Chapter 10
The shadow, standing over twenty feet tall, bent low to swipe its sword in a wide arc, forcing Teams RWBY and YYRN to dive away. For the shadow, it had the desired effect, scattering the group and making each individual an easier target. It singled out Yosuke and sent him flying with a swift kick. He flipped through the air before landing on his back and skidding across the floor. By the time he recovered enough to get to his feet, the shadow was upon him. Yosuke dodged a vertical strike from the shadow's blade, but with a quick shift it slammed the side of the sword into him. Yosuke again went tumbling across the floor but this time he was out of the fight.
Yang charged the shadow with her characteristic reckless abandon, leaping into the air and repeatedly punching it in the face. It swatted her away like an annoying insect but Yang rushed back into the fight. This time the shadow met her mid-leap with its shield, slamming her hard into the ground. The shadow brought its blade down to finish her off but Ruby swept in and used Crescent Rose to hook the sword, pulling it off course and away from Yang. The shadow used Ruby's position against her, with a flick of its blade it sent her sailing through the air. Ruby slammed into Blake who was rushing in to help, and both slammed to the floor.
From a distance Rise hit the shadow with her laser, but the shadow simply ignored her, charging the isolated Naoto instead. She used wind to try to push the shadow back, but it kept coming. Yu rushed up behind the shadow to attack it from the rear just as Naoto hit it with a more powerful blast of wind. The shadow side-stepped Naoto's attack and it slammed into Yu, immediately sapping his aura and knocking him out cold. Before the shadow could resume its advance on Naoto, Weiss froze its feet in place. The shadow easily broke free and turned to face the new threat. Weiss cycled Myrtenaster and lanced fire at the shadow but it simply stomped its way through the flames unhindered.
Weiss used her glyphs to deftly slide out of the shadow's path as the rest of Team RWBY renewed its assault. Ruby and Blake snuck up behind the shadow, each taking a leg. Ruby hooked one leg with Crescent Rose while Blake wrapped Gambol Shroud's ribbon around the other. From the front Yang charged and hit the shadow in the chest with as much force as she could muster. The shadow toppled onto its back, stunned for a moment, giving the attackers a chance to strike. Weiss froze its joints while Naoto blasted the shadow's head with fire. Ruby zipped around slashing at the downed monster, Blake stabbed at its neck and Yang pounded away on its chest.
It was all for naught as the shadow let out a roar and thrashed before whipping its sword around. The blade caught Blake and Yang, sending them flying, and forced Ruby, Weiss and Naoto to retreat. It also put the shadow between them and Jaune and Pyrrha. With the distance it needed, the shadow approached Jaune, still cradling Pyrrha's head in his lap. "It's time for you both to die." The shadow boomed.
Jaune gently placed Pyrrha's head on the ground and stood to face the monster. "I won't let you hurt her!" Jaune exclaimed. The shadow raised its blade high over its head and brought it crashing down. To the shadow's surprise, and everyone else's for that matter, Jaune caught the blade on his own and prevented the sword from reaching its target. Impressive a feat though it was, it was not a sustainable situation. Jaune's arms ached and his knees began to shake under the pressure. It was only a matter of time before the shadow won and crushed the duo from JNPR.
Pyrrha opened her eyes. At first her vision was blurry, and it was difficult to tell what she was looking at. As her vision resolved it became all too apparent. Jaune was protecting her, holding back a colossal blade wielded by, well, a huge grotesque version of himself. He could easily step out of the way and save himself but he was determined to protect her. Her double had been correct about the pain. She felt like her head would explode. At the same time she felt weak and dizzy, on the edge of consciousness and possibly death. Still, she could not let Jaune down, even if it killed her. She could barely raise her arm, but she forced herself through the pain. She activated her semblance, adding what strength she had left to Jaune's. She could feel her consciousness slipping away. There were distant shouts and her world faded to black.
"Back off!" Blake shouted. She leapt into the air, wrapped Gambol Shroud's ribbon around the shadow's neck, and pulled it tight. The shadow gave up on crushing Jaune for the moment, flailing in a fruitless attempt to get ahold of Blake. The shadow finally went with the easy solution. It fell flat on its back, forcing Blake to retreat or be crushed beneath its tremendous weight.
The shadow sprung to its feet and stomped toward its assailants. "I've had enough of your interference!" The shadow boomed. Then it found its feet encased in ice. Weiss continued to build up the frozen snare as Rise powered her up. The shadow groaned and strained against the ice but to no avail.
"Everyone stay back!" Naoto warned. She focused carefully and raised a palm to the sky. A massive ball of white light appeared above the trapped shadow. She brought her arm down, closing her hand into a fist, and the ball of energy descended, slamming into the shadow. There was a blinding flash and a thunderous boom. A blast wave followed, knocking them all off their feet. When the light faded, the shadow lie broken on the ground, its armor crushed and its features mangled. It melted and evaporated.
"Why didn't you just do that from the start?" Blake asked in annoyance. Naoto failed to respond. Looking over, Blake saw Naoto on her hands and knees hyperventilating.
Rise rushed to Naoto's side, placing a hand on her back. "An attack that powerful takes a lot of energy." Rise explained. "You don't use it except as a last resort. If it fails or there's another enemy, she's out of the fight."
"I'll be alright." Naoto said, waving Rise off. Rise went to check on Yu and Yosuke and do what she could to heal them.
"We need to get Pyrrha to a hospital." Jaune called to the others. He was back to cradling her head in his lap. She had returned to unconsciousness.
"Blake and I will get her out of here." Yang said. She carefully picked up Pyrrha and carried her bridal-style toward the exit, Blake following to protect them against an ambush.
"Are you okay Jaune?" Ruby asked. "You didn't look so good when we got here."
"That thing, the other me, said some things." Jaune said. "It hurt, a lot. Am I a burden? To you, my team, to Pyrrha?" He was not ready to discuss some of the stuff about Pyrrha.
"Of course not." Ruby said. "So you're not as good a fighter as most of us."
"All of us." Weiss interjected.
"Weiss!" Ruby shouted. "Jaune, you're still a great leader. We all bring different talents to our teams. You're kind and funny and helpful. That's plenty."
"I guess so." Jaune said, sounding a little less depressed.
"Now, let's get out of here." Ruby said. "We need to get back and rest up so we can rescue Ren and Nora."
"You came for us but not them?" Jaune asked.
"Rise could sense that Pyrrha was hurt and that you were alone with her." Ruby explained. "We figured you were in the most immediate danger. We'll rescue them next. Come on, you should go to the hospital to get checked out too."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Jaune said. "My head does hurt."
"They're dangerous." Glynda said, growing impatient and annoyed with Ozpin's attitude on the issue. "I've tested their combat skills and they're well above what we expected." Ozpin just nodded. "I don't think it's any coincidence that JNPR has gone missing so soon after their arrival. They've been acting suspiciously as well."
"Perhaps it's as they say, and they are here to help." Ozpin said. "I think we should see how this plays out."
"Team JNPR is missing." Glynda protested. "We can't just sit back while four of our students are unaccounted for." Their scrolls simultaneously beeped. Ozpin sat still as Glynda reached for hers. She gave it a few taps. "Pyrrha Nikos has reappeared."
"Is that so?" Ozpin asked with a confident smile. "Are there any details on the circumstances?"
"She was delivered to the hospital by two members of Team RWBY." Glynda reported. "She's suffered severe head injuries and is currently unconscious."
"She arrived in the care of Team RWBY?" Ozpin said. "Ah, the team that has been most acquainted with YYRN. I wonder if they had a hand in her recovery as well." He took a sip of his coffee. "We'll just have to ask when she recovers."
Their scrolls beeped again. "Jaune Arc has also arrived at the hospital." Glynda read. "He has minor injuries and was accompanied by the rest of Team RWBY and the entirety of YYRN." Glynda sounded almost disappointed. She hated being wrong.
"Lunch is so lonely without JNPR." Ruby sighed. "I hope Pyrrha's okay. Nora and Ren too."
"Jaune was in pretty good shape, where is he?" Yosuke asked.
"He didn't want to leave Pyrrha alone in the hospital." Yang replied. "He said something about wanting her to see a friendly face when she woke up."
"Just leave me alone!" A girl's shout interrupted their conversation. Team YYRN turned to see a group of boys picking on a rabbit Faunus.
"Looks like Cardin's at it again." Blake said with thinly veiled anger. "Poor Velvet."
"Why doesn't someone do something?" Naoto asked. "Where's her team?"
"She told everyone not to." Blake explained. "She said she doesn't want to sink to their level." Team CRDL continued to pester Velvet mercilessly.
"She didn't tell us." Yu said. He immediately stood and headed in their direction. The rest of YYRN followed, taking his lead.
"What do you want?" Russel challenged him.
"You should leave." Yu said. Team CRDL turned away from Velvet to face him. Now everyone in the dining hall was focused on the confrontation.
"Please, it's okay." Velvet pleaded.
"You gonna' make us?" Cardin challenged Yu.
"Yes, actually." Yu replied with a steely look. He raised his hands in front of him and electricity arced between them. Yosuke stood beside him with a stern look, wind blowing through his hair and clothes. Naoto held a fireball, suspended above her hand. Rise balled her fists and surrounded herself in an otherworldly glow.
"It isn't worth is." Cardin said after a moment, breaking the stalemate. He tried to play it off but it was clearly a surrender. He departed, defeated, his team following him. Everyone else went back to their lunches, the prospect of a fight having passed.
"Thanks, but you didn't have to." Velvet said meekly.
"Didn't have to what?" Rise asked. "Help someone? Of course we had to."
"They're not worth the trouble." Velvet said.
"It's no trouble." Yu said.
"Jerks like that need to be put in their place." Yosuke added. "If you don't stand up to them, they'll never quit."
"I saw what you did there." A girl wearing sunglasses stepped up behind Yu and clapped her hand on his shoulder.
"Oh, hi Coco." Velvet said.
"I would have done it myself if she hadn't told me not to." Coco sighed. "Thanks. I'm really sick of seeing those bullies pick on my teammate. Maybe now they'll think twice."
"I hope they don't retaliate." Velvet said.
"We can handle them." Yu said. He and the rest of YYRN returned to their seats.
"You're pretty amazing." Ruby said. Yu gave her a quizzical look. "Most people wouldn't get themselves involved in something like that to help a stranger."
"Really?" Yu asked.
Jaune had been waiting at Pyrrha's bedside for hours but she her condition was unchanged. He could not help but feel guilty about the whole thing. If he was a better fighter, maybe they would have been able to overpower Adachi. As he sat there and his mind was left to itself, he entered into a dangerous spiral of depression. Thankfully, it was broken by the arrival of Ozpin. His main purpose for the visit was to check on Pyrrha's condition, but he decided to use the opportunity to find out what had happened by asking Jaune.
Ozpin led Jaune into an empty room. "So, what happened to your team?" Ozpin asked.
Jaune was nervous but at the same time relieved. Talking to Ozpin freed him from his thoughts, at least temporarily. "This guy named Adachi did it." Jaune started. "He showed up, posing as a detective. We heard from RWBY and YYRN that he was a wanted criminal, so we tried to fight him off. We tried to fight him off, but he was too strong." Jaune frowned. "I was too weak."
"It's not your fault." Ozpin said reassuringly. "Your team is quite strong, how did one man defeat you?"
"He was really powerful." Jaune said. "He was super strong and fast. It was inhuman."
Ozpin nodded. "Then what happened?" He asked.
"He kidnapped us while we were unconscious." Jaune said, not technically lying. "RWBY and YYRN found us and rescued us."
"Where are Nora and Ren?" Ozpin asked.
"I don't know." Jaune answered. "They weren't with Pyrrha and me."
"Alright, thank you." Ozpin said, waving Jaune toward the exit. "I'm sorry you had to go through this. I'm sure your teammates will be fine. Just don't blame yourself, it's a dangerous trap."
"So this is Ren and Nora's world." Ruby said. The group stood before an imposing castle. Its stone walls towered over them as they stood before the immense wooden doors. "I'm not going to lie, I would have expected Nora to have one like this. I'm not sure how Ren fits in though."
"Well, Ren's injured." Rise reminded her. "Maybe only Nora's affecting the appearance of this place."
Not wasting time, the group entered through the gigantic doors, finding themselves in an elegantly decorated hallway. It was befitting of a royal palace with fancy light fixtures and beautiful paintings adorning the walls. A pink carpet with gold trim lined the floor. The paintings all seemed to depict Nora battling Grimm, usually her utterly crushing them. A few scattered paintings were more subdued however, depicting nature in a more peaceful state. Perhaps it was Ren's calming influence. After walking for some time, the group arrived at a set of large wooden doors. They were carved with more battle scenes starring Nora, with hearts cut into the background and borders. It was a somewhat disturbing juxtaposition. The group burst through the doors and into what appeared to be a spacious ballroom. The room was lined with elaborate tapestries showing Nora fighting Grimm, surrounded by hearts.
The shadows were obvious enough, four animate suits of armor wielding axes. Yang rushed straight at one, punching it hard in the chest. The armor bent noticeably but the shadow was unmoved. It swung its axe around, catching Yang in the stomach and sending her slamming into the wall. The shadow approached Yang but Ruby fired at it with Crescent Rose. The shots bounced off harmlessly but it did get the shadow's attention as intended. Ignoring Yang, the shadow stomped toward Ruby. It lifted its axe above its head and brought it down at Ruby. It cut through only rose petals, Ruby being long gone. Before the shadow could turn around, Yang slammed her fist into the back of its head, denting the helmet heavily. The shadow wobbled but refused to go down until Yang punched her fists together, the shadow's head between them. The shadow's helmet was crushed flat and obliterated by twin blasts from Ember Celica. It melted and evaporated.
Rise ran at a shadow. She slid on her knees, coming to a halt just in front of it. She planted her spear and fired it, the point extending into the shadow's helmet and staggering the shadow. Yosuke followed close behind and hit the shadow with a blast of wind. The already off-balance foe fell flat on its back. Rise held her spear vertically, point down, and fired it into the shadow's chest. The point penetrated its armor and pinned it to the ground. Naoto approached, aimed her rifle at the shadow's head and emptied her magazine. The point-blank shots punched neat holes in the helmet and soon the shadow melted and evaporated.
Weiss engaged a shadow in close combat, deftly deflecting its axe strikes with Myrtenaster. Between each slow but powerful swing of the shadow's axe, Weiss was able to hit it with several strikes of her own. The shadow's armor defeated her attacks, but the shadow's attention was fully occupied. Blake snuck up behind the shadow and stabbed it in the back with Gambol Shroud. Her weapon's blade scythed through the armor and the shadow flailed in panic. Weiss jumped back, caught a glyph and launched herself at the shadow. Her sword penetrated its armor easily as she struck at high speed. Stabbed from back and front, the shadow melted and evaporated.
Yu approached the fourth and final shadow with a confident smile. Seemingly angered by his arrogance, the shadow charged, swinging its axe wildly. Yu side-stepped the shadow and delivered a swift kick to its back. The shadow stumbled forward but stayed on its feet. It turned around and angrily slammed its axe into the ground. Yu raised his arm and unleashed a continuous blast of electricity into the shadow. The highly conductive shadow convulsed violently under the onslaught before it exploded spectacularly in a shower of sparks. The bits melted and evaporated.
"We really crushed them." Yang said. "That was pretty easy. I think I'm getting the hang of fighting shadows."
"Don't get overconfident." Naoto suggested. "This fight went perfectly, but you've seen how tough they can be."
"I don't think fighting through here will stay this easy." Weiss said. "Based on Nora's personality, I'd expect the enemies to be powerful, aggressive and crazy."
"Are you saying Nora's crazy?" Yosuke asked.
"Are you saying she's not?" Weiss countered.
"Weiss, she's our friend." Blake said. "You shouldn't talk about her like that." Weiss just shrugged.
"Well, we should get moving." Ruby said. The conversation made her uncomfortable. "Nora and Ren aren't going to save themselves!"