Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY it rightfully belongs to RoosterTeeth.
Italics are thoughts
Bold and Italics are flashbacks
**Communications through scrolls and other devices
Italics and underline are summons talking
Chapter 26 Prisoner
(Location: Team JRPY dorm Beacon Academy Sonus continent Kingdom of Vale Remnant)
Ruby, Yang and Pyrrha were seated on the red cloak girl's bed. They decided to have a card game of" Go fish". It was the best way to kill time. The three looked focused on the game. Or maybe, there was something else. Their expression, their eyes. Clearly, they all seemed worried. The game wasn't that important, they were obviously worried because their leader hasn't come back yet. It's been hours since Jaune left and there hasn't been a word from him. He was supposed to call them, letting them know he was fine. The blond went to the city to take a look around. Well, according to him anyway. Why he left, they still didn't know. He said he wanted to look around the accessories shops. That sounded like a lie and there was something else. His silver eyed partner believed he wanted to see weapon stores WITHOUT her. It made her pout every time she thinks about it.
Ruby was trying so hard not to think about him. Her eyes fell on the cards on her hand. This was probably the first time she has ever be this concerned. Coming to Beacon was her dream. Having a great team she can trust was a bonus. And she got her older sister and childhood friend as partner. Finally she got a five time regional champion as a teammate. Seriously, it doesn't get any better than that. Everything was going super ultra cool. For once she forgot that she was skipped ahead by two years. Life in Beacon was the best and she actually felt like fitting in. But now, she was feeling restless. No way she was going to sleep without hearing from her partner. At one point her hands started shaking a little. She didn't wanted the others to noticed. So she gave a fake smile. So she missed Jaune, it was that clear.
Pyrrha was so worried. At least Ruby was making the attempt to pretend she wasn't. The red head, on the other hand, wasn't acting. Concern in her green eyes, her hands trembling not focusing on the game. All she was thinking was Jaune. He should have been back a while ago. Taking a glance at the window of the dorm the sun has gone down and it was dark. It was bad because by now the Bullhead transportation services were no long available for the day. Until tomorrow. And it was also past curfew at the school. All students are supposed to be resting in their dorms. Well, everyone except for them. It was impossible to give a smile or enjoy the go fish game. The champion knew there was something wrong with the Arc. She had a bad feeling the moment he left. As his teammates, they should have gone with him. A team always stick together, after all.
As for Yang, the blond brawler was the one who seemed like it wasn't bothered. She didn't looked worried Jaune has been gone for hours and he wasn't back. The brawler had her eyes on the game only, staring at her cards. Probably the best act, of the two. On the inside, she was worried sick. She was also livid. If the Arc comes out of that door she will probably punched him, then hugged him. It sounded pretty screw up but it was exactly how she was feeling. There's been a couple of times her eyes were changing color. From lilac to red, lilac to red. But the others didn't noticed. And she wasn't one to be considered the patient one. The only reason she hasn't left the school to go find their leader because she was trying to think positive. Maybe he got side tracked and he was on his way here. If he arrives now he will be in trouble with Goodiwtch because of curfew. But she was the lest of his worries. He will have to watch out for her the most.
"Got any sevens?"
"….."
"Ruby?"
"Hm...Oh...I, yeah" the red cloak girl put a seven on the stash of cards.
"That's it. I'm calling him" Yang finally had enough as she took her scroll" and he BETTER have a very good excuse to why he's late."
"We already did."
"Wha…." the brawler gazed at the two" you called him already?"
"Before the sun set. He didn't answered" Ruby lowered her head.
"There was no dial tone. His scroll seems to be off" followed Pyrrha.
"And you guys are telling me this now?!" she wasn't happy.
"We didn't mean it Yang. I thought Jaune turned off his scroll because he didn't wanted to be disturbed" explained her sister.
"But something's wrong. We checked the GPS signal of his scroll. The signal is lost" replied the red head huntress.
"Lost? What does that mean? Even if he turned off his scroll. The GPS signal should still be working" now the brawler was starting to lose it.
"It means...something could have happened and it got damaged."
"Why would it be damaged?" Yang was trying so hard to calm down.
"If Jaune isn't here yet...Something must have happened to him" said the red head clearly she was worried just like the red head champion.
"Okay...If this is true, then we have to tell Professor Ozpin."
"We can't leave our dorm because it's passed curfew" reminded Ruby.
"Screw that. Jaune's probably in trouble or who knows. We're not sitting here and wait for the worse to come."
"I agreed with Yang. We have to do something. I suggest we did as she said and contact the headmaster first" said Pyrrha.
There was a knock of the dorm. The three girl immediately quit their card game as they went to answered the door. No surprise it was Ozpin and behind him stood Goodwitch. It was the perfect time, just when they wanted to talk to him.
"Professor Ozpin…."
"Say no more Miss Rose. I know about Mr. Arc. The GPS signal was lost hours ago. I already called the Vale Police to search for him. Though it's too soon to say something has happened to him."
"He would never come this late. Unless, something bad has happened" said Pyrrha.
"I assure you Miss Nikos. If he's missing, he will be found. However, the reason I have come here is rather different. I need to speak to the three of you in a urgent matter."
The three stood in thought not knowing what to think. Was this topic away from the one of their leader gone missing.
"Before he left. Has Mr. Arc...Been acting strange? Has his behavior been odd as of late?"
"We met with him here before he left. Saying he wanted to have a look around the city" replied the red cloak girl.
"He wanted to check the accessory shops or something" followed Yang.
"I think so" Pyrrha replied" and I know I'm not the only one. My teammates will agree that he's been acting off. For a while, I think."
"I see" Ozpin stood in thought.
"It almost feel...Like he's hiding something" said Ruby" I mean I don't know why. Jaune wouldn't hide something from us."
"If he wants to keep information from us that is very personal, that's fine by me. But I don't like it if that information will get him missing and it will get us worrying over him" replied the blond brawler.
"I feel the same way too. For as long as I've known him. Jaune has seem like he's been keeping something from us. And sometimes he will act strange. To a point that will make us question his actions. I wish it wasn't true. But it does seem that way."
Both sisters only gave a nod in return.
"Very well. I appreciate you take your time to inform me. That will be all. I advise getting some rest. Classes do resume tomorrow after all."
"That's it?" Yang was shocked" we sleep while Jaune is who knows where and kind of danger he's in?"
"Miss Xiao Long as I said. The Vale Police has been informed of a missing student of Beacon and we have already given Mr. Arc's characteristics. They will investigate and search the entire city if necessary. We will also lend them our aid. As for you three. You will stay here and get some sleep."
"No. We're not doing that!"
"Yang…." her sister got worried.
"That is enough. The headmaster has spoken. As students of this school you are to obey to anything he says. Do not make this harder on yourselves" said Goodwitch.
"We can't just stay here and do nothing!" her eyes turned red.
"Miss Xiao Long. This is matter only the police and experienced huntsmen can handle. If you're suggesting to go out there on your own. I will decline such choice."
"But I'm not going alone, Ruby and Pyrrha are coming too. They want to find Jaune too as much as me" both the silver eyed girl and the red head nodded.
"Absolutely not. It's also past curfew. Students aren't allowed to leave the school, this late at night" added the blond teacher.
"What if other students come with us? To help with the search. I'm sure team WRNB are probably awake."
"What part of past curfew don't you understand Miss Xiao Long?" the woman adjusted her glasses getting irritated.
"How about if an adult comes with us?" Pyrrha suggested" the three of us along team WRNB and one teacher will make the search safer."
"Please do not make me repeat myself. Nobody is leaving period."
"Wait Glynda?" Ozpin interjected as he was in thought" one of our faculty members to accompany you is something I can approve."
"Please tell me you're kidding?" Goodwitch stood shocked.
"But I will only allow the search if you do anything the teacher says, that person will be in charge of the investigation. Are we clear?"
"Yes sir!" Ruby gave a soldier salute.
"Ozpin?" the blond huntress was still shocked.
"Glynda. See if team WRNB are awake so they can help with the search. And tell Amber to get ready to head out immediately."
"Wait, Amber! You're sending her?!" now the woman was beyond shocked, he wanted to send the Fall Maiden to the city risking her being attacked or taken.
"I see nothing wrong with it. She will need the experience and I'm sure she will agree. She do needs to leave the school every once in a while."
The blond teacher didn't argued as she gave a nod and left the dorm. Ozpin smiled as he turned back to the three girls.
"Prepare yourselves and head to the Bullhead dock. I will contact a pilot to have a ship ready to leave for the city."
"Thank you Professor Ozpin we won't let you down!" Ruby was more than happy along her sister and red head teammate.
"One more thing. The investigation will have a time limit. I apologize but students aren't suppose to be out of the school so late at night as stated by Glynda. You will have three hours. If you're unable to find any leads on Mr. Arc's disappearance after that. You are to return to the school on the double. The investigation will resume another day. Understood?"
"We understand!" the red cloak girl nodded and the others, that will be as good as it gets.
"Better hurry. Time's a wasting. Good luck."
A drip sound woke him up. It kept sounding as blue eyes suddenly opened. A soft gasped as Jaune was fully awake. The blond knight had no idea where he was. He noticed his arms and legs were chained. What happened, he was having a hard time remembering. The Arc tried to break free but it was impossible, he felt like he didn't had the strength. What's worse, he couldn't tap into his aura, he couldn't hear the voices of his summons. What in Remnant was going on. Eyes widened as slowly images were coming back. Jaune was now remembering past events. That's right, Cinder called him. She challenged him to a one on one fight. He thought he could finally beat her and prevent the invasion during the Vytal Festival. How stupid he felt that he bought her lies. He should have known than to believe her. Of course she wasn't going to fight fair. The blond really hated himself for falling into her trap.
She never came alone. Emerald was there the entire time, hiding. He never noticed because he was too focused fighting the amber eyed woman. And now, he was paying the prize. Jaune didn't understood what happened during the fight. Why he suddenly saw so many Cinders. Did she had something to do about it. The dark skinned girl. He remembered his summons telling him that they weren't seeing anything. That it was all in his head. The knight truly hated himself so much. Not just he got himself into this mess but he refused to believe his own summons. That wasn't all. He refused to tell his own team about the danger he was about to face. The same people he trusted with his life. He kept this from them. And now he was captured and they had no idea where he was. They must be so worried about him. Why did he lied to them, why couldn't he had been honest.
This wasn't the time to shed tears. The blond knight started stirring, another attempt to break free. It failed, just why he felt so weak. He didn't remembered his fight with Cinder left him like this. Wait, Jaune realized the woman injected him with something. That's when he when lost conscious. What did she inject him with. Jaune groaned, he was having a hard time speaking. His throat was dry, just how long was he out. It was impossible to break free in his current condition leaving him to wait until he gets his strength back. The Arc took his time to gaze around at his surroundings. Hearing the dripping sound since he awoke. It looked like some kind of drain system. Was he in Vale's sewerage, below the city. That was his guess at least. This happened because he let his hatred for Cinder cloud his judgment. He was so confident that he was strong enough to defeat the woman.
"Palutena was right, I should have never fought Cinder alone. Elfy was right too. I trust my team so much and I lied to them. Just what kind of a leader am I?"
The sound of a door opening caught his attention. Someone was here. The blond had a good guess who could it be. He lost to Cinder, so she has obviously captured him. For what reason, he had no idea. Maybe she wanted to mock him or she enjoyed having a prisoner to keep her company. Whatever the reason is, it wasn't any good. Jaune was right, it was Cinder who arrived. Just as he thought, the amber eyed woman had a grin plastered over her features. It was her victory over him, she must be feeling cocky, so powerful. Even when he managed to wound her, he was overpowered by her trick. The Arc was thinking about everyone in Beacon, his team, team WRNB, Ozpin, heck, even Cardin and his team. It's like this was going to be his end. He will die again without stopping the woman. Again, he will failed. But instead of crying he held his ground and mustered courage facing the evil woman.
"Finally awake, Jaune."
"Just kill me. Spare me all the gloat."
"Gloat? No. You gave me a good wound and it's healing nicely. You fought well for a student. Not bad."
"So you're going to compliment me to death?"
"Do you know why you're here?"
"I suppose you will tell me. Don't know why bother and keep me alive?"
"I have my reasons. Reasons that are valid enough to keep you alive. And you will tell me."
"Forget it. I'm not saying anything."
"Just because you gained some of my respect, doesn't mean I won't hold back in making you talk. If you know what's good for you. You will cooperate and tell me what I want to know."
"I'll bite. What do you want to know?" Jaune decided to play along, it will help him calm down and maybe, find a way to get out of here.
"First. The maidens. How do you know them?"
"That's it? Come on everyone knows about it. It's one of the oldest stories there is. My mom used to tell me when I was little. I'm sure many parents told their kids the same story…."
The Arc gasped as Cinder's Scimitar stabbed the wall, mere inches from his face. It was enough to make a small cut on his cheek. It happened so fast, it really scared him. The way she was looking at him was completely different. Now there was anger in her amber eyes. He needed to be careful what he says. Right now his life was in her hands. She can kill him if any second if she wants to. But at the same time, he couldn't risk telling her the truth. Telling her everything will be a big mistake. Cinder will end up killing him if she knows of her plans and taking orders from Salem.
"This will be the only warning. Next one will go in your leg. You know Amber is a maiden and you know I was planning to take her powers. How do you know?"
"Ozpin told me" it was his quick reply.
"That will make sense. But no, you're lying. Ozpin will never risk telling a student the truth unless it was a last resort gamble. He's a man who likes to keep his secrets. So, I was told."
"…."
"Think very hard on your next answer Jaune. I'm not fond of liars. You better hope you'll be honest this time" Cinder kept a hold of her weapon pointing the sharp tip, merely inches of his left eye.
"Damn it...I don't want to tell her, but I don't want to die either. I guess telling her...Or I can somehow twist the truth to work in my favor. I just hope she buys it" he couldn't mess this up, the amber woman was deadly serious.
"My patience has a limit. Don't test me."
"It was Summer Rose. She saved me when I was younger and took me as her apprentice. During my training she told me about the four maidens. It's not a story, but very real. She also told me how their powers are transfer to the next candidate."
"….."
"Please let it work, please let it work, please let it work…."
Cinder stood in deep thought before she slowly lowered her Scimitar" Summer Rose…?"
"A huntress that graduated from Beacon. She was part of team STRQ."
"Ah yes, team STRQ. The same team that has Qrow Branwen and Raven Branwen. They are quite popular among Beacon's best teams. And she actually trusted you with the secret?"
"She did. I'm her apprentice and she trusts me a lot. Though Ozpin wasn't happy she told me."
The young woman nodded as she made her weapon vanished. Looks like she bought his half truth half like after all.
"You must be hungry or thirsty. Emerald will come to bring you some food later. You're a guest after all" she turned to leave.
"You're not letting me go, are you?" it was a stupid question but he felt like asking it anyway.
"There's still so much I have to ask you. I'll give you a break for now."
The blond groaned still feeling weak. There was no way he was breaking free from these chains any time soon.
"You're probably asking why do you feel so weak. I injected you with a drug that seals off aura. Right now, your body is nothing but an empty shell. You know what that means?"
Jaune only gulped in response.
"Any injury you suffer from now on will be lethal. Meaning, you can easily die from any kind of cut. The drug last twenty four hours before injecting you with another dose. It all depends if you're cooperative. Enjoy your stay Jaune. Because you'll be staying here for a while."
"And what will happen if I tell you everything you want to know? There's no way you'll let me go."
Cinder only grinned without saying a word. She left as she closed the door tightly leaving the Arc with his thoughts.
"A drug that seals off aura. That must be why I can't talk to my summons. Without my aura I can't use my semblance. I'm really alone in this. I've gotten myself in a horrible mess. No one knows where I am and I don't even know where I am. If I don't tell her she'll kill me. If I do tell her, she will still kill me"
Three members of team JRPY along with team WRNB and Amber arrived at an abandoned building in the downtown district of Vale. They have followed the police investigation and it has lead them here. This was also the last place where Jaune's GPS signal from his scroll was last sighted before the signal was lost. The patrol cars were already parked as a group of officers were already inside investigating the place. The teacher lead the students as she went to speak to one of the police officers. The two teams started looking around. They took noticed of the damage, walls destroyed, a hole on a roof, windows broken, boxes smashed to pieces. It was clear there was some kind of conflict and it all points out to Jaune being here. So their theory was, the blond fought someone who was probably skilled in combat. Weiss and her stood in thought not knowing why the Arc will get himself in this kind of trouble.
But the members of his team were worried. Remembering he told them he was just passing through the city to look at the accessory shops. Obviously he lied to them. It bothered them, their own leader will not be honest with them. But why would he go on his own to fight someone. Just by looking at the destruction here. His opponent was no amateur. It worried them even more of the Arc's whereabouts. If scroll signal was gone it must have been either turned off or destroyed. Maybe during the fight. Now they were asking where was he, was he all right, was he wounded or maybe. Neither of the three girls wanted to think the worse case scenario. They remained positive that Jaune will be fine. They just needed to search for clues around here to get any leads. So far the police looked like they haven't found anything yet. The two teams started walking around and have a better look at the building.
"Thanks a lot for helping us guys" Ruby smiled at the other team.
"Not like we had much of a choice. I was awake because of Nora's snoring" said Weiss.
"Same with me" followed Blake.
"I don't snore!" argued the Valkyrie.
"Yes you do" countered Ren.
"Any idea why Jaune would picked a fight without saying a word to you guys?" asked the heiress.
"We don't know" said Pyrrha.
"And how do we know if he was picking a fight? Maybe he was forced to fight" interjected the red cloak girl.
"But that will lead with more questions. Who would forced him to fight?" said the cat faunus.
"We just need answers" Yang was getting irritated, she didn't wanted to hear any more questions.
"We know it was no ordinary fight" stated the magenta eyed teen looking around.
"It was a serious bout. Jaune's opponent was strong. He was forced to fight with everything he had" the red head champion stood in thought.
"The police already knows that. There's nothing new that will give us a lead" said the blond brawler.
"Guess we'll have to wait for Professor Amber to give us the full report" said Pyrrha.
"Hey, what is that?"
The others saw Ruby walking over to part of the wreckage on the ground. She has found something that has caught her attention. They immediately went to her side. What she found could very well be a clue that might give them a lead on Jaune's whereabouts. The silver eyed petite has picked something small. It seemed it was a piece of something. Her face was in shock, her upper lip trembled a little. The same with her hands. Something about it has really gotten a reaction from her. Yang got worried at her sister's expression. Whatever it was, it must be serious. She noticed tears were forming. It ws something big to make her act like this. Now she was getting worried.
"Ruby what's wrong?"
"This is…."
"What? What is it?" she pressed on.
"This is Excalibur…."
"….."
"That can't be" Pyrrha was shocked not wanting to believe it.
"No I'm sure of it. I've studied the weapon, the model, everything. This IS part of it."
"Does that mean there are more pieces scattered around?" said Ren.
The group didn't said a word as they started searching the whole place. Ignoring the police, they were looking all over the ground. Eventually, they found more pieces. Minutes went by but they've gathered enough similar pieces. Ruby was more shocked at the sight, there was no doubt they were from Jaune's weapon. Yang was now looking shocked, she was able to recognized some of the pieces of the weapon. Pyrrha was still in denial not wanting to believe it was true. But they found enough to tell it belonged to the custom sword the Arc bought.
"It is Excalibur…." Yang was speechless.
"So whoever Jaune fought was strong enough to destroyed his weapon" said Ren.
"It will take a lot of force to actually break down a huntsman's weapon" followed Weiss.
"If Jaune's weapon is gone. Then...It's most likely he lost the fight" Blake hated to say it.
The three girls of team JRPY lowered their heads. Their leader's weapon destroyed. They didn't wanted to think the worse. Yes, he might have been beaten. But he was still alive. They weren't giving up hope. They knew the blond better than anyone. He wouldn't be go down without. He was too stubborn to die.
"We got a lead at least" said the magenta eyed teen.
"His opponent must have captured him after he was defeated" said Blake.
"Maybe if we keep on searching. We might find where he was taken" said Pyrrha in a hopeful, she really hoped they'd find him.
"Everyone?" Amber arrived meeting with the group" I just got the whole briefing from the police. Apparently Mr. Arc was kidnapped. But there aren't foot prints that leads out of the building, no image from any near by surveillance cameras, no concrete evidence whatsoever. They had no idea where could he be. Whoever is responsible, did a pretty good job in covering their tracks" though the maiden had a pretty good idea who could be responsible, the same woman who tried to take her powers.
"We can't just give up. Look, we found pieces that belongs to Jaune's weapon" said Ruby.
The young woman took a glance at the metal pieces" are you sure these belong to Mr. Arc's weapon?"
"Definitely. I recognized the model anywhere" clarified the silver eyed petite.
"Still. It's not enough evidence to know of his whereabouts. You have all done your best. But I think it's time we return to the school and report to the headmaster."
"We're not quitting now!" Yang argued.
"Yeah. We still have plenty of energy to search the whole city" followed Nora.
"But it's late. All of you should be in bed a while back. You all have classes tomorrow. I was given orders directly from the headmaster. We only have thirty minutes left of the three hours he gave us. That will be enough to return to Beacon. The police will continue their investigation. We can resume another day. But for now, you all get some rest."
Neither of the two teams didn't argued at the teacher was right. So they didn't said a word as they followed Amber out of the building. They weren't happy they were calling it a quits so soon. They did got a lead but they still didn't know where this person took their leader. So they weren't giving up that the Arc was still alive and well. Hoefully, he was all right.
"Don't worry" muttered Blake" I will have my people look into the investigation. They will search every single corner of Vale to find Jaune."
"Thanks Blake" smiled the red cloak girl and her sister and Pyrrha, they were more than happy the Shadow Fang will join the search.
"Maybe we can try asking Neptune and Sun to help us out too" added Weiss.
Of course the heiress will want them two males involved. Because she wanted to see more of the blue haired teen. But they didn't argued with the Schnee heiress. The more help they get, the better chances they will have to find their friend and leader.
Jaune was starting to lose his mind. How long has he's been here. The dripping sound from a water piper was getting on his nerves, and the smell was getting to him. It smelled bad which made him realized he must be in a sewer. It was bad that he starting to get sicked. And he hasn't eaten anything. He should had something before heading to the fight but he was too stubborn with wanting to finish this for good. Defeating Cinder matters everything to him. It was the only way to stop the invasion from ever taking place. Once more he tried to break free but it was hopeless. With his aura sealed thanks to that drug he wasn't strong enough to break through the chains. It was hard to even think of a plan in his current condition. The blond couldn't use his semblance either. It was useless, there was nothing he could do but wait for Cinder to play judge, jury and execution.
The door opened as his vision was a little blurry from being in the dark for so long. Was it Cinder again, no, it wasn't her. Emerald arrived holding a tray with food. The amber eyed woman did told him she was going to come to bring him food. At least he won't have to worry of dying of hunger. He might die from torture if he doesn't answer all her questions honestly. For now he was safe. But he didn't trusted the dark skinned girl. She was working for her and she had something to do with him losing the fight with the woman. She placed the tray near him as she picked up a spoon. Mashed potatoes with vegetables and a chicken breast. It didn't looked that tasty compared to the food from the Beacon cafeteria. The same food they used to fight not that while ago. Emerald was staring at him, holding the spoon. Maybe she was checking he was still weak. That he doesn't attempt to escape.
"Hope you hungry."
"I am…."
"Cinder wants me to feed you. Don't get any ideas that I'm trying to be friendly with you."
"I would never doubt you" his stomach was growling now.
"Open wide" she offered the spoon with some mashed potatoes.
"That's good" the Arc was expecting to be horrible but it was good, or maybe he was so hungry that he wasn't focusing much on the actual taste.
"It has a special ingredient...Poison."
"…"
"Lighten up" Emerald gave a small smirk" just because you're going to die soon doesn't mean you should be all gloomy."
"I'd like to keep that option open."
"Well, it is Cinder. I would be the same. Poor you, you have to gained her attention. Otherwise, you would still be in Beacon enjoying your relaxing fun life."
"Relaxing and fun isn't exactly how I will put it."
"Why not? You get to be on a warm comfy bed surrounded with people that appreciates you. While taking classes and chatting how wonderful the world is."
"What's with her?" Jaune had no idea why she was getting angrier.
"You're so lucky. Well, not anymore" she kept on feeding him.
"I know I'm not your ally. But why so much hate for me?"
"It's enough that Cinder has been talking about you a lot. And that you stopped us from taking out Amber."
"I know she was planning to take her maiden powers."
"That too" the dark skinned girl knew about him knowing the maidens.
"You sound like you don't appreciate your life. With the way you were talking just now."
"Maybe. I wasn't so lucky like all the students training to be huntsmen and huntresses. All interested in protecting the world. My case, was different. But I'm not telling you anything."
"Just trying to get a friendly conversation" he chewed more of the mashed potatoes.
"Not with me. And definitely not with Cinder. But if you do answer all her questions honestly, she might go easy on you."
"You mean she will give me a quick death?"
"Probably" the dark skinned girl cut the chicken offering it to the blond.
"So, it's either die a slow painful death. Or a quick one."
"Take your pick. Either way, you're not leaving this place alive. Your life took a turn for the worse when you accepted her challenge."
"And I will guess you helped her during our fight. Was it you that had something to do about those illusions? I kept seeing so many Cinders, I didn't know which was the real one" it was better if he didn't tell her that his summons can see through them.
"Finally noticed, I see. True. It's my semblance. I can create illusions projecting them through one's mind. To put it simple, the illusions are very real to the one who are seeing them, they can't tell the difference. By the time they know what's going on, it's already too late."
"Illusions so real the person seeing them can't tell it's not real. That sounds like Pyrrha. She told me when she fought Penny she saw so many of her blades heading her way it made her unleashed the full potential of her semblance. Leading to Penny's destruction. But she only had four blades. So it was her, Emerald must have been the one to make her see that illusion. Then there was also Yang's match with Mercury. She said she saw him attacking her first but everyone saw her attacking him first. It must have been the work of her semblance too. I knew Yang was innocent and so is Pyrrha" Jaune glared at her.
"What? Getting angry with me now? I thought you were looking for a friendly conversation?"
"Not anymore" there was so much venom in his voice.
"Whatever. I'm almost done" she could care less of his attitude since she was done feeding him the mashed potatoes" by the way. If you're looking for your scroll. I destroyed it. No calling for help."
"I had a feeling you were going to say that."
"How's our guest behaving?"
Jaune glared more seeing Cinder arriving. The amber eyes woman kept her cocky smile. How he wanted to remove it so bad. Emerald on the other hand, smiled at the woman picking up the half-finished tray.
"He ate enough to last a few hours. He should be fine now. He started being friendly with me before giving me a glare" it didn't bothered the dark skinned girl.
"Oh. And why is that?"
"Well…." she cleared her throat feeling afraid that she did wrong.
"Emerald?"
"What's wrong? Not feeling so confident. Why don't you tell her what you just told me?" Jaune was now grinning.
"Shut up!" she snapped.
"Emerald…?" Cinder was now angry walking over to the girl" what did you tell him?"
"Cinder I-"
"Didn't I clearly specified not to engage in any kind of conversation with him?"
"….."
"Oops, looks like you messed up" the Arc chuckled.
Emerald punched the blond hard enough to break his upper lip. Cinder glared at her even more.
"I won't repeat myself…."
"I'm sorry Cinder. I...I told him about my semblance."
The amber eyed woman kept her glare" leave. We will talk later."
The girl immediately nodded as she took the tray and left closing the door tightly. She turned back to the blond knight.
"It's so disappointing when pupils don't obey orders. It's even more disappointing when they fall for such obvious tricks. You have my compliments for convincing Emerald to tell you her semblance."
"Honestly, that was never my intention. I was looking for some friendly conversation."
"Even if you weren't aware, you still did a good job. You just might be a good candidate to work under me."
"I will never work for you. So don't waste your breath."
"I thought so. Now, let's resume the interrogation. How do you know me?" she went straight to the point.
"Damn. Not a good question."
"May I have to remind you what will happen if you're lying?" Cinder made her Scimitar appeared on her right hand.
"….…...…...…...…..…...…..."
"What a disappointment. You do need a reminder after all."
The amber eyed woman changed her weapon into her black glass bow and fired an arrow hitting Jaune's right shoulder. It vanished shortly. He cried out, feeling the pain. Without aura it wasn't going to healed. So it will keep on hurting him.
"Do you need another reminder, Jaune?"
"No" he gritted his pain, the pain was horrible" I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything…."
"Be an obedient dog. That's how I like it" she smiled.
"But you will have to come closer. I don't have the energy to speak loudly. I can only whisper."
Cinder glared she didn't like it. It felt like a trick. But what could he do in his current status. He was chained, he had no aura and now he had a wounded shoulder. He was helpless like a wounded animal that wants to be put out of it's misery. So she walked closer to the blond until she was mere inches away, gazing into his blue eyes.
"Are you ready to answer my questions?"
"Yes…."
"Then let's continue. How do you know me?"
"…..."
"My patience is growing thin. Now answer me before you get another arrow on the other shoulder" her tone was so cold.
"I…."
"Yes?" she glared.
"I...I won't tell you SHIT!"
Cinder punched him in returned as she glared at him" fool. You have a death wish. I thought you were smarter than this. I gave you a chance to do things the easy way."
"The easy way you say…." he chuckled even if he was in pain.
"You will eventually talk" she started walking out of the room.
"So what's the plan now? You'll leave me here and let me starve to death?"
"You will still be feed. You won't die...Yet. Plan B will be put in motion."
"Plan B? Oh let me guess, torture, right?"
"Believe it or not. I'm not a fan of torture. I'd rather kill my enemies quickly."
"So no torture then?"
"Not from me" the amber eyes woman gave a wicked grin sending a chill through Jaune's spine.
The door opened, the Arc thought it was Emerald again. He was wrong. Clad in black wearing a white mask with red designs with his sheathed sword Wilt and Blush. Blue eyes widened in shock at the sight of the individual that has entered.
"Adam?! He's alive!" he gasped that the faunus and commander of the White Fang survived the explosion he set at the docks.
"Make sure he doesn't die. He's valuable alive for the time being."
"Won't promise anything" said the masked faunus coldly.
"Adam?" Cinder gave him a glare that made him reconsidered his choice.
"He'll talk."
The amber eyed woman smiled turning to the blond before she left the room. Adam has unsheathed his red sword katana-style. Jaune was now scared. This guy was crazy, he will indeed torture him. That wasn't all, how will Blake react when she finds out he survived. But right now, he was the one worrying for his safety and well being.
Ozpin stood seated in his office with Amber present. The young woman has told him her report on the case of Jaune's disappearance. The headmaster was in deep thought. He was troubled by these turn of events. If Salem's pawn kidnapped him it could only mean that she someone knows the truth of the Arc. That he came from the future and he know the future events that will take place soon. Finding out will result of his death. But the man kept calm. Surely she still didn't know and the blond hasn't told them anything. He was wondering how she found out. It was no coincidence of all the students in Beacon, Jaune Arc has to be the one to get captured. The toughest task will be to find him. He could be anywhere in Vale. The headmaster high believed he wasn't away from this kingdom. But in which part of this city. The police were doing their work, but they had their hands full with other things such as the dust robberies, the White Fang and Roman Torchwick.
"Thank you for your report Amber. That will be all."
"Sir" paused the Fall maiden" will he be all right?"
"We'll just have to believe he is. But I assure you, we will not rest until Mr. Arc is found and brought back to this school."
"Thank you. It makes me feel better. I don't want to be the one to tell those three girls their leader is...I mean, they're really worried."
"I wouldn't want to be the one to tell them either. But I know Mr. Arc. He may not look like it, but he's very tough. He'll pull through in any kind of situation."
"Goodnight sir."
"Goodnight."
As Amber took the elevator leaving the office, Ozpin filled his cup with coffee. He was going to need it. He meant what he said. He will do anything to find the Arc and bring him back. But the police weren't going to do much or any huntsmen he sent. At least not those that were very experienced in tracking and gathering information. There was only one person the headmaster could trust to do this job. He didn't minded sending his students to search, but they needed more help. Especially if they were dealing with a strong and clever enemy. It wasn't enough. So Ozpin took his scroll, opening the device, dialing a number. He patiently waited for the person to answered as it kept ringing. The man sighed as he took a sip of his coffee, before it was finally answered.
*This better be good Oz.*
"It is. I need your help."
In a large hall. Jaune stood in the middle of a circle that had his family symbol. The blond was unconscious. Surrounding him were his summons. The six, Behemoth King, Elf, Darknut, Celsius, Red Eyes and Palutena. They watched over their master with different expressions. Elf and Palutena were clearly worried sick of him. The ice summon was doing a good job in not looking worried, but she was. The black dragon was annoyed. The beast in blue was stood silent waiting for him to open his eyes. As for the full-armored knight. It was hard to tell his expression with his helmet on. Needless to say they didn't like what was going on. Even with the Goddess of Light's warning. The Arc went on fighting the evil woman and lost. Now they were unable to reach out to him.
"What should we do?" said Elf.
"Nothing, the dumbass deserves it" snorted Red Eyes.
"How dare you speak ill of him!" snapped the archer.
"He had it coming for trying to act all tough. Palutena warned him not to face that bitch and now he got his ass owned. And we can't speak to him."
"Weren't you the one who was supporting him to fight her when the rest of us sided with Palutena?" countered Behemoth King.
"That was a big stupid mistake. I should have sided with you guys too."
"What is done is done. There's nothing we can do. If Jaune can't communicate with us, then it's the same with us. All we can do now is wait and hope"said Palutena.
"Great idea. Let's wait for him to die. Oh that's right we'll die with him too!" Red Eyes wasn't happy.
"Be quiet before I turn you into an ice sculpture" warned Celsius.
There was a sudden chuckled in the hall that caught everyone's attention. It sounded dark and cold. Darknut, Behemoth King and Red Eyes felt a chill running down their spine at the voice.
"And so, the mighty knight falls again."
"He hasn't fallen yet!" argued Elf.
"But he will eventually,"
"Why are you here?" asked Palutena "Jaune hasn't even summon you yet."
"And he might never will. Just to bid farewell to the master who was too weak to save everyone and this world."
"If you have nothing nice to say, don't say it at all" said the Behemoth.
"He's only mocking Jaune because he wants him to use his power" said Darknut.
"What an idiot. Can't you see he's unconscious? Our voices can't reach him. It's like you're talking to a wall . So you're mocking is being wasted" said the black dragon.
"He will eventually have to summon me if he wants to become strong. None of you have the power to bring his full potential. He still hasn't use the key yet"
"And you think you can? Dumb ass!" laughed Red Eyes.
"We can agreed that Jaune will summon you one day. But you're mistaken about being the only one to make him strong. Only all of us can do that. The ten summons will bring out his true potential "said Palutena.
"…."
"Thank goodness you finally shut your mouth" the dragon sounded relief.
"We shall see…." the unknown summon vanished.
"Now if you can shut your mouth too Red Eyes. We will feel better" Elf countered with a smirk.
"Bite me!"
"Please wake up Jaune. We need you. Don't let the evil win" Palutena stood in a praying position.
To be continued
-Gonna leave it here and I'm sorry if the chapters are being short. I'm also updating Proving his Worth and I'm going back forth between stories. But I couldn't be happier that I finally got rid of the damn writers block.
-I feel bad for Jaune he's going through a lot of crap now. He's about to get torture by Adam damn. I hope his team and the others find him. But it's okay Ozpin sent Qrow to the rescue.
-Now you're probably wondering who is the mysterious summon at the end. I won't say anything. But Jaune will summon it soon. Not in the next chapter but soon.
-Replying to reviews and PM's:
*drumstick95- thanks glad that you're happy I'm back. I will continue this story now that the writers block is gone.
*Melee Smasher- lol and no. As I said I am going back in forth between this story and Proving his Worth. So you will see update in the coming weeks NOT years.
*Guest- by the time you read this the chapter will be already out lol.
*Dcraus- for the time being this one and Proving his Worth. Once I finish the later I might finally go back with Journey to Redemption and the upcoming RWBY/Vesperia story.
*Vanitas50- yeah Jaune screwed up big time going after Cinder alone and now he's paying for his mistake. He was cocky, proud and stubborn. He thinks because he's from the future that he has to put the whole weight into his shoulders.
*Classy J0K3R- I know you're not happy with Jaune. But like I said he's trying to put the whole weight on his shoulders. He has to learn to let his teammates help. Ozpin has been trying to help him with that. But with this experience I can assure you he will change. Will he finally tell his team the truth? Only time will tell. Also Emerald wasn't with Mercury because she also has a wanted poster like Cinder. So she will obviously be with her.
*Guest- I went with this path for Jaune so he learns an important lesson that's being in front of him the entire time. To not do things on his own and trust more on his team. Elf pointed it out. He can train all he likes but even if he becomes so strong he won't be able to beat Cinder. Not without a good plan and not alone.
*the silver-eyed knight- hm...Good question. I guess their strength varies on how strong Jaune is since they're part of him as part of his semblance. However his last summon is the strongest of them all.
*Comrade Boseph- I am done looking for Betas. Every time one volunteers for the job they never delivered. Either they're not good or they take forever to send the corrected chapter. I'm sick of it so I decided I don't want a Beta. You don't like the bad grammar okay then stop reading. I won't oblige you.
*Rentable Scroll Publishing- nope you won't wait two more years. Like I said the writers block is down and I will be updating this story regularly with Proving his Worth.
*Patriot-112- I am more than happy to be back. After two years I still remembered the events of this story.
-I can say the coming chapters will be interesting. With Jaune going through some changes that will shape shift the outcome of the story. But you can bet that Ruby, Pyrrha and Yang won't be happy when they see him. Sure they'll be overjoyed but when that's done. Oh boy, I wouldn't want to be in his shoes.
-As always thank you very much for all the favs, follows and reviews I really appreciate it.
Next time: Out