Thanks for reading.
MCZ: I didn't want to make it too crazy.
TehUnoman: I couldn't resist making the reference. Skyrim is one of my favorite games.
xanothos: Paarthurnax's story is very interesting. Unfortunately, this is not his story.
AsuravartintheCreatorDestroyer: I'm glad you like the card.
"We are under attack!" Jaune called. "Gather as many fighters as you can and assemble in the courtyard!"
An instant later, the lights of Beacon flickered to life, illuminating the surrounding area. Shouts and the sounds of running footsteps accompanied the change.
Jaune turned to Ataldis and Tamiyo. "Can you slow them down?"
"I can try." Ataldis responded. "Fog!"
A misty cloud floated in between Beacon and the army of Grimm Rhinos.
Then Ataldis turned to Jaune. "You don't happen to know Layline of Sanctity, would you?"
"No." Jaune answered.
"I guess that would be too much to ask." Ataldis sighed. "We need a way to mitigate the life-draining power of those things."
"My semblance." Jaune said. "I should be able to protect quite a few people, especially if I fuel my aura with mana."
"You know, I forgot about that." Ataldis admitted. "It won't be perfect, but we'll have to make do with what we got."
The remaining fighters gathered before the planeswalkers. There were so few left. Ruby, Weiss and Blake joined with Pyrrha, Nora and Ren, while Team SSSN, Qrow, Glynda, and Ozpin trailed behind them.
"Glad to see you on your feet, Scarlet." Jaune said. "Where's Daretti and Yang?"
"This Rhinomancer lady's clearing up the Fog." Ataldis informed. "We'll have to do this without them."
Jaune assembled his army. The kor now numbered in the hundreds, and the Atlesian Knights were just as numerous.
"Over there." Jaune pointed at the now dissipating Fog. "Is one of those responsible for all the suffering that has transpired. We have lost parents, children, friends and loved ones to their schemes. Let their deaths not be in vain! I have sworn to fight those who have committed this crime against all of us. I charge you to do the same. For Remnant!"
"For Remnant!" The crowd cheered.
Suddenly, a Griffon shot out of the Fog right at Jaune. Its white beak opened to swallow Jaune. Then a projectile from Jaune's left slammed into the Grimm and exploded in a flash of red light. The Griffon disintegrated back into its base components.
Jaune turned and saw Yang and Daretti emerge from Beacon tower. Daretti lowered his newly-built rocket launcher.
"Sorry we're late." The goblin apologized. "I just finished attaching Yang's arm."
Sure enough, Yang's right arm extended into a metal prosthetic. Right before the hand, Daretti had attached an extension that looked like Yang's Ember Celica. Something told Jaune it functioned just as well.
"The Fog's come undone!" Tamiyo noted.
Sure enough, the Grimm Rhinos, each the size of a small house, began charging towards Beacon.
Jaune's kor moved into position, raising their shields to block the coming assault. Behind them, the robots took aim at the closest target. The remaining fighters readied their weapons as the Grimm Rhinos - towering over their foes - ran into the front line of kor.
To the surprise of everyone, the Grimm staggered back. A white field of energy covered Beacon's defenders. Jaune's eyes glowed white with concentration. Then Ataldis realized what had happened. Using his semblance, Jaune had expanded his aura to cover an entire army.
"You won't last long." Ataldis informed. "The Grimm Rhinos will drain your life away, and as you weaken, they will grow stronger."
Daretti reloaded his rocket launcher.
"We'll just have to beat her quick, then!" The goblin shouted excitedly. "Have I ever told you how much I love this dust stuff?"
Daretti aimed his weapon at the closest Grimm Rhino. A projectile shot out of the barrel and hit its target's glowing green eye. The projectile exploded in a blast of red dust, and the Grimm Rhino collapsed to the ground. The other fighters sprung into action.
Ruby moved far faster now, with her semblance compounded by her Swiftfoot Boots - Ataldis's gift from what seemed like so long ago. She swung her scythe at the Grimm Rhino in front of her, but it just bounced off its armored skin. Then the Grimm turned toward her, and a poison gas the same color as its eyes oozed out of its mouth. Ruby dashed away before the gas could reach her.
Weiss appeared by her side.
"These Grimm breathe poison!" Ruby said. "Don't get to close!"
Weiss nodded. "Ice Flower?" she asked.
"Ice Flower." Ruby confirmed.
She aimed Crescent Rose at the Grimm Rhino while Weiss summoned a glyph in front of the barrel. Ruby fired several rounds at the Grimm, each round sprouting ice crystals when it hit the Rhino. The beast gathered more poison, which drifted inexorably towards the duo. Weiss gathered some wind dust and summoned a green glyph in between her and the poison gas. The glyph began to rotate like a fan, dispersing the deadly gas.
Blake took advantage of the Grimm Rhino's distraction and ran forward. She fired her grapple, embedding it in the Rhino's leg. She wrapped the black rope around the Grimm Rhino's legs. The Rhino attempted to step forward, and collapsed onto the ground.
Yang ran in and pummelled the Grimm Rhino with a flurry of punches. Then she raised her robotic arm at the Rhino's underbelly. Her mechanical hand folded back, revealing a barrel of a gun. She fired several explosive rounds and the Grimm Rhino disintegrated into black and green mana.
Then five more Grimm Rhinos approached the team.
"Whelp." Yang managed to say. "At least we killed one."
Ataldis observed the battle, carefully considering his options. Tamiyo, meanwhile, stood still.
"Come on, Tamiyo." He said. "We should do something."
"We're not warriors, Ataldis." She informed. "We are scientists. Our job is to analyze the results, something that we cannot do if we are dead."
"That's what I thought, too." Ataldis responded. "But Korron seems to think we can do this, and although Korron's being really dodgey about what, specifically, we are capable of, I trust Korron's wisdom."
"I need someone to help me research everything that is going on here." Tamiyo countered. "That is how we will win this war. This fight means nothing. Besides, what good are you in a combat situation anyway?"
"At least I'm trying." Ataldis turned into a Storm Crow and flew over the battlefield.
"And failing." Tamiyo added.
Pyrrha felt her soul pulse with energy as she fought against the Grimm. She fired several shots at the Grimm Rhino while Ren ran up, attempting the penetrate the beast's armor. He leaped back just as Nora catapulted herself into the air, her warhammer smashing against nearly indestructible plating. The Grimm Rhino staggered back, then released a cloud of green gas.
"Nora! That's poison, get back!" Ren cried.
Nora propelled herself backward, landing right next to Ren and Pyrrha.
Then Pyrrha turned and saw team RWBY surrounded by five Grimm Rhinos. She felt her soul snap. No, it was a release of energy. Of her maiden powers. Two jets of fire came out of her legs, fueling her jump. While in midair, she aimed her spear at one of the Grimm Rhinos and put all of her newfound power into the throw. The spear flew towards the Grimm with unimaginable speed, powered by fire, wind, and muscle. It entered the Grimm Rhino through its armored back and came out the other side, the tip stuck in the rocky ground. The Grimm stood still for a moment, then it fell over dead.
Pyrrha landed feet first on the ground. She grabbed her spear and nonchalantly walked towards team RWBY. Ren and Nora ran to join them. Then Daretti wheeled up to the group. Evidently, he had run out of ammo on his rocket launcher, since he was now brandishing his shotgun. Except this time, instead of firing hedrons, it fired explosive shards of Dust.
The four Grimm Rhinos prepared to charge.
Ruby grinned. "We got this." She said confidently.
Then the group attacked as one.
Ataldis observed the battlefield beneath him. The line was holding, but barely, and only thanks to Jaune's semblance and his will. There was a large group of Beacon Hunters and Daretti fighting against four Grimm Rhinos. More Grimm would notice the fight soon and the area where the defenders stood would soon be a cloud of poison and death.
Another group of Beacon students ran along the left line, attempting to distract the Grimm Rhinos from the main line. That must be team SSSN.
As for the other fighters, Glynda assisted the main line, casting orbs of purple energy in an attempt to stall the Grimm's advance. Qrow ran across the line as well, supporting areas that needed assistance. Scythe slashed against Grimm armor.
But all resistance would fall if Jaune gave way. He needed to stop the source. Ataldis spotted the Rhinomancer in the distance, perched atop one of the Grimm Rhinos. He flew directly above her, and concentrated.
Ataldis focused on another Grimm he had seen, the elephant-like Goliath. It was a simple form, easy enough to transform into, but since it was his first time transforming into such a creature, his mobility would be extremely limited in its form.
It was heavy. That's all that mattered.
Ataldis plummeted through the air and smashed feet-first into the Grimm below him.
When the dust cleared, there was a decent-sized crater where the Rhinomancer had just been. The Grimm Rhinos themselves were dead or scattered within the blast radius.
Ataldis's legs hurt. A lot. Still in Goliath form, he faced his adversary.
He had half hoped the Rhinomancer would die from the blast, but it was not the case. She staggered to her feet, her armor cracked but everything else intact.
"Abzan Charm!" She dismissed.
Ataldis quickly changed back into his human form, just as a large symbol of a stylized dragon scale glowing brown washed harmlessly over him.
The Rhinomancer snorted. "You dare challenge the might of the Rhino!?" She shouted, preparing to cast a spell.
"Essence Scatter." Ataldis said. The Rhinomancer's spell dissipated. "And yes, I dare."
A Grimm Rhino charged into the crater right at the xenomorph.
Without turning around. Ataldis encased the oncoming Grimm in an Ice Cage.
The Rhinomancer's eyes glowed with fury. Ataldis felt a sliver of confidence.
And that's when he collapsed into the dirt.
"No." Ataldis whispered. "Jaune…"
Jaune was straining under the weight of supporting the life of his friends.
Ataldis was right. He could not sustain his semblance for this long. It was still there, but he was hanging on by a thread. What had once been an even battle turned into a rout. The defenders' movements were sluggish, weakened by the draining power of the Grimm Rhinos. He would have to let go. He would have to let go somewhere.
In an instant, he had made his choice, a choice that would play back in his head for years later as he tried to figure out if he could have saved them.
Team SSSN were surrounded by Grimm Rhinos on all sides. Their loss would be the least significant in this fight.
"I'm sorry." Jaune whispered.
Sage wilted. Scarlet bled out. Neptune evaporated. Sun dimmed.
Jaune had made his choice.
Ataldis felt a small surge of energy through his body. The Rhinomancer was almost upon him now, Grimm Rhinos closing in. He needed an idea, and fast.
"Inspiration." Ataldis whispered.
He recalled a spell Korron had shown him all those years ago, designed to get rid of clones. Would it work here? Well, there wasn't exactly another option.
"Echoing Truth!" Ataldis shouted.
The Grimm Rhino closest to him dissipated into blue vapor. Then the one next to it went. Then four more became vapor. Ataldis reached the top of the crater and saw that all the Grimm Rhinos were actively dispersing into the air.
The Rhinomancer gave him a look of unending hatred.
"You may have won the battle, planeswalker." She spat. "But you have lost the war. All shall fall to the power of the Rhino!"
She gave him one last glance of disgust and planeswalked away.
Jaune stared unmoving at the spot where Sun, Scarlet, Sage, and Neptune had fallen.
Daretti grabbed his arm.
"Come on." The goblin's voice was surprisingly gentle. "What's done cannot be undone."
Jaune walked towards where his friends were celebrating their victory. Soon their grief would match his. Except he had killed them. Failed to save them. Same thing.
Ataldis walked up to Jaune later that day.
"You made the right choice, you know." He began.
Jaune said nothing.
"They would have died anyway." Ataldis continued. "We all would have died had you not done what you did. Remember this: you saved everybody here. And that's all I'm going to say about that."
Jaune looked up.
"I'm going to go help Tamiyo unless you need something for me." Ataldis said.
"How did your spark ignite?" Jaune asked.
Ataldis sighed.
"I guess Korron put you up to it." He guessed. "I'll tell you, but if Korron's going to do it this way, I must first ask you a question: how do you think my planeswalker spark ignited?"
"Your form changed into a girl when you were hurt badly." Jaune noted. "You must think about her a lot."
Ataldis's eyes grew wide. Then he recovered. "No." Ataldis responded. "I do not."
"What happened to her? Is that when your planeswalker spark ignited?"
Ataldis sighed. "For most planeswalkers, their sparks ignite from great trauma or loss. But it was different for me. I had a realization about myself, something that everyone else tried to convince me was wrong. That realization triggered my spark."
Ataldis paused.
"That shell you saw was my original form." Ataldis admitted.
"So when you are badly hurt, you revert back to your true form?" Jaune asked.
"When we first met, you were a loveable idiot." Ataldis recalled. "Does that mean that's who you truly are? No, you are Jaune Arc, Savior of Remnant. And I am Ataldis, the Wanderer. Yes, I gain a tiny amount of energy when I transform into that husk, but there's no reversion, no 'This Was His True Form' kinda deal. It keeps me alive sometimes, and that's all I care."
Ataldis thought back to when he first met Korron, almost seventy years ago. What had Korron said to him then?
You can be anything, just be something that makes a difference.
"If that's all." Ataldis said sharply. "I should get back to researching with Tamiyo."
Tamiyo and Glynda stood at the top of the intact Beacon dorm.
"So do you think your telekinesis could create an observatory here?" Tamiyo asked. "Everything, especially the mirrors and lenses, has to be incredibly precise."
"I could do it." Glynda answered.
"Thank you." Tamiyo responded.
Ataldis walked up to the two women.
"Sorry I'm late." He apologized. "I got a little sidetracked."
Ataldis projected the results while Glynda began building the observatory. Rubble from the surrounding area floated into the air.
"Most of the variations in mana can be explained by natural phenomena." Tamiyo concluded.
Then she focused on a single spike upwards that dwarfed all of the other readings.
Ataldis and Tamiyo focused on the spike in mana intensity, cross-referencing phenomena that produced similar results to no avail.
"This spike in mana is incredible!" Ataldis exclaimed. "It simply shouldn't be there! It would take powerful enchantments to hold all that power in one place! Besides, how would you obtain that much mana anyway? It would have to be in some sort of conglomerate form!"
Then his own words began to dawn on him.
"Son of a bitch."
Dust Crystal 3
Artifact {C}
T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
3, T, Sacrifice Dust Crystal: Dust Crystal deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while using this product.