DISCLAIMER: I own nothing related to RWBY
*** Early next morning ***
"They were here Ozpin. They were HERE!" Ironwood slams his fist on Ozpin's desk.
"We're very much aware of that! Thank you James." Glynda curtly responds.
"Fantastic! Great that we're on the same page! Are we going to do anything about it or should we just stay the course and ignore what's right in front of us?!" Ironwood yells.
The elevator sounds, signifying an arrival. Jaune walks in with Ruby following behind. They stop in front of Ozpin, Glynda, and Ironwood. Ruby stand nervously at attention, and Jaune is in a noticeable more relaxed posture.
Ironwood steps forward to address the two students. "Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc. I feel it's appropriate to let you two know that I think you did exactly what being Huntsman and Huntresses is all about. You recognized a threat and took action."
Jaune remains silent. Ruby fumbles with her words. "U-uh. T-Thank you! Sir."
Ozpin says, "We've already been informed by the General of the event that transpired last night. We were wondering if you had anything to add."
"I... don't know. She was wearing a mask and I wasn't close enough to see much. "
"She has bright amber eyes", Jaune says. "Hair color is ash black and stands at about 5 feet 11 inches. Skin color is on paler side, and likes to use glass in combat. Not much distinctive traits to go on outside of her combat style."
"Her clothes also lit up whenever she attacked", Ruby chimes in.
Glynda brings a hand up to her chin. "That sounds like the woman I fought the night we met Ruby."
Sending a curious look at Ruby, she whispers to Jaune in response, "I'll tell you about that later."
"It's possible this girl is connected to Torchwick and the White Fang, but we still lack evidence to link the two together." Ozpin says. "In any case, thank you for your cooperation Ruby. Why don't you go and spent some time with your team? Jaune, can you stay here for a few extra moments to provide more details on the intruder?"
Jaune gestures head towards the elevator. "Go on Ruby." She nods, "See you later Jaune. Good luck on your team mission today!"
After Ruby leaves, Jaune turns his gaze to Ozpin, and his eyes narrow into a deathly glare. The air seems to grow a little heavier for the other three in the room.
"What is the meaning of this Jaune?" Glynda demands.
"I should be asking you three the exact same thing", Jaune replies.
"Jaune, what do you mean by that?" Ozpin asks.
Jaune points to Ironwood. "Thanks to his outburst from before Ruby and I arrived, it has come to my attention that you have a few things to clarify for me. Who are 'they' and what is their objective? And don't think you can get away with that it is merely for the Fall Maiden."
Ironwood's eyes widen and he turns towards Ozpin. "You told him? Are you out of your mind Ozpin?!" 'And how the hell did he hear me?'
"He didn't tell me enough." Jaune glares. "This is a critical point in time, Ozpin. It would be much appreciated if you'd bring me up to speed. Previously, I'd made the mistake of assuming you were in the dark as much as everyone else. Clearly, that is not the case."
Ozpin gulps.
After taking a moment to gather his thought, he says, "Based on what we currently know, the Fall Maiden powers should be one of their primary objectives. However, obtaining the Maiden powers would naturally lead to another goal."
"Ozpin!" Ironwood exclaims. "You're not seriously going to tell him abou-"
"James." Ozpin knocks his cane against the ground. "Jaune... has every right to know... It was my mistake for not telling him earlier. He is trustworthy. Please trust me on this."
"..." Ironwood remains silent for a moment before finally agreeing. "Fine. Only because you vouch for him."
Ozpin turns back to Jaune.
"Though Maidens are akin to forces of nature and extremely powerful, they have a secondary role. That is to act as keys to certain items. These items, which we call Relics, are extremely dangerous in the wrong hands, as they have the power to change the world. As with the number of Maidens, there are four Relics in total: Knowledge, Creation, Destruction, and Choice. Each Relic is sealed inside of a Vault, and each Maiden is tied to their respective Vault."
Jaune raises an eyebrow. 'Four Maidens... Four Relics... Four Huntsman Academies...'
"I'm assuming there is a Vault under each Huntsmen Academy, housing a Relic?"
"You've caught on quickly", Ozpin comments. "Yes, your assumption is correct. The Relic housed at Beacon is the Relic of Choice, and can only be unsealed by the Fall Maiden."
"And the enemy?" Jaune crosses his arms.
Ozpin lets out a deep sigh. "We cannot be 100% certain of the enemy faction's identity, but what I can tell you is this. The Grimm have a master, and her name is Salem. We suspect the intruder from last night has an incredibly high likelihood of being one of Salem's agents."
'Salem?'
Jaune sighs, "What is the current plan to deal with this situation? Were you able to determine anything from last night?"
Ironwood steps forward. "Several of my scientists have found traces of an unknown virus uploaded into the Beacon CCT network. The virus has embedded itself into the surveillance system, and should be isolated then purged by the end of today."
Jaune nods, "And then?"
"We can use as many of my troops as necessary to strengthen our defenses and further boost surveillance. If and when the enemy show themselves, we can strike hard and fast to eradicate them."
"Why do you always answer everything with triumphant displays of military bravado?" Glynda says frustratingly.
Jaune remarks, "Shows of strength aren't necessary a bad thing in and of themselves. However, showing all your cards like this is risky. This is especially so if the enemy was expecting such a move."
"Yes, I believe that erring on the side of caution is more appropriate for this situation. We do not know for certain their final move, so we mustn't be too bold." Ozpin adds
Though slightly unconvinced, Ironwood nods and replies, "Very well then... But just sitting here and waiting for something to happen does not sit well with me."
"Of course it doesn't," Glynda sarcastically remarks.
Jaune shrugs and walks towards the exit. Waving a hand dismissively, he says, "I'm heading back to the dorms if that's all you need me for."
*** JNPR Dorms ***
"Gahhh! Why do we have to wait until later to start our mission?! RWBY got to go on theirs this morning!" Nora screams in frustration.
"It can't be helped. There are not enough bullheads to take everyone out at once, so they had to allocate the critical missions to an earlier schedule. Unfortunately, the Huntsman we were assigned to tail is not doing a particularly time sensitive mission, so we've been pushed back in the departure schedule." Ren calmly responds.
"Besides, with the incident in the CCT Jaune and Ruby went through last night, I'm sure he appreciates not having to go on a mission so early." Pyrrha chuckles.
"I'm sorry I suddenly disappeared from the dance without notice," Jaune bows to Pyrrha.
Pyrrha brings her hands up, surprised by the sudden gesture from their team leader. "N-no, it's fine! You did what any proper Huntsman would have done. In fact, you and Ruby should be proud of yourselves for being so brave. It's an example that all of us should strive to follow."
Jaune tilts his head up and smiles apologetically. "Still, I want to apologize."
"Geez why don't you two just get together already?" Nora scoffs to herself.
Pyrrha blushes red and Jaune retorts, "Look who's talking."
Nora's eyes widen in panic and she sputters about "not together together" and "friends".
Rolling his eyes, Jaune decides to change the topic, before it became too awkward.
"How about we spend the time between now and our mission to train for the Tournament?"
"G-great idea!" Nora grabs Ren by the back of his collar and drags him out of the room. Both chuckling at Nora's reaction, Jaune and Pyrrha follow behind.
As Jaune and his team walk towards the training facilities, he notices CFVY in the distance. He notes their heavy footsteps, lack of cheery mood, and overall somber atmosphere around them. Turning his head towards his team, he gestures towards the direction of CFVY.
"Team CFVY seems to have just returned from their prolonged mission. Let's go greet them."
Velvet's eyes briefly brighten at seeing Jaune making his way towards them, but the somber feeling from their last mission quickly takes hold and her eyes dim once again.
"Velvet, is everything alright?" Concern laces Jaune's voice.
"I'm fine... I had Yatsuhashi to look out for me." She replies in a tired tone.
"Your mission was scheduled to conclude last week." Pyrrha asks, "Just what happened?"
Velvet looks down, averting her eyes. "Nothing happened. It was just... there were... just so many..."
'Hmm...'
"Velvet," Jaune says softly. "Was this the first time you'd witnessed the brutality of death?"
Her eyes widen, and she involuntarily shudders. Jaune sighs and brings a hand up to pat her on the head between her rabbit ears, seemingly calming her shivering. It is at this point the rest of CFVY notice the scene behind them and turn around to walk back.
"Hey Jaune. Pyrrha." Coco greets. "Velvet?"
"In the end we'd driven off most of the Grimm... But so many villagers... That family..." Velvet whispers. "In that cave... We couldn't do anything to save them."
Coco's eyes widen behind her sunglasses at the last one, and she clenches a hand.
Jaune's eyes narrow with deep concern. This had to be nipped in the bud. 'I do not know Fox and Yatsuhashi much, so I'm unable to get a read on them. But based on Coco's reaction and Velvet's state of mind, I wouldn't be surprised if the two males are experiencing similar feelings... Self doubt... It's a fatal poison to the hearts of all warriors. If left untouched, it will grow into a parasite gnawing at them constantly.'
"We're currently heading towards the training rooms." Jaune looks over CFVY. "I suggest you join us."
Coco steps forward with a grim expression. "Good. We've been looking to blow off some steam anyways."
*** A few hours later ***
Yatsuhashi and Fox collapse on the ground gasping for air, while Jaune stands across from them with his hands behind his back, breathing calmly.
"What the hell... are... you?" Yatsuhashi manages to gasp out between deep breaths.
"Monster..." Fox gasps.
"They weren't able to touch him a single time." Coco mutters to herself. "Are you sure you're not your team's ace? No offense Pyrrha."
"None taken," Pyrrha raises a hand. "We've been aware that Jaune's been holding back quite a bit for a while. Though..." She slightly frowns at Jaune. "I did not realize it was to this extent."
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, you're definitely the best among the first years." Jaune chuckles. "Aside from me of course." Pyrrha sticks her tongue out in return.
On the side, Velvet reviews the footage on her camera, watching Jaune's spar against Yatsuhashi and Fox in slow motion.
Jaune walks up beside her and peers down at the screen curiously.
"Studying?"
Velvet yelps as she did not realize Jaune had walked up behind her. 'I didn't hear him approach.'
"Hmm... why do you have a camera in the first place? Most people would use their Scroll, no?"
"Um... it's for... my Semblance." Velvet replies.
Coco raises an eyebrow. "You sure you want to tell him? For all you know, you're giving him a key to our victory if we end up facing him in the Tournament."
Fox scoffs, clearly disagreeing.
"What? You got something to say Fox?" Coco gives her teammate a glare. "I'm just saying that we'll need all the advantages we can take, given he just laid you and Yatsuhashi out, without getting hit. Actually... I think I'm starting to see your point."
"I trust him," Velvet nods. "Plus, I still owe him for when he helped me with Cardin."
She takes a small breath and looks up at Jaune. "My Semblance is photographic memory. Essentially, I'm able to copy the fighting styles of others with a glance. Think of it as extreme muscle memory. Taking pictures and videos help achieve two things. One, I can supplement my existing knowledge base with various types of fighting styles, and two, the pictures are used to create copies of others' weapons with Anesidora via hard-light Dust. Though it's a little troublesome as hard-light Dust is rather rare and expensive..."
'To not stick with a singular style is rather questionable, but her Semblance itself is very practical.'
Jaune takes a moment to ponder to himself, then asks, "Are there any limitations as to what you're able to mimic?"
"Are you trying to fish for a weakness? I have half a mind to-" Coco begins to rant.
Jaune brings a hand up, stopping Coco's tirade. "You're misunderstanding. The reason I ask is because I have something in mind for her to learn, if her mimicry is not limited to just surface level."
"What?" Everyone exclaims.
Velvet looks up in thought for a moment and explains. "I suppose the only limitation would be my body. If it's not able to keep up with the endurance and flexibility required, I should be able to copy it."
"What are you planning on teaching her, Jaune?" Pyrrha asks curiously.
Jaune grins. "Let's just say that it's the reason why Yatsuhashi and Fox weren't able to touch me."
"A-are you sure? Such a thing is invaluable." Velvet's eyes widen.
"Hmm... I say teach, but it's more of a demonstration. There's no other way to go about it. This technique is not something that can be explained with words, but relies entirely on the individual's insight. What I'm hoping is that Velvet's Semblance can be applied to learning it easier than most."
Jaune strolls into a more spacious area of the training room.
"I will begin slowly at first, then gradually speed up. Feel free to record it."
Everyone simultaneously brings out their recording devices and trains them on Jaune.
With serene, unfocused eyes, Jaune takes a small breath, and begins to walk, each step echoing throughout the training room. After several moments, Coco, unable to help herself, whispers to JNPR, "What is he doing? He's just walking around mindlessly."
Nora shrugs, while Ren and Pyrrha give Coco an uncertain look, conveying their confusion to the scene unfolding before them.
"Maybe he's still preparing?" Yatsuhashi suggests.
"No," Velvet whispers, her eyes staying fixed on Jaune. "He's already started."
Their heads turn back to Jaune, who is still just walking around, but now, there is a haziness surrounding him. His body looks to be moving in slow motion, but the rapidly accelerating sound of foot steps suggests otherwise. Gradually, like ink being spread on canvas, Jaune's features blur until he becomes nothing but a stream of color. The sound of his foot steps seem to resonate with everyone's heartbeat and the training room, creating a deafening sensation. Then suddenly, the stream disappears and the sound of his foot steps fade away, leaving the open area empty.
"What just happened? Where'd he go?!" Coco's mouth goes slack.
"This is a movement technique I incorporate into all aspects of my combat." Jaune's voice sounds out directly from behind them. The entire group jolts and turn their heads around, to find no one there.
"Though obviously, I use it in much more subtle ways. What I showed you was done for the purpose of demonstrating its full potential." His voice sounds one once more from where they had been looking previously. When they turns their heads back to the open area, they see Jaune in a seated position, perfectly calm.
"That's... how?" Ren mutters incredulously.
Velvet looks down, looking between her camera recording and Scroll, comparing Jaune's demonstration with his spare against Yatsuhashi and Fox. Her brow crunches in concentration, trying to take in as much as possible.
"Was that pure speed?" Pyrrha inquires.
"No," Jaune shakes his head. "Whether you believe me or not, the underlying principle behind this technique is not speed."
"You're not messing with us and using a Semblance, right?" Coco doubtfully says.
"Is it..." Velvet's voice cuts through the chatter. "Rhythm?"
Jaune's eyes slightly widen in surprise and he leans forward with a small smile. "I'm impressed."
"Rhythm? What do you mean by rhythm?"
Velvet struggles with her words, trying to explain. "Well... I'm not quite sure how to explain it. But when Jaune was demonstrating, I felt as if every cell of my body was in sync with... the space around us? And in the video recordings, the feeling I get when he walks is... methodical. It's strange to say this, but it looked... natural?"
Everyone's heads tilt in trying to understand Velvet's explanation.
"Didn't I tell you beforehand? Trying to explain this by words is near impossible." Jaune laughs. He pats the ground with a hand. "Come here and sit. I'll explain the broad principles behind this technique."
After they take their seats around Jaune, he lightly taps on the ground with a finger. Despite the lightness of his touch, they can all feel them reverberate through their bodies.
"Everything has a rhythm. Some call it frequency, and others call it resonance. But at the end of the day, they're all one and the same. This should not be a foreign concept to any of you. All of you are familiar with the concept of the rhythm of combat, right?"
They all nod without hesitation.
"It's a concept you all understand on an instinctual level at this point in your training as warriors. However, I doubt any of you can aptly describe the feeling with words. You just know it's there. It's a truth that beyond words. For that same reason is why this technique relies upon the individual to grasp it. Just as there's a rhythm to the flow of combat, there is a rhythm to perception and even the world. My demonstration would be described as becoming one with the world for a brief moment, which is why the sound of my movements and visibility disappeared for you all. I became indiscernible from the rest of the world."
Both JNPR and CFVY do not say a word, due to being stunned by such a concept by even being possible, and contemplating the profundity of what Jaune is saying.
"So just to be clear, this has nothing to do with a Semblance?" Ren asks.
"Technically, anyone is capable of doing this. But reality is not so fair. It falls upon the individual's talent, insight, enlightenment, and perhaps even some luck." Jaune responds.
"And... how exactly did you learn this?" Pyrrha hesitantly asks. "This is something so completely foreign from anything we learn in the primary combat schools."
Jaune gently smiles, eyes unfocused. "The early stages of this technique was discovered and developed by my little sister. She was merely 8 years old at the time. The technique's name is Reflection of the Divine Moon."
'An 8 year old?!' Everyone thinks incredulously.
"Are you serious? How can that be possible? Shouldn't such a genius would be famous throughout Remnant?" Yatsuhashi asks.
Jaune remains silent, but gives a sad, yet prideful smile.
Yatsuhashi's eyes widen in horror and quickly apologizes, "I'm sorry Jaune, I didn't mean to-"
"It's alright. You had no way of knowing." Jaune nods reassuringly.
'He learned and brought this technique to maturity, in remembrance of his sister?' Pyrrha looks down sadly.
Velvet wipes a small tear from her eye and tightly grasps her camera and Scroll, silently vowing to herself that she'd work hard at learning this.
Even Coco, who is normally full of confidence, can't help but let out a sad sigh. This isn't just a technique Jaune is willing to show and teach Velvet. It is also a precious memorabilia.
Jaune flicks his Scroll open and glances at the time. "It's almost time for our bullhead to arrive. We should head over there now."
Suddenly, an emergency alarm sounds out throughout the Academy.
"That alarm protocol is for a breach in the city!" Coco exclaims, then jumps onto her feet.
Wasting no time, JNPR and CFVY run out from the training facilities and head towards the bullhead docking stations. In the distance, smoke rises into the air from the center of the city.
Jaune waves his hand, signaling everyone to follow him to the bullhead they had been assigned for their intended mission.
"Get on board!" Jaune commands the pilot. "Change of mission! Full speed to the city, now!"
*** In the bullhead ***
"A Grimm breach." Coco grits her teeth. "I'd understand if it happened on the outskirts, but in the middle of the city?" She looks to her team and commands, "We engage as soon as we arrive."
Jaune's eyes narrow as he looks out towards the source of smoke. "A team is currently engaged in combat against the Grimm. It's... RWBY."
He notes the Grimm continuously pouring out of the giant hole in the ground.
"At this rate they'll be overrun. We don't have time to wait. We're jumping." Without waiting for anyone else, he dives out of the bullhead, JNPR and CFVY following shortly behind.
As he falls through the air, he notices a familiar raven circling above RWBY, observing the chaos. Looking further down, he sees a King Taijitu slithering around to flank a blind spot in RWBY's positioning. As it slowly reels its head back, preparing to strike, Jaune draws his sword and brings it back behind him, pointing it at Nora.
Understanding his intent, Nora plants her feet on the flat side of Crocea Mors. While channeling Aura into the sword, Jaune swings his arm forward, carrying Nora along with it. Like a railgun, Nora flies ahead of them at high speed, riding on the invisible blade of Aura Jaune had shot out. With a fierce scream, she brings Magnhild down onto the unsuspecting Taijitu's head, obliterating it on impact with ease, killing it instantly.
Jaune scans the area with a pulse of divine sense, then orientates himself to slow his fall greatly, allowing the rest of JNPR and CFVY to fly past him.
'Beowolves and Ursa make up the majority of the outbreak. A couple of Deathstalkers, but with the reinforcements they should not be an issue.' He focuses on three shadows approaching from a distance in the sky. 'Those three Nevermore are the biggest threat. Their feathers will cause major amounts of damage to the city.'
Jaune presses the button on his shield, expanding and segmenting it into his shield blades. Taking aim, he launches the blades towards the incoming Nevermore. As the blades fly, Jaune activates the gravity Dust, pulling him through the sky to his blades, simulating flight.
As he rapidly approaches, he gestures with his gloved hand, diverting the blades' trajectory into the Nevermore furthest from his position, then deactivates the gravity Dust. Taking advantage of his momentum, he lands on the back of the closest Nevermore's neck. The beast screeches in pain from its neck breaking from the impact. For good measure, Jaune covers Crocea Mors with a thin layer of razor sharp Aura, and promptly beheads the bird.
Using its falling corpse as a platform, Jaune leaps up into the air towards the second Nevermore. He stabs out with his weapon, sending a flurry of fully powered Aura blades. Before it could even react to what was happening, its wings get severed before a storm of blades grind through its neck, cutting off its head.
Reactivating the gravity Dust, he gets pulled upwards, towards the remaining Nevermore. Having seen what had happened to its peers, this Nevermore flaps its wings to move backwards while facing this human. With a screech of rage, it pulls its wings far back before giving them a mighty flap forward, launching dozens of large razor sharp feathers.
Without batting an eye, Jaune deflects them away from his body, while simultaneously ensuring they land on the empty parts of the streets below. As the Nevermore was still recovering from its attack, it fails to react in time as Jaune's weapon pierces between its eyes with a sickly crunch, stopping at the hilt.
As he flies by, Jaune wretches his weapon free and recalls his flying swords to reform his shield. He skids to a stop on a nearby rooftop of a tall building, then checks his surroundings.
'Eight strangling Beowolves.'
Their location locked within his senses, he flicks his fingers sending out eight blades from his shield into different directions. Within several seconds, the Beowolves are killed, never knowing what caused their ends. Jaune jumps down onto the streets below and sprints towards the smoking section of the city.
By the time he arrives to regroup with his team, the Atlesian Knight-200 units had dropped from the Atlas fleet, and eradicated the majority of the Grimm. The bigger Grimm were taken care of by the Beacon students and professors that had arrived to help.
As he walks up to his team and CFVY, he points a thumb backwards towards Coco, who is stomping and spitting on a disintegrating corpse of a Beowolf.
"What's her deal?"
Velvet, embarrassed by her friend's actions, responds with a red face. "Coco's favorite clothing store was destroyed by the breach..."
"I... see," Jaune raises an eyebrow. "And any reports on the casualties?"
"Thankfully, there are no reported deaths, though some civilians were injured. They are all being treated in the local medical facilities." Ren responds.
Pyrrha says, "According to team RWBY, the ones responsible for this attack was the White Fang, led by Roman Torchwick." She sighs tiredly. "Why would they do such a thing?"
"When systematically oppressed and discriminated against, is it really so surprising some Faunus are willing to take more extreme measures?" Jaune comments.
They look at Jaune with surprise, Velvet in particular. Blake, having overheard Jaune's comment through her enhanced hearing, watches silently from the side.
"I am in no way condoning such actions," Jaune sighs. "However, it is important for everyone to understand why they have resorted to such methods. Honestly, I can appreciate that they are not willing to take abuse without responding with retaliation. But this..." Jaune gestures around him, at the broken streets and buildings. "is not the correct path. Violence in and of itself is not inherently evil, but there is a time and place for it."
Blake silently nods in agreement, then rejoins her team, having heard enough.
Pyrrha sighs, "We are training to become Huntsmen and Huntresses. By definition, our livelihood revolves around violence. Jaune is right. The difference between us and terrorists is that we use violence against those who seek to harm the innocent."
"In any case, we should head back to the Academy. I'm sure the Atlas military and the professors will handle the rest."