Chapter 14: "Revenge of the Arcs" Pt. 1
Man, a lot of you really enjoyed the last chapter! Tried to do something new with how gifts were delivered, and I'm happy that it payed off! Hope you guys like this one, it took a while to find it as I started working on this on-and-off again for weeks.
Now, onto The reviews!
Wind Dragon Master: I really hope so too.
Siegnir: Since this is a possible scenario unlike the others, this one isn't the full movie.
LightnessXdark: If anything, it's even more powerful. A monkey ate a piece, and suddenly the world was Planet of the Apes in there.
LucasVAMP: I've thought of that, but as what will be shown here, I'm not that great with writing fight scenes just yet. As for the presents, many of them will be interacting with them offscreen like the photo albums; items like the animals and stuffed toys will be explored as a way for them to feel secure, like a safety blanket for when things are looking bleak; and as for the weapons, well without training there really is no point in them being taken out just yet.
Argus456: The Joker will have to leave after the story arc ends. With Adrian in the same area, and how Jaune will be in this story arc, I'd rather not have him exposed to such madness.
Red-Water22: I'm actually planning on doing the whole mission set as one chapter for each mission, but it won't be for a long time.
Jaunepool: I already decided to give him a speed Semblance. I know that it sounds overdone, but with his emblem being a shoe with wings in the back, and his hair swept back like one would have when going at highspeed, it makes sense for it to be speed based.
Again, thank you guys for the love and support so far. One last thing, guys come on. I get that you are trying to be supportive of my personal life, and that I'm not just a dancing monkey XD, but let's all try to be civil here. No name calling and no bullying, please. We are all here to have a good time.
Also, I've received a lot of requests for me to do a Full Metal Alchemist episode, and I gotta be honest here, I'll regretfully not be doing it. It's not that I hated the show, so no one think that, it's just that I watched part of the first season when I was a little kid, and the episode where that little girl and her dog was transformed into that chimera, that traumatized me and made me fearful of watching any more of that show and seeing more horrifying shit. So yeah, I'm sorry if I disappointed you guys, but that show seriously messed me up for awhile, and I just won't force myself to watch something so upsetting to me.
Now that that's out of the way, onto the STORY!
Warning: Major hints to Jaune's Past! (If you don't like what the hints imply, then look back to some of the previous chapters, there were hints sprinkled there as well)
Disclaimer in the prologue.
The screen opens up to an aerial view of the floating city of Atlas at night, with James' fleet parked overhead like a shield for its people.
Winter was confused, "Wait a moment, why aren't those ships protecting Vale?" (1)
Jack looked to Winter, "They had to return to Atlas in order investigate just how the White Fang managed to obtain some of their newest hardware, as well as check their warehouses to see if there were any leaks or anything else went missing. For the moment, only a few ships had remained behind to patrol the city in order to find Torchwick, who managed to escape, and search for any clues on their end."
Winter nodded in consent, as did the other adults.
It cuts to inside James' flagship, where the man is sitting behind his desk, looking over some files. Some were about reports by patrols that were sent after the Breach. Others were about what the Inner Circle was doing. 'Hmm. There's a report of a massive Grimm presence heading towards Menagerie,' he stopped to read this report over more, 'Ozpin was dispatched along with a few of Vale's security forces and Huntsmen to help their militia, thank heavens.' He scratched his chin, knowing that the Faunus would've preferred Ozpin going rather than anyone from Atlas. He narrowed his eyes as he tried to make sense of this new development, "Is this a part of The Queen's plan?"
Salem rose an eyebrow, she never approved of this Grimm migration.
Cinder was confused as well, although she was also annoyed. 'How is this possible?! I need those Grimm for the invasion!'
Meanwhile, Ozpin scratched his head, wondering why he went to Menagerie personally. 'Perhaps the Grimm are too significant in numbers, prompting my other self to see to the defenses personally?'
"Hmm," James turned to another report, "It seems that Glynda has taken some forces to Mountain Glenn for possible leads"
Seeing the next report, he couldn't help the sigh that escaped him as he began rubbing his temples. "Winter and Qrow are currently engaged in battle over one of the White Fang's known bases." 'No doubt bickering, and overall creating headaches for everyone. Why can't they just flirt like how we did back in my day?'
Qrow and Winter spouted off denials about them being together, the latter more vehemently than the former, much to Summer's and Raven's delight. 'So much teasing material~.'
Weiss looked at her sister as she made a fool of herself, tilting her head as she smirked mischievously, "So Winter, I didn't know that you fancied older men?"
Winter turned to look at her with a betrayed look as Qrow laughed.
That turned quickly as Summer giggled and said, "Wow, Stilts. I never knew you liked them young before."
Now it was Qrow who looked betrayed.
Off to the side, Eve was extremely pissed that one of her hidden bases had been discovered.
Sienna rose an eyebrow, 'What hidden base? Where is this?' She narrowed her eyes, 'I never ordered such a thing.'
Just then, he received a notice on his computer that Leonardo was doing his annual 'Grimm Hunt' in Mistral's safari, and wanted to know if he would like to join. He instantly closed it as he held his head with a groan. "Why does he do this every year? We all know that he just pays other people to hunt for him while he lies back in his transport."
The Faunus in the room felt pride at the mention of the only Faunus Headmaster in recent history, though that went straight to anger at Ironwood for spouting such obvious lies.
He closed his computer and looked outside his window, thinking over recent developments, like how the Breach happened, and Torchwick managing to escape. That last one caused him to scowl.
'This isn't right. How was the White Fang able to move so much heavy equipment to Mount Glenn without anyone noticing?' He leaned back in his chair in frustration. 'How did they manage to infiltrate the school and hack into the CCT?'
"Wait what?!" Ruby shouted as she, and the other heroes, were shocked that someone managed to do that.
Cinder and Eve meanwhile gritted their teeth at how the plan was being unveiled before everyone.
He looked around his office, "How?...Unless" His eyes widened, and he booted his computer back up, going for the files on some of the students who are currently attending Beacon Academy.
Opening the folder, he started his search. "Unless someone is lying about their intentions, and are instead spies for the terrorist organization."
Ilia and Sienna felt insulted that their movement was seen as a terrorist cell.
The heroes look to Cinder and her faction, knowing just who that spy was.
He looked through the roster for students, as he felt that with the coming festival, it would be the perfect time for someone to infiltrate the school. "Let's see here." He goes through the roster of the student body and their credentials for any inconsistencies. "No. No. No. Not her. No. This one has a history of being racist to Faunus. No. No." He mumbled negatives after reading file after file, searching for anyone that could be acting suspicious.
After a while of looking at each person with a fine comb, he was left with two possible scenarios. "Jaune Arc, and Blake Belladonna."
At the mention of her partner being a suspect, Yang stood up and was about to punch the good General, before being held back and forced to sit back down by her family and partner.
"Blake Belladonna." He started with her, going over her file again. 'It says here that she is extremely talented in her choice of weapon, has excellent credentials, and is a member of the Belladonna family in charge of Menagerie.'
At that, the students looked over to a blushing Blake, who was twiddling her thumbs.
"So wait, your family is in charge of Menagerie?" Yang asked, getting a sheepish nod in return.
Ruby looked at her, "How come you never told us?"
Blake looked down at her lap, "I was still trying to keep my heritage a secret, and announcing to the world that my Dad is the Chieftain of an island of Faunus citizens wouldn't have helped me with that."
Her teammates were saddened, but nodded in understanding. Yang leaned in and gave her partner a side hug. "Ok, I get it. But no more secrets from us, got it KitKat?"
Blake looked up to see her friends smiling at her, and she nodded with one of her own.
He read deeper, the fact that her parents were leaders of the Faunus island made him suspicious. 'She went missing for a few days after some supposed argument with her team,' he narrowed his eyes at this, 'however, she was later seen helping to stop Torchwick in a Dust raid.'
He backed off at that. He was still curious, so he finished her report, and saw that she was first accepted into Beacon by Ozpin himself. *Sigh* "Well, at least I know that she is trustworthy." If Ozpin himself allowed her to enter the school, then that meant that she could be trusted. For now.
Blake sighed in relief, glad to not be in the crosshairs of the General, but she became worried for the blond knight.
He turned to the report of Jaune Arc. 'Let's see, it says here that he was awarded with several honors from his previous school, and his transcripts say that he's rather proficient with his weapon.' He read further, 'However, his battles against other students seem to contradict his credentials.'
Everyone from Beacon were confused, they knew that Jaune was pretty weak, but if so how was he able to have so many awards under his belt?
Some were thinking, 'If his transcripts say that he is so talented, then how come he's so...not.'
No one noticed Pyrrha sweating bullets.
He read deeper, "He's also listed as never winning a match..." What? He looked incredulous. "How can he lose so consecutively over the course of the semester? True, there are some very exceptional first years, like Ms. Rose for instance, but statistically he should have won at least once, according to his credentials." He then narrowed his eyes.
Going back to the file, he pulled up the boy's transcripts. Seeing the name of the school that was listed, he made a few calls.
After an hour, we see the man fuming by his desk. "Those transcripts are fake!?"
The students gasped, and the teachers looked mortified.
The children didn't know what the hell was going on, but a silent spell from Jack caused them to have a small headache as they got the general knowledge of this Jaune.
Jack sighed as he nodded. "Yes," he says earning their attention, "his transcripts are in fact fake."
At his admittance, pandemonium broke loose.
Most of the students were shocked. Those with crushes were trying to deny his words, the others were thinking over his past fights and couldn't help but feel that it makes a lot of sense.
Yang was pissed that someone lied into getting into the school, thinking that Jaune could've gotten Ruby hurt due to his inexperience.
The teachers were stunned. Ozpin and Glynda were surprised that something like this made it past her, 'How was he able to fly past her/my detection? She/I go through each application with a fine comb!' A sense of dread settled inside at the thought of Jaune being a mole. Maybe not for the White Fang, but for someone.
The White Fang were mostly apathetic, same with the bandits. The latter were more intrigued than anything that a young boy managed to find fake papers that good. Amber was scoffing at the idea that her dad would be somthing so simple as a mole.
The villains were intrigued by this turn of events.
Salem and Cinder wondered how she could use this to her advantage.
Mercury, after regaining consciousness again, didn't really care.
The Joker, who after finishing his torment of Watts, was deep in thought.
Emerald was holding her daughters close as they shouted that their daddy wouldn't do something so lame. Same with Neo and hers. Amber just grumbled by her mommy's side.
Gretchen didn't really have an opinion one way or the other, but she did feel that they needed to listen to Jack's explanation. So standing up, she placed some fingers to her lips and let out a loud whistle. *Whistle*
Immediately, all noise stopped, and everyone turned to her. "Maybe instead of denying it or making up excuses, we could just ask Jack?" She finished by pointing to the god.
Everyone took a moment to calm down and looked to him for an answer.
Jack thanked the girl, and prepared. "While Jaune has lied about his transcripts-" he raised his right hand to silence those who were going to say something, "-you must understand that he is not in fact, a mole, and he has done this simply because he genuinely wanted to help protect the people."
The students and teachers were relieved to here this, especially those with crushes.
"But wait," Blake said, "that still doesn't explain why he lied to us in the first place, nor how he accomplished it."
He looked to her with a raised eyebrow, "Did you tell your teammates your secrets? How about you Yang? Tell anyone about your time in Junior's?"
Yang, who looked the most pissed at being lied to, settled down. Especially when her dad looked at her with a questioning look while her mom narrowed her eyes at her, making her start to sweat. She pouted, 'I mean... I guess fake transcripts aren't as bad to the property damage and people I put in the hospital...'
Blake meanwhile blushed at being reminded that she didn't tell her team her past association with the White Fang, while also withholding the fact that with her heritage, she could be considered a princess. 'I really need to open up more.'
Jack then went on to say, "As for how he gained access to those papers, let's just say that a lot of powerful beings wanted him to fulfill his dream."
Now that certainly didn't ring any warning bells.
Ruby felt nervous, "Now, hehe, when you say beings..." she nervously chuckled.
Jack narrowed his eyes at all of them, "I mean people with powers on the level of gods."
Everyone went silent, most were wondering how Jaune had gained the favor of such powerful forces. Then they remembered that they are currently in a nexus of the multiverse, and it all focusing on the blond knight. 'Yeah, I guess that makes sense.'
Pyrrha breathed a silent breath of relief that this quasi interrogation was over.
They turned back to the screen as James sat back down with a scowl.
"How could he have gotten his hands on those transcripts?" He shook his head. "No, there's no time to speculate on that." He went back to his computer to see what else he could be hiding.
He scrolled down to reports written by some of the professors at Beacon. 'Based on Glynda's report he was becoming more closed off, confining himself away from his friends prior to the Breach.'
RWBY and NPR felt worried, this was the exact state of mind that Jaune had the last time they all saw him before they were sent here.
He narrowed his eyes. The more he read, the more he believed that he found his mole. He then searched for his family's history. 'The Arcs have always had a tendency of marrying Faunus, and openly proclaiming equal rights for them. During the Faunus Revolution, thousands of their numbers along with tens of thousands of their allies sided with the Faunus cause.' He glared at this next piece of info, "'A few were even known for supporting, and even joining, the White Fang later on to this day.'" He said aloud.
That surprised many of the younger audience.
Yang whistled at the number of blonds going off to fight. Ruby was starry-eyed that a large family would fight for such a righteous cause.
Weiss was in awe at how passionate Jaune's family was towards equality, blushing as she recalled the dunce's own persistence in attempting to court her. 'I hope that you'll give me just one more chance.'
Coco and Velvet were wondering if any Bunny Faunus DNA was mingled in to grant the Arcs such numbers.
Blake blushed at the mention of Jaune's family marrying Faunus. 'I wonder if he'll like my ears?'
Nora was awed at the many Arcs that were out there, 'I wonder how many presents Jaune-Jaune gets for his birthday?' She imagined a literal mountain of boxes, and thought of herself climbing it. Placing a flag with her face on it while proclaiming that 'Mount Arc' has been claimed. She giggled as her mom and dad hugged her.
Said parents nodded in respect for the family choosing to fight for a noble cause, thanking Oum for having a member of such a noble house leading and protecting their little lightning bug.
Ren was wondering how the Arcs managed such large numbers, 'They must have been around for centuries.'
Pyrrha was in lala land, picturing herself expanding the Arc bloodline with her own gaggle of offspring.
The White Fang members were shocked to hear that such a wealthy and widespread family had supported them for so long.
Sienna was thinking of how she should... thank the boy for all the support that his family had to their cause, 'And apparently continues to lend.'
Eve was thinking something similar, much to her own shock and disgust after realizing what she thought. 'I swear, I will get my revenge on that god!'
Ilia wondered if she met any Arcs during her time with the organization.
The bandits wondered if any of them would join the tribe, or perhaps the Arcs could offer them protection in exchange for their safety.
Raven rubbed her chin in contemplation, 'Clearly many of them are capable warriors, with a history like that.' She glanced at the human Salem, 'they could even give some measure of protection from her,' then to the flower vase, "I just need to provide some leverage." She muttered as she started to rub her stomach, thinking of strong little raven heads with blue eyes.
The teachers, knowing this, didn't react as their students. Although that did not stop the feeling of pride in some of them for knowing that several Arcs in their lifetimes.
Ozpin smiled as he remembered certain members of the Arc Clan over the course of this Millenia long curse.
The villains were shocked to hear that a single family could field such high numbers for battle. Cinder wondered how effective they could be for an army. Emerald wondered how big the Arcs' numbers were.
Neo thought of all the children that the Joker had, and nodded her head as she felt that it made sense.
Speaking of children, Amber, Peridot, Garnet, and Lucy were all puffing their chests out in pride of their lineage. Then they wore confused expressions, 'Why am I proud of this? Papa never mentioned his family history.' (2) The spell only working as a base for knowing this version of Jaune, not his family history.
Salem felt some happiness at hearing about this family managed to grow, though she had no idea why. She then held her alive again children closer to her.
Oma was smiling softly at hearing about some of the exploits of the Arcs, feeling a sense of great pride stirring within her; same for her sisters. She looked to Saphron, and hoped that she would remain strong during this future scenario.
Said Arc was beaming with pride at her family history, hoping that the Pillars were proud of them.
Everyone went back to watching the screen as they saw James doing something.
The man quickly reached for his scroll and dialed the team he sent for the Vytal Tournament. The leader of the team answered with a salute. "General, sir. How may I be of service?"
James smiled briefly at seeing the professional student, then went on say "There may be a potential leak in Beacon's Halls." His eyes narrowed. "And I may have found the person responsible for the Breach and the possible release of Torchwick. Your orders are to take your team and arrest this man. And if he resists, terminate him."
That got the students to gasp.
Ozpin glared at his friend. "James, that last order is completely uncalled for!"
Many agreed with him, quite vocally I may add.
James crossed his arms, "Oz, be reasonable. The boy has lied, escaping the notice of someone who can be considered a living lie detector." Glynda blushed in embarrassment. James shook his head, "I am merely taking precautions so that no more people can get hurt."
The heroes all grumbled at this, not liking how the man could be so callous but couldn't deny that without Jaune around to explain himself, they wouldn't be as forgiving as they are now.
The children of Jaune glared at the man who dared to announce threatening their papa, 'I would love to give you a nice, big... smile.'
Saphron was snarling at the man who so nonchalantly said that he would order the death of her baby brother, 'I swear, if your soldiers try anything to hurt my brother...' She grasped at the blades that were still shrunken and tied to her necklace as her eyes briefly flashed red, the blades becoming warm to the touch. '...Then I can't wait to watch you burn.'
Flynt Coal nodded, but then looked a bit apprehensive, ribbing the back of his neck nervously, "Sir, is this legal?"
Winter was disturbed by her leader's actions, "No." She whispered. "This isn't legal. This isn't right." She held her Jaune doll close, hoping that he would surrender and no one gets hurt. 'Or worse.'
James narrowed his eyes, "Explain."
Flynt rubbed the back of his head, "Well, I mean, was this cleared up with the Council, or Headmaster Ozpin?" James ceased his steely gaze and simply nodded, much to the teachers in the audience's disbelief.
"Yes, this order came from the Ozpin himself in fact."
"I would never order such a thing, and you know that James!"
He lied, but trusted his gut that something was hidden by the young man. 'And besides, I'm sure Oz would want to thank me for sniffing out this traitor.'
Ozpin snarled at the man behind his beard, "I would never thank someone who would threaten one of my students!" The students felt at ease at his declaration while the teachers nodded in agreement.
Salem blushed at the passion behind his words, remembering how much it affected her in the past. She looked down at her smiling children. 'Well, these four are proof of how his words used to affect me.' Her heart started beating faster. (AN: "Yeah, used to.")
Meanwhile, Flynt saluted and said "It shall be done, sir." Then the line went dead.
James sighed as he leaned back in his seat. He knew that his team will get the job done, they were the best that his school had to offer. He stopped by a nearby intercom and issued orders for a few of his pilots to escort him to Atlas Academy after Dawn. He then went to go take a well-deserved rest.
In Vale, we see Jaune Arc walking rather quickly down the sidewalk, almost as if he was late for something.
Everyone wondered why the young man was in such a hurry.
Unbeknownst to him, team FNKI was tailing him. "Why's he in such a hurry?" Neon Kat asked in a whisper to her partner and leader.
Flynt shook his head and whispered back, "I'm not sure, but probably he's going to rendezvous with some of his White Fang buddies for further instructions."
Winter gnashed her teeth at James' use of his own students for a capture mission. 'Why would he use his students rather than a dedicated strike team from one of the remaining ships?'
Neon nodded and they once more silently tailed the young man as he entered a, rather tall, hotel. They waited a few minutes before they entered after him.
Thanks to their third team member, a cheetah Faunus and Neon's girlfriend named Kim Possible (3), placing a tracking chip on the guy before he left the school, it wasn't any trouble to find him again.
Meanwhile, with Jaune, he was walking to the elevator, stepped inside, and pressed the button to the penthouse suite. He waited anxiously for the elevator to stop at the correct floor, fiddling with Crocea Mors as he waited. Once it stopped and the doors opened, the audience immediately sees that there was only one door on the floor.
Jaune pulls out a key from his pant's pocket that was sent to him and opened the door, showing a long hallway that leads into the penthouse.
By this point, everyone was wondering whether this was a possible nefarious meeting, or a secret rendezvous with a special someone. The ones with crushes hoped not, but were preparing to glare at the hussy that stole their man.
Walking past the hallway, he sees an old couple, a Human man and a Tiger Faunus woman, sitting in a nearby table with a small box laying on top.
Now they were just confused. Why was he seeing two people that were clearly too old for anything evil.
Ozpin and Saphron though, gasped at seeing these two, knowing exactly who those two were.
He smiled happily as they stood up to greet him, and went to embrace the two, "Hey Grandma, Grandpa."
Many of the people in the room gasped.
Ruby got up and shouted, "Wait, that's his grandparents?!"
Ozpin said, "Yes, those are his relatives." He turned to glare at a now paling General. "They also happen to be two of the Four leaders of the Arc Clan as well as prominent members of Mistral's Council, beloved by many in the Kingdom." As he said this, he began to think that that was the true reason behind these 'powerful beings' lending Jaune those papers.
Everyone was stunned.
Blake, Ilia, and Sienna smiled at seeing a Human/Faunus couple, proof that the two species can coexist. 'I suppose he would like my ears.' She thought as she saw him hugging his relatives, noticing that the woman's Faunus traits are her tiger ears on top of her head. They were also happy that another Faunus made it into such a high position of power.
Raven raised an eyebrow at the old man, seeing that while not a body builder he was still packed with muscles.
Yang and Frigga whistled in appreciation of the strong built the old man had.
Tai and Odin didn't really appreciate that. The former reaching over to smack the back of his daughter's head; and the latter subconsciously flexing his own set of muscles, causing his wife to giggle at his immaturity.
Saphron was shocked at seeing her grandparents here, that surprise turned to dread once she remembered the Atlas team coming to arrest Jaune. Adrian clapped his little hands at seeing his great-grandpa and ma.
Eve was glaring at the 'traitor' for mingling with a filthy human, although her cheeks turned red at how the couple looked before Jaune hugged them. Picturing herself and a certain blond at that age. She closed her eyes as she thought, 'Whatever is making me think these vile thoughts, stop it!' (AN: "Hah! That's all you, lady!")
After hugging them, he placed a kiss on the cheek of his grandma, and shook hands with his grandpa, earning a few "aww's" from some of the audience.
"Hello, my grandbaby, how are you?" his grandma, Jeanne Arc, asked while looking him over. Wondering if that old good-for-nothing 'Headmaster' was feeding her grandbaby right.
Oz felt a little insulted, sputtering while Glynda and Qrow were snickering next to him.
The students also giggled as well, remembering the food fight they had and how some of the food they used were hard enough to use as weapons.
His grandfather, Jacob Arc, chuckled and gently pulled his doting wife off their poor grandson. "Easy sweetheart, easy. He looks fine to me," he looks to Jaune and winks, "right, my boy?"
The students smiled at seeing the love this family had.
Ruby and Yang hugged their mom, while Nora did the same with her parents. *Giggle* 'I got my parents back!' She thought with a giddy smile.
Weiss and Winter were a bit jealous that Jaune had such loving family members. 'The dunce is lucky to have such wonderful people.' Weiss thought as she hugged her borrowed Jaune doll.
'If I were to court him, will my children receive the same love?' Winter surprisingly thought as she looked at her doll, then to her bunny. She smiled at the physical proof of their marriage.
Jaune nodded, happy to see his family again, but was still confused as to why they summoned him here.
"Wait, so Vomit Boy didn't even know why he was supposed to be there?" Yang asked as Jack shook his head.
"No, they felt that he should be told why personally when they arrived at Vale." He pointed to the screen, "Unfortunately, there was a slight delay due to some Nevermores in the air space, so they had to arrive later than expected."
When he voiced his question, his grandparents became saddened. Jacob sighed and walked closer to him, "Jaune..." *sigh* "I don't know how to tell you this." The heroes in the audience felt a chill run down their spines, feeling like Jaune is about to receive terrible news. "It's about your friend, the one who wears all white with blue stripes, oh what was his name?" He looked to his wife, forgetting the boy's name, but just saw her shake her head as she too had forgotten.
He turns his head back to Jaune as he shakes his head, "Well, never mind that. Listen, my boy," he says, looking into his grandson's eyes, "your friend... he passed away." Jaune widened his eyes. One of his friends? He's dead?
The students gasped, feeling sorry for the blond. Those with resurrected family members hugged them dearly.
"How?" He asks softly as his grandma led him to a seat by the table.
"In his sleep. The poor boy, he was very weak after the accident." Jeanne told him.
Everyone wondered, 'What accident?' while many mourned the loss of Jaune's friend.
"At least the boy died in his sleep." Summer said to her children as she noticed Ruby tearing up.
He nodded, and she went back to the small box that was lying on the other side of the table. She picked it up and returned to him. "In his will, he gave you something, 'a piece of your past' as he put it."
Everyone leaned forwards, wanting to see what it could be and wondering if they could recognize whatever was inside.
She stretched her arms so that Jaune could take it. He noticed that the box was no larger than a shoebox, a bit smaller even.
He removed the lid, and looked inside.
They all held their breaths in anticipation.
Once he saw what was inside, he raised an eyebrow in confusion. Sitting there in a stack, were what looked to be five long, thin, silver-colored, rectangular hilts with a square hole on its side near one end.
The audience sat back. No one had any idea what they were seeing. Even Ozpin, who arguably has seen just about every weapon out there, couldn't tell what he was looking at.
He looked closely at them, feeling as if he saw them before. Jeanne continued with her speech, "In his will, he made mention that these was his weapons, however none of us could ever figure out how they worked."
Yang tried to lighten the atmosphere, "Just give them to Ruby, I'm sure she'll have them figured out in no time."
Ruby giggled a bit, along with a few others, and Yang smiled, 'Mission success!'
She sighed as she looked at Jaune taking one of the cylinders. "I guess that he wanted you to have them. He said that you would make good use of them." Jaune looked at her, stunned. She smiled sadly at him, "He wanted you to keep them with you." She finished as the couple was crying now, saddened by the loss of one so young.
The heroes felt saddened as well.
Jacob took over when he saw that she couldn't continue, "He had a weird name for them as well," he said as Jaune gently placed the rectangular device back in the box, "oh what was it?" He scratched the back of his head as he tried to remember.
"'Soul Cutter'." Jaune whispered, as if in a trance, before he felt a massive headache. He quickly placed the box down before he could drop it and spill it contents. The pain was almost too much, forcing him to take a knee to balance himself and keep from falling over. His grandmother was instantly standing before him as she moved to crouch down.
Many grew worried at that.
Saphron held her wife close as she had trouble breathing, 'What's going on, Jaune what's happening?!'
Glynda gasped, "What's going on?" She looked towards Jack with worry for her student, "Why did that name trigger such a painful experience?"
Jack sighed as he shook his head, "That's his mind trying to remember."
Everyone looked confused at this. Jack continued with his explanation, "You see, during an... 'accident' let's say, his memories were lost."
Blake rose an eyebrow while pointing at the screen as she took a glance at her friend's pained face, "What kind of memory loss could he have if trying to remember gives such painful reactions?"
Jack looked to her with a serious gaze, causing many to tense up, "The type that comes from having his memories sealed away."
That created shock to settle over almost everyone. Ozpin and Salem felt a cold shiver run down their backs, 'Who could've sealed his memories?' This all sounded too much like magic for their taste.
Saphron, and Jaune's children, were worried. 'Who could've sealed his memories away? How were they able to do that?!'
Because of this, no one paid attention of the name of the weapons.
"Jaune, are you alright?!" Jeanne asked, terrified for her grandson.
Before he could answer through the pain Flynt, Neon, Iris, and the last member of their team Ivan Vasilyevich (5), broke down the doors and like gunfighters out of the Old West, walked through the entrance.
The four entered the room, and upon seeing the young man kneeling before an old Faunus woman and Human man, 'no doubt a sympathizer', raised their weapons as they storm inside.
Ozpin glared at the scene. Witnessing a family in the middle of their grief, and fear for one of their own, having deadly weapons pointed at them, it made him extremely pissed off.
The students also glared. "Get out of here, FNKI, before I go over there and break your legs!" Nora shouted as she stood up. Ren gently pulled her down while whispering gentle words to her, calming her down and earning some intrigued expressions from the girl's parents.
Jacob was shocked at seeing these complete strangers, wondering who they were, and upon seeing them raising their weapons at his family he became enraged as he stood up. "What is the meaning of this?! Who are you people?!"
Flynt ignored his shouts, and instead narrowing his eyes as he readies his trumpet, "By the order of General Ironwood of Atlas and Headmaster Ozpin of Vale, you are all under arrest, traitors."
The other members of his team point their weapons at the family.
Oz snarled as he heard his name be mentioned. "James..."
The man gulped as he saw Oz's Aura manifest out of anger.
The others became tense at this possible fight.
Jeanne was pale as she looked at the team in fright, "Traitors?! We aren't traitors!"
Kim snorted as Flynt narrowed his eyes and pointed his trumpet to the old woman. "Place your hands behind your head, White Fang!"
Jacob was livid, "Are you threatening my wife?!" He moved to defend his family as Jaune began to stand up again, hand on the handle of his sword, and trying to focus his Aura in preparation but was still disoriented by the unexpected wave of pain from his head.
Raven and Vernal nodded in pride at the young man's willingness to protect his family despite his pain.
Ivan gripped his own sword, Anastasia (6), tighter as he yelled "They're hostile!" and Flynt ordering his team to engage.
Ivan leaped over to Jaune as he clumsily pulled Crocea Mors from its scabbard, and slashed at him with the blade igniting from the Fire Dust held within. The flames hit Jaune before the weapon itself did, shattering his concentration, his aura, and loosening his chest piece.
Pyrrha gasped at crush's Aura shattering.
While he was distracted, Ivan grabbed hold of the armor, and pulled hard on it, tossing away the armor piece from his chest. Then, seeing his opening, stabbed Jaune in the heart.
"NO!" Many screamed in anger and sorrow.
The students looked on in horror at their friend/crush getting stabbed in the heart, not knowing why this all happened.
Many lowered their heads as they all cried.
Terra immediately covered Adrian's eyes so he wouldn't see this.
Chibi Blake poked her little head out of the safety of her box, but once she saw Jaune getting stabbed, she yelped and hid back inside.
Tyrian wanted to murder those children for harming his boy.
Raven gasped as Vernal teared up, holding her baby as she cried for her daddy. (7)
Emerald and Neo were doing the same for their daughters.
The teachers were livid, wanting to throttle James for ordering this.
Everyone jumped when Saphron screamed in anguish, taking her swords and running towards the man who basically murdered her baby brother.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as the blades elongated and ignited, sensing their master's will to burn her enemies.
James was too shocked to do anything other than sit in his seat as he watched the Arc woman preparing to plunge her blades into his chest.
It was only thanks to Susanoo suddenly appearing and grabbing her arms to hold her back that he wasn't killed.
Everyone was stunned at seeing this, though many would've done the same if they saw their family die before them. Yang held her baby sister close as the two cried, while Nora hugged her Renny as she whimpered at seeing her brother fall. Ren crying at seeing Jaune die. Pyrrha was weeping in sorrow.
Everyone in the audience knew that unlike the last time they saw him die, this was a possible future. This could be Jaune's future.
Those with crushes felt a deep pain in their chest at seeing Jaune die, watching his body slide to the floor as blood pooled around him. The pain increased as they heard the sorrowed scream of an older sibling. "JAUNE!"
"Jaune!" His grandparents shouted as they saw their grandson fall onto the table, spilling the contents of the box on the ground and lying motionless in a small pool of his own blood.
In a burst of anger, Jacob and Jeanne moved to attack Ivan, before being intercepted by Flynt as he blew on his trumpet, unleashing a burst of soundwaves and incapacitating Jeanne who held her Faunus ears in pain, while Jacob was blown back by the sound wave.
All the Faunus in the audience held their own ears in pain.
The children screamed "Great Grandma! Great Grandpa!"
As Flynt moved to engage the old man, he looked to his team, "Neon, Kim, secure the old lady; Ivan, search the body." before he leaped at him.
They nodded and moved to carry out their orders, with Neon and Kim looking on as Jeanne was still in pain from the soundwaves. She did have enough strength in her to look at the two standing over her prone form with a burning anger in her eyes. She then said "This is treason. You won't get away with this..."
The adults felt a wave of fear from those ominous words.
Back to the fight, Jacob took out a saber and swiped at the boy, as they fought their way down a hallway and into the main office of the suite. Jacob locked his blade to Flynt's trumpet and raising a hand forward, used his semblance to release an air palm to slam the young man against the wall, but he recovers before Jacob could finish him off.
"Kick his ass, old man!" Several shouted out in rage.
Winter, who was still saddened by a team of Atlas murdering an innocent, asked with slight awe, "How did he do that?"
Ozpin, still angered at the young man's death, tried to calm down as he watched Susanoo escort Saphron to her seat, "His semblance is control over the winds."
The Arc woman, now crying softly as she was held by her family, hiccupped before correcting the man. "A-Actually," she started, earning the adults' along with the villains' attention, "that's n-not entirely acc-urate." She sniffled, and ignoring Terra's words that she needed to save her energy, she glared at the General. "H-His semblance in c-control over all elements. And h-he is quite proficient at it."
They were stunned by this revelation, James paling at the thought of one of his students facing off against someone with that kind of power.
Flynt managed to flip over the old man, and the battle resumed.
Back to the hallway, Ivan was rummaging Jaune's prone form looking for clues, the audience shouting for him to stop desecrating his corpse. The box was nearby, its contents spilt and scattered across the ground. One of which had landed close to Jaune's left hand.
The view zooms to Jaune's face, his eyes open but empty, before fading to black.
The heroes felt deeply saddened, the ones with crushes were devastated, and the villains were mostly disappointed.
They all wondered what would happen to the old couple now that their grandson was dead.
The screen opens up to a dark city, with tall skyscrapers as far as the eye could see. What's strange is that the view has them pointing sideways instead of upwards.
Mercury looked to Jack, "Hey man, I think the screen's on the fritz."
Many nodded in agreement. Jack though, shook his head, "No, what you are viewing right now is correctly portrayed."
Penny, after clearing her eyes from her tears with her hoodie's sleeves, said in a soft voice "But that's impossible, how can we see something that defies the laws of physics?"
Jack just points to the screen, "I guess you'll have to wait and see."
The screen focuses on one building in particular, where the audience can see a body lying on the wall like it was the ground. Peering closer, they all gasp. It's Jaune!
"JAUNE/PAPA!"
We see Jaune's prone form as the audience hears his grandparents' voices, "Jaune!" followed by their screams of pain.
The heroes flinched at that.
"They're in danger. Your family is in danger. Get up." A grave voice whispers in the wind, its unrecognizable to those in the audience.
"Who's that?" Nora asks, sniffling a bit as she wipes her eyes with Ren's sleeves.
Yang shook her head, "I don't know, but it sounds like that person is trying to help him." She turns to Jack, "Who is that guy?"
"A fragment," the god says, "a part of his past that is trying to lend him strength." He smiles. "Just like he has done before."
"Get up. Get up." It keeps repeating its mantra in a steady voice. "If you don't get up, your family will die. You must Protect them. If you hesitate now you will die. Get up."
Everyone hoped that the voice's words would get through.
Soon a sort of pressure was released into the audience for a moment, many noting how similar it was to what Jack did when they first met.
Back to the outside world, Jaune's left hand twitched.
The heroes cheered, seeing the hand moving. They were first shocked to realize that the young man survived being impaled, but they were happy nonetheless. None more so than his family and crushes.
It twitched until it felt the tube and quickly grabbed it.
Their cheers grew louder.
He then quickly grabbed the neck of Ivan, and as he chocked in surprise and fear as the boy he thought he killed strangled him, Jaune began to stand up. His grip was too tight for the boy to fight against, no matter how hard he tried to escape. Once at full height, a glowing blue blade activated from the tube, illuminating the hallway in a soft blue light.
The students marveled at the pretty blade.
Velvet so desperately wanted to take a picture of it while Ruby salivated, wanting to know how such a small thing could emit such a blade. Penny wanted to examine it in the hopes that it could help her in her battles, same with Weiss and Winter.
The adults were amazed by how sophisticated the weapon was, especially with how small the hilt was.
Cinder thought that it would be better with a red blade with black hilt. Though she did appreciate that the boy was chocking out his enemy with a single hand, smirking sadistically as she watched.
He stood up, with the rest of team FNKI gaping at the sight, his head down. The view zooming to his chest where the wound was shining in a white glow with steam emanating from it, before it all stopped, showing the audience that it was gone.
"What the?" Yang asked surprised. Make no mistake, she was happy to see her fellow blond rise again, and with the hoodie burned away could see his developed figure. But she, and many others, couldn't think of a reason for how his Aura managed to heal a cauterized, not to mention fatal, thrust to the heart. She turned to Jack, "Hey Jack, how did Jaune do that?"
Jack was about to point out the reason for this when Oma did it herself, "That, was his semblance."
That got her, and everyone else's attention. Jack narrowed his eyes at the 'child', knowing full well that it wasn't his Semblance that instantly healed him. Nor was it the first time he had his chest ripped open.
Oma ignored the god's glare and continued with her explanation, "You see, his Semblance is called Aura Amplification, and it can amplify the Aura of others by transferring some of his own, never having to worry about running out due to his own substantially large reserves. Extremely serious wounds, such as broken bones or a slice through the stomach. He can even use his Semblance to enhance the power of other Semblances." As she explained further, the more the audience was in awe at his potential power. Oma took a deep breath, "He can even use it to enhance his own reserves to be nearly unstoppable and un-killable."
That had everyone thinking, a Semblance that can enhance other people's powers?
The students thought of how cool he could be if Jaune were to unlock it. Pyrrha was beaming with pride, being the first of their friends to know that Jaune had potential.
Ozpin was proud as well, though for some reason he felt more so than if it were just a regular student of his.
Glynda felt even more shame at thinking so poorly of one of her students. 'I wonder, if I had taken my duties as a professor...' She lowered her head a bit. 'Would he have had the strength to not fall in the first place?'
Salem wondered how such a power could benefit her cause.
Tyrian grinned, hoping he would kill those little shits.
As for Cinder, she was salivating as her clouded over with a deep lust. Her thighs rubbed together, 'MINEMINEMINE!' Her mind conjuring up fantasies where Jaune used his power to enhance her Maiden powers and with his help conquered the world.
The baby dragon didn't like the constant movements, and so got off her lap and went to rest by the foot of her seat thinking 'Sheesh, mistress sure is in heat.'
Raven was thinking similar thoughts as she wondered if the boy could enhance her own Maiden abilities.
As Kim and Neon stared in amazement, and Jeanne looking on with teary eyes, Jaune thrusted the blue blade into Ivan's chest, payback for before. The blade, for some reason, ignored his aura completely, and stabbed through his chest, the affected skin burning as the blade is buried inside his flesh (8).
The cheering died when Jaune thrusted the blade into Ivan's chest, eyes wide when it completely bypassed his Aura. Thought the mad Faunus clapped at his actions in merriment.
Saphron smirked at the death of the man who killed her baby brother. 'Revenge!'
Terra covered Adrian's eyes so he wouldn't get to see another death so soon.
The heroes were horrified, wondering what kind of person would want to design something that could kill Huntsmen so easily, and at such a young age too. Then they paled as they remembered what the blades were called. 'Soul Cutter.' They shuddered, that name was more true than thy first thought.
The Heroes paled at how dangerous their lives would be if those things ever fell into the wrong hands.
Salem immediately wanted that sword, as did the rest of her faction.
He gave a quiet gasp in surprise, before slumping in Jaune's grip.
Neon and Kim widened their eyes at seeing their teammate's death, and watched as the traitor slowly pulled his weapon out of him and let go of his neck, the body dropping to the ground in a dead heap. "Ivan!"
Kim raced forwards, using her weapon, a whip called Unstoppable Stoppable, at the ready. However, Jaune, in a move faster than what the audience could follow, simply sidestepped to her side and twirled, quickly cutting her head off.
The heroes felt sick. That was now two teenagers dead. James felt horrible, he wanted to blame Jaune for killing his students. 'But who ordered them to do this?' His conscience whispered to him, making him bow his head in regret. 'If you didn't order this attack, then none of this would have happened.' He was too wrapped up in guilt, that he didn't stop to think why his conscience had a young, female voice.
Oma was staring at the man, hoping that he would finally see reason.
The villains were munching on some popcorn. Cinder especially was ecstatic over this new turn of events.
Neon let loose a cry of rage and sorrow as she watched her love get decapitated and moved to attack, only for her leg to be grabbed by the old woman.
Jeanne, kneeling now, grabbed her leg in a vice grip.
As Neon turned to attack her, Jaune somehow fazed into existence and stabbed her in the chest.
The audience were shocked by the boy's newfound speed.
"What the heck was that?!" Ruby shouted, "I thought his Semblance was Aura Amp-whatever, not speed!"
Many murmured various agreements.
In order for the 'little girls' to not deceive them again, Jack immediately responded. "It is, however several years ago he discovered some powers that could allow him amazing abilities." 'Well, more like the powers were forced upon him.' He thought.
That got everyone's attention. "How did this boy acquire these abilities?" Salem asked with a raised eyebrow, thinking that the voice from before was the cause.
Jack shrugged, "He was touched by Death."
That made most people gasp, fearing the worst. Some began thinking that this 'accident' may have been more severe than they initially thought. Although his friends did wonder how he never displayed such powers before, 'Maybe the ones who sealed his memories knew how dangerous they were?' some thought.
Summer, Frigga, Odin, Salem, and Gretchen all held onto their loved ones as they heard the Death part mentioned.
Though Saphron was worried for her brother as well, she also had her jaw dropped, 'It's as the prophesy stated! First tested by conquering the Realms of Death. But if that's the case, how did he go about conquering it?!' She rubbed her chin, "Maybe it's because he survived his accident?" She asked in a quiet voice.
Salem and Cinder wondered how dying could've offered the boy these abilities.
Neon coughed up some blood, not believing how this operation went wrong. She looked to the one who killed her, and with the last of her strength whispered, "How?" before sliding off the blade and falling to the ground next to Jeanne, dead.
James felt even worse, blaming himself for having sent his students to die. 'And for what?' The voice asked. The man didn't have an answer.
Jaune didn't respond, simply going over to his grandma. But she quickly waved him off, saying that his grandpa was still fighting. His eyes, now visible, flashed with a hidden light making the irises glow, and he went over to where the others were fighting.
The villainesses felt a deep stirring in their lower regions when they saw his eyes glow. Cinder blushed as she drooled at his serious expression and the hidden power within him.
The students with crushes on him, despite the situation, couldn't help but sigh at him rushing to protect his family.
Glynda and Winter blushed as they thought that his serious face suited him.
Raven smirked in approval, unconsciously rubbing her thighs together as she witnessed the boy kill for his Clan. Vernal was cheering her man.
Jaune's children were shouting encouragements for their papa to "kill the last of the people who dared mess with the Arcs!"
Many of the heroes felt weird when they shouted that. Raven, their mothers, and Cinder encouraged it though.
Joker was grinning madly, hoping that his other would finish what he started, 'Three down, one to go!'
Back to the battle, the two had moved to the back of another living room, in front of a large window making up the majority of the wall overlooking Vale. There, Flynt let loose another sonic blast, missing Jacob but shattering the window behind them into pieces.
As Jacob dodged, Flynt kicked him, forcing him out onto the ledge, which the audience noticed was twenty stories up at least, where a fall like that would be fatal they noted with grimm horror. The winds strong enough to force the two combatants into squinting their eyes in order to see.
Flynt then grabs his weapon and swings it like a club at Jacob. The old man wasn't prepared for this surprise move, and so when the trumpet slammed into the sword's hilt, he was forced to let go, watching it sail away into the streets below.
Flynt then kicked Jacob to the edge of the wall, where he slides down, winded but still determined to fight.
James sighed in relief, happy that another of his students wouldn't fall to an Arc.
The others were simply impressed that an old man was able to last that long against a much younger opponent.
Raven felt that although he lost his duel, she should still respect him for fighting at all, and from his expression still willing to do so.
Flynt shouts over the winds, "You are under arrest, traitor!"
Jacob merely glares at the young man who ordered his grandson's death. Snarling at the man as he readies his second wind.
Flynt continues with his speech, "The tyranny of the White Fang will end. You have lost!"
The White Fang members felt insulted by that, especially coming from an Atlas dog.
Sienna stood up, glaring at the boy, "We are the tyrants?! What about you, subjugating my people for generations?!" Ilia and Eve nodded as they snarled at the arrogant claims of Atlas.
Jacob shakes his head, using some of his remaining aura to quiet the winds, "You Atlas dogs, always so prideful...Never seeing that your precious army, your precious rules..." he starts chuckling, "They are only ever an invitation for others to rebel against you." The White Fang members were shocked that a human would say that, but pleased to be proven right. He then starts laughing as he shakes his head, "As for me losing... No. No! no, you have lost! You, will, die!"
He raises his hands, and using half of the what remained of his Aura, unleashes a devastating lightning blast at him. They are mostly blocked by Flynt's quick response, using his trumpet and Aura to weather the blast, but he does release a short scream of pain as a few bolts managed to hit home. The effort of his attack forces Jacob to be pushed back against the window sill.
The audience were shocked that the old man, exhausted as he looked, was still able to unleash such a powerful attack...
Raven and Vernal were in awe. Jaune's children were filled with pride.
The adults gulped in fear.
The students were terrified.
And the villains were impressed.
they all wondered if the old man was this powerful at his advanced age, then how strong was he at his prime? The possible implications made many shiver in their seats.
"You will die, traitor!" Jacob yells in fury, unleashing more waves of lighting at him.
James and Winter looked on with fear for the last remaining member of FNKI.
Ozpin could only watch in sadness over a team with such potential be cut down due to a friend's lie.
Through gritted teeth, Flynt replies with "You, are the traitor! Aarrrrggghhhhh!" With a scream of effort, he uses a majority of his remaining Aura to project a shield and redirected the lightning back at the old man, shocking him instead.
James was hoping that this would end the fight.
The old man started screaming at his own attack being repelled back at him but he held on, surprising everyone of his tenacity, knowing that his enemy would run out of aura soon. 'I can't hold on any longer, though.' With a groan, he held on. His face beginning to twist and distort a bit from the power directed at him.
The audience were sick as they watched the old man start to become disfigured as his Semblance was being used against him.
Saphron felt sick, and Terra was still covering their son's eyes so he wouldn't see his great grandpa be disfigured.
Jacob started to falter, 'I can't, give up. I-I'm too weak. I can't hold on any longer.' he thinks, before with one final push from Flynt, stopped his attack. The effects of the lightning directed at him visible on his face. His face was only slightly disfigured, but was still noticeable to the audience.
Flynt glared at him, "You White Fang sympathizer, I am going to end this once and for all." The winds were starting to pick up again, blowing some of the glass away. "For your crimes against the Kingdoms of Atlas and Vale, I sentence you to death."
The heroes begged Flynt not to do this.
Jacob glared, and in a weak voice said "This is illegal. If I am a traitor, then I must stand trial over a court of law!" Stopping to cough.
Winter nodded, hoping that Flynt would see that all this was a misunderstanding, but also knowing that it was most likely too late to stop it.
Flynt shakes his head, "This was under the direct command of Ironwood AND Ozpin, that is enough of a justification."
Again, Ozpin growled at this lie, glaring at a now regretful looking James. Glynda and Qrow were also looking disapprovingly at him, causing the guilt to become worse.
Jacob's eyes widen at the names. Flynt continues with "Besides, you're too dangerous to be kept alive." He raises his weapon to his lips to kill the old man.
"NO!" Several shouted out.
Just as Flynt was about to finish it, Jaune fazed into existence next to him and swipes his blade in an upward swing, slicing through the trumpet in half and cutting off Flynt's arms at the elbow.
*Blarg* Ruby, Penny, and several others threw up.
The children felt a bit queasy, especially when Flynt started screaming, but they held firm in the knowledge that their great grandpa was safe.
Ozpin closed his eyes in sadness, knowing that a team of exceptional individuals were all gone.
James stood up with a look of horror, "NO!" All the while thinking, 'What have I done?!'
Flynt screams in pain, staring at his amputated arms in shock. Jacob stares in disbelief at seeing his dead grandson alive again, but the screams shakes him back to the present, and he springs to life once more.
With the last of his Aura, he flings his arms forwards and unleashed the full force of his lightning attack. With his opponent distracted by the pain of his severed limbs, and his Aura spent from protecting him with the last barrage, he wasn't able to mount any kind of defense.
As blue bolts engulf his body, forcing him to shake in pain, he looks at Jaune in horror, his final thoughts being that his team is most likely dead now, before the force of the attack flings Flynt Coal out the window and falls twenty stories to his death. There are no more screams. Only silence. Jacob then lowers his arms.
The audience is in silence. The students mourn over the deaths of team FNKI.
The teachers lower their heads in respect, and mourning.
Winter sniffled, seeing a team be lost, and over a lie. She hugged her Jaune doll close for comfort.
Raven and Vernal looked on in respect. They knew that their leader lied to them, and thus it wasn't their faults for doing this. The least they could do was be respectful of the fallen.
Saphron looked at the devastated General with a sadistic glee, of course away from her wife. 'You tried to murder my baby bro. you deserve this and more, you bastard.'
James sat down, and held his head in his hands in grief. He wanted to blame the Arc boy, he really did. But no matter how hard he tried to think things through, it all boiled down to one thing. 'I ordered them into this mess. What happened here was my fault.' He looks to the screen in sorrow, 'Please, please forgive me.'
Oma looked at the General, nodding at his grieving form. 'At last, he begins to see.' She turns to the screen as she holds her mama's arm tight. 'However, this is only the beginning. Soon, they will all know not to mess with the Arcs.' Her eyes narrowed as her eyes flashed red, 'They will all know not to mess with our family.'
In deep breaths, Jaune looked at the empty space that Flynt once stood in horror. He stumbles backwards, as if waking up from a dream, before the back of his feet hits a nearby chair and he sits down. "What have I done?" He asks himself as he drops the now deactivated handle, face flowing with tears as he starts to regret his recent actions.
The students felt saddened by his words, knowing that what he did was merely instincts.
James looked on in regret, seeing the proof that the boy was never a threat to begin with. 'After all,' he thinks as he tears up a bit, 'no one so young can fake that level of self-loathing so easily.'
Raven shakes her head, "You did what had to do, in order to protect your loved ones." She says with a determined expression, earning a few nods from those with families.
Jacob struggles, but he manages to stand back up.
Looking at his distraught grandson, and seeing his beloved wife limping into the room, he says "You were merely Protecting your family, Jaune." He says with some effort, smiling softly as Jaune looks at him in shock. He nods to him, "Just as any member of our Clan would."
Jaune looks on, and upon seeing the state of his grandpa moves to help him, but Jacob simply raises a hand, stopping him in his tracks.
"Do not worry about me." As Jacob says this, Jeanne rushes to his side, "We must instead focus on this new and dangerous turn of events." He snarls openly and growls out, "We have been betrayed."
The heroes felt fear rising within, that growl along with his disfiguration made for a terrifying sight.
Ozpin whispered, "I would never betray you, my friend."
Jaune stiffens at this, glaring at the floor. Then his eyes widen, "The ones who came to, 'arrest', us." He begins with a scowl, before looking back at his elders, remembering where he saw them before. "they were students from Atlas."
Jacob nods, "Yes. And their leader said that the order to have us all killed was approved by both Ironwood and Ozpin." Jeanne gasped, and Jaune's jaw dropped.
"What?!" They only heard that they were under arrest, not assassinated.
Jacob sighed, "If Ol' Irondick has seen fit to use his students to do his dirty work, then we cannot trust those from Atlas." He turns to Jaune as Jeanne forces him to move to a nearby chair to sit down.
"And if this was all cleared by Ozpin, then we cannot trust those from Beacon either."
Said people from Beacon were horrified by this.
Yang stood up, "We wouldn't even think of betraying our friends!"
Many of them nodded, Ruby and Nora rising up to voice their agreements.
Jaune was horrified; but as he sees his family, and their injuries, his resolve settles, "You are right." He says, devastating his friends, as he looks to them with a determined expression. "I will do whatever it takes, for my family to remain safe."
His headache suddenly returns, images of locations and faces flashing in his mind as he closes his eyes briefly.
Pyrrha was heartbroken, her team hugging her as they cried together. They, and their other friends, all felt as if an arrow struck their hearts at his cold words.
The villains, Salem in particular, wondered how this would play out.
Only a few took notice over his second headache.
Jacob nods, gazing at his grandson with pride. "Good. We'll need that resolve." He stands back up, under the disapproval of his wife, and continues with "If the Arcs are to survive this storm, then we must work together."
Jaune kneels before them, "I swear on my honor, the Arcs will overcome." He looks up, "We will not let this transgression go unpunished."
The students shrunk at his cold words, fearing what that meant.
The older adults, having read up on some of the history of the Arcs' exploits in the past, could only shake in fear. They knew that whenever people gave offence to the Arcs, it didn't go over too well for them. Ozpin gulped, 'Normally they ended with piles of bodies stacked high.'
Saphron nodded, fully agreeing that something had to be done. Their honor demanded it!
His children all felt the same as their 'aunt'.
Jeanne gazes at him, nodding at his commitment. "Good. Good." She waves him up, "Rise, young Arc." He does, and she goes over to the bedroom. Coming out a minute later with two black cloaks, one to cover her grandson up from the cold night.
The villainesses pouted at the end of their free show.
Over at Menagerie, where Menagerie's militia and Vale Defense Forces were fighting a large army of Grimm on a beach, the screen heads over to an FOB. There, the audience sees Ozpin looking over a map of the island provided by the Chieftain. Speaking of which, Kali and Ghira Belladonna were there with him, providing advice over the terrain.
Yang whistled at the large beast of a man, "holy cow, that's your dad?"
Blake nodded, not liking how Yang whistled at her father, "Yes, now please, don't do that again." Her partner looks at her questioningly. "It's weird."
Meanwhile Mercury was drooling at the MILF onscreen, before Peridot smacked him in the face for being a pervert, earning a laugh from her sister and mommy.
The Headmaster suddenly winced, and holds his head with his left hand as he closes his eyes. For some reason, he felt something wrong, a great disturbance.
Back at the hotel, Jacob is putting on the second cloak provided by his loving wife, to hide his slight disfigurement temporarily until his Aura replenishes and heals him.
He then turns to face Jaune as he put on his hood. "Because James and Ozpin did not trust us, my grandson, I believe you are the only Huntsman with no knowledge of this plot. When they learn of what has transpired here, they will kill us. Along with the rest of our beloved Clan."
Jaune nods, Jeanne by his side. "I agree. The Huntsmen's next move, will be against the rest of the Clan."
The heroes could only watch in horror as Jaune thought that they would target his entire family.
James felt like he received a punch to the gut. 'How could they think that I would lower myself to target an entire family?!'
His feminine conscience whispered, 'Like how you didn't target the young Arc?'
He flinched.
Jeanne glares at Jaune as she moves in front of him, her statement causing gasps of fear from the heroes and whispers of intrigue from the villains. "Every single Huntsmen, including your friends, are now enemies of the Arc Clan. You understand that, don't you?"
Jaune takes a deep breath, and stares fearlessly at the two. "I understand, grandma."
Pyrrha was sobbing, not wanting to believe that Jaune would view her as an enemy. Same with their friends, they wanted to go there and assure him that they would never wish to bring harm to him or his family.
Jacob looks to the side, saying "We must move quickly. The Huntsmen are relentless; if they are not all destroyed, it will be constant war without end." He turns back to his grandson, "First, we must deal with those in Beacon," he shakes his head with a sigh as he goes over to the desk, and sits down on his chair, "but we don't have the numbers to take them on quickly before they can mount another attack."
Jaune looks down in thought, wondering the same thing. His eyes narrowed as he remembers someone who can help. Several old enemies that swore fealty to him, along with a crazy man with a white and green hat. Perhaps they have the numbers the Clan needs. He looks back to his grandpa and says "I may know of a few who can give us the army we need."
Jeanne looks at him in contemplation, but once she sees his confidence in his plan, nods. "Then you must go to them, acquire the help of these people." She turns to glare outside, "Then take your troops and head towards the school. We will catch them off balance."
Everyone wondered what kind of army Jaune mentioned. The way he said it caused the heroes to wilt as they felt that they would know soon enough.
The villains wondered if this army could help them in their cause.
Jacob continues where his wife left off, "Do what must be done, Jaune Arc. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy. Only then will our Clan be safe."
That got the students to shiver in fear.
Jaune looks confused at his grandfather's declaration, "But what about the other Huntsmen spread across the planet?"
Jeanne shakes her head as she turns to look at him, "Their betrayal will be dealt with." She says with a final tone. "After you have killed everyone in the school, go to Ozpin's office. Find out what he's hiding there. Here," she goes over to hand Jaune a scroll, "this should help you with any security he may have placed in his systems." She smiles at his confused expression. "It was a gift from little Terra." Jaune nods in understanding and quickly moves to find the people that can help them. 'I hope his shop is still open.'
Everyone looks to a nervous looking Terra as she chuckles nervously and twiddles her thumbs. "W-Well, what can I say, I'm g-good with computers?" She said in a tiny voice.
Saphron kissed her on the cheek, earning a blush and look of confusion from her wife. She just giggled and hugged her, loving how her love helped their family out.
After he leaves, Jacob sighed and turns to his wife. "This is not how I expected our night to turn out." he says seriously.
Jeanne nods, "Neither did I." She narrows her eyes and with pride in her voice as the view shows a closeup of her face, she says "Once more, the Arcs will go to war. And, we shall have, vengence." She smiles at the screen before the screen switches over to a different location.
The adults didn't like the sound of this, and the students were scared of what they'll see next. The villains couldn't wait to see what will happen next. Everyone knows that something big was going to go down, many simply hoped that they would survive the coming storm, the parents hoping that their children would live.
END
And done! I hope you enjoyed the first part of this 3-shot, and how I depicted James' slow return to the light. I myself am an older brother, and if my baby bro got hurt, I would beat the crap out of the person that did it; so for Saphron to go all Spirit of Vengeance after witnessing her brother's murder, it shouldn't be all that OOC for her (especially when I gave clues as to how protective the Arcs are in regards to their family). Anyway, have a happy New Years I will see you guys next time!
1. If you all recall, I took the people from Vol 2, just before the dance but after the Atlas fleet arrived.
2. So yeah, forgot to mention this. But due to popularity of these children, they are now canonized within this story. Any time that we see Jaune having a family with those ladies, their children will always be those 4 (along with others if they have more).
3. Couldn't think of any other hackers that start with K; if you know the show you'll remember that she dressed up in a cheetah costume at one point.
4. And there it is! One of the major hints to Jaune's past!
5. Ivan the Terrible. Really tried going with someone else, but I couldn't make them fit as well as him in terms of being quick to the trigger.
6. Anastasia: Ivan the Terrible's first wife.
7. Remember, they don't know that the Joker is with them.
8. With how this sword works, it makes sense why it could bypass a person's Aura. The weapon is like a chainsaw, making 3 million round trips per second around the whole edge of the blade. If a normal chainsaw can cause Weiss to pass out (granted she made great use of her Semblance), then something that can spin hundreds of times faster will prove even deadlier. It also acts like a vibroblade, loosening the bonds between whatever it cuts in order to make slashes easier, which again only makes it more dangerous againt Huntsmen. The weapon also has a another ability, it can collect energy during combat by absorbing an opponent's power/attacks. The more power they release, the more powerful the blade becomes. This effectively allows an opponent's own energy to be used against them. If anyone can figure out the true name of the weapon, then you'd know that this can be one deadly tool to use against opponents whose main mode of defense relies on an energy shield that comes from the soul itself. This blade basically feeds off of power like that!