Here we go.

Cover Art: Jack Wayne

Chapter 149

"You killed Arthur."

"Watts is dead? I had no idea-"

Jaune's words cut off into a scream as Salem lashed out and gripped the air in front of her, twisting the seal on his body until it felt like every bone in his body was breaking. His screams echoed through the chamber.

Salem held it longer than she needed to, turning Jaune's cries hoarse before releasing it and letting him collapse forward onto the table. Beside him, Cinder sat stiffly, eyes wide and hands clenched into fists, all too aware that could become her, that she was just as helpless.

"I did not ask for your witticisms, Ashari. Nor your lies. You killed Arthur. I know this as fact." Rising from her chair, Salem paced slowly around the table, for a moment passing behind him and out of sight.

So close. If he turned now, drew Crocea Mors and swung… then what? He could hurt her for a moment. Inconvenience her. Without all four Relics he couldn't kill her, and she could use her magic just as easily to bring him low. Jaune panted for air instead, letting her tut at his back and hoping she would be too desperate for competent minions to kill him. She didn't have many left now.

"I'm aware that Arthur struck the first blow," she said. "His fate is not unearned. I will not abide more lies. Did you release him unto Atlas interrogation before his death?"

"N-No." Jaune rasped. "I faked a rescue and killed him after."

Salem nodded. "Good. Not only that you did, but that you didn't lie. Arthur may be dead, but his contacts remain, his spies, and had you claimed otherwise I would have known. You are fortunate that I am so merciful." His heart seized as she twisted a finger. "Merciful enough to let you off with this clear warning."

He collapsed when she released it. Clutching his chest with one hand, he glared at a quietly cackling Tyrian, considering for a second revealing his hand in things. It would be a petty revenge, however. It would also drive Tyrian against him and possibly endanger Emerald and Vernal.

"Arthur and Hazel are gone. The Spring and Fall maidens are in Ozma's hands. Lionheart is dead. Atlas is alerted to the viruses I had Arthur place in their systems. The White Fang is no more." Salem came to a halt with her back to them, hands linked behind and eyes staring out the closest window. "Is there any good news to this? Ashari," she barked, "What of your… experiments?"

The fact she wanted to know meant she classed his research as one of her biggest edges, which was probably why she was prepared to keep him alive. He was important now, more so than ever with her allies dropping like flies around her.

"It shows promise," he said, voice still a croaking and hoarse mess. "Watts' sabotage will push things back, mostly because other people will be hesitant to get inside if they hear what happened to Winter. The technology works. Once people see it's safe, they'll be willing to use it."

"And can it be rolled out across Remnant?"

"It's not efficient enough yet," he said. "But my people are working on making it so. General Ironwood is aware of the threat of dust running out now and he's determined to see it rolled out worldwide. I think Ozpi- Ozma is as well."

"He would be. The continued existence of Remnant benefits him just as much as it does me. This is good. Excellent, even. If we can continue to limit the use of dust then I have more time. Remnant has more time."

"Time for what, goddess?" Tyrian asked.

"Time to prepare for the next great war. Time to prepare for my next strike against Ozma and the peoples of Remnant."

Ozpin had been right. He'd called this, and he knew her best so it shouldn't have been a surprise he was on the mark. Salem was giving up. Or rather, she was consolidating. Surrendering this generation so she could work on the next. Damn it. If she'd kept going then he could have brought this to Ozpin and forced him to keep fighting against her.

He had to try.

"We're giving up?" he shouted. "Why?" Her finger twisted. Jaune's soul trembled. "Arghhh!"

"You know full well why. We have never been weaker than we are right now, nor has Ozma ever been stronger. We have lost every advantage we have, from manpower with the White Fang to inside information from Lionheart and the ability to take over the CCT with Arthur. We have even lost the element of surprise since Amber went and died, passing on the maiden power not to Cinder as we had agreed but unto some stupid girl in Mistral."

Pyrrha. Well, Amber hadn't passed it on so much as had it stolen, but it was news to hear she'd struck a deal to give it to Cinder. Not news that she'd joined Salem, since he'd been the one to kill her when she turned on him, but he was surprised Amber had promised to think of Cinder with her dying breath.

Anything to stay alive, I guess. Why is it that so many of the maidens end up being cowards?

Probably because the brave maidens, like Pyrrha, ended up dead.

"On the other hand, Ozma has his loyal lapdogs in Beacon, access to a pool of huntsmen from the school itself, an alliance with the strongest military nation and also two out of four maidens. And I daresay he knows where the Winter Maiden is, too. He also has access to the Relic of Choice and even the Relic of Knowledge should he need them. Fighting him now is hopeless."

There was no arguing with that, was there? He wanted to – he wanted to give her a good reason to fight so that he could fight against her, but she would have to be an idiot to think she was in any position to. He'd worked so hard to clip her wings that he hadn't actually thought about what would happen when he did.

I weakened the impact she can have, but I've also weakened myself as well. I always assumed everyone would want to fight her to the bitter end, but we only did that because everything was fucked anyway. For Summer, Taiyang and Qrow, the world is still a wonderful place.

Why would they want to throw that all away to try and fight Salem when she was already retreating? Had the situations been reversed and he and Pyrrha and Nora and Ren were still a team, he wouldn't have wanted to throw that away to chase a monster like Salem either.

"Tyrian." Salem turned to her most loyal servant. "I want you in charge of finding replacements for you all. Find the strongest, the most skilled, the most intelligent, and ensure they are loyal to my cause. You will have the honour of shaping them all."

"My goddess." He stood, clapped a hand to his chest and wobbled on his feet. "It would be my honour. I'll make sure they're the best – hee hee! They'll adore you. No, they'll love- no, they will worship you as I do!"

He didn't even care that she used the word replacement. All he cared for was that he was being relied upon. In that way Tyrian had gotten exactly what he wanted.

Cinder, less so.

"Replaced?" she asked, picking her words carefully but unable to hide her simmering anger. "What do you mean replaced, ma'am? I can still fight. I am strong, I promise. I have-"

"One strong servant does not an army make," Salem interrupted. "Worry not, you won't be ignored. You can work to train Tyrian's recruits with him, and the moment one of Ozma's maidens is let out of Beacon you will go and kill them. The sooner those are released back into the pool, the better. We must first return to the status quo before I can work against Ozma."

"This isn't what was agreed on!" Cinder's palms slapped down on the table and she stood. All eyes were on her, a fact she quickly realised, paling drastically. "I mean, the plan was-"

"The plan has changed." Salem raised a hand and Cinder tensed.

"I think she's just confused." Jaune stood before the torture could begin, distracting Salem for a brief second. "Cinder is young and doesn't fully understand the point you're making. She wasn't trying to second guess you. Right, Cinder?"

Golden eyes flicked to him. Her head bobbed quickly. "Y-Yes. I apologise."

Salem looked neither amused nor convinced, yet she waved a hand dismissively, seeming not to care so long as no one was interrupting her. Cinder took her chance to collapse back into her seat, shaken by the near brush with what Jaune had already gone through. Despite all her selfishness, there was naked gratitude in the look she sent him.

"You will all have parts to play in weakening Ozma." Salem announced. "More parts than ever with Hazel and Arthur gone. That is all we shall do, however. Weaken. The war is concluded for now. This is but a minor setback, a reprieve for him and his side. It won't last."

For her, maybe. For the rest of them this reprieve would last a lifetime.

/-/

Cinder was unusually quiet through the rest of the meeting, rising and bowing as they did once Salem was done. Lacking Tyrian's enthusiasm, she followed Jaune out the hall and away, waiting for the portal that would take them both back to the Branwen tribe and then away to Beacon. Once they were far away from Salem, in the depths of her tower, she spoke.

"Do you think she would change her mind if she knew I'm the Summer Maiden?"

Jaune considered it for a moment. "Do you think she would?"

"No." Cinder's eyes closed frustratedly. "I'm not young or an idiot," she argued. "I know why she wants to stop our plans and bide her time."

"I know. I was just making the excuse to save you."

"I know." Cinder whispered his words back at him. "Thank you." Then, as if that momentary niceness hurt her, she added, "You deserved what you got. Going against her to kill Watts so brazenly was bound to backfire. I'm surprised she didn't kill you. I would have if it were me in her shoes."

"How sweet of you." Jaune chuckled. "I guess I'm too important to her future plans to kill. Or my connections to the SDC are. Salem is afraid of what will happen if all the dust runs out and the planet becomes a lifeless rock she's stuck on for all eternity. No matter how angry she is at me, the project I'm in charge of will save her from that fate. I think that's enough to convince her to spare me." He rubbed his chest. "Though not to forgive."

He didn't so much mind the alternate energy project keeping Salem alive if it meant keeping everyone else alive. What was the point of them fighting to kill her at all if Remnant was doomed to die when dust ran out? Maybe Ozpin hadn't thought it important to warn them because there was nothing they could do about it. Or maybe he thought ignorance was bliss, or that humanity would find its own solution in the time it took for dust to run out completely. Either way, he wanted there to be a world left after Salem was gone.

"What now?" she asked. "Salem promised me power and the means to use it but now she wants to spend the next fifty years recruiting, training and building a powerbase for her next war. It won't be in my lifetime because unless those maidens under Ozpin's sway die, she'd going to wait for them to die of old age."

And since Pyrrha and Nora were a similar age to Cinder, it wouldn't be anything she would have life left enough to enjoy.

"I don't think you should tell her you're the Summer Maiden."

Cinder looked up at him with narrowed eyes. "Why?"

"Think. You already know she wants new servants, fresh minions. They'll need to be in their prime for when Salem wants to start her next offensive. Will you be in your prime at that age?" He looked down on her. "What do you think she'll do if she finds out her elderly servant has that power, and when her younger, fresher and stronger ones don't?"

The sharp intake of breath told him she'd figured it out. Salem would have her killed. That wasn't anything he'd planned out, but it was obvious. Once Salem had her new forces ready to go, she wouldn't want to take the risk of Cinder dying to a random disease or heart attack. No, it would be much safer to take a young girl Cinder had trained up for the task and have her murder her teacher. Maybe it would be phrased as a test of loyalty or something, but either way Salem would manufacture a way for the Summer Maiden's power to leave Cinder and enter her replacement.

"This… This wasn't what was agreed…"

"You know what they say about deals with the devil."

"No." Cinder shook her head. "I refuse to let that happen!"

"It might not if you don't tell her," he reasoned. "I won't be the one who does."

He was aware of her sudden cold gaze on him and what it meant. He was now a weakness to her. If he told Salem about her powers, she would be in danger. Right now, he knew she was considering killing him. Or whether she could at all. Jaune gave her the moment, curious what she would decide. Eventually, Cinder looked away.

"I will hold you to that."

He smiled. "Don't worry, I'm having second thoughts about my deal with her as well. I'm looking for a way out. You can keep that little piece of blackmail on me."

"We can't escape with these marks on us."

We, huh? That was quick. Not that he could blame her after what she'd heard. Even if Salem never found out about the maiden power inside her, Cinder's future prospects didn't look good. She would be used to weaken Ozpin, thrown into missions without allies, without the element of surprise and without much chance of success, all because if she managed to kill someone in her dying breath, Salem's position in forty or more years would be better.

Cinder wasn't used to being so expendable. She'd been promised maiden power, promised a key position on Salem's council and probably lots of other things in the new world Salem would create. All of which was empty now because Salem wouldn't be creating anything in their lifetime.

"I may have been looking into a way to fix that." He rubbed his chest again. "That's not a big surprise after how much she's used it on me, is it? I think I can remove them."

"You think…?"

"I practiced it on Watts before he died."

Cinder looked ahead, eyes wide. "Oh. Did it… work…?"

"Yes." Jaune let that sink in.

"Could you…" Cinder trailed off. "Hypothetically speaking, would it be possible to take it off someone without killing them?"

"I'm banking on it. The problem is what we – or whomever we're hypothetically speaking about – might do afterwards. Salem wouldn't want those people back and might even want to kill them. She might not, but the chance is there. I don't think Ozpin would trust those people either, though he might welcome them."

"From being a tool to one person to another. I doubt he would offer anything other than the joy of redeeming oneself. I didn't agree to this for nothing. I want power. I need-"

"You have power, Cinder. You're the Summer Maiden."

"I… Yes…" She looked down at her hands as though only just realising that. "I do have power. I have everything I wanted… though I don't know how to use any of it."

"I can provide a place for you to practice."

Her head snapped toward him. "Why? Why are you doing this? You're covering for me, helping me, protecting me from her wrath. You're trying to win my loyalty. Why? What do you want? Say it clearly," she demanded. "I signed my life away to Salem for this power and she failed to deliver. You did not. What do I have to sign away to you? My loyalty? My body? My soul?"

"Does it have to be like that?"

"Yes. I don't discount that there are… sentimental people out there, but you're not one of them. You killed Watts. You probably killed Hazel. You destroyed the White Fang. The fact you did all that and yet you're… nice to me is a clear sign." Her lips twisted at the word. "You want something from me." Huffing, she added, "I'm not above giving it. What is it you want? You're more reliable than Salem at delivering on your promises at least. I'll listen."

Listen, but not follow. Cinder had everything she wanted, so why align herself with anyone? Jaune supposed he could have made the power of the Summer Maiden conditional. He could make the removal of her mark conditional on her serving him now. All he needed to do was demand she fight with him against Salem.

Except he had no way to be sure she would.

"I don't really want anything other than to keep myself and my loved ones safe. Emerald and Vernal aren't maidens, you've seen that yourself, so you don't have any reason to dislike them."

"Other than Vernal being the most annoying person alive?" Cinder spat.

He laughed. "Other than that. As for you, well, I won't demand your loyalty or anything like that. But…" He watched her eyes narrow. "We had an alliance before, didn't we? An agreement to work together to keep secrets and serve our own interests. I wouldn't say no to that again."

An alliance implied equals. An alliance implied agreement. Consent. Choice.

Cinder hummed and turned back to look ahead, leading Jaune to a room from where he could contact Raven for a portal. He sent off a text in silence, letting her think.

"What would this… alliance entail…?"

"Covering each other from Salem's wrath if she comes after us for leaving her. Working together to make sure neither of us is vulnerable. In return, I'll give you a place to practice your new magic in secret. I'll even spar against you if that helps."

Understanding dawned. "Because the stronger I am, the more I can help if Tyrian or anyone else comes after you or your daughters." Sad as it was to say, the fact she had a reason to believe him manipulative helped her trust him more. Now that Cinder could see the angle, she wasn't quite so tense. "That would benefit me as well," she said. "I need time and practice with this power, neither of which I can easily obtain at Beacon. If Salem did come after you, it would also mean she would come after me eventually, so we'd both be targets anyway."

"You more so than me if she ever found out you're a maiden."

"True." Cinder took a deep breath and let it go. When she spoke again her voice was imperious and confident. "Your offer intrigues me. I would be interested in discussing more later, perhaps after you're sure we can be free of these marks in the first place. For now, let's say I'm interested and will keep this a secret."

"Glad to hear it." He watched the red portal appear. "You can tell me your decision at the ASH Gym when and if you make it. There's no rush for now, though the moment I take our marks off, I'll need an answer."

Cinder nodded. "You'll have it by then."

/-/

"Well?"

Ozpin asked the question impatiently and Jaune ground his teeth under all the attention. It wasn't just Ozpin in the office. There was Glynda, Summer, Qrow and even Taiyang in attendance, all the people Ozpin relied on for his war against Salem this generation. All stakeholders in the battle, and all desperate to know what their spy among her ranks had discovered.

"Salem is retreating," he forced out. "She's recruiting and training for the future."

The news was greeted with whoops and cheers. Taiyang swept Summer up and spun her around, lifting her up in the air as she giggled. Qrow whoop-whooped like some late night clubber and while Glynda's reaction was far more mature, she still allowed a pleased smile and removed her glasses, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief as if she'd never imagined the day of their victory.

Except it wasn't a victory.

"This is just a reprieve," Jaune stated angrily. "Salem said so herself. She's already planning ways to weaken Beacon, including killing the Fall and Spring Maidens the second they graduate."

The laughter faded. Summer's feet touched the floor.

"Right now, Tyrian is looking for the best and brightest to serve her and he's been tasked with making them as fanatical as he is! She mentioned Ironwood by name, which means she probably wants to kill him, not to mention anyone that Ozpin has who might be considered an asset. That includes everyone here."

Every word crushed the atmosphere they'd been building, and while he hated to be the one to do it, he wouldn't accept this half-assed effort Ozpin wanted to put forward. It might be a victory to drive a Grimm away from a village, but this wasn't the same thing. Salem was an intelligent creature who would come back time and time again.

"This would always be the case." Ozpin spoke slowly, calmly, and that same calm radiated over the people there. All except for Jaune. "The threat to the maidens will always exist, and it is our responsibility to guide and protect them. Under the tutelage of us all, Miss Nikos and Valkyrie will come stronger than ever. Under our watchful gaze, they will reach maturity. As for James, he will be aware of the danger and I trust him to look after himself. He is no Lionheart to be driven away in fear."

No, he was in some ways worse if Atlas was really pressured. Jaune had seen the worst of the man he now called friend and didn't want it to happen again. "Tyrian is no simple threat. He can ignore anyone's aura."

"We will hunt him. Obviously. I do not mean to say we will let our guards down and retire to live on the beach. We are all still huntsmen and huntresses." He paused for Summer, Taiyang and Qrow to nod. "We will do all we can to find and defeat Tyrian Callows, and anyone else Salem should try and recruit. That does not mean we can't enjoy this moment of peace, however."

Jaune's teeth ground together.

"There are things we can do for good." Ozpin went on. "The White Fang is gone but if we can further heal the rift between humans and faunus then we can prevent another uprising. There are villages that can be fortified, Mistral needs time to heal the wounds Lionheart left behind and the Vytal Festival looms. We're going to be plenty busy soon enough and knowing we need not fear Salem during this time is good news in my mind."

The others were nodding. Summer leaned against her husband's shoulder and shot Jaune a sympathetic smile. "Come on, Jaune. You don't spend enough time with Emmy and Vernal as it is. You can afford to take some time off and be a father to them."

"Are you… Are you saying I neglect them…?"

"She's not," Taiyang said. "Only that you're so focused on stopping Salem that you've not been around lately. You need to take a break. We all appreciate the hard work you put in." More nods. "But we're your friends. If you keep up like this, you're going to work yourself into an early grave. I know it's hard, especially with Winter and all, but this is also a chance to focus on helping her, too."

They were so desperate to end the war. How could he blame them? Could he blame them at all? He and the others in the last timeline would have made the exact same choice.

"What about when she comes back?" Jaune asked. "What about when she returns and it's up to Ruby and Yang to fight them. What then? Will you be happy as old people hearing how they're risking their lives because we were too eager to drop everything and let Salem escape?"

"Hey." Taiyang took a step forward. "That's not fair. We've been fighting for twenty years! It's not like we're being lazy."

"Then let's fight for two more!" Jaune stood and held out his arms. "Salem is at her weakest – she said so herself. If we were to strike at her now then even if we couldn't kill her, we could reduce her to nothing. We could take away everything she has, leave her with nothing and maybe win two or three generations of peace. As much as we might need."

Ozpin closed his eyes and sighed. "Could you all leave me to have a quiet word with Mr Ashari here? Nothing untoward I assure you," he said when Summer looked worried. "I only want to explain to him why this is not wise, why we should take the victory we have." He smiled at them all, the gesture appearing grandfatherly even from the body of a child. "Enjoy yourselves in the meanwhile. Look forward to days ahead where our greatest stress will be simple paperwork and dealing with children."

They left slowly, reluctantly in some cases, less so in others. Jaune let them, knowing they'd side with Ozpin if he asked them anyway. As he would do if he was in their shoes. Ozpin was patient enough to let them go before speaking again.

"We can talk freely now, Jaune."

"This is a mistake. We need to finish Salem now."

"I have agreed with that line of thinking in the past and it has led to ruin more times than I care to admit. Generations where we won, where Salem was driven back, thrown away because I got greedy and tried to chase her down." He shook his head. "I won't make that mistake again."

"We can kill her."

"How can you kill that which is immortal, Jaune…?"

"By using the Relics and forging them into a weapon."

Ozpin stilled. The shock showed in his eyes, but only for a moment. "How do you know of that?" he demanded. "It shouldn't be possible-"

"Salem mentioned it," he lied. "As a way to kill an immortal. You."

Ozpin leaned back. He must have been wondering if that were true or not, why Salem would endanger herself by admitting this to anyone at all. He couldn't call Jaune out on it, however.

"There is a way. What you speak of is true." Ozpin ran a hand down Oscar's face. "It is too dangerous. I know not how you know but it would require all four Relics to be brought together. That alone risks Salem's victory. It risks everything."

"You're already risking everything, Ozpin. Your plan is to keep fighting, keep pushing her back, but Salem only needs to win once to end this. All she needs to do is get the Relics once and Remnant is done for. If you give her enough tries like this, she'll win eventually. It's just a matter of time."

"Even if she does, it won't be the end."

"How can you say that? She intends to wipe out almost everyone on Remnant."

"It wouldn't be the first time that has happened."

Jaune stilled. His eyes widened. "No…"

"When the Gods departed, they destroyed almost every single person on the planet. That is the kind of massacre they caused. The Ashari were born of that and we helped them as much as we could but they too perished, giving birth to a new peoples, a peoples who also perished. Civilizations rise and fall, Mr Ashari. That is something I've experienced numerous times."

"You can't mean-"

"I do my best to help them all, but should Salem succeed and wipe the slate almost clean, well, it will be back to square one for me, but I will be reborn. I will be in a weaker position, yes, but I will be able to fight her still. I will rise up from within her own empire and bring about her defeat."

"But we… Vale, Atlas, Vacuo and Mistral. We'd all be destroyed…"

"As the lands before yours were destroyed. As the Ashari were. Nothing lasts forever, nothing but two bitter immortals. My pledge is to humanity, to do my best to protect humanity. It is not to Vale. It is not to Atlas, Mistral or Vacuo, nor to Beacon and anyone within it. It is to humanity as a whole, and the best way of ensuring humanity has a chance is not in bringing the four Relics together. It is not in risking Remnant in one last charge against Salem. It is in taking the opportunity we have to prepare. It is in withstanding."

"It's in letting her win if it means humanity continues?" Jaune asked.

"If it came to that, yes." Ozpin sighed. "I would not enjoy it, but if the best way to keep the whole of humanity alive was to let a large portion of it die? Well, it wouldn't be the first time such a horrific event has come to pass. Nor, I imagine, will it be the last."

"You're insane."

Ozpin smiled bitterly. "Maybe I am, Jaune. Maybe I am. I'm old, tired and longing for the long sleep of death. Instead, I'm stuck warring against a woman I loved with all my heart. Spend a few thousand years in my shoes and see how much saner you are."

"I'm going after her." Jaune said. "I'm going to kill Salem."

"You're going to get yourself killed if you try. Not by me – I'm no enemy of yours – but by her or her people. I'll ask you not to, Jaune. I do care for you. I would rather you live a peaceful life with your daughters."

"Not if it means putting them on the frontlines later."

"What will you do? Who will fight with you? I won't let any of my people aid you, Jaune. It's too dangerous."

"I'll find my own allies," Jaune snarled, turning away.

"I wish you luck with that, Jaune. I truly do."

The screen fizzled and turned to static. It was turned off a moment later, Jaune moving his finger from the play button. He looked up over the terminal toward the man sat behind it, his grizzled face creased with lines from his deep frown. General James Ironwood let out a long and angry sound, reaching over to delete the copy of the recording on his computer.

"You've been keeping secrets," he growled.

"I don't deny it."

"I want answers, Ashari. If you want my help, that is the price. I won't support someone moving against Ozpin unless you tell me the full story."

"Will you believe me if I do? It's quite unreasonable."

"I live in a world of magic, immortal wizards and meddling gods. I think I can accept whatever nonsense you're about to tell me." He stared at the screen where Ozpin's face had been playing moments before. "If nothing else, I trust you want what is best for us. Not humanity, not some nebulous future version of us ten thousand years down the line, but the lives I have sworn to protect here and now. The lives of your children, your fiancée and those you call friend."

"I do." Jaune sat. "You might want a drink. And someone capable of running a blood test."

The new update for Stellaris is coming out soon and I am super excited for it. Love that game so much; I have around 400 hours on it, though admittedly I bought it when it first came out. It's changed a lot since then. Such a complicated game to get into, but a fun one to master.

Next Chapter: 17th April

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur