Chapter Ten: Oscar Vs. Hazel
Oscar ran through the trees, making a beeline for the abandoned school he had seen from the balcony. He blinked away the tears he had, having been upset at Maria for her insensitivity at his plight.
"Oscar!" Oobleck shouted, catching up to him. "Wait!"
"Don't try to convince me to come back with you," Oscar growled, looking at him and slowing down so that he could see him better.
"I ask you to wait so that you do not get too far ahead of me," Oobleck stood next to him now. "I believe this is not a foe we can face blindly or alone."
"So long as you are with me."
"Until my death, I will fight by your side, Oscar."
The two ran together to reach Beacon Academy, still several miles out.
"…Do you think I was too hard on Maria?"
"Maria has her own struggles she's dealing with. From what I could gather by talking with her and what she's said to others, she just doesn't like being compared to her grandmother. Because of her grandmother's past, her grandfather tends to put Maria to the same standard as Summer Rose, her grandmother. Maria resents that. I do not think she meant to insult your family like she did, but I understand your reaction."
"My grandfather died a noble death as well."
"Yes, but you weren't held to his standard. Your mother never wanted that for you."
Oscar sighed, thinking on his own past.
"Oscar's grandfather was Ozpin, as you're likely aware," Glynda began telling the story to Maria, lighting another cigarette. "And, that he died on your grandmother's quest to destroy the evil known as Cinder Fall."
"Yes, I know all that," Maria shrugged off another shudder.
"Of course," The Aura instructor nodded. "But, the thing is that his daughter, Oscar's mother, Ozpin's only child not with him on the voyage that first introduced him to the mask of bone, was raised by a family friend. He raised her as his own and she married his son."
"Doesn't seem bad so far."
"Well, at some point, fate decided to reveal itself to her, awakening the latent power within her."
"But, wait, she was born before Ozpin began his Aura training."
"If Ozpin had not had the potential to learn Aura, then he would not have been able to use it. The potential is always there, passed down from the parents to the child, but with no training, it is useless or underdeveloped. You are a rare exception. Aura runs very strong in your family, thanks to Ozpin's sacrifice. But, Oscar's mother, Ozminka, was touched by fate that she should continue in the family's tradition."
"But, why does Oscar hold family in such high regard then?"
"Because he had thought she had abandoned their family and left him and his siblings to fend for themselves after his father died. He grew up resenting her and eventually joined a gang to provide for his siblings. They were a gang that had gotten its start fifty years ago, the White Fang."
"That name sounds very familiar," Maria clenched a fist, scrunching her face up to try to remember.
"This particular gang was organized originally by Cinder Fall," Glynda looked Maria dead in the eye.
Oscar and Oobleck kept running, nearly making it to the school. It was in their vision, just in the distance, ready to swallow them, it looked like.
"Do you have a plan?" Oobleck asked.
"We could set fire to the school and burn them out?" Oscar suggested. "Then destroy them before they can turn to stone."
"Not a bad plan, but if only Salem is there, then we would have to be very careful. Hazel could arrive and then go into hiding."
"He's much too honorable for that." Oscar shook his head. "He would come to face us head on."
"True. Well, we should enter and defeat our foe."
Oscar gave him a quick nod as they entered a clearing, the school at the end of it.
Maria's jaw dropped as she took in this information. Oscar didn't seem like the type to ally with them.
"They were originally a group of cultists under one Corsac, the very same Corsac that dismembered women for his rituals. After Cinder's death, they became less organized and split off into several factions. One such faction was a gang. Of course, there was little loyalty to Cinder's cause with them, much preferring to commit petty crime. Oscar doesn't talk much about his time there, but he was very aware of the monstrous nature of the gang members. It's not confirmed whether or not they were all human or not. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them were ghasts."
"That's insane," Maria remembered the stories she'd heard about the White Fang from Tai. "Something like that still exists?"
"Well, Oscar took care of that."
Oscar, stopping in front of the school, looked around. Both he and Oobleck were on guard, fully prepared to battle whatever sort of creature escaped the building's confines.
The door opened and a strange form exited the building, wispy and smoky, like a candle that has almost died out.
"What is that?" Oobleck asked. "It is bigger than a man, but it seems to be smoke.
"It can't be a Grimmlord," Oscar narrowed his eyes. "They can't go out in the sun."
"Then what could it be?" Oobleck asked.
The smoky form struck, moving forward, the snow seeming to melt under its feet. Oscar dodged at the last second, falling back onto the snow. He sprung to his feet, summoning his Aura to do battle with the creature.
Oobleck wasn't so lucky, however, being struck in his leg by the form, his leg severing above the knee. The wound also seemed to cauterize, stopping it from bleeding. Oobleck screamed in pain, summoning Aura to defend himself, but the smoke attacked him again, knocking him unconscious.
Oscar rushed over to his mentor, summoning his Aura to defend him, the smoke moving to avoid it.
"Take this! Aura Air Cutter!" Oscar thrust his hands forward, a razor sharp wind carried by his Aura shooting forward to strike the smoky form where the legs should be. The smoky form dropped, a groan coming from it, but that was enough for Oscar to realize who he was fighting.
"Hazel!" Oscar shouted. "Your time to die is now!"
The smoky form, Hazel, stood up, looking at Oscar, his stance shaky from having his legs cut.
"You have improved slightly since we last fought, Oscar Pine," The Grimmlord gave a slight nod. "But, you are still too weak to face me."
"Don't underestimate me!" Oscar shouted. "You'll pay for what you did to my mother!"
"While he was in the gang, he was savage," Maria took a drag of her cigarette. "He fought like a ghast himself. It was a vicious monster this branch of the White Fang had created… or, I suppose it would be better to say 'set free' rather than created. At his core, Oscar is still that savage boy I had met those years ago. His Aura training has honed his savagery, turning it into something refined, but if he were to fight like he did those years ago, with the potential he has, I'm not sure even a Grimmlord would come out of the fight unscathed."
"Well, what does this have to do with his mother?" Maria asked. "You mentioned her there too, but this doesn't explain what this has to do with him having so much family honor."
"Well, when he fought, his opponents would often mention there was a jolt, like stepping on the third rail. This was his Aura. Upon the discovery of this feeling, the White Fang turned on him, the fear of Aura fresh in their minds. Whether this meant they were trying to act as if they were under Cinder or they weren't really human, I'm not sure. But, he killed every single one of them after they threatened his siblings. That entire branch of the White Fang was eliminated."
Maria looked in shock at the savagery Oscar could display. But, she shook her head, looking to Glynda to continue the story.
"It came to a head when he saw a woman who he knew was his mother. She was walking toward the very catacombs you saw the Atlesians had kept the Grimmlords. Oscar had decided to end her life as penance for her causing him to go down this dark path and for his siblings to have gone hungry like they had."
"Did he?" Maria interrupted.
"Did he what?"
"Did he kill her?"
"I'm getting to that," Glynda sighed. "Be patient, Maria."
Oscar ran toward Hazel once again, using his Razor Wind Aura to push himself closer, pulling back for a powerful punch infused with the Wind. As he reached the smoke, he was struck with a powerful kick in his side, which left a painful burning sensation. Hazel's legs had recovered, allowing him full use of their faculties. He sent a rush of flame through the kick, Oscar flipping over it to dodge.
"I will not let you get away this time!" Oscar flung Razor Wind at Hazel over and over, each attack pushing at the smoke surrounding Hazel. "For Willow! For my mother! And, for every innocent life that has passed through the mortal coil at the hands of your foul instruments of demonic sorcery! The curse of the bone masks ends today!"
Oscar ran forward, slamming his fist into the smoke, his Razor Aura Wind swirling the smoke. Hazel jumped backward, kicking off of Oscar and entering the school through the wall. With that, Oscar ran over to Oobleck, kneeling down next to him.
"Master Oobleck! Are you still alive?!"
"Go…" The weak reply emerged from Oobleck's lips as he struggled to maintain conscious with the blood flow. "I'll… be alright. A little Aura and I'll be right as rain. You must stop him before he manages to recover."
"He can only maintain that smoke for a short burst, most likely," Oscar put his hand on Oobleck's wound, a little Aura moving from his hand to Oobleck's body.
"Save… Save your Aura," Oobleck cautioned.
"This will be enough to slow the bleeding," Oscar nodded. "Be safe until Maria and Master get here. They'll heal you up."
Oobleck gave a solemn nod as Oscar ran into the school to do battle with his nemesis.
"As Oscar went to kill his mother, the one who had caused all this hurt, he caught sight of the very statues you saw little under a month ago. There stood his mother, watching them."
"What happened to her?"
"He shouted at her to let her know he would kill her. She turned to look at him, but there was no recognition in her eyes. She didn't even recognize her own son. This set Oscar into a rage, abut as he charged to attack her, the very statue you saw came to life in an attempt to snatch him up. But, at the very last second, his mother, Ozminka, pushed him out of harm's way. She told him to come train with me, recognizing the fire and potential of one trained in Aura, even if she didn't recognize him personally."
"That's… wow," Maria was at a loss for words, squeezing her hair in her hands as she chewed on that information. "No wonder he's so uptight about family honor and stuff. I get now why he has such hatred for them."
"Correct," Glynda nodded. "He realized that this was what she left the family to do; to prevent the Grimmlords from returning or to destroy them if they do. With her death, he carries on her will, as well as the will of his grandfather, Ozpin Pine, who fought with your grandmother."
"I get it," Maria nodded. "Well, when you put it that way, let's go get ol' Oscarino."
"Yes, we must," Glydna picked up her riding crop. "Before he gets himself into something he can't get out of."
Oscar entered the school through Hazel's hold he had made to enter. He stepped into the school with caution, looking around him. It was noticeably darker, the windows all boarded up, no sunlight penetrating the boards.
On the steps, Hazel stood, prepared for battle, the smoke having dissipated and uncovered his form.
"We finish this today," Oscar pointed at him, his anger at its boiling point. "For all who have suffered at your hands!"
"You speak words of courage, but it is clear you are repeating lines I've heard many, many times," Hazel crossed his arms.
"It matters not what words I spew at you, bastard!" Oscar shouted, wind whipping around him as his Aura trait burst to life, Aura Razor Wind preparing to do battle. "This is your last day on Remnant!"
Oscar threw attack after attack at Hazel. Hazel responded by opening his hands wide and letting a fireball shoot toward Oscar. Oscar just barely dodged, landing hard on the ground. The fireball had neutralized his Razor Aura Wind, sucking in all the air and consuming it to fuel its inferno. However, for its destructive power and warping of the air, it dissipated harmlessly when it hit the wall.
Oscar looked at the fireball, looking to Hazel, an idea forming in his mind. He leapt up, calling once again upon his Razor Aura Wind to attack Hazel. Hazel threw another fireball, this one much bigger than the last. Oscar once again dodged, singing his clothes this time, watching the fireball as it dissipated harmlessly against the wall.
"So that's it!" Oscar exclaimed. "You don't want to open the house up more, so you're controlling the fire! Well, it's time for me to use all my skills I learned from the White Fang."
With that, Oscar pulled from every last bit of Aura he had, a veritable whirlwind ripping through the air, debris in the run down school moving around him like an orbit, smashing into the ground. Hazel stood firm, almost as if he was unaffected by the raging storm in front of him. He threw a fireball toward Oscar, but the wind was too strong this time, snuffing it out. Oscar gave a yell as his Aura glowed around him.
"Slicing Blade of the Aura Wind; Aeroblast!" He threw his Aura attack behind him. The resulting devastation was catastrophic. The wall behind Oscar exploded, letting in the glorious sunlight that reflected off the snow. The wind carried in that snow, sunlight bouncing all around the room. The splinters of wood were shattered into dust by the windstorm that raced through them. The house itself shook from the force, even the floor around the opening was smashed around the area, even into the snow outside.
Hazel covered his face with his hands, feeling himself begin to turn to stone in flecks as the particles of snow acted like an array of mirrors. Oscar's Wind Aura held them aloft, keeping them trained on the Grimmlord. He held his hands outstretched as if holding a pair of dumbbells in a training exercise. His Aura was shining like a lighthouse, beating in tune with his furious breathing and the anger burning in his heart.
With a thrust forward of his arms, he let the wind whip through, creating a veritable tornado around Hazel. The snow particles were in perfect view so that they blocked no sun, but instead worked like a kaleidoscope of light, assaulting Hazel from all angles to turn his body to stone in dozens of places.
"This is where you die!" Oscar pointed at him. "This snow will bounce around the sunlight and attack you from all sides! Even if you use your fire, it will bounce off the melted water as well! And, with that knowledge, Hazel of the Grimmlords, die!" Oscar leapt up toward Hazel, preparing for the most devastating and savage attack of his Aura yet.
But, there was one miscalculation Oscar couldn't foresee, a miscalculation of a single second. In that single second, his body came in between Hazel and the sun, giving a brief shadow over the Grimmlord. And, like a true warrior, Hazel struck in that single second.
"Fire Dust Blast Burn!" He shouted as flames expelled themselves from all over his body, an explosion of fire and death. The heat of the fires alone was enough to melt and evaporate the snow that surrounded him. And, that evaporation nearly cooked Oscar alive. The Aura warrior was flung backwards from the force of the blast, which shook the house once again. Even the snow outside the hole Oscar had made melted within a ten foot radius.
Oscar fell to the ground, panting as his body ached. His Aura had protected him from being evaporated along with the water, but he was badly injured. His entire body was burned and parts of his skin had melted off, giving him a grotesque, almost zombie like appearance. But, despite the pain of his ravaged body, he still stood up, walking toward Hazel on legs that were mere moments from giving out on him.
"Enough, Aura warrior," Hazel spoke in a gentle voice, a sigh escaping his lips. "It is done. You have lost. My last attack has ravaged your body and made you unable to do anything else to attack me."
Oscar continued moving, reaching Hazel's position on the stairs. He threw two punches, but both had no strength behind them; it was clear that Oscar was in no condition to continue to battle the ancient warrior.
"Why do you continue?" Hazel asked in a slightly more demanding tone, growling in frustration. "You are beaten. A warrior knows when to admit defeat."
"A real warrior continues to fight," Every word Oscar spoke hurt him as his nearly destroyed lungs struggled to get air. "Even when he knows he will die. I will not die in vain."
With the last ounce of physical strength he had, Oscar lunged forward and grabbed Hazel's necklace. He fell backwards, landing hard on the floor, but managing to take the necklace with him. He held onto it, spitting out some of his blood.
"I give you this, Maria," He strained himself to speak, infusing his blood with the Aura left in his body, the necklace and his own headband in it. "Use it well. Maria!"
Half a mile outside the school, Maria stopped, Glynda looking at her.
"I just heard Oscar," Maria looked to the school. "Something isn't right…"
Wordlessly, Glynda picked up the pace, the two hurrying to get to the school.
Oscar looked up as the ceiling beam, a large column like one in an ancient colosseum, came crashing down. The column and the one nearby fell on top of him, forming a cross, almost a symbolic display of his martyrdom, though Oscar couldn't appreciate the symbolism. A single tear rolled down his face as he whispered the name of his rival, his partner, his friend.
"Maria."
Hazel looked at the warrior's grave and the bubble he had formed, walking away.
"It would not be right to dishonor his sacrifice," He spoke, more to himself. "Perhaps Maria will also provide a challenge. If it had been Mistress Salem instead of me, I shudder to think of the damage she would have sustained."
Maria and Glynda arrived at the school less than a minute later. They gasped at the sight of the damage that Oscar's attack had wrought on the old building. A nearly fifty foot hole showed the interior of the room that Oscar and Hazel had battled in. It was like a tornado had struck the room, destroying the wall and the room within.
They saw Oobleck on the ground, nearly unconscious.
Glynda ran over to him, shaking him gently.
"Mas…ter," His voice was weak and he was soaked from the melted snow around him. "Oscar… inside. Hurry."
Maria and Glynda ran into the room at that warning, looking for any sign of the Pine. There was no visible sign of him, though neither made a sound in reference to him. There was an ominous silence that hung in the room.
Maria's eyes scanned for a sign of activity, whether it be friend or foe. She saw no movement of life, her fist clenching and unclenching involuntarily. She saw a glint of red that caught her eyes. She turned to the object, walking over to it.
"Teach," She got Glynda's attention. Glynda jumped, almost as if she hadn't been paying any attention to anything.
"What?"
"Look at this bubble here," Maria pointed to the red bubble. It shone like a ruby and contained a necklace and a headband that was eerily, hauntingly familiar.
"That headband…" Glynda looked at it, eyes hardening. Maria touched it, the bubble popping and driving the Rose to her knees with a jolt stronger than any lightning strike could have brought her.
"This power," Maria clenched her fists. "This is Oscar's. This is his power. Now I know what my grandmother felt."
"How do you figure?" Glynda asked in a way that spoke volumes; like she knew the answer, but wanted to hear a different one, but still in a cold voice.
"My aunt Raven said that Oscar's grandfather gave my grandmother his last power, empowering her to fight Cinder. I don't know if this is a comparable amount of power, but the message is the same."
Glynda said nothing, eyes looking around the room.
"I haven't called his name once," Maria spoke without a target. "I… I didn't want to know what would happen. Because I was afraid of the answer being what I'm coming to expect."
"He always was so reckless," Glynda spoke softly, yet coldly. "But, we must be going. We have to stop them."
"Don't you even care?" Maria asked. "He was your best student. He idolized you, even when I wanted to punch your smoking hot teeth in. Show some sympathy."
"You've no idea if he even is." Glynda answered the unspoken point Maria was trying to make. "We have a war to finish."
"Are you fucking seri—" Maria stepped over to her, a crunch coming from under the pillar she stepped on. Glynda turned around, lighting a cigarette, putting it in the holder.
"Teach, your cigarette is in a holder," He pointed out to the blonde, who had put the end of the cigarette in her mouth, the holder hanging off of it.
"O-Oh, right," Glynda reversed it, though her teeth clenched a little harder on it than usual.
"Seems she's not so cold… She understands the stakes and knows we can't afford to hold on. I should probably take lessons from her…"
Maria looked down at the pillar she had stepped on, the crunch it gave off piquing her curiosity. She looked down to see the trickle of blood leaking from under it. Glynda followed her gaze, the holder dropping out of her mouth as tears began streaming down her face. It fell with an unnoticed clatter as she covered her face with her hands.
Maria felt her own tears falling, all the happy, sad, boring memories flooding to her in an instant.
"OOOOOOOSSSSSSCAAAAAAARRRRRR!" Her grief and anguish was lamented to the heavens with a scream as she slammed her fists down on the column, her heartbreak screaming out her lungs at full force.
It was a long moment before they stopped crying, holding each other by the end as they let their tears flow. Once they were finished, Glynda stood up first, steeling her resolve.
"We must be going," She said, sparing the column one last look. "Drink that antidote. We finish this tonight. Whether we die or the Grimmlords die, this will not continue past the morning."
"Yes ma'am!" Maria nodded, pocketing the necklace and following her Aura teacher into the bowels of the school, ready to confront whatever hell awaited them.
And, so fate brings the warrior of the Rose bloodline and her teacher to their true battle, the monsters responsible for their existence. They go bravely, spurned on by their loss. Who shall emerge victorious?
Welp, we're in the home stretch. I have about three more chapters and an epilogue planned. I hope you enjoy this chapter and each one after it.
I must admit, as the author, that I hate Oscar. Not in this story, in RWBY canon. I think he's a pathetic rehashing of Jaune's story with cheat codes (and don't get me started on Rosegarden...). But, I digress; I didn't pick him to be the Caesar stand-in because of his fate here. I picked him because of his relation to Ozpin. I also hoped that I would enjoy writing him. Of course, since his personality is different from canon, it was much easier and I did feel bad in writing his death scene, even if I knew it was coming.