adding some Atlesian Vodka to the mix, a small dot of whipped cream to mix through with the spoon and then slowly lifting the hot brew to his lips and taking a sip.
Pressing the button at his desk, the elevator shut off and the blinds slid down. His hands moved to the secure folder, putting in the passcode without fail. The secret system slotted back into the proper place and allowed access to the files that were there, calling up the images that he requested through a flick of the finger on the displayed screen. Pictures appeared there, descending in age as was proper.
Rowan Arc stood proudly at graduation day with her team, depicted as a victor to the one taking the picture. Heather Arc, showing her skill at her weapon in a fight against Grimm, her eyes blazing with the determination to continue fighting. Bianca and Ashley Arc, holding the defensive line against a flood of Grimm, their eyes set within the determined look that seemed to be a universal characteristic of the people. Cremea Arc, looking at the taker of the picture with a raised eyebrow, eyes holding a singular shimmer of personality and confidence.
A shot of Cremea and Saffron together, standing there side by side with their weapons drawn, their eyes alight with their own battle-thirst. Azure Arc standing at her graduation from Beacon, holding the plaque that held her certification as a huntress there. Azure Arc with her team, looking ready to be off, their combat gear showing the signs of being hastily put on.
To finish it was a picture of Jaune Arc, standing beside Pyrrha Nikos with his face looking as confident as it was, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie standing together with the two of them to form Team JNPR. The headmaster's gaze was full of sorrow as he looked at the young man whose soul would never reach the capacity to unleash the blessings upon others.
"And thus, the lineage of Arc ends..." The man's voice was emotional as he spoke, looking at the face of Jaune Arc for a short while longer before taking a deep sigh. The images were moved back into the folder where they belonged, the image of the Arc crest coming on screen for a moment. "I should..." The man shut the secret file system down and then opened the file for the Arc family, the information of Jaune Arc appearing on the screen. A quick tapping of several numbers and the sound of a scroll's calling function being opened up was heard, the voice that answered slurring. "What's it about, Oz?" The voice of Qrow Branwen sounded a little irritated, Ozpin's gaze going to the clock. "I have a mission for you."
He sipped his hot chocolate, looking at the man's face on the screen. "Go to these coordinates. Find the nevermore nests and check whether one of them holds a sword, as well as some human remains."The huntsman frowned yet nodded to the order from his superior. "Anything you want me to watch out for?" The man's gruff voice sounded a little annoyed, even as he got up, a view of a bedroom appearing to the camera's view, as well as an expanse of chest that had a few hairs growing on it. "A young man's body with his left arm ripped off."
Qrow's face winced. "First casualty of the year, right?" The headmaster nodded. "The council came and inquired whether I would desire the job of senior representative of the Valean council, having heard of the death through the official submission of the death certificate." The man frowned. "Those vultures are getting worse at getting you to take the job." He said as he pulled his shirt on, Ozpin's face emotionless as he waited for the Huntsman to get himself ready for the job.
"Return to Beacon once you have retrieved the sword and the remains." The headmaster said, the scruffy-faced man scratching his cheeks. "This is in the Creme mountains, Oz. Someone actually was foolish enough to go finding some big Grimm in there to prove their worth?" The headmaster's face hardened. "Do it, Qrow."
The huntsman nodded. "It's my job, Oz. For the safety of Remnant and the people." Ozpin's face showed his emotions, even as the call shut off. With the bird sent to pick up whatever remained of young Jaune Arc, the headmaster turned to one of the walls of his office, walking towards it and then pulling the panel from it. The list of names that were cut into the marble wall by a master's touch had space left, the headmaster's hand grabbing the small chisel that sat beside the panel, the marble looking as it had been for years. "Jaune Arc, son of Emerald Arc and Sage Arc." The name was slowly chiselled into the wall, the headmaster's gaze upon it showing his feelings. Sadness seemed to be the dominant emotion on his face, even as he glanced up to another name that was much higher up on the wall.
Summer Rose, daughter of Schwarz Rose and Autumn Rose. The name had as much significance for him as the other names had, the woman having fallen prey to the ambush that had robbed her of her life. Only through recovering the white cape that she had worn, had they found out her fate. The Beowolves that had threatened the village she had been sent to reinforce had torn her apart, her body ground into paste by the creatures, obviously from the targeted effort that Salem had made to destroy the silver-eyed warriors.
Gretchen Rainart, daughter of Hanzel and Gretel Rainart. The name sprung out because of the preceding few names, the team that had been formed in the forest and had subsequently perished due to the venom of a King Tajitu. The overwhelming response from her brother, Hazel, had destroyed most of the foyer of Beacon Academy, the young man having frothed at the mouth and swore vengeance.
The wall stood with yet another name to the tally, the names that bore his sins upon their death a testament to how he had failed them. With Jaune Arc, a life that had been snuffed out too quickly to mature properly, there was yet another burden upon his shoulders to be firmly placed, the next in the line of souls that had been damned for that brief spark of hope of a better future.
"I will never forget your names." The man's voice sounded in the empty office as he looked at the wall, recalling every face of the people that had been chiselled onto its surface. Young or old, if they had been a student at Beacon Academy, he would remember them.
Mourning
The glass shattered in her hand as she fought to keep her emotions in check, Ruby's face looking tense as she watched the shards fall to the ground. Her sister's face was worried, clearly showing the signs of being concerned for her little sister's well-being over anything else. "Are you alright?" She asked concern in her voice for her little sister's state of mind.
"I'm just... getting used to things. Easy-peasy..." The answer came from Ruby's lips, yet she knew that she was not fine. Another one to be like mom. The memory of Summer Rose came to her mind, of a pictured woman who was 'super-mom', fighting big and bad evil Grimm and freeing princesses and baking cookies. "I heard Pyrrha returned." Yang said, Weiss looking up, her face showing a troubled expression. "It's been half a day, Ruby. He was an idiot, but I don't think that he would want to see you like this."
The tears that'd been flowing constantly had worked tracts into her cheeks, showing her emotions raw to her team. Blake had fled, stating that she wanted to do some research on something or the other, the flimsy excuse not fooling Ruby at all. One of their own, a fellow student, had died. A young man who was studying to be a hunter had been killed, just because of some bully with an attitude had sent him off without his team to help him.
"She must be torn up about it." Weiss said, her gaze going to the door. Ruby grabbed a cloth and started to mop up the shards, her face set in the look that had been the dominant one for the three hours since the news had come in that Jaune had died. A knock on the door came and Yang went to get it, Weiss remaining seated as she was, as Ruby had told her to. The heiress had been allowed to think about her choice of wording by being the one sent to fetch them something from the kitchens, her speedy return with some of the less-than-healthy foods that she had fetched having soothed the tempers a little.
"Weiss... How would you feel if I died?" The heiress seemed to struggle with that question, a red blush coming to her pale cheeks. "R-Ruby?" The surprise came through in her voice, her eyes looking at her for a while. "I would be... upset. N-not because you would be anything special to me, I mean... We're partners. We're going to be together, always." The stammer that she had in her voice with the way that she kept on looking down made her look adorable, yet Ruby's mood was gloomy as it was, her eyes meeting Weiss' eyes for a moment.
"I would be sad, yes. I would mourn your passing." Yang got back onto her bed, Blake joining them again, Ruby chancing a look at her sister and finding that there was a troubled look on her face. "Should we ask team JNPR to come here?" She asked suddenly, Yang's voice usually brusque. "Pyrrha seems to be awfully shaken up... and I think I heard Nora crying." The thought of the orange-haired girl crying was something that seemed to be anathema to her usually cheerful manner, Ruby putting a serious look on her face, getting off the bed. "I'll ask."
"What's this about mourning my sister, eh?" Yang's voice sounded behind her as she folded Crescent Rose and left it on her back, her baby fitting nearly into the strap that she'd made for it. The weight was nothing to her, as she crossed the distance, giving a knock on the door. A moment later and Lie Ren came to the door, his eyes looking a little watery. "Yes?" He asked, his voice usually lacking the inflexions that indicated his feelings on the subject, even as she tried to put on a look like she was able to remain functional. "Want to come to our room? Weiss got snacks." The ninja turned his head, looking into the room. Ruby could see Pyrrha laying on her bed, her head gazing up at the ceiling, holding what seemed to be a hoodie close to her chest, her face looking a mess. Her makeup was definitely running and her face was horribly puffy. "Ruby asks if we'd like to come to team RWBY's room."
They have it worse than me. All I lost was a friend. They lost a team member. The realisation was definitely something that made her take a step back, Pyrrha giving a soft whimper as she looked up from the hoodie that she was cuddling. "Let's join them." She said, her voice sounding tired and weary as if there was a great weight that pressed upon her shoulders. "We should get together to remember him." The Mistrali native got up, her hands still clutching the shirt to her chest. "Nora, come. I'm sure that they'll have some sugary treat." Ren's voice spoke clearly, drawing the attention of the hammer-wielding girl, whose sniffing sound was audible.
It was a silence that fell, as team JNPR minus Jaune filtered into the room, the bunk beds hanging a little awkwardly there. They sat together in the middle of the room, Weiss next to Ruby, Yang next to Blake, Pyrrha and Nora flanking Ren, whose face was as calm as he was, his hand laying on Nora's, offering the comfort that he seemed to wish to share with his closest friend. Pyrrha was sniffling still, Weiss clearing her throat. "We are sorry for your loss. Arc was... he was a man who had so much going for him." Ruby knew that Weiss was just making an effort, her own mind going back to those moments when she'd crammed together with Jaune in the library, trying to get more information on how to lead a team with him.
It had been a rather beautiful afternoon, the sun still high in the sky and the gentle breeze had been enough to warm the spirit, even as they spent time pouring over the catalogues that detailed every subject in the library. "Ruby, check this out. There's a section on Dust-powered motorbikes." His voice had sounded wondrous, even as she had giggled. "Everything is powered by dust, silly. Yang has a motorcycle that's powered by a mixture of lightning dust and fuel."
He had rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, giving a soft chuckle. "Yeah... I knew that, obviously. Who wouldn't know that, hehe." The laugh had been sheepish as if he'd only now realized that he had forgotten something so silly as that. "Here's a section on team formations, with some icky-ficky little details. You should get a gun to go with your sword and shield, though. You can't be caught off-guard..." Here she had paused, looking at him and making some measurements in her head. "If you want... Can we add a big shotgun to your shield? That'd make it look all bad-ass, won't it?"
"My sister is more fond of shields than of shotguns, Ruby. You should meet her sometimes." His voice sounded wistful as if his sister held some spot of fondness in his heart. She melted a little on the inside, as she began to feel like she was talking to an equal... "Ooh, you're the youngest? Me too! Yang is two years older than me... and she always keeps on rubbing that in too." She chirped, noticing his smile. That's a good smile. Yep. You've done it again, Ruby! You've made someone happy! Whoo! Go Ruby! "You're too young to drive, Ruby! You cannot drink yet, Ruby!" Her best imitation of Yang made him chuckle a little. "Well, I drink MILK. I'll be just as tall as she with a few more years, just you wait!" She puffed out her chest for him, her big grin showing clearly on her face.
"You'll have to be drinking a lot more to get like that, Ruby." He said, a giggle coming from her as she knew what he was referring to. "Yeah, I guess that I won't be able to be taller than you!" He looked down as if his joke had been merely ill-received. "Well... I'm the tallest back at home..." He said, shifting his gaze back to the screen. "Ooh, team tactics? What do you think you'll call yours?" She tapped her finger against her lips, her mind coming to a swift decision.
"WeissRose, of course! The best of Ruby with the best of Weiss! It'll be time to put the bad guys on ice, yes!" She pumped her fist, a laugh coming from his mouth. "You're adorable when you get excited like that." He said, patting her head. She had not admitted that, but it felt nice to be patted on the head and treated like she was an equal. It felt... good. Was this what friends were like?
The pleasant memory faded as she was drawn back to the past, watching Pyrrha's gaze rest on her. Her silver eyes widened as she realized that she'd just been asked a question. "Eh?" She eeped, her voice sounding a little higher-pitched than before. "What are we going to do about Cardin?" Pyrrha repeated. Ruby met those green eyes, the champion of Mistral's tournament circuit meeting her gaze with those eyes as steel.
"Are we... going to do anything about him?" She said. Jaune was dead because of him. A sneaky part of her mind whispered. Jaune would not want him dead. He would want him to live, to be a huntsman.Pyrrha's eyes were frosty with their intensity. "I wanted to be closer to him." She said as the eyes welled with tears once more. Ruby blinked, her thoughts distracted from the gloomy atmosphere. "To Cardin?" She asked, tilting her head to the side, her brow furrowing in confusion.
"To Jaune." Pyrrha said, her voice sounding like she was desperate for something. "I wanted him to look at me." Is it not normal to look at your partner for help? I mean, dad and uncle Qrow always say that your partners are like your lifeline. "But... didn't he look at you? You got along well enough, right?"
Yang smacked her forehead, Blake merely giving her a cat-like look, whilst Weiss... seemed to be trying to struggle to get to comprehend what Pyrrha was referring to. "You wished him to... loo-look at you?" The heiress said, her voice incredulous. Nora coughed softly, her voice soft. "Jaune, he... He was a dummy and a bit thick and not very good at fighting, plus his whole confidence being greater than his skills... But he was our friend." Her voice sounded dull and lifeless, a far cry from the excited tones that she usually spoke with. "I want to break Cardin's legs so badly that he'll forever be in a chair, watching everyone else stroll by."
The hairs on Ruby's neck started to rise, as the gloomy mood intensified. "I would have given him a stern talking to. I do not believe in dispensing justice by myself." The words of Lie Ren spoke of his reasoning, even as Nora looked at him. "But I wanted to break some legs... Ren... Just a little bit of smashy smashy and hearing their wails of terror and pain, please?" The plea fell on deaf ears, Ren's hand leaving Nora's hand and immediately colour seemed to return to the girl's face. "Jaune was my friend and I would have been with him, fighting against the Grimm. You're all his friends, you're his team. He would have always looked out for you all." That's what I would do. For Yang, Blake and Weiss. Jaune too, if he was all 's what huntresses do. They protect the people and their friends!
As Nora started to blubber again and wrapped her hands around her knees, getting a grip on them and just continuing to be emotional, Pyrrha spoke. "I wanted him to look at me because I felt that he understood me. Not just the champion of Mistral. Not the invincible girl that could defeat any that came before her. I wanted him to look at me and be mine."
Ruby's cheeks flared with redness. O-oh. Oh! She shuddered a little, her eyes tearing up again. This was just too sad. Too sad! Like when Zwei had nearly died after eating that fire dust crystal and Yang had just managed to come away from an accident with her bike and had been in the hospital for a week with a busted leg and a severe warning to never try that again. That is so sad. She looked at Weiss for a moment, the Heiress sitting there with her mouth half-opened and her teeth visibly showing, slackjawed by the information that Pyrrha had just revealed so bluntly.
The Spartan's eyes were like chips of pecan-nut ice-cream in their frosty emerald chill as she looked at Ruby. "Do we do something about Cardin?" She said, her voice holding a razor's edge. Ruby could see where the young woman would have gained the reputation from, with her manner definitely at ease at the field of combat. "No." She said. Revenge is never a good option. Dad always said that bad things come to bad people in time. "If he's a creep in the future, we stomp him down. Then Nora can break his legs." The sanctioning of grievous physical punishment may be something that would have crossed the line, yet there were lines that had been crossed before.
Omen
As the huntsman touched down on the spot where the beacon lay blinking, he looked at the ravaged trees, the signs of combat indicating enough action having gone down to confirm the action of a huntsman of Ozpin's calibre. His scythe rested on his back as he moved unhurriedly towards where the puddle of blood had soaked into the ground, the scent of blood heavy in the air still.
Qrow bent down to touch the patch of bloodied soil, dipping his finger into it and then calculating the amount of blood needed to be lost to allow for a body to keep on moving. "Looks like you ran into some bad opposition, kid." The crow-themed man muttered as he continued walking, his scythe flashing as one Beowolf leapt at him from the shadows, the beast cut in twain with a flick of the metal scythe-blade, the man's attention going towards the edges of the forested patch that laid in the mountains. "Nevermore nests, eh?" The man muttered as he leapt into the air, his body changing to that of a crow in a flash of imperceptible brightness, his wings beating once to carry him aloft. His eyes sought for the nests of the creatures that stalked the skies, the sound of the baying calls of the Beowolves like a firm indicator of where they were.
The first nest that he checked personally held no trinkets of note. Just a few branches that had been coated with a faint silver sheen, a faded watch that must've belonged to some poor soul caught outside the walls of Vale and devoured. The second nest only seemed to contain the remnants of what seemed to be a set of armour, the skull laying a few meters away, the body no longer recognizable whether it had been Faunus or human in nature. He did not voice his thoughts as the beak pecked against the skull before he beat his wings once more.
With his crow form, he checked three more nests before finally striking gold. A large Nevermore rose from the nest that it had built upon one of the craggy spires, the branches creating a nest that was like any other bird's, woven with the care of any animal. Bloodthirsty creatures as they might have been, some rudimentary animalistic behaviour seemed to have been born within them to allow them to adopt certain hunting strategies.
Within the nest, he could see the glint of something, a sharp edge poking out from the branches, gilded in gold, the edge showing the sharpness of steel to his gaze. The glint was enough to confirm that it was a weapon, as he perched down on one of the edges, cautious to get the weapon out. One moment he was a bird, then he was crouched in the nest, searching through the branches until he had found the glinting weapon. A sword that had been forged in the Great War was pulled from the nest, looking like it had been freshly coated in blood around the grip, the remnants of blood already dried due to the exposure to the air. "Fresh blood on the hilt..." Qrow muttered to himself, putting the sword in the cloth that he'd gotten. "Oz, I got a sword." The man would get the message later, the range of his Scroll not working very well due to the interference from the mountains with the signal.
"Where are you at, kiddo?" The huntsman mumbled to himself as he searched through the nest, his nose sniffing the air for the coppery scent of human blood. The scent was strongest around the blade, the sound of wings beating coming ever closer. The tingle on the back of his neck was stronger now, as the scythe unfurled and was swung. The Nevermore's body disintegrated as it was bisected, the miasma that clung to the impressive creature of darkness dissipating in the sunlight. "At least I got the blade." The Huntsman said, his face frowning, even as the dark shapes of more Nevermores came to his view, watching as they advanced. "I don't get paid enough for this... But if it's for Oz, I'll gladly lend a hand to make sure that one kid gets back home."
A bit of light exercise before getting back to Beacon wouldn't hurt, the blade stashed within his bag a moment later. Another three nests he could see that he had not checked. Perhaps the kid's body would be there. If it wasn't on the ground level, then it must be elsewhere. That was the only logical conclusion to things. The Grimm didn't do anything with bodies of the people that they killed, they just killed to let the emotions of fear and terror swell to draw more of their kind to them.
Terror
She floated in the darkness, the only sound that she picked up being her own heartbeat, ever so slowly continuing to pump the blood through her own body to keep her working. Her fingers continued to try to move through the movements required for the swinging of her blade, the image of the blonde young man riveted in her mind.
A smile on his lips, a hand stretched out to touch her, to take her hand in a firm grip and to pull her from this darkness and to free her from this fate of forever being mired in the darkness. As the blonde disappeared from her sight and touch, she could feel nothing but that empty sensation in her hand, touching and groping into the formless shapeless mass of darkness, hoping for a touch of that blue-eyed man, his hand showing the marks of the training that he'd put in to spring her free of this accursed darkness.
The rose awoke and the darkness was banished, leaving her to stare at the blank and empty wall, heartbeat racing once more. Why? The question came to the shards of her awakening consciousness, with no answer forthcoming yet to her frazzled mind. Why must my life be filled with death? Why must everyone I care for be snatched by the tendrils of death and fear?
Another chapter for you to read through and go 'ooh, we want more!' for.(Or like 'we want a harem!'. That seems to be a thought on people's mind.) I've tried varying the style a little to see whether it's a bit more palatable for you to read. If you've got any comments/critiques/what-not, by all means, do not hesitate and leave a little review to show this humble soul what could be corrected! Were the characters in-tune with what you'd expect them to be? How out of character were they? How IN-character were they?
Let me know! I look forward to getting feedback (and reviews.)
